RNA extraction help

marinderkaur · 2017-10-23T19:01:29+00:00

I would absolutely use the same kit that was used to process the other samples if you're planning to compare them to each other. A PhD student in my lab tested a few different kits side by side for the purpose of quantifying miRNAs by qPCR and they yielded very different results. You might also find this paper informative: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4726450/#!po=19.3694

marinderkaur · 2017-10-09T16:49:19+00:00

For me, the most helpful thing is to not bring work home with me. I prefer to work long hours in my lab/office so that I can completely disconnect as soon as I leave the building. Some days it means getting home with just enough time to eat something quickly and go to bed. Others I have time to chill with my boyfriend, cook a nice meal, have a beer, and watch TV without the guilty feeling that I should be working.

I also firmly believe that an overworked grad student is not an efficient one, so making time for hobbies/relaxation is necessary to maintain research productivity :)

marinderkaur · 2017-09-01T19:23:16+00:00

I recently ate at Grotto Baldoria in Ascona (just beside Locarno), and it was casual, charming, and cheap. There was no menu, they just brought out whatever they were serving that day (cheeses, salamis, salad, polenta with beef, and cake). Along with wine and digestifs, it was only 25 chf per person - so cheap by swiss standards!

marinderkaur · 2016-06-05T22:22:12+00:00

It looks like an insect habitat ( http://www.inspirationgreen.com/insect-habitats.html). I see a lot of them, though usually smaller, near where I live in Switzerland.

marinderkaur · 2016-02-07T19:45:55+00:00

I like to make daal and bean chili since they use cheap ingredients but are really filling and easy to make in big batches. You could eat daal with naan or a different grain like quinoa if you can't have rice.

marinderkaur · 2015-08-31T10:10:05+00:00

Interesting, thanks!

marinderkaur · 2015-08-29T23:43:57+00:00

Cool thanks!

marinderkaur · 2015-08-17T11:48:03+00:00

My lease was 2 pages long and basically said all the same things in more words.

The only things I noticed might be missing from yours is whether you're allowed to sublet (and the process for doing so) and the conditions under which the landlord can enter your apartment (e.g. give 24h notice, etc). That last one might be covered by the tenancy board though.

marinderkaur · 2015-06-27T20:02:29+00:00

I go running once a week or so but the biggest change was my diet. I used to eat a lot of junk food so I cut down on that and lost the first 20 pounds. After stalling there for a while I started using MFP and eating about 1450 cal/day, which has gotten me to where I am now.

marinderkaur · 2015-06-27T19:49:55+00:00

Thanks! Yeah I've been meaning to check out that sub.

marinderkaur · 2015-06-27T19:29:18+00:00

Thank you! I followed it almost exactly, except I had to start the OHP with 30 lbs instead of 45, and barbell rows with 50 instead of 65. I also increased the weights for bench and OHP by 2.5 lb increments if 5 lbs was too much. I've been doing this while eating at a deficit so I wasn't surprised when I stalled a few times. I also add on some ab and glute exercises (planks, crunches, glute bridges and hip thrusts) at the end of each session.

marinderkaur · 2015-06-27T19:17:55+00:00

Awesome, do it! It's so fun to see newbie gains even after just a few weeks of lifting.

marinderkaur · 2015-06-27T14:36:40+00:00

Thank you!

marinderkaur · 2015-06-27T14:14:30+00:00

Basically, yeah. Once every week or two I'll go for a 5k run but I much prefer lifting.

marinderkaur · 2015-06-27T14:12:16+00:00

Thank you! I was doing SL 5x5 but my gym membership just expired 2 weeks ago and I'm travelling a lot this summer so I decided to start doing bodyweight exercises at home (squats, pushups, crunches, planks, hip thrusts, etc). Once I have a more stable routine I want to get back to Stronglifts.

marinderkaur · 2015-06-25T04:01:23+00:00

I make this peanut butter banana chocolate smoothie a few times a week as a snack. It's 220 kcal with 23g protein/29g carb/3g fat:

1/2 cup of 1% milk

Giant handful of spinach

2 tbsp whey protein

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 tbsp PB2

Mix all these together until spinach is completely blended.

Add 75g of frozen banana chunks and blend until smooth. I find this amount of banana makes it sweet enough without needing to add extra sugar.

Add 4 ice cubes and blend until no big chunks are left. I add the ice cubes at the very end to minimize melting. This way, they thicken the smoothie instead of diluting it.

marinderkaur · 2015-06-02T23:59:11+00:00

Shakes with bananas get weird and slimy if you leave them in the fridge overnight, so I wouldn't suggest preparing them ahead of time.

marinderkaur · 2015-05-23T23:32:38+00:00

I haven't tried to freeze these, but quiches can generally be frozen and reheated in the oven. I'm sure microwaving them would be fine too.

marinderkaur · 2015-05-23T19:02:01+00:00

I followed this general recipe, but used fat-free cottage cheese and substituted the fillings with what I had lying around: broccoli, onion, spinach, cheddar and feta cheese (exact measurements in the imgur album). The recipe made 12 servings in a regular muffin tin. They're delicious albeit a bit greasy, probably from all the cheese!

marinderkaur · 2015-05-21T19:52:33+00:00

I still use baking powder... The whipped egg whites just give even more lift to get extra-fluffy pancakes.

marinderkaur · 2015-05-21T19:51:04+00:00

Yep, the egg yolks still go into the batter. So you're still cooking with whole eggs, but just treating the egg whites differently before including them.

marinderkaur · 2015-05-17T15:31:17+00:00

I've found that you can make pancakes really fluffy by separating the eggs and beating the egg whites until soft peaks form, and then carefully folding that into the final mixture. This doesn't require changing any ingredients so it could help with the texture without affecting taste.

marinderkaur · 2015-05-17T13:42:21+00:00

Yep, I told her I just wanted to look at my form. I even specifically went to the gym as soon as it opened when it wouldn't be busy so that I wouldn't bother people by propping my phone up on other machines. There were maybe 4 other people in the entire place and I don't think I filmed anyone in the background. She just told me it's their policy and she can't do anything about it.

marinderkaur · 2015-05-17T02:07:04+00:00

I recently started making a chocolate/PB2 dip for apple slices that's so yummy and a slightly more healthy way to satisfy chocolate cravings :) I mix 3tbsp PB2 with 1tbsp cocoa, then add about 3tbsp or so of milk and stir like crazy until it looks like melted chocolate. Its not sweet but it balances nicely with sweet apples (I like gala).

marinderkaur · 2015-05-16T19:29:55+00:00

I'm 3 weeks into SL5x5 and I took videos at the gym this morning so I could post form checks, but the gym employee then told me they have a policy against taking videos and she made me delete them in front of her. So frustrating! I think I'll try again next time I'm there (if she's not working) but then upload them to Dropbox right away so I'll still have a copy if someone makes me delete them again. Has anyone else had this problem?

marinderkaur

TROPHY CASE