Autobiografie Essay Example

Autobiografie Essay Example Autobiografie Essay Autobiografie Essay Essay Topic: The Godfather Vroeger heb ik een heleboel boeken voorgelezen gekregen, zoals Visje bij de thee en Pluk van de Petteflet van Annie M.G. Schmidt. Net als elk meisje was ik ook dol op sprookjes. Mijn moeder heeft me verteld dat ik altijd wilde dat ze Roodkapje voorlas, maar zelf kan ik me daar niks van herinneren. Van Max Velthuis las mijn moeder ook verschillende boekjes voor en later kon begon ik ze zelf te lezen als oefening. Een aantal van deze boekjes waren Olifant en de tijdmachineâ„ ¢, Kikker is een heldâ„ ¢ en Kikker en de vreemdelingâ„ ¢. Ik vond het prachtig dat een kikker kon praten en allerlei dingen kon doen die mensen ook deden. Toen ik op de basisschool zat las ik erg veel boeken van Annie M.G. Schmidt en Roald Dahl. Ook heb ik Het grote boek van Madeliefâ„ ¢ gelezen. In dat boek stonden alle verhalen van Madelief. Zoals Met de poppen gooienâ„ ¢, Grote mensen daar kan je beter soep van kokenâ„ ¢, Op je kop in de prullenbakâ„ ¢, Krassen in het tafelbladâ„ ¢ en Een hoofd vol macaroniâ„ ¢. Ook heb ik van Guus Kuijer Ik ben Polleke hoorâ„ ¢ en De tranen knallen uit mijn kopâ„ ¢ gelezen. Het leuke van de boeken van Guus Kuijer vond ik dat de hoofdpersonen altijd ontdeugend waren en deden wat ze zelf wilden. In de boeken van Annie M.G. Schmidt echter waren de hoofdpersonen vaak verlegen en hadden het allemaal niet zo goed in het leven. Een voorbeeld daarvan is Sjakie en de Chocoladefabriekâ„ ¢. Sjakie en zijn familie zijn bijvoorbeeld heel arm. Zo is Pluk in het boek Pluk en de Pettefletâ„ ¢ een jongetje dat helemaal alleen in een flatgebouw woont. En Lotje, die woont helemaal alleen met haar vader in een caravan! Andere boeken die ik van Annie M.G. Schmidt gelezen heb zijn Wiplalaâ„ ¢ en Wiplala weerâ„ ¢. Nog zoâ„ ¢n idee! Hoe verzin je het om een verhaal te schrijven over een tuinkabouter Het idee alleen al vond ik prachtig. De boeken die ik minder leuk vond waren de lijsters. Onder andere omdat we die in groepjes moesten lezen en de andere kinderen lazen te langzaam, naar mijn mening dan. De lijsters kon je ook zelf bestellen en dat vond ik weer wel leuk. Dan kon in tenminste in mijn eigen tempo, veel sneller dan al die andere kinderen in mijn klas natuurlijk, het boekje uitlezen. Het enige wat ik daar vervelend van vond, was dat die boekjes zo snel uit waren. Binnen een dag vaak. Alleen hoe ouder je werd, hoe dikker die boekjes werden en er was een serie lijsters â€Å" de Gouden Lijstersâ„ ¢ â€Å" die wel superleuk was. Hier hoorde onder andere het boek De Zevensprongâ„ ¢ van Tonke Dragt bij. Op de basisschool vond ik het altijd heel belangrijk dat er een heleboel tekeningen bij zaten, anders wist ik niet hoe de hoofdpersonen eruitzagen. Ik lees nu veel liever boeken zonder veel plaatjes, zodat ik het uiterlijk van de hoofdpersonen zelf kan verzinnen. Helaas word ik daardoor vaak teleurgesteld als ik de verfilming van het boek zie. Harry Potter bijvoorbeeld was in mijn gedachten veel leuker dan in de film. Ik vond het ook altijd prachtig als twee mensen op elkaar verliefd werden, wat ze zelf in het begin nog niet wisten, maar ik als lezer natuurlijk allang doorhad. Toen vond ik het nog heel erg leuk dat ik altijd precies wist hoe een boek af zou lopen. En natuurlijk moest het altijd een happy endingâ„ ¢ hebben, anders was het een stom boek. Nu hoeft niet elk boek een en zij leefden nog lang en gelukkigâ„ ¢-einde te hebben. Een einde waarbij de hoofdpersonen niet bij elkaar kunnen zijn, kan ook mooi zijn. Wel heb ik er een hekel aan als een boek een open einde heeft. Daar kan ik helemaal niet tegen. Dan moet ik zelf een einde gaan verzinnen, terwijl ik dan net zo goed zelf een heel boek zou kunnen gaan schrijven. Ook heb ik het gevoel dat de laatste bladzijde van een boek ook echt het einde van het verhaal moet zijn. Tenzij er natuurlijk een vervolg komt. In groep zeven en acht las ik nog steeds boeken met een happy endâ„ ¢. Zoals de boeken Razendâ„ ¢, Pijnstillersâ„ ¢ en Afblijvenâ„ ¢ van Carry Slee. Nu heb ik eindelijk door dat de boeken van Carry Slee grotendeels hetzelfde zijn. Zo zat er altijd een moraal in het verhaal, heel erg vervelend. Ik lees een boek toch voor mijn plezier Dan hoeft er van mij geen wijze les in te zitten. Andere boeken die ik in groep acht al las waren de boeken van Francine Oomen. Die waren natuurlijk heel aantrekkelijk om te lezen. Vooral als je vooraan in de rij staat om naar de brugklas te gaan en de titel van het boek Hoe overleef ik de brugklasâ„ ¢ is. Ook las ik een heleboel typische meidenboeken, onder andere van Kate Cann. Vrijâ„ ¢, Siestaâ„ ¢ en Party!â„ ¢ zijn alle drie boeken die gaan over meisjes met liefdesproblemen en uiteindelijk komt alles natuurlijk weer goed. Kate Cann is eigenlijk de Engelse versie van Carry Slee. Boeken die ik las en nog steeds lees, zijn de boeken van Thea Beckman. Het idee dat er in haar boeken een heleboel geschiedenisfeiten staan, trekt mij heel erg aan. Haar boeken maken het hele vak geschiedenis leuk. Andere boeken die zich ook in de geschiedenis afspelen zijn de boeken van Karl May. Zijn verhalen spelen zich af in de 19e eeuw. Al zijn boeken gaan over de in Amerika bekende westman Old Shatterhand en de indiaan Winnetou. Alleen wordt Old Shatterhand na de dood van Winnetou in de Orient bekend als Kara Ben Nemsi, samen met zijn reisgenoot Hadji Halef Omar. Twee jaar geleden ben ik begonnen met het uitspitten van mijn moeders boekenkast. Daarin vond ik het De Da Vinci codeâ„ ¢ en Het Bernini Mysterieâ„ ¢ van Dan Brown. Wat ik leuk vond aan die boeken was de onverwachte wending in het hele verhaal. Als je denkt te weten wat er precies aan de hand is, blijkt het uiteindelijk heel anders te lopen. Ook was het leuk om te lezen doordat je weet dat het een mengeling van feiten en fictie is. In Het Bernini Mysterieâ„ ¢ bijvoorbeeld kom je een heleboel te weten over hoe alles eraan toe gaat tijdens het kiezen van een nieuwe Paus. Ook heb ik boeken van Robert van Gulik gelezen. Zijn boeken gaan over Rechter Tie, een rechter die in China gewoond heeft en daar ook echt al deze moorden heeft opgelost. De boeken van Robert van Gulik zijn niet van die romannetjes die je binnen een dag uit hebt, al doet het aantal bladzijdes je dat wel vermoeden. Voor de rest heb ik een aantal boeken van John Grisham gelezen zoals De Clientâ„ ¢, De Advocaat van de Duivelâ„ ¢ en Achter gesloten deurenâ„ ¢. Onder andere omdat advocaten en maffia in zijn boeken heel belangrijk zijn. Ik wilde later advocaat worden en daarom heb ik zijn boeken gelezen. Ik vond dat ze de moeite waard waren. Een ander boek waarin de maffia een grote rol speelt, is het boek The Godfatherâ„ ¢. Ik vond het een fantastisch boek. Door de manier waarop Mario Puzo de gedachten en gevoelens van de hoofdpersonen beschrijft, lijken ze echt te gaan leven. Hij laat je de wereld vanuit hun perspectief zien. Een boekenwurm als ik komt natuurlijk ook minstens drie keer per maand in de bibliotheek. Ik heb uit de bibliotheek onder andere Stad van de maskersâ„ ¢, Stad van de bloemenâ„ ¢ en Stad van de sterrenâ„ ¢ gelezen. Dit zijn 100% fantasieboeken. Sommige boeken waarin twee werelden samen komen zijn heel chaotisch geschreven en dan raak je alleen maar in de war. Bij deze serie is het allemaal heel logisch. Dat is eigenlijk ook zo in Het Gouden Kompasâ„ ¢. Zoals ik al eerder geschreven had, vind ik dat boeken met een einde waarin de hoofdpersonen niet bij elkaar kunnen zijn ook erg mooi. Daarvan is Het Gouden Kompasâ„ ¢ een voorbeeld. w Boeken die ik vrij recent heb gelezen zijn Het huis van de geestenâ„ ¢ van Isabel Allende en de serie De Aardkinderenâ„ ¢. Wat ik mooi vind aan de boeken van Isabel Allende is dat je de personages leert kennen en ze hebben elk iets wat ze uniek maakt. De Stam van de Holebeerâ„ ¢ vond ik een prachtig boek. Daar zijn een aantal redenen voor. Ten eerste zijn de personages en hun gevoelens zo goed beschreven dat je hun beslissingen in het leven voor de volle honderd procent begrijpt. Ten tweede het idee dat Jean M. Auel drie jaar in het bestuderen van de feiten heeft gestopt om het verhaal zo waarheidsgetrouw mogelijk te maken. Een minpuntje aan het boek, en eigenlijk de hele serie, was dat er veel seks in zat. Mijn naam is Hannahâ„ ¢ daarentegen viel heel erg tegen. De achterkant van het boek laat je denken dat het leven van een vrouw totaal verandert doordat ze een achtergelaten kind meeneemt. Maar na het eerste hoofdstuk heb je direct door dat die vrouw veel meer bezig is met het vinden van haar Romeo dan met het verzorgen van Hannah. Ondanks al dat vind ik het heel moeilijk om een boek halverwege weg te leggen. Als ik dat doe blijft de vraag wat er verder kan gebeuren in mijn hoofd rondspoken en daar kan ik niet tegen. Na dit allemaal geschreven te hebben kom ik tot de conclusie dat mijn smaak qua boeken erg veranderd is. Ik zal niet meer boeken zoals Wiplalaâ„ ¢ gaan lezen. Ik vind het nu veel belangrijker dat boeken echt ergens over gaan en dat er ook fictie in zit. Ik lees namelijk om te kunnen wegdromen in een andere wereld en voor de ontspanning en als er dan alleen maar feiten in een boek staan is het net alsof ik een schoolboek lees. Dus ik ben van plan om nog een heleboel boeken te gaan lezen in mijn verdere leven. Eerst nog fantasie- en geschiedenisboeken, maar later zal mijn smaak qua boeken waarschijnlijk nog verder ontwikkelen en ik sta daarom ook open voor allerlei soorten boeken. Verder heb ik nog lang niet alle boeken uit mijn moeders boekenkast gelezen, dus ik ben nog wel even zoet.

Discuss the Most Significant Changes in the 20th Century in the Role of Women essays

Discuss the Most Significant Changes in the 20th Century in the Role of Women essays Throughout the course of the Twentieth Century there have been many significant changes in the role of women. Changes in womens domestic role, education, employment and legislation are discussed to examine these significant changes in the role of women from the 1900s to the present day. During the 1900s womens main purpose was to get married and look after her husband and children, they were treated as second class citizens with few rights. Women were burdened with heavy duty unpaid domestic work within the home. Life for women then consisted of backbreaking housework, without electricity and household aids. For working class women whose husbands were perhaps miners, cleaning was hard work, but essential as socially, women were judged on the cleanliness of their house as a sign of their respectability (early Calvinistic views). Constantly cleaning, washing, scrubbing, cooking, making and repairing clothes, tending to children and having to deal with the household finances, women endured intensive labour seven days a week - with washing itself taking a day and a half to do. It was taken for granted that housework was womens work and that is was natural for women to be at home in the early 20thC. Young girls were expected to help with household chores even w! hen they were in full time employment, whilst young boys were exempt from such chores.[1] Q. And did your father help your mother with any jobs in the house? A. No.No.No my father was very well looked after in the house, even to the fact that his tea was poured out for him, and everything was there just for him to sit down. He was the worker O the house.[2] Womens intensive role within the home and deep-rooted patriarchal views in Scotland denied women access to employment and education. The key change in the early 20thCentury was a reduction in family size (pre-pill) giving women more freedom and ability to ...

Madison Man Indicted for Possessing Guns despite Prior Mental Article

Madison Man Indicted for Possessing Guns despite Prior Mental Commitment - Article Example It was noted that Vaughan made a false statement regarding nondisclosure of the accurate information pertaining to his previous confinement in a mental institution.  For the offenses, if found guilty, Vaughan could be subjected to 10 years in prison with a fine of $250,000 for the offense of purchasing firearms after being found mentally unstable; and be penalized for five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for allegedly providing false statements to the firearms dealer (Madison Man Indicted for Possessing Guns Despite Prior Mental Commitment, 2013). The person being discussed in the article was James Wann Vaughan, who was reported to be 69 years of age, born in 1943 and lives in Madison (Madison Man Indicted for Possessing Guns Despite Prior Mental Commitment, 2013, par. 5). Likewise, when he filled in the ATF form, as required of people purchasing firearms, it was disclosed that he provided false statements after alleging that he was born in 1942 and that he lives in Scottsboro. The confounding predicament was that he was found to have been previously confined in a mental institution, therefore making him unfit to possess and purchase firearms, since he is a grave hazard to the society. 3. What impact will the information/event in the article affect the healthcare organization, healthcare profession or community improve its operation, services, the standard of care, compliance, or code of ethics and/or sense of awareness? 4. Does the article show or suggest a need for new standards that will help/enhance the medical environment or healthcare professional? Is there any current legislation already in practice or in a debate surrounding this issue? If so what is it?   

Reactions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reactions - Assignment Example Its current liabilities have witnessed unsteady change, increasing between 2009 and 2011 and decreasing steadily between 2012 and 2013. Both the shareholders equity and borrowings have been at acceptable levels. This company is economically stable and growing upwards. This is the company that has been advocating for standards of media communication that observes certain values and principles of integrity, liberty and voluntary press. The financial muscles of this Santa Ana based communication company have grown over the years. It has seen a steady growth in terms of the profits accrued over the period of five years from 2009 to 2013. This has seen the marginal profit go to figures above 12 million US dollars. Its long term obligations have also decreased with huge little marginal figures between 2009 and 2013 to an amount of 11 billion US dollars. The rate of recuperation for this company is admirable and it’s one of the fastest growing companies. This company is one of the major modern publishers in the rapidly growing economy of China. The company operates mostly on the cultural publications. It operates on academic material and referencing tools with Chinese dictionaries like the Xhinua dictionary. This company has grown in revenue with 2005 figures amounting to about 540 Yuan. The company has also realized profits of over 50 million Yuan over the period of time form 2005. The company majors in reference book publishing which contribute over 60% of the profit. I think the production strategy should be changed as the company relies majorly on the production of reference books. This can be disastrous for the company if returns in this area of business go down. It should therefore distribute the publications evenly across all the products it offers for more security. This is a television network providing company with numerous TV channels

The criminal mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The criminal mind - Essay Example Three features distinguish crime science from criminology: it embraces the physical, computer and engineering sciences as well as the social; it focuses on crime rather than criminals, and it is single-minded about cutting crime, rather than studying it for its own sake. Crime science was conceived by the British broadcaster Nick Ross in the late 1990s in order to recruit scientific methods to crime prevention, with encouragement from the then Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir John Stevens and Professor Ken Pease. Situations have not been entirely ignored in criminology. Birkbeck3 and LaFree (1993) and Sampson and Lauritsen (1994) have reviewed various situational approaches to crime, deviance, and violence, including the work of symbolic integrationists, opportunity and routine activity theorists, and those who advocate the study of criminal events. Most empirical research on situations, however, has involved the event as the unit of analysis, with no link to individual histories or individual patterns of behavior. To study the behavior situation relations advocated by Mischel and Shoda (1995)4, we would need to study the same individuals across multiple situations or contexts. To proceed with such an approach, we must define situations. From the various situational perspectives on crime there has not as yet emerged a consensus as to how situations should be conceptualized. Let us turn back to the summer camp study (Shoda et al., 1994) for a possible model. In that study the researchers observed behavior occurring within different levels, which they referred to as ecological settings, nominal situations, and interpersonal situations. Table 1 provides examples of these different levels. The ecological settings represented are camp, school, and home. Within each ecological setting are nominal situations, which they describe as â€Å"dictated by the structure of the particular ecology (the setting)† (Shoda et al., 1994: 675). Thus, at

International Human Resource Theories: Coca Cola Case Study

International Human Resource Theories: Coca Cola Case Study IHRM concepts in Coca Colas practices and reasons to transfer employees to the host countries 6 Selecting staff for global assignments in Coca Cola 7 The disadvantages of traditional selection in Coca Cola 8 Abstract This research project explains how the International Human Resource theories are used in Coca Cola as a multinational organization. More over it clarifies the IHRM theoretical side and how the company uses it in its practices. Also it explains both of the strength and weak points of the practical methods. Coca cola is an example of Multinational enterprises (MNEs) as it operates its business in more than 200 countries. Introduction Local Human Resource Management practices are different of international Human Resource Practices, because the core different in the organizational structure. The structure of a Multinational organization as Coca Cola should be different of another American local organization. These differences come from the significant role and senior strategies of the company. This should cause some significant change in the HR practices and functions. Since Coca Cola is a company operates its business around a huge number of countries around the world it began to respond to both of local and international needs. Environment, culture and political differences exist from a region to another. Globalization is the most important factor of the multinational enterprises phenomenon. Coca Cola one of the American companies became a multinational company to take the benefits of new markets and to minimize the labour costs. Haile (2002) mentioned that Bernadin and Russell (1998) and Robbins (1997) all stated that Coca-Cola and Pepsi receive more than half of their revenues from operations outside the United States. These reasons and more encourage the company to operate its business outside the boundaries. While the company started its operations outside USA it considered the environmental, cultural and political change. Also it considered the differences among the multinational employees. Therefore it started to find the methods and the practices which help to avoid any obstacles since the IHRM has new concepts were developed internationally. As a core point, the international human resource practices should be aligned with the predefined strategic business goals. Companys background Coca Cola was invested in May 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia. Currently, its operations are in more than 200 countries, and with diverse work force of approximately 55,000 employees. The local and global strategy The strategic vision of the company is to achieve five strategic goals: Profit, people, value, partners and planet. One of the above strategic is people, which is the most important element in Coca Cola as people are the workforce which operates the whole work. Moreover the company gives its attention to the HRM to control the human functions and roles and to be aligning with the companys senior strategy. In line with the higher objectives of the company, human resources management seriously seeking to get the best management achieve the objectives of the company. For these reasons, IHRM should define know the structure of the company as a global. (The Times Newspaper, 2005, P. 2) The companys structure The home country of Coca Cola is USA it controls both of centralization and localizations functions. Senior decisions at The Coca Cola Company are made by an Executive Committee of 12 company Officers. This committee helped to shape the strategic priorities. The chair of the executive committee acts as a head for the company and chairs the board meetings. He is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and as such he is the senior decision maker. Other executives are responsible either for the major regions (e.g. Africa) or have an important business specialization for example the Chief Financial Officer. (The Times Newspaper, 2005, P. 3) There are seven main regions where Coca Cola operates in as the following: North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Eurasia, Middle East, Latin America. Each region has divided into countries and each country has its own structure the following figure explains the structure of Coca Cola in Great Britain. (The Times Newspaper, 2005, P. 3) IHRM concepts in Coca Colas practices and reasons to transfer employees to the host countries Staff selection, international assignments, international training and development, international compensation, and IHRM in the host Country context are some key concepts of the international practices which Coca Colas HRM is responsible to deal with. And it is important to know the reason of transferring people from a region to another among Coca Cola parent company, host countries and subsidiaries. The reason of sending staff for international assignment in Coca Cola is to achieve three major goals within short and long terms: to fill positions, develop the management and to fulfil Coca Colas development. (Hartono 2009) The following table shows the reasons of transferring staff from the parent country of Coca Cola to the host countries (e.g. china). Why does Coca Cola transfer staff from the parent country (USA) to the host countries Transfer of technical or Managerial knowledge, training of subsidiary managers, or lack of qualified local personal (Position Filling) Level of education in host country is low Subsidiary is young Subsidiary is Greenfield establishment Gain international experience develop global awareness (Management Development) MNC is more internationalized MNC is large Control and coordination of subsidiary operations (Organizational Development) Uncertainly avoidance in home country is high Level of cultural distance between home country and host country is high Level of political risk in host country is high Subsidiary is large Subsidiary is majority-owned Subsidiary is higher in corporate reporting chain Subsidiary is young Subsidiary is under-performing improvement of communication channels between head quarter and subsidiary (Organizational Development) Level of cultural distance between home and host country is high Level of political risk in host country is high Subsidiary is young Selecting staff for global assignments in Coca Cola Hartono (2009) argued that studies explained that selecting employees for global tasks to achieve international specific jobs is difficult. Also wrong selection may lead to significant problems. Therefore Coca Cola developed its own system for careful selecting employees, in this system the company determines carefully the appropriate persons for each assignment. (Slavenski 2003) In Coca Cola they always give enough time to assess employees they wish to go for an international assignment. First step is to receive applications from the employees who find that he is qualified for the task. Then conduct five hours assessment for all the applicants to identify the following nine skills: 1. Organizing and planning 2. Perception and analysis 3. Decision making 4. Oral communication 5. Decisiveness 6. Adaptability 7. Interpersonal skills 8. Written communication 9. Perseverance Second step is to determine the best applicants who have succeed in the first assessment and ask them to return next day for the organizational orientation, also there is three days of training for the line managers who are responsible for this selection. In Coca Cola usually the third step is an interview to select one of three applicants to do the international assignment. Comparing with the old approach of selecting staff to do a global task there are a significant change in the way and technique used currently in Coca Cola. According to Slavenski (2003) he stated that These results indicate that the new method of interviewing is more effective than traditional interviewing. Hence, the assessment/hiring ratio was lowered from 3: 1 to 2:1. T hat is, for every two people assessed in the center, one could be selected. The cost savings amounted to about $48,000 per center or $4,000 per candidate. The disadvantages of traditional selection in Coca Cola Selecting people who have equivalent skills, information, and organizational expectations is more complex than it earliest appears. Someone who has been successful somewhere else in a related position may not always be a good selection. Old selection in most organizations is not as useful as it could be because it is not based on an analysis of job necessities, rather than being prepared and logical, it is unofficial and incompatible, making it hard to compare and assess candidates, it may involve unrelated, and sometimes unlawful, it allows the candidates small chance to express actual job skills and it is based on poor inspection and records and generally relies on the interviewers ability to bring to mind complex information about number of candidates. Lxr- ÃŽ ±: Molecular Link in Epidermal Microenvironment Lxr- ÃŽ ±: Molecular Link in Epidermal Microenvironment ABSTARCT The nuclear receptor LXR-ÃŽ ± is a transcriptional regulator involved in numerousepidermal processes including proliferation, differentiation, permeability barrierformation, inflammatory responses, skin development and homeostasis. Owing to itscrucial for multiple cell types in the skin, its activation in one skin cell type mayinfluence its expression and activation in other, thereby having a functional impact. Inthis study we investigated the effects that LXR-ÃŽ ± activation in keratinocytes would exerton LXR-ÃŽ ± expression in melanocytes. For this, we cultured melanocytes from theclinically healthy subjects and them nurtured with the media from the LXR-ÃŽ ± activated (by both Ascorbic acid and Atorvastatin along with 22-R hydroxycholestrol) keratinocyte. The DOPA staining verified the growth of melanocytes and the validationfor viability was done by flow cytometry. The results so obtained supported ourspeculation that LXR-ÃŽ ± activation in the normal healthy melanocytes may lead to theirapoptosis. Therefore, LXR-ÃŽ ± may be a critical player in keratinocyte and melanocytebiology and could be a potential target for skin disease management. INTRODUCTION Epidermal melanocytes form a functional and structural unit with neighboring keratinocyte. There is apparently a close relationship between melanocytes and keratinocytes that is important for melanocyte survival and differentiation. and that may involve keratinocyte-mediated cytokines [1]. Growth factors produced by adjacent keratinocytes regulate the proliferation and differentiation of melanocytes [2-5]. Therefore, changes in keratinocytes function might have a significant effect on melanocyte survival [6, 7]. The LXRs in skin physiology and pathology have evolved rapidly in recent years as they modulate epidermal proliferation, carcinogenesis, differentiation and permeability barrier function, which identifies them as promising drug targets for the treatment of skin diseases. The nuclear receptors LXR-ÃŽ ± and LXR-ÃŽ ² are expressed in murine and human keratinocytes [8, 9]. LXR activation also stimulates epidermal lipid synthesis, lamellar body secretion and lipid processing in th e stratum corneum [10]. LXR-ÃŽ ±activators stimulate keratinocyte differentiation and also promote epidermal permeability barrier homoeostasis [10]. Activation of LXR-ÃŽ ±by oxysterols stimulates keratinocyte differentiation, thereby, making LXR-ÃŽ ±important in keratinocytes differentiation as well [11, 12]. LXR-ÃŽ ±is also known to play a key role as metabolic checkpoint that modulates cell proliferation in skin. At proper dosage, synthetic LXR agonists are safe on endothelial cells and may even transrepress inflammatory reactions [13].It has also been found that LXR-ÃŽ ± might be playing an important role in pathogenesis of pigmentary disorders like psoriasis [14, 15]and vitiligo [16]. Changes in the expression of this receptor in various diseased conditions of skin make it a candidate gene worth investigation, as it may be critical players in keratinocyte and melanocyte biology and homeostasis [17]. In this article we characterize the effect of alteration in expression of LXR-ÃŽ ± in the keratinocytes influence the survival of the melanocytes. In our previous studies we have already explored the effects of agonists and activators of LXR-ÃŽ ± on its own gene expression in keratinocytes. We here report the effect of melanocytes viability following LXR-ÃŽ ± activation with Atorvastatin+22R hydroxycholestrol and Ascorbic acid +22R hydroxycholestrolin cultured keratinocytes, with both the cell types derived from of the same the skin biopsy METHODS Selection of the subjects and clinical evaluation This study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee. A total number of 6 controls were enrolled, after their informed consent. The age range was 18–40 years. Skin grafts were collected in the phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and immediately transported to the laboratory in ice. Cellular models employed Fresh biopsy specimens were obtained under aseptic conditions in phosphate buffer saline with antibiotics (penicillin and streptomycin). Keratinocyte Cultures: Culturing of keratinocytes derived from skin biopsies of clinically healthy subjects were carried out in Keratinocytes Specific Media containing no antibiotics. The treatment with Atorvastatin+22R hydroxycholestrol and Ascorbic acid +22R hydroxycholestrol was performed. Cells in one of the wells were incubated with 30Â µM Atorvastatin and the other well was treated with 0.2mg/ml Ascorbic acid or 12 hours [18]. Then 10 Â µM 22R hydroxycholestrol was added to both the wells and cells were then incubated for 48 hours. Melanocyte Cultures: Culturing of melanocytes derived from skin biopsies of same clinically healthy subjects was carried out in Melanocyte Media Promocell containing no antibiotics. Then the media from the above mentioned treated keratinocytes was transferred to the respective melanocytes cultures for consecutive three days. Cell identification Keratinocytes: To verify that the cells cultured from the skin biopsies exhibited the characteristic signatures of keratinocytes, Melanocytes :DOPA staining To verify that the cells cultured from the skin biopsies exhibited the characteristic signatures of melanocytes, DOPA staining was performed following a modified method previously described [19]. RNA isolation and cDNA synthesis Total RNA was isolated using the Tri Reagent kit (Ambion, Austin, TX, USA), and cDNA was synthesized using the First-Strand cDNA Synthesis kit (Fermentas, St. Leon-Rot, Germany) following the manufacturers’ protocols. Semiquantitative RT-PCR Semiquantitative RT-PCR was used to determine the gene tran- scriptional expression. PCR amplification was performed using the GeneAmp PCR System 9700 (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA). All primers were synthesized by Sigma (St. Louis, MO, USA). The primer sequences used are given in Table S2. PCR amplification of cDNA was performed in a reaction mixture containing 10X polymerase, 2 ll cDNA template and sterile RNAse-free water added to a total volume of 25 ll. All PCR reagents were from Fermentas. We first amplified a housekeeping gene encoding b-actin, to monitor RNA quality and cDNA synthesis and to ensure that equivalent amounts of cDNA were used in all PCR amplifications. All PCR products were analysed by separation on a 2% agarose gel stained with ethidium bromide. Annexin V staining Cultured melanocytes after culturing in conditioned media were were processed as previously mentioned [20] before being used for Annexin V staining (Roche, Mannheim, Germany), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. RESULTS Identifications of melanocytes Melanocytes were cultured with conditioned media from treated keratinocytes (both cell types derived from from skin biopsies of the same patient). After getting pure cultures, these cells were characterized by DOPA staining (Figure 1). LXR-ÃŽ ± mRNA expression We checked the expression profile of LXR-ÃŽ ± gene in melanocytes cultured in the conditioned media was compared to the controls (Figure.2). The aim was to detect any change in gene expression of LXR-ÃŽ ± and its effector genes . Results revealed the higher presence of LXR-ÃŽ ± mRNA expression in melanocytes cultured in bot the treated conditioned media compared to controls. Effect on the apoptosis Experiments were performed and it was interesting to find that there was an increase in the apoptosis of melanocytes nurtured with the media transferred from the keratinocytes treated Ascorbic acid + 22-R hydroxycholestrol i.e. 26% compared to 17.6% in the melanocytes nurtured with the media transferred from the keratinocytes treated Atorvastatin + 22-R hydroxycholestrol whereas the control non- treated melanocytes showed 10% apoptotic cell population (Figure 3). DISCUSSION The role multivalent LXR-ÃŽ ± has recently been described in many skin diseases. A marked expression of LXR-ÃŽ ± has been observed in cells adjacent to dermal papilla, speculating that it may correlate with site of hair melanocytes [21]. Important genes involved in regulation of both keratinocytes and melanocytes are target genes of LXR-ÃŽ ±; it can be speculated that LXR-ÃŽ ± might be playing the important role in pathogenesis of varied skin disorders and homeostasis [17]. Studies have previously shown that chronic activation of LXR-ÃŽ ± in pancreatic ÃŽ ²-cell provoked lipid dysregulation and concomitant apoptosis. To verify the speculation, the cultured melanocytes from the clinically healthy subjects were nurtured with the media from the LXR-ÃŽ ± activated (by both Vitamin C and Atorvastatin alongwith 22-R hydroxycholestrol) keratinocyte media. The DOPA staining in Figure 1 shows the viable melanocytes which were further validated by FACS and the results so obtained supported our speculation that LXR-ÃŽ ± activation in the normal healthy melanocytes may lead to their apoptosis, as LXR-ÃŽ ± is known to inhibit cell proliferation and enhance apoptosis (Figure 3). We have already reported that the LXR-ÃŽ ± expression was present in human melanocytes and keratinocytes [15, 16]. In this study, we compared the expression of LXR-ÃŽ ± in conditioned media from keratinocytes treated with Ascorbic acid + 22-R hydroxycholestrol and Atorvastatin + 22-R hydroxyc holestrol compared to the control and found that mRNA expression of LXR-ÃŽ ± was significantly higher in both the treated groups as compared to the control.So, it can be said that there is an LXR-ÃŽ ± imbalance in the genesis of skin disorders. Although future studies will reveal whether LXR-ÃŽ ± dysregulation in skin cells contributes to the diseased state in vivo, the data presented here suggest a potential target for the development of a successful method of regulating the diseased skin conditions. Not only LXR-ÃŽ ± has a robust anti-inflammatory activity in skin, but they also modulate epidermal proliferation, differentiation and permeability barrier function. The abnormal increase in LXR-ÃŽ ±expression in the pancreatic islets of obese and diabetic animal models and the ability of LXR-ÃŽ ±ligands to induce cell dysfunction suggest the involvement of chronic LXR-ÃŽ ±in cell apoptosis [22] . Keeping in view, the findings reported here coupled with earlier reported findings, it is not unlikely that LXR-ÃŽ ± transcriptome may be of crucial importance, not only in understanding of genomic basis of skin disorders it could be useful in designing futuristic therapy for these skin disorders.

Globalization and Anthropology :: Outsourcing, Offshoring, Free Trade

1. We live in a world where nothing is sacred if selling it can make a buck. Be it â€Å"tourist† indigenous memorabilia or your own â€Å"extra† kidney, you can bet there’s a viable market, and someone’s willing to buy. Given the fantastic stealth of international transactions, globalized markets evoke particularly ominous possibilities for the marginalized in our capitalistic economy. Exposing obscure global issues from â€Å"tourist† art to bio-piracy, Schneider and Scheper-Hughes complicate our understanding of globalization by questioning one’s responsibility to the agency of others in an increasingly interrelated world. According to Schneider, defining â€Å"authenticity† is a battle between indigenous peoples and the tourists who purchase their arts and crafts. As â€Å"tourist† art grows with the realization of international tourism as means of development and economic growth in marginalized communities, foreign assumptions affect the perception of indigenous arts and crafts as â€Å"legitimately† indigenous. Indigenous peoples readily â€Å"transform† functional items into feasible commodities; â€Å"goods such as â€Å"indigenous blouses and shawls† easily become â€Å"alien place mates and pillow cases,† enabling indigenous peoples to survive (Schneider 80). Schneider asks, does this practice rob peoples of their culture, or simply generate a new kind of survival market culture? In seeking â€Å"to recognize and question Eurocentric imaginings of the world,† the discipline of anthropology complicates the right of tourists to judge the commodities of indigenous communities, as it questions the right of a global economy that forces peoples to produce such commodities to survive (Schneider 83). In her more gruesome study of organ theft in impoverished communities, Scheper-Hughes similarly demands that consumers understand the implications of â€Å"neo-cannibalism† on an international scale. Rejecting the idea of impoverished peoples as â€Å"uneducated and gullible informants,† Scheper-Hughes questions the meaning of doctors, organ brokers and prestigious anthropologists denying people voice about body-snatching (35, 39). Her research proves that â€Å"eviscerated bodies† do appear in allies and morgues, and verifies the accounts of poor peoples denied as mere â€Å"inventions† by authorities (36, 38).