... in mice - science chat

[BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn]

A place to talk about all disciplines and levels of science - what you're working on, what you're teaching, what you've read.

Non academics welcome.

I can't make head or tail of what that's trying to show - is it just me??

I think I understand Cyan's graph but it's not very obvious at first glance.

The 'target' - shown by the red lines is that of the total number of people who actually have HIV, at least 90% should be diagnosed, and then at least 90% of that group (81% of the total) should be on treatment and then of those at least 90% (~73%) should be virally suppressed.
The green arrows show the percent at each level is >90 so exceeding target and therefore the cumulative percentages (the green bars) are also all over target.

(My field generates some very weird and wonderful graphs, including 3d rotatable ones so maybe that's why I wasn't fazed by the unconventional time axis)

I can't make head or tail of what that's trying to show - is it just me??

I think I understand it as an illustration. It doesn't work as a bar chart, which it is impersonating.

So I interpret it as saying that the UN has a target that 90% of global HIV cases should have a diagnosis. Of that 90%, 90% should be on treatments and 90% of people on people on medication should achieve viral suppression. The UK is doing slightly better than this target, as 94% of cases have a diagnosis (how do they know this - modelling maybe?), 98% of people with a diagnosis are on treatment, and 97% of people with a diagnosis have the virus suppressed. This means that while the UN target for viral suppression rates is 73% of cases of HIV, in the UK it is actual figure 89%.

Apologies for the poor phrasing.

Oh Errol got there first using fewer words!

I was wondering how they get the 100% figure too.

Yes exactly. My lecturer called it a disaster of a graph, we were all quite puzzled when it came up. I think the 100% is saying that of all the people living with HIV, 90% should be diagnosed (as a target). Maybe they know it’s ~94% based on how many people develop AIDS without releasing they are HIV+? Is a diagnosis of AIDS considered a diagnosis of HIV for statistical purposes?

Odd neurological?/psychological? phenomenon: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_Frenchmen_of_Maine

It seems logical that lumberjacks, before modern safety measures, would by hyper alert to instructions such as 'Run!', 'Duck!', 'Jump!'. Anyone ignoring those would not last long, so the unconscious brain might well get into the habit of leaping first and informing the conscious brain later. But if it were that simple you'd expect it to apply to all lumberjacks, not just ones in small area.

@BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn see also Fainting Goats -

We did some research on this for the F and G series of QI and they came up in the G series/

Ah the poor wee goats. That's a clear genetic quirk, isn't it?

This is great www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63859184.amp

We studied some base editing stuff last year and did a paper on correcting DMD mutations with adenoviral vectors. It feels like we’re on the cusp of some incredible breakthroughs.

Incredible that it can progress so far in just 6 years.

Ah yes, CAR-T cells. Brilliant stuff!

Clitoris finally discovered in snakes. Reasons for not tracking it down earlier include "scientists not being able to find it".
www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-63967778?

Give them time - they didn't get the female adult human anatomy properly worked out until 1998.

Reasons for not tracking it down earlier include "scientists not being able to find it"

<Resists making the obvious joke about "Were they male scientists?">

<Realises I failed>

Love this thread! Will try and contribute something useful at some point…

Oooh what about energy from nuclear fusion breakthrough-that’s exciting .

Breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy announced https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-63950962

with concerted efforts and investment, a few decades of research on the underlying technologies could put us in a position to build a power plant

Some things never change though.

Weighing in on the side of the botanists, did you see this in the Nature briefing yesterday? www.reuters.com/graphics/GLOBAL-ENVIRONMENT/PLANTS-RECOVERY/egvbyynabpq/index.html

Can I join? More to read and learn at this stage. I am studying a Bio Lab undergraduate degree as a mature student.

@McConkeysPlate I’m a mature undergrad too, third year biosciences. What year are you in? What are you hoping to do at the end of it?

@CyanCyan I am re taking my first year. Personal issues interrupted studies last year. Ultimately at the moment I would like to work within the donor services. But I am very excited by the doors that this degree will open. What about yourself?

@McConkeysPlate I had to take a two year break due to health issues, it can be difficult as a mature student. I hadn’t even considered donor services, that sounds interesting! My plan at the moment is to do an MSc in physician associate studies but I’m also looking at NHS MSc apprenticeships. I’m not ready to apply for anything yet but I’ve seen a few opportunities come up that look good... one was a trainee anaesthetist associate position which I could see myself doing. Alternatively I might apply for the scientist training programme, depends how my project goes and if I can face any more hard science. I agree it’s exciting how many doors it opens up.

Good work by the Hawaiian botanists. It's wonderful things drones are enable in remote location/easily disturbed species research.

The fusion sounds promising, but the catch is buried at the end: The hydrogen fusion "produced more energy than the lasers put in, but this did not include the energy needed to make the lasers work".

Ah.