Overview of SLiM and msprime

SLiM: Forward Genetic Simulator

SLiM is a free, open-source tool designed for forward genetic simulations. It allows researchers to model complex evolutionary scenarios, including selection, recombination, and demographic events, making it particularly useful for studying adaptation and selection in populations.

Key Features of SLiM:

• Simulates population evolution forward in time

• Supports custom evolutionary models using an embedded scripting language

• Allows modeling of spatial and ecological dynamics

• Provides high flexibility and extensibility for user-defined scenarios

• Available on GitHub as an open-source project

msprime: Ancestry and Mutation Simulator

msprime is an efficient, open-source tool that simulates ancestry and mutations using a coalescent framework. It is known for its high-speed performance and low memory requirements, making it a popular choice for large-scale genomic simulations.

Key Features of msprime:

• Implements coalescent simulations for ancestry modeling

• Efficiently simulates large population histories

• Supports the addition of mutations to genealogies

• Developed using an open-source community model

• Often faster and more memory-efficient than alternative simulators

Using SLiM and msprime with slendr

Both SLiM and msprime can be integrated with slendr, a framework that facilitates structured population genetic simulations. This integration allows for seamless comparison of simulation outputs.

How They Work Together:

• SLiM and msprime simulations can be analyzed within slendr.

• The ts_read() function in slendr enables loading and comparing tree sequence outputs from both simulators.

• This integration allows researchers to validate simulation results and gain deeper insights into evolutionary processes.

Performance Considerations

While SLiM offers powerful forward simulations with extensive customization, msprime is often preferred for its speed and memory efficiency when simulating ancestry and mutations. The choice between the two depends on the research goals:

• For detailed evolutionary modeling with selection and recombination: Use SLiM.

• For large-scale coalescent simulations with mutations: Use msprime.

• For comparing different simulation models and their outputs: Use slendr to integrate SLiM and msprime results.

Conclusion

SLiM and msprime are valuable tools for genome simulation, each serving distinct but complementary purposes in population genetics research. By leveraging the strengths of both simulators with slendr, researchers can conduct robust and efficient evolutionary simulations, enhancing our understanding of genetic diversity and adaptation.

For more information, check out the official GitHub repositories for SLiM and msprime, and explore the slendr framework for streamlined simulation workflow

"In neuroscience, the project will use neuroinformatics and brain simulation to collect and integrate experimental data, identifying and filling gaps in our knowledge, and prioritising future experiments.

In medicine, the HBP will use medical informatics to identify biological signatures of brain disease, allowing diagnosis at an early stage, before the disease has done irreversible damage, and enabling personalized treatment, adapted to the needs of individual patients. Better diagnosis, combined with disease and drug simulation, will accelerate the discovery of new treatments, drastically lowering the cost of drug discovery.

In computing, new techniques of interactive supercomputing, driven by the needs of brain simulation, will impact a vast range of industries. Devices and systems, modelled after the brain, will overcome fundamental limits on the energy-efficiency, reliability and programmability of current technologies, clearing the road for systems with brain-like intelligence."

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jenniferhicks/2013/10/07/the-human-brain-project-begins/ 

(https://www.facebook.com/humanbrainproj/info)

Home Page:

https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/

Jobs:

https://www.humanbrainproject.eu/participate/jobs

What is HiBC?

The Human Intestinal Bacteria Collection (HiBC) is a comprehensive, high-quality reference repository of bacterial isolates derived from human fecal samples. It focuses on anaerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria that play pivotal roles in digestion, immune modulation, vitamin synthesis, and pathogen resistance. The collection includes both culturable strains and genomic data from unculturable taxa, bridging the gap between culture-dependent and -independent microbiome studies.

Why is HiBC Important?

1. Understanding Microbiome-Host Interactions
   HiBC enables deeper insight into the functions of specific bacterial taxa in the gut. With well-characterized isolates, researchers can conduct mechanistic studies to explore how certain bacteria influence metabolism, inflammation, or mental health.

2. Precision Probiotics and Therapeutics
   By providing access to native human gut microbes, HiBC supports the development of next-generation probiotics, live biotherapeutic products (LBPs), and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) alternatives.

3. Standardization and Reproducibility
   With standardized cultivation and genomic protocols, HiBC ensures consistency across microbiome research studies, improving reproducibility and comparability of findings.

4. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance
   HiBC includes metadata on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), helping track the spread of AMR in commensal gut bacteria and understanding its implications for human health.

Key Features of HiBC

• Culturable Bacteria Repository: A living collection of anaerobic and facultative strains isolated from healthy and diseased individuals worldwide.

• Metadata-rich Entries: Each isolate is annotated with host details (age, health status, diet), geographical origin, phenotypic traits, and antibiotic susceptibility profiles.

• Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS): High-quality genome assemblies for most strains to support functional and comparative genomics.

• Interactive Database Access: User-friendly search and filtering options for strain selection based on taxonomy, function, or clinical relevance.

• Cross-linking with Other Databases: Integration with NCBI, GOLD, and Human Microbiome Project (HMP) data for broader context and validation.

Applications of HiBC

• Microbiome-based diagnostics and biomarker discovery

• Host-microbe interaction studies in gnotobiotic mouse models

• Gut microbiome modulation through diet, drugs, or engineered bacteria

• Longitudinal studies of gut flora across age, geography, and lifestyle

• Environmental and evolutionary microbiology of human-associated bacteria

Accessing HiBC

Researchers and interested parties can explore the HiBC database through its official website: https://www.hibc.rwth-aachen.de/. The platform offers comprehensive information on bacterial isolates, including taxonomy, cultivation conditions, and genomic data, facilitating advanced research in human gut microbiome studies.

Final Thoughts

The HiBC is a cornerstone resource in the rapidly evolving field of microbiome research. As science moves toward personalized medicine and microbial therapeutics, having a reliable and diverse collection of human gut bacteria is not just useful — it's essential. Whether you're a microbiologist, clinician, computational biologist, or biotechnologist, HiBC offers tools to accelerate discovery and innovation in gut microbiome science.

https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1186/s12864-018-5330-5?author_access_token=ICASEpyMAQaxLlKw--fyCG_BpE1tBhCbnbw3BuzI2RMA57KLmXk5bZabRUiDQzRFHXd6hjm4kWSiLV3mU5XVMitqXUwFMSo4x5vbfty0EDQ9PW1sd1h923_TYXkvJ5niSwAyZ7BklJ0ujFAFhcKtjw%3D%3D

Address of the bookmark: https://webs.iiitd.edu.in/raghava/humcfs/

The position is open for immediate appointment and available for two years and then extendable for additional one year. The applicant will be appointed as Research Associate based on qualifications as detailed below:

Research Associate:

-Master’s degree with bioinformatics with at least 2 years of research experience in Next Generation sequencing data analysis as evidence from Fellowship/ Associateship / Training / other engagements.

-Familiarity with bioinformatics tools, database development, programming skills

-Minimum 1 publication in any peer reviewed journal

Salary will be as per ICAR rules and guidelines. Application will be shortlisted based on CV, reference letters from mentors and telephonic interview. Candidates will be called for a personal interview at Bangalore before appointment. No travel expense will be provided for attending interview at Bangalore.

Interested candidates may send a Letter of Interest and CV by email to: keshav@ibioinformatics.org before September 29, 2015.

http://sfg.stanford.edu/denovo.html

http://sfg.stanford.edu/sequencing.html

http://sfg.stanford.edu/BLAST.html

http://sfg.stanford.edu/denovo.html 

Address of the bookmark: http://sfg.stanford.edu/guide.html

Address of the bookmark: https://biocontainers.pro/#/

More at http://mrfast.sourceforge.net/manual.html

Address of the bookmark: http://mrfast.sourceforge.net/manual.html

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/marbl/MashMap

               *16S ribosomal RNA (Bacteria and Archaea)

               *18S ribosomal RNA sequences (SSU) from Fungi type and reference material     

               *28S ribosomal RNA sequences (LSU) from Fungi type and reference material

               *Internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) from Fungi type and reference material

You can also download these from the BLAST db FTP area.  See the NCBI Insights post for more detail.

Useful links

-----------------

BLAST form with rRNA/ITS databases

BLAST db download

Targeted loci

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact blast-help@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov