Amino Acid Analysis Part 1
Ion-Exchange Analysis of Amino Acids
Ion-exchange chromatography followed by post-column derivatization has been the method of choice for amino acid analysis since S. Moore and W.H. Stein published it in 1948– work which merited a Nobel prize. Now it is possible to apply either sodium- or lithium-based ion exchange chromatography to obtain consistent results with sensitivity, stability and speed.
No other techniques, including reversed-phase chromatography, have been shown to match post-column ion-exchange methods in quality and reproducibility. This is because the retention mechanism in ion exchange provides for chromatography that is almost completely matrix-insensitive. Simplified sample preparation for native samples is an added benefit of the ion-exchange method.
The most popular post-column reactions for amino acid analysis are Ninhydrin and OPA. A detailed discussion is found in the Chemicals section.
Although pre-column derivatization followed by reversed-phase chromatography is popular with some HPLC users, its successful application is limited to protein hydrolysates. Without extensive pretreatment, the carbohydrates and organic acids in wine, the fats in tobacco, and the macromolecules in human serum will cause the amino acids to elute at a different time for each unique matrix. Moreover, as yet no combination of pre-column chemistry and reversed-phase chromatography has been able to resolve the full complement of amino acids found in typical native samples such as serum or urine.
In the reversed-phase environment all species in solution compete simultaneously for derivatizing reagent. The yield of any particular species will be influenced by the concentration of all other solutes present.
In contrast, ion-exchange chromatography followed by post-column derivatization is intrinsically more rugged and repeatable than pre-column analysis. Since chromatography and derivatization represent two separate and distinct events, each can be optimized independently.
The retention mechanism in ion-exchange chromatography is almost completely matrix-insensitive. Since the sulfonated divinylbenzene polymer comprising the stationary phase has a high ion-exchange capacity, the positively charged amino acids exhibit a strong affinity for these fixed negative sites. Consequently, all amino acids, except for the very acidic, are fixed in a narrow band in the guard column, while the sample matrix moves on. Thus the same program used by one laboratory for the analysis of wine can be employed by another to analyze human urine.
The most important difference between ion-exchange resins and reversed-phase silicas is in chemical selectivity. Bonded reversed-phase silicas are manufactured to exhibit monotypical chromatographic behavior, e.g., partitioning. In contrast ion-exchange resins are polytypical. Separation is based not only upon ion-exchange, but also partitioning, adsorption, size ion exclusion, and more. Because of the involvement of so many retention mechanisms, a single change in any operational parameter&emdash;cation concentration, pH, flow rate, column temperature– can result in multiple changes in peak position. This flexibility is particularly advantageous, for example, when developing a method to optimize the separation of a few amino acids of interest at the expense of the others, as in the PKU and other rapid-screens.
There are two main mechanisms for effecting separation in ion-exchange chromatography. One is titration, or increasing the pH. As pH increases, the amino acids go from a positive to a neutral charge state, and so are released from the fixed anionic sites in the resin (stationary phase).
The other mechanism is competitive ion exchange. The positive amino acids show a higher affinity for the ion-exchange sites than do the eluting cations (H+, Li+ or Na+) and so are bound strongly to the anionic sites. They are eluted by the continuous flow of cation or by increasing cation concentration developed by gradient formation.
The earliest protocols for ion-exchange of amino acids were based on step gradients– isocratic procedures that step through a set of 3-6 solutions of varying pH and cation concentration. Both titration and elution adjustments are made with each eluant step. This technique persists today in the design of dedicated amino acid analyzers, such as the Beckman System 6300.
The modern liquid chromatographic (HPLC) techniques for ion exchange use three solutions and continuous gradients. Gradient capability allows for easier methods development and results in flatter baselines– especially important at high sensitivity.
As with dedicated analyzers, the eluants are either sodium- or lithium-based. The need for two cation systems derives from the two fundamental types of samples encountered in amino acid analysis: hydrolysed hydrolyzed and non-hydrolyzed (“native”) samples. Hydrolyzing the sample results in a smaller array of amines (typically up to 21) than is present in native samples (typically 40-60). This wider range of amines in native samples requires a more discriminating or weaker eluant to fully resolve them. A lithium ion-based eluant provides the necessary resolution. If the sample is hydrolyzed, a sodium system can be used for a shorter run time.
Both Na+ and Li+ eluants for gradient HPLC are designed in the same way. The first, low-pH eluant is a buffer with low cation concentration. The second eluant has no buffering capacity and a high cation concentration. The third, high-pH eluant (usually referred to as the column regenerant) is based on the cation hydroxide and is of comparable cation concentration to the first eluant. These solutions allow for titration relatively independent of changes in eluant strength, or allow for increasing eluant strength.


MY AUTISTIC SPARKLE CONTENT IS CREATED BY SPARKLE, A YOUNG AUTISTIC ADVOCATE WHO RESIDES IN LONDON, UK.
Sparkle is displaying her latest fashion ensemble and is seen here wearing a Nezuko cosplay outfit from the the anime, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
The vibrant outfit matched with imagination makes for an incredibly fun Cosplay day at the park.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a manga series written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. The series follows Tanjiro Kamado, a young boy who wants to become a demon slayer to vindicate his family’s demise. His younger sister, Nezuko, was turned into a demon. Find out more on IMDB.com, read about this series on Forbes.com or watch it on Netflix.


Aircraft health monitoring systems use real time data from sensors to monitor the functioning of systems onboard. The data is transmitted to ground control via GSM or Satellite communication. AHMS monitors aircraft’s data to identify potential problems that could lead to serious malfunctions and threaten the safe operation of the aircraft. AHMS can also recommend solutions before a problem makes severe impact on the aircraft. Most AHMS systems are scalable solutions which can handle data from multiple sensors. The AHMS can also interface with third party systems onboard the aircraft. AHMS monitors critical parameters, the health monitoring system predicts failure situations of aircraft systems and subsystems based on the state of the detection system, confirming their surplus life-span; uses multi-sensors information integration technology to diagnose systematic failure; and uses languages information to inform users on how to manage and maintain the aircraft based on resource usage and demand. AHMS makes it easier for inventory managers on the ground to detect parts that can potentially fail and make arrangements for the replacement. The inventory manager can either replace the part form the existing inventory or contact the OEM for the respective part. The system also negates the need to stock parts that won’t be needed in the near future.
The health monitoring system predicts failure situations of aircraft systems and subsystems based detection, confirming their extended life-span; use of multi-sensors information integration technology to diagnose systematic failure; and uses languages information to inform users on how to manage and maintain the aircraft based on resource usage and demand.
The ability of AHMS to provide noninvasive inspection data is a revolution for the MRO segment as time and effort is saved by analyzing the AHMS data rather than engaging in cost and time intensive invasive inspection that increases aircraft downtime. Latest state of the art AHMS systems transfers data from the aircraft to the ground, which is then forwarded to the customer. While the aircraft is in the air, the operator analyses the data using a web-based interface so that the crew may make the required preparations to resolve the difficulties as soon as the plane lands.
Usage of AHMS
- Gas turbine engine monitoring
Maintenance expenses are reduced, aircraft safety is improved, and fuel consumption is reduced using modern condition monitoring-based methods. Engine fan speeds, vibration, oil pressure, oil temperature, exhaust gas temperature (EGT), and fuel flow have all been used in the literature to determine performance decline in gas turbine engines. In this work, a new model was created to obtain information about the status of a gas turbine engine.
- Vibration analysis of the airframe structure
Vibration-based health monitoring (VHM) methods are non-destructive testing methods based on the concept that any changes made to a structure (including damage) alters its physical properties, which alters the structural vibration response. In most cases, VHM is applied based on the structure’s modal features, particularly its lower resonant frequencies, which are easy to measure.
- Gearbox and bearing analysis
Gearbox and bearing analysis is vital for detection of stress and potential failure of the components. The analysis is vital for the prevention of potential engine failure. Fatigue analysis of these components prevents catastrophic failure and decreases overall aircraft downtime.
- Auxiliary power unit (APU) monitoring
The Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) is a component of an aircraft that supplies electrical and pneumatic power to various on-board subsystems. Failure of an APU causes a flight to be delayed or cancelled, as well as the enforcement of heavy fines by regional authorities. Such unintended consequences can be avoided by regularly monitoring the system’s health and notifying the MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul) group of any impending malfunction.
Integrated Vehicle health and monitoring
The unified capability of systems to assess the current or future state of the member system health and integrate that picture of system health within a framework of available resources and operational demand is known as integrated vehicle health management (IVHM) or integrated system health management (ISHM). The objectives of IVHM are to improve vehicle and fleet health management. Improve safety by using diagnostics and prognostics to identify and solve problems before they become a problem. Improve availability by better scheduling maintenance. Improve system reliability by gaining a better understanding of the current state of the system and doing prognosis-based maintenance. Reduce total maintenance costs by eliminating needless maintenance and avoiding unplanned repair. This is accomplished by the proper application of dependable sensing and prognosis systems to monitor part health, as well as the utilization of usage data to aid in determining the load encountered and the expected future vehicle load. IVHM is concerned not only with the vehicle’s current condition, but also with its health throughout its whole life cycle. IVHM assesses the vehicle’s health in comparison to its usage data and in the context of similar data for other cars in the fleet.
The increasing need for safety and desirability for non-invasive diagnosis will continue to drive the AHMS market. AHMS will ensure low aircraft downtime and drive performance and profit of the operators. Technological innovations such as IoT will also drive the AHMS market by enable robust information sharing through wireless sensors. High speed data analytics will also aid the market growth as quick processing and analysis of large volumes of data is vital for AHMS.


Pathogenesis of DHF/DSS
Risk Factors Reported for DHF
Most cases of dengue fever are self-limited in their course and never progress to dengue hemorrhagic fever. So what are the factors associated with the occurrence of DHF?
- Virus strain: DHF can occur in primary infection with certain genetic strains of virus.
- Pre-existing anti-dengue antibody, either caused by previous infection or to maternal antibodies passed to infants.
- Host genetics—for example, race seems to be a factor: data from Cuba suggest that whites may be at greater risk, and blacks at lower risk. And
- Age—in Southeast Asia, children are most affected, though in the Americas, all age- groups are affected.
For individuals, there is a higher risk for DHF in secondary infections. There is also higher risk in locations with two or more serotypes circulating simultaneously at high levels—this is called hyperendemic transmission. The most widely accepted hypothesis for the increased risk of DHF in secondary infections is called antibody-dependent enhancement of viral infections. This hypothesis will be explained in a moment.
Increased Probability of DHF
There are two general pathways through which hyperendemicity may increase the probability of DHF:
- First, as we see on the left, in a situation of hyperendemicity, where several virus serotypes are circulating at high levels, the probability of virulent strains occurring is increased, which increases the probability of DHF.
- In addition, as is presented on the right, in a situation of hyperendemic transmission, the probability that an individual will experience a secondary infection is increased, which increases the likelihood of immune enhancement and DHF.
Hypothesis on Pathogenesis of DHF
1.Homologous Antibodies Form Non-Infectious Complexes
A graphic depiction of the development of homologous antibodies. When an individual is infected with any dengue serotype—here called dengue type A, to indicate that the infection may be with DEN-1, 2, 3 or 4—the immune system responds by producing anti-A antibodies. These anti-A antibodies form homologous complexes with the type A virus, which results in the neutralization of the virus.
2.Heterologous Antibodies Form Infectious Complexes
Antibody-dependent enhancement, dengue type B represents the new serotype. The anti-A antibodies produced in response to the original infection can form complexes with the new serotype, as we see here. However, the new virus serotype is not neutralized by these heterologous antibodies. The virus retains its capacity to become active and replicate.
3.Heterologous Complexes Enter More Monocytes, Where Virus Replicates
Antibody-dependent enhancement is the process in which certain strains of dengue virus, complexed with these non-neutralizing antibodies, can enter a greater proportion of the mononuclear cells where the virus replicates unchecked, thus increasing virus production and producing a massive infection.
The heterologous antibody-virus complexes can enter a greater proportion of monocytes than the virus alone. The greater proportion of infected cells results in greater virus production.
4.Infected monocytes release vasoactive mediators
It has been hypothesized that the infected monocytes release vasoactive mediators, resulting in the increased vascular permeability and hemorrhagic manifestations that characterize dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. It should be noted, however, that to date there are no data from viremia studies to confirm this hypothesis.
Conclusion of pathogenesis
1.Antibody – enhanced infection or Immune enhancement mechanism
Common Ag >>>>>>Ab ( homologous ) 1º
( heterologous ) >>>>>Enhancing Ab 2º
DHF ( 87 – 98 % = 2º )
DSS ( 95 – 99 % = 2º )
2.Immune complex mechanism >>>>> activate complement
3.Immune elimination mechanism: monokines>>>>>>activate complement
4.Virus type : 1 & 3 > 2 & 4 in 1º
6.Subsequent infection of dengue type : 2º, type 2, 3, 4
Dengue hemorrhagic fever most often occurs in second infections with dengue virus, but the phenomenon seems to be mostly restricted to infections with certain dengue virus strains, or genotypes, first identified in Southeast Asia. The potential for these strains to produce DHF epidemics may be related to their ability to produce greater concentrations of circulating virus in the blood (level of viremia), or their ability to produce infection in both the human and mosquito hosts. Cohort studies in Southeast Asia have shown that secondary (repeat) infections in which DEN-2 is the infective serotype have greater probability of producing DHF than infections with other serotypes, followed closely by DEN-3. The risk is less when the second infecting virus is DEN-4 or DEN-1 (in that order).
Immune Response to Dengue Infection
Primary dengue immune response
Long term immunity only to the infecting serotype.
– produced by 5th day after symptoms appear.
– rises for 1-3 weeks and persists for 30-60 days (or even up to 90 days).
– appears by 14 days after onset of symptoms and persists for life.
Secondary dengue immune response
•IgM –may not be produced until 20 days after onset of infection. –may be produced at low levels or for shorter period than in a 1º infection.
•IgG –rises rapidly 1-2 days after onset of symptoms. –reaches levels above those found in 1º or past infection.persists at high levels for 30-40 days, then declines to levels found in 1º or past infection
source : : http://www.panbio.com


Filmbericht anschauen (hier klicken)
CHICAGO. The American Dietetic Association has released an updated position paper on vegetarian diets that concludes such diets, if well-planned, are healthful and nutritious for adults, infants, children and adolescents and can help prevent and treat chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes.
ADA's position, published in the July issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, represents the Association's official stance on vegetarian diets:
"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life-cycle including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence and for athletes."
ADA's position and accompanying paper were written by Winston Craig, PhD, MPH, RD, professor and chair of the department of nutrition and wellness at Andrews University; and Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, nutrition advisor at the Vegetarian Resource Group, Baltimore, Md.
The revised position paper incorporates new topics and additional information on key nutrients for vegetarians, vegetarian diets in the life cycle and the use of vegetarian diets in prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. "Vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle," according to ADA's position. "There are many reasons for the rising interest in vegetarian diets. The number of vegetarians in the United States is expected to increase over the next decade."
Vegetarian diets are often associated with health advantages including lower blood cholesterol levels, lower risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure levels and lower risk of hypertension and type 2 diabetes, according to ADA's position. "Vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates. Vegetarian diets tend to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol and have higher levels of dietary fiber, magnesium and potassium, vitamins C and E, folate, carotenoids, flavonoids and other phytochemicals. These nutritional differences may explain some of the health advantages of those following a varied, balanced vegetarian diet."
The position paper draws on results from ADA's evidence analysis process and information from the ADA Evidence Analysis Library to show vegetarian diets can be nutritionally adequate in pregnancy and result in positive maternal and infant health outcomes. Additionally, an evidence-based review showed a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease.
A section in ADA's paper on vegetarian diets and cancer has been significantly expanded to provide details on cancer-protective factors in vegetarian diets. An expanded section on osteoporosis includes roles of fruits, vegetables, soy products, protein, calcium, vitamins D and K and potassium in bone health. "Registered dietitians can provide information about key nutrients, modify vegetarian diets to meet the needs of those with dietary restrictions due to disease or allergies and supply guidelines to meet needs of clients in different areas of the life cycle," the authors said.
The American Dietetic Association is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. ADA is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. Visit the American Dietetic Association at www.eatright.org.
now available at your DR. BAUMANN cosmetic institute.
(click here for an enlarged view)
(click here for an enlarged view)
The new MakeUp-Stand of DR. BAUMANN. For a simple transport the stand is delivered in two parts.
Dimensions (H x W x D): 165 x 50 47 cm
Hight of the floor unit: 87 cm
On the 20th May DR. BAUMANN COSMETIC GmbH received the Progress Award in the category "most animal-friendly cosmetic brand"
A quotation from the congratulatory letter from PeTA to the directors Dr. Henrich and Dr. Baumann:
“...As your company makes others attentive to animal-protection topics, and offers first-class alternatives to products which are connected with animal suffering, DR. BAUMANN COSMETIC GmbH contributes to a more ethical life-style in our society. Your innovative and progressive contribution to animal protection is an outstanding model for other companies, which will hopefully follow your example. We single you out for your foresight and initiative, your consciousness, your creativity and friendliness. We thank you for your contribution towards helping sympathy and ethics find its place in the economy…”
PeTA has 1,6 million members and is the largest animal protection and animal rights organisation in the world.
A new nutritional supplement with essential omega-3-fatty acids comes onto the market.


Do you ever have that feeling…
The one where something at your very core dances wildly… calling your attention to what’s possible— where nothing is certain, everything is available, and it’s asking you to look, and claim it as your own?
This feeling dances in me, now. And, as I turn to look— it feels brave.
Like, I might literally die if I look.
Like when I was a kid, and I simply KNEW there was something under my bed. There never was, of course. But whenever I could conjure the courage to look, I felt both braver and more at ease… able to slip into a satisfied slumber after what felt like ages of deliberating.
I feel this, too, at this moment. By looking and in claiming what’s possible as my own, I’m choosing a new definition of safety and comfort. I create a sense of safety for myself, and from there stems growth, and challenge, and progress. Suddenly, safety isn’t the goal. Experience is. Thriving is.
I’m so grateful for this new definition, because it wasn’t always this way.
For most of my life so far, safety has meant following the prescribed route in life. It meant falling in line, being obedient, staying quiet, small, and convenient— unless I had a prescribed message to share when the authorities chose me to shine.
My truth was only true if it matched the prescribed ideal. If you like the idea of thriving, I don’t recommend this way of living.
Over the last ~7 years or so, I’ve been navigating an intense uphill climb out of deep-seated shame, fear, unworthiness, self-distrust, and at moments a profound self-hatred that confirmed all of the reasons why the love I sought was non-existent, despite doing and being everything I could to feel that love, and being surrounded by people who treated me lovingly.
They certainly loved me, or at least the idea of me. But, I wanted them to see me AND love me, regardless of what they saw. I spent every waking hour hustling for the chance to be seen— achieving, perfecting, and giving to the point of exhaustion. All this did was reinforce the message of never-enoughness as I compared myself against the prescribed ideal. This was hell, when everyone around me insisted this was the way to heaven.
All of this to say… that as I turn to look and claim and join in with the Wild dancing at my core, I feel more true, more myself than ever before.
And, I see precisely why others couldn’t see me: I couldn’t see myself. I refused to. That same reflex that denied the love that I am, was incapable of receiving others' love as well.
I built a wall around the Wild dancing, so that I could feel safe, loved, and accepted. The irony that I see so clearly now is that the Wild dancing is a celebration of existence, of love, and innate acceptance… an unselfconsciousness that is free to share, to love, to celebrate, and to BE. We all have this. And, I believe it’s an ongoing directive at each of our cores to continue to open to it and explore it more fully.
This place— inherent with the fact of our existence; naked and undecorated by accomplishment, recognition, power, perfection, or inflated identity— is the sacred temple where our greatest contributions in life are carried out.
It’s where hurt, heartbreak, despair, and pain are mended, alchemized, and integrated to create wholeness, ease, contentment, beauty, and joy— The seeds of connecting with others in our fullest truth and integrity…
The place where we live and exist as the beat, the melody, the music, that the Wild dances to, so purely, like a child.
And, a pointer to the Wild dancing at others' core, too.
Photo by Roozbeh Badizadegan on Unsplash


Bernard Beckett's ambitious article valiently covers so many aspects of modern pornography. After 4 years of research and reading this stands alone as one of the most inspired pieces I have read on the topic. The physical and psychological harms of porn are daily becoming more well known. Bernard touches on those, but overall he speaks to the ethical problems it poses to a culture seemingly determined to adopt porn saturation. A must read. Below the post is a link to his play "Two Nights", co-written by Anna Flaherty. It is meant to provoke and facilitate conversation with your teen or group of teens. The May 2020 launch of my podcast will feature an interview with Bernard Beckett.
PORNOGRAPHY – 13 REASONS WHY NOT
Next week we have our preview showing of a play we’ve been working on all year at the school, Sex and Sudoku, looking at the way easy access to pornography is reframing our notions of intimacy, and the widespread damage that is doing. The more I’ve talked to people about this, guidance counsellors, friends, researchers, the more the scale of the problem has become apparent. And yet, somehow, the public discussion remains politely muted and, I suspect, embarrassed. The following document, 13 Reasons Why Not, was put together in preparation for the writing of a final duologue in the piece, and represents, as best I could express it, why our silence is no longer good enough, doing as it does such a grave disservice to our young people, who deserve to be guided with much more love and confidence towards a healthy and joyous expression of their sexuality. Excuse the switching point of views, in this case all part of the creative process. 13 Reasons Why Not:
1 Objectification I want to say this to you, my friend. I want to say that you and I can not imagine what it is to be a woman. To be looked at before you are listened to, if you are listened to at all. To be judged not by the energy you bring to the world, but by the extent to which you are willing to submit to its will. To be taught from your first breath that your role in life is to make others happy, to resist always the urge to assert your own needs, your own point of view. To be dissected by the glance of a stranger, to be reduced to a mere collection of body parts, to have to choose every day, in every moment, between being seen as a prude or a whore, so that no matter what your response to the sexual, the world’s assessment of you will be made on exclusively sexual terms. And what you do, every time you visit this world of complete strangers reduced to flesh, arranged for your instant and fleeting pleasure, you say, I’m okay with this. I’m okay supporting this last enduring form of slavery, this casual dismissal of all that is good in my fellow human beings. I will not be the man who stands up for what is right, history will not count me amongst those who made a difference. Because right now, I’d rather just draw the blinds and play with myself, like some bad parody of primate at a zoo, dispirited, disconnected, disappearing ever inward. It says I’m okay looking past the human being because, for the shortest of moments it fills me with a sensation that is not unpleasant. And every time you seek to justify this habit of yours, you tell other people it’s okay to do the same. Pornography is wrong because objectification is wrong, because it takes one half of the human race and strips them of their humanity.
2 Abuse The problem with pornography is that it is leading to abuse. Maybe not for every user in every circumstance, but that’s not an argument worth crediting. Because it increases the odds. Sex, in the end, is a private activity, and when two individuals engage with one another alone and out of the world’s sight, the only thing that keeps them safe is the steadfast and determined goodness of the one they are with. They are kept safe by the respect the other shows them, by the shared understanding that neither is a means to their end but rather, however it is they choose to be with one another, it must raise them up and not diminish. And none of this is easy. People feel vulnerable, and confused and frightened, because our shared discussion of and depiction of sexuality is a complete and embarrassing disaster. And in those moments, they will cling to the thing they know, they will paddle blindly to any hint of a life raft, and I’m saying, in a world where the only open discussion of sexuality is had by pornographers, they’re some pretty fucked life rafts. I’m saying, if you legitimise this shit, even if it has no impact upon your own behaviour, then you increase the danger for others, by increasing the opportunity and predilection for abuse, by increasing the odds that this will be their go-to reaction in moments of fear and awkwardness. By signposting most clearly the path away from restraint and respect, you are inviting us all along the road to abuse. And who gives you the right to do that?
3 The industry as evil Pornography is not just a random collection of images created by our collective consciousness, it is the considered work of an industry interested only its own continued existence. There are no moral decisions made along the way, no considerations given to the harm of the user, nor the harm of those involved in its production. Indeed, it is the very act of harm that ensures its success, for it is by breaking the user, disconnecting him from the real world of connection and love and intimacy, sucking him into a mire of loneliness, shame and regret, that the industry creates the addict, coming back for more of the same, that they may feel worse about themselves, and more in need of temporary respite from their self loathing. Just as the fast food industry has no interest in providing us with nutrition, for it is precisely the sensation of being both over caloried and simultaneously malnourished that keeps us hungry for more, the pornography industry has no regard for the state of our emotional arteries. Look around you, it is not the healthy and the happy, the emotionally contented and self assured, that are this industry’s target. They look for the weak, the young and the fragile, and they break them into pieces that they may be more easily consumed. And that’s you, or if it isn’t yet, it will be. So man up and walk away, while you still can. 4 Loss of intimacy This isn’t complicated. You get to choose how to express your sexuality. If you want to, you can aspire to the kind of connection that enriches your life, where your sexuality is an expression of your affection and appreciation and gob smacking gratitude for this bond you have formed with another human being. It can be about being honest and vulnerable and it’s hard work is the truth of it, getting to that place, but the rewards are a celebration of your shared humanity, the rewards are a place to be in a world, a place of comfort, and of pride. The reward allows the body to flourish, and the spirit too. Or you can do the easy thing, and reduce your sexuality to a mere function of the mechanical, a set of urges to be satisfied, responses to be experienced, images to be accessed in the name of arousal. Urges to be satisfied by strangers, or two dimensional abstractions. And it is a choice. One doesn’t get to turn a switch on and off, this moment intimacy, this moment pornography. The responses are not rationally chosen, rather they are conditioned over time. Continued mental physical association between the detached image and the aroused state in time becomes a block to experiencing proper intimacy. It becomes a block to flourishing in the company of others. It dehumanises it. The choice is ours.
5 Isolation, loss of connection Loneliness isn’t the state of being alone, it is the state of being disconnected. What you want as a human being, what we all want, is to draw close to the other. You want to listen and to be listened to. You want to laugh, to celebrate, to share your dreams and your fears. You want the warmth of another’s embrace, and of their concern. That’s the prize, and it takes an effort. It’s hard work. It’s the hard work of learning to trust, of taking risks and of making sacrifices. In the normal course of the world, some of our urge to move close to people is motivated by the sexual impulse. People feel desire for others, they are attracted to them, they fall in love with them, and in this state they are compelled to take risks, to draw close and to make sacrifices. The sexual is embodied in the intimate, and the reward is closeness. The reward is secrets shared, burdens unloaded, impossible dreams made possible through co-operation and love. The reward too is security, the ability to relax into the self, secure in the knowledge that you are loved, and capable of loving. Sever these ties, turn the sexual urge instead into something the market can attend to, and just as the food industry has subverted our base desire for nourishment in a way that makes us sick and unsatisfied, taste and convenience without nutrition, so the pornography industry subverts the sexual desire, cutting it loose from the desire to know and be known, and attending only to the most urgent but ultimately least nourishing of our needs. Pornogrpahy, and the casualisation of sexuality, harms us, by misdirecting us towards the wrong solution to a problem we no longer understand.
6 Normalisation, legitimising of the extreme No one’s arguing a slippery slope. It may well be true that all you’re consuming is mild by most standards, perhaps you might say that there has always been within art a tradition of sexualised aesthetic appreciation, that you are doing nothing more than admiring the naked form, and perhaps you can even argue legitimately that in terms of how you see the world, and interact with women, it no more poisons your relationship than the fact of watching grand designs poisons your relationship with your own home. That in some sense you are perfectly capable of distinguishing between the fantasy and the reality, in the same way that a child watching a violent cartoon is quite capable of abstracting the image from the world they inhabit (some interesting research on this, as an aside). And even if all of this is true, the fact is that the pornography industry exists along a continuum, and your patterns of consumption and your apologetics for the industry give it legitimacy. This indeed is the favourite cover of any industry that seeks to exploit, the hunting rifle becomes the cover for the military weaponry, as the middle class wine connoisseur is offered up as cover for the servicing of the needs of the violent alcoholic. Overpowered cars are sold as toys for the responsible user of track days but are marketed to over-testosteroned and inexperienced drivers. Every industry that makes its dollar from the exploitation of unhealthy over-consumption works very hard to ensure the existence of a visible population of moderate consumers, that the blame can be shifted from the product to the way it is consumed. And so the liberal instinct to support the moderate legitimises an industry which has no interest in moderation. That is the way industry works. The very fact that you do not consume extreme material makes you the perfect marketing tool for the extreme. You must take responsibility to the problem to which you are contributing, even if no immediate harm from your actions can be established.
7 Slow creep, death by a thousand cuts It is an inescapable truth that part of the lure of pornography is the accessing of the forbidden. Part of the thrill of access, evidenced that this is indeed a largely private activity, is the fact that it is a departure from the publicly normal. One study of patterns of internet searches with regard to pornography shows a strong cultural pattern in terms of the types of material being sought, and these patterns reflect established taboos, or rather those things that sit just on the edge of taboos, that exploited within the culture for titillation. And here is the problem, the more a particular product is consumed, the more it becomes normalised, up until the point where it can eventually slip out of the hidden and into the mainstream. Yesterday’s pornography is indeed today’s mainstream television, and as such loses some of its power, having less of the power of the transgressive. In other words, why, having gone to the trouble of secretly accessing this material, often at considerable social risk, would you then seek out that which is already readily available publicly? There is therefore an internal progression to the development of pornographic material, and research suggests we are seeing this now with an increased tendency towards narratives of violence and coercion. The thrill of transgression becomes part of the addictive nature of the product and so in making the decision to consume, one steps not into a forbidden room, but rather onto a conveyor belt, moving always toward the more brutal and dehumanising. There is no such thing as soft pornography, for pornography is a shapeshifter by its nature.
8 Programming unhealthy responses Perhaps you need to think about what it is you actually do when you look at pornography. This is not an anthropological study, nor is a simple escape into entertainment, in the manner of watching a comedy or listening to a piece of music might be. Men who watch pornography do it largely as a masturbational aid. This is using the images of strangers, engaged in acts presented in such a way as to specifically engage a physiological and sexual response. And it’s worth questioning why this might be necessary at all. What exactly is it about these images that replaces the simple act of touch, for example? And the answer is surely this, one is exploiting a pre-existing tendency for response to the visual, and to the narrative of the forbidden, and exploiting that purely because it suits those who would benefit from your consuming of their service. The visual is the most efficient transmission mechanism of a detached service, provided by people who have absolutely no interest in your well-being. And in using it, you train the visual response. Sexual response is not a pre-wired condition. It is engaged by the mechanism of narrative. A hand brushing casually against your own is not in itself a sexual act, nor does it provoke of itself a sexual response. Jostling into another’s body moving onto a crowded train, or backing accidentally into a stranger at the supermarket, these are not arousing. Yet, the lightest touch of another’s finger against your own, when there exists between you the possibility of a connection, as yet unspoken, the breathlessly held future a tingle between you, is electric. Where does this difference come from then, for two events that are in terms of sensory information identical, yet in terms of sexual response, could not be more removed? The answer is narrative, and trained response. And pornography both provides and trains a narrative, that of arousal as the result of explicitly sexual visuals. Pornography no more presents sex than movie fighting represents violence. In both cases what is presented is an artfully conceived caricature, designed to maximally present the stimuli that will evoke the audience response. Sex moves from an activity of inherent closeness, where the biological details are by nature inaccessible to the camera, to something altogether more abstracted. The obsession with presentation of mechanics and body parts then creates a conditioned response not to sex, but to body parts, disembodied and disconnected, devoid of personality or narrative. And, through repeated exposure coupled with arousal and release, you create in an entire population not just an association with, but a reliance upon, the visual. In time, sexual stimulation becomes dependent upon this form of removal and disembodiment, and so sexual activity itself becomes insufficient for arousal, and the user visits upon their partner a vision of disconnection. It is to just that the partner goes unloved, and both are deprived of loving connection. It is the partner is subjected to a process by which they are reduced and dehumanised. And this by the person they have chosen to love. It is a devastating thing to visit upon those who in their goodness choose to trust us.
9 Pornography as educator The problem of pornography is not just that it represents an important voice on the nature of sexuality, but rather that it often represents the only voice. Young people don’t know what to expect of sex. It is a minefield of unwieldy physiological responses, psychological fragilities, social expectations and hidden rules, not to mention the mechanics themselves. All of this takes a lot of negotiating and getting used to, and in its formative stages is frequently awkward and frankly disappointing. It’s hardly the only aspect of our lives that has this quality, but there is one stark difference, the activity being largely private, the information the young person can get hold of in the public realm is minimal. So closely aligned are attitudes to sexuality with other cultural touchstones like morality and religion, that even the best meaning adults find it difficult to freely offer advice and guidance. And there is a natural and universal coyness associated with sexuality which makes young people unreceptive to the intervention of adults in these matters. In this context, a world of freely available and unmitigated pornography is disastrous, because it shows none of the reticience of any other stakeholder. Pornography gives detailed, luridly so, depictions of sexual activity, and in doing so creates a picture of what is normal, and indeed what is expected. So not only does the industry create a set of sexual responses to unhealthy activities (here think coercion, violence, distancing, objectification) but it also creates an expectation that this is simply what sex is, and that expectation creates a burden on those young people attempting to negotiate an already impossibly complex landscape. People who have put themselves in a situation of such intimacy generally wish to please the person they are with. And this becomes a form of coercion even if nothing is directly asked of them. Where once western women were subjected to the brutal expectation that sex for them would be unpleasant, and was simply to be endured, they now face an even more demanding and demeaning narrative. Neither men nor women asked for this redefining of our sexuality, it was visited upon them by an industry devoid of moral purpose. And, for the young and uncertain, those least able to engage in careful and open communication, the possibility of sex as an act of warmth and connection is lost.
10 The shallows of instant gratification If there is one truth we should wish to pass onto our children, it is surely this: every thing worth having takes work. Finding satisfaction in your job takes work. Creating a home where people love one another and feel safe and supported takes work. Establishing positive relationships with your work colleagues takes work. Being healthy takes work. Understanding the world we live in takes work. Relaxing, truly relaxing, satisfied in the knowledge that you are living a worthwhile life takes work. So too lasting friendship, and so too intimacy. It is an important truth to own because with its knowledge comes a new kind of attitude to the world. The world is not benevolent, but nor does it mean you harm. The world just is, and we must move into that world with a willingness to do the work, to roll our sleeves up, uncomplaining, and get on with it. We must embrace the virtues of patience and service, we must resist the urge to feel put upon of disadvantaged. We must be prepared to play the long game, two steps forward and one step back, accepting the setbacks as an inevitable part of the journey. The alternative is to simply seek instant gratification wherever we can find it, consuming our fried chicken by the bucketful, finding entertainment through digital distraction, valuing our friendships by number nor quality, and seeking sexual release not by way of hard won trust and intimacy, but by pre-packaged pixelation. Pornography is a crucial cog in a bigger machine of destruction. Pornography is embracing of the sort of laziness and lack of aspiration that breeds a lifetime of self-entitled disappointment. It encourages us to paddle forever in the shallow end of the pool, that we may never experience the sensation of floating free. It is the unambitious yielding to the animal instinct of the now, capitulation to the great lie of modernity, that you can have it all, right away. And in this child-like rush to satisfy only the needs of the moment, we lose sight not just of the other, but of the future self. The true act of kindness to the self is the valuing not of the life of the moment, but of the life yet to be. It is a determination to make tomorrow better through the sacrifices of today. It is the willingness to climb the mountain for the sake of the view, but also the self respect that comes from having taken the harder road. Real sex is fraught with difficulty and responsibility, is a scary, grown up act. Pornography offers reward without effort, and everywhere and always such reward is both fleeting and ultimately illusory. 11 The imprinting problem You don’t get to choose what arouses you. Or at least not exactly. Sexuality is largely an imprinted phenomenon. What we come to think of as desirable, what is most able to elicit sexual responses, is a function of the things we see, experience and think about during our adolescence, or so goes imprinting theory. We can see in comparative anthropological studies both universals (modesty, jealousy, long term bonding…) and tremendous variances. Culture has the ability to determine a great deal with respect to sexual mores. Who we find attractive, the social context within which sex occurs, the degree of responsibility towards one’s partner, gender equality, all these things are modifiable via culture, and one of the strongest transmission mechanisms appears to be imprinting through adolescence. So, again, pornography doesn’t depict actual sex, it is contorted for the purposes of the camera, and for the purposes of its consumers (who seek mostly short term arousal assistance). Yet, if this is what adolescents are being exposed to, the problem is not just in terms of warped and harmful expectations (for the activities presented are unlikely to satisfy) but also of programmed sexual responses. It is entirely possible that in time these become necessary components of the sexaul response for the early consumer. Sexuality becomes then increasingly visual, and hence increasingly about objectifying of the partner, reducing them to the physical presentation of their bodies (as if body image isn’t fucked up enough already). And, increasingly, we may also be programming into our youth a need for some form of aggression as a sexual trigger. Could this industry be any more damaging if we designed it to be so?
12 The infantilising of sexuality. Children love routine. In it they find security. Returning to a familiar holiday spot, rushing into the arms of a loved grandparent, sitting down to their favourite meal. Their world is awash with the new and the confusing, and every day they are being asked to cope with novel and frightening situations. Their instinct is to shy away from these challenges when they can, to seek out the adult to guide them through the unknown. For a child with a limited skill set it is a sane and cautious approach. Then, as we mature and develop a wider range of skills, we gift ourselves with new levels of independence. We go out into the world, meet new people, take risks, try new things. We enrich our lives by trusting ourselves to adapt to the challenges of a shifting landscape. This openness to the world in so many ways defines adulthood. And yet there is an argument that, given the opportunity to regress to the behaviour of the child, we will turn to a sort of laziness and let these challenges that so reward us pass us by. Think of the cliche of the British tourist on holiday in Spain, eating fish and chips on a beach, bought with a warm beer from their favourite British style pub, holding loud sunburnt conversations with their British friends with whom they holiday every year, complaining about the locals. The franchise model of retail plays to this fear of the unknown, offering shoppers in every corner of the globe the comfort of knowing how to negotiate the menu, where to sit, even where the toilets will be. Capitalism appeals to our laziness, and so makes eternal children of us all. Even the challenge of conversation has been circumvented, witness any gathering of the young, each studiously attached to their phone’s screen. And pornography is simply the apex of this dismal phenomenon. It allows us to experience our sexuality suspended in childhood, freed from the messy obligations of social interaction, of reading motivations, showing vulnerability, of losing control. The viewer of pornography is the epitome of control, or as Seinfeld would have it, master of his domain. He is removed, can start or stop any depiction with a single click, is hidden from view, will neither be seen nor interrogated. Everything is safe and familiar. Repetition becomes a watchword. And so this area of limitless riches, this experiencing of love and hope and letting go, is bypassed by the childish urge to be safe, protected and unchallenged. Like mass produced clothing, fast food and over-produced music, pornography sucks the colour from our lives by offering the excuse we need to never grow up.
13 Addiction Pornography makes addicts of its users, and addiction hollows the life from the inside out, its true damage apparent only when collapse is imminent. Dopamine release is considered a key factor in the creation of addiction. This pleasure hormone, released as a reinforcer of behaviours, nevertheless contains within its receptors a desensitising mechanism. Awfully, with over-exposure, not only does the impact of a hit lessen each time, but the craving for the next hit intensifies. This double whammy underpins the pattern of addiction and explains why in time it will become so destructive. Be in gambling or gaming, pornography or ecstasy, the addict must in time seek more of it and more often, to satisfy the physiological need. So, while the early feeding of the habit may be socially manageable, in time the need for more money, more time, or more extreme stimulation will push the user outside society’s bounds. The addict becomes a pariah, or more often lives in constant fear of being found out and cast as one. Shame is the constant companion, and with it, anger. The human beings surrounding the addict become a means to the greater end, or an obstacle to achieving it, and so in term those we know and love become strangers to us, dehumanised in the shadow of the greater god of satisfaction. The pornography addict (and while not all users are addicts, every user runs the risk, and viewed from the outside, it is a risk without an attendant reward, a dumb bet if ever there was one) finds themselves on a path to ever darker material, and ever darker demands. To hide their habit, they seek to appear sexually functional in the real world, but their view of sex is by now so distorted that any attempts to imitate intimacy run the risk of descending into abuse. It is an ugly place to end up, and because of the secretive nature of pornography consumption, the user can not turn to the normal social controls and constraints to mediate their behaviour. In any behaviour that is secretive the risk of escalation is magnified. And because, unlike many other addictions, there is not even a financial barrier to engagement, (or in the case of gaming, a temporal barrier) usage can spiral very quickly. The true addict is sexually and socially dysfunctional, and capable of bringing tremendous harm to those about him, for their mind ultimately is not their own. Pornography and its modern delivery mechanisms are designed to provide maximal risk of addiction. Why then are we not outraged by its glib acceptance?


Journal of Cellular & Molecular Pathology is a new peer reviewed, international journal with rapid publication of articles in all fields and areas of Pathology.
Journal of Cellular & Molecular Pathology mainly focuses on Clinical papers emphasizing medical and surgical aspects of General medical pathology, Anatomical pathology, Cytopathology, Dermatopathology, Forensic pathology, Histopathology, Neuropathology, Pulmonary pathology, Renal pathology, Surgical pathology, Clinical pathology, Hematopathology, Molecular pathology, Oral and maxillofacial pathology are acceptable for publication. The Journal particularly welcomes contributions from the specialists in the field pathology.
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Like every year, it’s hard to believe another has passed and Maya turned 7 last week! We love our little first-grader, and she’s growing up before our eyes. We celebrated with donuts when she got up in the morning, before heading to school for the day. Luckily she got up early enough to take a couple spins around the block on her new bike. She’s definitely growing and had outgrown her old bike. Blue is her favorite color, so she was excited about her new, blue bike!
A few days before her birthday, we had a party with some of her friends at Adventure Peak, a giant indoor park. She loved having all of her friends in one place to run around for an evening!
Some of our 7-year-old’s favorite things:
School. Maya loves everything about school. She’s happy to go every single day, and the prospect of missing a day is never a happy thing! We’re just a month into first grade, but it seems like it’ll be a great year. Her Spanish has come along so quickly already this year. She loves going to the library at school and art class is one of her other favorites. But math has been her favorite subject since the end of last year. She often says she wants to be a mathematician when she grows up.
Reading. Maya would love it if we would read to her for hours each day. She only wants chapter books for the most part. Magic Treehouse is her favorite series, aside from Harry Potter. She has joined the rest of the world in adoring Harry Potter! I had never read the books, and was excited to start reading them to her. We cruised through the first two books! She would have had me stay up reading all night, if my voice would have lasted! We’re on hold now because the books get scarier as they move on, so I’m not sure when we’ll dive into the third book. But I do know it’s going to be hard to stop her from reading them all! She’s often asking when we can start the next book! She made a comment the other day that she wished she could read better on her own so she could read when we’re not able to read to her. Her reading is definitely coming along in English and Spanish. Hopefully this year she’ll get a little closer to being able to read the things she wants on her own!
Art. She still loves art and spends much of her free time creating. When she doesn’t want to be a mathematician when she grows up, she wants to be an artist.
Biking. She loves, loves, loves to bike. Luckily it’s been a beautiful fall here, so she’s been able to take lots of long bike rides. And luckily Carter still loves being pulled in the trailer!


TALE OF TWO RUNNERS...
RUNNER #1: The morning air it beckons me to hit the road where I am free. I run to drink in day's first light, to air my thoughts as I take flight. My body strengthened as I go, the joy I feel no one else knows. When I return recharaged I'll be, for when I'm running, I AM FREE!
RUNNER #2: Another day comes into view. I cannot cope or see what's true. Another dollar I must make, but how and where no one can say. Will I sell drugs to meet my need? Where do I turn, my soul to feed? Anger eats me like the rust, destroying bonds of love and trust. Where to go and what to do? I know - I'll run - and start brand new! Run away from fears and dreads, from pain and broken promises. To new surroundings I will flee - and if these will not welcome me - I'll take a leap to the unknown - leaving loved ones, life and home. I cannot say my heart is free, but I must run for fear drives me.
Runners both, but both not free - One runs for joy, one runs to flee. For FIRST we must look deep inside and from our fears we must not hide. Facing down our enemies, must start within, must start with ME! The only fear to tolerate, is fear of God, for He is great. And wisdom's start begins right here, with humble heart and drawing near. To mercy, grace and wisdom's throne, our holy Father is God alone. He will comfort. He will heal. A brand new life he will reveal. From INWARD CHANGE, new strength He'll bring. We'll mount up now on eagle's wings. We will run and not be weary. We will walk and will not faint. When upon the Lord we trust and hoping in His love, we wait. Now our journey can be made. There is a plan our God has laid. There is a purpose for your life. It's beautiful and without strife. Place your faith, your all in Him. You'll run with purpose - run to WIN! You'll run to rush to another's aid. Another soul needs to be saved. You'll pass the torch, you'll shine the light, to bring that soul out of their night. And joy will come touch down on you, when you can see you made it through! With race complete, you'll make it home - arms open wide - you'll never roam. Into your Father's Kingdom come, you'll hear His voice - MY CHILD WELL DONE!


Tandem is a digital publishing house for children from 3 to 6 years old specialize in high-standard (high range) digital books.
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