The BE&HM Series ~ Part VIII: Electron "Ownership" & Non-Reversible Oxidation

Previous posts in this series: Biophysical Electrochemistry and Human Metabolism, Part II: Atoms & The Periodic Table, Part III: The Main Group Elements, The Octet Rule and Ions, Part IV: Ionic Compounds, Elements & Oxidation State Defined, Part V: Covalent Bonding & Molecules, Part VI: Electron "Ownership" & Polarity, Part VII:  Chemical Reactions

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In a lot of the discussions of mitochondria and the various metabolic pathways in general, the term "redox" gets thrown around a lot.  Redox is a contraction of the terms reduction and oxidation.  This generally applies to reversible reactions where one species is oxidized and the other reduced, but it actually applies to all reactions wherein electrons are "transferred" from one element to another.  Where I'm going here (and I don't know when I'll get there, but I will)  is to discuss redox couples and basically how we are electrochemical machines where one chemical reaction is coupled with another -- the energy released from  the favorable reaction drives the otherwise unfavorable chemical reaction to which it is coupled.

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Daily Blog #4: Milestones 1 and 2 detailed

Hello Reader,
                      In my last post we talked about the milestones and optional achievements you can look forward to in your forensic career. This post will go into detail on what it takes to achieve milestones 1 and 2.

Milestone 1 - Your tool defines your workflow.
    When most of us get our first job as digital forensic examiner it's through an employer where we are transitioning roles and not after graduating with a degree in computer forensics, though, that is now a possibility! Without a 4 year foundation in digital forensics backing you up, you and your employer look to make an investment in your career by purchasing a forensic suite and a training package to learn how to use it.

    When you first receive training on how to use a forensic suite, no matter which one, you are amazed at what is suddenly possible. The ability to recover deleted files, carve long deleted data, determine a users activities and all the rest of the data you gain from the tools ability to parse computer forensic artifacts empower you in your first investigations.  You are content at this point by what your tool is able to do and what you have been trained to do with it.

    So let me be clear because as people grow in their experience in skills they begin to look back at this time with disdain at their former selves. There is nothing wrong with your results at this point, any evidence that you find in your investigation is still good evidence. At this stage in your career though you may be missing evidence, not because the tool is faulty but because you have not yet learned all the artifacts that exist. You may miss evidence at this point that can add more to your findings, with the worst possibility being you miss evidence that would have revealed more about whatever the focus of your investigation was.

    In this milestone you also chase the most red herrings as you are still learning to understand what is possible, what the system records, and what's relevant in your investigations. If you are in this milestone I would encourage you to move on to other milestones as quickly as you can. While the results of tool are correct, you are missing artifacts and a bigger picture of the actions of those you are investigating. The only thing you can do to move forward is to get more experience and depending on your budget go to non-vendor training, conferences or read blogs and white papers to start educating yourself on what exists outside of your walled garden.

Milestone 2 - You get certified on your tool.
    This is an important milestone in your career, outside of kudos from those who you give your reports this is your first external validation of your skills and abilities as a digital forensic examiner. What is important to remember at this point is what your vendor certification means. It means that you have shown skill and knowledge in how to perform an examination using their tools. It is not a reflection on your overall knowledge of what is possible and your total capabilities. Many people see a vendor certification as an end point in their credentials and I would encourage you to think outside that box.

    Let me be clear, there is great value in a vendor certification. Many attorneys are getting smart and asking experts if they are certified in the tools they use as a way to judge competency in the results those tools produce. Being able to pass a written test that shows your knowledge of how the tool works, and the ability to successfully retrieve known artifacts through a practical test is great. You're not done though and if your organization views this as 'being done' in your professional path at this point you should stop and think about what their intentions to grow your skills are.

    Once you obtain this certification you'll likely join a mailing list with other certified professionals who can ask each other questions outside of the public view. This is good but remember that there is no confidentiality on those emails and they can be quoted against you in the future. Consider always subscribing and replying from a non-work email address that does not contain your name so your past statements don't come back to haunt you.  You have plenty of time to show people how smart you are, you just may not be as smart as you think you are at this point.

    The other great perk of this milestone is the normal requirement for continuing education anually. This provides a great justification for your employer to pay for you to go to conferences and other training in order to keep the certification. Most employers like having a certified employee as it allows them to show competence to those that are receiving your reports.

    I'll end this daily blog entry by saying, I'm constantly amazed on new artifacts and research that is revealed everyday. Digital Forensics is a science, never forget that, and we have to stay up to date with it to be the best scientists we can be.

Cara Merawat Kucing Anggora Dengan Baik

Cara merawat kucing anggora yang baik memang berbeda-beda menurut tiap individu yang memelihara kucing cantik ini. Namun secara garis besar bisa dibilang relatif sama, yaitu tentang kebersihan si kucing dan kandangnya, menu makanannya, dan terakhir vaksinasi.

Merawat kucing anggora bisa dibilang hampir sama dengan merawat kucing-kucing ras lain yang berbulu semi-longhairdan longhair. Namun tentu saja akan sedikit berbeda dengan merawat kucing berbulu pendek ataupun kucing kampung. Bagaimana cara memelihara kucing angora?

Berikut ini adalah beberapa cara merawat kucing anggora:

1.    Biasakan untuk memakan makan makanan kucing yang kering (dry food) sejak kecil karena makanan kaleng untuk kucing (wet food) tidaklah bagus untuk kesehatan jangka panjang si kucing. Selain itu, lebih baik untuk tidak mencoba memberikan makanan lain selain catfood seperti ikan, ayam, atau makanan hewani lainnya karena makanan tersebut cenderung akan mengganggu pertumbuhan bulu kucing angora

2.     Untuk porsinya, anda bisa memberinya makan 3x sehari dengan porsi 1 takaran full unutk porsi kucing dewasa. Atau anda bisa melihat sendiri takaran yang dianjurkan pada bungkus makanan kucing yang anda beli tersebut. 

3.      Beri minum berupa air putih yang sudah cukup matang sudah cukup. Jangan sering-sering member susu dan jangan diberikan susu untuk manusia.

4.      Pastikan ukuran kandang sesuai dengan ukuran tubuhnya. Misalnya kucing angora anda sudah seberat 4 kg, maka anda bisa menggunakan kandang berukuran 90 x 63 x 65 cm. Kandang yang baik adalah yang terbuat dari aluminium, sehingga tidak berkarat, dan jerujinya lebar agar sirkulasi udaranya bagus.

5.      Bersihkan kotak pasir setiap hari dan cuci kandang seminggu sekali, lalu semprot dengan desinfektan.

6.   Setelah kucing berumur 3 bulan segera lakukan vaksinasi. Ikuti saja saran dokter untuk melakukan vaksinasi apa saja. Biasanya dokter akan mewajibkan 3 kali vaksinasi, sementara yang tahunan mereka sebut “tidak wajib”.

7.   Anda perlu memandikannya setidaknya 2 minggu sekali atau seminggu sekali juga lebih bagus untuk menjaga kebersihannya. Sisirlah sehari sekali bulunya agar bulunya tidak kusut.

Itulah beberapa tips singkat cara merawat kucing anggora. Semoga saja informasi ini bermanfaat dan ‘simanis’ semakin sehat dan menggemaskan.

Baca Juga tentang : Cara Merawat Bayi Hamster

Protein Metabolism

This one I'm bumping for myself, but perhaps some folks might find it interesting.  The red bolding is new.

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Original Publication:  4/17/10

Looking for some info on protein, I came across this link:

http://www.nutrition-partner.com/index.cfm?C27B8FF7FABF494CAA480EF21E0D228D

The page focuses on changes in dietary requirements and/or the impact on the body of malnutrition, disease and stress, but I found this site through the following graphic on protein metabolism:

Something in the numbers doesn't add up here, but I was surprised to see how much protein is "recycled" in our guts.  Perhaps the total protein synthesis is balanced by catabolism/turnover and that is the missing number?  Not sure.  Here is the quoted text referring to this diagram (my apologies for the messed up formatting).  

Protein in the body is not static; protein synthesis and breakdown is constantly taking place. However, the total body protein pool in a healthy adult is constant. Synthesis of protein from endogenous and exogenous amino acids is equal to degradation and external losses. Some proteins have a long lifetime, such as muscle protein and plasma albumin, while others have a high turnover rate. Muscle protein constitutes up to approximately 50% of total body protein, but contributes only approximately 30% of the protein turnover in the body, because in visceral and other organs, protein turnover rates are several times higher than in muscle tissue.  Protein metabolism is dependent on a vast number of endogenous mediators. These mediators define the balance between anabolic and catabolic processes. Insulin is the major anabolic hormone and also has an important role in amino acid and protein homeostasis. During injury and stress two major alterations in insulin are noted: a catecholamine-mediated suppression of insulin release and an insulin resistance, leading to a release of skeletal muscle amino acid for gluconeogenesis and, at the same time, a decreased utilisation of glucose by insulin-dependent tissues. This mechanism provides glucose to the insulin-dependent tissues that are important for survival and the healing of injury, such as the central nervous system (CNS), immune system and red blood cells. Other hormones, like glucagon and the catecholamines, control or counteract the effects of insulin and are more or less proteolytic; the exact role of catecholamines is still under discussion, however. In order to define protein requirements, an overview of protein metabolism is necessary. By determining the renewal of proteins susceptible to measurement, such as plasma, muscle and digestive secretion proteins, it has been possible to estimate the daily turnover in proteins. Considerable recycling of endogenous amino acids seems to occur, the quantity amounting to twice the daily intake.   Hence, normal protein metabolism incorporates about 100 g of dietary amino acids and over 200 g of endogenous amino acids daily. Allowance must therefore be made for increased losses of endogenous proteins when assessing patients´ protein intake.

So fully 2/3rds of our daily protein metabolism comes from proteins in our body -- the amino acid pool in our cells and/or breakdown of tissues.  Another factoid:  Structural proteins have about a 6 month half life, while hormones/peptides/etc. can have half-lives of a matter of minutes.  However hormones etc. constitute a very small amount of protein weight wise.

Inilah 10 Manfaat Berpuasa

Inilah 10 Manfaat Berpuasa - Secara umum, berpuasa merupakan kegiatan menahan diri dari hawa nafsu mulai dari sebelum terbit fajar hingga petang hari atau Maghrib. Dalam Islam, terdapat puasa yang wajib kita laksanakan yaitu puasa Ramadhan, yang dilaksanakan setiap bulan Ramadhan selama satu bulan penuh. Namun, tahukah Anda? Banyak sekali manfaat puasa yang bisa kita peroleh. Berikut inilah rangkumannya yang Espilen Blog dapatkan dari berbagai referensi.

1. Dapat Mengurangi Berat Badan
Puasa adalah cara yang paling cepat dan efektif untuk mengurangi berat badan, detoksifikasi , penyembuhan dan memperpanjang kemungkinan harapan hidup baik dengan cara preventif maupun kuratif.


2. Belajar Menjadi Orang yang Lebih Sabar dan Tenang
Sudah jelas, bahwa bila kita berpuasa dilarang untuk marah, dan melakukan hal-hal lainnya yang mengikuti nafsu sehingga kita dapat membiasakan diri untuk tenang dan sabar.


3. Sebagai terapi nutrisi yang natural
Puasa adalah salah satu cara penyembuhan alami terhebat yang pernah ada. Hampir bisa dikatakan bahwa puasa adalah obat dari semua masalah. Hewan pun secara insting akan berpuasa jika sakit. Puasa bisa mengalirkan kembali energi yang terpendam, lebih kreatif dan lebih merasa hidup. Masalah penyalahgunaan diet, pola makan westernisasi di negara dunia ketiga, telah menumbuhkan berbagai macam penyakit degeneratif seperti atherosklerosis, hipertensi, penyakit jantung, alergi, diabetes dan kanker.


4. Menajamkan fungsi indrawi.



5. Hidup lebih baik
Karena dengan puasa tidak hanya tubuh kita yang menjadi lebih sehat tapi juga hati kita Insya Allah menjadi lebih bersih, sehingga kehidupan kita menjadi lebih baik dari sebelumnya.



6. Lebih Mampu Mengendalikan Seks.
Dengan melakukan puasa, Insya Allah hawa nafsu kita terhadap seks dapat lebih terkendali.


7. Membersihkan Badan


8. Berpuasa Dapat Mengistirahatkan Sistem Pencernaan Kita
Mungkin selama kita hidup di dunia ini, hanya puasalah yang dapat membuat istirahat secara fisiologis pada sistem saluran pencernaan kita, perbanyaklah mengonsumsi buah dan sayuran untuk membantu proses ini.


9.  Merasa lebih baik secara fisik dan mental.


10. Memperlambat Proses Penuaan
Penuaan adalah suatu proses menghilangnya secara perlahan-lahan kemampuan jaringan untuk memperbaiki diri dan mempertahankan struktur dan fungsi normalnya sehingga tridak dapat memperbaiki kekurangan yang diderita. Dengan berpuasa, Insya Allah dapat memperlambat penuaan diri kita.


Demikian artikel yang bisa Espilen Blog sampaikan mengenai manfaat puasa ini. Mohon maaf atas segala kekurangan dan kekhilafannya. Semoga memberikan faedah.