Dr Smriti Sharma, Postdoctoral Fellow, Sociology and Social Anthropology, SIAS, published an article titled Packing Pareshani or Healthcare? The Affective Dimensions of Digitalisation in India’s Health Sector in South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies.
In this article, author examine how digitalisation in the health sector seeks to standardise care in the name of effective service delivery. Author analyses the affective dimensions of operating a digital portal within the publicly funded health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, by conceptualising the emic term, pareshani. In Hindi, pareshani encompasses a wide range of meanings, including worry, trouble, tension, helplessness, frustration, distress and exhaustion. Based on fifteen months of ethnographic fieldwork in a private hospital and the public insurer’s headquarters in Haryana, the author show how the intermedial specificity of pareshani undergirds payments and patient treatment. She argues that understanding the affective force of digital portals requires examining how pareshani becomes embedded in intermediaries’ everyday navigation and negotiation of bureaucratic standards and procedures that shape clinical work. More broadly, author reflect on what these affective dynamics reveal about the digital bureaucratic state and its modes of governing healthcare.
Professor S Sivakumar, Dean – Research, and Professor, Physics, SIAS, has co-authored a journal article titled Generation of large Fock states from coherent states using Kerr interaction and displacement, published in Physical Review A.
Technical Abstract
We discuss a scheme to generate large Fock states. The scheme involves repeatedly applying an experimentally feasible unitary transformation to convert a semiclassical state into a Fock state. The transformation combines Kerr interaction, which is a non-Gaussian operation, and pulsed coherent drives. We identify suitable parameter values (Kerr strength, pulse timings, displacement amplitude) for the physical processes to implement the transformation and generate large Fock states with near-unity fidelity. The feasibility of implementing the scheme in circuit QED architectures is discussed. The method is also suitable for generating Fock states of cavity fields.
Non-technical summary
The simple harmonic oscillator is a ubiquitous model in physics, describing everything from swinging pendulums to vibrating molecules. In the quantum world, these microscopic oscillators are restricted to specific, equally spaced energy levels—effectively forming a “ladder” of energy. An electromagnetic field confined in a cavity behaves exactly like a harmonic oscillator. But how do we force this field to climb the ladder and reach a specific, high-energy rung of our choice? Our work presents a new scheme that significantly outperforms known schemes for generating large photon states. Combining nonlinearity (where the output is not strictly proportional to the input) with displacement operations (essentially, “kicking” the oscillator in phase space), we can guide the system to much higher energy levels than previously possible. The paper discusses the mechanism behind this controlled ascent.
A research paper titled Impact of Psychological Contract Fulfillment on Frontline Employees In-role and Extra-Role Job Performance:Role of Employee Empowerment, co-authored by Dr Junaid Iqbal, Post-Doctoral Fellow, IFMR GSB has recently been published in the Evidence Based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship (Emerald Publishing), ABDC-B-ranked journal.
Brief: In this study, the authors examine the influence of transactional and relational psychological contracts on the in-role and extra-role performance of frontline banking employees, grounded in the principles of social exchange theory. Specifically, they analyse how different forms of perceived employer–employee obligations shape employees’ task-related and discretionary behaviors. Furthermore, they explore the mediating role of employee empowerment in strengthening the link between psychological contracts and performance outcomes. By doing so, the study provides a comprehensive understanding of how psychological contract fulfillment translates into enhanced work performance within the banking sector.
A research paper co-authored by Dr Suhail Ahmad, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Psychology, SIAS has recently been published in Current Alzheimer Research (Bentham Sciences), with an impact factor of 1.9 and major indexing in Scopus, SCIE, and PubMed. The paper is titled Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s: Machine Learning Analysis Leveraging Structural MRI.
Brief: This longitudinal study investigated whether structural MRI–based surface-based morphometry (SBM) of subcortical brain regions can support early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Using ADNI data, morphological changes (cortical thickness, sulcal depth, and gyrification index) were tracked over 6 months to 3 years in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who later progressed to Alzheimer’s, compared with healthy controls. Significant progressive atrophy—especially in cortical thickness—was identified. Machine learning models trained on these features showed improving performance over time, achieving the highest accuracy near the point of diagnosis. The findings suggest that SBM-derived subcortical atrophy patterns, particularly cortical thickness, serve as sensitive biomarkers and, when combined with machine learning, provide a scalable framework for early Alzheimer’s prediction.
Dr Junaid Iqbal, Post-Doctoral Fellow, IFMR GSB has co-authored a research paper titled Cognitive Diversity, Team Efficacy and Team Learning: A Triadic Model for Enhancing Team Performance published in FIIB Business Review (Sage Publication), an ABDC-B, ranked journal with an impact factor of 2.8.
Brief
In this study we investigated how cognitive diversity influences team performance within India’s banking sector, an industry undergoing rapid digital transformation while operating within traditionally hierarchical organisational structures. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we develop a triadic framework in which team efficacy mediates the relationship between cognitive diversity and team performance, and team learning moderates the link between team efficacy and performance outcomes. The findings extend social cognitive theory by identifying team efficacy as the core psychological mechanism through which diverse cognitive perspectives translate into coordinated action, and by highlighting team learning as a key boundary condition, particularly in high power-distance environments. From a practical standpoint, the study underscores the importance for banking organisations to intentionally foster collective efficacy and institutionalise continuous learning practices in order to fully realize the performance advantages of cognitive diversity.
Dr Rakesh Sengupta, Assistant Professor, Psychology, SIAS, has published a new preprint on Research Square titled The Topology of Truth: Structural Asymmetries in the Spread of Fact and Falsehood.
Dr Arindam Chatterjee, Postdoctoral Fellow, Biological Sciences, SIAS has co-authored a paper titled Northeast india: genetic inconsistency across ethnicity and geography, published in Molecular Genetics and Genomics (SpringerNature).
A research paper co-authored by Dr Suhail Ahmad, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Psychology, SIAS has recently been published in Current Psychology (Springer Nature), a Q1-ranked journal with an impact factor of 2.6. The paper is titled Psychological and dispositional underpinnings of Internalising, Externalising, and Co-Occurring disorders in children and adolescents. Other authors include Insha Amin Makhdoomi, Clinical Psychologist, SKIMS, Srinagar, J&K; Madhumitta Bhattaccharya, Assistant Professor, Clinical Psychology, CIP Ranchi, and Keerthana CJ Assistant Professor, Psychology and Counselling, ST Joseph’s University, Bengaluru.
Brief Summary: This study investigated psychological and dispositional correlates of internalising, externalising, and co-occurring problem behaviours in children to facilitate early identification and intervention. An ex post facto cross-sectional design included 60 participants aged 11–17 years, categorised into internalising, externalising, and co-occurring groups (N = 20 per group). Measures included the Developmental Psychopathology Checklist, Child Behaviour Checklist, Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices, Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, Bell Adjustment Inventory, and Thomas and Chess Temperament Characteristics. Results showed higher emotional intelligence in the internalising group and significant differences in adjustment and temperament across groups. Findings highlight the importance of emotional intelligence and temperament assessment in identifying at-risk children and guiding targeted interventions.
A research paper co-authored by Dr Junaid Iqbal,Post-Doctoral Fellow, IFMR GSB titled Leadership and Followers’ Voice Behavior in the Hospitality and Tourism Industry: Mapping the State-of-the-Art Trends and Future Directions has recently been published in the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights (Emerald Publishing), a Q1-ranked journal.
This study investigates the knowledge structure surrounding leadership styles and employee voice behaviour within the hospitality and tourism sector. The primary objective was to provide a comprehensive overview of global research trends in this domain through a systematic bibliometric analysis. By mapping the intellectual landscape of the field, the study identifies key themes, influential authors, leading journals, and collaborative research networks that have shaped scholarly discourse over time. In doing so, it highlights the evolution of research interests, emerging hotspots, and existing gaps, thereby offering valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to advance theory and practice related to leadership and employee voice in the hospitality and tourism context.
The paper is co-authored with Muhammad Ashraf Fauzi,Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Gambang, Malaysia, Dr Mubashir Ahmad Aukhoon, Assistant Professor, School of Management Studies, CGC University, Mohali, Punjab, India and Dr Zahoor Ahmad Parray, Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, South Campus, University of Kashmir, Anantnag, India.
A research paper titled Effect of confinement on PH3 and OH3+ inversion, coauthored by Dr Brijesh Kumar Mishra, Associate Professor, Chemistry, Professor S Sivakumar, Professor, Physics and Dean – Research, and the SIAS alumni Kaustav Mehta, Shreya Chidambaram, and Netra Krishna, has recently been published in the scientific journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics (PCCP).
Accessible Summary: Molecules trapped in cages (bigger molecules that enclose a volume) exhibit features distinct from those when they are free. In this work, the authors study the “inversion” of caged pyramidal molecules. Inversion is the process by which the atom at the top of the pyramid tunnels through the bottom plane of atoms to reach the symmetrically located position on the other side of the plane. Essentially, a transition from an erect pyramid to an inverted pyramid, and hence the name inversion. The cage has two prominent effects on the pyramidal molecules: it shifts the energy levels corresponding to the bending motion and changes the tunnelling barrier between the two structures. The authors carried out accurate calculations of these changes and, in many cases, produced results that compare well with measured values, surpassing earlier estimates in the literature. Apart from their importance from a fundamental perspective, caged molecules are also potential candidates for quantum information processing and metrology.
Technical Abstract: Encapsulating molecules in nanocages such as C60 provides a unique opportunity to probe how spatial confinement alters structure and dynamics. We examine umbrella inversion in hydronium (OH3+) and phosphine (PH3) in the gas phase and inside C60. Inversion profile computations for OH3+ and PH3 are based on high-level correlated methods [CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ and aug-cc-pVQZ]. Modelling confined systems requires dealing with the cage and the encapsulated molecules together, which is computationally complex. Therefore, results pertaining to encapsulated systems are based on dispersion-corrected DFT (B97-D/aug-cc-pVTZ). Barrier heights and tunnelling splittings for OH3+ and PH3 are benchmarked against CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVQZ results. For free OH3+, the CCSD(T) barrier is computed to be ∼706 cm−1, while B97-D yields a slightly lower value (612 cm−1). The predicted tunnelling doublets closely match the experimental findings. Encapsulation of hydronium in C60 (denoted as OH3+@C60, where X@C60 indicates the encapsulation of X within C60) raises the barrier height from 612 to 871 cm−1 and markedly suppresses the splittings. In contrast, PH3 exhibits an extremely high inversion barrier (∼11 000 cm−1), effectively quenching tunnelling. Upon confinement, the barrier is lowered marginally, and the vibrational eigenstate energies are shifted upward. The interaction energies obtained using the DLPNO-CCSD(T)/def2-TZVP method confirm the stability of the encapsulated systems: −30.8 kcal mol−1 for OH3+@C60 and −13.4 kcal mol−1 for PH3@C60. Energy decomposition analysis shows that OH3+@C60 stabilization is predominantly electrostatic in nature, whereas the dispersion term in PH3@C60 is considerably larger.
