October 31, 2011
Social psychology is going to take a beating over the Diederik Stapel fraud. It provides ample fuel for the view that social psychology is no science but merely the half-baked opinions of narcissists and charlatans. Ego trips and TV appearances have governed the field rather than any scientific rigour.
The interim report of the investigation being carried out by the of Universities of Tilburg and Groningen which started in mid September is now out.
Diederik Stapel
The interim report (in Dutch) is here:
pdf Stapel interim-rapport
The extent of the fraud is breathtaking and the investigation is far from over. At least 30 papers have been found to contain fraudulent data, at least 14 doctoral theses that he supervised are compromised for using fabricated data and in all about 150 papers going back to 2004 are being investigated. Legal action is to be taken. This one is going down in the history books.
(Update! 1st November: Science Insider carries the story here)
Dutch News writes:
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Tags: Diederik Stapel, fraud, Groningen University, Social psychology, Social Sciences, Tilburg University
Posted in Academic misconduct, Ethics, Fraud, psychology, Science, Scientific Fraud, scientific misconduct | 4 Comments »
October 31, 2011
Rossi & Co. announced their nickel-hydrogen fusion reactor back in January and have made regular press releases since then to keep the interest alive. They seem to have gathered a tail of staunch believers and, of course, there is a large body of dis-believers and a smaller group of sceptics.
But they are getting some attention even in business media as with this Forbes article:
On October 28th the biggest test of Rossi’s system, which is called the E-Cat, was conducted in Italy and some results were made public ….. Rossi’s E-Cat is claimed to use a secret catalyst to react hydrogen with nickel and, in the process, transmute the nickel into copper producing considerable heat. Whether this reaction works or not and if it does, exactly how it works, has been enormously contentious and the subject of numerous learned and amateur debates.
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Tags: Andrea Rossi, Cold Fusion, E-cat, fraud, Fusion power, Sergio Focardi, University of Bologna
Posted in Fraud, Physics, Science, Scientific Fraud | 2 Comments »
October 30, 2011
Retraction Watch carries a report of a Japanese paper being retracted for having been published as many as three times.
For some reason the story immediately brought back memories of the time when I was working in Japan and and all official forms had to be submitted in “triplicate”. I remember my visits to the Japanese Labour Office to apply for extensions of my work permit and the insistence of the clerk that “triplicate” meant three identical things which therefore required that I fill in the same form in ink 3 times. My work saving solution of filling it in once, photocopying it and signing all three copies was not considered to be in compliance.
This got me wondering a little about where and when the requirements for documents “in triplicate” had originated and why it was so popular with government departments all over the world. This particular form from the US Treasury Department is just an example but I like their final claim that their triplicate requirement “is in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995”.
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Tags: in triplicate, origin of triplicate, Roman origin of triplicate, three
Posted in Behaviour, Trivia | 1 Comment »
October 27, 2011
Saab is on its last legs but it appears from an investigation conducted by Swedish Television (SVT) that Victor Muller has rewarded himself handsomely even while supplier bills have been unpaid. Muller has little substance in his history but a long track record of grand schemes and – it seems to me – very gullible investors. Employees in his various loss-making companies have continued in the false hopes that Muller is so good at building up. They would seem to have a misplaced loyalty to their brands but instead have actually been relying on an unreliable Muller.
SVT (free translation):
SVT Report has investigated the complex transactions between Saab, Saab’s parent company and Victor Muller’s private companies. His compensation through bonuses, salary, equity, and professional fees add up to 18 million Kronor. This is at the same level as Leif Johansson the former CEO of Sweden’s largest company Volvo Trucks, where Volvo Trucks has about 90,000 employees while Saab has fewer than 3000 employees.
Saab has also paid Victor Muller’s invoices even while supplier’s bills have remained unpaid. Saab’s annual report details consultancy fees of 4 million kronor including a bonus of 1.76 million to a company that Muller controls – Latin America Tug Holding registered on the island of Curacao in the Caribbean. ….. Saab’s parent company has paid consultancy fees of €550 000 and an additional bonus of €508,571, making a total of about 10 million kronor to Victor Muller. He has also received 120,000 shares that he has sold for nearly four million kronor.
Beyond that, Saab’s parent company has bought services from companies affiliated with Victor Muller for nearly seven million. Victor Muller also has very attractive interest rate agreements for the money his company has lent to Saab. The interest on loans is set at EURIBOR plus 6 -10 percent. This means that Saab could have paid him around 12per cent interest on the loans.
Swedish Television have not been able to reach Victor Muller.
Sucking blood from a dying company.
Related: https://ktwop.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/saab-being-pimped-around-the-world-by-victor-muller/
Tags: SAAB, Sweden, Victor Muller
Posted in Business, Ethics, Sweden | 2 Comments »
October 26, 2011
It seems like an exercise of common sense:
The Local – Germany’s highest civil court has set out a process by which web hosts can avoid liability for libellous blog posts, in a decision which Google described as striking a blow for freedom of expression and information in the internet.
… The Federal Court of Justice …. also set out a process which web hosts should follow to avoid any liability.
Someone who believes a blog entry violates the law must inform the hosting company – but allegations of illegality must be “concrete” enough that they can be affirmed “without detailed legal and factual review,” the court ruled.
The allegations must be passed onto the blogger who must respond within a reasonable period – or the blog can simply be deleted. If the blogger decides to defend their entry, the complainant must prove that it is illegal, and if this cannot be done, the entry must remain.
But as regards anonymity this requires that the identity of the blog poster must be known to the host.
Tags: Blog posts, Federal Court of Justice, Freedom of speech, Germany, Google, liability for blog posts
Posted in Behaviour, Germany, Media | Comments Off on German Federal Court sets out rules for site liability for blog posts
October 25, 2011
The UN introduced cholera to Haiti and is now embarking on a vaccination program with a vaccine which has been hurriedly approved just in September this year.
Last October the claims that the UN had introduced the disease into Haiti were initially denied but in May this year the United Nations released a long-awaited report indicating that human waste from Nepalese peacekeepers along with dirty drinking water likely triggered the spread of the cholera epidemic that has gripped Haiti since October 2010.
As of last week the cholera outbreak in Haiti has caused 473,649 cases 251,885 hospitalizations and 6,631 deaths. The number of deaths is thought to be an underestimate.
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Tags: Haiti, Haiti cholera, International Vaccine Institute, Médecins Sans Frontières, Pan-American Health Organization, Shanchol, UN cholera, untested vaccine, World Health Organization
Posted in Medicine, Natural Disasters, UN | 2 Comments »
October 25, 2011
Ryanair apparently considers that the use of sticky tape to fix cracks in aircraft is a routine technical issue. It begs the question as to how often Ryanair fixes its mechanical problems on aircraft with string and sticky tape.
Ryanair flight forced to land after crew fixed pilot’s window with sticky tape
A Ryanair flight carrying 200 people was forced to turn back to Stansted after sticky tape used to ‘patch up’ the pilot’s window came loose.
The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) said the tape was being used merely as an extra precaution to secure a new window seal.
But the pilot made the decision to terminate the flight after the tape became loose and started making flapping noises. One passenger, Anthony Neal from Kent, told The Sun: ‘We were kept in the dark, and were terrified. I could see guys taping in the windscreen with what looked like duct tape or gaffer tape. ‘We were in the sky, then the pilot said due to damage on the windscreen, we were going to have to turn back.’
Ryanair has insisted that normal procedures had been followed and that there was no danger to passengers or crew. A spokesman said: ‘We do not comment on routine technical issues. All Ryanair flights operate in accordance with approved safety standards.’
Tags: Duct tape, Irish Aviation Authority, London Stansted Airport, Ryanair, sticky tape fix, string and sticky tape repairs
Posted in Aviation, Engineering | Comments Off on Ryanair redefines “low cost” with a sticky tape fix
October 24, 2011
Update: 31st October 2011: Further dodgy papers are given in the next instalment from Abnormal Science.
Japanese Retraction Watch has also been on the case.
=============================
Abnormal Science ( Joerg Zwirner) has 3 more examples of papers with some questionable images. This time the papers are from the Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore with 2 papers published in Blood and one in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
The three papers tagged are:
1. Pervaiz S, Seyed MA, Hirpara JL, Clément MV, Loh KW.
Purified photoproducts of merocyanine 540 trigger cytochrome C release and caspase 8-dependent apoptosis in human leukemia and melanoma cells.
Blood. 1999 Jun 15;93(12):4096-108.
Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore; and the Oncology Research Institute, NUMI, Singapore
2. Hirpara JL, Seyed MA, Loh KW, Dong H, Kini RM, Pervaiz S.
Induction of mitochondrial permeability transition and cytochrome C release in the absence of caspase activation is insufficient for effective apoptosis in human leukemia cells.
Blood. 2000 Mar 1;95(5):1773-80.
Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
3. Hirpara JL, Clément MV, Pervaiz S.
Intracellular acidification triggered by mitochondrial-derived hydrogen peroxide is an effector mechanism for drug-induced apoptosis in tumor cells.
J Biol Chem. 2001 Jan 5;276(1):514-21.
Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
The two names common to all 3 papers are JL Hirpara and research supervisor Professor Shazib Pervaiz.
The NUS investigation committee has its work cut out with all the questionable papers they need to check out (See here and here).
As Abnormal Science puts it:
Their inquiry commissions might soon run out of unbiased members. NUS should consider to accept assistance from abroad to clean up the mess.
And it seems to be truly a mess covering a number of departments which indicates a prevailing culture and not just some isolated incident of wrongdoing.
Tags: Abnormal Science, image manipulation, Joerg Zwirner, National University of Singapore, Plagiarism, Scientific misconduct, Singapore
Posted in Academic misconduct, Ethics, scientific misconduct, Singapore | 2 Comments »
October 24, 2011
While European leaders are struggling to put together a rescue package for Greece which will not have a domino effect for Italy and Spain or drown too many European banks, David Cameron is facing renewed opposition to membership in the EU from within his own party. But it is not only in the UK that opposition to the growing exercise of powers by Brussels is increasing. Almost every EU member which has not adopted the Euro (Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the UK along with some of the newer members) has rising voices calling for the limitation of European power and a return of powers to the country parliaments. Voices against the Euro can even be heard in Germany where there is a widespread feeling ( not entirely wrong) that German taxpayers are paying twice for the spendthrift ways of Southern Europe; first directly by subsiding these countries and secondly by the devaluation of their savings in Euro. The Swiss are just thankful that they were never a part of this experiment.
In hindsight, what has become obvious is that the Euro-zone has few built in sanctions to prevent the profligacy of some countries which has to be paid for by others. What is also becoming clear is that without a fiscal uniformity – which would seem like being taxed from Brussels – the possibility of “bad” members being spendthrift will always remain.
France has always seen the Euro as part of a long-term move towards a European political and fiscal uniformity in which France would be the centre of political power. A return to the glory days of the Holy Roman Empire which lasted over 800 years, except of course that the centre would be in France rather than in what today is Germany. Sarkozy could certainly see himself as the first Emperor.
Yesterday, as the Telegraph reports:
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Tags: Brussels, David Cameron, Euro, European Union, Eurozone, Nicolas Sarkozy
Posted in European Union, France, Global economy, Greece, Politics | Comments Off on Sarkozy attacks Cameron – much to Cameron’s delight
October 23, 2011
I recognised only one person from the image itself but managed to recognize 6 more from the brief bios.
How many do you recognise?
A site well worth visiting – Kuriositas
Mae West said you only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. As such the scientists below left an indelible mark on the world and lived adult lives which will be remembered forever. Yet they were once children. Here are pictures of famous scientists when they were very young. See how many you can recognize if not from their photograph (or painting) but from the short bio included. If you can’t guess, there is a link at the end of the post to the answers.
Visit Kuriositas
Self Soving Rubik’s Cube
And another fascinating video (h/t Kuriositas) by Carlos Dyonisio which brings memories of many frustrating hours for me some 35 years ago!
Stop motion: Self-solving Rubik’s Cube from Carlos Dyonisio on Vimeo.
Tags: Famous scientists as children, Kuriositas, rubiks cube
Posted in Trivia | Comments Off on Famous scientists were children once
The k2p blog 