Clockworked VEVs and Neutrino Mass

In this paper we present an augmented version of the Abelian scalar clockwork model to generate geometrically suppressed vacuum expectation values (vev) of the pseudo Nambu-Goldstone bosons, that we call the clockworked vevs. We briefly comment on generalization of the setup and possible 5D UV realizations. We demonstrate how tiny neutrino mass can be generated by clockworking a weak scale vev.Comment: 13 pages, 2 captioned figures, 1 table, further clarifications added in text, references updated, matches version published in JHE

A Comparative Study on Selected Physical Fitness Components between Deaf & Dumb and Normal School Boys of West Bengal

Objective: The objective of the study was to compare the selected physical fitness components between the Deaf & Dumb and Normal school boys of west Bengal. Methodology: For the purpose of the study forty-two (N=42)) subjects were randomly chosen of which twenty-two were deaf and dumb boys (n1=22) and twenty were normal school boys (n2=20). The age of the children ranged from 12 to 20 years. They were selected from three separate districts of West Bengal - Kolkata, Burdwan and Hooghly. The five different physical fitness components i.e. Speed, Agility, Muscular endurance, Flexibility and Explosive leg strength were considered as variables for the present study. The data were collected by using standard tools and techniques. Statistics: Mean, standard deviation (SD) and independent t- test were the statistics used in this study for data interpretation. Level of significant difference between two groups was set at p<0.05. For statistical calculations Excel Spread Sheet of windows version 7 was used. Results: Result of present study revealed that in Speed, Agility and Muscular Endurance no significant difference exists between the Normal and Deaf & Dumb Boys. But in Flexibility & Explosive leg strength significant difference exist between the Normal and Deaf & Dumb Boys. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the results of the study that in flexibility the normal boys are better than the deaf and dumb boys but the Explosive leg strength of the Deaf & Dumb Boys are better than the normal boys

Mitigating Direct Detection Bounds in Non-minimal Higgs Portal Scalar Dark Matter Models

Minimal scalar Higgs portal dark matter model is increasingly in tension with recent results form direct detection experiments like LUX and XENON. In this paper we make a systematic study of minimal extension of the $\mathbb{Z}_2$ stabilised singlet scalar Higgs portal scenario in terms of their prospects at direct detection experiments. We consider both enlarging the stabilising symmetry to $\mathbb{Z}_3$ and incorporating multipartite features in the dark sector. We demonstrate that in these non-minimal models the interplay of annihilation, co-annihilation and semi-annihilation processes considerably relax constraints from present and proposed direct detection experiments while simultaneously saturating observed dark matter relic density. We explore in particular the resonant semi-annihilation channel within the multipartite $\mathbb{Z}_3$ framework which results in new unexplored regions of parameter space that would be difficult to constrain by direct detection experiments in the near future. The role of dark matter exchange processes within multi-component $\mathbb{Z}_3 \times \mathbb{Z}_3'$ framework is illustrated. We make quantitative estimates to elucidate the role of the various annihilation processes in the different allowed regions of parameter space of these models.Comment: 31 pages, 15 figures, added brief discussion on vaccum stability and unitarity; minor changes in the text; updated references; typos fixed; matches published versio

Incorporating ancestors' influence in genetic algorithms

A new criterion of fitness evaluation for Genetic Algorithms is introduced where the fitness value of an individual is determined by considering its own fitness as well as those of its ancestors. Some guidelines for selecting the weighting coefficients for quantifying the importance to be given to the fitness of the individual and its ancestors are provided. This is done both heuristically and automatically under fixed and adaptive frameworks. The Schema Theorem corresponding to the proposed concept is derived. The effectiveness of this new methodology is demonstrated extensively on the problems of optimizing complex functions including a noisy one and selecting optimal neural network parameters

STUDY OF ANTIMICROBIAL POTENTIALITY OF EIGHT DIFFERENT MANGROVE SPECIES AND DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR INTRA-RELATIONSHIP THROUGH CLUSTER ANALYSIS

Objective: The present study investigates the antimicrobial activities of eight different mangrove plants and also the development of their intra-relationship through cluster analysis. Methods: The dried and powdered leaves of different mangrove species were extracted by cold maceration process with water, methanol, and chloroform. The antimicrobial activity was done using the agar well diffusion method. The cluster analysis of the mangrove plants was analyzed by MINITAB Release 13.1. Results: The order of extraction yield for each mangrove species was methanol > chloroform > water. The methanol extract of Suaeda maritima, Avicennia marina, Avicennia officinalis, and chloroform extract of Sonneratia apetala gave the highest inhibition zones of 19 mm, 19 mm, 19.33 mm, and 19.33 mm, respectively, against Bacillus subtilis. The methanol extract of Ceriops decandra, Xylocarpus granatum, and Bruguiera gymnorrhiza found the highest inhibition zones of 21.67 mm, 22 mm, and 20.3 mm, respectively, against Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. The endangered and endemic species Heritiera fomes gave the highest result (18 mm) against both for Micrococcus luteus and B. subtilis in methanolic extract. The maximum zone of inhibition of fungal strains was found against Botrytis cinerea (15 mm), Fusarium oxysporum (16.33 mm), and Rhizopus oryzae (13.33 mm) with the methanol extract of X. granatum, S. apetala, and C. decandra, respectively. Cluster analysis of 8 mangrove species based on different bacterial pathogens was also shown where it demonstrated their intra-relationship against some bacterial pathogens. Conclusion: From this study, it may be concluded that mangrove plants can be used to discover bioactive natural products

Impact of Physical Education Curriculum on Academic Achievement of Higher Secondary School Students in India

In the present study, the researchers were mainly interested in investigating the impact of PE curriculum on the academic achievements of the Higher Secondary (HS) level (10+2) students belonging to two different educational boards in India i.e., West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). On the basis of simple randomization, one hundred eighty (N=180) HS level boys were selected from four schools (two schools from each board) as participants for the present study. Among 180 students, 120 students [60 from each educational board, WBCHSE acted as experimental Group-I (EGWB–I); CBSE acted as experimental Group-II (EGCB–II)] were so selected that they had PE as a compulsory subject and rest, 60 students [30 from each educational board, simultaneously acted as Control Group (CGWB+CB)] had either computer science or painting as a compulsory subject in place of PE. The students of EGWB–I & EGCB–II underwent two different PE curriculums as training interventions over an academic year (11 months). But the CGWB+CB did not receive any PE curriculum as a training intervention. The student’s academic achievement was measured by obtained marks in two common subjects (Bengali and English) for both boards. It was standardized through T-score and finally, composite T-score were calculated for all the subjects to draw statistical inference on academic achievement. Statistical inference on academic achievement among the groups in baseline and post-test were drawn through ANCOVA followed by Tukey's LSD post-hoc test. Significance was tested at p<.05 level. Both EGWB–I & EGCB–II showed a significant difference compared to the CGWB+CB in academic achievement. But no significant difference was observed between EGWB–I & EGCB–II. The academic achievement of the students having PE as a subject improved significantly compared to the students having no PE as a compulsory subject in both boards. But the PE curriculum in both boards was found to be equally effective for developing students' academic achievement

The impact of population displacement due to river bank erosion on the education of erosion victims: a study in jangipur sub-division of murshidabad district, West Bengal, India

The present research aims to find out whether population displacement due to river bank erosion has any impact on education of the erosion victims of the developing countries or not. To fulfil the objective of the study, 19 erosion affected study units were selected along the banks of the Ganga-Bhagirathi river in the Jangipur sub-division of Murshidabad district, West Bengal. Pearson’s correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were performed using SPSS software. The result of the study shows that frequency of population displacement due to bank erosion and percentage of child labour are positively and significantly correlated (r = 0.51). A low mean year of schooling has been observed in almost all selected study units. The result of multiple linear regression analysis shows that river bank erosion has an adverse impact on the education of the people living along the river banks