mixtureS that can de novo identify bacterial strains from shotgun reads of a clonal or metagenomic sample, without prior knowledge about the strains and their variations. Tested on 243 simulated datasets and 195 experimental datasets, mixtureS reliably identified the strains, their numbers and their abundance. Compared with three tools, mixtureS showed better performance in almost all simulated datasets and the vast majority of experimental datasets.

Address of the bookmark: http://www.cs.ucf.edu/~xiaoman/mixtureS/

Ref. No. GU/Estt/T/308(VI)/2014/6451-61

Applications are invited from the Indian citizens for five (5) teaching posts of Assistant Professor (Contractual) under various departments of Gauhati University. Details of the advertisement, other terms and conditions and the application forms are available in the University website www.gauhati.ac.in

Asstt. Professor (Contractual)

2. M.Sc. Microbiology Course in Botany

3 1.M.Sc. Microbiology/M.Sc. Botany (Specialization in Microbiology)/M.Sc. Biochemistry (1 post). (Preference will be given to candidates having experience in Biochemistry).

2.M.Sc. Microbiology/M.Sc. Botany (Specialization in Microbiology)/M.Sc. Biotechnology(1 post). (Preference will be given to candidates having experience in Bioinformatics).

3.M.Sc. Microbiology/M.Sc. Botany (Specialization in Microbiology)/M.Sc. Biotechnology(1 post). (Preference will be given to candidates having experience in Microbial Genetics).

As per UGC norms

Pay Band & Academic Grade Pay : (Consolidated pay) : Rs. 21,600/- per month

Application Form : Prescribe application form may download from the G.U. website www.gauhati.ac.in

Last date of receipt of filled-in application is 08.01.2015.

Advertisement: www.gauhati.ac.in/openfile.php?file=Notice1258.pdf

Reference:

https://www.pacb.com/blog/young-investigators-share-stellar-science-career-advice-and-bioinformatics-tools-at-smrt-leiden-2021/

Study Subject(s): PhD position is award in the field of Bioinformatics/Computer Science.
Course Level: Position is available for pursuing PhD degree level at the University of Macau.
Scholarship Provider: University of Macau
Scholarship can be taken at: China

Eligibility: The ideal candidate would be a master degree holder in Bioinformatics or related disciplines with knowledge in Medical sciences or Life sciences (with GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4-point scale or equivalent) . Knowledge in programming (C and C++) and Linux scripting are necessary; experience in molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations or molecular modeling is an advantage. The candidate should be fluent in spoken and written English; preference will be given to applicants with good publication records in relevant areas.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Researchers from China can apply for this PhD position.

Scholarship Description:

The Computational Biology and Bioinformatics Group at the University of Macau is looking for a motivated PhD student in Bioinformatics or Computer Science to work on a research project focusing on the flexible receptor protein-ligand docking algorithms for computer-aided drug design. The candidate will be working as part of a team in developing novel metaheuristic algorithms and scoring functions for large-scale, highly flexible protein-ligand docking problems.

Number of award(s): There is only one PhD position available.

Duration of award(s): The duration of this PhD position is 2-3 years.

What does it cover? Remuneration paid to candidate is MOP 11000-14000/month (~USD 1375-1750/month).

Selection Criteria: Not Known

Notification: Not Known

How to Apply: Send your current CV, your academic transcripts, a letter of motivation and research interests, two letters of recommendations from academic faculty to Dr. Shirley Siu at shirleysiu[at]umac.mo before March 2015.

Scholarship Application Deadline: The applications should be submitted before March 2015.

1. Co-assembly procedure with read mapping for estimation of the abundances of genes in each metagenome
2. Co-assembly of a large number of metagenomes via merging of individual metagenomes
3. Includes binning and bin checking, for retrieving individual genomes
4. The results are stored in a database, where they can be easily exported and shared, and can be inspected anywhere using a web interface.
5. Internal checks for the assembly and binning steps inform about the consistency of contigs and bins, allowing to spot potential chimeras.
6. Metatranscriptomic support via mapping of cDNA reads against reference metagenomes

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/jtamames/SqueezeMeta

Recruitment for Project

Applications were invited from the citizens of India for filling up the following temporary position for the CSIR sponsored Fellowship in the School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067. This position is temporary for a period of two and half years or tenable only for the duration of the project. The requisite qualifications & experience are given below.

Project Title : "Understanding Complex dynamics and Information processing in Brain Networks"
Funding Agency : CSIR

Principal Investigator : Dr. R.K. Brojen Singh

Position : Junior Research Fellow(One post)

Salary : As per CSIR rules and guidelines for JRF.

Qualifications & Experience : M.Sc. in Physics/Mathematics/Biology/B.Tech. In Eng. Physics/Comp. Sc. and desirable CSIR-UGC NET Qualified. Candidates should also have at least one years research experience after M. Sc./B.Tech. in works related to Neuroscience/Mathematical modeling.

Candidates possessing requisite qualifications may apply either on plain paper stating the project title along with CV and send to the following address or send as email attachment (pdf or word format) so as to reach on or before 8 January, 2014.

Dr. R.K. Brojen Singh
School of Computational and Integrative Sciences
Jawharlal Nehru University
New Delhi 110067
Email: brojen@jnu.ac.in, brojen@mail.jnu.ac.in

Address of the bookmark: http://www.phrap.org/consed/consed.html

More at http://bioinfo.vanderbilt.edu/zhanglab/

The "Ifs" of NGS QC and Trimming

1. Ensures Data Integrity
   If you want to minimize errors in downstream analyses, QC and trimming remove low-quality reads and bases, ensuring high-confidence data. This step is essential for reliable variant calling, assembly, and other applications.

2. Removes Contaminants
   If adapter sequences or contaminants are present in the raw reads, trimming can eliminate them. This prevents issues like misalignment or incorrect biological interpretations, ensuring cleaner data for analysis.

3. Improves Mapping and Assembly
   If your goal is better alignment to a reference genome or improved de novo assembly, trimming low-quality bases and adapters is critical. High-quality reads map more efficiently and generate more accurate assemblies.

4. Reduces Computational Load
   If you want to save computational resources, trimming reduces the dataset size, which speeds up processing and analysis. Clean datasets mean less computational time spent on processing low-quality data.

5. Prepares for Standardized Analyses
   If your project involves multiple datasets, QC and trimming ensure uniformity across them. This standardization makes comparisons valid and reproducible, particularly in large collaborative studies.

The "Buts" of NGS QC and Trimming

1. Risk of Over-Trimming
   But excessive trimming can lead to the loss of informative sequences, reducing read depth and potentially discarding biologically relevant data. This is especially critical in studies with limited sequencing depth.

2. Bias Introduction
   But trimming algorithms might introduce biases, especially if they inadvertently remove sequences with specific biological patterns. This can skew results and compromise biological insights.

3. Loss of Context in Paired-End Reads
   But trimming one read in a pair more than the other can lead to loss of pairing information. This complicates downstream analyses that rely on paired-end data, such as structural variant detection.

4. Time and Resource Intensive
   But running QC and trimming for large datasets can be computationally expensive and time-consuming. As sequencing depth increases, preprocessing becomes a bottleneck in the analysis pipeline.

5. Variable Standards
   But the criteria for trimming (e.g., quality threshold, minimum read length) can vary between tools and datasets. This variability may affect reproducibility and comparability of results across studies.

Balancing the "Ifs" and "Buts"

To maximize the benefits of QC and trimming while mitigating the challenges, consider the following best practices:

• Use QC Tools Wisely: Start with tools like FastQC to identify quality issues in your raw data. Visualizing quality metrics helps tailor your trimming parameters.

• Choose Reliable Trimming Tools: Tools like Trimmomatic, Cutadapt, and BBduk offer adaptive and customizable trimming options. Select one that aligns with your dataset and project goals.

• Set Reasonable Parameters: Avoid over-trimming by setting quality thresholds and minimum read lengths that balance data retention and quality improvement.

• Test Downstream Effects: Validate the impact of QC and trimming on downstream analyses, such as alignment efficiency, variant calling accuracy, or assembly quality.

• Document Your Workflow: Maintain detailed records of the parameters and tools used for QC and trimming. This ensures reproducibility and enables better troubleshooting.

Conclusion

NGS quality control and trimming are essential steps to ensure reliable and accurate data for analysis. While the "ifs" highlight the clear benefits of these steps, the "buts" remind us of the potential pitfalls. By adopting best practices and carefully balancing these considerations, you can optimize your preprocessing workflow and unlock the full potential of your sequencing data.

Jr. Research Fellow – 2 posts

Fellowship : Rs. 25000/- + 20% HRA pm for Ist & 2nd year and Rs.28000/- + HRA on 3rd year

Qualification : Ist class Masters Degree in Microbiology/Fishery Microbiology/Bio-technology.

Desirable :

1. CSIR/UGC NET/JRF qualified

2. Excellent analytical skills and computer documentation

3. Prior experience in handling microbial cultures and molecular techniques

Project Assistant – 1 post

Fellowship : Rs.8000/- p.m (consolidated)

Qualification: Masters degree in Microbiology/Biotechnology with skill in Bioinformatics

Desirable: Excellent analytical skills in Bioinformatics and computer documentation

Terms & Conditions:

Registration will begin at 8.30 a.m and will close at 11.00 am
Age limit (as on 29.1.2015): Below 35 years for men and 40 years for women.
Age relaxation of 3 year for OBC candidates and 5 years for SC/ST candidates is permissible.
Candidates are required to submit self-attested copies of all the Certificates in support of their claims regarding age, educational qualifications, scheduled caste/scheduled tribe/OBC etc. The original certificates shall be produced for verification before the interview.
Candidates should bring detailed bio-data (in the enclosed format) affixing a recent passport size photograph.
The selected candidate will be recruited on contract basis under ICAR norms. The post is purely temporary and is co-terminus with the project.
The candidates attending the interview should ensure that they fulfil all the eligibility conditions. No correspondence will be entertained from the candidates for selection/test/appointment.
No TA/DA will be paid to attend the interview.
Canvassing in any form will render the candidate disqualified for the post.
The Director’s decision will be final and binding in all aspects regarding the selection to the post.

Venue: CIFT, Matsyapuri.P.O, Cochin Date of interview: 29.01.2015 Time: 10.00 am

http://www.cift.res.in/uploads/userfiles/file/file/srf%20appn.doc