Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Sociology

Twenty-nine teams involving 61 analysts used the same data set to address the same research question: whether soccer referees are more likely to give red cards to dark-skin-toned players than to light-skin-toned players. Analytic approaches varied widely across the teams, and the estimated effect sizes ranged from 0.89 to 2.93 ( Mdn = 1.31) in odds-ratio units. Twenty teams (69%) found a statistically significant positive effect, and 9 teams (31%) did not observe a significant relationship. Overall, the 29 different analyses used 21 unique combinations of covariates. Neither analysts’ prior beliefs about the effect of interest nor their level of expertise readily explained the variation in the outcomes of the analyses. Peer ratings of the quality of the analyses also did not account for the variability. These findings suggest that significant variation in the results of analyses of complex data may be difficult to avoid, even by experts with honest intentions. Crowdsourcing data analysis, a strategy in which numerous research teams are recruited to simultaneously investigate the same research question, makes transparent how defensible, yet subjective, analytic choices influence research results.

We examined the association between rate of cholesterol esterification in plasma depleted of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins (FERHDL), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) [(log (TG/HDL-C)], concentrations, and size of lipoproteins and changes in coronary artery stenosis in participants in the HDL-Atherosclerosis Treatment Study. A total of 160 patients was treated with simvastatin (S), niacin (N), antioxidants (A) and placebo (P) in four regimens. FERHDL was measured using a radioassay; the size and concentration of lipoprotein subclasses were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The S+N and S+N+A therapy decreased AIP and FERHDL, reduced total VLDL (mostly the large and medium size particles), decreased total LDL particles (mostly the small size), and increased total HDL particles (mostly the large size). FERHDL and AIP correlated negatively with particle sizes of HDL and LDL, positively with VLDL particle size, and closely with each other (r = 0.729). Changes in the proportions of small and large lipoprotein particles, which were reflected by FERHDL and AIP, corresponded with findings on coronary angiography. Logistic regression analysis of the changes in the coronary stenosis showed that probability of progression was best explained by FERHDL (P = 0.005). FERHDL and AIP reflect the actual composition of the lipoprotein spectrum and thus predict both the cardiovascular risk and effectiveness of therapy. AIP is already available for use in clinical practice as it can be readily calculated from the routine lipid profile. We examined the association between rate of cholesterol esterification in plasma depleted of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins (FERHDL), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) [(log (TG/HDL-C)], concentrations, and size of lipoproteins and changes in coronary artery stenosis in participants in the HDL-Atherosclerosis Treatment Study. A total of 160 patients was treated with simvastatin (S), niacin (N), antioxidants (A) and placebo (P) in four regimens. FERHDL was measured using a radioassay; the size and concentration of lipoprotein subclasses were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The S+N and S+N+A therapy decreased AIP and FERHDL, reduced total VLDL (mostly the large and medium size particles), decreased total LDL particles (mostly the small size), and increased total HDL particles (mostly the large size). FERHDL and AIP correlated negatively with particle sizes of HDL and LDL, positively with VLDL particle size, and closely with each other (r = 0.729). Changes in the proportions of small and large lipoprotein particles, which were reflected by FERHDL and AIP, corresponded with findings on coronary angiography. Logistic regression analysis of the changes in the coronary stenosis showed that probability of progression was best explained by FERHDL (P = 0.005). FERHDL and AIP reflect the actual composition of the lipoprotein spectrum and thus predict both the cardiovascular risk and effectiveness of therapy. AIP is already available for use in clinical practice as it can be readily calculated from the routine lipid profile. Many anthropometric, clinical, and biochemical factors can influence the composition and size of lipoprotein subpopulations. It has been demonstrated that the prevalence of small dense LDL particles increases cardiovascular (CV) risk (1Austin M.A. Breslow J.L. Hennekens C.H. Buring J.E. Willett W.C. Krauss R.M. Low-density lipoprotein subclass patterns and the risk of myocardial infarction.JAMA. 1988; 260: 1917-1921Crossref PubMed Scopus (1534) Google Scholar, 2Campos H. Jr. Genest J.J. Blijlevens E. McNamara J.R. Jenner J.L. Ordovas J.M. Wilson P.W. Schaefer E.J. Low density lipoprotein particle size and coronary artery disease.Arterioscler. Thromb. 1992; 12: 187-195Crossref PubMed Google Scholar, 3Stampfer M.J. Krauss R.M. Ma J. Blanche P.J. Holl L.G. Sacks F.M. Hennekkens C.H. A prospective study of triglyceride level, low-density particle diameter, and risk of myocardial infarction.JAMA. 1996; 276: 882-888Crossref PubMed Google Scholar) and that the distribution of differently sized particles in HDL influences its anti-atherogenic effects (4Dobiášová M. Stříbrná J. Sparks D.L. Pritchard P.H. Frohlich J. Cholesterol esterification rates in very low density lipoprotein- and low density lipoprotein- depleted plasma: Relation to high density lipoprotein subspecies, sex, hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease.Arterioscler. Thromb. 1991; 11: 64-70Crossref PubMed Scopus (81) Google Scholar, 5Drexel H. Aman F.W. Rentsch K. Neunschwander C. Leuthy A. Khan S.I. Relation of high-density lipoprotein subfraction to the presence and extent of coronary artery disease.Am. J. Cardiol. 1992; 70: 436-440Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (111) Google Scholar, 6Freedman D.S. Otvos J.D. Jeyarajah E.J. Barboriak J.J. Anderson A.T. Walker J.A. Relation of lipoprotein subclasses as measured by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to coronary artery disease.Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 1998; 18: 1046-1053Crossref PubMed Scopus (284) Google Scholar, 7Asztalos B.F. Collins D. Cupples L.A. Demissie S. Horvath K.V. Bloomfield H.E. Sander Robins S.J. Schaefer E.J. Value of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subpopulations in predicting recurrent cardiovascular events in the Veterans Affairs HDL Intervention Trial.Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2005; 25: 2185-2191Crossref PubMed Scopus (237) Google Scholar, 8Cheung M.C. Brown B.G. Wolf A.C. Albert J.J. Altered particle size distribution of apolipoprotein A-I-containing lipoproteins in subjects with coronary artery disease.J. Lipid Res. 1991; 32: 383-394Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar). In the HDL-Atherosclerosis Treatment Study (HATS), in which patients with coronary disease and low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) were treated with a combinations of simvastatin, niacin, and antioxidants, the therapy had a selective effect on composition of lipoprotein subpopulations and therefore on consequent changes in the coronary artery stenosis (9Brown B.G. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. Fisher L.D. Cheung M.C. Morse J.S. Dowdy A.A. Marino E.K. Bolson E.L. Alaupovic P. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.N. Engl. J. Med. 2001; 345: 1583-1592Crossref PubMed Scopus (1779) Google Scholar). Although the composition of lipoprotein subpopulations contributes substantially to plasma atherogenicity, it is impractical to measure its variations as the assays have not been standardized and are expensive and thus not suitable for routine use. We have established that two markers of CV risk, namely cholesterol esterification rate in apolipoprotein (apo)B-depleted plasma (FERHDL) and atherogenic index of plasma [log (TG/HDL-C)] (AIP) reflect the size of LDL and HDL subpopulations and closely correlate with each other over a wide range of plasma lipid values (10Dobiasova M. Stribrna J. Pritchard P. Frohlich J. Cholesterol esterification rate in plasma depleted of very low and low density lipoprotein is controlled by the proportion of HDL2 and HDL3 subclasses: study in hypertensive and normal middle aged and septuagenarian men.J. Lipid Res. 1992; 33: 1411-1418Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar, 11Dobiášová M. Frohlich J. Measurement of fractional esterification rate of cholesterol in apoB containing lipoproteins depleted plasma: methods and normal values.Physiol. Res. 1996; 45: 65-73PubMed Google Scholar, 12Dobiášová M. Frohlich J. The plasma parameter log (TG/HDL-C) as an atherogenic index: correlation with lipoprotein particle size and esterification rate in apoB-lipoprotein-depleted plasma (FERHDL).Clin. Biochem. 2001; 34: 583-588Crossref PubMed Scopus (674) Google Scholar, 13Dobiášová M. Urbanová Z. Šamánek M. Relations between particle size of HDL and LDL lipoproteins and cholesterol esterification rate.Physiol. Res. 2005; 54: 159-165PubMed Google Scholar). AIP is, of course, a transformation of triglyceride (TG)/HDL-C that better meets the assumption of normality of the errors in the statistical model being used to describe the treatment effects than does the untransformed variable. The value of both FERHDL and AIP can be seen in the context of intravascular cholesterol transport: FERHDL measures esterification rate of cholesterol by lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase within HDL differently sized subpopulations. In small HDLs the esterification rate is high but large particles reduce it (10Dobiasova M. Stribrna J. Pritchard P. Frohlich J. Cholesterol esterification rate in plasma depleted of very low and low density lipoprotein is controlled by the proportion of HDL2 and HDL3 subclasses: study in hypertensive and normal middle aged and septuagenarian men.J. Lipid Res. 1992; 33: 1411-1418Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar, 14Fielding C.J. Fielding P.E. Molecular physiology of reverse cholesterol transport.J. Lipid Res. 1995; 36: 211-228Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Google Scholar). The destination of newly produced cholesteryl esters (CEs) is also linked to subpopulations size and with added internal standards of unesterified cholesterol and cholesteryl oleate. Large HDLs reduce esterification rate and serve as the most effective vehicle for delivery of CE via scavenger receptor class B type 1 to catabolic sites in liver and steroidogenic tissues (15Rigotti A. Trigatti B. Babitt J. Fenman M. Xu S. Krieger M. Scavenger receptor BI–a cell surface receptor for high density lipoprotein.Curr. Opin. Lipidol. 1997; 8: 181-188Crossref PubMed Scopus (176) Google Scholar). The close association of FERHDL with AIP can be explained by TG participation in the production of large VLDL and small dense LDLs and have also been proposed to be the major determinants of cholesterol esterification/transfer and HDL remodeling in particles that regulate the esterification rate. The potential of FERHDL and AIP to predict CV risk was shown in the study of 1,108 patients who underwent coronary angiography (16Frohlich J. Dobiášová M. Fractional esterification rate of cholesterol and ratio of triglycerides to HDL-cholesterol are powerful predictors of positive findings on coronary angiography.Clin. Chem. 2003; 49: 1873-1880Crossref PubMed Scopus (207) Google Scholar). The relationships between FERHDL or AIP and CV risk have been well established (12Dobiášová M. Frohlich J. The plasma parameter log (TG/HDL-C) as an atherogenic index: correlation with lipoprotein particle size and esterification rate in apoB-lipoprotein-depleted plasma (FERHDL).Clin. Biochem. 2001; 34: 583-588Crossref PubMed Scopus (674) Google Scholar, 16Frohlich J. Dobiášová M. Fractional esterification rate of cholesterol and ratio of triglycerides to HDL-cholesterol are powerful predictors of positive findings on coronary angiography.Clin. Chem. 2003; 49: 1873-1880Crossref PubMed Scopus (207) Google Scholar, 17Tan M.H. Loh K.C. Dobiasova M. Frohlich J. Fractional esterification rate of HDL particles in patients with type 2 diabetes: relation to coronary heart disease risk factors.Diabetes Care. 1998; 21: 139-142Crossref PubMed Scopus (20) Google Scholar). However, the changes of these risk biomarkers with different therapies and their relation to treatment outcomes have not been studied. In this study, we related the changes on coronary angiography in HATS to the values of FERHDL and AIP and investigated their relation to lipoprotein subpopulations in patients on different therapeutic regimens. The rationale, methods, and results of HATS have been described in detail (9Brown B.G. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. Fisher L.D. Cheung M.C. Morse J.S. Dowdy A.A. Marino E.K. Bolson E.L. Alaupovic P. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.N. Engl. J. Med. 2001; 345: 1583-1592Crossref PubMed Scopus (1779) Google Scholar). The study tested the hypothesis that a decrease in serum LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) with a simultaneous increase in HDL-C induced by the statin-niacin combination therapy provides greater benefits than treatment with either placebo or antioxidants. One hundred and sixty patients were divided into four groups and each group was treated with one of four regimens: simvastatin plus niacin (S+N), antioxidants (A), simvastatin, niacin, and antioxidants (S+N+A), or placebos (P). Patients underwent coronary angiography before and after 3 years of treatment. Plasma samples obtained at baseline and at 1 year on therapy were examined in the present analysis. Analyses of plasma lipids and apolipoproteins were previously described (9Brown B.G. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. Fisher L.D. Cheung M.C. Morse J.S. Dowdy A.A. Marino E.K. Bolson E.L. Alaupovic P. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.N. Engl. J. Med. 2001; 345: 1583-1592Crossref PubMed Scopus (1779) Google Scholar). The average particle sizes of HDL, LDL, and VLDL subpopulations were determined by NMR spectroscopy (18Jeyarajah E.J. Cromwell W.C. Otvos E.J. Lipoprotein particle analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Clin. Lab. Med. 2006; 26: 847-870Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (513) Google Scholar). Particle concentrations (nmol/L for VLDL and LDL; µmol/L for HDL) were calculated for each subclass on the lipoprotein and the between particle and total lipid Lipoprotein size subpopulations were as large medium VLDL small VLDL large LDL small LDL large HDL medium HDL and small HDL Measurement of FERHDL was described in detail previously (4Dobiášová M. Stříbrná J. Sparks D.L. Pritchard P.H. Frohlich J. Cholesterol esterification rates in very low density lipoprotein- and low density lipoprotein- depleted plasma: Relation to high density lipoprotein subspecies, sex, hyperlipidemia and coronary artery disease.Arterioscler. Thromb. 1991; 11: 64-70Crossref PubMed Scopus (81) Google Scholar, 11Dobiášová M. Frohlich J. Measurement of fractional esterification rate of cholesterol in apoB containing lipoproteins depleted plasma: methods and normal values.Physiol. Res. 1996; 45: 65-73PubMed Google Scholar, M. Frohlich J. of cholesterol acyltransferase Ordovas J.M. in Molecular Lipoprotein Scopus Google Scholar). lipoproteins are from plasma can be at to or at for to years changes in values of by and the which plasma with HDL is added a containing a of an at the is and the plasma with HDL is to and for esterification is over this the lipids are by and with added internal standards of cholesterol and cholesteryl by of cholesterol and cholesteryl are by from and to The is by The fractional esterification rate is calculated from in of and cholesterol as of HDL-C AIP (12Dobiášová M. Frohlich J. The plasma parameter log (TG/HDL-C) as an atherogenic index: correlation with lipoprotein particle size and esterification rate in apoB-lipoprotein-depleted plasma (FERHDL).Clin. Biochem. 2001; 34: 583-588Crossref PubMed Scopus (674) Google Scholar) was calculated as ratio of concentrations of TG and HDL-C [log (TG/HDL-C)] in plasma M. of atherogenic 1998; Scholar). analysis was using and A and for statistical for Scholar) The are as both before and treatment for the four treatment the between before and after treatment were tested by within the four The effect of treatment on FERHDL and AIP was by We tested the that the values after 1 year of treatment are the that at for one treatment. the between FERHDL and AIP on one and particle sizes and concentrations on the other we calculated correlation for values of subjects in the study and correlation for values obtained after treatment to the influence of the the relationships between these we two regression with FERHDL and AIP as the and particle sizes and concentrations as We association of changes in the coronary artery stenosis with AIP, and other by regression The progression of the coronary artery as positive or regression was as a and the model was by the A and for statistical for Scholar). The of was as AIP, FERHDL, total LDL and HDL HDL, LDL, VLDL particle and HDL, LDL, and VLDL were for treatment. 1 the on lipoprotein subpopulations before and after 1 year of therapy with the four treatment regimens. The also results of between baseline and on treatment values for each treatment Although the are not for that was a increase in the total HDL particles and decrease in the total LDL and VLDL particles induced by the S+N and S+N+A treatment. HDL increased on of large HDL to of total HDL in to in S+N+A LDL decreased on of small LDL particles the of large particles was not the the treatment by S+N and S+N+A reduced and small VLDL The particle size of HDL and LDL increased by treatment with S+N and these total cholesterol and TG decreased HDL-C treatment had effects on routine lipid with the of of therapy on FERHDL, AIP, and lipoprotein particles after of particles HDL total HDL large HDL small LDL large LDL small VLDL total VLDL large VLDL medium VLDL small size VLDL LDL HDL lipid with NMR TG are as with NMR in a are as 1 that after 1 year of treatment with S+N and FERHDL decreased from and at and to and AIP decreased from and at baseline to and The placebo group also showed a small decrease in FERHDL antioxidants had the four treatment the AIP and FERHDL values after 1 year of treatment were by In both the hypothesis that values are the in groups was (P with antioxidant therapy had S+N and S+N+A treatment decreased AIP and FERHDL We examined the between FERHDL, AIP, and the lipoprotein particles in plasma baseline and on the treatment we used as the values of the patients were The effects of the 1 year therapy were using 2 that values of the correlation before and on treatment very FERHDL and AIP values correlated with each other at baseline (r = the correlation at 1 year of therapy for was = The type of the treatment not have a effect on the relation between other was a correlation between FERHDL and AIP and the of total and small LDL and and size of were in the as large The were seen between LDL particle size and large association was of FERHDL and AIP with atherogenic apoB and between FERHDL, AIP, and lipoprotein subpopulations before and after of particles are in LDL and VLDL particles in of HDL, LDL and VLDL in in a HDL particles are in LDL and VLDL particles in of HDL, LDL and VLDL in The HATS study participants were divided into two groups on changes in coronary artery stenosis after 3 years of treatment to association between plasma lipoproteins and their subpopulations to the changes FERHDL and AIP had values in the group with increased stenosis (P and with increased total particles of LDL (P and VLDL (P small LDL (P and large and medium VLDL (P and Although the total of HDL particles was not in to the changes in the decreased stenosis was by an increase of large HDL particles (P and of large VLDL and small namely and HDL-C has shown in the progression association of FERHDL, AIP, and lipoprotein subpopulations with in coronary artery stenosis = = total large small total large small total large medium small particle lipid in a The regression analysis for of changes in the coronary artery stenosis showed that the probability of progression was in the with AIP, large HDL, total and small LDL particles, total and medium VLDL particles, and sizes of LDL and HDL, this probability was best explained by FERHDL ratio = = 0.005). other was in this FERHDL was not in the of predictors in the model 2 the model for treatment one of probability of which was the concentration of the large HDL ratio = = AIP was tested in the model for its was (P = regression for progression of the coronary artery by of FERHDL, AIP, HDL size), LDL size), VLDL and by the of FERHDL, other the as in are for treatment. in a by of FERHDL, AIP, HDL size), LDL size), VLDL and by the of FERHDL, other the as in are for treatment. The of this study was to the relation between the biomarkers FERHDL and AIP and the distribution of lipoprotein subpopulations before and treatment in patients with coronary low and normal in HATS (9Brown B.G. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. Fisher L.D. Cheung M.C. Morse J.S. Dowdy A.A. Marino E.K. Bolson E.L. Alaupovic P. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.N. Engl. J. Med. 2001; 345: 1583-1592Crossref PubMed Scopus (1779) Google Scholar). We also the association between these markers and the changes in coronary artery The treatment the sizes and concentrations of the lipoprotein subpopulations as well as the values of FERHDL and the atherogenic VLDL and LDL and increased the was a decrease in the proportion of large and medium sized VLDL and small dense LDL the other was an increase in the large Treatment with antioxidants not either FERHDL or AIP, or VLDL or LDL subpopulations. However, use of antioxidants either or in combination with S+N to increase small HDL particles treatment had a positive effect on the distribution of the subpopulations for the increase of large was the decrease in FERHDL and of routine lipid profile. effect was related to the with and to the use of simvastatin the of placebo patients with baseline The correlation between FERHDL and AIP was positive (r = both at baseline and at 1 year on treatment (r = 0.729). FERHDL and AIP correlated with the size and concentration of lipoprotein subpopulations concentration of medium and large VLDL and small LDL particles in FERHDL and AIP the values of these decreased with concentration of large LDL and large HDL subpopulations. the relation between FERHDL, AIP, and particle we used two regression to the potential of the The of AIP was best explained by VLDL concentrations and VLDL size and concentrations of large HDL and large LDL The of was which that the model explained of The of FERHDL was best explained by concentration of large HDL and HDL and VLDL particle sizes with of In the patients with normal and low HDL-C from the combination treatment with simvastatin and niacin that in regression of coronary (9Brown B.G. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. Fisher L.D. Cheung M.C. Morse J.S. Dowdy A.A. Marino E.K. Bolson E.L. Alaupovic P. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.N. Engl. J. Med. 2001; 345: 1583-1592Crossref PubMed Scopus (1779) Google Scholar). previously niacin increases the large particle size of HDL A and for statistical for Scholar, M.C. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. J.J. Brown B.G. the of HDL to therapy in patients with coronary artery disease and low Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2001; 21: PubMed Scopus Google Scholar, J. C.J. J.R. of therapy on plasma high density lipoprotein subfraction distribution and composition and on apolipoprotein a PubMed Scopus Google and the small HDL subpopulations M.C. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. J.J. Brown B.G. the of HDL to therapy in patients with coronary artery disease and low Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2001; 21: PubMed Scopus Google Scholar, J. C.J. J.R. of therapy on plasma high density lipoprotein subfraction distribution and composition and on apolipoprotein a PubMed Scopus Google Scholar). also increase the large HDL J. L.A. The effect of treatment on high density lipoprotein particle size subclass in Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus Google Scholar). was the combination of niacin and simvastatin in the HATS not decreased the concentration of plasma and increased HDL-C (9Brown B.G. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. Fisher L.D. Cheung M.C. Morse J.S. Dowdy A.A. Marino E.K. Bolson E.L. Alaupovic P. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.N. Engl. J. Med. 2001; 345: 1583-1592Crossref PubMed Scopus (1779) Google Scholar) but also the distribution of HDL subpopulations by the proportion of large changes in decreased values of both AIP and also decrease and increase HDL but HDL in to niacin, by the proportion of small HDL and the large HDL B.F. Horvath K.V. McNamara J.R. J.J. Schaefer E.J. the effects of different on the HDL of coronary heart disease Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus Google Scholar). In the regression model for treatment the probability of progression of the coronary artery stenosis was best explained by changes in FERHDL with other being in this FERHDL was not in the of the model for treatment one namely the concentration of large HDL FERHDL was by AIP in the the for AIP was (P = The effect of large HDL on the of coronary by different methods, was previously (9Brown B.G. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. Fisher L.D. Cheung M.C. Morse J.S. Dowdy A.A. Marino E.K. Bolson E.L. Alaupovic P. Simvastatin and niacin, antioxidant vitamins, or the combination for the prevention of coronary disease.N. Engl. J. Med. 2001; 345: 1583-1592Crossref PubMed Scopus (1779) Google Scholar, M.C. Xue-Qiao Z. Chait A. J.J. Brown B.G. the of HDL to therapy in patients with coronary artery disease and low Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 2001; 21: PubMed Scopus Google Scholar). We that the increased of the large HDL particles, the esterification rate of the of the newly produced CE via scavenger receptor class B type that differently sized HDL particles the of CE produced in plasma to either atherogenic or M. Frohlich J. the of to the high value of cholesterol Res. 1998; Google Scholar) is by the that therapy the regression of coronary by plasma by HDL particle size B.F. E. P.H. Horvath K.V. Schaefer E.J. of the effects of high of on the subpopulations of high-density J. Cardiol. Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus Google Scholar). we that FERHDL is a measure of the atherogenic It is not that AIP, which is also with the lipoprotein size and with FERHDL, has a predicting potential as results the of not but also changes in HDL that with niacin treatment. Although the of using either AIP or FERHDL in practice have to be a that AIP be of a large study from that AIP was the best of and events A. H. index of high and Lipidol. Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus Google Scholar). The J. Otvos for the NMR antioxidant atherogenic index of plasma apolipoprotein cholesteryl cardiovascular rate of cholesterol esterification in plasma depleted of apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins HDL-Atherosclerosis Treatment Study HDL-cholesterol ratio of concentrations of triglyceride and HDL-cholesterol niacin placebo simvastatin total cholesterol triglyceride

Abstract The present research tested the idea that the ecological impact of intergroup contact on outgroup attitudes can be fully understood only when relative frequency and relative influence of positive and negative contact are considered simultaneously. Participants from five European countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Slovakia; N = 1276) freely described their contact experiences with people of neighboring nationalities and then reported on their outgroup attitudes. Contact descriptions were coded for positive versus negative valence and for person versus situation framing. Consistently across the five participant groups, positive intergroup contact was reported to occur three times more frequently than negative intergroup contact; however, positive contact was found to be only weakly related to outgroup attitudes. On the contrary, the less frequent negative (vs. positive) contact was comparatively more influential in shaping outgroup attitudes, especially when negativity was reported around the contact person, rather than the contact situation. This research's findings reconcile contrasting lines of past research on intergroup contact and suggest that the greater prevalence of positive contact may compensate for the greater prominence of negative contact, thus leading to modest net improvements in outgroup attitudes after intergroup contact. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Abstract Meta‐analysis has become the conventional approach to synthesizing the results of empirical economics research. To further improve the transparency and replicability of the reported results and to raise the quality of meta‐analyses, the Meta‐Analysis of Economics Research Network has updated the reporting guidelines that were published by this Journal in 2013. Future meta‐analyses in economics will be expected to follow these updated guidelines or give valid reasons why a meta‐analysis should deviate from them.

The zigzag-edged triangular graphene molecules (ZTGMs) have been predicted to host ferromagnetically coupled edge states with the net spin scaling with the molecular size, which affords large spin tunability crucial for next-generation molecular spintronics. However, the scalable synthesis of large ZTGMs and the direct observation of their edge states have been long-standing challenges because of the molecules' high chemical instability. Here, we report the bottom-up synthesis of π-extended [5]triangulene with atomic precision via surface-assisted cyclodehydrogenation of a rationally designed molecular precursor on metallic surfaces. Atomic force microscopy measurements unambiguously resolve its ZTGM-like skeleton consisting of 15 fused benzene rings, while scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements reveal edge-localized electronic states. Bolstered by density functional theory calculations, our results show that [5]triangulenes synthesized on Au(111) retain the open-shell π-conjugated character with magnetic ground states.

High-precision measurements by the ATLAS Collaboration are presented of inclusive W + + , W - - and Z / * ( = e, ) Drell-Yan production cross sections at the LHC. The data were collected in proton-proton collisions at s = 7 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 4.6 fb -1 . Differential W + and W - cross sections are measured in a lepton pseudorapidity range | | < 2.5. Differential Z / * cross sections are measured as a function of the absolute dilepton rapidity, for |y | < 3.6, for three intervals of dilepton mass, m , extending from 46 to 150 GeV. The integrated and differential electron-and muon-channel cross sections are combined and compared to theoretical predictions using recent sets of parton distribution functions. The data, together with the final inclusive e p scattering cross-section data from H1 and ZEUS, are interpreted in a next-to-next-to-leading-order QCD analysis, and a new set of parton distribution functions, ATLAS-epWZ16, is obtained. The ratio of strange-to-light sea-quark densities in the proton is determined more accurately than in previous determinations based on collider data only, and is established to be close to unity in the sensitivity range of the data. A new measurement of the CKM matrix element |V cs | is also provided.

Abstract Focussing on the psychosocial dimensions of poverty, the contention that shame lies at the ‘irreducible absolutist core’ of the idea of poverty is examined through qualitative research with adults and children experiencing poverty in diverse settings in seven countries: rural Uganda and India; urban China; Pakistan; South Korea and United Kingdom; and small town and urban Norway. Accounts of the lived experience of poverty were found to be very similar, despite massive disparities in material circumstances associated with locally defined poverty lines, suggesting that relative notions of poverty are an appropriate basis for international comparisons. Though socially and culturally nuanced, shame was found to be associated with poverty in each location, variably leading to pretence, withdrawal, self-loathing, ‘othering’, despair, depression, thoughts of suicide and generally to reductions in personal efficacy. While internally felt, poverty-related shame was equally imposed by the attitudes and behaviour of those not in poverty, framed by public discourse and influenced by the objectives and implementation of anti-poverty policy. The evidence appears to confirm the negative consequences of shame, implicates it as a factor in increasing the persistence of poverty and suggests important implications for the framing, design and delivery of anti-poverty policies.

Revolutions, for Pareto, were above all a matter of elite change. And for many there was a revolution in this sense in Eastern Europe at the end of the 1980s, with changes in government and a shift towards pluralist and democratic politics throughout the region. Several years on, the change looks less decisive. Former communist parties have returned to power in Hungary, in Poland, in Lithuania, and in Bulgaria. In Romania, there has been a change of leadership but less clearly a change of political regime. Former communists maintained their position in Serbia and in Slovakia, and - with a change of nomenclature - in most of former Soviet Central Asia. In Russia itself the Communist Party left office, but it revived in early 1993, polled strongly in the elections in December of that year, and was by far the largest party in the Duma elections that took place in December 1995. The Russian public, for their part, remained committed to the concept of a USSR; they rated their political system less highly than the one they had experienced in the Soviet years; and in any case they thought the communists were still in power.

This article develops a conceptual framework derived from welfare regime and concomitant literatures to interpret housing reform in post-socialist European countries. In it, settled power structures and collective ideologies are necessary prerequisites for the creation of distinctive housing welfare regimes with clear roles for the state, market and households. Although the defining feature of post-socialist housing has been mass-privatisation to create super-homeownership societies, the emphatic retreat of the state that this represents has not been replaced by the creation of the institutions or cultures required to create fully financialised housing markets. There is, instead, a form of state legacy welfare in the form of debt-free home-ownership, which creates a gap in housing welfare that has been partially filled by households in the form of intergenerational assistance (familialism) and self-build housing. Both of these mark continuities with the previous regime. The latter is especially common in south-east Europe where its frequent illegality represents a form of anti-state housing. The lack of settled ideologies and power structures suggests that these housing welfare regimes by default will persist as part of a process that resembles a path-dependent ‘transformation’ rather than ‘transition’.

Objective: To contribute to the discussion about the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender (in)equality. Background: We focus on a core aspect of gender (in)equality in intimate relationships, namely couples’ division of housework and childcare, and whether this has changed during the Corona crisis. Method: Our descriptive analysis is based on pre-release data from the German Family Panel (pairfam; Wave 12) and its supplementary Corona web-survey (n=3,108). Results: We observe no fundamental changes in established aggregate-level patterns of couples’ division of labor, but some shift towards the extremes ('traditional' and 'role reversal') of the distribution. Regarding changes within couples, there is an almost equal split between those in which the female partner’s share in housework and childcare increased and those in which it decreased. Particularly in previously more egalitarian arrangements, a substantial proportion of women is now more likely to be primarily responsible for everything. If male partners increased their relative contribution to housework and childcare, they rarely moved beyond the threshold of an equal split. Changes in employment hours were associated with adaptations of men's, but not women's, relative contribution to domestic and family responsibilities. Conclusion: Our findings neither support the notion of a 'patriarchal pandemic', nor do they indicate that the Corona crisis might have fostered macro-level trends of gender convergence. We rather observe heterogeneous responses of couples to the 'Corona shock'.

The popular media, film, cinema and television, contribute to the public’s general understanding of science. This article focuses on the portrayal of female scientists and the reception of such depictions within the general understanding. The article questions: the images depicted; their relation to scientific reality; how such depictions have changed over time (1929-1997); and their significance within the broader social context.

Using recent, nationally representative data, we examine the prevalence and social determinants of premarital cohabitation, an important sign of the Second Demographic Transition (SDT) in China. Descriptive results show that although only about 7 percent of Chinese adults born before 1980 cohabited before first marriage, cohabitation has grown sharply among recent birth cohorts. Based on the theoretical perspectives of “ideational change” and “economic development,” we conduct multivariate analyses of social determinants of cohabitation that may reveal potential mechanisms of its diffusion. We find that greater exposure to Western culture, higher educational attainment for men, and more advantaged family background were all positively related to premarital cohabitation. Our results also show the influence of a unique social institution in China, with Communist Party members less likely than their counterparts to cohabit before first marriage. Broadly speaking, the positive association between economic development and local rates of premarital cohabitation suggests the transformative influence of modernization on family systems.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of an HIV prevention intervention with social networks of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in St. Petersburg, Russia and Sofia, Bulgaria. DESIGN: A two-arm randomized trial with a longitudinally-followed community cohort. METHODS: Fifty-two MSM social networks were recruited through access points in high-risk community venues. Network members (n = 276) were assessed to determine risk characteristics, administered sociometric measures to empirically identify the social leader of each network, and counseled in risk reduction. The leaders of 25 experimental condition networks attended a nine-session program that provided training and guidance in delivering ongoing theory-based HIV prevention advice to other network members. Leaders successively targeted network members' AIDS risk-related knowledge and risk reduction norms, attitudes, intentions, and self-efficacy. Participants were re-administered risk assessment measures at 3- and 12-month follow-ups. RESULTS: Among changes produced, the percentage of experimental network members reporting unprotected intercourse (UI) declined from 71.8 to 48.4% at 3-month follow up (P = 0.0001). The percentage who engaged in UI with multiple partners reduced from 31.5 to 12.9% (P = 0.02). After 12 months, the effects became attenuated but remained among participants who had multiple recent sexual partners, the most vulnerable group. Little change was found in control group networks. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that engage the identified influence leaders of at-risk YMSM social networks to communicate theory-based counseling and advice can produce significant sexual risk behavior change. This model is culturally pertinent for HIV prevention efforts in former socialist countries, as well as elsewhere for other hard-to-reach vulnerable community populations.

Mammalian memory is the result of the interaction of millions of neurons in the brain and their coordinated activity. Candidate mechanisms for memory are synaptic plasticity changes, such as long-term potentiation (LTP). LTP is essentially an electrophysiological phenomenon manifested in hours-lasting increase on postsynaptic potentials after synapse tetanization. It is thought to ensure long-term changes in synaptic efficacy in distributed networks, leading to persistent changes in the behavioral patterns, actions and choices, which are often interpreted as the retention of information, i.e., memory. Interestingly, new neurons are born in the mammalian brain and adult hippocampal neurogenesis is proposed to provide a substrate for dynamic and flexible aspects of behavior such as pattern separation, prevention of interference, flexibility of behavior and memory resolution. This work provides a brief review on the memory and involvement of LTP and adult neurogenesis in memory phenomena.

It has recently been proposed that sequence variation in the gene coding for tissue kallikrein might be involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension. However, molecular evidence of an association between a sequence alteration in the kallikrein gene family and the transmission of increased blood pressure has never been reported. In 32 recombinant inbred (RI) strains derived from the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and the normotensive Brown Norway rat (BN), we investigated whether a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) marking the kallikrein gene family cosegregated with blood pressure. In the RI strains that inherited the kallikrein RFLP from the SHR progenitor strain, the median systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures were significantly greater than in the RI strains that inherited the kallikrein RFLP from the BN progenitor strain. These findings suggest that in the rat, sequence variation in the kallikrein gene family, or in closely linked genes, may have the capacity to affect blood pressure.

It is relatively uncontroversial to say that increasing workload, speed of change and the feeling that life is getting faster negatively impact on the academic profession. Drawing from primary data and secondary analyses, this article, nonetheless, highlights the specific ambivalence that emerges from investigations of time experience in contemporary academia. The argument presented here distinguishes between dominant oppressive acceleration with adverse implications and subtle, yet non-negligible, energizing accelerative moments. In the first instance, I explore how the increasing inability to determine one’s own temporal rhythm results in increasingly reported feelings of guilt. These feelings are, moreover, exacerbated by the currently ubiquitous doctrine of ‘excellence’, which has specific temporal connotations. Second, reflecting on phenomenological aspects of research conduct – a constitutive academic activity – I track the positive attributes of enabling acceleration as integral components of academic lifeworld. In this, I differ from the existing accounts analysing academic life in the fast lane, which unreservedly define acceleration in unfavourable terms, and yet in no way do I underestimate the seriousness of the negative consequences of rush, hurry and intensified workload for the scholarly profession. Broaching acceleration as a variegated experience, I conclude by outlining the inclusive conception of unhasty time and stress the need for its political enactment in higher education policy.

The willingness to trust strangers has been associated with a variety of public benefits, from greater civic-mindedness and more honest government to higher rates of economic growth, and more. But a growing body of research finds that such generalized trust is far more common in ethnically homogeneous than in more diverse societies. Ethnic difference is believed to breed more particularistic, ingroup ties, thus undermining both generalized and cross-ethnic trust. We argue that this image is too narrow, and we propose a broader model to identify the factors that give rise to cross-ethnic trust. Using data from two minority regions of Russia, we find considerable support for the model. We also find that high ingroup or particularistic trust is no barrier to faith in another ethnic group.

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic represents a new and unparalleled stress-test for the already disrupted liberal-representative, democracies. The challenges cluster around three democratic disfigurations: technocracy, populism, and plebiscitarianism—each have the potential to contribute to democratic decay. Still, they can also trigger pushback against illiberalism mobilizing citizens in defense of democracy, toward democratic resilience. This article looks at how the COVID-19 pandemic affects democratic decay and democratic resilience in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). It finds varied responses to the COVID-19 crisis by the CEE populist leaders and identifies two patterns: the rise of autocracy and democratic resilience. First, in Hungary and Poland, the populist leaders instrumentalized the state of emergency to increase executive aggrandizement. Second, in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, democracy proved resilient. The COVID-19 pandemic alone is not fostering the rise of authoritarianism. However, it does accentuate existing democratic disfigurations.

Astrocytes perform control and regulatory functions in the central nervous system; heterogeneity among them is still a matter of debate due to limited knowledge of their gene expression profiles and functional diversity. To unravel astrocyte heterogeneity during postnatal development and after focal cerebral ischemia, we employed single-cell gene expression profiling in acutely isolated cortical GFAP/EGFP-positive cells. Using a microfluidic qPCR platform, we profiled 47 genes encoding glial markers and ion channels/transporters/receptors participating in maintaining K(+) and glutamate homeostasis per cell. Self-organizing maps and principal component analyses revealed three subpopulations within 10-50 days of postnatal development (P10-P50). The first subpopulation, mainly immature glia from P10, was characterized by high transcriptional activity of all studied genes, including polydendrocytic markers. The second subpopulation (mostly from P20) was characterized by low gene transcript levels, while the third subpopulation encompassed mature astrocytes (mainly from P30, P50). Within 14 days after ischemia (D3, D7, D14), additional astrocytic subpopulations were identified: resting glia (mostly from P50 and D3), transcriptionally active early reactive glia (mainly from D7) and permanent reactive glia (solely from D14). Following focal cerebral ischemia, reactive astrocytes underwent pronounced changes in the expression of aquaporins, nonspecific cationic and potassium channels, glutamate receptors and reactive astrocyte markers.

We seek to determine whether increased energy dissipation in adipose tissue can prevent obesity. Transgenic mice with C57BL6/J background and the adipocyte lipid-binding protein (aP2) gene promoter directing expression of the mitochondrial uncoupling protein (UCP) gene in white and brown fat were used. Physiologically, UCP is essential for nonshivering thermogenesis in brown fat. Mice were assigned to a chow or a high-fat (HF) diet at 3 mo of age. Over the next 25 wk, gains of body weight were similar in corresponding subgroups (n = 6-8) of female and male mice: 4-5 g in chow nontransgenic and transgenic, 20 g in HF nontransgenic, and 9-11 g in HF transgenic mice. The lower body weight gain in the HF transgenic vs. nontransgenic mice corresponded to a twofold lower feed efficiency. Gonadal fat was enlarged, but subcutaneous white fat was decreased in the transgenic vs. nontransgenic mice in both dietary conditions. The results suggest that UCP synthesized from the aP2 gene promoter is capable of reducing dietary obesity.