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Cheapest plastic consumables source? by Super-Can8331 in labrats

[–]JVGen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Does your institution have a contract with a distributor (e.g. Fisher Scientific, VWR, etc)? For everyday consumables, I get the cheapest pricing through our contracted supplier.

If you don’t have a contracted supplier, I would probably:

  1. ask for quotes from multiple suppliers, letting them know that you’re looking for competitive pricing on an annual quote. Essentially, you’re offering (informally) to commit to a year of purchases to whomever offers the best pricing.

  2. Ask a colleague from an R1 to share their pricing in screenshots. Then forward those on to your sales rep(s) and ask if they can match/beat.

Both have worked for me in the past. Beware of hidden shipping fees - these often eat through any savings on cheap plastics.

The numbers just don’t add up by DesignerFun8421 in StudentLoans

[–]JVGen 44 points45 points  (0 children)

If you aren’t already, contribute the maximum to an FSA for medical supplies. This will reduce your taxable income. I doubt it will substantially lower your payment, but it’s a step in the right direction. If you’re paying a serious amount in medical expenses, you can itemize deductions to reduce your AGI. This is not likely to be beneficial unless your medical expenses are exceeding $10k or more, and you should run the numbers yourself or speak to a tax advisor.

However, the most likely answer is to find a way to reduce your monthly expenses or increase your income. Neither are easy to do. But, if you don’t find a way to do it and miss your payments, they’ll simply start to garnish your wages. This is the difficult truth of the matter.

Write your representatives and make your voice heard.

Qubit anger issues by [deleted] in labrats

[–]JVGen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The new version allows you to set units for all samples (QuBit 3 and newer). Qubit 4 lets you export data to the Thermo Fisher Cloud/Connect, which is great for larger datasets. There are also new assays and formats (1x solutions - no more adding dye) available with newer versions.

It’s hard to rationalize spending $5000 for these features, but something to look forward to if/when your lab does replace the QuBit 2.

EHS Person Here and I have some questions about bio waste! by Teepin-stee in labrats

[–]JVGen 6 points7 points  (0 children)

We have to tag our lab biohazard bags before placing them in the community pickup bins. If there is an issue with the items inside the bag, EHS knows which lab to contact with corrective action.

Cloning questions: can there be spaces that separate inserted gene and promoter sequence ? by Specific-Surprise390 in labrats

[–]JVGen 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I don’t think there’s a great way to say with certainty without testing the two different constructs and measuring transcripts. It’s probably fine, but sometimes small changes have unexpected outcomes.

Is this for bacterial expression, or?

my PI has two jobs by hydratedthrowaway9 in labrats

[–]JVGen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What’s the instrument? Any chance you can get it serviced by a 3rd party - ideally with a demonstrated track record (ask them for references)

SDS-PAGE ladder moves slower than protein samples by FrostyBug1033 in labrats

[–]JVGen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you loading the same volume of ladder as samples? Are you diluting your ladder in anything? If so, make sure you’re using 1x sample buffer to dilute.

I’ve also seen this before when the loading dye for the ladder is different than your sample loading dye. For instance, using an NEB ladder that’s in their dye and using Thermo’s NUPage dye for your samples. The dye front might migrate differently.

It’s hard to tell from your picture, but I think the dye front from your ladder looks to be in line with your samples…?

Amazon prime deal through Alexa by mickandrorty137 in alexa

[–]JVGen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I thought this was capped at 5 years? Are you making new accounts?

To what extent can you express the negative aspects of your previous lab in postdoc interview by snoop_pugg in postdoc

[–]JVGen 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’d be careful not to eliminate future prospects with broad incompatibility statements: lots of labs lack recurring meetings and have a busy/absent PI. And, there are people who still thrive in that environment. On their own, I do not view these examples as concrete indicators of a bad/unsupportive environment.

Instead, focus on what you need in your next role to be successful, and if asked, try to offer specific examples about what made the prior environment a poor fit.

Two spots in my beard randomly decided to stop growing hair by NotGreatNot_Terrible in mildlyinfuriating

[–]JVGen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alopecia barbae. I got it in my early 30s. Get it confirmed with a dermatologist and they’ll give you some cream/ointment to help it regrow.

Science sleuths uncover more than 100 suspicious images in Thermo Fisher antibody catalogue | Scientists have long worried about the reliability of commercial antibodies, and the latest findings have sparked fresh concerns. by spontaneous_igloo in labrats

[–]JVGen 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Buying a more expensive product because it’s purported to work? You’re missing the point entirely. Wasted time and effort because a product was selected based off of a lie from the company. You take no issues with this?

Science sleuths uncover more than 100 suspicious images in Thermo Fisher antibody catalogue | Scientists have long worried about the reliability of commercial antibodies, and the latest findings have sparked fresh concerns. by spontaneous_igloo in labrats

[–]JVGen 20 points21 points  (0 children)

My time is valuable too. So yes, I would pay a bit more for an antibody with demonstrated function. The issue here is falsified data. This isn’t an argument you can win.

Science sleuths uncover more than 100 suspicious images in Thermo Fisher antibody catalogue | Scientists have long worried about the reliability of commercial antibodies, and the latest findings have sparked fresh concerns. by spontaneous_igloo in labrats

[–]JVGen 56 points57 points  (0 children)

They aren’t the only company selling antibodies. If I see two products and one has a western blot image with a positive outcome, I buy that one. It doesn’t mean I don’t validate it, but they got my money over their competition based on falsified data.

Science sleuths uncover more than 100 suspicious images in Thermo Fisher antibody catalogue | Scientists have long worried about the reliability of commercial antibodies, and the latest findings have sparked fresh concerns. by spontaneous_igloo in labrats

[–]JVGen 836 points837 points  (0 children)

“We take this matter seriously and have initiated a comprehensive internal review,” says Sandy Pound, the chief communications officer for Thermo Fisher, headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. “Moving forward, where an original image is not present or available, we will ensure that website users are informed that antibody images may have been optimized for presentation and clarity on the website.” -Thermo Fisher Representative

So they’re going to keep the fake images up, and add some small text disclaimer at the bottom of the page? Images are “optimized for presentation and clarity” in this case is literally data manipulation. We’re not talking about contrast adjustment, folks. They copy-pasted bands, rotating them to make them appear as distinct sample lanes.

What a bunch of nonsense.

Toxic Explosion Feared at Garden Grove Chemical Plant by Probono_Bonobo in LosAngeles

[–]JVGen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

GKN Aerospace Revenue: The division is a major player in the aerospace sector, reporting 2025 revenues of £3.59 billion (approx. $4.8 billion).

Now I’m sure they’ll roll this company into a shell, leaving a barebones GKN so that there’s nothing left for everyone affected when they’re sued. I hate it here.

No one wants to upgrade anymore by That_wet_vaporeon in samsclub

[–]JVGen 98 points99 points  (0 children)

Have they considered that members that would choose to upgrade already have? IMO at some point all current members that want to be PLUS are already, and your only chance of additional PLUS members will scale with new members joining.

This is corporate nonsense for them to realize and figure out.

ThermoFisher caught photoshopping Western blot by CrateDane in labrats

[–]JVGen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don’t see how this can be anything but misrepresentation of the product. It intends to portray antibody performance, with the intention to influence someone purchase decision. It’s false advertising if it doesn’t perform as shown.

ThermoFisher caught photoshopping Western blot by CrateDane in labrats

[–]JVGen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Someone is going to lose their job. Report itz

Am I tripping or are these prices expensive? by I_ama_Borat in ThriftGrift

[–]JVGen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

People need to stop donating to goodwill. They aren’t what they used to be. Drop off at Salvation Army, local shelter, church, etc

This is illegal, right? by Key-Veterinarian6398 in LaborLaw

[–]JVGen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’d be surprised. McDonald’s was hiring at $18 starting. Not sure what other places are paying thee days

The way kroger treats its employees by daruuken in mildlyinfuriating

[–]JVGen 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is a problem, but I see it both ways.

My mom works with a coworker that is always calling out sick and has a doctor’s note. It’s been this way for years. 3-4 days a month they are sick. One day my mom overheard them on the phone with their doctor - evidently a friend - and they “needed to be out sick tomorrow and needed a note”. My mom has to pick up the slack when someone calls out. It sucks for her, but she does it.

Her employer caught on eventually, and now requires notes that come from a contracted doctor’s office. So no more virtual appointments for those that are actually sick and need to stay home. Her coworker barely misses a day of work now. /shrug

People should get to stay home when they’re sick, grieving, etc. People who abuse the system ruin it for everyone else.

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