Youth employment and unemployment in India

Increase in the share of youth population due to demographic `dividend' or the `youth bulge' seems to be one of the sources of future economic growth in India. Although with increase in school and college enrolment rates, the proportion of youth in the labour force has been declining, their high proportions in the labour force indicate that the problem of youth unemployment and underemployment would remain a serious policy issue for many more years to come in India. In this context, this paper examines the employment and unemployment situation of the youth in India during the last two-and-half decades viz., 1983 to 2007-08. It analyses the trends in labour force and workforce participation rates, unemployment, joblessness, working poor, growth and employment elasticities etc. The paper also offers policy recommendations for increasing productive employment and reduction in unemployment for the youth. The poor employability of the workforce would hamper the advantages due to demographic dividend if measures are not taken to improve the educational attainment and skill development of the youth.Youth Employment, unemployment, skill development, joblessness, demographic dividend, literacy, school education, vocational training

Determining the CP properties of the Higgs boson

The search and the probe of the fundamental properties of Higgs boson(s) and, in particular, the determination of their charge conjugation and parity (CP) quantum numbers, is one of the main tasks of future high-energy colliders. We demonstrate that the CP properties of a Standard Model-like Higgs particle can be unambiguously assessed by measuring just the total cross section and the top polarization in associated Higgs production with top quark pairs in e+e- collisions.Comment: 4 pages, revtex, uses axodraw (style file included in the submission

Leptogenesis in a Hybrid Texture Neutrino Mass Model

We investigate the CP asymmetry for a hybrid texture of the neutrino mass matrix predicted by $Q_8$ family symmetry in the context of the type-I seesaw mechanism and examine its consequences for leptogenesis. We, also, calculate the resulting Baryon Asymmetry of the Universe (BAU) for this texture.Comment: Accepted for publication in Mod. Phys. Lett.

Four Zero Texture Fermion Mass Matrices in SO(10) GUT

We attempt the integration of the phenomenologically successful four zero texture of fermion mass matrices with the renormalizable SO(10) GUT. The resulting scenario is found to be highly predictive. Firstly, we examine the phenomenological implications of a class of the lepton mass matrices with parallel texture structures and obtain interesting constraints on the parameters of the charged lepton and the neutrino mass matrices. We combine these phenomenological constraints with the constraints obtained from SO(10) GUT to reduce the number of the free parameters and to further constrain the allowed ranges of the free parameters. The solar/atmospheric mixing angles obtained in this analysis are in fairly good agreement with the data.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Neutrino Mass Matrices with a Texture Zero and a Vanishing Minor

We study the implications of the simultaneous existence of a texture zero and a vanishing minor in the neutrino mass matrix. There are thirty six possible texture structures of this type, twenty one of which reduce to two texture zero cases which have, already, been extensively studied. Of the remaining fifteen textures only six are allowed by the current data. We examine the phenomenological implications of the allowed texture structures for Majorana type CP-violating phases, 1-3 mixing angle and Dirac type CP-violating phase. All these possible textures can be generated through the seesaw mechanism and realized in the framework of discrete abelian flavor symmetry. We present the symmetry realization of these texture structures.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Assessment of Respondent Acceptability of Preference Measures: Discriminatory Power of Graphic Positioning Scale versus Traditional Scaling Measures

AbstractObjectiveThe objective of this study was to compare discriminatory power of two different measures—graphic positioning scale (GPS) versus traditional scale (TS)—in assessing respondent acceptability of three preference measures: visual analog scale (VAS), standard gamble (SG), and willingness to pay (WTP).MethodsTwo face-to-face interviews were conducted at least 1 week apart in a convenience sample of women aged 22 to 50 years with no history of breast cancer or cancer requiring chemotherapy. Study participation required completion of two surveys: one evaluating health preferences for an acute condition (chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting) and one evaluating a chronic condition (breast cancer). Data were collected from March 2000 to June 2000 at Ohio State University. Respondents were randomized to either GPS or TS surveys. Data analysis was a two-step process. First, a four-way multivariate repeated-measures analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to assess respondent acceptability of three-preference metrics—VAS, SG, and WTP—in health-care decision making. Each of the four dependent variables, difficulty, clarity, reasonableness, and comfort in use in decision making, was measured on 9-point Likert scale. Second, a mixed design univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed for each dependent variable to optimize MANOVA analysis. Univariate ANOVAs, 2 × (2 × 3), were composed of three independent variables: assessment (GPS/TS), condition (acute and chronic), and preferences (VAS, SG, WTP).ResultsOf 126 respondents, 119 were usable and complete. MANOVA results showed (P < .05) for two main effects, condition (F4,114 = 6.375) and preferences (F8,110 = 9.290), and two significant interactions, condition × assessment (F4,114 = 3.421) and condition × preferences (F8,110 = 2.087).ConclusionGPS has higher discriminatory power than TS in assessing respondent attitudes toward health preference measures. Results showed that respondents had more difficulty and less comfort when making decisions for chronic than for acute conditions. Results also show that respondents regard WTP as a more reasonable decision-making tool when assessing acute interventions in preference to SG and vice versa for chronic conditions. Of VAS, SG, and WTP methods, VAS was perceived as being the easiest to understand. These results can be explained by direct versus indirect comparisons made with GPS and TS methods, respectively

CP-odd Weak Basis Invariants for Neutrino Mass Matrices with a Texture Zero and a Vanishing Minor

We construct the $CP$-odd weak basis invariants in the flavor basis for all the phenomenologically viable neutrino mass matrices with a texture zero and a vanishing minor and, also, find the necessary and sufficient conditions for $CP$ invariance . We examine the interrelationships between different $CP$-odd weak basis invariants for these texture structures and investigate their implications for Dirac- and Majorana-type $CP$ violation.Comment: To appear in Journal of Physics

Bacillus isolates VTGP. A-D. 30808 Alcaligenes sp., Exiguobacterium sp., B. pumilus and B. fusiformis producing extracellular alkaline proteases, amylases and cellulases - a preliminary report

Garden soil samples collected from Angamali, Kerala, India were screened for potent bacteria capable of synthesizing extracellular hydrolytic enzymes. Four bacteria were obtained in pure culture. The isolates were systematically identified by microscopy, Gram and special staining techniques for capsule and spores, biochemical reactions and phylogeny by molecular techniques like 16 S rRNA ene sequencing followed by Blast analysis. Production of protease, cellulase and amylase were detected by inoculating nutrient agar containing casein/ skim milkagar, carboxy methyl cellulose and soluble starch respectively.  Alkalophilic and thermophilic properties were investigated by inoculation and incubation of the isolates on specific nutrient media at pH 7-12 and at a wide range of temperatures 28-30, 37, 50 and 650.C. The isolates were coded VTGP. A-D 30808. All the four expressed significant alkalophilic growth at pH 7-12. With respect to protease activity all  except A showed marked protease activity over a high pH range pH 7-12(A-115, B-1119, C-1500, D-1350 Units / ml of liquid culture   supernatant). Both C &amp; D secreted protease as early as 8-12 hours on nutrient agar with 0.1% skim milk forming a clear wide zone of casein hydrolysis. Hence the proteases produced were highly alkalophilic. Amylase activity was marked in all (A-37.38, B-27.58, C-27.92, D-34.82 units per ml culture supernatant). On CMC agar, all the four isolates showed CMCase activity indicated by pale yellow zone of hydrolysis of carboxy methyl cellulose agar when tested with Congo red reagent. A, B and C were strongly positive with minimal visible activity in D. But when tested in CMC broth culture the activities were A-6.71, B-4.30, C-6.56 and D 0.58 units/ ml of culture supernatant). 16S r RNA gene  sequencing of isolates A to D showed maximum alignment with Alcaligenes sp., Exiguobacterium sp., Bacillus pumilus and B. fusiformis. The sequences have been deposited in GenBank with Accession  numbers HQ 848384, HQ 848385, HQ 848386, and HQ 848387

Biological characterization of a fast growing non-sporing alkalophilic lignin degrading fungus MVI.2011

MVI.2011 a rapidly multiplying alkalophilic non sporing fungus was isolated in 1990 and preliminarily identified as a Deuteromycete. The isolate was characterized in detail. The original isolate produced highly fluffy, cottony, fragile aerial mycelia on SDA and a similar growth in liquid SDB also. The organism grew out even on the surface of the conical flask containing the liquid medium inoculated indicating the high aerobic nature. With frequent sub culturing over 20 years the colony morphology on the same media appeared very confined with regular margin and dry surface. Yet there were no reproductive structures. LP staining showed dimorphism with apical fragmentation and no conidia, spores sexual or asexual etc. The pH range was very wide 5-11. The optimum cultural conditions for lignin degradation were pH 8.5, temperature 25-28oC, 12-18 hours and medium- 1% glucose, 0.5% peptone in basal mineral medium. The isolate could breakdown and decolourise commercial lignin (0.1-5%) and alkaline wood extract (1-50%) within 12-18 hours in static cultures evidenced by a clear reduction in absorption at 380 nm (lignin) and a marked shift to increased absorption at 360 nm and between 180 and 300 nm indicating appearance of lignin breakdown products. In optimised  media containing commercial lignin (0.1%) and alkaline wood extract (10%), MVI.2011 secreted Lignin peroxidase (9.39 units/ml), Manganese peroxidase (2.093 units/ml) and laccase (3.5 units/ml) enzymes. The  above data led us to conclude that the isolate was novel being highly alkalophilic, capable of rapid growth, decolourisation of lignins and  secretion of lignin degrading enzymes. Based on microscopic morphology and colony features, the isolate coded MVI.2011 has been identified as “Uncultured Fungus†with NCBI Accession No JN606084. It has been  deduced to be a member of Mycelia sterilia group

Gravitational Waves as a New Probe of Bose-Einstein Condensate Dark Matter

There exists a class of ultralight Dark Matter (DM) models which could form a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) in the early universe and behave as a single coherent wave instead of individual particles in galaxies. We show that a generic BEC DM halo intervening along the line of sight of a gravitational wave (GW) signal could induce an observable change in the speed of GW, with the effective refractive index depending only on the mass and self-interaction of the constituent DM particles and the GW frequency. Hence, we propose to use the deviation in the speed of GW as a new probe of the BEC DM parameter space. With a multi-messenger approach to GW astronomy and/or with extended sensitivity to lower GW frequencies, the entire BEC DM parameter space can be effectively probed by our new method in the near future