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Browse the failure-mode index

21,681 real negative results, null findings, and replication failures. Search the index →

WASTE indexes published research — it does not host or republish full papers. Each entry is a metadata record compiled from open scholarly databases; the abstract is shown in full only where the paper is openly licensed, otherwise a short excerpt under fair use. Classifications are automated and approximate.

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEngineering

Real-time breath analysis for COPD risk assessment in smokers using a ZnO/SnO₂ heterojunction sensor integrated with support vector machine

Poundoss Chellamuthu, Kirubaveni Savarimuthu, M. Gulam Nabi Alsath et al. · 2026 · Scientific Reports

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressively debilitating and life-threatening respiratory condition that has long been attributed to exposure to airborne toxic substances like carbon monoxide (CO), a reliable biomarker…

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Replication FailureOpen accessMedicine

The Effect of Genetic Variation on the Placental Transcriptome in Humans

Triin Kikas, Kristiina Rull, Robin N. Beaumont et al. · 2019 · Frontiers in Genetics

= 6830) did not replicate these findings. In summary, the study emphasizes the role of genetic variation in driving the transcriptome profile of the human placenta and the importance to explore further its functional implications.

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEngineering

Tailoring nanoscale interfaces for perovskite–perovskite–silicon triple-junction solar cells

Jianghui Zheng, Guoliang Wang, Leiping Duan et al. · 2025 · Nature Nanotechnology

Abstract Triple‐junction solar cells theoretically outperform their double-junction and single‐junction counterparts in power conversion efficiency, yet practical perovskite–perovskite–silicon devices have fallen short of both theoretical limits and commercial targets. To address surface defects in the top perovskite junction, we introduce a piperazine-1,4-diium chloride treatment, which replaces less stable lithium fluoride. For interfacing the top and middle perovskite junctions, we optimize the size of gold nanoparticles deposited on atomic layer-deposited tin oxide for best ohmic contactin

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Failed Experiment ReportOpen accessMedicine

Bone Health Outcomes from the International, Multicenter, Randomized, Phase 3, Placebo-Controlled D-CARE Study Assessing Adjuvant Denosumab in Early Breast Cancer

Robert E. Coleman, Ying Zhou, Danielle Jandial et al. · 2021 · Advances in Therapy

INTRODUCTION: D-CARE, an international, phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in women with early-stage breast cancer at high risk of disease recurrence, failed to meet its primary endpoint-improvement in bone…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

GLP-1 and the Degenerating Brain: Exploring Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Potential

Osama Sobhi Moaket, Sarah Eyad Obaid, Fawaz Eyad Obaid et al. · 2025 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), stroke, and depression, are marked by progressive neuronal dysfunction and loss, yet current treatments remain largely symptomatic with limited disease-modifying efficacy. Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), an incretin hormone traditionally associated with metabolic regulation, has emerged as a promising neuroprotective agent. Its receptor, GLP-1R, is expressed in key brain regions implicated in cognition, emotion, and motor control, including the hippocampus, frontal cortex, and substantia nigra. GLP-1R a

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Negative / Null Result Report

Less risk of conversion to total knee arthroplasty without significant clinical and survivorship difference for opening‐wedge high tibial osteotomies in varus knee deformities at 10‐year minimum follow‐up compared to closing‐wedge high tibial osteotomies

A. Cazor, A. Schmidt, J. Shatrov et al. · 2022 · Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes and survivorship at minimum 10‐year follow‐up of patients undergoing primary valgisation high tibial osteotomy (HTO) for medial osteoarthritis (OA), treated…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Effect of Lactobacillus plantarum supplementation on trimethylamine-N-oxide levels in 30 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: A double-blind randomized controlled trial

Natalia Spasova, Desislava Somleva, Bozhidar Krastev et al. · 2024 · Folia Medica

Introduction : Trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) is a metabolite produced by intestinal microbiota. It is well recognized as an independent risk marker for cardiovascular and renal diseases and mortality. Aim : The aim of the present study was…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSocial Sciences

The Effects of Board Diversity on Korean Companies’ ESG Performance

Ahmet Jeyhunov, Jong Dae Kim, Seong Mi Bae · 2025 · Sustainability

This paper explores the effect of board diversity on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance in Korean-listed firms using regression analysis. Our findings reveal that an increased board size significantly correlates with higher ESG scores when combined with other board diversity dimensions. The presence of female directors on boards was found to have a significant effect on environmental and social components of ESG performance. Age diversity exhibits a negative association with ESG scores, emphasizing potential disruptions from intergenerational differences. Foreign directors

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessComputer Science

Evaluating clinical AI summaries with large language models as judges

Emma Croxford, Yanjun Gao, Elliot First et al. · 2025 · npj Digital Medicine

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) contain vast clinical data that are difficult for providers to synthesize. Generative AI with Large Language Models (LLMs) can summarize records to reduce cognitive burden, but ensuring accuracy requires…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeuroscience

V01.05 — Mirror Mathematics II: Minimal Observer Thresholds

Lloyd Christopher Smith · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

This paper forms part of Mirror Programme, Volume I: Observerhood. Mirror Mathematics II develops the formal threshold layer of the Mirror Mathematics arc. Building on Mirror Mathematics I, it asks when a self-model becomes observer-relevant rather than merely predictive, self-referential or descriptive. The paper introduces a minimal Mirror observer predicate grounded in self-model reliability, action-guidance, cost-sensitive repair and positive viability coupling under perturbation. The central condition is expressed through a salience functional measuring whether the expected viability bene

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Overcoming resistance to PD-1 and CTLA-4 blockade mechanisms and therapeutic strategies

Xiaodong Wang, Jing He, Gouping Ding et al. · 2025 · Frontiers in Immunology

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4 have achieved groundbreaking clinical success in multiple cancers; however, a large proportion of patients experience primary or acquired resistance. This review synthesizes the complex mechanisms underlying resistance to PD-1/CTLA-4 blockade and surveys emerging strategies to overcome them. Resistance arises from multifaceted interactions among tumor-intrinsic alterations (e.g., epigenetic silencing of antigen presentation machinery via EZH2/PRC2, oncogenic pathway-driven upregulation of PD-L1, genetic loss of IFNγ pathway componen

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Region-specific transcriptional signatures of brain aging in the absence of neuropathology at the single-cell level

Monica E. Mesecar, Megan F. Duffy, Dominic J. Acri et al. · 2026 · npj Aging

As age is a significant risk factor for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, investigating normal brain aging may help identify molecular events contributing to increased disease risk over time. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) enables analysis of gene expression changes within specific cell-types, offering insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying aging. However, most brain aging snRNA-seq datasets use age-matched controls from studies focused on pathology and sample cortical regions. Therefore, there is a need to investigate non-pathological aging within brain regions vulner

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Identification of human gut bacteria that produce bioactive serotonin and promote colonic innervation

Chiara H. Moretti, E. Grasset, Jiaying Zhu et al. · 2025 · Cell Reports

The gut microbiota regulates host intestinal serotonin synthesis, thereby promoting the development and maintenance of the enteric nervous system, which controls bowel motility. Functional bowel disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome, are associated with altered serotonin levels and gut microbiota composition. However, it is unclear if the gut microbiota can synthesize bioactive serotonin, which may affect enteric nervous system development. Here, we identify a consortium of the human gut bacteria Limosilactobacillus mucosae and Ligilactobacillus ruminis that synthesizes serotonin in vi

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Effect of gamma irradiation on the microbiological quality of minimally processed vegetables

Luis E. López, S Avendaño, José Ramón Varela Romero et al. · 2026 · Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición

The initial microflora of minimally processed celery and cabbage packaged under a modified atmosphere was determined. The samples came from the same producer and were sold in a supermarket chain of Santiago, Chile. Although neither E. coli…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Antibody-drug conjugates in gynecologic cancer: current landscape, clinical data, and emerging targets

Juan He, Mi Chen, Jia Li et al. · 2025 · International Journal of Gynecological Cancer

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are an emerging class of targeted therapies that combine monoclonal antibodies with potent cytotoxic payloads, demonstrating significant potential in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies. By selectively targeting tumor-associated antigens, ADCs enable precise drug delivery while minimizing off-target toxicity. Currently, mirvetuximab soravtansine and tisotumab vedotin have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of folate receptor-alpha-positive, platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and recurrent cervical cancer, respectively, exhib

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Revisión de los métodos de evaluación de la actividad antioxidante in vitro del vino y valoración de sus efectos in vivo

Ma Soledad Fernández-Pachón, Débora Villaño, Ana M. Troncoso et al. · 2026 · Archivos Latinoamericanos de Nutrición

El objetivo de esta revisión es el estudio de la actividad antioxidante del vino, analizando los distintos métodos que se han empleado en su evaluación. Esta actividad se relacionará, tanto desde el punto de vista cualitativo como…

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Negative / Null Result Report

Low-phytate wholegrain bread instead of high-phytate wholegrain bread in a total diet context did not improve iron status of healthy Swedish females: a 12-week, randomized, parallel-design intervention study

Michael Hoppe, Alastair B. Ross, Cecilia Svelander et al. · 2018 · European Journal of Nutrition

Abstract Purpose To investigate the effects of eating wholegrain rye bread with high or low amounts of phytate on iron status in women under free-living conditions. Methods In this 12-week, randomized, parallel-design intervention study,…

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Negative / Null Result Report

Small Social Incentives Did Not Improve the Survey Response Rate of Patients Who Underwent Orthopaedic Surgery: A Randomized Trial

Hunter Warwick, Carolyn Hutyra, Cary Politzer et al. · 2019 · Clinical Orthopaedics & Related Research

Abstract Background The generalizability of data derived from patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) depends largely on the proportion of the relevant population that completes PROM surveys. However, PROM survey responses remain low,…

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Negative / Null Result Report

A weakened AMOC may prolong greenhouse gas–induced Mediterranean drying even with significant and rapid climate change mitigation

Thomas L. Delworth, William F. Cooke, Vaishali Naik et al. · 2022 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

The Mediterranean region has been identified as a climate hot spot, with models projecting a robust warming and rainfall decline in response to increasing greenhouse gases. The projected rainfall decline would have impacts on agriculture…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Barriers to Participation in a Community-Based Program to Control Transmission of Taenia solium in Peru

Michelle Beam, Angela G. Spencer, Lauralee Fernandez et al. · 2018 · American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

larvae (neurocysticercosis) is a leading cause of preventable epilepsy worldwide. Effective and sustainable strategies to control parasite transmission in rural endemic communities are needed to prevent the disease. Surveillance and…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Treatment with the copper compound CuATSM has no significant effect on motor neuronal pathology in patients with ALS

Yue Yang, Dominic B. Rowe, Heather McCann et al. · 2023 · Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology

AIMS: Although the orally available brain-penetrant copper compound CuATSM has demonstrated promising effects in SOD1-linked mouse models, the impact of CuATSM on disease pathology in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) remains unknown. METHODS: The present study set out to address this deficit by performing the first pilot comparative analysis of ALS pathology in patients that had been administered CuATSM and riluzole [N = 6 cases composed of ALS-TDP (n = 5) and ALS-SOD1 (n = 1)] versus riluzole only [N = 6 cases composed of ALS-TDP (n = 4) and ALS-SOD1 (n = 2)]. RESULTS: Our re

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Candidate gene studies and the quest for the entrepreneurial gene

Matthijs J. H. M. van der Loos, Philipp Koellinger, Patrick J. F. Groenen et al. · 2011 · Small Business Economics

Candidate gene studies of human behavior are gaining interest in economics and entrepreneurship research. Performing and interpreting these studies is not straightforward because the selection of candidates influences the interpretation of…

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Negative / Null Result ReportPsychology

Affect labelling increases the intensity of positive emotions

Valeriia V. Vlasenko, Emma G. Rogers, Christian E. Waugh · 2021 · Cognition & Emotion

Although affect labelling has been widely reported to decrease negative emotions, it is less clear whether affect labelling also decreases positive emotions. In four studies, we explored how affect labelling (choosing the emotion that best…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Guapiaçu virus, a new insect-specific flavivirus isolated from two species of Aedes mosquitoes from Brazil

Geovani de Oliveira Ribeiro, Antônio Charlys da Costa, Danielle Elise Gill et al. · 2021 · Scientific Reports

Classical insect-flaviviruses (cISFVs) and dual host-related insect-specific flavivirus (dISFV) are within the major group of insect-specific flavivirus. Remarkably dISFV are evolutionarily related to some of the pathogenic flavivirus, such as Zika and dengue viruses. The Evolutionary relatedness of dISFV to flavivirus allowed us to investigate the evolutionary principle of host adaptation. Additionally, dISFV can be used for the development of flavivirus vaccines and to explore underlying principles of mammalian pathogenicity. Here we describe the genetic characterization of a novel putative

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Association of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and breastfeeding with NAFLD in young adults: a parental negative control study

Kushala Abeysekera, James Orr, Paul Madley‐Dowd et al. · 2021 · The Lancet Regional Health - Europe

BACKGROUND: The importance of the maternal-infant dyad in the genesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is of increasing interest. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) showed that at age 24, 1 in 5 had…

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