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Failure-mode index

Search what already failed

A searchable index of real negative results, null findings, and replication failures from the published literature — so you can learn what didn't work before repeating it.

WASTE indexes published research — it does not host or republish full papers. Each entry is a metadata record (title, authors, DOI) compiled from open scholarly databases, with the abstract shown in full only where the paper is openly licensed (e.g. Creative Commons); otherwise a short excerpt is shown for reference under fair use. WASTE classifies each work by failure type; classifications are automated and approximate.

21328 results · page 484 of 711

Failed Experiment ReportOpen accessMedical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine

A current review of dose-escalated radiotherapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Ma Li, Men Yu, Feng Lingling et al. · 2019 · Radiology and Oncology

The mainstay therapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer is concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Loco-regional recurrence constitutes the predominant failure patterns. Previous studies confirmed the relationship between increased biological equivalent doses and improved overall survival. However, the large randomized phase III study, RTOG 0617, failed to demonstrate the benefit of dose-escalation to 74 Gy compared with 60 Gy by simply increasing fraction numbers.

View details →DOI: 10.2478/raon-2019-0006
Abandoned HypothesisOpen accessPhilosophy (General)

A Study of the Possibility of a Science Associated with a Specific Worldview

Mostafa Taqavi · 2019 · Journal of Philosophical Investigations

There are two main sections in this paper. First, we will show that some of the chief 20th-century theories of science either have failed to demonstrate that value judgments do not influence the context of consolidation and determination of science or have accepted the role of value judgments in the context of consolidation and determination of science and theorized accordingly. For this purpose, the ideas of logical positivists, Willard Quine, Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, Imre Lakatos, Paul Feyerabend, and Roy Bhaskar on science are briefly reviewed. Finally, the validity of the following statem

View details →DOI: 10.22034/jpiut.2019.27618.2029
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDiseases of the circulatory (Cardiovascular) system

Patent Foramen Ovale and Stroke–Current Status

Oh Young Bang, Mi Ji Lee, Sookyung Ryoo et al. · 2015 · Journal of Stroke

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is growing in clinical interest because of a renewed focus on embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS), the PFO attributable fraction (the 10-point Risk of Paradoxical Embolism score), technical advances in PFO diagnosis, and the emergence of endovascular device closure as a treatment option. However, recent randomized controlled trials of the management of patients with ESUS and PFO failed to demonstrate the superiority of closure over medical treatment. The mechanisms of stroke other than paradoxical embolism may be important in patients with ESUS and PFO. This

View details →DOI: 10.5853/jos.2015.17.3.229
Null DatasetOpen accessMaterials of engineering and construction. Mechanics of materials

Aluminium trihydroxide in combination with ammonium polyphosphate as flame retardants for unsaturated polyester resin

· 2009 · eXPRESS Polymer Letters

The thermal and reaction to fire characteristics of a flame retardant unsaturated polyester (UP) ternary system are presented here. Thermal gravimetric analysis showed an improved thermal stability between 200–600°C with the addition of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and aluminium trihydroxide (ATH) formulation. Cone calorimetry tests indicated that ATH is more efficient than calcium carbonate at delaying the ignition time, lowering the carbon monoxide yield and lowering the peak heat release (PHRR). However the addition of APP and ATH to the formulation failed to demonstrate any significant syn

View details →DOI: 10.3144/expresspolymlett.2009.92
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPhysics

Stark shift of excitons and trions in two-dimensional materials

L. S. R. Cavalcante, D. R. da Costa, G. A. Farias et al. · 2021 · arXiv

The effect of an external in-plane electric field on neutral and charged exciton states in two-dimensional (2D) materials is theoretically investigated. These states are argued to be strongly bound, so that electron-hole dissociation is not observed up to high electric field intensities. Trions in the anisotropic case of monolayer phosphorene are demonstrated to especially robust under electric fields, so that fields as high as 100 kV/cm yield no significant effect on the trion binding energy or probability density distribution. Polarizabilities of excitons are obtained from the parabolicity o

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessComputer Science

Not All Queries Need Rewriting: When Prompt-Only LLM Refinement Helps and Hurts Dense Retrieval

Varun Kotte · 2026 · arXiv

Prompt-only, single-step LLM query rewriting, where a rewrite is generated from the query alone without retrieval feedback, is commonly used in production RAG pipelines, but its effect on dense retrieval is poorly understood. We present a systematic empirical study across three BEIR benchmarks, two dense retrievers, and multiple training configurations, and find strongly domain-dependent behavior: rewriting degrades nDCG@10 by 9.0 percent on FiQA, improves it by 5.1 percent on TREC-COVID, and has no significant effect on SciFact. We identify a consistent mechanism: degradations co-occur with r

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAnimal culture

Effects of Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) Leaf Meal and Vitamin E on Productive Performance, Intestinal Microflora and Morphology in Japanese Quail

Samadi F, Sahneh M · 2015 · Poultry Science Journal

A total of 240, one-day-old quail chicks (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were used to study the effects of Artichoke leaf meal (ALM) and vitamin E in diet on growth performance, ileal microbial populations and intestinal morphology in a 42-d trial. This experiment was performed as a completely randomized design with 4 replicates of 15 quails each, using a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement with diet and gender as the main effects. Four dietary treatments were formulated by addition of 2 levels (1.5 and 3 percent) of ALM and 300 mg/Kg vitamin E to the basal diet. Supplementing basal diet with ALM did not

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Delayed neurological sequelae of carbon monoxide intoxication initially treated as infectious meningo encephalitis

Xavier Jannot, Alpha Oumar Diallo, Judicaelle Didierjean et al. · 2025 · European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine

We report the case of a 75-year-old woman admitted to the emergency department for confusion, gait disturbances and mutism associated with an inflammatory syndrome occurring 3 weeks after acute carbon monoxide intoxication. The main hypothesis upon arrival was infectious meningoencephalitis, and the patient was put on acyclovir and antibiotics in meningeal doses. After a short stay in intensive care, the patient’s condition did not improve, and the revaluation of her case history and imaging studies led to the diagnosis of post-interval syndrome secondary to carbon monoxide intoxication after

View details →DOI: 10.12890/2025_005235
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDiseases of the blood and blood-forming organs

Treatment Outcomes and Overall Survival of Patients With B‐Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia

Daniel A. Ermann, Victoria A. Vardell, Lindsey Fitzgerald et al. · 2026 · eJHaem

ABSTRACT Introduction B‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B‐PLL) is a rare, aggressive leukemic B‐cell malignancy historically associated with poor outcomes and recently reclassified in the WHO Fifth Edition but retained as a distinct entity in the ICC. Methods We analyzed 950 patients labeled as B‐PLL in the National Cancer Database (2004–2019), identified using ICD‐O‐3 morphology code 9833/3. Results Median age was 72 years, and 72% received systemic therapy at diagnosis. Median overall survival (OS) was poor (2.8 years) and did not improve over time. Patients initially managed with active surve

View details →DOI: 10.1002/jha2.70299
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAgriculture

Effect of inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizas on rooting, weaning and subsequent growth of micropropagated Malus (L.) Moench

Marjatta Uosukainen, Mauritz Vestberg · 1994 · Agricultural and Food Science

The importance of different rooting methods and the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AMF) inoculation on the rooting rate, weaning survival and subsequent growth of microcuttings of Malus rootstock YP and the Finnish crab apple cultivars Hanna and Marjatta were studied in four experiments conducted at the Laukaa Research and Elite Plant Unit, Finland. Sucrose in the in vitro rooting medium gave the best support to weaning survival in comparision with glucose and fructose. Directly rooted microcuttings had a higher survival rate than in vitro rooted microcuttings. AMF inoculation did not impr

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

Localized Pemphigus erythematosus with negative serology: a case report

M.Ghasemi, Z. Hajheidari, M. Golpour · 2007 · Journal of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences

AbstractPemphigus Erythematosus specially its localized form is a rare autoimmune blistering disease combining features of Pemphigus Foliaceus and Lupus Erythematosus. We reported a 60 years old woman with skin lesion which presented Erythemato squamo plaque with oozing in the right cheek. The chief compliant was burning and pruritus. Skin biopsy was obtained and discoid Lupus Erythemato was reported. She was prescribed with topical steroid but did not improve. All of the lab tests such as Anti DNA, ESR, RF, CRP, CH50, C3, C4, ANA were normal. The biopsy repeated and Pemphigus Erythematosus wa

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessScience

Effect of different cryopreservation extenders added with antioxidants on semen quality and in vitro embryo production efficiency in cattle

NATALIA C. SILVA, KAREN M. LEÃO, JOÃO T. PÁDUA et al. · 2021 · Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências

Abstract To evaluate the addition of antioxidants in extenders on post-thaw bovine semen quality and in vitro embryo production efficiency. Six semen samples were collected from five Holstein bulls. In the experiment I, the samples were diluted with AndroMed® and Bovimix® and added antioxidants glutathione (1.5 and 2.5 mM) and melatonin (0.5 and 1.0 mM). In the experiment II, the best treatments obtained in experiment I were used for in vitro fecundation. Glutathione did not improve sperm viability. Melatonin had a negative effect on semen characteristics. Andromed® showed better results in sp

View details →DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120191229
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry

PET Study in a Patient with Spinocerebellar Degeneration before and after Long-Term Administration of Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone

H. Tanji, H. Nagasawa, T. Hayashi et al. · 1996 · Behavioural Neurology

We studied the chronic effect of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) in a patient with spinocerebellar degeneration by measuring cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRG1c) using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18FDG) and positron emission tomography (PET). A 56-year-old female, who had suffered from progressive ataxia for 2 years, was treated by intravenous administration of 2 mg TRH for 3 weeks, and CMRG1c of the brain was measured before and after treatment. CMRG1c was markedly decreased in the cerebellum and there was no significant difference before and after the treatment, i.e. mean CM

View details →DOI: 10.3233/ben-1996-93-409
Negative / Null Result Report

Does personal relevance moderate communication effects? The example of risk communication about 5G-related electromagnetic fields.

Eggeling-Böcker M, Karabetsos E, Christopoulou M et al. · 2025 · Preprint

Background: Technological advancements, such as the introduction of 5G, offer opportunities but also raise concerns. Although no evidence suggests negative effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) within defined exposure…

View details →DOI: 10.12688/openreseurope.19236.1
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDiseases of the musculoskeletal system

Thalamic Ventral Intermediate Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation for Orthostatic Tremor

Alexander C. Lehn, Cullen O'Gorman, Sarah Olson et al. · 2017 · Tremor and Other Hyperkinetic Movements

Background:  Orthostatic tremor (OT) was first described in 1977. It is characterized by rapid tremor of 13–18 Hz and can be recorded in the lower limbs and trunk muscles. OT remains difficult to treat, although some success has been reported with deep brain stimulation (DBS). Case Report:  We report a 68-year-old male with OT who did not improve significantly after bilateral thalamic stimulation. Discussion:  Although some patients were described who improved after DBS surgery, more information is needed about the effect of these treatment modalities on OT, ideally i

View details →DOI: 10.7916/d8280jhr
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessOphthalmology

A case of bilateral macular hole in a young HIV-positive patient

Jemal Zeberga Shifa, Alemayehu Mekonnen Gezmu, Gezahen Negusse Ayane et al. · 2019 · The Pan-American Journal of Ophthalmology

A 22-year-old female patient was diagnosed to have HIV and treated by highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) since 2012 had developed a reduction of vision in both eyes secondary to cataract. The cataract was extracted from both eyes with no immediate postoperative complication. During follow-up, it was recognized that she had had bilateral Stage 3 macular hole in both eyes. The visual acuity in both eyes was 6/60 which did not improve with application of pinhole. Pars plana vitrectomy was done and sealed the macular hole in the left eye. The visual acuity remained the same in both eyes

View details →DOI: 10.4103/pajo.pajo_15_19
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens

Temporal evolution of breast cancer brain metastases treatments and outcomes

Michele Bottosso, Gaia Griguolo, Severine Guiu et al. · 2025 · npj Breast Cancer

Abstract Brain metastases (BMs) are a common complication of advanced breast cancer (BC), and their management has significantly evolved. We evaluated the clinical impact of these changes dividing patients diagnosed with BCBMs at three Institutions according to year of BMs diagnosis: 2000-2007 (group A), 2008-2014 (group B) and 2015-2022 (group C). Stereotactic radiotherapy increased (p < 0.001), and WBRT decreased (p = 0.010) over time. Among HER2+ BC patients, more received anti-HER2 therapy after BM diagnosis in recent years (p < 0.011). Overall survival (OS) did not improve in the entire c

View details →DOI: 10.1038/s41523-025-00735-w
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessInternal medicine

A case of scrub typhus requiring maintenance hemodialysis

Dae-Yeon Kim, Hee-Soon Park, Dong-Jae Han et al. · 2013 · Kidney Research and Clinical Practice

Renal failure caused by scrub typhus is known to be reversible. In most cases, renal function is almost fully restored after appropriate antibiotic treatment. A 71-year-old man was diagnosed with scrub typhus complicated by renal failure. A renal biopsy revealed histopathologic findings consistent with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. Renal function did not improve 18 months after discharge and the patient required continuous hemodialysis. Although severe renal failure requiring dialysis is a rare complication of scrub typhus, we describe a case of scrub typhus requiring maintenance hemodia

View details →DOI: 10.1016/j.krcp.2013.09.003
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessDentistry

Radiological Study on the Evolution of the Biomaterial’s Image (Shape, Density, Vertical Dimensions) after the Lateral Sinus Lift

Dragos Epistatu, Octavian-Marius Dinca, Cristian Vladan et al. · 2023 · Dentistry Journal

The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term changes of sinus lift material. Materials and methods: We included a total number of 35 patients (20 men and 15 women), between 32 and 80 years old, evaluated on a timeframe of up to 11.6 years. Diverse biomaterials were used (allograft, xenograft, alloplastic, combinations of them), with autologous bone in some cases. Results: The appearance of the top plane of the bone over time took a large dome shape (36% of cases), a linear shape (32% of cases), an irregular shape (23% of cases), or had micro domes above the implants (7%). No significant

View details →DOI: 10.3390/dj11120273
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessPhysics

The roles of adhesion, internal heat generation and elevated temperatures in normally loaded, sliding rough surfaces

Benjamin Poole, Bartosz Barzdajn, Daniele Dini et al. · 2019 · arXiv

The thermal effects of plastic and frictional heat generation and elevated temperature were examined along with the role of adhesion in the context of galling wear, using a representative crystal plasticity, normally loaded, sliding surface model. Galling frequency behaviour was predicted for 316L steel. Deformation of the surfaces was dominated by the surface geometry, with no significant effect due to variations in frictional models. Plastic and frictional heating were found to have a minimal effect on the deformation of the surface, with the rapid conduction of heat preventing any highly lo

Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessTechnology (General)

The concept of a mechanical system for measuring the one-way speed of light

Szostek Karol, Szostek Roman · 2023 · Technical Transactions

The work presents the concept of a device for the measurement of the one-way speed of light. The minimum parameters of this device have also been determined based on the Special Theory of Ether without transverse contraction. The Special Theory of Ether is a relativistic theory of kinemat-ics with a universal frame of reference in which light propagates and is an alternative explanation for the null result of the Michelson-Morley experiment. An experiment based on the proposed device can be one of the ways to falsify the Special Theory of Relativity and Special Theory of Ether.

View details →DOI: 10.37705/techtrans/e2023003
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessNeurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry

When and How to Interpret Null Results in NIBS: A Taxonomy Based on Prior Expectations and Experimental Design

Tom A. de Graaf, Tom A. de Graaf, Alexander T. Sack et al. · 2018 · Frontiers in Neuroscience

Experiments often challenge the null hypothesis that an intervention, for instance application of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), has no effect on an outcome measure. In conventional statistics, a positive result rejects that hypothesis, but a null result is meaningless. Informally, however, researchers often do find null results meaningful to a greater or lesser extent. We present a model to guide interpretation of null results in NIBS research. Along a “gradient of surprise,” from Replication nulls through Exploration nulls to Hypothesized nulls, null results can be less or more surpr

View details →DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00915
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessScience

Non-linear effects of stress on eyewitness memory

Milton Gering, Tayla Johnson, Colin Tredoux · 2023 · South African Journal of Science

The effect of stress on face identification is not yet clear, with recent experiments finding positive, negative and null results. Here we report the results of two experiments examining the effect of stress on eyewitness performance in line-up face recognition tasks. Both experiments use a stress manipulation and live mock crime paradigm to examine the relationship between stress at encoding and subsequent line-up performance. Experiment 1 replicated an experiment by Sauerland et al. (Behav Sci Law. 2016;34(4):580–594) which induced stress using the Maastricht Acute Stress Test. The replicati

View details →DOI: 10.17159/sajs.2023/12102
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessOptics. Light

Detecting the variance in the one-way light speed for linear motion

Alex Midasala · 2024 · Results in Optics

A viable solution to detect the one-way speed of light anisotropy in linear motion is by using an Isosceles triangle-shaped design for the experimental setup, from which two light pulses from both ends of one of the triangle’s sides are sent to the same clock upon the detection of the incident and the reflected pulse, thereby evading the need for synchronization. The relativistic effects are taken into account in the timing measurements by incorporating the Lorentz transformation equations of length contraction and time dilation, which produces a non-null result for the time difference of the

View details →DOI: 10.1016/j.rio.2024.100710
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessAstrophysics

Baryogenesis in false vacuum

Yuta Hamada, Masatoshi Yamada · 2017 · European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields

Abstract The null result in the LHC may indicate that the standard model is not drastically modified up to very high scales, such as the GUT/string scale. Having this in the mind, we suggest a novel leptogenesis scenario realized in the false vacuum of the Higgs field. If the Higgs field develops a large vacuum expectation value in the early universe, a lepton number violating process is enhanced, which we use for baryogenesis. To demonstrate the scenario, several models are discussed. For example, we show that the observed baryon asymmetry is successfully generated in the standard model with

View details →DOI: 10.1140/epjc/s10052-017-5215-9
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessMedicine

A meta-epidemiological study on the reported treatment effect of pregabalin in neuropathic pain trials over time.

Emma T L Cheng, Mohammad Cheik-Hussein, Noelle Lin et al. · 2023 · PLoS ONE

Background Pregabalin is a drug used to treat neuropathic pain, and its use has increased substantially since 2007. Early trials found a strong treatment effect on pain for post-herpetic neuralgia and diabetic neuropathy. However more recent studies have failed to replicate these results. Methods This meta-epidemiological study aimed to assess change in the reported effectiveness of pregabalin in neuropathic pain trials over time, and if a change is present, determine any associated factors. Data sources We performed electronic searches for published trials in Medline, Embase and Cochrane Cent

View details →DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280593
Negative / Null Result ReportMedicine

Valve Underexpansion and Clinical Outcomes With ACURATE neo2: Findings From the ACURATE IDE Trial.

Makkar RR, Chakravarty T, Gupta A et al. · 2025 · Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Background In the ACURATE IDE (Safety and Effectiveness Study of ACURATE Valve for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) randomized controlled trial, ACURATE neo2 failed to show noninferiority to commercially available balloon-expandable…

View details →DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2025.05.011
Negative / Null Result ReportOpen accessEconomics, Econometrics and Finance

Public Support for Environmental Regulation: When Ideology Trumps Knowledge

Markus Dertwinkel-Kalt, Max R. P. Grossmann · 2025 · arXiv

When environmental regulations are unpopular, policymakers often attribute resistance to information frictions and poor communication. We test this idea in the context of a major climate policy: Germany's Heating Law of 2023, which mandates the phase-out of fossil fuel heating. Through a survey experiment with property owners, we examine whether providing comprehensive information about the regulation's costs, requirements, and timeline affects adoption decisions and policy support. Despite successfully increasing factual knowledge, information provision has no significant effect on intended t

Replication FailureOpen accessInternal medicine

Genome-wide association study identifies single-nucleotide polymorphism in KCNB1 associated with left ventricular mass in humans: The HyperGEN Study

Kraemer Rachel, Claas Steven A, Devereux Richard B et al. · 2009 · BMC Medical Genetics

Abstract Background We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and validation study for left ventricular (LV) mass in the Family Blood Pressure Program – HyperGEN population. LV mass is a sensitive predictor of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in all genders, races, and ages. Polymorphisms of candidate genes in diverse pathways have been associated with LV mass. However, subsequent studies have often failed to replicate these associations. Genome-wide association studies have unprecedented power to identify potential genes with modest effects on left LV mass. We describe here a

View details →DOI: 10.1186/1471-2350-10-43