Genome-Scale Metabolic Modeling Enables In-Depth Understanding of Big Data

Genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) enable the mathematical simulation of the metabolism of archaea, bacteria, and eukaryotic organisms. GEMs quantitatively define a relationship between genotype and phenotype by contextualizing different types of Big Data (e.g., genomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics). In this review, we analyze the available Big Data useful for metabolic modeling and compile the available GEM reconstruction tools that integrate Big Data. We also discuss recent applications in industry and research that include predicting phenotypes, elucidating metabolic pathways, producing industry-relevant chemicals, identifying drug targets, and generating knowledge to better understand host-associated diseases. In addition to the up-to-date review of GEMs currently available, we assessed a plethora of tools for developing new GEMs that include macromolecular expression and dynamic resolution. Finally, we provide a perspective in emerging areas, such as annotation, data managing, and machine learning, in which GEMs will play a key role in the further utilization of Big Data.

PARTNERSHIPS IN MODERN PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS AS THE BASIS FOR COMPANIES' STABILITY AND GROWTH IN CRISIS AND UNPREDICTABLE CIRCUMSTANCES

All functions within the company, regardless of its size and activity, meet with an extremely dynamic economy and an environment in which they perform many day-to-day activities. In that sense, procurement is no different. It no longer serves only the purpose of ordering goods or services at the request of production at the lowest possible prices. Today's modern procurement systems offer solutions, improvements and thoughts on all aspects of business operations in which they are involved. There is a special emphasis on the dynamic resolution of challenging situations, which lies in unpredictable circumstances and crisis. The procurement department always works closely with other functions that directly affect production, and this is where extremely dynamic, high-quality and timely communication is expected. Communication with functions within the company is followed by communication with partners, where procurement becomes a sort of link between production and suppliers. Members of the procurement team are in most cases representatives of their companies, and it is based on their communication skills, behaviour and decisions that the image of the company is created among partners. Quality and timely communication of procurement team members with partners can play a key role for the continuation of production in turbulent market situations. Managers must organize all procurement processes in a quality manner, as well as motivate, educate and reward members of the procurement department. With their comments, opinions, advice and experience, partners offer an additional perspective, solution and an alternative path in the further planning of steps which would help achieve all of company's objectives. Experienced management, especially in times of crisis, use all possible information to make quality decisions, but also learn from these situations in order to make all possible preparations in regular business operations to minimize the shock that a new crisis could cause. The theoretical part of the paper will present a description of the concept of procurement business, management and crisis management, business and crisis communication, creating partnerships, and maintaining the company's image. The empirical research, conducted through questionnaires which were filled in by employees from the procurement department in the Republic of Croatia, provides us with answers about the importance of partnerships, with a special emphasis on the current coronavirus pandemic. In conclusion, we have explained proposals for improving and maintaining partnerships in the procurement business during crisis, as well as in regular business situations.

Lidar Concept of “Guanlan” Mission for Space Oceanography

Among the various challenges in spaceborne radar observation of the ocean, the following two issues are probably of a higher priority: inadequate dynamic resolution, and ineffective vertical penetration. Two highly anticipated breakthroughs in the coming decade are likely to be associated with radar interferometry and ocean lidar technology, which are expected to make a substantial contribution to a sub-mesoscale-resolving and depth-resolving observation of the ocean. The planned “Guanlan” science mission comprises a dual-frequency (Ku and Ka) interferometric altimetry (IA) and a near-nadir pointing ocean lidar (OL). The spaceborne active OL will ensure a deeper penetration depth and an all-time detection which leads to a layered characterization of the optical properties of the subsurface ocean. The simultaneous functioning of the OL and a dual-frequency (Ku and Ka) interferometric altimetry system will allow an enhanced understanding of contributions of the atmosphere and the air-sea interface which in turn considerably reduce the error budgets of the two sensors. The OL payload is expected to partially reveal the marine food chain and ecosystem with 10-m vertical interval in the euphotic layer, moving a significant step down to the oceanic mixed layer both dynamically and bio-optically.