One can't work without the other. Forget kitchen-sink experimentation, we don't have the time, nor the ability to do everything the hard way. Live with it (and go spend some time in the lab!)
I see this in a positive light. The databases are very powerful tools; after all genomics is giving rise to proteomics. It's a whole new area of research which would have been impossible just a few years ago, and could never have been tackled with traditional methods. Bring it on!
In my own research, I have relied on databases to determine what particular protein family a newly purified peptide (from a crustacean) belonged to, or to design primers for certain enzymes.
The malaria parasite is a protozoan, not a virus. The modification targets infection by this parasite specifically.
Malaria is not a problem that can be handled through immunization. Lack of adequate treatments and widespread drug resistance make this a killer disease. Note however that this research is being carried out with a strain of Plasmodium (malaria parasites) that is specific to mice. We are a long way away from trials with strains that infect humans, let alone field experiments with GM mosquitoes.
I'm reasonably impressed with their online support, but when it comes to phoning them, I have to delegate or end up throwing the phone against the wall. Waiting times can be up to 45 minutes.
We have had problems with Plusnet ever since signing up for broadband late last year. At the same time, we had problems with the local exchange, so the Plusnet people were right to blame BT at first. However, after our most recent complaint (following 734 errors every second day or so) they said they'd pass the complaint on to BT and if no error is found we would have to pay for the callout charge. Hubby pointed out that BT is sub-contracted to them, not to us. Since then they have been quiet. They have sent us a new Voyager 105 modem, but the problems continue.
Getting online is a lottery. However, I don't know of any better ISPs.
'm following this with interest as I'm also changing to Ubuntu now that XP's going belly-up periodically (it probably can't stand the fact that I've turned off the automatic updates and it demands them back, or else)
For sudden panic attacks in the middle of exams which can be very difficult to control, I'll recommend taking Xanax. As another poster has pointed out, they can prevent these from happening at very low doses (0.25 mg) and you'll stay sharp enough for the exams.
However--whatever your doc says--don't take them every day. Tolerance to these things can build up quickly. My own doctor says that carrying them in your handbag can be as effective as taking them, simply due to the knowledge that they can prevent an attack. I found that they help in as little as five minutes.
In the long term, cognitive behavioural therapy is the best approach; you'll learn to recognize the signs and control anxiety.
Definitely stay off caffeine.
Finally (and this is why I reply to the above post), if there's any history of bipolar disorders in your family, avoid Paxil (paroxetine) as it can make moodswings considerably worse and lead to hostility and suicidal ideation. If you need to take an SSRI, use a milder one like Prozac.
What's challenging about FACS? It's been routine since at least the mid-nineties when I last worked in a lab routinely dealing with it. (Not that I've done so myself.)
I've heard the 'biological differences' argument from birth--and indeed from before, through reading heaps of incedibly sexist classical SF. I've not yet actually come across convincing scientific evidence that it has a significant impact on the intelligence or scientific/mathematic aptitude of the female of the species, although back then it was actually argued that women have relatively smaller brain/bodymass ratios or whatever in an attempt to find a scientific explanation for their simpleness.
Plenty of trends point to social circumstances.
In the not-so-distant past, girls who were good at maths were openly sneered at. I remember a poster from 20 years ago, depicting female Nobel prize winners entitled: 'How can a pretty girl win the Nobel prize in physics?' Back then, it was an uphill struggle to gain acceptance and girls had to be pretty head-strong to prevail. Things have changed. You will have noted an earlier commentator observing that in her/his undergraduate math course there were about 50% female students. That tallies with my own observations. However, there's a drop-off at the postgrad level and a shocking drop-off at the academic level, and that is because of discrimination. Recent attempts to address the problem will bring about changes at these levels too. They are to be welcomed, much as I abhore 'affirmative action' which is a form of discrimination in itself. However, offering three internship to female students is a damn good start.
See how the argument about 'biological differences' looks in a decade or two when women have finally had a chance to catch up.
I've been mistrustful of Microsoft's automatic updates ever since it scrambled my labtop's settings for use with the university network. The IT guys told me to 'not update without checking first, for god's sake!' and I'm glad that I did!
A few weeks ago, my computer told me that MS has released the first of their updates which check for pirated copies of Windows and comes up with little nag screens if it decides that you have one. The blurb told me that this software could not be removed. I refused the update (and all that followed because--guess what--it gets worse) and we are in the process of changing to Ubuntu Linux. I would be very happy with it, if only my broadband modem would work--do the newer versions now include the proper modem driver?
About the software 'phoning home', hasn't it always done so? It's not just Windows, it's all sorts of 'handy' applications from what I heard.
It is possible to create stem cell lines and the technology is improving all the time.
However, only cell lines that were created before 2001 can be used for federally funded projects. The problem is that these older cell lines have limited viability: only 20-odd of the sixty original lines are still viable. Another (bigger) problem is that, back then, the cells were grown on mouse feeder cells and have become contaminated as a result. They are of limited use.
Scientists need to generate new ES cell lines and that can only be done with private funding.
I see no problem in using blastocysts left over from IVF treatment. I also see no problem donating eggs for this work that can benefit so many people in the future. It has nothing to do with actual cloning of organisms--it's just cells!
Here in the UK, stem cell work is legal using embryos up to 14 days old. The blastocyst stage doesn't last beyond day 5, if I remember correctly. Another commentator rightly said that most women who try to get pregnant abort faulty embryos which can be several weeks old without even noticing. Where's the big moral dilemma?
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Yes, you're right. I didn't read this correctly and I thought you had a dig at us lab-rats ;)
Point taken!
One can't work without the other. Forget kitchen-sink experimentation, we don't have the time, nor the ability to do everything the hard way. Live with it (and go spend some time in the lab!)
I see this in a positive light. The databases are very powerful tools; after all genomics is giving rise to proteomics. It's a whole new area of research which would have been impossible just a few years ago, and could never have been tackled with traditional methods. Bring it on!
In my own research, I have relied on databases to determine what particular protein family a newly purified peptide (from a crustacean) belonged to, or to design primers for certain enzymes.
Thank you, I was looking for this reference as soon as I read the summary.
There is a lot of exciting research opening up!
Malaria is not a problem that can be handled through immunization. Lack of adequate treatments and widespread drug resistance make this a killer disease. Note however that this research is being carried out with a strain of Plasmodium (malaria parasites) that is specific to mice. We are a long way away from trials with strains that infect humans, let alone field experiments with GM mosquitoes.
We have had problems with Plusnet ever since signing up for broadband late last year. At the same time, we had problems with the local exchange, so the Plusnet people were right to blame BT at first. However, after our most recent complaint (following 734 errors every second day or so) they said they'd pass the complaint on to BT and if no error is found we would have to pay for the callout charge. Hubby pointed out that BT is sub-contracted to them, not to us. Since then they have been quiet. They have sent us a new Voyager 105 modem, but the problems continue.
Getting online is a lottery. However, I don't know of any better ISPs.
The Boing-boing entry refers to an essential software list on which I particularly loved the recommendation for the web browser:
'Mozilla Thunderbird. It's just like Evolution, except it's intelligently designed.'
However--whatever your doc says--don't take them every day. Tolerance to these things can build up quickly. My own doctor says that carrying them in your handbag can be as effective as taking them, simply due to the knowledge that they can prevent an attack. I found that they help in as little as five minutes.
In the long term, cognitive behavioural therapy is the best approach; you'll learn to recognize the signs and control anxiety.
Definitely stay off caffeine.
Finally (and this is why I reply to the above post), if there's any history of bipolar disorders in your family, avoid Paxil (paroxetine) as it can make moodswings considerably worse and lead to hostility and suicidal ideation. If you need to take an SSRI, use a milder one like Prozac.
What's challenging about FACS? It's been routine since at least the mid-nineties when I last worked in a lab routinely dealing with it. (Not that I've done so myself.)
Plenty of trends point to social circumstances.
In the not-so-distant past, girls who were good at maths were openly sneered at. I remember a poster from 20 years ago, depicting female Nobel prize winners entitled: 'How can a pretty girl win the Nobel prize in physics?' Back then, it was an uphill struggle to gain acceptance and girls had to be pretty head-strong to prevail. Things have changed. You will have noted an earlier commentator observing that in her/his undergraduate math course there were about 50% female students. That tallies with my own observations. However, there's a drop-off at the postgrad level and a shocking drop-off at the academic level, and that is because of discrimination. Recent attempts to address the problem will bring about changes at these levels too. They are to be welcomed, much as I abhore 'affirmative action' which is a form of discrimination in itself. However, offering three internship to female students is a damn good start.
See how the argument about 'biological differences' looks in a decade or two when women have finally had a chance to catch up.
A few weeks ago, my computer told me that MS has released the first of their updates which check for pirated copies of Windows and comes up with little nag screens if it decides that you have one. The blurb told me that this software could not be removed. I refused the update (and all that followed because--guess what--it gets worse) and we are in the process of changing to Ubuntu Linux. I would be very happy with it, if only my broadband modem would work--do the newer versions now include the proper modem driver?
About the software 'phoning home', hasn't it always done so? It's not just Windows, it's all sorts of 'handy' applications from what I heard.
It is possible to create stem cell lines and the technology is improving all the time. However, only cell lines that were created before 2001 can be used for federally funded projects. The problem is that these older cell lines have limited viability: only 20-odd of the sixty original lines are still viable. Another (bigger) problem is that, back then, the cells were grown on mouse feeder cells and have become contaminated as a result. They are of limited use. Scientists need to generate new ES cell lines and that can only be done with private funding. I see no problem in using blastocysts left over from IVF treatment. I also see no problem donating eggs for this work that can benefit so many people in the future. It has nothing to do with actual cloning of organisms--it's just cells! Here in the UK, stem cell work is legal using embryos up to 14 days old. The blastocyst stage doesn't last beyond day 5, if I remember correctly. Another commentator rightly said that most women who try to get pregnant abort faulty embryos which can be several weeks old without even noticing. Where's the big moral dilemma?
Ha! I'm married to a mathematician and he won't use that old excuse again/i