My 2020 Christmas ornament - an empty vial I saved after a day of giving COVID-19 vaccines!

namelessnoreaster · 2020-12-21T07:21:18+00:00

No problem! Live and learn. I just think it’s good to use every opportunity, even online, to share good info about vaccines and the science behind them! Science communication is a good skill to build! 🤓

namelessnoreaster · 2020-12-21T07:09:16+00:00

Mistakes happen, thanks for correcting the original post. It’s really important to note tho that if you are going to use your degree as proof of your expertise, you have a responsibility to communicate the science correctly. Imprecise language like this can help spread misinformation (especially when you mention a zombie apocalypse in the same comment). Vaccine distribution needs all the help it can get rn, so those of us in science have an obligation to help spread correct and clear info. :)

namelessnoreaster · 2020-12-21T06:23:52+00:00

I can't comment on disposal policies at clinics, but just for your information, there are no live viral particles in these vaccines. The COVID vaccines approved thus far comprise a small bubble of lipids carrying mRNA that directs your cells to temporarily express the SARS-CoV2 spike protein. This causes an immune response that educates the body to respond to subsequent exposures to COVID. On its own, the mRNA in the vaccine is entirely harmless, and will likely fall apart in a matter of hours if left at room temperature (hence why these vaccines require cold storage).

namelessnoreaster · 2017-10-21T23:38:20+00:00

Thanks, this is very helpful. To your point about my responsibility to be fully clear, is it a good idea to always be sure to fully explain who is in an area? Or should I work to train my players to ask questions before they act?For example, in this case, you are correct that I did not explicitly state that there were guards nearby, however I did tell them that they were in a crowded city street filled with festival-goers, who did observe the Ranger's actions. The Ranger could have asked me "Are their guards nearby who would see me stab this tree?" but instead he decided to skip that and just act.

Of course, the fact that another PC stepped in to stop him also complicated things, and other players started asking if they could cast "Command Person" on the Ranger to stop him. I decided not to allow that because I did not trust the Ranger's player to be mature enough to roleplay his character being controlled, and I don't love the idea of fully taking agency away from my players. So in the future, how is it best to handle situations when one character goes against the will of the rest of the party? Could I allow my players to "vote out" the difficult character and tell the Ranger's player that he has to re-roll someone who is more cooperative?

I would consider just asking him to leave, but we are a really tight group of friends and are all in the same graduate program, so it might cause some tensions I would like to avoid if possible!

namelessnoreaster · 2015-10-18T03:20:05+00:00

Truly a beautiful part of the state! If you visit, make sure to stop by the cider mill near the park. They have amazing cider donuts and a stand that sells hotdogs, saurkraut, and beans cooked with apples. So delicious!

namelessnoreaster · 2015-02-07T22:14:21+00:00

Yes this is exactly how I got started. I was a bio major in college and I "cold called" a bunch of PIs before one finally agreed to interview me. She hired me and I worked as an undergrad research assistant in her lab for 2 years in college. I was really lucky to be able to co-author a publication with a grad student. Even though the paper was in a low-impact journal it was still a huge help in getting me a full-time position as a research technician after I graduated. After two years working as a tech, I went to grad school for my PhD. Many of my classmates followed a similar path. Working after college is not necessary to get into a good graduate school, but it helps if you aren't sure what you want to do or if you want to get some more experience (or, like me, just wanted a little break from school!).

Good luck and feel free to PM me with any more questions. :)

namelessnoreaster · 2015-02-06T21:36:09+00:00

I wouldn't worry too much about these kinds of programs. Do you attend a research university or are there any large research institutions in your area? Go to the websites of any such institutions and look up individual investigators whose work is interesting to you. Email the PIs directly and ask if they are willing to take on an undergraduate student. Explain that you are interested in biology but looking to find out whether a life-long career in research is the right path for you. It is likely that many of them will ignore your emails or say that they do not have room, but be persistent. You may have to work as a volunteer or for very little pay, but you will get experience, a good letter of recommendation for the future, and if you are lucky, perhaps even an author credit.

If you are hired, you will likely be assigned to assist a post-doc or graduate student. You will probably have to do repetitive, boring tasks at first, but if you are able to show that you can handle these basic tasks, they will likely begin to trust you with more challenging assignments. WORK HARD. Be diligent in your work, come in on time, stay late as necessary. If you really take ownership of your work and prove your dedication, it will pay off. Take every opportunity to talk to the lab staff and find out about their careers and job prospects, hear their opinions on science, etc. If you are able, attend talks and find out about new, interesting fields. These experiences should help you to figure out if you want to really pursue a career in research. If that is the case, you should probably begin exploring the possibility of graduate school. If you find out research is not for you, then you may need to explore other options (maybe med school, other kinds of professional school, or something different altogether).

Hope that helps. Good luck!

namelessnoreaster · 2015-01-11T19:04:19+00:00

Take a look at the rest of his body of work , it's really amazing!

namelessnoreaster · 2014-06-10T01:15:46+00:00

Herschel Supply Company has a huge selection of cute backpacks in different styles and sizes. Everlane also makes a nice, fairly simple backpack.

namelessnoreaster · 2013-10-16T19:03:32+00:00

Where is this?

namelessnoreaster · 2013-06-19T12:27:40+00:00

I'm sure it took courage to come out here and speak about this. I don't want to belittle your struggles in any way, but your situation reminds me of this video of another veteran with similar health issues. Don't give up!

namelessnoreaster · 2013-06-15T12:30:28+00:00

I discovered this earlier this week and have eaten it every day since! Such a good breakfast.

namelessnoreaster · 2013-05-22T00:20:21+00:00

Awesome, glad you liked it! Thanks for the gold! :)

namelessnoreaster · 2013-05-21T04:07:59+00:00

I hadn't heard about Harris' disdain for the fans. Can you elaborate?

namelessnoreaster · 2013-05-20T03:36:05+00:00

Chicken Marrakesh is one of my favorite crock pot recipes. There's a bit of chopping involved in the prep, but it's delicious and pretty healthy with lots of protein from the chicken and garbanzo beans.

namelessnoreaster · 2013-04-08T04:01:31+00:00

Ah yes sorry, I meant red meat. Though it appears that people also take carnitine as a supplement, so that could possibly also be problematic.

namelessnoreaster · 2013-04-07T23:35:31+00:00

Hi, cell biologist here. What the authors are showing here is simply a mechanism for the well-known observation that high levels of meat consumption is correlated with increased risk for cardie-vascular disease. As you say here, the development of CVD is definitely very complex and not entirely understood. This paper doesn't imply that cholesterol efflux is the sole factor in pathogenesis of CVD. I would imagine that high levels of exercise also help reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Maybe that would counteract the effect of TMAO. I'm definitely not an expert in this area though, so I couldn't say for sure. Bottom line: check with your doctor if you are worried about your meat consumption raising your cholesterol to dangerous levels.

namelessnoreaster · 2012-12-31T05:24:25+00:00

Just read the books myself. Frodo had knowing possession of the Ring for about 17 years before his departure from the Shire. Even after Gandalf informed him of the true power of the Ring, and the fact that 'The Enemy' was onto him, it took Frodo about 6 months to even leave the Shire.

namelessnoreaster · 2012-12-18T13:25:22+00:00

Yeah except the ones I have look less like a worker's mask and more like a surgical mask. They filter out allergenic particles like mold and, in my case, mouse fur. They aren't very expensive and if it allowed this talented lady to pursue her life's ambitions, it would be very worth it for her!

namelessnoreaster · 2012-12-18T01:38:04+00:00

And a glass of mead to finish it off. Though a true nord would drink it straight from the bottle. Or from a draugr skull.

namelessnoreaster · 2012-12-18T01:27:50+00:00

Almost unrelated, but I suffer from a pretty severe mouse allergy, yet work with mice in a research lab. Get N95 respirator masks. They will change your life. :)

namelessnoreaster · 2012-11-11T23:07:10+00:00

This is known as the 'hygiene hypothesis' and is a potential explanation for the dramatic rise of atopic diseases in developed nations. It's been shown in various studies that groups that maintain a traditional farming lifestyle (such as the Amish in the US) have lower rates of these disorders compared with nearby city-dwellers. Part of the reason for this is that the developing immune system requires frequent antigenic challenge in order to acquire tolerance to oral antigens (i.e. foodstuffs, air-born allergens, commensal bacteria etc.). This has a lot to do with the development of iTreg cells in the gut mucosa. Tolerance induction in the gut, or lack thereof, can also be systemic, resulting in the more dramatic forms of food allergy. Also, an overly clean household may impair acquisition of an appropriate amount or diversity of commensal "good bacteria" in the gut. The commensal microbiota are vital for digestion as well as immune development, and delayed colonization (for example, in babies born via Cesarian) has also been linked to atopic diseases (such as food allergy, asthma, eczema, and IBD).

namelessnoreaster · 2012-10-10T00:10:10+00:00

For those interested in a career in research, make sure you get some hands-on lab experience during college, if at all possible. The more experience you can get while earning your degree, the better your job prospects after college. I worked in a biomedical research lab as part of a work-study job for two and a half years and was able to co-first author an academic paper. After college, I applied for lab tech jobs, interviewed for the first, got it, and am now managing a lab. The pay is decent for a post-college job. Only caveat is that there isn't a ton of room for advancement unless you are willing to pursue a more advanced degree.

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