The epistemic integrity of scientific research

We live in a world in which scientific expertise and its epistemic authority become more important. On the other hand, the financial interests in research, which could potentially corrupt science, are increasing. Due to these two tendencies, a concern for the integrity of scientific research becomes increasingly vital. This concern is, however, hollow if we do not have a clear account of research integrity. Therefore, it is important that we explicate this concept. Following Rudolf Carnap's characterization of the task of explication, this means that we should develop a concept that is (1) similar to our common sense notion of research integrity, (2) exact, (3) fruitful, and (4) as simple as possible. Since existing concepts do not meet these four requirements, we develop a new concept in this article. We describe a concept of epistemic integrity that is based on the property of deceptiveness, and argue that this concept does meet Carnap's four requirements of explication. To illustrate and support our claims we use several examples from scientific practice, mainly from biomedical research

Interests and epistemic integrity in science : a new framework to assess interest influences in scientific research processes

Non-epistemic interests (e.g., financial interests, political interests) sometimes influence scientific decisions (e.g., hypothesis acceptance, theory choice). For instance, pharmaceutical giant Merck manipulated clinical trial data in order to make sure that these data confirmed the safety of one of its products (Vioxx), as this served the company’s short-term commercial interests. The latter is obviously unacceptable. But why exactly is it unacceptable? One way to account for this is on the basis of the full ideal of purity. According to this ideal, scientific decision-making should be pure, i.e. unaffected by non-epistemic interests. Although this ideal is questionable in light of earlier philosophical work, some philosophers of science still hold on to it, or to a less strict version of it. In part 1 of this dissertation, it is argued that it is better to fully abandon the ideal of purity. In part 2, an alternative ideal to assess interest influences in science is proposed: the ideal of epistemic integrity. A new concept of epistemic integrity is spelled out and systematically defended. Furthermore, the new concept is not only used to analyze the Vioxx debacle, but also to identify unacceptable interest influences in aerospace science and climate science, and to explain why exactly these interest influences are unacceptable

Smartphone-based safety planning and self-monitoring for suicidal patients: Rationale and study protocol of the CASPAR (Continuous Assessment for Suicide Prevention And Research) study

Background: It remains difficult to predict and prevent suicidal behaviour, despite growing understanding of the aetiology of suicidality. Clinical guidelines recommend that health care professionals develop a safety plan in collaboration with their high-risk patients, to lower the imminent risk of suicidal behaviour. Mobile health applications provide new opportunities for safety planning, and enable daily self-monitoring of suicide-related symptoms that may enhance safety planning. This paper presents the rationale and protocol of the Continuous Assessment for Suicide Prevention And Research (CASPAR) study. The aim of the study is two-fold: to evaluate the feasibility of mobile safety planning and daily mobile self-monitoring in routine care treatment for suicidal patients, and to conduct fundamental research on suicidal processes. Methods: The study is an adaptive single cohort design among 80 adult outpatients or day-care patients, with the main diagnosis of major depressive disorder or dysthymia, who have an increased risk for suicidal behaviours. There are three measurement points, at baseline, at 1 and 3 months after baseline. Patients are instructed to use their mobile safety plan when necessary and monitor their suicidal symptoms daily. Both these apps will be used in treatment with their clinician. Conclusion: The results from this study will provide insight into the feasibility of mobile safety planning and self-monitoring in treatment of suicidal patients. Furthermore, knowledge of the suicidal process will be enhanced, especially regarding the transition from suicidal ideation to behaviour

Gehavende steden. De krimp van middeleeuwse havensteden in Zeeland van de zestiende tot en met de negentiende eeuw

The south-western delta region of the present-day Netherlands, the area where the rivers Maas, Schelde and Waal flow into the North Sea, experienced a period of great economic prosperity from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. The trans-shipment of international merchandise to and from the towns and cities of the interior generated considerable wealth, which was concentrated in the strategically located seaports. However, in the sixteenth century, prolonged hostilities and the repeated silting-up of the harbours resulted in a major economic downturn. Trade and prosperity steadily migrated to more northerly seaports, such as Amsterdam, while large numbers of the inhabitants of the Zeeland harbour towns also decamped to other seaports. This population decline had many consequences for the physical form of the Zeeland seaports. Though a lot of research has been carried out into the morphological development (the emergence of the physical form of the town plan) of Dutch cities, research into the morphological consequences of decline is still quite limited. This study focuses on the effects of the decline on the physical form of medieval seaports in Zeeland from the sixteenth to nineteenth century, and questions whether it is possible to discern a structure in this morphological degradation. As the cities shrank, due to large-scale dilapidation and demolition of houses, gaps opened up in the town plan. This concerns the basic element of the study: by digitally superimposing successive town plans drawn from case studies it was possible to see where, during the three-century period, houses disappeared, leaving gaps in the morphology of the city. Once the gaps had been recorded, a clearly discernible pattern emerged of where and in what period the most gaps appeared. To further explicate this kind of urban decline, a study was made of the characteristics of these urban areas: their age, their position in relation to the trading port, their function and their location vis-à-vis the urban periphery. The resulting characterization is quite revealing about the structure of the decline. Four case studies were compared for this study: Zierikzee, Middelburg, Veere and Brouwershaven. These four towns were prosperous international seaports during the Middle Ages, but in the centuries that followed they all contracted to varying degrees. In addition to the similarities in the pattern of decline, there were also interesting differences due to the disparate nature of new economic pillars. This study is intended to stimulate more form-focused research into the decline of cities

Gehavende steden. De krimp van middeleeuwse havensteden in Zeeland van de zestiende tot en met de negentiende eeuw

The south-western delta region of the present-day Netherlands, the area where the rivers Maas, Schelde and Waal flow into the North Sea, experienced a period of great economic prosperity from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. The trans-shipment of international merchandise to and from the towns and cities of the interior generated considerable wealth, which was concentrated in the strategically located seaports. However, in the sixteenth century, prolonged hostilities and the repeated silting-up of the harbours resulted in a major economic downturn. Trade and prosperity steadily migrated to more northerly seaports, such as Amsterdam, while large numbers of the inhabitants of the Zeeland harbour towns also decamped to other seaports. This population decline had many consequences for the physical form of the Zeeland seaports. Though a lot of research has been carried out into the morphological development (the emergence of the physical form of the town plan) of Dutch cities, research into the morphological consequences of decline is still quite limited. This study focuses on the effects of the decline on the physical form of medieval seaports in Zeeland from the sixteenth to nineteenth century, and questions whether it is possible to discern a structure in this morphological degradation. As the cities shrank, due to large-scale dilapidation and demolition of houses, gaps opened up in the town plan. This concerns the basic element of the study: by digitally superimposing successive town plans drawn from case studies it was possible to see where, during the three-century period, houses disappeared, leaving gaps in the morphology of the city. Once the gaps had been recorded, a clearly discernible pattern emerged of where and in what period the most gaps appeared. To further explicate this kind of urban decline, a study was made of the characteristics of these urban areas: their age, their position in relation to the trading port, their function and their location vis-à-vis the urban periphery. The resulting characterization is quite revealing about the structure of the decline. Four case studies were compared for this study: Zierikzee, Middelburg, Veere and Brouwershaven. These four towns were prosperous international seaports during the Middle Ages, but in the centuries that followed they all contracted to varying degrees. In addition to the similarities in the pattern of decline, there were also interesting differences due to the disparate nature of new economic pillars. This study is intended to stimulate more form-focused research into the decline of cities

On large maximal partial ovoids of the parabolic quadric \q(4,q)

We use the representation $T_2(O)$ for \q(4,q) to show that maximal partial ovoids of \q(4,q) of size $q^2-1$, $q=p^h$, $p$ odd prime, $h > 1$, do not exist. Although this was known before, we give a slightly alternative proof, also resulting in more combinatorial information of the known examples for $q$ prime.Comment: 11 p