Cognition is defined as the brain’s ability to acquire, process, store, and retrieve information. Pain has been described as an unpleasant sensory or emotional experience, and for experiencing pain consciously, cognitive processing becomes imperative. Moreover, evaluation of pain strongly depends on cognition as it requires learning and recall of previous experiences. There could be a possible close link between neural systems involved in cognition and pain processing, and studies have reported an association between pain and cognitive impairment. In this narrative (...) review, we explore the available evidence that has investigated cognitive changes associated with pain. We also examine the anatomical, biochemical, and molecular association of pain and neuro-cognition. Additionally, we focus on the cognitive impairment caused by analgesic medications. There is a need to improve our understanding of pathophysiology and cognitive impairment mechanisms associated with chronic pain and its treatment. This area provides a diverse opportunity for grounding future research, aiding institution of timely interventions to prevent chronic pain and associated cognitive decline, ultimately improving patient care. (shrink)

In this article, I develop the concept and practice of ‘listening to difference,’ examining J.G. Herder’s aural theory of cultural diversity as primarily worked out in the ‘Treatise on the Origin of Language’ (1772). I examine the sources Herder critiqued to outline his aural theory of linguistic and cultural difference, which have thus far only been summarily mentioned if at all in scholarship despite the prominence of the ‘Treatise’ in intellectual history and philosophy. These sources comprise the travelogues of seventeenth- (...) and early eighteenth-century French scientists, mathematicians, diplomats, and Jesuit missionaries who described the inadequacy of Romanized orthography to accurately transcribe the sounds and pronunciations of the indigenous peoples they encountered throughout the Americas, Thailand, and China. Herder’s critical readings of travelogues showcased the unintended failures and interruptions in European colonial practices of listening. I argue that it was the French travellers’ failure to erase difference, to transform it into identity or, in other words, into a universalist monolingualism, which produced a consciousness of cultural and linguistic difference, even if repressed. The sounds of the spoken indigenous languages exposed the limits of the paradigms of Catholic and European linguistic classification. Instead, the exemplary technologies for preserving difference in scriptural and listening practices were for Herder the Hebrew alphabet and the oral transmission of poetry in ancient and Indigenous cultures. Listening to difference, as I define it, involves an openness to listening to the voices and sounds of the othered by listeners who recognize their distinct situated, embodied positionalities. It offers alternate possibilities to conceive of human diversity as continually in formation and not as a static or progressive hierarchy. (shrink)

In this paper, a HIV-TB co-infection model is explored which incorporates a non-linear treatment rate for TB. We begin with presenting a HIV-TB co-infection model and analyze both HIV and TB sub-models separately. The basic reproduction numbers corresponding to HIV-only, TB-only and the HIV-TB full model are computed. The disease-free equilibrium point of the HIV sub-model is shown to be locally as well as globally asymptotically stable when its corresponding reproduction number is less than unity. The HIV-only model exhibits a (...) transcritical bifurcation. On the other hand, for the TB sub-model, the disease-free equilibrium point is locally asymptotically stable but may not be globally asymptotically stable. We have also analyzed the full HIV-TB co-infection model. Numerical simulations are performed to investigate the effect of treatment rate in the presence of resource limitation for TB infected individuals, which emphasize the fact that to reduce co-infection from the population programs to accelerate the treatment of TB should be implemented. (shrink)

ABSTRACTCompared to other social sciences, it appears economists enjoy overwhelming influence in policy debates. What are the ethical concerns that should bear upon the exercise of such voice? Two forms of conflict of interest are explored here: funding sources may undermine objectivity in framing the research agenda as well as through the better-known route of influencing research outcomes. What questions get asked or ignored, and the methodological approach that economists choose, may be influenced by funders. Considerations of personal advancement may (...) influence how, when and what research is disseminated. The absence of debate on accountability of economists-as-advisors is worrying. Self-regulatory processes are needed so that power is exercised with greater responsibility. (shrink)

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is a unique initiative in the history of social security-it is not just an employment scheme but also a potential tool of economic and social change in rural areas. This volume presents the first comprehensive account of the 'battle for employment guarantee' in rural India. Staying clear of the propaganda and mud-slinging that has characterized much of the NREGA debate so far, the book presents an informed and authentic picture of the ground realities.The essays (...) are based on field studies of NREGA by a team of researchers who have been actively involved in the campaign for the right to work. They examine a wide-range of issues such as entitlements, corruption, people's perceptions of NREGA, women's empowerment, mobilization of unorganized workers, and socio-economic impact of NREGA. They also provide a comparative analysis of the challenges and successes in the implementation of NREGA in different states including Orissa, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan. (shrink)

Sitting on the fine line between pathogen ‘transmissibility’ and ‘severity’, the Behavioural Immune System (BIS) is responsible for activating behaviours that minimise infection risks and maximise fitness. To achieve self-preservation, the BIS also fuels social and political attitudes. We aim to explain societal changes that may be sparked by COVID-19 by highlighting links between human evolutionary history and our psychological faculties mediated by the BIS.

Social development organizations increasingly employ artificial intelligence -enabled tools to help team members collaborate effectively and efficiently. These tools are used in various team management tasks and activities. Based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology, this study explores various factors influencing employees’ use of AI-enabled tools. The study extends the model in two ways: a) by evaluating the impact of these tools on the employees’ collaboration and b) by exploring the moderating role of AI aversion. Data (...) were collected through an online survey of employees working with AI-enabled tools. The analysis of the research model was conducted using partial least squares, with a two-step model – measurement and structural models of assessment. The results revealed that the antecedent variables, such as effort expectancy, performance expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions, are positively associated with using AI-enabled tools, which have a positive relationship with collaboration. It also concluded a significant effect of AI aversion in the relationship between performance expectancy and use of technology. These findings imply that organizations should focus on building an environment to adopt AI-enabled tools while also addressing employees’ concerns about AI. (shrink)

The West has a stereotypical image of businesses, officials, and politicians, etc., in the East (Third World) countries being pervasively corrupt while it views itself as being almost completely uncorrupt. One closer look, however, realities turn out to be quite different. Business corruption is much more universal that Westerners are generally willing to accept. The major differences are that corruption in the East is practiced so blatantly that it makes major news. Western businesses, on the other hand, have, over time, (...) developed sophisticated techniques whereby corruption becomes almost invisible. This paper discusses the myths and realities of Eastern versus Western corruption and discusses several means which have allowed Western companies to exploit others through subtle and, almost invisible means. The overall advantage, however, still goes to the West where petty corruption has been pretty much eliminated. (shrink)

Keshavan Nair, Higher Standard of Leadership—Lessons from the Life of Gandhi, 2010, New Delhi: Tata McGraw Hill Publications, pp. 157, ₹ 175, ISBN 978-1-881052-58-6.

Pritam Singh, Asha Bhandarkar and Sumita Rai, 2012, Millennials and the Workplace: Challenges for Architecting the Organizations of Tomorrow, New Delhi: SAGE Publications, pp. 231, ₹ 425, ISBN: 978-81-321-0898-6.

Disproportional morbidity and mortality experienced by ethnic minorities in the UK have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement has exposed structural racism’s contribution to these health inequities. ‘Cultural Safety’, an antiracist, decolonising and educational innovation originating in New Zealand, has been adopted in Australia. Cultural Safety aims to dismantle barriers faced by colonised Indigenous peoples in mainstream healthcare by addressing systemic racism.This paper explores what it means to be ‘culturally safe’. The ways in which New (...) Zealand and Australia are incorporating Cultural Safety into educating healthcare professionals and in day-to-day practice in medicine are highlighted. We consider the ‘nuts and bolts’ of translating Cultural Safety into the UK to reduce racism within healthcare. Listening to the voices of black, Asian and minority ethnic National Health Service (NHS) consumers, education in reflexivity, both personal and organisational within the NHS are key. By listening to Indigenous colonised peoples, the ex-Empire may find solutions to health inequity. A decolonising feedback loop is required; however, we should take care not to culturally appropriate this valuable reverse innovation. (shrink)

BackgroundThe COVID-19 crisis has introduced a variety of stressors, while simultaneously decreasing the availability of strategies to cope with stress. In this context, it could be useful to understand issues that people find most concerning and ways in which they cope with stress. In this study, we explored these questions with a sample of graduate and professional students.MethodUsing open-ended assessments, we asked participants to identify their biggest challenge or concern, their most effective way of handling stress, and their most common (...) way of handling stress. We applied thematic analysis and evaluated whether participants’ strategies corresponded with evidence-based practices.ResultsParticipants frequently reported top problems relating to productivity, physical health, and emotional health. Distraction was the most frequently classified common strategy, whereas behavioral activation was the most frequently identified effective strategy. Participants who reported a common strategy classified as an EBP reported lower depressive and anxiety symptoms. In contrast, there was no evidence of an association between symptom levels and whether or not participants’ effective strategy was an EBP. Participants who reported the same strategy as both their common and effective strategy reported lower depressive symptoms than those whose common and effective strategies were different.ConclusionOur findings highlight stressors that students are experiencing and ways they are coping during the COVID-19 crisis. We discuss how these findings can inform mental health promotion efforts and future research on coping with stressors. (shrink)

Many companies are now targeting the sizeable segment of consumers in Bottom-of-the-pyramid (BoP) markets with new products to specifically address their needs. As mainstream consumers become aware of these initiatives, their views on what products may be construed as appropriate for BoP marketplaces, may influence their attitudes towards the companies engaging in BoP activities. We propose that when the mainstream consumers are culturally distant from the BoP consumers, they have less favourable attitudes towards a company marketing a hedonic product to (...) BoP consumers, compared to a utilitarian one. However, when the mainstream consumers are culturally closer to the BoP consumers, they are less likely to react negatively to a company’s marketing of a hedonic product compared to a utilitarian one. We theorize that these differences in evaluation are based on the mainstream consumers’ expectations regarding the products a company would/should target towards BoP consumers. We also examine two company characteristics (country-of-origin and profit orientation) as contingency factors affecting the attitudes of culturally close mainstream consumers towards companies engaging in BoP practices. Across two studies, we find support for our hypotheses. This research adds to a new stream of scholarship that theorizes about the permissible consumption mindset of mainstream consumers. The research also provides guidance to marketing managers and communication experts to help build favourable company attitudes and minimize any mainstream negativity towards a company’s marketing initiatives in the BoP domain. (shrink)