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PUBLISHERS UNITE TO TACKLE ALTERED IMAGES

The world’s largest science publishers are teaming up to establish standards for catching suspicious images in research papers. A new working group — the first formal cross-industry initiative to discuss the issue CORONAVIRUS — aims to set standards for software that screens papers HINDERS AUTOPSIES, for altered or duplicated images DEPRIVING RESEARCH during peer review. OF CRUCIAL TISSUE Journal editors have long been concerned about how As researchers worldwide best to spot altered images, struggle to understand which can result from honest COVID‑19’s effects on the body, mistakes or efforts to improve they are clamouring for tissue DOGS CAUGHT CORONAVIRUS FROM THEIR the appearance of images, as samples from patients. But the well as from misconduct. So far, raging pandemic and ongoing OWNERS, GENETIC ANALYSIS SUGGESTS most journals haven’t employed lockdowns have complicated image-checkers to screen efforts to do autopsies and The first two dogs reported at Utrecht University in the manuscripts, saying that it is too collect the tissue needed to to have coronavirus probably Netherlands. In the study, only expensive or time-consuming; understand how the coronavirus caught the infection from 2 of the 15 dogs who lived with and software that can screen attacks organs including the their owners, say researchers infected people got the disease. papers on a large scale hasn’t lungs, heart and brain. who studied the animals and Since the infections in the been available. Autopsies are always members of the infected two canines in Hong Kong — a The new cross-publisher painstaking work, but the households in Hong Kong. Pomeranian and a German working group aims to lay out pandemic means that health- An analysis of viral genetic shepherd — were reported, minimal requirements for care systems are overwhelmed, sequences from the dogs other pets have tested positive software that spots problems protective equipment is in short showed them to be identical to for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with images, and to look at supply and pathologists are at those in the infected people. including a cat in Hong Kong and how publishers could use the high risk of infection. Researchers suspected that another two in New York state. technology across hundreds of But some researchers have the infection had been passed Four tigers and three lions at thousands — or even millions — found ways around the obstacles. from the owners to the dogs, New York City’s Bronx Zoo also of papers. Pathologist Marisa Dolhnikoff and the direct genomic link tested positive. Studies in cats The group began meeting at the University of São Paulo strongly supports that, says have found that they can pass in April, having been set up by and her colleagues have been Malik Peiris, a virologist at the the virus to other felines. the standards and technology performing minimally invasive University of Hong Kong who led The Hong Kong study committee of the STM, a global autopsies using needle biopsies the study, which was published detected viral RNA and trade association for publishers, to understand why some patients in Nature (T. H. C. Sit et al. Nature antibodies in both dogs, and live based in Oxford, UK. It includes develop blood clots. http://doi.org/dvt4; 2020). virus in one of them. Neither dog representatives from publishers Researchers now want to The study showed no became noticeably sick. including Elsevier, Wiley, collect and share such samples evidence that dogs can pass the The findings support the Springer Nature and Taylor & and results systematically. A infection to other dogs or to results of an April study, in Francis. team of pathologists including people, but it is impossible to which researchers in China “The ultimate goal is to have Roberto Salgado at the GZA-ZNA be certain in which direction the infected dogs with SARS-CoV-2, an environment that helps Hospitals in Antwerp, Belgium, virus travelled “so we have to says Thomas Mettenleiter, us, in an automated way, to is creating a global COVID‑19 keep an open mind”, says Peiris. a virologist at the Federal identify image alterations,” says pathology repository. The Although the analysis Research Institute for Animal the group’s chair, IJsbrand Jan group is working with the World confirms that people with Health in Riems, Germany. Dog Aalbersberg, who is head of Health Organization to create COVID-19 can infect dogs, the owners who test positive for the research integrity at Elsevier. guidelines for the safe collection probability of this happening coronavirus should be cautious of autopsy samples and a is low, says Arjan Stegeman, when handling their pets, he standardized way of recording

L TO R: XINHUA NEWS AGENCY/SHUTTERSTOCK; GIORGOS MOUTAFIS/REUTERS GIORGOS AGENCY/SHUTTERSTOCK; NEWS R: XINHUA L TO a veterinary epidemiologist says. the results.