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  1. S

    Article: Researcher Confesses, Implicates Dr. Mikovits in Theft of Materials From WPI

    The notebooks are the only leverage Judy Mikovits still has - I suspect she will want to trade them in exchange for having the criminal charges against her dropped.
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    Whittemore Institute suing Mikovits for alleged theft of lab notebooks and data

    Looking at some of the replies I'd imagine the optimal strategy would be to maintain paper notes where it serves the purpose of providing a legal record. Then periodically scan these notes into computers that are backed up to an off site location. That way all necessary data can be retrieved if...
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    Whittemore Institute suing Mikovits for alleged theft of lab notebooks and data

    I find it interesting that critical data is being kept in paper notebooks. I also find it interesting that WPI apparently has no backups of the data on the computers used by its lab personnel. A well run research institution would have its researchers maintain their notes on computers. Those...
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    The Race to Retract Lombardi 2009...

    Hi Bob, Yes I think some posters on these forums display characteristics that I describe above. There is little point to naming names - it would just elicit yet more ego defenses and arguments. If we cannot agree on the implications of studies like the BWG we are not likely to agree about how...
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    The Race to Retract Lombardi 2009...

    I think for some people belief in something becomes part of their identity / worldview. Data that questions that belief is treated as an attack on their ego - prompting an essentially emotionally motivated defense. When people are in emotional defense mode their rational side is not available to...
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    XMRV Webinair - Results of BWG - Q&A Video and Slides

    So you take the position the anti-coagulant made it difficult for WPI to detect what it did in its initial studies. How come all of the other labs properly detected XMRV in all the spiked positive controls in the NAT-PLASMA tests? How come WPI could not reliably detect the spiked controls in...
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    XMRV Webinair - Results of BWG - Q&A Video and Slides

    Now to consider the issue of HGRVs: Has anyone sequenced one of them? Has anyone produced a test that can find them in human tissue / blood etc? Has anyone found them in CFS/ME patients? They may well be worth studying. But I am not sure I'd want Judy Mikovits / WPI to be doing the work.
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    XMRV Webinair - Results of BWG - Q&A Video and Slides

    The salient result of the BWG study was that WPI could not even replicate its own work. WPI participated in the BWG study and had the ability to raise any issues with the studies design that would interfered with effectiveness of their assays / tests. Even if all the other labs were doing it...
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    XMRV Webinair - Results of BWG - Q&A Video and Slides

    I think we all are interested in seeing competent scientific research being done on CFIDS. WPI as an institution was clearly motivated to perform research - I don't think it did it particularly well. I also think WPI could have conducted relations with the rest of the scientific community in a...
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    XMRV Webinair - Results of BWG - Q&A Video and Slides

    The implications of the BWG data is that the WPI lab assays / procedures were neither sensitive nor specific. WPI could have avoided some of these issues by internally blinding their test samples and running the tests multiple times just like the BWG folks had them do in the larger study...
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    Why does 5AZA matter?

    Hi Lee, Thanks for the information. I was wondering what happens when a paper like the Lombardi paper gets reviewed before publication do the reviewers assume a basic level of underlying competence in the methods/techniques used by the authors of the paper? Assuming that Mikovits et al did not...
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    Comment by 'slovokia' in 'Who Benefits?'

    Some things to consider: Not everyone capable of making substantial donations to a charity wishes to be identified as having the means to do so. Privacy may trump considerations of ego etc. Some of us while very unhappy with many aspects of the CAA still contribute as a way to stimulate CFIDS...
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    Article: Research1st: the CFIDS Association's CFS Research Info Site

    The CAA's practice of releasing new websites like resarch1rst, solvecfs etc is just plain foolish. They treat websites like ad campaigns - give the product a "fresh" look every few years. Meanwhile the main website is a confused jumble of information that is cognitively stressful to navigate. A...
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    Suggestions for change at the CAA? Post here.

    Policy choice detail While the board may indeed set policy choices at a broad level, what I am concerned with is more detailed policy choices / implementation choices. Can these be made more democratically?
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    Suggestions for change at the CAA? Post here.

    Another Suggestion How about making policy choices in a more democratic way? Right now it appears that the CEO makes most of the policy choices while the board sets overall goals. Is this the only way things can be done? Why can't the board influence policy choices more, with input from the...
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    Suggestions for change at the CAA? Post here.

    Link to more suggestions: http://forums.aboutmecfs.org/showpost.php?p=23477&postcount=68
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    Suggestions for change at the CAA? Post here.

    Another Idea How about providing a way for the public to directly interact with board members without any filtering by the CFIDS Association leadership?
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    Suggestions for change at the CAA? Post here.

    Change suggestions After observing things for a long time, here are some ideas for improvement: Communicate with more candor: In the past the leadership of the CFIDS Association has tended to only focus on it's successes without openly discussing strategies that were not working. For...