Bacteriophages and their structural organisation

Viruses are extremely small infectious particles that are not visible in a light microscope, and are able to pass through fine porcelain filters. They exist in a huge variety of forms and infect practically all living systems: animals, plants, insects and bacteria. All viruses have a genome, typically only one type of nucleic acid, but it could be one or several molecules of DNA or RNA, which is surrounded by a protective stable coat (capsid) and sometimes by additional layers which may be very complex and contain carbohydrates, lipids, and additional proteins. The viruses that have only a protein coat are named “naked”, or non- enveloped viruses. Many viruses have an envelope (enveloped viruses) that wraps around the protein capsid. This envelope is formed from a lipid membrane of the host cell during the release of a virus out of the cell

Generative Models for Fast Calorimeter Simulation.LHCb case

Simulation is one of the key components in high energy physics. Historically it relies on the Monte Carlo methods which require a tremendous amount of computation resources. These methods may have difficulties with the expected High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL LHC) need, so the experiment is in urgent need of new fast simulation techniques. We introduce a new Deep Learning framework based on Generative Adversarial Networks which can be faster than traditional simulation methods by 5 order of magnitude with reasonable simulation accuracy. This approach will allow physicists to produce a big enough amount of simulated data needed by the next HL LHC experiments using limited computing resources.Comment: Proceedings of the presentation at CHEP 2018 Conferenc

The ribosome and its role in protein folding: looking through a magnifying glass

Protein folding, a process that underpins cellular activity, begins co-translationally on the ribosome. During translation, a newly synthesized polypeptide chain enters the ribosomal exit tunnel and actively interacts with the ribosome elements – the r-proteins and rRNA that line the tunnel – prior to emerging into the cellular milieu. While understanding of the structure and function of the ribosome has advanced significantly, little is known about the process of folding of the emerging nascent chain (NC). Advances in cryo-electron microscopy are enabling visualization of NCs within the exit tunnel, allowing early glimpses of the interplay between the NC and the ribosome. Once it has emerged from the exit tunnel into the cytosol, the NC (still attached to its parent ribosome) can acquire a range of conformations, which can be characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Using experimental restraints within molecular-dynamics simulations, the ensemble of NC structures can be described. In order to delineate the process of co-translational protein folding, a hybrid structural biology approach is foreseeable, potentially offering a complete atomic description of protein folding as it occurs on the ribosome

Training neural operators to preserve invariant measures of chaotic attractors

Chaotic systems make long-horizon forecasts difficult because small perturbations in initial conditions cause trajectories to diverge at an exponential rate. In this setting, neural operators trained to minimize squared error losses, while capable of accurate short-term forecasts, often fail to reproduce statistical or structural properties of the dynamics over longer time horizons and can yield degenerate results. In this paper, we propose an alternative framework designed to preserve invariant measures of chaotic attractors that characterize the time-invariant statistical properties of the dynamics. Specifically, in the multi-environment setting (where each sample trajectory is governed by slightly different dynamics), we consider two novel approaches to training with noisy data. First, we propose a loss based on the optimal transport distance between the observed dynamics and the neural operator outputs. This approach requires expert knowledge of the underlying physics to determine what statistical features should be included in the optimal transport loss. Second, we show that a contrastive learning framework, which does not require any specialized prior knowledge, can preserve statistical properties of the dynamics nearly as well as the optimal transport approach. On a variety of chaotic systems, our method is shown empirically to preserve invariant measures of chaotic attractors

Bacteriophages: their structural organisation and function

Viruses are infectious particles that exist in a huge variety of forms and infect practically all living systems: animals, plants, insects and bacteria. Viruses that infect and use bacterial resources are classified as bacteriophages (or phages) and represent the most abundant life form on Earth. A phage can be described as a specific type of nano-machine that is able to recognise its environment, find a host cell, start infection, self-assemble and safeguard its genome until the next cycle of replication is initiated. Remarkable results have been obtained by combining cryo-EM, X-ray analysis and bioinformatics in structural studies of these nano-machines. In this review we will describe results of structural studies of phages that uncover their organisation in different conformations, thus facilitating our understanding of the functional mechanisms in supramolecular assemblies and helping us understand the usage of phages in medical treatments. Currently, antibiotic resistance is an enormous challenge that we face. The tailed phages could be used in place of antibiotics due to their high specificity to host cells, but more knowledge of their organisation and function is required

O Impacto do Marketing de Mídia Social (MMS) no Desenvolvimento do Negócio Hoteleiro: Experiência em Minihotéis Privados

Today, social networks are becoming increasingly popular for the promotion of the hotel business. One of them is Instagram – a free service with which it is possible to save, edit, and publish photos, as well as distribute them on other social networks. The popularity of Instagram is growing every year. The purpose of the article is to evaluate the use of Instagram of the most mini-hotels in Moscow to promote their services in the hospitality market and determine the main problems of using Instagram to establish effective communication with customers. The article presents various approaches to the use of social media marketing (SMM) and discusses the features of the social network Instagram as one of SMM tools. Instagram accounts of mini-hotels in Moscow and the rating of mini-hotels in Moscow on Booking, Agoda websites were investigated in 2021, and the relationship between the content of Instagram accounts and the rating of mini-hotels in Moscow on the Booking and Agoda websites was analyzed. The results suggest that Instagram is a powerful SMM tool that allows effectively using and operating the versatile capabilities of a mini-hotel for successful organization and business, and the growing popularity of social networks contributes to the positioning of mini-hotel services through the Instagram network and becomes a reliable lever aimed at attracting the attention of potential customers.Hoy en día, las redes sociales son cada vez más populares para la promoción del negocio hotelero. Una de ellas es Instagram, un servicio gratuito con el que es posible guardar, editar y publicar fotos, así como distribuirlas en otras redes sociales. La popularidad de Instagram crece cada año. El propósito del artículo es evaluar el uso de Instagram de la mayoría de los mini-hoteles en Moscú para promover sus servicios en el mercado de la hospitalidad y determinar los principales problemas de la utilización de Instagram para establecer una comunicación eficaz con los clientes. El artículo presenta varios enfoques para el uso del marketing en mídias sociales (MMS) y analiza las características de la red social Instagram como una de las herramientas de MMS. En 2021 se investigaron las cuentas de Instagram de los mini-hoteles de Moscú y la valoración de los mini-hoteles de Moscú en los sitios web de Booking y Agoda, y se analizó la relación entre el contenido de las cuentas de Instagram y la valoración de los mini-hoteles de Moscú en los sitios web de Booking y Agoda. Los autores creen que Instagram es una poderosa herramienta de MMS que permite utilizar y operar eficazmente las capacidades versátiles de un mini-hotel para una organización y negocio exitosos, y la creciente popularidad de las redes sociales contribuye al posicionamiento de los servicios de mini-hoteles a través de la red de Instagram y se convierte en una palanca fiable dirigida a atraer la atención de los clientes potenciales.Hoje em dia, as redes sociais estão se tornando cada vez mais populares para a promoção do negócio hoteleiro. Uma delas é o Instagram - um serviço gratuito com o qual é possível guardar, editar e publicar fotografias, bem como distribuí-las em outras redes sociais. A popularidade do Instagram está crescendo todos os anos. O objetivo do artigo é avaliar a utilização do Instagram dos mini-hotéis de Moscou para promover os seus serviços no mercado hoteleiro e determinar os principais problemas de utilização do Instagram para estabelecer uma comunicação eficaz com os clientes. O artigo apresenta várias abordagens à utilização do marketing das mídias sociais (MMS) e discute as características da rede social Instagram como uma das ferramentas do MMS. As contas Instagram de mini-hoteis em Moscou e a classificação dos mini-hoteis em Moscou nos websites Booking e Agoda foram investigadas em 2021, e foi analisada a relação entre o conteúdo das contas Instagram e a classificação dos mini-hoteis em Moscou nos websites Booking e Agoda. Os autores acreditam que o Instagram é uma poderosa ferramenta MMS que permite utilizar e operar eficazmente as capacidades versáteis de um mini-hotel para uma organização e negócio de sucesso, e a crescente popularidade das redes sociais contribui para o posicionamento dos serviços de mini-hotel através da rede Instagram e torna-se uma alavanca fiável destinada a atrair a atenção de potenciais clientes

Beyond Ensemble Averages: Leveraging Climate Model Ensembles for Subseasonal Forecasting

Producing high-quality forecasts of key climate variables such as temperature and precipitation on subseasonal time scales has long been a gap in operational forecasting. Recent studies have shown promising results using machine learning (ML) models to advance subseasonal forecasting (SSF), but several open questions remain. First, several past approaches use the average of an ensemble of physics-based forecasts as an input feature of these models. However, ensemble forecasts contain information that can aid prediction beyond only the ensemble mean. Second, past methods have focused on average performance, whereas forecasts of extreme events are far more important for planning and mitigation purposes. Third, climate forecasts correspond to a spatially-varying collection of forecasts, and different methods account for spatial variability in the response differently. Trade-offs between different approaches may be mitigated with model stacking. This paper describes the application of a variety of ML methods used to predict monthly average precipitation and two meter temperature using physics-based predictions (ensemble forecasts) and observational data such as relative humidity, pressure at sea level, or geopotential height, two weeks in advance for the whole continental United States. Regression, quantile regression, and tercile classification tasks using linear models, random forests, convolutional neural networks, and stacked models are considered. The proposed models outperform common baselines such as historical averages (or quantiles) and ensemble averages (or quantiles). This paper further includes an investigation of feature importance, trade-offs between using the full ensemble or only the ensemble average, and different modes of accounting for spatial variability

Prognostic value of changes in arterial stiffness in men with coronary artery disease

Iana A Orlova, Eradzh Yu Nuraliev, Elena B Yarovaya, Fail T AgeevOutpatient department, Russian Cardiology Research Center, Moscow, Russian Federation Background: Men with coronary artery disease (CAD) have been shown to have enhanced arterial stiffness. Arterial function may change over time according to treatment, but the prognostic value of these changes has not been investigated.Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess whether an improvement in large artery rigidity in response to treatment, could predict a more favorable prognosis in a population of men with CAD.Methods: A total of 161 men with CAD (mean age 56.8 ± 10.9 years) being treated with conventional therapy underwent brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (PWVba) measurements at baseline and after six months. Follow-up period was 3.5 years. End-points were major adverse cardiac events (MACE): acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary intervention, or cardiac death.Results: During the three-year follow-up period (since initial six-month follow-up), 30 patients experienced MACE. After six-month follow-up, PWVba had not improved (∆PWVba ≥ 0%, relative to baseline) in 85 (52.8%) of 161 men (Group 1), whereas it had improved (∆PWVba < 0%) in the remaining 76 men (47.2%) (Group 2). During follow-up, we noticed 24 cardiovascular events in Group 1 and six events in Group 2 (P < 0.001). Cox proportional hazards analyses demonstrated that independent of conventional risk factor changes, absence of PWVba decrease was a predictor of MACE (RR 3.99; 95% CI:1.81–8.78; P = 0.004). The sensitivity of ∆PWVba was 80% and its specificity was 54%.Conclusions: This study demonstrates that an improvement in arterial stiffness may be obtained after six months of conventional therapy and clearly identifies patients who have a more favorable prognosis.Keywords: arterial stiffness, coronary artery disease, prognosi

ВЗАЄМОЗВ’ЯЗОК СПАДЩИНИ О. НІЛЛА З ФІЛОСОФСЬКО-ПЕДАГОГІЧНИМИ ТЕОРІЯМИ

The interrelation of A. Neill’s heritage with philosophical-pedagogical theories was examined in the article. The free education ideas of reformatory Pedagogics (late XIX – early XX cent.) are the general pedagogical context of the formation of his pedagogical conception. We came to the conclusion that A. Neill’s pedagogical heritage is based on the philosophical understanding of the idea of freedom as the man’s natural state and it is closely interrelated with the worldview of famous philosophers and educators of different historical epochs (philosophy of early Daoism, existentialism), conceptions of free education theorists and practitioners (J.-J. Rousseau, M. Моntessori, L. Тоlstoy, C. Ventsel, E. Key, Н. Lane).В статье рассмотрена взаимосвязь наследия А. Нилла с философско-педагогическими теориями. Общепедагогический контекст формирования его педагогической концепции составляют идеи свободного воспитания реформаторской педагогики (конец XIX – начало XX ст.). Мы пришли к выводу, что педагогическое наследие А. Нилла основывается на философском понимании идеи свободы как природного состояния человека и тесно взаимосвязана с мировозрением известных философов и педагогов разных исторических епох (философия раннего даосизма, екзистенциализма), концепции теоретикив и практиков свободного воспитания – Ж.-Ж. Руссо, М. Монтессори, Л. Толстого, К. Вентцеля, Е. Кей, Г. Лейна).У статті розглянуто взаємозв’язок спадщини О. Нілла з філософсько-педагогічними теоріями. Загальнопедагогічний контекст формування його педагогічної концепції становлять ідеї вільного виховання реформаторської педагогіки (кінец XIX – початок XX ст.). Ми дійшли висновку, що педагогічна спадщина О. Нілла ґрунтується на філософському розумінні ідеї свободи як природного стану людини й тісно взаємопов’язана зі світоглядом відомих філософів і педагогів різних історичних епох (філософія раннього даосизму, екзистенціалізму), концепції теоретиків і практиків вільного виховання – Ж.-Ж. Руссо, М. Монтессорі, Л. Толстого, К. Вентцеля, Е. Кей, Г. Лейна)