Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Robert M. Kwee, Maan T. Almaghrabi, Thomas C. Kwee
Summary: The study found that radiologists generally pay attention to scientific integrity, with some admitting to scientific fraud, publication bias, and honorary authorship. While their confidence in the integrity of published work was relatively high, there is still room for improvement. It is recommended to initiate cultural and policy reforms to address these issues.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF RADIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joel Ferguson, Rebecca Littman, Garret Christensen, Elizabeth Levy Paluck, Nicholas Swanson, Zenan Wang, Edward Miguel, David Birke, John-Henry Pezzuto
Summary: This study assesses attitudes, usage, and perceived norms regarding open science practices in the applied sciences. The results show that researchers have positive attitudes towards these practices and their usage is higher than what is perceived. Open science practices are becoming increasingly common in the social sciences, but there is limited data on their popularity and prevalence.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alonzo Alfaro-Nunez
Summary: Scientists and academic researchers face enormous pressure to publish ground-breaking results, which may compromise the transparency and integrity of scientific research. Survival and advancement in the competitive world of science are particularly challenging for junior and mid-senior researchers. However, continuous rejections for years may lead to discouragement, requiring resilience and perseverance.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jennifer A. Byrne, Yasunori Park, Reese A. K. Richardson, Pranujan Pathmendra, Mengyi Sun, Thomas Stoeger
Summary: Human gene research is at risk from low-quality or fraudulent articles produced by paper mills. This review discusses the impact of paper mills on the human gene research literature and proposes methods for detecting and correcting these problematic publications.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Humanities, Multidisciplinary
Mads P. Sorensen, Tine Ravn, Ana Marusic, Andrea Reyes Elizondo, Panagiotis Kavouras, Joeri K. Tijdink, Anna-Kathrine Bendtsen
Summary: This study fills the knowledge gap regarding disciplinary differences in the need for research integrity (RI) support from Research Performing organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding organisations (RFOs). It reports on the results of focus group interviews in eight European countries, highlighting the priorities of researchers and stakeholders from different research areas, and provides six policy recommendations for RPOs and RFOs to improve research integrity.
HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rob C. van Wijk, Ainhoa Lucia, Pavan Kumar Sudhakar, Lindsay Sonnenkalb, Cyril Gaudin, Eik Hoffmann, Berenice Dremierre, Diana Angelica Aguilar-Ayala, Michael Dal Molin, Jan Rybniker, Stefano de Giorgi, Laura Cioetto-Mazzabo, Greta Segafreddo, Riccardo Manganelli, Giulia Degiacomi, Deborah Recchia, Maria Rosalia Pasca, Ulrika S. H. Simonsson, Santiago Ramon-Garcia
Summary: Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death by a single infectious agent. The ERA4TB is a partnership aiming to progress new anti-TB regimens into the clinic. Standardized protocols and data reporting templates were established for reliable interpretation of treatment efficacy.
Article
Environmental Sciences
John P. Sumpter, Tamsin J. Runnalls, Andrew C. Johnson, Damia Barcelo
Summary: It is uncommon for scientists to acknowledge the limitations of their research because of the pressure to publish. This has resulted in a crisis of reproducibility in published research. To address this, including a 'Limitations' section in scientific papers is suggested, as it promotes honesty and transparency. This recommendation applies to all scientific disciplines.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Emmanuel A. Zavalis, Despina G. Contopoulos-Ioannidis, John P. A. Ioannidis
Summary: An evaluation of 5340 articles published in 9 specialty infectious disease journals in 2019 and 2021 showed low levels of code sharing, data sharing, and registration, and high levels of conflicts of interest and funding disclosures, indicating a need for increased transparency.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Business
Nicolae Lupu, Dragon Bigu
Summary: To ensure scientific research complies with ethical standards, integrity codes and research ethics committees play a crucial role. Analyzing complaints, reports, and decisions from recent years provides insights into the alignment of research activities with ethical norms.
AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leho Tedersoo, Rainer Kungas, Ester Oras, Kajar Koster, Helen Eenmaa, Ali Leijen, Margus Pedaste, Marju Raju, Anastasiya Astapova, Heli Lukner, Karin Kogermann, Tuul Sepp
Summary: The study found that while data sharing has improved over the past decade, differences in data availability and willingness to share data still exist among different disciplines. It is recommended to incentivize researchers to share data through benefits such as recognition and rewards, with funding agencies covering data management costs and enforcing data sharing surveillance.
Review
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Maria Nunez-Nunez, Jeffrey C. Andrews, Mohamed Fawzy, Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas, Khalid Saeed Khan
Summary: This article analyzes the current literature to promote research integrity in clinical trials. Recent admissions of questionable practices by researchers have undermined confidence. There is a lack of specific recommendations for ethical and professional standards in clinical trials, and a need for constructive, supportive, and multidisciplinary approaches to embed integrity into research practice.
CURRENT OPINION IN OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Communication
Lee Humphreys, Neil A. Lewis, Katherine Sender, Andrea Stevenson Won
Summary: This article contributes to communication research by integrating qualitative methodological literature with open communication science research to identify five broader commitments for all communication research: validity, transparency, ethics, reflexivity, and collaboration. It also highlights the key opportunities for qualitative and quantitative communication scholars to leverage the momentum of open science to critically reflect on and improve knowledge production processes, while examining competing values that incentivize dubious practices in communication research and discussing metascience initiatives to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field.
JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION
(2021)
Article
Biology
Sandrine Soeharjono, Dominique G. Roche
Summary: This study found that most faculty members in the fields of ecology and evolution believe that publicly sharing data brings benefits or neutral outcomes, rather than costs, with the benefits being independent of career stage and gender. Men and early career researchers are more likely to perceive costs associated with open data sharing.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Brienna M. Larrick, Johanna T. Dwyer, John W. Erdman, Richard F. D'Aloisio, Wendelyn Jones
Summary: The food and beverage industry plays a critical role in advancing food and nutrition science, but industry-funded research is often scrutinized for biases related to funding sources. To address this, the Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences has updated its Guiding Principles for Funding Food Science and Nutrition Research to minimize bias and promote integrity. The updated principles provide guidelines for managing conflicts and ensuring transparency in industry-funded research.
JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Theory & Methods
Bo Li, Peng Qi, Bo Liu, Shuai Di, Jingen Liu, Jiquan Pei, Jinfeng Yi, Bowen Zhou
Summary: The rapid development of AI technology has led to the deployment of various systems. However, many current AI systems have vulnerabilities, are biased, and lack privacy protection. This review provides a comprehensive guide for building trustworthy AI systems, introducing the framework of AI trustworthiness and organizing various approaches. Concrete action items are offered for practitioners and stakeholders to improve AI trustworthiness. Key opportunities and challenges for future development are identified, emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift towards comprehensively trustworthy AI systems.
ACM COMPUTING SURVEYS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Oana Emilia Constantin, Nicoleta Stanciuc, Yinzhuo Yan, Ioana Otilia Ghinea, Claudia Ungureanu, Adrian Circiumaru, Deliang Wang, Natasa Poklar Ulrih, Gabriela Rapeanu
Summary: Anthocyanins extracted from grape skins were microencapsulated in vesicles with different polymers, and the stability and behavior of the vesicles were characterized. The vesicles showed stability in simulated gastrointestinal fluids and were successful in obtaining new light enriched mayonnaises.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Zala Gombac, Ilja Gasan Osojnik Crnivec, Mihaela Skrt, Katja Istenic, Andreja Knez Knafelj, Igor Pravst, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
Summary: The study focused on preparing stable encapsulates of lutein and lutein esters using feasible techniques. Fine suspensions and lecithin emulsions showed high encapsulation efficiencies and superior stability over the course of 250 days of storage under specific conditions.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Varineja Drasler, Jasna Bertoncelj, Mojca Korosec, Tanja Pajk Zontar, Natasa Poklar Ulrih, Blaz Cigic
Summary: The study reveals that the main advantages of WFH include saving time and improving quality of life, while the main issues are high stress levels, low efficiency, and poor home working environment; Online education compared to traditional education lacks traditional laboratory work, social interactions, and has limitations in online knowledge assessment.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Gordana Kocic, Andrej Veljkovic, Dusan Sokolovic, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
OXIDATIVE MEDICINE AND CELLULAR LONGEVITY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Iztok Prislan, Tomaz Urbic, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
Summary: G-quadruplexes are DNA sequences rich in guanines that can form four-stranded structures. Due to their potential role in important biological processes, they have attracted the interest of researchers. This study investigates the complex polymorphism of d(G(4)T(4)G(3)) quadruplexes at different K+ concentrations and shows that the population size of different conformations can be manipulated by cooling rate and/or K+ concentration. A kinetic model is used to describe the observed conformational transitions.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dino Jordanoski, Damjana Drobne, Neza Repar, Iztok Dogsa, Polona Mrak, Romana Cerc-Korosec, Andrijana Sever Skapin, Peter Nadrah, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
Summary: By using heulandite-calcium as a carrier material, the structure and stability of hemoglobin can be improved, and its loading capacity can be increased. Introducing a PEGylated lipid bilayer can decrease the premature release of hemoglobin and increase colloidal stability, while showing no cytotoxicity to cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Polona Megusar, David Stopar, Natasa Poklar Ulrih, Iztok Dogsa, Iztok Prislan
Summary: Understanding the effects of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose and xanthan gum on gluten-free dough can contribute to the development of better quality gluten-free bread with optimized ingredients.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ana Todorovic, Luka Sturm, Ana Salevic-Jelic, Steva Levic, Ilja Gasan Osojnik Crnivec, Iztok Prislan, Mihaela Skrt, Ana Bjekovic, Natasa Poklar Ulrih, Viktor Nedovic
Summary: This study aimed to encapsulate anthocyanin-rich bilberry extract using freeze-drying and investigate the effects of different wall materials and extract contents on the properties of the encapsulates. The use of maltodextrin provided the best protection to the anthocyanins. The obtained encapsulates have potential for the development of food products with added nutritional benefits.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Mihaela Skrt, Alen Albreht, Irena Vovk, Oana Emilia Constantin, Gabriela Rapeanu, Mija Sezun, Ilja Gasan Osojnik Crnivec, Uros Zalar, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
Summary: This study comprehensively examined the phenolic composition and antioxidative activity of a new pomegranate cultivar grown in the Northwest Istria region. The results showed that pomegranate peel extracts had the highest total phenolic content, while water peel extracts exhibited the highest antioxidative activity. Additionally, the degradation of anthocyanins in pomegranate juice increased after storage. Pomegranate peel was also found to be a sustainable inedible food source for papermaking.
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Rodrigo Gonzalez-Ortega, Carla Daniela Di Mattia, Paola Pittia, Poklar Ulrih Natasa
Summary: The study investigated the impact of isothermal treatment and pH on the degradation kinetics of phenolic compounds in olive leaf extract solutions and their radical scavenging activity. It was found that oleuropein, the major compound, degraded more rapidly at lower pH and higher temperatures. Hydroxytyrosol concentration increased at the same pH due to oleuropein hydrolysis. Verbascoside degradation only occurred at pH 6.0. Despite changes in individual compounds, the overall reducing capacity of the compounds remained relatively constant after thermal treatments. These findings provide insights for predicting and optimizing thermal treatments in foods enriched with olive leaf extracts.
JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luka Sturm, Ilja Gasan Osojnik Crnivec, Iztok Prislan, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
Summary: Propolis, a resinous compound made by bees, has well-known biological activity. This study compared the antibacterial activity, lipid phase transition effect, and inhibition of UV-induced lipid oxidation between encapsulated and non-encapsulated propolis. The results showed that non-encapsulated propolis had quicker effects, particularly in antibacterial activity. Furthermore, the synergistic effects of propolis compounds on lipid membranes were studied, revealing complex interactions and the need for mathematical modeling.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nikola Stamenkovic, Janez Cerkovnik, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
Summary: Antioxidants, which connect biology and chemistry, are now being studied theoretically with the advancement of theoretical and computational methods. This paper presents a novel method that aims to reduce the wall times for DFT calculations in the study of antioxidants. By applying the inversion of theory level to the universal chemical scavenger model, the accuracy and wall time obtained suggest that this methodology can be generally applied to antioxidant thermodynamics for some costly DFT methods.
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jan Kejzar, Ilja Gasan Osojnik Crnivec, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
Summary: Archaeosomes, made from archaeal lipids, possess remarkable thermostability, resistance to enzymatic degradation, long-term stability, and immunomodulatory properties. This review focuses on the physicochemical properties and stability of total polar lipids from Aeropyrum pernix K1, specifically glycerol ether lipids with isoprenoid groups attached to glycerol via ether linkages. The effects of temperature and pH on the stability, structure, fluidity, and permeability of pure C-25,C-25 archaeosomes were examined using various techniques. The potential use of archaeal lipids as a targeted drug delivery system is also discussed.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Spela Gruden, Jernej Oberckal, Bojana Bogovic, Natasa Poklar Ulrih
Summary: Lactoperoxidase, a glycoprotein with potential as a natural biopreservative, exhibits antimicrobial activity. Its structural stability and enzymatic activity rely on factors such as pH, buffer concentration, and ions. Depletion of iron and calcium ions can lower thermal stability and enzymatic activity.
INTERNATIONAL DAIRY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Poornima Budime Santhosh, Tihomir Tenev, Luka Sturm, Natasa Poklar Ulrih, Julia Genova
Summary: Gold nanoparticles were used to assess their effects on the structure and fluidity of lipid membranes. The study found that the nanoparticles did not significantly alter the membrane structure and fluidity, suggesting their suitability for biomedical applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)