Thursday, October 31, 2019

Unemployment and Inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unemployment and Inflation - Essay Example Other countries experience a large number of immigrants that other countries are hence causing this difference. Some countries have rigid protective labor legislation. This has made the employment rate to grow slowly in other industrial countries than other countries. Other countries have small or lack the land to do farming while other states do this business hence increasing the employment rate. The presence of different rules and regulation and different resource in this industrial countries contributes to the difference in the employment rates. 3.Inflation and interest rate Inflation causes the increase in the price of buying goods. Inflation is good for investment since it increases the price of the current investment hence making profits from it. Inflation is good for one who has invested and is selling it, but it is expensive for the buyer. The possibility of inflation rate typically increases the interest rate for borrowers the loans. The creditors are the ones who will get t he benefits of it since they will increase the interest rate hence getting more money that they can invest in the future. On the other hand, the borrowers will accept to take the loan with the high-interest rate simply because of the future inflation. The borrowers will be willing to pay a higher interest for them to invest and gain more when the inflation comes. At the end of it, the creditors will gain, the increased interest at that time will the borrowers will get more money in the future since the value of the investment will be higher.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Are video games educational Essay Example for Free

Are video games educational Essay Video games are something that many people all around the world play. But are video games educational? The answer is yes, video games develop many of our skills, give us the relaxation we need and as technology is developing the number of educational and social aspects of games are increasing greatly. While video games are typically cast off as a waste of time and simply recreational activities, when it comes down to it, video games are actually one of the best and most successful ways to encourage teenagers to learn. The reason simply is that it is a fun way to learn. In video games, there are constantly problems and puzzles that need solving in order to move onto the next stage of the game. These problems makes us think with an open mind and can sometimes take a long time to overcome these challenges, but aspects in games such as these, which are found nearly in every video game, help our brains work faster. Although many games are created with the specific purpose of being educational, many video games which seem to be pure fun have hidden educational purposes and help our problem solving skills, reflexes and persistence. Some games are set in a historical era, such games broadens our knowledge of history and can pique our interest of historical matters. Even simple games such as Tetris help us gain skills in problem solving and quick thinking. Teenagers who play video games have been found to have better, more developed memory and playing these games makes the brain work hard and in turn helps the teenagers hone their skills. It makes the player think hard to solve problems and look at things with different views and perspectives in order to get the answer. It works the brain in many different ways and generally a gamer is good at overcoming challenges and problems thanks to playing games such as these. The idea may seem a slight oddity, but it subconsciously is helping young adolescents use their brain more efficiently and help them view their life with an open mind. Playing games can also drastically help with hand-eye coordination; developing greater mental focus and help young adolescents multitask with more ease. It has also been stated by some, that video games promote and glorify violence. I believe that this statement is fundamentally incorrect and that it lacks the necessary evidence needed to prove that this theory is true. Researchers that have observed teenagers reactions to violent video games such as, ‘Grand Theft Auto’ to test if the theory that such games can trigger aggressiveness or depression. The results of these tests have found that a majority of the reactions from the young adults differ greatly from that which was the expected one. Playing video games shockingly had a slight settling effect on a vast amount of the teenagers and helped reduce any negative or aggressive behaviour that they may have had before playing. As people, we have freedom of rights and should have the ability to play whichever games we like. Video games are not promoting violence outside of the game. It provides an escape from reality and focuses solely on entertaining the teenagers of our generation. Playing video games are good for young adolescents in multiple ways. When a teenager is stressed, playing games is an effective way to help them relax and escape from realities. Everyone has the right to relax and have fun once in a while do they not? Today’s generation have many different ways to have fun and enjoy themselves, and it is only fair that they should have the choice to spend their leisure time how they please. It is a good way to spend leisure time and it provides plenty of entertainment for people of all ages. While playing video games has in the past been condoned, with technology developing as fast as it currently is, the educational benefits in the games are sky rocketing. In time will this change our perspective on video games? A high percentage of today’s generation play video games and spend a considerable amount of time on the internet, is this going to shape and change the future of our society? Video games are often seen as an unsociable act but in fact many games of today are actually multiplayer or more commonly give you the opportunity to play with other people online. The evolution of technology and how far it has come in recent years is astonishing. The features in games which allow you to communicate with other through gaming consoles are effective in making friends or allies in a game. On different gaming consoles there are now plenty of options you can use to communicate or play with friends such as Xbox Live, PS Vita Party and many others. These are brilliant, because it does not cut the player off from the outside world and successfully makes gaming more enjoyable. The bottom line is, playing video games are a positive and educational way to spend leisure time. While there are some games, made entirely to entertain, from every game played, you learn something new. Video games are stimulating for the brain, a great way to relax and good for social interaction. Is it not better to learn while doing something that you love, compared to being stuck learning with outdated techniques and uninteresting classes? Today’s generation is changing and technology has already become an enormous part of society, should we not begin to include more technology into our education system seeing as it both impacts and benefits the younger generation so greatly?

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Environmental Protection In India

Environmental Protection In India Over the years, together with a spreading of environmental consciousness, there has been a change in the traditionally-held perception that there is a trade-off between environmental quality and economic growth as people have come to believe that the two are necessarily complementary. The current focus on environment is not new-environmental considerations have been an integral part of the Indian culture. The need for conservation and sustainable use of natural resources has been expressed in Indian scriptures, more than three thousand years old and is reflected in the constitutional, legislative and policy framework as also in the international commitments of the country. Section 1: Legislations for environmental protection in India, Section 2: Indigenous Peoples, Section 3: Indigenous Peoples and Scientific Legislations Legislations for environmental protection in India Even before Indias independence in 1947, several environmental legislation existed but the real impetus for bringing about a well-developed framework came only after the UN Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm, 1972). Under the influence of this declaration, the National Council for Environmental Policy and Planning within the Department of Science and Technology was set up in 1972. This Council later evolved into a full-fledged Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in 1985 which today is the apex administrative body in the country for regulating and ensuring environmental protection. After the Stockholm Conference, in 1976, constitutional sanction was given to environmental concerns through the 42nd Amendment, which incorporated them into the Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Rights and Duties. Since the 1970s an extensive network of environmental legislation has grown in the country. The MoEF and the pollution control boards (CPCB i.e. Central Pollution Control Board and SPCBs i.e. State Pollution Control Boards) together form the regulatory and administrative core of the sector. A policy framework has also been developed to complement the legislative provisions. The Policy Statement for Abatement of Pollution and the National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development were brought out by the MoEF in 1992, to develop and promote initiatives for the protection and improvement of the environment. The EAP (Environmental Action Programme) was formulated in 1993 with the objective of improving environmental services and integrating environmental considerations in to development programmes. Other measures have also been taken by the government to protect and preserve the environment. Several sector-specific policies have evolved, which are discussed at length in the concerned chapters. This chapter attempts to highlight only legislative initiatives towards the protection of the environment. Forests and wildlife The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Amendment 1991 The WPA (Wildlife Protection Act), 1972, provides for protection to listed species of flora and fauna and establishes a network of ecologically-important protected areas. The WPA empowers the central and state governments to declare any area a wildlife sanctuary, national park or closed area. There is a blanket ban on carrying out any industrial activity inside these protected areas. It provides for authorities to administer and implement the Act; regulate the hunting of wild animals; protect specified plants, sanctuaries, national parks and closed areas; restrict trade or commerce in wild animals or animal articles; and miscellaneous matters. The Act prohibits hunting of animals except with permission of authorized officer when an animal has become dangerous to human life or property or so disabled or diseased as to be beyond recovery (WWF-India, 1999). The near-total prohibition on hunting was made more effective by the Amendment Act of 1991. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 This Act was adopted to protect and conserve forests. The Act restricts the powers of the state in respect of de-reservation of forests and use of forestland for non-forest purposes (the term non-forest purpose includes clearing any forestland for cultivation of cash crops, plantation crops, horticulture or any purpose other than re-afforestation). Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (EPA) This Act is an umbrella legislation designed to provide a framework for the co-ordination of central and state authorities established under the Water (Prevention and Control) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control) Act, 1981. Under this Act, the central government is empowered to take measures necessary to protect and improve the quality of the environment by setting standards for emissions and discharges; regulating the location of industries; management of hazardous wastes, and protection of public health and welfare. From time to time the central government issues notifications under the EPA for the protection of ecologically-sensitive areas or issues guidelines for matters under the EPA. The Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 These rules lay down the procedures for setting standards of emission or discharge of environmental pollutants. The Rules prescribe the parameters for the Central Government, under which it can issue orders of prohibition and restrictions on the location and operation of industries in different areas. The Rules lay down the procedure for taking samples, serving notice, submitting samples for analysis and laboratory reports. The functions of the laboratories are also described under the Rules along with the qualifications of the concerned analysts. The National Environment Appellate Authority Act, 1997 This Act provided for the establishment of a National Environment Appellate Authority to hear appeals with respect to restriction of areas in which any industry operation or process or class of industries, operations or processes could not carry out or would be allowed to carry out subject to certain safeguards under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. International agreements on environmental issues India has signed several multilateral environment agreements (MEA) and conventions, such as: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), 1973, to regulate and inhibit international commercial trade of endangered species or derivative products. Its aims to counter the economic incentives of poaching endangered species and destroying their habitat by closing off the international market. India became a party to the CITES in 1976. International trade in all wild flora and fauna in general and species covered under CITES is regulated jointly through the provisions of The Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, the Import/Export policy of Government of India and the Customs Act 1962 (Bajaj, 1996). Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 is a legally binding treaty. It deals with conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of biological resources and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their sustainable use. It addresses several concerns such as including habitat preservation, intellectual property rights, and indigenous peoples rights. Indias initiatives under the Convention include the promulgation of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, amended in 1991; and participation in several international conventions such as CITES. An assessment of the legal and regulatory framework for environmental protection in India The extent of the environmental legislation network is evident from the above discussion but the enforcement of the laws has been a matter of concern. One commonly cited reason is the prevailing command and control nature of the environmental regime. Coupled with this is the prevalence of the all-or-nothing approach of the law; they do not consider the extent of violation. Fines are levied on a flat basis and in addition, there are no incentives to lower the discharges below prescribed levels. In 1995, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) constituted a task force which strongly advocated the use of market-based instruments for the control of environmental pollution. Various economic incentives have been used to supplement the command-and-control policies. Depreciation allowances, exemptions from excise or customs duty payment, and arrangement of soft loans for the adoption of clean technologies are instances of such incentives. Another aspect that is evident is the shift in the focus from end-of-pipe treatment of pollution to treatment at source. The role of remote sensing and geographical information systems in natural resource management and environmental protection has also gained importance over time. An important recent development is the rise of judicial activism in the enforcement of environmental legislation. This is reflected in the growth of environment-related public litigation cases that have led the courts to take major steps such as ordering the shut-down of polluting factories. Agenda 21 highlights the need for integration of environmental concerns at all stages of policy, planning and decision-making processes including the use of an effective legal and regulatory framework, economic instruments and other incentives. These very principles were fundamental to guiding environmental protection in the country well before Rio and will be reinforced, drawing on Indias own experiences and those of other countries. The Indigenous Peoples In India, the indigenous peoples are predominantly composed of the large and diverse tribal populations scattered across several states. Anthropological literature suggests that the tribal designation arose as a colonial construct, in which all those living on the margins of mainstream agrarian society but within the structure of the Hindu caste system were delineated as primitive and tribal. In Indian languages, there is no exact equivalent for the word tribal, but close synonyms are vanavasis (forest dwellers) or adivasi (original inhabitants). The 1891 Census Report arranged different castes according to their traditional occupations, and forest tribes were assigned a separate category from that of agricultural and pastoral castes. Thus, both etymologically as well as spatially, the lives and livelihoods of tribal communities in India are intrinsically linked with forests. It has been argued that the definition of indigenous peoples as original settlers is problematic in the Indian context. Sociologists like Dube (1977) and Beteille (1998) have pointed out that tribal traditions themselves make re ­peated mention of migration of their ancestors. There is considerable evidence to suggest that several groups were pushed out of the areas that they were first settled and had to seek shelter elsewhere. Today more than 50 million of tribal people live in and around forests. There is a clear overlap between the forest and the tribal maps of the country, as well as an overlap with poverty (Poffenberger and McGean 1996) At present, about 95% of the total forest area belongs to the govern ­ment, and the tribal population of India has been divested of much of its legal communal rights. This is a major practical concern, because the rural economy of India is largely biomass-based. People are directly depen ­dent on forests and common lands for a variety of non-commercial-timber forest products for food and fuel, small timber for housing, and herbs and medicinal plants for meeting their subsistence livelihood needs. In the absence of alternative sources of livelihoods or an ability to eke out sustenance from marginal landholdings, there is a continued high level of dependence on forests for survival. The widely used state right of eminent domain allows the state to acquire private and common property for public purposes. The eminent domain right has remained supreme, overriding all other policies, laws, and regulations. It is under the right of eminent domain that the state acquires land to build infrastructure, mines, dams, and other projects. With an estimated $30 billion proposed as investment in mining-related projects in the next decade, communal land will continue to be a site of intense conflict between tribal people and the state. The encroachment of the state on forests and customary tenure rights of tribal forest-dwelling communities did not go unchallenged during the colonial and postcolonial periods. Undeterred by the provisions of the Indian Forest Act of 1927, many tribal groups have mounted a sustained challenge to the continued denial of their communal rights over forests. The example of the van panchayats (forest councils) demonstrates this point. In response to agita ­tions, the colonial government gradually recognized the existence of some local community rights over forests and their resources, and these were incorporated in the Indian Forest Act of 1927. The act provides for consti ­tuting village forests to meet local needs, and this led to the creation of forest councils in Uttar Pradesh through a new state law passed in 1931. All the de-reserved marginal reserved forests were reclassified into Class 1 forests and placed under the jurisdiction of the van panchayats, in which local tribal communities play a key role in forest administration. More than 4,000 van panchayats were created, although the area under their control did not exceed 8% of the total forest area of India. Nonetheless, they represent an example of a forest tenure system in which communal ten ­ure is recognized by law (Sarin 2003). Indigenous people and their communities represent a significant percentage of global population. They have developed over many generations, a holistic traditional scientific knowledge of their lands, natural resources and environment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦In view of the inter ­relationship between the natural environment and its sustainable development and the cultural, social, economic and physical well-being of indigenous people, national and international efforts to implement environmentally sound and sustainable development should recognise, accommodate, promote and strengthen the role of indigenous people and their communities. The above extract from Agenda 21 (UNCED, 1992), aptly captures the need for increased recognition of indigenous people and their knowledge of natural resource management and its use in sustainable development. Integration of indigenous people and scientific forest management Indigenous forest management activities may originate in specific areas in response to specific pressures, but this does not prevent them from adopting and transforming appropriate components of scientific forest management systems through interaction and shared experience. Indeed there is a need to promote equity of forest management systems between indigenous communities and formal forestry scientists around the world (Agarwal, 1995). This process of integrating two forest management systems is essential to achieving sustainable forest management. There is no fixed method of addressing the bottlenecks in integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge, instead the methods chosen will vary according to what is appropriate and feasible within the institutional, ecological, and social environments in which they operate. The Indian Forest Policy of 1988 (MoEF, 1988) and the subsequent Government resolution on participatory forest management (MoEF, 1990) emphasise the need for peoples participation in forest management. The policy document asserts that local people should be actively involved in protection, conservation and management of forests. Hence the policy envisages a process of joint management of forests by the state government (professional foresters) and the local people. So far, out of 25 state governments, 23 states have adopted Joint Forest Management (JFM). As on the 1st January 2000, 10.24 million ha of forestlands were managed under the JFM programme through 36 075 forest protection committees (MoEF, 2000). Evidence of long standing local forest management practices can be found in various parts of India particularly in eastern and north-eastern regions. Despite increasing pressures with the increased population, regulations regarding resource use and harvest assist in managing forests in a sustainable way. As the JFM programme has evolved, there are clear indications that the programme has had considerable impact on local ecology, economics, and the people (Yadav et al., 1997). Initially the relationship between the local people and forest department was strained and lacked trust. Regular interaction and participatory learning and planning activities has facilitated an open dialogue and removed mutual distrust between officials of forest department and local people. Viewed in the light of the adaptive learning model, it was found that exchange and interaction of scientific and indigenous aspects of forest management within the context of JFM have resulted in ecological improvement and increase in average household income after four-five years of strong JFM activities. ETFRN Publication Series Local people as well as foresters identify with the JFM programme. They take pride in being part of the programme and are recognising its benefits. Based on the successful experience of JFM, irrigation, health, and agriculture sectors are also now placing an emphasis on integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge through peoples participation in resource management. However real integration of scientific and indigenous management systems is still rarely achieved, and in presenting the model I aim to make more explicit the opportunities for doing so, and highlight ways forward for the continuous process of adaptive learning. Conclusion There is a need to strengthen indigenous community institutions to allow them to function effectively and interact with outside actors. Appropriate policy reforms are required to include these institutions in government programs and schemes, and provide support for capacity building to enable them to function in a democratic and transparent manner, ensuring social and gender equity. It is necessary to identify common parameters among different indigenous community institutions and develop guiding principles, processes, and mechanisms that allow better interface between the institutions, local government, and technical agencies. To encourage sustainably productive forest management by communities, there is a need to eliminate harvesting and transport permit requirements where possible and create free forest trade zones for community enterprises in upland areas of the Northeast. Community networks should be established or strengthened to self-monitor environmental impacts of small-scale forestry enterprises. As a result of carrying colonial baggage, the Indian Forest Act and the environmental law in general still caters to the British policies with respect to Indian forests . This law is ideal tool for furthering the cause of revenue generation.Conservation and involving the people in the management of forests were not the British approach. Newer legislations such as the Forest (Conservation) Act, Wildlife Protoection Act, The Biological Diversity Act, and most recently the Scheduled Tribes Bill have made attempts to bridge this gap, with ample support from the Courts. It is time though to take up all the laws and combine them to come up with a composite and comprehensive Environmental Law that reflects the change in approach towards the environment and the indigenous people who live most integrated with it.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Music Therapy for Autistic Children :: Music, Music Therapy

When a child is diagnosed with autism, one thing that is noted is the lack of eye contact. Music therapy works to help this in numerous ways. When the therapist starts at the child’s level, according to the British Colombian Music therapy association, they can base what needs to be done and how to do it off of where the child is and after many sessions, where they are now (M-7). According to a report in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, â€Å"Eye contact – this refers to an event where child looks at therapist while playing, manipulating† (E-7). A way that in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders is using music therapy instead of play therapy as it increases turn taking and eye contact more than when play therapy is used (E-4). Eye Contact was even proved to be held longer during this study when the child was participating in music therapy activities than when they were in regular play activities(E-1). When a mother was quoted on the British Columbian Music Therapy website, she stated that the â€Å"skills and abilities acquired in the music therapy setting generalize widely across situations. VII. Turn Taking The music therapist has to reach the child to be able to interact with them and help them. When the child feels free and unthreatened, the British Colombian Music Therapy association says that they get more out of the session. When they are not being told don’t this, don’t do that, and NO for everything they do to express themselves. Music therapy gives them that way to express themselves without being yelled at and told NO (M-8). The Tympo and Rhythm of the instruments is not just a way for the children express themselves, it even stops reminding them of when they were in the womb. The British Colombia MTA states that the tympo and Rhythm gets the child to progress from the rocking motion when they were in the womb and as a baby. It gives them a new independent feel (M-6). As music therapy is one of the cutting edge therapies according to Ken Siri and Tony Lyons, this helps develop motor skills for the child to interact with the instruments (A-2). According to an article in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, â€Å"Turn Taking – This refers to an event involving a sequence of turns to play alternating between the child and Therapist.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Assertiveness is the ability to express your feelings, opinions, beliefs and needs directly

â€Å"Assertiveness is the ability to express your feelings, opinions, beliefs and needs directly, openly and honestly, while not violating the personal rights of others.†(Holland and Ward 1990) Corollary to which, being assertive entails knowing its limit because the right of a person ends where the right of another person begins.   Being assertive is an expression and protection of one’s right up to such an extent where one protects and respects the rights of others.â€Å"There's a kind of integrity that goes along with assertiveness — meaning what you say, when you say it, in the way that you say it.† (Davidson, J. 1997).   Thus, it is ultimately aimed at generation a resolution to problems that is amenable and beneficial to all, essential to maintain fairness and mutuality, which are the basic tenets of any form of human relationships.RightsIn legal parlance, a right is the legal entitlement to do or avoid doing something which is sanctioned by law or the provisions of a contract. However, everyone has rights that are inherently conferred to us by virtue of being humans, which is called human rights. (Gewirth, 1998) Human rights are universal, every person is entitled to it; equal, every person has the same rights; and entail a correlative duty, the bearer of which under international law is the state or the government to which a person had pledged allegiance to.(Clapham, 1993) Perhaps the most basic of these human rights which Immanuel Kant himself declared is freedom –nobody owns one’s life except oneself.   From which the following rights can be derived: the right to decide for oneself in terms of behavior, idea and emotion; the right to change the same, the right to be independent in the conduct of one’s life, to join and not to join, to act or not to act or the right to have a choice.However, in the exercise of these rights, people are prone to commit mistakes.     The right to commit mistakes therefore is in essence part of a person’s right to make decisions and to have choices.   In as much as a person has the right to commit mistakes, he/ she also has the responsibility for the consequences of his/ her choices and decisions.Assertiveness is the balance between two extreme behaviors: passiveness and aggressiveness.   Passiveness or being non assertive is the renunciation of one’s rights which involves turning down one’s opinions, allowing others to decide for one’s own fate, or not exercising one’s right because of guilt or anger.Aggressiveness or being too assertive is the abusive exercise of one’s rights which involves intimidating other people, coercing or manipulating others (lying) thereby not allowing them to decide for themselves or, exercising one’s right to an extent of exploiting other people’s rights.   (Lloyd, 2001)In other words, â€Å"people have a fundamental right as human beings to express t hemselves so long as doing so will not trample on the rights of others.† (Davidson, J. 1997) Such assertion becomes am aggressionBarriers to AssertivenessA big barrier to assertiveness is the over watchfulness or worrisome of people to be misinterpreted as being aggressive and offensive.   It may anger others or hurt their feelings and consequently engender a feeling of hatred, a perception of arrogance or selfishness or even stupidity against the assertive person.These misled conclusions are basically drawn from misconceptions about assertiveness which involved legitimate rights, a sense of concern towards others and a sense of responsibility for the consequences of one’ s decisions. (Paterson and Paterson, 2000)

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Essay Sample on Cocaine Addiction of Pregnant Women

Essay Sample on Cocaine Addiction of Pregnant Women It is found from the National Institute on Drug Abuse that approximately 45,000 pregnant women were using cocaine in 1992.   Cocaine exerts several threats to unborn babies. Different kinds of health problems are observed among babies that were exposed to cocaine. These health problems range from minor to major life-threatening problems although the earlier predictions have not come true that were about the damage of the brain of cocaine-exposed babies. Unborn Baby and Threat to Its Health Due To Cocaine There are different ways in which the health of a pregnant woman and an unborn baby can be affected due to the use of cocaine during pregnancy.   Miscarriage is the biggest expected threat during the early months of pregnancy.   Premature labor can occur if cocaine is used in the later months of pregnancy.   An unborn may also suffer from a stroke or it may die. A stroke then may result in irreversible damage of brain. Premature birth occurs most likely as a result of cocaine use during pregnancy.   Cocaine-exposed babies usually have a low birth-weight. Most of the time, the head of such babies are smaller and their brains are small to in ratio with their body size. It is found from studies (Kuczkowski, 2003; Plessinger Woods, 1998; Vidaeff Mastrobattista, 2003) that women who use cocaine during pregnancy usually have a premature baby at least twice as compared to other women who do not take cocaine or any other drug during pregnancy. The size of the baby can be very small at the time of birth because oxygen and nutrients cannot be flown to the fetus due to cocaine. The heads of the cocaine-exposed babies are usually very small and thus their brain is very small too. These problems are most commonly found among women who do not quit the use of cocaine throughout their pregnancy whereas such problems are less commonly found among women who stop using cocaine as soon as they conceive the baby or in the first trimester. It is also found that the placenta becomes pulled away and does not remain on the wall of the uterus before the beginning of labor when cocaine is used during pregnancy. This condition is called placental abruption and it is very harmful for both mother and baby because this can lead to fatal condition. Moreover, other complications become enhanced during labor and delivery of the baby. Cocaine Use during Pregnancy and Physiological Effects and Complications Several obstetric complications may arise to the health of fetus and mother when cocaine is used during pregnancy. Women who use cocaine in their pregnancies are found to have less weight gain and they also suffer from different cardiac complications such as hypertension, cardiac ischemia, arrhythmia and hemorrhagic stroke (Kuczkowski, 2003; Plessinger Woods, 1998; Vidaeff Mastrobattista, 2003). If a pregnant woman is already suffering from cardiovascular problems then cocaine acts as an additive to increase the complications. (Wagner, Katikaneni, Cox, Ryan, 1998). Certain cardiovascular events such as seizures and stroke are significantly found among pregnant who use cocaine during pregnancy. This is due to the increase in the toxic nature of cocaine during pregnancy. (Plessinger Woods, 1998). Pregnant women using cocaine are also found to suffer greatly from uterine rupture, placental abruption, hepatic rupture and maternal death (Kuczkowski, 2003; Plessinger Woods, 1998). There are several physiological effects of cocaine such as hypertension, tachycardia and vasoconstriction. These effects may also be found in cocaine-exposed fetus. When women take cocaine, vasoconstriction of the maternal uterine blood vessels takes place so supply of nutrients and oxygen do not reach to the fetus properly because these blood vessels are primarily responsible to supply nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. As a result, fetal hypoxemia and uteroplacental insufficiency occur (Woods, Plessinger, Clark, 1987). Several complications such as premature labor and delivery, fetal intracranial hemorrhage, spontaneous abortion and abruptio placentae may take place due to vasoconstriction. (Cohen, Green, Crombleholme, 1991; Fajemirokun-Odudeyi Lindow, 2004; Plessinger Woods, 1998; Wootton Miller, 1994). Physiologic Effects of Cocaine Exposure during Pregnancy in Neonates There are certain physiologic effects of cocaine exposure in neonates. The molecular weight of cocaine is low and the nature of cocaine is both lipophilic and hydrophilic. Due to these properties, cocaine can easily cross the placenta and makes its way to the blood brain barrier. Cocaine is metabolized in fetus very slowly as compared to its metabolism in adult. So cocaine gets maximum time to remain in fetus. (Schenker et al., 1993; Wagner et al., 1998). Mahone and colleagues (1994) performed a study on a similar topic and found that cocaine and its compounds not only fetus by the process of diffusion to the placental vessels and umbilical cord but they are also diffused in the amniotic fluid from where the fetus swallow them. Several studies have found the effect of prenatal expose to cocaine in infants in the form of variations in intrauterine growth such as varied length, birth weight and head circumference and other effects such as prematurity. Several studies have observed the association between prematurity and IUGR of the newborn and the use of cocaine by mother.   Studies have shown that as fetus is exposed to cocaine, the newborn suffers from low birth weight, less birth length and small head circumference and this rate is increasing rapidly. The rate of premature birth is also increasing among cocaine exposed newborns despite the use of  different (Bada et al., 2002; Chiriboga, Brust, Bateman, Hauser, 1999; Richardson, Hamel, Goldschmidt, Day, 1999; Singer et al., 2002). several other studies have not found any signification relationship among lower birth weight, less birth length, small head circumference and premature birth (Bandstra et al., 2001; Bateman Chiriboga, 2000; Eyler, Behnke, Conlon, Woods, Wobie, 1998). Singer and colleagues (2002) performed a study to find out the neonatal exposure to cocaine on its length, birth weight, head circumference and premature birth. In their study, 218 infants were observed who had been exposed to cocaine in their neonatal life and 197 infants were observed who were not exposed to cocaine, then the researchers found out that when cocaine was used during pregnancy, an increase in premature labor and delivery occurred with low birth weight, less birth length, small head circumference and shorter gestational age.   Similarly, Bandstra et al. (2001) also performed a similar study and found that low birth weight and less birth length are found to be associated with material cocaine use but no effect on head circumference was found. Bandstra et al. (2001) performed a similar study and found that material cocaine use does not have effect on premature delivery because all the infants in their study were full-term. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) A small number of studies have shown the relationship among the neonatal exposure to cocaine and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A significant increased risk of SIDS was found to have strong relationship with maternal substance abuse in a study of 1760 cases where other confounding variables were kept controlled. Those variable included teenage mother, maternal cigarette smoking, black race and birth weight (Kandall, Gaines, Habel, Davidson, Jessop, 1993). Fares, McCulloch, and Raju (1997) performed a research on 10 previously published studies and found out that there is no association of SIDS with cocaine but SIDS is observed by prenatal exposure to illicit drugs in general. Klonoff-Cohen and Lam-Kruglicks (2001) also performed a study to find out any such relation and they found that there is no relationship between the maternal use of cocaine or any other illicit drug and SIDS. It can be concluded from this literature research that there is a relationship between the prenatal exposure to cocaine and small head circumference, low birth weight, less birth length and shorter gestational age. 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