And by then, the IUCR will have established the CFDU (Crystallographic Fraud Detection Unit), onto which Jack Bauer would be enlisted as a consultant ("24" may still be running, who knows, so Jack won't be able to serve full-time on the job). This would be fun.
Boaz ----- Original Message ----- From: Bernhard Rupp <b...@ruppweb.org> Date: Saturday, March 21, 2009 1:30 Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] fake images To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK > It took from the 'official' IUCR recommendation in 2000 > > Guss M (2000) Guidelines for the deposition and release of > macromolecular > coordinate and experimental data. Acta Crystallogr. D56(1), 2. > > until Feb 2008 for structure factor amplitude deposition to the > PDB > to become mandatory. > > Nature started to provide coordinates and SFs to reviewers > already around > 2006 > > So, with luck, mandatory image deposition will happen in less > than a decade. > By > then we'll have dirt cheap solid state disks which we stick into > a port > labeled 'solve structure' on our 0.5 lb Windux handheld which > then > wirelessly transmits the model and data to the repository, > automaticallylinking > to your auto-generated paper's identifier, while an artificial > intelligencepre-editing > tool rejects your manuscript for political incorrectness. > > Mark my words. > > BR > > > -----Original Message----- > From: CCP4 bulletin board [mailto:ccp...@jiscmail.ac.uk] On > Behalf Of Eric > Bennett > Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 4:10 PM > To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK > Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] fake images > > Bernhard Rupp wrote: > > >I only scratched the surface and I think it would be hard work > to fake > >the images in a way that later expert forensics would > >not readily provide evidence. Also, there are 'watermarks' > available from > >cryptographic methods that are even 'post-processing' resistant. > > > A practical question is, even if it could be detected in theory, > is > anyone looking for it in practice? How many journal > reviewers are > going to audit this information? > > Today some structures still don't get deposited with structure > factors. Not all journals enforce deposition policies > well. Even if > some future image repository can do automated image auditing, > people > who want to commit overt fraud will pick a journal that doesn't > enforce deposition requirements, and decline to provide their images. > > A watermark or statistical analysis won't help you if you don't > have > access to the image. This discussion started regarding a > place for > people who _want_ to deposit images; unfortunately some people > aren't > going to do it voluntarily. > > -Eric > > > -- > Boaz Shaanan, Ph.D. Dept. of Life Sciences Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva 84105 Israel Phone: 972-8-647-2220 ; Fax: 646-1710 Skype: boaz.shaanan