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horsellian

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  1. Unfortunately, this would only work if the required studies were a one-time deal. Regulatory requirements mean stability must be started on fresh batches of each product each year. It would therefore be uneconomic for the government to fund 10+year studies for every formulation of every drug from every manufacturer so that expiry dates could be longer. (Think how many different studies would be required every year just for paracetamol, aspirin and ibuprofen.) I agree that drug waste is a major issue, but it can be tackled more effectively by not over-prescribing than by trying to extend shelf-lives, particularly for cheaper generic drugs which are not in short supply. For consumers of OTC drugs it's not hard to only buy what you need, and not stockpile excessive quantities at home.
  2. This isn't true as this kind of testing is part of what I do for a living! But expiry dates are often much shorter than effectiveness because most studies run only 3 years, and expiry dates are calculated from date of manufacture. It's not in any drug company's financial interest to run a 10 year stability study. And no-one would fund one on generic medicines - again, no commercial benefit. I also know from stability testing them that some vitamin tablets have very short shelf lives. Off the top of my head, vitamin C and folic acid are two that will be well below dosage after the expiry date, particularly if you live in a hot humid climate.
  3. My entire degree was determined on the basis of 8 3-hour exams (there were 9 exams in total, but you got to drop one). They were sat across a 5 day period, 2 exams each day, though I think there was a weekend in the middle? It was fair though, because it was the same for everyone. (Though people did make jokes about the only worse exam schedule being for the Chinese Civil Service.)
  4. I have 6 wisdom teeth. Two top, one bottom each side. No major issues and I'm now in my 40s, so probably all fine, even though 4 are impacted. My sister had hers out (one at a time!) in her 30s with no major issues. I think one got slightly infected after, but antibiotics cleared it up.
  5. Super exciting! I always used to love receiving my parcels from the Open University each year. I hope you enjoy your course(s) - it's been a while, but I always found the quality of the learning materials was top-notch.
  6. Yes, that is correct. I don't think joint honours is the same as a double major though - they are not twice the work of a single honours degree, you just take selected bits from both subjects. (I'm not that familiar with the US system though, so not clear what double major there entails). Also, some Oxford courses do not have much by way of choice within the course. I know it has changed a bit since I was there almost 20 years ago, but then there were 9 papers in Chemistry finals (then taken at the end of 3rd year) and you had to sit 8 of them! It must be different now though, as there are exams in 2nd year too. It is quite subject specific though, as my sister read French and Spanish, and I know she had a fair bit more paper choice.
  7. My 11 yr old just laughed at this one over my shoulder! He says he guesses he's one of the best generations too.
  8. It's good in a risotto, if you fry it off first to render all the fat nicely.
  9. I'm making character skirts for girls at my kids' dance studio. Two completed so far, and 4 more constructed, but need ribbons added. After that I might make DD a tracksuit.
  10. This year, I really need to go for "Simplify". Life is so complicated, any opportunity to simplify is something I need to grab with both hands.
  11. I'm basically in a contract lab, so non-lab roles include collaboration with clients on setting up, and running the studies, data checking, ensuring results will meet FDA requirements (or whatever jurisdiction is relevant), reporting data to clients. There are also other things like health and safety - we have synthetic chemistry labs too, and the H&S teams need good knowledge of the chemistries being undertaken.
  12. I'm an analytical chemist for a pharmaceutical company, which involves both chemistry and maths (mainly statistics). I do a lab based role, but my company also has desk based roles within my department. There are lots of things you can do with chemistry and maths other than teach them.
  13. When I had COVID in July I only had one symptom - a streaming nose for about 48hrs. I felt absolutely fine, and if I hadn't tested, I would've thought it was probably hayfever (I react to some flowers, so often get hayfever for a short period while something is flowering in the neighbours garden).
  14. That link (which worked for me) reminded me of this story I read at lunchtime: UK red kite success story sees chicks sent to Spain https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-61903943 I live in an area where red kites were re-introduced in the UK in the '90s, and I often joke with people friends who visit us that they are as common as pigeons here. I rarely go a day without seeing one, and they are magnificent birds.
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