1. A method of identifying a sequence of a nucleic acid that is suitable for use as a substrate surface immobilized normalization probe, said method comprising:
(a) identifying a plurality of candidate probe sequences for a target nucleic acid based on at least one selection criterion;
(b) empirically evaluating each of said candidate probe sequences under a plurality of different experimental sets to obtain a collection of empirical data values for each of said candidate nucleic acid probe sequences for each of said plurality of different experimental sets;
(c) clustering said candidate probe sequences into one or more groups of candidate probe sequences based on each candidate probe sequence’s collection of empirical data values, wherein each of said one or more groups exhibits substantially the same performance across said plurality of experimental sets;
(d) evaluating any remaining non-clustering probes for candidate probe sequences that satisfy a signal intensity threshold and exhibit substantially no variation in signal under said plurality of different experimental sets to identify any candidate probe sequences of said plurality that are suitable for use as a substrate surface immobilized normalization probe.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one selection criterion employed in said identifying step (a) is chosen from:
(i) proximity to the 3\u2032 end of said target nucleic acid’s corresponding mRNA transcript;
(ii) base composition; and
(iii) lack of homology to other expressed sequences of said target nucleic acid’s organism.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein all three of said selection criteria (i), (ii) and (iii) are employed is said identifying step (a).
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said identifying step (a) is further characterized by employing parameters that minimize the number of identified candidate probe sequences that overlap with each other.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said empirically evaluating step (b) comprises for each member of said plurality of different experimental conditions:
(i) providing an array of candidate nucleic acid probes immobilized on a surface of a solid support, wherein said array includes a substrate surface immobilized nucleic acid candidate probe for each of said identified candidate probe sequences; and
(ii) subjecting said array to said member of said plurality of different experimental sets.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein each member of said plurality of different experimental conditions is a different tissuecell line differential gene expression assay.
7. The method according to claim 1, said clustering step (c) comprises:
(i) obtaining an expression vector for each of said candidate probe sequences using said candidate sequence’s collection of empirical data values;
(ii) deriving a similarity matrix for the set of said candidate probe sequences from said candidate probe sequences’ expression vectors; and
(iii) grouping said candidate probe sequences based on their derived similarity.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein those candidate probes that have substantially similar expression patterns are grouped together.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the clustering step employs an affinity threshold or another stringency controlling parameter.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a candidate probe sequence is considered to exhibit substantially no variation in signal under said plurality of different experimental sets if its log ratio is not significantly different than zero accorss said plurality of different experimental sets.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said log ratio is between about 0.5 and \u22120.5.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said purality of different experimental sets is at least 2.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein if no non-clustering probes are present after said clustering step (c), said evaluating step (d) is not performed.
14. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of said steps are carried out by a computational analysis system.
15. A computer-readable medium having recorded thereon a program that identifies a sequence of a nucleic acid that is suitable for use as a substrate surface immobilized normalization probe according to the method of claim 1.
16. A computational analysis system comprising a computer-readable medium according to claim 15.
17. A method of producing a nucleic acid array, said method comprising:
producing at least two different probe nucleic acids immobilized on a surface of a solid support, wherein at least one of said at least two different probe nucleic acids is a normalization probe that has a sequence of nucleotides identified according to the method of claim 1.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein said at least two different probe nucleic acids are produced on said surface of said solid support by synthesizing said probe nucleic acids on said surface.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein said at least two different probe nucleic acids are produced on said surface of said solid support by depositing said at least two different probe nucleic acids onto said surface of said solid support.
20. A nucleic acid array produced according to the method of claim 17.
21. A method of detecting the presence of a nucleic acid analyte in a sample, said method comprising:
(a) contacting a nucleic acid array according to claim 20 having a nucleic acid probe that specifically binds to said nucleic acid analyte with a sample suspected of comprising said analyte under conditions sufficient for binding of said analyte to said nucleic acid ligand on said array to occur; and
(b) detecting the presence of binding complexes on the surface of said array to detect the presence of said analyte in said sample.
22. A method comprising transmitting a result of a reading of an array obtained according to the method of claim 20 from a first location to a second location.
23. The method according to claim 22, wherein said second location is a remote location.
24. A method comprising receiving a transmitted result of a reading of an array obtained according to the method claim 20.
25. A kit for identifying a sequence of a nucleic acid that is suitable for use as a substrate surface immobilized normalization probe, said kit comprising:
(a) an algorithm that identifies a sequence of a nucleic acid that is suitable for use as a substrate surface immobilized normalization probe according to the method according to claim 1, wherein said algorithm is present on a computer readable medium; and
(b) instructions for using said algorithm to identify said sequence of a nucleic acid that is suitable for use as a substrate surface immobilized normalization probe .
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A battery assembly comprising:
a first unit cell and a second unit cell disposed adjacently to each other; and
a spacer interposed between the first unit cell and the second unit cell and adapted to form a cooling passage, through which a cooling medium is allowed to pass;
wherein the spacer comprises:
a first corrugated portion having first protrusions and second protrusions alternately and repeatedly formed in a direction crossing the cooling passage, wherein each of the first protrusion protrudes toward the first unit cell from a center in a thickness direction so as to define a clearance between the second unit cell and the first protrusion whereas each of the second protrusion protrudes toward the second unit cell from the center in the thickness direction so as to define a clearance between the first unit cell and the second protrusion; and
a second corrugated portion arranged adjacently to the first corrugated portion in the direction of the cooling passage and having the first and second protrusions alternately and repeatedly formed in the direction crossing the cooling passage at a phase different from that of the first corrugated portion.
2. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first protrusions abut against the first unit cell whereas the second protrusions abut against the second unit cell.
3. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the respective first protrusions of the first corrugated portion and the respective second protrusions of the second corrugated portion are aligned in the direction of the cooling passage; and
wherein the respective second protrusions of the first corrugated portion and the respective first protrusions of the second corrugated portion are aligned in the direction of the cooling passage.
4. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first and second corrugated portions are alternately and repeatedly arranged in the direction of the cooling passage.
5. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the spacer has a slit extending in the direction crossing the cooling passage, and
wherein the first corrugated portion and the second corrugated portion are formed upstream and downstream of the cooling passage in the slit.
6. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein the spacer further includes a connecting portion extending in the direction crossing the cooling passage.
7. The battery assembly according to claim 6, wherein the spacer further includes a first bar at one end in the direction crossing the cooling passages in the first and second corrugated portions as well as a second bar at the other end; and
wherein the connecting portion connects the first bar and the second bar to each other.
8. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein an upstream end of the cooling passage defined by the first and second protrusions is chamfered at a corner portion.
9. The battery assembly according to claim 1, wherein a downstream end of the cooling passage defined by the first and second protrusions is chamfered at a corner portion.