![]() By shifting to electronic systems such as a robotic cloud lab’s platform, researchers would have a way of tracking the fine-grained details and providing them later on. Even if they could be found, many kept records in nonelectronic lab books and weren’t able to provide details. Often academic researchers had moved on from the original lab and were difficult to contact. Iorns described the difficulty that researchers working on the Reproducibility Project in cancer biology have had in tracking down the details of materials and methods in original studies. This record and precision makes it easier for protocols to be shared so experiments may be retested. Beyond making lab work more precise and efficient, researchers and lab founders alike believe that the automation could make their experiments more easily reproducible. And more recently “robotic cloud labs” have gone even further by offering a service in which researchers can send their protocols directly to a robot to carry out their experiment. And what better way to capture precise information than by using robots? Biomedical research has been shifting to using robots in labs for decades, particularly for experiments that require the same steps to be carried out many times over with precision (one example is a polymerase chain reaction, a technique used to multiply a piece of DNA into many copies.) Research labs can either purchase the robotic machines that do this themselves, or they can outsource to contract research organizations that have the machines. But there are smaller steps we can take to chip away at the causes of irreproducibility-for instance, by capturing more precise information about how experiments are conducted so they can be more easily reproduced. Resolving all the issues around reproducibility will likely require us to grapple with fundamental challenges in how we conduct scientific research. Iorns is also one of several team members working on the Reproducibility Project in cancer biology. ![]() What’s to blame for this huge problem? Causes range from the difficulty of recreating experiments that were never described in close detail to a scientific system that incentivizes researchers to cherry-pick results for publication, says Elizabeth Iorns, co-founder of Science Exchange, a platform that enables researchers to order experiments at contract labs. Recently, in an editorial in Science Translational Medicine, the executive vice president and chief medical officer at the pharmaceutical company Merck detailed and lamented the huge costs of relying on such a “shaky platform.” ![]() A study published by scientists at the biotechnology company Amgen in 2012 claimed that of 53 landmark preclinical research studies, only six could be successfully reproduced. The data outlining the problem is compelling: In 2015, the Reproducibility Project, an undertaking led by the Center for Open Science, conducted a study with hundreds of psychologists and found that fewer than half of 100 studies from high-ranking psychology journals could be reproduced (see a critical comment and reply for more). This makes it difficult to know which results we can confidently rely on, and which are spurious. Can experiments be repeated (or “reproduced”) to arrive at the same result? Evidence is piling up that the answer, all too often, is no. ![]() In recent years, there’s been increasing awareness of a problem across many scientific fields-the problem of reproducibility. ![]()
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![]() ![]() The owner of a Mercedes has to understand that while he or she may have an amazing car it is still something that has been manufactured. Taking a look at the manufacturer’s guide or the owner’s manual can give a better idea of the timing of any differential fluid change. Instead of every 30,000 miles, that required fluid change may occur every 60,000 miles. The best way to think about lifetime fluid is that more miles are to be added before a fluid change is made. The worst-case scenario would the gears breaking down and that will result in some fairly expensive repair work. Neglecting to attend to it can result in a very bumpy ride, which should not happen with the Mercedes. The differential can never be completely ignored. ![]() If the service engine light comes on in the car, it is possible the differential is having some difficulty as far as fluid is concerned. Loud noises that occur whenever switching lanes or turning a corner may be a warning that the differential starting to fail. The differential definitely needs to be serviced if warning signals start emerging from the car itself. It all means that lifetime fluid may have to be changed at one point or another. ![]() However, a steady diet of stop and go traffic or rough driving is going to age the car. The occasional trip to the store type of use will extend the life of the vehicle, and also cause less stress on the differential. The longevity of the car is also influenced by how it is driven. Anyone who purchases a used Mercedes buys a car that has already spent several years or more of its “life”. The assumption is made that this means differential fluid never has to be changed for as long as the person owns the car. Consequently, many mechanics recommend that differential fluid be changed every 30,000 miles.Ĭonfusion can surface when a car owner is told that the Mercedes has lifetime differential fluid in it. The great amount of heat generated by normal driving conditions can ultimately cause the lubrication elements of differential fluid to deteriorate. Unlike a transmission, the differential does not have a filter to keep the fluid clean and dirty differential fluid will eventually cause some internal damage. With that type of activity it is possible that tiny metal shavings can come off the gears and flow through the system as part of the differential fluid. The gears of the differential will turn at the rate of 5000 times a minute or more and are straining against the car’s full weight all the time. Suggest you double check if replacing the differential fluid is really necessary to maintain your warranty at 30K.The differential in a Mercedes will transfer power from the engine to the wheels and at the same time allow the wheels rotate at different speeds. I’d expect you’d get some $$ discount at an inde shop vs a dealership.īTW for what I can see here the recommended interval for normal type service for differential fluid is indeed 30K, but that looks like it means only an inspection of the fluid, not replacement. If warranty issues are of no concern, I’d ask fellow Subaru owners in my area who they use for inde shop work, somebody who specializes in Subarus preferably, and have it done there. Were I in your situation, and the new car warranty is still in effect, and I didn’t want to do the job myself I’d probably let the dealer do it for the fee they charge. And they may require a special friction modifier. Usually they require a special hypoid gear oil for that reason. The gear shapes in differentials are complex and require the proper fluid. And be sure to use the exact fluid Subaru recommends. If the owner’s manual says 30 K, then that’s when to change it. How many miles between fluid changes is car design specific. Suggest to trust Subaru tho, as they are the ones that designed the vehicle. 30K miles seems on the conservative side for differential. If so, for both differentials and the transfer case, that price sounds more reasonable. Do you have a front differential too? This is a 4wd in other words? There may be a transfer case fluid change involved too then. $500 just for changing just the rear differential fluid seems a little pricey. ![]() ![]() ![]()
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