tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28148198432692460782024-03-12T19:25:22.610-07:00RiddledThe bottle is then riddled, so that the lees settles in the neck of the wine bottle...
Manual riddling is still done for Prestige Cuvées in Champagne... mechanised riddling equipment (a gyropalette) is used instead.
(Wikipedia)Hamish Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18079552635307235197noreply@blogger.comBlogger2874125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-64978459047052938502023-01-31T03:52:00.000-08:002023-01-31T03:52:24.661-08:00Farewell Mrs Spat<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2CFnAxTc2uM-reDu7CTI7Ayts9NCUYz6XWmlhHcKllH3tlEe64A2QttdXM6xLYAUrAkNXgAN0-6piNzU8d4jFsABXpM4IOBNBxFPdwV0DZQpR9cQEHvbQloLckgRp6GCl5-uaUrfI_yrIAQGQQvGOXoqwW7sr77mSg9yoSJuYS2xDnxijcUrdInAjw/s846/Lastspat.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="497" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2CFnAxTc2uM-reDu7CTI7Ayts9NCUYz6XWmlhHcKllH3tlEe64A2QttdXM6xLYAUrAkNXgAN0-6piNzU8d4jFsABXpM4IOBNBxFPdwV0DZQpR9cQEHvbQloLckgRp6GCl5-uaUrfI_yrIAQGQQvGOXoqwW7sr77mSg9yoSJuYS2xDnxijcUrdInAjw/s320/Lastspat.png" /></a></div>She was the best cat ever. I will always miss her unique feline perspective on things, and her important role as an alarm clock. She was the third best thing in my life after the Frau Doktorin and the Doktorling.Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-5748757322947107012021-11-02T21:42:00.000-07:002021-11-02T21:42:18.365-07:00Cycle of cells<div style="text-align: center;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted at Leonid Schneider's site, hence the unfrivolous tone. <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/08/16/cell-cycle-of-angry-axe-wielding-tribbles/">The version there</a> is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story.</i></div>
<br />
<p>Here is a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15384101.2020.1818432">September 2020 retraction</a> from <u>Cell Cycle</u>. The editors sound defensive and aggrieved, for reasons we can only guess in the absence of most of the story.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">We, the Editor[s] and Publisher of <u>Cell Cycle</u>, have retracted the following article:<br />
NEAT1 regulates Th2 cell development by targeting STAT6 for degradation<br />
Shuman Huang, Dong Dong, Yaqian Zhang, Zhuo Chen, Jing Geng & Yulin Zhao<br />
Pages 312 - 319 |https://doi.org/10.1080/15384101.2018.1562285<br />
The above article has been retracted as a result of concerns regarding errors in the data by request of the authors.<br />
We note that we received, peer-reviewed, accepted, and published the article in good faith based on the purported veracity of these representations and warranties. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions.</span></blockquote>
<p>And <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/15384101.2020.1785749">a 2020 Corrigendum</a>, in which the journal's editors drew a discreet veil over two Figures afflicted with PCD (Photoshop-Compulsion Disorder) and allowed the authors to replace them with better visual compositions. The conclusions were not affected.</p>
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<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">It has been noted by the authors that the Figures 2 and 4 were published <b>with errors</b>. <b>These errors</b> have now been corrected as shown below. This correction has not changed the description, interpretation, or the original conclusions of the article. The authors apologize for any inconvenience caused.</span></blockquote>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7798271/pdf/12935_2021_Article_1759.pdf">This next retraction</a>, at first glance unrelated to the first, comes from <u>Cancer Cell International</u>. The authors accepted that the experiments they reported, as well as the bio-informatic analyses of existing databases, were the uncredited work of an outside laboratory, which refuses to provide raw data for scrutiny and validation. Though authors were at pains to stress that they did collect some basic stats at their own institutions.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">The Editors-in-Chief have retracted this article [1] at the request of the authors because concerns have been raised regarding validity of data.<br />
The authors informed the journal that the bioinformatics analysis and all laboratory contents had been performed by an external company. The outsourced laboratory content includes cell culture, FISH, dual luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA pull down assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RNA IP) assay, cell grouping and transfection, RT qPCR, western blot analysis, chemosensitivity assay and flow cytometry. This was not made clear in this article. The company has not responded to requests from authors to share raw data. Consequently, the data cannot be verified.<br />
The authors stated that they completed the rest of the work, including clinical patient samples immunohistochemistry analysis, statistical analysis and discussion.<br />
All authors agree to this retraction.</span></blockquote>
<p>All this means that the stars are aligned for another scholarly inquiry into the Chinese papermill industry (an inexhausible topic, for me at least). I continue to be guided by the principle that a journal becomes a useful research tool when papermills take it over: a controlled environment in which their products can be studied in splendid isolation, without the complicating factor of genuine scholarship, revealing the shared, recurring elements and defining characteristics of specific studios. We will encounter more than one papermill, and more than one journal. There will be data-market speculation, and a short test afterwards to see who was paying attention. Here is a foretaste to motivate readers to continue:</p>
<p>The invasion-assay and colony-assay images from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BF17B9C1AF518BE38401E3B67C4422">Dai et al (2019)</a> are a kaleidoscope of unexpected similarities...</p>
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<p>...but they should not distract our attention from the serried ranks of tumors, which overlap with those of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E4F816110ACCEF8569450E4DA42A53">Han et al (2019)</a>. Garbage lists of primers also overlap.</p>
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<p>Figs 1c and 1d from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0803AB8B6E7B3B6BE52E77F861E6D4">Li et al (2020)</a> are possibly the work of an adversarial generative neural net that someone trained on tissue slides.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLS0l2HNmCc/YQy7-czJR7I/AAAAAAAAdrs/_R9J7WosKpgqGA0oOqdlNUmK3yIVzEm-ACPcBGAYYCw/s610/adversarial.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="606" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLS0l2HNmCc/YQy7-czJR7I/AAAAAAAAdrs/_R9J7WosKpgqGA0oOqdlNUmK3yIVzEm-ACPcBGAYYCw/s200/adversarial.jpg" width="219" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mMaE91cqzrQ/YQy7-Uxa91I/AAAAAAAAdrs/8VhyF1Psd1oOy-qY7vfA3sXfiisFoBh3ACPcBGAYYCw/s606/alizarin.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="610" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mMaE91cqzrQ/YQy7-Uxa91I/AAAAAAAAdrs/8VhyF1Psd1oOy-qY7vfA3sXfiisFoBh3ACPcBGAYYCw/s200/alizarin.jpg.png" width="209" /></a></div>
<p>From the same source, Figs 2b ("BEFORE") and 4c ("AFTER") show what happens to a rodent brain after you damage it with ischaemia / reperfusion, then cut it up and try to transmit the slices via a glitching fax.</p>
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<p>I'm not sure whether Fig 3b from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B1B11B2ACF6B4CC5B3A8478074FD76">Zeng et al (2019)</a> is a <i>hommage</i> to Fontana's <i>Concetto Spaziale</i> <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/770906">perforated canvases</a>, but the colored annotations turn it into that style of sharp-shooting where you blaze away at the side of a barn and then draw a bullseye around each bullet-hole. You might see this as a metaphor for the methodology of cell biology but I couldn't possibly comment. At right, Fig 5a was probably fun to create, but it is for entertainment purposes only.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</p>
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<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 6A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8B94C3021A312564FF563B5ADE104D">Yong et al (2019)</a>.</i></div>
<p>Anyway... these are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_cycle_analysis">flow-cytometry cell-cycle analyses</a>. Like a Luc Besson movie, each panel consists of five elements:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>1</b>. An empirical distribution of DNA content per cell (as revealed though fluorescent markers), for a population of usually culture-grown cells. This is the wiggly zigzag line.</li>
<li><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/c1df3-gelmeroda.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/c1df3-gelmeroda.jpg" width="158" /></a><b>2, 3, 4</b>. Theoretical distributions of DNA content that one would expect from percentages of the population that were in the G<sub>0</sub>/G<sub>1</sub>, S or G<sub>2</sub>/M stages of the endless cycle of <strike>violence</strike> mitosis. These are the two crimson peaks bracketing a cross-hatched mesa to form a Feininger painting of a church.</li>
<li><b>5</b>. The smoother solid line hewing close to the zigzags is the sum of <b>2</b>, <b>3</b> and <b>4</b>; by adjusting their percentage parameters, it has been matched as closely as possible to <b>1</b>.</li></ul>
<p>These diagrams are relevant to the interests of oncology. Any treatment or drug that <i>arrests</i> the cycle (e.g. by alerting the DNA-integrity checkpoints at the transitions G<sub>1</sub>-to-S or G<sub>2</sub>-to-M) is a good thing from the perspective of a tumor's unwilling host, and its efficacy can be quantified by the accumulation of checkpointed cells in these plots (and their percentages).</p>
<p>Clearly, none of the curves <b>1</b> to <b>5</b> should overhang or stick out sideways like something left out on the sun or boiling over on the stove. It is also obvious that <b>5</b> is always as high as or higher than each of the components that it's the sum of... if it is <i>hidden behind</i> any of the humps, something has gone awry. Where the central mesa intersects either of the crimson peaks, their sum <b>5</b> is twice the height of that intersection.</p>
<p>And one more corollary: unless there are other parameters to fit, the shape of a given hump should be constant across all of the panels, only varying in height as it's multiplied by the percentage of cell population, fitted for each panel.</p>
<p><u>Cell Cycle</u> is also a journal, published <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141030052319/http://newsroom.taylorandfrancisgroup.com/news/press-release/taylor-francis-group-llc-acquires-landes-bioscience#.VGbFalfF_N5">since mid-2014</a> by <u>Taylor & Francis</u> (i.e. Informa), with a hybrid model: papers are pay-to-read by default, unless authors paid to have them unlocked as free-to-read (all papers older than July 2020 seem to be free-to-read; I don't know if that reflects a change in policy, or the paywall is more of a one-year embargo).</p>
<p>Its founding Editor-in-Chief was Mikhail Blagosklonny, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Blagosklonny">impresario of oncology literature</a> and a serial founder of journals - he still occupies an honorary post on the Editorial Board despite stepping back from control. Mischa also gave us <u><a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/05/17/the-ruler-of-the-aging-papermill/">Aging</a></u> and <u><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oncotarget">Oncotarget</a></u>. He deserves credit for his early recognition of the academic-publishing opportunities created by (a) the shift away from subscription models to the open-access paradigm; and (b) the emergence of new areas for oncological endeavour, like exosomes and noncoding RNAs. (b) triggered a research-funding goldrush, while (a) motivated researchers to stake out their claims over regions of these ecologies of inter- and intra-cellular RNA signaling.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://archive.sciencewatch.com/inter/jou/2008/08feb-jou-CellCycle/">2008 'interview'</a> focused on those aspects of science publishing that matter most: a high citation rate, and an abbreviated review cycle so that authors could win the race to announce breakthroughs. Blagosklonny ascribed <u>Cell Cycle</u>'s success on both counts to his policy of prioritising a high-powered Editorial Board, to judge what is newsworthy, over peer reviewers with their focus on mere correctness.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;"><b>How would you account for the high citation rate of Cell Cycle?</b><br />
... Editors should not rubber-stamp reviewer’s decisions (otherwise, sometimes the best and most original papers will be rejected). Actually, reviewers should not decide at all whether a paper should be published or not. Reviewers provide criticism and reveal mistakes but should not decide a paper’s fate. .... For the most competitive papers, an ultra-rapid review (by members of the Editorial Board) is necessary to publish them a few days after submission.</span></blockquote>
<p>His aspirations for the journal's citation indices have been fulfilled (with assistance from citational shenanigans, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161224004259/https://scholarlyoa.com/2016/12/06/mikhail-blagosklonnys-journal-aging-a-review/">some have alleged</a>). I hope this compensates for the extent to which <u>Cell Cycle</u> has become a vehicle for the papermill industry. Recent issues include (A) eight products from <a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2020/02/21/the-tadpole-paper-mill/">the celebrated</a> <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/01/24/the-full-service-paper-mill-and-its-chinese-customers/">'Tadpole papermill'</a>; (B) 15 from a "<a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X401JM6CcpTSkbKsPsOl20pRKQ-ns1S_J5pTwtBjqPw/edit?usp=sharing">Directly Targeting</a>" mill; and (C) at least 15 attributable to "<a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/08/12/we-are-extremely-guilty-and-distressed/; https://forbetterscience.com/2020/09/14/dead-horses-wont-flog-themselves/">Contractor</a>" Redux, though there are undoubtedly more. Spreadsheets dedicated to those mills overlap with one <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZeEVAPP-Vj9p2fTzjRi3v9FbaqwfnDKzXwiZ7foU2w0/edit?usp=sharing">I set up for present purposes</a>, as is the custom of my people.</p>
<p>I concentrated on a two-year window, 2019-2020. Prior to this period of exuberance, the journal's Tables of Content are shorter, and have gone relatively untouched by the pseudonymous Pubpeer scrutineers (this might reflect a selection bias, or it could be that earlier papers were faked but in styles that are less obvious because less familiar). The editors were so delighted to receive an increased flux of submissions that they didn't wonder about the source. Hat-tip to Pubpeer contributor 'Indigofera Tanganyikensis', who was deconstructing Cell Cycle papers and questioning its editorial standards long before anyone else piled on. However, Indigofera's conclusion that <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/10CEE3EBDD9E9ED0DB9E9DE40CC9DC#"><b>everything</b> in the journal is fictional</a> is a slight exaggeration.</p>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" id="4" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#4 </a><span data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Indigofera Tanganyikensis</span></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Unfortunately, this is apparently common practice for the publisher Taylor & Francis. They share no responsibility for the content of their publications. They know that Cell cycle is totally infiltrated by the fabrications from the different papermills from China, but there are apparently no initiative to stop this terrible mass disinformation.</p></div></div>
<p>(B) and (C) need their own subsections. For (A) a few examples will suffice. <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A25415977439257D515E20582228C0">Wang et al (2020)</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A2D8E152ED80CDB0061FC64E883D7E">Zheng et al (2020)</a> capture this mill when its distinctive 'zany sardine' WBs had evolved into avant-garde door-handles, designed perhaps by Philippe Starck.</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UgtQFn9rdkI/YQy8q-tVp0I/AAAAAAAAdr4/sSzMANV9lqcfbIcWXfcNYdtzlPQnqAPqwCPcBGAYYCw/s1050/door1.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UgtQFn9rdkI/YQy8q-tVp0I/AAAAAAAAdr4/sSzMANV9lqcfbIcWXfcNYdtzlPQnqAPqwCPcBGAYYCw/s200/door1.jpg" width="174" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JEjvOGyk2SM/YQy8rEdJVbI/AAAAAAAAdr8/hLvqrBdtjqAcbR6ngdva15996jDR5tL0gCPcBGAYYCw/s1450/door2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="800" height="133" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JEjvOGyk2SM/YQy8rEdJVbI/AAAAAAAAdr8/hLvqrBdtjqAcbR6ngdva15996jDR5tL0gCPcBGAYYCw/s320/door2.jpg" width="254" /></a>
<p><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/61FDECD3072BD2F15F168E1BBB74EB">Ren et al (2020)</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/64A64D10346112BC6B23240657B3F1">Zhang et al (2020)</a> have developed less from the original style.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X-BxjdAPl20/YQy9ZALXAcI/AAAAAAAAdsI/4TPKJIa7jQc2NNhtZpK_heBmzlv66hNZACPcBGAYYCw/s1222/tadpole1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X-BxjdAPl20/YQy9ZALXAcI/AAAAAAAAdsI/4TPKJIa7jQc2NNhtZpK_heBmzlv66hNZACPcBGAYYCw/s200/tadpole1.jpg" width="220" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m75n2vPUs6M/YQy9ZPd_bII/AAAAAAAAdsM/tBXDaEbambQYfKWOmW6f3fJEtZoCTx04gCPcBGAYYCw/s1130/tadpole2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m75n2vPUs6M/YQy9ZPd_bII/AAAAAAAAdsM/tBXDaEbambQYfKWOmW6f3fJEtZoCTx04gCPcBGAYYCw/s200/tadpole2.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<p>Figs S1 to S3 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/47027412670C87DFB30103D9AA5861">Ren, Li & Wang (2019)</a> exemplify the wonderfully rococo but rigidly formalised "flaw cytometry" images created by this mill.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YZUBIioJJIM/YQy-BMEFwwI/AAAAAAAAdsU/bA5kHuF_JSkwNvMXHZMaTX98gt26aN9eQCPcBGAYYCw/s2098/meatball.jpgg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="800" height="148" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YZUBIioJJIM/YQy-BMEFwwI/AAAAAAAAdsU/bA5kHuF_JSkwNvMXHZMaTX98gt26aN9eQCPcBGAYYCw/s400/meatball.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</p>
<p>(B) <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X401JM6CcpTSkbKsPsOl20pRKQ-ns1S_J5pTwtBjqPw/edit#gid=0">Directly Targeting</a></p>
<p>I named this mill after the rigid title-generating template used in its early products, where the keystone of the title sentence was "by targeting X" or "by directly targeting Y". The template later accepted more diversity. Those early examples used Spandidos journals as hosts, but the mill later migrated to <u>OncoTargets & Therapy</u> and <u>Cancer Management & Research</u> from <u>Dove Press</u>, and then to <u>Cell Cycle</u>. <u>Aging</u> receives their patronage as well. <u>Dove Press</u> is itself another branch of the Taylor-&-Francis Borg (<a href="https://poynder.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-oa-interviews-taylor-francis.html">since 2017</a>), but its editors are less averse to wielding the Hammer of Retraction.</p>
<p>This mill is easily characterised:</p>
<p>(a) Genuine Transwell invasion-assay images, from a small number of experiments, so the images sometimes overlap between papers. More overlaps await discovery by someone equipped with ImageTwin to take over the boring part of multiple comparisons.</p>
<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6P82ko9WNf0/YREeLxSa22I/AAAAAAAAdxA/MzNOZCgyXp8qvGZKkEIYVxxPCAF60NYVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1420/transwell1.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1420" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6P82ko9WNf0/YREeLxSa22I/AAAAAAAAdxA/MzNOZCgyXp8qvGZKkEIYVxxPCAF60NYVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/transwell1.jpg" width="242" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ktZofr7eMFs/YREeLzPbIsI/AAAAAAAAdxE/77j491GJ4_w5HcprhIOLcA9shpq670z8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1430/transwell2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1180" data-original-width="1430" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ktZofr7eMFs/YREeLzPbIsI/AAAAAAAAdxE/77j491GJ4_w5HcprhIOLcA9shpq670z8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/transwell2.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>From <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/40FC5D9A63939AC79C9D160E0639AF">Zhou et al (2019)</a>, and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/441740A6EAED624BFA9B83BAD942D1">Zhang et al (2019)</a></i></div>
<p>(b) Western Blots resembling strings of sausages, which makes sense given the kinship of sausage factories and papermills.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pyWO_6kSLc4/YREgQyo--jI/AAAAAAAAdxQ/E2AvIE0Pt88HsaEh7YLCw5yKLtEZezgtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1790/sausages.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1790" height="90" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pyWO_6kSLc4/YREgQyo--jI/AAAAAAAAdxQ/E2AvIE0Pt88HsaEh7YLCw5yKLtEZezgtQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h90/sausages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Below: Figs 7B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/30F2A2E61D7AD9A1814BA331B69FF0">Gao et al (2020)</a> and 7b from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/783563836649291A0339DD049269EC">Bi et al (2020)</a></i></div>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DnbiAow8JBc/YREYPpZSboI/AAAAAAAAdwo/t8Pw99Y0pU4D8eJTAbUX01u3e14_BttKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s870/tumors.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="870" height="166" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DnbiAow8JBc/YREYPpZSboI/AAAAAAAAdwo/t8Pw99Y0pU4D8eJTAbUX01u3e14_BttKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tumors.jpg" width="260" /></a>(c) ID parades of xenograft tumors excised from nude mice, though they are yellow and bloodless, and could be moulded lumps of Fimo or plasticine for all I know. The repeat appearances of peripatetic rulers, in studies from unrelated research teams at distant institutions, confirm that photographs were taken at some single laboratory (not necessarily linked to the papermill). Sometimes the tumors themselves recur between papers.</p>
<p>(d) Flow-cytometry scatterplots, in which specific combinations of PI and Annexin signals indicate which cells in a population are self-destructing (apoptotic)... again, the proportion of apoptosis in response to a drug treatment is of interest to cancer patients.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8y-zT4lYFYE/YQhZVJ7EEaI/AAAAAAAAdqA/ndW1-Pc4-94AGRTBDpEj0DcjRScBVFztwCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/partiridge.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="960" height="215" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8y-zT4lYFYE/YQhZVJ7EEaI/AAAAAAAAdqA/ndW1-Pc4-94AGRTBDpEj0DcjRScBVFztwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/partiridge.png" width="260" /></a>These last are hard to fake convincingly (though 'plausibility' is a low priority in the literature). The problem is their stochastic nature. Humans are really crap at drawing stochastic distributions, even when equipped with a Photoshop stipple brush, and we cannot help spacing out the dots evenly, with results that at worst <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/49F08E954D5AA66FB10B0A882FA106">resemble a partridge</a>. In the real world, though the coordinates of cells along the two fluorescence axes are guided by the population's overall distribution, each cell is oblivious to the locations of other cells; they neither seek nor avoid one another's proximity in the scatterplot.</p>
<p>The Targeting studio was fortunate enough to acquire a suite of <u>bona-fide</u> data-sets from multiple experiments with multiple replications of each experiment, allowing them to illustrate their productions by grabbing plots at random. They range from harps to banner-waving beavers. It's a large suite, but the studio was productive enough that panels did get re-used (sometimes plotted with filters or altered gate settings to look slightly different).</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Apo22cifTbY/YREa9G9A1yI/AAAAAAAAdww/oJCmRk-2kXEsbuGtaLgiq2Fn_90FQepUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s861/axes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="312" data-original-width="861" height="145" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Apo22cifTbY/YREa9G9A1yI/AAAAAAAAdww/oJCmRk-2kXEsbuGtaLgiq2Fn_90FQepUgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h145/axes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Angry axe-wielding Tribbles. From <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E8E42C6CAD520AE327726DD7AF6987">Zhong et al (2020)</a>, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/DD074881BF655A87027903E33547F4">Cheng et al (2020)</a>, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/02FF78162C6E950384B9FC8869DB6B">Yang et al (2019)</a></i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LM40facrlYo/YREcHPw9qPI/AAAAAAAAdw4/RzrzktQvu-UR8At1Efpf5rtXMdBu_RLOwCLcBGAsYHQ/s684/ET.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="684" height="170" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LM40facrlYo/YREcHPw9qPI/AAAAAAAAdw4/RzrzktQvu-UR8At1Efpf5rtXMdBu_RLOwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h170/ET.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>From <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/32A75A79C70B0A31C3A9CABF084E96">Li et al (2019)</a>; <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D64B6022DF927F11FC8DEE830E6EFE">Ye et al (2020)</a>; and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C5EFC997609DCF4F1E92CE05DFCD65">Li, Li & Sun (2019)</a>. Strangely similar to ET</i></div>
<p>Then they acquired a <b>second</b> experimental corpus, sampling another niche of "shape space" with plots that bring musical bass-clefs to mind, or the sigmata of integration, or amphoras. Amphorices.</p>
<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9m99QCNylGc/YREWQTj3FuI/AAAAAAAAdwY/tjQRQLmyTgk19nlDI_vzJoPGTKmriM3VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s573/amphora.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="573" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9m99QCNylGc/YREWQTj3FuI/AAAAAAAAdwY/tjQRQLmyTgk19nlDI_vzJoPGTKmriM3VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/amphora.jpg" width="204" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sNr7rNadlW4/YREWQrJyinI/AAAAAAAAdwc/RhnWjQH5Z-coJv22KSKwAwDfHBc9t4_JgCLcBGAsYHQ/s646/harps.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="646" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sNr7rNadlW4/YREWQrJyinI/AAAAAAAAdwc/RhnWjQH5Z-coJv22KSKwAwDfHBc9t4_JgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/harps.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Panels from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/00442961D0994CC6C186D8C1558B09">Gao et al (2020)</a> with matches from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4678EFCC805691BB55804413B324A1">Wu et al (2020)</a>, and from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/45DAE4564BDE678C78833A3F90AC04">Sun et al (2020)</a></i></div>
<p>I infer that channels exist whereby lab technicians (and students, and perhaps the PIs) can sell their laboratories' image archives to mills, for which they are valuable visual material - lending verisimilitude to otherwise-bare assertions about numerical results. Any information about this hypothetical Goblin Market would be welcome.</p>
<div class="separator"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1601241970637.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="257" data-original-width="800" height="129" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1601241970637.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/df036-thidwick.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="800" height="105" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/10/df036-thidwick.jpg" width="200" /></a>One author showed up at Pubpeer as rightful owner of a suite of Porcupine / Thidwick-themed FC plots that had been sampled and resampled to illustrate the <i>oeuvre</i> of the <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/10/15/the-adventures-of-a-mouse-malignancy-group-portraitist/">'Traveling Tumor' papermill</a>. It seemed that students had absconded with the experimental database, explaining its escape into the wild. No-one else claimed to be the source so I am happy to accept that researcher's priority.</p>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" id="3" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#3 </a><span data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Songbai Yang</span></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear Hoya Camphorifolia</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thank you for your comments to our article, regarding these flow cytometry images. The experiments of this study was stared in 2014 and finished in 2018. After carefully checking, we noticed that some of our data, including these flow cytometry images, might have been divulged to other researchers by our graduated students, and had been published. We had contacted the authors in the articles as you mentioned. We confirmed that these articles had been or are being retracted by the corresponding authors. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused to you and other readers.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Sincerely yours Songbai Yang</p></div></div>
<p>(C) <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/08/12/we-are-extremely-guilty-and-distressed/">Contractor</a></p>
<p>This mill has featured on <u>Forbetterscience</u> <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/09/14/dead-horses-wont-flog-themselves/">twice</a> already. It provided clinicians with bespoke solutions to their publication / promotion problems, with manuscripts tailored to the nominal authors' specialties, perhaps building on or even completing some research of their own. In a recent retraction purge, 76 of its productions were de-published from the <u>Journal of Cellular Biochemistry</u>, and 32 from the <u>J. of Cellular Physiology</u>. Which is to say, the editors and the management at Wiley accepted the arguments marshalled in Pubpeer threads that all these papers displayed the hallmarks of the Contractor style. In some retractions, the criticism had not progressed as far as a Pubpeer thread but the papers were included in my spreadsheet, suggesting that the editors consulted the spreadsheet in the course of their inquiry.</p>
<p><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/a8fdb-spiny.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="800" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/a8fdb-spiny.jpg" width="200" /></a>The defining hallmarks used to be a versatile troupe of Spiny-Norman / Champagne-bottle FC apoptosis diagrams, that might once have emerged from actual experiments before endless recycling and modification erased all trace of their origins; and an alphabet of Western-Blotty protein blobs, cut up and reassembled ransom-note fashion into a kaleidoscopic supply of WB bands that were at the same time inexhaustible yet always familiar.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/bsr1.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="800" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/bsr1.png" width="168" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1596013339208.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1596013339208.png" width="260" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1595421235069.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1595421235069.png" width="213" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1595327408705.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1595327408705.png" width="215" /></a></div>
<p>Slices of brain or heart tissue, brightly coloured with the classic histology stains or with the antibodies of immunochemistry, sometimes repeated across productions as well. Let us draw a sympathetic veil over the occasions when <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/AB1ABFA4717961598181ECE31323A5">slices of rodent cerebrum</a> illustrated <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5E5DF69C11DAD50FBE63CD4F95990F">experiments on myocardial infarction</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1598475238888.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="800" height="238" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1598475238888.png" width="260" /></a>Also, Flaw-Cytometry cell-cycle histograms, which should be the easiest of all to fake convincingly. It is evident, though, that many of these images were created by people with photoshop skills but no grasp of the principles that undergird FC and govern how the elements fit together. I choose to believe that these were the work of interns: new recruits to the studio, gaining on-the-job training. If they had a cell-biology background they'd be in another office, assembling the text, but instead they were handed a stack of figures from publications that fooled the reviewers, and told to 'make more like this'. I can sympathise, having no background in the Dark Arts either: all this pontification is based on what I intuit from looking at examples, plus dim memories of reading <a href="https://sci-hub.se/10.1038/scientificamerican0376-108">Herzenberg's 1976 introduction</a> to the exciting new technology of FACS.</p><p></p>
<p>Later the studio phased out its limited WB gamut, upgrading to new alphabets (or, it may be, acquiring fake-blot algorithms in which simple brushstrokes are variously filtered, degraded, and overlaid onto noise-texture backgrounds, with results that are repetitive but not provably repetitions). We meet grassgrub larvae, and Christmas crackers, and another version of the sausage-link style... bands in each of these styles maintain their morphology, not progressively developing as the putative protein advances along the putative gel. There is room for the creation of a more rigorous taxonomy (but not the inclination). Editors are <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5B6C205BE0DB517C6F44D4F724E238">beginning to see the difference</a> between Western Blotting and sausage manufacture, so that particular style is losing popularity in turn.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAeoZgNx-ms/YRHl00TjUTI/AAAAAAAAdxg/tz5oIOh5dVMBMJYmaULFYtrvGLvYTe3uwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1020/retract.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="1020" height="135" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAeoZgNx-ms/YRHl00TjUTI/AAAAAAAAdxg/tz5oIOh5dVMBMJYmaULFYtrvGLvYTe3uwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/retract.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1627986800720.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="800" height="127" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1627986800720.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>These new illustrations accompanied the mill into the pages of <u>Cell Cycle</u>. The millers also lifted their FC game to make their apoptosis scatterplots less mannered and recognisable. Anyone who's read Mallory Ortberg's contributions at <a href="https://the-toast.net/author/mallory-ortberg/">The Toast</a> will imagine the studio environment in the voices of <a href="https://the-toast.net/series/two-monks-inventing-things/">Two Monks Inventing Things</a>:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: times;">what should a cell-cycle plot look like</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">a long stripy mound with a red spike at each end. then you draw a wriggly line along the top to keep the birds off</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">this one came out like a church on fire</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">yes that's good</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">how about an apoptosis scatterplot</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rfvgbY__MkE/YQy-YCM8mmI/AAAAAAAAdsc/NYDPzNtuHtIo9qJgwWc3S0zCCUrzX3EEgCPcBGAYYCw/s960/dai.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rfvgbY__MkE/YQy-YCM8mmI/AAAAAAAAdsc/NYDPzNtuHtIo9qJgwWc3S0zCCUrzX3EEgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/dai.jpg" width="200" /></a>like a bursting puffball. or a sneezing sphinx, but its mother was a dust-bunny so it's made of little dots.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">all those dots take a long time to draw</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">it's faster if you use the stipple tool</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">no-one even told me what apoptosis is</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">it's the name of an Egyptian pharaoh</span></li></ul>
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<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 3a from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/146D9BBD5BCA7B06B34BC6633CFD52">Dai et al (2020)</a></i></div>
<p>But flow cytometry remains the Achilles heel of the Contractor mill, with faults that come to light with the passage of time, in line with the old adage that "Time wounds all heels".</p>
<p>The mill added bioinformational analysis to the repertoire: number-crunching available data to form networks or Venn diagrams, which emanate geometrical clarity and imply that the inchoate information-overload of protein / ncRNA interactions conceals a simplicity that holds sway above the flux. This bioinformational flim-flam may well be valid and unimpeachable, in a GIGO way, but still 100% meaningless.</p>
<p>Crucially, these extensions to the repertoire are not limited to <u>Cell Cycle</u>. We find the same interaction tools with the same display-option settings, the same WB styles and heuristics for hand-drawn FC scatterplots, throughout the <u>Springer / Nature</u> stable of journals, and the <u>Biomedcentral</u> <strike>stable</strike> "<a href="https://www.biomedcentral.com/about">evolving portfolio of some 300 peer-reviewed journals</a>" (now assimilated into Springer / Nature). There are hundreds more of these productions, and probably thousands. This is the unspoken corollary to the retraction of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F2F5906051E2132F5D8833F0574C44">Gao et al (2020)</a>: all the other papers with this general pattern is also the work of the same outside company. If that company were to suddenly own up to malfeasance, great swathes of attested fact in the fields of miRNA and Exosomes would just evaporate.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">The authors informed the journal that the bioinformatics analysis and all laboratory contents had been performed by an external company. The outsourced laboratory content includes cell culture, FISH, dual luciferase reporter gene assay, RNA pull down assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RNA IP) assay, cell grouping and transfection, RT qPCR, western blot analysis, chemosensitivity assay and flow cytometry.</span></blockquote>
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<p>All that's a lot to process. But there's more! I have saved the new stuff until last, to reward readers who persevered with this post. Whole classes of bodgy <u>Cell Cycle</u> papers remain. That single Retraction looks increasingly lonely as the number of Pubpeer threads addressing <u>Cell Cycle</u> papers passes 100 (while authors decline, or didn't receive, the invitations to participate in discussion). Perhaps the Editors feel they are absolved of responsibility by the Author Contributions paragraph of each fabrication, which nominate one author to stand as Guarantor of Data Integrity.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hYQKrmwe2Aw/YRDwrTgR3qI/AAAAAAAAdt8/H7OvK-fyeA4iPc_q_xfyJotWQz4JEjfFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/guarantor.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="481" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hYQKrmwe2Aw/YRDwrTgR3qI/AAAAAAAAdt8/H7OvK-fyeA4iPc_q_xfyJotWQz4JEjfFwCLcBGAsYHQ/w309-h320/guarantor.jpg" width="181" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbRcxRHW6Xo/YRDwrFpXnFI/AAAAAAAAdt4/ceJwjKTfwhwwcQOuIGyTudSqRLq_wYaxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s796/4A.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="796" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbRcxRHW6Xo/YRDwrFpXnFI/AAAAAAAAdt4/ceJwjKTfwhwwcQOuIGyTudSqRLq_wYaxgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h305/4A.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<p>Illustrators have been spurred to greater ingenuity, with image manipulation for its own sake (when simply stealing from elsewhere would have been enough), as if they had signed onto a Photoshop Challenge of which we are the beneficiaries. Hand-crafted Transmission Electron Microscopy abounds.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eOtr62zVTzA/YRDxs9jwqnI/AAAAAAAAduI/cczbExsOzBIQTOWg1mQFdGEpDnrwLhKjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/tem.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eOtr62zVTzA/YRDxs9jwqnI/AAAAAAAAduI/cczbExsOzBIQTOWg1mQFdGEpDnrwLhKjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/tem.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 4b, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C8D492920479E14D27358F18AF20E0">Xue & Luo (2020)</a></i></div>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-evoYG0VbqY4/YRDyTD_nqaI/AAAAAAAAduU/szAFE5S-TTsIUDNSK134gEF3nA6ItMKsACLcBGAsYHQ/s667/table.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="667" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-evoYG0VbqY4/YRDyTD_nqaI/AAAAAAAAduU/szAFE5S-TTsIUDNSK134gEF3nA6ItMKsACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h150/table.jpg" width="260" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F3EA6823A0AEB4ED893E7E80CDED4C">Yi et al (2019)</a> came up with a table of phony numbers, and another artisanal TEM. But their Figure 1c is what catches the eye. After so much time was invested in these compositions, cutting and pasting, smoothing and sponging, it would be the grossest ingratitude to just skim over them without any attempt at deconstruction.</p>
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<p>Moving right along, consider the following oddly-worded Acknowledgement:</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">We would like to acknowledge the reviewers for their helpful comments on this pap</span></blockquote>
<p>The pap-related choice of words seems unlikely to occur to many authors independently; yet it features in <b>seven</b> <u>Cell Cycle</u> papers, as another symptom of a papermill provenance. These include <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E68F6D284467893CBBAC546299BF54">Rong et al (2020)</a>:</p>
<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MSidDUOTkpo/YRDzLpzOwnI/AAAAAAAAduk/qFuTnEV2Q18d7mwkBLqVLW1Bia1mHcc6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/rong1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="695" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MSidDUOTkpo/YRDzLpzOwnI/AAAAAAAAduk/qFuTnEV2Q18d7mwkBLqVLW1Bia1mHcc6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/rong1.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K04xU2wygnc/YRDzLuWl7mI/AAAAAAAAdug/mrl0kUYZcTo1KFdB1jF3A1LA2PUvXqI4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s724/rong2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="724" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K04xU2wygnc/YRDzLuWl7mI/AAAAAAAAdug/mrl0kUYZcTo1KFdB1jF3A1LA2PUvXqI4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/rong2.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpaDDdigAZo/YQy_mFZO7xI/AAAAAAAAdso/0n-L069WW88b95McX8kSd5INh5j0SMDMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1700/tian1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1700" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gpaDDdigAZo/YQy_mFZO7xI/AAAAAAAAdso/0n-L069WW88b95McX8kSd5INh5j0SMDMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tian1.jpg" width="260" /></a>There isn't really enough room for the images from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E394F70B879A48060D07C2DEA42F1A">Tian et al (2020)</a>, but they are too good to leave out. They begin by mapping out possible landing sites on satellite photographs of Mars; then things get weird.</p>
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<p>I am drawn towards the fake rat-brain slices that abound in this oeuvre, on account of the delightful color palette involved in imitating hematoxylin-eosin staining. Fig 2a of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/802EE63BF978C5E85F7BE7F919F340">Liu et al (2020)</a> offer hidden symmetries as well!</p>
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<br />
<p><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F1D8BDBC5F13BBDC300EC4BB44CAE5">He et al (2020)</a>:</p>
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<p><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/FB2771BCA8F113AFA34B843FAC21F3">Li et al (2020)</a>. One can only imagine the implausibility of these images <b>before</b> the reviewers provided helpful suggestions for their improvement.</p>
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<p>The unabbreviated version would be unexceptional, in isolation, but it accompanies other symptoms in <b>33 papers</b>.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">We would like to acknowledge the reviewers for their helpful comments on this paper</span></blockquote>
<p>These include <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8302720B080F39AAB8279201EA1D78">Liu et al (2020)</a>, whose Figure 3 is teeming with so much Bikbait that I hardly know where to begin.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/imgur-Hg1mJrE.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="800" height="253" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/imgur-Hg1mJrE.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E8FFC8851E0C9B2902262DD3D81A99">Li et al (2020)</a> offer Fig 5e, "the results of electron microscopy observation of the [femoral heads] of rats in each group".</p>
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<p>Please admire the fearful symmetries within Figure 1b of Li et al.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Z3NxH45XYA/YRD5T9BlOFI/AAAAAAAAdwQ/MQT04zQZljwK1M-tP_Xxz1FeRbpxMFiawCLcBGAsYHQ/s734/symmetry.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="734" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3Z3NxH45XYA/YRD5T9BlOFI/AAAAAAAAdwQ/MQT04zQZljwK1M-tP_Xxz1FeRbpxMFiawCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/symmetry.jpg" width="260" /></a>These examples are an invitation to enter a whole new rabbit-warren of fulsome Acknowledgements. Many are courteous words that authors might easily borrow from elsewhere, not trusting their imperfect English to properly state their gratitude to colleagues and reviewers...</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">The authors would like to acknowledge the helpful comments on this paper received from the reviewers.<br />
We send our sincere gratitude to the reviewers for their kind comments<br />
We thank the reviewers for critical comments<br />
We would like show sincere appreciation to the reviewers for critical comments on this article (x 2)<br />
We would like to acknowledge the helpful comments on this paper received from our reviewers (x 2)<br />
We would like to acknowledge the reviewers for their helpful comments on this study<br />
We would like to express our gratitude for the helpful comments received from our reviewers.<br />
We would like to give our sincere appreciation to the reviewers for their helpful comments on this article<br />
We would like to acknowledge the reviewers for their helpful comments on this paper</span></blockquote>
<p>... But they appear in other Contractor productions in journals from elsewhere in the <i>oeuvre</i>, even leading to journals that hitherto had gone unexamined. <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/149EjFXVxpwkBXYJOnOHb6RhAqT4a2llhj9LM60MBffM/edit?usp=sharing">One style of WB fabrication</a> was previously unfamiliar, with bands like a display-case in a prosthetic-eyebrow salon... sometimes in combination with apoptosis scatterplots modeled after comets, or fried eggs (with a sharp edge around the 'white' and another between the 'white' and the 'yolk').</p>
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<p style="text-align: right;"><i>Figs 1b, 7a of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/65EE65D276C120DA5D871E11579DD6">Yang et al (2021)</a></i></p>
<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPngt6DlMug/YRD2ae342lI/AAAAAAAAdvg/3VddF4TBsiIED0i7Fj9HxG0oa6aUI4TJACLcBGAsYHQ/s940/brows2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="660" width="184" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPngt6DlMug/YRD2ae342lI/AAAAAAAAdvg/3VddF4TBsiIED0i7Fj9HxG0oa6aUI4TJACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/brows2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TF-Iimi5n7o/YRD2aYtgRmI/AAAAAAAAdvk/-O72k1FPzmgtv3r9UicEDW7fQBih8KgHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1160/comet.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="1080" width="244" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TF-Iimi5n7o/YRD2aYtgRmI/AAAAAAAAdvk/-O72k1FPzmgtv3r9UicEDW7fQBih8KgHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/comet.jpg" /></a></div>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D1572F90320FC89D61AB38A1F21B15">Gao et al (2021)</a></i></p>
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<p style="text-align: right;"><i>Figs 5f,h of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/9A7FC390F3F8EBD0B8DD46FB3DBC6F">Wang et al (2020)</a></i></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MIUfxtnpwfc/YQyt3FkpQMI/AAAAAAAAdrI/1NK-RByfJBYXe4RdhX452t3I0pzNwQIHACPcBGAYYCw/s776/phop1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="776" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MIUfxtnpwfc/YQyt3FkpQMI/AAAAAAAAdrI/1NK-RByfJBYXe4RdhX452t3I0pzNwQIHACPcBGAYYCw/s400/phop1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>And what is one to make of Acknowledgements that address <b>the authors</b>, in third-person?</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">We are appreciating to every author for their assistance with the experiments and constructive comments on the manuscript (x 2)<br />
We acknowledge and appreciate our colleagues for their valuable efforts and comments on this paper (x 3)<br />
We would like to thank our researchers for their hard work and reviewers for their valuable advice.</span></blockquote>
<p>Why not <i>name</i> those anonymous colleagues whose contributions were substantial enough to earn a credit, but not enough for co-authorship? Is this a sly wink from the scriptorium monks, a joke about their invisibility?</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bHiGMfEmL3M/YRHGGiTjZAI/AAAAAAAAdxY/-SkyASRSs3cz925QrVtAKPQaVpPKnYPZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s749/funtomake.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="749" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bHiGMfEmL3M/YRHGGiTjZAI/AAAAAAAAdxY/-SkyASRSs3cz925QrVtAKPQaVpPKnYPZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/funtomake.jpg" width="260" /></a>One last Contractor production, Fig 2a in <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EBC0A88B3479A5B48DB4DDE84D469A">Luo et al (2019)</a>, appeared in <u>Cancer Cell International</u> rather than <u>Cell Cycle</u> - but I finish with it anyway as a pinnacle of their art.</p>
<p>UPDATE: The authors of 1% of the <u>Cell Cycle</u> papers in question have responded to the invitation to join the discussion. <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/68F425271E845D18FA285C4BD24172">The explanation</a> for the symmetries and clone-stamp irreality of their images was not entirely satisfying.</p>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" id="3" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#3 </a><span data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Xianming Fu</span></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thank you for your attention to our manuscript and helpful suggestions. I’m writing to you in response to the inquiries you posted with regard to the study “Overexpressed microRNA-494 represses RIPK1 to attenuate hippocampal neuron injury in epilepsy rats by inactivating the NF-κB signaling pathway”. Firstly, after carefully rechecking all the images again, we have figured out that this error was caused due to my negligence during the figure assembly as there were too many very similar figures. When we cropped the original images to collectively present the representative pictures, we accidentally inserted the wrong images into the different groups, leading to some overlap and similar pictures between and within groups. Besides, the problems mentioned in Figure 2 might also be resulted from a stutter of the imaging system.</p></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6apu3jTig0/YRjGMPmnb9I/AAAAAAAAdxo/00eEOy2orYoGKerI0UAgS4PD2Y0ZLE1oQCLcBGAsYHQ/s740/yellow.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="740" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T6apu3jTig0/YRjGMPmnb9I/AAAAAAAAdxo/00eEOy2orYoGKerI0UAgS4PD2Y0ZLE1oQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/yellow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zel0eirPBf0/YRjGVcjSY2I/AAAAAAAAdxs/VQwdxxSQ6-oW5XTu5URKyee9hb0t8uBHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s785/1a.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="591" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zel0eirPBf0/YRjGVcjSY2I/AAAAAAAAdxs/VQwdxxSQ6-oW5XTu5URKyee9hb0t8uBHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/1a.jpg" width="219" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Otlet9BoWAM/YRjGVcnwMyI/AAAAAAAAdxw/_XDWPIh6hU0qXJSwhrrycDLO7bQmlMCZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1314/agomir.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1314" data-original-width="944" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Otlet9BoWAM/YRjGVcnwMyI/AAAAAAAAdxw/_XDWPIh6hU0qXJSwhrrycDLO7bQmlMCZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/agomir.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<p><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EBC0A88B3479A5B48DB4DDE84D469A">Luo et al (2019)</a> have belated doubts about their Figure 2a and have decided to withdraw the paper.</p>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" id="5" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#5 </a><span data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Jun-Li Wang</span></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><a class="tag" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#1</a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thank you for your attention to our research and the questioning of some of the experimental pictures. We attach great importance to this news and have carried out the verification of the original experimental data as soon as possible. There are indeed some detailed problems. Due to a long period of time, the original records of the electron microscope room are no longer available. In order to further clarify the research conclusions, we plan to repeat the experiment. However, considering the repetition of the electron microscope experiment, it takes a long time to avoid misleading and troublesome to other researchers. All authors agree that they have decided to contact the journal editorial department to apply for withdrawal of the manuscript. In future research, we will pay attention to details to ensure scientific research.</p></div></div>
<p>* Three groups are noted for their Dunning-Kruger confidence when they saunter blithely into some other magisterium to give those experts the benefit of their superior insight, unimpeded by the blind-spots acquired through training or experience: physicists, economists and software coders.</p>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-5402625846657015702021-11-02T03:45:00.003-07:002021-11-02T03:45:58.460-07:00Then we engineered a wild reunion In a Berlin Alleyway<div style="text-align: center;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted at Leonid Schneider's site, hence the unfrivolous tone. <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/08/09/nobelist-harald-zur-hausen-and-the-scamferences/">The version there</a> is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story. Also by his own inquiries into Professor zur Hausen's motivating obsessions.</i></div>
<br/>
<p>Having blogged more than once about predatory conferences, I rate myself as the world's leading authority on this phenomenon of late-stage academia, so it is a disappointing mystery that no-one has tried to recruit me to deliver the Plenary Address at a predatory conference on the topic.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdEWC1AJheA/YPpBH1jHH5I/AAAAAAAAdmw/_2T3nhxpP2cCt4z-WP02gPCMD-8nefd-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/santweb1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DdEWC1AJheA/YPpBH1jHH5I/AAAAAAAAdmw/_2T3nhxpP2cCt4z-WP02gPCMD-8nefd-ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/santweb1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>It is also disappointing that no-one asked me if it was a good idea to appoint <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/12/21/another-jewish-conspiracy-against-ruggiero-santilli/">Ruggero Santilli</a> <b>and</b> <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/03/19/thomas-webster-to-save-the-world-with-covid-19-nanoparticles/">Thomas Webster</a> as Keynote Speakers at the <b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200805194656/https://www.olcinternational.com/nanotech-2020/">2nd International Conference and Exhibition on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology</a></b>, August 17-18 2020, in Miami (theme: <i>Creating Intelligence structure and composition of the Nanotechnology</i>). Both are old friends of <i>Riddled</i> and <i>Forbetterscience</i>. Of course I would have advised strongly against concentrating so much bullshit and bafflegab within a single venue, for fear of exceeding the critical density and triggering a collapse of the Informational Space-Time Metric into its ground-state of nescience.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cg2A4kyZLCI/YPpHwX-RbDI/AAAAAAAAdm4/TQbwaNC5VTMPF_CQ1KRLY9iS72M6El2GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s3325/santweb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="3325" height="114" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cg2A4kyZLCI/YPpHwX-RbDI/AAAAAAAAdm4/TQbwaNC5VTMPF_CQ1KRLY9iS72M6El2GgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h114/santweb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>The compressed digest of my expertise is this: any number of scammers started out as parasitical publishers, relieving desperate wannabee-researchers of their universities' funds in exchange for helping them meet their Research Output quota. Then they realised that more money could be made, more easily, by relieving researchers of their universities' funds in exchange for providing an excuse for an overseas vacation.</p>
<p>Thus aspiring publisher Dylan Fazel reinvented himself as "M. Osman, M.D." <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/2020/11/european-society-of-medicine-esmed.html">bombarding all and sundry</a> with invitations to attend ESMED Global Conferences, while <a href="https://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2021/03/in-another-chance-to-use-nothing-of.html">his portfolio of journal-shaped jizzmops</a> was left to decay into desuetude and moribundance.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/search/label/OMICS">OMICS empire of fraud</a> includes not only PULSUS and Allied Academies and Longdom and umpteen other <i>marques</i> (hopefully less redolent of corruption and putrescine than the OMICS brand itself), but also 'ConferenceSeries' and <a href="https://twitter.com/Jeffrey_Beall/status/900009158409207808">EuroSciCon / LifeScienceEvents</a>, <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/09/dear-omics-cockwombles-your-spambot-is.html">MeetingsInternational</a>, and so much more.</p>
<p>Not content with <a href="http://flakyj.blogspot.com/2017/10/crimson-publishers-and-purple-prose.html">Crimson Publishing</a>, Iris, Lupine and <u><a href="http://flakyj.blogspot.com/2019/11/biomedical-journal-of-scientific.html">Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research</a></u>. Sudheed Kaku (Colorado-resident failed code-monkey) <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/2019/02/biomedical-conferences-from-house-in.html">registered 'conferenceseries.us' as a domain</a>. His short-lived '<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20190718014044/https://biomedconferences.org/">Biomedical Conferences</a>' mimicked the look-and-feel of ConferenceSeries scamsites as closely as possible, in an attempt to freeload on the good reputation of OMICS.</p>
<p><a href="https://forbetterscience.com/tag/ashutosh-tiwari/">Ashutosh Tiwari</a> found <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2017/12/14/predatory-conferences-and-other-scams-of-false-swedish-professor-ashutosh-tiwari">several ways to profit</a> from the vanity of nanotech and advanced-materials academia. His special innovation was to book function rooms aboard the Viking Line fleet of overnight ferries that connect countries around the Baltic Sea, and sell them as Baltic Cruise Conferences. Before that, though, he leveraged his post as Docent Lecturer at Linköping University (Sweden) into a vanity-publishing career, as "VBRI Press". The back-catalog of "Advanced Materials Letters" was free-to-read... then it vanished, and came back as <a href="https://www.vbripress.com/aml/pages/journal-subscription">pay-to-read</a> (if you can't read the pay-to-publish contents, you can't criticise or laugh at them).</p>
<p>I'm not sure which of <a data-id="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/05/on-internet-no-one-knows-youre-dog.html" data-type="URL" href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/05/on-internet-no-one-knows-youre-dog.html">Balwant Rai's portfolio of grifts</a> is currently active. His "<a href="https://domainbigdata.com/jbrconferencegroup.com">JBR Conference Group</a>" meetings aboard the Copenhagen / Oslo overnight ferry (from where could he have taken the idea?) sank without trace in 2019. His JBR-themed journals are moribund. A qualified belief in one's bullshit gives advantages for monetarising it, but for Balwant Rai - <a data-id="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/08/space-dentist-sign-of-time-space.html" data-type="URL" href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/08/space-dentist-sign-of-time-space.html">Space Dentist</a> and <a data-id="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2019/05/26/the-space-dentist/" data-type="URL" href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2019/05/26/the-space-dentist/">broad-spectrum fabulist</a> - his active fantasy life may have overpowered his commercial instincts.</p>
<p>If you don't have your own academic email account, with its spam tray overflowing with more examples, they can be found at D. H. Kaye's <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/">FlakyC</a> blog. Then there's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIT_Life_Sciences">BIT Congress Ltd</a> (a.k.a. BIT Life Sciences and BIT Group Global Ltd): an outlier in this list as it operates from China, selling tourism / travel / accommodation without a history of predatory publishing. It also operates as "<a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-congress-and-congress.html">Pioneer Century Science</a>" and "Global Century Science Group".</p>
<p>After that introduction, meet OLC, <u><a href="https://www.olcinternational.com/">Outlook Conferences International</a></u>.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Our conferences instill a rewarding experience and will empower you to rub elbows with many of the industry leaders. The community of ambitious and accomplished professionals surely helps you spread your impact and optimize your research goals.</span></blockquote>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>Just saying, "rub elbows" are not the words of a native English speaker</i></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRDHD7NgEDI/YPpOIgKpGPI/AAAAAAAAdnA/NhanpBnUNKcVmmxyTJ34Hsti5rQRc6d_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1550/rub.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="1550" height="146" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rRDHD7NgEDI/YPpOIgKpGPI/AAAAAAAAdnA/NhanpBnUNKcVmmxyTJ34Hsti5rQRc6d_ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h146/rub.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cVvVhZIfwZs/YPpZgbVPgbI/AAAAAAAAdnY/cPbySZJUcHkz4U0ZUmTqiCk7sbK_6KT2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/nobels.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cVvVhZIfwZs/YPpZgbVPgbI/AAAAAAAAdnY/cPbySZJUcHkz4U0ZUmTqiCk7sbK_6KT2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/nobels.jpg" width="260" /></a>All this restless activity generates a Swiftian ecology of greater fleas and lesser fleas - the latter consisting of various Big Name scientists who are willing to monetarise their reputations and sell their prestige to any shabby little charade in need of credibility, and to deliver Plenary Address in return for flattery or payment. By now, Leonid's readers should not be shocked by the venality of Nobel Laureates nor by the low price of their virtue. Meanwhile Professor Herbert Gleitner (Academician of German Science) works both sides of the street, performing for <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2019/10/02/leopoldina-and-tiwaris-scamferences-or-whats-the-point-of-academies/">Tiwari's Malacca-Strait cruises</a> but also <a href="https://www.bitcongress.com/nanobiox_dalian2021/">for BIT</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U-tscMCR1h0/YPpic3XVz_I/AAAAAAAAdno/KdHc24Swyj4lGz9OsOAZAUO3_c0pApSkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/callgirls.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="384" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U-tscMCR1h0/YPpic3XVz_I/AAAAAAAAdno/KdHc24Swyj4lGz9OsOAZAUO3_c0pApSkgCLcBGAsYHQ/w154-h200/callgirls.jpg" width="154" /></a>There is little more to learn about the Webster / Santilli Nanotech meeting in Miami, or how close the world came to runaway informational collapse, for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200805194656/https://www.olcinternational.com/nanotech-2020/">snapshots of the website</a> archived in the Wayback Machine end a month earlier. One of the diagnostic features of scamferences is a policy of amnesia, with websites disappearing as soon as the last cheques have cleared, in contrast to legitimate organisers who take pride in previous meetings in a series, and preserve a record of them.* We can only say that the first basic step for anyone setting up a <i>real</i> academic meeting is to <b>secure a venue</b> and default accommodation options for attendees, whereas the speculative Miami event lacked all of this.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9w9Ws4CxEec/YPpYCIjWtJI/AAAAAAAAdnQ/kNI6QU6Ps4oVjV6qBaLM1jGW3NkaZUybACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/miami.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9w9Ws4CxEec/YPpYCIjWtJI/AAAAAAAAdnQ/kNI6QU6Ps4oVjV6qBaLM1jGW3NkaZUybACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/miami.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BpTOa-qWEdo/YPpUxmnks1I/AAAAAAAAdnI/YbswDOSzOCcFpXbf8dFYqqV7hNB1bxq0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Welcome_Message.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1448" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BpTOa-qWEdo/YPpUxmnks1I/AAAAAAAAdnI/YbswDOSzOCcFpXbf8dFYqqV7hNB1bxq0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Welcome_Message.jpg" /></a>But wait, there's more! Webster had already signed up as Judas Goat for <i><b>another</b></i> Miami nanotech meeting <i>on the same weekend</i> (without Santilli): the <b><a href="https://archive.is/lu26J">9th Global Nanotechnology Congress and Expo</a></b>, to be held at Crown Plaza Miami Airport and / or Sonesta Miami Airport Hotel, with the theme <i>"Intensifying : Next level of Nanotechnology"</i>.</p>
<p>This one was first postponed to August from April on the pretext of the COVID pandemic, then cancelled (on the pretext of COVID) during that narrow window of time between "the trickle of registrations is drying up" and "the hotel needs a deposit to book the Function Room". Attendees (if any) were fobbed off with <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210724094242/https://www.scientificfederation.com/cms/pdfs/283-nanotech-2020-tentative_program.pdf">a 'webinar'</a> a month earlier. Leaving the <b>2nd International Conference & Exhibition</b> in undisputed command of the Nanotech scene in Miami that weekend, and sparing Webster the embarrassment of a double-booking.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bShC4nsK68Y/YPqG6ZpHQ_I/AAAAAAAAdnw/GvNdNR6HL1ItpQESPDaiP5k2mWVV9OWBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/ip.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="500" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bShC4nsK68Y/YPqG6ZpHQ_I/AAAAAAAAdnw/GvNdNR6HL1ItpQESPDaiP5k2mWVV9OWBgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h160/ip.png" width="200" /></a>As it happens, "<a href="https://www.scientificfederation.com/">Scientific Federation</a>" (behind the <b>9th Global Congress and Expo</b>) and "OLC" (<b>behind the 2nd International Conference and Expedition</b>) are <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/2018/12/outlook-conferences-olc.html">the same scammers</a>: Sunnapalli Reddy Sekhar and Vijay Tippani Kumar, of Hyderabad, directors of <a href="https://www.zaubacorp.com/company/SCIFED-PRIVATE-LIMITED/U74999TG2017PTC114139">SciFed Private Ltd</a> and of <a href="https://www.zaubacorp.com/company/OUTLOOK-CONFERENCES-PRIVATE-LIMITED/U74999TG2018PTC129149">Outlook Conferences Private Ltd</a> according to the Indian company registry. In these capacities they staked out domains and websites for <i>more</i> interchangeable scamference companies with the same staff (almost as if avoiding the name 'SciFed' as it becomes synonymous with mendacity): <a href="https://www.thescientistt.com/">TheScientistt</a> <i>[Exploring Science : Promoting Innovation]</i>, and <a href="https://primemeetings.org/">PrimeMeetings</a> <i>[capable of conceptualizing, planning and execution of events in technical field]</i>, and <a href="https://albedomeetings.com/">AlbedoMeetings</a> <i>[Let's Reflect Knowledge]</i>, and <a href="https://www.continuumforums.com/">ContinuumForums</a>. Who came up with these names, Oglaf's <a href="https://www.oglaf.com/roughtrade/vocab/">Vocabulary Bears</a>?</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>Stolen from Oglaf</i></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0IdB2OT9CE/YPpg8RtiGnI/AAAAAAAAdng/lkNIIfq2L4YRjEBWxUL6l2tMjiyJVqYYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s760/vocabulary-bears.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="760" height="161" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D0IdB2OT9CE/YPpg8RtiGnI/AAAAAAAAdng/lkNIIfq2L4YRjEBWxUL6l2tMjiyJVqYYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h161/vocabulary-bears.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g93h2melrOg/Vqf28hGR6DI/AAAAAAAASzE/2uNzPTj2RHM/s1600/green3.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1286" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g93h2melrOg/Vqf28hGR6DI/AAAAAAAASzE/2uNzPTj2RHM/s320/green3.JPG" /></a>I claim some expertise on the activities of these wee scunners, after their <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2016/01/oh-edmund-can-it-be-true-that-i-hold.html">incessant, heavy-handed spam</a> goaded me into earlier bloggery. Call me a Con-man Hipster if you like (a phrase I did not expect to be writing today), but I knew them when they were still petty grifters with a dream, before they sold out and went commercial. They are the classic example of Hyderabad chancers, inspired by the flow of research funds into the OMICS trough to jump aboard the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160608065637/https://scholarlyoa.com/2016/06/07/three-new-low-quality-open-access-publishers/">parasitical-publishing scamwagon themselves</a>, before realising that the <u>real</u> money-stream lay in <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/2017/04/greetings-from-forensic-science.html">mockademic meetings</a>. Readers with a university e-address will be familiar with the SciFed deluge of spam, each solicitation ending with the invitation "to revert" if you wanted to be <strike>taken off their list of targets</strike> targeted with even more. I can only say that they would not be so cavalier with that suggestion if they had seen me reverting on full-moon nights.</p>
<p>Their <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/07/still-working-through-backlog-of.html">special innovation as scammy spammy journal-founders was to create the names of "editorial assistant" sockpuppets</a> for their email solicitations by appending one plausibly-European forename after another (at a time when their competitors in the market preferred First-name+Initial-Letter combinations, in the belief that the victims of the spam were more likely to trust anonymous sockpuppets). This nominal profligacy might explain why the <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/people/?firstName=Scifed&lastName=%2B&origin=SEO_PSERP">LinkedIn accounts for supposed SciFed publishing functionaries</a> are identified by job titles but <i>no names at all</i>, our heroes having exhausted their stock.</p>
<p>All that is moot, now, and those nameless LinkedIn accounts have nothing to occupy their virtual time... Sekhar and Kumar stopping bothering to pay domain fees, so their journal website and all the archives vanished back into the quantum vacuum from whence it sprang.** I should be more sympathetic to the gullibillies who paid $$$ to have their opuscules and brain-droppings <strike>published</strike> hosted in perpetuity on the Interweb, but nothing of value was lost.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZJsuUPwHMg/XgrrTwwlMXI/AAAAAAAAavs/GymKFq8_T2UlyF1GKVxXgv3AqMX9ISBLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/and-nothing-of-value-was-lost.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZJsuUPwHMg/XgrrTwwlMXI/AAAAAAAAavs/GymKFq8_T2UlyF1GKVxXgv3AqMX9ISBLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/and-nothing-of-value-was-lost.jpg" width="260" /></a>I should also show more sympathy to people who handed over $$$ to attend a SciFed / Prime / Outlook / Continuum / Albedo / Thescientistt congress that was <strike>cancelled at the last minute</strike> never designed to occur. Comments in <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/post/Predatory_conferences_and_publishing_new_developments">a ResearchGate thread</a> are consistent: 'Reimbursing fees for a cancelled event' is not part of the SciFed business model.</p>
<p>Sometimes, almost by accident, meetings do happen. Suffice to say that the hosting competence of this pair of wazzcocks matches their publishing capability. At an earlier stage of their career, they listed the details of their paid-up suckers <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/07/dear-suckers-people-attending.html">in a spreadsheet</a> (including email addresses for future spamming), and then left it lying around, unsecured, on their website.</p>
<p>We linger on the topic of Thomas Webster. Under the aegis of <u>TheScientistt</u>, he <i>also</i> signed up as Plenary Judas Goat for the <b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200929173203/https://www.thescientistt.com/biomaterials-conference/">Global Summit on Biomaterials and Applications 2020</a></b>, in Valencia. "Due to the outbreak of COVD-19", GSBA-2020 was postponed for a year to allow more Abstracts and fees to trickle in, while morphing into <b><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210122002523/https://www.thescientistt.com/materials-science-engineering/">Global Summit and Expo on Materials Science and Engineering</a></b>, GSEMSE-2021 (the pandemic has been a great boon for the scamference industry). But perhaps Webster's name lost its <i>cachet</i> as a drawcard.*** Anyway, a small-print last-minute announcement informs us that the 2021 version was cancelled.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KidVUHY_6E/YPqQDv2HRyI/AAAAAAAAdn4/QpJFOQKRodgCvrAAgQL-zlHvSR48zml3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s3325/webster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="946" data-original-width="3325" height="114" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2KidVUHY_6E/YPqQDv2HRyI/AAAAAAAAdn4/QpJFOQKRodgCvrAAgQL-zlHvSR48zml3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h114/webster.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>This one-year delay was not enough for accommodation options to materialise, nor a physical venue where this speculative event might convene. No sign of a provisional program, not even an Organising Committee tasked with pulling a program together. It is clear that our heroes never intended to make the meeting a thing. I am confident, though, that Webster was not a knowing party to the con.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o1Tml5C0B5E/YPqzOndaEII/AAAAAAAAdoQ/sAnKTEJLBkUMwpx8T_-kzgnmByLefwSBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/marseille.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o1Tml5C0B5E/YPqzOndaEII/AAAAAAAAdoQ/sAnKTEJLBkUMwpx8T_-kzgnmByLefwSBACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/marseille.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>So far the menace of COVID-19 has <b>not</b> forced the cancellation of not one, not four, but <b>three</b> TheScientistt congresses to be staged in Marseille over a single weekend in mid-November <i>[h/t Pepijn van Erp]</i>. Venues have yet to be named, but if the indeterminacy collapses into a single Function Room at the Marseille Ibis with three symposium streams speaking at three podia concurrently, this is part of the standard <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/12/futurological-congress.html">scamference practice</a> and <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-congress-and-congress.html">business model</a>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yk4js0CN9as/YPqx9m9xkQI/AAAAAAAAdoI/X8pacpwxWP0a25ezHLUD8I4BZdUeRXkgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/vaccine.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yk4js0CN9as/YPqx9m9xkQI/AAAAAAAAdoI/X8pacpwxWP0a25ezHLUD8I4BZdUeRXkgACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/vaccine.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iYg2DAiT9K8/YPqxnqeMCmI/AAAAAAAAdoA/wNuJ6MfhlDghUcHa5DcDJ6JMYZtb1fCkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/vaccine.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iYg2DAiT9K8/YPqxnqeMCmI/AAAAAAAAdoA/wNuJ6MfhlDghUcHa5DcDJ6JMYZtb1fCkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/vaccine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<p>Keynote Speaker for the <a href="https://www.thescientistt.com/vaccines-research/">Vaccines Research & Development</a> thread will be another old friend: <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2019/06/26/vaccine-critic-yehuda-shoenfeld-elected-member-of-israel-academy/">Yehuda Shoenfeld</a>, bringing the <i>imprimatur</i> of the <u>Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities</u> to legitimise this con, while rehashing his personal brand of anti-vaccine flim-flam. The presence of other promised speakers is less certain, for sometimes fly-by-night fraudsters have been known to <i>lie</i> about stuff. Professor Peter Hotez is listed, which came as a surprise to Hotez when Leonid emailed him.</p>
<p>Please excuse a brief digression about earlier Vaccines events, held with confusingly-similar titles under the SciFed rubric. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180330133946/http://scientificfederation.com/vaccines-2019/index.php">Only fragments survive</a> of the <b>3rd Global Conference And Expo On Vaccines Research & Development</b>, March 25-26 2019, in Milan. Someone did <a href="https://10times.com/vaccines-r-d-milan">preserve a record</a> of the speakers. To show the quality of the curation, celebrated antivaxxer <a href="https://archivio.ocasapiens.org/index.php/tag/antonietta-gatti/">Antonietta Gatti</a> was <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210729113001/https://10times.com/profile/antonietta-m-gatti-29626354">an Invited Speaker</a>, reporting her latest discoveries of <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/02/for-external-use-only-avoid-contact.html">nanoparticles everywhere</a> <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/02/poisons-in-my-bloodstream-poisons-in-my.html">making vaccines deadly</a>. Also, <b>Giulio Tarro</b>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56Gdu7tJ1bY/YQIUEA8xVEI/AAAAAAAAdpc/atWKiKCnxXgj0XUI5wUftJEjN7Du0VfngCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/tarro.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="900" height="134" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56Gdu7tJ1bY/YQIUEA8xVEI/AAAAAAAAdpc/atWKiKCnxXgj0XUI5wUftJEjN7Du0VfngCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h134/tarro.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G38RsJ1DgSA/YQKUcJty3DI/AAAAAAAAdps/7KD0ci3O1y4pjlhdL__jvNApz-WFl4oswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1925/tarroprize.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1925" data-original-width="1488" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G38RsJ1DgSA/YQKUcJty3DI/AAAAAAAAdps/7KD0ci3O1y4pjlhdL__jvNApz-WFl4oswCLcBGAsYHQ/w154-h200/tarroprize.jpg" width="154" /></a>Tarro must have found the experience fulfilling (and they awarded him a Certificate!!), so he reappeared at the <b><a href="https://www.scientificfederation.com/vaccines-2020/">4th Global Conference and Expo on Vaccines Research & Development</a></b>, February 10-11 2020, in Lisbon (theme: "<i>Enhancing the Quality of Vaccine and Initiation of New Medicine</i>"). As well as the first <a href="https://www.scientificfederation.com/vaccines-2020/speakers.php">Plenary Speaker</a>, he features on the <a href="https://www.scientificfederation.com/vaccines-2020/committee.php">Organising Committee</a> as Conference Chairperson. In that capacity, <a href="https://www.salusdivinae.com/index.php/winners/2019-winner-prof-dott-giulio-tarro-md-phd.html">a link informs us</a> that he was 2019's "most important virologist of the year and nominated for the Nobel award".</p>
<p>The website is even more of an optical crime scene than usual, with clashing garish colours, agitated movement, flashing police-emergency lights, and intrusive pop-up suggestions that you provide them with your email details for additional begging letters.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hpDeDsDxKwI/YQIeZa_lt3I/AAAAAAAAdpk/aY7cpvVcO4UgCd3Et6T9VxNyaFzTBrsTgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/tarro2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hpDeDsDxKwI/YQIeZa_lt3I/AAAAAAAAdpk/aY7cpvVcO4UgCd3Et6T9VxNyaFzTBrsTgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/tarro2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Giulio Tarro was once again <a href="https://www.scientificfederation.com/vaccines-research-development/speakers.php">a headline act</a> at the <a href="https://www.scientificfederation.com/vaccines-research-development/" style="font-weight: bold;">5th Global Conference And Expo On Vaccines Research & Development</a>. This supposedly occurred March 15-17 2021, in Osaka, though in the absence of a venue or a Scientific Program, skepticism is understandable. The organisers took "<i>Providing Foundations To Understand The Role Of Vaccines In Improving Health Across The Globe</i>" as their theme, but in a fleeting moment of honesty about priorities they promoted it as "<i>Providing a holistic experience of academic tourism</i>".</p>
<p><a href="https://www.salusdivinae.com/images/Giulio-Tarro---Salus-Divinae.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="588" height="200" src="https://www.salusdivinae.com/images/Giulio-Tarro---Salus-Divinae.jpg" width="191" /></a>Imagine my surprise to find that Giulio Tarro <a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulio_Tarro">has accomplished <b>nothing</b></a> since his work as Albert Sabin's student <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/185/4155/926.3">in the late 60s / early 1970s</a>, and all his prizes and titles and Nobel nominations are purchased or self-conferred. His incapacity explains his subsequent steady rise through the feudal ranks of Italian academia, as the Italian mediocracy has been compared to organised crime, in the way that the <i>Baroni</i> value incompetence in their minions as an unfakeable signal of loyalty (actual <i>ability</i> could easily lead to independence).
</p>
<p>As for Tarro's collaboration with Sabin on herpesviruses as the cause of cancer, his main accomplishment then was to rob his mentor of reputation and several months' work, as Sabin pored through data and re-performed experiments while <a href="https://drc.libraries.uc.edu/bitstream/handle/2374.UC/701649/19760704_tape7.pdf">he traced the source of the fraudulent results</a>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_4bLhH4E06s/YQKYzTRqdNI/AAAAAAAAdp0/0guiduqqvgI3iRqx4p_FsWBOd15R-kmEACLcBGAsYHQ/s1450/sabin.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1450" height="118" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_4bLhH4E06s/YQKYzTRqdNI/AAAAAAAAdp0/0guiduqqvgI3iRqx4p_FsWBOd15R-kmEACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h118/sabin.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Suffice to say that Tarro is yet <b>another</b> old friend of <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/tag/giulio-tarro/">Forbetterscience</a> (and of <a href="https://ocasapiens.org/2021/04/26/quiz-da-querele/">OcaSapiens</a>). Sunnapalli Reddy Sekhar and Vijay Tippani Kumar, if you're reading this, and if you need <i>more</i> disgraced charlatans and mountebanks for your next mockademic con-job, there must be a few names left in Leonid's archives.</p>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Oglaf impression of Plenary Speakers</i></div>
<p><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0En8xV0xZYo/UL3Dg5-bTBI/AAAAAAAAKhU/23Ry35jVMow/s405/zoo2.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="405" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0En8xV0xZYo/UL3Dg5-bTBI/AAAAAAAAKhU/23Ry35jVMow/s320/zoo2.JPG" width="260" /></a>Enough of that digression. We are waiting to hear back from Prof Harald zur Hausen, 2008 Nobel Prizewinner in Physiology / Medicine, about his advertised <strike>talking-bear prostitute</strike> performing-bear status at at least <b>four</b> of these money-extraction opportunities. The claims of his attendance may be just embellishments, or leakage from alternative realities.</p>
<p>As <u>ScientificFederation</u>, our heroes assert that Prof. zur Hausen addressed the <b><a href="https://archive.is/ibGgU">13th International Conference And Expo On Nanotechnology & Nanomaterials</a></b> on July 12-14 (theme : <i>Exploring Novel Facets To The World In Nanotechnology</i>), on the topic "Bacterial plasmid-derived infectious agents as a novel class linked to common human cancers (colon, breast and prostate)". The claim would be more plausible if the link to the Abstract Book led anywhere else but to <a href="https://archive.is/kGrHb">a 404 Error</a>, or if the Venue Address was more specific than just "Barcelona".</p>
<p>Wearing their <u>TheScientistt</u> hats, they promise his Plenary presence at the <b><a href="https://archive.is/FODwj">Global Summit on Cancer Research and Therapy</a></b> (GSCR2021) in Marseille, November 11-13, 2021. Details of other speakers have stalled at the stage of "will be updated soon".</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Vs6eu1zAC4/YPv5SN82VLI/AAAAAAAAdoo/bNaxmahgVS8VFOEilxOBFIXB5oFBeZxUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1895/hausen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="1895" height="101" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Vs6eu1zAC4/YPv5SN82VLI/AAAAAAAAdoo/bNaxmahgVS8VFOEilxOBFIXB5oFBeZxUwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h101/hausen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Also, the <b><a href="https://www.thescientistt.com/womens-health/">Global Summit on Women Health and Breast Cancer</a></b> (WHBC2022) in Tokyo, April 21-23, 2022. His topic: "A novel class of infectious agents and their relationship to breast- and colon cancer".</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zNCiHDjLUrM/YPv36_1PoII/AAAAAAAAdog/SGenLhdkHRUgkCEqtpSkqgfabgwQjMf4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/tokyo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="1920" height="119" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zNCiHDjLUrM/YPv36_1PoII/AAAAAAAAdog/SGenLhdkHRUgkCEqtpSkqgfabgwQjMf4QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h119/tokyo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>This follows immediately after <b>PHARMAMEET2022, <a href="https://albedomeetings.com/pharmameet/index.php">International Meet on Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Systems</a></b> in Tokyo, April 18-20, 2022 (organized by <u>Albedo Meetings)</u> - saving Prof. zur Hausen an extra trip. This will be a star-studded event, with the <a href="https://albedomeetings.com/pharmameet/index.php#speakers">other Plenary Speakers</a> including Prof. Sir <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Blundell">Tom Blundell</a>, Director of Research at Cambridge (also listed as Chairman of the sorry charade); <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Rabbitts">Terry Rabbitts FRS</a> of the ICR; and ... wait... Shoenfeld again. Oh joy, more confirmatory emails to send.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2tgP497wo4/YPv3Yn22UNI/AAAAAAAAdoY/lwxpKMUWQ20bKD4s8ipqCqmn4YodvJ2rwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1900/pharma.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1900" height="184" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m2tgP497wo4/YPv3Yn22UNI/AAAAAAAAdoY/lwxpKMUWQ20bKD4s8ipqCqmn4YodvJ2rwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h184/pharma.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>The theft of Nobel Committee intellectual property (i.e. the Nobel medal as background adornment for webpages) is in keeping with the rest of SciFed ethics.</p>
<p>These phantasmagoric pseudo-seminars proliferate and pullulate beyond the capacity of one person to check the attendance of everyone who's listed. Readers are invited to trawl through the plethora of Speaker lists in search of familiar names. The border controls protecting New Zealand from COVID remain in force, making it unlikely that Prof. Olaf Diegel (of the University of Auckland, NZ) will attend <b><a href="https://www.thescientistt.com/3dprinting/">3D PRINTING-2021</a></b> in Paris (September 20-21). I have emailed him, asking if the promise of a Plenary Speech is reality-based, and (if it is) requesting his review of the event experience.</p>
<p>That said, it is plausible that Elias Aifantis (<i>another</i> <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/05/07/my-heart-belongs-to-daddy-so-i-simply-couldnt-be-bad/">old friend of FBS</a>) will speak at the <b><a href="https://www.thescientistt.com/nanotechnology-nanomaterials/2022/">2nd Global Summit and Expo on Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials</a></b> (GSENN2022) in Copenhagen. For Ruggero Santilli is also a headline act, and he and Aifantis run in the same circles:</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2020/05/flogen-sips-conferences-where-nobelists-meet-fringe-scientists-and-frauds/">FLOGEN SIPS conferences, where Nobelists meet fringe scientists and frauds</a></span></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>[h/t Pepijn van Erp again]</i></div>
<p><i>Sir</i> Santilli, I should say: since his induction into the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Saint_Agatha">Equestrian Order of St Agatha</a> by the Republic of San Marino, he insists on the honorific. I suspect that an opportunity to unfurl his list of self-assigned titles and accomplishments is all the incentive Sir Santilli needs to provide a Plenary Speech, requiring no other honorarium. Although not a Nobel Laureate, Sir Santilli boasts of having sockpuppets and meatpuppets to nominate him regularly to the Nobel Committee, which is practically the same thing.</p>
<p>What is it about Nanotech, by the way, that attracts these grifters? Do the researchers have more surplus funding to flush down the scamference toilet compared to other academic specialties, or do they just have less to fear from scrutiny by their funders?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * *</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i5gKKBy-DM0/YQIMMaJPPxI/AAAAAAAAdpU/dFb703xXQBE_7zeyMQRJmptGHdFAUwtEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/footer-logo.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i5gKKBy-DM0/YQIMMaJPPxI/AAAAAAAAdpU/dFb703xXQBE_7zeyMQRJmptGHdFAUwtEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/footer-logo.png" /></a>UPDATE: Leonid asked me to add something about 'Pagesconferences' as well, brought to us by 'Pangea Global Events'. The websites for these events are similar to those of the SciFed stable. This may just reflect the curriculum of web-design education in Hyderabad, as it is the work of a different grifter: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210729010144/https://domainbigdata.com/nj/NUy9kznMrhxy6O-d8t33U5_oSzz-WRm48Ix3fO6V2jw">Pavan Kumar Jalluri</a>. His indefatigable skiving and unfamiliarity with English caught the attention of <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/2020/12/pangea-global-events-is-dedicated-to.html">D. H. Kaye</a>. I don't want to lead you too far this rabbit-hole... but just look at the speakers for <b><a href="https://www.pagesconferences.com/traditional-alternative-medicine/">Global Conference on Traditional and Alternative Medicine</a></b>, March 14-16 2022, in Barcelona! GCTAM2022 is going to be <b>epic</b>. </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JaE-0jw-39E/YQH-xQ1y7uI/AAAAAAAAdpE/49QvThxZa7ES6rmmdrEtxF9Wn3BrcBbgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/pages.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JaE-0jw-39E/YQH-xQ1y7uI/AAAAAAAAdpE/49QvThxZa7ES6rmmdrEtxF9Wn3BrcBbgACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/pages.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Thomas Webster is there, still claiming Northeastern University as his affiliation. Bharat Aggarwal is a <a href="https://retractionwatch.com/category/by-author/bharat-aggarwal/">litigious vexation and an Alt-Med fraudster</a> on an industrial scale, who stopped curing cancers with turmeric and left the University of Texas (M D Anderson Cancer Center) under a faked-results-shaped cloud <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bharat_Aggarwal">back in 2015</a>, but he still uses that affiliation for purposes of grifting. The cream of the jest, though, is the presence of Alireza Heidari, whose "California South University" is entirely his own invention.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This guy might deserve his own thread, because he has apparently set up a whole fake university website just to list his "more than one thousand reputed international awards, prizes, scholarships and honors".<a href="https://t.co/uNPX13DCLo">https://t.co/uNPX13DCLo</a></p>— Elisabeth Bik (@MicrobiomDigest) <a href="https://twitter.com/MicrobiomDigest/status/1231301087128219648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<p>There are serious doubts about Heidari's very existence, for the only extant image of him is a Photoshop composition using a stock "library-shelves" background... he may be an elaborate hoax, or a way of flagging the parasitical predation of the 639 journals that recruited him as Editor, or a <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=%22alireza+heidari%22">prolific paper-faking algorithm</a> that gained sentience. This did not stop the <b><a href="https://www.pagesconferences.com/immunology-microbiology/">International Conference on Immunology and Microbiology</a></b>, November 15-17 2021, in Luxembourg City, from promoting Heidari to its <a href="https://www.pagesconferences.com/immunology-microbiology/committee.php">Scientific Board</a> - this time representing the <u>American International Standards Association</u>, which is just as non-existent as CSU.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_lkuaEMwFQ4/YQIK3mxY2VI/AAAAAAAAdpM/OhWADI86EPgfesKGyNuYN5mSzu5jS8NpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s3322/pages2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="3322" height="114" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_lkuaEMwFQ4/YQIK3mxY2VI/AAAAAAAAdpM/OhWADI86EPgfesKGyNuYN5mSzu5jS8NpwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h114/pages2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>More relevantly, Prof. zur Hausen has evidently succumbed to Pangean blandishments and will legitimise ICIM2021 with an invited speech (along with the egregious Tarro). I can't help wondering how many perfectly cromulent invitation he has to turn down, to leave spare time for all these scamferences.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * *</p>
<p><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mS9I1yNDW1w/WXxy3TaTFjI/AAAAAAAAV_o/7VedNFhBo50AEy_kV0-siD60_bf5i7XAQCLcBGAs/s1522/aliens.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1522" data-original-width="1350" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mS9I1yNDW1w/WXxy3TaTFjI/AAAAAAAAV_o/7VedNFhBo50AEy_kV0-siD60_bf5i7XAQCLcBGAs/w284-h320/aliens.png" width="284" /></a>* Other characteristics include rogues-galleries of Plenary Speaker headshots that suffered Procrustean compression or elongation from their original dimensions to fit into a square grid, with grotesque consequences; and annoyingly animated websites, pimped out with scrolling image carousels and endless activity and every blinking pop-up distraction that the HTML-jockeys could find. 'Understated elegance' is not a visual-communication virtue taught in Hyderabad schools of web design.</p>
<p>** In lieu of those vanished SciFed journals, MPDI outlets are listed as Journal Partners for several of these congress-shaped phenomena. This is in keeping with what we know of MPDI.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FsEhpzscQ04/YP1F6Pf99AI/AAAAAAAAdow/kXrQKSx2xhMUg15miwM7BzRRLPOpavVZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/processes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1280" height="306" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FsEhpzscQ04/YP1F6Pf99AI/AAAAAAAAdow/kXrQKSx2xhMUg15miwM7BzRRLPOpavVZgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h306/processes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>*** As any fule kno, a Cachet is a small cache.</p>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-53566466594411983352021-07-01T02:57:00.003-07:002021-07-01T19:57:16.107-07:00The Ukrainian Connection<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-niWAy6r8apM/YNhymtGKwiI/AAAAAAAAdjI/UvgCLqrmDtQVNDrlzUJO6Qn0NOADXCwmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s750/smd.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="460" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-niWAy6r8apM/YNhymtGKwiI/AAAAAAAAdjI/UvgCLqrmDtQVNDrlzUJO6Qn0NOADXCwmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w196-h320/smd.jpg" width="196" /></a>We begin with <a href="http://flakyj.blogspot.com/2021/03/scandia-now-covers-all-of-human-and.html">the disturbing news</a> that '<u><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandia_(journal)">Scandia</a></u>' - a small but respected Scandiwegian history journal - acquired an evil doppelgänger, without even a Van Dyke beard to distinguish it from the original. Though the pretender did have different editors, and contact details, and a vastly broadened interdisciplinary scope ('interdisciplinary' does <b>not</b> refer to "the interval of recovery time that separates two sessions of Loving Correction with Madame Whiplash").</p>
<p>Which is to say, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/495421a">the Journal Pirates</a> are back! Brandishing cutlasses, pillaging and looting, or at the very least constructing spurious websites in the hope of trousering a few $K from gullibillies who don't stop to wonder why a previously free-to-publish journal has started charging its contributors.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BvRDK7HYLHc/YNqAOYEjfQI/AAAAAAAAdk4/bHJiNvPmnEgBp08z0MSwVrqXCykuF2-ogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/captain.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1269" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BvRDK7HYLHc/YNqAOYEjfQI/AAAAAAAAdk4/bHJiNvPmnEgBp08z0MSwVrqXCykuF2-ogCLcBGAsYHQ/w159-h200/captain.jpg" /></a>The phenomenon is just one niche within the vibrant exuberant ecosystem of predatory publishing, begat when the Author-Pays paradigm of open-access academic publishing fell in love with the career necessity of paper productivity. It deserves to be approached from multiple directions.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/2101/2101.01224.pdf">a recent <strike>ArXiv preprint</strike></a> <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-021-04056-0">publication</a>, Anna Abalkina (2021) thought through the implications of doppelgänger stolen-identity journals having precarious income streams, on account of their marginality. <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2012/10/philip-henry-gosse-thou-art-vindicated.html">Faking a history in the industry</a> is beneficial for <u>any</u> academic-publishing predator -- for anyone sufficiently gullible or venal to be a potential client would still rather publish in an established journal than contribute to the inaugural issue of an speculative venture -- but it becomes more pressing for doppelgängers. But from the marginality again, and the uncertainty of any return, it follows that doppelgängers will minimise effort (even more than one expects from parasites and predators).</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPdbJneBdRc/YN2R-7bzMbI/AAAAAAAAdmQ/S8xqIZAfiDoKu2T4Bn3elpCi4RxhLeWowCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/captain2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1148" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YPdbJneBdRc/YN2R-7bzMbI/AAAAAAAAdmQ/S8xqIZAfiDoKu2T4Bn3elpCi4RxhLeWowCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/captain2.jpg" /></a>So one business model for journal piracy is to assume the identity of an ex-journal, taking advantage of its earlier issues. The default approach runs like this:</p>
<p>1. Choose a specialty scholarly website (or preferably no on-line presence at all, just printed editions), but with a web-verifiable reputation attesting to its non-fictitious nature. Journals with a non-Anglophone home country are especially desirable, as reducing the chance that its ex-proprietors will notice and complain.</p>
<p>2. Usurp its identity with an imposter website, often constructed on OJS,* though inviting submissions on a vastly-broadened purview of cross-disciplinary diversity: open to science, maths, agriculture, medicine, sociology, history and odes to small lumps of green putty found in one's armpit. Steal imagery from the real journal to make the replicant more convincing, as well as the back-issues and perhaps the editorial board, because who's to stop you?</p>
<p><a href="https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6143/5975181369_a773aac86c_m.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="165" src="https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6143/5975181369_a773aac86c_m.jpg" /></a>3. Disseminate that invitation in a spam deluge of biblical proportions. Mentioning the publication fee in the spam is optional... you may prefer to wait until the suckers have delivered the manuscripts into your grasp and committed themselves to publication.</p>
<p>Phase 3 is where anyone with an '.ac' email address finds their in-trays overflowing with spam from <u><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160421022354/https://scholarlyoa.com/2014/05/02/red-alert-polish-scholarly-journal-is-hijacked/">Sylwan</a></u>, <a href="https://twitter.com/jeffrey_beall/status/670635396364181504">Transylvanian Review</a>, <a href="https://scholarlyoa.com/2013/08/13/icelandic-journal/">Jökull</a>,... Which is what brought the whole grift earlier to the attentions of <a href="https://scholarlyoa.com/2014/05/02/red-alert-polish-scholarly-journal-is-hijacked/">Jeffrey Beall</a>, and now to <a href="http://flakyj.blogspot.com/2021/03/scandia-now-covers-all-of-human-and.html">D. H. Kaye</a>. And before that, to Mehrad Jalalian, another go-to expert. Beall's site is no more, but anonymous helpful brownies maintain his <a href="https://beallslist.net/hijacked-journals/">minatory table of journal imposters</a>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aTUR1yGSeOE/YNp99zrtfII/AAAAAAAAdkw/r-4bWM4j8hsUWQtu64bOMBshAz2DsQQSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s3344/scandia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="3344" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aTUR1yGSeOE/YNp99zrtfII/AAAAAAAAdkw/r-4bWM4j8hsUWQtu64bOMBshAz2DsQQSgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h113/scandia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>We are now equipped to return to the case of <u>Scandia</u>. Its copycat website turns out to be the <i>second</i>. The first <strike>Suspender</strike> pretender (in 2016 or thereabouts) involved a threadbare unconvincing website; the thieves took no pride in their work, and did not even bother to assemble the supposed archives. Their hearts were not in it, and the spamming was too meagre to bring the imposture to wider attention, so it died from neglect rather than from hostile legal countermeasures.**</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LFMkrZdfzQw/YNpsmrUkboI/AAAAAAAAdko/5YUaT_gkb3oNoTsMet_L_iGmFpkqN3HhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s470/baxter.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LFMkrZdfzQw/YNpsmrUkboI/AAAAAAAAdko/5YUaT_gkb3oNoTsMet_L_iGmFpkqN3HhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/baxter.jpg" /></a>Raising the <strike>erotic</strike> tension to fever-pitch, <a href="https://domainbigdata.com/91.230.121.142">we learn from DomainBigData</a> that the (current) copycat website shares a Ukrainian IP server with <u>Arctic Journal</u>; and with '<span style="font-family: courier; font-size: small;">Scienceborders.com</span>'. The excitement never stops at <i>Riddled</i>!</p>
<p>The former was <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/arctic-journal-university-calgary-fake-publication-scam-1.5138488">cloned from a Canadian journal</a> a few years earlier. "Scienceborders" is an ill-thought-out venture in parasitical publishing, trying to create or fill a Portal-shaped gap between "predatory journal" and "library", and promising to accept manuscripts and money and make <b><i>both</i></b> disappear. <a href="https://scienceborders.com/paycost.html">$540, for instance</a>, will suffice to have <a href="https://scienceborders.com/payment.html">a 12-page manuscript edited, translated, formatted, approved and rendered inaccessible</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-shbW8ONMgbM/YNm8qJoSubI/AAAAAAAAdkQ/uM18iEmymY4DFMas3lRljPXFgm0cnj2QwCLcBGAsYHQ/s940/available.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="940" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-shbW8ONMgbM/YNm8qJoSubI/AAAAAAAAdkQ/uM18iEmymY4DFMas3lRljPXFgm0cnj2QwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h272/available.png" width="280" /></a>Interested non-readers are offered <a href="https://scienceborders.com/archive.html">a sample of 10 titles</a> - purportedly a sample of a larger number of contributions that have been concealed completely - with an promise to provide access to each paper <i>per se</i>, in return for $100 each (or you could just go to the open-access predatory journals from which those titles were scraped).</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">please note that after you make the payment, the username and the password to access the article will be emailed to you within 2days (48 hours), because transactions are being monitored by our security department in case of fraud.</span></blockquote>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gVBsh6U2GTk/YNm80pKaV1I/AAAAAAAAdkU/oSrxIWH-TRcRVzVKzxTFCjfNTM9IBDfuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s515/georgia.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="515" height="81" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gVBsh6U2GTk/YNm80pKaV1I/AAAAAAAAdkU/oSrxIWH-TRcRVzVKzxTFCjfNTM9IBDfuwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h81/georgia.png" width="200" /></a>It is difficult to imagine any academics who are desperate enough to fall for a grift that offers precisely nothing, but that didn't stop the 'Science Borders' instigators from setting up <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2015/01/we-read-latest-venereal-journals.html">another <b>six websites</b></a> with the same package deal of nothing: <a href="http://arenaofsciences.com/index.php?cID=140">Arena of Sciences</a> (World's Pioneer Publishing Corporation); <a href="https://knowledge-insights.org/archive.html">Knowledge Insights</a>; <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161031185626/http://leadingpublishersportal.com/home">Leading Publishers</a>; <a href="https://pioneer-scientists.org/archive.html">Pioneer Scientists</a>; <a href="http://researchpioneers.com/archive.html">Research Pioneers</a>; Science Route Online. They have their own samples of inaccessibly published papers. All seven claimed to be operations of the <a href="http://www.datalog.co.uk/browse/detail.php/CompanyNumber/SL018524/CompanyName/MELLATRON+LP">Mellatron Limited Partnership</a> (registered 24/10/14, company registration SL018524), which may or may not be related to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170503071525/http://scienceborders.com:80/index.html">Melatron Georgia Ltd</a>. Each has its own samples of inaccessibly published papers, claiming to represent a much larger archive where not even the titles are knowable. Are you shocked or surprised to find that titles were filched from elsewhere, e.g. from the <a href="http://sylwan.ibles.org/syl/index.php/archive/part/165/4/1/?currentVol=165&currentissue=4">pirated Sylwan</a>?</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNCt6A7PupQ/YNnHmh0VTdI/AAAAAAAAdkg/MTnCSdIblnQ2FhicOXx1gNNxSwYMUqnpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2200/reuse.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="2200" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNCt6A7PupQ/YNnHmh0VTdI/AAAAAAAAdkg/MTnCSdIblnQ2FhicOXx1gNNxSwYMUqnpQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h193/reuse.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p><br /></p><p>Alert readers will have grasped the point that although some of these frauds and thefts have better-designed business models than others, the same people are running this cluster of inept portals - and also <u>Sylwan</u>, <u>Jökull</u>, <u>Transylvanian Review</u>, <u>Arctic</u>, <u>Scandia</u>, <u><a href="https://informatica.vu.lt/journal/INFORMATICA/information/attention">Informatica</a></u> and umpteen others. They will also have noted an important corollary: once a paper has been pilfered for one set of Archives in the network, it is likely to be recycled in another improvised Back-Issue Archive, because the grifters can't afford to waste time. Journals in the network are also linked by frequent-flier predatory authors, publishing their polymathic productivity <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2014/06/first-world-tlon-uqbar-orbis-tertius.html">across multiple Interdisciplinary Journals</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QxY2xgCb6CE/YN2SvhMPo4I/AAAAAAAAdmY/3GV1wBwVveArKXgskpHmmlK4_parOHqygCLcBGAsYHQ/s672/bosun.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="500" height="260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QxY2xgCb6CE/YN2SvhMPo4I/AAAAAAAAdmY/3GV1wBwVveArKXgskpHmmlK4_parOHqygCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/bosun.jpg" /></a>Abalkina (2021) applied a snowball method to these links and mapped out a network of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11192-021-04056-0">57 pirated journals</a>. So rather than over-think things, and extend Abalkina's taxonomy of scam-sites, I will simply refer you there. Also to <a href="https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-8724/2015/0354-87241502073J.pdf">Jalalian & Dadkhah (2015)</a> who have <b>already</b> overthought things in a lengthy inquiry into the exploits of the pirates (and their identities).</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * *</p>
<p>I feel bad about leaving things there with no new material. So let's take another approach to the journal-piracy phenomenon, this time involving some scooby-doo sleuthing and the e-address '<span style="font-family: courier; font-size: small;">scienceresearch1@yahoo.com</span>'.</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YwlT3dzMKd8/YNj5kZHoGsI/AAAAAAAAdjQ/7FrZZAkODl8mkTQd2XHpzHYI6b0h-IWmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/dbd.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YwlT3dzMKd8/YNj5kZHoGsI/AAAAAAAAdjQ/7FrZZAkODl8mkTQd2XHpzHYI6b0h-IWmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/dbd.png" width="270" /></a>
According to <a href="https://archive.is/SCvsE">Intertube records</a> (thanks, <a href="https://domainbigdata.com/yahoo.com/mj/KljnEI0qB26t4febEesdMU2sC1nPH7zpmznEs05wtIw">DomainBigData</a>!), this was used to reserve a series of domains and sites - in conjunction with a Hyderabad location and an Indian phone number, <span style="font-family: courier; font-size: small;">91.7799886448</span>. Most sites remain vacant lots, the exception being '<a href="http://neurobiologyjournal.info">neurobiologyjournal.info</a>', which houses the stub of an aspirational, otherwise-undeveloped "<u>Journal of Current Neurobiology</u>". It proves to be a trapdoor, dropping you (if you set foot on it) into <span style="font-family: courier; font-size: small;"><a href="http://currentneurobiology.org">currentneurobiology.org</a></span> - a slightly more functional site, where we learn that its coverage includes <i>phrenology</i> as an active research topic. It seems that the developers were in two minds at the time about the <i>name</i> of their journal-to-be, for the stub contains an invitation to submit manuscripts to 'editor@<b>cneurobiology.com</b>'.</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-snWen1lcElc/YNj-XaL6yEI/AAAAAAAAdjY/F-4msb2IHuwh51QwRbhWzv0zOGvKt5Z8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/jcn.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-snWen1lcElc/YNj-XaL6yEI/AAAAAAAAdjY/F-4msb2IHuwh51QwRbhWzv0zOGvKt5Z8gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jcn.png" width="214" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHeloGar-40/YNj-XQWDPjI/AAAAAAAAdjc/08a7_g-9YUE67f36j1TyXVNh7ICK9ePUACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/jcn2.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pHeloGar-40/YNj-XQWDPjI/AAAAAAAAdjc/08a7_g-9YUE67f36j1TyXVNh7ICK9ePUACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jcn2.png" width="214" /></a>
<p><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtngkrlU0AASDFD.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="546" height="176" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtngkrlU0AASDFD.jpg" width="200" /></a>There is an allusion to an ex-journal here, '<u><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150912132718/http://www.currentneurobiology.org/past_isuues">Current Neurobiology</a></u>' 1.0 (or an intended confusion with it): once a proudly Indian journal, with ambitions that included high standards, international contributors and a subscription model, before it went tits-up. Then some scoundrels skinned its disinterred corpse to use as the integument for a parasitical-journal fuckpuppet, even constructing <a href="https://currentneurobiology.org/Past-Issue-Volume-5-Issue-1-2014.html">a fake archive of back-issues</a> to increase the plausibility of this pretender (using a mixture of authors' copies pilfered from ResearchGate, and 404 gaps). "Who could do such a dastardly thing?" ***</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4yI3I9ZcEwk/YNkidHs5woI/AAAAAAAAdkI/wEn_vW9WY4MrQMBLnUEjcCsyW-arHBSGACLcBGAsYHQ/s378/open-access-text.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="378" height="80" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4yI3I9ZcEwk/YNkidHs5woI/AAAAAAAAdkI/wEn_vW9WY4MrQMBLnUEjcCsyW-arHBSGACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h80/open-access-text.jpg" width="200" /></a>To bring the suspense to a premature close... that number in Hyderabad is the phone of the OAfs: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161227042023/https://scholarlyoa.com/2015/10/08/publisher-acts-suspiciously-like-omics-group/">staff-turned-competitors from OMICS</a>, operating <a href="http://flakyj.blogspot.com/2017/12/immense-pleasure-from-open-access-text.html">as 'OAText'</a> in an attempt to be <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/07/its-almost-deadline-dont-miss-deadline.html">even skeezier and greedier</a> than their erstwhile employers. It links to <a href="http://researchwallet.com/">'ResearchWallet', the OAText payment money-laundry</a>, where the name is a good insight into the proprietors' priorities. It further links to '<u><a href="https://archive.is/83cpS">Journals Book</a></u>', <span style="font-family: courier; font-size: small;">journalsbook@yahoo.com</span>, <i>another</i> cut-out for not-obviously-OAText domain registration.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SLzq3LwwMKg/YNkQEu-tIoI/AAAAAAAAdjo/Krr5IZFaN5UKlC6jYpLrSeek0fzYT1muwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/rw.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SLzq3LwwMKg/YNkQEu-tIoI/AAAAAAAAdjo/Krr5IZFaN5UKlC6jYpLrSeek0fzYT1muwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/rw.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<p>We have not finished with defunct journals from moribund publishers! Necromancers reanimated the corpse of '<u><a href="http://www.mhfmjournal.com/index.html">Mental Health in Family Medicine</a></u>' from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Organization_of_Family_Doctors">WONCA</a> / <u>Radcliffe</u> and forced it to do their bidding, exhuming <a href="http://www.mhfmjournal.com/Archive.html">its archives</a> and the corpses of the previous list of editors to serve as the <a href="http://www.mhfmjournal.com/Editorial-Board.html">Editorial Board</a> in this new shadowy existence as a prostituted pukefunnel. The original went tits-up <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/968/">in 2013</a>, leaving the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120510160923/http://www.radcliffe-oxford.com:80/journals/J20_Mental_Health_in_Family_Medicine/default.htm">publisher's own website</a> as well as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120503023312/http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/rmp/mhfm">a version hosted at Ingenta</a>, neither of which survived for long. Then there was a year's hiatus before the zombie version surfaced in 2015.</p>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/968/">Original version</a></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dc1EmUxD7fA/YNkXAUcn9rI/AAAAAAAAdkA/bVN4qMiiwIwIWsY3Ru3KdxK0cw_OUl1dgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/wonca.gif" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="75" data-original-width="500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dc1EmUxD7fA/YNkXAUcn9rI/AAAAAAAAdkA/bVN4qMiiwIwIWsY3Ru3KdxK0cw_OUl1dgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/wonca.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>This journal-shaped garbage scow served as the spigot for <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/65504622C7A0D721A96A4A62FAB4F6">a junk paper from a prolific author</a>, as featured last year on <u><a href="https://steamtraen.blogspot.com/2020/04/some-issues-in-recent-gaming-research.html">Steamtraen</a></u>.</p><p>It is not entirely clear <i>which</i> scammer is trading on the appearance of credibility lingering from MHFM 1.0, and its established history, to <a href="http://www.mhfmjournal.com/Authors-Guidlines.html">charge <b>£1600</b></a> for each paper-shaped brainfart they accept. At one point the website for MHFM 2.0 occupied the same dedicated server as 'cneurobiology.com' - implying that it too was a scam from the OAfs. As for the '<span style="font-family: courier; font-size: small;">Openaccessjournals.org</span>' domain used by MHFT (and CNB) for mass-mail spamming, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181105015524/Openaccessjournals.org">that redirected to OAText.com</a> until recently.</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dar9yd_PQtE/YNkU7M3V5dI/AAAAAAAAdj0/B4Hx_O5-nd4uk5mzTKy-OQEPnFAShIgMACLcBGAsYHQ/s767/spam.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="767" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dar9yd_PQtE/YNkU7M3V5dI/AAAAAAAAdj0/B4Hx_O5-nd4uk5mzTKy-OQEPnFAShIgMACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/spam.jpg" width="151" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zxo7yUONtno/YNkU7PoMEKI/AAAAAAAAdjw/4MjCyIfTYgMATrPnRviJtZoC8Ni1Gh_NgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1350/mhfm.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1350" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zxo7yUONtno/YNkU7PoMEKI/AAAAAAAAdjw/4MjCyIfTYgMATrPnRviJtZoC8Ni1Gh_NgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mhfm.jpg" width="277" /></a>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_RWtE-X1Sk/YNqcLPfrVKI/AAAAAAAAdlA/EmsVFCHfbJU7_zTioh3Ee8026FG18O-mQCLcBGAsYHQ/s947/imedpub.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="683" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8_RWtE-X1Sk/YNqcLPfrVKI/AAAAAAAAdlA/EmsVFCHfbJU7_zTioh3Ee8026FG18O-mQCLcBGAsYHQ/w144-h200/imedpub.jpg" width="144" /></a>On the other hand, the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150923052316/http://www.mhfmjournal.com/">2015-2016 recensions of the MHFM 2.0 site</a> branded it as the property of '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OMICS_Publishing_Group">iMedPub</a>', a holding company for the OMICS empire of academic fraud. I can only suppose that the shitweasels at OMICS were the original grave-robbers, and later they sold the zombified corpse to OAText.</p>
<p>Certainly OMICS have experience in journal piracy. Many of its acquisitions are obvious, because of a preference for using "<span style="font-family: courier; font-size: small;">Scholarscentral.org</span>" for online submission and money extraction - that being OMICS' centralised site for the purpose. The shameless identity-theft of "<u>Genetic & Molecular Research</u>" came up <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2021/05/the-papers-are-coming-from-inside-house.html">a few weeks ago</a>.</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-og-moC0M4xk/YJph4GlAzVI/AAAAAAAAdNA/IBaactsQSzktmgS2qDx0CEt5RVXZuW_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/GMR.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-og-moC0M4xk/YJph4GlAzVI/AAAAAAAAdNA/IBaactsQSzktmgS2qDx0CEt5RVXZuW_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/GMR.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4_bYR00cyE/YJpiUUWGCNI/AAAAAAAAdNI/9NGgNpXnDmkAOwVopiMo7P-rTVykFHjUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/gmr_fake.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4_bYR00cyE/YJpiUUWGCNI/AAAAAAAAdNI/9NGgNpXnDmkAOwVopiMo7P-rTVykFHjUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/gmr_fake.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
<br />
<p>Consider "<u>Global Media Journal (American edition)</u>". From 2002 to 2012, this was "hosted by the Center for Global Studies at Purdue University Calumet", as "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120213010433/http://lass.calumet.purdue.edu/cca/gmj/">the official publication of the Global Communication Association</a>". It subsequently lost that official status, in exchange for a €1820 publication fee, and a virtual office address in London that's also used for the fraudsters' mockademic scamferences.</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dwv4AgNqexw/YNqla7t7ShI/AAAAAAAAdlM/uKGyuQwf4NkUmy66yQ4OReK6ixM7tMaoACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/GMJ_old.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dwv4AgNqexw/YNqla7t7ShI/AAAAAAAAdlM/uKGyuQwf4NkUmy66yQ4OReK6ixM7tMaoACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/GMJ_old.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqvzoTznd8Q/YNqla01z4rI/AAAAAAAAdlI/EHVEJkAfJKYhX2jgyeKjfpLjg1sLxgmAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/GMJ.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lqvzoTznd8Q/YNqla01z4rI/AAAAAAAAdlI/EHVEJkAfJKYhX2jgyeKjfpLjg1sLxgmAACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/GMJ.jpg" width="214" /></a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4uValwVoAIcbPB.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="800" height="228" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4uValwVoAIcbPB.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">"...<a href="https://globalmediajournal.wordpress.com/">the OMICS generic edition, based in India, is NOT a part of the GMJ Network. It stands on its own and has nothing to do with the legitimate GMJ editions...</a>"</span></blockquote>
<p>To be scrupulously fair, rather than outright hijacking, GMJ's transfer into the clutches of OMICS seems to have been a legitimate though foolhardy transaction when the erstwhile director shifted institutions. He believed the promises that the new ownership would honour the intentions of his original vision. And great was <a href="https://www.scimagojr.com/journalsearch.php?q=14000156160&tip=sid">the wailing and gnashing of teeth</a> from suckers who thought they had contributed papers to the <i>real</i> GNJ.</p>
<p><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4nHuXbVkA4_SJa.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="800" height="128" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4nHuXbVkA4_SJa.png" width="260" /></a>It would not come as a great surprise if the Indian federal gubblement poured money into supporting a new journal which eventually became another pimped-out fuckpuppet for the OMICS scampire, in a form of corporate welfare, reflecting the importance of academic fraud to the economy. Of course it isn't my problem, but I am curious about "<a href="https://abrinternationaljournal.org">Agricultural and Biological Research</a>".</p>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRxusV7LWzE/YNq2iVH4HOI/AAAAAAAAdlY/1mHQMIY-BQU8W_7pH7-_5YRhoH5QlKPswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/abri1.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRxusV7LWzE/YNq2iVH4HOI/AAAAAAAAdlY/1mHQMIY-BQU8W_7pH7-_5YRhoH5QlKPswCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/abri1.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yK2qBK67dvo/YNq2ijvKCWI/AAAAAAAAdlc/cgi4n2dxwVA-rhfwxnK7498NebXCNxACACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/abri2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yK2qBK67dvo/YNq2ijvKCWI/AAAAAAAAdlc/cgi4n2dxwVA-rhfwxnK7498NebXCNxACACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/abri2.jpg" width="214" /></a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SM-0nK1Sz9U/YNq9GmSuFgI/AAAAAAAAdlo/9tD8J_SraeIDunLxUXUvXEHw4DjpWaWjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/contact.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SM-0nK1Sz9U/YNq9GmSuFgI/AAAAAAAAdlo/9tD8J_SraeIDunLxUXUvXEHw4DjpWaWjQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/contact.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<p>In 2019/2020 this previously subscription-based journal introduced €2000 publishing fees, while adopting Srinubabu Gedala's proprietary system for collecting them. Meanwhile the editors' contact details were bypassed with bogus e-addresses at <span style="font-family: courier; font-size: small;">http://peerjournal.org</span> (the OMICS/iMedPub site for press-release self-congratulation), and website revisions dropped the acknowledgements for the financial support from India's Department of Science and Technology that had made the journal possible. Not necessarily piracy... it may just be that the founding editors decided to cash in by selling the package to Pulsus / OMICS, once no more departmental aid was forthcoming.</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRxusV7LWzE/YNq2iVH4HOI/AAAAAAAAdlY/1mHQMIY-BQU8W_7pH7-_5YRhoH5QlKPswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/abri1.jpg"></a>
<p>The point is made but I found a few more OMICS acquisitions so I might as well include them. The <u>European Journal for Biomedical Informatics</u> was founded with EU support. "Over its 15 years of existence, EJBI continuously received higher recognition and international acknowledgement". Then the founders decided it was <a href="https://efmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/History-of-EJBI-%E2%80%93-Janas-Legacy.pdf">time to entrust the legacy of their creation</a> to professional publishers, but they chose OMICS instead.</p>
<p>People, Gedala's minions have no interest in the noble intellectual heritage that you strive to carry on; their concern is only for your extensive back-catalog and how they can use it to fraud more convincingly.</p>
<p><span style="font-family: times;"><i>How it started</i></span></p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Au-HMx1s-c8/YN01P193nKI/AAAAAAAAdl4/SpNARMnLQwsa0yV27bY7HsMmn2ZaDBnYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1866/transfer.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="1866" height="90" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Au-HMx1s-c8/YN01P193nKI/AAAAAAAAdl4/SpNARMnLQwsa0yV27bY7HsMmn2ZaDBnYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h90/transfer.png" width="400" /></a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><i><span style="font-family: times;">How it's going</span></i></div>
<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4mp_JNVgAIsfo5.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E4mp_JNVgAIsfo5.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>
<p>So far OMICS is winning in this competition for the greatest skeeziness and greed, now <a href="https://retractionwatch.com/2021/06/23/an-exercise-in-frustration-a-researcher-is-impersonated/">hijacking <b>authors</b></a> as well as journals.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sorry this happened to you. FWIW, hijacking articles + identities + adding machine-generated text is a common tactic of OMICS. You are definitely not alone in experiencing this. Along w/ colleagues, I have an article chronicling these tactics which should be published soon.</p>— Kyle Siler (@KyleSiler) <a href="https://twitter.com/KyleSiler/status/1407711585255235585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The text is nonsensical, and possibly computer generated. I suspect they may simply be trying to make the journal seem bigger than it is and give it credibility by lifting from groups who publish in certain areas 🤔</p>— Jamie Burr (@Dr_Burr) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dr_Burr/status/1407533285102833671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<p>I can no longer bring myself to care how the <u><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170608091901/http://ojs.mdpu.org.ua/index.php/biol/about/history">Ukrainian Journal Of Ecology</a></u> (originally the <u><a href="">Biological Bulletin of Bogdan Chmelnitskiy Melitopol State Pedagogical University</a></u>) fell into OMICS' clutches, with a "changed [...] editorial policy" (exclusively English-language, publication fees, an OMICS money-extraction website supplanting its old PKP/OJS framework). The submission system is Scholarscentral and the contact phone number is one used by <u>Longdom</u> (another OMICS polyp), but an attribution of <u>Alex Matsyura Publishing</u> as the source was enough to convince Web-of-Science / <a href="https://mjl.clarivate.com/home">Clarivate</a> that this jizzmop belongs in the <i>Emerging Sources Citation Index</i>.
</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_zXfq3BjI_Y/YN2NJTUhVFI/AAAAAAAAdmE/MAxjLYGZBk8VviBq8gKiUOJ0WkI8AtQ8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/uje1.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_zXfq3BjI_Y/YN2NJTUhVFI/AAAAAAAAdmE/MAxjLYGZBk8VviBq8gKiUOJ0WkI8AtQ8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/uje1.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PcVEPZ9xhS0/YN2NJQ_CpaI/AAAAAAAAdmA/4yzRcPHfoX4RQQwa-YibDEeUDAOORjwzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/uje2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PcVEPZ9xhS0/YN2NJQ_CpaI/AAAAAAAAdmA/4yzRcPHfoX4RQQwa-YibDEeUDAOORjwzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/uje2.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
<p><br /></p><p>* <a href="https://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs/">OJS</a> is an Open Publishing software package, provided by generous people at <a href="https://pkp.sfu.ca/">PKP</a> for anyone who wants to manage the workflow of small-scale journal publishing. I hope that sounds as if I know what I'm talking about. As a freebie, it is a boon to small Learned Societies who want to publish their newsletter or Scholarly Journal without entering the belly of the Elsevier / Springer beast. It is also a boon to parasitical publishers whose objection to paying part of their income from frauding to someone with an honest job (if programmers come under that rubric) is a position of philosophy or ideology.</p>
<p>Their reluctance to <u>pay</u> for software is rivalled only by their reluctance to pay for software support. Hence the spectacle of the Head Shitweasel from PeerTechz <a href="https://forum.pkp.sfu.ca/t/getting-recods-from-ojs-to-pkp-indexed-journal-from-ojo-oai-link/17814/6">prairie-dogging at OJS community sites</a> and wasting other people's time with blegs to help him fraud better (because the complexities of the software and the requirements of Reading HTML were too much for him).</p>
<p>** Old Suspender:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nABGVgT7hK4/XKqtv3dcJzI/AAAAAAAAZcQ/m5BWP0RoFUAVrJY6O4uIgCMJgI6uv8stACLcBGAs/s1600/edward.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="930" height="396" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nABGVgT7hK4/XKqtv3dcJzI/AAAAAAAAZcQ/m5BWP0RoFUAVrJY6O4uIgCMJgI6uv8stACLcBGAs/s400/edward.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>*** A question that was on the lips of my nephew and nieces, that time they looked in their father's freezer for something to cook and found a supermarket plain-pack meat-tray left there by persons unknown, labelled "<span style="font-family: verdana;">Drainpipe Rabbit</span>" and containing a frozen rat.</p>
Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-24422730903235850682021-06-27T04:25:00.002-07:002021-06-27T04:25:47.575-07:00The papers are coming from inside the house! #2 Jilin edition<div style="text-align: center;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted at Leonid Schneider's site, hence the unfrivolous tone. The version there is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story, and by details of Jilin faculty who frauded their way to promotion.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/jilin-university-papermill-and-promotion-1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/jilin-university-papermill-and-promotion-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/jilin-university-papermill-and-promotion-2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/jilin-university-papermill-and-promotion-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/jilin-university-papermill-and-promotion-.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/jilin-university-papermill-and-promotion-.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/jilin-university-papermill-and-promotion-.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/jilin-university-papermill-and-promotion-.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
So it turns out that the communal laboratories and the horizontal transfer of experimental results among research groups are not confined to <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/04/26/spandidos-and-the-paper-mill/">Central South University</a>. Data want to be free!<br />
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" id="2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2 </a><span data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Xiaomeng Zhang</span></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear Hoya Camphorifolia,</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thank you very much your comment. We performed these experiments in a public lab that many doctors conduct their studies there. All images were stored in the same public computer, which caused some images misuse. We will thoroughly examine the raw data and lab records of this paper, and upload correct figures to journal and pubpeer. Thank you very much again pointing out this question.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Best regards</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Xiaomeng Zhang</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">April, 16,2021</p></div></div>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" id="2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2 </a><span data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Yarong Li</span></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div>
<div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear Hoya Camphorifolia, Thank you for your comment, we will examine orignal data and images, and reply your concern soon.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Best regards</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Yarong Li</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">April,19,2021</p></div></div>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" id="4" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#4 </a><span data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Huang Wu</span></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-5fc9b4c7="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear Hoya Camphorifolia,</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thank you for your comment, we will examine orignal data and figure to reply your about this question.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Best regards</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Huang Wu</p></div></div>
<p>I should explain from the beginning. Which is to say, before getting down to the interesting details, this is my chance to indulge in all those vague generalities that no-one would bother reading if they came at the <b>end</b> of a post.</p>
<i><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 3A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BDB7148F4B1CC80021FDB94FAFB366">Jin et al (2015)</a> [19]; Fig 5D from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B7AADC0A7DB3067FFFFF1E6DE51883">Li et al (2017b)</a> [40]</i></div></i>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wwdHH1r7zZU/YNfSVx3IZdI/AAAAAAAAdfk/jv08LbG4LQw4lSEbAsgBTmUaMlSOl8jpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s844/scratch2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="844" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wwdHH1r7zZU/YNfSVx3IZdI/AAAAAAAAdfk/jv08LbG4LQw4lSEbAsgBTmUaMlSOl8jpgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/scratch2.jpg" width="254" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NAdBSZQRzM/YNfSV9fqQcI/AAAAAAAAdfg/gxRPHSl2O8ovG8qnbxTg50efx5nWJI_RQCLcBGAsYHQ/s921/scratch.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="921" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NAdBSZQRzM/YNfSV9fqQcI/AAAAAAAAdfg/gxRPHSl2O8ovG8qnbxTg50efx5nWJI_RQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/scratch.jpg" width="174" /></a>
<p>The systematic invention <i>de novo</i> of an entire research program is a familiar spectacle from US and European science: that is, the manufacture of a series of papers, progressively characterising the cancer-causative or -curing qualities of gene X or protein Y or signalling pathway Z. It is unusual, though, to encounter multiple parallel strands of fabrication within a single institution, using the same building blocks, in a pattern that transcends departments and research groups. Hence my interest in the present <i>oeuvre</i> of <strike>30+</strike> <strike>50+</strike> <strike>80+</strike> over 90 papers.</p><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 4A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C01A0A1E685D702EB3D1C0914FEFAE">Zhang et al (2018)</a> [44]; Fig 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/88E93D5974B21A940600B5D2C53A4A">Liu et al (2019)</a> [47]</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-utV6oQVupes/YNfTg8g1AII/AAAAAAAAdfw/IKie35ESb6wflrZr16MrJXIM5RyKM2AgACLcBGAsYHQ/s2200/facs1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="2200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-utV6oQVupes/YNfTg8g1AII/AAAAAAAAdfw/IKie35ESb6wflrZr16MrJXIM5RyKM2AgACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/facs1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 2D from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/729CED885433A37A4F131EA26AC45C">Guo et al (2018)</a>[42]; Fig 2D from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5841D91D7A22289E6B9408146115B9">Lin et al (2017)</a> [37]</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-W9lmm5KCY/YNfUWnGXeZI/AAAAAAAAdf4/5YjHL67GOTIBKJIEATTaHDmX4A3j4tc4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1752/flaws2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1752" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E-W9lmm5KCY/YNfUWnGXeZI/AAAAAAAAdf4/5YjHL67GOTIBKJIEATTaHDmX4A3j4tc4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/flaws2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>The authors span the administrative structure of Jilin University and its diadem of associated hospitals, while also spanning the gamut of research directions (the salient word there is "research", as these authors are career academics with lovingly curated CVs, not clinicians who just need one paper). However, they all dip into a common pool of versatile Western Blot bands to cut up and rearrange in collage. Arrays of xenograft tumors are shuffled into new identity parades in papers with no authors in common. Colony-formation Petri plates are equally Protean, changing labels and acquiring (or losing) the dots of cancer cells proliferating (or not) after some treatment. It is as if someone in central administration realised that to have each section duplicating the infrastructure of forgery was an inefficient waste of resources, so they established a central Falsification Bureau, to provide <u>any</u> department with junk papers and bogus illustrations tailored to their supposed specialties.</p>
<i><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BE0BCFAAEBB303F0F66A8E9625F22C">Liu et al (2015)</a> [18]; Fig 6D from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EA0E4DF193108D99B627EEB947F72D">Wang et al (2017)</a> [34]</i></div></i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NrlOESlSEaM/YNfUtHZeMuI/AAAAAAAAdgA/-6_a9qUGuYMJZA1TqYNssu7osCG4A37HACLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/colony1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1000" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NrlOESlSEaM/YNfUtHZeMuI/AAAAAAAAdgA/-6_a9qUGuYMJZA1TqYNssu7osCG4A37HACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/colony1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>The <i>oeuvre</i> appeared mainly in <i>Spandidos</i> journals... branding out into <u>American Journal of Cancer Research</u> and <u>American Journal of Translational Research</u> and <u>International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Pathology</u> from <i>e-Century</i>; and to <u>Tumor Biology</u> from <i>Sage</i> (previously a <i>Springer</i> asset, transferred between publishers in 2016). Smaller metastases exist in <u>Oncology Research</u> and <u>OncoTarget</u> and even <i>Elsevier</i>. The inevitable spreadsheet <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-6xhXnvVjKASgfCITEF15IsI54PczGt4Yp6rKOXaHhI/edit?usp=sharing">is here</a>.</p>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Meta-analysts as mudlarks</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Mudlarks_of_London%2C_1871.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="537" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Mudlarks_of_London%2C_1871.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>Now there exists a whole tier of journals favoured by papermills (or symbiotic with them). They are woven into a kind of <i>demi-monde</i> literature or parallel universe by a high rate of mutual citation (with papers from Journal A citing the imaginary results of papers in Journal B to make their own results seem less imaginary), but they penetrate into the real research mainstream when their titles and abstracts are laundered through garbage-in / garbage-out literature reviews and meta-analyses. That is a topic for another day, and here I only want to point out how well the present collection samples this tier. You must wait for some other time to comparisons between literature reviewing and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudlark">the mudlarks of Victorian London</a>.<br />
<br />
<p>It feels like half the higher-echelon professors at Jilin University have built their careers on these fairy-tales, with successions of papers itemising the interactions of ADAM10 or GRIM-19 or whatever. This is nice for their students / co-authors who thereby ascend the first steps of their own careers, but if only they had published instead about the Tooth-Fairy circ-RNA and how it targets the Easter-Bunny Pathway, there would be less collateral damage to other researchers who take this jibber-jabber seriously.</p>
<p>If this is a Jilin-specific centrally-sanctioned forgery factory, as the evidence implies, it may be that we need a better term than 'papermill'. 'Studio', perhaps. The Central South University <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/04/26/spandidos-and-the-paper-mill/">collaboration with Spandidos journals</a> is similar but less specific.</p>
<p>To sustain the fiction that the numbers arrayed in tables or plotted as bar-graphs are the results of actual <i>measurements</i> and were not just pulled from the air, papers need some combination of Western Blots; colony formation plates; scratch-heal migration assay and Transwell invasion assay microphotographs; flow-cytometry histograms or FACS scatterplots. So an early eruption of creativity in 2014 equipped this (hypothesised) studio with a storeroom full of the backdrops and stage-props and stage machinery of Theatrical Scientification, to be recycled in productions and performances through 2015 to 2018.</p>
<p>For some tangential reason, a passage from 'The Reproductive System' comes to mind:</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrKcXIxqhm8/YKdDd64_mJI/AAAAAAAAdPc/axNaq4AOY2Qr1LmccA53jxMFQaGu4w5EACLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/anapests.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1100" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rrKcXIxqhm8/YKdDd64_mJI/AAAAAAAAdPc/axNaq4AOY2Qr1LmccA53jxMFQaGu4w5EACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h255/anapests.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>This literature is full of little anapests.</p>
<p>A sufficiently obsessive reader might recognise the repeated images of xenograft tumors in this collection of papers, and organise them into non-overlapping suites or <i>kunstkammern</i>. You might compare them to shucked oysters, or mutant <i>Gummibäre</i>, or wads of used chewing-gum, or diseased brains (depending on your imagination and level of hunger).</p>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Not actually a pavane</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lFXlxGYQoiE/YLTfkn2RReI/AAAAAAAAdV4/OD605DPTgO0VitMhXWA38Ls6nYqKnASdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s920/pavane.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="920" height="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lFXlxGYQoiE/YLTfkn2RReI/AAAAAAAAdV4/OD605DPTgO0VitMhXWA38Ls6nYqKnASdwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h250/pavane.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>
In the following montage, tumors dance an stately pavane upon a sheet of blue fabric while transporting patches of adjacent backgrounds around themselves, thanks to the wonders of Appearance-Enhancing Software. In the left-hand column are Fig 7A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8ADABAD4AAA3156C08FD41454F7A63">Zhang et al (2014)</a> [3] ("Tumor weight in treated and untreated mice for 21 days"); Fig 6B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CDCFA883C1517778024BFDF9BE1977">Wang et al (2017)</a> [29] ("Representative images of tumors from the TPC-1/miR-497 and TPC-1/miR-NC groups"); Fig 7A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/07999850A66A7387150AC933717210">Li et al (2016)</a> [24] ("Photographs of tumor tissue from nude mice 35 days after inoculation"); Fig 6A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1E01E804BCB7B04C8B2E9A11B6DCC4">Liu et al (2015)</a> [9] ("Graphs of the tumor tissue from the different groups"); and Fig 7A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C104B3970A6038A08503575196C05D">Zhang et al (2015)</a> [5] ("Images of tumor tissue with different groups collected after sacrifice at day 28"). The right-hand column consists of Fig 5A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/6D50AFA8CFF717370EA59E36D1906B">Yang et al (2015)</a> [11] ("Images of tumor tissue from different treatments collected after sacrifice at day 22"); Fig 6A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E0E2CD004E6D3D44BFA4E45C05A156">Qu et al (2015)</a> [8] ("Images of tumor tissue with different plasmid treatments collected after sacrifice at day 21"); and Fig 7A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/DB52F535D24FF1EA71B9A64F4ED638">Tian et al (2015)</a> [6] ("Images of tumor tissues in the different mouse groups collected after sacrifice at day 28"). Alert observers will notice the absence of any consistent lighting in these identity parades, with shadows and highlights differing from one wad to the next, indicating (as if the discontinuities of background were not enough) that their encounters occurred purely in the digital domain.<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VKtojU4jVX4/YLL2eLAbIXI/AAAAAAAAdTQ/CnRUxrhGRbsg9J9366rdWStTfuv3cd3aACLcBGAsYHQ/s1250/montage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1210" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VKtojU4jVX4/YLL2eLAbIXI/AAAAAAAAdTQ/CnRUxrhGRbsg9J9366rdWStTfuv3cd3aACLcBGAsYHQ/w388-h400/montage.jpg" width="388" /></a></div>
<p>Two more montages are brought together by a ruler that was invited into both dances (or perhaps it's a Zygmotic Pipette). One consists of Fig 6B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0DA940799BE0D567BAC4659CDAB13F">Li et al (2018)</a> [43] ("Tumor tissues were imaged after the mice were sacrificed"); Fig 6B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B36E0FFE7C85D2F11DB6949D60EAE5">Yu et al (2016)</a> [32]; Fig 2D inset, from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7190DF06B848978EDF1FB51254CE3C">Xia, Li & Lv (2016)</a> [28] ("The mice were sacrificed at 30 days after inoculation, and the tumors were weighed"). The other contains (clockwise from top left) Fig 3B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2B689EBC80DB6BA1EC7D5EC6D177BA">Fei et al (2018)</a> [45] ("Shown are images of xenograft tumors at 28 days post injection"); Fig 2D from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B1C7E60AB4799416A92C900FA95F4E">Liu et al (2019)</a> [46] ("Photographs of xenograft tumors"); Fig 7C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D3F547ADC2D40F099B41AFCF6D443D">Chen et al (2017)</a> [36] ("Photographs of xenograft tumors isolated from miR-25 mimic and miR-Ctrl injected mice"); and Fig 6B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/15D52E429404AE111618438D4D1D23">Li et al (2017)</a> [39] ("Photographs of xenograft tumors").</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWW8he7ZqUU/YLMIra2csYI/AAAAAAAAdTY/6KwFSrZicXQkEucM43HLKk5YZMkeHN2lwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1150/wads1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="1150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWW8he7ZqUU/YLMIra2csYI/AAAAAAAAdTY/6KwFSrZicXQkEucM43HLKk5YZMkeHN2lwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320/wads1.jpg" width="258" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LK7cO6OwseM/YLMIrYUan8I/AAAAAAAAdTc/tPNzppsXoTkHuyGQRyTzMW-_AG9yiQbcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1330/wads2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1330" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LK7cO6OwseM/YLMIrYUan8I/AAAAAAAAdTc/tPNzppsXoTkHuyGQRyTzMW-_AG9yiQbcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/wads2.jpg" width="170" /></a>
<p>If the (different) ruler is to be trusted in the next set of confections, the tumors change in size alarmingly from one ID parade to the next. They also rotate through 90° or 180° flips. Clockwise from upper left: Fig 7A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2541C9BA070D492876A3A8510C13B9">Liu et al (2014)</a> [4] ("Images of tumor tissue with different plasmid treatments collected after sacrifice at day 35"); Fig 7A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C3DB2E288CEEA7FAC5AB4C4DA14FC0">Zhang et al (2015)</a> [7] ("Images of the tumor tissues from the different groups"); Fig 8B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7309F9AAD9BC0C7F8543AF230CC3CC">Li et al (2016)</a> [21] ("Graphs of the tumor tissue)"; Fig 7A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/DF107B851B56324705EA0923E5A52C">Pang et al (2016)</a> [22]; Fig 7 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A879465BECECEBC98D393381F4F78F">Wu et al (2015)</a> [20]; Fig 5A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B238FF8ED720D51C57B2239E6D47D4">Li et al (2015)</a> [13] ("Images of tumor tissue with different group collected after sacrifice at day 21"); and Fig 5B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8EE7B15B5C77E6DAE542CE9F871967">Luan et al (2015)</a> [23] ("Photographs of tumor tissue with different group at day 30").</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQGTIAkUZTA/YLMYsM2-YHI/AAAAAAAAdTo/z5xrGd_QtuIGg72SQiEBUPQOqNpMkoCsACLcBGAsYHQ/s1390/wad3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1390" height="323" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gQGTIAkUZTA/YLMYsM2-YHI/AAAAAAAAdTo/z5xrGd_QtuIGg72SQiEBUPQOqNpMkoCsACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h323/wad3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Pubpeer contributor "Dendrodoa Grossularia" had already flagged [4] for plagiarising Transwell images from a blameless 2013 paper, which might provide a clue as to the provenance of any material in this whole genre that is <b>not</b> simply repeated with rearrangement and manipulation.</p>
<p>I could flagellate the dead horse further but you get the point: the main item of laboratory equipment for biomed faculty at Jilin University is Photoshop. And <strike>rulers</strike> Zymotic Pipettes. One particular pipette became the star of Fig 6B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BF66B97AADA7D42C25190977212658">Zhang et al (2020)</a> [50] ("Representative image of isolated tumors from nude mice in the sh-NC and sh-SNHG3 groups"); Fig 7B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A3781C4070B07FC75949466DD7F49C">Fei et al (2020)</a> [49] ("Representative images of formed tumors that were subcutaneously injected with U2OS cells stable transfected with sh-AFAP1-AS1 and sh-NC plasmid"); ...</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk_dMO9Az9A/YNfgtneA7DI/AAAAAAAAdgM/aYBNAtVBxRUYgDk5NBLKjw1xt9u_k9h_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s990/xeno.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="990" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vk_dMO9Az9A/YNfgtneA7DI/AAAAAAAAdgM/aYBNAtVBxRUYgDk5NBLKjw1xt9u_k9h_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/xeno.jpg" width="232" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r9GkMEopSLI/YNfgtqxl8KI/AAAAAAAAdgI/Gx8J1W7dQcU_uUWT1HGGPPcWRZVARpfOACLcBGAsYHQ/s540/xeno2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="540" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r9GkMEopSLI/YNfgtqxl8KI/AAAAAAAAdgI/Gx8J1W7dQcU_uUWT1HGGPPcWRZVARpfOACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/xeno2.jpg" width="196" /></a>
<p>... Fig 6B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1F921482BF683F68CAB2024DC19C78">Wen et al (2020)</a> [50] ("Tumor images was captured at the end of the experiments"); and Fig 7B of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EF5F999265CD22C682DD539816A08E">Zhang et al (2019)</a> [48] ("Representative images of xenograft tumours").</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_4HQ8QZnyE/YNfjnjH8ppI/AAAAAAAAdgc/wQ4NKVgrrysrcqkTDJkwScRnXIWlA6gUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s565/xeno3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="297" data-original-width="565" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l_4HQ8QZnyE/YNfjnjH8ppI/AAAAAAAAdgc/wQ4NKVgrrysrcqkTDJkwScRnXIWlA6gUgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/xeno3.jpg" width="185" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6WYOG9FpiS8/YNfjntWCmUI/AAAAAAAAdgY/4O9bR7tp97U03x8Mo0M64VDIH2RYZb40gCLcBGAsYHQ/s678/xeno4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="678" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6WYOG9FpiS8/YNfjntWCmUI/AAAAAAAAdgY/4O9bR7tp97U03x8Mo0M64VDIH2RYZb40gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/xeno4.jpg" width="243" /></a>
<p>By the same token, Western Blots in this oeuvre are dominated by six suites, rising and falling in popularity over the period of interest. The robust black blobs of Group-1 show up in 14 papers. They require a palette of coloured boxes to unravel their permutations, and the result is a chromatic catastrophe straight from Edward Tufte's worst nightmare. These annotated versions should come with a Migraine Trigger Alert for readers who spent last night drinking too much tequila. Would it help if I turned them into strobing animated GIFs?</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 1B from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/22257E52468E0F64C32A33D4B70930">Gao et al (2015)</a> [10]; Fig 5C, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8AFAA53515124F6188883A56742A49">Li et al (2014)</a> [2]</i></p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-af7IdR8LUX4/YNfki7ogVRI/AAAAAAAAdgo/MG0DDqsB8GAvOdCG-T-RUR2WXh85FgAlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s707/wb1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="707" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-af7IdR8LUX4/YNfki7ogVRI/AAAAAAAAdgo/MG0DDqsB8GAvOdCG-T-RUR2WXh85FgAlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/wb1.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mOup81YD2oo/YNfki4n_bFI/AAAAAAAAdgs/GLTaP1LOxSk-pI_VW5dvKH8PUv2o2imogCLcBGAsYHQ/s1070/wb2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="1070" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mOup81YD2oo/YNfki4n_bFI/AAAAAAAAdgs/GLTaP1LOxSk-pI_VW5dvKH8PUv2o2imogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/wb2.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>Figs 1B, 3A from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2012FD778E78397F3F92092F41932B">Guo et al (2015)</a> [12]; Fig 4 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CAD998D4459540FDA9000A0C2457A9">Li et al (2015)</a> [17]</i></p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h6ir9JNyy8g/YNfldnqhIpI/AAAAAAAAdg0/o4VJMrpPNn0nl1leDQW42BjYIbGsggHAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1296/wb3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="1296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h6ir9JNyy8g/YNfldnqhIpI/AAAAAAAAdg0/o4VJMrpPNn0nl1leDQW42BjYIbGsggHAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/wb3.jpg" width="306" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-envxhBxE-OM/YNfldsKggWI/AAAAAAAAdg4/HBBQCPw9PDEoi1Qkd8nU3MvD55SUpBDdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s945/wb4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="945" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-envxhBxE-OM/YNfldsKggWI/AAAAAAAAdg4/HBBQCPw9PDEoi1Qkd8nU3MvD55SUpBDdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/wb4.jpg" width="122" /></a>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>Fig 5A from [10]; Figs 3C and 7 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/42C4271607BEEDF50CB224B97F1F69">Liu et al (2014)</a> [1]</i></p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnUZ2aGv3xs/YNfmmAOrQkI/AAAAAAAAdhA/zbQOEuOVRR8htLasBo3M3_0kiEBtJ3GpACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/wb5.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nnUZ2aGv3xs/YNfmmAOrQkI/AAAAAAAAdhA/zbQOEuOVRR8htLasBo3M3_0kiEBtJ3GpACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/wb5.jpg" width="207" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wJBbxbFFNfk/YNfmmLvzkhI/AAAAAAAAdhE/Pn0qAzB3UxYm2ZydU61cB8q7HuJN5MLggCLcBGAsYHQ/s2031/wb6.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="2031" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wJBbxbFFNfk/YNfmmLvzkhI/AAAAAAAAdhE/Pn0qAzB3UxYm2ZydU61cB8q7HuJN5MLggCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/wb6.jpg" width="221" /></a>
<p style="text-align: right;"><i>Figs 4C, 5D from [3]; Figs 2C and 5 from [4]</i></p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gB4UURMAzc8/YNfoFv2BvzI/AAAAAAAAdhQ/QUSY1E6c1xUo-E-0NOi8G00RzJv0OMwPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2260/wb7.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="2260" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gB4UURMAzc8/YNfoFv2BvzI/AAAAAAAAdhQ/QUSY1E6c1xUo-E-0NOi8G00RzJv0OMwPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/wb7.jpg" width="226" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tJla0usM6TY/YNfoF5pYs9I/AAAAAAAAdhU/d5ydk49tdZEf0fWJXlUV_puqJ14mzQxcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2244/wb8.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="970" data-original-width="2244" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tJla0usM6TY/YNfoF5pYs9I/AAAAAAAAdhU/d5ydk49tdZEf0fWJXlUV_puqJ14mzQxcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/wb8.jpg" width="202" /></a><br />
<p>The bands of "Group 2" are sleek and elegant, like a Brancusi bird, and cry out to be cast in bronze. Manifestations include <i>[left]</i> Fig 3C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1F2033360A7F2A8B9A25FEC9DF14EB">Ge et al (2016)</a> ("Western blot analysis of uPA, MMP-2 and MMP-9 protein expression following transfection with miR-497 mimic or miR-control. GAPDH was used as an internal control"); and <i>[right]</i> Figs 3C,E from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C1F1AC55D0BB5199B46E5ED0C3781F">Liu et al (2015)</a> [15] ("The ... (C) protein expression levels of PTEN were detected in the HCC cells after transfection with miR-494 mimic or inhibitor. The PTEN protein expression level was detected in... (E) HCC cell lines by western blotting").</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rX6dDu_OrXI/YNfoyjXMioI/AAAAAAAAdhg/MrJxRAj3xa0z4SpvrgKtnUAKnkkTwaahQCLcBGAsYHQ/s990/brancusi.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="990" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rX6dDu_OrXI/YNfoyjXMioI/AAAAAAAAdhg/MrJxRAj3xa0z4SpvrgKtnUAKnkkTwaahQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/brancusi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">Fig 1C of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/6CC72611D898A306E422E7D283C8EB">Chang et al (2016)</a> [25]; Fig 5D of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D623C4D95CCB4F678FCF78CACF069E">Liu et al (2016)</a> [26].</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aOLfqpcRIAM/YNfpGw1ICoI/AAAAAAAAdho/cgjmSekUXdAg5puJVy58txJL02q9SRWGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1970/brancusi2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1970" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aOLfqpcRIAM/YNfpGw1ICoI/AAAAAAAAdho/cgjmSekUXdAg5puJVy58txJL02q9SRWGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/brancusi2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<p>I won't prepare a comprehensive montage of these appearances for they feature in <b>30</b> of the papers in the corpus. Two bands are preferred loading controls, with substantive bands formed by cutting and splicing protein blobs that include the 'decoy duck' and the 'swoosh' and the 'hockey-stick'.</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Azf23QMmBR4/YNfpuhnh8VI/AAAAAAAAdhw/bqcQZZvq6_Qto6r1jzfWLnpIJIVPK9O4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1540/links.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="1540" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Azf23QMmBR4/YNfpuhnh8VI/AAAAAAAAdhw/bqcQZZvq6_Qto6r1jzfWLnpIJIVPK9O4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/links.jpg" width="289" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-exXDZYR9zG0/YNfpuuwpsOI/AAAAAAAAdh0/EvpckLROPeUB3gecs9HnnPHdl7z5PNJ9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1060/swoosh.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="1060" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-exXDZYR9zG0/YNfpuuwpsOI/AAAAAAAAdh0/EvpckLROPeUB3gecs9HnnPHdl7z5PNJ9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/swoosh.jpg" width="139" /></a>
<p>Group-3 has only been sighted 22 times. It includes four different loading controls, but these often co-occur in the same papers, and they share the elements of their accompanying substantive bands, so there is no need to separate them in this taxonomy that no-one asked for.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eoReFF6HT0k/YLNywi9CpvI/AAAAAAAAdUQ/D81WHasMrP0mfoSM6K6bRgKl23J1A_5HACLcBGAsYHQ/s705/controls.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="246" data-original-width="705" height="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eoReFF6HT0k/YLNywi9CpvI/AAAAAAAAdUQ/D81WHasMrP0mfoSM6K6bRgKl23J1A_5HACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h140/controls.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619048092325.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="295" data-original-width="794" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619048092325.png" width="155" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619050337603.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="760" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619050337603.png" width="145" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619090169086.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="359" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619090169086.png" width="128" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4E5jvaCr2VM/YNhV5z6FzxI/AAAAAAAAdiA/glFPoaPXNmc3zmIVJTR2kqU75Ei7KXsFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1940/load1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1940" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4E5jvaCr2VM/YNhV5z6FzxI/AAAAAAAAdiA/glFPoaPXNmc3zmIVJTR2kqU75Ei7KXsFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/load1.jpg" width="292" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7nu_v-Bp8s/YNhV6NKoMdI/AAAAAAAAdiE/1XiKLUOET7Q2IMqECI7V73zuFWuWk8bKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1478/load2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="931" data-original-width="1478" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R7nu_v-Bp8s/YNhV6NKoMdI/AAAAAAAAdiE/1XiKLUOET7Q2IMqECI7V73zuFWuWk8bKACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/load2.jpg" width="136" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619050598588.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="780" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619050598588.png" width="146" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619048312424.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619048312424.png" width="146" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619142158921.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="362" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1619142158921.png" width="136" /></a>
<p>Western-Blot groups 4, 5/6 and 7 have only shown up 14, 11 and 14 times respectively, and I'm getting bored, so we can skip them and move along. Group-4 are the 'skate suite' to me, on account of the appearance of one of the blobs. Group-5/6 are an ugly mishmash, featuring in layer-cake Figures like high-rise apartment blocks. Finally, Group-7 is all about furtive snakes. There are other repeated WBs that manifest twice only... but you get the picture, so let's not dwell on them, and move on instead to some solar photography during peak sun-spot season. Or, as the case may be, colony-formation assay plates.</p>
<p>The Department of Unexpected Similarities is proud to bring you Fig 2 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/748BAD9F143551F6ECB041069B768C">Zhao et al (2015)</a> [14] ("Effects of miR-491-5p overexpression on the colony formation of cervical cancer cells were determined")...</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J5piha7RDkQ/YNhXmsb_msI/AAAAAAAAdiQ/kLHkuBa8U6s4LOiA4W1EJhk3VMLushD-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s920/sunspots.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J5piha7RDkQ/YNhXmsb_msI/AAAAAAAAdiQ/kLHkuBa8U6s4LOiA4W1EJhk3VMLushD-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/sunspots.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>... also Fig 3E from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7EBD3794B039EE814440FD4D4301E0">Song et al (2015)</a> [16] ("Determination of the capacity for colony formation of HeLa cells using a colony formation assay after transfection with miR-133a or miR-Ctrl"); and Fig 2C from [24] ("The capacity of colony formation was determined by colony formation assay in SKOV3 cells after transfection with miR-494 or miR-NC)".</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-luHRV8L3uCk/YNhYCYO604I/AAAAAAAAdiY/RgiOTCygAsQqMUlYNqeA3C-aazWLUcgvACLcBGAsYHQ/s620/subspot2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="620" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-luHRV8L3uCk/YNhYCYO604I/AAAAAAAAdiY/RgiOTCygAsQqMUlYNqeA3C-aazWLUcgvACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/subspot2.jpg" width="201" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mb9fQ56G1YM/YLRGcYSl1AI/AAAAAAAAdVY/np10z_NMbnQkx_KuUHZCn4UPciOevwndgCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/494.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mb9fQ56G1YM/YLRGcYSl1AI/AAAAAAAAdVY/np10z_NMbnQkx_KuUHZCn4UPciOevwndgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/494.jpg" width="227" /></a>
<p>Then the studio became more ambitious, resulting in Fig 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2C2B3BB79C22D8ECEE473A2A9818AD">Xu et al (2016) [27] </a>("Cell colony formation was determined in MCF-7 cells transfected with miR-154 mimic or miR-Ctrl").</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JP3EvA4o8uM/YLRHsSQ4LvI/AAAAAAAAdVg/_5xlqiqdSEMUe3g5oSw9Y3nvIOR9BdfKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s910/154.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="910" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JP3EvA4o8uM/YLRHsSQ4LvI/AAAAAAAAdVg/_5xlqiqdSEMUe3g5oSw9Y3nvIOR9BdfKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/154.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Hk9_G7dh-0/YLRudc0J4aI/AAAAAAAAdVo/_lQSUchTwlQ-6eahUnTjOmNCoLdSgccBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/medley2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="530" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Hk9_G7dh-0/YLRudc0J4aI/AAAAAAAAdVo/_lQSUchTwlQ-6eahUnTjOmNCoLdSgccBQCLcBGAsYHQ/w189-h320/medley2.jpg" width="189" /></a>Also, for the sake of completeness: Figs 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/47CE25D453D51948FFDBCA8883FE12">Li et al (2016)</a> [31]; 2C from [40]; and 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/79AB8904BF351BC34D4008F990A1AE">Pang et al (2017)</a> [35]. But retouching colony-formation plates is addictive and you require stronger and stronger doses. Left-to-right, and top-to-bottom, Figs 2C from [29], 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F45A1FADAA7D78FCAFB95B15C11139">Fei et al (2016)</a> [30], and 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A77579A15D6974176DC147C70BA8C1">Li et al (2017a)</a> [41; Figs 5C from [41] and 5C from [40]; Figs 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/934A6439A3C6A945F17DE456507136">Feng et al (2018)</a> [38], 2C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/357B70F086B2174354353C594787FE">Liu et al (2017)</a> [33], and 2C from [51].</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BbepsxO9YE4/YLRuddQn_pI/AAAAAAAAdVs/n9wVxbjg2u4QHX43KPfyorWv0LKb3BGkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/medley.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="2048" height="216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BbepsxO9YE4/YLRuddQn_pI/AAAAAAAAdVs/n9wVxbjg2u4QHX43KPfyorWv0LKb3BGkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h216/medley.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Another form of anapests to include in Figures as a visual claim of authenticity are the Flow-Cytometry histograms: "See, we quantified some treatment's effect of disrupting the cell-division cycle in carcinoma cell-lines!" They are reproduced at roughly postage-stamp scale, and one can understand why the studio wasted no time customising new ones for each paper (although these are the easiest kind of "beautiful evidence" to fake), for their role is subliminal, with no expectation that readers will <i>look</i> at them. Instead we see double use.</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnanJ_WR2HU/YNhZVSVRPgI/AAAAAAAAdik/NZ9WBGTy9vsalA6Awxzji6d36WP3piT6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1130/cycle1.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1000" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TnanJ_WR2HU/YNhZVSVRPgI/AAAAAAAAdik/NZ9WBGTy9vsalA6Awxzji6d36WP3piT6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/cycle1.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-We3WBfzua9k/YNhZVHLWF3I/AAAAAAAAdig/mSVVT2gLXBAT-nkacVTFgu3soAbBdxq3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1130/cycle2.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1125" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-We3WBfzua9k/YNhZVHLWF3I/AAAAAAAAdig/mSVVT2gLXBAT-nkacVTFgu3soAbBdxq3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/cycle2.png" /></a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rjuw9l9_P9g/YNhaEa2-KBI/AAAAAAAAdiw/61nFuqPDlgEKuHLSV32aFtTfEy-w3lPRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1550/cycle3.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="1550" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rjuw9l9_P9g/YNhaEa2-KBI/AAAAAAAAdiw/61nFuqPDlgEKuHLSV32aFtTfEy-w3lPRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/cycle3.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Or triple use, and you can be forgiven for misreading "G0/G1" as "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_in,_garbage_out">GIGO</a>".</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6eio-gmRx4g/YNhaVS-tcDI/AAAAAAAAdi4/Bjj33fW1jmkqUUHBZfwqEZbVX1RGzuS1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1870/cycle-6.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1870" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6eio-gmRx4g/YNhaVS-tcDI/AAAAAAAAdi4/Bjj33fW1jmkqUUHBZfwqEZbVX1RGzuS1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/cycle-6.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6hf0r-uZkY/YNhaz1kZu_I/AAAAAAAAdjA/1a5VKd-KxEI5C1GTLarlMl02ZDDQFvD1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s2000/cycle-12.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="2000" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6hf0r-uZkY/YNhaz1kZu_I/AAAAAAAAdjA/1a5VKd-KxEI5C1GTLarlMl02ZDDQFvD1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/cycle-12.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Or the same histograms straddling <b><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/42C4271607BEEDF50CB224B97F1F69#3">12 papers</a></b>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tVthtDiE92o/YK3kJf5rB4I/AAAAAAAAdPk/3nOZwzaVHJwxXN6TxLexa3Md20uBHHYhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/spreadsheet.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tVthtDiE92o/YK3kJf5rB4I/AAAAAAAAdPk/3nOZwzaVHJwxXN6TxLexa3Md20uBHHYhwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/spreadsheet.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>I want to stress that these suites of WBs, colony-plates and tumors are <b>not specific</b> to single departments or research teams. When I organised the spreadsheet entries into co-author networks, one network from the Thyroid Surgery department turned out to draw upon the entire gamut of anapests to improve treatment for papillary thyroid cancer. Other clusters from the Neurosurgery Department and the Gynecology Department sampled the entire gamut to improve treatment for glioma and ovarian cancer respectively.</p>
<p>The typical departmental network has one or two core members: the Head of Department or a prominent professor, I surmise - with the rest of the credit for publication spread around a shifting cast. The coveted title of "PubPeer Star" is shared between Zhihong Li and Wei Zhang, with 15 PubPeerified contributions to fantasy-fiction Thoracic Surgery and Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery respectively. To be scrupulously fair, most of their CVs are clinical reports, not relevant here. My exercise in Network Analysis was slightly complicated by the discovery that some authors appear to be technical support: they are not confined to single research programs by the branches of the departmental hierarchy, and join up with otherwise-separate teams.</p>
<p>A second cluster of thyroid-cancer fairy-tales woven out of these visual elements proved to be the work of a network in the Department of Nuclear Medicine. One Qingjie Ma co-authored six of these fabulations, and was Corresponding Author for four of them. We <a href="https://daydaynews.cc/en/health/777161.html">read elsewhere</a> that</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Professor Ma Qingjie is the director, chief physician, professor, and doctoral supervisor of the Department of Nuclear Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital of Jilin University. Engaged in clinical work for more than 30 years. He has expertise and innovation in the personalized treatment of human thyroid diseases, various types of pediatric hemangioma, and certain tumor diseases; for multimodal molecules such as PET/CT and SPECT/CT He has deep attainments in imaging research and tumor-targeted drug therapy. He was named "Bethune Famous Doctor", "Bethune Famous Teacher", "Bethune Medical Worker", "Expert with Outstanding Contributions" in Changchun City, Jilin University. In 2019, he won the Chinese Nuclear Medicine Physician Award.</span></blockquote>
<p>To sum up, this whole body of papers offers nothing but fabulation and flim-flam, and it does the research community no credit that they've attracted an average of 28 citations each (according to the duplicate-prone, inflated estimates of Goofle Scholar). The citation count peaks at <b>115 </b>for [15], so I have read and re-read that work on the theory that there must be <i>some</i> underlying truth, but it stubbornly persists in remaining total wibble. Some of that number will be reciprocated hat-tips and professional courtesy from <i>other</i> fakers in this secondary literature, but not all of it.</p>
<p>Papers in Spandidos journals from the Jilin Studio tapered off in 2018. I initially wondered whether the studio is inactive now, but no... this only reflects a shift in preferred target journal, to <u>Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy</u> from Elsevier now that it is part of the <i>demi-monde</i> literature. Perhaps the keepers of the Spandidos stable-gates were responding to submissions with an increasingly skeptical reception (suspicion is always corrosive in a relationship). Perhaps the administration at Jilin University were keen to have more people reading and believing the faculty's Stakhanovite production of bullshit, and Elsevier offered a higher impact factor. One can only speculate.</p>
<p>To be scrupulously fair, other torrents of fake papers pouring forth from Jilin University were provided by undeniable papermills and do not have this studio's hallmarks. A sixth of the prodigious output of the 'Tadpole Papermill' was commissioned by staff at Jilin's ancillary hospitals. Jilin shows up as a customer of other papermills as well. There may even be some genuine research happening there. I suspect, though, that anyone trying to conduct <i>actual</i> studies would be disadvantaged in the greasy-pole-climb of academic advancement by the time requirements of 'experiments' and the expenses of 'laboratory' and 'equipment'.</p>
<p>Meanwhile the first retractions of the CSU fake papers have already begun, spicing up the interminable lists of <i>newer</i> fake papers. Each retraction note credits "a concerned reader" for drawing the bullshit "to the Editors' attention", whereupon the Editors were shocked, SHOCKED to find gambling going on. Which is to say, the Spandidos management read PubPeer but don't want to acknowledge its existence. A great culling of Jilin crap cannot be far away.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3whH-l5a7DE/YK7BUuNDEiI/AAAAAAAAdPs/o0-hyigzrnUd4wAo8WNgh9DUvrQQ-Z6_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1820/retracted.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="880" data-original-width="1820" height="194" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3whH-l5a7DE/YK7BUuNDEiI/AAAAAAAAdPs/o0-hyigzrnUd4wAo8WNgh9DUvrQQ-Z6_wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h194/retracted.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bxY752-ZPec/YK7CnC8FKLI/AAAAAAAAdP0/oUivZcf3EUcVm9mA3ciiS7G_WLxMOkfLACLcBGAsYHQ/s955/winnings.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="955" data-original-width="636" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bxY752-ZPec/YK7CnC8FKLI/AAAAAAAAdP0/oUivZcf3EUcVm9mA3ciiS7G_WLxMOkfLACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/winnings.jpg" /></a></div>Publishers in the <i>demi-monde</i> are willing to retract papers, as a pawn sacrifice or an ablative heat-shield, once someone else's peer-reviewing shows them up as plagiarised or fabricated. Perhaps 'delighted' is more apt than 'happy' as each retraction shows that the conduit is just like a <b>real</b> journal in terms of integrity standards, while diverting attention away from the question, "why did you accept such abject tosh in the first place?" Also the publisher keeps the signatories' money, so retraction costs them nothing.<br />
<br />
SOURCES<br />
<p>[1]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/42C4271607BEEDF50CB224B97F1F69">miR‑222 regulates sorafenib resistance and enhance tumorigenicity in hepatocellular carcinoma</a>", KAI LIU , SONGYANG LIU , WEI ZHANG , BAI JI , YINGCHAO WANG , YAHUI LIU (2014). <u>International Journal of Oncology</u>.</p>
<p>[2]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8AFAA53515124F6188883A56742A49">Upregulation of GRIM-19 suppresses the growth of oral squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo</a>", MINGHE LI , ZHIHONG LI , CHONGYANG LIANG , CHENGMIN HAN , WEI HUANG , FEI SUN (2014). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[3]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8ADABAD4AAA3156C08FD41454F7A63">Knockout of ADAM10 enhances sorafenib antitumor activity of hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo</a>", Wei Zhang , Songyang Liu , Kai Liu , Bai Ji , Yingchao Wang , Yahui Liu (2014). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[4]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2541C9BA070D492876A3A8510C13B9">Synergistic effects of co-expression plasmid‑based ADAM10-specific siRNA and GRIM-19 on hepatocellular carcinoma in vitro and in vivo</a>", Songyang Liu , Wei Zhang , Kai Liu , Yingchao Wang , Bai Ji , Yahui Liu (2014). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[5]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C104B3970A6038A08503575196C05D">Synthetic miR-145 mimic inhibits multiple myeloma cell growth in vitro and in vivo</a>", Qi Zhang , Weiqun Yan , Yang Bai , Hao Xu , Changhao Fu , Wenwen Zheng , Yingqiao Zhu , Jie Ma (2014). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[6]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/DB52F535D24FF1EA71B9A64F4ED638">miR-218 suppresses tumor growth and enhances the chemosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to cisplatin</a>", Hang Tian , Lei Hou , Yu-Mei Xiong , Jun-Xiang Huang , Ying-Jun She , Xiao-Bao Bi , Xing-Rong Song (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[7]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C3DB2E288CEEA7FAC5AB4C4DA14FC0">Combined treatment of XIAP-targeting shRNA and celecoxib synergistically inhibits the tumor growth of non‑small cell lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo</a>". HONG ZHANG , ZHIHONG LI , KAIZHONG WANG , PING REN (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[8]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E0E2CD004E6D3D44BFA4E45C05A156">Silencing XIAP suppresses osteosarcoma cell growth, and enhances the sensitivity of osteosarcoma cells to doxorubicin and cisplatin</a>", YANG QU , PENG XIA , SHANYONG ZHANG , SU PAN , JIANWU ZHAO (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[9]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1E01E804BCB7B04C8B2E9A11B6DCC4">Silencing NOB1 enhances doxorubicin antitumor activity of the papillary thyroid carcinoma in vitro and in vivo</a>", JIA LIU , BING-FEI DONG , PEI-SONG WANG , PEI-YOU REN , SHUAI XUE , Xiao-Νan ZHANG , ZHE HAN , GUANG CHEN (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[10]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/22257E52468E0F64C32A33D4B70930">A disintegrin and metallproteinase 15 knockout decreases migration of fibroblast-like synoviocytes and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis</a>", JINLIANG GAO , WEI ZHENG , LIMING WANG , BAILIN SONG (2015). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[11]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/6D50AFA8CFF717370EA59E36D1906B">Synergistic growth inhibition by sorafenib and cisplatin in human osteosarcoma cells</a>",
</p><p>[12]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2012FD778E78397F3F92092F41932B">Downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase 9 by small interfering RNA inhibits the tumor growth of ovarian epithelial carcinoma in vitro and in vivo</a>", FENGJUN GUO , JINGYAN TIAN , MANHUA CUI , MEIRU FANG , LIN YANG (2015). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[13]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B238FF8ED720D51C57B2239E6D47D4#">MicroRNA-338-3p suppresses tumor growth of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in vitro and in vivo</a>", XINYU LI , ZHIHONG LI , GUIYUN YANG , ZHENXIANG PAN (2015). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[14]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/748BAD9F143551F6ECB041069B768C">MicroRNA-491-5p suppresses cervical cancer cell growth by targeting hTERT</a>", Qiang Zhao, Ying-Xian Zhai, Huan-Qiu Liu, Ying-Ai Shi, Xin-Bai Li (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[15]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C1F1AC55D0BB5199B46E5ED0C3781F">miR-494 promotes cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and increased sorafenib resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting PTEN</a>", Kai Liu, Songyang Liu, Wei Zhang, Baoxing Jia, Ludong Tan, Zhe Jin, Yahui Liu (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[16]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7EBD3794B039EE814440FD4D4301E0">miR-133a inhibits cervical cancer growth by targeting EGFR</a>", Xuesong Song, Bo Shi, Kexin Huang, Wenjie Zhang (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[17]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CAD998D4459540FDA9000A0C2457A9">Knockdown of ADAM10 inhibits migration and invasion of fibroblast-like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis</a>", DAN LI, ZHITAO XIAO, GANG WANG, XIANJI SONG (2015). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[18]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BE0BCFAAEBB303F0F66A8E9625F22C">MiR-132 inhibits cell proliferation, invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting PIK3R3</a>", KAI LIU, XINGLIANG LI, YUCHEN CAO, YUANYUAN GE, JIANMENG WANG, BO SHI (2015). <u>International Journal of Oncology</u>.</p>
<p>[19]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BDB7148F4B1CC80021FDB94FAFB366">MicroRNA-338-3p functions as tumor suppressor in breast cancer by targeting SOX4</a>", YING JIN, MIN ZHAO, QIAN XIE, HONGYAN ZHANG, QING WANG, QINGJIE MA (2015). <u>International Journal of Oncology</u>.</p>
<p>[20]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A879465BECECEBC98D393381F4F78F">MicroRNA-128 suppresses cell growth and metastasis in colorectal carcinoma by targeting IRS1</a>", Lan Wu, Bo Shi, Kexin Huang, Guoyu Fan (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[21]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7309F9AAD9BC0C7F8543AF230CC3CC">miR-29a suppresses growth and metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma by targeting AKT3</a>", Rui Li, Jia Liu, Qun Li, Guang Chen, Xiaofang Yu (2016). <u>Tumor Biology</u>.</p>
<p>[22]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/DF107B851B56324705EA0923E5A52C">miR-154 targeting ZEB2 in hepatocellular carcinoma functions as a potential tumor suppressor</a>", Xiaoli Pang, Kexin Huang, Qianqian Zhang, Yujiao Zhang, Junqi Niu (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[23]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8EE7B15B5C77E6DAE542CE9F871967">MicroRNA-126 acts as a tumor suppressor in glioma cells by targeting insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1)</a>", Yongxin Luan, Ling Zuo, Shuyan Zhang, Guangming Wang, Tao Peng (2015). <u>International Journal of Oncology</u>.</p>
<p>[24]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/07999850A66A7387150AC933717210">miR-494 suppresses tumor growth of epithelial ovarian carcinoma by targeting IGF1R</a>", Na Li, Xiaosu Zhao, Lufei Wang, Shi Zhang, Manhua Cui, Jin He (2016). <u>Tumor Biology</u>.</p>
<p>[25]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/6CC72611D898A306E422E7D283C8EB">Combined RNAi targeting human Stat3 and ADAM9 as gene therapy for non-small cell lung cancer</a>", LIANG CHANG, FANGCHAO GONG, HONGFEI CAI, ZHIHONG LI, YOUBIN CUI (2016). <u>Oncology Letters</u>.</p>
<p>[26]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D623C4D95CCB4F678FCF78CACF069E">miR-449a inhibits proliferation and invasion by regulating ADAM10 in hepatocellular carcinoma</a>", Songyang Liu, Kai Liu, Wei Zhang, Yingchao Wang, Zhe Jin, Baoxing Jia, Yahui Liu (2016). <u>American journal of translational research</u>.</p>
<p>[27]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2C2B3BB79C22D8ECEE473A2A9818AD">MicroRNA-154 inhibits growth and invasion of breast cancer cells through targeting E2F5</a>", Hui Xu, Dan Fei, Shan Zong, Zhimin Fan (2016). <u>American journal of translational research</u>.</p>
<p>[28]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7190DF06B848978EDF1FB51254CE3C">MicroRNA-107 inhibits tumor growth and metastasis by targeting the BDNF-mediated PI3K/AKT pathway in human non-small lung cancer</a>", Huan Xia, Yang Li, Xiaohong Lv (2016). <u>International Journal of Oncology</u>.</p>
<p>[29]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CDCFA883C1517778024BFDF9BE1977">MicroRNA-497 inhibits thyroid cancer tumor growth and invasion by suppressing BDNF</a>", Peisong Wang, Xianying Meng, Yan Huang, Zhi Lv, Jia Liu, Guimin Wang, Wei Meng, Shuai Xue, Qiang Zhang, Pengju Zhang, Guang Chen (2017). <u>Oncotarget</u>.</p>
<p>[30]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F45A1FADAA7D78FCAFB95B15C11139">MicroRNA-187 exerts tumor-suppressing functions in osteosarcoma by targeting ZEB2</a>", Dan Fei, Kunchi Zhao, Hongping Yuan, Jie Xing, Dongxu Zhao (2016). <u>American journal of cancer research</u>.</p>
<p>[31]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/47CE25D453D51948FFDBCA8883FE12">MicroRNA-613 suppresses proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma by targeting c-MET</a>", Xinyu Li, Xufang Sun, Jing Wu, Zhihong Li (2016). <u>American journal of cancer research</u>.</p>
<p>[32]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B36E0FFE7C85D2F11DB6949D60EAE5">MicroRNA-497 suppresses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis through targeting PBX3 in human multiple myeloma</a>", Tianhua Yu, Xuanhe Zhang, Lirong Zhang, Yali Wang, Hongjuan Pan, Zhihua Xu, Xiaochuan Pang (2016). <u>American journal of cancer research</u>.</p>
<p>[33]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/357B70F086B2174354353C594787FE">miR-365 targets ADAM10 and suppresses the cell growth and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma</a>", Yahui Liu, Wei Zhang, Songyang Liu, Kai Liu, Bai Ji, Yingchao Wang (2017). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[34]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EA0E4DF193108D99B627EEB947F72D">MicroRNA-365 inhibits ovarian cancer progression by targeting Wnt5a</a>", Yanli Wang, Chunling Xu, Yun Wang, Xiaomeng Zhang (2017). <u>American journal of cancer research</u>.</p>
<p>[35]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/79AB8904BF351BC34D4008F990A1AE">miR-138 inhibits gastric cancer growth by suppressing SOX4</a>", Lei Pang, Bai Li, Baisong Zheng, Liang Niu, Liang Ge (2017). <u>Tumor Biology</u>.</p>
<p>[36]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D3F547ADC2D40F099B41AFCF6D443D">MicroRNA-25 suppresses proliferation, migration, and invasion of osteosarcoma by targeting SOX4</a>", Bingpeng Chen, Jingjing Liu, Ji Qu, Yang Song, Yuxiang Li, Su Pan (2017). <u>Tumor Biology</u>.</p>
<p>[37]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5841D91D7A22289E6B9408146115B9">miR-217 inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion via targeting AKT3 in thyroid cancer</a>", Yuanqiang Lin, Kailiang Cheng, Tongtong Wang, Qian Xie, Minglong Chen, Qianqian Chen, Qiang Wen (2017). <u>Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy</u>.</p>
<p>[38]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/934A6439A3C6A945F17DE456507136">LncRNA GACAT3 promotes gastric cancer progression by negatively regulating miR-497 expression</a>", Li Feng, Yonggang Zhu, Yunxin Zhang, Min Rao (2017). <u>Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy</u>.</p>
<p>[39]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/15D52E429404AE111618438D4D1D23">Function of miR-212 as a tumor suppressor in thyroid cancer by targeting SIRT1</a>", Dandan Li, Lin Bai, Tongtong Wang, Qian Xie, Minglong Chen, Yantao Fu, Qiang Wen (2017). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[40]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B7AADC0A7DB3067FFFFF1E6DE51883">MicroRNA-218 inhibits proliferation and invasion in ovarian cancer by targeting Runx2</a>", Na Li, Lufei Wang, Guangyun Tan, Zhiheng Guo, Lei Liu, Ming Yang, Jin He (2017). <u>Oncotarget</u>.</p>
<p>[41]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A77579A15D6974176DC147C70BA8C1">Function of miR‑152 as tumor suppressor in oral squamous cell carcinoma cells by targeting c‑MET</a>", Minghe Li, Zhihong Li, Xue Wang, Yumei Wang, Cong Zhao, Lei Wang (2017). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[42]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/729CED885433A37A4F131EA26AC45C">miR‑152 inhibits rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblast proliferation and induces apoptosis by targeting ADAM10</a>", Jialong Guo, Juan Du, Dan Fei, Jie Xing, Jinxiang Liu, Honghua Lu (2017). <u>International journal of molecular medicine</u>.</p>
<p>[43]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0DA940799BE0D567BAC4659CDAB13F#">MicroRNA-361-5p inhibits papillary thyroid carcinoma progression by targeting ROCK1</a>", Rui Li, Bingfei Dong, Zhengmin Wang, Tao Jiang, Guang Chen (2018). <u>Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy</u>.</p>
<p>[44]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C01A0A1E685D702EB3D1C0914FEFAE">Knockdown of CREB1 promotes apoptosis and decreases estradiol synthesis in mouse granulosa cells</a>", Pengju Zhang, Jun Wang, Hongyan Lang, Weixia Wang, Xiaohui Liu, Haiyan Liu, Chengcheng Tan, Xintao Li, Yumin Zhao, Xinghong Wu (2018). <u>Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy</u>.</p>
<p>[45]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2B689EBC80DB6BA1EC7D5EC6D177BA">Long Noncoding RNA FER1L4 Suppresses Tumorigenesis by Regulating the Expression of PTEN Targeting miR-18a-5p in Osteosarcoma</a>", Dan Fei, Xiaona Zhang, Jinxiang Liu, Long Tan, Jie Xing, Dongxu Zhao, Yang Zhang (2018). <u>Cellular Physiology & Biochemistry</u>.</p>
<p>[46]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B1C7E60AB4799416A92C900FA95F4E">LncRNA SNHG16 promotes tumor growth of pancreatic cancer by targeting miR-218-5p</a>", Songyang Liu, Wei Zhang, Kai Liu, Yahui Liu (2018). <u>Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy</u>.</p>
<p>[47]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/88E93D5974B21A940600B5D2C53A4A">Long noncoding RNA HOXA-AS2 promotes non-small cell lung cancer progression by regulating miR-520a-3p</a>", Yunpeng Liu, Xingyu Lin, Shiyao Zhou, Peng Zhang, Guoguang Shao, Zhiguang Yang (2019). <u>Bioscience Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[48]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EF5F999265CD22C682DD539816A08E">Long non‐coding RNA deleted in lymphocytic leukaemia 1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by sponging miR‐133a to regulate IGF‐1R expression</a>", Wei Zhang, Songyang Liu, Kai Liu, Yahui Liu (2019). <u>Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine</u>.</p>
<p>[49]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A3781C4070B07FC75949466DD7F49C">Long noncoding RNA AFAP1-AS1 promotes osteosarcoma progression by regulating miR-497/IGF1R axis</a>", Dan Fei, Xiaona Zhang, Yang Lu, Long Tan, Mingzhu Xu, Yang Zhang (2019). <u>American journal of translational research</u>.</p>
<p>[50]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1F921482BF683F68CAB2024DC19C78">Long non‑coding RNA MCM3AP‑AS1 drives ovarian cancer progression via the microRNA‑143‑3p/TAK1 axis</a>", Jihong Wen, Shumei Han, Man Cui, Yanli Wang (2020). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p>
<p>[51]. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BF66B97AADA7D42C25190977212658">lncRNA SNHG3 promotes breast cancer�progression by acting as a miR‑326 sponge</a>", Haipeng Zhang, Na Wei, Wei Zhang, Lishennan Shen, Rongbo Ding, Qian Li, Simin Li, Ye Du (2020). <u>Oncology Reports</u>.</p><p></p>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-54400142126938639242021-06-24T15:37:00.004-07:002021-06-24T15:43:25.361-07:00I can read your mind like a magazine I see where you're at I know what you mean I get all the secrets that you'd rather keepPSI POWER<div style="text-align: center;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/06/17/qi-gong-masters-bigu-diet/">at Leonid Schneider's site</a>, hence the unfrivolous tone. The version there is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story, and by additional Xin Yan flim-flam & photographs.</i></div>
<br />
<p>Qi-Gong Master Xin Yan (QGM-YX) can override fundamental physical principles, at a distance, by projecting beams of Qi Power... enough to change the radioactive-decay rate of Americium-241, for instance. I envisage him as resembling Emperor Palpatine.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DIBknhBRbis/YLg_1mlKdpI/AAAAAAAAdWA/G3UxkJYgYxYL9Z1_KUFNPFO_3Vdzff3kwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/palpatine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DIBknhBRbis/YLg_1mlKdpI/AAAAAAAAdWA/G3UxkJYgYxYL9Z1_KUFNPFO_3Vdzff3kwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/palpatine.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3iz9pPKXRc/YLhA6od3q6I/AAAAAAAAdWI/n774LgviBx4w4Y43b9e09UWcYgwDq4U_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1100/enzyme.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="1100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3iz9pPKXRc/YLhA6od3q6I/AAAAAAAAdWI/n774LgviBx4w4Y43b9e09UWcYgwDq4U_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/enzyme.png" width="280" /></a></div>His Qi Energy is versatile: it can also <a href="http://www.yanxinqigong.cn/papers/PI3%20Kinase.pdf">denature enzymes to destroy their catalytic function</a>, and conversely it can restore that function to an enzyme sample that had been denatured by time. It provided sustenance for a disciple who went without food or water for months on end (with other disciples to testify that no food was consumed surreptitiously), to the extent that she gained kilograms of weight just by <i>talking with the Master by telephone</i>. Evidently communication with the Master still required telephony, at least in 2002. Nevertheless, he is unable to change the mind of Elisabeth Bik at a distance, to persuade her to retract and apologise for <a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2019/05/24/external-qi/">her negative assessment</a> of <a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2019/05/30/buzzfeed-article-about-the-yxq-eq-papers/">his academic publications</a>.<br />
<p>When you cut through the academic bodyguard of verbiage protecting these papers, several address QGM-YX's ability to kill cancer cells of various cultivars, at a distance, by projecting Qi power. In <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=%22xin+yan%22+OR+%22yan+xin%22">a series of Pubpeer threads</a> [<span style="color: red;">below, in red</span>], Dr Bik criticised them on the epistemological grounds of their absence of crucial details and their irreproducible nature (other contributors provided further critique, focusing on more familiar Pubpeer topics like <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F5EE5695840C8FAE1A2B7B8F682FEF#2">RT-PCR manipulation</a>). She only ventured into the shallow end of Messianic grandiosity, thoughtfully leaving some for me, e.g. the radioactivity fantasy.</p>
<p>Even so, QGM-YX or some of his co-authors resorted to <a href="https://twitter.com/MicrobiomDigest/status/1397998634696732673">bumptious, censorious legal thuggery</a> - taking on a law firm to hint at a meritless but costly lawsuit. The firm's intimidation letter didn't specify <b>which</b> author or authors felt defamed, which complicates the question of what should be covered in the apology it demanded from her.</p>
<p>It is hardly newsworthy that QGM-YX makes preposterous claims about super-powers... that is what cult leaders <i>do</i>. The willingness of academic journals to <i>publish</i> his self-promoting absurdities is <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/stephaniemlee/external-qi-cancer-cells-studies">perhaps more surprising</a>. Piffle, for instance, about the millennia-long antiquity of Qi-Gong as a medical modality, and of its recognition within Chinese medical practice.</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: times;">
"External Qi therapy of Chinese medicine has long been one of the medical practices in China and is under management by the Chinese health authorities [7]"</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">"External Qi therapy of TCM has long been one of the medical practices in China and is under management by the Chinese health authorities [4]."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">"External Qi therapy of TCM has long been one of the medical practices in China and is managed by the Chinese health authorities [23]."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">"External Qi therapy has been used as one of the medical practices in China for thousands of years and is under management of the Chinese health authorities [8]."</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">"External Qi therapy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has long been one of the medical practices in China and managed by the Chinese health authorities [6]."</span></li></ul>
<p>Also of interest is the participation of co-authors from well-regarded institutions, to lend their reputations to the whole basket of bobbins. Institutions like Harvard Medical School; School of Medicine, UCSD; University of Oklahoma; National Institute on Aging at NIH...</p>
<p>Co-authors Delia Wolf and Gerald Wolf of Harvard Medical School shared a surname. I do not know if the former is the same as Delia Wolf-Christiani (currently <u><a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/regulatory-affairs-and-research-compliance/2020/05/12/delia-wolf-christiani/">Associate Dean for Regulatory Affairs & Research Compliance</a></u> at Harvard School of Public Health), for the latter's <a href="https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/delia-wolf/">academic website</a> does not list her publications. Professor Wolf-Christiani has not yet replied to an emailed query, but because her responsibilities include "Research Integrity Officer", I am confident that she supports Dr Bik's work and has signed the <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/05/scientists-rally-around-misconduct-consultant-facing-legal-threat-after-challenging">Open Letter</a> backing her right to criticise junk science spouted forth by charlatans.</p>
<p>Anyway, here are the papers.</p>
<p>[1] "Protective effect of XY99-5038 on hydrogen peroxide induced cell death in cultured retinal neurons". Yan Xin, Yuhay T. Fong, Gerald Wolf, Delia Wolf, Wei Cao, <u>Life Sciences</u> (2001) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E789D167DE12C005EEAB7A6B20908C">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[2]. "Homeostasis Is Maintained in Yan Xin Life Science Technology-Optimized Caloric Restriction: Physiological and Biochemical Studies". Xin Yan, Canhui Li, Chao Lu, Wei Chin, Hua Shen, Jun Wang, <u>Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society</u> (2002) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1C8A9E455DD09990513DC5F36C45D2">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[3]. "Studies on the Fundamental Theory of Bigu (Food Abstinence)—Preliminary Experimental Observations of Cellular Bigu". Xin Yan, Alexis Traynor-Kaplan, Hongmei Li, Jun Wang, Hua Shen, Zhen-Qin Xia, <u>Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society</u> (2002) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D0EB163840CFB90739AB60F83851AE">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[4]. "External Qi of Yan Xin Life Science Technology Can Revive or Suppress Enzyme Activity of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase". Xin Yan, Zhen-Qin Xia, Hua Shen, Alexis Traynor-Kaplan, <u>Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society</u> (2002) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0A0D4718B554F3EA19FCD5A888C8DB">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[5]. "XY99-5038 promotes long-term survival of cultured retinal neurons". XIN YAN, YUHAY T. FONG, DELIA WOLF, HUA SHEN, MARIAN ZAHARIA, JUN WANG, GERALD WOLF, FENG LI, GARRICK D. LEE, WEI CAO, <u>International Journal of Neuroscience</u> (2002) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4A38BACBE9BF271554FD14FF78C72E">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p><span style="color: red;">[6]. "Involvement of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and insulin-like growth factor-I in YXLST-mediated neuroprotection". Xin Yan, Hua Shen, Marian Zaharia, Jun Wang, Delia Wolf, Feng Li, Garrick D. Lee, Wei Cao, <u>Brain Research</u> (2004) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4A38BACBE9BF271554FD14FF78C72E">PubPeer</a>].</span></p>
<p><span style="color: red;">[7]. "External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong differentially regulates the Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways and is cytotoxic to cancer cells but not to normal cells". Xin Yan, Hua Shen, Hongjian Jiang, Chengsheng Zhang, Dan Hu, Jun Wang, Xinqi Wu, <u>International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology</u> (2006) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/68A7D96575EAABF708E9F1D4B9855B">PubPeer</a>].</span></p>
<p><span style="color: red;">[8]. "External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong induces G2/M arrest and apoptosis of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells by inhibiting Akt and NF-κB pathways". Xin Yan, Hua Shen, Hongjian Jiang, Chengsheng Zhang, Dan Hu, Jun Wang, Xinqi Wu, Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry (2008) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/94CCCA679D74054339B42E9453D82A">PubPeer</a>] <b>RETRACTED.</b></span></p>
<p><span style="color: red;">[9]. "External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Migration and Invasion of Estrogen-Independent Breast Cancer Cells Through Suppression of Akt/NF-ĸB Signaling". Xin Yan, Hua Shen, Hongjian Jiang, Dan Hu, Chengsheng Zhang, Jun Wang, Xinqi Wu, <u>Cellular Physiology & Biochemistry</u> (2010) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B3E76DC4E22F25722E8E09C4F9D4E0">PubPeer</a>].</span></p>
<p><span style="color: red;">[10]. "External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong induces cell death and gene expression alterations promoting apoptosis and inhibiting proliferation, migration and glucose metabolism in small-cell lung cancer cells". Xin Yan, Feng Li, Igor Dozmorov, Mark Barton Frank, Ming Dao, Michael Centola, Wei Cao, Dan Hu, <u>Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry</u> (2012) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F5EE5695840C8FAE1A2B7B8F682FEF">PubPeer</a>].</span></p>
<p><span style="color: red;">[11]. "External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong inhibits activation of Akt, Erk1/2 and NF-ĸB and induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells". Xin Yan, Hua Shen, Hongjian Jiang, Dan Hu, Jun Wang, Xinqi Wu, <u>Cellular Physiology & Biochemistry</u> (2013) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5DD5A736353779177F503084DB69CF">PubPeer</a>].</span></p>
<p><span style="color: red;">[12]. "YXQ-EQ Induces Apoptosis and Inhibits Signaling Pathways Important for Metastasis in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Cells". Xin Yan, Hua Shen, Hongjian Jiang, Dan Hu, Jun Wang, Xinqi Wu, <u>Cellular Physiology & Biochemistry</u> (2018) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/9BE462DFCD045CB5AEACBAD0D4314A">PubPeer</a>].</span></p>
<p>To make sense of all this, we have to go back to that benighted decade, the 1980s. A generation of US academics were open to researching "psi phenomena", and a corresponding sense permeated the US Intelligence community that a Gullibility Gap behind Russia could not be tolerated. $cientologists like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Targ">Targ</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_E._Puthoff">Puthoff</a> had convinced the highest military echelons that their status as Operating-Thetan Clears meant that anything was possible. Uri Geller was eventually dismissed as a grifter, but it speaks volumes that people took his bullshit seriously enough to <b>test</b> him. So this was the time of CIA Remote Viewing research to weaponise clairvoyance, when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Men_Who_Stare_at_Goats">Men were Staring at Goats</a>, under the rubric of "Stargate Project". Sylvie Coyaud remembers it well <a href="https://ocasapiens.wordpress.com/2021/05/28/xin-uccide-le-cellule-con-la-mente/">at Ocasapiens</a>; if <i>you</i> don't, W*k*pedia has <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stargate_Project">the Cliff Notes version</a>.</p>
<p>Meanwhile in China, local enthusiasts grafted the ESP / Psi-power tradition onto Chinese roots. We read that "<a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00792R000200040001-1.pdf">In May of 1987, the Chinese Society of Somatic Science was established with the approval of the State Science Commission</a>". In 1990 they belatedly founded the Journal of Somatic Science as a vehicle for their work, with support from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qian_Xuesen">Qian Xuesen</a> (engineer, scientist, undoubted genius, expert in fluid dynamics and other rocket-science-related disciplines). The editorial staff of JoSS overlapped with <u>Ziran Zazhi</u>, the <u>Journal of Nature</u>. This background is accessible through the <a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/collection/stargate">Stargate Collection</a> at the CIA online Reading Room because the Company hoovered it all up in the course of that Psi-curious <i>zeitgeist</i>.</p>
<p>In broader Chinese politics and culture, all this was a culmination of the 1980s Qi-Gong Bubble. That was a kind of backlash from the Cultural Revolution (or an extension of it): a period of renewed interest in ancient traditions of mystical fraudulence, hitched to post-capitalist human transcendence. Little remains of it now apart from the Shaolin-Monks Travelling Circus-show, and the gravity-defying feats of swordsmen in <i>wuxia</i> movies. At the time, though, according to the self-proclaimed heirs to the traditions (passed down through an unbroken succession of Taoist-temple abbots), reviving them was the key to restoring the Middle Kingdom to global pre-eminence. "Modernity and Millenialism in China: Qigong and the Birth of Falun Gong" (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1683478X.2003.10552531">Palmer, 2003</a>) is my main source here, though Palmer writes in more of an academic register. "<a href="http://cup.columbia.edu/book/qigong-fever/9780231140669">Qigong Fever</a>" is the extended book-length version, while <a href="https://digitalcommons.oberlin.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1684&context=honors">Cramer (2020)</a> covered the same ground in "The Rise and Fall of Qigong". This whole occult movement is relevant to my interests, and it requires great self-control on my part to avoid quoting from those authors at length.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Q9Ff7B7lvA/YMiiw_G_yEI/AAAAAAAAdck/C2nm40D9qxoNBZHVNT8mxrbxn1HXlMO_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s525/qf.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Q9Ff7B7lvA/YMiiw_G_yEI/AAAAAAAAdck/C2nm40D9qxoNBZHVNT8mxrbxn1HXlMO_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/qf.jpg" /></a></div>It was a heady time for magicians and messiahs, when high-concept conmen realised that there was no limit to the guff they could spout, if they couched it in terms of antiquity and cultural superiority. Who could turn down the promise of the Movement's leaders to transform the entire Chinese population into super-powered super-humans, using only meditation and rhythmic <i>Qi</i>-channeling exercises? So in the academic debates on the validity of Somatic Science and the existence of 'Exceptional Powers', the skeptics were routed, because the believers had all the political clout.
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/804932.shtml">Another "qigong master," Yan Xin, who boasted that he could put out forest fires and change the trajectory of missiles had up to 2 million disciples.</a></span></blockquote>
<p>Now cultural-supremacy cults are natural partners to kleptocrats and authoritarians (as seen in Russia, where the resurgent Stalinist relics climbed into bed with the Orthodox Church theocrats). Party leaders hoped to domesticate the Qi-Gong movement and co-opt it to shore up their Mandate from Heaven. Conversely, cult leaders realised that collaboration with government was the pathway to status and self-enrichment.</p>
<p>This <i>rapprochement</i> went tits-up in the 1990s, though, when Zhang Hongbao of the Zhong Gong school outgrew his jackboots and decided to <i>infiltrate</i> the Party rather than serving it. So there came a crackdown. Wall-posters turned unfriendly; skeptics were allowed to debunk Qi-Gong magic as a cheap charade of conjuring tricks; it was safe to mention the corruption and the sexual predation.</p>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Friendly wall-posters</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NvJi5T8Rw8o/YMinCMw6upI/AAAAAAAAdcs/7GlDp-_Y49cIrR6Ml6GHsBBWtiLqH6JvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1396/doonesbury.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="1396" height="131" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NvJi5T8Rw8o/YMinCMw6upI/AAAAAAAAdcs/7GlDp-_Y49cIrR6Ml6GHsBBWtiLqH6JvwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h131/doonesbury.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Li Hongzhi didn't help when he came along in the early 90s with his Falun Gong branch of the movement, again challenging the government's legitimacy. QGM-YX may not be a weatherman, but he has Qi Power to inform him which way the wind blows, and he rebased himself in the US to build a new following. This was fertile ground for reasons already covered.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/804932.shtml">Online search results show that Yan Xin, who went to the US in 1990, still keeps promoting his spiritual therapy in Western countries, giving lectures and writing research papers. But his website yanxinqigong.net has not been updated since 2002.</a></span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CzOOB5Nf8os/YLh8XlN_CLI/AAAAAAAAdWQ/cqr8QCDPrsAkripP6X8HPjBgx8VriSLywCLcBGAsYHQ/s347/bill_clinton_energy_healing.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="347" height="152" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CzOOB5Nf8os/YLh8XlN_CLI/AAAAAAAAdWQ/cqr8QCDPrsAkripP6X8HPjBgx8VriSLywCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h152/bill_clinton_energy_healing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>With the background sketched in, we can return to the foreground in the form of previously-undiscussed Xin Yan papers [1]-[6], but there will still be distractions and digressions, so do not relax yet.<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Of additional note, Yan Xin provided multiple healing sessions for George H.W Bush and Bill Clinton during their tenures as Presidents of the USA, as well as the ex-premiere of China [Source: <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueQiGong/comments/dt4ewo/yan_xin_qigong/">Xin Yan fanboys</a>]</span></blockquote>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4WJ_LXgyCk/YLi7MWEZSyI/AAAAAAAAdXA/wHOAC1yuL_kxsQlyXX8UEt6inpplKADHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s343/george_bush_energy_healing03.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="343" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k4WJ_LXgyCk/YLi7MWEZSyI/AAAAAAAAdXA/wHOAC1yuL_kxsQlyXX8UEt6inpplKADHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h136/george_bush_energy_healing03.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So by 2002 there already existed IYXQGA, the <u>International Yan Xin Qi Gong Association</u>, <b>and</b> the <u>American New Medicine Association</u> -- the institutional affiliation of recurring co-authors Jun Wang and Hua Shen. <b>And</b> the <u>American Biology Engineering Science Research Institute</u>, which was a collaboration with Yuhay Tse Fong, manufacturing a dietary supplement XY99-5038 (a.k.a. Qi Nutrition Powder, a.k.a XY-S, a.k.a. XY Yang Sheng Su) according to Fong's family herbal recipe. Which is to say, tread carefully for we have strayed onto the turf of the Food Supplement industry.<p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl_R0hQMnJA/YLiKPzwG7OI/AAAAAAAAdWY/DFftBnzLsQMXvPDAC3hMHcBFhwpUQaz0wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1630/XYS.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1630" height="393" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wl_R0hQMnJA/YLiKPzwG7OI/AAAAAAAAdWY/DFftBnzLsQMXvPDAC3hMHcBFhwpUQaz0wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h393/XYS.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">XY99-5038 is one of Yan Xin Life Science Technology serial products originally named “Yan Xin Qigong Nutrition Powder.” It contains many kinds of all natural and non-toxic plants, and is processed, monitored and provided by Prof. Yan Xin (a world-renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine specialist and a Chief Physician certified by the Ministry of Health of China) using Yan Xin Life Science Technology with reference to an ancestor recipe from Yuhay Fong’s family. It is prepared and produced under the care of Yuhay Fong, a senior research scientist, at the American Biology Engineering Science Research Institute utilizing modern bioengineering technology referring to the refining methods handed down from her ancestors.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times;">XY-S is one of the XY Yang Sheng Su serial products prepared from natural nontoxic plants according to a formula provided by Dr. Yan Xin, a renowned traditional Chinese medicine specialist. It was treated with Yan Xin life science technology and manufactured through modern bioengineering techniques. Case-based studies conducted in different countries showed that XY-S treatment achieved typical results for many types of cancers with little or no side effects.</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Source: <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/J157v03n01_03">Abstracts of the International Scientific Conference on Complementary, Alternative and Integrative Medicine Research</a>, 2002</i></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ChOrj2slIAc/YLiXcKZ6mZI/AAAAAAAAdWo/AGoroxZ61PQ7tYAMee96dGSRuFues7PuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s268/trademark.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="268" height="142" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ChOrj2slIAc/YLiXcKZ6mZI/AAAAAAAAdWo/AGoroxZ61PQ7tYAMee96dGSRuFues7PuQCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h142/trademark.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Confusingly, XY-S is described elsewhere in this <i>oeuvre</i> as a <i>refinement</i> of Qi Nutrition Powder, or an alternative item within the same range of herbal products. Or XY-S <i>is</i> the range, instead of <b>XY Yang Sheng Su</b> being the range (where 'XY Yang Sheng Su' was <a href="https://trademark.trademarkia.com/xy-yang-sheng-su-75872661.html">trademarked in 1999</a> by <u>United States Biology Research Center LLC</u>, another instantiation of Yuhay Fong). It is confusing. See, I warned you that there would be digressions.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Perhaps they're all the same</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39pDbMBmLmY/YLiWhQsm-bI/AAAAAAAAdWg/G9-YRBfpR5M36eTx42B0x65a6DoQFwtPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1345/XY995038.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="1345" height="89" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39pDbMBmLmY/YLiWhQsm-bI/AAAAAAAAdWg/G9-YRBfpR5M36eTx42B0x65a6DoQFwtPQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h89/XY995038.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>I am dwelling on the dietary supplement (or supplements) because advertisements for it (or them) feature in the References of [1, 7-12], to buttress claims that the <b>impalpable Projected Qi Energy</b> can extend life and cure cancer...</p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: times;">This formulation has proven to be effective without side effects for certain degenerative disorders and also shown to delay aging process in many case-based studies [12–15].</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
Long-term clinical observations and ongoing studies have shown that patients with cancer and other medical conditions have received significant beneficial effects from the exposure to <b>external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong (YXQ)</b> which originated from TCM, and in some cases conditions of cancer patients have even been dramatically improved (Fong, 1997; Ming, 1988; Wang & Zhu, 1997; Zhang, Zhao, & Zhang, 1997).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
Long-term clinical observations and ongoing studies have shown that <b>external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong</b> that originated from TCM has positive effects on patients of various diseases including cancer [6–10].</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
Long-term clinical observations and ongoing studies have shown that the <b>external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong</b> (YXQ-EQ) has positive effects on patients of various diseases including cancer [24-28].</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
Long-term clinical observations and ongoing studies have shown that patients with cancer and other medical conditions received significant beneficial effects from exposure to <b>External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong</b> (YXQ-EQ) without noticeable side effects [8, 9].</span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
In the past three decades, positive effects of <b>external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong</b> (YXQ-EQ) on patients including those with cancers have been observed in many long-term and ongoing clinical studies and described in numerous case reports [9-13]</span></li></ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSMVBs48fxw/YLiw1ZjT2iI/AAAAAAAAdWw/Q3F2Bdc1a4c1s39uz1LSnRI3N924O916QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1680/powder.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1680" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSMVBs48fxw/YLiw1ZjT2iI/AAAAAAAAdWw/Q3F2Bdc1a4c1s39uz1LSnRI3N924O916QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h185/powder.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>To be fair, the other two citations in this recurring block of text are to a pair of promotional tracts. To be even fairer, we learn from [1] that a herbal decoction counts as <i>a form</i> of impalpable energy because the product was <i>activated or potentiated</i> by QGM-YX providing an intercession (at a distance) of Qi Energy. Perhaps it <b>doesn't matter</b> whether XY99-5038 and XY-S and Qi Nutrition Powder and XY Yang Sheng Su use the same recipe, if the botanical ingredients have no efficacy on their own.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">XY99-5038 for these experiments was made and supplied by American Biology Engineering Science Research Institute (Los Angeles, CA), and the external qi of qigong were added by Dr. Yan Xin.</span></blockquote>
<p>This was before journals came up with the concept of "Conflict-of-Interest Declarations" for authors to ignore.</p>
<p>Now it may be that my desire to disentangle the separate contributions of botanicals and Qi is misguided, reflecting my reductive, dualist mindset. Even so, if I had purchased a supply of Qi Nutrition Powder, I would like to know whether Qi potentiation is required for it to confer its benefits, and if so, whether that is part of the standard production process or requires a separate transaction. I would also wonder whether Magic Water, transformed by the Master's Qi, would be just as beneficial. Apparently it is. A supplementary experiment in [9] introduces us to <b>Magic Water</b>:</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Previous studies have shown that YXQ-EQ treated [Phosphate-Buffered Saline] (named as <b>YXQ-EQ water</b> or YXQ-EQW), YXQ-EQ treated cell culture medium, and YXQ-EQ treated natural nontoxic plant extracts (XY99-5038 and XY-S) possess some biological effects of YXQ-EQ, including anticancer, antiviral and antioxidative activity [9, 11, 12, 20, 29, 30]. Therefore, we examined whether <b>YXQ-EQW</b> and XY-S could inhibit the growth of HT-29 cells.</span></blockquote>
<p>To add to the confusion, activation with Qi Energy was <i>not</i> mentioned in [5], which used the same 'retinal neural stem-cell' paradigm as [1] to explore the neuroprotective properties of YX-S and / or YX99-5038. This paradigm also featured in [6]. It was the area of expertise of frequent co-authors Feng Li and Wei Cao* from the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Oklahoma and Garrick Lee from National Institute on Aging, whose funding came from projects on age-related vision loss.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">XY99-5038 is prepared from several purely natural and non-toxic plants.</span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xy0k99nB8hQ/YLjJ5ux5TbI/AAAAAAAAdXI/iqVH_7UoKcs2nF5hkZynj3EalQ71onj7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s577/THTRFFDSWH1973.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="368" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xy0k99nB8hQ/YLjJ5ux5TbI/AAAAAAAAdXI/iqVH_7UoKcs2nF5hkZynj3EalQ71onj7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/THTRFFDSWH1973.jpg" /></a></div>It is good to know that no <b>unnatural</b> plants were used in the preparation of XY99-5038, as that never ends well.<br />
<p>The take-home message of [1] and [5] is that these blends of unspecified botanical components, extracted through an unspecified process from unspecified plant species, allow neural stem cells to outlive their usual use-by date and to survive otherwise lethal chemicals when added to their culture medium. Even without the complicating factor of External Qi, the scientific value of so much irreproducible vagueness is open to question.</p>
<p>But before the 2002 Alt-Med Conference, an even more bonkers event took place, calling out for your attention: the <b>First National Conference on Bigu </b>[<i>without food</i>]<b> Manifestation, Health Effects and Scientific Research of Yan Xin Qigong</b>, <a href="http://docshare02.docshare.tips/files/4029/40296970.pdf">July 24-25 2000</a>. Held at Pennsylvania State University, through the intervention of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rustum_Roy">Rustum Roy</a> I assume. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Schwartz">Gary Schwartz</a> was in attendance to certify its New-Age Bafflegab credentials.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGipZphwmXQ/YLi6AzfoAjI/AAAAAAAAdW4/PYKGosAX7WsgpP8h3KYd4BhGJle5D72XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1190/first.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1190" data-original-width="920" width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nGipZphwmXQ/YLi6AzfoAjI/AAAAAAAAdW4/PYKGosAX7WsgpP8h3KYd4BhGJle5D72XgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/first.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>No-one seems to have addressed the most pressing question, <i>does Qi Nutrition Powder count as <b>Food</b>?!?</i> Instead, delegates could listen to edifying presentations on starvation for children, old people and even <i>professors</i>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5zjnL2eecaU/YLoE_lGO_OI/AAAAAAAAdXY/t9IHKTElpO8nwYSC5ZW5KD-z8Jd2okBzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1690/bigu.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1690" height="135" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5zjnL2eecaU/YLoE_lGO_OI/AAAAAAAAdXY/t9IHKTElpO8nwYSC5ZW5KD-z8Jd2okBzwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h135/bigu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>This would have whetted their appetite for the Indian / Chinese banquet at the end of Day 1.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E2_howcVgAM2Qk9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E2_howcVgAM2Qk9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>'<a href="https://wellcomecollection.org/works/u9u2v2fq/images?id=wtsh97vx">Mary Thomas of Tanyralt in Merionethshire</a>,<br />
who has existed many years without taking food'</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epZ4vRYY3KU/YLoSKWEh6kI/AAAAAAAAdXg/6TRKl-GRNmAqX6Kmhh0DL0rMjPaksYPFwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1338/marythomas.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1338" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-epZ4vRYY3KU/YLoSKWEh6kI/AAAAAAAAdXg/6TRKl-GRNmAqX6Kmhh0DL0rMjPaksYPFwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h153/marythomas.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>Xin Yan was naturally focused on the <u>uniqueness</u> of Qi-Gong <i>Bigu</i>. If he had been interested in <u>precedents</u>, and independent rediscoveries of the same latent powers, there was another tradition of Inedia, in 1800s rural Britain - notably <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ann_Moore_(impostor)">Ann Moore</a> and <a href="https://sublimewales.wordpress.com/what-they-wrote-about/perceptions-of-wales/welsh-characters/mary-thomas-the-fasting-woman/">Mary Thomas</a>. People had to make their own entertainment then. The W*k*pedia entry on "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inedia">Inedia</a>" covers the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inedia">Hindu legends</a> of miraculous food-free survival but skips over the Christian tradition, in which the sanctity and spirituality of medieval saints freed them from the demands of the flesh.<br />
<br/>
<p>Miraculous food-freedom did not linger for long in Xin Yan's magical repertoire. When Yan et al. cited a talk from the conference in [5], they revised its title to something anodyne, less redolent of marvels and medievalism: "Collected papers of Yan Xin Qigong scientific research conference at the Pennsylvania State University (pp. 89–99), June 23–25, 2000. New Hope, PA: Amber Leaf Press (to be published)" <i>[it was never published]</i>. Some talks from the meeting did find their way into <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/bsta/22/5">a special issue</a> of <u>Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society</u>, including [2], [3], [4].</p>
<p>In [2] and [3], QGM-YX provided his food-substitute Qi at the organismic level and at the cellular level (to cells in nutrient-deficient culture medium) respectively. The authors did their best to reduce the risibility of <i>Bigu</i> by rebranding the central absurdity as 'YXLST-CR', in the more plausible context of Calorie Reduction (a popular topic of anti-aging researchers, because a regimen of borderline starvation does extend the life-span of mice and nematode worms). Presenting <i>Bigu</i> as "an improved form of Calorie Reduction" is like "drowning is an improved form of swimming", but whatever. [2] is where we learn about the fattening properties of telephony:</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">"The participant was a 21-year-old female who entered into an YXLST-CR state after meeting Dr. Yan. She was in an YXLST-CR state from October 3, 1987, to February 12, 1988, for a total of 133 days. For 106 days, from October 3, 1987, to January 16, 1988, she did not eat or drink anything except a drink of water on December 29, 1987 (106 days without food and 87 days without water). She weighed 48.5 kg one month before the start of YXLST-CR. Her weight was 48.5 kg on the 10th, 25th, 35th, and 45th day of YXLST-CR, and 50 kg on the 117th day. Without even drinking water, she sometimes gained 0.5 kg to 1 kg after a telephone conversation with Dr. Yan."</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Dial-up modems and <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.486.3229&rep=rep1&type=pdf">telephonic Qi</a>:<br/>
no broadband Wifi in the 1980s!</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U5qe-N-v2Vw/YLm8-jMWd7I/AAAAAAAAdXQ/sq-vRuxTNWEPdaOJ55Aj1JdQHDjMWNVcACLcBGAsYHQ/s1010/table6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1010" height="281" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U5qe-N-v2Vw/YLm8-jMWd7I/AAAAAAAAdXQ/sq-vRuxTNWEPdaOJ55Aj1JdQHDjMWNVcACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h281/table6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Hume's <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Miracles">approach to miracles</a> comes to mind here, and for this entire body of work. When deciding whether to believe a report of a miraculous event, you should consider which of two explanations is more likely: a miracle did occur, or the witness is deluded or lying.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueQiGong/comments/dt4ewo/yan_xin_qigong/f6x6e8v?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">Perusing the Reddits</a>, we find Xin Yan fanboys citing these papers as an admission that his powers are real, because papers with made-up results would never be allowed.</p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Why would the most reputed universities and scientific journals (Nature, ELSEVIER, Cellular Physiology Cellular Physiology , Molecular Cellular Biochemistry etc...) accept his studies and publish them if they were "pseudo scientific papers" that have never "actually been demonstrated in controlled environments"?</span></blockquote>
<p>The respect for <u>Elsevier</u> and <u>Nature</u> is touching, even if the actual journal was <u>Ziran Zazhi</u>, the <u>Journal of Nature</u>.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</div>
<p>* Doubts about image integrity led <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=%22wei+cao%22">three other Wei Cao papers</a> into PubPeer, independently of the collaboration with Xin Yan.</p>
<p>** UPDATE: It is surprising that so little was done with the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0166354205000100">2005 discovery</a> that Magic Water prevents AIDS.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bE_xcHLODJE/YM6dkIjafkI/AAAAAAAAdc8/5QBWCcAr7zQnlgMxSI-ZLQ4aQWXtzrrSgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1262/HIV.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1262" height="238" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bE_xcHLODJE/YM6dkIjafkI/AAAAAAAAdc8/5QBWCcAr7zQnlgMxSI-ZLQ4aQWXtzrrSgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h238/HIV.png" width="400" /></a></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-69948401928358906062021-06-24T05:33:00.002-07:002021-06-24T05:33:22.373-07:00One ruler to ring them all<div style="text-align: center;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/05/17/the-ruler-of-the-aging-papermill/">at Leonid Schneider's site</a>, hence the unfrivolous tone. The version there is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story.</i></div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbhvE2uvE-8/YJfG49_SUbI/AAAAAAAAdMg/3PLLzcTOcychn9yVlx3QaPRhd6KGUg5YwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2160/CNT.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="2160" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbhvE2uvE-8/YJfG49_SUbI/AAAAAAAAdMg/3PLLzcTOcychn9yVlx3QaPRhd6KGUg5YwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h138/CNT.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Please admire these flow-cytometry scatterplots - the cell-biology equivalent of <a href="https://www.lancswt.org.uk/blog/charlotte-varela/starling-murmuration-facts">starling murmurations</a>. The coordinates of each point are measurements of protein expression on the surface of a single cell, with cells falling in locations that reflect their progress around the cycle of cell division. Thus their distribution is a snapshot of the demographics and overall health of the population. If you repeated the experiment with another seeding of the same cell-line, culturing and treating them under precisely the same conditions, you'd hope to replicate the distribution... though it would differ at the level of constituent points: same murmuration, different starlings.</p>
<p>In their geometric simplicity, these distributions are unrealistic (though better than the meatball-and-cigar travesties that distinguished the output of the '<a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2020/02/21/the-tadpole-paper-mill/">Tadpole Papermill</a>'). I deduce that Photoshop offers a range of airbrush-tool options for building up images from fine stippling.</p>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>[Travesties from <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/01/24/the-full-service-paper-mill-and-its-chinese-customers/">the Tadpole papermill</a>]</i></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eqGEBL1639w/YNRoi-F8NJI/AAAAAAAAddg/bTMZrqORllARCNyxkjmxZ3G5mrZOyAt-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/pm1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eqGEBL1639w/YNRoi-F8NJI/AAAAAAAAddg/bTMZrqORllARCNyxkjmxZ3G5mrZOyAt-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/pm1.jpg" width="198" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BInwqe0XQB0/YNRoi7zYxWI/AAAAAAAAddc/AEXb7DMvcW4nrYlAVKzMFecYNBo74fIIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s581/pm2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="581" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BInwqe0XQB0/YNRoi7zYxWI/AAAAAAAAddc/AEXb7DMvcW4nrYlAVKzMFecYNBo74fIIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/pm2.jpg" width="230" /></a><br />
<p>By way of contrast, here are some <i>identical</i> flow-cytometry plots - first as a pair, then in their contexts, to illustrate the kind of variety and complexity one might encounter from these murmurations. Think of each plot as a projection into two dimensions of a distribution that occupies three dimensions, or more - for cells express more than two surface proteins, and vary in more than division-cycle phase. So <b><i>these</i></b> plots are genuine, I think. The nature of the experiment that created them is anyone's guess, before the 'Directly-Targeting' papermill acquired them <i>en masse</i> and used duplicated selections to fill space in journals from Spandidos and Dove Press, in <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X401JM6CcpTSkbKsPsOl20pRKQ-ns1S_J5pTwtBjqPw/edit?usp=sharing">a long list of variations on a theme</a>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k00ckFcCyDQ/YNRnVGLR8jI/AAAAAAAAddE/yZwv32OPP7c-dsZX-Ijev6Fp2SXnLBXywCLcBGAsYHQ/s318/fc1.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="318" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k00ckFcCyDQ/YNRnVGLR8jI/AAAAAAAAddE/yZwv32OPP7c-dsZX-Ijev6Fp2SXnLBXywCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/fc1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9S1aHgSqGnM/YNRnfEFT9VI/AAAAAAAAddI/2ySZn88ncD4qzCkplOR_La6sbJxhpxihgCLcBGAsYHQ/s660/fc2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="660" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9S1aHgSqGnM/YNRnfEFT9VI/AAAAAAAAddI/2ySZn88ncD4qzCkplOR_La6sbJxhpxihgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/fc2.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbCG1eQePGI/YNRnfcBGVeI/AAAAAAAAddM/gVks9qwd_8QFbP4u0d55-aZN95jxnpX1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s676/fc3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="676" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sbCG1eQePGI/YNRnfcBGVeI/AAAAAAAAddM/gVks9qwd_8QFbP4u0d55-aZN95jxnpX1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/fc3.jpg" width="215" /></a>
<br />
<p>I want to avoid that digression, though, and persist with Figs 4C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/008C93FBEE4237ED34C9A7122B54FE">Wen et al (2021)</a> [11] and 2D from <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2814819843269246078/6994840192835890606">Zhang et al (2020)</a> [9], up at the top there. [11] boasts 13 authors, which sounds like a lot until you reflect on the brainpower that would have been required to work on phenomena like Fig 5C, "The tumor weights of different treated mice on 28 days".</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNMfc_UHl7M/YNRpd5S3P8I/AAAAAAAAdds/a21eZNdxfUwL56QDlee82yaDBFdOE0tJACLcBGAsYHQ/s870/ruler1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="870" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oNMfc_UHl7M/YNRpd5S3P8I/AAAAAAAAdds/a21eZNdxfUwL56QDlee82yaDBFdOE0tJACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ruler1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>It may be that your appetite for photoshopped tumors is not yet sated, so please compare 5C (at right) with (at left) Fig 7C from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E966903A4F5388CB56A34322840D3F">Shi et al (2020)</a> [1].</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RoWvZRjqkNs/YNRpz93lYPI/AAAAAAAAdd0/upbmQ0Tv_TA43XWICHsBoa52pnTlXEZ6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s860/ruler2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="860" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RoWvZRjqkNs/YNRpz93lYPI/AAAAAAAAdd0/upbmQ0Tv_TA43XWICHsBoa52pnTlXEZ6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ruler2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>I am beginning to think that there is only one ruler at Cangzhou General Hospital, which is passed from department to department like the single tooth and single eye of the Graeae sisters. I specify Cangzhou because half of the 15 papers that currently concern us were nominally written by clinicians there, so it is not too great a stretch to speculate that the papermill is based there. Either that or at Linyi People's Hospital, another source of business.</p>
<p>It should be noted, though, that the ruler is sometimes lent to other hospitals, and I hope it sends postcards home, like a stolen gnome on a world tour. Here it is at the China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University (left); and at Chengde Medical College Affiliated Hospital (right); in <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1127020679565C8F0A74BDD2C5BF7B">Xu, Chi & Xu (2020)</a> [7] and in <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0DEFBB74001C6F38A0041FAC52CE88">Xie et al (2020)</a> [B], respectively.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDXwXsCFByI/YNRqG0S_PoI/AAAAAAAAdd8/2Zne2VQPKmITTahr2lsU4ucKnMKRszstwCLcBGAsYHQ/s850/ruler3.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="850" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDXwXsCFByI/YNRqG0S_PoI/AAAAAAAAdd8/2Zne2VQPKmITTahr2lsU4ucKnMKRszstwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ruler3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Two more grids of tumors have felt the refining, reduplicative touch of Photoshop: Fig 5b from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B4E2D1157919013EBACDF19F3EF538">Mu et al (2020)</a> [6], and Fig 6b from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CFC982D824FB0281D5D50BB0514C53">Zhao, Yin & Zhang (2020)</a> [3].</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViXDBayZU5g/YNRqYBzoryI/AAAAAAAAdeE/5OvdfV8lTHEErwgIb4MoEzAXTbom0gqxACLcBGAsYHQ/s1870/grid.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1870" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ViXDBayZU5g/YNRqYBzoryI/AAAAAAAAdeE/5OvdfV8lTHEErwgIb4MoEzAXTbom0gqxACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/grid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>There is a lot going on <i>within</i> each grid and they call out for individual attention:</p>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>[H/t <a href="Indigofera Tanganyikensis">Indigofera Tanganyikensis</a>]</i></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u--GGqJJUbg/YNRq_3I_dmI/AAAAAAAAdeY/NczRmbKHB8sxlLymk2Q4SSNR1jgkgHTYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/grid2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u--GGqJJUbg/YNRq_3I_dmI/AAAAAAAAdeY/NczRmbKHB8sxlLymk2Q4SSNR1jgkgHTYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/grid2.jpg" width="206" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfpYPlAOE0k/YNRrACg7NrI/AAAAAAAAdec/lqvx1MpUapEAwtrzaCf2hozYVB8BvPV0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/grid3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="888" data-original-width="1280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfpYPlAOE0k/YNRrACg7NrI/AAAAAAAAdec/lqvx1MpUapEAwtrzaCf2hozYVB8BvPV0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/grid3.jpg" width="222" /></a><br />
<p>But perhaps the ruler was originally from Linyi People's Hospital! For its first appearance was in Fig 4F from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5648B26F52F4AE8D54789E8528F07A">Liu et al (2019)</a> [A], here at right. At left, Fig 7C from [1] again. I have not convinced myself to include [A] within the papermill's central oeuvre as the journal is different (<u>Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology</u>), and some diagnostic features are missing, making [A] more of a harbinger.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVIbRGCIVLs/YNRr8ARQedI/AAAAAAAAdew/1Z7d5pi24LUnXvVBjb_xKR2KOrO-5GsTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1760/ruler4.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1760" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVIbRGCIVLs/YNRr8ARQedI/AAAAAAAAdew/1Z7d5pi24LUnXvVBjb_xKR2KOrO-5GsTACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/ruler4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>The tumours posed with the ruler later became part of the papermill's pictorial repertoire. Notably, the authors of [A] are <i>also</i> signatories of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/FFAFF14B6FC6AD01DD0F7AE90F314C">Liu et al (2021)</a> [C] - an equally problematic paper, published with <u>Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology</u>. Also of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8809548D2E37D3BDE9F8409A7448DF">Liu et al (2020)</a> [4].</p>
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>[Stolen from <a href="https://twitter.com/Oglaf/status/1103790213636120576">Oglaf</a>]</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/oL6T6TN.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://i.imgur.com/oL6T6TN.png" width="200" /></a></div>Are 15 papers (so far) enough to earn the title "papermill"? I consulted an expert (i.e. myself) and the answer was a resounding "YES". Of course the scale pales into insignificance beside the 600-paper productivity of other mills, but the work is high-quality and competence should always be celebrated.<br />
<p>This is bespoke tailoring, in contrast to the off-the-rack products cranked out by the average papermill, filling in blank fields in a template. I hope the millers are charging the signatories / customers a premium price and no shame befalls the journals that accept these confections.</p>
<p>When I say "journals" I really mean <u>Aging</u> from Impact Press: a sister journal to <u>OncoTarget</u>. Leonid may feel differently about the degree of shame befalling its editors. Other journals have been targeted, and it may be that products from this studio have appeared in other journals that escaped my cursory search.</p><p>Anyway, the judges were impressed enough by its professionalism to award a score of 7.5. They deducted a point for recycling a page of made-up numerical results (only altering the colour scheme). Figure 7 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/80E526AACB80D7EE9DD7C4B7AFE392">Zhang et al (2020)</a> [2] and Figure 6 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4F949A8F37F31323536077DF7199EE">Shen et al (2021)</a> [8].</p>
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQ2WjQUAHfc/YNRskCNjsSI/AAAAAAAAde4/sDPDKBP78tUOkSHO0orz3apT2mpbIZ_pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1020/fig1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1020" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQ2WjQUAHfc/YNRskCNjsSI/AAAAAAAAde4/sDPDKBP78tUOkSHO0orz3apT2mpbIZ_pQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/fig1.jpg" width="193" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-63ZhgLpLmAc/YNRskLJ8JWI/AAAAAAAAde8/ljB7gGHelWYhdznYyt3Y0fn5Xkw1LmbcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1020/fig2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="1020" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-63ZhgLpLmAc/YNRskLJ8JWI/AAAAAAAAde8/ljB7gGHelWYhdznYyt3Y0fn5Xkw1LmbcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/fig2.jpg" width="235" /></a>
<p>Another point was deducted for this: Fig 1C from [2] and Fig 1B from [6].</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WwHtSebQo5A/YNRtM_QFymI/AAAAAAAAdfI/c61Jk0yTc_0pCiDHr7Z_KMBr6aABN_2tACLcBGAsYHQ/s1880/curves.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1880" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WwHtSebQo5A/YNRtM_QFymI/AAAAAAAAdfI/c61Jk0yTc_0pCiDHr7Z_KMBr6aABN_2tACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/curves.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Some verbal habits or compulsions emerge in the scriveners' work (as <a href="https://thepmi.wordpress.com/2008/10/06/the-shepherd-to-her-flock/#comment-12705">someone once wrote</a> about Shakira and her pelvic gyrations, "Do you think she knows she’s doing that? Maybe it’s a nervous tic or something"). Even so, they generally avoided the level of blatant text recycling that triggers plagiarism-screen services, varying their syntax and tweaking the words with judicious use of Roget's Thesaurus.<i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/008C93FBEE4237ED34C9A7122B54FE#3">Generally</a></i> [11].</p>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="3" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#3 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Hoya Camphorifolia</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 2 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Commercial carboxyl-MWNTs <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">exhibited black appearance</span>& (Figure 1A). Both SEM and TEM images showed that MWNT/Sor/siRNA exhibited <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">the complete and visible tubular structure</span> (Figure 1B, ,1C).1C). In addition, the optical absorption spectra of MWNT/Sor/siRNA <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">revealed around 260 nm of absorption peaks</span> ;(Figure 1D). "</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">For comparison with <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/73FBAE36353BCD08E1228843DAB175" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Zhang, Teng & Wang (2020)</a>:</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Commercial MWCNT dispersion <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">exhibited black appearance</span> (Figure 1A). The optical absorption spectra of MWCNT <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">revealed around 260 nm of absorption peaks</span> (Figure 1B). TEM images showed <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">the complete and visible tubular structure</span> (Figure 1C)."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">There are only so many ways to describe the appearance of a carbon nanotube preparation, but even so, these choices of words are unusually similar.</p></div></div>
<p>We began with flow-cytometry simulations, displaying a kind of striated or filamentary quality on account of their airbrush-stippled origins. Their frequent appearances in this corpus of papers helped persuade me that it is best explained by a single source -- as opposed to the signed authors following templates and borrowing images from one another, or outsourcing <i>some</i> of the work to a single outside contractor. So it's time for a few more examples.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WEhhc7ZDkU/YJjZ_sXBZ1I/AAAAAAAAdMw/Mj4JH6U42V4X_hM3vlosv4QG7NOp4o7ygCLcBGAsYHQ/s1700/CNT2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1700" height="211" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WEhhc7ZDkU/YJjZ_sXBZ1I/AAAAAAAAdMw/Mj4JH6U42V4X_hM3vlosv4QG7NOp4o7ygCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h211/CNT2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1PRTq54FuE/YJkZlK5HbBI/AAAAAAAAdM4/RQJwdbCggT0q5GIOyQQQ89qzSXyg4hMiACLcBGAsYHQ/s670/wbs.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="540" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s1PRTq54FuE/YJkZlK5HbBI/AAAAAAAAdM4/RQJwdbCggT0q5GIOyQQQ89qzSXyg4hMiACLcBGAsYHQ/w161-h200/wbs.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>The Western Blots are another diagnostic feature (when present). They have a lumpy hand-drawn quality, as if a calligraphy pen was involved, and are confined to a limited, distinctive gamut.<br />
<p>The Petri dishes of colony-count assays which feature in this body of papers appear to be genuine ones (I imagine it's more work to fake them), and accidental re-use is inevitable. Figure 2 and Supplementary Figure from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A0BD3F612FF91592C151B0461B2264">Li et al (2021)</a> [10]: </p>
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<p>Figure 2 from [9], and Fig 3 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7250B9CDCC58FDCCDA99A381DF21FA">Li & Cao (2020)</a> [5].</p>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUemA6dNtsg/YNRuQIxQEmI/AAAAAAAAdfQ/1eztX8OqXWsYa8s-vw0gO9JwlFw8P2R5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s421/plates1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUemA6dNtsg/YNRuQIxQEmI/AAAAAAAAdfQ/1eztX8OqXWsYa8s-vw0gO9JwlFw8P2R5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/plates1.jpg" width="176" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTEE_Gj_kp8/YNRuQWBNWyI/AAAAAAAAdfU/gKdgi9OQ6gcnKyRWiaWzYAeXFU27PhxfACLcBGAsYHQ/s610/plates2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="610" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jTEE_Gj_kp8/YNRuQWBNWyI/AAAAAAAAdfU/gKdgi9OQ6gcnKyRWiaWzYAeXFU27PhxfACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/plates2.jpg" width="252" /></a>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">And in the darkness measure them</h4>
<p>Has everyone had enough of that single ruler? Me neither!</p>
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<p><b>SOURCES</b></p>
<p>[1]. "Exosomal miRNA-34 from cancer-associated fibroblasts inhibits growth and invasion of gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo". Liang Shi, Zhenyong Wang, Xiuchao Geng, Yuhao Zhang, Ziqing Xue (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E966903A4F5388CB56A34322840D3F">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[2]. "Pluronic P123 modified nano micelles loaded with doxorubicin enhanced tumor-suppressing effect on drug-resistant breast cancer cells". Zhang et al (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/80E526AACB80D7EE9DD7C4B7AFE392">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[3]. "Modification of graphene oxide by angiopep-2 enhances anti-glioma efficiency of the nanoscaled delivery system for doxorubicin". Zhao, Yin & Zhang (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CFC982D824FB0281D5D50BB0514C53">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[4]. "Co-exposure to multi-walled carbon nanotube and lead ions aggravates hepatotoxicity of nonalcoholic fatty liver via inhibiting AMPK/PPARγ pathway". Liu et al (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8809548D2E37D3BDE9F8409A7448DF">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[5]. "Pre-incubation with human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells-exosomes prevents cisplatin-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury". Li & Cao (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7250B9CDCC58FDCCDA99A381DF21FA">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[6]. "Glypican-1-targeted and gemcitabine-loaded liposomes enhance tumor-suppressing effect on pancreatic cancer". Mu et al (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B4E2D1157919013EBACDF19F3EF538">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[7]. "Transcriptional regulation of miR-483-3p mediated by IL-6/STAT3 axis promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumor stemness in glioma". Xu, Chi & Xu (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1127020679565C8F0A74BDD2C5BF7B">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[8]. "The improved anticancer effects of Bortezomib-loaded hollow mesoporous silica nanospheres on lymphoma development". Li et al (2021) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4F949A8F37F31323536077DF7199EE">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[9]. "Multiwalled carbon nanotubes inhibit cell migration and invasion by destroying actin cytoskeleton via mitochondrial dysfunction in ovarian cancer cells". Ping Zhang, Jiangyan Teng, Lijuan Wang (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/73FBAE36353BCD08E1228843DAB175">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[10]. "Antitumor effect of poly lactic acid nanoparticles loaded with cisplatin and chloroquine on the oral squamous cell carcinoma". Li et al (2021) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A0BD3F612FF91592C151B0461B2264">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[11]. "Multiwalled carbon nanotubes co-delivering sorafenib and epidermal growth factor receptor siRNA enhanced tumor-suppressing effect on liver cancer". Zhili Wen, Yuliang Feng, Youwen Hu, Lingyan Lian, Hongyan Huang, Li Guo, Shanwen Chen, Qian Yang, Moran Zhang, Lijun Wan, Kedong Xu, Degejirifu, Xiaohua Yan (2021) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/008C93FBEE4237ED34C9A7122B54FE">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[A]. "Effect of miR-21 on apoptosis in hepatoblastoma cell through activating ASPP2/p38 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo". Liu et al (2019), <u>Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology</u> [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5648B26F52F4AE8D54789E8528F07A">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[B]. "miR-302e Suppresses Glioma Progression by Targeting VEGFA". Xie et al (2020), <u>Cancer Management and Research</u> [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0DEFBB74001C6F38A0041FAC52CE88">PubPeer</a>].</p>
<p>[C]. "Silencing lncRNA TUG1 Alleviates LPS-Induced Mouse Hepatocyte Inflammation by Targeting miR-140/TNF". Liu et al (2021), <u>Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology</u> [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/FFAFF14B6FC6AD01DD0F7AE90F314C">PubPeer</a>].</p>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-46360844181028512732021-05-11T19:55:00.001-07:002021-05-11T19:58:29.209-07:00The papers are coming from inside the house!<div style="text-align: center;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/04/26/spandidos-and-the-paper-mill/">at Leonid Schneider's site</a>, hence the unfrivolous tone. The version there is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story, and division into subsections.</i></div>
<br />
So the gombeens and jamokes at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OMICS_Publishing_Group">OMICS publishing-fraud scampire</a> have stolen the identity of <u><a href="https://www.geneticsmr.com/">Genetic & Molecular Research</a></u> (GMR), a Brazilian scholarly journal, in the hope that would-be authors will send their manuscripts and their money to <a href="https://www.geneticsmr.org/">the fake website</a>. They have also stolen the real GMR’s archive of back-issues to give their freshly-spawned polyp a semblance of credibility. Do not bother advising the fake journal’s Editorial Board that they were duped into collaboration on an audacious con-job, for the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210124193141/https://www.geneticsmr.org/editorial-board.html">list of purported editors</a> is itself copy-pasted <a href="https://www.geneticsmr.com/about/editorial-board">from the original</a>. The <u><i>Fundação de Pesquisas Científicas de Ribeirão Preto</i></u> is <a href="https://www.geneticsmr.com/new-message">not well-pleased with the situation</a>, but Srinubabu Gedela is rich enough from large-scale frauding that he cares nothing for legal fiddle-faddle or the low opinion of the academic world.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-og-moC0M4xk/YJph4GlAzVI/AAAAAAAAdNA/IBaactsQSzktmgS2qDx0CEt5RVXZuW_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/GMR.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-og-moC0M4xk/YJph4GlAzVI/AAAAAAAAdNA/IBaactsQSzktmgS2qDx0CEt5RVXZuW_8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/GMR.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4_bYR00cyE/YJpiUUWGCNI/AAAAAAAAdNI/9NGgNpXnDmkAOwVopiMo7P-rTVykFHjUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/gmr_fake.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u4_bYR00cyE/YJpiUUWGCNI/AAAAAAAAdNI/9NGgNpXnDmkAOwVopiMo7P-rTVykFHjUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/gmr_fake.jpg" width="214" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wkxceEChC94/WEjN5rkkAyI/AAAAAAAAUeM/TOTtvcEIKeM3hUd7rxaakM_Csxh4eGoSACLcB/s1600/giraffopede.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="237" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wkxceEChC94/WEjN5rkkAyI/AAAAAAAAUeM/TOTtvcEIKeM3hUd7rxaakM_Csxh4eGoSACLcB/s200/giraffopede.png" width="165" /></a>The crime is not the subject of this post. It makes a nice metaphor though, or an allegory as it may be, for the fact that fake science is not just a passive obstruction; it <b>actively works</b> to displace real science. I am sure there is some <i>authentic</i> cancer research going on somewhere, and real nanotech work, and non-faked drug-delivery research, but in each case the progressive accumulation of knowledge is surrounded by an imitative penumbra of bogus reports, citing one another and earning citations in literature searches. For all I know, there might even be legitimate micro-RNA studies out there, and I'm glad it's not my job to hunt through the midden for them.<br />
<br />
Then the fakes are laundered and woven into narratives by way of synthetic reviews of the state of knowledge, and it is not easy to convince people (or their funders) that their ideas are misguided and their research program is wasted money when they can always find support from this Realm of Bogosity.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/screen-shot-2019-12-22-at-3.20.27-pm.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="643" height="185" src="https://scienceintegritydigest.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/screen-shot-2019-12-22-at-3.20.27-pm.png" width="200" /></a></div>Such is my overall theme, to be illustrated here with the example of the <b>Spandidos</b> stable of journal. One of those journals featured in Elisabeth Bik's survey of <a href="https://mbio.asm.org/content/7/3/e00809-16">problematic images in science publishing</a>. I leave it to our host Leonid Schneider to provide the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demetrios_Spandidos">Demetrios Spandidos</a> story - how he turned to predatory oncology publishing and scamferences after his career in actual oncology research went down in a smoking pile. Readers who were expecting further lurid revelations of Chinese papermills: One day you will be disappointed, but this is <i>not that day</i>.<br />
<br />
Along the way we will cover the possibility that a well-regarded, prestigious medical university in China has built that reputation on a foundation of assembly-line fakery, and we will encounter the existence - previously unknown to me - of Public Laboratories, which I guess are something like Makerspaces. I for one applaud this collective-ownership approach towards experimental results. DATA TO THE PEOPLE!!<br />
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="4" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#4 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Shuang Wang</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 2 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thanks a lot for findings these errors in our paper. We finished these experiments in a public laboratory that many researchers also performed their studies there, and some images were misused because they were stored in the same public folder. We have connected the journal, and are repeating the related experiments. Once we finish the experiments, we will submit the updating data.</p></div></div><div class="comment-footer clearfix" style="background-color: #fafbfc; border-top: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 2.7; padding: 10px;"><div class="pull-right" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; padding-left: 10px;"><button class="el-button el-button--info el-button--small" style="appearance: none; background: rgb(122, 204, 200); border-color: rgb(122, 204, 200); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 9px 15px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Reply</span></button></div><div class="pull-right" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; padding-left: 10px;"><a class="permalink" href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E790273EB1ACD7571A9F295594E559#4" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="el-icon-share" face="element-icons !important" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; speak: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span> <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 5px;">permalink</span></a></div></div>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Xiaomeng Zhang</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 2 hours ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear Hoya Camphorifolia,</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thank you very much your comment. We performed these experiments in a public lab that many doctors conduct their studies there. All images were stored in the same public computer, which caused some images misuse. We will thoroughly examine the raw data and lab records of this paper, and upload correct figures to journal and pubpeer. Thank you very much again pointing out this question.</p></div></div><div class="comment-footer clearfix" style="background-color: #fafbfc; border-top: 1px dashed rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 2.7; padding: 10px;"><div class="pull-right" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; padding-left: 10px;"><button class="el-button el-button--info el-button--small" style="appearance: none; background: rgb(149, 214, 211); border-color: rgb(149, 214, 211); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 9px 15px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Reply</span></button></div><div><button class="el-button el-button--info el-button--small" style="appearance: none; background: rgb(149, 214, 211); border-color: rgb(149, 214, 211); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 9px 15px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><br /></span></button></div><div class="pull-right" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; padding-left: 10px;"><a class="permalink" href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E39F4FEAE801B0A705C857CC93D6EA#2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="el-icon-share" face="element-icons !important" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1; speak: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></a></div></div>
<br />
First, though, it's important to recognise the work of research-integrity advocates <i>in China</i>, who do not get enough credit in Western circles (in other words, I only recently heard of them myself). They were already calling attention to the existence of a papermill industry in 2016. Papermills are a hot topic of discussion now (to the point that you can probably pad out your CV by ordering and signing a paper from a papermill about the phenomenon), but five years ago, not so much.<br />
<br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IFAx3xktoqs/YHlnnX1fGkI/AAAAAAAAdJ4/-QVv00T6txMHWpI9IDW6_MEZcSDCFxC4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/table.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IFAx3xktoqs/YHlnnX1fGkI/AAAAAAAAdJ4/-QVv00T6txMHWpI9IDW6_MEZcSDCFxC4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/table.jpg" width="215" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XWOsH1BMelI/YHlnnadhfiI/AAAAAAAAdJ8/u2oae3yuu30_F5MclQKCDvMRv_WEcoGmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s599/table2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="599" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XWOsH1BMelI/YHlnnadhfiI/AAAAAAAAdJ8/u2oae3yuu30_F5MclQKCDvMRv_WEcoGmgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/table2.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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So in 2016 the site <u><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141218053119/http://plagiarismwatch.com/">PlagiarismWatch</a></u> found and reported six papers from Chinese authors in <u>GMR</u>, all seemingly copied from one another. <u>PW</u> is now defunct and much-missed, so this is second-hand reportage through Chinese aggregator site <a href="https://www.sohu.com/a/114830017_157348">Sohu</a> (see also <a href="https://kknews.cc/education/lm4b5e.html">KKnews</a>). Though 'plagiarism' has connotations of some scoundrel appropriating someone else's results or well-designed diagram or elegant phrasing. In these papers, a small gamut of images (depicting flow cytometry, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Transwell invasion assays and the like) was shuffled into new arrangements along with building-blocks of text and used to illustrate various tales of imaginary experiments - presumably all by the same anonymous outside author. That is, a papermill was behind the duplication. Yes, this is the same <u>GMR</u> we encountered above as the victim.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-04qUHqlAL3U/YHlpBRo4RbI/AAAAAAAAdKM/LcUWdOibh5cUq2eChUxwOJlFU374oyRXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s599/flowcytometry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="599" height="106" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-04qUHqlAL3U/YHlpBRo4RbI/AAAAAAAAdKM/LcUWdOibh5cUq2eChUxwOJlFU374oyRXgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h106/flowcytometry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zhlrmqkJfM/YHlpBX8vEoI/AAAAAAAAdKI/P5bZamuj9RYMOVM3BmDWdvssId70oK-5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/KM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="600" height="210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7zhlrmqkJfM/YHlpBX8vEoI/AAAAAAAAdKI/P5bZamuj9RYMOVM3BmDWdvssId70oK-5ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h210/KM.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u>GMR</u> is not alone in having papermills recommend it to one another as a <strike>cheap date</strike> safe harbour for their products. Further application of plagiarism screening software turned up more papers at other journals: <u>OncoTargets and Therapy</u> (from Dove), <u>Diagnostic Pathology</u> and <u>World Journal of Surgical Oncology</u> (from BMC, now part of Springer), and <u>Medical Science Monitor</u>. As as well as shared imagery, all used the same verbal flourishes as an aid to detection. Editors were contacted (by <u>PlagiarismWatch</u>, I assume) and <a href="http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2016/vol15-3/pdf/gmr007_retraction.pdf">retractions rained down</a> like the hammer of Thor... or <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6542038/">Expressions of Concern</a> while '<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6567905/">investigations continue</a>' into the indefinite future... or nothing at all. The core six GMR papers <a href="https://retractionwatch.com/2016/12/22/journal-cleans-house-retracting-6-cancer-papers-plagiarism/">featured in a post</a> at <u>RetractionWatch</u>, though absent the broader context or the papermill background. Also omitted was <a href="http://www.funpecrp.com.br/gmr/year2016/vol15-4/pdf/gmr-15-04-gmr.1504005.pdf">a later tranche of five retractions</a> from <u>GMR</u> as that journal's editors broadened their own scene investigation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NCFaOCV-JcA/YHl2iRt0YWI/AAAAAAAAdKY/U1VB66m30U4z8EengElAakjUrlZGpQX7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s736/eaddress.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="458" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NCFaOCV-JcA/YHl2iRt0YWI/AAAAAAAAdKY/U1VB66m30U4z8EengElAakjUrlZGpQX7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/eaddress.png" /></a></div>Investigations are easier with the benefit of hindsight, and the tally of the papermill's output now stands at <b>33</b> (the obligatory spreadsheet <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SXbiwTcuEh4dyxzd99mSBcEf7DREgM8-e4ATDP51ISQ/edit?usp=sharing">is here</a>).<br />
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A common feature of papermillers, when they relieve the putative authors of the role of submitting manuscripts and negotiating with a journal, is to use a structured format for assigning names to the single-use, throwaway "corresponding author" email accounts (perhaps to avoid mixing their clients' commissions). That was the case here:<br /><blockquote>
<span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://www.sohu.com/a/114830017_157348">All emails are 163 mailboxes</a>, and the first three to four letters of the mailbox are the abbreviations of "doctor" and "manu"</span></blockquote>
Summarising those 33 papers by journal (bolded titles are Spandidos):<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><u><span style="font-family: times;">Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention</span></u></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
3 x <u>Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy</u></span></li><li><u><span style="font-family: times;">Diagnostic Pathology</span></u></li><li><u><b><span style="font-family: times;">Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine</span></b></u></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times;">13 x <u>Genetics and molecular research</u></span></li><li><u><span style="font-family: times;">Medical oncology</span></u></li>
<li><u><span style="font-family: times;">Medical Science Monitor</span></u></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
2 x <u><b>Molecular Medicine Reports</b></u></span></li><li><u><b><span style="font-family: times;">Oncology Letters</span></b></u></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
2 x <u><b>Oncology Research</b></u></span></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
2 x <u>OncoTargets and Therapy</u></span></li><li><u><span style="font-family: times;">World Journal of Gastroenterology</span></u></li><li><span style="font-family: times;">
4 x <u>World Journal of Surgical Oncology</u></span></li></ul>
This provides a segue back to the concerns of Chinese observers. Among them, an emerging theme (and a source of rancour) is the reliance of Chinese academics upon a small cartel of 'international' journals.* <a href="https://kknews.cc/news/qglzgbo.html"><br />"Apule" writes</a>:<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">1. The top 10 favorite magazines of Chinese scholars are almost all foreign SCI magazines. <b>In other words, China almost supports these foreign magazines or their publishers on its own</b>.</span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPwf2gOGBMs/YHl3803RbCI/AAAAAAAAdKg/XUdtVGsOgcQ3Tlo4eTzlVi6QwxpshtTtQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/journals.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="640" height="233" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPwf2gOGBMs/YHl3803RbCI/AAAAAAAAdKg/XUdtVGsOgcQ3Tlo4eTzlVi6QwxpshtTtQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h233/journals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Of course the author is fully aware that these scholarly exports are fabrications, published to fulfil a career-path criterion rather than to share a discovery; and that research funds are divvied up between parasitical publishers and papermills. But it would be impolitic to say that part out loud, so the focus shifts to the injustice of diverting funds off-shore, which could be building a Chinese science-publishing industry.<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">From September to November 2018 (only three months), the top 39 journals published by Chinese scholars published a total of about 62,508 papers by Chinese scholars in three months, which is a staggering volume. ... If 100% choose to pay page fees, it is estimated that Chinese scholars will have to pay about 1 billion yuan in page fees to the 39 magazines in the table in 2019.</span></blockquote>
<a href="https://kknews.cc/news/qglzgbo.html">Apule notes</a>, in particular, that the Spandidos publishing empire would not be sustainable without China as a supplier of money and material to fill the pages: **<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">2. The two magazines published by the Greek publisher Spandidos won the top three places and directly won the first and second places, becoming the most popular magazines by Chinese scholars.<br />
3. The first Greek magazine Experimental and therapeutic medicine <b>continued to climb</b> from 89.05% of Chinese scholars in 2017 to <b>89.40</b>% . It is so friendly to Chinese scholars that we are embarrassed not to top it to 100%. As the saying goes, "flies don't bite seamless eggs", you know.</span></blockquote>
Readers of Dr Bik's <a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2020/08/11/the-spandidos-menage-a-trois/">Science Integrity Digest</a> are already familiar with <u>Spandidos</u> organs, by way of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=%28%22Xiao-Ying+Zhang%22+OR+%22XiaoYing+Zhang%22%29+AND+%28%22Peiying+Zhang%22+OR+%22Pei-ying+Zhang%22%29">the <i>oeuvre</i> of Zhang & Zhang</a>. Here Zhang <i>père</i> is (or was) President of Xuzhou Central Hospital, while Zhang <i>fille</i> had a career in need of embellishment. Together they displayed a polymathic breadth of knowledge seldom seen since Athanasius Kircher and other Renaissance encyclopedists... publishing Review papers on topics ranging from "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/042F865399B37DD7D749D02484C410">Stem cell transplantation during cancer</a>" through <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C65CE1E8086EF65020A6042771E5B0">nanotechnology</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D68A369F5C4A3D53B97471DA18C056">scorpion venom</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F7D4135966FC042E8F3E3031C9DC7F#1">telemedicine</a> to "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/63BBFECBD354CE97999577D1592325">Hospital information technology in home care</a>". Mostly in <u>Oncology Letters</u> (with three excursions to <u>Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine</u> and another to a Bentham journal, <u>Current Nanoscience</u>).
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>[h/t <a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2020/08/11/the-spandidos-menage-a-trois/">Elisabeth Bik</a>]</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7mwvdZc55c4/YHn9geJP0sI/AAAAAAAAdKo/MVNcOdeL16AOCgZFOPQ_WqIpv-ZmyngkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s920/simtexter.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="650" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7mwvdZc55c4/YHn9geJP0sI/AAAAAAAAdKo/MVNcOdeL16AOCgZFOPQ_WqIpv-ZmyngkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/simtexter.jpg" /></a></div>And all were plagiarised from a series of Ph.D dissertations from universities in Sweden, Switzerland or Singapore -- simply repurposing the introductory sections of each.<br />
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The source of <a href="https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ol.2016.5506">a 14th Review</a> remains untraced. A dissertation that's still quarantined? A paper behind a paywall, or a book, not Google-indexed? A co-author with actual expertise?<br /><br />
Similar possibilities apply to a 15th review paper <a href="https://jmg.bmj.com/content/54/5/305">in a BMJ journal</a>. Three other reviews remain unexamined because they were <strike>published</strike> stovepiped <a href="https://www.eurekaselect.com/search/aws_search.php?searchvalue=%22Xiao-ying%20Zhang%22%20%22Pei-ying%20Zhang%22&select_search_mode=basic_search">through a Bentham journal</a> of such low repute that no universities subscribe to it. Zhang <i>père</i> has an underling at Xuzhou Hospital, Ziqi Tao, who <i>also</i> writes Review Papers, <i>also</i> plagiarising <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/48EACAB712CE4DD4BA008748491884">at least one of them</a>.<br />
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At the risk of wandering away from the topic, what in the name of Baphomet is going on at Xuzhou University? Please compare "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1250DE880CF60567BA92682FDD8176">Reform of public hospitals and the main role of medical staffs</a>" (Zhang, 2014) and "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/91A33663E771BE0C5F8DC651B75DDC">Public Hospital Reform and the Principal Roles of Medical Staff</a>" (Zhang, 2015). Both published in <u>Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics</u>, they overlap considerably, for there is only so much that one can say about the restructuring of Xuzhou Central Hospital under the leadership of Peiying Zhang in accordance with policy directions from the Party. They call out to be illustrated with paintings from the Soviet Realism genre, in which the Five-Year Plan inspires the Irkutsk Tractor-Driver Collective to pledge even greater productivity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S7aJ1Fm5who/YHoFwDnEOTI/AAAAAAAAdKw/kGE1wrFly7oePVEX1DRULSF6r-JE93jmQCLcBGAsYHQ/s954/tractors.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="954" height="269" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S7aJ1Fm5who/YHoFwDnEOTI/AAAAAAAAdKw/kGE1wrFly7oePVEX1DRULSF6r-JE93jmQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h269/tractors.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The choice of <u>Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics</u> as the home for this self-congratulatory hospital-culture fiddle-faddle is not an obvious one. <u>CBB</u> is a Springer journal (not to be confused with <u>Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry</u>, previously from Karger). The publisher adopted the open-access model, with a system of author-nominated peer-reviewers which worked precisely as well as one might imagine: a cabal of sockpuppets and rubber-stamps took over, the remit loosened to abandon criteria like "cell biology", and the journal became yet another stovepipe for Odes to Small Lumps of Green Putty. Peiying Zhang and Ziqi Tao <a href="https://link.springer.com/search?query=%22peiying+zhang%22+OR+%22pei-ying+zhang%22+OR+%22ziqi+tao%22&search-within=Journal&facet-journal-id=12013">took full advantage</a> of this opening of opportunity. In the years 2014-2015, <u>CBB</u> functioned as the Xuzhou Hospital press office: a pukefunnel for Shareholder Reports in which the CEO extolled the high morale of the medical staff and took credit for their expressions of gratitude for the reforms of the Zhang Administration and consequent improvements.<br />
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Perhaps the journal subsequently reformed as well. Perhaps I have strayed from the topic.<br />
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One much larger tranche of Spandidos papers remains. The <i>oeuvre</i> is united in many ways, drawing on a common pool of illustrations, but I am still in two minds whether 'papermill' is the best label for it. There is a suite of scratch-healing migration-assay images...<br />
<br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0QlOnS2swA/YJpmAyF6IgI/AAAAAAAAdNQ/0WMedy1IcvkrTd3VGYR92tMRF3dcduTNACLcBGAsYHQ/s844/scratch1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="844" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I0QlOnS2swA/YJpmAyF6IgI/AAAAAAAAdNQ/0WMedy1IcvkrTd3VGYR92tMRF3dcduTNACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/scratch1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F3lYx9JWDVc/YJpmBGOWGII/AAAAAAAAdNU/Qdk7Bn95DEIuy2nr6cZjmlBRta0mrXkDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s820/scratch2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="820" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F3lYx9JWDVc/YJpmBGOWGII/AAAAAAAAdNU/Qdk7Bn95DEIuy2nr6cZjmlBRta0mrXkDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/scratch2.jpg" /></a><br />
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A repertory of Transwell invasion-assay images, notable for their versatility, shuffled like so many Tarot-Deck cards into different configurations to illustrate (at most recent count) <b>45 combinations</b> of cell-lines and treatments. In <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1I7uuhZ7NgMtzXFaJVfBPzP92JjCHO8tJDOjL8Y_9q1U/edit?usp=sharing">the inevitable Google Spreadsheet</a> these sightings are marked by "Group 1" in the Transwell column. Other Transwell repertoires lurk on the fringes of this corpus, used less frequently, up to a dozen times each.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TurVIp0w19c/YJpnDHk4XaI/AAAAAAAAdNg/jV9EvsrRpH8SA1GjF-teSG2WmmdpLKNEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1465/blobs.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="1465" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TurVIp0w19c/YJpnDHk4XaI/AAAAAAAAdNg/jV9EvsrRpH8SA1GjF-teSG2WmmdpLKNEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/blobs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/imgur-NMcoqM7.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/imgur-NMcoqM7.png" width="400" /></a></div>
I should not forget the flow-cytometry histograms for cell-cycle counting, nor the <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4368FA9CC3E88FFA059E81023DC022">hockey-stick flow-cytometry scatterplots</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lilnahq-YGk/YJpomI-ee1I/AAAAAAAAdN0/nEiohEE0FAEAMPdLHoI8Idx-MAu2n2omwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1980/peaks2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1980" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lilnahq-YGk/YJpomI-ee1I/AAAAAAAAdN0/nEiohEE0FAEAMPdLHoI8Idx-MAu2n2omwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/peaks2.jpg" width="203" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RnsXbLd0C3s/YJpol_cUhCI/AAAAAAAAdNw/RhOM2HaDnco-NX9iTwvcnnrj9ujExZC4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1380/peaks.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="1380" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RnsXbLd0C3s/YJpol_cUhCI/AAAAAAAAdNw/RhOM2HaDnco-NX9iTwvcnnrj9ujExZC4wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/peaks.jpg" width="225" /></a>
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="3" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#3 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">YIHE HU</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 8 hours ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear Hoya:</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thanks for your comments. I will investigate this and discuss with my team.</p></div></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zzs_28kmgs/YJpp8JP_YdI/AAAAAAAAdN8/vBTgowp7OoA_L3ccc0hKF7cEAz19t1NBACLcBGAsYHQ/s1320/hockey2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1320" height="145" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9zzs_28kmgs/YJpp8JP_YdI/AAAAAAAAdN8/vBTgowp7OoA_L3ccc0hKF7cEAz19t1NBACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/hockey2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dP9sCveLPLQ/YJpp8PbZ6OI/AAAAAAAAdOA/Nj-8i8Ey6OsnWziDmxqoVgdAl11zT4clQCLcBGAsYHQ/s966/hockey3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="966" height="145" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dP9sCveLPLQ/YJpp8PbZ6OI/AAAAAAAAdOA/Nj-8i8Ey6OsnWziDmxqoVgdAl11zT4clQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/hockey3.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
The most important unifying element, though, is a small, blobby gamut of Western Blot bands.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617883399008.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="800" height="122" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617883399008.png" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617854895963.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="516" data-original-width="800" height="122" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617854895963.png" /></a><br />
<br />
At the time of writing, <b>120 entries</b> in this corpus have come to light. We can be confident that at least another 80 are waiting to be found by a systematic, comprehensive search (though perhaps many times that), meaning a total output of at least 200 papers. They were channeled through Spandidos by preference: 96 papers treated <u>Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine</u>, <u>International Journal of Oncology</u>, <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u>, <u>Oncology Letters</u> and <u>Oncology Reports</u> as fungible. Minorities were bound for the ever-welcoming pages of <u>Oncology Research</u> (13 papers), with smaller metastases in <u>Oncotarget</u>, <u>OncoTargets & Therapy</u>, and e-Century's <u>International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology</u> (4, 3 and 2 entries respectively).<br />
<br />
The spreadsheet includes "Low p21 level is necessary for the suppressive effects of micoRNA-31 on glioma cell migration and invasion" (<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2A2E1D612CF0EC011308232B33161E">Pan et al 2016</a>), which was retracted from <u>Tumor Biology</u> in 2017 as part of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13277-017-5487-6">a mass purge of 107 fabrications</a>, when the publisher determined that "the peer review process was compromised". To put it another way, Springer noticed that money was passing hands for entry to the pages of <u>Tumor Biology</u> in addition to what <i>they</i> were receiving. Otherwise the paper cannot be distinguished from the rest of this genre.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXp9xdTVZeI/YJprXBSlM-I/AAAAAAAAdOM/I0o4ae-SUQMI8DC9Hap1wKQTKjQCNlirACLcBGAsYHQ/s741/spiky.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="741" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zXp9xdTVZeI/YJprXBSlM-I/AAAAAAAAdOM/I0o4ae-SUQMI8DC9Hap1wKQTKjQCNlirACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/spiky.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_7MtmxnpwQ/YJpr2sJuNSI/AAAAAAAAdOU/jH2O5FSktFotyncqtSX6941aCZQ7ocGbACLcBGAsYHQ/s760/scratch.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="760" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_7MtmxnpwQ/YJpr2sJuNSI/AAAAAAAAdOU/jH2O5FSktFotyncqtSX6941aCZQ7ocGbACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/scratch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Various authors' responses to PubPeer commentary on this tightly-interconnected group of papers is how we learned of Community Laboratories.<br />
<br />
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="4" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#4 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Yihe Hu</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 6 hours ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear Hoya: Thanks for your comments. We will investigate this and I discussed with my team members about repeating these years-ago experiments because these experiments in a public laboratory that shared with many other researchers.</p></div></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Excuses are communal as well; have they been out-sourced to an excuse-mill?</i></div>
<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617697633415.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="800" height="108" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617697633415.png" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618006751728.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="436" data-original-width="800" height="108" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618006751728.png" /></a><br />
<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617714120110.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="271" data-original-width="661" height="79" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617714120110.png" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618006642509.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="800" height="79" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618006642509.png" /></a><br />
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Communal laboratories did <b>not</b> come into the picture when Professor Li <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0BB55FE7A7712AA06362580697D1CF">apologised for the duplication</a> of scratch-healing migration-assay images, and for the overlapping corners of two Transwell invasion-assay images, promising to supply the journal editors with amendments. Rest assured that the errors do not affect the validity of the conclusions.<br />
<br />
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="3" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#3 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Qizhuang Li</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 2 months ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><a class="tag" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2</a> Dear Madam</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">I'm the first author, named Qizhuang Li. Thank you for your reminder and kindly comments. As we got the message from the email, we immediately checked the original data of the experiment. It's our mistakes for inappropriate images. And soon we will contact the editorial office of the Journal, Oncology Reports, for this mistake and make the necessary corrections as soon as possible. The misuse of the picture will not directly affect our hypothesis and results. We apologize again and thanks for your constructive comment. We will try our best, with a more rigorous attitude, to review manuscript to prevent it.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Sincerely yours, Qizhuang Li, M.D.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />E-mail: zhuangzly@163.com</p></div></div>
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<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1613515488840.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="800" height="129" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1613515488840.png" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617666738118.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="800" height="129" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617666738118.png" /></a><br />
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Nor were they part of Prof Cheng's assurances when <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EC622BD404110B94EB31EB3AD7D985">two images were not unique</a>.<br />
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Quan Cheng</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 11 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thanks for pointing out the error. These two panels were mistakenly duplicated. We will contact the editors for corrections.</p></div></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRRn6Z1Tr1c/YH027XXOiTI/AAAAAAAAdLQ/FsNNf0IQDvsJX9XuIaqWpF30h9P8iXLDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1020/invasion.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="1020" height="90" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vRRn6Z1Tr1c/YH027XXOiTI/AAAAAAAAdLQ/FsNNf0IQDvsJX9XuIaqWpF30h9P8iXLDQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h90/invasion.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We may hear more, but the authors stopped delivering assurances after the revelations that these unduplicated panels feature in at least <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0BB55FE7A7712AA06362580697D1CF">11</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EC622BD404110B94EB31EB3AD7D985">nine</a> other papers respectively, while the Western blots are impressively Protean in their versatility.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zHwFWWqjlHI/YJpuQnyd9hI/AAAAAAAAdOc/I8K6UazMy2kyJXK7B0scVbzzugCvPGm0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1460/spiky2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1460" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zHwFWWqjlHI/YJpuQnyd9hI/AAAAAAAAdOc/I8K6UazMy2kyJXK7B0scVbzzugCvPGm0QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/spiky2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618179990072.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" height="120" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618179990072.png" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618180248632.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="800" height="120" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618180248632.png" /></a><br />
<br />
All these manifestations were confined to a half-decade with none showing up earlier than 2013 or later than 2018, so this is a historical phenomenon. Even so, it is of more than antiquarian interest: it's unlikely that the perps walked away from a lucrative activity in 2018, and I assume that they simply acquired new material. In the years since their publication, the fictitious nature of these papers has not reduced their usefulness to other authors as building material for the foundations or buttresses of later papers, and they've been cited on average 21 times each.<br />
<br />
These generalisations come with the caveat that false positives are possible, and some papers swept into the spreadsheet might be misattributed. For not everyone in the papermill industry is a paragon of scrupulosity, and images from one studio's stock are sometimes plagiarised by a second.<br />
<br />
Here again, corresponding-author e-addresses hew to a default structure, initially at least. Priority was given to the supposed author's institution, and there is a plurality of "csu$AUTHOR_ID@163.com" or "xiangya$AUTHOR_ID@163.com". Here CSU is the large, well-regarded Central South University in Changsha, with affiliated Xiangya Hospitals. My working hypothesis is that the bogus papers come from an in-house unity <b>within</b> CSU, perhaps founded to assist the students of one or two research 'empires' with their dissertations, later opening the doors to a wider customer base. Hence my uncertainty about the title "papermill". When clients came from outside CSU, the studio kept the pattern to generate burner email accounts for steering their papers through publication, so we find "qdu$AUTHOR_ID@163.com" (Qingdao University) and "jishou$AUTHOR_ID@163.com" and "xiamen$AUTHOR_ID@163.com".<br />
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Searching the spreadsheet reveals clusters of repeat customers. Normally a papermill does not expect return custom, for each client only calls upon its services once or twice (when they need a paper to pass a career hurdle) so this is a departure from that generalisation. Entire research programs have been spun out of straw. The usual 'career-hurdle pressure plus research incapacity' excuses do not really apply in these cases of high-ranking researchers.<br />
<br />
A group at Xiangya Hospital of CSU is headed by Hongbo He (chair of the Orthopedics department). We find them signing a stream of papers, focusing on osteosarcoma but not exclusively so:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/343398F25B81E36B14B712ABEF77E9">microRNA-145 inhibits osteosarcoma cell proliferation and invasion by targeting ROCK1</a>" (2014). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2014.2195.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4368FA9CC3E88FFA059E81023DC022">Antitumor effect of resveratrol on chondrosarcoma cells via phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways</a>" (2015). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2015.3683.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/82FAFC246E5C12E2DC053B49522B2E">Small interfering RNA-induced inhibition of epithelial cell transforming sequence 2 suppresses the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells</a>" (2015). <u>Experimental and therapeutic medicine</u> doi: 10.3892/etm.2015.2306.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CCCF2FA274E17CC024BD88BA87BD43">Small interfering RNA-induced silencing of galectin-3 inhibits the malignant phenotypes of osteosarcoma in vitro</a>" (2015). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2015.4165.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B6C33A68956C5651878B3F800472B6">MicroRNA-124 suppresses the migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells via targeting ROR2-mediated non-canonical Wnt signaling</a>" (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/or.2015.4186.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/592529919D53839D25B4008E997668">Knockdown of PREX2a inhibits the malignant phenotype of osteosarcoma cells</a>" (2016). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2015.4728.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5431F6906D8945B0B540811E250F03">MicroRNA-205 acts as a tumor suppressor in osteosarcoma via targeting RUNX2</a>" (2016). <u>Oncology Reports</u>doi: 10.3892/or.2016.4700<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0B9E06453C3295455D2E6B8148C28A">MicroRNA-133b inhibits the migration and invasion of non small cell lung cancer cells via targeting FSCN1</a>" (2016). <u>Oncology letters</u>. doi: 10.3892/ol.2016.5044.</span></blockquote>
These assembly-line productions were preceded and followed by publications in non-miR research, and for all I know, the team's results on hip arthroplasty and improved biocompatible nanotech coatings for surgical implants are totally legitimate.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617618844780.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="800" height="61" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617618844780.png" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617565548121.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="800" height="62" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1617565548121.png" /></a><br />
A lung-cancer-oriented cluster centres on Peng Xiao, Wenliang Liu and Hui Zhou. Liu is a full professor of CSU and Chief Surgeon of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Zhou is at the CSU Laboratory of Medical Genetics (which held the title of State Key Laboratory until <a href="http://jiankang.cctv.com/2017/06/30/ARTInvZTW42Zu9Dh1XPGnXLw170630.shtml">delisted in 2017</a>).<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B1E2D5CEBC0207B074935EA68FD6A9">MicroRNA-138 acts as a tumor suppressor in non small cell lung cancer via targeting YAP1</a>" (2016). <u>Oncotarget</u> doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.9480.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7C1E5A5250BCE5F847B5BA279AF30F">miR-200b inhibits migration and invasion in non-small cell lung cancer cells via targeting FSCN1</a>" (2016). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2016.5421.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/AF920C844BA24059AC7F284C355A1A">miR-429 promotes the proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer cells via targeting DLC-1</a>" (2016). <u>Oncology letters</u> doi: 10.3892/ol.2016.4904.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C742B9D7EAB7DA5A954D7786C108EE">MicroRNA-138 inhibits migration and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer cells by targeting LIMK1</a>" (2016). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2016.5769.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/3EEF82E89264CFF0A81B2C7A44F79E">MicroRNA-98 Plays a Suppressive Role in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Through Inhibition of SALL4 Protein Expression</a>" (2017). <u>Oncology Research</u> doi: 10.3727/096504016x14791726591124.<br />"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F3102FED209C5F7EA3001A9A1848D5">Overexpression of MicroRNA-27b Inhibits Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion via Suppression of MET Expression</a>" (2017). <u>Oncology Research</u> doi: 10.3727/096504016x14732772150505.</span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uumJjmO8U54/YIJPxJglzdI/AAAAAAAAdLk/sYYeTazZ_CQrYTwlpsNMTh-g8hAkvEO8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1990/bands.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="1990" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uumJjmO8U54/YIJPxJglzdI/AAAAAAAAdLk/sYYeTazZ_CQrYTwlpsNMTh-g8hAkvEO8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bands.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Gliomas are the theme for a cluster at the Department of Neurosurgery of Xiangya Hospital, headed by Chief Surgeon, Professor Bing Jiang. Zhiming Ma and Xin Wan are associate professors and associate chief surgeons in the same department.<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C6F733ED13E4124C8BE6ACB81E7CE8">Forced downregulation of RACK1 inhibits glioma development by suppressing Src/Akt signaling activity</a>" (2013). <u>Oncology Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/or.2013.2723<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B452B837715F7CB9CF7E9FCFDA4798">MicroRNA-203 inhibits the proliferation and invasion of U251 glioblastoma cells by directly targeting PLD2</a>" (2014). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u>doi: 10.3892/mmr.2013.1814<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D220838F0264ACF241FD779B616BA5">ROCK1, a novel target of miR-145, promotes glioma cell invasion</a>" (2014). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2014.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EC622BD404110B94EB31EB3AD7D985">PAX6, a novel target of miR-335, inhibits cell proliferation and invasion in glioma cells</a>" (2014). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2014.2150.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0BB55FE7A7712AA06362580697D1CF">MicroRNA-663 inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of glioblastoma cells via targeting TGF-β1</a>" (2016). <u>Oncology Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/or.2015.4432.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C6F5222894F8D1462B3C7BA9B56DEC">CXCL5 promotes the proliferation and migration of glioma cells in autocrine- and paracrine-dependent manners</a>" (2016). <u>Oncology Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/or.2016.5155.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4E7BA6317C3005C66AC1A22C44499C">Methylation-induced downregulation and tumor-suppressive role of microRNA-98 in glioma through targeting Sal-like protein 4</a>" (2018). <u>International Journal of Molecular Medicine</u> doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3464.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/AF9C12D9C606A248FE133167DDBABD">MicroRNA‑423‑3p promotes glioma growth by targeting PANX2</a>" (2018). <u>Oncology letters</u> doi: 10.3892/ol.2018.8636.</span><br /></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618521100323.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1618521100323.png" width="260" /></a></div>The next cluster is a collaborative effort, combining the Department of Oncology, Third Xiangya Hospital (where <a href="http://www.xy3yy.com/zjfc/zlnk2019/15991.html">Peiguo Cao</a> is full professor and chief oncologist) with Jianda Zhou from the Department of Plastic Surgery. The outcome is more diverse productivity.<br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1C307D14B193901D879C2F4092813E">Talen-mediated girdin knockout downregulates cell proliferation, migration and invasion in human esophageal carcinoma ECA109 cells</a>" (2014). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2014.2268.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4418479B8BAC8ACE6C74233DC5F5FC">MicroRNA-195 functions as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting CBX4 in hepatocellular carcinoma</a>" (2015). <u>Oncology Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/or.2015.3734.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/82E0000EA9FF0D65FD1773A2549DF7">Expression of Girdin in primary hepatocellular carcinoma and its effect on cell proliferation and invasion</a>" (2015). <u>International journal of clinical and experimental pathology</u> pubmed: 25755745.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/9E94918FAEC10843D06545C26DB982">miR-101 Inhibiting Cell Proliferation, Migration and Invasion in Hepatocellular Carcinoma through Downregulating Girdin</a>" (2016). <u>Molecules and Cells</u> doi: 10.14348/molcells.2016.2161.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8E4A7324A0076900BAEFC31C51EDCC">Downregulation of let-7b promotes COL1A1 and COL1A2 expression in dermis and skin fibroblasts during heat wound repair</a>" (2016). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2016.4877.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/DB008744D18E766A2D8E4FF78F8619">MicroRNA-18b inhibits the growth of malignant melanoma via inhibition of HIF-1α-mediated glycolysis</a>" (2016). <u>Oncology Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/or.2016.4824.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/09103AB88FF9A7ABB4D81A43335B20">MicroRNA-138 suppresses proliferation, invasion and glycolysis in malignant melanoma cells by targeting HIF-1α</a>" (2016). <u>Experimental and therapeutic medicine</u> doi: 10.3892/etm.2016.3220</span></blockquote>These all follow the same pattern as the first cluster: a phase of fabrication, preceding or adorning a broader output of more plausible papers. "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/30275F731A1F1FD3FEF6DD10F79A7E">Silencing of CerS6 increases the invasion and glycolysis of melanoma WM35, WM451 and SK28 cell lines via increased GLUT1-induced downregulation of WNT5A</a>" (Tang et al 2016) lacks the hallmarks of the studio described here, but its Figure 2E does not inspire a great deal of confidence.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tcFvd9fehqM/YJpwzQg3hDI/AAAAAAAAdOk/1Y6QxnZvpdE_ZWntfb0zXHjU0Wj40_YZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s905/yellow.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="905" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tcFvd9fehqM/YJpwzQg3hDI/AAAAAAAAdOk/1Y6QxnZvpdE_ZWntfb0zXHjU0Wj40_YZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/yellow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nebs-c3TR18/YJpxKCY1qTI/AAAAAAAAdOs/F90q8bBbNMk_bKbL2T4xaxt98EkPoWMGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1775/yellow2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="1775" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nebs-c3TR18/YJpxKCY1qTI/AAAAAAAAdOs/F90q8bBbNMk_bKbL2T4xaxt98EkPoWMGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/yellow2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
It does seem, anyway, that more than one research group at Central South University accept that the responsibilities of academia include forging results and drowning out the weak signal of "Stuff we know" in a deafening noise-storm of falsehoods and nescience. Inquiring minds are wondering how far this acceptance extends.<br />
<br />
A final cluster of repeat custom comes from a group at the Departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics, at First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, where Shaoru Li is full Professor. There is no obvious link to CSU.<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4C792B0978557644DCED5C62C5247B">The mTOR inhibitor AZD8055 inhibits proliferation and glycolysis in cervical cancer cells</a>" (2013). <u>Oncology letters</u> doi: 10.3892/ol.2012.1058.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BD51821D4BEFCA71D787981CBB7B3C">microRNA-206 overexpression inhibits cellular proliferation and invasion of estrogen receptor α-positive ovarian cancer cells</a>" (2014). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2014.2021,<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/60CCD10D13CECBEF019EA7BE756A36">miR-22 inhibits proliferation and invasion in estrogen receptor α-positive endometrial endometrioid carcinomas cells</a>" (2014). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2014.2123.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1E4A33F143C5F0E769919DA582606A">MicroRNA-148a inhibits the proliferation and promotes the paclitaxel-induced apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells by targeting PDIA3</a>" (2015). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2015.3826.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2286640192018F78428D6C7A3DB110">MicroRNA-148a inhibits migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells via targeting sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 1</a>" (2015). <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u> doi: 10.3892/mmr.2015.3827.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C4CB3D2659AB3DC589B6700ADDF556">MicroRNA‑302 inhibits cell migration and invasion in cervical cancer by targeting DCUN1D1</a>" (2018). <u>Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine</u> doi: 10.3892/etm.2018.6223.<br />
"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/060B0DD51AACB1E60A4C61C9A00B2A">MicroRNA‑130a regulated by HPV18 E6 promotes proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells by targeting TIMP2</a>" (2019). <u>Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine</u> doi: 10.3892/etm.2019.7226.<br /></span></blockquote>
This is not the only instance of an institutional junkpaper studio. If I were in charge of a university department in China, regularly signing requisitions from professors needing to buy papermill products for their students, I would think hard about all the money to be saved by setting up an in-house falsification factory (though there is no escaping the expense of paying <u>Spandidos</u> to host the results).<br />
<br />
There seems to be <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-6xhXnvVjKASgfCITEF15IsI54PczGt4Yp6rKOXaHhI/edit?usp=sharing">one at Jilin University</a>, where ostensibly-unrelated groups from various departments are passing around Western Blot bands like lollipops at an antivax Measles Party. By sheer strength of will I have avoided travelling down that side-alley. I also fended off the temptations of a <i>third</i> Spandidos-centric papermill (with a few dozen products so far on PubPeer, and no especial concentration at one institution). You can thank me in the comments.<br />
<br />
If I may indulge in nostalgia for a moment: <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/10/your-master-hes-monster-he-will-come-on.html">My own fascination</a> with papermill studies began with this embryonic network, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/93466560B8B4C5E737A9F93F8E06D8#11">helpfully constructed</a> by PubPeer contributor 'Macrophthalmus Grandidieri' to summarise the contents of multiple PP threads.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1505588056533.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1505588056533.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Space does not permit a full exegesis. Suffice to say that despite the scarcity of authors in common, papers shared blocks of text in common, and iridescent mice, and spheroids of vat-cultured cancer cells: the carcinomic equivalents of 'organoids'. <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/26A14D96C3079D2B6D762A70EF8524#8">Three of the papers</a> were from the laboratory of one Qin He, so shared elements of appearance can be predicted. But that laboratory seems to be the source of graphic material for the rest of the network, and simple copy-pasted plagiarism is not explanation enough, as the copycats had <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/32D122DA655FAC07E1B23D8520FFBF">access to more complete versions</a> than those that appeared in print.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1505388501895.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1505388501895.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1505777236578.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="800" height="140" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1505777236578.png" /></a><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1505777035728.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="240" height="140" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1505777035728.png" /></a><br />
<br />
So despite the protection of an ablative heatshield of copy-pasted clones, the editors of <u>Oncology Reports</u> recently <a href="https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/ol.2021.12611">bowed to the inevitable</a> and retracted <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/93466560B8B4C5E737A9F93F8E06D8">Chen et al (2015)</a> - the editors of <u>Oncology Letters</u> having accepted the retraction on <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/26A14D96C3079D2B6D762A70EF8524">Wang et al (2015)</a> <a href="https://www.spandidos-publications.com/10.3892/or.2017.6006">in 2017</a>. The <u>International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Medicine</u> had already <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1EBEA49B224C97B19C1EB93B548E2F">contributed its own retractions</a> to the network. <u>Oncology Letters</u> and <u>Oncology Reports</u> are <b>Spandidos</b> outlets, thereby keeping us on-topic, in addition to the papers' special elements of interest.<br />
<br />
But then the retraction of "Efficacy of dual-functional liposomes containing paclitaxel for treatment of lung cancer" (Wang et al 2015) went viral in Chinese research-integrity circles, or prionic at the very least. Alas, not everyone in social media is scrupulous about crediting sources so I am not sure whom to credit for the crucial observation, so here I'll stick to <a href="https://kknews.cc/health/5nrqnok.html">Apule at KKnews</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_LWgdWNwO0/YJtBs4Z8zNI/AAAAAAAAdO0/n9pv__Yz9Wcl72gvLEYOMKlSbPpTXqU2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/versions.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g_LWgdWNwO0/YJtBs4Z8zNI/AAAAAAAAdO0/n9pv__Yz9Wcl72gvLEYOMKlSbPpTXqU2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/versions.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
The "crucial observation" being <a href="https://kknews.cc/health/5nrqnok.html">the discovery</a> that the e-address provided for correspondence with Rong-Hua Wang (of People’s Hospital of Zhangqiu) <a href="https://www.sogou.com/tx?hdq=sogou-wsse-3f7bcd0b3ea82268&ie=utf-8&query=529827419">serves the same purpose</a> for perhaps <b>five other authorial teams</b>, who had commissioned and signed maybe <b>10 other papers</b> in Chinese-language science journals. That is, papermilling is not just an international problem, but has an intra-China aspect. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q6OnwaASqM/YH1uQWwq_9I/AAAAAAAAdLY/yJO9aImtPHkWcGurhNSxO-QMjVXIWIUlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/zheng_guo.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Q6OnwaASqM/YH1uQWwq_9I/AAAAAAAAdLY/yJO9aImtPHkWcGurhNSxO-QMjVXIWIUlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/zheng_guo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The bloggers independently noticed the trails of plagiarism linking Wang et al (2015) to <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/24008EA4F3407D99C767B847B26D40">Guo et al (2015)</a> (<u>Oncology Letters</u> again, and conspicuously unretracted); <b>and</b> to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4402741/">Zheng et al (2015)</a> (<u>IJCEP</u> again, no dedicated PubPeer thread). They haven't encountered the PubPeer coverage, and if they're aware of the involvement of Qin He's laboratory, they were too circumspect to mention it.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RV2rfgbChaI/YJtCv4khOiI/AAAAAAAAdO8/PMmO8KxMKaopPz6fDvPj3h6WUfa-wBfRACLcBGAsYHQ/s2031/spheroids.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="2031" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RV2rfgbChaI/YJtCv4khOiI/AAAAAAAAdO8/PMmO8KxMKaopPz6fDvPj3h6WUfa-wBfRACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/spheroids.jpg"/></a></div>
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<br />
Those Chinese-language papers <a href="https://www.doc88.com/p-1327607618344.html">feature the material</a> that became the now-retracted 2015 <u>Oncology Reports</u> paper. They are illustrated with <a href="https://www.doc88.com/p-8476067625858.html">cancer-cell spheroids</a> closely paralleling Qin He's publications, though I have not worked through her prolific output to check whther they're <b>published</b> images or ones purloined somehow from the laboratory's archives. Someone in the research group is supplementing their income by selling the lab's material to a papermill (if not moonlighting as a papermiller directly). Someone should probably let Qin He know.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGGlEOD8xjg/YIQL80XadgI/AAAAAAAAdLs/QYdxv-NSz5wWG6jc2ZwWLi0KUxYg5KWgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/spheroids.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wGGlEOD8xjg/YIQL80XadgI/AAAAAAAAdLs/QYdxv-NSz5wWG6jc2ZwWLi0KUxYg5KWgACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/spheroids.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</div>
* I use scare-quotes because "<u>e-Century</u>", though based in the US, is the project of an Chinese expatriate, targeting a Chinese clientele. <u>IvySpring</u> is <a href="https://abr.business.gov.au/AbnHistory/View/79562351892">nominally Australian</a> but <a href="https://www.mail-archive.com/goal@eprints.org/msg10109.html">veiled in opacity</a>. <u>International Science Information</u> is Polish. <u>Dove Medical Press</u> was a couple of NZ entrepreneurs before Taylor & Francis Group bought it.<br />
<br />
** There is also <a href="https://kknews.cc/culture/r53l4ln.html">a dedicated Spandidos post</a>.
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">[Spandidos] is a foreign SCI magazine that almost depends on China to support itself</h3>"Many foreign magazines are indeed supported by Chinese scholars, and most scholars know it well. However, there are not many publishers or magazines that almost rely on China to support themselves. The Greek Spandidos magazine is one of them. In fact, this magazine has appeared in our reports for many years. The following is a further analysis of the publishing behavior of this magazine based on the latest data in 2018."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-trFCAYHryE0/YH0HQ-5jOWI/AAAAAAAAdLA/0cca0zbL1AYi6VlzAvG2LcyJStwJXzwSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1474/shenpa.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="1474" height="219" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-trFCAYHryE0/YH0HQ-5jOWI/AAAAAAAAdLA/0cca0zbL1AYi6VlzAvG2LcyJStwJXzwSACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h219/shenpa.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />"The magazine is far away from China, but among the 6 SCI magazines with impact factors , Chinese scholars accounted for more than 60% of the articles published in 2018, of which 5 magazines were almost all above 80%, with the highest two. Almost over 90% , approaching 100%. Is the magazine too friendly to Chinese scholars, or is it that Chinese scholars love this Greek magazine thousands of miles away?"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmyOJJTZMWs/YH0IMla3iRI/AAAAAAAAdLI/hn69ZLC1P28e1yFLTlcuyTsR4FOIO3CSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/stats.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="1080" height="127" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CmyOJJTZMWs/YH0IMla3iRI/AAAAAAAAdLI/hn69ZLC1P28e1yFLTlcuyTsR4FOIO3CSACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h127/stats.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-91683537355784142372021-05-05T21:53:00.001-07:002021-05-05T21:53:29.901-07:00The stage becomes a ship in flames Welcome to our holeThrow your body overboard And we'll play some rock 'n roll<p> One of the voices in the back of my head has spent the last two hours singing the lyrics of "Spirit" to the tune of "Get a Grip on Yourself" and then vice versa.</p><p>Don't make me pull over and stop the body, voices.</p>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-85142407111580872682021-05-04T15:39:00.001-07:002021-05-04T15:39:11.083-07:00How it started<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e5Uc5DGmclk/YJHMfaFm5CI/AAAAAAAAdMQ/nde1SYB_g0oHQ-e_UcV2m05F498O7op6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s552/sf_cn.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="552" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e5Uc5DGmclk/YJHMfaFm5CI/AAAAAAAAdMQ/nde1SYB_g0oHQ-e_UcV2m05F498O7op6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/sf_cn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2021/apr/28/a-singing-fish-it-glows-green-during-courtship-and-looks-like-boris-johnsons-hardship-face">
How it's going</a></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o9oPjduuzRc/YJHMfviVh6I/AAAAAAAAdMU/SHDotRmfRPUkZHWQE9gJRTu8bwB-Dc6pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1210/sf.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1210" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o9oPjduuzRc/YJHMfviVh6I/AAAAAAAAdMU/SHDotRmfRPUkZHWQE9gJRTu8bwB-Dc6pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/sf.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-27080627272459742092021-05-02T22:40:00.010-07:002021-05-03T00:03:00.088-07:00Suffering convictions on a two-way stretch insideThe air in here is pretty thin, I think I'll go outsideLetter to Radio Yerevan:<br />
<i>Is it true that David Noakes learned of the mystic molecule GcMAF and its all-curative properties from one Ian Crane holding forth at a meeting in 2009 (convincing him that a role as medical entrepreneur would be more congenial than <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_UK_Independence_Party_leadership_election">far-right politics</a>), as Noakes wrote in <a href="http://alternativeview.co.uk/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=39">a third-person puff piece</a> to promote his keynote-speaker appearances at Ian Crane's "Alternative Views" conspiracy congresses?</i><br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">In the spring of 2009, David Noakes listened to a presentation in Ghent, Belgium on Codex Alimentarius by some guy called Ian R Crane. During the course of his presentation, Ian stated there was a little-known cure for cancer called GcMAF. After the talk, David went home and put it into Google.</span></blockquote>
In principle, it is true; except that a full account of events would include the webstore 'dcashop.eu' that Noakes had set up <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101128072545/http://dcashop.eu/info/">by September 2010</a>, pimping 'DCA' (sodium dichloroacetate) as a cancer cure, in parallel with getting his <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100819152320/http://www.gcmaf.eu:80/info">GcMAF scam</a> off the ground. That is, he was <b>already</b> actively searching for ways to insert his snout in the trough of Alt-Med cancer treatments. He had stolen the DCA grift from <a href="https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-latest-chapter-in-the-seemingly-never-ending-saga-of-dichloroacetate-as-a-cancer-treatment/">Jim Tassano</a> - an American vermin exterminator and self-taught oncological consultant - as well as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101128035106/http://dcashop.eu/info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=54&Itemid=61">appropriating Tassano's</a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100620074210/http://www.thedcasite.com:80/DCA_reports.html">bogus case-studies</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kfGGVm8GOzE/YI9t_EWonAI/AAAAAAAAdL8/OPNJ2bjjKBMlbK3Hxev44FNK-ZAyowGJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1892/testify_n.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1892" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kfGGVm8GOzE/YI9t_EWonAI/AAAAAAAAdL8/OPNJ2bjjKBMlbK3Hxev44FNK-ZAyowGJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/testify_n.png" width="250" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sm7d-TjXE3I/YI9t_AggjGI/AAAAAAAAdL4/-UEmLoA6ZMc0R6M3bBdTVwQ3F_-56Wn_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1350/testify.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1350" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Sm7d-TjXE3I/YI9t_AggjGI/AAAAAAAAdL4/-UEmLoA6ZMc0R6M3bBdTVwQ3F_-56Wn_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/testify.jpg" width="178" /></a><br />
<br />
In <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210407170902/https://thenhf.com/2021/04/06/four-days-in-paris/">a unique and enlivening perspective on Noakes' trial</a>, <b><a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22eusa-riddled%22+%22scott+tips%22">Scott Tips</a></b> of the <strike>Fraternal Order of Med-Scammers</strike> <u>National Health Federation</u> complains of a crucial omission from the story: his own part in the golden chain of transmission.
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">There is much more to David’s background; but cutting to the chase, he radically switched careers after hearing the late Ian Crane speak about GcMAF at a speaking event held in Ghent, Belgium in 2009. Interestingly enough, Ian Crane only knew about GcMAF because of me, since previously Ian and I had been touring western England giving speeches together and I, among other topics, spoke about GcMAF to our audiences. But the chain of knowledge doesn’t even end there, as I myself had learned of GcMAF from Bill Sardi in the Fall of 2008.</span></blockquote>
In the absence of fluency in French, Tips' report dwelled on the professional appearance of the defense lawyers and the authoritative convincing tones of their delivery. His report was written for an audience of donors, whose generosity may have gone towards paying those lawyers and from whom more donations are sought for the appeals, so it would have been surprising if Tips had disparaged them as a stumbling mumbling shower of pusillanimous plonkers whose incompetence was to blame for the conviction.*<br />
<br />
Despite the language obstacle, Tips ended his report in confidence that the prosecution had failed to present even the vestige of a case, the alleged crimes being <i>international</i> in scope with no evidence that any of it had specifically been crimed on French soil. Also, all moneys had been properly laundered, and none of the allegedly defrauded cancer patients had been called as witnesses to testify that they were both defrauded and still alive. So you can imagine his surprise first at the Guilty finding and then at <a href="https://thenhf.com/2021/04/14/verdicts-handed-down-in-french-gcmaf-trial/">the four-year sentence</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22eusa-riddled%22+%22lynda+thyer%22">Lynda Thyer</a> received a three-year sentence, half suspended and the other half covered by the 19 months she has already spent in pre-trial custody while Noakes was eluding the coppers as a Fugitive From Justice... a Scarlet Pimpernel without the sword-play or witty badinage. This had been thoroughly signalled by the magistrates after the verdict, but before sentencing, when they released her with permission to leave France.<br />
<br />
Scott Tips' donors did not contribute towards the legal defense of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22eusa-riddled%22+%22hutchings%22">Leslie Hutchings</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22eusa-riddled%22+%22david+halsall%22">David Halsall</a> so their lawyers did not receive such positive reviews. Even so, their sentences were similarly suspended, the court viewing them as lacking the brains to have had any central role in the crimes (we also learn for the first time that the fifth defendant was one Michael Norton, Leslie's partner, sentenced <i>in absentia</i> as he is evidently in custody in Poland for criming of some kind). Certainly Halsall does not come across as over-endowed with insight.
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">“I simply did what I was told. I didn’t know that I would have to face a Nuremberg Trial”.
</span></blockquote>The severity of Noakes' sentence does not speak well for the crowd-funded legal team. From Tips' perspective, it was really the fault of Hutchings, for not taking responsibility for his crimes and for being better-groomed.
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">While Lyn’s testimony was generally positive and good, her sister’s was not as clear. Probably the best-dressed person in the room, Leslie Banks took the stand immediately after Lyn turned away from the witness stand and then proceeded to deflect blame from herself. “I wasn’t informed” was one of her regular responses to the judge’s questions about the regulatory murkiness of GcMAF.</span></blockquote>But in some ways it is better than an acquittal would been, and Tips is even now inviting NHF readers to reach deeper into their pockets and give more money for the appeal. Also too, the more time Tips spends following a legal case in a French courtroom, the less time he can spend traipsing around Europe <a href="http://www.hivforum.info/forum/viewtopic.php?p=90708#p90708">to speak at antivax rallies</a>.<br />
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* Trevor Banks -- brother of Lynda and Leslie -- is also credited with herding <i>another</i> group of donors to pay for the legal representation paid for by NHF donors.
<blockquote>A very last-minute fundraising campaign organized by Lyn’s brother Trevor Banks raised the money needed to pay for Lyn’s expensive, new attorney Olivier Forray.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0k3EC3xLkK8/YFqfqTxPCYI/AAAAAAAAdJA/MxElyUQpkIw0bsPMqmPmUvClXE7jxcAswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1897/save.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1897" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0k3EC3xLkK8/YFqfqTxPCYI/AAAAAAAAdJA/MxElyUQpkIw0bsPMqmPmUvClXE7jxcAswCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h228/save.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
For an alternative account, filtered through a Gallic sensibility, <a href="https://www.dalloz-actualite.fr/flash/promoteurs-de-molecule-miraculeuse-barre#.YI9dQugzY2w">see here</a>. It mentions a conviction in Switzerland, presumably <i>in absentia</i>: "<i>En Grande-Bretagne et en Suisse, M. Noakes a été condamné pour vente de médicament non autorisé</i>".<br/>
<br/>
As it happens, Swiss media have mentioned <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170705215758/http://www.24heures.ch/vaud-regions/premiere-sanction-affaire-first-immune/story/31250071">a local inquiry into Noakes' activities</a>, which was continuing in November 2017 when "A doctor from a former Soviet republic, employed at this establishment" [Bussigny] was fined for failing to register to practice locally. Any more recent updates have eluded my search.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>[Previous <a href="https://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2021/03/sometimes-great-lotion.html">episode here</a>. H/t Dora at <a href="https://www.hivforum.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5957&p=115066#p115066">HIVforum</a>]</i></div><br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Committed for insanity and crimes against the soul</div></h3>
UPDATE: Here is an aspect of the Noakester's business activities of which I was not previously aware: in <a href="https://lenews.ch/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Le-News-06.02.14-Edition-13.pdf">an English-language Lausanne paper</a> from the period of the Noakes / Ruggiero <strike>cancer-cure</strike> <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/12/roach-motels-hotel-california-and.html">cash-extraction facility in Bussigny</a>.<br/>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Te7NoiX7DO4/YI-WOsKCEMI/AAAAAAAAdMI/M2vZj604FB47I8-I7FCBslyX_UA1OjQeQCLcBGAsYHQ/s580/wanted.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="580" height="138" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Te7NoiX7DO4/YI-WOsKCEMI/AAAAAAAAdMI/M2vZj604FB47I8-I7FCBslyX_UA1OjQeQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h138/wanted.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It seems as if Ruggiero and Noakes had ideas of starting a franchise, and were recruiting wannabee oncologists for the lower levels of the pyramid.Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-84684402342100000692021-04-07T02:50:00.002-07:002021-04-07T02:50:38.530-07:00Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir,Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,With a cargo of ivory,And apes and peacocks CHOCOLATE REINDEER<br/>The conception:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7NBh9sb2l5Q/YG1_c7hTUTI/AAAAAAAAdJk/N3N2Jgcx9aoBidrTQkdVqL53icCLn5KHgCLcBGAsYHQ/s485/layard.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="485" height="294" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7NBh9sb2l5Q/YG1_c7hTUTI/AAAAAAAAdJk/N3N2Jgcx9aoBidrTQkdVqL53icCLn5KHgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h294/layard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The practical realisation:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h9JcxTAm03w/YG2AHwrnfMI/AAAAAAAAdJs/NUtQY6mQcDkLwPNLQvhlkGHphYRWrjplQCLcBGAsYHQ/s980/20210328_200534.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="980" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h9JcxTAm03w/YG2AHwrnfMI/AAAAAAAAdJs/NUtQY6mQcDkLwPNLQvhlkGHphYRWrjplQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/20210328_200534.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-41806940913522415162021-04-03T04:57:00.000-07:002021-04-03T04:57:33.885-07:00Chocolate Bunnymas 2021.<p>I went for a rollercoaster theme.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_JtildIOcps/YGhVFZL_6II/AAAAAAAAdJY/GAz75_oYerEC72uHg4ufpxjODxVq05ODQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bunnies2021.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_JtildIOcps/YGhVFZL_6II/AAAAAAAAdJY/GAz75_oYerEC72uHg4ufpxjODxVq05ODQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/bunnies2021.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/04/bis-hip-hop-in-tutu.html">2020</a> <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/04/craft-corner-easter-bunny-department.html">2019</a> <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/04/bis-hip-hop-in-tutu.html">2018</a> <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/04/chocolate-bunday.html">2017</a> <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2015/03/chocolate-bunnies-go-punk.html">2015</a> <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2014/04/craft-corner-2-easter-edition.html">2014</a> etc.</p>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-82087639830735734092021-03-22T03:59:00.008-07:002021-03-23T19:11:16.041-07:00Sometimes a Great LotionI am <a href="https://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/04/six-characters-in-search-of-author.html?showComment=1616080179242#c6455610594381180908">to be unmasked</a>! This is just tiresome, after all that time I spent learning to control the musculature of my current mask to produce "smile" expressions that are sufficiently convincing as not to cause small children to flee in terror.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ew4WNvxVoAkUPbi.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="800" height="268" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ew4WNvxVoAkUPbi.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>The back-story</b>:</div></b>
I was of the opinion that David Noakes would not remain <a href="https://guernseypress.com/news/2019/12/21/gcmaf-boss-on-the-run-as-france-seeks-arrest/">a fugitive from English justice for long</a>, as this would require him to keep a low profile and his mouth zipped. As noted in previous bloggage, he soon <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-guernsey-52777685">relapsed into the fell hands of the officers of the Law</a>, and was successfully extradited to France. I assume that the proceedings against Noakes' associates (which were on hold during his unavailability) will soon, well, proceed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qACKNsc4vqw/YFcZ81OcIwI/AAAAAAAAdIQ/BwkW6dArPAg55-sor9lUXljFOZP6ULAjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/velluto.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qACKNsc4vqw/YFcZ81OcIwI/AAAAAAAAdIQ/BwkW6dArPAg55-sor9lUXljFOZP6ULAjwCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/velluto.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Indeed, <a href="https://thenhf.com/2021/01/27/news-release-third-times-a-charm/">trial dates 22-26 March</a> have been set for Noakes and Lynda Thyer. Anyone in Paris who can sit in on the sessions is hereby deputised as <i>Riddled</i> Reporter, and entitled to wear an official <i>Riddled</i> PRESS badge in the brim of their fedora... totally not the perforated rectangle on the side of a 1.5-litre box of <i>Velluto Rosso</i> or <i>Wohnsiedler</i> that you push inwards to unseal the carton and access the spigot of the wine bladder.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Donation recipient: <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/01/foundation-and-empire.html">Scott Tips, of NHF</a></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--6-edNeUmPU/YFhjmB4lxsI/AAAAAAAAdIg/oHVnxyAgl1sWmCYDqycFTxIYXVq4DkDOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1550/ggf.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="1550" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--6-edNeUmPU/YFhjmB4lxsI/AAAAAAAAdIg/oHVnxyAgl1sWmCYDqycFTxIYXVq4DkDOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ggf.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>This follows a year of alarums and excursions and general agita in supplement-pimp circles. Coverage of Thyer's legal travails in a French gaol was a roller-coaster alternation between the pinnacles of self-congratulatory elation each time <a href="https://thenhf.com/2019/11/30/news-release-victory-in-nhfs-fight-to-free-the-innocent-lynda-thyer/">the NHF lawyer persuaded a French judge</a> that Thyer was not a flight risk and could safely be allowed bail, and the troughs of sullen resentment when higher courts over-ruled those decisions (the whole "being caught while boarding a Eurostar back to London" episode didn't help). Still, each cycle was good for another round of <a href="https://gogetfunding.com/gcmaf-cancer-treatment-trial-save-david-noakes-lynda-thyer/">NHF Thyer-related crowd-source fund-raising</a>, and who am I to wonder how much of the donations is needed to cover NHF administrative expenses?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Our operators are standing by</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQNwVFLMPeM/YFhlr4qK0RI/AAAAAAAAdIo/WoAw7qcebJsCTH3djOjC_f-nolV1vpYiACLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/standingby.pn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="1500" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQNwVFLMPeM/YFhlr4qK0RI/AAAAAAAAdIo/WoAw7qcebJsCTH3djOjC_f-nolV1vpYiACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/standingby.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.commonlawcourt.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Lynda-Thyer-News-Article.pdf">Here, for connoisseurs of the genre</a>, is a discussion of the legal technicalities of <i>L'Affaire Thyer</i> between professional conspiracy-peddlar Ramola D, struck-off pharmacist Neela, and some jamoke with his own home-bake Sovereign Citizen legal system, heavily dependent on colons. Neela may be ultracrepidarian here, as her real expertise lies more in persuading friends and siblings to abjure medical treatment, so as to make Dramalade from their deaths. But I digress.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1u5GIEfWrc8/YFhggfbmGrI/AAAAAAAAdIY/WIrHu5NQlJklAOnaVetsc0DJaLPht02kwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1028/ramola.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1028" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1u5GIEfWrc8/YFhggfbmGrI/AAAAAAAAdIY/WIrHu5NQlJklAOnaVetsc0DJaLPht02kwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h240/ramola.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>I wear no mask</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ew4WNvxVoAkUPbi.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="800" height="134" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ew4WNvxVoAkUPbi.png" width="200" /></a></div>Fortunately, not everyone in the pro-Noakes, pro-Thyer Loonisphere is so pessimistic and so convinced that fair trials are impossible in a French court. Hence the comment from Anonymous, concerned that a four-year-old <i>Riddled</i>-post on Lesley Hutchings might <i>detract</i> from the fairness of her hearing... Hutchings being one of those associates whose trial is waiting for a verdict on Noakes. Yes, there are <a href="https://gogetfunding.com/lesleys-legal-fund/">crowd-sourced legal fundraisers</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ye37iKXbpK8/WM2_HI7NMBI/AAAAAAAAVFA/Oe_H9rvRsygbjBTDsQWsYZgunL4PEIP2QCLcB/s1600/legal.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ye37iKXbpK8/WM2_HI7NMBI/AAAAAAAAVFA/Oe_H9rvRsygbjBTDsQWsYZgunL4PEIP2QCLcB/s320/legal.jpg" width="280" /></a>So I am to be subjected to the full rigours of the law, though which French statute I have violated still remains a mystery. I had no idea that <i>Riddled</i> is so influential, but if this results in a separate <i>Riddled</i>-related subplot in the inevitable cinematic de-dramatisation of the GcMAF saga, I am available to play myself.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Artist's impression</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bbNHTc8eQ2Y/YFho9HRjtlI/AAAAAAAAdIw/q5oXa4i4QskGIzX3BECY6grV7l7NHPDjACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/javert.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1381" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bbNHTc8eQ2Y/YFho9HRjtlI/AAAAAAAAdIw/q5oXa4i4QskGIzX3BECY6grV7l7NHPDjACLcBGAsYHQ/w135-h200/javert.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>Prosecuting Magistrate Jean-Luc Gadaud is incorruptible and inflexible, a version of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Javert">Inspector Javert</a>, so his character needs someone with a bass / baritone range if the adaptation of the saga takes operatic form (not necessarily Keanu Reeves <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/07/tension-apprehension-and-dissension.html">as I previously insisted</a>, <a href="https://hoaxteadresearch.wordpress.com/2019/08/24/video-share-the-childrens-retractions-and-what-they-mean/#comment-141825">to reflect Gadaud's badass career</a>). Dibs on <u>Les MAFérables</u> as the title.<br />
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The hardest part for the scriptwriters will be handling the dynastic family soap-opera aspect. Readers will recall that Lynda Thyer was cosplay dress-up scientist and co-author on paper-shaped advertisements for Noakes' product. Lesley Hutchings and Trevor Banks initially served as Influencers (or 'shills' if you like), infiltrating support groups and discussion boards for ME/CFS and cancer and such as to post as fellow-sufferers while pimping Noakes' brand, before <a href="http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/gcmaf-factory-closed-down-in-the-uk.35323/page-2#post-557296">they went into competition</a> with their own '<a href="https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08460429/officers">CytoInnovations</a>' GcMAF-related products. Having <b>three</b> siblings on Noakes' payroll might seem excessive, enough to remind the previously-suspended Disbelief of its safe-word and bring it crashing back down to earth.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Dynastic family soap-opera: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fosdyke_Saga">The Fosdyke Saga</a></i></div>
<div class="separator"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FYQIK2vrLuM/Wad5net1nMI/AAAAAAAAWPQ/60TBUpx2j04NLR7leIobJr8dPe_Ys-YbQCLcBGAs/s1600/fosdyke.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1600" height="229" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FYQIK2vrLuM/Wad5net1nMI/AAAAAAAAWPQ/60TBUpx2j04NLR7leIobJr8dPe_Ys-YbQCLcBGAs/w400-h229/fosdyke.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gJxkvEHMZ1o/XRxBHFCiR0I/AAAAAAAAaFk/wOj-AVLHx4kyUzThOtTL_1T0ViPvR1J8ACLcBGAs/s1600/tb.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="730" height="153" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gJxkvEHMZ1o/XRxBHFCiR0I/AAAAAAAAaFk/wOj-AVLHx4kyUzThOtTL_1T0ViPvR1J8ACLcBGAs/s320/tb.png" width="270" /></a></div>Their father also served the GcMAF industry in his own way, first as living proof that GcMAF cures cancer, then (after his death from cancer) as a reason why Thyer deserved <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/07/tension-apprehension-and-dissension.html">sympathy and donations</a> rather than extradition.<br />
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Hutchings, of course, found <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/03/its-only-cannibalism-if-were-equals.html">a French farmhouse as base</a> for formulating and selling the MAFActive range of GcMAF-scented skin-creams, unguents and liniments of gratified desire, which is why she now awaits her turn in the French prosecutorial queue.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UkdLokPX1Tk/YFhzG408VgI/AAAAAAAAdI4/SVXcnDmIIGE0bm0V6sDBP9iXXfOVIcpXACLcBGAsYHQ/s1890/cytonics.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1890" height="229" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UkdLokPX1Tk/YFhzG408VgI/AAAAAAAAdI4/SVXcnDmIIGE0bm0V6sDBP9iXXfOVIcpXACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h229/cytonics.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hhshYul5klQ/WM0MD23pszI/AAAAAAAAVEI/j2nigAx-3HU7vQwlwdl3udTc5mFWhFuqgCLcB/s1600/omnia2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="560" height="204" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hhshYul5klQ/WM0MD23pszI/AAAAAAAAVEI/j2nigAx-3HU7vQwlwdl3udTc5mFWhFuqgCLcB/s200/omnia2.jpg" width="163" /></a></div>Trevor Banks is still on the right side of the law, though, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180402043739/http://www.cytoinnovations.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=54">still in business with the 'Cytonics' brand</a> -- along with <a href="https://opencorporates.com/companies/gb/10673876">"Omnia"</a>, which is his <a href="https://www.hivforum.info/forum/viewtopic.php?p=82169#p82169">own-label no-frills plain-pack knock-off</a> of the more up-market "Rerum" (previously purveyed by <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2016/01/dont-miss-deadline-its-almost-deadline.html">Marco Ruggiero and Michael Kelly</a>). Nothing seems to have become of his attempt to diversify into Latin America with a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170318115059/http://gcmaf.la/en/">Spanish-translation "GcMAF.la" webstore</a>, in partnership with <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/02/villagers-call-her-quicklime-girl.html">Kerri Rivera of the Church of Bleach</a>.*<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DAO9trmO_uQ/WafP71F8tbI/AAAAAAAAWQA/5-xt-mG50N49-YHFT0kZ09w4Z2e4hDf0QCLcBGAs/s1600/rerum0.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1600" height="167" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DAO9trmO_uQ/WafP71F8tbI/AAAAAAAAWQA/5-xt-mG50N49-YHFT0kZ09w4Z2e4hDf0QCLcBGAs/s400/rerum0.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Doubtless there is some reason why Trevor can't help out his siblings and former colleagues with their expenses, forcing them to throw themselves upon the kindness of strangers. Perhaps <a href="https://gogetfunding.com/lesleys-legal-fund/">the crowdsourcing appeals</a> are helpful for building character.<div><br /></div><div>UPDATE: I have been unfair, Trevor Banks did set up a "<a href="http://savelyndathyer.org">savelyndathyer.org</a>" website.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0k3EC3xLkK8/YFqfqTxPCYI/AAAAAAAAdJA/MxElyUQpkIw0bsPMqmPmUvClXE7jxcAswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1897/save.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1897" height="228" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0k3EC3xLkK8/YFqfqTxPCYI/AAAAAAAAdJA/MxElyUQpkIw0bsPMqmPmUvClXE7jxcAswCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h228/save.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------</div>
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zhhoas5OFCU/WpHuEPNqhXI/AAAAAAAAXWE/L5It_cz2mREgCsU_JPIhtRgvPZ-TiQh6gCLcBGAs/s1600/kerry.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="450" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zhhoas5OFCU/WpHuEPNqhXI/AAAAAAAAXWE/L5It_cz2mREgCsU_JPIhtRgvPZ-TiQh6gCLcBGAs/s200/kerry.jpg" /></a>* I nearly forgot, Kerri Rivera has <b>her own</b> condroitin / vitamin-D / oleic-acid knock-off to compete with Rerum and Omnia, because '<a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/02/villagers-call-her-quicklime-girl.html">Rivera could teach lessons to Depression-era bindlestiffs in "How to leap onto moving wagons"</a>'. She is currently in strife with the FDA for <a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/ketokerri-llc-605897-09112020">marketing the stuff as a cure for COVID-19</a>. A plague is a bonanza if you're a vulture.
<br />
<br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2015/06/it-transpires-that-suppository-is-not.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2015/06/it-transpires-that-suppository-is-not.html</a><br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-starry-wisdom-owned-by-baron-and.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-starry-wisdom-owned-by-baron-and.html</a><br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/03/its-only-cannibalism-if-were-equals.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/03/its-only-cannibalism-if-were-equals.html</a><br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/04/six-characters-in-search-of-author.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/04/six-characters-in-search-of-author.html</a><br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/08/an-extraordinary-new-cure-has-just-been.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/08/an-extraordinary-new-cure-has-just-been.html</a><br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/01/wont-somebody-please-think-of-children.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/01/wont-somebody-please-think-of-children.html</a><br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/03/this-is-night-we-ride.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/03/this-is-night-we-ride.html</a><br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/07/tension-apprehension-and-dissension.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/07/tension-apprehension-and-dissension.html</a><br /><a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/06/everything-is-true-nothing-is-permitted.html">
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/06/everything-is-true-nothing-is-permitted.html</a></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-75327132610896807212021-03-19T15:03:00.004-07:002021-03-20T00:06:09.142-07:00Similar energy<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wa9EVDqk3vs/YFSNGqejehI/AAAAAAAAdIA/HhpGK-KueKcVBvzymm2NaJuvmBNsRFBbACLcBGAsYHQ/s736/Murphy.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="454" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wa9EVDqk3vs/YFSNGqejehI/AAAAAAAAdIA/HhpGK-KueKcVBvzymm2NaJuvmBNsRFBbACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Murphy.jpg" width="164" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AS2qqHj5Y8M/YFSNPXSjDlI/AAAAAAAAdIE/MA8UDG9aKdci3n3yD_OaWK9_fZSXyh1JwCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/tress.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="954" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AS2qqHj5Y8M/YFSNPXSjDlI/AAAAAAAAdIE/MA8UDG9aKdci3n3yD_OaWK9_fZSXyh1JwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tress.jpg" width="264" /></a><br />
<br />
Left: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/oct/18/john-holmes-obituary">John Holmes</a>, 1974.<div>Right: Arthur Tress, "The Singing Chair", 1977.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The 1970s were the heydays of human / furniture hybridisation. No-one knows why.</div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-73510876308706818502021-03-19T04:27:00.000-07:002021-03-19T04:27:12.242-07:00Crisis actors of Busytown<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Collateral impact</i></div>
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kmg_Tnnf4fY/TyfG2wZGodI/AAAAAAAADVQ/pV5pVSPAWKI/s1600/hm-80-11-23.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703746097093452242" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kmg_Tnnf4fY/TyfG2wZGodI/AAAAAAAADVQ/pV5pVSPAWKI/s400/hm-80-11-23.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 260px;" /></a>One of our duties here at the <i>Riddled</i> Research Laboratory and Reality Maintenance Studio is removing on-line copies of the <u>First Encyclopedia of Tlön [Orbis Tertius]</u>. The Library Pixies handle this responsibility, in their own way. sometimes with collateral impact on those persons who ill-advisedly uploaded the <u>Encyclopedia</u>.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cje2SyK1tFE/VGJiVp9wtpI/AAAAAAAAP4s/RGese7Ay_kM/s1600/hronir.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-cje2SyK1tFE/VGJiVp9wtpI/AAAAAAAAP4s/RGese7Ay_kM/s320/hronir.jpg" /></a>The concern, of course, is that W*k*pedia editors would amplify their Wikientries with passages copy-pasted from the <u>Encyclopedia</u>, soon to be followed by the uncredited appearances of those passages in blogs and discussion boards and Pinterest pages, providing those Wikientries with independent sources of corroboration. Each iteration of copy-pasta nudges the <u>Encyclopedia</u> contents one rung up the Ladder of Ontological Status towards the happy state of 'Stuff that Everyone Knows', and then we would be over-run with invisible tigers and towers of blood and Hrönir of the third and thirteenth order, and small cones of an unknown metal of preternatural density, and schools would be invaded by the (conjectural) "primitive language" of Tlön.<br />
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<i>Diligently following a camel around</i></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JtydQa9YH6w/W7qSldQPE4I/AAAAAAAAYb8/C13bvShE9PkmBu7U0s75Lmn70hkTvKbTACLcBGAs/s1600/humph.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="829" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JtydQa9YH6w/W7qSldQPE4I/AAAAAAAAYb8/C13bvShE9PkmBu7U0s75Lmn70hkTvKbTACLcBGAs/s320/humph.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
In a related partial irruption from an alternative existence into our own, my campaign against the "<a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/10/strain-out-gnat-and-swallow-camel-poop.html">Camel-poop-cures-dysentery</a>" hoax has developed not necessarily to my advantage. Academic authors <a href="http://blog.yalebooks.com/2016/01/11/eat-poop-and-live/">were already retailing the fable</a> by the time that W*k*pedia <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bacillus_subtilis&oldid=587781112">dropped its wholesale distribution</a>. It turns out that academics are loath to listen when you inform them <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/10/going-through-motions-2-when-endnote.html">that they credulously fell for a hoax</a>, and the chances of squeezing that particular genie back into the toothpaste tube have, like Murphy's conarium, "shrunk to nothing".<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0aeYheQ9ziA/W7mjxnrcWaI/AAAAAAAAYbw/PbRVaek2neIpw6DRJaPM5HyTV4dsau8FgCLcBGAs/s1600/monty.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="288" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0aeYheQ9ziA/W7mjxnrcWaI/AAAAAAAAYbw/PbRVaek2neIpw6DRJaPM5HyTV4dsau8FgCLcBGAs/s320/monty.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>The camel-poop invention links in turn (via <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/23998/7-creative-uses-poop">click-bait churnalism</a>) to the 'camel poop bomb' story <a href="https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~nmiller0/dung.html#ww2">dreamed up by Jasper Maskelyne</a> ("war magician" and <a href="https://www.ozy.com/true-and-stories/the-bullsht-artist-who-tricked-the-nazis/64459/">self-promoting fabulist</a>), as fodder for click-bait churnalists.
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Camel "apples" became a good luck charm for the German military. The Allies discovered their habit of intentionally running tanks over piles of the droppings for good luck. So the Allies developed and planted land mines that looked like camel dung! When the Germans caught on to the trick, they began to avoid fresh piles of camel manure. In turn, the Allies caught on and began to make mines that looked like camel dung that had already been run over by a tank and therefore seemed safe enough to a Nazi driver. Genius.</span></blockquote><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Maskelyne">Maskelyne </a>contributed more to the Allied war effort in North Africa than any other man including Monty (in his account), or was a skiving credit-grabbing waste of a pair of boots (according to everyone else). Also a waste of a name that was clearly intended for a Jack Vance character. So the movie...<br />
<h2 style="background-color: white; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(162, 169, 177); font-family: "Linux Libertine", Georgia, Times, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.3; margin: 1em 0px 0.25em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"><span class="mw-headline" id="Possible_film_adaptations">Possible film adaptations</span><span class="mw-editsection" face="sans-serif" style="font-size: small; line-height: 1em; margin-left: 1em; unicode-bidi: isolate; user-select: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color: #54595d; margin-right: 0.25em;">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jasper_Maskelyne&action=edit&section=8" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="Edit section: Possible film adaptations">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="color: #54595d; margin-left: 0.25em;">]</span></span></h2><p style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px;">In 2003, director <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Weir" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Peter Weir">Peter Weir</a> and actor <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Cruise" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Tom Cruise">Tom Cruise</a> were working on a film based on <i>The War Magician</i>.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-IndieWire_21-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Maskelyne#cite_note-IndieWire-21" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;">[21]</a></sup> When questions rose about how much of <i>The War Magician</i> was factual and how much was invented by the author, the project was dropped while still in pre-production.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-IndieWire_21-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Maskelyne#cite_note-IndieWire-21" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;">[21]</a></sup></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0.5em 0px;">In 2015 <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedict_Cumberbatch" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Benedict Cumberbatch">Benedict Cumberbatch</a> was reported as signing on to play the lead role in a Maskelyne film.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Variety_22-0" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Maskelyne#cite_note-Variety-22" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;">[22]</a></sup> At the time, the project was pending the selection of a director.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Variety_22-1" style="font-size: 11.2px; line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasper_Maskelyne#cite_note-Variety-22" style="background: none; color: #0645ad; text-decoration-line: none;">[22]</a></sup></p><div><br /></div>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Benedict Cumberbatch has been cast as ‘WAR MAGICIAN’ with Colin Trevorrow set to direct.<br /><br />The film follows an international “magic gang” who conspired with a British illusionist and a female military intelligence officer to defeat the Nazis.<br /><br />(Source: Deadline) <a href="https://t.co/fSgGquNstR">pic.twitter.com/fSgGquNstR</a></p>— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) <a href="https://twitter.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1371933967511879680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
Excuse me for the interruption. Any movie could become a gullible parade through Maskelyne's Munchausen memoires, or a more interesting parallax-view contrast between his Walter-Mitty fantasies and consensus reality. The absence of Terry Gilliam and Werner Herzog from the director's chair does not fill me with anticipation.<br />
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I also fess up to skepticism about the presence of an anthropomorphic hyaena photographer, Ngorongoro Crater, as a denizen of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busytown">Richard Scarry's "Busytown"</a>. Let alone a terrier named after a Disney animator.<div><br />
</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">John Parr Miller</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">: A </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrier" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0645ad; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Terrier">terrier</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> at the town party, apparently a chef, named after a Disney animator who then moved into illustration of children's books.</span></div><div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Ngorongoro Crater</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">: A </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyena" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0645ad; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Hyena">hyena</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> who is a photographer and whose camera gets a parking ticket.</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div><div>
Both made their way into the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busytown#Minor_characters">'Minor Characters' subsection</a> of the Whackyweedia Busytown entry on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Busytown&oldid=849840069">11 July 2018</a>, when fine upstanding Wikicitizen 'Swiss Frank' added one-line encapsulations of these previously-overlooked characters. The existence of Ngorongoro Crater was subsequently attested by wikisourced copy-paste affixed to Busytown-related Pinterest entries, albeit unaccompanied by corroboratory images, so I remain a Busytown Truther. But no-one ever listens to Uncle Smut.</div><div><br /></div><div>That should probably become a blogpost label.</div></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-19987017138703083972021-03-15T21:37:00.001-07:002021-03-15T21:37:25.286-07:00Haemophilia is, like enlargement of the prostate, an exclusively male disorder. But not in this work<div style="text-align: center;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/03/08/towards-equal-opportunity-for-prostate-breast-and-ovarian-cancers/">at Leonid Schneider's site</a>, hence the unfrivolous tone. The version there is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story.</i></div>
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How did the Chinese epidemic of prostate cancer in women go unremarked for so long? Only now has Elisabeth Bik noticed a series of papers in which sex was <b>not</b> a risk factor for the condition. Notably, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/57EE0119D894044C72FCA270C55CED">Pan, Song & Gao (2019)</a> [16].<br />
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="5" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#5 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Elisabeth M Bik</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 11 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Further concerns over the validity of this paper are raised by looking at Table I. More than half of the patients with prostate cancer in this paper were women. It is quite remarkable.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1613782949342.png" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img alt="file" src="https://images.pubpeer.com/kDFpfmK3uK1A-P3p6SoivsmbxqXRPtZzABWwXQPNPJ8/resize:fit:705:705:0/aHR0cHM6Ly9wdWJwZWVyLmNvbS9zdG9yYWdlL2ltYWdlLTE2MTM3ODI5NDkzNDIucG5n.jpeg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></p></div></div>
In two of these cases, the situation is complicated by similarities to other papers about <b><i>bladder</i></b> cancer, raising the possibility that the problem is one of systematic misdiagnosis. <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EC886A989B3E4D498D00A4CFAFB84D">Wu et al (2018)</a> [4] and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C13F2115338B6A2279F1486667D325">Wang et al (2018)</a> [5]...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDD4T8zJmvI/YE_l9z4Q6YI/AAAAAAAAdEI/sn0MDqLFK5AcTE1W44mGscZ48nhVUAb7QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1894/linp1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="1894" height="103" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDD4T8zJmvI/YE_l9z4Q6YI/AAAAAAAAdEI/sn0MDqLFK5AcTE1W44mGscZ48nhVUAb7QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h103/linp1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/ADF14C0788FB74CD76E8E2A1DA0C26">Zhai et al (2019)</a> [11] and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/51EBB23F5146665C110CC7B22D722E">Feng et al (2020)</a> [24].</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyWxuIhO04w/YD7xk1XQ4qI/AAAAAAAAc6o/NmE2Ze7GOAEYEh4cV2Ct7Sa9Fn98mfapgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2457/prostate.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="2457" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TyWxuIhO04w/YD7xk1XQ4qI/AAAAAAAAc6o/NmE2Ze7GOAEYEh4cV2Ct7Sa9Fn98mfapgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/prostate.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Maintaining our male-centric focus on the prostate, closer attention reveals that the median age at diagnosis was somewhere near 60, <i>contra</i> the usual finding in mainstream Western oncology that the age distribution for prostate cancer skews towards the elderly. As well as the examples above, here's Table 1 from <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/9266A736E004B8D7C32F6811161C1C">Chen et al (2020)</a> [19]:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXRmCspc0R4/YE_nwgfIVlI/AAAAAAAAdEU/VZ1243nfBsQvlZMkLSl7CyozbwXFvlocgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1397/prostate.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1397" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXRmCspc0R4/YE_nwgfIVlI/AAAAAAAAdEU/VZ1243nfBsQvlZMkLSl7CyozbwXFvlocgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/prostate.png" width="229" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9qc-an1ERfQ/YE_nwuV9BXI/AAAAAAAAdEY/s8Re-FwYk9UT1GWiZ59Lu45mDi2rw503ACLcBGAsYHQ/s850/prostate_age.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="405" data-original-width="850" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9qc-an1ERfQ/YE_nwuV9BXI/AAAAAAAAdEY/s8Re-FwYk9UT1GWiZ59Lu45mDi2rw503ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/prostate_age.png" width="199" /></a><br />
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The survival rate was uniformly dreadful, with a precipitous nose-drive at 75 months post-diagnosis. The usual prognosis is more optimistic... PCa is often so indolent that observation is prefered to treatment. None of this redounds to the credit of Chinese oncologists.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WErhnFm66z8/YE_nh2g8UXI/AAAAAAAAdEQ/oQgkv1Bg-SUeXOKuLJSgrxkWUkhO2bxEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1590/lego1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="1590" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WErhnFm66z8/YE_nh2g8UXI/AAAAAAAAdEQ/oQgkv1Bg-SUeXOKuLJSgrxkWUkhO2bxEgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h149/lego1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />[16] again, and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/6350C6BE748E74302CD8911A1AD35C">Fan et al (2019)</a> [15]:<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_TRr4KUCcCw/YE_pZtkFMeI/AAAAAAAAdEw/dSKR0bh9PWUZQh5aD0RwRUlRViJGnAGvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s899/605_3p.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="899" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_TRr4KUCcCw/YE_pZtkFMeI/AAAAAAAAdEw/dSKR0bh9PWUZQh5aD0RwRUlRViJGnAGvgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/605_3p.png" width="217" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pojQd9sScVc/YE_pZkZ0HoI/AAAAAAAAdE0/6x4Kiz6viYA0u5GYxG99B0Ieh-aox3V-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s835/ehmt2.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="835" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pojQd9sScVc/YE_pZkZ0HoI/AAAAAAAAdE0/6x4Kiz6viYA0u5GYxG99B0Ieh-aox3V-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/ehmt2.png" width="211" /></a><br />
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Their competence is further called into question by a paper in which equal numbers of men and women were diagnosed with a type of <i>ovarian</i> cancer (<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/71175DA00F2E48B73070C9137F4BC4">Liu et al (2020)</a> [26]). Unless it was <i>esophagal squamous cell carcinoma</i>. Though who knows for sure in this crazy mixed-up world?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eEa3bBUJAEQ/YE_o9CNzPYI/AAAAAAAAdEo/mT5bQREb_D0CuDHw9jG68WiTnIdSNnViwCLcBGAsYHQ/s856/ovarian.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="856" height="270" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eEa3bBUJAEQ/YE_o9CNzPYI/AAAAAAAAdEo/mT5bQREb_D0CuDHw9jG68WiTnIdSNnViwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h270/ovarian.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a1_ISm5WR2g/YE_wvSQFVGI/AAAAAAAAdFA/xmrH-E8gOcg5POh4S3_piyCjEP3fxPIIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s687/gastric.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="687" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a1_ISm5WR2g/YE_wvSQFVGI/AAAAAAAAdFA/xmrH-E8gOcg5POh4S3_piyCjEP3fxPIIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/gastric.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>The possibility of misdiagnosis appears again in <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1BF3FCF167A4DE905B43D19A3112C6">Nie et al (2018)</a> [6] in which the cancer of interest manifested as osteosarcoma in the title, but switching in the text between brain, liver, stomach and cervix, migrating around the body faster than a wayward uterus. If nothing else, the indeterminacy provided other authors with more opportunities to cite the paper.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihf3ldFO4bc/YE_w2L3gB8I/AAAAAAAAdFE/ZGpxaYflFnM5HlgUc5cVyac8zVB_q7CnACLcBGAsYHQ/s1994/cervical.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="1994" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ihf3ldFO4bc/YE_w2L3gB8I/AAAAAAAAdFE/ZGpxaYflFnM5HlgUc5cVyac8zVB_q7CnACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/cervical.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Meanwhile, in a series of (at least) 11 papers, other contributors to the same journal hinted at an epidemic (again in China) of <b>male breast cancer</b>. If nothing else, this will redress the balance. We might as well begin with <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CC709120ECC8D171BCCE0CBDB39F92">Hu et al (2019)</a> [2] and their <b>64</b> cases...<br />
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="1" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#1 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Elisabeth M Bik</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 11 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">In this paper, LINC01116 expression was analyzed in 64 breast cancer tissues and 30 normal breast tissues.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">However, there is nothing in the paper about when and where these samples were collected. Where did the normal breast tissues came from? From volunteers? Of even more concern, there is no data on IRB approval or patient consent.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Table 1 appears to contain some data on the 64 patients, but the numbers do not always add up to 64 (Age row).</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">And according to Table 1, 38 of the breast cancer patients were male. Now, men can get breast cancer but that is rare, and one certainly would not expect that more than half of all breast cancer patients enrolled in a study would be male.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1613769328956.png" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img alt="file" src="https://images.pubpeer.com/7XDUO8GbLW7i9IGcJmakpiZauPdkf4Z1oVaFJh0DJqk/resize:fit:705:705:0/aHR0cHM6Ly9wdWJwZWVyLmNvbS9zdG9yYWdlL2ltYWdlLTE2MTM3NjkzMjg5NTYucG5n.jpeg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">There appear to be lots of other data missing. E.g. how was the data obtained shown in Figure 1A? There is nothing shared about e.g. RNAseq or microarray data analysis, and it seems that many more than 64 patient data were analyzed here.</p></div></div><br />
Awkwardly, some but not all of the values from [2]'s Table 1 reappeared in <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B97218A01C913B80E7A89CDA87BDF7">Fan et al (2018)</a> [8], with <b>48</b> cases, give or take. Whoever really churned out these manuscripts was working at speed, undistracted by concern for internal consistency.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J5736VoAsEU/YFAXnwV4bII/AAAAAAAAdGM/xhATl4iRev46c_iLFPOxaLrDRdnK6cQZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1812/linc01116.png" ><img alt="" border="0" width="302" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1812" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J5736VoAsEU/YFAXnwV4bII/AAAAAAAAdGM/xhATl4iRev46c_iLFPOxaLrDRdnK6cQZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/linc01116.png"/></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2djvY-uykDc/YFAXnxksMzI/AAAAAAAAdGI/IgB8D0oHzDUqQqGvQZegITFrikRXrR2WACLcBGAsYHQ/s620/372_3p.png" ><img alt="" border="0" width="126" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="490" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2djvY-uykDc/YFAXnxksMzI/AAAAAAAAdGI/IgB8D0oHzDUqQqGvQZegITFrikRXrR2WACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/372_3p.png"/></a><br />
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Others in the list are <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/64A5500BD3E4CB9DDE2AD81F8B8E9D">Luo et al (2018)</a> [7] and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2D5E1F90B735BE8C2A9CA2601C4044">Liu et al (2019)</a> [10], with almost the same <b>72</b> cases each...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tI-2tiaeXCc/YD8CPQrpd9I/AAAAAAAAc6w/MHsE5M2HO0AmFRZyGu-TuuwAzhjdX_xbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2840/breast.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="2840" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tI-2tiaeXCc/YD8CPQrpd9I/AAAAAAAAc6w/MHsE5M2HO0AmFRZyGu-TuuwAzhjdX_xbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/breast.png" width="400" /></a></div>
...though the demographics of the patients are not all that link [7] and [10].<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BhcaZL2kddg/YFAYsWbUWcI/AAAAAAAAdGU/035By1rhkHs5Ny6hG_vCqXOL00Pm3g2FQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1710/dax_1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1710" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BhcaZL2kddg/YFAYsWbUWcI/AAAAAAAAdGU/035By1rhkHs5Ny6hG_vCqXOL00Pm3g2FQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/dax_1.jpg"/></a></div>
Mustn't forget <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/50C7E1823EED971D34431E8574D873">Hu et al (2019) [12]</a>, with n=<b>48</b>; <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/AA0E480CA9F49590BE399B212CC580">Zeng, Yang & Wu (2019)</a> [13], with n=<b>66</b>; <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B19B8F95B27B0DD55D052B6221DEAD">Niu, Zhang & Ma (2019)</a> [14], with n=<b>52</b>; <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E8C05AEACDD557541A502AD2571DA7">Wang et al (2019)</a> [17], with n=<b>44</b>; <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D11053E9E9569BB59A13E0B2617E22">Li et al (2019)</a> [18], with n=<b>65</b>; <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/AF0159381E48D7937D78C948FAB379">Zheng, Li & Li (2020)</a> [20], with n=<b>40</b>; and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/61587849ED68419BF941018D90FC13">Zhang, Liu & Wang (2020)</a> [23] with n=<b>48</b>. Together these accumulate to a large sample size but I cannot recommend a meta-analysis of the papers. Are there more Kaplan-Meier survival plots that resemble combs (in the minds of some observers) or walls built of Lego blocks (according to others), nose-diving at 75 months? Are there correlation scatterplots sharing more data-points than one might expect? These are rhetorical questions.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P64y3CnQI-o/YFAZHw1reQI/AAAAAAAAdGc/Q1LxFp89AusvPLwQ4CYna2W2FhqwQt_vACLcBGAsYHQ/s411/765.png" ><img alt="" border="0" width="154" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="411" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P64y3CnQI-o/YFAZHw1reQI/AAAAAAAAdGc/Q1LxFp89AusvPLwQ4CYna2W2FhqwQt_vACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/765.png"/></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sITa-ZI4pbI/YFAZH8iiKpI/AAAAAAAAdGg/mxLeKpw95dAUUVV3gwIR_X76KNNDIOlWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1520/foxk1.png" ><img alt="" border="0" width="274" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="1520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sITa-ZI4pbI/YFAZH8iiKpI/AAAAAAAAdGg/mxLeKpw95dAUUVV3gwIR_X76KNNDIOlWQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/foxk1.png"/></a>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pnsaLCdFKXE/YFAaETWeRcI/AAAAAAAAdGs/thkSe4NsUOIh8sLL1u7jiK8GCXhb5yG-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1141/4vars.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="954" data-original-width="1141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pnsaLCdFKXE/YFAaETWeRcI/AAAAAAAAdGs/thkSe4NsUOIh8sLL1u7jiK8GCXhb5yG-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/4vars.jpg"/></a></div>
Perhaps all this is related somehow to the time travel technology available to Chinese medical researchers. This has received little attention in the media, but it must exist, for how else could oncologists recruit patients "from <b>April 2016 to December 2018</b>", and follow them across a decade to the date range <b>April 2026 to December 2028</b>, in order to publish the results <b>in 2020</b> including plots of their 10-year survival trends? (<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0789686E467B5D8BAC2D48AB36E507">Chen et al, 2020</a>) [22]<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-umtxgcWbl-g/YFAazQyGjXI/AAAAAAAAdG0/itXwHZwLEIMHumuXzCyHsjoRZdK4QmxNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s873/km2.jpg" ><img alt="" border="0" width="229" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="873" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-umtxgcWbl-g/YFAazQyGjXI/AAAAAAAAdG0/itXwHZwLEIMHumuXzCyHsjoRZdK4QmxNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/km2.jpg"/></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNjkM-EdWak/YFAazUEMcrI/AAAAAAAAdG4/P1MjWophsyUozDv3s6wvw_x52iiQFceFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1390/4_kms.jpg" ><img alt="" border="0" width="199" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1390" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DNjkM-EdWak/YFAazUEMcrI/AAAAAAAAdG4/P1MjWophsyUozDv3s6wvw_x52iiQFceFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/4_kms.jpg"/></a><br />
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The vehicle for most of this malarkey is <u>ERMPS</u>, the <u>European Review for Medical & Pharmacological Science</u>. It should already be familiar to readers, as the <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/07/08/il-piccolo-mulino-verduci-frodotore/">conduit of choice</a> for <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/02/27/dark-satanic-papermills/">multiple papermills</a> reported here and <a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2020/07/05/the-stock-photo-paper-mill/">by Dr Bik</a> at her <u>Science Integrity Digest</u>. Word has gone out across the fake-paper industry that it's hospitable toward their products, with relaxed or negotiable standards of peer review (I imagine the papermill studios scratching the Interweb equivalent of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo#Hobo_signs_and_graffiti">hobo signs</a> to signal one another). It is a write-only journal -- a category also occupied by <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/01/21/victims-as-perpetrators/">J.BUOn</a>, <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/10/15/the-adventures-of-a-mouse-malignancy-group-portraitist/">Oncology Research</a>, <a href="https://scienceintegritydigest.com/2020/08/04/the-journal-of-brouhaha/">J BrouHaHa</a>, and every e-Century spigot -- and unsuitable for scientists who actually want their result to be <i>read</i>. Motivated by profit as well as altruism, the business model is to help Chinese clinicians meet their requirement of 'publications in an international journal'. But is ERMPS worth <strike>dunking on a 7' hoop</strike> blogging about?<br />
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<i>Mirabile dictu</i>, these papers do turn up in literature searches (because PubMed listings), and they are indeed cited in systematic reviews and syntheses, elevating them from the peripheral, parasitical domain of fantasy research into the real-world literature of experiment-based science. Then they are copy-pasted from one lazy author's References section to another, amassing double-digit or even triple-digit citation credibility. A shout-out here to <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/261007508200BD41B3BB636B48D24D">Jin et al (2017)</a> [1], cited <b>106 times</b>, says the imperfect count of G**gle Scholar. Despite the glories of Figure 2D/E.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p-FrpRAga9k/YFAbtpWMdGI/AAAAAAAAdHE/ZqcprA9KXqIfNDBIeFStPRxdXSSFmMwEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1806/jin.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="1806" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p-FrpRAga9k/YFAbtpWMdGI/AAAAAAAAdHE/ZqcprA9KXqIfNDBIeFStPRxdXSSFmMwEwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/jin.jpg"/></a></div>
So pointing and laughing at these low-effort algorithmic permutations (and on the nimrods who cite them) is not just a guilty pleasure; it's also the <b>right thing to do</b>. This lets me feel less guilty about tabulating them all <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_762PbYYTCJhek5PdBuiDuN1q48UDgMa-rT6gi_jA8c/edit?usp=sharing">in a Google spreadsheet</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cRMnE6UFVWA/YFAcRddVkvI/AAAAAAAAdHM/4bVE1xM_ZkgJk0cbbtNaB7dXqAnSlktBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/cancerletters.jpg" ><img alt="" border="0" width="260" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cRMnE6UFVWA/YFAcRddVkvI/AAAAAAAAdHM/4bVE1xM_ZkgJk0cbbtNaB7dXqAnSlktBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/cancerletters.jpg"/></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XNoKBV-E4fY/YFAcRuWfX0I/AAAAAAAAdHQ/pW0jQrSpclc4S_TPCmVbO6SRSgd7gec5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/cites.jpg" ><img alt="" border="0" width="168" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="900" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XNoKBV-E4fY/YFAcRuWfX0I/AAAAAAAAdHQ/pW0jQrSpclc4S_TPCmVbO6SRSgd7gec5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/cites.jpg"/></a><br />
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So far it contains ~200 entries, mostly from ERMPS, but not exclusively. <u>JBUOn</u> contributed 11 papers. Two each from <u>Medical Science Monitor</u> and <u>Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy</u>. A couple of Spandidos journals. The spreadsheet subsumes the five papers from Dr Bik's "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8FC5B0039E9D0DF19B11FA3D02FE20">Mini papermill</a>". There will be other infestations in journals where we haven't looked yet, so the surface is so far barely scratched.<br />
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This is still enough to draw a few broad generalisations. The ERMPS papermill is at the bargain-basement end of the spectrum of quality. The papermiller is careful to vary the phrasing from one iteration to the next, but he or she does not put much effort into customising or individualising the numbers. The similarly-themed {<i>non-coding-RNA</i>}-{<i>cell-signalling-pathway</i>}-{<i>cancer</i>} compositions that fill the space in other, higher-end journals come from papermills that spend a little more time to randomise each scatterplot and distribution from scratch, and to ensure that the demographics of each imaginary patient match the title... I surmise that they charge a little more.<br />
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="1" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#1 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Hoya Camphorifolia</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 3 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Retinoblastoma (RB), a normal intraocular tumor occurring in the retina, is diagnosed in infants and children".</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">A good beginning, though "normal" is an odd choice of words.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Written informed consent was provided by all participants."</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Infants and children were providing written informed consent?</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1614470009954.png" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"><img alt="file" src="https://images.pubpeer.com/6tdZXkqYFuGkaw2QLfjlbS61uvevsbn6En6pcGknCjQ/resize:fit:705:705:0/aHR0cHM6Ly9wdWJwZWVyLmNvbS9zdG9yYWdlL2ltYWdlLTE2MTQ0NzAwMDk5NTQucG5n.jpeg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: content-box; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" /></a></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Half the infants and children in this study were older than 60.</p></div></div>
<i><div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5AC0B2A8F9313C8850094867D8849C">Liu et al (2020)</a> [29]</i></div></i>
Most authors resisted the emailed invitations to join the PubPeer discussions of their work, to no-one's surprise, as the contact addresses are generally single-use burner accounts at 163.com or aliyun.com or qq.com or sina.com. With exceptions [19].<br />
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="9" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">9 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">J-Y Chen</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 4 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: button; background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">After checking and considering, I informed the magazine to withdraw the manuscript by e-mail that day. We will do the experiment again according to the design of the subject, and statistical analysis of the data. I apologize for my lack of rigorous scientific attitude and misleading readers. At the same time, thank you very much for your work and reminder.</p></div></div>
Mind you, what appear to be cromulent institutional e-addresses do appear in the spreadsheet. In particular, Guanlin Wu, corresponding author of [24], uses the same e-address -- affiliated to the Charité hospital in central Berlin -- on <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22guanlin.wu%40charite.de%22&oq=%22guanlin.wu%40charite.de%22">what look like legitimate papers</a>. Again, Weihua Tong, corresponding author for <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B9D1695D3FF5C8CBF592ABF89FFA07">Tong et al (2020)</a> [25]. Hailiang Hu - Associate Professor of Pathology at Duke University Medical Center -- is listed as a non-corresponding author for [19] but has been invited to the conversation anyway. In these cases, the authors' lack of response to the PubPeer blandishments is harder to understand. It is also regrettable, as they could have first-hand accounts of what it's like to contact and negotiate with the papermill.<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>From [28]: Patient survival was followed for <b>11 years</b> after surgery from May 2017 to June 2019</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FD2BuToRvhY/YFAWNuEQdlI/AAAAAAAAdGA/Jv7CVNspxCk3h5Ai4-mG7voZ_Z4BO5wZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s685/K_M.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="685" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FD2BuToRvhY/YFAWNuEQdlI/AAAAAAAAdGA/Jv7CVNspxCk3h5Ai4-mG7voZ_Z4BO5wZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/K_M.png" width="240" /></a></div>I'm not sure what's going on with e-addresses like <code>sandra.gruber@students.clatsopcc.edu</code> or <code>brandon.martin5@pcc.edu</code>. Are the corresponding authors of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D9EB0BB5BFA202D902BBBF280AB97B">Fang et al (2020)</a> [27] and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8272925F10B83579190AD8D348E714">Qiao et al (2021)</a> [28] <i>really</i> students at Community Colleges in Oregon? Is there a trade in email accounts based there? Are they just taking the piss?<br />
<br />
The basic template includes a declaration that approval for the fictitious research was granted by an Ethics Review committee at the author's hospital. Then, when a group of authors <i>from different hospitals</i> scrape together the cash to have their names affixed to the published version, our papermiller feels no urgency about amending the manuscript to specify <i>which</i> hospital provided the patients or housed the Ethics Committee. Sometimes he or she forgets the ethics declaration completely, leaving no indication that the supposed patients <i>willingly</i> donated their tissues and spare body parts to the researchers. The ERMPS editors do not demur or raise ethics concerns: they know perfectly well that the 'patients' only exist as entries in a spreadsheet of randomised numbers.<br />
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Another of the recurring elements in the constellation that characterise this papermill are scatterplots of biomarker expression levels, purportedly showing a correlation between non-coding-RNA X and signalling molecule Y. The papermiller does not waste time customising these either: why bother populating an entire random-value table for each opuscule?<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DSeywrsknYk/YDW1J3LRt5I/AAAAAAAAc5Y/8RAarkc3TUwLCHahKApV3HFPq0T-g2PxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s886/11versions.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="886" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DSeywrsknYk/YDW1J3LRt5I/AAAAAAAAc5Y/8RAarkc3TUwLCHahKApV3HFPq0T-g2PxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/11versions.png" width="224" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--DZWMuyLmUE/YDW1-hhIDlI/AAAAAAAAc5g/brijouEPudAnI9sx76C7QDmrSVypjk8LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s846/20versions.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="591" data-original-width="846" width="204" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--DZWMuyLmUE/YDW1-hhIDlI/AAAAAAAAc5g/brijouEPudAnI9sx76C7QDmrSVypjk8LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/20versions.png" /></a>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Inspired by Idris Khan's homages to Bernd and Hilla Becher</i></div>
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<div style="text-align: right;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AEvx-W5MbQk/YFAV8bUuNoI/AAAAAAAAdF4/HepyoHH62T0Y2vfJefoo-N6Sqx03u-8OACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/becher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AEvx-W5MbQk/YFAV8bUuNoI/AAAAAAAAdF4/HepyoHH62T0Y2vfJefoo-N6Sqx03u-8OACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/becher.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Thank me for not threading them into jerky strobing animated GIFs</i></div>
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Western Blots, transwell-assay invasion microphotographs, scratch-healing-assay migration microphotographs, flow cytometry scatterplots... these are optional extras, festooned like Christmas lights around the rigid armature of the paper-generating algorithm. I suspect that the papermiller simply steals them from the archives of other write-only journals. It is a sad reflection on those journals and their contributors that any images copy-pasted from them could easily be a photoshop creation. <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/81D8DDC7C58019C6221DF1EF91EF30">Wu et al (2019)</a> [9]:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9RqbJw9CYEQ/YFAVuJMTduI/AAAAAAAAdF0/2fIQsUsjsI4auPAkQSUGx3v9u4HaCT61gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1680/h1299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1680" height="159" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9RqbJw9CYEQ/YFAVuJMTduI/AAAAAAAAdF0/2fIQsUsjsI4auPAkQSUGx3v9u4HaCT61gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h159/h1299.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Sometimes the purloined images overlap or are re-used across papers.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3PRwNeMtzeo/YFAd9wLJDbI/AAAAAAAAdHc/EpfguTULnJstwlLThYAMI_JZ7xjfXfWPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s789/magenta1.jpg" ><img alt="" border="0" width="262" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="750" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3PRwNeMtzeo/YFAd9wLJDbI/AAAAAAAAdHc/EpfguTULnJstwlLThYAMI_JZ7xjfXfWPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/magenta1.jpg"/></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DmDk1HXjCys/YFAd99UwK_I/AAAAAAAAdHg/ku_O3up8CPMYwHxFbA_jvnhqI8FsiWEXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1326/facs1.jpg" ><img alt="" border="0" width="166" data-original-height="1326" data-original-width="802" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DmDk1HXjCys/YFAd99UwK_I/AAAAAAAAdHg/ku_O3up8CPMYwHxFbA_jvnhqI8FsiWEXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/facs1.jpg"/></a>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fw7Vhxq06PA/YFA0DInMwjI/AAAAAAAAdHs/GU5WQlvdkMojNdEULrEwt1fBDs8gP-LfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/facs2.jpg" ><img alt="" border="0" width="232" data-original-height="1055" data-original-width="1200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fw7Vhxq06PA/YFA0DInMwjI/AAAAAAAAdHs/GU5WQlvdkMojNdEULrEwt1fBDs8gP-LfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/facs2.jpg"/></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nQ0vHAnYhJg/YFA0DJfTf3I/AAAAAAAAdHw/pF17owHzImMnwGwE_a7GxF_qplcXdJzdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s854/invasion.jpg" ><img alt="" border="0" width="196" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="817" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nQ0vHAnYhJg/YFA0DJfTf3I/AAAAAAAAdHw/pF17owHzImMnwGwE_a7GxF_qplcXdJzdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/invasion.jpg"/></a><br />
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If I learned one thing from delving into this <i>oeuvre</i>, it is that <i>any</i> set of post-treatment survival-time data for any cancer can be dichotomised into half-groups with higher or lower values of any given biomarker, and one half or both will <b>all be dead</b> after 75 months. The drop-off in the final months is alarming, and I worry that a policy of euthanasia is widespread in provincial Chinese hospitals. More curious still, many of these papers dichotomise their data <i>twice</i> with different biomarkers as the criteria, to show their different implications for that cancer's recalcitance to treatment, and the pairs of survival times are <b>never compatible</b>. If you find yourself diagnosed with gastric cancer, insist that your sample of patients is grouped according to levels of TGIF1 expression rather than by XTP8, as the overall prognosis is much better that way: <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/11550517E8A0503AFDC49D460BAD30">Jia et al (2020)</a> [21]<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2nQtfFDpw0/YFAU8_gsS2I/AAAAAAAAdFk/3Zy3z8iWYRAjNgkB6YEDqW2kwD-zQG4DwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1490/lego2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1490" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2nQtfFDpw0/YFAU8_gsS2I/AAAAAAAAdFk/3Zy3z8iWYRAjNgkB6YEDqW2kwD-zQG4DwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h150/lego2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Not K-M plots</i></div>
<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Stickle_bricks.jpg/936px-Stickle_bricks.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="615" data-original-width="800" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f1/Stickle_bricks.jpg/936px-Stickle_bricks.jpg" width="200" /></a>In standard Kaplan-Meier plots, the occasional vertical ticks along the curves show dates when subjects fell off the researchers' radar and their subsequent health status became unknown, "right-censored". In the ERMPS versions the ticks are as regular and close-spaced as those of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stickle_Bricks">Sticklebricks</a>. The papermiller seems to be unaware of their original purpose but knows that ticks are part of a proper K-M plot, so they are used as ornamental crenellation, or to discourage pigeons from nesting. Much as "(%)" appears in the column headings of almost every Table 1 as a decorative dado, <b>not</b> because the numbers of fabulated patients in each subgroup are expressed anywhere as percentages ([4], [5], [6], [7], [10], [11], [16], [24], [26], ...).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jtWXQU-ocZ8/YD_6Rx9ke4I/AAAAAAAAc64/I8ts63IOG2MLTXtBWriecCn1hiqX7UNFACLcBGAsYHQ/s856/percdentages.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="222" data-original-width="856" height="104" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jtWXQU-ocZ8/YD_6Rx9ke4I/AAAAAAAAc64/I8ts63IOG2MLTXtBWriecCn1hiqX7UNFACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h104/percdentages.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also learned that in China at least, smoking is <b>not</b> a risk factor for lung cancer after all, with non-small-cell lung cancer developing in smokers and non-smokers alike: <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5F1821E1BD35F6A1B1EE1EA999D4AD">Dong, Meng & Li (2018)</a> [3]. This is less sensational than the counter-intuitive discoveries about breast cancer and prostate cancer, or the time-travelling in the same paper, but I still feel that it deserves wider dissemination.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kfxag7R_-ik/YFAVXnm5-eI/AAAAAAAAdFs/rhEkK9DhWDkjOpqvQX7IbX0XRfZTK8LcACLcBGAsYHQ/s1390/NSCLC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1390" height="243" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kfxag7R_-ik/YFAVXnm5-eI/AAAAAAAAdFs/rhEkK9DhWDkjOpqvQX7IbX0XRfZTK8LcACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h243/NSCLC.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The authors followed their patients' survival for <b>a decade</b> after operating on them in January 2007 to December 2012.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ICFN_ykJJw0/YFAT973SUAI/AAAAAAAAdFQ/5azLh_rYGj4UmBI0rxRYhxvpm0apjLp3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1820/snhg15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="1820" height="108" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ICFN_ykJJw0/YFAT973SUAI/AAAAAAAAdFQ/5azLh_rYGj4UmBI0rxRYhxvpm0apjLp3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h108/snhg15.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />Bonus Retinoblastoma paper: <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B4A104E543F7460C89F6CCF688A428">Wang et al (2018)</a>. If you can see the deliferate mistale, you're over-qualified for a position as journal editor or peer-reviewer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eF5mR7clkIk/YFAUL2dqX3I/AAAAAAAAdFU/8L9dV8-zNqUztPB3x-zV0Xg_dkTDarlywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1199/consent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="1199" height="66" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eF5mR7clkIk/YFAUL2dqX3I/AAAAAAAAdFU/8L9dV8-zNqUztPB3x-zV0Xg_dkTDarlywCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h66/consent.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Bonus Breast-cancer paper: <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0AD5887641099C5E34796777FE76C2">Bi et al (2018)</a>. One of these citations is not like the others. EndNote was having a bad day.</div>
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<span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AlXGuLqKWk8/YFAUZMS6ivI/AAAAAAAAdFY/QnmZk_IKj_IQ9q56GX1anqEd-_ttH7crACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/citations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AlXGuLqKWk8/YFAUZMS6ivI/AAAAAAAAdFY/QnmZk_IKj_IQ9q56GX1anqEd-_ttH7crACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/citations.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />References</span><br />
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[1] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">LncRNA MALAT1 promotes proliferation and metastasis in epithelial ovarian cancer via the PI3K-AKT pathway</span>'. Y Jin, S-J Feng, S Qiu, N Shao, J-H Zheng (2017). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/261007508200BD41B3BB636B48D24D">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[2] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">LncRNA LINC01116 competes with miR-145 for the regulation of ESR1 expression in breast cancer</span>'. H-B Hu, Q Chen, S-Q Ding [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CC709120ECC8D171BCCE0CBDB39F92">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[3] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Long non-coding RNA SNHG15 indicates poor prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer and promotes cell proliferation and invasion</span>'. Y-Z Dong, X-M Meng, G-S Li (2018). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5F1821E1BD35F6A1B1EE1EA999D4AD">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[4] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Long non-coding RNA LINP1 promotes the malignant progression of prostate cancer by regulating p53</span>'. H.-F. Wu, L.-G. Ren, J.-Q. Xiao, Y. Zhang, X.-W. Mao, L.-F. Zhou (2018). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/EC886A989B3E4D498D00A4CFAFB84D">PubPeer</a>].<br />[5] <span style="font-family: trebuchet;">'UPK1B promotes the invasion and metastasis of bladder cancer via regulating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway</span>'. F.-H. Wang, X.-J. Ma, D. Xu, J. Luo (2018). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C13F2115338B6A2279F1486667D325">PubPeer</a>].<br />[6] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Circular RNA circ-NT5C2 acts as a potential novel biomarker for prognosis of osteosarcoma</span>'. W-B Nie, L-M Zhao, R Guo, M-X Wang , F-G Ye (2018). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/1BF3FCF167A4DE905B43D19A3112C6">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[7] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">LncRNA SNHG7 promotes development of breast cancer by regulating microRNA-186</span>'. X. Luo , Y. Song, L. Tang, D.-H. Sun, D.-G. Ji [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8486FDEBFB4C374762302BD3D5A2A4">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[8] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">MicroRNA-372-3p promotes the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast carcinoma by activating the Wnt pathway</span>'. Xiaodong Fan, Xuandong Huang, Zhi Li, Xinyan Ma (2018). J BUOn [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B97218A01C913B80E7A89CDA87BDF7">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[9] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mechanism of LncRNA FOXC2-AC1 promoting lung cancer metastasis by regulating miR-107</span>'. X-F Wu, J-T Lu, W Chen, N Wang, J-C Meng, Y-H Zhou (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/81D8DDC7C58019C6221DF1EF91EF30">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[10] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">MiRNA-106a promotes breast cancer progression by regulating DAX-1</span>'. C. Liu, Y.-H. Song, Y. Mao, H.-B. Wang, G. Nie (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2D5E1F90B735BE8C2A9CA2601C4044">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[11] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Mechanism of LncRNA ROR promoting prostate cancer by regulating Akt</span>'. X-Q Zhai, F-M Meng, S-F Hu, P Sun, W Xu (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/ADF14C0788FB74CD76E8E2A1DA0C26">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[12] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">LncRNA RUSC1-AS1 promotes the proliferation of breast cancer cells by epigenetic silence of KLF2 and CDKN1A</span>'. C-C Hu, Y-W Liang, J-L Hu, L-F Liu, J-W Liang, R Wang (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/50C7E1823EED971D34431E8574D873">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[13] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">MicroRNA-765 alleviates the malignant progression of breast cancer via interacting with EZH1</span>'. Zhen Zeng, Yichen Yang, Hengyu Wu (2019). Am J Transl Res [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/AA0E480CA9F49590BE399B212CC580">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[14] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">MiRNA-221-5p promotes breast cancer progression by regulating E-cadherin expression</span>'. X.-Y. Niu, Z.-Q. Zhang, P.-L. Ma (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B19B8F95B27B0DD55D052B6221DEAD">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[15] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">EHMT2 promotes the development of prostate cancer by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway</span>'. H.-T. Fan, Y.-Y. Shi, Y. Lin, X.-P. Yang (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/6350C6BE748E74302CD8911A1AD35C">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[16] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">MiR-605-3p inhibits malignant progression of prostate cancer by up-regulating EZH2</span>'. M.-Z. Pan, Y.-L. Song, F. Gao (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/57EE0119D894044C72FCA270C55CED">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[17] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">DCLK1 promotes malignant progression of breast cancer by regulating Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway</span>'. Y-L Wang, Y Li, Y-G Ma, W-Y Wu (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E8C05AEACDD557541A502AD2571DA7">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[18] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">FOXK1 promotes malignant progression of breast cancer by activating PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway</span>'. Z.-Q. Li, M. Qu, H.-X. Wan, H. Wang, Q. Deng, Y. Zhang (2019). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D11053E9E9569BB59A13E0B2617E22">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[19] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">MiRNA-215-5p alleviates the metastasis of prostate cancer by targeting PGK1</span>'. J-Y Chen, L-F Xu, H-L Hu, Y-Q Wen, D Chen, W-H Liu (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/9266A736E004B8D7C32F6811161C1C">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[20] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">LncRNA AK024094 aggravates the progression of breast cancer through regulating miRNA-181a</span>'. T-Z Zheng, Y-T Li, W-J Li (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/AF0159381E48D7937D78C948FAB379">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[21] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">XTP8 stimulates migration and invasion of gastric carcinoma through interacting with TGIF1
</span>'. K. Jia, Q.-H. Wen, X. Zhao, J.-M. Cheng, L. Cheng, M. Xi (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/11550517E8A0503AFDC49D460BAD30">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[22] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">IL-6 stimulates lncRNA ZEB2-AS1 to aggravate the progression of non-small cell lung cancer through activating STAT1</span>'. T. Chen, J. Li, M.-H. Zhou, L.-J. Xu, T.-C. Pan (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0789686E467B5D8BAC2D48AB36E507">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[23] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">SAPCD2 promotes invasiveness and migration ability of breast cancer cells via YAP/TAZ</span>'. Y. Zhang, J.-L. Liu, J. Wang (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/61587849ED68419BF941018D90FC13">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[24] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Circ_0061140 promotes metastasis of bladder cancer through adsorbing microRNA-1236</span>'. F Feng, A-P Chen, X-L Wang, G-L Wu (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/51EBB23F5146665C110CC7B22D722E">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[25] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">LINC00346 accelerates the malignant progression of colorectal cancer via competitively binding to miRNA-101-5p/MMP9</span>'. W-H Tong, J-F Mu, S-P Zhang (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B9D1695D3FF5C8CBF592ABF89FFA07">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[26] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Circ_0005276 aggravates the development of epithelial ovarian cancer by targeting ADAM9</span>'. Z.-H. Liu, W.-J. Liu, X.-Y. Yu, X.-L. Qi, C.-C. Sun (2020) [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/71175DA00F2E48B73070C9137F4BC4">PubPeer</a>],<br />
[27] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">MicroRNA-198 inhibits metastasis of thyroid cancer by targeting H3F3A</span>'. J Fang, J-M Zhu, H-L Dai, L-M He, L Kong (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D9EB0BB5BFA202D902BBBF280AB97B">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[28] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">LINC00483 is regulated by IGF2BP1 and participates in the progression of breast cancer</span>'. Y.-S. Qiao, J.-H. Zhou, B.-H. Jin, Y.-Q. Wu, B. Zhao (2021). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8272925F10B83579190AD8D348E714">PubPeer</a>].<br />
[29] '<span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Circular RNA circ_0000034 upregulates STX17 level to promote human retinoblastoma development via inhibiting miR-361-3p</span>'. H. Liu , H.-F. Yuan, D. Xu, K.-J. Chen, N. Tan, Q.-J. Zheng (2020). [<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5AC0B2A8F9313C8850094867D8849C">PubPeer</a>].Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-58196175392642615112021-03-14T03:18:00.002-07:002021-03-16T04:11:45.420-07:00Round in circles like the ArchersAlways stiff or always starchy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jYx0ENGlUx8/YEyMD0qijFI/AAAAAAAAdDg/bQ-kX2xCZJs2Pt0KsnIVDL1XW_Xt2-BygCLcBGAsYHQ/s819/lithbeer.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="819" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jYx0ENGlUx8/YEyMD0qijFI/AAAAAAAAdDg/bQ-kX2xCZJs2Pt0KsnIVDL1XW_Xt2-BygCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h196/lithbeer.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>I am the first to concede that ground hemp-seeds have a place as an adjunct to fermentation, and that place is in <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2013/08/smut-dont-drink-it.html">Lithuanian farmhouse beers</a>. I cannot muster the same enthusiasm for putting them in vegan yoghurt. That seems postmodern and weird, like oatmeal soap, or chia-seed-&-pomegranate shampoo. Yet here we are, with <span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Bravo Edestiny</span>. What has the world become?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kJYYbqNs9QM/X5fu5q_sYUI/AAAAAAAAcnA/GIqJx5Wga8IGh8f31ZpQjlAm85UkLcNPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s410/mimi.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="284" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kJYYbqNs9QM/X5fu5q_sYUI/AAAAAAAAcnA/GIqJx5Wga8IGh8f31ZpQjlAm85UkLcNPQCLcBGAsYHQ/w139-h200/mimi.png" width="139" /></a>We have encountered <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/10/even-when-constructing-famous-water-box.html">Mimi Castellanos</a> already, Florida Woman extraordinaire. Her portfolio of talents is diverse and not limited to light-working. I particularly admire her gig as a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141205065950/http://signatureenergetics.com/?p=1">Consultant Graphology Profiler</a>, putting her intuition and special talents to work for employers to weed out the narcissists and grifters and psychopaths and borderline-personality dramaturges who lurk among potential employees, all on the basis of their handwriting.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>This guy was employed for four years because<br />
people did not consult Mimi about his signature</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUI7cS4HTmU/YExmTju_UBI/AAAAAAAAdDY/lmXZHqGYcjEuvqNa7AjsGRy7Err-M74bACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/trsig.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XUI7cS4HTmU/YExmTju_UBI/AAAAAAAAdDY/lmXZHqGYcjEuvqNa7AjsGRy7Err-M74bACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/trsig.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
But here we are more concerned with Mimi's "<a href="https://www.imunothesolution.com/the-inventor/">Mouth of Marco Ruggiero</a>" role, trading as "<a href="https://www.healthyenergetics.com/collections/bravo-edestiny/products/bravo-edestiny-capsules">Healthy Energetics</a>" and as "<a href="https://www.imunothesolution.com/">ImunoTheSolution</a>" while peddling the dude's potions. In particular, peddling <i><b>Bravo Edestiny</b></i> capsules:<br />
<span face=""Work Sans", HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #788188; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;">The ingredients include:</span><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #788188; font-family: "Work Sans", HelveticaNeue, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside; margin: 0px 0px 17.5px 35px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">hemp seed protein powder</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">sugar</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">fructooligosaccharides</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">lemon juice</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">apple cider vinegar</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">cultured kefir grains</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">Bifidobacterium infantis</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">Bifidobacterium bifidum</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">Bifidobacterium lactis</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">Bifidobacterium longum</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 4px;">hypromellose</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px;">gellan gum</li></ul>
As advertised at <a href="https://go.autismonevirtualsummit.org/talks/a-novel-strategy-combining-the-benefits-of-an-original-vegetal-gcmaf-with-the-benefits-of-hemp-fermentation-and-the-presence-of-a-unique-array-of-probiotics-and-phages/">AutismOne 2021</a> (a Trade Fair for autism-cure scammers and mountebanks in general), so you know it's legit!<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NEgJ9wJpHj4/YE3Vpx8jODI/AAAAAAAAdD4/C5foFOAbRoYW4pc5Zl4nDgpNUz3D37LhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/MjhiweXYit3DRrFojftZDJ_square_large.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NEgJ9wJpHj4/YE3Vpx8jODI/AAAAAAAAdD4/C5foFOAbRoYW4pc5Zl4nDgpNUz3D37LhgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/MjhiweXYit3DRrFojftZDJ_square_large.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>A novel strategy combining the benefits of an original vegetal GcMAF with the benefits of hemp fermentation and the presence of a unique array of probiotics and phages</h3><b><div style="text-align: right;"><b><i><a href="https://go.autismonevirtualsummit.org/talks/a-novel-strategy-combining-the-benefits-of-an-original-vegetal-gcmaf-with-the-benefits-of-hemp-fermentation-and-the-presence-of-a-unique-array-of-probiotics-and-phages/">A talk by Marco Ruggiero MD, PhD</a></i></b></div></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1615416144920.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="653" height="280" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1615416144920.png" /></a></div><a href="https://www.healthyenergetics.com/collections/bravo-edestiny/products/bravo-edestiny-capsules">The account of Edestiny on Mimi's webstore</a> has the ring of Ruggiero's word-choices rather than hers. The quotation from Montagnier is a dogwhistle, <a href="http://denyingaids.blogspot.com/2009/12/does-luc-montagnier-make-case-for-aids.html">implying in its full context</a> that the right immuno-modulation will cure AIDS, and HIV-denial is more Marco's obsession than Mimi's.<br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">
As Nobel Laureate Professor Luc Montagnier prophetically stated "…our immune system will get rid of the virus within a few weeks, if you have a good immune system…".</span></blockquote>The backstory here is that our man Ruggiero began his Mad Scientist career as a disciple of Yamamoto, professionally convinced that certain deglycosylating enzymes will turn VBP (Vitamin-D Binding Protein) into a Macrophage Activating Factor, VBP-MAF (a.k.a. GcMAF), which stimulates the immune system and cures all ailments. He promoted Magic Yoghurt for a while, which has a curated ecosystem of bacteria to perform that enzymatic transubstantiation.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://hivforum.info/forum/usrimgs/dora/Ruggiero/Parricidio/Parricidio%209.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="455" height="160" src="https://hivforum.info/forum/usrimgs/dora/Ruggiero/Parricidio/Parricidio%209.png" width="200" /></a></div>Later he advised his eager audience that they should instead consume <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/03/johnnies-in-basement-mixing-up-medicine.html">Magic <b>Non-Dairy</b> Yoghurt, i.e. fermented fruit-juice fortified with chondroitin</a>, <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-dream-will-soon-turn-sour.html">for Yamamoto was wrong</a>... the miraculous cures thought to be wrought by GcMAF should instead be credited to chondroitin. Thus <u>Rerum</u>, and <u>Imuno</u>, and <u>Immortalis</u>.</div>
<br />
Now the pendulum has turned full circle, and we are back to GcMAF, but now in a <b>vegan</b> form, fermented by those transformative bacteria out of '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edestin">Edestin</a>' (a globular protein found in hemp seed).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CBDE5586307677AE50A6AB009A6FE3">Ruggiero & Pacini (2020)</a> professed to show that edestin is analogous to VBP in mammalian metabolism, although it remained ambiguous whether the similarity is conserved from the last common ancestor of mammals and <i>Cannabis sativa</i>, or convergent evolution driven by the need of hempseeds for homeostasis in their vitamin-D levels. They concluded that if VBP could be glycosylated into GcMAF by bacterial transformation, then the same will happen to edestin.<br />
<br />
Of the 17 references <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2814819843269246078/5819617539264261511#">in that opuscule</a>, 12 were self-citations, shoe-horned in on specious pretexts, e.g. to justify the use of <i>mineral water</i> for bacterial cultivation, despite the absence of mineral-water content in those papers. A 13th citation went out to <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2B96C3ECDEE46A65761925EFE74442">Bradstreet, Vogelaar & Thyer (2012)</a>, where all three authors were Ruggiero associates (that paper is not easily accessible because <a href="https://poynder.blogspot.com/2016/02/why-i-wont-be-doing-that-video.html">the publisher cancelled <u>Autism Insights</u></a> as soon as it had served its purpose and the antivax-fraudster editors stopped subsidising it). This is a high level of self-citation, though standards may be different at <u>Medical Research and Innovations</u>, as it was extruded by <a href="http://flakyj.blogspot.com/2017/12/immense-pleasure-from-open-access-text.html">OAText</a>... readers should remember <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161227042023/https://scholarlyoa.com/2015/10/08/publisher-acts-suspiciously-like-omics-group/">that parasitical publisher</a>. That is to say, <i>Dottori</i> Ruggiero & Pacini were using the advertising opportunities of predatory academic publishing to lend their promotional piece a veneer of scholarly acceptance. Or, it may be, a pebbledash coating.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61RbT-eB_nk/YEymmWSn4lI/AAAAAAAAdDo/HXFdXYSfo3ALcZiWfU1bezJmCm1V6ctEACLcBGAsYHQ/s973/fott7.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="973" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61RbT-eB_nk/YEymmWSn4lI/AAAAAAAAdDo/HXFdXYSfo3ALcZiWfU1bezJmCm1V6ctEACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/fott7.png" width="270" /></a></div>In a curious foreshadowing of Ruggiero & Pacini (2020), we find another invocation of the VBP / edestin homology in a citation-turned-footnote, pretending to be Ref [7] in <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F56CA45BB72A804E786F5D561F85DF">Zunaid, Pacini & Ruggiero (2020)</a>, in which it serves no obvious purpose.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1615416515049.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="800" height="140" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1615416515049.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Hempseeds made a <i>third</i> appearance in our man's <i>oeuvre</i> in <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A086096E95CAC102C9799C7E32B4E1">Ruggiero (2020)</a>, in the section "<i>Determination of microbial viability in radioactive water A, and deuterium-depleted water</i>". There we learn that the ingredient list for 'Bravo-Edestiny' appears identical to the ad-hoc culture medium used for transferring the radiation-insensitivity of cyanobacteria to probiotic bacteria species via Quantum Entanglement (and from there, readers can infer, to the human hosts who consume those probiotic species, in the form of <a href="https://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2021/03/in-accordance-with-prophecy.html">Ruggiero's product Praesidium</a>).
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Microbial cultures, defined as culture starter, were kindly donated by Silver Spring Sagl (ArzoMendrisio, Switzerland). In one arm of the experiment, radioactive water A was used; in the
other arm, deuterium-depleted water was used. 45 g of hemp seed proteins were added to 500
mL of each type water. The mixture of water and hemp seed proteins was boiled for 10 s; after
that, it was cooled at room temperature (22 °C). When the mixture had reached room
temperature, the following ingredients were added: lemon juice (7.5 g); cane sugar (25 g); apple
cider vinegar (5 g); culture starter (a blend of active cultures, cultured kefir grains with
Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium
bifidum, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum) (2.5 g). The mixture was left at room
temperature for a total of 48 hours; after the first 24 h, the mixture was gently stirred. After that,
the fermented product was gently mixed and then lyophilized using an apparatus provided by
Zhengzhou Hento Machinery Ltd (Zhengzhou City, Henan, China).</span></blockquote>
An alternative recipe for co-cultivating those cyano- and plain bacteria ("<i>Method for co-culturing in radioactive water B</i>") involved horsetail, Equisetum, because why not?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Really shite photoshopping</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9OmWnvzCXps/YE3Z5961T0I/AAAAAAAAdEA/Ye_5PlCPGVIs5KHDylmeqNvW1QLw93P_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s585/crap.webp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="585" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9OmWnvzCXps/YE3Z5961T0I/AAAAAAAAdEA/Ye_5PlCPGVIs5KHDylmeqNvW1QLw93P_gCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h200/crap.webp" width="200" /></a></div>We <a href="https://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2021/03/in-accordance-with-prophecy.html">observed in previous posts</a> that the prime distributor for Ruggiero products is the webstore at "Natural Solutions" (the work of a New Zealand <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/124069747/jamilee-ross-behind-anti5g-supplement-business">'naturopathy entrepreneur'-turned-fringe-politician, Michael Kelly</a>).* Bravo-Edestiny <a href="https://naturalsolutions.nz/bravo-probiotic/bravo-probiotic-edestiny">features on the webstore</a>, of course, adorned with immoderate therapeutic claims, hidden in the HTML as as <meta> tags so they will catch the eye of search engines but evade the casual scrutiny of MedSafe or the Advertising Standards Commission.<br /><span style="font-family: courier;">
<meta name="description" content="Bravo Probiotics for Autism, Chronic Fatigue, Cancer, HIV, Athletic Performance, Anti-ageing, Inflammatory Bowel disease, and Neurodegenerative disease."></span><br />
<br />
It comes as no surprise to find that purchased press release from Ruggiero & Pacini, prominent within the "Science Shows that Edestiny Works" part of the webpage. It is almost as if it were written, and OAText were paid to host it, entirely for that purpose.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1615417784837.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://pubpeer.com/storage/image-1615417784837.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The corollary follows that another Ruggiero probiotic product is still in the pipeline, involving <i>Equisetum</i> (on account of that plant's evolutionary antiquity). Maybe 'Praesidium' is that potion!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qPKWIyH0kCo/YE237LiYDOI/AAAAAAAAdDw/7YZ0n7g8JhAUidrQy3c3j2dPVNPXWBtTACLcBGAsYHQ/s920/ht.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="790" data-original-width="920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qPKWIyH0kCo/YE237LiYDOI/AAAAAAAAdDw/7YZ0n7g8JhAUidrQy3c3j2dPVNPXWBtTACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ht.png" width="270" /></a></div>* <a href="https://www.hivforum.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5957&p=115066#p115142">"Dora" at HIVforum</a> reminds me that one leading non-NZ distributor of Brave and the rest of the Ruggiero product range was "<u>Healing Together</u>", the stamping ground of Katerina Baboulas (resident of Toronto, Ontario). In its previous recensions, that website was an agent or branch office of <u>Natural Solutions</u>. Now Katerina has removed herself as the middle-man and <a href="http://www.healingtogether.org/BravoandImuno">set her site to redirect straight to Natural Solutions</a>, freeing up time she can devote to pimping medscams plus Positive Non-Judgmental Thinking on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/healingtogether.org/?ref=page_internal">FaceBorg</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/healing2gether">Twiddle</a>, and to forwarding Trumplicker lies about the illegitimacy of the 2020 US presidential election.<br />
<br />
It is the moral calibre of GcMAF merchants that keeps me coming back to the topic again and again.Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-45071953112149025732021-03-12T12:47:00.003-08:002021-03-12T12:47:30.931-08:00And they call him, Quicklime Boy<div style="text-align: center;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/03/03/coronil-and-other-peer-reviewed-ayurvedic-scams/">at Leonid Schneider's site</a>, hence the unfrivolous tone. The version there is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story.</i></div>
<br />
At their pinnacle, Hindu spirituality and philosophy are about weakening the habitual cognitive error known as "ego" by starving it of attention, so that we can experience things in the world as they are rather than treating them as a series of mirrors reflecting oneself. Some gurus take a roundabout path towards this goal of abnegation, by way of <i>self-glorification</i>, perhaps in the hope that if one inflates one's ego enough it will explode with a dull "pop" like the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Frog_and_the_Ox">frog in the fable</a>. I am thinking in particular of Indian yoga- and snake-oil-purveyors Swami Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna. Attend to the autohagiographies that adorn the <a href="https://www.patanjaliresearchinstitute.com/">Patanjali Research Institute</a>!
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPmvlYBXpb0/YEu5Pqarg0I/AAAAAAAAdCo/qSxociVAs3s2NnuFyBmev6RtL55rS3VYACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/srji.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPmvlYBXpb0/YEu5Pqarg0I/AAAAAAAAdCo/qSxociVAs3s2NnuFyBmev6RtL55rS3VYACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/srji.jpg" /></a></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">For his divine and excellence services to the welfare of mankind, [<a href="https://www.patanjaliresearchinstitute.com/about_swami_ji.php">H.H. SWAMI RAMDEV JI</a>] was felicitated by the Prime Minister of Indian Mr. Narendra Modi Ji as a National Icon, Tarun Kranti. He received several prestigious awards namely Padma Vibhushan, Surya Ratna and Mahaveer Award. Swami Ji has been conferred with recognized honors. Among, the few are: Surya Ratna, Mahveer Award from United Kingdom, Chandrashearendra Saraswati National Eminence Award, Mahamahopadhyaya globoil India Award. Swami ji is honored from British House of Commons, Legislature of state of New Jersey, USA, ASSOCHEM’s 5th Global Knowledge Millennium Summit, Brand Ambassador of Yoga by Government of Haryana. Swami Ji is honored and celebrated 30 June 2007 as Swami Ramdev Day by Nassau County.<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Swami Ji was as “Most Creative Business People of 2016”, and “5th India’s 50 Most Powerful People” by American Business Magazine and India Today Magazine respectively. Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar has conferred him a “Honorary Doctorate”. Swami Ji was considered for Padma Vibushan, as second highest civilian award but, day before 66th Republic Day, humbly refrained from taking it by putting the fact he is an ascetic.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Swami ji aimed to propagate Yoga and Ayurveda, reform India on the social, political and economic level and henceforth took all onerous responsibility of demystifying and popularizing Patanjali Yoga on himself. Swami ji aimed to implement yoga as a daily practice and life style to every human being.<br />
His teachings of yoga include eight Prāṇāyāmas, some Ukma (light) Vyāyāmas; and some specific Āsanas combined with Āyurvedic medicines for various ailments. The yogic teachings of Swami Ji are broadcast on various Indian TV channels, like AASTHA, ZEETV, STAR, SAHARA etc. ...</span></span></blockquote>
If you can read these without thinking "Did you ever in your puff see such a perfect perisher?" then you need to read more P.G. Wodehouse.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZYddfq5-Jg/YEu53J-b9FI/AAAAAAAAdCw/O6QfMf19mPYiJDUUaWTgtF-WtHXzsUUGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/acji.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="450" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sZYddfq5-Jg/YEu53J-b9FI/AAAAAAAAdCw/O6QfMf19mPYiJDUUaWTgtF-WtHXzsUUGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/acji.jpg" /></a></div><blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">[<a href="https://www.patanjaliresearchinstitute.com/about_acharya_ji.php">H.H. ACHARYA BALKRISHNA JI</a>]</span><span style="font-family: times;"> is one of the renowned & pioneer in the field of Ayurvedic Science and a source of inspiration for Traditional Medicinal Practitioners and working for the spectrum of indigenous medicine identification, authentication and establishment at national & international level.*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">
With the vison of universal health for over last two decades, he effectively cured more than 1.5 million patients with a number of stubborn, chronic and non-communicable diseases. Presently more than 1500 traditional doctors are providing free primary healthcare service to more than 7 million of patients per year and 1 million volunteer are providing free Yoga to 50 Million person daily.<br />
To reveal new ways to solve key health problems, fill gaps in knowledge & strengthening of health system he is guiding research works to create and improve preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions of diseases through Indigenous Medicine System i.e. Yoga & Ayurveda and digital health.<br /></span>
<span style="font-family: times; font-size: x-small;">He authored more than 100 books, 100 Research Articles, 41 Patents Rights and edited more than 18 unpublished ancient Manuscripts. One of the scripture ‘Aushadh Darshan’ has been sold more than 10 million copies and in addition, ‘The Science of Ayurveda’ has been published in 71 languages across globe.<br />
Strengthening traditional medicine system of the world with the multivolume ‘World Herbal Encyclopedia’ that contains description of 60,000 medicinal plant species with world largest collection of medical plants paintings.</span></blockquote>
The Patanjali Research Institute (PRI) seems to be a subsidiary of the Patanjali Research Foundation Trust, all part of a sprawling Patanjali-themed business empire, with the Patanjali Yogpeeth, Divya Yog Mandir, Patanjali Ayurved Limited manufactory, a University of Patanjali, and innumerable other commercial entities.** All founded by Ramdev and Balkrishna, and all selling two product ranges to the Indian diaspora through "Divya Pharmacy" Patanjali-themed pharmacy webstores: (1) ersatz Guru-blessings, and (2) mendacious Alt-Med concoctions -- both with an Indian Nationalist brand.<br />
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What brings this into the ambit of <u>Riddled</u> and <u>ForBetterScience</u> are the paper-shaped advertisements for Balkrishna medicinal merchandise, pukefunneled into mockademic journals.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MddAerhQapY/YDzCGklBasI/AAAAAAAAc54/eJqtqbxD6HQRznJZE_KN3iWGE_XFKXOgQCLcBGAsYHQ/s3200/zebrafish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="3200" height="114" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MddAerhQapY/YDzCGklBasI/AAAAAAAAc54/eJqtqbxD6HQRznJZE_KN3iWGE_XFKXOgQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h114/zebrafish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />The on-line pharmacies have any number of Ramdev / Balkrishna products, treating various ill-defined diagnostic categories, and generally consisting of calcium oxide i.e. quicklime (or sometimes <b><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/040D742A9D85DAD514DAEA3357CCFF#2">mercury</a></b>) with various blends of a limited palette of herbs. Like quantum-theoretical particle-waves, they all display a dual nature, being at the one time both time-honoured Ayurvedic traditions, <i>and</i> proprietary creations of Swami Ramdev, made only at Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. and sold only through Divya Pharmacy, accept no imitation.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CDlwxpJVTXs/YDy_nYJm9BI/AAAAAAAAc5w/SIw3367WCKoNEW14f4VmTboHzlJmLElKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1090/divya.png" style="display: block; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1090" height="336" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CDlwxpJVTXs/YDy_nYJm9BI/AAAAAAAAc5w/SIw3367WCKoNEW14f4VmTboHzlJmLElKQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h336/divya.png" width="400" /></a></div>
In a belated quest for academic acceptance, they all need research-shaped performances to justify (retrospectively) Ramdev's insights, so there are <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=Qyc6A2IAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate"><b>many</b> of these papers</a>, taking full advantage of the new marketing channel created by advances in academic publishing.<br />
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This illustrates in passing an important point about pay-to-print 'predatory publishing' in the research world. Predatory or parasitical publishers are often presented as taking advantage of the <i>naivete</i> of innocent authors. In many cases, the authors know exactly what they're buying with their Page Charges: a veneer of academic approval for lies that further the authors' political or commercial agenda. In the case of Balkrishna, it is also an opportunity to take <b>first authorship</b> on each of the opuscules churned out by his minions at the PRI.<br />
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The Balkrishna <i>oeuvre</i> is notable for a non-standard interpretation of the concept of "conflict of interest", with Balkrishna claiming to gain <i>no personal advantage</i> from the positive results he fabricates for his merchandise. His employees / co-authors share this admirable disinterest.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDgtMB1sf9c/YEu67qkyqMI/AAAAAAAAdC4/_9N000xCzsgp6dVcgH4DfgqJbz8EN_FxACLcBGAsYHQ/s976/coronil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="113" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDgtMB1sf9c/YEu67qkyqMI/AAAAAAAAdC4/_9N000xCzsgp6dVcgH4DfgqJbz8EN_FxACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h113/coronil.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Every crisis is an opportunity, the adage has it, and the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is no exception, <a href="https://retractionwatch.com/retracted-coronavirus-covid-19-papers/">opening up whole new markets to medscammers and their overpriced placebos</a>. The Ramdev / Balkrishna way of capitalising on it was to combine quicklime with <i>Withania somnifera</i>, <i>Tinospora cordifolia</i> and <i>Ocimum sanctum</i>, and call it <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/56172784">Coronil</a>... followed by the more arduous process of retconning a rationale and working out the chemical contents.***<br />
<br />One supporting paper purports to show improved swimbladder performance in Covid-infected zebrafish ("<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7B04CB79EB250ECAC9D7FBFD2C67E5">Application of Humanized Zebrafish Model in the Suppression of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Induced Pathology by Tri-Herbal Medicine Coronil via Cytokine Modulation</a>"). OK, not really an infection, but a injection of SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins; not affecting the fish directly, but rather, affecting the human-derived A549 cancer cells hosted in their swimbladders. The rationale was that the proteins would challenge the A549 cells in exactly the way that a COVID-19 infection challenges respiratory epithelial cells in an infected host, causing the fishes' immune systems to respond in the same way as a human immune system, with a cytokine storm; and absence of such a storm would prove the efficacy of the herbal concoction.<br />
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The approach is adopted, somewhat loosely, from lung-cancer research, where the search is for treatments that <i>kill</i> the A549 cells. Its validity could be questioned, but there is no doubting the value of the study for Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and Divya Pharmacy, who lost no time in <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/56172784">applying it to its intended marketing purposes</a>.<br />
<blockquote>The company continues to insist its product works against Covid-19.<br />
"It has treated and cured people," Acharya Balkrishna, managing director of Patanjali told the BBC.<br />
It referred us to scientific trials, the results of which it says have been published in several peer-reviewed journals.<br />
It pointed specifically to a study from November 2020 in a journal published by the Swiss-based MDPI, which was based on a laboratory trial.</blockquote>
Concurrently with the Coronil validation, the company was preparing a very similar paper, "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/3A87AEC2B58B35DE32CD9FCD9A1CC5">Calcio-Herbal Medicine Divya-Swasari-Vati Ameliorates SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein-Induced Pathological Features and Inflammation in Humanized Zebrafish Model by Moderating IL-6 and TNF-α Cytokines</a>". Here the cytokine storms in the zebrafish / A549-cell chimeras were forestalled by a <b>different</b> Patanjali Product, involving a <b>different</b> herbal mixture (plus quicklime). One could easily wonder if there are any ayurveda-inspired products which <b>don't</b> cure COVID-19. In fairness, I note that this second paper departed from the first in using "behavioural fever" as well as swimbladder function to quantify the piscine health (assessed by the fishes' preference for a warmer environment).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ynvdYBFX13E/YEu7QlHlXGI/AAAAAAAAdDA/NRpVLoSm1J8RfSfmH5JxYmV-2N-cf6RygCLcBGAsYHQ/s578/il6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="578" height="194" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ynvdYBFX13E/YEu7QlHlXGI/AAAAAAAAdDA/NRpVLoSm1J8RfSfmH5JxYmV-2N-cf6RygCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h194/il6.png" width="200" /></a></div>A <i>third</i> bolus of bullshit was tendentious, disingenuous fiddle-faddle, harnessing lead-time bias to deliver the intended result -- packing the Treatment group with earlier-infected cases who were already progressing towards full recovery, while lying about "randomly assigning" and "RCT".</div>
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"<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/18B884C6392FFE2646655621506EE2">Randomized placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial on the efficacy of ayurvedic treatment regime on COVID-19 positive patients</a>" was published in <u>Phytomedicine : International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology</u>: a naturopath-friendly journal from Elsevier, often encountered in lists of papermill outputs.
It stands out from the rest of the <i>oeuvre</i> because <a href="https://edzardernst.com/2021/02/an-rct-on-the-efficacy-of-ayurvedic-treatment-on-asymptomatic-covid-19-patients/">Edzard Ernst gave it stick for lack of scientific rigor</a>. Of course Prof. Ernst criticises a lot of junk. In this case he was banned from FaceBorg for spreading COVID-19 disinformation (!), after (I surmise) Balkrishna sent flying monkeys to denounce him.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This post got me banned from Facebook; I don't see why. If you don't either, perhaps you might RT the hell out of it?<br /><br />An RCT on the efficacy of ayurvedic treatment on asymptomatic COVID-19 patients <a href="https://t.co/R2RA7qgV6e">https://t.co/R2RA7qgV6e</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/EdzardErnst?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@edzardernst</a></p>— Edzard Ernst (@EdzardErnst) <a href="https://twitter.com/EdzardErnst/status/1364941097303216130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
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No-one expected FaceBorg to take the side of the scammer! Meanwhile <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/56172784">the paper served its purpose</a>:
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">A human trial was conducted between May and June last year, on 95 patients who had tested positive for coronavirus.<br />
Of these, 45 received the treatment and 50 were part of a placebo group (who didn't receive anything).<br />
The Patanjali company pointed out the results have appeared in a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0944711321000362">peer-reviewed journal called Science Direct in its April 2021 edition</a>.</span></blockquote>
<i><div style="text-align: right;">Public health: Never a priority in a theocracy</div></i>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Amazing_stories_196103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Amazing_stories_196103.jpg" /></a></div>There is a political side to all this. Balkrishna and Ramdev made themselves flag-bearers in a broader campaign to monetarise Ayurvedic quackery by tying it to the Hindutva movement of religious / cultural chauvinism, or Brahminic supremacy if you like. They backed the winning side in the Indian race to dictatorship. <a href="https://www.newslaundry.com/2021/02/22/patanjalis-coronil-gets-another-boost-courtesy-a-dubious-clinical-trial">So the Minister of Health has joined Team Coronil</a> (not just the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_AYUSH">Minister for Medfraud</a>), keen to install Coronil as the standard treatment for COVID-19 and volunteering the public as guineapigs for large-scale trials. To be fair, I note that State governments are generally less theocratic and therefore more concerned for the health of their constituents, and are not so enthusiastic.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3rDkdyjOXJw/YD3f_QLGZbI/AAAAAAAAc6Y/wsyBW-0Ra3s6WvXYpbnsz80-U220iejUACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/conference.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3rDkdyjOXJw/YD3f_QLGZbI/AAAAAAAAc6Y/wsyBW-0Ra3s6WvXYpbnsz80-U220iejUACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/conference.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><div style="text-align: right;">Lying that Coronil received WHO approval</div></i>
I don't know if there is anything comparable elsewhere. The US has a noble tradition of religious frauding, piggybacking on a movement of Bible-weaponising white supremacy. It has an equally long tradition of snake-oil and Alt-Med chicanery. Mountebanks and supplement pimps like Mercola would like to combine the two, running 'christian-spirituality / prosperity-gospel' grifts in conjunction with 'christian-herbalist alt-med cures' as the two sides of a single immersive money-extracting environment. But the fact remains that traditional European medicine was all mistletoe, leeches, cobweb pills, poultices and swallowing live mice, if you go back to the Dark Ages, or trichobezoars and antimony and ground-up emeralds if you prefer the Renaissance quacksalver version. So it's not easy to present multilevel-marketed pill-popping as an intrinsic part of White Identity, in the way that Ayurveda is part of Hindutva, despite the medscammers' best efforts to align themselves with the American Taliban.<br />
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That aside, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=%22acharya+balkrishna%22">nine Balkrishna brainfarts</a> have been flagged so far in PubPeer threads. Dozens more could be arraigned, of course, just for his specious denial of any Conflicts-of-Interest. Four featured in Special Issues of <u>Biomolecules</u>, a MDPI journal, which appears to be especially welcoming. The MDPI policy of encouraging <i>video abstracts</i> as well as the old-media <i>written</i> ones probably helps (the publisher is targeting a readership who need moving pictures to capture their attention). So please enjoy the spectacle of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/47C3499ADF84E219F9B853CE7A05FF">a recitation about <i>Withania somnifera</i></a>... in Sanskrit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M07TykY-Vxk/YD2KUDSRHlI/AAAAAAAAc6A/UziDQQz1e_soNF2uSHlnQ0SpyYOS5N5cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1069/sanskrit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="1069" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M07TykY-Vxk/YD2KUDSRHlI/AAAAAAAAc6A/UziDQQz1e_soNF2uSHlnQ0SpyYOS5N5cQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/sanskrit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Now Sanskrit is a lovely language, but considering the percentage of the population who understand it (even in India), its use in this context is more a statement of fealty to the Modi gubblement and its Brahmin-supremacist philosophy than an attempt to communicate to a wider audience -- like delivering an Abstract in Latin to affiliate one's research with the Vatican. Indian media <a href="https://theprint.in/science/ramdevs-patanjali-does-a-first-its-sanskrit-paper-makes-it-to-international-journal/360049/">saw the triumphant gesture</a>, even if the MDPI publishing director preferred to think that it was "diversity".
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">“Diversity and sustainability are very important to us, so we are very pleased to have published a video abstract in Sanskrit,” he added.</span></blockquote>
In a covert correction, the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200906060338/https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/10/7/971">original Video Abstract</a> seems to have vanished from another <u>Biomolecules</u> paper ("<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/875567407CCA670E0E8E7CBB99D604">Validation of a Novel Zebrafish Model of Dengue Virus (DENV-3) Pathology Using the Pentaherbal Medicine Denguenil Vati</a>"). The loss is regrettable, as by all accounts it was a choral performance. Complete with conspicuous product placement for the Pentalherbal Medicine Denguenil Vati, available only through the first author's Divya Pharmacy.<br />
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://t.co/kaIEmBjInb">https://t.co/kaIEmBjInb</a><br /> <a href="https://twitter.com/PypAyurved?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PypAyurved</a>'s paper abstract is followed by a video of <a href="https://twitter.com/Ach_Balkrishna?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Ach_Balkrishna</a> singing a song for dengue (?) <a href="https://twitter.com/MDPIOpenAccess?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MDPIOpenAccess</a> you okay?<br />What is this?<a href="https://twitter.com/MicrobiomDigest?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MicrobiomDigest</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/schneiderleonid?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@schneiderleonid</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Thatsregrettab1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Thatsregrettab1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SmutClyde?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SmutClyde</a></p>— ronak (@rotluronak) <a href="https://twitter.com/rotluronak/status/1364279844322729986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<blockquote>"<span style="font-family: times;">Denguenil Vati is a pentaherbal <strike>Indian traditional formulation</strike> <b>recent product of Swami Ramdev's well-remunerated intuition</b> that has been prescribed by <strike>ayurvedic practitioners</strike> <b>charlatans</b> for the treatment of dengue infection in India.</span>"</blockquote>
The scientific breakthrough here is not so that Balkrishna and his acolytes had cured zebrafish of a Dengue Fever infection, but their success in infecting them with the virus in the first place, contrary to a century of failures by other virologists to find a non-primate host. They buried the lede there.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *</div>
* It comes as no surprise that Balkrishna has <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Amit_lohan_choudhary">fluffers on staff</a> to curate the contents of his Whackyweedia entry and ensure that the tongue-bath is the right temperature. The entry does not mention the tax-evasion concerns or the questions of bogus citizenship and <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/baba-ramdev-balakrishna-cbi-fake-degrees-138150-2011-07-24">bogus degrees</a>, so one must <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210301095214/https://inform.ac/sites/inform.hocext.co.uk/files/2018-10/Baba%20Ramdev.docx">search elsewhere</a> for that background information.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-et-9Beykyik/YD3Zq19uzBI/AAAAAAAAc6Q/L-mawr1wowUea-fu4s5Eyc9WKXiscbBCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1900/wikiedit.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1078" data-original-width="1900" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-et-9Beykyik/YD3Zq19uzBI/AAAAAAAAc6Q/L-mawr1wowUea-fu4s5Eyc9WKXiscbBCACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/wikiedit.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
** "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210301095214/https://inform.ac/sites/inform.hocext.co.uk/files/2018-10/Baba%20Ramdev.docx">It is very difficult to be sure about the number of associated companies</a> - Ramdev’s key aides, Balkrishna and Mukta Nand are shown as Directors/Managing Directors/Additional Directors for at least 45 separate companies, however there are likely to be many more companies affiliated to the Ramdev organization. Some of the most significant affiliates are Aashta TV, Divya Pharmacy, Patanjali Ayurved Limited and the Brahmakalpa Chikitsalaya (hospital).27"<br />
<br />
*** The methodology makes as much sense as a previous application of the same versatile and potent three-herb combination, to cancer patients, as a <a href="https://pharmacologyonline.silae.it/files/archives/2011/vol2/059.sharma.pdf">chemoprotective adjunct to chemotherapy</a>. (though no sign of the calcium oxide). But wait, here's <i>another</i> group of researchers, jumping on the <strike>juggernaut</strike> bandwagon to promote the three-herb combination for COVID-19, with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7484581/pdf/TBSD_0_1810778.pdf">a molecular-docking unstudy</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuvd7WFYc9E/YD3iVQqvnqI/AAAAAAAAc6g/5sbwbw6-3iEsX1ypMO8b2TvoPMc0Lo7TgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1575/docking.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1575" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuvd7WFYc9E/YD3iVQqvnqI/AAAAAAAAc6g/5sbwbw6-3iEsX1ypMO8b2TvoPMc0Lo7TgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/docking.png" width="400" /></a></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-17042286266789459072021-03-12T04:10:00.004-08:002021-03-12T12:58:28.589-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZJsuUPwHMg/XgrrTwwlMXI/AAAAAAAAavs/GymKFq8_T2UlyF1GKVxXgv3AqMX9ISBLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/and-nothing-of-value-was-lost.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZJsuUPwHMg/XgrrTwwlMXI/AAAAAAAAavs/GymKFq8_T2UlyF1GKVxXgv3AqMX9ISBLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/and-nothing-of-value-was-lost.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In another chance to use the "Nothing of Value was Lost" meme, the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201205092417/https://aoamj.org/index.php/aoam">Archives of Applied Medicine Journal</a> website is non-responsive. This will come as a relief to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/post/Dubious_conference_invitations_Just_spam_or_do_these_meetings_actually_take_place/4">victims of relentless stalkerish spamming</a> from "A. Siozos MD" and "P. Jimenez PhD", with wheedling invitations to contribute to a barrage of skeezy little scamferences.<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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That "A. Siozos MD" predatory conference/journal spammer is really persistent.</div>
— Diary of a frustrated academic 💻 🇳🇱 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 (@dutchscientist) <a href="https://twitter.com/dutchscientist/status/1095649557634002944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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Jus got an email from siozos@m.aoamconferences.com. Predatory or not?</div>
— Laurent Seroude (@seroude) <a href="https://twitter.com/seroude/status/1236433238400401412?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<br />
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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This must be one of the most elaborate predatory conference scams. They won't let go!<br />
<br />
The emails are signed by A. Siozos, M.D. who (supposedly) is EIC at Archives of Applied Medicine (a predatory journal)<br />
<br />
Anybody else with experiences with this scam? <a href="https://t.co/dJeIZrNceu">pic.twitter.com/dJeIZrNceu</a></div>
— Maarten van Smeden (@MaartenvSmeden) <a href="https://twitter.com/MaartenvSmeden/status/1111979809385734144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
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More <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/predatorypublishing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#predatorypublishing</a> nonsense. Not less than 3 email filters for variations of domain and yet still gets through because they change their domain every day. Why would a legitimate publisher need to do this? A. Siozos MD and P. Jimenez PhD shove off! <a href="https://twitter.com/BenMazer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BenMazer</a> <a href="https://t.co/elIeZtMBTs">pic.twitter.com/elIeZtMBTs</a></div>
— Sean R Williamson (@Williamson_SR) <a href="https://twitter.com/Williamson_SR/status/1103279975099187200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>Also a relief to the researchers whose names were co-opted and whose publications were plagiarised to provide those scabby events with promises of Keynote Speakers.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gw2QK_Ooap8/XnV-KvCzAUI/AAAAAAAAbMA/oh9DDwYS2LkK8qno5i4fESTLDj14VH0pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/program.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="874" height="284" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gw2QK_Ooap8/XnV-KvCzAUI/AAAAAAAAbMA/oh9DDwYS2LkK8qno5i4fESTLDj14VH0pwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/program.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Not such a relief to anyone who was fooled by those blandishments and coughed up some dosh in return for their presentations or journal contributions becoming preserved for perpetuity on the Interducts; or anyone who paid to attend coming conferences. Any aggrieved readers <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22eusa-riddled%22+%22dylan+fazel%22">know whom to contact</a>. Is it really a year since <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/03/i-light-heartedly-gave-list-of-names.html">we last visited</a> Dylan Fazel of Anoka, Minnesota?<br />
<br />
The smarmy mooching tone of "Siozos" is shared across Fazel's other sockpuppets and purloined identities emanating from <a href="https://archivesofpsychology.org/index.php/aop/editorial-board">Archives of Psychology</a>, <a href="https://flakyj.blogspot.com/2016/12/internal-medicine-review.html">Internal Medicine Review</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160421031002/https://scholarlyoa.com/2015/04/07/questionable-subscription-publisher-acts-like-a-predatory-oa-one/">Medical Research Archives</a>, and <a href="https://flakyj.blogspot.com/2017/01/knowledge-enterprises-inc-kei-journals.html">Knowledge Enterprises Inc</a>.<br />
<br />
Additionally, in recent years, "E. Padron, Ph.D" at <a href="spg.ltd">Science Publishing Group</a> was spamming in a similar register. This was <b>not</b> the <a href="http://flakyj.blogspot.com/2017/01/science-publishing-group-sciencepg.html">notoriously parasitical</a> Pakistan-based <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_Publishing_Group">Science Publishing Group</a>, but an attempt to spoof it, because nothing shouts "scholarly credibility" louder than trying to trade on the good name of an egregious predator.
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Dear </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$NAME</span><span style="font-family: times;">,<br />
Thank you for your email. We are planning a special theme issue on </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$TOPIC</span><span style="font-family: times;"> and I am trying to get a sense of what major advancements have been made in the field during the last couple years that should be included in the issue. If you could offer your opinion on this that would be very helpful.<br />
I was looking at the article you wrote with </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$NAME2</span><span style="font-family: times;"> a while ago entitled </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"$TITLE"</span><span style="font-family: times;"> and thought that since it has been a while since it was published maybe now would be a good time to do a followup or review article that introduces any new data that is now available.<br />
I am attaching an overview of the special issue which includes more detailed information.<br />
Could you let me know your thoughts on this? What do you think about preparing a short article?<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<br />
E. Padron, Ph.D.<br />
SPG BioMed<br />
Auf der Mauer 8<br />
Zurich, Switzerland 8001</span><br />
+41 43 508 29 05<br />
</blockquote>
Not to forget the inevitable scamference spam:
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">
Dear </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$NAME</span><span style="font-family: times;">,<br />
I hope your August is off to a good start. We are still searching for a couple more people to speak " at the European Annual Health Summit in December. If you could find the time to participate it would be greatly appreciated by myself and the summit committee.
It is possible to get a reduced registration fee, in addition to hotel accommodation and the option to apply for travel reimbursement. If you need an invitation letter please let me know.<br />
The preliminary program is available at https://conferences.spg.ltd/eahs/EAHS_Preliminary_Program.pdf
<br />
Please get back to me about this as soon as you can.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<br />
E. Padron, Ph.D.<br />
European Annual Health Summit</span></blockquote>
Similar tones <i>also</i> dominate the spam from <a href="https://flakyj.blogspot.com/search/label/Copernicus">Copernicus Publishing</a>, where "A. Umana, MD." affected the same claim to have encountered his victims' previous seminal contributions to the literature, and whined in the same guilt-inducing, passive-aggressive lie that the recipient had snubbed earlier attempts to communicate. This is not the German <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernicus_Publications">scholarly publisher "Copernicus"</a>, nor even the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_Copernicus#Controversy">Polish impact-factor service catering to parasitical journals</a>, but <i>another</i> imposter.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99z25csRlms/YEsM2G7wGhI/AAAAAAAAdCQ/oK_Qrj3QbLwedqt2OYMIUJia5KI5hPhTACLcBGAsYHQ/s1015/dbd.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1015" height="104" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99z25csRlms/YEsM2G7wGhI/AAAAAAAAdCQ/oK_Qrj3QbLwedqt2OYMIUJia5KI5hPhTACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h104/dbd.png" width="200" /></a></div>So imagine my surprise to find that all these websites are housed on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210312063421/https://domainbigdata.com/91.121.0.101">the same IP server</a>. That is, they're all the work of the <b>same feckin fraudster</b>.<br />
<br /><u>
Copernicus Publishing</u> is moribund, with <u>Clinical Medicine Review</u> boasting of <a href="https://journals.copernicuspublishing.com/cmr/">five papers in its archives (all from 2018)</a> while <u>Archives of Bioscience</u> has <a href="https://journals.copernicuspublishing.com/aob/">none at all</a>, zilch, not a sausage. Publishing fees ranged from $2100 to $2900, whereas comparable bottom-of-the-barrel cloacas charge about 1/10 of that, so Dylan may have misjudged the market. I am obliged, by the way, to explain that "moribund" is <b>not</b> a style of cummerbund intended for funereal viewings. Activity has shifted more to <a href="https://academic.copernicus.ltd/search-results?search_journal=">Copernicus.ltd</a>, which presents as a portal or search engine for accessing the archives of publishers and institutions. Just register, sign up, provide personal details and credit-card number.<br />
<br />
All the sleazy spamming from SPG.ltd was equally unprofitable, with papers in <a href="https://spg.ltd/biomed/issue/archive/">only one of its four journals</a>, and <a href="https://conferences.spg.ltd/index.php/upcoming-conference-list/">only three scamferences</a>. I guess this particular fraud was insufficiently rewarding for Fazel to pursue it further, as no new issues or mockademic meetings have appeared since 2019.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uezWizSgGxk/YEtI4XKkUrI/AAAAAAAAdCY/nbvYKUgbFCcGFg-deKXsP2owKrrcNIFagCLcBGAsYHQ/s838/hostio.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="838" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uezWizSgGxk/YEtI4XKkUrI/AAAAAAAAdCY/nbvYKUgbFCcGFg-deKXsP2owKrrcNIFagCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/hostio.png" width="260" /></a></div>Evidently, though, Fazel is sticking with his decision to identify as European, with the archives of his <u>KEI</u> journals migrating <i>en masse</i> to yet another site, <u>Esmed.org</u>,* while the site previously known as "<u>journals.ke-i.org</u>" redirects to "<u>https://esmed.org/MRA/</u>". This turns out to be the new epicentre of Dylan's empire as an impresario of journals and conferences <i>[h/t to <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/2020/11/european-society-of-medicine-esmed.html">D. H. Kaye at Flakyc</a>]</i>. And indeed, "Esmed.org" and "europeansocietyofmedicine.org" are <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210312105301/https://ipinfo.io/91.121.0.101">domiciled on the same IP server</a> dedicated to Dylan's other grifts. Of course <a href="https://esmed.org/events/">there are scamferences</a>, for how could a group as prestigious as the European Society of Medicine go without an <a href="https://esmed.org/conferences/2021assembly/">annual General Assembly</a>? With invitations to attend "Europe's leading medical assembly" <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/2020/11/european-society-of-medicine-esmed.html">spammed out indefatigably</a> by "M. Osman M.D." and "L. Smith, M.D.", a.k.a. Dylan Fazel's bots.<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Dear </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$NAME</span><span style="font-family: times;">,<br />
<br />
I am hoping to talk to you about your </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$TOPIC</span><span style="font-family: times;"> work. I enjoyed reading your article "</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$TITLE</span><span style="font-family: times;">" and I was thinking that your work would be interesting to include in the </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$TOPIC</span><span style="font-family: times;"> session of our </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">[General Assembly / Internal Medicine conference]</span><span style="font-family: times;"> next next year.<br />
I am on the organizing committee of the meeting and am working on filling a few remaining speaker slots. The meeting is both in person and online.<br />
May we discuss this further?<br />
<br />
Best Regards,<br />
<br />
M. Osman, M.D.<br />
European Society of Medicine<br />
</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">[ESMED General Assembly / Global Conference on Internal Medicine]</span></blockquote>
But wait, Dylan promises to reimburse travel expenses at some later date, so it's all legitimate after all.
<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Dear </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">$NAME</span><span style="font-family: times;">:<br />
<br />
Thank you for your email. I spoke with our committee and they have approved a 10% discount on the registration fee.<br />
Yes there are travel funds available to speakers. I have gone ahead and added your name to the waiting list. Please find more information about the process below.<br />
<br />
How to obtain travel funds<br />
Eligible travel expenses include air and ground transportation. Fees for visas are not eligible. Travel receipts may be submitted in PDF or JPG format to office@europeansocietyofmedicine.org no later than one week following the conference. There is a limit of $1,200 per person.<br />
The Register tab of the site shows how many hotel nights are included with each package. The hotel name and address are on the Travel & hotels tab. Please let me know which registration packages best suits your needs so as we can apply the discount for you.<br />
<br />
Best Regards,<br />
<br />
M. Osman, M.D.<br />
European Society of Medicine<br />
ESMED General Assembly</span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uHcASr1ULm0/YEvVlRJ5neI/AAAAAAAAdDQ/jbAfQBRjrkgXoL2A3NN0xh0FQ-aYKPPjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1900/esmed.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="1900" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uHcASr1ULm0/YEvVlRJ5neI/AAAAAAAAdDQ/jbAfQBRjrkgXoL2A3NN0xh0FQ-aYKPPjgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/esmed.jpg"/></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>[Thanks to <a href="http://flakyc.blogspot.com/2020/11/european-society-of-medicine-esmed.html">D.H. Kaye's commentariat</a> for passing on their experiences of Fazelspam]</i></div>
<br />
* The relocated archives include a <a href="https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/download/236/1301/">couple of</a> <a href="https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/410/1315">submission letters</a>, left over from a time when Fazel's role as a cosplay medical-research publisher was something to boast of rather than to conceal behind layers of deniability and prosthetic identities.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-naVoxYhRtVI/YEtMfwU_0AI/AAAAAAAAdCg/hQYC_v0U4C4qsPQzsE_pPc-vnKrn3JmLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2200/letters.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="2200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-naVoxYhRtVI/YEtMfwU_0AI/AAAAAAAAdCg/hQYC_v0U4C4qsPQzsE_pPc-vnKrn3JmLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/letters.png" width="400" /></a></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-87873610260935040492021-03-10T00:37:00.004-08:002021-03-11T02:38:29.486-08:00Songs for the 10 Voices of the Two Prophets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c15vXT_eoNk/YEbkzciJhPI/AAAAAAAAc_8/N6kURM2JIkQt79i1cSCdg8bIbKq9Y8dYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/jww.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c15vXT_eoNk/YEbkzciJhPI/AAAAAAAAc_8/N6kURM2JIkQt79i1cSCdg8bIbKq9Y8dYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jww.jpg" /></a></div>Here at the <i>Riddled</i> Institute of Empirical Aesthetics and High-Gravity Poultry-Keeping, we keep track of well-intended acts of vandalism wrought by plonkers and loombuckets with delusions of artistic competence, so <i>you don't have to</i>. So it was gratifying to see '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Favourites_of_the_Emperor_Honorius">The Favourites of the Emperor Honorius</a>' included in the Waterhouse retrospective at the Royal Academy, back in 2009. Nice catalogue, BTW.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dgl1u5xYMEM/YEbmex-nxqI/AAAAAAAAdAQ/KsQObkvYVfwsSxO82UrUQA8AxAo8ekZ_QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1036/jww2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1036" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dgl1u5xYMEM/YEbmex-nxqI/AAAAAAAAdAQ/KsQObkvYVfwsSxO82UrUQA8AxAo8ekZ_QCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h160/jww2.png" width="200" /></a></div>After the over-enthusiastic cleansing at the hands of a misguided amateur in 1973, its restoration had been masterful though lengthy, and one would scarcely notice the damage. I admit to some surprise that the South Australians were willing to forget the 1973 episode and lend the painting again (I don't remember it as part of the 'Love & Death' touring exhibition of Victorian art in 2001/2002).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dWJ1g9KL6Yc/YEbl3vJfLcI/AAAAAAAAdAE/1dkqa6iK26MYeNHZdX3MZvl7dAAP7NC1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1111/JWW.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="1111" height="166" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dWJ1g9KL6Yc/YEbl3vJfLcI/AAAAAAAAdAE/1dkqa6iK26MYeNHZdX3MZvl7dAAP7NC1gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h166/JWW.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-15TmD2_ARRI/YEl9qwibOKI/AAAAAAAAdB4/Qw5ttRZuWe0JWRN0guWZS-Z8-dYuE4CGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/g1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1542" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-15TmD2_ARRI/YEl9qwibOKI/AAAAAAAAdB4/Qw5ttRZuWe0JWRN0guWZS-Z8-dYuE4CGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/g1.png" /></a></div>There is some speculation that the Waterhouse episode was model for the restoration of Whistler's "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistler%27s_Mother">Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1</a>" by <a href="https://www.biblio.com/book/goodies-book-criminal-records-tim-brooke/d/1348156667">Brooke-Taylor, Garden & Oddie (1975)</a> ... or was modelled after it (for the workings of the morphogenic field are not constrained by conventional temporal causation).<br />
<br />
The Spanish have a long tradition of aesthetic destruction going back to the Vandal occupation from 409 to 429, and currently they are leading the World League table. Inspired by the '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecce_Homo_%28Mart%C3%ADnez_and_Gim%C3%A9nez%29">Ecco Mono</a>' Redeemer-of-the-Apes fresco restoration and the ensuing <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecce_Homo_%28Mart%C3%ADnez_and_Gim%C3%A9nez%29#Tourist_success">tourism boom</a>, other Spanish restoration enthusiasts gave us the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/world/europe/spain-church-statues-botched-restoration.html">Playmobil Holy Family</a>, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/21/botched-spanish-statue-st-george-lovingly-unrestored">Tintin St. George</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933801380/behold-the-potato-head-of-palencia-another-botched-art-restoration-in-spain">the Potato-Head of Palencia</a> and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jun/22/experts-call-for-regulation-after-latest-botched-art-restoration-in-spain">Murillo Monster</a>. But the Australians are catching up!<br />
<br />
<a href="hhttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Attempted_restoration_of_Ecce_Homo.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="700" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Attempted_restoration_of_Ecce_Homo.jpg" width="141" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u-890jhvX6g/YEcwWUL9RgI/AAAAAAAAdAk/Ouif7HBnnRcrDfzwiZITm4bcn4KShh9ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/family2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u-890jhvX6g/YEcwWUL9RgI/AAAAAAAAdAk/Ouif7HBnnRcrDfzwiZITm4bcn4KShh9ZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/family2.jpg" width="287" /></a><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nmccSywBIeA/YEcwiIEKwSI/AAAAAAAAdAs/wlahjpNdA28I5C19IBcueo65XKi_461FACLcBGAsYHQ/s998/potato.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="998" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nmccSywBIeA/YEcwiIEKwSI/AAAAAAAAdAs/wlahjpNdA28I5C19IBcueo65XKi_461FACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/potato.jpg" width="259" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HyM_us2ts20/YEcwiGFuyeI/AAAAAAAAdAw/Wqyf6KxS1kwMhxlDiwkSJ8Ut-t8hpQcVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/tintin.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HyM_us2ts20/YEcwiGFuyeI/AAAAAAAAdAw/Wqyf6KxS1kwMhxlDiwkSJ8Ut-t8hpQcVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/tintin.jpg" width="169" /></a>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIQVdPITvmA/YEciKWEYQHI/AAAAAAAAdAY/YzraXEUNfNAwmi-45NLL9tBnvoNGfSAvACLcBGAsYHQ/s890/murillo.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="890" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yIQVdPITvmA/YEciKWEYQHI/AAAAAAAAdAY/YzraXEUNfNAwmi-45NLL9tBnvoNGfSAvACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/murillo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwcJRfhx524/YEh3X2P5w7I/AAAAAAAAdBE/94owOGSGatUwcOuXHRl_ADFD_DpPGi5mQCLcBGAsYHQ/s770/recluse.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="770" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwcJRfhx524/YEh3X2P5w7I/AAAAAAAAdBE/94owOGSGatUwcOuXHRl_ADFD_DpPGi5mQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/recluse.png" width="260" /></a></div>Now the <a href="https://www.academia.edu/1891561/Callan_Park_Rock_Engravings">Sydney rock-carvings</a> were not in the same league as a copy of a Murillo mantlepiece. They were outsider-art images in a style reminiscent of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._R._Penck">Penck</a>, incised into slabs of sandstone in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callan_Park_Hospital_for_the_Insane">Callan Park</a>, part of the grounds of the old Rozelle Asylum. The person most interested in them was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Clegg_%28archaeologist%29">John Clegg, archeologist and petroglyph expert</a>.* The detailed observations of ship rigging and steam-boat design in the carvings <a href="https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=HrETEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA262#v=onepage&q&f=false">convinced Clegg that the artist had some nautical experience</a>, though not so much literacy - explaining his choice of this pictorial format to record his autobiography, whereby dates in the inscriptions (ranging from 1855 to 1922) relate to years he thought were significant. This fits local traditions about the artist.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwbQ6_W_8h8/YEh3y1fEpJI/AAAAAAAAdBM/1MA3U7ec3lkhQLNqGQkg4hC8flmKiA9jACLcBGAsYHQ/s990/compassrose.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="846" data-original-width="990" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwbQ6_W_8h8/YEh3y1fEpJI/AAAAAAAAdBM/1MA3U7ec3lkhQLNqGQkg4hC8flmKiA9jACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/compassrose.jpg" width="198" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGtwp5QGr4Q/YEh3y6ylcNI/AAAAAAAAdBQ/z_LL3C7jbfEiGURPBpiwrT6GPqL22eb9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s980/fig1.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="980" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zGtwp5QGr4Q/YEh3y6ylcNI/AAAAAAAAdBQ/z_LL3C7jbfEiGURPBpiwrT6GPqL22eb9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/fig1.png" width="230" /></a><br />
<br />
Clegg suggested that the frequently-appearing "compass-rose-inna-banana" motif was a graphical / narrative depiction of how to take bearings with a gimballed ship's compass. Got all that? Don't worry, it will not be in the exam.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GeAastPdjQg/YEh3__SbB1I/AAAAAAAAdBU/J7aMBenNiBE5pv2baqWB9r8CcLTwkY3swCLcBGAsYHQ/s980/bearing.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="980" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GeAastPdjQg/YEh3__SbB1I/AAAAAAAAdBU/J7aMBenNiBE5pv2baqWB9r8CcLTwkY3swCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h199/bearing.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Further research: No longer an option</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wsIJ-FsenfM/YEh81x7zZEI/AAAAAAAAdBk/Bxb8fq_c9hMjKkp_--VJNVzR1TOQsUdnACLcBGAsYHQ/s650/picture1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wsIJ-FsenfM/YEh81x7zZEI/AAAAAAAAdBk/Bxb8fq_c9hMjKkp_--VJNVzR1TOQsUdnACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/picture1.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>This explanation was rejected in 2014 by <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2021/01/and-i-am-marie-of-roumania-2.html">Lady Crown (a.k.a. Jennifer Holt, a.k.a. Mauri Queen <b>Turikatuku III</b>)</a> on account of being boring and plausible and insufficiently about <b>her</b>. In fact the 8-pointed compass roses turn out to be the <b>five</b>-pointed stars of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C4%81tana">Ratana Church</a> iconography, for in the Intuitive History that concerns us now, the images and enigmatic texts were <i>really</i> engraved in the stones by <a href="https://maorirockcarvingsratana.wordpress.com/maori-carvers-from-the-lunatic-asylym/">a pair of New Zealand exiles</a>, twin prophets of the Ratana Church, as a record of their ecstatic revelations. Oppressive carcerial authorities treated their visions as delusions (as they always do), accounting for the presence of the twins in the nearby asylum.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Also foretold: the adoption of a Rising-Sun flag by the Japanese Navy</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Q50VxA6xvg/YEh_5GN_HTI/AAAAAAAAdBw/-fVApJ-mNHEC2-jtuqFC0u26OknksM9hQCLcBGAsYHQ/s487/turi-and-japanese-flag.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="487" data-original-width="366" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Q50VxA6xvg/YEh_5GN_HTI/AAAAAAAAdBw/-fVApJ-mNHEC2-jtuqFC0u26OknksM9hQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/turi-and-japanese-flag.png" /></a></div>All this occurred <b>before the foundation</b> of the Ratana Church, but it is unclear whether the <a href="https://maorirockcarvingsratana.wordpress.com/maori-carvings-prophesying-the-coming-of-t-w-ratana/">twins merely <i>foretold</i> that development</a>, or went on to be involved somehow in that curious syncretic religion as pioneers in its tradition of prophecy... perhaps they were even its <b>true founders</b> and T. W. Ratana was a usurper.<br />
<br />
This must remain in obscurity, and there is nothing to attest to the twins as existing outside of Ms Holt's Dioscuri-themed fantasy, as she explains that concerns for their privacy prevent her from providing names or other identifying details. It is enough to know that she numbers them among her pullulating horde of ancestors.<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">PRIVACY DISCLAIMER<br />
Due to the nature of their incarceration, for reasons of privacy at the request of the families,
their purported illnesses, names and their tribal affiliations will not be released to the general public.</span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6uauodtusDA/YBFFmXGFm8I/AAAAAAAAc4c/4EAgU4BUuoAv8pMHwf3U6NlRMJ88zx1xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/sun.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6uauodtusDA/YBFFmXGFm8I/AAAAAAAAc4c/4EAgU4BUuoAv8pMHwf3U6NlRMJ88zx1xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/sun.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kvxv9qato7E/YEh_tKcrthI/AAAAAAAAdBs/cl9fXnw5llkgebJclb8lH6m8O2Qh-ATDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s650/whetu-marama.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kvxv9qato7E/YEh_tKcrthI/AAAAAAAAdBs/cl9fXnw5llkgebJclb8lH6m8O2Qh-ATDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/whetu-marama.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>For Ms Holt, 2014 was a hiatus between <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2021/01/and-i-am-marie-of-roumania-2.html">her 2012 and 2019 attempts</a> to convince the Council and court system of Parramatta that various plots of riverside park-land were Sacred Land on account of undiscovered gravesites (and should come under the guardianship of herself and family and friends). She was midway through the process of anamnesis as she recalled her true heritage and true destiny, adopting various titles to reflect her highborn family tree (which includes every paramount chief of New Zealand oral and early-written history), and her claim to the Mauri Crown. Enlightened as to the true origins of the Sydney carvings, she realised that her self-assigned role of <a href="https://maorirockcarvingsratana.wordpress.com/guardians-of-the-carvings/">Guardian of Sacred Sites</a>, and the career of her artistically-inclined husband, would be best-served <a href="https://maorirockcarvingsratana.wordpress.com/restoration-of-the-carvings/">if they revived Tribal Carving Traditions</a> and <a href="https://maorirockcarvingsratana.wordpress.com/media/">re-chiselled all the grooves of those carvings</a>, rendering them in more of a bas-relief style, along with such improvements as seemed desirable. Much as one might recarve the groove in a vinyl LP to restore its audio quality. Top that, Spanish restorers!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ztVDb5KoCOQ/YEgu7x8nysI/AAAAAAAAdA8/qSjpVBXCwtMqfj983J9wrmLc9J2B2whyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1650/restoration-poster2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1086" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ztVDb5KoCOQ/YEgu7x8nysI/AAAAAAAAdA8/qSjpVBXCwtMqfj983J9wrmLc9J2B2whyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w421-h640/restoration-poster2.jpg" width="421" /></a></div>
Surrounding Lady Crown is a sprawling archipelago of vauntingly deranged, mutually affirming blogs and websites, in which her unique worldview is explored in more elaborate rococo detail than you could ask for. Within it, all this Visionary Archeology and destructively creative reclamation of history is merely a secondary epicyclic fantasy. Heaven knows what other bobbins is in there. Meanwhile, as noted <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2021/01/and-i-am-marie-of-roumania-2.html">in a previous post</a>, Lady Crown has outgrown the narrow confines of Australia and looks to bring her Sovereign-Citizen word-salad cuisine to the Aotearoan side of the Tasman. Crivens! And crivens again!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0aIPmdAfnlQ/YBIc8MIBWdI/AAAAAAAAc5A/3oGLht5h2YA0qAlAPn-Vkw04Tw2zqxvfACLcBGAsYHQ/s1685/denunc2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1685" data-original-width="1188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0aIPmdAfnlQ/YBIc8MIBWdI/AAAAAAAAc5A/3oGLht5h2YA0qAlAPn-Vkw04Tw2zqxvfACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/denunc2.png" width="214" /></a></div>Her claim to hereditary leadership of the Maori-sovereignty movement has encountered <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=595627770477684&story_fbid=5087538604619889">some push-back</a> from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ko-te-Wakaminenga-o-Nga-Hapu-o-Nu-Tireni-1991550004470650/photos/pcb.2555669094725402/2555668711392107/">longer-established grifters</a> who had <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/03/these-are-people-of-land-common-clay-of.html">already battened onto that movement</a> and its collective response to colonialism. I expect to hear a rising crescendo of 5G! and 1080! and Microchipped vaccines! and all the other Worship Words of conspiracism, as they compete for legitimacy. If she is eventually ousted, she still has the fallback option of re-re-inventing hereself and asserting a claim to be Hereditary Leader of the Ratana movement.<br />
<br />
* <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/archaeologists-pioneering-study-of-aboriginal-rock-art-a-lasting-legacy-20150626-ghy8eu.html">Clegg's obituary</a> notes that Sir Terry Pratchett sought his advice for "The Last Continent".<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6aC6sbORah4/YEl-gRKUu7I/AAAAAAAAdCA/qyC9b2dUnEskmMs-rIYd3DwVsoUuMCT2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/g2.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1542" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6aC6sbORah4/YEl-gRKUu7I/AAAAAAAAdCA/qyC9b2dUnEskmMs-rIYd3DwVsoUuMCT2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/g2.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjDlnBvAJec/YEl-p5i_j6I/AAAAAAAAdCE/wuT9-bLfKPYCffu4Y0V-hadeOmBIJTJcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/g3.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1545" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yjDlnBvAJec/YEl-p5i_j6I/AAAAAAAAdCE/wuT9-bLfKPYCffu4Y0V-hadeOmBIJTJcgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/g3.png" /></a><br/>
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<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="241" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/OUQAcb_hX8k" width="428"></iframe>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210310033749/https://kingdom-of-god-on-earth.weebly.com/bible-and-treaty.html">THE PROTECTORATE</a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210310033749/https://kingdom-of-god-on-earth.weebly.com/bible-and-treaty.html">The Holy Spirit</a></div>
<br/>
<div style="text-align: center;">Lady Crown is <i>in fact</i> an heir and successor to King Hongi Hika and Queen Turikatuku II,
and <b>Te Tiriti o Waitangi 1840 [Treaty]</b> which was initiated by her ancestor King Hongi Hika in 1820 England via
He Whakaputanga 1835 (Declaration of Independence) Aotearoa.</div>
<br/>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Therefore the mantle was passed to her from IO Matua to honour the Te Tiriti that had been dishonoured by the settlers in Aotearoa.
Given the blessing, Our Lady honoured the Te Tiriti on 1st August 2018, where the seas meet at Rangihou and Rangihoua.
Through her baptism and the hand of IO Matua, she was released from all man made schemes, authorities, free from false beliefs, ideologies and sins. Released from the System in Perpetuity.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Our Lady was given right of passage to carry the ‘Kai whatu’ through [seed of the stone, bearers of sacred knowledge from the realms of the spiritual dimensions], brought forward in this time, the Seal of Covenant from ‘IO Matua’ anointed and validated.
What she shares, is direct from IO Matua ‘God’ Almighty.</i></div>
<br/>
<div style="text-align: center;">Our Lady was reborn and anointed an Ambassador of the Lord.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Our Lady returned to her first name given at her first breath of birth 'Crown'.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">She now stands as 'Our Lady Crown', a child of God, child of Mother Earth, reborn on Mount Taratara, An Ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ with Divine Right and Authority.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Her divine right & authority is granted through the Power of IO Matua, the Holy Spirit, walking with <b>God's Laws</b>.</i></div>
<br/>
<div style="text-align: center;"><i>Lady Crown is our Holy Spirit and Protector in the physical realms holding both covenants in both of her hands,
protecting all that are in her care and residing in the Kingdom of God</i></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-9860477951970631352021-03-08T15:27:00.006-08:002021-03-08T18:49:07.556-08:00They give birth astride a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more<a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/columbo-smut.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="651" height="320" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2021/01/columbo-smut.jpeg" width="260" /></a><div style="text-align: right;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2021/01/21/victims-as-perpetrators/">at Leonid Schneider's site</a>, hence the unfrivolous tone. The version there is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story, and cartoon, which I am stealing here</i>.</div>
<br />
Please admire these single-use burner Yahoo identities, used once each for submitting a manuscript to the <b>Journal of the Balkan Union of Oncology</b> (<u>J. BUOn</u>), then consigned to the realms of darkness and silence as soon as it was accepted. The list evokes a sense of mortality and the tragic brevity of existence. Their creators have confidence in their capacity to span an endless succession of delightful <i>personae</i>, and "DanyelSsche" is the only one I have seen recycled to submit a second manuscript.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;">TBarnebesaull@yahoo.com sporusac@yahoo.com RichieWattsfdv@yahoo.com BrattinOdod@yahoo.com RLakeshiattebe@yahoo.com StaciNcrod@yahoo.com MMadalynywa@yahoo.com AlistadLhos@yahoo.com DCassienne@yahoo.com KNanceylse@yahoo.com DanyelSsche@yahoo.com RBellengob@yahoo.com</span></div>
<br />
One might expect the editors to wonder why Yi Xiao (for instance) opted to communicate with them through the mouthpiece of "EmileJohnstongln@yahoo.com" -- especially when the same author had used a more convincingly institutional e-address for two other papers, immediately before and after in the journal's pagination. On the other hand, more situationally-aware editors would have noticed the same Figures turning up again and again in manuscripts purportedly contributed by otherwise-unrelated research teams (to say nothing of the journal's peer-review corps who were equally oblivious to the repetitions). On the prehensile tail, nor were editorial suspicions aroused by the tsunami of authors asking Santa Claus for "Urgent changes to their publications" for Xmas (replacing one or more bogus Figures with something less obviously fake).<br />
<br />The editors spent the festive season dashing around behind the scenes like one-armed puppeteers, tasked with making Stealth Revisions. For a series of <u>J. BUOn</u> papers had inspired <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2096A522DD3F88A7D479A468FC2BA6">Indigofera Tanganyikensis</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2096A522DD3F88A7D479A468FC2BA6#2">Elisabeth Bik</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=users%3A+%22Tabebuia+Rosea%22">Tabebuia Rosea</a> to comment upon their problematic Figures, at the PubPeer platform for post-publication peer-review. It looks like people read PubPeer (which will be gratifying for the site's founders)... Ninja Corrigenda followed, and so much has been swept under the carpet in the <u>J. BUOn</u> editorial office that it must now resemble a scale model of the Himalayas.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uKUJI_6dFcU/YEZ3LK_9nnI/AAAAAAAAc7k/8DGk5saIlN8ZksGHHZR8-j6UsEpK3idxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/wogonin.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uKUJI_6dFcU/YEZ3LK_9nnI/AAAAAAAAc7k/8DGk5saIlN8ZksGHHZR8-j6UsEpK3idxQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/wogonin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4C9930340F2583BE1F8FE22E5BCB30"><i>Tan et al (2019)</i></a></div>
There is nothing in the journal's Tables of Contents to announce that the versions of the papers currently hosted there differ from the versions originally published (and indexed in PubMed), and the only clue is the recency of the Created / Modified field in the PDF metadata. Most of these reconstruction projects had been archived at ResearchGate on behalf of the putative authors, allowing a comparison between iterations and documenting the closeness of the collaboration between the journal editors and their imaginative contributors. As it happens, the editors are already called back behind the scenes for a <i>second round</i> of evidence-erasure, as falsifications come to light that the first round overlooked, or because the hastily-prepared replacement Figures are if anything <b>more</b> bogus than the fakes they replaced. I'll come back to that.<br />
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Right now, welcome to the first papermill of 2021! Yes, there is <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x4enYF5l1CkOd9aqLPJ9AdxbgW6sN7P6knM1ws6jSTg/edit?usp=sharing">an on-line spreadsheet</a>. I propose to approach the topic indirectly, circuitously (as is the custom of my people). A <i>second</i> introductory theme is 'hipster ethnopharmacology'. We have already met the <i>first</i> related theme: Yahoo e-addresses and their tragic ephemerality. These provide a useful clue to provenance, by the way: a paper might be papermill-sourced even if the corresponding e-address is plausibly related to the nominal author's name, but if the address is (say) "JereCummingsjux@yahoo.com", then the <b>real</b> author is seeking financial compensation rather than recognition.<br />
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The academic speciality of ethopharmacology is flourishing, if the multitude of journals serving it are any guide. If a plant has any place in any folk pharmacopoeia, sooner or later it will take its turn under the microscope (or more accurately, inside the chromatograph), with eager researchers isolating and characterising its active ingredients. Or failing that, isolating <u>any</u> secondary metabolites distinguishing it from other plants. For evolution, and the advantage that comes in the evolutionary race from not being eaten, has taught plants to deter potential consumers by packing their leaves and fruit and roots with molecules that are sand in the metabolic machinery of herbivorous mammals (and birds, insects, molluscs). The corollary follows (as corollaries are wont to do) that these secondary metabolites <u>must</u> have some therapeutic applications. It remain, then, to test each molecule <i>in vitro</i> or in animal models of all possible medical conditions (since folk-medicine indicative categories like "excess black bile" or "imbalance of <i>qi</i> energy" are not as helpful as one might think).<br />
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Oncological candidates are especially helpful, for it goes without saying that phytochemicals designed to deter animal consumption will also cripple the previously-unchecked proliferation of cancer cells. The industry has not yet exhausted all combinations of "phytochemical X" and "vat-grown cancer cell-line Y". Perhaps the papermills can help!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0BykYL2kEw0/YEZ3y-Ke0zI/AAAAAAAAc7s/Mxd63Y0YdwQtHx6ot_WPT6tGK7lnxVVvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2250/flowcytometry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="2250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0BykYL2kEw0/YEZ3y-Ke0zI/AAAAAAAAc7s/Mxd63Y0YdwQtHx6ot_WPT6tGK7lnxVVvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/flowcytometry.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0A005B24E1FB4C2E7BA3D0511677B1">Carvone</a>, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4F267E4E0141FDB8B342A1CDF80303">caffeic acid n‑butyl ester</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BF863C7EA33D348B234D4D8D588323">linderalactone</a></i></div>
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Here "X" comes from a chemical cavalcade including Ambrosin, Baicalein, chrysoeriol, davanone, Eriodictyol, flavokawain-B, Geraniol, helenalin, Imperatorin, Juglone, Kaempferol, Lycopsamine, α-mangostin, Murrayanine, Norwogonin, Oridonin, Pleuromutilin, Royleanone, Sugiol, Tangeretin, Ursolic acid, Voacangine, Wogonin, Xanthohumol and Zingiberene. These are variously classified as chalcones, diterpenes, deterpenoids, flavones, flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones, terpenoids etc., for it is not enough just to be an 'alkaloid' these days. Coca-coline and Yoyodeine are not on the list, as researchers collectively lacked the commercial <i>nous</i> to sell naming rights for this molecular abecedarium.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5N8_oLes6Ko/YEZ4YorvBoI/AAAAAAAAc70/u5kHDqSG65gqnXlnU2tDw6IyzYyiQQnzACLcBGAsYHQ/s1750/3wb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1750" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5N8_oLes6Ko/YEZ4YorvBoI/AAAAAAAAc70/u5kHDqSG65gqnXlnU2tDw6IyzYyiQQnzACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/3wb.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/ACB980C6A820AD95177666FBEC20D1">Gentiopicroside</a>, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/BF863C7EA33D348B234D4D8D588323">linderalactone</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/FE2811431798C4710B76134CB260DA">genistein</a></i></div>
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<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uie_Earo-hk/YAAkwE270vI/AAAAAAAAc1g/ku5ajxqimz4cybSJiuXmS2zgxOJufGtkACLcBGAsYHQ/s1090/daidzein.png" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1090" height="92" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uie_Earo-hk/YAAkwE270vI/AAAAAAAAc1g/ku5ajxqimz4cybSJiuXmS2zgxOJufGtkACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h92/daidzein.png" width="200" /></a></div>If you are like me, you want to know which secondary metabolites are popular and which are <i>passé</i>, and which ones to learn about now so you can boast that you were studying them before they sold out and went mass-market. No-one wants to be in the position of a mystery novelist whose characters are still poisoning with strychnine when all the hip authors have moved on to ricin. It turns out that there is a special place in the cavalcade for <b>Daidzein</b>, with one specific paper accruing <b>71</b> citations:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMprQuKyhIo/YAQZKththxI/AAAAAAAAc1s/EhDCl4N-xH0eyAjfIpbA2vjSztsA9ZeyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1030/ncbi.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="256" data-original-width="1030" height="100" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMprQuKyhIo/YAQZKththxI/AAAAAAAAc1s/EhDCl4N-xH0eyAjfIpbA2vjSztsA9ZeyQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h100/ncbi.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Some of them are systematic reviews, or an inclusion in some Introductory Context section padded out with vaguely relevant stuff where an author had time for a G**gle Search but not enough time to <i>read</i> the hits. But there are so far <b>50 papers</b> in my spreadsheet citing Hua et al (2018). Sometimes to exemplify concepts and methods which Hua et al never mentioned -- the quantification of RNA with PCR; or ROS and mitochondrial membrane potential levels. They <i>did</i> mention cell-cycle arrest <u>and</u> quantifying apoptosis with flow-cytometry, but hardly as pioneers, so it is remarkable that so many authors independently chose to use them as the reference description. In a standardised way. Often involving covers-lips.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQHg5DfT7LI/YAYtorZXm9I/AAAAAAAAc2I/kVt6EC-fzWgPG0FLjzz74mPRSR8vUCv7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1650/dapi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1650" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LQHg5DfT7LI/YAYtorZXm9I/AAAAAAAAc2I/kVt6EC-fzWgPG0FLjzz74mPRSR8vUCv7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w364-h400/dapi.jpg" width="364" /></a></div><br />
It's conceivable that a computer virus inserted itself into 50 authors' word-processing software and copy-pasted certain paragraphs into whatever manuscripts were half-written at the time. We should also consider the alternative explanation, that a papermill is churning out the product by sticking to templates, changing the phrases just enough to avoid triggering automated plagiarism detectors.<br />
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It is hard to choose where to begin with this sprawling continuum, where shared graphic elements link any paper to many other papers. Western-Blot bands change protein ID and lane conditions to turn up in another WB. Flow-cytometry histograms are modular; the peaks can be taken apart and reassembled in new arrangements to demonstrate entirely different claims. Flow-cytometry scatter-plots gain or lose points. Fluorescent-stained panoramas of cell cultures, color-coded by their post-treatment viability, yield enlarged details to illustrate different cell-lines and different treatments.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYm3nf_5mNg/YEZ6QL0011I/AAAAAAAAc78/Vd3dhYccLCoGiRmHVqr5hPgfe5WjN2AcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/spikes1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYm3nf_5mNg/YEZ6QL0011I/AAAAAAAAc78/Vd3dhYccLCoGiRmHVqr5hPgfe5WjN2AcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/spikes1.jpg" width="177" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_j5L5sexwAU/YEZ6QIdmVGI/AAAAAAAAc8A/yfSFGu-t0-Ut7653B8x0lg21A0GTfwJegCLcBGAsYHQ/s1340/spikes2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="444" data-original-width="800" height="139" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_j5L5sexwAU/YEZ6QIdmVGI/AAAAAAAAc8A/yfSFGu-t0-Ut7653B8x0lg21A0GTfwJegCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/spikes2.jpg" width="251" /></a>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OyO7RSQ4MLA/YEZ8AuxomZI/AAAAAAAAc8M/DZGy--h6bRAhH0iPfu1GohltwU8VZwregCLcBGAsYHQ/s1424/facs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="1424" height="209" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OyO7RSQ4MLA/YEZ8AuxomZI/AAAAAAAAc8M/DZGy--h6bRAhH0iPfu1GohltwU8VZwregCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h209/facs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7D944DD3D6F6D9883C1993DACAF7C3">Aphidicolin</a>, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D3D144A9E5A7DB80A4274A0FE9B47C">Artemisinin</a>: surprisingly similar effects</i></div></i>
It is a kaleidoscopic phantasmagoria, and I need to be reminded that "however entrancing it is to wander unchecked through a garden of bright images, are we not enticing your mind from another subject of almost equal importance?" To remove this paralyzing excess of choices, I will pick the next few cherries from the narrow focus of the 50 papers of the Daidzein corpus.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gv87Lbg1HEY/YEZ8bPFWKgI/AAAAAAAAc8U/OgBvnlH3c4kqvpk8J3_gOR_TL3ZmccBCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/facs2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1440" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gv87Lbg1HEY/YEZ8bPFWKgI/AAAAAAAAc8U/OgBvnlH3c4kqvpk8J3_gOR_TL3ZmccBCgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h180/facs2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0A005B24E1FB4C2E7BA3D0511677B1">Carvone</a>, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/019DF5DF39FEE8DA73E7009A3FAACD">Daidzein</a>: surprisingly similar effects</i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1VwiDmdsZPo/YEZ83c8qtzI/AAAAAAAAc8c/ObwOxBcFlwooiEFm8G2Hv_jeTXgypuBOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1800/transwell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="760" data-original-width="1800" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1VwiDmdsZPo/YEZ83c8qtzI/AAAAAAAAc8c/ObwOxBcFlwooiEFm8G2Hv_jeTXgypuBOQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h169/transwell.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/FFB911C5F021DC9941C940CF6BAD0D">Murrayanine</a>, and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D0098B159CD9CEFD4CFBE109B43B90">microRNA-1179 over-expression</a></i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E27bRiHcoPc/YEaAoqdlziI/AAAAAAAAc8k/A3DuUlppF6cN5WallA7OOnOCHWm4T92ewCLcBGAsYHQ/s2040/transwell2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="765" data-original-width="2040" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E27bRiHcoPc/YEaAoqdlziI/AAAAAAAAc8k/A3DuUlppF6cN5WallA7OOnOCHWm4T92ewCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h150/transwell2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E08D2902DD6FABE0FD53E93CE4B96C">Catechin flavonoid</a>, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D2FF827D44C1E50E73D789E6811A76">Bismahanine</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C7FDDC8BFE868943695196F74E03D0">Kutkoside</a></i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E964C60689E3ACFB105D56452B8CB7"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fZJq_wQQoq4/YEaA9dT2hbI/AAAAAAAAc8s/_AYzo9v6UJYIJaqnV6CKqRAm3XmTYFdowCLcBGAsYHQ/s1290/mmp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="1290" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fZJq_wQQoq4/YEaA9dT2hbI/AAAAAAAAc8s/_AYzo9v6UJYIJaqnV6CKqRAm3XmTYFdowCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h180/mmp.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E964C60689E3ACFB105D56452B8CB7">Icariin</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/0A2DD43BBD2B4FF25021E49A81889D">8-deoxylactucin</a></i></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2953B0E6646C4A8B4A1093FFCF00BD"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROnksadUq1s/YEaBPvXfyOI/AAAAAAAAc80/mns3TKyFDkQe_rm_-AyWpP6xUjO1mm_xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1190/dapi.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="1190" height="179" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ROnksadUq1s/YEaBPvXfyOI/AAAAAAAAc80/mns3TKyFDkQe_rm_-AyWpP6xUjO1mm_xQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h179/dapi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2953B0E6646C4A8B4A1093FFCF00BD">Matricine</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/26D9696913A57A05921C4959A01860">Acetylshikonin</a></i></div>
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The Daidzein subgenre also reminds us that these molecule / cancer-type / cell-signaling-pathway MadLibs <b>do get cited</b> (with the usual caveat that citations do not imply a <i>readership</i>, when it is enough for a title and abstract to show up in authors' searches for corroborative detail to lend verisimilitude to their otherwise bald and unconvincing narratives). The 71 citations for Hua et al. are an outlier, riding on the coat-tails of a template, but "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/32ECF2CA10617014C5650B2AD8E16A#">Baicalein induces apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells through modulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway</a>", "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/810A39419471EFFF2F012D24F1DE77#">Anticancer and apoptotic activities of oleanolic acid are mediated through cell cycle arrest and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential in HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells</a>" and "<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/FE2811431798C4710B76134CB260DA#">Genistein induced anticancer effects on pancreatic cancer cell lines involves mitochondrial apoptosis, G 0 /G 1 cell cycle arrest and regulation of STAT3 signalling pathway</a>" (respectively accruing 67, 56 and 39 citations) hit the same sweet-spot of clickbait citability.<br />
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That said, <u>J.BUOn</u> is hardly a high-impact-factor outlet (Impact Factor = 1.695). If the present papermillers confined themselves to its pages, they would lose their already-limited interest to readers. However, they are naturally ambitious to extend further afield. We find more of the implausible Yahoo identities in <u>Medical Science Monitor</u> (33 papers in the spreadsheet), and in <u>Archives of Medical Science</u> (17 papers). I know nothing of these journals except that they're not <b>dominated</b> by papermill persiflage... it may be that a systematic search would reveal many more Easter Eggs. AMS is from a Polish publisher and has a slow-moving pipeline, in which a paper that was accepted in 2017 might be delayed until there is space for it in a 2019 issue, so its pages are time-capsules of the papermill's stylistic evolution from a few years earlier. Also 15 papers spread across various Elsevier journals (notably <u>Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics</u> and <u>Biochimie</u>); five in <u>AMB Express</u>, from Springer; and six in the egregious <u><a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/07/08/il-piccolo-mulino-verduci-frodotore/">European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences</a></u>.<br />
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I must not overlook the 18 productions which found their way into journals from <b>Spandidos Publications</b> (<u>Oncology Reports</u>, <u>Oncology Letters</u> and <u>Molecular Medicine Reports</u>), or the nine into journals from <b>e-Century</b> (<u>International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Pathology</u> and <u>American Journal of Translational Research</u>). There are undoubtedly more. In fact the dates suggest that the scriveners began their depredations there, with <u>J.BUOn</u> as only a secondary host. 'E-Century' is located several sub-barrels below the bottom of the barrel, but is still subsidised by the US government which archives their contents and lists them in PubMed. <u>IJCEP</u> and <u>AJTR</u> are 'International' and 'American' in the sense that the proprietor does indeed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Century_Publishing_Corporation">reside in Wisconsin</a>, thereby fulfilling the requirement levied on Chinese authors that they publish in a non-China journal.<br />
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As for the Spandidos press, a fall-from-grace narrative is waiting to be told there. The eponymous founder Demetrios Spandidos was widely seen as a contender for a Nobel Prize until someone asked to see the receipts for all the laboratory rodents on which he conducted his purported experiments... everything went tits-up and he turned to predatory publishing instead. Episodes of that tale are scattered across <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2019/05/16/the-good-life-of-benjamin-bonavida/">footnotes to other people's stories</a> and this is not the place to bring them all together.<br />
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In those early manifestations, the Photoshopping was clumsy and the contempt for the audience was poorly-concealed. The results were homages... to Monet waterlilies (h/t Elisabeth Bik), or to the classic Space Invaders arcade game, with serried ranks of cell-cluster sprites.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-94BQYtk14ds/YEaUQYrnTvI/AAAAAAAAc9I/6JOgrRnNH1oWxJ1ifaBHL3dIYIoIH2XaACLcBGAsYHQ/s900/fig4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="900" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-94BQYtk14ds/YEaUQYrnTvI/AAAAAAAAc9I/6JOgrRnNH1oWxJ1ifaBHL3dIYIoIH2XaACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/fig4.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUofhMfrd6w/YEaUQaARTrI/AAAAAAAAc9E/-XYqNyOvy7Q2JvMAD7oAlGU8no1mh3dOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s980/fig4b.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="766" data-original-width="980" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LUofhMfrd6w/YEaUQaARTrI/AAAAAAAAc9E/-XYqNyOvy7Q2JvMAD7oAlGU8no1mh3dOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/fig4b.jpg" width="215" /></a>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4UzzOFiGiY/YEaVlGOqfWI/AAAAAAAAc9U/3KRHHw0cS6sVOmJ5NMFR-cR7vAkWjKyeACLcBGAsYHQ/s1254/copies.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1254" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n4UzzOFiGiY/YEaVlGOqfWI/AAAAAAAAc9U/3KRHHw0cS6sVOmJ5NMFR-cR7vAkWjKyeACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/copies.jpg" width="269" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wqzb1g2XfRY/YEaVlOug3hI/AAAAAAAAc9Y/5-pS1IYhdmYbWRQ4LRV9oh8--K5wY3b6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s830/dapiabcd.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="830" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wqzb1g2XfRY/YEaVlOug3hI/AAAAAAAAc9Y/5-pS1IYhdmYbWRQ4LRV9oh8--K5wY3b6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/dapiabcd.jpg" width="159" /></a><br />
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I hasten to add that appearance in J.BUOn is not definitive proof that a faked paper came from our current papermill. The attribution of some entries in my spreadsheet could be false. It is not as if our subjects held territorial rights over J.BUOn to stop other fantasists from using its services as well (one entry seems to be from the 'Contractor' papermill). Nor is there anything, other than stringent peer-review, to stop authors of genuine papers from making innocent mistakes like using the same Figure twice (not overlapping with other papers with different authorship). Even with that caveat, though, there are at least 250 of these mock-science fantasies (and the end is nowhere in sight), collecting citations and competing with real cancer-research findings.<br />
<br />
The Yahoo email instantiations are dispositive, but not universally present. Their use did not become standard until 2018, so the attribution of earlier papers is more speculative. There is stylistic continuity and recycled images although the Space-Invader compositions are more skillful in later examples.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLnZBnPRuUc/YEaB4-MSejI/AAAAAAAAc88/ZhZAaqmEb6cUibNxGEZukOM37LsE6SGXACLcBGAsYHQ/s1460/dapi2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="370" data-original-width="1460" height="101" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yLnZBnPRuUc/YEaB4-MSejI/AAAAAAAAc88/ZhZAaqmEb6cUibNxGEZukOM37LsE6SGXACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h101/dapi2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>
It is anyone's guess whether the papermillers have a research day-job, and came by their own Figures, or just found them elsewhere in the literature, insufficiently fastened down. <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/25B9F188E325A76B8E659FDBD97B41">In one case</a> they appropriated Western Blots that are clearly fakes from the 'tadpole' mill, which aroused Indigofera's suspicions and set off this whole line of inquiry.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7A203DED7A18CB6F476883A97F3A3D"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAGP53P-eiI/YEaWkxZ7vlI/AAAAAAAAc9k/hbH9dykrqjwQYd-8uRU5Jp2_CXJ6SOr9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1590/wb2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="1590" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FAGP53P-eiI/YEaWkxZ7vlI/AAAAAAAAc9k/hbH9dykrqjwQYd-8uRU5Jp2_CXJ6SOr9wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h141/wb2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7A203DED7A18CB6F476883A97F3A3D">Flavokawain-B</a> or <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/E8553755431BEAE89E437DE3816A28">Lycopsamine</a>?</i></div><br />
Our anonymous scriveners are most comfortable composing fairy-tales about apoptosis pathways to cancer-cell destruction -- to be more accurate, about autophagy pathways. Of course this does not narrow the scope enough to dox them. Autophageosomes -- one of the Four Horsemen of the Apoptocalpyse -- occupy a central place in their enhanced and recycled Transmission Electron Microphotographs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XGylwiwxDgs/YEaYo3xNJ9I/AAAAAAAAc90/_oKgiIsU0mwDno-4ZSvChTcxpEiHnIpYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1250/autophage1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="1250" height="221" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XGylwiwxDgs/YEaYo3xNJ9I/AAAAAAAAc90/_oKgiIsU0mwDno-4ZSvChTcxpEiHnIpYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h221/autophage1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qA_G8aSsj1U/YEaZxnwjz2I/AAAAAAAAc-A/2QGEUvwGfdAYf3UYM0nJy55mcNnlM6qrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/autophage2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qA_G8aSsj1U/YEaZxnwjz2I/AAAAAAAAc-A/2QGEUvwGfdAYf3UYM0nJy55mcNnlM6qrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/autophage2.jpg" width="248" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crUvMrzUv8M/YEaZxhKiicI/AAAAAAAAc98/rRhICgjBKtMHoIKlnj5DMxyXyMY-O1tSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s666/autophage3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="585" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-crUvMrzUv8M/YEaZxhKiicI/AAAAAAAAc98/rRhICgjBKtMHoIKlnj5DMxyXyMY-O1tSQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/autophage3.jpg" width="180" /></a>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR14WWOYeL8/YEaa8GrY3LI/AAAAAAAAc-M/DvRAbAiHaugWoreQPzKtk_MsztmMGbn2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1510/autophage4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="1510" height="193" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IR14WWOYeL8/YEaa8GrY3LI/AAAAAAAAc-M/DvRAbAiHaugWoreQPzKtk_MsztmMGbn2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h193/autophage4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Apoptocalypse Horsemen include fluorescent stains, lighting up cells blue or green or yellow or red according to their viability or stage of self-destruction.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2167A0726C8DB2E8C194E0350E2C32"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F1gZ7nrAZsE/YEaXDQDNU4I/AAAAAAAAc9s/FZpzigDUYssIVB3tRkIeX9ujKM21-cARwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1460/apoptosis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1460" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F1gZ7nrAZsE/YEaXDQDNU4I/AAAAAAAAc9s/FZpzigDUYssIVB3tRkIeX9ujKM21-cARwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h253/apoptosis.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i><a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/2167A0726C8DB2E8C194E0350E2C32">Methoxypsoralen</a>, or <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/97559A8CC9736A3BB609B32DBB251F">Aesculetin</a>?</i></div>
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To be fair, the scriveners are willing to step outside their comfort zones, and on reasonable request they turn their talent for <i>bricolage</i> to the micro-RNA genre of fiction instead.<br />
<br />
Now I am not saying that <u>J.BUOn</u> is a <i>knowingly</i> predatory journal, in Jeffrey Beall's sense. I am confident that when oncologists in the Balkans decided to unionise and to found a scholarly organ, they had benign ambitions and no long-term intention of creating a conduit by which papermills could disguise their MadLibs-composed cancer-cure CV-stuffers behind a veneer of academic approval. This is probably something they drifted into, as the journal was hollowed out by the Invisible Hand of the Market wielding an equally-invisible melon scoop. Along the way they collected a corps of reliably-complaisant peer reviewers, all members of the Totem of the Rubber Stamp, though they may or may not be more sock-puppets. And now <u>J.BUOn</u> rings the changes on the phytochemical novelties, pairing each one with different cell-lines of domesticated carcinoma (always with promising results to report, warranting further study).<br />
<br />
The PubPeer back-end automagically sends authors invitations to join the discussions, and some have replied. Some ascribe the recycling or manipulation of images to poorly-mentored students, and promise retractions to come.<br />
<br />
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="7" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#7 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Mingjun Sun</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 19 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear professor, thanks for your comments, with obvious deficiency , we had withdraw the manuscript. Thanks for all your concern and efforts.</p></div></div>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="4" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#4 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Ronghuan Wu</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 21 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><a class="tag" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2</a>Deer Tanganyikensis and Camphorifolia We deeply respect your comments and advice, and we have carefully investigated our raw data immediately. It turned out that there were indeed errors in these images. We would like to apologize to you, and show our thanks to you for pointing out our errors. We admire your serious and rigorous attitude towards scientific research. In fact, most of the experimental results in our research group were provided by students who conduct the corresponding experiments. Our experimental results are reliable. But this time, after our investigation, we found that the managers of the lab did not carefully check the Figures in this article, resulting in repeated images in the Figures. We We don't allow flawed articles to be published. We are now connecting to the journal to withdraw the artical,and promises it will never happen again. We will update you the information later. Many thanks again.</p></div></div>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="10" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#10 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Xiaobin Li</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented a day ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">I am responsible for this project and the manuscript, and I will be responsible for all subsequent problems associated with this study. Thank you very much for your serious works and pointing this questions. Currently, I am in the process of contacting the editorial office for further discussions regarding withdrawal and correction of this manuscript. Sincerely yours, xiaobin Li</p></div></div>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="8" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#8 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Ke Zhang</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 12 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Thanks for pointing it out. We will check the data and repeat our experiment. In order to assure the scientificity,we have contacted the editor to withdraw the article .</p></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsHXRljVgAEB608.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="301" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EsHXRljVgAEB608.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Alas, although the editors can <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D0FCD0CC8F61E59DDCAB6A53DEE8F0">create and upload a new version of a paper</a> within <b>three days</b> of <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/9BA92AE076C144F9E352F207AAA97F">PubPeer comments about the evidence of papermilling</a>, authors' requests for withdrawal go unheeded for weeks and months. Their correction requests are equally delayed. It's as if the revisions are coming from <i>inside the house!</i><br />
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Ruixin Lin</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented a month ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">We agree with you.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">We had already detected this problem. The error was unintentional and we have approached the editor for the correction of the figure 15 days ago. The process is underway.</p></div></div>
Some (notably Fa Hua, Qing-Gang Meng and ShuLi Yang) blamed piracy by rival authors. They have my sympathy; many researchers have neither qualm nor scruple, while many journals -- even the ones with the PubMed imprimatur -- are wretched hives of scum and villainy (we should note that the minutiae of publication dates are such that some of the plagiarism must have occurred even <i>before</i> the manuscripts were submitted).<br />
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">H He</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 21 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">It is quite obvious that the blots might have been copied from our manuscript published in 2017 in European review for medical and pharmacological sciences.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Anyway, thanks for taking note of it.</p></div></div>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">2 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Songqing He</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 24 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">We appreciate the notice regarding the overlaps of Figure 5B in our published article entitled with”MicroRNA-1179 inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of human pancreatic cancer cells by targeting E2F5” on Chem Biol Interact on 2018 May 31st with Figure 8 in the published article (PMID: 30879017) on Med Sci Monit. by Zhang JB et al on 2019 Mar 17th. We have carefully checked these issues, and we astonishingly find that the photos of Figure 8 in Zhang’s article look like just small parts of the photos of Figure 5B in our article. We don’t know how this could happen.</p></div></div>
<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="3" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#3 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Shuli Yang</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 6 months ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The manuscript entitled MicroRNA-34 suppresses proliferation of human ovarian cancer cells by triggering autophagy and apoptosis and inhibits cell invasion by targeting Notch 1 is our original research work. It took a little time to respond since we ourselves were shocked with the mysterious similarities of our manuscript with the paper entitled ‘MicroRNA-29 targets FGF2 and inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells via PI3K/AKT signaling pathway’ published by European review for medical and pharmacological sciences</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Nonetheless, after examining the manuscript, we found the authors have copied significant portion from our manuscript. This is clear from the legends of Figure 1. You can see the authors used WST assay to examine the cell proliferation in the methodology part, but in the legend of Figure 1C, they mention CCK8 assay was used to examine cell proliferation. This is because they copied it from our original manuscript and forgot to edit it (Note that we used CCK8 assay in our manuscript). <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">This could explain why the paper was later retracted by the Journal</span></p></div></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-irB4_iOumT8/YEabUdC1BfI/AAAAAAAAc-U/kyxRavMD5kg_aop4CJilmc3gNeLwICfCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1032/copied.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1032" height="254" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-irB4_iOumT8/YEabUdC1BfI/AAAAAAAAc-U/kyxRavMD5kg_aop4CJilmc3gNeLwICfCgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h254/copied.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><i>[<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/3B7C47C5B1F93F3449A4AD1D93EF63">Yan Jia et al (2019)</a>]</i></div>
<i>[<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/4C9930340F2583BE1F8FE22E5BCB30">Tan et al (2019)</a>]</i><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yo6KkKoL52s/YEacoZgOabI/AAAAAAAAc-o/egO_ICp-qNYAgr43ob2qAdSj7JgpSNQKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/tan.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yo6KkKoL52s/YEacoZgOabI/AAAAAAAAc-o/egO_ICp-qNYAgr43ob2qAdSj7JgpSNQKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/tan.jpg" width="205" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqZs8bkvT44/YEacoK3YfBI/AAAAAAAAc-s/bA5tg1p1hKYaV4pNsR2LBBQ-W3UmWcKFQCPcBGAYYCw/s708/li.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="708" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqZs8bkvT44/YEacoK3YfBI/AAAAAAAAc-s/bA5tg1p1hKYaV4pNsR2LBBQ-W3UmWcKFQCPcBGAYYCw/s200/li.jpg" width="223" /></a>
<div style="text-align: right;"><i>[<a href="https://pubpeecom/publications/A0765C4AD1A1CB3A42FC2805A6DC97">Li et al (2020)</a>]</i></div>
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<a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F8F884F1060324E494A0FFC8F83D12">Zhang et al (2018)</a> was pre-emptively pillaged repeatedly. By (at right) <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/5D71A26D2BCAF30676151F3600E3D5">Shi et al (2019)</a>...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cxtiSHkUpE8/YEabrOB-Y2I/AAAAAAAAc-c/ogp4AJqtlEU-ym503YhoPKxozvKqo205wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/copied2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cxtiSHkUpE8/YEabrOB-Y2I/AAAAAAAAc-c/ogp4AJqtlEU-ym503YhoPKxozvKqo205wCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h180/copied2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>
By <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/41A8B0892F4FBFFDA945E1C8E7DFE5">Pan & Zhang (2019)</a> (at left) and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/CAA059D00E1BB57C0A629A17D69303">Luo et al (2019)</a> (at right)...<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hfbul7EtFIs/YEaq5Q12pZI/AAAAAAAAc_c/UvRcmq2FnSU797sG48-GTZ5uQtBtQ7UQACLcBGAsYHQ/s895/linalool.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="895" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hfbul7EtFIs/YEaq5Q12pZI/AAAAAAAAc_c/UvRcmq2FnSU797sG48-GTZ5uQtBtQ7UQACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/linalool.jpg" width="267" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OGdhCtiLDTE/YAe8e86OSZI/AAAAAAAAc2Q/RX5k4rFHZKEudzBB6EpMem2TmZxT5cL2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/ferruginol.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="490" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OGdhCtiLDTE/YAe8e86OSZI/AAAAAAAAc2Q/RX5k4rFHZKEudzBB6EpMem2TmZxT5cL2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/ferruginol.jpg" width="161" /></a><br />
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By Pan & Zhang again, <b>and</b> by <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/F8E86F99D2FD06D10FA56511B94C6E">Wu et al (2018)</a>, <b>and</b> by <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/8C773764EEC677E36CCB173C7E914F">Chen et al (2019)</a>...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6n6OgW8yaA/YEask593z7I/AAAAAAAAc_k/pFsM9_GHaqcj-qOU1SJuFg-JPdZkmzdzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1430/copies.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1430" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I6n6OgW8yaA/YEask593z7I/AAAAAAAAc_k/pFsM9_GHaqcj-qOU1SJuFg-JPdZkmzdzQCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h176/copies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W1kReBdvJOI/YEatdr6vYRI/AAAAAAAAc_s/OebOzrzIUu0JxOoJBULd2wCDFbfT5K5FACLcBGAsYHQ/s606/copied.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="580" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W1kReBdvJOI/YEatdr6vYRI/AAAAAAAAc_s/OebOzrzIUu0JxOoJBULd2wCDFbfT5K5FACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/copied.jpg" width="144" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FGPhKc9mHwQ/YAe_WWl-9NI/AAAAAAAAc2Y/K55MmT_75AwOI49SCkw25AEq8yM3nDocQCLcBGAsYHQ/s720/chen.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="720" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FGPhKc9mHwQ/YAe_WWl-9NI/AAAAAAAAc2Y/K55MmT_75AwOI49SCkw25AEq8yM3nDocQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/chen.jpg" width="284" /></a><br />
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By <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/C90D8473E56BF0D9A4720002193AED">Zhang, Zhang & Ni (2020)</a>, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/A987CF7976FBD94FA1361BABA1735C">Xiong et al (2019)</a> and <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/B84EB39F6AF5F24A613262A33B77E0">Huang et al (2017)</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYsFfkxlEkY/YEavOTef14I/AAAAAAAAc_0/jXDSeaf9_CMef1CSpsrd-9S73-M3_hNPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/ludartin.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="1000" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RYsFfkxlEkY/YEavOTef14I/AAAAAAAAc_0/jXDSeaf9_CMef1CSpsrd-9S73-M3_hNPwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ludartin.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6pjjUGBIKeQ/YAfBpt9MzpI/AAAAAAAAc2g/Cilk03-gKUg-n9q2-TCfkEdooz4Ak-I7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s376/egcg.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="376" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6pjjUGBIKeQ/YAfBpt9MzpI/AAAAAAAAc2g/Cilk03-gKUg-n9q2-TCfkEdooz4Ak-I7wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/egcg.jpg" width="108" /></a>
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="5" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#5 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Qing-gang Meng</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented a month ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dear Hoya,</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">I don't know who you are but you are doing it nicely. I have been diagnosed with advanced stage malignancy and do not check my emails regularly. Just before I was about to go far a walk, I checked my email and found one notification from Pubpeer. Consistently, I decided to reply with just one sentence. I can't do anything more at this stage of my life.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The manuscript entitled 'The Effects of Ludartin on Cell Proliferation, Cell Migration, Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptosis Are Associated with Upregulation of p21WAF1 in Saos-2 Osteosarcoma Cells In Vitro' published in Medical science Monitor in 2017-18 is our original work and all those articles that show similarity to our article have been published after our article.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">It is OK, that you are pointing out the similarities between the articles but many a times an original article is also dragged into the thread. While it may not matter to others, it is quite an embarrassment for me (and many others) at this stage of my life.</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Take care Wish you health and happiness</p></div></div>
We <a href="https://www.sohu.com/a/434788420_467288">learn elsewhere</a> that Meng fell out of favour, "<i>suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and is currently undergoing disciplinary review and supervision and investigation</i>". G**gle Translate charmingly renders the Chinese headline as "<b>Meng Qinggang, the former president of Harbin First Hospital, had an accident</b>", but I suspect that "something unfortunate happened to him" might be more accurate <i>[h/t TigerBB8]</i>.<br />
<br />Fa Hua is nominally the author of that seminal, citable work on Daidzein.<br />
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<div class="ibox-title" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 2px 0px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676a6c; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 48px; padding: 5px 15px 7px;"><div class="left" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: inline-block; float: left; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 7px; padding: 0px;"><a class="inner-id" data-v-68538c0c="" id="2" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #55be8c; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 700;">#2 </a><span data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Fu Hua</span> <button class="el-button el-tooltip item el-button--text" data-v-68538c0c="" style="appearance: none; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: transparent; border-radius: 4px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: #045049; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: none; overflow: visible; padding: 12px 0px; transition: all 0.1s ease 0s; user-select: none; white-space: nowrap;" type="button"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">commented 25 days ago</span></button></div><div class="ibox-tools" data-v-68538c0c="" style="box-sizing: border-box; float: right; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: right;"><button class="btn btn-dark btn-sm" data-v-68538c0c="" style="background-color: #045049; background-image: none; border-color: rgb(4, 80, 73); border-radius: 3px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; color: white; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 5px; overflow: visible; padding: 5px 10px; touch-action: manipulation; user-select: none; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;">Author Response</button></div></div><div class="ibox-content markdown-body gallery" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(231, 234, 236); border-image: none 100% / 1 / 0 stretch; border-style: solid solid none; border-width: 1px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: "Source Sans Pro", sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 20px; text-size-adjust: 100%;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Our manuscript was published in 2018 and the study was performed long time ago. The article was submitted to different journals and ultimately ended up in International Journal of Molecular Medicine. I have moved to a different country in different institute since then</p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Afterwards, if somebody copies our article wholly or in part, We surely are not responsible.</p></div></div>So there are repeat customers, who came back for a second serving... a tribute to the high quality of the papermill's products, or their bargain price. ShuLi Yang is <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=%22ShuLi+Yang%22">in the list six times</a>. Yi Xiao, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=%22yi+xiao%22">thrice</a>. A group from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center around <a href="https://pubpeer.com/search?q=%22Yiqun+Du%22">Yiqun Du</a> have published six times (thrice as DanyelSsche). One paper <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7781048/">has been retracted</a>, for they are not fooling around at <u>Medical Science Monitor</u>, while the fate of two others depends on editorial caprice at <u>Archives of Medical Science</u> and <u>AMB Express</u>, but <u>J.BUOn</u> editors have accepted amendments for the other three.<br />
<br />
Coming back to the clandestine corrections, <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/6D15A72BB937DC4787FA3AE5895F03">Wei et al (2019)</a> and then <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/026175F345843F0E36BE475ACCAE7A">Lu et al (2019)</a> needed a double dose, because suspicion fell upon figures left unchanged in the first round. This is what happens when patches are prepared in haste. Other patches had their own <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/7904D7C12E174F03737846B5451AC6#">dumbprints of fabrication</a> and will need remediation of their own.<br /><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A6egwml406M/YEapkP59cXI/AAAAAAAAc_M/mrkQoPmLE84USgqdJpU6XJQOX27d51s2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/patch.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A6egwml406M/YEapkP59cXI/AAAAAAAAc_M/mrkQoPmLE84USgqdJpU6XJQOX27d51s2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/patch.jpg" width="201" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CyFiR9HC33I/YEapkdzie_I/AAAAAAAAc_Q/qj7aDsIAO9MQ0_AR8cFebtbkzMeqnHAIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s783/patch2.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="783" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CyFiR9HC33I/YEapkdzie_I/AAAAAAAAc_Q/qj7aDsIAO9MQ0_AR8cFebtbkzMeqnHAIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/patch2.jpg" width="227" /></a><br />
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In some recent corrigenda, the editors replaced <a href="https://pubpeer.com/publications/D118A33567EEA617C94C86C6C6732D"><b>all</b> the original figures</a>, which I take as a tacit admission that the scriveners couldn't remember which ones (if any) were legitimate. If only there were a way that journal editors could signal to readers that the results originally presented in a paper were all fictitious... we could call it (just spit-balling here) "Retraction".<br />
<br />
Since the papermiller generated e-addresses for "corresponding author", presumably they also handle the correspondence, including the invitations from PubPeer. It may be that requests for revisions of <u>J.BUOn</u> material generally come from them. In the absence of acknowledgement of the corrections, let alone <i>explanations</i>, we can only speculate.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAs5teFnRsc/YEakvT3SVeI/AAAAAAAAc_E/2AlNA2P8iMIfy0VCpn3iCk5OAr8TIv80QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/repair3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SAs5teFnRsc/YEakvT3SVeI/AAAAAAAAc_E/2AlNA2P8iMIfy0VCpn3iCk5OAr8TIv80QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h200/repair3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I am advised by people who contacted the <u>J.BUOn</u> office that the editors present themselves as the real victims here. Nefarious papermillers exploited the journal, taking advantage of loopholes in the system for peer-review, but these have been closed to prevent any recurrence. The credibility of this claim of victim status was undermined by the subsequent stealth amendments, working to improve the plausibility of the impostures rather than retracting them. It is almost as if the editors' real priority is to <b>reward</b> the papermill as a loyal customer.
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Dear dr. XXXXXX,<br />
Thank you for your recent informative email. We read very carefully your observations and we agree with them. Quite recently we discovered that we were victims of a number of Chinese authors who submitted their falsified articles to our journal. Other people (pubpeer) have also informed us about this situation. We now use advanced programs to locate and reject such articles.<br />
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Best wishes and happier new year,<br />
Nasis Athanasiou</span></blockquote>
Literature scholars have the useful term 'ekphrasis', meaning 'a detailed, admiring description of an artwork imagined by the author'. The ultimate exercise in ekphrastics is the <i>Hyperotomachia Poliphili</i>, 400 pages of ecstatic raptures over one imagined sculpture or monument after another. Encountering the phenomenon of papermills opened my eyes to the possibility that ekphrasis could also come to dominate science, with a huge literature of descriptions of experiments so beautiful that they should have happened (though they didn't).<br />
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I leave you with some final examples of the editorial repairs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J9VeY9naUDs/YEakGB2-_BI/AAAAAAAAc-0/FO7hbPpD6AQMCNY6_1RfJbGOMrVgvcsjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1474/repair1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="1474" height="256" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J9VeY9naUDs/YEakGB2-_BI/AAAAAAAAc-0/FO7hbPpD6AQMCNY6_1RfJbGOMrVgvcsjwCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h256/repair1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j626Tj4F8SY/YEakV2rPQEI/AAAAAAAAc-8/XXJ5QuVQOlodU64FQFCF5BrB7qBG8FP3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1780/repair2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="870" data-original-width="1780" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j626Tj4F8SY/YEakV2rPQEI/AAAAAAAAc-8/XXJ5QuVQOlodU64FQFCF5BrB7qBG8FP3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h195/repair2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.imgur.com/CHVVcSc.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="800" height="190" src="https://i.imgur.com/CHVVcSc.png" width="400" /></a></div>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-54369632106326378542021-03-08T03:35:00.003-08:002021-03-08T12:43:37.963-08:00In accordance with the Prophecy"Why is it," I wondered at last Thursday's Fakemusic Appreciation and Extreme Fondue Night at the <i>Old Entomologist</i>, "that 'umlaut' is spelled <b>without an umlaut</b>? And 'diphthong' is spelled <b>without a diphthong</b>?"<br />
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"It is far from a satisfactory pancake," Another Kiwi vouchsafed.<br />
<br />
"Fortunately the Czech diacritical mark 'haček' <b>is</b> spelled with a haček."<br />
<br />
"Czech is objectively the bestest language."<br />
<br />
"What are you loonies on about?" asked Barstaff-in-Chief Evangeline van Holsterin, though like jesting Pilate she did not stay for an answer, hastening instead to the fondue table to break up a cheese-and-Swearing-Bob-related fracas.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Today's dose of crap photoshop</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.postimg.cc/1txYfpQh/Praesidium.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="600" height="153" src="https://i.postimg.cc/1txYfpQh/Praesidium.png" width="200" /></a></div>So I am pleased to see that those tireless inventors 'Sacha' 'Stone' and Marco Ruggiero are launching a new product, <u>Præsidium</u>, designed to supply 75% of your daily diphthong requirements. Harken to <a href="http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/fileon4/PG07_5G_Con.pdf">the transcript of a BBC / Radio-4 investigation</a> into 5G conspiracist fleecing:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZypSLksmro/YEXc4oF-K9I/AAAAAAAAc7E/KMKIvdZeAY4bEnddfugur5yaZ-aZK3AgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/bbc1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1ZypSLksmro/YEXc4oF-K9I/AAAAAAAAc7E/KMKIvdZeAY4bEnddfugur5yaZ-aZK3AgACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bbc1.jpg" width="400" /></a>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7pueOuYT5A/YEYJeZ-KGHI/AAAAAAAAc7U/0yyVkyZGW3YmeaH0rppFtaZr2Bfq_D5OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/bbc2.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I7pueOuYT5A/YEYJeZ-KGHI/AAAAAAAAc7U/0yyVkyZGW3YmeaH0rppFtaZr2Bfq_D5OwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bbc2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Another benefit is that [Immortalis] grants you immortality. It costs more than £8,000 for a year’s supply and it was until very recently on sale in Harrods - they decided to remove it
from their shelves after we brought the product’s history to their attention.</span></blockquote><i><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Image stolen from <a href="https://www.hivforum.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=5957&p=115066#p115066">Dora's coverage</a></i></div></i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.postimg.cc/ZKjxvXNx/Immortalis-Klotho-Harrods.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="439" height="200" src="https://i.postimg.cc/ZKjxvXNx/Immortalis-Klotho-Harrods.png" width="172" /></a></div>We read there that Harrod's had dropped the <u>Immortalis</u> supplement from their webstore, in response to reminders from the BBC about the ethical stature of its suppliers. Meanwhile, anyone can pimp up their bling with a cheap sticker (including a hologram if they want to go upmarket) and claim that it will keep 5G telephony protocols away in the manner of a tiger-repellent rock, which cuts into the market for <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/06/hell-is-empty-and-all-stupid-is-here.html">Stone's 'BioShield 5G-prophylactic USB sticks</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dSompUmCiNc/Xt66n8BIcxI/AAAAAAAAbmo/J6EBcQQan8M6JcXhZWgd1tLjyT9EnHZewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/bioshield.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="960" height="199" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dSompUmCiNc/Xt66n8BIcxI/AAAAAAAAbmo/J6EBcQQan8M6JcXhZWgd1tLjyT9EnHZewCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/bioshield.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Cell-membrane espresso machine, blocked by Deuterated water D<sub>2</sub>0</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jwk5Wz3juqM/YEXjDZULTrI/AAAAAAAAc7M/iq-AqBGJ0RcHyyGgLdixWQjJjmOT9icVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1255/litewater.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1166" data-original-width="1255" height="186" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jwk5Wz3juqM/YEXjDZULTrI/AAAAAAAAc7M/iq-AqBGJ0RcHyyGgLdixWQjJjmOT9icVgCLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h186/litewater.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So already in 2020, <span style="font-family: verdana;">in accordance with the <strike>prophecy</strike> transcript</span>, Stone and Ruggiero were casting around for new income streams. <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/10/even-when-constructing-famous-water-box.html">Recall Ruggiero's</a> <a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.07.21.214676v1.full">unpublished science-shaped essay</a>, BioRxived in July 2020. The lede is buried there, and the central claim is obscured by a protective bodyguard of DNA-consciousness toroidal-helix-protein spatial-geometry bafflegab and jibber-jabber, because Ruggiero <i>just can't help himself</i> once the words "quantum entanglement" are on the page. That central claim, anyway, is that the putative radiation resistance of certain algae can be transferred to bacterial species co-cultured with them (because quantum entanglement), and from the bacteria to the human hosts who consume them as a probiotic. <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/10/even-when-constructing-famous-water-box.html">Deuterium-depleted 'LiteWater'</a> comes into it because of course it does. The essay concludes with a disclaimer that "<span style="font-family: times;">the concepts and some of the results presented in this article are part of a patent application to the United States Patent and Trademark Office filed in June 2020</span>", and it is not too great a flex to speculate that the patent was for <u>Præsidium</u> -- which <b>also</b> protects against radiation, both <strike>Country <i>and</i> Western</strike> ionising <i>and</i> benign. H/t to Charlie Mitchell for this observation.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kmon2ZI7kd4/Vp2uUZ7-5mI/AAAAAAAASw4/D-PK6AcTWRE/s1600/therapy_frequency.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kmon2ZI7kd4/Vp2uUZ7-5mI/AAAAAAAASw4/D-PK6AcTWRE/s1600/therapy_frequency.gif" /></a>The lede of <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/124069747/jamilee-ross-behind-anti5g-supplement-business">Mr Mitchell's piece in Stuff</a> was his discovery that local distribution of <u>Præsidium</u> has been entrusted to New Zealand's two most louche politicians, (a) Jami-Lee Ross and (b) Michael Kelly, "Auckland-based naturopathy entrepreneur" and chairman of the Advance New Zealand party <i>[main policy platform: COVID-19 is a hoax to distract you from the <b>real</b> dangers of <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/03/these-are-people-of-land-common-clay-of.html">fluoridation, chemtrails, 1080 and 5G telephony</a>]</i>. Kelly is of course an old friend of <i>Riddled</i>, going back to his early days as a Gemstone Colour Therapist and distributor of Ruggiero formulations from GcMAF and Magic Yoghurt, through Rerum, to Imuno... each arriving in the shop just in time as its predecessor lost efficacy or, worse, <u>acquired competitors</u>. We had no idea that Kelly had ascended to the giddy empyrean of party leadership and we hope that he won't forget all his old friends now.<br />
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Mr Kelly is a stalwart foe of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170426181000/https://naturalsolutions.nz/content/theft-of-our-images">parallel importing</a> and an advocate of intellectual property rights, which is <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/08/silence-pianos-and-with-muffled-drum.html">why we found him</a> retouching a blogpost from a dead Medfraudster so that it endorsed <i>his</i> magic yoghurt rather a UK purveyor's version.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SAiAqjKNrtE/WZqD6LLD_2I/AAAAAAAAWIo/pa7CNJwMJ6wTt40bg8_Yl6e7pe_WtKyuQCLcBGAs/s1600/brad_retouched.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1066" height="184" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SAiAqjKNrtE/WZqD6LLD_2I/AAAAAAAAWIo/pa7CNJwMJ6wTt40bg8_Yl6e7pe_WtKyuQCLcBGAs/s200/brad_retouched.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dXuVRJVQqiI/WZqD6QmEBGI/AAAAAAAAWIs/JSO7j_bzk0EIpQbpQwee3qGL5nyG0dfGACLcBGAs/s1600/brad_orig.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="906" data-original-width="1060" height="184" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dXuVRJVQqiI/WZqD6QmEBGI/AAAAAAAAWIs/JSO7j_bzk0EIpQbpQwee3qGL5nyG0dfGACLcBGAs/s200/brad_orig.png" width="215" /></a><br />
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Perhaps 'Ruggiero distributor' underplays Michael Kelly's contribution, and "partner" might be more apt. <a href="http://archive.is/mLNQb">Promotional bumf</a> for Ruggiero's chondroitin-based skin-moisturiser / cancer-cure / autism-cure 'imuno' boasted that it was "<a href="https://imuno.biz/images/imuno-Corp-Solution-DS.pdf">made in New Zealand</a> for Imuno Corporation", "<span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><a href="https://imuno.biz/imuno-the-solution-cancer-autism">produced under licence</a> in a pharmaceutical facility which is audited by Medsafe, a division of the Ministry of Health of New Zealand, to both GMP and Pharmacy Standards NZ</span>" (a casual reader might easily though mistakenly infer from this that the <b>product</b> is audited and has MedSafe approval).<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rFJGwK4ARg0/XAx-nhk4dgI/AAAAAAAAYno/UCfIWGhxNhwKBhIlCH_CdAWuo9-kcq_XwCLcBGAs/s1600/factory.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="746" height="88" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rFJGwK4ARg0/XAx-nhk4dgI/AAAAAAAAYno/UCfIWGhxNhwKBhIlCH_CdAWuo9-kcq_XwCLcBGAs/s400/factory.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iw__Xut6YS8/W3DJsVYBOzI/AAAAAAAAYPM/dXY9auGb_-0EtRsOS0CUkAjdYQgvPwZcQCLcBGAs/s1600/sites.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="380" height="113" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iw__Xut6YS8/W3DJsVYBOzI/AAAAAAAAYPM/dXY9auGb_-0EtRsOS0CUkAjdYQgvPwZcQCLcBGAs/s200/sites.png" width="200" /></a></div>Details of registration and administration of the promotional site and webstore 'imuno.biz' are veiled behind anonymising services, but it was originally hosted on <a href="http://archive.is/WYFgp">an IP server exclusive to Kelly's business activities</a>.<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Not actually FDA approved</i></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVO_SLXAqlg/WZzxdigRlGI/AAAAAAAAWKg/XFT_V_0XZc0oi7EFlm3YKAmvITJYo_chwCLcBGAs/s1600/tbl12.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVO_SLXAqlg/WZzxdigRlGI/AAAAAAAAWKg/XFT_V_0XZc0oi7EFlm3YKAmvITJYo_chwCLcBGAs/w200-h200/tbl12.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>One can only speculate why the narrative fiction of an 'Imuno corporation' was displaced to Lini Highway, Port Vila, Vanuatu (where it occupies a file drawer at Law Partners House, Port Vila). Vanuatu is also the source of '<a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2015/04/we-drink-elixirs-that-we-refine-from.html">TBL-12</a>', a seafood salad / sea-cucumber-sourced dietary supplement and cancer cure. Kelly distributes TBL-12 through 'naturalsolutions.nz' (if that is the most recent webstore), and it may be that he had a partnership or business arrangement with Sam Grant, <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/01/left-to-die-by-two-good-friends.html">TBL-12</a>'s producer.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJwRFzy8w7s/XDUeyUgHc-I/AAAAAAAAY2E/n-UdoiMTuTo5RjzgNVP9P9DOl0RxxApvwCLcBGAs/s1600/IB2.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="112" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJwRFzy8w7s/XDUeyUgHc-I/AAAAAAAAY2E/n-UdoiMTuTo5RjzgNVP9P9DOl0RxxApvwCLcBGAs/w200-h112/IB2.png" width="200" /></a></div>
One of Kelly's no-longer-extant companies was his Immunotherapy Clinic <a href="https://opencorporates.com/companies/nz/5562246">Immuno Biotech Ltd</a>, "Licensed Medical Immunotherapy" -- GcMAF, amygdalin, mistletoe, sea-cucumber-squeezings, etc. The name was chosen <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20160122023952/http://immunobiotech.nz/services">to encourage confusion with David Noakes' "Immunobiotech Ltd" (a.k.a. First Immune)</a> and to siphon business away from Noakes' fraud. Dissolving the NZ company and <a href="https://t.co/ktiuoAF9RU">shifting its webstore activity to naturalsolutions.nz</a>, Kelly promised a clinical trial of Immunotherapy, in Vanuatu, under the supervision of noted oncology researcher Sam Grant. Yeah, right.<br />
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Anyway, an application was made through the Port Vila accountants / legal advisors to register 'imuno' as a trademark, but it evidently encountered opposition <a href="https://trademark.trademarkia.com/imuno-79236191.html">and was abandoned</a>. But Ruggiero's opportunistic attempts to <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/10/even-when-constructing-famous-water-box.html">ret-con 'imuno' as a sovereign cure for COVID-19</a> (much as it undoubtedly cures HIV-1) suggest that it is still a going concern.<br />
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<div class="separator"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2FNj-f47f9w/WllZfjOwrMI/AAAAAAAAXMs/oj4o25KXBG8V5A3z_ozcWuP5JvfzH1OfwCLcBGAs/s1600/gp2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2FNj-f47f9w/WllZfjOwrMI/AAAAAAAAXMs/oj4o25KXBG8V5A3z_ozcWuP5JvfzH1OfwCLcBGAs/w200-h200/gp2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In a lingering residue of the GcMAF boom, a number of 'glycoprotein' grifters claim to source the GcMAF-rich bovine colostrum proteins for their skin creams and lotions <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/01/wont-somebody-please-think-of-children.html">from New Zealand</a>. I see no reason to doubt them, for NZ cow-cockies will happily sieve colostrum (or any other industrial by-product) for any protein the customer desires, and the dairy industry is used to meeting the needs of supplement pimps. So if any <u>Stuff</u> journalists are reading this, there might be a story there.<br />
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Bonus Sacha Stone, from the BBC investigation. He seems nice.<br />
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<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2015/04/we-drink-elixirs-that-we-refine-from.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2016/04/crowds-of-witless.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/08/i-know-theyll-find-her-some-day-they.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2017/08/silence-pianos-and-with-muffled-drum.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/01/wont-somebody-please-think-of-children.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-touch-of-undying-2.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/12/roach-motels-hotel-california-and.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/01/left-to-die-by-two-good-friends.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/06/hell-is-empty-and-all-stupid-is-here.html<br />
http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2020/10/even-when-constructing-famous-water-box.html<br />
Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-35711992763371314412021-01-31T17:27:00.005-08:002021-01-31T19:41:39.031-08:00Enter the Santilliverse<div style="text-align: right;"><i>This post was earlier cross-posted <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/12/21/another-jewish-conspiracy-against-ruggiero-santilli/">at Leonid Schneider's site</a>, hence the unfrivolous tone. The version there is improved by Leonid's editing and frame story, and by his account of the bumptious, censorious legal threats arriving from MagnesGas / Taronis</i></div>
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The cast of characters from <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/12/10/fusion-is-a-dish-best-served-cold/">an earlier post</a> included Prof. R. M. Santilli, a scientific maverick who seems to have escaped from an unwritten Tintin comic, bringing equal portions of delight and perplexity into the lives of anyone whom he isn't suing. Santilli enjoys some standing in the Exotic Fusion community with his far-reaching reports of advanced nucleosynthesis, achieved with homemade steam-punk appliances, and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S036031990200054X">has been published</a> in <u><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360319913003819">International Journal of Hydrogen Energy</a></u> -- nominally a real journal, from Elsevier¹ -- not just <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200929023301/http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/journal/archive?journalid=122&issueid=122015">in predatory journals</a>, or <a href="http://hadronicpress.com/HJ/hj-index.php">ones he founded and edits personally</a>. He could be the greatest scientist since Newton, whose brilliance is ignored by the scholarly establishment, or someone who has convinced other people with his fantasies, but either way he comes into the ambit of <u>For Better Science</u>. So welcome to the Santilliverse of alternative physics, magnecules, Nobel nominations, sockpuppets and litigious vexations.<br />
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I hope that neither party will be offended when I compare Santilli to Donald Trump in terms of self-satisfaction and of openness to beliefs and theories that lie outside the bounds of conventional thought. Santilli's openness to entire alternative realities includes a <a href="http://santilli-foundation.org/santilli-nobel-nominations.html">nomination pathway for Nobel Prizes</a> (in physics and chemistry) that lies parallel to the pathways recognised by the Nobel committee themselves -- allowing him to be nominated (by proxies and sockpuppets) regularly since his first nomination in 1985.<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Abject source reveals treasure</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuVciZC9d2U/X9imIr_7zGI/AAAAAAAAc0U/KQsvb8WJ2LklzQNetAM5CWcltFl8_gqUACLcBGAsYHQ/s700/atalanta-33.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="635" data-original-width="700" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuVciZC9d2U/X9imIr_7zGI/AAAAAAAAc0U/KQsvb8WJ2LklzQNetAM5CWcltFl8_gqUACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/atalanta-33.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>Regrettable EU research investments are another perennial concern here, and this post is also an excuse to look at <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=6731">the decision to grant €6 mill</a> to a German start-up, <u>Infinite Fuels gmbH</u>, to develop technology for turning organic waste into synthetic fuels. The link is a chapter in the Santilli story in which he founded the US company 'MagneGas' to commercialise his discovery of 'hadronic chemistry' and 'magnecules' and 'magnecular bonds'. For <u>IF</u> bought a license to Santilli's technology, and its relationship to MagneGas may be closer than expected. It is not my intention, though, to work the stock-tips / Investment-Advice side of the street. We learn from alchemy that the greatest treasures are found in abject places, while weird dreams about snakes can inspire a chemistry breakthrough, so this post is <b>not</b> about the <b>current</b> financial state or long-term viability of either company: these do not depend on MagneGas' curious origins.<br />
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The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ruggero_Santilli/Archive_2">Whackyweedia 'Talk' page on Santilli</a> is as good a place to start as any. Like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ariel_Fernandez/Archive_1">all the best Talk pages</a>, it is <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2014/12/o-brave-new-world-that-has-such-people.html">best read as literature</a>. A small bemused cadre of Wiki moderators and referees struggle to keep order among the other voices, enforcing the Wikicriteria of notability and the hierarchies of evidence-sourcing, reversing the impassioned edits defending Santilli's claims while playing Whack-a-Mole with incursions of sockpuppets... if the page is a theatrical production inspired by <i>Finnegans Wake</i>, it is one of those bravura productions where 90% of the characters are voiced by a <b>single actor</b>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2T02dPCkgCU/X9h_LjaI3TI/AAAAAAAAczs/ES_jIVQ5hZI0yoSUMhYdKVlf1XOMqUXYACLcBGAsYHQ/s1570/sockpuppets.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="1570" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2T02dPCkgCU/X9h_LjaI3TI/AAAAAAAAczs/ES_jIVQ5hZI0yoSUMhYdKVlf1XOMqUXYACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/sockpuppets.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Hitmouse with a Hating Book</i></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ri8kw_Hmmqk/WOm2iHPayCI/AAAAAAAAVPc/dr2Zq8M6xl86sO_apb7ZT9o5UwfKe_dmgCLcB/s1600/hitmouse.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="296" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ri8kw_Hmmqk/WOm2iHPayCI/AAAAAAAAVPc/dr2Zq8M6xl86sO_apb7ZT9o5UwfKe_dmgCLcB/w200-h200/hitmouse.jpg" width="200" /></a>
Dutch chess-player and blogger Pepijn van Erp wrote of <a href="https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/articles/finding-jerdsey-v-kadeisvili-or-mailing-with-ruggero-m-santilli/">encountering some of these 'virtual personalities'</a> who co-sign Santilli's papers or write in support of him. More broadly, van Erp's <a href="https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/tag/ruggero-santilli/">Santilli Archives</a> are a valuable resource. You can read there about Santilli's <a href="https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2016/11/sued-by-ruggero-santilli/">law suit against van Erp</a>, for he was written down in the annals of Santilli's Hating Book (along with the admin echelons of Whackyweedia) as fair game for denunciations. <a href="https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2018/09/settlement-santilli-van-erp-israel/">The suit was settled</a> by assuaging Santilli with the title of "<a href="https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2016/02/florida-genius-now-sees-invisible-entities/">Florida Genius</a>".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJpVrvnCh9Y/X9hIhR4GY1I/AAAAAAAAczk/D2h8RJ05L-QBRz2ooWdL1PWnArKCg3FCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/gal-sant-teles.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hJpVrvnCh9Y/X9hIhR4GY1I/AAAAAAAAczk/D2h8RJ05L-QBRz2ooWdL1PWnArKCg3FCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/gal-sant-teles.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>Van Erp also blogged about Santilli's commercial side-line in <a href="https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/2016/02/florida-genius-now-sees-invisible-entities/">'reverse telescopes'</a> for viewing <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2016/05/anti-matter-black-orbs-climbing-up.html">antimatter galaxies and antimatter alien spaceships</a>. The underlying principle is that antiparticles and antimatter do not emit <i>photons</i>, but rather anti-waves of antiphotons, which accelerate <i>faster</i> than light when passing through a dense medium like glass; thus they require telescopes with <b>reversed optics</b> to render them visible.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Anticandle emitting antiphotons</i></div>
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F9gHydi8OEU/V0pxkEjMNJI/AAAAAAAATmk/h560cUONiQ4bDkbQJFMNWpkXUdCtOqqWQCLcB/s1600/the-ignorant-fairy-1950%25281%2529.jpg%2521Large.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F9gHydi8OEU/V0pxkEjMNJI/AAAAAAAATmk/h560cUONiQ4bDkbQJFMNWpkXUdCtOqqWQCLcB/s400/the-ignorant-fairy-1950%25281%2529.jpg%2521Large.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Don't bother asking where <i>reflector</i> telescopes fit into the picture, for this is <b>bonkers</b>. It is contrary to every observation of antimatter behaviour, and one cannot fathom the cognitive processes from which the concept emerged. More to the point, Santilli sold his antitelescopes through the website of <u>Thunder Energies</u> -- a listed corporation with the ticker symbol <b>TNRG</b>, originally founded as <u>Thunder Fusion Corporation</u> with super-energy synthetic gas as its core activity. We'll come back to that.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ym3pxYG6iY/X9cy2WT1TjI/AAAAAAAAcy8/pl93BfOKdz8eG9Fvmr3zcGS2MtcP3J9MgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2370/thunder.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="2370" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ym3pxYG6iY/X9cy2WT1TjI/AAAAAAAAcy8/pl93BfOKdz8eG9Fvmr3zcGS2MtcP3J9MgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/thunder.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Santilli later sold <u>Thunder Energies</u> <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1524872/000168316820001600/thunder_10k-123119.htm">to a leisure group</a> in need of a shell company. <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/256-increase-in-year-over-year-sales-reports-thunder-energies-corp-tnrg-301160002.html">It is now trading</a> as 'Nature Consulting', an on-line boutique for THC and concierge hash oil, at least maintaining the green theme.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXpfojgXaW0/X9c24LP1DSI/AAAAAAAAczE/55wfZNdjPvkH0FR44zk45IRLTjYbIGZYACLcBGAsYHQ/s736/popper.png" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="736" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXpfojgXaW0/X9c24LP1DSI/AAAAAAAAczE/55wfZNdjPvkH0FR44zk45IRLTjYbIGZYACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/popper.png" width="280" /></a></div>Back in the 1980s, Santilli <a href="https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=FxKDarVvqB8C&pg=PA14&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=santilli&f=false">impressed Karl Popper</a> as being a quantum theoretician with a correct philosophical outlook. He must have also convinced the right people that he spoke fluent Quantum, and was rewarded with temporary research fellowships at <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruggero_Santilli#Biography">MIT and Harvard</a>. Others at Harvard like Glashow and Weinberg were evidently not so besotted with Santilli's Hadronic Mechanics, failing to recognise the brilliance of Isodual Mathematics, earning themselves their own entry in the Hating Book. The resulting embittered grudge has lasted the rest of Santilli's life.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EGrqfZKhrFE/X9mMLl4VFwI/AAAAAAAAc04/oNEIUaJopnM3RllpDhe7E3nIZP91N9ORQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1400/maths.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="920" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EGrqfZKhrFE/X9mMLl4VFwI/AAAAAAAAc04/oNEIUaJopnM3RllpDhe7E3nIZP91N9ORQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/maths.png" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DnzCUSEBZsY/X9mMLoD0XmI/AAAAAAAAc00/m3SZa75uRDs87RtmX_gYCP1geXC-3akswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1250/maths2.png"> <img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="820" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DnzCUSEBZsY/X9mMLoD0XmI/AAAAAAAAc00/m3SZa75uRDs87RtmX_gYCP1geXC-3akswCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/maths2.png" /></a><br />
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Santilli's mathematical innovations allowed him to bring back many insights from forays into alternative realities. Perhaps the greatest is 'magnecular bonds", which form when an intense magnetic field (e.g. from an submerged electric arc) polarises the electron states in adjacent orbitals and aligns them into coherence. An entire esoteric meta-chemistry is devoted to 'magnecules' where atoms are held together by magnecular bonds as well as or instead of the covalent bonds of mundane chemistry.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pYki0mX6G_o/X9hGnqHtZtI/AAAAAAAAczc/uq0knIor-GEem95lpkeK3EUWHD_gHJ9WwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1590/magnecules.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="1590" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pYki0mX6G_o/X9hGnqHtZtI/AAAAAAAAczc/uq0knIor-GEem95lpkeK3EUWHD_gHJ9WwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/magnecules.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Magnecular bonds play a role in Santilli's New Alchemy accomplishments, transmuting lighter elements into <a href="https://benthamopen.com/contents/pdf/TOPCJ/TOPCJ-5-17.pdf">nitrogen and silicon</a> in garden-shed steampunk pressure-cookers (though this is not entirely clear, as some of his epigones ascribe the transmutation to <a href="http://www.hydrobetatron.org/files/abundo-paper-2014_Ottimizzato.pdf">'neutroids'</a>).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rd6VL4g0dko/X9CkPJSXHdI/AAAAAAAAcyc/bZVXwUJH--4ibgOguGrhdWcjPqvauYG2ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1510/SANTILLI.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1510" height="151" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rd6VL4g0dko/X9CkPJSXHdI/AAAAAAAAcyc/bZVXwUJH--4ibgOguGrhdWcjPqvauYG2ACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h151/SANTILLI.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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What concerns us here, though, is the higher energy output when magnecules combust, as the esoteric bonds release the energy stored in them by the holy arc fire. A lesser, venal man would have pursued applications in high-energy super-explosives, and made a fortune, then we would hear about Santilli Prize medals,² awarded to Santilli Laureates each year amid glittering pageantry. Instead, Santilli focussed on the potential of Magnecules as a syngas for industrial / engineering cutting and welding, and founded the MagneGas Corporation (ticker symbol <b>MNGA</b>). The advantages of magnecular products over those dependent on mere covalent bonds include (1) the higher cutting temperature; (2) the greater density of magnecular gas, with the magnecular bonds condensing molecules into clusters; and (3) the green bonus of detoxifying industrial effluent, for biomass of any kind can serve as feedstock for the transforming, purifying fire of the underwater arc.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gzreWLSCdfY/X9dFtJL-5RI/AAAAAAAAczM/tpE34I_ynUMcJ9YJAOHVL1Z7Vo-EkBkmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1216/48468055-14994637926077294_origin.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="1216" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gzreWLSCdfY/X9dFtJL-5RI/AAAAAAAAczM/tpE34I_ynUMcJ9YJAOHVL1Z7Vo-EkBkmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/48468055-14994637926077294_origin.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Later statements from the MagneGas Corp. blamed <a href="https://www.skepticforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=269969&sid=7d0d61072410c89296ac34c7c681046e#p269969"><b>lack of waste-handling permission</b></a> for their failure to detoxify any effluent, forcing them to make MagneGas from a careful mixture of vegetable oil and ethylene glycol.³ Bait, meet switch. By then, Prof. Santilli had handed over control of the company to his son Ermanno as CEO, with a board dominated by other family members. The Magnecule Magic largely disappeared from the company website, a proprietary combination of Venturi nozzle and arc replaced the submerged plasma, and the key selling point of 'MagneGas II' (chemically a blend of hydrogen and CO <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120522053320/http://www.magnegas.com/MagneGas-MSDS-Rev-03-09-19-11.pdf">in 2011</a>, and of hydrogen and nitrogen with traces of ethane and acetylene <a href="https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a616469.pdf">in 2014</a>) was its <i>lower</i> energy density than alternatives like acetylene, and a <i>lower</i> burning temperature, therefore <b>safety</b>. The US Navy considered buying MagneGas but <a href="https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a616469.pdf">rated it as unfit for purpose</a>, being more expensive and less useful than its commercial rivals. Excerpts from the Navy report feature in <a href="https://www.valuewalk.com/2015/12/magnegas-mnga/">a lengthy Investment Advice column</a> of the form I am not trying to write, along with an analysis of how the company recruits investors in the absence of a marketable product.<br />
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<b>MNGA</b> became <b>TNRX</b> <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/02/01/1709152/0/en/MagneGas-Officially-Rebranded-Taronis-Technologies-Inc.html">in Feb 2019</a> when the company rebranded as <b>Taronis Technologies</b>, apparently taking the name from a Celtic god of thunder (in keeping with the 'Thunder Energies' tradition). Meanwhile Ermanno stepped sideways from the CEO position <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/business/pinellas-parks-magnegas-rebrands-as-taronis-technologies-20190131/">to Chief Technology Officer</a>, while a Scott Mahoney -- the company's CFO from 2016 -- became the new CEO.<br />
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A boardroom coup followed soon after, with Ermanno <strike>moving on to other opportunities</strike> <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/business/taronis-technologies-formerly-magnegas-ousts-former-ceo-20190620/">offered a choice between resignation or dishonorable expulsion</a>. Some view this as Kabuki, with the Santilli family still running the company through proxies, but I have no opinion of my own to offer.<br />
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Attention now shifts to a new spin-off company with the same management, <u>Taronis Fuels</u> (<b>TNRF</b>) and its website, where most of the activity is. The <i>old</i> Taronis Tech website is static as of writing, and austere, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201212134525/https://taronistech.com/">dominated by PDFs</a> explaining (and as part of) the <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/notice-settlement-shareholders-230200851.html">settlement of the 'San Diego lawsuit'</a>. Also too, Taronis Tech has changed ticker <i>again</i>, from <b>TNRX</b> to <b>BBHC</b>, with the unintended effect that <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/08/20/2081379/0/en/Taronis-Fuels-Buys-All-Licensed-Intellectual-Property-for-1-25-Million.html">asset / debt transfers between parent and spin-off company</a> could appear to naive onlookers like actual commercial transactions.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qytvGfVjr9M/X9iD26f3GSI/AAAAAAAAcz8/uDwmAO46fhkU0i3z_LN5IF431sjFlXXUACLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/taronis.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qytvGfVjr9M/X9iD26f3GSI/AAAAAAAAcz8/uDwmAO46fhkU0i3z_LN5IF431sjFlXXUACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/taronis.png" width="400" /></a></div>
That settlement ensued from a false announcement that the city of San Diego had elected to adopt MagneGas technology, and from the resulting short-lived boost in the company's share price. Investors who'd bought shares on the basis of that boost felt aggrieved, as did older shareholders who complained that the value of their investments had been impacted, and class-action law-suits flurried like leaves in autumn. Suffice to say that the management change has not stilled those murmurs and speculations about the prominence of sharp practices, and misleading investment-encouraging press releases, in the MNGA / TNRX business model. But I am bored with all this now, and the readers are bored.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_n0gKjTw-w/X9kcmDpooKI/AAAAAAAAc0k/5Molf_2Nf2sAeJUcdTB4dZe_Z5mxGReQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/vapor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c_n0gKjTw-w/X9kcmDpooKI/AAAAAAAAc0k/5Molf_2Nf2sAeJUcdTB4dZe_Z5mxGReQgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/vapor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Sydslesvigloever.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="241" data-original-width="330" height="146" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/30/Sydslesvigloever.jpg/330px-Sydslesvigloever.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>So we move quickly along to <u><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20201021103604/https://www.infinitefuels.de/">Infinite Fuels GmbH</a></u>, <a href="https://www.northdata.com/?id=513095039">founded in Berlin in 2014</a> by Andreas Noky and Matthias Müller (not <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_M%C3%BCller_%28businessman%29">the VW dude</a>, but his namesake). It subsequently relocated to Schleswig-Holstein in North Germany... or rather in South Jutland, for as a Danish irrevanchist I am compelled to wave the <a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydslesvig">Sydslesvig</a> flag. Its website is vaporous and detail-deprived when you look past the verbiage and imagery signifying green aspirations. The most content to be found on the website is <a href="https://www.infinitefuels.de/2020/01/24/press-release/">a press-release</a> from Jan 2020, boasting that practical implementation of IF plans will be outsourced to <a href="https://www.northdata.com/Concord+Blue+Engineering+GmbH,+D%C3%BCsseldorf/HRB+34943">Concord Blue</a>, a company with <i>some</i> experience.<br />
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This is the commercial entity now in receipt of €6 mill from the European Commission's <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/easme/en/section/life/life-legal-basis">LIFE program</a> (Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, EASME) <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/project/Projects/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.dspPage&n_proj_id=6731">to build a biomass-reclaiming syngas plant</a> (the source of the other €6 mill in the budget is unclear). A "Success Story" <a href="https://www.euopen4business.eu/2019/download?n=Success%20Story%20Infinite%20Fuel%20GmbH&picid=4303">background profile</a> attached to <a href="https://www.euopen4business.eu/2019/investing-in-a-greener-future/">an EU press-release</a> alludes to "Engineer Andreas
Noky and business economist (MBA) Matthias Müller". Apart from founding and mothballing more companies with similar descriptions -- <u><a href="https://www.northdata.com/Synthec+Fuels+GmbH,+D%C3%BCsseldorf/HRB+91512">Synthec Fuels</a></u> in Müller's case, <u><a href="https://www.northdata.com/Hydrogen+Energy+GmbH,+M%C3%BCnchen/HRB+213748">Hydrogen Energy</a></u> in Noky's -- neither founder has any obvious background in the synthetic-fuel biomass-recycling industry; they seem to a casual glance to be members of the consultancy class.<sup>4</sup><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2iNMYsycVbs/X9iCzu8GugI/AAAAAAAAcz0/w1kvul2rkaAJTMv2W0TUXmn9OQHn4DYBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1505/image.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1505" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2iNMYsycVbs/X9iCzu8GugI/AAAAAAAAcz0/w1kvul2rkaAJTMv2W0TUXmn9OQHn4DYBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/image.png" width="400" /></a></div>
To be fair, in another role as <a href="https://www.northdata.com/Talon+Ventures+%26+Consulting+GmbH,+Hemmingen/Amtsgericht+Hannover+HRB+206995">Talon Ventures & Consulting GmbH</a>, Müller <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1353487/000114420417000729/v456266_ex10-2.htm">purchased a gasifier from MagneGas and licensed their technology</a> in 2016... though in 2017 he fell behind with payments on the gas-cylinders and regulators and <a href="https://seekingalpha.com/filing/3542210">incurred an Extension Fee</a>.<sup>5</sup> However, Müller has left the company. Even so, his Synthec website <a href="https://archive.is/30YGa">holds a copy</a> of that IF / Concord Blue press-release. Is it a back-up or Plan B?<br />
<br />The water is further <strike>muddled</strike> plasma-purified by the existence of a similar, concurrent MagneGas contract with <i>Turkey</i>.<br />
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Initially Taronis press releases <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/taronis-ta-group-turkey-business-133000197.html">featured Taner Ay</a> -- industrial entrepreneur and son of Turkey's leading construction magnate -- as instigator of that deal which would make <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/12/30/1965025/0/en/Republic-of-Turkey-to-Ban-Acetylene-Other-Metal-Cutting-Fuels.html">MagneGas the industry standard</a> across the Turkish engineering sector (as may well be possible in a centralised autocracy where the key to economic dominance is to have the ear of someone near the top). Taner Ay soon dropped out of the picture, though, and there is no evidence that he was ever anything more than a social-media personality residing in Germany, a <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1353487/000149315219015140/ex10-2.htm">stunt-sockpuppet hired for the purpose</a>. Taronis press releases pivoted effortlessly to feature a replacement Turkish "<a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/edited-transcript-trnx-earnings-conference-131037829.html">company with deep, deep pockets backed by people with billions of dollars and resources</a>". The statements claimed that the contract was worth $20 mill and <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/12/23/1964147/0/en/taronis-satisfies-all-conditions-for-magnegas-sales-in-turkey.html">received the highest level of Turkish official backing</a>, with positive implications for TRNF's value as an investment.<br />
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I have no information from Turkish sources that would falsify those press releases (and no idea where to go looking for it), and it is no skin off my nose if they're all true. One notes, though, that the installation of MagneGas reactors on Turkish soil keeps slipping to new schedules, while the transfer of moneys into Taronis accounts is equally dilatory, following the general pattern of delays in payments for intellectual property. I can understand why observers like '<a href="https://stocktwits.com/PurplePenguin">Purple Penguin</a>' view the whole process as sleight-of-hand and legerdemain to create an illusion of a healthy financial future, shuffling money among sockpuppets and shell companies so that the velocity and volume of circulation makes up for the lack of money entering the system from outside.<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Müller, Ay, Mahoney</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLpG8RzBX-c/X9idetM7ucI/AAAAAAAAc0E/lAC7mlMS6YQL4QBVTRc_aNU2RtevyHDvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s660/Amerikali-ve-Alman-is-adamlari-yatirim-icin-BASKENT-i-secti--40907.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="660" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cLpG8RzBX-c/X9idetM7ucI/AAAAAAAAc0E/lAC7mlMS6YQL4QBVTRc_aNU2RtevyHDvwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Amerikali-ve-Alman-is-adamlari-yatirim-icin-BASKENT-i-secti--40907.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Before sinking back into the virtual-particle flux of the quantum vacuum, Taner Ay mentioned <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/taronis-ta-group-turkey-business-133000197.html">Taronis and IF</a> in his statements, regarding them as two buttocks of a single bum. Conversely, Müller was consulted for <a href="http://www.ankaragazetesi.com/haber/Amerikali-ve-Alman-is-adamlari-yatirim-icin-BASKENT-i-secti/40907">a press release targeting the Turkish audience</a>, and credited Taner Ay with introducing him to MagneGas technology [warning: Google Translate does not play well with Turkish syntax]. All three know each other.<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">
Financially, we see the $1,000,000 consulting fee to be earned by MagneGas to provide technical, research and operational expertise from our existing research and development team as a powerful way to offset startup costs related to our European market expansion</span></blockquote>
Meanwhile, press releases from the Taronis end claimed that $1 million of that EU grant to IF <a href="https://sec.report/Document/0001493152-18-014228/">will flow straight into Taronis coffers</a> as a consultancy fee<sup>6</sup>, though this could be another example of creative phrasing to assuage concerns about the company's finances. It further appeared (at least from the Taronis perspective) that the German gasifer is an <a href="https://sec.report/Document/0001493152-18-009723/#ex99-1.htm">IF / MagneGas joint venture</a>; and that IF is a subsidiary of Taronis, or (as of Feb 2018, still with the younger Santilli as helmsman) <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/magnegas-agrees-to-form-new-european-joint-venture-for-the-acquisition-of-infinite-fuels-gmbh-an-emerging-german-biofuels-company-1014993906">is committed to becoming a subsidiary</a>. The deal was presented to shareholders as a bridgehead to opening the European syngas market, which is expected to be lucrative in the way that the US market isn't.<br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">
TAMPA, FL--(Marketwired - February 06, 2018) - <b>MagneGas Corporation ("MagneGas" or the "Company")</b> (NASDAQ: MNGA), a leading clean technology company in the renewable resources and environmental solutions industries, announced the execution of a Letter of Intent to form an Ireland-based holding company for the express purpose of acquiring 100% of Infinite Fuels, GmbH, an emerging biofuels company based in northern Germany. MagneGas will initially own a 40% stake in the joint venture, with the possibility of increasing the Company's equity stake to 70%. The remaining equity stake will be owned by the current principals of Infinite Fuels. Following formation of the joint venture, the new entity will assume 100% ownership of Infinite Fuels. The initial transaction is expected to be funded through a combination of cash on hand and equity in the new joint venture.</span></blockquote>
Due to accidents of residence, I do not have to worry that the LIFE program might have funnelled millions of development euros into a company from the US that developed its inefficient, out-of-date syngas technology by trying make sense of Santilli's Magnecular fiddle-faddle. I can safely pretend that the whole story is the outline of a Carl Hiassen novel or the script of a Soderbergh movie, sent back for revision to make the characters more plausible. Were I located in the EU, though, I would be reading that <a href="https://www.euopen4business.eu/2019/investing-in-a-greener-future/">Enterprise Europe Network</a> press-release with some concern: while the authors congratulate various EU agencies with helping IF to get their proposal together, they show no awareness that Talonis are also claiming credit (and $1 million in fees) for that same accomplishment. I would be wondering whether LIFE knew the full background of the deal when they stumped up with €6 mill when the ultimate ownership is so unclear.<br />
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It may be that I have misunderstood a source while writing this post, or placed credence in a source that was not fully reliable. I am sure that our host will correct any errors of fact in this post if he is contacted and provided with evidence.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/screenshot_2020-12-21-magnegas-and-european-partners-jointly-closes-7-0-million-grant.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="800" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/screenshot_2020-12-21-magnegas-and-european-partners-jointly-closes-7-0-million-grant.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">“Santilli continued, “The grant writing process was extremely well managed by our advisors at Ernst & Young, and is encouraging as we seek out similar non-dilutive grant opportunities for our sterilization technology in Europe. Lastly, this project is expected to provide a steady source of scalable revenues to MagneGas as we expand our relationship with Infinite Fuels in Germany.”</span></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">* * * * * * * * * *</div>
1. "Editor-in-Chief of <u>IJHE</u>" is evidently <a href="https://www.pepijnvanerp.nl/articles/finding-jerdsey-v-kadeisvili-or-mailing-with-ruggero-m-santilli/">a hereditary role</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.psiram.com/de/images/a/a8/Telesio_Toulouse_2012.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="444" height="124" src="https://www.psiram.com/de/images/a/a8/Telesio_Toulouse_2012.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>2. Santilli-Galilei Medals were in fact a thing in 2007, named after Italy's two greatest scientists and awarded by the Santilli-Galilei Academy of Sciences as an excuse for everyone to dress up in Renaissance Tuscan garb like the subjects of Piero della Francesca portraits. In 2008 the names changed to <a href="https://www.psiram.com/de/index.php/Telesio-Galilei-Academy">Telesio-Galilei Academy / medals</a>, however, after a falling-out in the working relationship between Santilli and Francesco Fucilla. Note that Fucilla also collaborated with Mignani and Cardone on the 'piezonuclear' route to transmutation, thus creating links between two of the Cold Fusion enthusiasts <a href="https://forbetterscience.com/2020/12/10/fusion-is-a-dish-best-served-cold/">covered elsewhere</a>. That subplot, though entertaining, is peripheral to our current concerns.<br />
<br />
3. In 2017 they moved on to using <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/magnegas-announces-significant-continued-improvement-in-magnegas2-production-from-butanol-feedstock-637618993.html">corn-sourced butanol</a> - the product of a backdoor Bush-era subsidy for agribusiness in flyover states. In other words the greenwashing aspect of MagneGas comes with a huge carbon footprint.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LkA5TQhmQv4/X9ffG3-FTKI/AAAAAAAAczU/h_OEQ7VMd-cvZRHWPeV3IRFpf-DRkDhcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/muller.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="140" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LkA5TQhmQv4/X9ffG3-FTKI/AAAAAAAAczU/h_OEQ7VMd-cvZRHWPeV3IRFpf-DRkDhcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/muller.jpg" /></a></div>4.
<blockquote><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><a href="https://ecosummit.net/eco16-berlin-speakers">Matthias Mueller</a> started his career working in international business development for BAA, British Airport Authority. From 1994 to 2005 he owned a business advising investors on real estate acquisitions world wide focusing on environmentally responsible developed real estate. The passionate private pilot changed his career path in 2005 and joined a business jet manufacturer in Montreal, Canada, which he headed until 2011. Being focused on sustainability the company divison developed a business jet, that was 90% recycable with the lowest fuel consumption in its class. From 2011 – 2014 Matthias worked as strategic adviser for various renewable energy companies. In 2014, Matthias co-founded Infinite Fuels. Matthias has senior experience in strategic planning, business development, risk and crisis management, project management, controlling and cash management; he introduced change, restructured and relocated business operations, developed and executed business growth and improvement strategies. Matthias holds a Master of Business Administration from Ashridge Business School.</span></blockquote>
<br />
5. Santilli fils transfered that contract to <a href="https://www.lawinsider.com/contracts/5dKc50Qnwtla2ONFzKu4nb/magnegas-corp/assignment-of-purchase-agreement/2017-10-05">a subsidiary company</a> in late 2017, and it's anyone's guess who holds it now.<br /><br />
6. "Financially, we see the $1,000,000 consulting fee to be earned by MagneGas to provide technical, research and operational expertise from our existing research and development team as a powerful way to offset startup costs related to our European market expansion."<br />
<br />
UPDATE #1: In the interests of brevity I skipped over two other Santilli accomplishments, both documented at Thunder Energies Corporation before the company changed ownership and the website shifted to marketing hemp products. Both involved Directed Neutron Source technology, applied to the detection of (a) concealed nuclear bombs, and (b) promising seams of gold ore, in mining ventures.<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/06/05/1008093/0/en/Thunder-Energies-Receives-Down-Payment-on-Equipment-Producing-a-Directional-Neutron-Flux-and-Predicts-Profitability-for-its-Construction.html">http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/06/05/1008093/0/en/Thunder-Energies-Receives-Down-Payment-on-Equipment-Producing-a-Directional-Neutron-Flux-and-Predicts-Profitability-for-its-Construction.html</a><br /><a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/03/21/1758528/0/en/Thunder-Energies-Corporation-TNRG-Announces-the-Upgrade-of-a-Letter-of-Intent-to-Test-the-Detection-of-Precious-Metals-in-Mining-Operations.html">
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2019/03/21/1758528/0/en/Thunder-Energies-Corporation-TNRG-Announces-the-Upgrade-of-a-Letter-of-Intent-to-Test-the-Detection-of-Precious-Metals-in-Mining-Operations.html<br /></a>
<br />
The neutrons come from hydrogen atoms, with ‘neutroids’ as an intermediate step, by intermeshing the cog-teeth of each proton with its corresponding electron. An electric arc – as central to Santilli engineering practice as leeches were to medieval medicine – is involved. This in turn is possible because of Santilli isorelativistic isomathematics, where numbers can take on whatever values are needed to provide solutions that are impossible according to mainstream maths.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://santilli-foundation.org/docs/Confirm-neutron-Final.pdf">Confirm-neutron-Final.pdf</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SHZN2CuUKtU/X-EevCQ95-I/AAAAAAAAc1Q/x8L76X2uBQU2CXjIsnyO5uLzJcU449_EgCPcBGAYYCw/s1068/neutroid.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1068" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SHZN2CuUKtU/X-EevCQ95-I/AAAAAAAAc1Q/x8L76X2uBQU2CXjIsnyO5uLzJcU449_EgCPcBGAYYCw/s400/neutroid.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
One reason for Santilli’s lawsuit against Pepijn van Erp was <a href="https://digitalcommons.law.scu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2724&context=historical">to defend his DNS products from disparagement</a>. Causing widespread bewilderment, as Pepijn hadn’t even mentioned the topic.<br />
<br />
<br />
UPDATE #2:<br />
<i>Italy may be the land of eternal Nobel Prize candidates, all elderly males with swollen egos
</i><br />
Ah. An out-take, exploring a side-story…<br />
<br />
Santilli’s first venture at monetarising his magnecular-bond technology was in the late 1990s, through a company ‘Earthfirst NextGas” and its subsidiary USMagneGas, where the name emphasised the Green ecological aspects.<br />
<a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2000/09/25/story3.html">"A Largo company with a former Harvard University physicist has created a process to convert liquids such as anti-freeze and sewage into a gas that operates automobiles."</a><br />
<br />
That deal went spectacularly tits-up amid allegations of defamation and theft of intellectual property, and the lawsuits were still going on in 2007. 2007 was when Santilli and Bo Linton were inspired to co-found MagneGas.<br /><a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1353487/000121390007000350/f8k0307_magnegas.htm">
https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1353487/000121390007000350/f8k0307_magnegas.htm<br /></a>
<br />
Now records reveal that Mr Linton is unfortunate in his choices of businesses to direct, at least from the perspective of investors, for his business acumen is seldom reflected in rising share prices. Linton may just be a bird of ill-omen, and I don’t want to confound correlation and causation. That anonymous “Pump Stopper” author went into more details than anyone really desires.<br /><a href="https://www.valuewalk.com/2015/12/magnegas-mnga/">
https://www.valuewalk.com/2015/12/magnegas-mnga/<br /></a>
<br />
I mention this because of a few links and parallelisms, together illustrating the smallness of the world. In the context of the Santilli-Galilei Academy, I mentioned Santilli’s one-time associate Francisco Fucilla — a veritable philosopher-king, whose family occupy a rarefied, speculative milieu of high-risk mining ventures, sharemarket advice, and movie projects. To pursue the background at greater length would be to poach from Sylvie Coyaud’s Park of Buffalos, so instead I’ll refer the reader to people who’ve had dealings with the clan or have been stalked by them.<br />
<br /><a href="https://www.sott.net/article/251809-Francesco-Fucilla-Impossible-science-doesnt-exist">
https://www.sott.net/article/251809-Francesco-Fucilla-Impossible-science-doesnt-exist<br /></a><a href="https://www.sott.net/article/244011-Corruption-in-Science-Francesco-Fucilla-and-the-Telesio-Galilei-Academy-of-Science">
https://www.sott.net/article/244011-Corruption-in-Science-Francesco-Fucilla-and-the-Telesio-Galilei-Academy-of-Science<br /></a><a href="https://cassiopaea.org/forum/threads/telesio-galilei-academy-of-science-a-fraud.27261/page-20">
https://cassiopaea.org/forum/threads/telesio-galilei-academy-of-science-a-fraud.27261/page-20<br /></a>
<br />
Suffice to say that the business interests of House Fucilla are far-flung and enlivening, and their antics are the stuff of novels, if Carl Hiassen could be persuaded to shift his usual literary locale from Florida to London. Specifically, to Croydon, site of the warehouse containing Fucilla’s “SteriWave Startec” company. Did I mention that Fucilla has his own effluent-detoxifying-plasma and pocket-fusion invention(s)? They seem to be as Italian as pizza ovens.<br />
<br />
Now the original founders of this parallel SteriWave company included Albert Reda, a colourful individual whose unconventional conduct as a company director later led to him <a href="https://www.sec.gov/litigation/admin/2014/34-73172.pdf">enjoying US federal hospitality</a>.<br /><br />
What concerns us here, though, is the discovery that Reda and Bo Linton also know each other — as directors of another company from that Florida renewable-energy milieu, GDT TEK (Green Day Technologies). This was either a subsidiary of SteriWave or a joint venture, with a license to distribute Fucilla’s pocket-fusion / effluent-sterilising technology.<br /><a href="http://getfilings.com/sec-filings/120126/SEAMLESS-Corp_8-K/">http://getfilings.com/sec-filings/120126/SEAMLESS-Corp_8-K/</a><br />
There was even a prototype of the “Piezonuclear Ultrasonic Cascade Reactor”!<br /><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140130035217/http://www.gdttek.com/press-03-06-12.php">
https://web.archive.org/web/20140130035217/http://www.gdttek.com/press-03-06-12.php<br /></a>
<br />
And thus the circle closes, with everyone associated with everyone else. In fact Albert Reda is a redundant link, and I mention him mainly for the sake of his fraud conviction and 26-month sentence, as Bo Linton was also <i>directly</i> linked to House Fucilla, through their <a href="https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07737507/officers">joint directorships of the recently-defunct company Steriwave-GDT-TEK</a>.<br /><br />
UPDATE #3<br />
Taronis removed two senior executives, as per <a href="https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/12/21/2148291/0/en/Taronis-Fuels-Takes-Disciplinary-Actions-Against-CFO-and-Independent-Director.html">press release</a> from 21.12.2020:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-family: times;">Taronis Fuels, Inc., (“Taronis” or “the Company”) (OTCQB: TRNF), a global producer of renewable and socially responsible fuel products, today announced that on the morning of December 18, 2020 Mary Pat Thompson, the Chief Financial Officer of the Company, was suspended indefinitely pending the resolution of a now ongoing investigation into multiple alleged violations of her duties and obligations as an officer and director of the Company. In addition, Tobias Welo, an Independent Director, was provided written notice by the Company of concerns regarding potential breaches of his fiduciary duties.</span></blockquote>Now guess what happened (source <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1778805/000149315220024264/ex99-1.htm">here</a> and <a href="https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1778805/000149315220024264/ex99-2.htm">here</a>):<br />
<br />
CEO Scott Mahoney and General Council/former CFO Tyler Wilson are accused of fraud, including of defrauding investors! The whistleblowers announce lawsuits against Taronis and make their fraud accusations public! Merry Christmas to the Santillis, Taronis and of course also to Infinite Fuels!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ex99-1_011.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="581" height="400" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ex99-1_011.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ex99-2_011.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="617" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ex99-2_011.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ex99-2_021.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="617" src="https://forbetterscience.files.wordpress.com/2020/12/ex99-2_021.jpg" width="214" /></a>Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2814819843269246078.post-71913453495809427282021-01-27T04:02:00.009-08:002021-01-31T12:07:27.529-08:00And I am Marie of Roumania #2Remember Lady Crown, Australian gentlewoman? Of course you do. She featured <a href="https://hoaxteadresearch.wordpress.com/2019/08/16/breaking-alan-alanson-sentenced-to-9-months/#comment-141629">in a Hoaxtead comments thread</a>.<br />
<br />
<footer style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><img alt="" class="avatar avatar-40 grav-hashed grav-hijack" height="40" id="grav-77539357484f01a468bf520369939a1e-4" originals="40" scale="1.5" src-orig="https://1.gravatar.com/avatar/77539357484f01a468bf520369939a1e?s=40&d=wavatar&r=PG" src="https://1.gravatar.com/avatar/77539357484f01a468bf520369939a1e?s=60&d=wavatar&r=PG" style="border-radius: 50%; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; height: auto; margin-right: 10px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; top: 12px;" width="40" /><span face="Montserrat, sans-serif" style="font-size: 20px;"> </span><cite class="fn" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fireman Sam</cite> <div class="comment-meta commentmetadata" style="border: 0px; color: #aaaaaa; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://hoaxteadresearch.wordpress.com/2019/08/16/breaking-alan-alanson-sentenced-to-9-months/#comment-141629" style="border: 0px; color: #aaaaaa; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">22/08/2019 at 3:10 am</a></div></footer><div class="comment-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 56px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bloody hell, this has gotta be King Johns sister surely…..?<br />
<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7381313/Maori-group-makes-claim-valuable-piece-land-Australia.html" rel="nofollow ugc" style="border: 0px; color: #117bb8; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7381313/Maori-group-makes-claim-valuable-piece-land-Australia.html</a></p></div>
<i>Née</i> Jennifer Holt, but beguiled by the similarity of the names 'Parramatta' (north of Sydney) and 'Paremata' (north of Wellington), she invented a Maori ancestry for herself... for descent from Polynesian aristocracy is more romantic and possibly more remunerative than being a white-trash failed businesswoman. Now she's selling vaccine exemptions, because of course she is.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aPUTuqVBfE0/YA9x6ppH79I/AAAAAAAAc3I/21IA7mLZGeAYR0BT9-BwAcg9CvQXZ5q-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1403/s615583860294544404_p42_i2_w1403.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1324" data-original-width="1403" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aPUTuqVBfE0/YA9x6ppH79I/AAAAAAAAc3I/21IA7mLZGeAYR0BT9-BwAcg9CvQXZ5q-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/s615583860294544404_p42_i2_w1403.png" width="220" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ARjD8ZF2kT0/YA9ydcQNfwI/AAAAAAAAc3Y/W1rfJ-r3T9IzokkwRl2FwFdc0N9M3DPGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s622/s615583860294544404_p35_i2_w622.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="622" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ARjD8ZF2kT0/YA9ydcQNfwI/AAAAAAAAc3Y/W1rfJ-r3T9IzokkwRl2FwFdc0N9M3DPGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/s615583860294544404_p35_i2_w622.jpeg" width="208" /></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cbfnqas7aQ/YA915Zu8CSI/AAAAAAAAc3k/HtuTnGFlkpUR1Mc9NsrO9WKYrZSAaCTUACLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/whoweare.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1898" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cbfnqas7aQ/YA915Zu8CSI/AAAAAAAAc3k/HtuTnGFlkpUR1Mc9NsrO9WKYrZSAaCTUACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/whoweare.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHJx-6WSlB0/WxtW1qlyvxI/AAAAAAAAYBM/lmrZAYXTfw0CNI81cLlVmeWO0zhjZnWbwCLcBGAs/s1600/coach.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="222" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KHJx-6WSlB0/WxtW1qlyvxI/AAAAAAAAYBM/lmrZAYXTfw0CNI81cLlVmeWO0zhjZnWbwCLcBGAs/s200/coach.png" width="148" /></a>Her Purple-Thumb Community website is a Macaronic neologasm of word-coinage. 'Ployment'? 'Suv'eran'? 'Aotearoha'? 'Originee'? <a href="https://www.oglaf.com/masterclass/">Her conversation coach is rubbish</a>. Straight off the bat, you can tell from the egregious spelling, punctuation, capitals and syntax that we have descended the rabbit-hole inhabited by 'Sovereign Citizens' and 'Freemen-on-the-Land'.<br />
<br />
<i>Postal & Port Authority<br />
For the ŒTI-CLAIM of the BRACKETS[and italics, parenthesis, quotations] is with the FUNCTION of the COMMUNICATION
with the EASE of the CONVEYANCE with the FRAME OF THE [fiction-english-babble]LANGUAGE with this CONSIDERATION
by the PURPLE-THUMB-COMMUNITY-PRINCIPLES.<br />
<br />
:Postmaster of our Aotearoha Lady-Crown is with these performances of this salvage & tow with this cargos/Aotearoha Gold Earth Peace & Love Flag & Aotearoha Blue Flag & Aotearoha Red- Flag & Kotahitanga[united] Tribes Flag of this Correct sentence structure parse syntax grammar performance grammar flag-fact-vessel with this bill of this lade[ing] of this earth/global-postal-treaty & market-trade-port with these join[ing]-contract/treaty-flags by this global-postal-ployment-vessel-treaty.<br />
<br />
For the CLAIM of the POSTMASTER-OF-AOTEAROHA: Lady-Crown is with the AUTHORITY by the
MAURI-CROWN-AUTHORITY-SEAL: Te Tiriti o Waitangi: 1840.<br />
<br />
I, Lady: Crown am the Mauri Crown Beneficiary/Owner/Sacred [A]greement Holder of the [U]nited Tribes Of New Zealand Flag 1834-Kings-Commercial Trading Bank-Tribal Land-Municipality-[A]dmiralty-Kings Creditors-Free Passage 250 Countries Flag & Pound Note Gold Coins & Crown Sovereign Coins & Aotearoha Gold Suv’eran Flag & :TITLE: 4: D.-C.-C.-S.-~1/2/3-C.-S.-S.-C.-P.-S.-G.-P.-FLAG-Court Flag & Aotearoha Blue Flag-Relations-Koha-Migration-Sea-Flag: Claim & Aotearoha Red-Military-World- Flag-Claim & Crown-Beneficiary of the 1844 ‘Queen Victoria Trust’ International Monetary Fund for the Pre-Paid Fee-Freight for the Live Life Claims & Sea Pass Claims & Domicile Claims for the Protection & Sovereignty of the People Returning to their Lands with the Authority of our Ports & Sovereign Post Offices, [A]gainst Pirates on the High Seas & Dry Dock, WHO [A]ttempt to come on Our Lands through the Bar/Foreign Courts, Banking & Officers of the Court or Black Robe of Satan to Steal Our Kings & Queens Prize Possessions.<br />
<br />
“I, Lady: Crown am with the ENDORSEMENT of ROYAL BLUE BLOODLINES to Queen Turikatuku II & Arikinui Hongi Hika & Arikinui Te Ruiki Kawiti & Pomare & King George III & was ordained by Lady Spider: Ward, by the hand of IO Matua at Rangihou ‘The New Heaven’ & born again on Mount Taratara: North Island: AOTEAROHA. Endorsed by The Kings Bench Magistrate Court Authority & Arikinui-Hongi Hika [in the flesh]-Confederation of Chiefs of AOTEAROHA & Arikinui Tupuna Chief Tira Waikato-Aotearoha Pacific Islands World ‘TE AO HOU’ Crown Bank & Surrogate King William IV : Hoani-Kahaki: Wanoa, House of Aotearoha Paramount Chiefs & Tupuna Potatau Te Whero Whero Kaitwhatu: Hiwaiterangi: Whetu King Charter Land & Paramount Chief Hoori Paerata-Te Wakaminenga o Nga Hapu o Nu Tireni Aotearoha & Whiu Kara-Te Hapu Oneone Ngaitamatuhirae O Omuriwaka Charter & H.E Prince Bungsu MUDAKIR Indonesia & Jingki, Sovereign Queen of Gondwana & Japanangka Tribal Elder-Tribal Sovereign Parliament of Gondwana Land & Originee Elder Nambrimbrii</i><br />
<br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>Explanatory Diagram to make everything clear</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bax7KaNX3PI/Wv0-_TPgPPI/AAAAAAAAX7s/EAJVcEg08loLAcbrH9ptjRpWgS1xZOvkACLcBGAs/s1600/the_law.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="799" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bax7KaNX3PI/Wv0-_TPgPPI/AAAAAAAAX7s/EAJVcEg08loLAcbrH9ptjRpWgS1xZOvkACLcBGAs/s200/the_law.jpg" width="155" /></a></div>The Quantum-Syntax jibber-jabber comes to us from the conceptual corpus of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wynn_Miller">David Wynn Miller</a>, a bonkers form of SovCit ideation, even by their standards. One of its exponents is the bleach-pimp medscammer Leonardo Edwards <a href="https://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/08/if-you-meet-strawman-on-yellow-brick.html">who has featured here previously</a>. The magikal title of "Postmaster" is from the same source... plagiarised, perhaps, from a shite Kevin Costner fillum.<br />
<br />
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<div style="text-align: right;"><i>Adapted from an even shiter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman">David Brin novel</a></i></div>
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yp3MjP4UOWs/YBDRD6HXgTI/AAAAAAAAc4M/LWH9AKTGOTkr5jMknixmzYdQoNqHWRZwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/THPSTMNWTL1985.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="530" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yp3MjP4UOWs/YBDRD6HXgTI/AAAAAAAAc4M/LWH9AKTGOTkr5jMknixmzYdQoNqHWRZwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/THPSTMNWTL1985.jpg" /></a>SovCits are unified by a style of wistful thinking (I initially wrote "a belief system", but this creates too strong an impression of coherence and actual <i>system</i>). God-given Natural Law or Common Law or Customary Law or the Indigenous Legal Code of your choice always take precedence over mere nation-state legal codes, is the gist of it.<br />
<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/m-ori-claim-sydney-land-dismissed-australias-federal-court">"We have the first laws in time. So our laws stand above any other law in the land.</a>"</div>
<br />
Once you realise that courts of law are fictions, and you know the secret words that melt them into air, into thin air (leaving not a rack behind), then you are safe from tax arrears and council charges. Child custody will be restored. Criminal charges will be dropped -- or rather, they <i>never existed in the first place</i>. Court rulings are only binding on the sheep-like majority who <i>let them bind</i>. I keep telling people that <b>first</b> we get Enochian characters incorporated into Unicode, <b>then</b> we can publish the Words of Power, the True Names that bind the Sephiroth and dispel the Qliphoth, but no-one ever listens to Uncle Smut.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSvZFljnUbo/YBHrNuNaODI/AAAAAAAAc4s/55y-A_Ua15gwxRK-ToZ1pXbzByDVmuxRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1350/passports.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1350" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSvZFljnUbo/YBHrNuNaODI/AAAAAAAAc4s/55y-A_Ua15gwxRK-ToZ1pXbzByDVmuxRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/passports.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Harold_and_the_Purple_Crayon_%28book%29.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="233" height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Harold_and_the_Purple_Crayon_%28book%29.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>So the Purple-Thumb Community of Voluntary Cognizance will sell you vaccine-exemption documents, and universal passports, and Postmaster Notary Services, and recognition of your domicile as an Embassy, be it a house or parked caravan or culvert under a bridge. Exemptions to any laws except the ones you accept. But just in case the police do not recognise these documents, hang onto those "Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free" cards from the Monopoly set. Also there are Postal Treaties. <a href="https://www.purplethumbcommunity.com/store/c2/%3AProducts.html">The merchandise</a> extends to the proper deckled paper and the magic-purple <strike>crayons</strike> pens and thumbprint pads that ensure the authority of your documents...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ggT9f-PlqVY/YA-WnTlUcOI/AAAAAAAAc3w/0mjJt4rbfmgXyl-a0bB9G5sqA-QywjjLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1896/pens.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1896" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ggT9f-PlqVY/YA-WnTlUcOI/AAAAAAAAc3w/0mjJt4rbfmgXyl-a0bB9G5sqA-QywjjLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/pens.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
...and <a href="https://www.purplethumbcommunity.com/store/p40/Mentor_Tumuaki_Lady-Crown.html">mentoring sessions</a> for winning your manumission from corporate fictions such as the State.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7jNiBpBCTOk/YA-Y3Sd3XiI/AAAAAAAAc38/kpdGgZVfbxMfphL5sLyYW4ipoA3RbYegwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1896/mentoring.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1896" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7jNiBpBCTOk/YA-Y3Sd3XiI/AAAAAAAAc38/kpdGgZVfbxMfphL5sLyYW4ipoA3RbYegwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/mentoring.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i><div style="text-align: right;">Requests for manumission should be addressed to the Vatican</div></i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWfBA4vB7Bg/YBDSB9LJYEI/AAAAAAAAc4U/JQIhBdUa6hsHpp42uv3ofYvuw-Rq3BXjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s821/pope.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="821" data-original-width="552" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWfBA4vB7Bg/YBDSB9LJYEI/AAAAAAAAc4U/JQIhBdUa6hsHpp42uv3ofYvuw-Rq3BXjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/pope.jpg" /></a></div>Back when <a href="https://hoaxteadresearch.wordpress.com/2019/08/16/breaking-alan-alanson-sentenced-to-9-months/#comment-141640">we first met her in 2019</a>, Lady Crown was relitigating her ancestral land claim to 112 acres of New-South-Welsh riverside park-land. Roughly speaking, the claim was that the Rangihou Reserve (and James Ruse and Robin Thomas Reserves) had never <b>really</b> belonged to Samuel Marsden (who ran a boarding school nearby for visiting Maori youths, hence the placename, before he shifted his missionary activities to New Zealand). Thus any subsequent transfers of title -- ending with the reserves in Council ownership -- were irreal, infelicitous. Instead the land had all been gifted by <strike>Aboriginal</strike> Originee King Corrangie to Crown's highborn ancestors, in a ceremony of such esoteric secrecy and symbolic obscurity that it would be impious to doubt its occurrence.* The truth of this alleged donation was buttressed by Lady Crown's discovery that <b>no</b> land transactions in Australia had <b>ever</b> been legitimate. She was confident that <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/105926/sydney-land-campaigner-hopes-archaeology-may-save-site">a proper archaeological survey would <i>find</i> the elusive grave-sites</a> that made the land so sacred. <a href="https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/m-ori-claim-sydney-land-dismissed-australias-federal-court">The fictitious court was not convinced</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6uauodtusDA/YBFFmXGFm8I/AAAAAAAAc4c/4EAgU4BUuoAv8pMHwf3U6NlRMJ88zx1xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/sun.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6uauodtusDA/YBFFmXGFm8I/AAAAAAAAc4c/4EAgU4BUuoAv8pMHwf3U6NlRMJ88zx1xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/sun.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Jennifer Holt-Alexander's <a href="https://alfgrumblemp.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/a-tip-for-australias-aboriginals-get-your-land-claims-in-ahead-of-the-maori-takeover/">first attempt to stake out the land was in 2012</a>. Just speculating here, but it may be that her day-job as a <a href="https://nomorenitz.wordpress.com/info/">professional nit-picker</a> was (despite <a href="https://nzheadlicetreatmentprogram.wordpress.com/">sockpuppetry</a> and <a href="https://tinorangatiratangauninc.wordpress.com/about/">brownwashing</a>) <a href="https://opencorporates.com/companies/nz/6299949">not as profitable as hoped</a>; nor her alternative career as <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-holt-alexander-868a4141/?originalSubdomain=au">a small-business mentor/advisor</a>. Her descent into the F-o-t-L intellectual cloaca was already underway in 2013. She subsequently acquired the title of <b>Turikatuku III</b>, reclaiming her true heritage as descendent <i>and</i> reincarnation of <a href="https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1t114/turikatuku">Turikatuku</a> (who was senior consort of Hongi Hika, "Māori King" in Jennifer's alt-history). When you're retconning your whakapapa, why stop halfway? Shoot for the moon! Be inspired by <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/04/when-prophecy-fails-2-career-of-evil.html">Ariki Eru Manukau</a>! She also acquired a faux-feather cloak and faux-ethnic tats, including a chin moko copied from Turikatuku, because it's not "cultural appropriation" or "identity theft" when you're a reincarnate.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z7mRFKTKRv0/YBC0DfJ6WII/AAAAAAAAc4E/7tqd5QVS8cow5HHEngk7onqu7qSRq_jPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s784/faux.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="634" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z7mRFKTKRv0/YBC0DfJ6WII/AAAAAAAAc4E/7tqd5QVS8cow5HHEngk7onqu7qSRq_jPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/faux.jpg" /></a></div>The <u>Daily Fail</u> <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7381313/Maori-group-makes-claim-valuable-piece-land-Australia.html">has Jennifer as</a> "an <b>ancestor</b> of Paramount Chief Te Pahi, Maori King Hongi Hika, Queen Turikatuku III and Maori King Te Ruki Kawiti". This is a sad indictment, either of nefarious misuse of the <i>Riddled</i> time machine, or or systematic illiteracy among <u>Daily Heil</u> duckspeakers.<br />
<br />
This elaborate alternative universe is spelled out at length in a proliferation of websites and blogs, rife with Worship Words modelled after indigenous-sovereignty movements. Lady Crown is a self-appointed Kaitiaki, a Guardian of the Land, and she is generously willing to guard your money as well. Some people of the human-centipede approach to education take her fantasies seriously <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/156739011.pdf">as a source of information</a>. Her fanfic was picked up by rightwing tabloids and news-sites as it fits so neatly into their preferred narrative, i.e. <i>"Indigenous campaigns to redress the injustices of colonialism are <b>all</b> just grievance-industry schemes to steal stuff from white folks"</i>. Even RNZ <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/105926/sydney-land-campaigner-hopes-archaeology-may-save-site">went along with the joke</a>. However, NZ Minister Nanaia Mahuta <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2019/08/23/nz-maori-minister-urges-rangihou-people-think-again-after-sydney-land-claim">has no time for this bullshit</a>. Nor does <a href="https://www.waateanews.com/waateanews/x_news/MjI1MzM/Paakiwaha/Parramatta-claim-a-disgrace-to-M%C4%81ori-flag">this guy</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xb9D5e7y33o/YBFKJkdKK-I/AAAAAAAAc4k/WLGwfhBu9hgorH67BAprBF2GGsbIRlkLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/crown.jpg" style="clear: right; display: block; float: right; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="503" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xb9D5e7y33o/YBFKJkdKK-I/AAAAAAAAc4k/WLGwfhBu9hgorH67BAprBF2GGsbIRlkLQCLcBGAsYHQ/s200/crown.jpg" /></a></div>Te Tiriti / the Treaty of Waitangi is another Lady-Crown Worship Word, although she <a href="https://www.ourplanet.org/LiteratureRetrieve.aspx?ID=184993">more recently discovered</a> that it is <b>just another fiction</b>. This, on account of one of its signatory parties no longer existing, what with Queen Victoria vacating the NZ parliamentary gubblement when she died. Creating a power vacuum, which Lady Crown is best qualified to fill, what with being <a href="https://www.mauricrown.org/royal-house">heiress to the Mauri Kingdom</a>.<br />
<br />
She seems to have a reasonable following, or Billy TK -- currently NZ's leading conspiracy scammer -- would not be trying to assimilate them into his own Public Party Borg Collective (Mr TK rants about 'sovereignty' a lot and is aware of all SovCit dog-whistles). The attempt <a href="https://mauricrown.org/rebuttals/10-special-rebuttal-billy-te-kahika-cease-and-desist-5-1-2021?format=html">did not go entirely to TK's advantage</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cekhuEIetMM/XBV5qZkS-nI/AAAAAAAAYsg/xdlQdYnx5tQFVbrAMU2rGnzOLwWCE_ogACLcBGAs/s1600/pvg.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cekhuEIetMM/XBV5qZkS-nI/AAAAAAAAYsg/xdlQdYnx5tQFVbrAMU2rGnzOLwWCE_ogACLcBGAs/s320/pvg.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>All this high-concept grifting may bring <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/01/so-i-beheld-and-lo-ensign-borne.html">John Wanoa</a> to mind. <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/03/these-are-people-of-land-common-clay-of.html">Wanoa, you recall</a>, crowned himself as William IV of NZ and England, on account of the UK losing the Mandate of Heaven and breaking the line of legitimate succession through a failure of proper paperwork back after the reign of William III. His Wanoa-centric delusions are entertaining; also they promised the dissolution of the Westminster regime amid orgiastic scenes of mass execution, in which the Windsor-Battenberg usurpers would be sent packing from Buckingham Palace. <a href="https://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/04/when-prophecy-fails-falling-motion.html">Thus they captured the imagination of UK Sovereign Citizens</a>, who quivered in anticipation of his advent in London... which is how it came about that a bemused world was treated to the spectacle of street-protesting brownshirts in London and Dublin wrapping themselves in the flag of the 1834 pre-Waitangi Treaty "United Tribes" grouping (literally!), Wanoa having stolen it as his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_shirt">Ghost-Shirt</a> talisman.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4qXwOzm_zw4/XC2rb7IlcCI/AAAAAAAAYzk/I277aLyBKz8OKiWMRocpp1Z-fo92LmcNwCLcBGAs/s1600/yellow.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="138" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4qXwOzm_zw4/XC2rb7IlcCI/AAAAAAAAYzk/I277aLyBKz8OKiWMRocpp1Z-fo92LmcNwCLcBGAs/s200/yellow.jpg" width="184" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pyl-Ih30nes/XCyXWzUiWYI/AAAAAAAAYyY/YPh-zZwBy7kO8ps1BRnLUGu0NpnG43S0gCLcBGAs/s1600/march3.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="138" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Pyl-Ih30nes/XCyXWzUiWYI/AAAAAAAAYyY/YPh-zZwBy7kO8ps1BRnLUGu0NpnG43S0gCLcBGAs/s200/march3.jpg" width="244" /></a><br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_wULVp_lFlM/XKqrB0JxGeI/AAAAAAAAZbw/0uvBphpPgJ08E530OBaORBaKB5CPIMNPACLcBGAs/s1600/misfits.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="581" height="220" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_wULVp_lFlM/XKqrB0JxGeI/AAAAAAAAZbw/0uvBphpPgJ08E530OBaORBaKB5CPIMNPACLcBGAs/s320/misfits.jpg" width="272" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LmbeawEWmEY/XKqveF8s60I/AAAAAAAAZcg/IsXUUlpfzmkprMm34CJoDgu6YFwyHrjcQCLcBGAs/s1600/wanoa.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="752" height="220" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LmbeawEWmEY/XKqveF8s60I/AAAAAAAAZcg/IsXUUlpfzmkprMm34CJoDgu6YFwyHrjcQCLcBGAs/s200/wanoa.png" width="156" /></a><br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vQtoitC4fk0/XKqrJks-3dI/AAAAAAAAZb4/vBCzjIXtbKEdYRQlkhALZ54E56Kbyw1swCLcBGAs/s1600/rag.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="481" height="156" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vQtoitC4fk0/XKqrJks-3dI/AAAAAAAAZb4/vBCzjIXtbKEdYRQlkhALZ54E56Kbyw1swCLcBGAs/s200/rag.jpg" width="204" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4Wg48RhMdNs/XKqrJk30zbI/AAAAAAAAZb0/U162w5wXdag9NNNJMH0K7zVBRthgmh-AACLcBGAs/s1600/tag.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="479" height="156" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4Wg48RhMdNs/XKqrJk30zbI/AAAAAAAAZb0/U162w5wXdag9NNNJMH0K7zVBRthgmh-AACLcBGAs/s200/tag.jpg" width="224" /></a>
<br /><br />
To avoid confusion, I have skipped over the <a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2018/12/if-hundred-underpants-gnomes-loaded-up.html">tidal-energy hydrogen-economy Moai-statues</a> aspects of the story.<br />
<br />
It is difficult to tell which of Wanoa and Lady Crown is more influenced by the other. The whole milieu is a fluid one, where concerns of 'internal consistency' and 'intellectual property' have no bearing, where ideas and memes are passed (or taken) from hand to hand like semi-sucked lollipops. We do know that Jennifer was already eyeing up the United Tribes and their 1835 'Declaration of Independence' <a href="http://upajenniferholt.blogspot.com/p/1835-declaration-of-independence-nz.html">in 2013</a>, wondering how best to integrate it into her artistic practice.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cbfnqas7aQ/YA915Zu8CSI/AAAAAAAAc3k/HtuTnGFlkpUR1Mc9NsrO9WKYrZSAaCTUACLcBGAsYHQ/s1898/whoweare.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1898" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cbfnqas7aQ/YA915Zu8CSI/AAAAAAAAc3k/HtuTnGFlkpUR1Mc9NsrO9WKYrZSAaCTUACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/whoweare.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Anyway, just below Queen Turikatuku III in the Purple Thumb totem-pole of equality, at #2, observe Andy Devine -- Greece-based publican, who normally caters to the UK tourist market in the time he can spare from groping his barstaff and recording conspiratorial You-Tubas in his Rantorium (though Brexit and COVID-related travel discouragement might have freed him up to focus on those latter core activities). Back in the pre-COVID epoch he was <a href="https://hoaxteadresearch.wordpress.com/?s=andy+devine">King John's loudest courtier</a>, and 'Fireman Sam' was concerned that Lady Crown would divide his loyalties.<footer style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 20px;"><div class="comment-author vcard" style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; font-family: Montserrat, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 28px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="avatar avatar-40 grav-hashed grav-hijack" height="40" id="grav-77539357484f01a468bf520369939a1e-4" originals="40" scale="1.5" src-orig="https://1.gravatar.com/avatar/77539357484f01a468bf520369939a1e?s=40&d=wavatar&r=PG" src="https://1.gravatar.com/avatar/77539357484f01a468bf520369939a1e?s=60&d=wavatar&r=PG" style="border-radius: 50%; height: auto; margin-right: 10px; max-width: 100%; position: relative; top: 12px;" width="40" /> <cite class="fn" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fireman Sam</cite></div> <div class="comment-meta commentmetadata" style="border: 0px; color: #aaaaaa; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 4px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://hoaxteadresearch.wordpress.com/2019/08/16/breaking-alan-alanson-sentenced-to-9-months/#comment-141639" style="border: 0px; color: #aaaaaa; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">22/08/2019 at 5:25 am</a></div></footer><div class="comment-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #404040; font-family: "Merriweather Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 56px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Andy is either gonna cream his jeans or explode with rage over this Moani usurper/clone/wannabe. Is it gonna be Kings Law/Bench or Queens Law/Bench which comes out on top? Strap your selves in for a bumpy ride folks.</p></div>
<i><div style="text-align: right;"><i>E. R. Eddison reference</i></div></i>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2z8DG78Zli8/VJABM4D1O0I/AAAAAAAAQEI/Cp3LIcGbkSU/s1600/fishdinner.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2z8DG78Zli8/VJABM4D1O0I/AAAAAAAAQEI/Cp3LIcGbkSU/s1600/fishdinner.JPG" width="189" /></a>Then Wanoa was sectioned, and lost much of his appeal when medication made his delusions less florid, so Devine turned his coat as fast as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Worm_Ouroboros">Lord Gro on a skateboard</a>.<br />
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#3 is Ramola D., broadcaster and independent journalist. Let's just say that she is a known quantity in this paranoid-ideation affinity-fraud ecosystem.<br />
<br />
It is common enough to find <i>normal</i> people fawning over made-up titles of Māori nobility, even while they despise the titles and other feudal stylings of <i>English</i> aristocracy as a source of embarrassment rather than of pride. Hence the number of Paramount Chiefs in the NZ con-man food-chain, not to forget Lady Crown her highborn self. Sovereign Citizens, though, are more spaniel-like than most, especially vulnerable to the notion that their personal autonomy is incomplete without a by-disgrace-of-god absolute ruler above them. What can I say? Consistency is not valued highly in this philosophy.<br />
<br />
In the interests of full disclosure, I note that the Frau Doktorin's mother was clouded of mind in the last few years of her life, and she insisted on addressing me as 'Prince'. It may be that she was under the impression that I am a scion of Danish royalty. The Frau Doktorin reckons that she was more likely to have mistaken me for an ill-kempt German Shepherd.<br />
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But wait, things get <b>more</b> bonkers! That <a href="https://mauricrown.org/rebuttals/10-special-rebuttal-billy-te-kahika-cease-and-desist-5-1-2021?format=html">response from Lady Crown's camp</a> to the Public Party / Billy-TK camp is more of an ineffably-pompous Proclamation, in which complaints of <i>Lèse-majesté</i> alternate with the signifiers of specious Authority. Evidently it rankled that the fictitious NZ border bureaucrats failed to recognise Lady Crown's Diplomatic Passport (issued by no less an authority than herself) or her self-exemption from the isolation / quarantine protocols for arrivals in NZ. Thus she could not participate in the <a href="https://marsich-crown-kingdom.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/3/5/20351333/2020-12-14_he_wakaputanga_rangatira_media_statement_.pdf">Decree of the New Declaration of Independence</a>, designed to take the place of that now-defunct Treaty of Waitangi, and issued on the Waitangi Marae grounds on 13 December 2020.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vtCNHaq2pGY/YBIT-1c36qI/AAAAAAAAc40/v3f9TY1bF0IzUvoc2FIH5q3EPbE5fasMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2387/response.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="2387" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vtCNHaq2pGY/YBIT-1c36qI/AAAAAAAAc40/v3f9TY1bF0IzUvoc2FIH5q3EPbE5fasMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/response.png" width="400" /></a></div>
The rest is a less-substantial stoush over who gets <b>credit</b> for the debacle, with sniping about the Public Party's disturbing lack of faith, as shown by their doubts that the Decretion was supported by the Waitangi custodians or governing board. Written in stilted prose in which quasi-Quantum syntax mixes with mere crap spelling, by one Arikinui Heruika (<i>né</i> Alfred James Mitchell), who holds the titles of Attorney-General, Minister for Security & Defence, and Minister for Justice in the Maori Government of Aotearoa, Lady Crown's Government-in-Exile. <i>Also</i> author of that <a href="https://marsich-crown-kingdom.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/3/5/20351333/2020-12-14_he_wakaputanga_rangatira_media_statement_.pdf">New Declaration of Independence</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUNwGOB0Rzs/XID9b22sVDI/AAAAAAAAZNg/yyp_fSksp8ksRNmQMtxMT5Pk0e8c0eiqwCLcBGAs/s1600/gubblement.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="960" height="90" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eUNwGOB0Rzs/XID9b22sVDI/AAAAAAAAZNg/yyp_fSksp8ksRNmQMtxMT5Pk0e8c0eiqwCLcBGAs/s400/gubblement.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jc7GKmEsyiU/XIEAw1TRD5I/AAAAAAAAZNs/xmc1RFsw1hwNf80VZfEu2AIzixTYeei_wCLcBGAs/s1600/abandoned.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="448" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jc7GKmEsyiU/XIEAw1TRD5I/AAAAAAAAZNs/xmc1RFsw1hwNf80VZfEu2AIzixTYeei_wCLcBGAs/w143-h200/abandoned.jpg" width="143" /></a>The arrant presumption did not go down well with <i>other</i> Maori Governments of Aotearoa. The <u>Government of Nu Tireni</u>, for instance (also trading as the <u><a href="https://m.facebook.com/ManiapotoTribalGovernment/">Maniapoto Tribal Govt</a></u> and <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Te-Kahiti-o-Nu-Tireni-The-Gazette-of-Nu-Tireni-New-Zealand-630336447117533/">The Gazette of Nu Tireni - New Zealand</a></u>), who exercise sovereignty over various FaceBorg pages and <a href="http://www.govt.maori.nz/">largely-moribund blogs</a> from a <strike>house</strike> Embassy in Hamilton. They <i>also</i> work in the literary genre of Ineffably Pompous Proclamations (<a href="http://eusa-riddled.blogspot.com/2019/03/these-are-people-of-land-common-clay-of.html">issued in the course of amateurish shake-down scams</a>), making Lady Crown their competitor, so a fusillade of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Ko-te-Wakaminenga-o-Nga-Hapu-o-Nu-Tireni-1991550004470650/photos/pcb.2555669094725402/2555668711392107/">Facebook denunciations and repudiations</a> ensued. A fusillade is what you make if life gives you fusills, which I think are a kind of lozenge.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FoeaYX25YCc/YBIc3IgkQkI/AAAAAAAAc48/-irmrAzBAt0KwbeoqOuYAXDfLd2Q24KKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1348/denunc1.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1348" data-original-width="964" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FoeaYX25YCc/YBIc3IgkQkI/AAAAAAAAc48/-irmrAzBAt0KwbeoqOuYAXDfLd2Q24KKACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/denunc1.png" width="214" /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0aIPmdAfnlQ/YBIc8MIBWdI/AAAAAAAAc5A/3oGLht5h2YA0qAlAPn-Vkw04Tw2zqxvfACLcBGAsYHQ/s1685/denunc2.png"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1685" data-original-width="1188" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0aIPmdAfnlQ/YBIc8MIBWdI/AAAAAAAAc5A/3oGLht5h2YA0qAlAPn-Vkw04Tw2zqxvfACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/denunc2.png" width="214" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=595627770477684&story_fbid=5087538604619889">Another example</a>:<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><div class="pybr56ya dati1w0a hv4rvrfc n851cfcs btwxx1t3 j83agx80 ll8tlv6m" style="align-items: flex-start; display: flex; flex-direction: row; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 12px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-top: 12px;"><div class="buofh1pr" style="flex-grow: 1; font-family: inherit;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh m9osqain hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><h2 class="gmql0nx0 l94mrbxd p1ri9a11 lzcic4wl aahdfvyu hzawbc8m" dir="auto" id="jsc_c_l" style="color: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 4px 0px 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><div class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl oo9gr5id gpro0wi8 lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheUnitedTribesOfNewZealand/?__cft__[0]=AZV7f9P8sKMPBsPwdlvp9uvHQzG7x-LvjqnOJPPCY_yGzK-IbbGHDGuxYwATLhECXW-VF1jkYQlBKag2RbJVIBKMBFu4w-N4Fbe2Sdho8nkLsxbtGBDQcJAiY04vKbvJTnqZcEF-vXS6AuatV880Aiet&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The United Tribes of New Zealand</span></a></div></h2></span></div><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d9wwppkn fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb mdeji52x e9vueds3 j5wam9gi knj5qynh m9osqain hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="color: var(--secondary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.8125rem; line-height: 1.2308; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><span id="jsc_c_m" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="tojvnm2t a6sixzi8 abs2jz4q a8s20v7p t1p8iaqh k5wvi7nf q3lfd5jv pk4s997a bipmatt0 cebpdrjk qowsmv63 owwhemhu dp1hu0rb dhp61c6y iyyx5f41" style="align-items: inherit; align-self: inherit; display: inherit; flex-direction: inherit; flex: inherit; font-family: inherit; height: inherit; max-height: inherit; max-width: inherit; min-height: inherit; min-width: inherit; place-content: inherit; width: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gmql0nx0 gpro0wi8 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/TheUnitedTribesOfNewZealand/posts/5087538604619889?__cft__[0]=AZV7f9P8sKMPBsPwdlvp9uvHQzG7x-LvjqnOJPPCY_yGzK-IbbGHDGuxYwATLhECXW-VF1jkYQlBKag2RbJVIBKMBFu4w-N4Fbe2Sdho8nkLsxbtGBDQcJAiY04vKbvJTnqZcEF-vXS6AuatV880Aiet&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; 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vertical-align: inherit;">o</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: relative; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit;">D</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: relative; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit;">e</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">c</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; 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display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">u</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">s</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">h</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">a</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">o</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">n</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">r</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; 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display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: relative; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit;"> </span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">l</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: absolute; text-decoration: inherit; top: 3em; vertical-align: inherit;">e</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; position: relative; text-decoration: inherit; vertical-align: inherit;">2</span><span class="b6zbclly myohyog2 l9j0dhe7 aenfhxwr l94mrbxd ihxqhq3m nc684nl6 t5a262vz sdhka5h4" style="cursor: inherit; 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display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Is a menagaere of confused Australian mozzies, sovereigns, ritualistic cultist, and bi gay lesbian community culturally appropriating the indigenous identity and flag. Is led by Jennifer Holt ( Tarns Holts sister from the Maori Incs) who goes by the name of Lady Crown or Queen Turikatuku II . It is based in Sydney Australia.. Also has claimed to be the Paramata o Baluddari Rangihoua Sovereign Nation, Te Kawanatanga o Aotearoha , and also appropriated the name Te Wakaminenga o Nga Hapu o Nu Tireni but opperating out of Sydney Australia. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Lady Crown and her group were asked to leave Waitangi in 2018 after an incident where her group were wanting to walk around naked and topless during a powhiri. They were recently travel banned coming to our country in an attempt to go to a hui on the 11-13 December at Waitangi by Australian airport officials. Then claimed to have written a document eminnating from that hui to sack the NZ Government.</div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>
I for one will be cheering for injuries.<br/>
<br/>
* Clan leader Corrangie <a href="https://www.eorapeople.com.au/tag/corrangie/">did exist</a>, allowing Lady Crown to snatch his corpse for her genealogy without the additional effort of inventing him first.Smut Clydehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09409476490132867809noreply@blogger.com0