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Dear Garib,

I am afraid clarification is in order.

Firstly, the results are available here

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ahe0ET6Vsx-kdHh4cjdLZGZrSEpUOG9kV2hkb3ZXNHc

Click Form->Show summary to see the pie chart.  This is so you don't
need to vote again to see the results (and please, don't vote more than
once anyway!).  In my past experience, the results get more or less
final in a day or two or once the number of responses reaches ~300.

Secondly, it was not my intent to provide a "democracy-based argument".
Majority is often wrong.

Thirdly, it was not my intent to bias the results by carefully crafting
misleading/confusing options.  Just disregard the part past "No".  Or
provide you own reasons using the "Other" - I personally find that
category the most interesting.

Fourthly, my intent was to separate the discussion of "how to do it"
from "should we do it".  I disagree with Garib somewhat that this is
purely scientific question, and perhaps it is open to some opinion.  The
proposed changes will affect everyone (albeit in minor way), and my
ultimate intent is not to impose democracy but rather, as Jacob pointed
out, to potentially give voice to the silent faction.  Garib is right
that we should approach the question scientifically, but it's important
to know if the issue is at all controversial.  (In a strange way, the
smaller the minority is on either side the more important it seems to me
personally that every effort is made to assure that its position is well
understood).

Hope this clarifies things,

Ed.

On Thu, 2011-10-27 at 18:05 +0100, Garib N Murshudov wrote:
> 
> 
> I never thought that science should be done democratically. (Note, I
> voted to see results. Otherwise results are invisible). It would be
> unimaginable to decide by majority vote that a particular equation  or
> theory is valid (e.g. relativity theory).  I thought that storing data
> is a scientific question and should be tackled scientifically. You
> provide evidence, proof or proof of principle. 
> The most important question is repeatability of the experiment.
>  Question is: how far should we go? I know that there is at least one
> case of overmerged data in the pdb. This particular question could be
> solved (only partially) if you deposit unmerged data, with images it
> is solved completely. Overmerging means averaging structures, thus
> losing differences between them (biologically important or not).
> Overmerging could be over translation (superlattice), rotation (higher
> space group) or both.
> 
> 
> Has anybody ever done systematic analysis of pdb (even better data
> sets collected on one of the synchrotrons) to see the seriousness of
> the problem? I suspect the problem is much more serious than it is
> perceived.
> 
> Before you provide sufficient evidence everybody will have their
> opinion.
> 
> 
> Garib
> 
> 
> 
> On 27 Oct 2011, at 17:08, Ed Pozharski wrote:
> 
> > I am curious as to what the collective opinion on the raw data
> > deposition actually is across the cross-section of the
> > macromolecular
> > crystallography community subscribed to the bb.  So, if you have a
> > second and a formed opinion on the idea of the depositions of the
> > raw
> > data, please vote here
> > 
> > http://tinyurl.com/3qlwwsh
> > 
> > I'll post the results as soon as they look settled.
> > 
> > Cheers,
> > 
> > Ed.
> > 
> > -- 
> > "Hurry up before we all come back to our senses!"
> >                           Julian, King of Lemurs
> > 
> 
> Garib N Murshudov 
> Structural Studies Division
> MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
> Hills Road 
> Cambridge 
> CB2 0QH UK
> Email: [log in to unmask] 
> Web http://www.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

-- 
Edwin Pozharski, PhD, Assistant Professor
University of Maryland, Baltimore
----------------------------------------------
When the Way is forgotten duty and justice appear;
Then knowledge and wisdom are born along with hypocrisy.
When harmonious relationships dissolve then respect and devotion arise;
When a nation falls to chaos then loyalty and patriotism are born.
------------------------------   / Lao Tse /