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Coal measure gas is broadly defined as all natural gas occurring in coal measure strata while narrowly defined as the coalbed methane (CBM) in coal beds and the natural gas in the adjacent tight sandstone reservoirs. In this paper, the accumulation characteristics and control factors of narrowly defined coal measure gas in China were analyzed from the aspects of source rock distribution, coal–sandstone combination type, sedimentary facies and closed system to improve CBM development benefit. And the following research results were obtained. First, there are various coal–sandstone combination relationships in coal measure strata of coal bearing basins in China. Second, the widely-distributed source rocks provide sufficient gas sources for the enrichment of coal measure gas. Third, sedimentary facies dominate the combination relationships of source–reservoir–caprock assemblages of coal measure gas, so the inborn material base of coal measure gas accumulation is formed. The sedimentary systems of fluvial facies and delta facies are the most favorable sedimentary facies for the paragenesis and accumulation of coal measure gas for their coal beds and sandstones are developed. Fourth, the closed system controls the whole process of generation, enrichment and accumulation of CBM (coal measure gas). Three types of coal measure gas reservoirs are identified: self-source and self-reservoir CBM reservoirs, paragenetic CBM–sandstone gas reservoirs, coal-derived sandstone gas reservoirs, among which the first type is currently the main target of CBM exploration and development. Finally, the next exploration direction of coal measure gas was pointed out as follows. First, the exploration and evaluation of coal measure gas shall be focused on the giant basins with abundant coal measure gas, such as Qinshui, Ordos, Junggar, Hailar and Jixi. Second, coal measure gas reservoirs shall be explored specifically based on different types. It is necessary to carry out CBM exploration in the self-source and self-reservoir CBM enriched zones in the shallow layers, integrated exploration of CBM and sandstone gas in the paragenetic CBM–sandstone gas reservoirs in the deep layers, and sandstone gas exploration in coal-derived sandstone gas reservoirs. Keywords: China, Coal measure gas, Coalbed methane (CBM), Tight sandstone gas, Accumulation characteristic, Control factor, Closed system, Integrated exploration and development

BACKGROUND/AIM: Esophageal cancer (EC) is a common malignancy with significant morbidity and mortality. As individual cancers exhibit unique mutation patterns, identifying and characterizing gene mutations in EC that may serve as biomarkers might help predict patient outcome and guide treatment. Traditionally, personalized cancer DNA sequencing was impractical and expensive. Recent technological advancements have made targeted DNA sequencing more cost- and time-effective with reliable results. This technology may be useful for clinicians to direct patient treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Ion PGM and AmpliSeq Cancer Panel was used to identify mutations at 737 hotspot loci of 45 cancer-related genes in 64 EC samples from Chinese patients. RESULTS: Frequent mutations were found in TP53 and less frequent mutations in PIK3CA, FBXW7 and KRAS. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that targeted sequencing can reliably identify mutations in individual tumors that make this technology a possibility for clinical use.

Esophageal and gastric cancers are two of the most common malignancies worldwide with particularly high mortality rates. Esophageal and gastric cardia cancers share certain environmental risk factors, but it is unclear if these cancers share similar gene mutation patterns. To improve patient diagnosis, treatment, and outcome, identification and characterization of the unique molecular mutation profiles of these cancers are needed to develop more effective target therapies. Until recently, personalized DNA sequencing to identify individual cancer mutations was unrealistic for clinical applications. But technological advancements in next-generation DNA sequencing, including the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, have made DNA sequencing more cost and time effective with reliable results. Using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel, we sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes to identify genetic mutations in esophageal adenocarcinoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, and gastric cardia cancer samples from Chinese patients. The sequencing analysis revealed frequent mutations in PIK3CA and TP53 genes, and less frequent mutations in several other genes. Thus, this study demonstrates the feasibility of using Ion Torrent sequencing on individual human cancers to detect patient-specific gene mutations with the goal of directing mutation-specific targeted therapies or aid in targeted drug development to more effectively treat cancer patients.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide. While specific genetic mutations have been linked to 5–10% of breast cancer cases, other environmental and epigenetic factors influence the development and progression of the cancer. Since unique mutations patterns have been observed in individual cancer samples, identification and characterization of the distinctive breast cancer molecular profile is needed to develop more effective target therapies. Until recently, identifying genetic cancer mutations via personalized DNA sequencing was impractical and expensive. The recent technological advancements in next-generation DNA sequencing, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, has made DNA sequencing cost and time effective with more reliable results. Using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel, we sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes to identify genetic mutations in 105 human breast cancer samples. The sequencing analysis revealed missense mutations in PIK3CA, and TP53 genes in the breast cancer samples of various histologic types. Thus, this study demonstrates the necessity of sequencing individual human cancers in order to develop personalized drugs or combination therapies to effectively target individual, breast cancer-specific mutations.

Lung cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. While smoking is by far the leading cause of lung cancer, other environmental and genetic factors influence the development and progression of the cancer. Since unique mutations patterns have been observed in individual cancer samples, identification and characterization of the distinctive lung cancer molecular profile is essential for developing more effective, tailored therapies. Until recently, personalized DNA sequencing to identify genetic mutations in cancer was impractical and expensive. The recent technological advancements in next-generation DNA sequencing, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, has made DNA sequencing cost and time effective with more reliable results. Using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel, we sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes to identify genetic mutations in 76 human lung cancer samples. The sequencing analysis revealed missense mutations in KRAS, EGFR, and TP53 genes in the breast cancer samples of various histologic types. Thus, this study demonstrates the necessity of sequencing individual human cancers in order to develop personalized drugs or combination therapies to effectively target individual, breast cancer-specific mutations.

Identifying gene mutations in individual tumors is critical to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy by matching targeted drugs to specific mutations. Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are stromal or mesenchymal subepithelial neoplasms affecting the gastrointestinal tract and frequently contain activating gene mutations in either KIT or platelet-derived growth factor A (PDGFRA). Although GIST is highly responsive to several selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors, combined use of inhibitors targeting other mutations is needed to further prolong survival in patients with GIST. In this study, we aim to screen and identify genetic mutations in GIST for targeted therapy using the new Ion Torrent next-generation sequencing platform. Utilizing the Ion Ampliseq Cancer Panel, we sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes using DNA extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of 121 human gastrointestinal stromal tumors, set up stringent parameters for reliable variant calling by filtering out potential raw base calling errors, and identified frequent mutations in the KIT gene. This study demonstrates the utility of using Ion Torrent sequencing to efficiently identify human cancer mutations. This may provide a molecular basis for clinically developing new drugs targeting these gene mutations for GIST therapy.

Gastric cancer is the one of the major causes of cancer-related death, especially in Asia. Gastric adenocarcinoma, the most common type of gastric cancer, is heterogeneous and its incidence and cause varies widely with geographical regions, gender, ethnicity, and diet. Since unique mutations have been observed in individual human cancer samples, identification and characterization of the molecular alterations underlying individual gastric adenocarcinomas is a critical step for developing more effective, personalized therapies. Until recently, identifying genetic mutations on an individual basis by DNA sequencing remained a daunting task. Recent advances in new next-generation DNA sequencing technologies, such as the semiconductor-based Ion Torrent sequencing platform, makes DNA sequencing cheaper, faster, and more reliable. In this study, we aim to identify genetic mutations in the genes which are targeted by drugs in clinical use or are under development in individual human gastric adenocarcinoma samples using Ion Torrent sequencing. We sequenced 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes in 238 human gastric adenocarcinoma samples using the Ion Torrent Ampliseq Cancer Panel. The sequencing analysis revealed a high occurrence of mutations along the TP53 locus (9.7%) in our sample set. Thus, this study indicates the utility of a cost and time efficient tool such as Ion Torrent sequencing to screen cancer mutations for the development of personalized cancer therapy.

Instant Messaging (IM) is a peer-to-peer service for remote users to communicate with each others. There are many IM systems such as MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger which are used by millions of users everyday. However, IM technology serves as a double edged sword and could be misused for illegitimate information exchange or committing crimes for its anonymity and completely uncontrolled chatting environment. To help enforce legitimate contents communicated in chat environments, IM monitoring systems have been developed for monitoring chat messages. Although most of these systems can provide good monitoring functions, they only provide simple message analysis features such as browsing and simple keyword-based searching of the recorded messages. In this paper, we propose a system, called IMAnalysis, that supports intelligent chat message analysis using text mining techniques. The IMAnalysis system provides functions on chat message retrieval, social network analysis and topic analysis. Chat message retrieval provides general browsing and retrieval support. Social network analysis discovers the social interactions of IM users with their contacts. And topic analysis detects automatically the topics that IM users are involved in.

131 p. Instant Messaging (IM) provides a free, real-time and private communication service for remote parties. Hence, its use has gained popularity among the modern generation. However, IM service has inadvertently evolved into a medium exploited for illegitimate information exchanging and criminal activities, such as online sex solicitation, information stealing/leaking and even terrorism network communications. The misuse of IM poses unwarranted threats to unsuspecting users, especially children. MASTER OF ENGINEERING (SCE)

Lung cancer remains the most prevalent malignancy and the primary cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Unique mutations patterns can be found in lung cancer subtypes, in individual cancers, or within a single tumor, and drugs that target these genetic mutations and signal transduction pathways are often beneficial to patients. In this study, we used the Ion Torrent AmpliSeq Cancer Panel to sequence 737 loci from 45 cancer-related genes and oncogenes to identify genetic mutations in 48 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human lung cancer samples from Chinese patients. We found frequent mutations in EGFR, KRAS, PIK3CA, and TP53 genes. Moreover, we observed that a portion of the lung cancer samples harbored two or more mutations in these key genes. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using the Ion Torrent sequencing to efficiently identify genetic mutations in individual tumors for targeted lung cancer therapy.