Replication FailureOpen accessComputer Science
Zhichao Fan, Yanhang Li, Zexin Zhuang · 2026 · arXiv
Forced chain-of-thought (CoT) is widely assumed to make vision-language models more reliable on video question answering. We propose a small three-probe evaluation recipe to test that assumption: paired accuracy across direct, CoT, answer-first, and no-video conditions; a counterfactual video-swap diagnostic over the CoT chains; and a four-rung visual-degradation ladder. Each probe is reported under both a strict and a permissive regex scorer, with multiplicity correction over a manuscript-declared primary family. Applied to Qwen2.5-VL on Video-MME subsets, the recipe returns a two-part findin
View details →Replication FailureOpen accessComputer Science
Xiqi Hao, Zengqing Wu, Yu-Xuan Qiu et al. · 2026 · arXiv
Multi-agent debate (MAD) is a promising strategy for improving LLM reasoning, but when agents converge on a shared answer, it is unclear whether that convergence reflects genuine deliberation or social compliance. We show that the conventional answer flip rate conflates three distinct mechanisms: spontaneous instability, stance-induced conformity, and reasoning-induced persuasion. Our three-source decomposition framework isolates each through controlled counterfactual conditions. In the primary MMLU-Pro setting, 37% of agent-question observations change under self-reflection alone, while robus
View details →Replication FailureOpen accessComputer Science
J. Jon Ryu, Pavan Yeddanapudi, Xiangxiang Xu et al. · 2025 · arXiv
The InfoNCE objective, originally introduced for contrastive representation learning, has become a popular choice for mutual information (MI) estimation, despite its indirect connection to MI. In this paper, we demonstrate why InfoNCE should not be regarded as a valid MI estimator, and we introduce a simple modification, which we refer to as InfoNCE-anchor, for accurate MI estimation. Our modification introduces an auxiliary anchor class, enabling consistent density ratio estimation and yielding a plug-in MI estimator with significantly reduced bias. Beyond this, we generalize our framework us
View details →Replication FailureOpen accessMathematics
Natesh Pillai, Aaron Smith · 2026 · arXiv
In Diaconis and Saloff-Coste (1996), the authors introduced the simple ``transvection" walk on $\mathrm{GL}_n(\mathbb F_2)$: at each step, choose two distinct rows and add one to the other. In Ben-Hamou (2025), the author recently proved that this walk has mixing time $O(n^2\log n)$. Inspired by applications in cryptography (see Sotiraki (2016)), Ben-Hamou and Peres (2018) conjectured that the first $k$ columns of this walk mixed in $O(nk \log(n))$ steps. Our main result is a proof of this conjecture uniformly in $n$ and $k.$ Our proof is based on a local-to-global entropy estimate, in the spi
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessOphthalmology
Jia-Wen Li, Yi-Jian Li, Xi-Su Hu et al. · 2020 · International Journal of Ophthalmology
AIM: To assess the biosafety of a poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) hydrogel (PAH) as a 3D-printed intraocular lens (IOL) material. METHODS: The biosafety of PAH was first evaluated in vitro using human lens epithelial cells (LECs) and the ARPE19 cell line, and a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was performed to investigate alterations in cell proliferation. A thin film of PAH and a conventional IOL were intraocularly implanted into the eyes of New Zealand white rabbits respectively, and a sham surgery served as control group. The anterior segment photographs, intraocular pressure (IOP), bl
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDentistry
Fatemeh Maleknejad, Saied Mostafa Moazzami, Elham Baradaran Nasseri et al. · 2011 · Journal of Dental Research, Dental Clinics, Dental Prospects
Background and aims. Adhesive permeability is hindered by application of an additional layer of hydrophobic resin, which increases its concentration within the hydrophilic layer, reduces its affinity to water, and enhances its physical properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a hydrophobic layer on the microleakage of class V composite restorations using different adhesives. Materials and methods. The adhesives including total-etch Scotchbond MP and Single Bond, and the self-etch Clearfil SE Bond and Clearfil S3 Bond were applied to 80 class V cavities in vitro on
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine
Yong Xue, Ai Zhao, Li Cai et al. · 2015 · PLoS ONE
OBJECTIVE:To explore the associations between picky eating behaviour and pre-schoolers' growth and development. Corresponding potential mechanisms, such as nutrient and food subgroup intake, as well as micronutrients in the blood, will be considered. METHODS:Picky eating behaviour was present if it was reported by parents. From various areas of China, 937 healthy children of 3-7 years old were recruited using a multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method. Children and their mothers' socio-demographic information and children's anthropometry, intelligence, blood samples, one 24-hour dietary
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessInternal medicine
Tri Ratnaningsih, Novi W Sukirto, Arum Tri Wahyuningsih · 2020 · Acta Medica Indonesiana
Background: iron deficiency in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients may weaken their immune system, causing difficulty in overcoming the infection. Accurate diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pulmonary TB patients is essential. In order to prove the iron deficient state, diagnosis should focus on inflammatory factors, which could highly affect the outcome of iron status, such as measurement of serum ferritin (SF). Soluble Transferrin Receptor (sTfR) is the best parameter to diagnose iron deficiency in the inflammatory condition. This study aimed to understand the role of sTfR to iden
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDiseases of the musculoskeletal system
Mohamed A. Mortada, Haidy E. Zidan, Noha A. Abdelsalam et al. · 2020 · Egyptian Rheumatology and Rehabilitation
Abstract Background Impaired deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair may induce an autoimmune response in susceptible individuals. The association between DNA repair gene XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism and susceptibility of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is controversial. This study aimed to detect the association of XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism with SLE and its clinical manifestations in the Egyptian population. Results A significant association was found between weight loss and genotype GG (P = 0.048); however, genotype AG was significantly associated with high serum creatinine and lo
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessImmunologic diseases. Allergy
Hiroyuki Kawahara, Satoshi Hara, Noriko Iwaki et al. · 2025 · Immunological Medicine
TAFRO syndrome is a systemic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology, and its diagnosis requires the exclusion of autoimmune diseases. A 42-year-old Japanese woman presented with TAFRO syndrome-like manifestations, but had undiagnosed limited-cutaneous systemic sclerosis preventing a definitive diagnosis of TAFRO syndrome. However, her clinical course and pathological findings, including renal glomerular microangiopathy, were consistent with TAFRO syndrome. We performed a systematic review of the literature to evaluate how autoimmunity affects the clinical characteristics of TAFRO syndrome/i
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine
Amr Almaz Abdel-aziem, Amira Hussin Draz · 2013 · Medicine Science
The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of chronic ankle instability (CAI) on eccentric peak torque of the ankle musculature. The study included fifty participants divided into two groups; the first group consisted of twenty five subjects suffering from CAI, the second group consisted of twenty five subjects with no prior history of ankle injury as control group. Eccentric peak torque of invertors, evertors, plantar-flexors and dorsiflexors was recorded for each participant at angular velocities 30 and 90o/sec by using (Biodex Medical Systems, Inc, Shirley, NY, USA). Analysis of va
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine (General)
A.G. Elsaid, N.M. Faheem · Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
Continuous industrial productivity and modern societies have resulted in excess artificial light. The altered circadian rhythm causes many diseases. During intrauterine life, the mother's maternal melatonin rhythm has a major role in influencing organ development. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of maternal exposure to constant light on the structure and ultrastructure of neonatal skin. Twenty pregnant New Zealand rabbits were divided into two groups (n=10 each): control group (12-h light/dark) and constant light group (24-h light). Plasma maternal melatonin and corticoster
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessOrthopedic surgery
Ahmet Salduz, Fatih Dikici, Önder Ismet Kılıçoğlu et al. · 2017 · Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery
Purpose: The aim of our study is to investigate the bone ongrowth of two different alternative surfaces and the effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on osseointegration. Methods: Hips of 40 New Zealand white rabbits were operated bilaterally. Hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated titanium rods were implanted into the right femur, and grit-blasted titanium rods were implanted into the left femur. They were divided into three groups. At the end of 8 weeks, both femora of the rabbits were removed and investigated biomechanically and histologically. Results: HA-coated implants had a signif
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine
XUE Bing, XI Hualei, YAO Lihong, XU Wanqiu, XU Xiaohang, LIN Song, PIAO Guiyan, WANG Xiumei · 2025 · 口腔疾病防治
Objective To investigate the effect of neurite outgrowth inhibitor extracellular peptide residues 1-40 (NEP1-40) combined with poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and gelatin electrospun fiber membrane on facial nerve repair in rats. Methods According to the principle of random grouping, 108 male SD rats were divided into four groups ( n = 27 in each group, approved by the ethics committee), namely, the sham group, control group, PLGA group, and NEP1-40 + PLGA group. A facial nerve fracture model was established for all of the groups except for the sham group. The control group received no f
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEcology
Mnqobi Mamba, Nicolas J. Fasel, Themb'alilahlwa A.M. Mahlaba et al. · 2019 · Global Ecology and Conservation
Conversion of native habitats into agricultural monocultures is a major cause of biodiversity loss favouring a small number of generalist species. Rodents can cause significant declines in crop yield, hence understanding the factors affecting their population dynamics is of importance to the agricultural sector. Sugarcane plantations in African savannas harbour a low diversity of small mammals, with a single genus (Mastomys spp.) often dominating the community. Our study investigated the factors that shape the composition of the small mammal community and the life-history traits of the dominan
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAnesthesiology
Hasanul Arifin, Heru Kurniawan · 2016 · Jurnal Anestesi Perioperatif
Serum creatinine has many limitations when being used to diagnose acute kidney injury (AKI), especially in the scope of intensive care unit due to its low sensitivity to depict the kidney dysfunctional level of critically-ill patients. Out of numerous new available biological markers, four biological markers are widely used all over the world to detect AKI, e.g. neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), cystatin C, KIM-1, and interleukin-18. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of serum cystatin C and creatinine in establishing the diagnosis of ac
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDiseases of the digestive system. Gastroenterology
Xiaotong Xu, Jinglan Jin, Yuwei Liu et al. · 2023 · BMC Gastroenterology
Abstract Background and aims To investigate the usefulness of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), protein C (PC), and thromboelastography (TEG) to serve as a predictor of portal vein thrombosis (PVT) in patients with liver cirrhosis. Additionally, we examined the clinical significance of the above indicators in terms of disease progression. Methods A total of 123 patients with liver cirrhosis were recruited from May 2021 to December 2021, according to the imaging findings. They were divided into the PVT group (n = 52) and the non-PVT group (n = 71). Furthermore, patients
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Dong-Yun Kim, Eonju Park, Chan Yeong Heo et al. · 2021 · Breast
Purpose: This study investigated whether hypofractionated adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) increased breast-related complication(s) compared to conventional fractionated RT in reconstructed breast cancer patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review including 349 breast cancer patients who underwent immediate breast reconstruction following mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery (BCS) between 2009 and 2018 at two institutions. All patients were treated with adjuvant RT via either a conventional fractionated or hypofractionated regimen. We defined a major breast complication as a breast-rel
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAnimal culture
A. Idris, E. Moors, C. Budnick et al. · 2011 · Animal
The relationship among parasitological parameters, abomasal size and body size measurements was investigated in lambs following an experimental infection with Haemonchus contortus. In total, 100 lambs from five different genotypes (German Merino (GM), Texel × GM, Suffolk × GM, German Blackhead Mutton × GM and Ile de France × GM) were experimentally infected with 5000 infective third stage larvae of H. contortus at the time of weaning at 12 weeks of age. Four and six weeks after infection, individual faecal samples were collected for estimation of faecal egg counts (FECs). Furthermore, wither h
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine (General)
Omer Atis, Semsettin Sahin, Koksal Ceyhan et al. · 2019 · Eurasian Journal of Medicine
Abstract Objective: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a multifactorial disease that is caused by various genetics and environmental factors. Genetically, predisposition is an important component for CAD. The candidate apolipoprotein E (apoE) gene is the most studied one. ApoE is composed of e2, e3, e4 alleles and E2/2, E2/3, E2/4, E3/3, E3/4, E4/4 genotypes. In this study, the relationship between CAD and apoE polymorphism and apoE level has been studied in Tokat region. Materials and Methods: The study population is composed of 100 CAD patients diagnosed by coronary angiography and 100 control
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDentistry
Gökay Üstdal, Ayça Üstdal Güney, Eyüp Burak Küçük · 2024 · Current Research in Dental Sciences
Objective: To evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) and the adhesive remnant index (ARI) of different traditional orthodontic adhesive systems and newly developed pre-coated adhesive systems.Methods: A total of 50 human maxillary premolars were bonded with Clarity advanced ceramic brackets using APC™ Flash-Free, APC™ PLUS, Transbond™ XT Light Cure, Opal® Bond™MV and, Blugloo™ adhesives. All samples underwent thermo-cycling. The SBS was determined using a testometric machine. A stereomicroscope was used to evaluate the adhesive remnant on debonded enamel surface. Differences among the adhesive
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessSpecial aspects of education
Richard Tsan-Jui Cheng · 2016 · International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning
Scores of studies have established that when learning online, students must be equipped with different sets of strategies and skills than in a physical classroom setting (Anderson, 2003; Broadbent & Poon, 2015; Coiro, 2007; Leu et al., 2007; Michinov, Brunot, Le Bohec, Juhel, & Delaval, 2011; Salmon, 2013). The present study, by virtue of exploring foreign language learners’ online reading experience, aimed to identify the reading strategies that learners would use when engaged in online reading activities in the target foreign languages. Thirty-two foreign language learners whose native langu
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine
Dilek Agircan, Ozlem Ethemoglu, Mustafa Calik et al. · 2024 · Haseki Tıp Bülteni
Aim: Previous studies have shown that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein level correlates with the number of demyelination criteria in electromyography in adult patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), which is a potentially life-threatening postinfectious disease. We aimed to assess the association between CSF protein level, inflammatory markers, and electrophysiological values in the diagnosis of pediatric patients to act quickly in treating GBS. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, thirty-nine children with GBS were retrospectively analyzed from the medical records of patients who
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine
Hessling, Martin, Gierke, Anna-Maria, Sicks, Ben et al. · 2022 · GMS Hygiene and Infection Control
Background: The measures implemented against the coronavirus pandemic also led to a sharp decline in influenza infections in the 2020/2021 flu season. In the meantime, however, the number of influenza infections has risen again; it is known from history that influenza viruses can also trigger severe pandemics. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of ultraviolet radiation in the spectral range of 200–40 for inactivating influenza viruses.Materials and methods: The scientific literature was searched for published ultraviolet (UV) irradiation experiments with influenza viruses and the results
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Lucia Li, Haiyue Wu, Yibo Chen et al. · 2025 · Cancer Reports
ABSTRACT Background and Aims Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have been available in China for only 8 years, and routine HPV testing is not recommended prior to vaccination. Therefore, evaluation of HPV vaccine effectiveness and the impact of pre‐vaccination HPV infection status on vaccine protective effect in Chinese women is warranted. Methods From June 2022 to June 2023, women aged 18 to 50 years without a history of cervical or uterine excision were recruited from three medical institutions. Baseline characteristics were compared between vaccinated and unvaccinated participants, with in
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDiseases of the musculoskeletal system
Jeremy C Heard, Yunsoo A Lee, Nicholas D D'Antonio et al. · 2024 · Journal of Craniovertebral Junction and Spine
Objectives: To evaluate the (1) 90-day surgical outcomes and (2) 1-year revision rate of robotic versus nonrobotic lumbar fusion surgery. Methods: Patients >18 years of age who underwent primary lumbar fusion surgery at our institution were identified and propensity-matched in a 1:1 fashion based on robotic assistance during surgery. Patient demographics, surgical characteristics, and surgical outcomes, including 90-day surgical complications and 1-year revisions, were collected. Multivariable regression analysis was performed. Significance was set to P < 0.05. Results: Four hundred and fiftee
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine
J Neves, P J Santos, I Azevedo et al. · 1999 · Acta Médica Portuguesa
Labour is very important in breech presentation and it is associated to significant morbidity and mortality enhancement in recent years. The authors made a retrospective study of breech presentation and labour with this kind of fetal presentation, in Santa Maria Hospital in 1993 and analysed the following data: maternal age, parity, gestational age, the mode of delivery, the fetal weight, the maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The authors also reviewed the Literature on the incidence, the most frequent complications and the management in labour to compare with the results of the study
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine
Leela McKinnon, David R Samson, Charles L Nunn et al. · 2022 · PLoS ONE
Sleep duration, quality, and rest-activity pattern-a measure for inferring circadian rhythm-are influenced by multiple factors including access to electricity. Recent findings suggest that the safety and comfort afforded by technology may improve sleep but negatively impact rest-activity stability. According to the circadian entrainment hypothesis, increased access to electric lighting should lead to weaker and less uniform circadian rhythms, measured by stability of rest-activity patterns. Here, we investigate sleep in a Maya community in Guatemala who are in a transitional stage of industria
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMicrobiology
Wang Linlin, Song Tingting, Du Yuejiao et al. · 2024 · BIO Web of Conferences
In order to find out the change rule of SPAD value in lettuce leaves and the rapid, non-destructive and more accurate detection method of chlorophyll content in lettuce leaves under intercropping mode, the effect of intercropping on SPAD value in lettuce leaves was studied and the correlation model between chlorophyll content and SPAD value was established. The results show that the SPAD value of lettuce leaves increases at first and then decreases slowly with the development of the days of aerosol culture, and intercropping has obvious advantage in the middle and late stages of aerosol cultur
View details →Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine
Philipp Fuelkell, Soenke Langner, Nele Friedrich et al. · 2018 · PLoS ONE
OBJECTIVES:To investigate acoustic noise reduction, image quality and white matter lesion detection rates of cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans acquired with and without sequence-based acoustic noise reduction software. MATERIAL AND METHODS:Thirty-one patients, including 18 men and 13 women, with a mean age of 58.3±14.5 years underwent cranial MRI. A fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) sequence was acquired with and without acoustic noise reduction using the Quiet Suite (QS) software (Siemens Healthcare). During data acquisition, peak sound pressure levels were measured wit
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