Concepts of Human Physiology in Ayurveda

‘Human Physiology’, or the study of functional aspects of human body, is designated by the term ‘Śarīra Vicaya’ in Ayurvedic literature. The word ‘Vicaya’ means the special or detailed knowledge. Detailed knowledge of normal human body i.e., ‘Śarīra’, is considered helpful in understanding the factors influencing the health. Though most of the\ud basic concepts of human physiology explained in Ayurveda are strikingly similar to the concepts of modern physiology, some concepts like ‘Ātmā’, ‘Manas’ and ‘Prakrti’ are unique\ud to Ayurveda. Understanding of Physiology in Ayurveda should start with the understanding of innumerable minute individual living units called ‘Śarīra Paramānus’ or ‘Anu Srotāmsi’. These units are now known as cells. A group of such functionally and structurally similar units is called a ‘Dhātu’. These ‘Dhātus’ are almost equivalent to the tissues. Seven such ‘Dhātus’ have been enumerated. Similarly, the individual systems in the body have been\ud designated by the term ‘Sthūla Srotāmsi’ and thirteen such ‘Srotāmsi’ have been described by Caraka. ‘Annavaha Stotas’, for example, stands equivalent to the digestive system and ‘Rasavaha Srotas’ to the cardio vascular system. Apart from these, the functioning of individual systems has also been described in a considerably detailed manner. Cardiovascular system as a closed circuit, role of liver in the functioning of hemopoietic system, functional significance of brain in the neural mechanisms, basics of digestion and metabolism and basics of immunity ‐ are some such topics worth mentioning. Theory of ‘Tridosha’ is another important theory of physiology. This represents the various reciprocally\ud functioning homeostatic mechanisms at various levels of organization. The state of equilibrium among these ‘Doshas’ is responsible for maintenance of health. Three ‘Doshas’ –\ud i.e., ‘Vāta’, ‘Pitta’ and ‘Kapha’ in general, represent neural, endocrine and immune mechanisms respectively and form the basis of neuro‐ immuno‐ endocrinology

GOVERNANCE OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN INDIAN SYSTEMS OF MEDICINE:\ud ISSUES, CONCERNS, AND CHALLENGES

This article tries to identify the major issues, concerns and challenges pertaining to higher education in Indian systems of medicine (Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani) in the context of current global scenario

Liberalization and Structural Change: Evidence from Nepalese Manufacturing

The consequences of liberalization on structural changes are examined using data from manufacturing industry in Nepal which is classified as a least developed country. This is important because doubts that liberalization may not solve the problems of low-income developing countries remain strong due mainly to low supply elasticities and the early stage of industrialization. Results suggest some structural changes in manufacturing output and trade orientation. However, no significant improvements were recorded in the overall productivity growth and spatial distribution of manufacturing which appear to be due mainly to the lack of basic infrastructure and the shortage of skilled manpower. Thus, appropriate investment policies, which channel resources to improve human capital and infrastructure, appear to be essential if the potential benefits of liberalization are to be fully achieved.liberalization, import penetration, export intensity, total factor productivity growth, Nepal.

Geographic determinants of Australian foreign direct investments

The volume of investment that has flowed from Australia into the outside world, and its implications for economic policy, has attracted substantial policy debate among Australian policy makers, particularly in the context of regionalisation of the world economy. Using hypotheses from investment demand model and new trade theory we investigate if market size, its growth rate, openness, regional economic integration, language and cultural similarity and the availability of knowledge capital have any impact in attracting Australian investments offshore. Our results suggest that countries which are open, have a large domestic market and stable macro-economic environment tend to attract most Australian FDI. Regional integration, and the similarity in language and culture do not have any effect in attracting FDI from Australia. This result has a significant policy implications not only for Australia, but also for other countries who are increasingly engaged in forming trading blocs like Australia-US free trade agreements (AUSFTA)

Data Revisions in India and its Implications for Monetary Policy

This paper studies data revision properties of GDP growth and inflation as measured by the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) for the Indian economy. We find that data revisions to GDP growth and WPI inflation in India are significant. The results show that revisions to GDP growth and WPI inflation can not be characterized as either containing pure news or pure noise. We also find that there is a significant predictable component in revisions to GDP growth and inflation. Our findings suggest that if the Reserve Bank of India were to follow a Taylor rule for its monetary policy formulation, then the interest rate based on the preliminary data would be much lower than the one based on the fully revised data.Data Revisions, Real-Time Data, Monetary Policy