Read the week in plain language, refresh the foundations, follow each challenge step by step, and check what evidence to keep. Includes worked examples, answer keys and prompts for visual study resources.
Use this within your existing weekly blocks. Your learning completion and research evidence remain in your current tracker and week files.
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START HERE · 2 MINUTES
What am I doing right now?
If you only complete one thing: the learning curves with seeds.
✓
STATUS
Tracker & deliverables
Deliverable
Acceptance
State
paper-2-results.csv Build
Run mechanistic/pure ML/hybrid by 5/10/20/50 training batches by five seeds with separate training, calibration and test groups. Acceptance: All 60 planned model-size-seed combinations have results or explicit failure reasons.
paper-2-transfer.csv Build
Evaluate faulty-batch transfer and monitoring timing; report prediction errors, interval coverage/width, false alarms and misses. Acceptance: Coverage on shifted faults is measured, not guaranteed; test information does not tune models.
Freeze configs, splits and figures; package batchlens v0.3 and Z4 materials in the canonical Paper 2 repository. Acceptance: A bounded reproduction command and full-run command are documented with resource estimates.
Checklist, learning assessment, gate status, shortfalls, next actions and carryover
Notes on artifact states
These filenames are outputs to prepare during this week's execution; this scaffold does not claim they already exist. Drafts and measured results have different states. Technical code/data stay in the canonical project repository and are referenced from these coordinating files.
During preparation, future measured tables get column definitions, input requirements and run instructions with PENDING status. During execution, replace pending values only with measured outputs. Do not create realistic-looking fake evidence.
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600 MINUTES MAXIMUM
Seven-day plan
Monday90 min
Target. Run mechanistic/pure ML/hybrid by 5/10/20/50 training batches by five seeds with separate training, calibration and test groups. Stop when: All 60 planned model-size-seed combinations have results or explicit failure reasons.
Target. FLIP benchmark paper (Dallago et al. 2021, "FLIP: Benchmark tasks in fitness landscape inference for proteins"); Meltome atlas paper (Jarzab et al. 2020) Produce: Meltome split loaded; baseline on 1,000 sequences
Target. Evaluate faulty-batch transfer and monitoring timing; report prediction errors, interval coverage/width, false alarms and misses. Stop when: Coverage on shifted faults is measured, not guaranteed; test information does not tune models. Reserve the last 10 minutes for the optional Wednesday note.
Target. MIT 6.874 protein lecture; Hugging Face ESM model card (facebook/esm2_t33_650M_UR50D) Select material/exercise that fits 60 minutes; use the last 30 for the founder paper.
Target. Freeze configs, splits and figures; package batchlens v0.3 and Z4 materials in the canonical Paper 2 repository. Stop when: A bounded reproduction command and full-run command are documented with resource estimates.
Target. Resolve the earliest critical spillover or dependency. Prepare any long-form publication draft from existing figures here if needed. Sandbox only after commitments are met.
Target. 20 min build-log draft/publication when authorized; 5 min evidence/checklist; 20 min source-grounded gap review; 15 min next week's six physical actions.
Block ritual: read your next action → start the 90-min timer → open one file. Close: write tomorrow's action and one log line.
Feels pointless? Does today's Done when need it? No → skip it and log it. Yes → let AI do the boring part, you review. Still stuck → the smallest version in 25 minutes. Pulled into a rabbit hole? Write it in Parked thoughts and save it for Saturday.
The model must turn these into exact physical actions using the observed files and available inputs. Each 90-minute block includes start/stop rituals. All calls, posts, debugging, reading and exercises consume this same capacity.
The source lists more material than necessarily fits. Select exact excerpts for the learning objective and park the remainder; no full-course completion requirement.
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WHAT TO WATCH, READ AND RUN
Materials for this week
A clinical trial is not "we gave the drug to some people and they felt better". It is arms, doses, randomisation, repeats, and a pre-declared outcome. This week Paper 2 becomes a proper trial. Three arms (mechanistic, pure ML, hybrid), four "doses" of data (5, 10, 20, 50 batches), five seeds each so luck cannot fake a result, conformal intervals so every number carries its honest uncertainty, and a stress test on fa…
In the plan's running order: each card says which block it belongs to and what has to come
before it. The seven-day plan lists the same cards under the day that owns them.
Yang, Wu & Arnold (2019), "Machine-learning-guided directed evolution for protein engineering"
Saturday sandbox
Yang, Wu & Arnold (2019), "Machine-learning-guided directed evolution for protein engineering", Nature Methods 16:687-694. The classic review; read it before week 21
This week delivers the three concrete artifacts below and the supporting learning/branding/opportunity pack. The scientific or commercial outcome follows the preserved source brief, while the acceptance checks make its evidence testable. The career objective is to turn this work into something a scientist, hiring manager or buyer can inspect.
Scientific/build priority: Run mechanistic/pure ML/hybrid by 5/10/20/50 training batches by five seeds with separate training, calibration and test groups.
Public/profile priority: Draft learning-curve post using the observed pattern; do not reuse the master's assumed hybrid-wins headline.
Career/relationship/commercial priority: Share the experiment summary with the prospective endorser/reviewer; continue weekly protein-paper notes for partner selection.
02
READ FIRST
Deeper walkthrough (v6)
Read v6 · Week 17 · Paper 2 experiments, complete before Monday. It carries this week's v5 brief unchanged and adds the Welcome analogy, Learn it (▶ core and + deeper sources), Run it (repos with a 20-40 minute exercise), the NotebookLM kit and the mentor check below. Standing v6 rules: resource rules, NotebookLM protocol, chapter anatomy. v6 adds depth only; it does not change a goal, gate, output or the 600-minute cap, so this specification still governs execution.
Act IV · Threads: B, M, BL, EL (literacy) · Next gate: 20
Where this week sits.
- ← From: week 12 harness and hybrid v0, week 16 conformal intervals, week 4 batch-wise CV, week 3 hours-to-detection.
- → Feeds: week 18 (Paper 2 draft), week 20 (arXiv), weeks 21-22 (the Meltome baseline you start today becomes Paper 3's baseline table).
- ⟳ Returns in: Paper 2 figures; JOSS (wk 36) as the showcase usage of batchlens.
Goals.
- 🎯 This week: full learning-curve experiment with seeds and coverage; transfer to faulty batches; paper-2 repo with make figs; batchlens v0.3 + Z4; ESM-2 + ridge baseline number on Meltome.
- 🏁 Next milestone: Gate 20 (Paper 2 on arXiv).
- 🌟 Final: the result that answers "when does biology help the model?".
Mentor check."I can show the learning curve and say, with an interval, below how many batches the hybrid model is the better bet."
03
OPEN WHEN NEEDED
Required inputs and dependency check
Week 12: inspect its actual evidence and review; source/code artifacts must exist before the dependent task begins.
Week 16: inspect its actual evidence and review; source/code artifacts must exist before the dependent task begins.
Inspect the actual canonical repository state, available data, existing figures and required human/external inputs. Never assume a previous week succeeded from its folder name.
Verify current resource links, versions, dataset rights and any live company/venue information before relying on them. Use source catalog; explicitly record inaccessible resources.
04
READ FIRST
Learning specification
Biology/domain unit
Source unit: B17 · Enzyme stability and engineering
Material: FLIP benchmark paper (Dallago et al. 2021, "FLIP: Benchmark tasks in fitness landscape inference for proteins"); Meltome atlas paper (Jarzab et al. 2020)
Produce: Meltome split loaded; baseline on 1,000 sequences
Understanding check: You know what "thermostability" is measured as
During preparation, write one worked example connected to the week's actual task, one exercise with a separate answer key and five questions. Peter supplies answers; score explanation quality and flag misconceptions in QUESTIONS. Numeric/scientific conclusions require actual data or explicitly synthetic teaching values.
AI/scientific-method unit
Source unit: M17 · Deep learning for proteins
Material: MIT 6.874 protein lecture; Hugging Face ESM model card (facebook/esm2_t33_650M_UR50D)
Produce: Embedding + ridge head on Meltome
Understanding check: Baseline number exists
Use the prompt pack: P1 explanation ladder, P2 concept-to-project bridge and P3 quiz. Coding practice belongs within the allocated study/build block. Where the source asks for a favorable scientific result, substitute an honest measured comparison as explained below.
Founder/scientist paper
Select one verified founder/scientific-lead paper relevant to this week's domain. Use P11; save the question, method, numerical result with context, data workflow, three author questions and one connection sentence in founder-paper.md. Keep abstract-only access limitations explicit. On source weeks with no study, prioritize the commercial/submission task and log any skipped digest.
05
OPEN WHEN NEEDED
Branding and opportunity execution brief
Branding: Draft learning-curve post using the observed pattern; do not reuse the master's assumed hybrid-wins headline.
Opportunity action: Share the experiment summary with the prospective endorser/reviewer; continue weekly protein-paper notes for partner selection.
Use career asset contracts. Publish at most the agreed cadence; one figure and one supported number or admitted failure can support multiple drafts. In long-form weeks, prepare a 1,500–2,500-word article from existing evidence within the build/buffer allocation. In release/demo weeks, prepare a 60-second script: problem, input, command/action, result, limitation and proof link.
Verify individuals, jobs and affiliations at execution time. The GridX list and v4 company map are research seeds, not current facts. Do not reveal named company weaknesses or employer/client confidential information. Keep drafted/sent/replied/booked/held statuses separate. The planning request alone does not authorize external messages or publication; honor explicit authorization in the execution session.
06
OPEN WHEN NEEDED
Quality risks and week-specific constraints
Meltome targets and engineered-enzyme thermostability may differ. Keep early protein baselines separate from Paper 2 and avoid selecting results based on hoped-for wins.
Apply the root scientific evidence contract: provenance; meaningful independent splits; no future-data leakage; baseline comparison; actual denominators/uncertainty; failed cases; human review where required. State whether data are simulated, public experimental, synthetic or partner-provided.
Keep source gates intact, and log scope/time conflicts in review. Missing people, money, access or results must not be replaced with invented evidence. Reduce optional polish first. A specific essential external dependency stays pending while independent preparation continues.
07
READ FIRST
Completion and gate review
This is an enabling week. Its deliverables feed the next scheduled gate: 20. Complete the acceptance checklist below; do not promote reputation from a draft.
Monday artifact satisfies: All 60 planned model-size-seed combinations have results or explicit failure reasons.
Wednesday artifact satisfies: Coverage on shifted faults is measured, not guaranteed; test information does not tune models.
Friday artifact satisfies: A bounded reproduction command and full-run command are documented with resource estimates.
Study pack is prepared; Peter's actual learning/quiz result is recorded separately.
Branding and opportunity drafts use supported claims and the correct external-action state.
Reproduction or document checks are recorded with file/version references.
This week's special gate, if any, has real evidence or remains explicitly pending.
Review, root progress/log and the next physical action are updated.
08
READ FIRST
Minimum viable week and recovery
Source-preserving minimum: the learning curves with seeds.
Operational first step if stalled: open paper-2-results.csv, write the required inputs and produce the smallest checkable example in ten minutes. If a more urgent missing gate dependency controls the week, use the source minimum above.
If the full week does not fit, use P14: retain one gate-critical deliverable and one directly supporting study exercise; record what is skipped versus moved. Do not mark the original full gate passed merely because the minimum was completed. After a missed week, reforecast from actual evidence and avoid a second unexamined lost week.
09
OPEN WHEN NEEDED
Handoff to the next model
In review, state exactly what exists, what was verified, what Peter can now explain, which external events remain pending, where the canonical code/data live, and the next file/function or draft paragraph to touch. Link each fact to evidence. Carry scientific assumptions, split definitions and rights constraints forward explicitly.
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OPEN WHEN NEEDED
Ready-to-copy model prompt
Prepare Week 17 of this LABLOOP execution plan.
Read execution-plan/specs.md, execution-plan/DECISIONS.md,
execution-plan/GATES.md and
execution-plan/weeks/week-17-paper-2-complete-experiments/specs.md, commitment.md, evidence.md and review.md.
Read prior prerequisite reviews and inspect actual repository/data state.
Use v5 as the governing sequence, the v6 Week 17 chapter
(LABLOOP-Master-Plan-v6.md) as the deeper walkthrough, and v4 only for
retained details.
Produce the full local preparation pack and the exact week-specific files named
in the artifact table. Give me a bounded lesson with exercises/answer key,
daily physical actions, technical runbook or draft, branding drafts and
career/commercial actions. Keep the total to 600 minutes.
Separate prepared artifacts from measured results and my learning completion.
Verify sources and do not invent metrics, citations, papers, people or outcomes.
Do not execute external communications, publication or spending unless the
current session already authorizes the specific action.
Finish by updating evidence/review and TODAY with the next physical action.
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OPEN WHEN NEEDED
Preserved original v5 weekly brief
v6 reproduces this brief unchanged inside v6 · Week 17 · Paper 2 experiments, complete.
The following is source planning text, not a claim of completion. Apply the explicit evidence corrections in this specification and DECISIONS.md.
Thu (M17): ESM-2 embeddings + ridge head on Meltome; baseline number.
Build: Mon: full learning-curve experiment (mechanistic, pure ML, hybrid × 5/10/20/50 batches × 5 seeds), conformal intervals, coverage. Wed: transfer to faulty batches; hours-to-detection with each model. Fri: paper-2 repo with make figs; batchlens v0.3 + Z4.
Sun: L-Sun: "Hybrid wins below 20 batches, loses above 50: the full curve". L-Wed.
State: UNCONFIRMED. Owner: Peter Ciancaglini. Specification
Start date: not set. End date: not set. Available hours: confirm (planned ceiling 10).
Primary outcome: paper 2 complete experiments.
Minimum that keeps the next gate alive: the learning curves with seeds.
Deliverables to commit
☐ paper-2-results.csv: All 60 planned model-size-seed combinations have results or explicit failure reasons.
☐ paper-2-transfer.csv: Coverage on shifted faults is measured, not guaranteed; test information does not tune models.
☐ paper-2-reproducibility.md: A bounded reproduction command and full-run command are documented with resource estimates.
☐ Bounded learning exercise and personal teach-back.
☐ Evidence-backed branding and opportunity pack.
☐ Sunday review and next physical action.
Proposed calendar
Day
Minutes
Physical action / outcome
Actual slot
Done
Mon
90
Run mechanistic/pure ML/hybrid by 5/10/20/50 training batches by five seeds with separate training, calibration and test groups.
Not set
☐
Tue
90
Meltome split loaded; baseline on 1,000 sequences
Not set
☐
Wed
90
Evaluate faulty-batch transfer and monitoring timing; report prediction errors, interval coverage/width, false alarms and misses. Last ten minutes: optional note.
Not set
☐
Thu
90
Embedding + ridge head on Meltome Include relevant founder-paper work within this block.
Not set
☐
Fri
90
Freeze configs, splits and figures; package batchlens v0.3 and Z4 materials in the canonical Paper 2 repository.
Not set
☐
Sat
90
Resolve critical spillover; long-form draft if due; sandbox only if done.
Not set
☐
Sun
60
Build log, evidence, gap review, next actions.
Not set
☐
Dependency and capacity check
Missing essential inputs: not yet inspected.
Human/external dependency, owner and expected date: not yet inspected.
Week-specific constraint: Meltome targets and engineered-enzyme thermostability may differ. Keep early protein baselines separate from Paper 2 and avoid selecting results based on hoped-for wins.
Existing session authorization for external actions or spending: not assessed; local planning only at scaffold creation.
Scope to cut first: optional polish/additional examples; preserve scientific validity.
If the forecast exceeds available time: record a concrete reduced scope or revised delivery proposal before committing.
Peter's commitment / adjustments: pending.
Reviewing model and date: pending.
Execution state: NOT_STARTED. Specification
This file is a blank register with planned artifact names; none of the rows prove completion.
Item
Path / URL / version
State
Verification / actual result
Verified by / date
paper-2-results.csv
Not created
NOT_STARTED
Pending: All 60 planned model-size-seed combinations have results or explicit failure reasons.
—
paper-2-transfer.csv
Not created
NOT_STARTED
Pending: Coverage on shifted faults is measured, not guaranteed; test information does not tune models.
—
paper-2-reproducibility.md
Not created
NOT_STARTED
Pending: A bounded reproduction command and full-run command are documented with resource estimates.
—
Learning exercise / Peter's quiz
Not created
NOT_STARTED
Peter's actual answers required
—
Founder paper digest
Not created
NOT_STARTED
Source/content and access checked
—
Branding pack
Not created
NOT_STARTED
Claims audited; drafted/public status distinct
—
Opportunity actions
Not created
NOT_STARTED
Drafted/sent/replied/booked/held distinct
—
Reproduction and scientific measurements
Question / metric
Dataset, N and unit
Split / seed / config
Command or verification method
Output path and measured value
Uncertainty / limitation
External events, when authorized and actually performed
Date
Action / counterpart
Receipt or private reference
State
Next action / date
Actual learning and decisions
Peter's teach-back / quiz score: not assessed.
Scientific assumptions and deviations: none recorded yet.
Budget allocated / spent: not assessed / no spend recorded.
Missing evidence and responsible owner: pending inspection.
Do not put API keys, source full texts with restricted rights, client data or invoice personal details in a public version of this register. Keep private evidence references private.
☐ All 60 planned model-size-seed combinations have results or explicit failure reasons. Evidence: pending.
☐ Coverage on shifted faults is measured, not guaranteed; test information does not tune models. Evidence: pending.
☐ A bounded reproduction command and full-run command are documented with resource estimates. Evidence: pending.
☐ Learning assessed from Peter's actual answers. Evidence: pending.
☐ Branding/opportunity states recorded correctly. Evidence: pending.
Learning and outcome
What Peter can explain or reproduce now: not assessed.
Quiz / teach-back gaps: not assessed.
Measured result and limitations: pending.
Best evidence link for a scientist/recruiter/buyer: pending.
What failed or changed, and why: pending.
Gate and capacity
Gate requirement: No standalone gate; check this week's acceptance criteria and next gate dependencies.
Gate status: NOT_STARTED.
Original target week: See next gate in specs.
Actual completion date / forecast: not set.
Missing external evidence: pending inspection.
Blocks completed / 7: not recorded.
Days with commits / 7: not recorded.
Sunday build log / optional Wednesday note: not recorded.
Founder conversations cumulative: not recorded.
Earned evidence level and proof: not assessed.
Consecutive lost weeks: not assessed.
Week-specific risk to revisit: Meltome targets and engineered-enzyme thermostability may differ. Keep early protein baselines separate from Paper 2 and avoid selecting results based on hoped-for wins.
Decision and next-model handoff
Continue / recover / blocked: not decided.
Retain as the minimum: the learning curves with seeds.
Skipped permanently with reason: none recorded.
Carryover with owner, dependency and target week: none recorded.
Canonical repository paths and versions: pending.
Data permissions, split definitions or assumptions to preserve: pending.
External action authorization that still applies: not assessed.
Next physical action, exact file/function/paragraph: pending.
Updates to root PROGRESS / LOG / TODAY completed: ☐