Does the Use of Ginger Extract Effectively Help Patient with Obesity Loses Weight?

Objective: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not ginger extract (NT) effectively helps obese patient loses weight. Study Design: Two randomized controlled studies to determine the effectiveness of ginger extract in weight loss and a cross sectional observational study. Data Sources: Randomized controlled studies published after 2006 relating to ginger extract (NT) and weight loss. Data obtained using PubMed, CINAHL, and OVID databases written in English. Outcomes Measured: Studies measured weight loss, food intake, and safety such as pulses and blood pressure. Subjects are evaluated at baseline with CMP, CBC and urinalysis weekly. Results: One randomized controlled studies found a weight loss in the low dose group compared to the placebo “control” group and high dose group. In the same RCT, food intake was significantly decreases in the high dose group. Another randomize controlled studies found the placebo group to have more weight loss than the intervention groups but not statistically different from each other. However, all groups were statistically significant in decreasing food intake. Other outcomes measured were fluctuating within normal ranges and there are no significant differences. Conclusions: Based on the systematic review of the two randomized controlled trials ginger extract is not an effective method for weight loss in the obesity population. However, according to the observational studies, ginger extract is among the top ten ingredients in weight-loss products. These products are available in retail store in many states. It is generally safe to take and it is believes to have anti-inflammatory and anti-nausea effect

Extreme downside risk and market turbulence

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis (Routledge) via the DOI in this record.We investigate the dynamics of the relationship between returns and extreme downside risk in different states of the market by combining the framework of Bali, Demirtas, and Levy (2009) with a Markov switching mechanism. We show that the risk-return relationship identified by Bali, Demirtas, and Levy (2009) is highly significant in the low volatility state but disappears during periods of market turbulence. This is puzzling since it is during such periods that downside risk should be most prominent. We show that the absence of the riskreturn relationship in the high volatility state is due to leverage and volatility feedback effects arising from increased persistence in volatility. To better filter out these effects, we propose a simple modification that yields a positive tail risk-return relationship in all states of market volatility

Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo silvestris, Behavior in Central Ontario During Winter

Home range size, food habits, and roost site selection are described for the Eastern Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) introduced on the Precambrian Shield in central Ontario during the winters 1999 and 2000. Monthly home range size was correlated primarily to snow depth, although it was also likely associated to other factors, including food availability and/or roost site availability. Ferns and allies were used more than available, whereas monocots were used less than expected. Roost site-selection was primarily influenced by tree height. If the Eastern Wild Turkey is to expand its northern range in Ontario, winter food and roost site availability may be the primary determinants for successful introductions

Context-driven Policies Enforcement for Edge-based IoT Data Sharing-as-a-Service

Sharing real-time data originating from connected devices is crucial to real-world intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) applications, i.e., based on artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML). Such IoT data sharing involves multiple parties for different purposes and is usually based on data contracts that might depend on the dynamic change of IoT data variety and velocity. It is still an open challenge to support multiple parties (aka tenants) with these dynamic contracts based on the data value for their specific contextual purposes.This work addresses these challenges by introducing a novel dynamic context-based policy enforcement framework to support IoT data sharing (on-Edge) based on dynamic contracts. Our enforcement framework allows IoT Data Hub owners to define extensible rules and metrics to govern the tenants in accessing the shared data on the Edge based on policies defined with static and dynamic contexts. We have developed a proof-of-concept prototype for sharing sensitive data such as surveillance camera videos to illustrate our proposed framework. The experimental results demonstrated that our framework could soundly and timely enforce context-based policies at runtime with moderate overhead. Moreover, the context and policy changes are correctly reflected in the system in nearly real-time.acceptedVersio

The Power of Nonprofit Online Advocacy to Catalyze Social Change: A Case Study Analysis

Historically nonprofit organizations in the U.S. have played a critical role in representing the political and legal interests of marginalized groups. They take on some of the biggest and most complex challenges with the expectation from funders to spend as little as possible. For smaller under-funded nonprofits with limited staff, not having capacity to use technology effectively, is a serious disadvantage in an already lobsided competition with billion-dollar private foundations. In today’s digital world online advocacy can be a valuable tool for nonprofits to disseminate and correct misinformation, to mobilize and empower citizens into taking action such as getting out the vote, lobbying, and applying pressure on government officials. There is much at stake right now for nonprofits to play a pivotal role in safeguarding the changes that took decades of advocacy and lobbying to accomplish in the U.S. The Internet after all, contrary to popular belief, originated from a small group of intrepid nonprofits who built the first global Non-Governmental Organization electronic network. This research explores the external factors that contribute to a 501c3 nonprofit’s ability to catalyze social change by using online advocacy. It reviews two advocacy campaigns and offers several important lessons for nonprofit organizations wishing to become more effective policy advocates: 1) Both MoveOn and ProPublica are able to empower citizen lobbying at the grassroots level; 2) Both nonprofit organizations leverage online media advocacy in unique ways to shape news coverage; and 3) they use online media to open innovative modes of communications to direct and sustain on-going engagement with stakeholders to expand political representation

Investigating tail-risk dependence in the cryptocurrency markets: A LASSO quantile regression approach

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.We construct the complete network of tail risk spillovers among major cryptocurrencies using the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) quantile regression. We capture important features of the network, including major risk-driving and major risk-receiving currencies, and the evolution of the tail dependence among the currencies over time. Importantly, we reveal a striking finding that the right tail dependence among the cryptocurrencies is significantly stronger than the left tail counterpart. This unique characteristic may have contributed to the rise in popularity of cryptocurrencies over the last few years. Our portfolio analysis reveals that diversification in cryptocurrency investment can be accomplished simply by employing the naïve equal-weighted scheme even when transaction costs are taken into account

Does systematic tail risk matter?

Systematic tail risk is considered an important determinant of expected returns on risky assets. We examine its impact from two perspectives in a unified framework which originates from a simple asset pricing model. From the first perspective, systematic tail risk is proxied by a generalized tail dependence coefficient and is compensated with an economically sizeable and statistically significant premium. From the second perspective, systematic tail risk is proxied by the product of the same coefficient with a normalised tail risk measure and does not appear to earn a premium. We examine these contradictory findings and attempt to reconcile them. Evidence suggests that the components of our second systematic tail risk measure may be subject to common features. This finding may help explain the contradictory evidence in the literature

Tegument Glycoproteins and Cathepsins of Newly Excysted Juvenile Fasciola hepatica Carry Mannosidic and Paucimannosidic N-glycans

Recently, the prevalence of Fasciola hepatica in some areas has increased considerably and the availability of a vaccine to protect livestock from infection would represent a major advance in tools available for controlling this disease. To date, most vaccine-target discovery research on this parasite has concentrated on proteomic and transcriptomic approaches whereas little work has been carried out on glycosylation. As the F. hepatica tegument (Teg) may contain glycans potentially relevant to vaccine development and the Newly Excysted Juvenile (NEJ) is the first lifecycle stage in contact with the definitive host, our work has focused on assessing the glycosylation of the NEJTeg and identifying the NEJTeg glycoprotein repertoire. After in vitro excystation, NEJ were fixed and NEJTeg was extracted. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis of released N-glycans revealed that oligomannose and core-fucosylated truncated N-glycans were the most dominant glycan types. By lectin binding studies these glycans were identified mainly on the NEJ surface, together with the oral and ventral suckers. NEJTeg glycoproteins were affinity purified after targeted biotinylation of the glycans and identified using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). From the total set of proteins previously identified in NEJTeg, eighteen were also detected in the glycosylated fraction, including the F. hepatica Cathepsin B3 (FhCB3) and two of the Cathepsin L3 (FhCL3) proteins, among others. To confirm glycosylation of cathepsins, analysis at the glycopeptide level by LC-ESI-ion-trap-MS/MS with collision-induced dissociation (CID) and electron-transfer dissociation (ETD) was carried out. We established that cathepsin B1 (FhCB1) on position N80, and FhCL3 (BN1106_s10139B000014, scaffold10139) on position N153, carry unusual paucimannosidic Man2GlcNAc2 glycans. To our knowledge, this is the first description of F. hepatica NEJ glycosylation and the first report of N-glycosylation of F. hepatica cathepsins. The significance of these findings for immunological studies and vaccine development is discussed

Evaluation of a hybrid antimicrobial restriction process at a large academic medical center

We conducted a retrospective review of a hybrid antimicrobial restriction process demonstrating adherence to appropriate use criteria in 72% of provisional-only orders, in 100% of provisional orders followed by ID orders, and in 97% of ID-initiated orders. Therapy interruptions occurred in 24% of provisional orders followed by ID orders