e-ISSN: Pending

Browse the failure-mode index

19,814 real negative results, null findings, and replication failures · Negative / Null Result Report. 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 accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Research advances in the study of traditional Chinese medicine formula granules on signaling pathway-mediated disease mechanisms

Zhuoxu Gu, Zhonghao Wang, Xianquan Zhang et al. · 2025 · Frontiers in Pharmacology

As a modern dosage form of traditional Chinese medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Granules (TCMFG) maximally retains active metabolites through standardized production processes, including dynamic countercurrent extraction and low-temperature concentration. This serves as a critical material basis for elucidating its multi-target regulatory mechanisms. Recent studies have highlighted the significant potential of TCMFG in treating complex diseases, such as inflammation, tumors, metabolic disorders, fibrosis, and orthopedic conditions like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, by modulati

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeuroscience

Null effect of perceived drum pattern complexity on the experience of groove

Olivier Senn, Florian Hoesl, Toni Bechtold et al. · 2024 · PLoS ONE

There is a broad consensus in groove research that the experience of groove, understood as a pleasurable urge to move in response to music, is to some extent related to the complexity of the rhythm. Specifically, music with medium rhythmic complexity has been found to motivate greater urge to move compared to low or high complexity music (inverted-U hypothesis). Studies that confirmed the inverted-U hypothesis usually based their measure of complexity on the rhythmic phenomenon of syncopation, where rhythms with more and/or stronger syncopation are considered to be more complex than less synco

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeuroscience

TREM2 expression level is critical for microglial state, metabolic capacity and efficacy of TREM2 agonism

Astrid Feiten, Kilian Dahm, Kai Schlepckow et al. · 2026 · Nature Communications

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a central regulator of microglial activity and loss-of-function coding variants are major risk factors for late onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD). To better understand the molecular and functional changes associated with TREM2 signalling in microglia, we generated a TREM2 reporter mouse. In APP transgenic animals, bulk RNA-sequencing of isolated microglia sorted based on reporter expression highlighted TREM2 level-related changes in major immunometabolic pathways, and enrichment of genes in oxidative phosphorylation and cholesterol met

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessImmunology and Microbiology

The Interleukin Network in Sepsis: From Cytokine Storm to Clinical Applications

Marcello Candelli, Marta Sacco Fernandez, Gloria Rozzi et al. · 2025 · Diagnostics

Background and Objectives: Despite major advances in medical science and critical care, sepsis remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide: it arises from dysregulated host response to infections and may culminate in organ dysfunction. A hallmark of its pathogenesis is the cytokine storm, in which interleukins (ILs) serve as central mediators of both protective and deleterious immune responses. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the role of ILs in sepsis, emphasizing their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Material and Methods: We analyzed recent cl

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Large-scale multi-omics unveils host–microbiome interactions driving root development and nitrogen acquisition

Nannan Li, Guoliang Li, Xiaofang Huang et al. · 2026 · Nature Plants

The rhizosphere microbiome plays a crucial role in determining plant performance and fitness. Nevertheless, regulatory mechanisms linking host genetic variation, root gene regulation and microbiome assembly-and their collective influence on plant nutritional traits-remain poorly understood. Here we generated and integrated 1,341 paired datasets, including root transcriptomes, rhizosphere bacterial 16S rRNA profiles and root ionomes, across 175 resequenced Brassica napus ecotypes grown at two contrasting field sites. We identified 203 highly heritable bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs)

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics

Harnessing Novel Tetra-Synergistic Bilosomes for Effective Otomycosis Management: Integrated In-Vitro, Microbiological and In-vivo Studies

Abdurrahman M. Fahmy, Osama Saher, Heba Attia et al. · 2026 · AAPS PharmSciTech

Abstract This study introduces and statistically optimizes novel Tetra-Synergistic Bilosomes (TSB), an advanced nano-platform for topical delivery of voriconazole (VOR) in otomycosis therapy. The term “Tetra-Synergistic” reflects the incorporation of four complementary components: Cremophor® EL, sodium deoxycholate, Brij® 58, and Brij® S2, working in synergy to enhance therapeutic efficacy. TSB was fabricated using the thin-film hydration method and optimized through a 2 3 D-optimal design. Three formulation factors were investigated: Cremophor® EL: VOR ratio, sodium deoxycholate: cholesterol

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeuroscience

Precision fMRI reveals that the language network exhibits adult-like left-hemispheric lateralization by 4 years of age

Ola Ozernov‐Palchik, Amanda O’Brien, Elizabeth Jiachen Lee et al. · 2026 · Nature Communications

In adults, left hemisphere (LH) damage often leads to aphasia, but many cases of early damage leave linguistic processing intact, with a functional language system developing in the right hemisphere. To explain this early apparent equipotentiality of the two hemispheres for language, some have proposed that the language system is more bilateral during early development and becomes increasingly left-lateralized with age. We examined language lateralization using fMRI in two large developmental cohorts (total n=273 children aged 4-16 years; n=107 adults). Strong, adult-like LH lateralization (in

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Leveraging radiotherapy to improve immunotherapy outcomes: rationale, progress and research priorities

Faith Hartley, Martin A. Ebert, Alistair Cook · 2025 · Clinical & Translational Immunology

The most successful immunotherapies for solid malignancies to date, immune checkpoint inhibitors, target the essential role of T cells in antitumor immunity. However, T-cell dysfunction presents a major hindrance to treatment efficacy, warranting research into combined treatment strategies for improving outcomes. The use of radiotherapy for this purpose has garnered much interest. Preclinical study has established that radiotherapy activates various immune mechanisms to improve T-cell activation, localisation and function within tumors, which improves response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Molecular mechanisms underlying the abscopal effect induced by radiotherapy and its synergistic translational potential with immunotherapy

Xinyi Chen, Mu Yang, Yongbiao Huang et al. · 2025 · Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology

Abscopal immunity—the regression of distant, non-irradiated lesions after localized radiotherapy (RT)—signals conversion of focal DNA damage into systemic antitumor immunity. This review advances a unifying three-stage…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportMedicine

Should we use automated external defibrillators in hospital wards?

Mélissa De Regge, Koenraad G. Monsieurs, K. Vandewoude et al. · 2012 · PubMed

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) have shown to improve survival after cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) in many, but not all clinical settings. A recent study reported that the use of AEDs in-hospital did not improve survival. The…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeuroscience

Tactile processing in mouse cortex depends on action context

Eric A. Finkel, Yi-Ting Chang, Rajan Dasgupta et al. · 2024 · Cell Reports

The brain receives constant tactile input, but only a subset guides ongoing behavior. Actions associated with tactile stimuli thus endow them with behavioral relevance. It remains unclear how the relevance of tactile stimuli affects…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Breaking the outer membrane barrier: structure, targets, and antimicrobial strategies for Gram-negative bacteria

Fanzhuo Xu, Yu Xie, Weiwei Yu et al. · 2026 · Frontiers in Microbiology

Multidrug resistance in Gram-negative bacteria has become a significant global public health challenge, threatening human health and clinical treatment outcomes. The unique outer membrane structure of these pathogens greatly limits antibiotic penetration, serving as the core mechanism of resistance. This paper systematically analyses antimicrobial strategies targeting the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, mainly including: (1) directly disrupting the outer membrane structure and enhancing drug permeability; (2) inhibiting the biosynthesis or transport pathways of key outer membrane com

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Mechanism, Efficacy, and Safety of Natural Antibiotics

Andrei Teodor Matei, Anita Ioana Vișan · 2025 · Antibiotics

The growing ineffectiveness of common antibiotics against multidrug-resistant pathogens has made antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a serious global health concern. This review emphasizes that natural antibiotics from animals, bacteria, fungi, and plants are worthy alternatives for combating this crisis. Evolutionary pressure has shaped these molecules, leading to antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can withstand single-target synthetic drugs but are vulnerable to multiple attack pathways (e.g., cell wall disruption, protein synthesis inhibition, biofilm interference) from natural compounds. Natura

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEngineering

Short-Term Wind Power Forecast Based on STL-IAOA-iTransformer Algorithm: A Case Study in Northwest China

Zhaowei Yang, Wenqi Liu, Miwei Li et al. · 2025 · Energy Engineering

Accurate short-term wind power forecast technique plays a crucial role in maintaining the safety and economic efficiency of smart grids. Although numerous studies have employed various methods to forecast wind power, there re... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on Tech Science Press

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMaterials Science

Using Solid-State NMR to Understand the Structure of Plant Cellulose

Rosalie Cresswell, Parveen Kumar Deralia, Yoshihisa Yoshimi et al. · 2025 · Journal of the American Chemical Society

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The structure of plant cellulose microfibrils remains elusive, despite the abundance of cellulose and its utility in industry. Using 2D solid-state NMR of 13 C-labeled never-dried plants, six major glucose environments are resolved, which are common to the cellulose of softwood, hardwood, and grasses. These environments are maintained in isolated holocellulose nanofibrils, allowing more detailed microfibril characterization. We show that there are only two glucose environments that reside within the microfibril core. These have the same NMR 13

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Origins of chromosome instability unveiled by coupled imaging and genomics

Marco Raffaele Cosenza, Alice Gaiatto, Büşra Erarslan Uysal et al. · 2025 · Nature

, the underlying processes and rates of spontaneous CA formation in human cells are underexplored. Here we introduce machine-learning-assisted genomics and imaging convergence (MAGIC)-an autonomously operated platform that integrates live-cell imaging of micronucleated cells, machine learning on-the-fly and single-cell genomics to systematically investigate CA formation. Applying MAGIC to near-diploid, non-transformed cell lines, we track de novo CAs over successive cell cycles, highlighting the common role of dicentric chromosomes as initiating events. We determine the baseline CA mutation ra

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMaterials Science

A 3D spheroid model for assessing nanocarrier-based drug delivery to solid tumors

Chitra Yadav, Alexander S. Evtushenko, Andrea Bistrović et al. · 2025 · npj Biomedical Innovations.

3D spheroid culture has emerged as a valuable tool for studying complex intratumoral processes and screening novel therapeutics in vitro. However, spheroids face reproducibility and data interpretation issues, which limit their utility. This work describes a simple and reproducible co-culture spheroid model compatible with high-throughput screening designed to study pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a highly therapy-resistant cancer. These spheroids, composed of both cancer and stromal cells, recapitulate key features of PDAC which are difficult to study in traditional 2D cell culture,

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMathematics

The Evolution and Future Directions of PBPK Modeling in FDA Regulatory Review

Yong Li, Henry Sun, Zuoli Zhang · 2025 · Pharmaceutics

Background: Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling is a mathematical approach that integrates human physiological parameters with drug-specific characteristics (including both active pharmaceutical ingredients and excipients), and it has emerged as one of the core technologies for optimizing the efficiency and reliability of drug development. Methods: This study synthesizes applications of PBPK models in FDA-approved drugs (2020–2024), systematically analyzing model utilization frequency, indication distribution, application domains and choice of modeling platforms, to reveal th

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPhysics and Astronomy

X-Ray Polarization of the Magnetar 1E 1841−045

R. J. Stewart, George Younes, A. K. Harding et al. · 2025 · The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Abstract We report on IXPE and NuSTAR observations beginning 40 days after the 2024 outburst onset of magnetar 1E 1841−045, marking the first IXPE observation of a magnetar in an enhanced state. Our spectropolarimetric analysis indicates that both a blackbody (BB) plus double power-law (PL) and a double blackbody plus power-law spectral model fit the phase-averaged intensity data well, with a hard PL tail (Γ = 1.19 and 1.35, respectively) dominating above ≈5 keV. For the former model, we find the soft PL (the dominant component at soft energies) exhibits a polarization degree (PD) of ≈30% whil

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSocial Sciences

Is there prejudice from thin air? Replicating the effect of emotion on automatic intergroup attitudes

Junhua Dang, Zeynep E. Ekim, Sarah Ohlsson et al. · 2020 · BMC Psychology

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that anger, rather than sadness, created automatic intergroup bias in a minimal group context. METHODS: The current research reports a single study (N = 99) aiming to replicate this finding and further to test whether the intergroup bias manifests as ingroup favoritism, outgroup derogation, or both. RESULTS: Our results failed to replicate the effect of anger on automatic bias. Intriguingly, participants across all emotion conditions exhibited high level of ingroup favoritism, but there was little evidence of outgroup derogation. CONCLUSION: These results su

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Rotational Projection Errors in Coronal Knee Alignment on Weight-Bearing Whole-Leg Radiographs: A 3D CT Reference Across CPAK Morphotypes

Igor Strahovnik, Andrej Strahovnik, Samo K. Fokter · 2025 · Bioengineering

Whole-leg radiographs (WLRs) are widely used to assess coronal alignment before total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but may be inaccurate in patients with atypical morphotypes or malrotation. This study evaluated the discrepancy between WLR and 3D computed tomography (CT) scans across coronal plane alignment of the knee (CPAK) morphotypes and introduced a novel projection index—the femoral notch projection ratio (FNPR). In CPAK III knees, 19% of cases exceeded a clinically relevant threshold (>3° difference), prompting investigation of underlying projection factors. In 187 knees, coronal angles—

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPhysics and Astronomy

Non-Majorana origin of anomalous current-phase relation and Josephson diode effect in Bi 2 Se 3 /NbSe 2 Josephson junctions

Andrei Kudriashov, Xiong Zhou, Razmik A. Hovhannisyan et al. · 2025 · Science Advances

Josephson junctions (JJs) are key to superconducting quantum technologies and the search for self-conjugate quasiparticles potentially useful for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In topological insulator (TI)–based JJs, measuring the current-phase relation (CPR) can reveal unconventional effects such as Majorana bound states (MBS) and nonreciprocal transport. However, reconstructing CPR as a function of magnetic field has not been attempted. Here, we present a platform for field-dependent CPR measurements in planar JJs made of NbSe 2 and few-layer Bi 2 Se 3 . When a flux quantum Φ 0 thr

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEconomics, Econometrics and Finance

What Is the Cost of Privatization for Workers?

Martin Olsson, Joacim Tå̊g · 2025 · The Journal of Finance

ABSTRACT Privatization of state‐owned enterprises is on the agenda across the globe. Using Swedish data covering two decades, we show that productivity gains and headcount reductions are associated with economic costs for incumbent…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Perceived Stress and Self-Esteem as Significant Predictors of Cigarette Smoking Behavior of Bangladeshi Male Adults

Muhammad Kamal Uddin, Md Tarikul Islam, Muhammad Asaduzzaman · 2026 · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)

A large body of research has documented that smoking behavior is associated with a number of psychological variables. Weiss, Mouttapa, Cen, Johnson, and Unger (2011) studied a culturally diverse sample of 1,771 adolescents who reported that the risk of smoking initiation was significantly higher among students who scored higher on hostility and depressive symptoms, and were bully-victims. Mykletun, Overland, Aaro, Liabo, and Stewart (2008) carried out a population-based health survey on 60,814 adults aged between 20 to 89 years and reported that anxiety and depression were the most common in c

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v supplementation modulates β-cell ER stress and antioxidative defense pathways and prevents type 1 diabetes in gluten-free BioBreeding rats

Pinar Sargin, Mark F. Roethle, Shuang Jia et al. · 2022 · Gut Microbes

The increasing incidence of Type 1 diabetes has coincided with the emergence of the low-fiber, high-gluten Western diet and other environmental factors linked to dysbiosis. Since Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299 v (Lp299v) supplementation improves gut barrier function and reduces systemic inflammation, we studied its effects in spontaneously diabetic DRlyp/lyp rats provided a normal cereal diet (ND) or a gluten-free hydrolyzed casein diet (HCD). All rats provided ND developed diabetes (62.5±7.7 days); combining ND with Lp299v did not improve survival. Diabetes was delayed by HCD (72.2±9.4 day

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Physics exam preparation: A comparison of three methods

Witat Fakcharoenphol, T. Stelzer · 2014 · Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research

In this clinical study on helping students prepare for an exam, we compared three different treatments. All students were asked to take a practice exam. One group was then given worked-out solutions for that exam, another group was given the solutions and targeted exercises to do as homework based on the result of their practice exam, and the third group was given the solutions, homework, and also an hour of one-on-one tutoring. Participants from all three conditions significantly outperformed the control group on the midterm exam. However, participants that had one-on-one tutoring did not out

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgricultural and Biological Sciences

Influence of soil properties for improving productivity and grain quality of rainfed rice

Chitra Priyadarshani, Ranjan Laik, Sumit Sow et al. · 2025 · Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science

Integrated crop residue management with micronutrient application can effectively addresses dual challenges of maintaining productivity while enhancing grain nutritional quality of rice in calcareous soils. This study evaluated the role of different soil properties for enhancing yield and grain quality of rice under 29 years of long-term effects of crop residue incorporation and zinc (Zn) fertilization in calcareous Typic Haplaquepts soils. Results showed 100% crop residue incorporation significantly enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC), available nitrogen, available Zn, soil respiration, and we

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

“Regression to the truth”: lessons learned from negative IPF trials

Athina Trachalaki, Anna Lindahl, Simone Petrarulo et al. · 2025 · Breathe

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disease with limited treatment options. Despite the approval of pirfenidone and nintedanib that slow disease progression, IPF remains a disease with poor survival. Promising therapeutic…

View details →
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEnvironmental Science

Dynamic electronic modulation of single-atom Fe sites with p-block metal coordination enables highly selective generation of FeIV = O in Fenton-like reactions

Zhendong Zhao, Huiwang Dai, Tiantian Nie et al. · 2025 · Nature Communications

High-valent iron-oxo species (FeIV=O) have garnered increasing attention for water purification, while the selective generation of FeIV = O in Fenton-like reactions still lacks an effective control protocol at the atomic level. Here, we…

View details →