Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Structures And Functions Of Cells In Nervous System Biology Essay
Structures And Functions Of Cells In Nervous System Biology Essay Neurons are the nerve cells; they contain a cell body, an axon, and dendrites. The cell body is the part that contains the nucleus and cytoplasm. The axon is a piece that extends from the cell body; its job is to send impulses away from the cell body. Most are covered with myelin sheath. This sheath helps protect the axon and speeds the impulse. The dendrites branch off from the cell body also, their job is to send impulses to the cell body. Neuralgia is a connective tissue that supports the neurons. Their job is to protect the nervous system. Astrocytes look like star-shaped cells; they are the biggest of the neuroglial cells in the central nervous system. Astrocytes surround the brains blood capillaries to form blood-brain barriers which protect the brain from harmful substances. Microglia are smaller cells that eat cellular debris, waste, and pathogens in nerve tissue. Oligodendrocytes are in the interstitial nervous system, smaller than astrocytes. They wrap around axons to form myelin sheaths. As stated above, the sheaths protect the axons and speed the nerve impulses. Describe the structures and functions of theà peripheral nervous system (PNS). Be sure to include the nerves associated with the PNS, and contrast the functions of the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. The peripheral nervous system consists of nerves, which transmit impulses from the brain to other parts of the body; and ganglion, which are masses of nerve cell bodies that connect structures. There are two main groups of nerves: the afferent nerves and the efferent nerves. The afferent nerves send information from the body to the brain. The efferent nerves send information from the brain to the muscles. The system is then broken into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. The somatic nervous system regulates the voluntary controlled parts of the skeletal muscles, while the autonomic nervous system regulates involuntary controlled parts like smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, the glands, and secretions. The autonomic nervous system is also broken into two parts: the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions. The sympathetic division responds when the body is in danger, increases heart rate, blood pressure, etc. The parasympathetic division is when the body is relaxed and resting. It is responsible for things like constriction of pupil, slowing of heart, and digestive systems. Name the two primary components of theà central nervous system (CNS).à Describe the protective membranes associated with the CNS. Differentiate between afferent and efferent nerve structure and function. The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is protected by the skull and the spinal cord is, obviously, protected by the vertebrae. They are also surrounded by meninges and by cerebrospinal fluid. The meninges are three protective layers of tissue. The outermost layer is the dura mater, the middle is the arachnoid membrane, and then the pia mater is the innermost layer. The cerebrospinal fluid flows all around the brain and spinal cord. It provides nutrients to the central nervous system. The spinal cord consists of afferent and efferent nerves. The afferent nerves send information from the body to the brain. The efferent nerves send information from the brain to the muscles. Name and give a brief description of the structures of the brain. Include the functions of these structures. The four major divisions of the brain are the cerebrum, the cerebellum, the diencephalon, and the brain stem. The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. It is the whole top portion of the brain; it controls the memory, sensations, and voluntary movements. The cerebellum is attached to the brain stem and its main function is to coordinate body movements and balance. The diencephalon is in between the cerebrum and the midbrain. It consists of the thalamus, which is in charge of the sensory stimuli; the hypothalamus, which is in charge of sensory functions (i.e.: sleep, appetite, etc.); and the pineal body, which is in charge of regulating the bodys biological clock. The brain stem is between the spinal cord and the diencephalon and consists of the medulla oblongata, the pons, and the upper part of the midbrain. The brain stem is the path for impulses between the brain and the body. Choose 10 pathological conditions affecting the nervous system; describe each including diagnosis and treatment, if applicable. Alzheimers disease is a progressively fatal disease. It destroys brain cells and causes memory loss. Gradually over time the person will no longer be able to write or perform tasks, and then it gets to the point that the person cannot even control bodily functions such as bowel and bladder movements. There is not really a diagnostic test yet that has identified Alzheimers. There is no cure for AD, but the use of tacrine hydrochloride is used in mild cases to improve memory. Bells palsy is generally a temporary paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face following trauma. Diagnosis is simply the inability to close eye or drooling because of no control of facial muscle on one side of the face after a trauma has occurred. There is really no treatment needed, however, facial massage, heat, prednisone for swelling, or analgesia for pain all help. Anencephaly is when there is no brain or spinal cord at birth. The only diagnosis is through an amniocentesis during pregnancy, and there is nothing they can do. Carpal tunnel syndrome is pressure on the median nerve caused by swelling of the tendons. Doctors diagnose carpal tunnel based on the symptoms of tingling in the fingers or palms of hands, pain in the wrists, or weakness in hands. Treatment uses splints, anti-inflammatory drugs, and sometimes surgery. Cerebral contusion occurs when the brain hits the inner skull and causes a bruise of the brain, happens most often in car accidents. If doctors suspect a cerebral contusion they can have an MRI or CT scan run. Treatment consists of close observation, if there is a lot of intracranial pressure then surgery may be needed. Huntingtons chorea is an inherited, degenerative disorder. The characteristics are spontaneous involuntary motor movements, speech problems, and restlessness. Since the disease is inherited, genetic testing could be done to diagnose the disease even before it begins. There is unfortunately no cure for this disease. There are many support groups for families affected by the disease. Narcolepsy is a sleeping disorder where the person can fall asleep randomly for minutes or even hours at a time. A polysomnogram can be performed to evaluate the persons sleep patterns. There is no cure, but medications are used to control the symptoms. Shingles (herpes zoster) is a viral infection that causes a rash on the body; occurs mostly in adults over 50. Flu-like symptoms, GI disturbances, tiredness, and rash are all symptoms that help to diagnose the disease. Treatments are used to help ease pain and get you better faster (analgesics or antiviral medications). Paraplegia is caused when there is severe injury to the spinal cord, results in paralysis of the lower half of the body. There is no treatment for paraplegia. However I did see online that there are many support groups for anyone who knows or falls victim to paraplegia. Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. MS destructs the myelin surrounding nerves of the CNS. There are many symptoms that indicate someone could have MS: Unsteady balance, numbness of multiple extremities, facial numbness, and even impotence in males. When a doctor suspects MS an MRI may be performed, complete blood count, and spinal fluid evaluation. As with many of the diseases of the nervous system, there is no cure for MS. There are some medications that have helped prolong remissions, and as always there are support systems to help the family and persons affected by the disease.
Monday, August 19, 2019
The Importance of Working Together in Groups and Teams Essay -- Teamwo
The Importance of Working Together in Groups and Teams Realizing that a group can become a high performance team is important. Accomplishing this goal is invaluable, advantageous and profitable. Once able to operate from a group to the high performing team is a great step into preparation into the big business world. Leaders and members must also realize not only how to accomplish this but that some problems will and can arise from different demographic characteristics and cultural diversity. That is if one is in such a group, which the probability would be quite high. It is important that members of a group be knowledgeable and skillful in their positions, the degree to which those members can work harmoniously and cooperatively together is equally important and will form into a high performance team. Effective team management plays a high role in building high performance teams. It should always be a question as to what management can do to actively promote successful work teams. Skills and knowledge possessed by every member is also important for a team to become high performance. Although it is among the most important factors, however, it must be coupled with a good working relationship with every team member and good collaboration with every team member. The members who possess the good skills and wide knowledge will be a useful resource to the team if that team member can share their strengths with the other team members and vice versa. It is usually misconstrued that having skillful and intelligent team members is already enough to make a team work right. This kind of thinking is the reason why most teams, despite all of those competent members they have, fail to achieve their goals. A team should establish one common goal, not to think that way and develop a good working relationship with each member. (retrieved from: http://www.strictlysuccess.com, August 18, 2005) This can be done by self awareness exercises, like the DISC assessment and other assess ments or any other kind of self awareness exercises regarding communication style differences. Then these factors and important pieces of information should be taken into full consideration before the actual project is begun. These exercise or assessments can be great ice breakers and mark the difference between a group of individuals merely assigned to a team, as opposed to functioning as... ...of the direction of the project is to come. Whenever demographic or cultural diversity issues become array and cause conflicts and start interfering with the work or projects getting done, just like any other problem inducers, it is the client, the customers, the leaders and or the other stakeholders that are going to be dissatisfied with the results and they are the ones who will experience the negative results. All this may seem a little overwhelming and tiresome to some or to all, but do be assured it is not as hard as it seems. Just keep in mind that you have to embrace the differences between all the demographic characteristics and the culturally diverse team members that make up your group. This with an open mind, and a willingness to cooperate, compromise, and the pleasure to collaborate will harvest many great results and have the organization reaping the many great benefits along with a great top of the line fueled to the rim high performance team. References: Wisdom of Teams; Katzenbach & Smith (2003) HarperCollins Publishers The Team Learning Assistant Workbook; Jeffrey G. Miller (2004) McGraw-Hill Companies, The http://www.strictlysuccess.com/
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Freedom of Expression Must be Upheld in America Essay -- Argumentative
Freedom of Expression Must be Upheld in America It's the amendment all United States citizens know: the first. This amendment is so huge that there is even an organization dedicated to protecting the rights guaranteed by it called the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Some people nowadays disagree with the idea that freedom of expression is guaranteed, believing only freedom of speech and religious practices are express rights given by the constitution in the first amendment, and that the term "freedom of expression" is too broad an interpretation. Art, clothing, and other forms a person uses to express themselves can be severely limited some people argue; however if they were to take a look at some of the important events in the world's history, they would see that people, if they are not given the right of freedom of expression, don't express their opinion in a pacifistic manner. The Vietnam War is a perfect example of this; it shows many different ways of freedom of expression and how, if suppressed, the can get ugly. For instance, when people were peacefully protesti...
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Biodiversity Notes
Segmented bodies 2. Jointed exoskeletons 3. Hemlock ââ¬â body cavity 4. Hemolytic ââ¬â blood 5. Reduced ocelot 6. Paired, Jointed appendages 7. Distinct head and trunk datagram Lineages Moorlands Insects Collateral Crustaceans Millipedes centipedes Insects Spider, horse shoe crabs, ticks, mites Lobster, shrimp, crabs Decision, short segments, separate sexes, internal fertilization, female eggs Cent': 1 pair legs per segment, anterior most appendages for biting, carnivores use poison, Mill: 2 pair per segment, detersives, 1. datagram: head, thorax, abdomen 2. 3 pairs walking legs on ventral thorax 3. 1 or 2 pairs wings on dorsal thorax 4 sets of mouthpart: labium, mandible, maxilla, labium Decision, separate sexes Anterior/posterior regions, lack antennae but eyes and 6 pairs of appendages, childcare ââ¬â appendages ââ¬â near mouth, no metamorphosis Segmented body divided Into exploratory, carapace ââ¬â plantlike section that covers & protects exploratory, branched appendages, 2 pair of teenage Insect Ecosystem Services: 1. Eat other Insects . Pollinate plants 3. Recycle nutrients 4.Form the heterocyclic base of many food chains Dermatomes Echinoderms: Calcium Carbonate Tube feet with podia Podia Roles in Eating: pry apart bivalve shells, secrete mucus, and flick food to cilia Lineages: Crinoline Feather stars sea lilies Sessile suspension feeders by arms, attached to substrate by a stalk, feather use arms to crawl, mouth directed upward with arms circling Aphrodite Brittle stars basket stars 5 or more long flexible arms in tiny disk, all types of feeding, tube feet lack suckers, eve by lashing arm serpent like Holidaymaker Sea cucumbers Sausage-shaped, suspension or deposit feeding using tentacles- modified tube feet around mouth, lack spines and reduced endorsement, 5 rows of tube feet Asteroid Sea stars 5 or more arms surrounding central mouth, stomach, anus; predators or scavengers; crawl with tube feet Oceanside Sea urchins sand dollars Urchins: globe-shaped, long spine, crawl along substrate, herbivores Dollars: flattened disk shaped, short spine, burrow, suspension feed Contraindicated: Sea Daisies 0 2 species are known, disk-shaped body, armless, tiny, absorb nutrients through the membrane surrounding their body Chordate: 4 morphological features: 1. Pharyngeal gill slits ââ¬â openings in the throat 2.Nerve cord ââ¬â runs length of body comprised of projections from neurons 3. Notched ââ¬â supportive flexible rod that run length of body 4. Post-anal tail ââ¬â muscular Cheeseboard's Orchestrate Lancelot or impious Denunciates: sea squirts or slaps Small, mobile suspension feeders, resemble fish, notched functions as knotholes in adults and aids in movement, characteristics intermediate between invertebrate and verve, sex reproduce and external fertilization Gill slits in larva and adult; notched, nerve cord, and tail only in larvae; exoskeleton-like coat of polysaccharide called a tunic; U-shaped gut; two siphon; suspension feeders; larva Vertebrates: 2 Seismographs: 1 .Vertebrae ââ¬â column of cartilaginous or bony structures ââ¬â which form a column along dorsal sides, protecting spinal cord 2. Cranium (skull) ââ¬â bony, cartilaginous, or fibrous case that encloses and protects the brain 3 Regions of Brain: 1 . Foreordain ââ¬â sense of smell; elaborated into cerebrum 2. Mandarin ââ¬â vision 3. Handrail ââ¬â balance and hearing; Jawed vertebrates ââ¬â anemometers cerebellum and medulla obbligato 5 Innovations of Vertebrates: 1 . Bony endorsement 2. Bony exoskeleton 3. Amniotic egg 4. Jaws 5. Limbs capable of moving on land Vertebrate ââ¬â Eccentricities (SHARKS) Sharks, rays, skates Distinguishing features: cartilaginous skeleton, paired fins, Jaws Sharks fertilization and fertilized eggs or viviparous ââ¬â consists of ââ¬â internal
Bad Trip
It is a critical issue that drug war is becoming a source of the destruction in America. Joel Miller talks about this in his book ââ¬Å"Bad Tripâ⬠his argumentative thoughts and laments about this drug-war mentality. In this essay, there are three points that Miller wants to emphasize: the war against drugs did not make America better; rather it produces a greater problem to the States.Secondly, this drug prohibition will not end drug use as he mentioned but will only force the consumer to break the law just to get what they want and lastly, he argued about human or individual rights of these people who became addicted to drugs and that there is a way to get rid of this mess. Miller state in his tome that it has been clearly seen that crime has increased, corruption is more obvious, because of their intervention on drugs prohibition.It shows that the State has been put under anxiety in which, its privacy has been taken away since people who are involved in this drug gang were e ndangered, and hundreds of American people has been put to jail, law enforcement has been militarized and constitutional liberties has been break off until even lives has been risked because of this intercession. Sheriff Arpaioââ¬â¢s private, named Howie has been mentioned in his book which he talks about the growing militarization of law enforcement.Because of this fight against wars on drugs the government uses its power to grab control over the property, liberty and worst, the lives of the Americans. Miller note down that the policy against narcotics was far from the simple attempt to get rid of it, and it comes with strings attached that in the end, these strings tightens around the necks of American which suffers their liberty and lives. Talking about this prohibition that triggers the American to do what they want, as mentioned in Millers Bad trip, there has been a very big violent gang crime that happened in L.A. in this violence is responsible for more than half of the ci tyââ¬â¢s murders. And drug trade is the so much related t why this gang violence happens. As a result of prohibiting drugs, the government drives the business into the criminal underground, where violent people who are ready and willing to disobey the law get involved wherein they step into the drug trade at all levels. Such levels include the growing of poppies and coca to produce heroin and cocaine, there is the protection for growers, they protect the traffickers or they are the ones who do the trafficking.The thing is, this has been less given attention and address by the administration. With this, they levy taxes for their services and in this manner; they fund their attacks against Americaââ¬â¢s interest. Survey says, that gangster possess great handiness, thatââ¬â¢s why they are the ones who flourish in the black market. And finally, Miller proposes a solution in order for the Americans to be pulled out of this mess. And this is by advocating drug legalization which will effectively stop this problem instead of allowing people to use drugs or abuse it.In Millerââ¬â¢s opinion, this conclusion demands that America accept some form of drug legalization that will effectively get rid of the drug-control industry but depend on an organization of cultural controls, mainly family and faith in order to dissuade drug abuse. Miller stresses that what the State does, society quits doing. And in his conclusion, so long that drug-war mentality instills in us, weââ¬â¢ll be defenseless and incapable of stopping the liberty- smothering growth of government, and so that the government still have to learn from it before the nation ultimately suffers.
Friday, August 16, 2019
Pulp Fiction Analysis
Pulp Fiction ââ¬â 1994 Color ââ¬â 154 mins. Producer: Lawrence Bender Director: Quentin Tarantino Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary Director of Photography: Andrzej Sekula Editor: Sally Menke Music: Rolf Johnson Introduction Released in October of 1994, this crime/thriller/gangster film, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is still one of the most widely controversial classic American movies of all time. Pulp Fiction blew the Box Office away when it received a whopping nine million dollars on opening night alone. The film is known for its extremely ironic blend of humor and brutal violence, as well as its multiple story lines that eventually weave themselves together. Quentin Tarantino strays from the ordinary script by giving the characters long, intense, and surprisingly profound monologues and dialogues throughout this film. The filmââ¬â¢s title, Pulp Fiction, comes from magazines and novels about gangs and crime that were popular during the time of the films release. Tarantino presents his trademark style of the out of order plot in this film, just as in many of his others. The inspiration of this film has been profoundly felt throughout many aspects of the film industry, even having an affect on the independent film world, though it is not an independent movie. Pulp Fiction stars many famous Hollywood actors such as John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, and Bruce Willis. In 1995 Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary won the Oscar for Best Writing for this film, and it was nominated for six other Oscars in the same year. Tarantino was also awarded the Palme dââ¬â¢Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his directing this movie in 1994. Pulp Fiction was truly an influential movie for its time and, without a doubt, a classic American film. Plot Summary As the credits end a title card is shown which gives two dictionary definitions of the word ââ¬Å"pulp. â⬠The camera then fades to show a couple sitting in a diner having a discussion about robbing banks and liquor stores. The woman, called ââ¬Å"Honey Bunny,â⬠and the man, ââ¬Å"Pumpkin,â⬠decide they would likely make more from customers wallets than they would from the till itself. They proceed to stand up in their booth and announce that they are robbing the diner. Immediately after he announces this the scene cuts and the opening credits begin. We then see two men, who we later learn are Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega, driving a car and discussing a recent trip to Europe. The two are wearing dress suits and are on their way to get a briefcase for their boss, Marsellus Wallace, from a man that did business with Wallace without paying him for it. Winnfield and Vega discuss foot massages, their bosses wife, and ââ¬Å"Royale with Cheesesâ⬠before ultimately entering the mans room, retrieving the briefcase, and killing the man and another man in the room. The scene cuts and we are in what appears to be an empty restaurant with Butch Coolidge, a fighter, and Marsellus Wallace. Coolidge agrees to lose his upcoming fight in exchange for a great deal of money from Wallace. The next day, Vega drives to a friends house to shoot up heroin before heading to Marsellus Wallace's house to take his wife, Mia Wallace, out for the night, just as Wallace asked him to while he is away. They arrive at Jack Rabbit Slimââ¬â¢s, a fifties diner, and participate in a twist competition, and return to the Wallace house. While Vega is in the bathroom, Mia finds a bag of heroin in his jacket pocket and, thinking it is cocaine, shorts it and overdoses. Scared and worried, Vega rushes Mia to his heroin dealers house to try and save her. They proceed to give her a shot of adrenaline in her chest which awakens her, and Mia and Vincent decide not to tell Wallace about what happened. The story then goes back to Coolidge, the fighter, preparing for his fight. Having received the money from Wallace to throw the fight prior to the fight, he wins the fight, flees the arena, and hops in a cab. He learns from the driver that he killed his opponent and hides out in a motel with his girlfriend before realizing that she forgot to pack his watch. When he returns to his apartment he notices a gun on the counter and, upon seeing Vega exit his bathroom, he shoots and kills him. When leaving the apartment Coolidge hits Wallace with his car. After a foot chase, kidnapping by a shop owner, and Coolidge saving Wallaceââ¬â¢s life, Wallace agrees to forget about the fight so long as he does not tell anyone bout what happened with the shop owner. The story then returns to Vega and Winnfield at the apartment when a man they were not aware was there jumps out of the bathroom and shoots at them. He misses every shot and is killed when Vega and Winnfield return fire, and Winnfield is convinced it is a sign from God that they were not hit with a single bullet. They then take the only man left alive in the apartment, Marvin, to be their informant. While in the car talking about the ââ¬Å"m iracle from God,â⬠Vega accidentally shoot Marvin in the face. In an act to get their blood covered car out of public the two men call upon a friend, played by Quentin Tarantino, for help cleaning up. With the help of a ââ¬Å"The Wolfâ⬠the men and their friend are able to clean up the car, themselves, and dispose of the body and go to breakfast. As they eat breakfast in a coffee shop, they discuss Winnfieldââ¬â¢s plan of retiring due to the ââ¬Å"sign from God. â⬠The story then cuts to Honey Bunny and Pumpkin and their discussion from the first scene of the movie, just before they hold up the same restaurant where Vega and Winnfield are eating. With Vega in the bathroom, Honey Bunny and Pumpkin announce they are robbing the place and request Winnfieldââ¬â¢s mysterious briefcase. Winnfield draws his gun on Pumpkin which causes Honey Bunny to point her gun at Winnfield as well until Vega emerges from the bathroom with his gun pointed at Honey Bunny. Winnfield tells the couple he will let them go with the money they collected from the customers wallets so long as he lets him keep the briefcase. They agree and leave the restaurant with their loot. Winnfield decides he is going to be retiring after they give Wallace the briefcase. The scene then fades to black and the movie is over. Comments/Response To me, this film is a one of a kind piece of art that Quentin Tarantino beautifully wrote and directed. Some aspects of the movie ââ¬â the fact that the audience must decode the order of the scenes ââ¬â were not my favorite, but overall this film is one of the greatest, in my eyes. Tarantinoââ¬â¢s use of dialogue in this film is astonishingly clever as most people would not think of ââ¬Å"gangstersâ⬠as the type to enjoy a good intellectual conversation. Similarly, I found it interesting that Samuel L. Jacksonââ¬â¢s character, Jules Winnfield, seemed to be a religious man in that twice during the movie he recites Ezekiel 25:17 from the bible, as well as believing that the fact that they had been shot at several times and had not been hit was a sign from God. Tarantino does an outstanding job with having the first and the last scenes partially overlap as well as having them unfold at the same time, even though they are not presented together in the movie. He ultimately allows the audience to see the same scene twice but from an entirely new perspective without even realizing it at first. All in all, Quentin Tarantinoââ¬â¢s Pulp Fiction is not only a classic American film that has forever changed several media, but it also successfully skews the audiences morals into unknowingly viewing the ââ¬Å"bad guysâ⬠as the heros, which is no easy task in film. This is a must see film for all who love a great film as well as a good deal of blood.
Thursday, August 15, 2019
Health Expenditure Poverty Essay
Condition where peopleââ¬â¢s basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. According to World Bank: Poverty is pronounced deprivation in well-being, and comprises many dimensions. It includes low incomes and the inability to acquire the basic goods and services necessary for survival with dignity. Poverty also encompasses low levels of health and education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice, and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better oneââ¬â¢s life. According to United Nations: Fundamentally, poverty is a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity. It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society. It means not having enough to food and clothing a family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow oneââ¬â¢s food or a job to earn oneââ¬â¢s living, not having access to credit. It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living in marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation. Type of Poverty: Poverty is generally of two types which are as follow. Absolute poverty Absolute poverty is synonymous with destitution and occurs when people cannot obtain adequate resources (measured in terms of calories or nutrition) to support a minimum level of physical health. Absolute poverty means about the same everywhere, and can be eradicated as demonstrated by some countries. Relative poverty Relative poverty occurs when people do not enjoy a certain minimum level of living standards as determined by a government (and enjoyed by the bulk of the population) that vary from country to country, sometimes within the same country. Relative poverty occurs everywhere, is said to be increasing, and may never be eradicated. Psychological Cause of poverty Poverty is regarded as a vicious circle. It is the product of different causes. Some of the thinkers have attributed it to a single cause but as poverty is a multi dimensional problem, multiple factors are responsible for it. According to hennery George, the main cause of poverty is the personal ownership and monopoly of individual on the land. He writes ââ¬Å"in great cities where land is so valuable that it is measured by foot you will find extreme of poverty and of luxury.â⬠Marx said the main causes of poverty are the exploitation laborers by the capitalists. Malthus said, poverty increases because of the fact that, while the food production increases in arithmetical progression, the population increase in geometric progression. These views lay emphasis on a singular cause of poverty but modern social scientists consider that poverty is the result of multiple factors. Personal factors: Personal factors play important role in economic status of a person. In this modern scientific era, one may not believe in the fate but no one can deny the importance of personal capacity and efforts in his life style and life pattern. The important personal factors cause poverty is as follows. i) Sickness: Due to sickness a person is unable to work or his income decreases. A major portion of his income is spent on the cure of the diseases. Sickness increases poverty. Hunter has rightly pointed out that ââ¬Å"Poverty and sickness form a vicious partnership each helping the other to add to the miseries of most unfortunate of mankind.â⬠ii) Mental disease: Mental disease and frustration also increase poverty. Owing to this, a man looses the balance of his mind by which he is incapable of doing anything. So his family becomes poor and it aggravates poverty. iii) Accident: Accident of any kind may make a person incapable of working, as a result of which he becomes a parasite on society or his income decreases. When income decreases poverty increases. iv) Idleness and extravagance: India is a rich country inhabited by poor. Idle and lazy persons do not work although they are able to work. Hence they remain poor. There are also extravagant persons who can waste any amount of money in no time. So the cause of poverty is not the lower income but excess of expenditure over income. Such persons also spent lavishly during festive occasions like marriage ceremony, many social religious festivals etc, and they always remain poor. v) Demoralizations: Due to lower morale some person are addicted to drinking, prostitution, gambling and other social evils. Such persons spent high proportion of their income on these evil habits and finally become pauper. Biological factors: Rapid growth of population is one of the most important causes of poetry. Malthus has pointed out that the geometric progress of population is the root cause of poverty. Due to the development of medical science, reduction of famine, control of epidemics and natural calamities death rate has decreased. At the same time birth rate has not been effectively controlled. If a man has too many children his standard of living is definitely lowered and he becomes relatively poor.â⬠Besides, other factors like the power of fertility of Indian women, early age of marriage are also indirectly responsible for poverty. Global Distribution of Resources Many experts agree that the legacy of colonialism accounts for much of the unequal distribution of resources in the world economy. In many developing countries, the problems of poverty are massive and pervasive. In recent decades most of these countries have tried to develop their economies with industry and technology with varying levels of success. Some nations have become fairly wealthy, including the Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. Many developing countries, however, lack essential raw materials and the knowledge and skills gained through formal education and training. They also often lack the infrastructure provided by, for example, transportation systems and power-generating facilities. Because these things are necessary for the development of industry, developing countries generally must rely on trade with developed countries for manufactured goods, but they cannot afford much. Some social scientists argue that wealthier developed countries continue to practice a form of colonialism, known as neocolonialism. The affluence of these countries is based to a large extent on favorable trade with the developing world. Developed countries have been able to get inexpensive natural resources from poorer countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including oil for power, ores and minerals for manufacturing durable goods, and manufactured goods made by low-wage workers in factories operated by multinational corporations. This practice contributes to the dependency of poorer countries while not raising their standards of living. Economical factors: The most fundamental cause of poverty is economics. The important economical factors are as follows. i) Backwardness of agriculture: Indian Agriculture is carried on with primitive techniques. Due to the absence of modern machines, tools, implements, improved seeds, manures, inadequate irrigation facilities, constant fragmentation of land and exploitation by the landlords etc. Agricultural production hampers to a great extent. Besides these our agricultural system is not sufficient to provide adequate number of jobs or better price for agricultural products. This increase poverty among the rural farmers. ii) Slow and defective industrialization: In India industrialization is taking place at a snailââ¬â¢s pace, due to inadequate finance, paucity of skilled and technically trained personnel, irregular supply of power and raw materials etc. Therefore it is not possible in India to provide employment in large scale tot he persons who are willing to work. Further the concentration of industries in urban areas also deprives the rural poor from getting employment in industries. iii) Unequal distribution: Distribution of wealth is unequal in India. Wealth is mostly concentrated in the hands of a few. These people after an optimum of investment keep the wealth in iron chests. On the other hand, the people who would have invested it for productive purpose do not get it. This leaves a majority of population in this state of unemployment. iv) Unwise economic policy: Indian is rich in respect of natural resources, but poor in making proper utilization of it. Till now we are not able to make optimum utilization of resources as a result of which it remains unutilized or misused. Sometimes due to defective policy of the government people remain poor. Psychological effects of poverty Psychological research has demonstrated that living in poverty has a wide range of negative effects on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our nationââ¬â¢s children. Poverty impacts children within their various contexts at home, in school, and in their neighborhoods and communities. Poverty is linked with negative conditions such as substandard housing, homelessness, inadequate nutrition and food insecurity, inadequate child care, lack of access to health care, unsafe neighborhoods, and under resourced schools which adversely impact our nationââ¬â¢s children. Poorer children and teens are also at greater risk for several negative outcomes such as poor academic achievement, school dropout, abuse and neglect, behavioral and socio emotional problems, physical health problems, and developmental delays. These effects are compounded by the barriers children and their families encounter when trying to access physical and mental health care. Economists estimate that child poverty costs an estimated $500 billion a year to the U.S. economy; reduces productivity and economic output by 1.3 percent of GDP; raises crime and increases health expenditure Poverty and academic achievement Poverty has a particularly adverse effect on the academic outcomes of children, especially during early childhood. Chronic stress associated with living in poverty has been shown to adversely affect childrenââ¬â¢s concentration and memory which may impact their ability to learn. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that in 2008, the dropout rate of students living in low-income families was about four and one-half times greater than the rate of children from higher-income families (8.7 percent versus 2.0 percent). The academic achievement gap for poorer youth is particularly pronounced for low-income African American and Hispanic children compared with their more affluent White peers. Poverty and psychosocial outcomes Children living in poverty are at greater risk of behavioral and emotional problems. Some behavioral problems may include impulsiveness, difficulty getting along with peers, aggression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder. ïÆ'ËSome emotional problems may include feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. Poverty and economic hardship is particularly difficult for parents who may experience chronic stress, depression, marital distress and exhibit harsher parenting behaviors. These are all linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children. Unsafe neighborhoods may expose low-income children to violence which can cause a number of psychosocial difficulties. Violence exposure can also predict future violent behavior in youth which places them at greater risk of injury and mortality and entry into the juvenile justice system. Underresourced schools in poorer communities struggle to meet the learning needs of their students and aid them in fulfilling their potential. Inadequate education contributes to the cycle of poverty by making it more difficult for low-income children to lift themselves and future generations out of poverty. Violence According to experts, many women become victims of trafficking, the most common form of which is prostitution, as a means of survival and economic desperation. Deterioration of living conditions can often compel children to abandon school in order to contribute to the family income, putting them at risk of being exploited, according to ECPAT International, an NGO designed to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children. For example, in Zimbabwe, a number of girls are turning to prostitution for food to survive because of the increasing poverty. In one survey, 67% of children from disadvantaged inner cities said they had witnessed a serious assault, and 33% reported witnessing a homicide. 51% of fifth graders from New Orleans (median income for a household have been found to be victims of violence, compared to 32% in Washington, DC (mean income for a household
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)