A Literature Review of Health Promotion

Literature Review of Health Promotions Grand Canyon University NRS 429 September 12, 2010 Literature Review Traditionally the United States health care system has been sickness-oriented. However, in the last two decades, a new paradigm has emerged. This new paradigm emphasizes wellness rather than sickness. As a result in this change in focus, health promotion is now an integral part of the nursing profession. This research paper will review current literature from three professional sources relative to the nursing profession and health promotion.This paper will analyze: 1. How is health promotion defined? 2. What is the purpose of health promotion? 3. How has the role of a nurse changed as the result of the emphasis on health promotion? 4. How are nurses implementing health promotion? 5. Identify, compare and contrast the three levels of health promotion prevention. Health promotion simply stated are the activities and behaviors that help individuals stay healthy. These behaviors an d activities include self-responsibility, physical fitness, nutritional awareness and stress reduction and management.In their research for â€Å"Brunner and Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing,† Smeltzer and Bare (2006) state â€Å"health promotion can be defined as activities that by accentuating the positive assist a person to develop those resources that will maintain or enhance well-being and improve the quality of life. It refers to the activities that a person does personally in the absence of symptoms in an attempt to remain healthy. These activities do not be assistance of a member of the health care team. (Smeltzer & Bare, 2006).Health promotion in the United States has a single purpose. That purpose according to Smeltzer and Bare (2006) is â€Å"to focus on the person's potential for wellness and to encourage him or her to alter personal habits, lifestyle and environment in ways that will reduce risk and enhance health and will being. † T he role of nurse’s has changed dramatically as a result of the emphasis on health promotion. Historically, nurses focused on the diagnosis and treatment of a disease, sickness or condition and emphasis on health promotion was nonexistent. However, today that has all changed.Nurses are now expected to expand their primary care services to include psychosocial nursing, advocacy, behavioral science, counseling and advocacy in addition to patient assessment, clinical diagnosis and patient-case management. In the article â€Å"Defining Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice: Expanding Primary Care Services,† Sherwood, Brown, and Wardell (1997) state â€Å"the role of the nurse practitioner continues to evolve in response to changing societal and health care needs as consumers in all settings seek increasing services†. (Sherwood, Brown and Wardell, 1997).Nurses implement health promotion strategies in a variety of ways. Due to the high level of credibility nurse’ s have with their patients, they greatly influence their patients with their passion. By emphasizing health promotion strategies such as self-responsibility, proper nutrition, exercise and stress management, nurses plant the seeds of wellness in the minds of their patients. While ultimately, it is up to the individual to make healthy changes in their lives, the role of the nurse practitioner plays a huge role in motivating individuals to adopt healthy habits.There are three levels of health promotion prevention. They are the primary prevention, secondary prevention and tertiary prevention. These levels are stages of the disease process during which preventive actions can be highly effective. Primary prevention focuses on preventing illness or trauma. An example of a primary prevention intervention would be an immunization. The objective of primary prevention strategies is to reach as many individuals (who may be at risk) as possible. The majority of health promotion programs in the United States are implemented at this level.According to Liburd, Collins, Giles, et al (2007) â€Å"In the decades since chronic illnesses replaced infectious diseases as the leading causes of death, public health researchers, particularly those in the field of health promotion and chronic disease prevention, have shifted their focus from the individual to the community in recognition that community-level changes will foster and sustain individual behavior change. † Secondary prevention emphasizes early detection and intervention against illnesses and disease.An example of a secondary prevention strategy would be a screening program. The objective of secondary prevention strategies is to limit the spread of infectious diseases as well as treat those individuals identified with a disease or condition before the illness fully develops. According to Peek, Cargill and Huang (2007) â€Å"health care interventions improved the quality of care for racial/ethnic minorities, improved health outcomes (such as diabetes control and reduced diabetes complications), and possibly reduced health disparities in quality of care. Tertiary prevention focuses on recovery and rehabilitation after a disease, condition or illness has occurred. The objective of tertiary prevention strategies is to prevent and limit further patient deterioration resulting from a sickness, condition or disease. Joseph Betancourt and Joan Quinlan (2007) state â€Å"The paradigm of personal responsibility for one’s health, which includes the responsibility of patients to follow their physician’s instructions and adhere to their treatment plan, now carries great weight among health care providers. A careful review of the literature presented strongly indicates the fact that nurses are key components in the health promotion phenomenon. Their influence can be identified every step of the way. Their roles have changed (expanded) significantly in the last ten years. Nurses are no longer limited to explaining to individuals how to get well but also how to remain healthy. The importance of this change cannot be understated. In the article ‘The Future Role of Nursing in Health Promotion† the authors Chiverton, Votava and Tortoretti (2003) state â€Å"never before has health promotion been more important than it is today.Nurses in education, practice, and research settings participate in the advancement of health promotion not only to the mainstream but to the forefront of nursing practice. Historically, nurse educators have taught patients how to manage illness; in the future, the focus must be on teaching people how to remain healthy. † (Chiverton, Votava and Tortoretti, 2003).

Discrimination Concerning African Americans Essay

  Differences in race lead to divergent levels of economic development within the United States. Analysts often try to explain this phenomenon by observing a specific ethnic group’s tradition and cultural ideology. Economists expand their analysis on the economic behaviors of African Americans by taking into consideration personal histories and value systems of the group under study. American families measure economic status in terms of income, and factors associated with material security as a whole. These factors may consist of health care, college funds, and retirement plans. However, African American families lag well behind when conceptualizing economic development under these terms. The reason is due to numerous instances of discrimination that occur in the U. S. Many of America’s public policies aid in the underdevelopment of non-white families. Increased economic development within America is the key to upward political and social mobility. If minorities are denied inevitable rights to equality, access to economic development becomes a highly difficult process. Despite America’s idealized view on equal opportunity, it is valid to assume that economic security has been limited on the basis of race. Therefore, it is important to investigate why white American families are economically better-off than non-white American families. One must take into account aspects of political participation, education, and the number of children a family has in the home in order to understand this research question. Contemporary Viewpoints: The lack of political participation of minority groups is a prevalent issue within the United States, explaining why non-white American families are less economically developed when compared to white American families. According to Douglas S. Massey (1995), minority families increasingly speak languages and bear cultures quite different than the established norms within the U. S. regime. He has found that ethnic groups carry their customs into new generations, leading many non-white families to become displaced and impoverished. Brinck Kerr and Will Miller (1997) believe that it is necessary for non-white American families to participate in elections in order to obtain equal representation that they are now lacking. They go on to say that political representation is the key to higher employment levels, and is a significant determinant to the minority share of professional positions. William H. Frey (1996) finds that immigrants usually encounter highly stratified society characterized by high income inequality leaving little room for upward mobility. In addition, Paula D. Mcklain (1990) assumes that non-white American families will continue to reside in low economic subcultures that are institutionally incomplete if they are represented at much lower ratios relative to the population portions of whites. Susan Welch (1990) has found that minority groups have not even achieved half their population proportions in political elections. These numbers are even lower than what they were a decade ago. She states that other factors that lead to low political participation within minority groups is that a substantial number of non-white American families are not citizens, and therefore are not eligible to vote. Also, Massey has found that America enacts policies that hinder the socioeconomic status of immigrants for they are underrepresented at virtually all levels and institutions in United States government. Moreover, Friedberg and Hunt (1995) have found that non-white American families receive less benefits than white families because of geographic segregation within the community. The various dispersion of minority families in different low-income areas within the U. S. makes it difficult for these families to be represented proportionally. Consequently, Rodney E. Hero and Caroline J. Tolbert (1995) believe minority families can now be easily manipulated by government because they are not equally accounted for. Therefore, non-white American families are not able to take advantage of economically developed determinants such as health care and retirement funds. The inscription of the Statue of liberty expresses to the world to â€Å"give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free†¦. † America continuously contradicts itself on the validity of this concept due to the increasingly economic tension between Caucasian and non-white families. Friedberg and Hunt (1995) give the example of Proposition 187, which makes many non-white American families ineligible for certain services such as public health. Non-white American families are not given the opportunity to take advantage of benefactors the U. S. offers to white American families. Therefore, Non-white American families lack of political participation, and unequal representation in governmental institutions and legislative bodies, leads them to be less economically developed than white American families. Education is another obstacle to economic development that non-white families face. Education is a vital tool to economic security. However, Melissa Marschall (1997) has found that current policies demonstrate minorities have been denied equal access to education. She has found that assignment systems based on assessments of language deficiencies or other individual needs are used to separate non-whites from whites. According to Jeffrey J. Mondack and Diana C. Mutz (1997), inequitable school financing is equally detrimental to non-white students. Funding for public schools comes from property taxes. They go along to say that predomintly non-white schools tend to be in central inner city school districts which have a smaller property tax base. In addition, the Office of Civil Rights has identified practices that are termed â€Å"second generation school discrimination†. Practices such as ability grouping, suspensions, and tracking may appear on the surface to be normal educational practices. When examining these components closer, Brick Kerr and Will Miller (1997) have found they have a negative impact on minority students. Ability grouping is a form of segregation that separates minority students from whites. They have found that before even attempting to teach non-white students, they are diagnosed with having linguistic or intellectual problems. The students are therefore required to take special and bilingual classes, making it difficult for them to succeed. According to Robert E. England (1986), non-white students are many times pulled out of regular classes and placed into bilingual classes only on the basis of ethnicity rather than their understanding of English. Brick and Miller go on to explain that suspensions are a second tactic used to encourage the failure of minority students in school. Non-white students are given more harsh disciplinary sentences than white students. Moreover, studies show that the ratio of minority students kicked out of school is disproportionately higher than whites, making the students more likely to drop out. Marschall has found that schools also advocate differences in ability grouping and discipline, leading to distinctions in tracking between non-whites and whites. The majority white students in high ability groups are often counseled to choose college preparatory tracks. However, minorities in low ability groups are counseled into vocational or general tracks, making them less likely to attend post-secondary education. Mondack and Mutz believe that the overall pattern of racial inequality the school system has created makes non-whites less likely to receive a quality education than whites. This truth makes it difficult for economic development to occur within non-white American families. The number of children in a family lead to increased poverty levels and low economic development within non-white American families. M. Klitsch (1990) has found that minority women have children at an extensively higher rate than that of white women. Also, he states that non-white women represent a small percentage of the population, however they account for a greater number of births. Alejandro Portes and Cynthia Truelove (1987) go on to say that non-white families are generally poorer than white families because of the higher number of children in the home. This leads them to be more likely to live below the poverty line. In addition, Genevieve M. Kenney and Nancy E. Reichman (1998) have found the population of non-whites increases faster than whites every year due to high fertility rates. Similarly, the two have found that fertility rates of non-whites families living in impoverished communities is almost double compared to white families. Klitsch has found that non-white families have an estimated 5. 5 people to a household, while white families only 3. 8. Therefore, these high rates lead to low socioeconomic status, and limited opportunities to increase economic security. According to Kenney and Reichman, the high fertility rates are due to low percentages of minorities who use contraceptives. They have also found that non-white women are less likely to have an abortion than white women. One might view this as a positive aspect. However, Portes and Truelove believe that one must take into account the over a quarter of minority families who have an income below the federal poverty line, which is almost one half greater than those of white families. Therefore, the high number of children within non-white American families make them more likely to experience economic deprivation than white American families. There has been an abundance of scholarly research previously conducted on the economic differences between white and non-white American families. They usually consist of data sources such as the U. S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the U. S. bureau of the Census. The Foreign Born Population of the United States and Statistical Reports are used with the previously listed sources to compare ethnic groups (Friedberg and Hunt, pg. 5). These databases yield cross-sectional designs that develop into time series reports in order to make assumptions on variables dealing with GNP and income, proving distinct differences in the races under study. For instance, researchers assume that white families are more economically developed than non-whites. This is because the average white American family makes $44,000 a year, and the average non-white American family does not make half this amount (6-7). These figures are valid in drawing conclusions about correlative relationships, satisfying important ideological factors necessary to study when dealing with the dependent variable of race. A more effective method of analysis was a study derived from interviews in a low income Los Angeles county. The participants were white and non-white females. The study was conducted between January 1984 and May 1985 (M. Kitsch, 136-137). In addition, the sample consisted of a three-stage cluster of census tracks, blocks, and household addresses. This cross-sectional design embodied research dealing with fertility rates of different races. The minority women proved to have higher fertility rates in low income sectors, leading Klitsch to question the different ways non-white American families conceptualize economic development. Non-white American families have to deal with numerous accounts of racial discrimination. It is difficult for a non-white American family to become economically stable in terms of income and security plans. The reason is due to being a minority in a predominately white America. Therefore, non-white American families are less economically developed than white American families because: H1 non-white American families are less likely to participate in elections than white American families. H2 non-white Americans are more likely to be discriminated against in school than white Americans. H3 the more children in a household, the more likely a family will be economically deprived. Implications and Conclusion: Education, political participation, and the number of children a family has all affect the levels of economic development within the household for white American families. Even though education levels has a stronger affect toward higher levels of income, when the three variables are measured together, they are all highly statistically significant. In non-white American homes, education levels appears to be the key determinant of their economic status. Further test need to be measured in reference to how the number of children a family has and political participation affect the economic security of non-white American families. With this, the above hypotheses will prove to have more validity. However, in both cases it was important to measure education, the number of children a family has, and political participation together in order to understand the affect these variables have on each other, and how this affect leads to higher or lower levels of economic development within the family. These multivariate studies are also important in predicting the affect the independent variables will have on total family income in the future. It can be assumed that the highest year of school completed will continue to have a strong affect toward economic development in the future for both white and non-white American families. In addition, the number of children in a white American family and their political participation are significant variables to measure when determining their economic standpoint in future years to come. There are alternative approaches to identifying explanations to why non-white American families are less economically developed than white American families. One example is the difference in income between non-white and white American families who have single parents and ones that have two parents. Another alternative approach is identifying education as only an antecedent variable, and observing how it relates to occupation, the true independent variable under study. From here, one can observe how economic development is related to a person’s occupation within the home. As anyone who walks the streets of America’s largest cities knows, there has been a profound transformation of different ethnic cultures within the United States. The rapidity of the change has led to growing competition of economic development between white and non-white American families. This competition has lead to ethnic prejudice and discrimination as the United States continues to assimilate into the melting pot for the American dream. Political participation, education, and the number of children within the home are variables that allow the transition to become a less arduous process for white American families. However, if non-white American families continue to do poorly in terms of economic development because of these variables, non-whites will continue to lag behind the income scale in comparison to whites. Research along these lines will lead to the study of relative differences between ethnic cultures. An example is the discovery of why almost half the number of minorities return to their country of origin after experiences of economic injustice. Previous research may also benefit other analysis in the field of economics by itemizing fertility rates in terms of the higher number of non-white American families who lack the finances to properly nourish their children. These new variables along with my research can in time become valid determinants in explaining why white American families are economically better off that non-white American families.

Philips Versus Matsushita: a New Century, a New Round

Philips versus Matsushita: A New Century, A New Round How did Philips become the leading consumer company in the world in the postwar era? What distinctive competence did they build? What distinctive incompetencies? During 1892, Gerard Philips had a small light-bulb factory in Eindhoven, Holland in the same year the factory was failing so the brother Anton, a salesman came abroad. The larger electrical company was very diverse with their products.The two brothers focus on technological prowess to create significant innovations such as scrap old plants and use new machines, or factories for new production technology (Barlett, 2009 p. 332). Philips had created a culture of embracing technical innovation. On the production side, Philips was a leader in industrial research, and scrapped old plants in favor of new machines or factories whenever advances were made.On the product side, strong research enabled the company to broaden its product line, starting with light bulbs but growing int o vacuum tubes, radios and X-ray tubes by the 1930s (Barlett, 2009 p. 332). When the Great Depression happen Philips build local production facilities to protect his foreign sales of product. In the late 1930s, with the anticipation of the war Philips had to transfer overseas assets to British and North American corporation but most of the vital research laboratories to Redhill Surrey, England and top management to United States.The individual country organization was more independent during the war supported by the assets, resources transferred from their parent. The Allied and German bombing had pummeled Philips industrial plant in the Netherlands but management board decided to build postwar organization on National organizations (NOs) that has become self-sufficiency during the war that allowed a valuable asset in postwar era(Barlett, 2009 p. 332). A great advantage in being able to sense and respond to differences is the environmental independent National organizations (NOs).Th e National organizations (NOs) built a technical capability, product development that became a function to local market conditions. During 1954, a board was established call the International Concern Council to form meetings with the heads National organization (NOs). Within the National organization (NOs) management structure the legendary leadership of the two Philips brothers were joint technical and commercial. The technical manager and commercial manager were led by National organization (NOs) (Barlett, 2009 p. 33). Philips was no longer able to act as a single unified company in order to bring new product technologies to market or to react to recent manufacturing trends; instead each of the NOs acted independently in their own self-interest. Top management was no longer able to manage the multi-national company Philips had become. For example, Philips was unable to standardize the company for a global push with its V2000 videocassette format when the U. S. chose to license VHS from Matsushita instead.On the manufacturing side, printed circuits were more efficiently produced in large plants, but the NOs were unwilling to consolidate their local manufacturing facilities. Philips’ attempts to set up Product Divisions (PDs) to balance the NOs were largely a failure, and Philips began a long slide, unable to launch new products or to take advantage of the global manufacturing opportunities in low-cost countries because they were unable to coordinate the NOs (Barlett, 2009 p. 333). The European Common Market eroded trade barriers and diluted rationale independent country subsidiaries were created in the late 1960s.New technologies were in larger demand production runs more than national plants could justify, and Philips competitors started moving electronic production into new facilities with low wages in Asia and South America. However the ability to bring products to market began to falter in 1960s, while they watched Japanese competitors capture a ma ss market with two technologies that was invented audiocassettes and microwave ovens. An about a year later they abandon the V2000 videocassette format superior to Sony’s Beta or Matsushita’s VHS.Philips decides to outsource the VHS product that is manufactured under license from Matsushita (Barlett, 2009 p. 333) The new CEO Hendrick van Riemsdijk had created an organization committee policy on the division of responsibilities Philips Division and National Organization (NOs). The proposed is rebalancing the relationships between Philips Division and National Organization to allow tilting matrix towards Philips Division to decrease the number of products marketed, build scale and increase product flow across National Organization.When the new CEO took over in 1987, Cor van der Klugt , he wanted to continue to strengthen and restructured the Philips Division relative to National Organization around four core global divisions rather than the former 14 Philips Division. Th is will allow him to trim the management board, by appointing displaced board members to a new policy-making Group Management Committee (Barlett, 2009 p. 338). In conclusion they need to invest in developing new products in each operating segments.The key to success is to keep developing new products, reduce costs as volume increase, design products suitable for any market, but can be easily customized for local differences. R&D should be located where each product line can be found. Sales need to reflect the economy of that country or region, matrix with product operations, ensure each regional need are incorporated into the product plans, but individual regions cannot allow heads in different directions.Each companies needs to improve their manufacturing operations and local final assembly needs to be under the control of manufacturing, not local sales operations. If Philips and Matsushita do not have the earnings to support restructuring, then they are going to have to priori tize spending. Reference Christopher A. Bartlett, 2009, Philips versus Matsushita: Competing Strategic and Organizational Choices Transnational Management Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-Border Management Sixth Edition 2011.

Financial Exclusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Exclusion - Essay Example Now while no bank advertises that it will not extend it's banking facilities to mothers on welfare , there are various barriers which would present that. The income level of that person may be so low that banking guidelines would not permit giving them credit facilities . They may not have any established credit because they pay everything in cash, or they may even have bad credit , because they just may not have given too much thought to payment on time and they just pay when they have the money. Or simply they may not just know , how the financial and credit system works. So a certain group of people are excluded from the financial system , so how is this bad and most importantly , how does this effect you and me After all we are not a socialist or a communist country where everybody should have access to everything and we besides we already know that system has failed. This is not about trying to establish a socialist welfare society. There are real damaging consequences to a modern free market economy from lack of financial inclusion of a certain group of people. First of all a whole group of people have been excluded from the mainstream economy , that cannot be good for the economy. The people themselves will enter a vicious cycle of paying high interest rates for credit and since these people are already in varying degrees of poverty it just pushes them further into it. Finally poverty breeds instability , violence and crime. The inner cities, slums and ghettos all of this in common that they consist of financially excluded people and are breedin g ground of poverty and crime. But should Financial Institutions take the burden of providing credit facilities to people who do not meet their credit guidelines Don't they have a responsibility to make sound investment decisions on behalf of their shareholders Certainly they do. In fact the current sub prime crisis may not have happened if a few banks had behaved in a prudent manner in lending. You cannot and should not lend to the unlendable. But understand this , these people already borrow money , they pay a very heavy interest for it. So the banks must design products to capture this market rather than asking this group of people to meet their existing guidelines which may be difficult , if not impossible. If Bangladesh can have a successful micro loan program with Grameen bank , why could U.K. which has a much smaller problem with financial exclusion not come up with solutions. Indeed An interesting feature which emerges from the international practice is that the more developed a society is, the greater is the thrust on empowerment of the common person and low-income groups. In U.K The first review of the problems of financial exclusion in 1999 stimulated both debate and development. The government set out its strategy, Promoting financial inclusion, in 2004, identifying three priority areas - access to banking, access to affordable credit, and access to free face-to-face money advice for people who are financially excluded. UB or Universal banking was setup partly because of this effort , this opened up access to bank accounts at post offices. And this was a very good idea , because bank may look

Multiple Correlation and Regression Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multiple Correlation and Regression - Essay Example There are two variables in research: the independent and the dependent variables. If a change is one variable does not cause a subsequent change in the other, then the first is an independent variable. In the event that one causes a change in the other then the former is a dependent variable (Creswell, 2003). In this study the independent variable was psychological problems while the dependent variable was normal development. Measuring variables is very important so that it can be understood how the different variables affect each other. There are complex methods that may be used in measuring methods but all these depend on the research design adopted (Kothari, 2006). In this study, the variables were put into categories where they were measured against each other. For example the children were put into categories that match the various variables that were being surveyed. Depending on the criteria of selection each student was either categorized as falling in a family experiencing domestic violence or not. Experimental designs have true scientific designs that require the presence of a hypothesis, two groups: the control group and the treatment group and a larger sample size in order to avoid accidental differences from affecting the study. A quasi experiment on the other hand is not a true experiment and may involve some of the above factors but not at all times (Goddard & Melville, 2007). The study was not a true experiment and thus followed the quasi experimental design. The research instruments that were used in the study included surveys. These were conducted by selecting an appropriate sample size that was representative of the whole population. Appropriate methods of sampling were used and this increased the validity of the study as it was representative of the whole population. The survey instruments were reliable because they were designed in such a way that errors were minimized and

Ways of Praying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ways of Praying - Essay Example Prayers of corporate confession focus on the wrong that is committed jointly, rather than the sins of each person. Paul Bradshaw, in his book Two Ways of Praying, describes these prayers as cathedral prayer and monastic prayer. Cathedral prayer is mainly led by ordained, formally appointed ministers, while in monastic prayer each person in the community takes obligation to take turn at the reading, speaking or singing that is part of the prayer (Bradshaw, 1995). Cathedral prayer is the obligation of the whole congregation while monastic prayer is more of individual activity. In addition, cathedral prayer is mainly outward, involving occasional gatherings for prayer that is reinforced by praise and intercession. Monastic prayer is mainly inward-looking, that is communicated through a person’s mind and heart, and thus it assists in forming the person who prays. Moreover, cathedral prayer is supported by externals of worship actions and materials such as candles and vestments, wh ile monastic prayer does not necessary require material support, since it mainly involves silent meditation. Generally, prayer enable us to communicate with God by allowing us to be aware of the encounters with God we experience at various times of our lives. Prayers therefore help us to learn to arrive with fullness of our heart, mind, body, feelings, and experience into the living presence of God and to receive the revealed fullness of God’s own heart, word, body, love, and reality for us in ever-deepening mutual intimacy (Dahill, 2005, p.10). The next part of this paper will be based mainly on corporate prayers of confession in the church. One’s spiritual wellbeing is much related to the spiritual wellbeing of others, thus, goodness of the community is very essential for the goodness of individuals. God uses confession as a means for helping people to move past their sins to better and deeper self lived existence within the communal interdependence. Through corporat e prayers of confession, community is able to turn away from sin and begin the process of healing from the suffering. This type of confession enables community to receive God’s will towards wellbeing, as the sins are washed away because they normally block the community from receiving the goodness. Sins therefore lead to isolation and fragmentation of our society, as we concentrate on seeing the problems as originating outside ourselves, rather than concentrating on ways of resolving these problems as a community. Fragmentation in turn leads to powerlessness, as fragmentation makes us focus on perpetuating the problem rather than participating in forms of it resolution (Suchocki, 1996, p.80). The powerlessness makes people to refuse responsibility for problems that are caused by evils in our society; hence, they distance themselves from efforts to seek forgiveness and addressing the problems. The powerlessness makes people to be more individualistic, thus, the church does not confess its corporate sins. By church shunning confessions of its corporate sins, the God’s merciful power of social renewal is left uninitiated, as church member are more concerned about addressing their individual problems while hiding from the social aspects of all personal sins. Christians therefore become more involved in privately confessing their personal sins, while forgetting that personal confession only is not sufficient to attract God’s forgiveness for social sins of our society. As individuals, we participate in various corporate evils that warrant corporate confession. When the church

Strategies Embraced by Williams-Sonoma Company Case Study - 31

Strategies Embraced by Williams-Sonoma Company - Case Study Example The current policies embraced by Williams-Sonoma are increasingly becoming outdated. Till now, these strategies have been successful in increasing the business growth level within the company. Competition keeps growing day by day, and new companies are launched daily within the retail market industry. According to information from the case study, Williams-Sonoma has many market competitors who specialize in similar products(Rouse, 2010). Different companies are also adopting different strategies to distribute their products due to the adoption of new technological advancements. So, it is obligatory for Williams-Sonoma to adopt new strategies if they want to sustain their position in the retail market. If the company decides to maintain its current strategies, business competitors are likely to triumph over them by adopting the latest technologies, and strategies. Competing companies need an adequate competitive advantage in order to outperform each other. Without such strategies, performance may decline due to the various challenges experienced in an extremely competitive business. A company that updates its database regularly to accommodate after sale services attract potential buyers. For this reason, it is necessary for Williams-Sonoma to develop, and implement innovations if they expect to maintain their current market position and attain higher levels of business growth. The strategies used by Williams-Sonoma are very efficient, and I would adopt them if I were the CEO. By implementing these strategies, I would grow and enhance the success of the business. But, I would focus more attention towards expanding the international market rather than the US market alone. At the moment, Williams-Sonoma underestimates the potential of other markets in enhancing their business success. I believe the idea of expanding the market scope would benefit the company. I would also encourage more use of the modern telecommunication systems, and the Internet to broaden the market scope to other parts of the world.     

Religion - Religious Violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Religion - Religious Violence - Research Paper Example Bush against Muslim extremists (particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq), Islam has received a bashing from many Christian communities. For example in 2010, a Florida pastor attempted to burn copies of Koran as a sign of protest against the establishment of an Islamic center near Ground Zero (Cave and Barnard). Meanwhile, early this year, U.S. service members in Afghanistan burned copies of the Muslim holy books which has led to the attack of at least six U.S. military personnel (Sieff). With the refusal of the United States to recall its forces in Islamic territories and the countless complaints against human rights violation in Saudi Arabia, it is no longer a wonder why Islam is the first thing that comes to mind when one talks about religious violence. But history shows that religious violence is not isolated among Muslims, it can also happen among Christians. In this article, the author attempts to show that religious violence is mainly a Western concept. Instead of religion promoti ng the acts of aggression, violence done because of religion is a manifestation of a bigger issue that involves a power struggle and a misunderstanding among various world traditions. The idea that religion causes violence is prevalent in the West. This view is best explained by Christopher Hitchens’ book God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. In his work, Hitchens criticizes the major world traditions of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Confucianism and Hinduism because of the violence these religions promote. He says totalitarianism is like religion because it aims for perfection, hence even the atheist regimes of Stalin and Kim Jong-Il may be classified as a religious impulse. Of religion he says: [It] is man-made. Even the men who made it cannot agree on what their prophets or redeemers or gurus actually said or did. Still less they can hope to tell us the â€Å"meaning† of later discoveries and developments which were†¦either obstructed by their religion or denounced by them. And yet -- the believers still claim to know! Not just to know, but to know everything. Not just know that god exists, and that he created and supervised the whole enterprise, but also to know what â€Å"he† demands of us. (Hitchens 10) Hitchens’ words are common among individuals rallying against fundamentalism and dogmatism in religion. He says that religion is violent, as proven by the violence found in the Bible (the crucifixion of Christ, the throwing of stones to punish an erring woman, etc.) and the Koran (war among the different tribes, etc.). Using this same logic, Hitchens claims that Martin Luther King Jr. was not a religious personality because he was non-violent. Religion poisons everything because it leads people to become irrational – because it poses an absolute truth despite the reality that imperfect human beings interpreted such absolute truths. Hitchens’ claims were supported by another article from Psychology Today which says that â€Å"disagreement [between religions] have little to do with the existence of God, but everything to do with claims of communication with ‘Him’, of whose holy books contain ‘accurate’ divine revelation† (Niose). For both Christian Hitchens and David Niose, the affairs of man has contributed to the aggression between different cultures. The irrationality that pervades â€Å"religious† debate hinder individuals from seeing the negative effects of their actions. Religious violence may be rooted with man’s constant need to be affirmed, and perhaps also due to the fame and fortune that comes with being correct. Having said that, we may now come to William T. Cavanaugh who says that

Economic concepts to my personal experience Essay

Economic concepts to my personal experience - Essay Example This paper looks at how some of the microeconomic concepts can be applied to personal life and how they relate to our everyday usage regarding the goods and services. Micro economics is mainly helpful for me in making the decision on switching between the alternatives available for a particular satisfaction. To draw a balance between my budget and prices of the commodity. It certainly helps in buying decision in my personal life. For starters, let us consider the simple fact of buying and selling goods and services. When we want to buy a particular good, there are a host of factors that determine our decision and influence our purchase right from the price of the good to the quality of the good and the competitors for the brand of the product. We measure the utility of the good against the price and then take a decision regarding whether to buy it or not. If we compare the utility value of a good against the price, we would come to a fairly reasonable conclusion about maximizing utility and thus contributing to our decision to buy the good. This applies in the case of many household goods and services and can be used to determine whether a particular good ought to be bought or not. The Microeconomic theory helps in finding answers to the three basic fundamental questions for any business entity in any economy–(1) what to produce, (2) how to produce and (3) for whom to produce in order to utilize the available scarce resources efficiently. That is why the Price theory, Demand concepts and theories of Market structure are the important elements of micro economics. Microeconomic theory studies the economic behavior of individual decision-making units such as consumers, resource owners (i.e. households who provide services to the business entities in exchange of the income) and business firms in a free-enterprise economy. Proper analysis of all these 3 areas of concern helps the business entity to perform efficiently. If the business

Rule of Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Rule of Law - Essay Example This, however, is by no means of recent vintage. In fact, the Rule of Law has a long, rich and colorful history. Joseph Raz, one of the foremost legal thinkers of his time and a firm proponent of the Rule of Law in his seminal work "The Rule of Law and its Virtue" in 1977, may trace the roots of his theory to generations upon generations of legal thinkers, all of whom have made unique contributions to the principle of the Rule of Law. Principles of justice and ethics and virtue underlie much of the discussion on the Rule of Law. Illustrative of the wide range of ideas covering these principles is Plato and Machiavelli, albeit of different times. Platonic philosophy is hinged on moral virtue as practiced by just rulers. Man served the State and hence, ethics and politics were the same. This is to be contradistinguished with Machiavellian principles, which states that the State should serve the people. That is its whole reason for being. Under Machiavelli's concept, a ruler is justified in doing whatever needs to be done to maintain the country, even if his actions may be deemed unjust. " This is a complete opposite of the Platonic model which argues that a ruler may never be unjust. It is immoral and unethical, maintains Plato, for a ruler to rule solely by might. On his part, the great thinker Cicero maintains that there was no distinction between that which was morally good and what was useful to man. To quote f rom Cicero, "Virtue is a habit of the mind, consistent with nature and moderation and reason." [Rhetorical Invention (bk. II, sc. LIII)] Much of this has been influenced by Platonic philosophy which is hinged on moral virtue as practiced by just rulers. As such, the concept of government and duty has underlain much of ancient law and has aided the people of the time in charting their destiny Indeed, the broadest theme in the current conception of the rule of law is that the government restricted by law. This is consistent with the idea of the Rule of Law propounded by A.V. Dicey in his book "Introduction to the Study of Law of the Constitution" (1885). Dicey posited the following propositions. Firstly, no man could be punished or lawfully interfered with by the authorities except for breaches of law. In other words, all government actions must be authorised by law. Secondly, no man is above the law and everyone, regardless of rank, is subject to the ordinary laws of the land. Thirdly, there is no need for a bill of rights because the general principle of the constitution is the result of judicial decisions determining the rights of the private person. Joseph Raz, on the other hand, espouses eight guiding principles for the rule of law. 1. All laws should be prospective, open and clear; 2. Laws should be relatively stable; 3. The making of particular laws must be guided by open, stable, clear and general rules; 4. The independence of the judiciary must be guaranteed; 5. The principles of natural justice must be observed; 6. The courts should have review powers; 7. The courts should be easily accessible; and 8. The discretion of crime prevention agencies should not be allowed to pervert the law. Indeed, there is much that should be lauded with Raz' principles of the law inasmuch as

Ielts Essays Essay Example for Free

Ielts Essays Essay 1. Sample essay: Every week millions of people buy lottery tickets, hoping their small investment will make them rich. They often believe that if they won a million dollars, their troubles would be over. If they actually got the money, would their dreams come true? Whether people live happily ever after when they win the lottery probably depends on what their dreams are. Money can buy some things but not others. Cash buys houses, cars, and college educations; it pays for medical treatment and clears up overdue bills. Money also purchases travel and new experiences. A million dollars could allow someone to quit a tough, boring job and try for something better. It could provide a feeling of security. On the other hand, winning so much money could actually cause some problems. A person who quit working might eventually become bored or lose some self-respect. Family members might squabble over what should be purchased. Long-lost friends, relatives, and even complete strangers are likely to want a handout. The winner must then decide whom to help and whom to offend. Despite all these drawbacks, I would rather win the money than not. The difficulties of having to manage a million dollars are troubles I would like to have. 2. Sample essay: After the baby is born, things will never be the same. People say that to expectant parents-and they are right! It will be a long time before those parents can again sleep late in the morning. A baby wakes early, screaming for food. The toddler thinks 6 a.m. is the right time to start the day. After that come early school mornings. It will be years before the parents can go anywhere together on the spur of the moment. Every outing must be planned ahead so that a baby-sitter can be found. The budget will be stretched, the work load will get heavier, and by the time parents can be alone, they may be too tired to talk. Still, people want children. Why? One reason is that children are a link to the future. They will probably be here after the parents are gone. In addition, their children will live after them. A deeper reason for wanting children, perhaps, is that the more people we have to love, the more fulfilled our lives can be. By giving to a child, people enrich their own lives. In the end, we live not only for ourselves, but for others. 3. Sample essay: It hurts to look at a paycheck and see how much of it was taken out for income tax. That money could have paid some important bills. It is easy to dream of doing away with the income tax and keeping all that money for ourselves. If there were no income tax, however, the government would have a lot less to spend. The money we send to Washington seems to fall into a black hole and disappear. Actually, though, many people depend on it. The money pays the salaries of government employees, who provide services from drug control to highway building. It supports our military defense. Also, much of the money is returned to people in the form of student loans, veterans benefits, and payments to farmers, for example. The government has been working to cut its budget lately. With every cut, someone complains loudly. So if the income tax were eliminated, other taxes would have to make up for it. Paying those other taxes would also hurt. Sales taxes fall most heavily  on poor people. Taxes on manufacturers only result in higher prices to consumers. Income taxes are not fun to pay. But doing without them would be worse. In my opinion, income taxes should be made as fair as possible. Then we each must bite the bullet and do our share. 4. Sample essay: Television has changed both the way we spend our time and what we know about the world. Some of the changes brought by television have improved our way of life, but others have made it worse. People today on the average spend several hours a day watching television. In times past, they would sit on their front steps and visit on nice evenings. This neighborly visiting built close friendships, but it seldom takes place any longer. Even though families may all watch TV together, they may not communicate much. Some women have called themselves sports widows because their husbands spend every spare minute watching televised football, baseball, and other sports. On the other hand, people have learned more about the world because of television. People in small towns know more about the city, and people in cities have learned about the country. Politicians, celebrities, wars, and disasters appear in the living room. Programs take viewers to the bottom of the sea, the tops of mountains, and even outer space. Some people think television leads to violence, immorality, and greed for possessions. I am not sure whether this is true. However, good or bad, TV is here to stay. It is up to each of us to make the most of its opportunities and avoid its problems. 5. Sample essay: When lack of money prevents us from having something we want very much, it is  tempting to dream of being rich. It is hard to keep in mind that Americans are already wealthy compared with people in many other parts of the world. Our modern conveniences would have been the envy of kings in times past. Just the same, most people would like a larger. Whether most people are capable of making a lot of money is another question. People in average circumstances can often get ahead through education, hard work, and careful money management. But getting ahead is not the same as actually becoming rich. Only a small percentage of Americans could be called truly wealthy. Some people joined this group from ordinary beginnings. Usually they have done it by carefully riding some major development in the economy on its way up. In the past, great fortunes have been made in oil, steel, and railroads. Recently, some people have made millions in computers and real estate. Usually, though, it takes money to make money. Big investors often start rich and then get richer. Most of us cannot strike oil or start the next new technical breakthrough. Most people are not born into wealthy families, either. In America it certainly is possible to become more prosperous. But unless someone wins the lottery, real wealth is not very likely to come along. 6. Sample essay: You come home alone after a long day at work. You open the door to your home. No one is there. Is it blessed silence you hear or echoing emptiness? The millions of people who live alone today may have either experience. Some love living alone, yet others wish they didnt have to. When they open that door at night, people who live alone do not have to put up with demands or listen to someones noise or meet anyones dinner deadlines. They do not have to debate about which TV program to watch or  stay off the phone because someone else is expecting an important call. No one else messes up their kitchen. But when they are sick, no one else will bring them an aspirin or call the doctor. Preparing dinner for one can be difficult, and eating dinner for one night after night can be very lonely. Perhaps no one really cares what they did all day. If they are feeling sad, there may be no one to cheer them up. Some people who live alone say the worst times come when something very good happens because there is no one to share the joy. During the course of a lifetime, one may sometimes live with others and sometimes live alone. Each way of life has its advantages. Learning to take advantage of them is one key to contentment. 7. Sample essay: Sports includes both national teams and the teams for the rest of us. The national teams are mainly concerned with winning and with money. The other teams are mainly concerned with winning and with money. The other teams provide different satisfactions. Being on a team helps people learn teamwork to rely on others and to do their own part as well. Players learn both to win and to lose. When the team loses, the members learn that they can come back from a loss. They look for the reasons they were beaten, work on their weaknesses, and try again. When the team wins, the members can learn to be gracious winners and good sports. Sports are also for play. Most of us have work to do most of the time. Now and then we need to have fun. Sports can provide the time to relax. If a team helps people learn to work together, lose win, and have fun, its a winner regardless of the score. But if players on a winning team have not worked together, if they feel that winning makes them better than others, if there was no joy in the sport, those winners are losers. Having the winning score is important. Being a winner as a person is worth even more. 8. Sample essay: Advertisers who directly attack their competitors may amuse me if they do it cleverly. However, they have probably lost me as a customer. Companies who attack their rivals remind me of people who boost their egos by criticizing others. When people do this, I often suspect they have little to offer and may even have something to hide. I would rather find out what is good about a person, not what is bad about someone else. Similarly, I like advertising that lets me know about products that might meet my needs. I dont place much faith in ads telling me what may be wrong with a rival product. I tend to suspect that the information could be biased. I also believe advertisers are foolish to name their rivals because by doing so they give the competing product free publicity. If the competition is worth attacking, I tend to think it may actually have something to offer. In advertising, as in life, I believe we should try to be the best we can be, without belittling the next person or the rival product. 9. Sample essay: Three generations living together can have both financial and personal advantages. On the other hand, it can also have personal disadvantages. In years past and today, three generations have probably lived together mostly out of economic necessity or advantage. Sometimes a young family moves in with the older generation because the husband and wife cant afford a place of their own. Sometimes grandparents move in because they arent well enough or cant afford to live alone anymore. Occasionally, grandparents come to take care of the children so both parents can work. In  times past, and sometimes today, three generations have lived together because they all depended on the same farm or business. Usually these arrangements do help solve financial and practical problems. Everyone has a roof over his or her head. Children and old people in need of care are likely to get it. Often a family can get ahead financially by sharing the work and the bills. In addition, a strong sense of family and of belonging can develop in everyone. What may be harder to work out are questions of whos in charge. If grandparents dont let go of some authority, the middle generation is likely to resent it. On the other hand, ailing grandparents may force their children to be parents to them and to their own children as well. If parents and grandparents disagree on discipline, children may be confused or angry. The personal disadvantages can be overcome. For three generations to live together successfully, everyones needs must be respected. 10. Sample essay: Television news shows are dramatic and interesting. Watching them is pleasant and does not require the effort of reading. If television did not cover the news, some people would know nothing about what is going on in the world. However, television newscasters cover only the events that they have time for, and they prefer stories that include some dramatic pictures. Viewers are quickly bored with reporters who sit and talk into the camera. As a result, a complicated story is often cut short. Newspapers and magazines do a better job of explaining complex events. They can include details, and a person with a special interest can take the time to read them. Others can stick to the headlines. Reading allows more freedom of choice than television. The TV audience cannot decide which stories to watch. In broadcasting, one size fits all.  However, a person who reads newspapers and magazines can choose to spend time on business, sports, health, or the school board election, depending on special interests. Television provides a useful glance at whats happening. However, a person who has individual interests and who wants the whole story needs newspapers and magazines as well. 11. Sample essay: Some people live in one community all their lives, while others move around almost as much as nomads. Both experiences have their advantages and disadvantages. People who stay in one spot can develop lifelong friendships, and such friends may lend a hand if trouble comes. They know each others life history, and they judge each other for the kind of person each is, not for the image each projects. Yet spending a lifetime in one location can also lock a person into a limited way of life. Personal change may become very difficult. People with few experiences may develop a narrow outlook and find it hard to understand those who have different ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds. On the other hand, moving to different parts of the country is usually stressful. A person may feel lost and uprooted in a place where streets, stores, schools, and churches all are different. At first there are no friends to help. However, those who do move learn that people in other places have a variety of outlooks. There is a chance to appreciate different ways of life and even to choose the way one likes best. For a person who moves to a different place year after year, the disadvantages of moving probably outweigh the advantages. But a few moves  are probably worth the effort. By staying in each place for a length of time, people can broaden their outlook but have enough time to make adjustment and form friendships. 12. Sample essay: The automobile has probably changed peoples way of life more than any other invention of the last century. More than electric lights, television, air travel, or even computers, automobiles have changed where people live and work, how they make a living, and even how they find a mate. Before there were cars, people generally traveled on foot or by horse and buggy over unpaved roads. Whether they lived in the city or the country, they rarely went farther than a few miles from home. They saw the same people and places year after year. The car opened up whole new worlds. Roads were paved, and motorists went to see different parts of the country. Some decided to stay. People with cars could live farther from their jobs, and so the age of commuting began. New suburbs sprang up around the cities. The auto industry boomed, and millions of Americans made a living manufacturing, selling, servicing, or insuring cars. As more people got cars, your people began driving them. No longer was courtship confined to the girls front porch, under the watchful eye of her parents. The automobile began the sexual revolution. Some people believe that commuting, suburban life, and courting in cars are mixed blessings. Whether the changes are good or bad, they seem to be here to stay. 13. Sample essay: Many people complain that modern society is too materialistic. Other people, they say, place too great an importance on material property. Rather than  value values, these critics insist, people today value things. There is no doubt that we live in a material, consumer-oriented society. In economic terms, consumers use products; in everyday language, they acquire things: TVs, cars, clothes, furniture. This kind of materialism can actually be good for a society since it helps create jobs. When people have jobs, they acquire self-respect along with the money they need to provide the material things they and their families require. It is true, on the other hand, that many people have taken healthy consumerism too far. Materialism is evident when an otherwise intelligent person goes into debt charging things that he or she cannot pay for. Materialism is evident when people insist on buying a particular designer label even though the same quality can be found in a cheaper product. Materialism is evident when people are judged and admired for what they own rather than what they are or can do. Even if society has gone too far in the direction of materialism, as some say, the individual person doesnt need to surrender. He or she can still value honesty, integrity, freedom, talent, quality, and all the other values there are to value and leave the materialism to others. 14. Sample essay: People spend a great deal of time, money, and energy to see or read about movie stars, TV actors, singers, and athletes. Such celebrities often become idols. Posters, T-shirts, fan clubs, and attendance at live performances prove that. What do celebrities do to merit this attention? Celebrities create excitement. They create excitement because they have done something or can do something that supposedly not everyone else can do. Raising a child, waking early to go to work each morning, building a home and a place in the community-these achievements actually deserve more admiration than rolling through Beverly Hills in a limousine or jetting across the Atlantic to star in a new movie. Yet because these achievements  are part of many peoples everyday lives, they are not considered special. Celebrities help us dream by lifting us out of our everyday lives and imagining ourselves doing other than everyday activities. Celebrities also set styles. They become models for behavior, clothing, and hairdos. Just consider Elvis Presley or the Beatles, for example. Celebrities also influence politics, as Bob Hope and Robert Redford have done. Celebrities roles as special people and trendsetters, then, are the reason for the attention many of us lavish on them. In many ways, the celebrities of today have merely replaced the kings and queens of old. 15. Sample essay: Most people want to be successful in life, but success can come about in four ways: fame, money, knowledge, and pleasure. Success is also usually characterized by the word more; to be successful, people feel they have to be more famous, have more money, absorb more information, or enjoy life more. Success does not need to be characterized by quantity, however. Instead, you can measure the success of your life by its quality. It is not important, for example, how many people know you but who knows you and for what. Working in your community or on good relationships with family and friends can bring quality fame. Earning less money but spending it wisely and learning the joy saving is another way to succeed. Learning more so that you can turn around and teach someone else produces quality knowledge. And finally, all the above will most likely bring you quality success in enjoying the pleasures of living. Success, in conclusion, can be seen in different ways by different people. Only one thing is sure. No matter what other people see, the only one who knows whether youre succeeded is you. 16. Sample essay: Every year billions of dollars are spent on advertising. Many approaches are used to persuade consumers to buy a product. Some seem to work better than others. One approach, for example, is to try to make the reader or viewer identify with the people shown using the product. These people seem to be glamorous, loved, successful, elite, clever, or sexy. Supposedly, anyone who uses the product can expect the same reward. Another approach is to let the product speak for itself; people are attracted to scrumptious food, beautiful clothing, and sleek new cars. Sometimes good prices and special deals are the focus. Ads for complicated products, such as computers, may provide a lot of information. Endorsements by celebrities are especially common. In general, many of the ads succeed. People do tend to buy what they see advertised. However, some advertising can backfire. People may be offended, for example, by ads that are overly sexy or ones that viciously or sarcastically attack competitors products. Advertising can be a useful aid for the consumer. It helps a person learn what is new or in style or handy to have around, what things cost, and where to buy them. To use this information effectively, however, a person must learn to look past the emotional appeals and find the facts. 17. Sample essay: Some animals are pets, some are wild, and many of them provide us with food. All have a different and important role in our lives. It is easy to forget that the steak at the supermarket once formed part of a steer. But without domestic animals such as chickens and cattle, we would all be vegetarians, or a great deal of our time would need to be spent hunting. Wild animals attract sport hunters. For some people they are even an  important source of food. When urban people visit the wild, deer, bears, and other wild animals remind them of an older way of life. Pets, however, are the animals that are especially significant for most of us. They are undemanding companions; they love us when we are not at our best. A pet can be a great comfort when life seems hard. For children, pets can be both fun and instructive. If a child cares for a pet, he or she learns to take responsibility for another being. Watching kittens or puppies being born can be a natural form of sex education. For children, as for adults, pets are loving companions and a help in tough time. As I recall, an Indian chief once said, Without our brothers, the animals, we would all be very lonely. I believe he was right.

Historical and political relation of anthropology with human rights Essay Example for Free

Historical and political relation of anthropology with human rights Essay From the onset, it is necessary to define anthropology as the social science that is involved with studying the inherent relationship patterns and origins of human beings. As a juxtaposition, the concept of human rights refers to the intrinsic freedoms and rights to which all and sundry (human beings) are entitled, if only by virtue of belonging to the human race, and these are broadly categorized into two main classifications, including the socio-cultural and economic rights, which pertain to the rights to education, food, work and participate in culture. The other distinct grouping of rights and freedoms are those of civil and political nature, encompassing the ideology of people being equal before the law, the right to liberty and life, and also, the freedom to freely express oneself, provided that this does not interfere with that of other people. It is noteworthy that the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a non-binding declaration by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 reiterates the equality of all humans as relates to their rights and dignity, further acknowledging that each individual was equipped with the vital tools of a rational conscience and logical reasoning, and thus, all subsequent inter-personal relationships ought to reflect a communal spirit of brotherly co-existence. This cognition is widely viewed as being the framework for justice, peace and freedom in the globe today (Goodale, 2004:18-29). From a historical perspective, the anthropologist is more concerned with deciphering the linkage between the afore-mentioned rights and the prevailing localized cultures, from whence an understanding of the basic outline of social justice against a backdrop of cultural relativism is investigated. The general concession is that indeed, deliberation into the historical aspects of anthropology reveals a contribution to both the practical and theoretical facets of human rights workings. Select case studies closely related to this postulation include the current crisis in the Middle East, pitting the Israelis against the inhabitants of the Gaza strip, the Rwandan genocide (Bowman, 2000:31-49) and the topical issue of gay rights in Southern Africa. The former predicament entails Israel devastating, over the recent past, a population of some 1. million inhabitants in Gaza, with their arms tied behind their backs, owing to the fact that there is no active army in Gaza. Statistics reveal that close to 1300 Palestinian casualties are on record, as opposed to a measly 13 Israelis in the raging conflict, largely regarded as a modern day case of ‘ethnic cleansing’. Since the year 2006, Israel placed a blockade into the Gaza region, thus inhibiting the delivery of necessities such as medicine, food and fuel. Previous attempts to foster harmony and well-being in the region, with cease-fires being disrespected severally, have led up to the present situation in which the stakeholders in the conflict, chief amongst which is the Hamas, the Islamic Palestinian socio-political faction that has been in control of the Gaza strip, and Israel itself, have agreed to permanently seek a lasting solution to avoid more bloodshed. The possible recommendations to aid in arriving at a peaceful co-existence is scenario where Israel takes the front row in ensuring a sense of hope to the Palestinians, via the action of taking the political risk and dismantling the illegal West Bank Settlements. On their part, Palestinians should institute measures to ensure they elect purposive leaders into power, if only to militate against the eventuality of history repeating itself iteratively. Hamas should in turn cease firing missiles into Israel, which only serve to wound and kill majority of the innocent civilians, and the large scale smuggling of arms, so as to avoid the likelihood of the situation degenerating into another â€Å"United States versus Al Qaeda† affair. Also, the other stakeholders in the conflict, namely Jordan and Egypt, should seal all loopholes that enable the military exploits of the Hamas to fall through. This being said, the International community should actively ensure they do not turn a deaf ear to the conflict, to be spearheaded by the United Nations and the European Union. The latter, in detail, involved South Africa holding its second, fully democratic elections in the year 1999, which were characterized by the recognition of a wide array of groups and previously neglected factions of the population, such as the gay and lesbian community. Earlier on, the country made history by pioneering non-discrimination on the basis of an individual’s sexual orientation, with gay and lesbian activists championing their cause by widely challenging the very constitutionality of laws that infringed on their freedoms, organizing workshops to educate voters on their rights, plus lobbying for the drafting and resultant implementation of rules and legislations guaranteeing equity in the rights of all citizens (Goodale, 2004:43-54). They also went a step further and created working relationships with non-governmental organizations like the Human Rights Commission and the Commission on Gender Equality, in addition to forming outreach programmes for the members of the gay and lesbian community, especially those that lived in townships. Of particular note is the fact that sodomy has been decriminalized before the South African courts, thus recording another victory in the war for adequate recognition of this community. Of significance is the assertion that, these developments were achieved even with the realization that the South African populace was still divided along ethnic and racial boundaries (Riches, 1986:16-29), and more importantly, within the indigenous cultural groupings in the country, homosexuality is deemed non-existent, or on the best case scenario, a foreign acquisition. Thus, in a nutshell, this case study can be assessed from the view that it not only shapes social patterns, but also, it is instrumental in the democratization of regimes, as influenced by the civil society. Yet another occurrence was witnessed in an iconic court case in Japan (2008), involving the challenging of the historical definition of whom the concept of â€Å"human rights† is meant to apply. The immediate bone of contention was that the court of the day had proceeded to expand the rights of the children of Japanese fathers and non-Japanese mothers to claim Japanese citizenship, and thus by extension, such definition by the justices in the case served to only ensure the protection of the fundamental human rights of Japanese citizens, excluding those of other non-citizens. In this way, this can be said to expressly alienate those people who did not have papers certifying their Japanese citizenship. However, this ought not to be the case, as the rights in question should be guaranteed to every human being, as the very name suggests. In a publication by one Professor Jones regarding this case, he posits that there is a sorry state of affairs in Japan, citing that the tendency of the Sovereign state to mediate the citizens’ claims against each other should be sharply contrasted against the Anglo-American system, which is characterized by human rights being the limiting factor of the state’s power over individuals. In this way, the case is illustrative of how culture and history can affect and/or influence human rights in society (Kurtz, 2001: 43-52). Whilst still appreciating the historical contribution of anthropology to human rights, it is worthwhile to take mention of the concept of hegemony, defined as the utter domination of a state over its allies, and how this has over time influenced historical changes, especially on the cultural frontier. As a focal point, hegemony facilitates the comprehension of power within the confines of routine daily activities, as may be underpinned by cultural (customary) practices (Asad, 1991:13-27). On a more positive note, it is fit to state that the anthropological theory has over the years succeeded to come up with a contested, unbounded and widely flexible supposition of the term, which consequently goes a long way in uncovering the cultural understandings and how these in turn shape power relations, naturalizing domination and acting to suppress different manifestations of resistance in the society (Gledhill, 2000:29-44). Again, drawing from the South African example, although in a different context, it can be established that, quite ironically, the evangelical work of missionaries can be termed as being part of hegemony, although it heightened societal consciousness, going on to spark a form of resistance that gave rise to the awareness of the black community, fuelling the fight against apartheid. Of particular contention is the debate whether, as an interpretive issue, resistance in society should require consciousness and be collective in nature, or whether on the other hand, an end of attaining justice should be envisioned from the onset. Also, it is disputable whether the concept at hand should be extended to incorporate such actions as may be influenced by a sense of non-cooperation or discontent. In the recent past, there has been great agitation in the anthropological circles, wherein the concept of culture has been scrutinized in detail. Earlier anthropologists focused chiefly on societies that were virtually unaffected by factors such as colonial influences, for example, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel since, today, greater emphasis is being laid on flexibility of the frame of thought of culture, as afore-mentioned, now not only being affiliated to habits and daily practices of a people, but also, being engrained in the values they abide to and the ideas subscribed to. In other instances, there have been historical documentations of indigenous communities confronting resistance from the perspective of laying claim to various resources, more so when these individuals are challenged to prove an authentic affiliation to the culture under consideration (Rejali, 1994:49-60); disqualification usually results from the assertion that certain social groups have already undergone cultural changes. In a strange twist, it can be seen that the concept of ‘culture’, as formulated by twentieth century anthropologists in a bid to champion the rights of small-scale communities in the wake of colonialism and other civilizing projects, has in present times been apposite to differing political ends of resisting reform in certain sectors and turning a deaf ear to the claims of indigenous people’s claims to reparation (compensation). On a transitional note, the political inclination of anthropology to human rights can be deduced by critical analysis of the two disciplines (Cohen, 1978:34-57). Such relationship necessitates a vivid conception of the said human rights within a template of anthropologically conceived ideas or principles. A brief intermission here is the appreciation that, as an academic discipline, anthropology seeks to study the various forms and bases of human unity and relative diversity, while the other side of this coin practically applies the acquired knowledge to actively solve problems that may plague the human race (Gledhill, 2000:59-83). This being the situation, politically-oriented anthropologists should concern themselves with instances where the denial of certain rights is pegged on the differences in one human aspect or the other. The validity of using ‘human difference’ as an indicator of human rights is that it incorporates the very specificity of what we as humans be it collectively or from an individual stance – have evolved to be, both culturally and socially. It is worth noting that the term ‘difference’, as applied in this context, refers to the linguistic, socio-cultural and/or biological characteristics of people, relative to the initial human capacities that facilitated their production in the first place. On the flipside, as may relate to human rights, these ‘differences’ may principally represent the products of the realization of social relations, personal identities and cultural forms (Goodale, 2004:98-110). The general implication of the above argumentation is that specific human rights may be advocated for by calling upon the trans-cultural, but positive, right to difference. This analogy can be stretched further still by acknowledging the unwritten law that anthropologists who study and research instances of societal injustices and assorted cases of human rights abuses do, in the actual sense, bear an ethical obligation to find lasting solutions to these predicaments. In particular, those working with marginal and/or indigenous communities shoulder the responsibility of supporting these groups by all means available, including advocacy as mentioned above (Fried, 1967:61-69).

Cellular Metabolism and the Immune Response Control

Cellular Metabolism and the Immune Response Control PRESTES, A. F. R. O.1; KONDO, F. V.2; HUETE, G. C.3; MURILLO, O.4 Keywords: mTOR, metabolism, Akt, immune system, regulation, mitochondria, inflammatory and anti-inflammatory I. Introduction Metabolism and immune system: The metabolic system was seen only as a system of power generation and metabolites for the functioning of cells. Today we know that changes in metabolic regulation may interfere directly in diseases that involve inflammatory processes. Thus, knowledge of the relationship between metabolism and cell signaling helps in understanding metabolic disorders, cancer, and also in the study of immune response (1,2). The relationship between metabolic and regulatory aspects of the immune system is not yet fully known. Even with major discoveries on the subject, the metabolism of many cells of the immune system is unknown (1,2). The metabolic changes during phagocytosis of three types of immune cells from pigs, leukocytes and peritoneal exudate monocytes and alveolar macrophages. In this study it was observed that macrophages depend on oxidative phosphorylation to produce energy during phagocytosis, whereas the other two cells only use glycolysis to produce energy (3). Another study confirms the close relationship between immune system and metabolism, which showed that incubation of dendritic cells (differentiated in vitro) with LPS provides an increase in glucose consumption, increased formation of lactate and reduction in oxygen consumption. Furthermore, these changes also reflected in increased CD86 co-stimulatory molecule indicating a functional modulation of these cells (4). The need for meta bolic resources to build active components of the immune system, the messenger function of certain classes of metabolites and metabolites, and the intimate relationship between parasite and mammalian defense mechanism, which is probably immune regulatory events are reflected in the metabolism (5). The metabolic profile of the cells of the immune system is also important to provide a tool that generates a systemic metabolic description induced by the parasite in the host, promoting a new direction of the immune response during infection by the parasite (5). In most biological systems, there is a stimulus that triggers an effector response, which usually makes the system back to the starting point. Although having different primary functions, the immune system and metabolic pathways are arranged in the same manner as in serum glucose levels in thermogenesis or bacterial infection, where the lipopolysaccharide stimulates TLR-4 receptor, which promotes the release of TNF-ÃŽ ±, improving bactericidal activity and vascular permeability reducing infection (2). Metabolism and associated pathways Akt/PI3K/mTOR: As well as the metabolic pathways generate energy, the means of regulation of protein synthesis involves several intracellular signaling pathways such as Akt as Akt (serine/threonine kinase), expressed in heart, lung, brain and skeletal muscle. Various stimuli, such as cytokines, growth factors and hormones, are responsible for the phosphorylation and activation of Akt, which is composed of three members, Akt1, Akt2 and Akt3 (6). The Akts proteins are recruited to the plasma membrane by PI3K, which acts as a lipid kinase. The Akt/PI3K pathway operates in promoting cell survival through evasion of apoptosis and cell proliferation through activation of mTOR in response to nutrient availability and to stimulation by growth factors. The mTOR protein stimulates translation that is required for cell cycle progression (7). mTORC1 activation is indirectly given when Akt phosphorylates TSC-2 one of the molecules of heterodimer TSC1 and TSC2, this activates the GTPase function of this heterodimer which reverses the inhibition of mTORC1, inhibiting RHEB to pass the ADP to ATP linked to this protein, by activation of cyclase function of the TSC heterodimer (8). Akt phosphorylation is important for neutralization and PRAS40, important for the activation and interactions mTOR1 and mTOR2 with their substrates (9). Thus, the mTOR pathway is also known as PI3K/Akt/mTOR. Despite the multiple substrates involved in this pathway. Additionally, Akt is not limited to this path and fulfills other functions at the cellular level. Metabolism and mTOR: Mammalian Target of Rapamycin is a serine/threonine protein kinase involved in regulation of many cellular events, such growth, survival, function, metabolism, and differentiation. It is constitutively expressed, and its regulation occurs predominantly post-translationally (7). This protein was discovery from searches about target of Rapamycin, that was originally found as a growth inhibitor which have immunosuppressive and anticancer properties (10). Additionally, due to the ability of mTOR activation to regulate metabolism, it promotes a crucial link connecting metabolic demands and cellular function (7). This link is mediated through the control of key transcriptional regulators. (11). mTOR fathers two functionally distinct signaling multi-protein complexes: mTORC1, which is composed of the scaffolding regulatory-associated protein of mTOR (RAPTOR), DEP domain containing mTOR-interacting protein (DEPTOR), Proline-Rich Akt Substrate 40 kDa (PRAS40), and mammalian Lethal with Sec13 protein 8 (mLST8); and mTORC2, which is composed of RAPTOR-independent companion of TOR (RICTOR), protein observed with RICTOR (PROTOR), mSIN1 proteins, mLST8 and DEPTOR. The connection of mTOR with these adapter proteins has functional distinct consequences (3,4). II. Metabolism and T cells differentiation Such described previously, the mTOR ability to play a role in cellular differentiation occurs through the regulation of transcription regulators. Follow, some these regulators and its role in metabolic programs regulation. HIF-1: The Hipoxia-inducible Factor is a hetrodimeric protein which regulates the expression of various genes crucial for cellular adaptation to a low-oxygen environment. This protein supports the differentiation of naà ¯ve CD4+ T cell to Th17 cell through the stabilization of the RORÃŽ ³t expression, as well as inhibits Treg differentiation through the inhibition of Foxp3, mediating its proteosomal degradation (3,5). Myc: The oncogenic transcription factor Myc regulates various metabolic pathways essentials for cellular growth and proliferation, such glycolysis, glutaminolysis, and fatty acid oxidation (14). PPARÃŽ ±: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ÃŽ ± (PPARÃŽ ±) is a nuclear hormone receptor that regulates fatty acid metabolism and glucose homeostasis, playing a role as a intracellular sensor of endogenous fatty acids. This receptor induces Treg differentiation and inhibits effector differentiation (11). PPARÃŽ ³: Like its homolog PPARÃŽ ±, PPARÃŽ ³ is a nuclear hormone receptor that regulates adipogenesis, lipid metabolism and glucose homeostasis in cells. This receptor plays the same role in T cell differentiation (11). SREBP: The sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBP) plays a critical role in regulating cellular lipogenesis, facilitating the anabolic enzymes transcription, which is involved in cholesterol and fatty acid synthesis (11). This protein was found to associate with the IL17 promoter, where it interacts with and inhibits the activity of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. This transcription factor is known to be important for expression of Th17-associated genes (5,7). Once the antigen is recognized, the integration of many factors from the microenvironment gives the effector fate of the naive CD4+ T cell. Until now, the T-cell subsets have been characterized only by their transcription factor expression and cytokine secretion profile. Nevertheless, it has currently proposed that each T-cell subset also hold a single metabolic profile and a corresponding set of signal requirements of mTOR complexes (11). According this metabolic classification, the T-cell would present these features: Th1 T cells phenotype exhibit a strong glycolytic phenotype and express high levels in surface of the Glut1 glucose transporter. Its development is dependent on the mTORC1 signaling complex (3,8). Th2 T cells phenotype also express high levels in surface of the Glut1 glucose transporter and exhibits a high rate of lactate production and glucose uptake following stimulation. These cells can develop in absence of mTORC1 but are dependent on the mTORC2 signaling complex (3,8). Th17 cells phenotype is the higher glycolytic T-cell subset. The IL-17-secreting CD4+ T cells development drastically decreases in T cells lacking mTOR, mTORC1 and treated with Rapamycin. Nevertheless, T cells lacking mTORC2 does not appear to have its development inhibited (3,8). Treg cells phenotype exhibits an oxidative metabolic profile which uses mitochondrial respiration and fatty acid oxidation to achieve energy. The treatment with process of glycolysis inhibitor compounds in naive CD4+ T cells importantly enhance its development, what also occurs with culture conditions that conduces to a low mTOR signaling (3,8). III. Regulation of cell B by mTORC The PI3K pathway to mTOR is required for B cell proliferation. Since the BCR is blocked by inhibition of mTOR. This was evidenced in mouse spleen cells, wherein inhibition of mTOR suppresses the proliferation and differentiation of B cells by CD40 (10,11). In humans, Rapamycin suppresses B cell proliferation when is activated in the presence of CD40L and B cell inducing cytokines. Rapamycin prevents antibody-mediated apoptosis, generating a reduction of B cells that produce IgG and IgM, also suppresses the production of cytokines that induce proliferation of B cells and IgM, as IL-2 in inflammation conditions (18). Some authors suggest that mTOR regulates IL-17, which is important in the proliferation of pro-B cells. Thus, if rapamycin in B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines is evidence that IL-17 induces apoptosis in these cells is used. But when S1N1, an important element of mTORC2, is suppressed cell survival is increased possibly by the increased expression of IL-7R (20). In mature B cells, activation of TLRs and BCR induces activation of mTOR, even so, have been identified as Akt independently of mTOR regulates the BCR and this is accomplished by inactivating FoxO1 which is sequestered and degraded in cytoplasm after Akt is phosphorylated (21). When is deleted TSC1 or TSC2, is inhibited the maturation of cells B, contrary to what happened when Akt was active, in where B cells were significantly reduced in the marginal zone (MZ). But when rapamycin was fed this phenomenon was corrected, and once again the importance of mTOR is displayed in the control populations of B cells in MZ. Despite all the evidence to date is known that the PI3K pathway is a major regulatory functions and populations of B cells through regulating FoxO1. But do not have enough information to indicate the direct role of mTOR in the control and regulation of B cells, which is still under study and demonstration (22). IV. Metabolism and APCs Regulation Dendritic Cells (DC): crucial regulators of both cellular activation and tolerance in adaptive immune responses. The function which DC will perform depends on their activation and differentiation status (23). The DC activation occurs through PAMP stimulation of TLR, what leads a metabolic transition in the resting immature DC, which is characterized by a conversion from mitochondrial b-oxidation of lipid and OXPHOS to aerobic glycolysis (9,10). Once exposed to TLR agonists, in an early phase, the lacking of glucose in culture medium leads to critical faults in DC activation, such production of IL-12p40 and surface expression of CD40 and CD86. Afterwards, DCs activated by TLR signals are highly dependent on glucose for survival, becoming more sensitive to apoptosis by nutrient limitation. Thus, for full DC activation is essential initiating glycolysis at the time (9,10). Differently than OXPHOS, glycolytic pathway may be requested due to the necessity to produce substrates which will be used during DC activation. As an option, glycolytic pathway components can control protein translation and can be responsible to regulate the translation of crucial proteins for DC activation (24). Macrophagues: Macrophages can be classified into two major groups M1 (inflammatory) and M2 (anti-inflammatory). And each type of macrophage used different metabolic pathways, M1 uses energy mainly anaerobic glycolysis, mediated by HIF-1ÃŽ ±, while M2 employs FAO mediated PPARÉ ¤ and PGC-1ÃŽ ² (26). Evidencing with this, the relationship with of the metabolic function and and the population of macrophages. This regulation may be mediated by mTOR, which is an important nutrient sensor / power as processes such as protein synthesis, autophagy, glycolysis and regulation of immune response, de novo lipogenesis, among others. (27) Natural killer cells (NK cells): The NK cells rapamycin inhibits proliferation by blockade of the cell cycle in G1 phase in rat. Nevertheless, rapamycin does not affect interferon production by NK cells. When mTOR is inhibited in vitro, the death of T-cell YEC-1mediated by NK cells decreases slightly. In vivo, rapamycin reduces the number of NK cells in rat liver allografts (10). Neutrophils: Human neutrophil is inhibited the chemotaxis and chemokinesis induced by GM-CSF, when rapamycin is delivered. The same way, the response to IL-8. Rapamycin reduces polymerization of actin, important for leukocyte migration. mTORC1 is linked in activation of neutrophils and acute lung injury in association with TLR2 and TLR4 (18). V. Mitochondrial metabolism and regulation of immune response Effect Warburg: Is a termination used to describe a mechanism of some cancer cells to metabolize glucose via glycolysis, where the conversion of glucose to lactate with oxygen available to obtain energy with rapid generation but less efficient pathway for obtaining ATP (20,21). Carbon precursors necessary for the synthesis of nucleic acids, phospholipids, fatty acids, cholesterol and porphyrins can be provides by glycolysis (28). Glycolysis in normal tissues is the metabolism of 6-carbon glucose to 3-carbon pyruvate and the energy in the form of ATP occur via oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria (30). Hexocinase-2 (HK-2) is an isoform over-expressed in many cancer cells and is located on the external mitochondrial membrane protein VDAC (voltage-dependent anion channel). HK-2 has preferential access to mitochondrial generated ATP via the mitochondrial adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT), and protection from inhibition by its product G-6-P. Cancer cells have overproduced HK-2 and making the reaction between ATP and the incoming glucose to produce G-6-P at a high rate (30). Studies suggest a link between cancer cells and Hif-1a, where high Hif-1a activity is demonstrated to mediate the Warburg effect. HIF-1a is able to produce enzymes hexokinase 2, triosephosphate isomerase, isomerase, glucose 6-phosphate, and pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in glycolysis (31). HIF-1 is a transcription factor responsible for the change of gene expression during cellular response to low oxygen conditions. Amplifies HIF-1 transcription of genes encoding glucose transporters and glycolytic enzymes (32). Recent studies show Warburg effect have many mechanisms: tumor microenvironment and stabilization of HIF, oncogene activation and loss of tumor suppressor genes, mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer cells, nuclear DNA mutations, epigenetic changes, miRNA, glutamine metabolism, and post-translational modifications (28). Metabolic pathways and importance in the differentiation and function of immune cells: The response, proliferation, polarization or action of immune cells requires the supply of nutrients and high energy consumption, for this reason the contribution of ATP for these functions comes from differential form of the various metabolic pathways, from glycolysis, to pyruvate until lactate production or acyl-CoA, to enter the tricarboxylic cycle acid (TCA); or through of the fatty acids oxidation (FAO). Producing enough electrons (NADH and FADH2) to activate of the electron transport chain to fuel oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) (1). It is also already considered that myeloid cells such as granulocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages, B cells and T cells mainly use glycolysis as a source of ATP via anaerobic when they present an effector or inflammatory profile (Figure XX)(1,2). This is evidenced by neutrophils that have few mitochondria and consume little oxygen (34). Under these conditions the Warburg effect is generated. Producing lactate and NADPH, an essential cofactor for the NADPH oxidase for the production of important microbicidal product H2O2 (35). Some authors suggest that eosinophils and basophils are metabolically similar to neutrophils (36) As with neutrophils, macrophages are important in the immune response and are distributed in all organs and tissues. Playing an important role in innate immunity and adopt different states of activation. Interferon-É ¤ (IFN-É ¤), in combination with TLR agonists, induces M1 (inflammatory), while IL-4 and IL-13 cytokines induces M2 (regulators) (37). M1 macrophages secrete IL-12, IFN-gamma promotes, thus inducing NK cells and T cells, addition of TNF-ÃŽ ±, that activate other immune cells, and NO. Contrary M2 macrophages, secret anti-inflammatory molecules and stimulate tissue repair. Activation of M1 and M2 is characterized by the use of different metabolic pathways (38). M1 using arginine as a substrate to produce iNOS occurs only in the M1, and not in M2. M2 using arginine as a substrate for Arginase1 expressed only in the M2, and not in M1(37). The M1 macrophages possess a glycolytic metabolism. Similar to the different types of activated cells such as dendritic cells and granulocytes. (Figure XX). The Macrophage M1 has higher basal mitochondrial oxygen consumption, the other macrophages. M2 macrophages inducing the mitochondrial OXPHOS through of IL-4 and FAO. in such a way, metabolism M2 is strongly biased towards the use of FAO and mitochondrial respiration to meet their energy needs (Figure XX) (39). DCs derived from cultured bone marrow stimulated with colony-stimulating factor granulocyte-macrophage, are a model of production of TNF-ÃŽ ± and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). At rest, the DCs oxidize glucose in the mitochondria, by OXPHOS, with little lactate production. But, once stimulated with TLR agonists, become dependent on Warburg metabolism to subsistence (40). PI3K and Akt are important in the activation of glycolytic metabolism (41); play an important role in the duration of glycolysis in DCs activated. As evidenced by DCs activated by more than 12 hours which increases glucose consumption and TCA and mitochondrial oxygen consumption cease (40), increasing lactate production, and the cells survive only by aerobic glycolysis (Fig. XX). The high production NO gas by iNOS from arginine, inactive mitochondrial respiration in these cells. So the activation of glycolytic metabolism in activated DCs induces the expression of iNOS and production of NO thus inhibits OXPHO S. This subsistence mechanism is vital for the rapid production of ATP in the absence of machinery for the production of mitochondrial ATP (42). As the cells of the innate immune system, the T and B cells activated Warburg metabolism used at the time of the proliferation. In contrast to most of innate cells, which use Warburg metabolism after activation but not proliferate (1). Contrary to activated effector T cells, memory T and B cells do not use aerobic glycolysis but if they use mitochondrial FAO for their development and persistence, maintain or adopt a catabolic metabolism (Figure XX) (43). Once an antigen recognized by naive T cells and with adequate costimulation, this growth rapid, proliferation, and acquisition of specialized effector functions is initiated. This requires of the T cell a metabolic reprogramming and energetic. This pass of a catabolic metabolism to an anabolic metabolism, changes the cell is not in a state of maintenance and homeostasis (1). Some molecules such P13K, Akt, Myc, and HIF are associated with immune and metabolic signals for the activation, function, development and upkeep of T cells. So the metabolic pathways induce a T helper subsets (1). As was evidenced in Treg cells mainly use mitochondrial OXPHOS and FAO for their development and subsistence (17) or in Th17 cells where glycolysis is primarily required (44). In activated T cells the IL-12 induce an increase in the glucose transporter and glycolytic metabolism. Besides glycolysis in maintaining the activity of active effector T cells, exist other pathways involved, as via the pentose phosphate and glutaminolysis as well as the use of key molecules such as citrate and malate (Figure XX) (1).It is important to consider the available nutrients, substrates, or other resources that can create an imbalance in the environment of immune cells, affecting the metabolism of cell function and fate of immune cells. Mitochondria in the production of iNOS and inflammation: All metabolic process to generate ATP by OXPHOS generates ROS, which are involved in oxidative stress of the mitochondria. Production of O2- in excess, induces activation of factors of redox-sensitive transcription, such as NF-kB, and thus an increase of cytokines, chemokines, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), eicosanoids, and adhesion molecules (45). Some of these superoxide anions combine with nitric oxide (NO) to produce peroxynitrite (ONOO-), a powerful oxidant. These ROS oxidize proteins, membrane lipid and mtDNA; damaging mitochondrial integrity (46). Being mitochondria, the inducer of the pro-inflammatory action by the action of innate immunity using redox sensitive or direct inflammasome activation molecules. Progression that result in the immediate activation of caspase-1, and subsequent activation of the inactive precursor of IL-1ÃŽ ² and IL-18 (47). DAMPs activate the same receptors that detect PAMPs, such as TLRs and cytoplasmic NOD and NLRs (46). Once activated, NLRP3 this is depolymerized and induces the recruitment of the adapter protein ASC and caspase-1 (and her cleavage), and other cytoskeletal proteins, glycolytic enzymes and caspase-7. This group of proteins called inflammasome. This complex induces pro-inflammatory, such as IL-1ÃŽ ² and IL-18.(47). Elevated levels of ROS generated by the mitochondria activate NLRP3 inflammasome. Interestingly, the humidity and the myth-AMPS can activate APCs, as well as other non-immune cells including mesenchymal stem cells and astrocytes. Additionally, IL-1ÃŽ ² pro-inflammatory IL-6, MCP-1 and TNF is induced by degradation of mtDNA in mouse primary astrocytes. (48). This activation of the inflammasome can activate NF-kB, increasing even more pro-inflammatory cytokines duration of the inflammatory response. This summation of events can be a clear explanation to the high deterioration of mitochondria (46). Biogenesis of mitochondria: The availability of nutrients and oxygen can determine the function of a time cell proliferate and differentiate. Under normal conditions the cell has high level out of ATP/ADP/AMP. Thus, an increase in AMP activates AMPK, activating ATP production by activating TSC 1 and 2 which blocks mTOR (7). After ATP levels are increased activated Akt/PKB promotes mitochondrial biogenesis by phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of NRF-1 and nuclear translocation with increased mitochondrial hexokinase (HK), using glycolysis coupled to OXPHOS with uptake mitochondrial ATP, especially in order to allow cell survival and maintenance of cell functions (49). An important protein in the biogenesis of mitochondria is BAD, which is involved in the initiation of a protein complex that catalyzes the first step of glycolysis by deHK-4 activation. But absent BAD gives a restriction of respiration in the presence of glucose and in the absence of glucose dephosphorylated BAD and induces apoptosis(50). This interaction between energy metabolism and the regulation of apoptosis, is important in mitochondrial biogenesis, and any imbalance can lead to mitochondrial failure and loss problems inducing pathological cell survival (51). Thus, the whole process of inflammation, oxidation and apoptosis, requires a high rate of mitochondrial replacement to allow the restoration of damaged mitochondria continuously and cell survival, which may serve as a signal that stimulates the production of mediators anti-inflammatories such as the IL-10. 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