top student at medical school

Chapter 108 The Stingy Duo (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
Li Yuanpei was the same height as Fang Ziye, but a little taller. His skin was slightly darker, and his face was pockmarked, as if it were full of stories.

His face now showed a mixture of haste and paleness.

Li Yuanpei is not a special name or a special identity. He simply published two SCI papers through his own efforts, one of which was even in Q2. This was all due to Yuanpei's own hard work, without any help from his teachers.

If Fang Ziye hadn't received that article from Yuan Weihong, even a tool-like article from Jie Han would have been inferior to Li Yuanpei's.

Naturally, Li Yuanpei's foundational papers were helped by his senior colleague. Where would Li Yuanpei find so much time to conduct experiments?

中科院对SCI分区是按期刊的三年的平均影响因子来划分的，一区：前5%;二区：6%~20%;三区：21%~50%;四区：后50%。

Articles in Q2 journals are in the top 20% of the average impact factor of all SCI journals—this is globally, note, globally!!

The foundational articles in Zone 2 cannot be produced casually.

In fact, if we consider the number of journals in the second quartile and the total number of articles published in each journal over the past ten years, it may not even be one percent of the total number of doctors in China.

In other words, 99% of doctors may not be able to publish articles in Q2 journals. This is not an exaggeration, nor is it an attempt to elevate Li Yuanpei's stature and efforts; it is a fact that can be presented with facts.

However, Fang Ziye had no choice but to silently watch his brother Pei, his thoughts and eyes filled with complex emotions as he turned and walked towards his workbench.

Everyone's life experiences and background are unique. Li Yuanpei's master's thesis advisor was his doctoral advisor, Professor Deng Yong, which gave him considerable advantages!

"Aren't you dressed a little too lightly today?" Fang Ziye asked as he walked side by side with Luo Tingzhu toward the laboratory, noticing Luo Tingzhu rubbing her hands together.

"There's one thing, the weather forecast I checked before leaving home was wrong." Luo Tingzhu didn't hide it, but quickened her pace. "Senior brother, let's walk a little faster."

It's okay if it's cold; it'll be fine once we get inside the lab building, where there's air conditioning.

Just like when I was in school, it didn't matter if I was cold. I could just wear more clothes the next day after class. After all, my grandma was old and had difficulty walking.

When it was cold in high school, I would just stay in bed longer and wait until the monthly break to go back home and bring extra clothes...

Fang Ziye didn't bother with any pretense and took off his down jacket to give to Luo Tingzhu, trying to act like a gentleman.

It's really cold here!

Being near East Lake, the wind is so strong that there are hardly any buildings that can block it.

Soon, the two jumped up the steps of the laboratory building, and then Fang Ziye took two steps ahead and let Luo Tingzhu through the crack in the door.

Luo Tingzhu stamped her feet inside, her lips turning slightly pale.

"Are you feeling unwell? Why don't you go back first?" Fang Ziye asked.

Luo Tingzhu swayed from side to side like a penguin: "No need, senior brother, it's not cold inside the laboratory building."

Luo Tingzhu herself wasn't being dramatic, even though she was currently on her period.

Fang Ziye didn't say much, pressed the elevator up button, and said, "Junior sister, I'll be taking a break from work next month. If you have any experiments to do, you can leave them to me."

“Okay!” Luo Tingzhu nodded.

With the new funding in the research group, even though it hasn't been directly allocated yet, Fang Ziye and Luo Tingzhu now have money to conduct experiments.

Yuan Weihong's youth fund, which was set aside for animal experiments, doesn't need to be particularly frugal for the time being; it can be supplemented later with research funding from the hospital.

I didn't dare to make any moves before because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get the money, and then at the end of the year, I would have to settle accounts with the other materials company to avoid legal disputes.

But once you have the money, you can definitely buy on credit.

As soon as she arrived at the lab, Luo Tingzhu opened her backpack and took out a notebook. It contained a very detailed plan of what she needed to buy with the tens of thousands of yuan she could currently use.

Fang Ziye did the same. Experiments need to be planned in advance. The experimental equipment that Yuan Weihong had left over, such as pipette tips, had been used up and needed to be replenished. So Fang Ziye started planning according to the corresponding template that Luo Tingzhu had prepared, and then handed it over to the materials company to deliver it to the laboratory door.

Many gene companies offer excellent service in this regard. As long as the address is detailed enough, they can arrive on the same day, unless you need a very large quantity of supplies.

Luo Tingzhu then asked, "Senior Brother Fang, are the consumables from Jikai Gene expensive? The prices from the company that Senior Brother Sun usually deals with seem a bit high. I checked online."

"Let me see." Fang Ziye took it to heart when he heard that he could save some money.

Having money to save means you can do more experiments, which is crucial.

Spend more when you should, and save when you should.

Moreover, since he would be taking a month off from his job, Fang Ziye planned to focus all his learning points on experimental operations, aiming to raise his basic experimental operation skills to level 4. This would allow him to perform more experiments during the subsequent three months of part-time work.

To further improve the success rate.

A Level 3 proficiency in basic experimental techniques is comparable to that of an academic PhD, and a Level 4 degree is probably at least at the level of a senior associate researcher.

After all, it's 500 knowledge points.

Associate researcher is a research title. Generally, after graduating with a doctorate, one can smoothly enter the position of trainee researcher, or even be assessed as an assistant researcher during the doctoral period.

The researcher title series includes research intern, assistant researcher, associate researcher, and researcher.

Those who have served as research interns for more than 4 years, or have served as research interns for more than 2 years after obtaining a master's degree, or have obtained a doctoral degree and possess solid basic and professional knowledge in their discipline and are able to conduct research independently, can obtain the title of assistant researcher!
If Fang Ziye is willing, he can consider applying for the title of assistant researcher next year.

"It seems like it will be slightly cheaper, with discounts for bulk orders. Why don't we order together and split the profits according to the quantity?" Fang Ziye asked.

Luo Tingzhu said, "Don't rush. I'll ask the other senior female internal medicine doctors to see if they know of any cheaper and decent quality medical supplies companies..."

"Then I'll go ask too." Fang Ziye thought for a moment and decided to make use of his connections.

After all, before the hospital's research funding allocation came through, Yuan Weihong's research group only had about 200,000 yuan left in research funds, so they couldn't afford to waste it.

Fang Ziye is not sure whether an animal experiment can be done for around 200,000 yuan.

……

Fang Ziye was responsible for keeping his word, and the first person he told was his next mentor, Professor Deng Yong.

To avoid a repeat of last time, when he was away from the department for an extended period without reporting to Professor Deng Yong, and Professor Deng Yong started nagging about what he'd been doing, Fang Ziye explained the situation to Deng Yong.
Professor Deng Yong said, "I know, Professor Li has already contacted me. Ziye, you must also work hard and strive to contribute more to our team."

"Although I've stepped down from my position as ward director, this gives me more time to push myself further. Let's see if there's a chance to achieve something like the 863 Program this year..."

"Huh? Master." Fang Ziye was taken aback.

"You don't need to worry about this. This is something that Associate Professor Hong Zili, your mentor, and I need to consider together. You've been working part-time in the lab for several months now. Okay, I understand." Professor Deng Yong seemed full of enthusiasm.

Fang Ziye emerged from Professor Deng Yong's office, his face full of confusion.

The director's office is not exclusive to the ward director; all senior physicians can go there to rest.

The second thing to make clear is to give an explanation to Jin Hongzhou.

Jin Hongzhou couldn't be found in the department, but Fang Ziye was in the emergency department. He found him while he was running for an emergency consultation and explained the general situation.

Jin Hongzhou nodded: "Okay, don't worry, Brother Wei has already told me. It's fine. Part-time work is fine. Our ward has no shortage of attending doctors."

Fang Ziye quickly explained, "Brother Zhou, I meant the treatment of joint dislocations in the department. You might need to coordinate with other senior or junior colleagues."

Jin Hongzhou suddenly realized and nodded: "I understand!"

"But I'll remember you." Jin Hongzhou genuinely found Fang Ziye's understanding and reliable nature trustworthy. He acted with discretion and always kept his word. Would you trust a subordinate like that?
After the handover was completed, Fang Ziye's main task plan for the first half of January was finalized.

First, the writing, verification, and pre-defense of the graduation thesis.

Yuan Weihong arranged two pre-defense sessions for Fang Ziye. One session was attended by Associate Professor Xie Jinyuan and Qin Geluo, and the other session was attended by Professor Deng Yong and Associate Professor Hong Zili. They served as Fang Ziye's mock defense committee members to review and control Fang Ziye's defense process and content. The sessions were scheduled for January 8 and January 18, respectively.

但是，方子业给自己安排了更小的预答辩三场，分别在1月5日，1月10日和1月15日。

On the 5th, Fang Ziye only invited his two junior disciples, Lan Tianluo and Jie Han, to record him and review the process of his pre-defense.

Whether the candidate was nervous, whether there were any errors in expression, or whether there was any unfamiliarity with the data or other aspects of the paper, the two members of the defense committee will ask questions on parts they deem important.

For the event on the 10th, Fang Ziye invited even more people.

At this point, the advantage of connections became apparent. Among all the masters, those who weren't on duty, including Luo Tingzhu, except for Senior Brother Sun Shaoqing, were all willing to step forward and offer their corrections.

For the session on the 15th, Fang Ziye did not invite his junior brothers or classmates. Instead, he invited attending physicians such as Jin Hongzhou and Li Nuo, and then informed his master. This was essentially assembling a young defense team to ensure everything went smoothly.

Of course, in addition to being posted online for a month, the defense announcement should also be posted on posters.

Fang Ziye was quite certain that Jie Han and Lan Tianluo were in charge of this. They would work with Li Yuanpei and several other junior students to put Sun Shaoqing and Fang Ziye's defense posters downstairs in the surgical building for a week. This saved Fang Ziye a lot of trouble.

The second thing, naturally, was for Fang Ziye to continue conducting experiments step by step.

Fang Ziye's research planning has both short-term and long-term plans. The experiments that Fang Ziye needs to complete are part of the short-term plan.

It is based on the HK2 and giant cell tumor of bone projects that the teacher applied for through the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Young Scientists, but many other things will be added to it.

1. Metformin + HK2.

2. The effect of mRNA concentration on the quantitative regulation of HK2 and its further influence on the biological characteristics of giant cell tumor of bone.

3. Does the addition of metformin to the culture medium affect the expression levels of HK2 and mRNA in giant cell tumors of bone? Compare these levels with standardized HK2 and mRNA levels.

4. Does the relationship between glucose metabolism and HK2 in giant cell tumor of bone affect subsequent glucose metabolism pathways and product formation? What about metformin?

5. A longitudinal comparison of the effects of the HK2 and LDH pathways on glucose metabolism and the biological characteristics of osteosarcoma.

This is all the experimental content that Fang Ziye needs to complete in order to apply for a provincial-level research project.

Naturally, Fang Ziye also needs to make some plans for the experimental content of Yuan Weihong's application for the next formal general research grant.

The main approach involves adding siRNA into the HK2 pathway.
Small interfering RNA (siRNA) or silent RNA, as a novel gene silencing technology, has become a key area of ​​development in drug research due to its advantages such as high efficiency, high specificity, and low toxicity.

In this way, Yuan Weihong's research path for the Youth Fund has been extended two levels, and with prior research, there is a considerable chance of applying for a General Fund grant.

The third thing is that Fang Ziye's meta-analysis, which he is currently writing, must be completed and submitted before the defense. This step should be the top priority.

Because of the previous two things, Fang Ziye's preparations were already quite thorough, meaning he only needed to follow the corresponding steps. However, the meta-analysis article was a test of his academic writing skills.

While junior colleagues can offer assistance, it's essential to hone one's own abilities to avoid relying on them entirely. This could involve having them revise and review the completed paper, but relying solely on others is a fundamental quality of a scientific researcher.

Do things one step at a time, and eat one bite at a time.

……

On January 5th, after Fang Ziye's first pre-defense session with his two junior classmates, the two asked him two rather pointed questions, neither of which Fang Ziye wanted to answer.

A junior colleague, Jie Han, said: "Hey, if I told you that silencing the HK2 gene would kill a normal person, would your research even be worthwhile?"

Fang Ziye actually knew the answer in his heart.

Dude, this is basic research, an exploration, not proof. It's not about developing any targeted cancer drugs. If you insist on considering every possible scenario, then 99.95% of research projects worldwide could be halted. What the hell are you doing?

Lan Tianluo's question, however, was rather pointed, but very sincere.

"Student, have you considered the difference in efficiency between the bypass pathway and the direct pathway of glucose metabolism? Does this affect the biological characteristics of tumor cells?"

Fang Ziye also responded.

But the answer doesn't need to be judged by these two people, let's just play around!
This Lantianluo is simply not making sense. I didn't talk about the bypass pathway of glucose metabolism, so why are you bringing this up?
HK2, giant cell tumor of bone, the orthodox pathway of glucose metabolism, that's what you're asking about.

However, considering that Lan Tianluo was a mathematics major and was sensitive to data, Fang Ziye bypassed him.

Upon arriving at the lab, Luo Tingzhu said, "Senior, I've heard of a company that's having a special sale on petri dishes for New Year's Day. Each petri dish is 50 cents cheaper than usual, and petri flasks are 2 dollars cheaper."

"Is the quality up to standard?" Fang Ziye asked.

Low prices are a good thing, but petri dishes are only two or three yuan, while culture flasks are more expensive, ranging from ten to twenty yuan.

"Non-operational contamination will be compensated, and damage will be replaced. The main goal is to clear inventory."

"How many are there?" Fang Ziye asked.

A typical pack contains about twelve pieces, while a box contains about two hundred and forty pieces.

“200 boxes!”

"We can't buy too many, so give us six packs of petri dishes and a whole box of culture flasks."

"By the way, Tingzhu, I'll switch to using pipette tips from now on and stop using pipettes," Fang Ziye said, rubbing his nose.

"Yes, senior brother, pipettes are too expensive, they cost two or three yuan each, it's not worth it."

"When the workload is large, it is still quite cost-effective." Luo Tingzhu always felt that Fang Ziye's team was too extravagant in conducting experiments, and that they could be more meticulous and cost-effective.

"If only we could find a batch of reagents that are cheap, the cost of the reagents is actually the biggest expense," Fang Ziye remarked.

Luo Tingzhu said, "It's alright, senior brother. There are some reagents in the larger internal medicine labs. They're very well-funded. I can go and get some from them using tubes."

"But the requirement is that we help them do some experiments."

"That's fine too. Some reagents are ridiculously expensive, so we're basically making extra money. We can do that."

"But carefully review the experimental procedure. Avoid anything that's overly complex, like a flow cytometry test that runs hundreds of samples at once; we definitely won't do that." After giving his instructions, Fang Ziye turned on his computer and began writing his paper.

Actually, I can write at home, but it's very cold at home, so I have to turn on the stove or air conditioner.

The atmosphere in the laboratory is excellent, warm and comfortable, and you can check on cells or conduct experiments at any time, making it perfect for studying.

Luo Tingzhu simply put away her workbook and notebook.

This notebook was specifically used by her for recording important matters, not experimental data.

"Senior brother, I'm going to the practice room first." As Luo Tingzhu spoke, she secretly slipped a rice cake and two chocolates into Fang Ziye's snack bag before running off.

Fang Ziye was already engrossed in his work and didn't reply.

As Luo Tingzhu walked out, she kept thinking to herself, "While Senior Brother Fang is on leave, I must catch up with him..."

(End of this chapter)