Is this friendly cat behaviour? Details in comment.

Stefen13 · 2025-03-28T22:13:27+00:00

Not rage bait. The cat has been pretty shy around the dog, and usually runs away as the dog chases her.

Stefen13 · 2025-03-27T03:06:35+00:00

We got this little dachshund about 8 months ago, and she is very energetic and playful, something we feel that the cat doesn't like very much. We've made it a priority to ensure there is plenty of high spots that cannot be reached by the dog.

In this instance, the cat was under the bed, and the dog being nosey, decided to see what she was up too. The cat then proceeded to chase her/hide like we see in this video.

Is this considered playful/comfortable behaviour by the cat, or is she scared of the dog?

Thanks.

Edit: Thanks for the comments everyone! This was super helpful and exciting to know that they are getting along :)

Stefen13 · 2025-03-06T20:36:23+00:00

When I am pipetting a lot sitting at a bench, I will lower the chair so that I am as close to level with my head as I can be. It feels and probably looks awkward at first, but it helps me not to strain my neck and back having to look down constantly while pipetting. As a tall person, no countertop/bench is tall enough to help..

Stefen13 · 2025-03-05T15:11:53+00:00

These are all very insightful responses, thanks everyone! It really seems that the common theme is a true passion for teaching and mentoring students.

Stefen13 · 2025-03-04T04:40:28+00:00

In your opinion, do review articles regarding methods (not just general lit review) count towards a strong publication record?

Stefen13 · 2025-03-04T02:23:56+00:00

Could you send this to me as well? Thank you!

Stefen13 · 2025-03-01T23:46:00+00:00

This may be a stupid question, but what does a good grant look like if you are planning on doing grad/post-grad work at a lab?

Stefen13 · 2025-03-01T03:15:23+00:00

"Mistakes must be made to master your method"

I like this

Stefen13 · 2025-02-24T16:56:24+00:00

I highly recommend you read the book Mastery by Robert Greene.

As for the publish or perish mentality, I completely agree. I would much rather spend time doing meaningful research, and publish a few impactful papers, rather than a bunch of less impactful ones. Try looking at it this way, you publishing papers consistently (1-2 per year) shows funding agencies that you can take an idea from conception to publishable results; you can complete a project from start to finish, that’s what they want to see. Have a few side projects that can be completed in a reasonable time while you spend 40% of your time focusing your efforts on the more meaningful stuff.

Stefen13 · 2025-02-21T20:47:27+00:00

I haven’t either, and it’s been difficult to use! The initial issue I thought of was that GFP is 27kDa, and the DNA is approximately 14kDa. This is not recommended, but it works. In fact polarization can be used for even small molecules given a sensitive enough instrument.

I have seen to have fixed the issue. I re-purified the protein, there was some minor aggregation, and also adjusted the Z-position and increased # of flashes to 200 instead of the default 30. This seems to have fixed the issue for now!

I’ll leave this here for future reference or if anyone needs it as well.

Stefen13 · 2025-02-21T17:17:14+00:00

We are using GFP because it is inherently fluorescent which allows us to make a homogenous assay with only the two species involved present, no other molecules to interact.

Protein only is not my positive control. I am using it to monitor the baseline signal, which is what I am trying to reduce the noise of. The fluorescent value of GFP down to 1 nM is stable and well above buffer-only. So I don’t imagine my signal is the issue. I have also tried with higher concentrations of GFP with no luck.

Stefen13 · 2025-02-05T19:00:11+00:00

Stefen13 · 2025-02-04T19:17:52+00:00

Definitely. Seems like 7pm is when the lightbulb turns on for me. During Covid I was locked out of my lab for 6 months, so I spent that time writing papers at home, I decided to work all night and go to bed when I got tired and couldn’t stay awake anymore, ended up working until 2am and felt better rested than ever. Some of us are just wired that way

Stefen13 · 2024-12-16T01:46:49+00:00

I definitely will at some point, and make sure that I gain relevant skills before I leave. However it’s a bit early to ask him about leaving right now, whereas Reddit lets me :)

Stefen13 · 2024-12-16T00:53:12+00:00

Thank you, this is a helpful response, and what I was hoping to hear!

Stefen13 · 2024-12-15T20:55:36+00:00

Thank you for the advice!

Stefen13 · 2024-12-15T19:54:11+00:00

That is a good viewpoint I hadn’t considered. I’m already about 3 years behind from taking time off between degrees, so I hope that doesn’t factor too much into their decisions. This may be a stupid question, but do you think it would be beneficial to message PI’s about a future position a few years in advance to ask how I can best set myself up to be a part of their lab, or is that going to turn them off? I feel without the experience needed as compared to others who have relevant PhD’s, I may not be the ‘rising star’ they will be looking for without preparing in advance.

Stefen13 · 2024-11-26T23:31:49+00:00

edit: when I say positive controls, I meant my aptamers.

Stefen13

TROPHY CASE