Black Elephant Research Articles

Aged black garlic (Allium sativum L.) and aged black elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) alleviate obesity and attenuate obesity-induced muscle atrophy in diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a primary dietary component worldwide because of its health benefits and use as a traditional medicine. Elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.), a related species in the same genus, is less intense and sweeter than A. sativum. The object of this study was to investigate the alleviative effects of aged black garlic (ABG) and aged black elephant garlic (ABEG) on obesity and muscle atrophy induced by obesity in high fat diet-induced obese mice. We demonstrated that ABG and ABEG alleviated obesity and muscle atrophy and enhanced myogenic differentiation and myotube hypertrophy, and this effect was mediated by the upregulation of Akt/mTOR/p70S6K signaling. Furthermore, a candidate bioactive compound of ABG and ABEG was suggested in this study through analysis using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. In conclusion, ABG and ABEG may alleviate obesity and treat obesity-induced muscle atrophy.

Changes in the Physicochemical Properties, Antioxidant Activity and Metabolite Analysis of Black Elephant Garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) during Aging Period.

This study investigated the effects of the aging period on the black elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum L.) manufacturing process. Black elephant garlic is a processed elephant garlic product prepared by high-temperature and high-humidity treatment for 40 days. The proximate composition (moisture, crude lipid, crude protein, carbohydrate, and ash), minerals, color values, reducing sugars, pH, total polyphenol contents, total flavonoid contents and antioxidant activities of elephant garlic and black elephant garlic were evaluated. The browning intensity of elephant garlic increased with the aging period, but the browning reaction terminated after aging for 30 days, exhibiting the same browning level. Reducing sugars increased over the aging period until 20 days, and then decreased with the aging period, in contrast to the pH, which decreased from 6.47 to 3.68 over the aging period. Antioxidant components, including the total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents of black elephant garlic, increased significantly until day 30 of aging. From the metabolite profiles determined through GC/MS analysis, it was confirmed that primary metabolites related to antioxidant components, such as lactic acid and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furoic acid, were generated during the aging process of elephant garlic.

Characterizing Drivers of Asia's Black Elephant Disaster Risks

AbstractAsia has the fastest growing population and economy, but it is also the most disaster‐prone region in the world. Resilience to disaster impacts from natural hazards will be key to the long‐term sustainability of this rapidly growing region. The first step to building resilience is to identify the key threats that this region faces. We describe these key threats as Black Elephants: a cross between a “black swan” and the proverbial "elephant in the room" — they are extreme events that are known but difficult to address and often ignored. We examine the primary drivers of these looming risks and find that the drivers include underestimated or intensifying hazards, growing exposure, high vulnerability, and unaccounted complexities from multi‐hazard events. In mitigating these key risks, we discuss psychological barriers to action and highlight the importance of information, language, and hope. The known but complex impacts from natural hazards in Asia must be further acknowledged and managed in order to build a more sustainable, resilient future in an increasingly globally connected world.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BIO-INSPIRED OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS IN NEURAL NETWORK BASED DATA MINING CLASSIFICATION

It always helps to determine optimal solutions for stochastic problems thereby maintaining good balance between its key elements. Nature inspired algorithms are meta-heuristics that mimic the natural activities for solving optimization issues in the era of computation. In the past decades, several research works have been presented for optimization especially in the field of data mining. This paper addresses the implementation of bio-inspired optimization techniques for machine learning based data mining classification by four different optimization algorithms. The stochastic problems are overcome by training the neural network model with techniques such as barnacles mating , black widow optimization, cuckoo algorithm and elephant herd optimization. The experiments are performed on five different datasets, and the outcomes are compared with existing methods with respect to runtime, mean square error and classification rate. From the experimental analysis, the proposed bio-inspired optimization algorithms are found to be effective for classification with neural network training.

“Taming the black elephant”: assessing and managing the impacts of COVID-19 on public universities in Australia

Purpose The Australian higher education sector faces severe risks from the consequences of COVID-19. This paper aims to explore these risks, their immediate impacts and the likely future impacts. The authors specifically focus on the institutional financial and social risks arising from the global pandemic. Design/methodology/approach The authors collect data using the 2019 annual reports of the 37 Australian public universities and relevant media contributions. The findings of identified sector change are interpreted through Laughlin’s organisational change diagnosis. Findings The sector confronts significant financial and social risks because of its over-reliance on income from fee-paying onshore overseas students resulting in universities primarily undertaking morphostatic changes. These risks include job losses, changing employment conditions, mental health issues for students, scholars, other staff, including casual staff, online learning shortfalls and the student expectations of their university experience. The study reveals how many of these risks are the inevitable consequence of the “accountingisation” of Australian public universities. Practical implications Despite material exposure, the universities provide only limited disclosure of the extent of the risks associated with increasing dependence on overseas student fees to 31 December 2019. The analysis highlights fake accountability and distorted transparency to users of audited financial statements – a major limitation of university annual reports. Originality/value Research on the Australian higher education sector has mainly focussed on the impact of policies and changes. The public disclosure of critical risks taken by these universities are now addressed.

Learning How to Learn from Disasters through a Comparative Dichotomy Analysis: Grenfell Tower and Hurricane Katrina Case Studies

We describe two well-established, practice-based Master’s programmes as examples of existing competence development opportunities for practitioners and how such links between theory and practice can be developed and taught within the Higher Education (HE) context. We hypothesise that learning from major failures is essential in linking theory with practice in both engineering and management education. We investigate how to train emergency response teams on coping with, and learning from, rare events; a major challenge to other practitioners in the fields of safety and risk management. Comparison is undertaken between two disasters—Hurricane Katrina in the USA and the relatively recent Grenfell Tower in the UK—using a balanced dual approach of paradoxes, a dichotomy. In this paper, we demonstrate the enhancement of both engineering and management education. This was achieved through using the two case studies to emphasize the relevance of incorporating advanced mental modelling approaches for root cause analysis in training and by comparing the two cases with respect to the black swan and black elephant concepts. It is recommended that future training has a balanced approach that encompasses the outlined features of dichotomies.

'Stability' of Assessment: Extending the Utility Equation.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to medical education, necessitating a rapid transition to digital delivery. The widespread move to online exams has introduced novel risks, including the risk of catastrophic IT failure. These are not 'black swan' events - something so unexpected and devastating that we could not anticipate them and prepare accordingly. The phrase 'black elephants', a cross between a black swan and 'the elephant in the room' has been coined to describe these events. Moving to high-stakes online examinations introduces another element that needs to be considered and managed: the 'stability' of the assessment format used. This dimension incorporates notions of 'platform reliability' and 'internal risk management' and can be caused by both unplanned events eg IT failures, and planned events like security breaches Developing approaches to mitigate this new risk suggests another dimension to the well-known assessment 'utility equation': stability of the platform used. This paper explores the concept of stability from the perspectives of educational institutions and candidates and offers some approaches to achieving stability. The delivery of assessment in the digital age, requires the 'utility equation' to be recalibrated and establishment of a new "sweet spot" for each assessment program.

코끼리 흑마늘과 일반 흑마늘의 항산화 활성 비교

본 연구에서는 코끼리 마늘을 흑마늘로 제조할 때 변화하는 항산화 활성을 평가하고자 50% 에탄올에 추출한 후 기존의 일반 마늘 및 이를 숙성시킨 흑마늘과 비교 분석하였다. 코끼리 마늘의 추출 수율은 코끼리 흑마늘(57.43%)> 일반 흑마늘(39.39%)> 일반 마늘(29.00%)> 코끼리 마늘(26.82%)순으로 높았다. 코끼리 마늘에서 코끼리 흑마늘로 숙성 시 총 페놀 함량은 약 12.6배 늘어났고 총 플라보노이드 함량도 증가하였다. 항산화 효과를 측정한 결과 일반 마늘보다 코끼리 마늘이 흑마늘로 숙성하는 과정에서 더 큰 폭으로 활성이 증가하였다. 코끼리 마늘에서 코끼리 흑마늘로 숙성 후에 DPPH 라디칼 소거 활성은 약 30배나 높아졌으며, ABTS 라디칼 소거 활성은 약 11배 이상 증가하였다. FRAP 활성은 약 22배나 높아졌으며 환원력은 약 37배 증가하여 흑마늘로 숙성하였을 때 활성이 모두 큰 폭으로 증가하는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 따라서 일반 마늘을 흑마늘로 숙성하는 것보다 코끼리 마늘을 흑마늘로 숙성할 때 항산화 활성이 더 증가하는 것으로 확인되었으며, 이러한 결과는 코끼리 마늘의 산업화에 기초자료로 활용될 수 있으리라 판단된다.

The (Black) Elephant in the Room: McLuhan and the Racial

Background This article combines Marshall McLuhan’s media theory with the “racial contract” theory of political philosopher Charles Mills.Analysis Mills critiques the older, Western “social contract,” which holds that “Western man” moves from a “state of nature” (or McLuhan’s tribal man) into “civilization” (McLuhan’s detribal man and retribal man) via organizing with similar humans to establish the rules, laws, codes, guidelines, and, as is argued here, technologies necessary for human cohabitation. Mills argues that there are racial assumptions of the social contract, meaning only some are consenting signatories, particularly White men; thus, the social contract is actually a racial contract.Conclusion and implications McLuhan’s media theory is consistent with Mills’ racial contract: tribal man resides in a state of nature, awaiting man’s detribal or retribal benevolence.ContexteCet article combine la théorie des médias de Marshall McLuhan et la théorie sur le « contrat racial » du philosophe politique Charles W. Mills.Analyse Mills critique le vieux « contrat social » occidental, qui maintient que « l’homme occidental » passe d’un « état de nature » (l’homme tribal selon McLuhan) jusqu’à la « civilisation » (l’homme détribalisé et l’homme retribalisé selon McLuhan) en collaborant avec ses semblables afin d’établir les règles, lois, codes, directives et, tel que soutenu dans cet article, les technologies nécessaires pour la cohabitation humaine. Mills soutient que le contrat social comporte des suppositions raciales, du fait que certains hommes seulement—particulièrement des hommes blancs—en sont des signataires consentants; ainsi, le contrat social est réellement un contrat racial.Conclusion et implications La théorie des médias de McLuhan est en accord avec le contrat racial de Mills : l’homme tribal vit dans l’état de nature, en attente de la bienveillance de l’homme détribalisé ou retribalisé.

Evolusi dan Adaptasi Gerakan Kebangsaan Orang Papua dari Nasionalisme ke Etnonasionalisme

Papuan social, cultural and political resistance, especially the recent movement of Papuan students and youth (August-September 2019) which is affect as a loss of dignity of Papuan constructed by non-Papuan in some cities in Java was not an unpredictable occurrence. Edwars Lorenz’s theory of Chaos and Peter Ho’s theory of Black Elephant have been giving any clear academical framework to illustrate what will be happened. After academician such as Manuel Castells, Will Kymlica, etc. also have been giving other big picture of academical framework about what have been done, what is still moving, and what will be happen in term of connectivity of social, cultural, and political among Papuan, Central Government, and non-Papuan in Indonesia. Moreover, what is happened, Nassim Nicholas Taleb has been introducing theory of Black Swan for analyzed any shocking elements which will be occurred if an integration effort in term of peace and democratic ways are not giving a win-win solution. In this paper, how to analyzing kind of theories related to the issues of Papuan agitation has been explained in clear sequences.

Access to Norwegian healthcare system \u2013 challenges for sub-Saharan African immigrants

BackgroundImmigrants face barriers in accessing healthcare services in high-income countries. Inequalities in health and access to healthcare services among immigrants have been previously investigated. However, little is known on the sub-Saharan African immigrants’ (SSA) access to the Norwegian healthcare system.MethodsThe study had a qualitative research design. We used the snowball technique to recruit participants from networks including faith-based organizations and cultural groups. Forty-seven qualitative in-depth interview and two focus group discussions with immigrants from sub-Saharan African were conducted from October 2017 to July 2018 in Oslo and its environs. Interviews were conducted in Norwegian, English or French, audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim into English. The analysis was based on a thematic approach, using NVivo software. Interview data were analyzed searching for themes and sub-themes that emerged inductively from the interviews.ResultsOur findings reveal barriers in two main categories when accessing the Norwegian healthcare services. The first category includes difficulties before accessing the healthcare system (information access, preference for doctors with an immigrant background, financial barriers, long waiting time and family and job responsibility). The second category includes difficulties experienced within the system (comprehension/expression and language, the black elephant in the room and dissatisfaction with healthcare providers).ConclusionHealthcare is not equally accessible to all Norwegian residents. This ultimately leads to avoidance of the healthcare system by those most in need. Lack of seeking healthcare services by immigrants from Sub Saharan Africa may have significant implications for the long-term health of this group of immigrants. Therefore measures to address the issues raised should be prioritized and further examined.

Black Elephants in the Room: The Unexpected Politics of African American Republicans. By Corey D. Fields. Oakland: University of California Press, 2016. Pp. x+282. $85.00 (cloth); $29.95 (paper).

<i>Black Elephants in the Room: The Unexpected Politics of African American Republicans</i>. By Corey D. Fields. Oakland: University of California Press, 2016. Pp. x+282. $85.00 (cloth); $29.95 (paper).

말토덱스트린 첨가량에 따른 코끼리 흑마늘 분말의 흡습 특성

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of black elephant garlic powder with maltodextrin. The quality parameters were analyzed such as water absorption, color value, solubility, average particle size and aqueous stability. The mixture ratios (black elephant garlic extract:maltodextrin) were 4:6, 5:5, 6:4, and 7:3. After homogenizing, the mixtures were lyophilized to produce garlic powders. The powders showed high solubility (90.87-96.93%). The lightness (L) decreased with increasing extract amount, whereas the redness (a) and yellowness (b) values increased. The average particle size decreased with increasing maltodextrin content except the 7:3 mixture ratio. The aqueous stability of the powders after 8 h ranged between 0.54 and 0.64. The absorption characteristics were measured under different relative humidities (11-84%) and temperatures (25 and 35℃) to calculate the mono-layer moisture content, the Guggenheim-Anderson-Boer (GAB) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equations were applied. Overall, the mixture of 4:6 presented a low equilibrium moisture content and low mono-layer moisture content regardless of the temperature. Caurie, Halsey, Kuhn, Oswin and Mizrahi models were applied to evaluate the suitability of the isotherm curve. Among them, the Halsey and Kuhn models both showed good fit because they presented high R2 values (0.934-0.992 and 0.955-0.990, respectively) and low deviations (4.829-9.436% and 5.043-9.989%, respectively).

"Black Elephant in the Room": Black Students Contextualizing Campus Racial Climate Within US Racial Climate

"Black Elephant in the Room": Black Students Contextualizing Campus Racial Climate Within US Racial Climate

Efecto antihelmíntico in vitro de extractos vegetales en nematodos gastrointestinales de ovinos de pelo

Debido al incremento de resistencia de los nematodos gastrointestinales (NGI) a los antihelmínticos, se propuso como objetivo evaluar in vitro la eficacia de extractos de diferentes plantas. Se formularon extractos hidroalcohólicos que se aplicaron sobre huevos y larvas infectantes (L3) de NGI. En el caso de las larvas se realizaron dos pruebas: en la primera se usó extracto de guaje (L. diversifolia), conacaste negro (E. cyclocarpum) y pega-pega (D. tortuosum); y para el segundo bioensayo se utilizó el extracto de guaje (L. leucocephala), mangle (R. mangle) y neem (A. indica). En la prueba de inhibición de la eclosión de huevos (IEH) se usaron hojas de neem (A. indica), de hierba santa (P. auritum) y de hierba del zorrillo (P. alliacea).Los huevos y larvas se obtuvieron de ovinos infectados de manera natural en pastoreo. Las larvas infectantes se desenvainaron con hipoclorito de sodio (0.187%), después se agregaron 100 larvas por pozo en agua destilada y se desafiaron con los extractos a través de una prueba in vitro de motilidad larval con observación directa. Los resultados mostraron que los extractos de L. leucocephala y A. indica presentaron un grado de acción larvicida en NGI similar a levamisol. Con el extracto de L. leucocephala se obtuvo la menor dosis letal (DL50=0.045mg/ml-1) contra L3. En la eclosión de huevos, los mejores resultados se obtuvieron con el extracto de P. alliacea y P. auritumProducción Agropecuaria y Desarrollo Sostenible, Vol. 4, 2015: 11-25

Estimation of Group Size, Age and Sex Composition of Evident Prey Species in the Segur Plateau, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

Segur Plateau is part of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve; the reserve extends over an area of 321 km2 and forms a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The sanctuary is located in the Western Ghats, which is one of the 34 Biodiversity hotspots of the world. This study was conducted to determine the population structure and evaluate the population density of different potential prey species in the segur plateau. In order to know the population structure and density, the line-transect sampling method were used. The overall individual density (number/km2) were chital (68), sambar (7.7), gaur (8.6), black napped hare (5.31), elephant (1.7) and wild pig (3.0). The chital being predominant compared to other herbivores. The mean group size of black napped hare 1.16, elephant 4.08, gaur 6.58, sambar 3.50, chital 4.08, wild pig 3.00 were calculated respectively. Age composition was also calculated, black napped hare group size range between 1 to 4 were recorded and elephant 1 to 30, gaur 1 to 80, sambar from 1 to 12, chital 1 to 150, wild pig 1 to 9. The sex ratio for elephant (1:0.5), gaur (1:3.25), sambar (1:10.6), chital (1:1.37) was estimated and it was indeterminate for wild pigs and black napped hares due to fast movement of the animals and their nocturnal behaviour.

Black Elephants and Black Swans of Nuclear Safety

The nuclear accident in Fukushima serves as a harsh reminder of the risks of nuclear power and the difficulties of safeguarding against every possible hazard. The magnitude 9 earthquake and the mas...

I Heard God Talking to Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings (review)

Reviewed by: I Heard God Talking to Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings Deborah Stevenson Spires, Elizabeth I Heard God Talking to Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings. Foster/Farrar, 2009 [56p] illus. with photographs ISBN 978-0-374-33528-1$17.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6-10 William Edmondson, born to freed slaves in Tennessee, worked at various hard jobs until, at the age of fifty-seven, divine visions turned him to carving stone; beginning with modest gravestones, he then blossomed into a career of impressive stone sculptures that brought him of the attention of fine-art circles in the 1930s. Poet Spires (Riddle Road, BCCB 5/99, etc.) takes a look at Edmondson's life and creation through twenty-three lyrical free-verse entries, none longer than a page, each paired with a dramatic black-and-white photograph of an Edmondson work or of the artist himself. Though the concept is sophisticated as well as imaginative, Spires' eloquent verses are certainly accessible to young readers, and they're effective blends of the concrete and the imaginative; while playfulness predominates in the poetry as in the art, there's a sense of wonder and a vivid respect for the artist (the sequence opens with several entries that are actually evocatively arranged quotes from Edmondson himself ) that underpins the humor. The photographs, from a variety of sources including photographer Edward Weston, tend toward haunting chiaroscuro, but there's a sturdy friendliness to Edmondson's stone portraiture of figures ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt and boxer Jack Johnson to angels and animals. The book concludes with a detailed five-page description of Edmondson's life and a selected bibliography, including many periodical articles published in his own lifetime, and detailed credits for the photographs. Partner this up with other explorations of American folk art (Mary Lyons' Catching the Fire: Philip Simmons, Blacksmith, BCCB 10/97, etc.) or intriguing interpretations of works (Barbara Ann Porte's Black Elephant with a Brown Ear, BCCB 6/96), or just use it to spark different ways of looking at art. Copyright © 2009 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The North Sea price gamble

Is North Sea oil really going to prove Britain's economic saviour. Or will it turn out to be a mighty black elephant? With the first yield now coming ashore, oil industry consultant, William Giddings examines the economics of the North Sea venture in a global context and poses the disturbing question: is Britain's oil in danger of being priced out of the market?

B.S.I.R.A. OPEN DAYS ADDRESS White and Black Elephants in Aldermaston†

ABSTRACT ‘ black elephant ’ is an idea or invontion which is finally used industrially. A ‘ white elephant ’ is one which for one reason or another is not used. All laboratories produce good ideas, which do not come to fruition in industrial practico : sometimes ideas are ‘ before their time ’ ; sometimes an idea needs the enthusiasm of the inventor to develop it to full stature–a foster-paront loses interest in it before the inevitable difficulties have been overcome ; sometimes the cost of development is prohibitive ; and sometimes the invention is rendered obsolete by the march of science. Examples of these manifestations, taken from the work in the A.E.I. Research Laboratory, are discussed, the subjects considered depending upon instrumentation, new techniques and novel apparatus for their development. From the wealth of experience at these laboratories ideas and inventions are chosen relating to electron, optical and x-ray microscopy and their application to the study of wear, to dislocations in meta...