Cochin University of Science and Technology

About: Cochin University of Science and Technology is a education organization based out in Kochi, Kerala, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Thin film & Natural rubber. The organization has 5382 authors who have published 7690 publications receiving 103827 citations. The organization is also known as: CUSAT & Cochin University.

Geochemistry of Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, Cd and Cr in the surficial sediments of a tropical estuary, southwest coast of India: a granulometric approach

Abstract: Geochemical characteristics of six trace metals – Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, Cd and Cr – in the bulk sediment and sand, silt and clay fractions of a tropical estuary on the southwest coast of India have been studied and discussed. In bulk sediment, the trace metal concentration is controlled mainly by the textural composition of the sample. Mud, sandy mud and sandy silt register higher concentrations of trace metals than that in sand-dominant sediments. The granulometric partitioning studies also re-affirmed the role of particle size in enriching the trace metals. The silt and clay fractions exhibit 7–8 times the enrichment of Cu and Cd compared to that in sand. The enrichment factors of Zn, Cr, Ni and Co in the silt and clay fractions, compared to that in sand, are 5–6, 4–5, 2–5 and 2–3 times, respectively. The trace metals in the sand fraction, particularly Ni and Cr, exhibit strong positive correlation with the heavy mineral content of the samples. It clearly indicates a heavy mineral pathway to the trace metals in the sand fraction. Cu and Co in silt and clay fractions exhibit a marked decrease towards the high saline zones of the estuary. This is attributed to the desorption of Cu and Co from particulate phases during estuarine mixing. Contrary to Cu and Co, the content of Zn in the clay fraction shows a marginal increase towards the estuarine mouth. This could be explained by the influx of Zn-rich contaminant discharges from Zn-smelting industries located slightly north of the estuarine mouth. The released Zn will effectively be held in the lattices of the clay mineral montmorillonite, which also exhibits a marked increase towards the estuarine mouth. The anomalously high values of Cd in some places of the Central Vembanad estuary is attributed to the local pollution.

The Impact of Switching Costs Upon the Service Quality–Perceived Value–Customer Satisfaction–Service Loyalty Chain: A Study in the Context of Cellular Services in India

Abstract: It is a common wisdom in the cellular service industry that high switching costs increase customer loyalty to a service provider and vice versa. Academic studies, too, have shown this to be true. However, a comprehensive understanding of the direct and indirect interactions of the nomologically proximate concepts of switching costs, service quality, perceived value, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty has not yet been accomplished; in the present study, we attempt to do the same. In particular, the interaction effects of switching costs upon the service quality-perceived value link and the satisfaction-loyalty link are explored, and in both cases the effects are shown to be significant. To test these relationships, an empirical study among the mobile phone service users in India was carried out. Implications of the study for marketing theory and practice are discussed.

Laser induced surface damage, thermal transport and microhardness studies on certain organic and semiorganic nonlinear optical crystals

Abstract: N-alkyl-2,6-dimethyl-4(1H)-pyridinones, salts of 4-dimethylaminopyridine and 2-amino-5-nitropyridine are considered to be potential candidates for nonlinear optical (NLO) applications, in particular for the generation of blue-green laser radiation. Single crystals were grown following the slow evaporation technique at constant temperature. Single-shot laser-induced surface damage thresholds in the range 3–10 GW/cm2 were measured using a 18 ns Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The surface morphologies of the damaged crystals were examined under an optical microscope and the nature of damage identified. The Vicker’s microhardness was determined at a load of 98.07 mN. The thermal transport properties, thermal diffusivity (α), thermal effusivity (e), thermal conductivity (K) and heat capacity (Cp), of the grown crystals were measured by an improved photopyroelectric technique at room temperature. All the results are presented and discussed.

An epidemiologic approach to drug prescribing quality assessment: a study in primary care practice in France.

Abstract: Objective To assess drug prescribing by primary care physicians in France for various types of conditions, and to identify patterns and risk factors for poor prescribing quality. Methods The orders (n = 23,080) written for patients with five target diseases (acute nasopharyngitis, acute tonsillitis, essential hypertension, osteoarthrosis, and back and periarticular disorders), by primary care physicians (n = 1,049) were extracted from a nationwide prescription database and analyzed according to 17 quantitative indicators of drug prescribing quality constructed on explicit a priori criteria. Results Ineffective drugs were prescribed in 32% to 88% of orders according to the target disease. Six percent to 40% of orders resulted in drug interactions, age problems, and overdosage. A consistent pattern of associations between indicators was found, which suggests that drug prescribing quality is multidimensional and is composed of at least five dimensions: placebo, novelty, exoticism, misdosage, and interaction. Several factors associated with indicators were also identified, some of them defining groups of patients at risk (women, elderly, and less educated), physicians at risk (women, aged, and isolated), and contexts at risk (patient's home and disease frequently treated by the physician) of poor drug prescribing quality. Conclusions Drug prescribing by French primary care physicians appears nonoptimal, in terms of both risk of iatrogeny and waste of money. This study further documents the complexity and the multidimensionality of drug prescribing quality. It suggests that more attention must be paid to patients' and physicians' risk factors for poor drug prescribing quality if educational programs and regulatory processes are to succeed in promoting safer and more cost-effective practices.