Red Herring Research Articles

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

Reviewed by: Broken Things by Lauren Oliver Karen Coats Oliver, Lauren Broken Things. Harper/HarperCollins, 2018 [416p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-222413-2 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-222415-6 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 7-10 After Mia and Brynn were wrongfully accused and subsequently acquitted of the brutal murder of their best friend, Summer, when they were thirteen, their lives have become grim exercises in surviving harsh public opinion. For the past five years, Brynn has faked addictions that keep her in rehab facilities, while Mia homeschools amidst her mother's hoarding. While clearing out some of her mother's stuff, Mia comes across a paper that sheds new light on the murder. She retrieves Brynn from her latest rehab center, and the girls, along with three friends, set out to uncover what really happened. Despite the fact that the narration alternates between Mia and Brynn and the past and the present, Mia and Brynn remain mostly flat and static, and while their fascination with a fantasy novel provides an interesting premise, none of the main characters evokes much empathy or emerges as more than a stock figure of dysfunctional YA girl ensembles. Mia's new friend, Abby, however, breaks many molds as a fat fashionista with a robust and profitable online fandom and a quick but non-acerbic wit. The mystery fishtails its way through multiple red herrings and the ending proves surprising if anticlimactic. That said, the idea of being so encased in a fantasy—be it a book or a toxic friendship—that you miss what's really going on around you offers up much food for thought for readers who enjoy probing the motivations of broken teenage girls. KC [End Page 133] Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Lohrli Revisited: Newly Identified Contributors to Household Words

Lohrli Revisited:Newly Identified Contributors to Household Words Jeremy Parrott (bio) For the past two years I have been engaged in researching and writing up the results of a major find I made in 2015 – a complete marked set of All the Year Round (1859–68), permitting the identification of hundreds of previously anonymous contributors for the very first time. The book that I have been working on renders Ella Ann Oppenlander's partial 1984 guide to the magazine obsolete and will serve as a companion to Anne Lohrli's 1973 guide to Household Words and its contributors, a work which provided both inspiration and a model. The bulk of my labor has involved trying to piece together lost lives from the archives, often solely on the basis of a defective name token. As an example of the type of challenge I have been facing, I can cite a Mr Rolfe (so designated in the marginal annotation), author of a single article entitled "Engraved on steel." As over 1,700 Rolfes are recorded in the 1861 UK census data, that line of inquiry seemed doomed to fail. Several Rolfes are noted in the British Library catalogue as authors in the time-frame 1850–1900, but none with any obvious connection to fine-art engraving – the subject of the article. I believed I was looking for an engraver called Rolfe, but no such individual was forthcoming. It was only when I questioned the accuracy of the annotation and looked for similar names that I eventually found my quarry. The author of the piece was none other than Edwin Roffe (1825–91), who produced engravings of Dickens's parents and his wife, Catherine. Only after I had established that Roffe was almost certainly the author was I able to turn to the Pilgrim Letters and discover, as confirmation of my attribution, that there was a correspondence between Dickens and Roffe about that very article. The point of the preceding anecdote is to indicate that much of my research has taken the form of literary detective work, following up leads and clues, with plenty of red herrings strewn by the way. I have unearthed over 100 contributors who, until now, have been totally unknown as authors, but many of whose lives, nonetheless, have provided fascinating insights [End Page 110] into Victorian social history. How, for example, did a 24-year old former Royal Navy officer become commander of the Tai-Ping fleet in battle against the Chinese imperial navy, or an actuary from the London suburbs become the inventor of a powerful explosive and gain a reputation in the United States as the last great alchemist? And, almost equally interesting, how did they come to be writing anonymously for Charles Dickens's popular weekly magazine? A large number of the published contributions in both Household Words and All the Year Round were selected by Dickens and Wills from the countless offerings speculatively sent to the magazine offices each week by aspiring authors. In the case of All the Year Round, roughly one third of the magazine's contents over a 10-year run was produced by just eight authors, another third by 30 or so regular writers, with the remaining third being the work of some 280 occasional contributors, roughly 160 of whom had just one item published. Tracking down these less eminent Victorians has been a time-consuming but generally very pleasurable challenge, gradually whittling down the number of unknowns from well over 100 at the outset to just 40 at the last count. Those that remain unidentifiable include miscellaneous Browns, Blacks, Lees and Wilsons – names too common to permit any firm attribution – as well as some perplexing anomalies such as a Julian de Burgh who served in the French army and a Raphal das Haldan, an Indian who wrote about India in English. Thus far, despite wide-ranging searches, no individual bearing either of these (or similar) names in the relevant time-frame has come to light. Amongst the contributors I successfully ran to ground were several who had also had material published in Household Words, but whom Anne Lohrli had been unable to positively identify. From these I can cite...

IFN-stimulated Genes and Non-Type 2 Inflammation. New Pathway or Red Herring?

IFN-stimulated Genes and Non-Type 2 Inflammation. New Pathway or Red Herring?

Clival metastasis from a gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma causing multiple cranial neuropathies

A 78-year-old man with a history of benign prostatic hyperplasia presented with double vision, facial pain, altered taste and headache for 7 weeks. Neurological exam was notable for palsies of...

AI binges on TV crime shows to spot whodunnit

The set-up in an episode of the TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is nearly always the same. The formula is gripping because the answer is rarely obvious. Cracking the case before the big reveal not only requires an ability to pay attention to the clues, but also to navigate plot twists and red herrings. It is even harder for a computer to solve. But by binge watching CSI episodes, one artificial intelligence is learning how to be a sleuth. Developed by Lea Frermann and her colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, UK, the AI watched 39 episodes of CSI: Las Vegas, involving 59 cases in all. Throughout each show, the AI had to say whenever it thought the perpetrator was on screen.

Salmon Bias or Red Herring?

The purpose of this research is to empirically test the salmon bias hypothesis, which states that the “healthy migrant” effect—referring to a situation in which migrants enjoy lower mortality risks than natives—is caused by selective return-migration of the weak, sick, and elderly. Using a unique longitudinal micro-level database—the Historical Sample of the Netherlands—we tracked the life courses of internal migrants after they had left the city of Rotterdam, which allowed us to compare mortality risks of stayers, returnees, and movers using survival analysis for the study group as a whole, and also for men and women separately. Although migrants who stayed in the receiving society had significantly higher mortality risks than natives, no significant difference was found for migrants who returned to their municipality of birth (returnees). By contrast, migrants who left for another destination (movers) had much lower mortality risks than natives. Natives who left Rotterdam also had significantly lower mortality risks than natives who stayed in Rotterdam. Female migrants, in particular, who stayed in the receiving urban society paid a long-term health price. In the case of Rotterdam, the salmon bias hypothesis can be rejected because the lower mortality effect among migrants was not caused by selective return-migration. The healthy migrant effect is real and due to a positive selection effect: Healthier people are more likely to migrate.

Acetaminophen Toxicity, the Red Herring of Lymphoma

Acetaminophen Toxicity, the Red Herring of Lymphoma

Morphological variations in animal studies: Useful for human risk assessment, or Red Herring?

Morphological variations in animal studies: Useful for human risk assessment, or Red Herring?

46-Year-Old Man With Lower Back Pain

46-Year-Old Man With Lower Back Pain

Toward Generalized Evolutionism: Beyond “Generalized Darwinism” and Its Critics

:This article seeks to transcend the debate regarding “generalized Darwinism” or “universal Darwinism” for the social sciences. Highlighting recent discoveries in evolutionary biology, the article argues that it is no longer tenable to insist that (neo-)Darwinism is the only proper doctrine for understanding biological evolution. Moreover, social evolution is much more than purely (neo-)Darwinian or (neo-)Lamarckian. As such, the debate on whether we deploy only (neo-)Darwinism or (neo-)Lamarckism — generalized or not — to understand social evolution is a red herring. Instead, social scientists should embrace “generalized evolutionism,” a more accommodating and versatile doctrine that subsumes “(generalized) Darwinism” or “(generalized) Lamarckism.” Empirical inquiries that deploy “generalized evolutionism” have shed important new light on some critical puzzles in human society: from institutional change to the foundation of economic development before 1500 AD, through the coming of the industrial revolution, to the evolution of the international system. More empirical efforts along this line of theorizing are needed.

Defense of the PACE trial is based on argumentation fallacies.

In defense of the PACE trial, Petrie and Weinman employ a series of misleading or fallacious argumentation techniques, including circularity, blaming the victim, bait and switch, non-sequitur, setting up a straw person, guilt by association, red herring, and the parade of horribles. These are described and explained.

Vitamin A deficiency mimicking CNS demyelination

Introduction: Severe vitamin A deficiency causing significant visual impairment is rarely encountered in children. We present a case of optic neuropathy associated with Vitamin A deficiency mimicking central nervous system (CNS) demyelination. Case: A three year old girl with a background of cow’s milk protein intolerance presents with a gradual history of painless visual loss over three weeks. This only became noticeable to her family when she was unable to see close objects. An urgent ophthalmology opinion was sought, which demonstrated evidence of bilateral optic neuropathy. MR imaging of her brain and spine demonstrated multiple areas of subtle high signal changes including the cervical cord and splenium of the corpus callosum. Although imaging was suggestive of demyelination, her ophthalmology findings were more indicative of a long-standing neuropathy. Steroid therapy was therefore held off pending further investigations, which confirmed an undetectable Vitamin A level. This was treated with Vitamin A supplementation, which has resulted in stability of her vision and visual fields. Discussion: Nutritional optic neuropathies are uncommon but need to be thought of in high risk patients. On further review of our patient’s history, she was found to be a very picky eater with limited intake of products rich in Vitamin A. CNS demyelination is not a reported feature of Vitamin A deficiency and the subtle imaging changes seen in our case are likely to be coincidental. Early diagnosis and treatment of Vitamin A deficiency is crucial in preserving vision and preventing further visual deterioration. Conclusion: In children who present with gradual visual loss and optic neuropathy, consideration should be given to nutritional deficiencies such as Vitamin A deficiency. The presence of subtle changes on imaging suggestive of demyelination may sometimes be a red herring and clinical correlation is needed to clinch the correct diagnosis.

Logical Flaws In Indonesian Students’ Argumentative Essays

<p>Writing argumentative essays becomes a challenge for both teachers and students as it relates to various aspects. One of them is on the teaching and learning of critical thinking skills comprising the awareness to avoid logical flaws. The real reflection of critical thinking can be traced through students’ ability to express their thought in the form of arguments which have no logical flaws. Good arguments must be supported by convincing claims and careful choice of wordings which is free from fallacious statements. This paper identifies the fallacious statements or logical flaws occurring in the argumentative writing of the students of an Islamic University in Indonesia. The findings show the faulty reasoning found in terms of the discussion on the topics, the flawed relations with the audience, and the relations with the characters involved in the arguments. The types of the logical flaws also concern the claims expressed. On claims of fact, the fallacies found include hasty generalization, irrelevancy, slippery slope, oversimplification and begging the question. Regarding pathos, the fallacy type covers ad populum, appeal to emotion premises and red herring. Meanwhile, the ethos fallacy occurs in straw man only. On claims of value, more faulty reasoning is found compared to the discussion on the topics which are considered less familiar. In the logos fallacy for instance, the whole types of fallacy are found. The pathos found involves appeal to emotion premises and red herring, while the ethos fallacy occurs in appeal to authority and ad hominem. On claims of policy, the similar tendency of ethos is also found while the pathos existing is in the form of appeal to emotion premises. Therefore, it is recommended that the students develop their critical thinking skills which involve constructing logical and flawless reasoning.</p><strong>Keywords: </strong><em>logical flaws, critical thinking, logos, ethos, pathos</em>

South Africa's Law on Foreign State Immunity: A Pandora's Box of Phantom Waivers, Red Herrings and Dark Continents

Does South Africa still adhere to the restrictive state immunity doctrine? This is the million-rand question that arises from the Constitutional Court of South Africa’s (CCSA) decision in the case of Zimbabwe v Fick (Fick case) in which it created a new common law rule permitting the exercise of jurisdiction and the registration of judgments issued by international courts against foreign states. Crucially, the Fick Foreign State Jurisdictional rule (FFSJ rule) enables South African courts to exercise jurisdiction over foreign states irrespective of whether the judgment sought to be registered and enforced against the foreign state concerns a dispute over acta jure imperii. This article argues that the CCSA’s decision in the Fick case is seriously flawed. However, if it accurately represents South African law then it is authority for the proposition that the country no longer adheres to the restrictive state immunity doctrine.

Before hierarchy: the rise and fall of Stephen Jay Gould's first macroevolutionary synthesis.

Few of Stephen Jay Gould's accomplishments in evolutionary biology have received more attention than his hierarchical theory of evolution, which postulates a causal discontinuity between micro- and macroevolutionary events. But Gould's hierarchical theory was his second attempt to supply a theoretical framework for macroevolutionary studies-and one he did not inaugurate until the mid-1970s. In this paper, I examine Gould's first attempt: a proposed fusion of theoretical morphology, multivariate biometry and the experimental study of adaptation in fossils. This early "macroevolutionary synthesis" was predicated on the notion that parallelism and convergence dominate the history of higher taxa, and moreover, that they can be explained in terms of adaptation leading to mechanical improvement. In this paper, I explore the origins and contents of Gould's first macroevolutionary synthesis, as well as the reasons for its downfall. In addition, I consider how various developments during the mid-1970s led Gould to identify hierarchy and constraint as the leading themes of macroevolutionary studies-and adaptation as a macroevolutionary red herring.

A Logical Reconstruction of Batcher's Mergers Or: Bitonicity is a Red Herring

A Logical Reconstruction of Batcher's Mergers Or: Bitonicity is a Red Herring

A False-Positive Screening Hit in Fragment-Based Lead Discovery: Watch out for the Red Herring.

With the rising popularity of fragment-based approaches in drug development, more and more attention has to be devoted to the detection of false-positive screening results. In particular, the small size and low affinity of fragments drives screening techniques to their limit. The pursuit of a false-positive hit can cause significant loss of time and resources. Here, we present an instructive and intriguing investigation into the origin of misleading assay results for a fragment that emerged as the most potent binder for the aspartic protease endothiapepsin (EP) across multiple screening assays. This molecule shows its biological effect mainly after conversion into another entity through a reaction cascade that involves major rearrangements of its heterocyclic scaffold. The formed ligand binds EP through an induced-fit mechanism involving remarkable electrostatic interactions. Structural information in the initial screening proved to be crucial for the identification of this false-positive hit.

Microbial trimethylamine-N-oxide as a disease marker: something fishy?

ABSTRACTProduction of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) via the gut microbiota has recently been proposed as an important pathophysiological mechanism linking ingestion of ‘unhealthy foods’, such as beef (containing carnitine) and eggs (containing choline), and the development of atherosclerosis. Hence, TMAO has gained attention as a novel biomarker for cardiovascular disease. However, fish and seafood contain considerable amounts of TMAO and are generally accepted as cardioprotective: a puzzling paradox that seems to have been neglected. We suspect that the TMAO story may be a red herring.

Of mice and men, nature and nurture, and a few red herrings.

Burkart et al.'s proposal is based on three false premises: (1) theories of the mind are either domain-specific/modular (DSM) or domain-general (DG); (2) DSM systems are considered inflexible, built by nature; and (3) animal minds are deemed as purely DSM. Clearing up these conceptual confusions is a necessary first step in understanding how general intelligence evolved.

Missing by Kelley Armstrong

Reviewed by: Missing by Kelley Armstrong Karen Coats Armstrong, Kelley Missing. Crown, 2017 [384p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55033-1 $20.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55032-4 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-399-55034-8 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9-12 Winter Crane has a plan: she's going to leave Reeve's End, Kentucky, after graduation and never look back. Meanwhile, though, she has to survive her abusive father and feed herself, a process that often involves hunting, trapping, and hiding out in a cabin in the woods near her trailer. It's in the woods that she finds and rescues Lennon, a boy treed by a pack of feral dogs, and she learns that he is looking for her friend Edie, who has gone missing. When Lennon also disappears and his broody brother, Jude, shows up, Winter begins to wonder about the large number of teens who have left Reeve's End never to be heard from again. It soon becomes clear that Winter is being stalked while Jude knows more than he's saying. As Winter and Jude try to find Lennon and Edie, they also circle warily around each other, and the secrets they reveal prove key to the mystery as well as to a developing relationship. Between real clues and clever red herrings that take advantage of a fully realized setting and a surprising cast of characters, this thriller crescendos to a nail-biting climax that draws equally on the strength and skills of Winter and Jude. In fact, it is the psychological resonance and complexity of several of the characters, and not just the insane motivations and unpredictable identity of the killer, that give this crime drama its considerable appeal. Copyright © 2017 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois