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Browse the failure-mode index

21,247 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 accessEnergy

Astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis and Chromochloris zofingiensis: Biosynthetic Pathways, Engineering Strategies, and Industrial Prospects

Shufang Yang, Xue Lu, Jia Wang et al. · 2025 · Marine Drugs

Astaxanthin, a high-value keto-carotenoid with potent antioxidant and health-promoting properties, has gained global attention as a sustainable nutraceutical and biotechnological product. The green microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis and Chromochloris zofingiensis represent two promising natural producers, yet they differ markedly in physiology, productivity, and industrial scalability. This review provides a focused comparative analysis of these two species, emphasizing their quantitative performance differences. H. pluvialis can accumulate astaxanthin up to ~3–5% of dry biomass but typically

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Vitamin D and Chronic Disorders: A Review of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases

Ewelina Młynarska, Wiktoria Lisińska, Katarzyna Hossa et al. · 2025 · Pharmaceuticals

Vitamin D, long recognized for its essential role in calcium-phosphate balance and bone health, has increasingly been identified as a pleiotropic regulator of metabolic, cardiovascular, and renal function. Deficiency of vitamin D is widespread worldwide and has been linked to a higher risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. Meta-analyses suggest that each 10 nmol/L (≈4 ng/mL) increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with about a 4% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas other analyses indicate an approximately

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Preclinical ex vivo and in vivo models to study immunotherapy agents and their combinations as predictive tools toward the clinic

Iñaki Eguren‐Santamaría, Ignacio Melero, Inmaculada Rodríguez et al. · 2025 · Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer

Almost every successful anticancer treatment has been preceded by preclinical scientific breakthroughs that encouraged clinical development. However, therapeutic strategies showing promising preclinical results often fail to confirm…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeuroscience

The myth of the Bayesian brain

Madhur Mangalam · 2025 · European Journal of Applied Physiology

The Bayesian brain hypothesis-the idea that neural systems implement or approximate Bayesian inference-has become a dominant framework in cognitive neuroscience over the past two decades. While mathematically elegant and conceptually unifying, this paper argues that the hypothesis occupies an ambiguous territory between useful metaphor and testable, biologically plausible mechanistic explanation. We critically examine the key claims of the Bayesian brain hypothesis, highlighting issues of unfalsifiability, biological implausibility, and inconsistent empirical support. The framework's remarkabl

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Why Is Clozapine Uniquely Effective in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia? A Review and Proposal

Robin Murray, Alice Egerton, Yueming Gao et al. · 2025 · Biological Psychiatry

Much is known about the use, benefits, and side-effects, of clozapine in treatment resistant schizophrenia (TRS). However, why clozapine is more effective than other antipsychotics in TRS remains unclear. This paper addresses this question. TRS patients show glutamate abnormalities, and clozapine has widespread effects on glutamate. However, these actions have not been proven different to those of other antipsychotics. Immune dysfunction is also reported in TRS, and clozapine has anti-inflammatory actions, but these have not been correlated with clinical improvement. Currently, there is much i

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Integration of Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Capsule Endoscopy in Clinical Practice: A Review of Market-Available Tools for Clinical Practice

A. Giordano, Cristina Romero-Mascarell, Begoña González-Suárez et al. · 2025 · Digestive Diseases and Sciences

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into capsule endoscopy is transforming gastrointestinal diagnostics by enhancing lesion detection and optimizing reading efficiency. This review focuses on the clinical applications of…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Association between glutamate transporter gene polymorphisms and obsessive-compulsive disorder/trait empathy in a Korean population

Hae Won Kim, Jee In Kang, Eunhee Hwang et al. · 2018 · PLoS ONE

Accumulating evidence suggests that the glutamatergic system plays a major role in the pathophysiology of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and empathic processing. Particularly, genetic influence of glutamate transporter gene (SLC1A1) on OCD has been frequently replicated in previous studies, but several studies did not replicate the result. Therefore, we aimed to replicate the associations between the SLC1A1 and OCD in a Korean population. In addition, we investigated the influence of SLC1A1 on trait empathy, impairments in which are characteristic of OCD. Six single-nucleotide polymorphis

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEarth and Planetary Sciences

Confidence-guided cryo-EM map optimisation with LocScale-2.0

Alok Bharadwaj, R. de Bruin, Arjen J. Jakobi · 2026 · Nature Communications

Cryogenic sample electron microscopy (cryo-EM) maps often display uneven quality, with high-resolution features coexisting alongside weak or poorly ordered regions. Such variation complicates structural interpretation, especially for heterogeneous macromolecular assemblies. Here, we present LocScale-2.0, a context-aware map optimisation framework that operates without prior knowledge of molecular structure or composition. By leveraging general expectations of electron scattering by biological macromolecules, it enhances local detail and connectivity while preserving weak but biologically relev

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBusiness, Management and Accounting

Are we on the same wavelength? Supervisor-subordinate cognitive style congruence and its association with supervisors’ self-awareness through leader member exchange

Faisal AlReshaid, Alper Ertürk, Razan Alkhayyat et al. · 2025 · Frontiers in Psychology

Introduction: Leaders' self-awareness is essential to leadership effectiveness. Cognitive styles-how individuals perceive and process information-are key factors in fostering self-awareness. Drawing on Social Identity Theory (SIT), this study explores whether cognitive style congruence between supervisors and subordinates enhances supervisors' self-awareness, and whether Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) mediates this relationship. Methods: We used a time-lagged dyadic design and multilevel polynomial regression to analyze data from 189 subordinates and 36 supervisors. Cognitive styles were measure

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEarth and Planetary Sciences

Sweet and fatty symbionts: Photosynthetic productivity and carbon storage boosted in microalgae within a host

Andrea Catacora‐Grundy, Caroline Juery, Fabien Chevalier et al. · 2026 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract Symbiosis between a host and intracellular eukaryotic microalgae is a widespread life strategy in aquatic ecosystems. This partnership is considered to be mainly energized by the photosynthetically-derived carbon energy of…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeuroscience

Memory out of context: Spacing effects and decontextualization in a computational model of the medial temporal lobe

James W. Antony · 2026

Abstract Some neural representations change across multiple timescales. Here we argue that modeling this “drift” could help explain the spacing effect (the long-term benefit of distributed learning), whereby differences between stored and current temporal context activity patterns produce greater error-driven learning. We trained a neurobiologically realistic model of the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus to learn paired associates alongside temporal context vectors that drifted between learning episodes and/or before final retention intervals. In line with spacing effects, greater drift led t

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPhysics and Astronomy

Design scoping and systems modelling of ST-E1 using the PyTok power plant simulation code

C.L. Wilson, J. Astbury, M.J. Ginsberg et al. · 2026 · Nuclear Fusion

Abstract To support the pre-concept design of Tokamak Energy’s (TEs) ST-E1 fusion power plant, we developed a new systems code, PyTok. PyTok codifies plasma physics and engineering constraints within a pure Python, object-oriented framework designed for rapid design iteration and exploration of the power-plant parameter space. The code base and its human- and machine-readable data structures enable coupling to external physics codes and data-analysis tools. Informed by TEs design philosophy and techno-economic analyses, the code was used to identify an initial reference design point for ST-E1.

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEngineering

Integrated physics and magnet design for the ST-E1 fusion power plant

E. Maartensson, N. Welch, M. Scarpari et al. · 2026 · Nuclear Fusion

Abstract ST-E1 is Tokamak Energy’s commercially competitive fusion power plant design featuring a lifetime high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet cage, which has completed its pre-concept design stage. A central challenge at the pre-concept stage is the need to iteratively and consistently integrate the development of the magnet cage, core plasma physics, and power-exhaust systems, while avoiding serial design loops and late discovery of infeasible operating scenarios. Accurate representation of inductive current drive is particularly critical, as it tightly couples magnetic equilibria,

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Maximizing the Utility of Alzheimer's Disease Trial Data: Sharing of Baseline A4 and LEARN Data

Gustavo Jimenez‐Maggiora, Arndt‐Peter Schulz, Michael Donohue et al. · 2024 · The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer s Disease

BACKGROUND: The Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer's Disease (A4) and Longitudinal Evaluation of Amyloid Risk and Neurodegeneration (LEARN) studies were conducted between 2014 and 2023, with enrollment completed in 2017 and final study results reported in 2023. The study screening process involved the collection of initial clinical, cognitive, neuroimaging, and genetic measures to determine eligibility. Once randomized, enrolled participants were assessed every four weeks over a 4.5-year follow-up period during which longitudinal clinical, cognitive, and neuroimaging measures wer

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEngineering

A High-Temperature, High-Voltage SOI Gate Driver IC with High Output Current and On-Chip Low-Power Temperature Sensor

M. A. Huque, Leon M. Tolbert, Benjamin J. Blalock et al. · 2026 · IMAPSource Proceedings

High-temperature power conversion modules (DC-DC converters, inverters, etc.) have enormous potential in extreme environment applications, including automotive, aerospace, geothermal, nuclear, and well logging. Power-to-volume and…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Silybin A from Silybum marianum reprograms lipid metabolism to induce a cell fate-dependent class switch from triglycerides to phospholipids

Solveigh C. Koeberle, Maria Thürmer, Fengting Su et al. · 2025 · Theranostics

: Our study deciphers the structural features of silybin contributing to hepatic lipid remodeling and suggests that silymarin/silybin protects the liver in individuals with mild metabolic dysregulation, involving a lipid class switch from triglycerides to phospholipids, whereas it may be less effective in disease states associated with severe metabolic dysregulation.

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPhysics and Astronomy

Active Galactic Nuclei and Host Galaxies in COSMOS-Web. II. First Look At the Kiloparsec-scale Dual and Offset AGN Population

Junyao Li, Ming-Yang Zhuang, Yue Shen et al. · 2025 · The Astrophysical Journal

Abstract Kiloparsec-scale dual and offset active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are signposts of accreting supermassive black holes (SMBHs) triggered during late-stage galaxy mergers, offering crucial insights into the coevolution of SMBHs and galaxies. However, robustly confirmed systems at high redshift (e.g., z > 1) are scarce and biased toward the most luminous and unobscured systems. In this study, we systematically search for kiloparsec-scale (projected separation <15 kpc) dual and offset AGNs around 571 moderate-luminosity, X-ray-selected AGNs, including the obscured population, utilizing

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

The TEX44-CPT1B axis regulates mitochondrial sheath assembly and fatty acid oxidation in sperm

Erlei Zhi, Haowei Bai, Chuan Ren et al. · 2025 · Nature Communications

Mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) is essential for energy production and cellular homeostasis, yet its role in sperm function has remained unclear. Through whole-exome sequencing (WES) of 800 patients with asthenozoospermia, we…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBusiness, Management and Accounting

Norms Over Threats and Trends: A Managerial Perspective on the Role of Normative Pressures in Motivating Sustainable Strategies and Positive Outcomes

Alina Marculetiu, Çiğdem Ataseven, Injazz J. Chen · 2025 · Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effectiveness of institutional pressures in motivating two contrasting sustainability strategies, symbolic and substantive, and their subsequent impact on the triple bottom line (TBL). Using data from…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Human cancer genomes harbor the mutational signature of tobacco-specific nitrosamines NNN and NNK

Michael Korenjak, Nuri A. Temiz, Stéphane Keïta et al. · 2026 · Genome Medicine

BACKGROUND: Tobacco use is linked to multiple cancer types and a quarter of cancer deaths. Tobacco smoke contains numerous mutagenic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), however, the mutagenicity of many chemicals in…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEconomics, Econometrics and Finance

Clinical aspects of reimbursement policies for orphan drugs in Central and Eastern European countries

S Jakubowski, Paweł Kawalec, Przemysław Holko et al. · 2024 · Frontiers in Pharmacology

Objectives: The aim of this study was to characterize the reimbursement policy for orphan drugs (ODs) in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries in relation to the availability and impact of clinical evidence, health technology assessment (HTA) procedure, selected economic indicators, and the drug type according to indications. Materials and methods: A list of authorized medicines with orphan designation and information about active substance, Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification, and therapeutic area was extracted from the web-based register of the European Medicines Agen

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Virtual reality training to improve socio‐emotional functioning in adolescents with developmental language disorders: A multiple baseline effectiveness study

E. G. J. M. Arts, Bram Orobio de Castro, Ellen Luteijn et al. · 2024 · Social Development

Abstract This study investigated whether interactive virtual reality (VR) training of social and emotional abilities (InterAction) improves socio‐emotional functioning of youth with developmental language disorders (DLD). To this end we conducted a multiple baseline intervention study, comparing participants’ social abilities during a baseline phase with their changes in abilities during the intervention and posttest phase. The training group consisted of 29 adolescents ( 20 boys, 9 girls ) with DLD from the Netherlands. The training consisted of nine, weekly (45–50 min) individual sessions wi

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

NANO-LM: An updated scorecard for the clinical assessment of patients with leptomeningeal metastases

Émilie Le Rhun, Lakshmi Nayak, Mary Jane Lim-Fat et al. · 2024 · Neuro-Oncology

BACKGROUND: There are no validated tools for the clinical neurological assessment of patients with leptomeningeal metastases (LM). However, clinical examination during the course of the disease guides medical management and is part of response assessment in clinical trials. Because neuroimaging may not always be obtained owing to rapid clinical deterioration, clinical neurological assessment of LM is essential, and standardization is important to minimize rater disagreement. METHODS: The Response Assessment in Neuro-oncology-LM group launched a 2-step process, aiming at improving and standardi

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEnvironmental Science

Shedding the mitochondrial blinkers: A long-overdue challenge for species delimitation in herpetology

Wolfgang Wüster · 2025 · Vertebrate Zoology

The advent of molecular methods has revolutionised the field of species delimitation and description, one of the key tasks of systematic biology. In animal taxonomy, one marker, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) molecule, has acquired and retained disproportionate influence. This is despite its uniparental, clonal mode of inheritance, as a result of which the entire molecule acts as a single locus, and that precludes its use as a test for admixture between putative lineages, a key consideration in species delimitation. To establish the extent to which the limitations of mtDNA affect present-day ta

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Natural history of the revised ALS functional rating scale and its association with survival: the PRECISION-ALS Extant Study

Ruben P. A. van Eijk, Daphne N. Weemering, Sarah Opie-Martin et al. · 2025 · Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration

Objective To characterize the natural history of the revised ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS-R) over a 24-month period following initial assessment, and to assess its associations with survival.Methods Longitudinal ALSFRS-R…

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPsychology

Enhancing Intuitive Decision-Making and Reliance Through Human–AI Collaboration: A Review

Gerui Xu, Shruthi Venkatesha Murthy, Bochen Jia · 2025 · Informatics

As AI decision support systems play a growing role in high-stakes decision making, ensuring effective integration of human intuition with AI recommendations is essential. Despite advances in AI explainability, challenges persist in fostering appropriate reliance. This review explores AI decision support systems that enhance human intuition through the analysis of 84 studies addressing three questions: (1) What design strategies enable AI systems to support humans’ intuitive capabilities while maintaining decision-making autonomy? (2) How do AI presentation and interaction approaches influence

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Learning with Generative AI: An Empirical Study of Students in Higher Education

Golan Carmi · 2025 · Education Sciences

Generative AI technologies are rapidly permeating higher education as innovative tools that support teaching and learning processes. This study investigates the integration of GenAI tools into academic learning and examines their influence on students’ learning effectiveness, attitudes, and satisfaction. A quantitative survey was administered to 485 college students. The findings indicate that students’ attitudes, satisfaction, and accumulated experience with GenAI constitute the most influential factors in promoting effective learning. Perceived advantages and disadvantages also play a substa

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Failed Experiment ReportOpen accessMedicine

AMP-activated protein kinase-driven lipid droplet dynamics govern melanoma sensitivity to polyunsaturated fatty acid and iron-induced ferroptosis

Sahar Motamedi, Nina Ravoet, Jonas Dehairs et al. · 2025 · Nature Communications

Ferroptosis, a regulated form of cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, holds promise for targeting treatment-resistant cancer cells. Using a panel of melanoma cell lines, we uncover variability in the timing of ferroptosis onset upon…

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