1

New Theories / Re: A hypothesis: Time interval between a force and its reaction

« on: 15/03/2023 20:30:27 »

Countless experiments in mechanics over the centuries would have detected any such discrepancy. None have been detected. Science is based on observation which leads to theory development. What you are arguing is a hypothesis without any observational backup. One can argue that the universe "should" behave in this or that manner but without any data to back up that assertion, one is wasting one's time and effort.

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Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution / Re: How Do You Repel A Very Persistent Cat?

« on: 13/03/2023 14:20:49 »

Humans pick a dog that appeals to them. Cats pick a human that appeals to them.

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Chemistry / Re: Can glucose be synthesized without organic inputs as sources?

« on: 13/03/2023 10:33:15 »

Ethanol is food for the human creature( not ideal, but still food ). It is oxidised to acetate and used in the Krebs cycle to produce atp.

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Chemistry / Re: Can glucose be synthesized without organic inputs as sources?

« on: 13/03/2023 10:29:36 »

BC, a small correction is warranted: hydration of ethylene will give ethanol while hydration of acetylene( with hgso4 catalyst usually ) will give acetaldehyde. Other than that, i'm in full agreement with all your points.

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Why do some people not get hangovers?

« on: 11/03/2023 19:04:45 »

Yes indeed BC, I too have indulged in "analar" ethanol cocktails( or was it aristar?-I can't remember ). And I did feel like death warmed up next day. Well over 50 years ago, I had completely forgotten.

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Just Chat! / Re: On Gender Reassignment...

« on: 11/03/2023 09:36:27 »

At conception, if it is normal, one is assigned xx or xy and no amount of drugs or mutilation can change this. Oh gawd! I fear I will now be cancelled. Sometimes the process will yield an excess of one of the sex chromosomes and the gender will then be not clearly defined eg klinefelter's and several other intersex conditions.





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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Why do some people not get hangovers?

« on: 10/03/2023 20:26:10 »

What actually causes a hangover is disputed. Some argue that dehydration is the cause, others say acetaldehyde or congeners such as isoamyl alcohol. I agree with BC that fermentation produces very little methanol. Drinking a white spirit like vodka would eliminate the congener argument. Since all alcoholic drinks may induce a hangover it has got to be the acetaldehyde or dehydration with my guess on the latter. The drug fomepizole will inhibit alcohol dehydrogenase and thus prevent acetaldehyde production: this would make an interesting experiment in that combined with alcohol consumption it would eliminate acetaldehyde as causative of any subsequent hangover.

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Just Chat! / Re: An Open Statement To Atheists...

« on: 07/03/2023 20:18:58 »

If you want obnoxious, try the "westboro Baptist church"

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Why do some people not get hangovers?

« on: 07/03/2023 20:11:29 »

Two strategies to diminish hangover severity markedly, neither of which I recommend: ( 1 ) if one drinks to excess on a regular basis hangovers become very much reduced. How long this can be maintained I do not know and I suspect the ongoing biochemical insult will result in a reversal of said effect. ( 2 ) if taking an old style tricyclic antidepressant for about a month hangovers become almost non existent. Don't ask me why as I have no idea concerning these effects. I can testify that both strategies work, all as a consequence of a miss-spent youth. I have heard that drinking two pints of water prior to hitting the sack can help but I have never tried it. These days I hardly ever drink.

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: How can academia tolerate such error?

« on: 04/03/2023 10:59:12 »

ZerO, check out dr Dolores Cahill, one of our own academics who fell down the rabbit hole and has not been able to extricate herself yet. 

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: How can academia tolerate such error?

« on: 28/02/2023 12:37:57 »

Internal combustion engine=ice. I am sorry for any confusion, I should not be using abbreviations that may be misunderstood. PS, as explained to ZerO I haven't fully emerged from my annual hibernation phase.

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New Theories / Re: What is simple sentence?

« on: 27/02/2023 11:45:42 »

Verbal diarrhoea .

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: How can academia tolerate such error?

« on: 27/02/2023 11:40:18 »

ZerO, apologies, I missed your reply( I have been in my hibernation phase ). As far as I know he is still active, ie not an emeritus prof.

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: Can I get infinite "green" heat from my barn?

« on: 22/02/2023 14:50:13 »

That gives ~2.7A. The expression "tens of amps" is what I queried. I am going to do a test on this, a thermocouple in a flame, short circuited and current measured with a dc clamp meter( hall sensor ). Also can we assume that the source of emf has no resistance, neglecting the leads involved?

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: Can I get infinite "green" heat from my barn?

« on: 21/02/2023 12:00:48 »

Hi BC, I have looked in vain to find data on the s/c output of pilot light thermocouples. Any chance of a reference?, I would be much obliged.

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: Can I get infinite "green" heat from my barn?

« on: 20/02/2023 10:55:51 »

Tens of amps from a pilot light thermocouple? I don't think so. More like millivolts o/c and milliamps s/c.

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: Can I get infinite "green" heat from my barn?

« on: 19/02/2023 13:55:30 »

Yes indeed, BC, they are extremely useful for temperature measurement. What I should have said is that thermocouple output will not be of use for Alancalverd's eco-barn.

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: Can I get infinite "green" heat from my barn?

« on: 18/02/2023 11:31:26 »

I'm very rusty on this stuff so I pulled out my battered copy of "Rogers&Mayhew". They state that the max ideal efficiency is T1-T2/T1, same as the Carnot heat engine. So you would need a decent thermal differential to achieve any reasonable output. They also state that in the case of thermocouples one only gets a few μV/°K, way too low to be useful.

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That CAN'T be true! / Re: Can I get infinite "green" heat from my barn?

« on: 17/02/2023 21:34:58 »

Any thermoelectric generators I've seen are very low on efficiency and a lot of the heat passes directly from the hot side to the low side so they are only used on waste heat. I'm sure I've heard your joke before, Alancalverd.

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Physiology & Medicine / Re: Akathisia and the Rights of the Mentally Ill...

« on: 17/02/2023 21:19:24 »

Caring for people with cognitive deficit and/or dementia is difficult and demands a lot of resources. Much easier to apply the "chemical cosh", however abhorrent this practice is.