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Browse the failure-mode index

21,742 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 accessPolitical science (General)

The (null) effect of climate change beliefs on disaster preparedness by houses of worship

Jason M. Pudlo · Politics and Religion

Houses of worship are often shelters after the storm. Yet, as climate change fuels natural disasters and communities increasingly rely on congregations during disaster recovery, are houses of worship ready to be houses of refuge? Examining clergy influence, does a higher concern about climate change by clergy result in improved congregational disaster readiness? Data for the study come from a 2019 nationwide survey of clergy. The survey includes measures of congregational disaster preparedness along with one of the first applications of the SASSY climate concern measure to clergy. Results show

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

The neural determinants of age-related changes in fluid intelligence: a pre-registered, longitudinal analysis in UK Biobank [version 2; referees: 2 approved, 1 approved with reservations]

Rogier A. Kievit, Delia Fuhrmann, Gesa Sophia Borgeest et al. · 2018 · Wellcome Open Research

Background: Fluid intelligence declines with advancing age, starting in early adulthood. Within-subject declines in fluid intelligence are highly correlated with contemporaneous declines in the ability to live and function independently. To support healthy aging, the mechanisms underlying these declines need to be better understood. Methods: In this pre-registered analysis, we applied latent growth curve modelling to investigate the neural determinants of longitudinal changes in fluid intelligence across three time points in 185,317 individuals (N=9,719 two waves, N=870 three waves) from the U

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry

The Impact of Visual Feedback Design on Self-Regulation Performance and Learning in a Single-Session rt-fMRI Neurofeedback Study at 3T and 7T

Sebastian Baecke, Ralf Lützkendorf, Johannes Bernarding · 2026 · Brain Sciences

Background: The efficacy of real-time fMRI neurofeedback (NFB) depends critically on how feedback is presented and perceived by the participant. Although various visual feedback designs are used in practice, there is limited evidence on the impact of modality on learning and performance. We conducted a feasibility study to compare the effectiveness of different feedback modalities, and to evaluate the technical performance of NFB across two scanner field strengths. Methods: In a single-session study, nine healthy adults (6 men, 3 women) voluntarily adapted the activation level of the primary s

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

No Association between Personality and Candidate Gene Polymorphisms in a Wild Bird Population.

Hannah A Edwards, Gabriela K Hajduk, Gillian Durieux et al. · 2015 · PLoS ONE

Consistency of between-individual differences in behaviour or personality is a phenomenon in populations that can have ecological consequences and evolutionary potential. One way that behaviour can evolve is to have a genetic basis. Identifying the molecular genetic basis of personality could therefore provide insight into how and why such variation is maintained, particularly in natural populations. Previously identified candidate genes for personality in birds include the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4), and serotonin transporter (SERT). Studies of wild bird populations have shown that explorato

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessLanguage and Literature

No hesitation at the choice point: verb–particle placement is cost-free in production

Matt Hunt Gardner, Xinyu Leslie Liao · 2026 · Language and Cognition

Using 3,154 tokens from American English, we test whether optionality in verb–particle placement increases speech-planning cost, measured as pre-verbal silence. Tokens were coded for object properties, idiomaticity and verb frequency. We find that pre-verbal silence does not differ between split (pick the book up) and joined (pick up the book) orders. While idiomaticity favours the joined order, it does not raise planning cost. Verb frequency shortens pauses only in fast speech, suggesting predictability acts lexically, not structurally. Choice symmetry does not lengthen pauses. We therefore f

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Sure-thing vs. probabilistic charitable giving: Experimental evidence on the role of individual differences in risky and ambiguous charitable decision-making.

Philipp Schoenegger, Miguel Costa-Gomes · 2022 · PLoS ONE

Charities differ, among other things, alongside the likelihood that their interventions succeed and produce the desired outcomes and alongside the extent that such likelihood can even be articulated numerically. In this paper, we investigate what best explains charitable giving behaviour regarding charities that have interventions that will succeed with a quantifiable and high probability (sure-thing charities) and charities that have interventions that only have a small and hard to quantify probability of bringing about the desired end (probabilistic charities). We study individual difference

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPhysics

An Experimental Test of the Classical Interpretation of the Kaluza Fifth Dimension

Martin Tajmar, Lance L. Williams · 2020 · Physics

Kaluza was the first to realize that the four-dimensional gravitational field of general relativity and the classical electromagnetic field behave as if they were components of a five-dimensional gravitational field. We present a novel experimental test of the macroscopic classical interpretation of the Kaluza fifth dimension. Our experiment design probes a key feature of Kaluza unification—that electric charge is identified with motion in the fifth dimension. Therefore, we tested for a time dilation effect on an electrically charged clock. This test can also be understood as a constraint on t

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSocial sciences (General)

On the Significance of Place: Vaccination Refusal as a Situated Phenomenon

Martijn van der Meer · 2025 · Journal of Trial and Error

Expert endorsement seems a promising tool in countering vaccine hesitancy. Yet findings from an experiment in the United Kingdom, published in this journal, found that repeated expert‐backed “debunking” messages had little effect on vaccination intentions or behaviors. At the same time, a similar study in Italy had earlier observed a slight increase in the intent to vaccinate—despite actual uptake remaining unchanged. In this article, I reflect on the differences between these studies and argue for a situated public health approach: one that opens up on diversity and responds to local trust dy

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessScience

Revisiting 129Xe electric dipole moment measurements applying a new global phase fitting approach

Tianhao Liu, Katharina Rolfs, Isaac Fan et al. · 2021 · New Journal of Physics

By measuring the spin precession frequencies of polarized ^129 Xe and ^3 He, a new upper limit on the ^129 Xe atomic electric dipole moment (EDM) ${d}_{\text{A}}\left({}^{129}\mathrm{X}\mathrm{e}\right)$ was reported in Sachdev et al (2019 Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 , 143003). Here, we propose a new evaluation method based on global phase fitting (GPF) for analyzing the continuous phase development of the ^3 He– ^129 Xe comagnetometer signal. The Cramer–Rao lower bound on the ^129 Xe EDM for the GPF method is theoretically derived and shows the potential benefit of our new approach. The robustness o

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

The neural determinants of age-related changes in fluid intelligence: a pre-registered, longitudinal analysis in UK Biobank [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

Rogier A. Kievit, Delia Fuhrmann, Gesa Sophia Borgeest et al. · 2018 · Wellcome Open Research

Background: Fluid intelligence declines with advancing age, starting in early adulthood. Within-subject declines in fluid intelligence are highly correlated with contemporaneous declines in the ability to live and function independently. To support healthy aging, the mechanisms underlying these declines need to be better understood. Methods: In this pre-registered analysis, we applied latent growth curve modelling to investigate the neural determinants of longitudinal changes in fluid intelligence across three time points in 185,317 individuals (N=9,719 two waves, N=870 three waves) from the U

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEducation

An Efficacy Study of a Digital Core Curriculum for Grade 5 Mathematics

Nicole Shechtman, Jeremy Roschelle, Mingyu Feng et al. · 2019 · AERA Open

The Math Curriculum Impact Study was a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the efficacy of a digital core curriculum for Grade 5 mathematics. Reasoning Mind’s Grade 5 Common Core Curriculum was a comprehensive, adaptive, blended learning approach that schools in the treatment group implemented for an entire school year. Schools in the control group implemented their business-as-usual mathematics curriculum. The study was completed in 46 schools throughout West Virginia, resulting in achievement data from 1,919 students. It also included exploratory investigations of teacher p

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine (General)

Alcohol Drinking and Bladder Cancer Risk From a Pooled Analysis of Ten Cohort Studies in Japan

Hiroyuki Masaoka, Keitaro Matsuo, Isao Oze et al. · 2020 · Journal of Epidemiology

Background: The association of alcohol drinking with bladder cancer risk remains unclear in East Asian populations. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) enzyme oxidizes alcohol-metabolized carcinogenic acetaldehyde into acetate. It is well known that the inactive ALDH2 carriers, specific to East Asian populations, have an increased risk of several cancer types because of increased exposure to acetaldehyde after alcohol consumption. The aim of this study was to examine the association between alcohol drinking and bladder cancer risk using data from ten population-based prospective cohort studies in

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

No effect of additional education on long-term brain structure, a preregistered natural experiment in thousands of individuals

Nicholas Judd, Rogier Kievit · 2025 · eLife

Education is related to a wide variety of beneficial health, behavioral, and societal outcomes. However, whether education causes long-term structural changes in the brain remains unclear. A pressing challenge is that individuals self-select into continued education, thereby introducing a wide variety of environmental and genetic confounders. Fortunately, natural experiments allow us to isolate the causal impact of increased education from individual (and societal) characteristics. Here, we exploit a policy change in the UK (the 1972 ROSLA act) that increased the amount of mandatory schooling

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSpecial aspects of education

الضغوط المهنية لمعلمي التربية الخاصة في ضوء بعض المتغيرات (دراسة عبر ثقافية) Special Education Teachers' Professional Stress in the Light of Some Variables ( A Cross-Cultural Study )

علي عبدالله علي مسافر · 2016 · مجلة التربیة الخاصة والتأهیل

تهدف الدراسة الحالية إلى استقصاء الضغوط المهنية لمعلمي التربية الخاصة في کل من البيئة الثقافية السعودية والمصرية، ومعرفة الفروق في نوعية تلک الضغوط في هاتين البيئتين تبعاً لمتغيرات فئة الإعاقة التي يعمل معها المعلم (عقلية وتوحد/ بصرية/ سمعية)، وجنس المعلم (ذکر/ أنثى)، وسنوات خبرة المعلم (أقل من 5 سنوات/ 5 سنوات فأکثر). وأجريت الدراسة على عينة قوامها (224) معلماً ومعلمةً من معلمي التربية الخاصة بجمهورية مصر العربية والمملکة العربية السعودية، واستخدمت الدراسة مقياس الضغوط المهنية لمعلمي التربية الخاصة (إعداد الباحث)، ولتحليل البيانات تم تطبيق اختبار "ت"، وتحليل التباين المتعدد MANOVA، واختبار شي

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Evaluating the association between lifetime physical activity and oral squamous cell carcinoma: A case-control study.

Seyyed Abolfazl Tabatabaie-Zadeh, Nazanin Mahdavi, Behnaz Mahdaviani et al. · 2024 · PLoS ONE

Purpose Oral cancers are the 6th most common malignancy worldwide and oral squamous cell carcinoma, comprises over 90% of oral cancers. This study investigates the relationship between physical activity level during the lifetime and oral squamous cell carcinoma risk. Methods 100 oral squamous cell carcinoma patients and 200 healthy individuals participated in this case-control study. Physical activity level was evaluated via the Lifetime Physical Activity Questionnaire. The occupational, household, and sports domains of lifetime physical activity were determined. Case and control groups' parti

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine (General)

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Cardiovascular Risk: Retrospective Matched-Cohort Analysis Based on the RECORD Study of the Italian Society for Rheumatology

Lisa Argnani, Anna Zanetti, Anna Zanetti et al. · 2021 · Frontiers in Medicine

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with an increase in cardiovascular (CV) risk. This issue maybe not only explained by a genetic component, as well as by the traditional CV risk factors, but also by an underestimation and undertreatment of concomitant CV comorbidities.Method: This was a retrospective matched-cohort analysis in the Italian RA real-world population based on the healthcare-administrative databases to assess the CV risk factors and incidence of CV events in comparison with the general population. Persistence and adherence to the CV therapy were also evaluated in

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Abandoned HypothesisOpen accessMedicine (General)

Personal preventive protocols and travel patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic

Homayoun Sadeghi-Bazargani, Ali Jafari-Khounigh, Hamid Sharifi et al. · 2025 · Russian Open Medical Journal

Background — Travel restrictions and adhering to health protocols while traveling was among the key strategies to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Objective — The present study aims to measure and evaluate travel patterns and compliance with COVID-19 prevention protocols during traveling. Methods — In this cross-sectional study, 589 individuals from the capitals of six provinces of Iran were included in the study using the cluster sampling method. There were 40 clusters. For data analysis, the mean value of responses in each individual was calculated for each section of the questionnaire. Results — T

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Abandoned HypothesisOpen accessEducation

Hermann's Brain Dominance and its Relationship with Habits of Mind in Classroom Management among Preparatory Stage Teachers

Walid Samir Ahmed Ismail Gharib, Prof. Dr. Hayam Saber Shaheen · 2023 · مجلة بحوث التعليم والإبتكار

This study aimed at exploring the relationship between Hermann's brain dominance and habits of mind in class management for preparatory stage teachers, in addition to examining the difference in the study variables according to the demographic variables, gender (males-females), and the number of years of experience (less than 5 years, 5-10 years, 10-15 years, 15 years or more). The methodology and procedures of the study are based on the comparative descriptive relational approach. The study sample consisted of (107) male and female teachers, whose ages ranged between (25-60) years, with an av

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

The Problem of Back Pain Among Nurses of Neurology and Neurosurgery Wards

Renata Jabłońska, Marta Gralik, Agnieszka Królikowska et al. · 2016 · Pielęgniarstwo Neurologiczne i Neurochirurgiczne

Introduction. In the occupational medicine back pain is treated as a paraoccupational disease, mainly related to specific professional groups. They include those employed in the sector of health care, who are at the highest risk of developing back pain, nurses in particular. Aim. Assessment of back pain occurrence among nurses and determining the factors affecting this condition. Material and Methods. The study group consisted of 76 nurses working in neurology and neurosurgery wards/clinics. The research methodology applied consisted of diagnostic survey method, and as the technique, a survey

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDiseases of the genitourinary system. Urology

Focal Cryotherapy in Prostate Cancer. Does Gleason Impact Results?

Kinga Mate, Pedro de Pablos-Rodríguez, Marta Burbano Herraiz et al. · 2026 · International Brazilian Journal of Urology

ABSTRACT Purpose: Focal cryotherapy is a minimally invasive treatment for localized prostate cancer (PCa), but its oncological outcomes, particularly in relation to baseline Gleason Grade Group (GG), remain understudied. This study evaluates its efficacy and the impact while radical of baseline Gleason score on recurrence-free survival. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis included 111 patients with localized PCa treated with focal cryotherapy between 2014 and January 2024. Patients with prior treatments or follow-up 1. Results: Median follow-up was 35 months (IQR 24–49). Confirmato

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSurgery

Evaluating Artificial Intelligence’s Role in Developing Research Questions in Head and Neck Reconstruction

Sebastian Holm, MD, Mario Zambrana, MD, Juan E. Berner, MD, PhD et al. · 2025 · Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open

Summary:. Generative artificial intelligence (AI) large language models are an emerging technology, with ChatGPT and Gemini being 2 well-known examples. The current literature discusses clinical applications and limitations of AI, but its role in research has not yet been extensively evaluated. This study aimed to assess the role of ChatGPT and Gemini in developing novel and clinically relevant research ideas (RIs) for systematic reviews (SRs) in head and neck reconstruction. ChatGPT and Gemini were prompted to provide 10 novel and clinically relevant RIs for SRs in the following domains: head

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDentistry

Adhesion to eroded dentin submitted to different surface treatments

Thayanne Monteiro Ramos Oliveira, Thaysa Monteiro Ramos, Bruna Uglik Garbui et al. · 2014 · Brazilian Dental Science

Objective: This in vitro study measured the microshear bond strength (µSBS) of a composite resin to sound and artificially eroded dentin, submitted to surface treatment with diamond bur (DB) or Er,Cr:YSGG laser (L). Material and Methods: Bovine dentin samples were randomly divided into six groups (n=11): G1-sound dentin, G2-eroded dentin, G3-eroded dentin treated with Er,Cr:YSGG laser at 1.5W, G4-eroded dentin treated with Er,Cr:YSGG laser at 2.0W, G5-eroded dentin treated with Er,Cr:YSGG laser at 2.5W and G6-eroded dentin treated with diamond bur. Erosive cycling was performed by immersion in

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDermatology

Therapeutic Effect of Dupilumab on Systemic and Vascular Inflammation in Adults with Severe Atopic Dermatitis: Feasibility Study Using 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography

Gi-Wook Lee, Keunyoung Kim, Seong-Jang Kim et al. · 2023 · Acta Dermato-Venereologica

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease associated with increased systemic and vascular inflammation. Although dupilumab has been proven to be effective against severe AD, imaging studies analysing its inflammation-reducing effect have rarely been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of dupilumab on systemic and vascular inflammation in adult patients with severe AD, using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT). A total of 33 adult patients with severe AD and 25 healthy controls underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT at b

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDentistry

A quantitative analysis of rotary, ultrasonic and manual techniques to treat proximally flattened root canals

Fabiana Soares Grecca, Roberto Brandão Garcia, Clóvis Monteiro Bramante et al. · 2007 · Journal of Applied Oral Science

OBJECTIVE: The efficiency of rotary, manual and ultrasonic root canal instrumentation techniques was investigated in proximally flattened root canals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Forty human mandibular left and right central incisors, lateral incisors and premolars were used. The pulp tissue was removed and the root canals were filled with red die. Teeth were instrumented using three techniques: (i) K3 and ProTaper rotary systems; (ii) ultrasonic crown-down technique; and (iii) progressive manual technique. Roots were bisected longitudinally in a buccolingual direction. The instrumented canal walls

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine (General)

Exploring critical factors affecting sign language knowledge and motivation for sign language learning in nurses: A cross-sectional study

Ana Marija Hosnjak, Martina Smrekar, Sanja Ledinski-Ficko et al. · 2023 · Journal of Health Sciences

Introduction: In times when the term inclusion, rights of patients, and the patient as a subject in health care are used more often, the limited availability of written material or sign language interpreters at health services is still a key barrier to health services for people who are hearing-impaired. The aim of this study is to examine nurses’ knowledge of communication skills with hearing-impaired patients, their preferred methods, and the possibility of using translation services. Methods: The study was cross-sectional, and data were collected in September–October 2019. The study include

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNutrition. Foods and food supply

Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Moringa oleifera on HIV Viral Load in Adults Receiving Standard Care

Phyllis Waruguru, Dasel Mulwa, Michael Okoth et al. · 2025 · Journal of Food Innovation, Nutrition, and Environmental Sciences

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively suppresses HIV viral load. However, people living with HIV (PLWH) fail to achieve optimal viral suppression and especially in resource limited settings. Nutritional supplements such as Moringa oleifera have been traditionally used to improve health outcomes in PLWH, yet their effects on viral load remain under researched. Objective: To evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with Moringa oleifera seed flour on HIV viral load among adult women receiving ART in a resource-limited setting. Methods: This was a crossover clinical trial inv

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Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Adolescent abstinence and unprotected sex in CyberSenga, an Internet-based HIV prevention program: randomized clinical trial of efficacy.

Michele L Ybarra, Sheana S Bull, Tonya L Prescott et al. · 2013 · PLoS ONE

Cost-effective, scalable programs are urgently needed in countries deeply affected by HIV.This parallel-group RCT was conducted in four secondary schools in Mbarara, Uganda. Participants were 12 years and older, reported past-year computer or Internet use, and provided informed caregiver permission and youth assent. The intervention, CyberSenga, was a five-hour online healthy sexuality program. Half of the intervention group was further randomized to receive a booster at four-months post-intervention. The control arm received 'treatment as usual' (i.e., school-delivered sexuality programming).

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