1

Just Chat! / Re: UK seasonal death trends

« on: 16/04/2020 04:21:17 »

I suspect the usual problem with death statistics: they are recorded, not actual deaths. The graph is very fine-grained, to the extent that you can pick out a specific day on each curve. The August dip seems to correspond exactly with a bank holiday. You have five days in which to register a death, so very few will be registered on the bank holiday when most young people (those more likely to be making the registration) are not at home.

This also explains the New Year dip, particularly as the registration period is 8 days in Scotland, where the whole country shuts down for Hogmanay. The Easter dip (BC's "financial year" dip) is broad and fuzzy, because the bank holiday is a variable feast and includes Friday. But I'm intrigued by the huge dip around 16 June 2019 - can anyone remember what happened? 

Despite the Grauniad's claim that "research shows a 6% increase in patient death rates", "Black Wednesday", when junior doctors start their clinical postings, shows no significant fluctuation at the beginning of August. IIRC there's plenty of hilarity among the nurses as the newbies try to find the toilet and the cafeteria, but not a lot of serious errors, and elective surgery is at a minimum during school holidays. It may be true that 6% more patients die in August, but that is because there are fewer patients overall in hospital, so deaths of patients are not diluted by minor illnesses and surgical recovery, but overall deaths remain normal.

2

Just Chat! / Re: What is your favorite supercontinent?

« on: 04/08/2019 01:46:27 »

A four year old who has a dry night ?

3

Just Chat! / Re: Piggy back, from dead

« on: 19/04/2019 12:45:12 »

Does this mean they saved the bacon?

4

Just Chat! / Re: What's wrong with this license plate ?

« on: 14/03/2019 18:34:09 »

Take your pick

or

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2191526-a-meteorite-hit-the-moon-during-mondays-total-lunar-eclipse/

5

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Why does my tea bag always turn clockwise when removed from my mug?

« on: 09/01/2019 13:38:14 »

Couldn't we name this wet string theory?

6

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: Petrified Palm? Cladoxylopsida? What is this rock?

« on: 23/04/2018 19:38:04 »

Well done @RD and @rockgurl7 on the diagnosis!

So you also think this is a petrified palm? Any idea of dates?

I see what you did there...

7

That CAN'T be true! / Re: What is the proof that the world is round?

« on: 17/12/2016 16:54:57 »

On a clear night one can take a time lapse photograph, and clearly see that the stars all appear to rotate about a single point in the sky. This point changes based on the latitude of the photographer.

I have attached such images that I found online, one taken in Scotland, where the center of the rotation is pretty much in the middle of the sky, one from Joshua Tree Park in the Southern US, where the center is closer to the horizon, and one from Ecuador, which is essentially at the equator, where there appear to be two centers (one on the Northern horizon, and one on the Southern horizon). This is very easily explained qualitatively by a spherical Earth rotating on an axis (and can even be explained quantitatively by comparing the relationship between the latitude and the angle between the horizon and the center of rotation).

8

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Is schizophrenia just a label for remote neural monitoring victims?

« on: 09/12/2016 21:17:06 »

I believe modern psychiatry is using schizophrenia as a way to label psychiatric symptoms of remote neural monitoring caused by pulsed microwave radiation.

Perhaps modern schizophrenia sufferers are using "remote neural monitoring caused by pulsed microwave radiation" as a way to label psychiatric symptoms?

9

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Re: How would the body decompose if stuffed with drugs and money?

« on: 02/08/2016 17:53:20 »

See Iggy Pop.

10

General Science / Re: Telekinesis: Do you think that is TRUE?

« on: 28/05/2016 19:52:28 »

Wasn't he the guy who played Kojak in the 1970s?

11

Physiology & Medicine / Re: Why are dogs prescribed carprofen?

« on: 22/04/2016 14:43:56 »

Common, over-the-counter, analgesic medications for humans are frequently toxic to other animals, including dogs and cats.

The most common preparations for humans, at least in Australia, are ibuprofen, paracetamol (acetaminophen) and aspirin. Ibuprofen causes severe gastric ulceration, acute renal failure and sometimes neurological disease in dogs. In cats, it causes acute renal failure and gastric ulceration. Paracetamol causes hepatic failure in dogs, and a form of haemolytic anaemia in cats. Aspirin does it all: liver toxicity, acute kidney failure, gastrointestinal ulceration, haemolytic anaemia, neurological dysfunction, respiratory disease.

What's worse is that human medications are made in standard human-doses, for human-sized humans. These are usually MUCH higher than what should be given to a pet (even if the drug had been of a safe type in the first place). The dose rates used in humans cannot be translated directly into animal doses. Every species has different physiology, different drug absorption, drug metabolism (eg. missing enzymes for drug breakdown), and drug excretion. Drugs that cannot be metabolised or excreted will not be removed from the body, and will continue to circulate the bloodstream, causing more damage. The cells and organs of one species can be more or less sensitive to damage by a given drug, compared to another species. Adult humans are typically somewhere between 50 and 100+kg , while most pets are many times lighter than that.

Some medications are also formulated with additives such as the sweetener xylitol, which again is liver toxic in dogs.

It is unfortunately an all too frequent occurrence in both veterinary general practice and emergency medicine that pets present with life-threatening toxicities due to being given these drugs by their (often well-meaning) owners. Ironically, the toxicity is usually far worse than the condition the owner was trying to self-treat in the first place. It always sucks to die just because you had a sore toe.

Carprofen is a licensed drug for dogs in many countries, and is both widely-available and inexpensive. Being registered for administration in particular species, for a particular purpose, at a particular dose range, at a particular frequency, and by a particular route, means that that drug has been thoroughly tested in pre-clinical and clinical settings, and has been shown to be safe for use under those conditions.

A clinical exam is a good opportunity for a veterinarian to assess an animal for underlying disease, such as pre-existing liver and kidney dysfunction, so that an appropriate medication can be selected for that animal; and so that certain drugs can be avoided if there is a heightened risk for that animal's condition. The visit also allows the animal's body weight to be measured, so that the precise dose required can be calculated and prescribed. Obviously, it also allows the veterinarian assess for the actual cause of the pain and address that.

It is never a good idea to medicate an animal at home without consulting with veterinarian. Please don't.

That was the short version.

12

That CAN'T be true! / Re: Is geoengineering destroying life?

« on: 27/03/2016 12:51:50 »

I know that it is good to be tolleratnt to those who need education. I am often in that catagory. But since this is a science forum should it be a platform for the mad to polute our collective mean space with utter drivel?

13

Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology / Re: Can nuclear fission be a result of the colision of two particles?

« on: 17/12/2015 12:13:52 »

The collision of two nuclei can certainly result in fission of one or both of the nuclei. However, the nuclei must be large enough and unstable enough to undergo fission.

For instance, it is impossible for a hydrogen nucleus to undergo nuclear fission (there is only one proton). And while nuclei like that of ¹²C could hypothetically break into smaller pieces, this is highly unlikely because ¹²C is so stable.

Realistically only nuclei heavier than iron are likely to undergo any type of fission event, and you still need a lot of energy. If your theory is about the early universe, you might want to rethink the importance of fission, because in the beginning there was really only hydrogen and helium. It is only through the action of stars and supernovae (over billions of years) that we have any heavier elements at all.

14

Science Experiments / Re: A home made cloud chamber, and a picture.

« on: 16/12/2015 15:09:11 »

Hi! I think that's an explosion of electrons:

15

Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: What has caused this stripey pattern on of the wall of this building?

« on: 29/11/2015 12:54:58 »

Some kinda fungus or algae from plants and the atmosphere also looks humid to so have a piece of it and take it to chemist or biologist

16

Physiology & Medicine / Re: What is the amplitude resolution of the human eye?

« on: 18/11/2015 23:26:09 »

Well, you live and learn (sometimes!).
I think this is what you are looking for http://www.telescope-optics.net/eye_intensity_response.htm
Quite unlike the ear's sensitivity which varies with frequency and spectral content

17

Cells, Microbes & Viruses / Re: Can exessive consumption of carrot juice kill you?

« on: 18/11/2015 20:10:52 »

Enough of anything will kill you.
But carotene isn't vitamin A; the liver makes vitamin A from it, but it will stop once there's enough so you won't get vitamin A toxicity this way.
If I remember rightly the LD50 for water (measured in rats) is about a tenth of their bodyweight (I don't remember the time frame).
So, if nothing else, the water in the juice would kill you.

18

Science Experiments / Re: Will this experiment result in an overunity device?

« on: 07/10/2015 01:43:15 »

no

Your device is very, very well described by Newtonian Mechanics, and there's a general proof that overunity is completely impossible in Newtonian Mechanics.