Charge Transport and Colossal Magnetoresistance Phenomenon in La1−xZrxMnO3

In this study we have investigated the magnetic and electrical transport properties of Zr doped lanthanum manganite perovskite. The structural, magnetic, and transport properties of the Zr doped compounds were determined using x-ray diffraction, dc magnetic susceptibility, and a four probe method for electrical resistivity and magnetoresistance measurements in the temperature range of 5–400 K. The structure of the compounds was found to be rhombohedral. The magnetization versus temperature curves show ferromagnetic regions with the magnetic transition temperatures getting saturated for x ≥ 0.07 compounds. The resistivity curves show decreasing resistivity with increasing Zr content in the compound. The resistivity of the compounds is very high and is explained as due to the localization tendency of the electrons. The metal–insulator transition temperature shows a compositional dependence and has additional contributions apart from magnetism. The results are explained by the double exchange interaction and Mn2+/Mn3+ ratio, and also by taking into account the competition between the core-spin interaction and double exchange interaction

Risk, Ambiguity - Gains, Losses

We use a multiple price list (MPL) method to elicit attitudes to risky and ambiguous prospects. In particular we wish to investigate if there are differences in agent behaviour under uncertainty over gain amounts vis a vis uncertainty over loss amounts. On an aggregate level, we find that (i) in the domain of risk, subjects are risk averse over both gain and loss lotteries with the degree of risk aversion being lower for losses than gains, (ii) subjects are ambiguity averse over ambiguous prospects that involve gains, but that they are mildly ambiguity seeking over such prospects that involve loss and (iii) attitudes toward risk and ambiguity are positively correlated in the domain of gains and are independent of each other in the domain of losses. These behavioural observations are statically significant using both parametric as well as non-parametric tests. Further analysis shows that at an individual level, (a) in the domain of risk, there is a high incidence of a reflection effect across gains and losses though the subjects’ behaviour is bimodal, that is, many are risk averse in gains and risk seeking in losses while many others are risk seeking in gains and risk averse in losses, while (b) in the domain of ambiguity, there is also a high incidence of a reflection effect although almost all such cases exhibit ambiguity aversion in gains and ambiguity seeking in losses.

Watermarking techniques using knowledge of host database

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Qualitative Explorations into Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) for Medical Tourism in India

The focus of our research is Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) in Indian medical tourism which has gained wider attention world-wide. To be able to operationalize CBBE (brand equity) for medical tourism scale development, we generated items for such a scale through content analysis. The research questions for this study were (a) What are the dimensions for a brand equity scale for medical tourism considering social, economic, and market influences? (b) How is culture along with an economic indicator such as infrastructure/superstructure relevant in the context of CBBE for medical tourism? and (c) To what extent does the content analysis of interviews based on questionnaires from literature reviews support the variable? The respondents were contacted from two large East Indian Hospitals with continuous visits by heterogeneous foreign patients. Content analysis was used to evaluate the responses using the framework for coding as given by Corbin and Strauss (2008). This paper explores the reasons as to why the patients from western countries and the Middle East prefer other destinations as compared to India for medical tourism. The medical tourism market is growing due to comparatively affluent middle class, better connectivity and wiser cost decisions by patients. The Indian medical tourism market has gained wider attention due to well trained and competent physicians, cost consideration, quality service, better international accessibility and popular use of English as the primary mode for spoken and written communication language. However, there is no general relevant Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) scale for medical tourism market till present day. We have identified six dimensions (three new) for a consolidated and unified CBBE scale for medical tourism. In the later part, we have done a content analysis of 90 patient interviews conducted in Eastern Indian hospitals. The interview questionnaire was developed from the literature review. Lastly, a content analysis is done using Nvivo software for logical validation of literature findings. The content findings and prior literature review enabled us to propose the dimensions of the CBBE scale for medical tourism. The new dimensions may be used for future CBBE research in medical tourism at the global level