Required Qualifications: Masters in physics/chemistry/mathematics (or) MTech in bioengineering, chemical (or) Masters in any traditional field of science with outstanding performance throughout the program. Candidate should have cleared GATE/UGC-CSIR examinations. Applicant should have done basic mathematics courses like calculus, differential equations, numerical analysis etc in their degree program and have obtained good grades in those courses. Knowledge of MATLAB and C or at least one traditional programming language is absolutely necessary. Strong inclination to understand biological concepts is a must for this research work as this project is about modeling biological systems.

Salary: A fixed salary of Rs 18000 PM including HRA will be paid.

Last date for application: This advertisement is open until suitable candidate is found for the project.

Preferred Qualifications: - Expertise in dynamical systems theory, bifurcation theory, numerical simulations, parameter estimation.

Independence and high motivation for carrying out interdisciplinary research. - Excellent communication skills and ability to work independently. - Good working habits.

Interested candidates should submit both curriculum vitae and statement of interest in PDF format to sriramk@iiitd.ac.in and should clearly mention in the subject "Application for SRF".

GA4GH core funders and sponsors enable our work and allow us to convene the international genomic data sharing community.

https://www.ga4gh.org/

Address of the bookmark: https://www.ga4gh.org/

According to a preliminary report posted on December 19 by the COG-UK Consortium scientists, as of December 15, 1,623 variant genomes have been sequenced. In a December 21 tweet, COG-UK Consortium said that it added 2,963 more genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2, of which 942 (32%) belong to the new variant. The Consortium intends to sequence 20,000 more SARS-CoV-2 genomes in the next two weeks to further ascertain the spread of the variant.

There is no clear proof, at least not yet, that it does cause severe pandemic. But there is a justification for seriously taking the possibility. Another coronavirus lineage in South Africa has acquired one specific mutation that is also present in B.1.1.7. This variant is increasingly spreading across South Africa's coastal regions. And doctors have observed in preliminary research that individuals infected with this variant bear a higher viral load-a higher concentration of the virus in their upper respiratory tract. In many viral diseases, this is associated with more severe symptoms.

https://www.genome.gov/event-calendar/perspectives-in-comparative-genomics-and-evolution

Address of the bookmark: https://www.genome.gov/event-calendar/perspectives-in-comparative-genomics-and-evolution

The First time when you login to the remotehost from a localhost, it will display the host key not found message and you can give “yes” to continue. The host key of the remote host will be added under .ssh2/hostkeys directory of your home directory, as shown below.

localhost$ ssh -l jit remotehost.example.com

jit@remotehost.example.com password:

remotehost.example.com$

The Second time when you login to the remote host from the localhost, it will prompt only for the password as the remote host key is already added to the known hosts list of the ssh client.

localhost$ ssh -l jit remotehost.example.com
jit@remotehost.example.com password:
remotehost.example.com$

For some reason, if the host key of the remote host is changed after you logged in for the first time, you may get a warning message as shown below. This could be because of various reasons such as 1) Sysadmin upgraded/reinstalled the SSH server on the remote host 2) someone is doing malicious activity etc., The best possible action to take before saying “yes” to the message below, is to call your sysadmin and identify why you got the host key changed message and verify whether it is the correct host key or not.

localhost$ ssh -l jit remotehost.example.com

jit @remotehost.example.com's password:
remotehost$

4. Debug SSH Client:

Sometimes it is necessary to view debug messages to troubleshoot any SSH connection issues. For this purpose, pass -v (lowercase v) option to the ssh as shown below.

Example without debug message:

        localhost$ ssh -l jit remotehost.example.com
        warning: Connecting to remotehost.example.com failed: No address associated to the name
        localhost$

Example with debug message:

        locaclhost$ ssh -v -l jit remotehost.example.com
        debug: SshConfig/sshconfig.c:2838/ssh2_parse_config_ext: Metaconfig parsing stopped at line 3.
        debug: SshConfig/sshconfig.c:637/ssh_config_set_param_verbose: Setting variable 'VerboseMode' to 'FALSE'.
        debug: SshConfig/sshconfig.c:3130/ssh_config_read_file_ext: Read 17 params from config file.
        debug: Ssh2/ssh2.c:1707/main: User config file not found, using defaults. (Looked for '/home/jit/.ssh2/ssh2_config')
        debug: Connecting to remotehost.example.com, port 22... (SOCKS not used)
        warning: Connecting to remotehost.example.com failed: No address associated to

5. Escape Character: (Toggle SSH session, SSH session statistics etc.)

Escape character ~ get’s SSH clients attention and the character following the ~ determines the escape command.
Toggle SSH Session: When you’ve logged on to the remotehost using ssh from the localhost, you may want to come back to the localhost to perform some activity and go back to remote host again. In this case, you don’t need to disconnect the ssh session to the remote host. Instead follow the steps below.

i. Login to remotehost from localhost: localhost$ssh -l jit remotehost
ii. Now you are connected to the remotehost: remotehost$
iii. To come back to the localhost temporarily, type the escape character ~ and Control-Z. When you type ~ you will not see that immediately on the screen until you press and press enter. So, on the remotehost in a new line enter the following key strokes for the below to work: ~

    remotehost$ ~^Z
    [1]+  Stopped                 ssh -l jit remotehost
    localhost$

iv. Now you are back to the localhost and the ssh remotehost client session runs as a typical unix background job, which you can check as shown below:

    localhost$ jobs
    [1]+  Stopped                 ssh -l jit remotehost

v. You can go back to the remote host ssh without entering the password again by bringing the background ssh remotehost session job to foreground on the localhost

    localhost$ fg %1
    ssh -l jit remotehost
    remotehost$

Why Normalize RNA-Seq Data?

Normalization is a crucial step in RNA-Seq analysis for the following reasons:

• Sequencing depth: Different RNA-Seq experiments produce varying numbers of reads, making direct comparisons between samples misleading.

• Gene length: Longer genes inherently generate more reads, irrespective of their actual expression level.

• Bias reduction: Normalization mitigates technical biases, enabling meaningful biological interpretation.

TPM (Transcripts Per Million)

TPM measures the proportion of reads mapped to a transcript, normalized by transcript length and sequencing depth. It is calculated as:

Key Features:

1. Proportionality: TPM values sum to 1,000,000 across all transcripts in a sample, making it easier to compare between samples.

2. Intuitive interpretation: TPM values directly represent the abundance of transcripts in a sample.

3. Preferred for comparisons: TPM facilitates between-sample comparisons better than FPKM.

FPKM (Fragments Per Kilobase Million)

FPKM normalizes read counts by transcript length and sequencing depth, but without enforcing proportionality like TPM. It is defined as:

Key Features:

1. Historical significance: FPKM was one of the first normalization methods used for RNA-Seq.

2. Single-end vs. paired-end: In paired-end sequencing, FPKM becomes RPKM (Reads Per Kilobase Million).

3. Limited utility: FPKM values are not as robust as TPM for cross-sample comparisons due to lack of proportionality.

CPM (Counts Per Million)

CPM normalizes raw read counts by sequencing depth, without considering gene length. It is expressed as:

Key Features:

1. Simplicity: CPM is straightforward and computationally less intensive.

2. Application: Suitable for non-length-dependent analyses, such as comparing total expression levels or differential expression analysis.

3. Gene length agnostic: CPM does not correct for gene length, making it less ideal for measuring expression levels.

When to Use Each Method

• TPM: Best for comparing expression levels between samples, especially when transcript length and sequencing depth vary.

• FPKM: Useful for historical consistency but generally replaced by TPM.

• CPM: Ideal for differential expression analysis when gene length normalization is unnecessary.

Conclusion

Choosing the right normalization method depends on the specific objectives of your RNA-Seq analysis. TPM’s proportionality and robustness make it the preferred choice for most applications, while CPM serves well for differential expression studies. Although FPKM paved the way for RNA-Seq normalization, it has largely been supplanted by TPM in modern workflows. Understanding these methods and their nuances ensures accurate and meaningful interpretations of RNA-Seq data.

References:

1. Li, B., & Dewey, C. N. (2011). RSEM: accurate transcript quantification from RNA-Seq data with or without a reference genome. BMC Bioinformatics.

2. Trapnell, C., et al. (2010). Transcript assembly and quantification by RNA-Seq reveals unannotated transcripts and isoform switching during cell differentiation. Nature Biotechnology.

3. Law, C. W., et al. (2014). voom: precision weights unlock linear model analysis tools for RNA-seq read counts. Genome Biology.

Source:http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1114866

Another video on precision medicine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi8W0yOXnzE

Precision Medicine basically intergrates bioinformatics, genomics , genetics, molecular biology and nanotechnology to deliver precise cure/diagnotics to a specific patient.

Examples:

• The drug imatinib (Gleevec) designed to inhibit an altered enzyme produced by a fused version of two genes found in chronic myelogenous leukemia.
• The breast cancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) works only for women whose tumors have a particular genetic profile called HER-2 positive.

E.g. source :

http://www.bionews-tx.com/news/2013/08/15/how-the-impact-of-cancer-genomics-on-precision-medicine-is-revolutionizing-cancer-treatment/

Address of the bookmark: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50149783n

Address of the bookmark: http://www.phyloxml.org/

Applications are invited for admission to the Ph.D. programme in the Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta for the year 2014 from eligible candidates who would be placed under the departmental teachers or affiliated research supervisors for the pursuance of their Ph.D. programme.

Candidates are requested to download the Ph.D. admission test application form from the University website and apply in the prescribed proforma by paying Rs. 100/- through a challan available through different University Cash counters. The challan is to be duly forwarded through the Head, Department of Biophysics, Molecular Biology & Bioinformatics, University of Calcutta.

The completed application form with a copy of the paid challan is to be submitted to the office of the Department by April 16, 2014.

Syllabus for the Test: The questions for the admission test and interview will be based on topics in the following areas:

Mathematical methods, Molecular and Cellular Biophysics, Molecular and Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Plant Biology, Developmental biology, Neurobiology, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics.

However, the interview will be primarily based on the research emphasis of the candidate. Candidates must clearly indicate the program in which they want to apply.

Date of Admission test : April 22, 2014 (Tuesday)

Date of publication of selection list for the interview : April 22, 2014(Tuesday)

Date of Interview : April 23, 2014 (Wednesday)

Number of vacancies for the Ph.D. programme : 12

Reservation policy will be followed as per rules.

Candidates with valid NET/GATE/M.Phil. or equivalent qualifications are not required to appear at the admission test but would need to qualify in the interview.

Advertisement:

http://www.caluniv.ac.in/admission%20notice/PHD_BIO_PHYSICS.pdf