Fate of Electromagnetic Field on the Cracking of PSR J1614-2230 in Quadratic Regime

In this paper, we study the cracking of compact object PSR J1614-2230 in quadratic regime with electromagnetic field. For this purpose, we develop a general formalism to determine the cracking of charged compact objects. We apply the local density perturbations to the hydrostatic equilibrium equation as well as all the physical variables involve in the model. We plot the force distribution function against radius of the star with different values of model parameters both with and without charge. It is found that PSR J1614-2230 remains stable (no cracking) corresponding to different values of parameters when charge is zero, while it exhibit cracking (unstable) when charge is introduced. We conclude that stability region increases as amount of charge increases.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figures, version to appear in advances in high energy physic

Inflation in Supersymmetric SU(5)

We analyze the adjoint field inflation in supersymmetric (SUSY) SU(5) model. In minimal SUSY SU(5) hybrid inflation monopoles are produced at the end of inflation. We therefore explore the non-minimal model of inflation based on SUSY SU(5), like shifted hybrid, which provides a natural solution for the monopole problem. We find that the supergravity corrections with non-minimal Kahler potential are crucial to realize the central value of the scalar spectral index n_s ~ 0.96 consistent with the seven year WMAP data. The tensor to scalar ratio r is quite small, taking on values r < 10^{-5}. Due to R-symmetry massless SU(3) octet and SU(2) triplet Higgs bosons are present and could spoil for gauge coupling unification. To keep gauge coupling unification intact, light vector-like particles are added which are expected to be observed at LHC.Comment: 16 page

An unusual cause of gynaecomastia in a male

Summary: Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) is normally produced by syncytiotrophoblasts of the placenta during pregnancy and aids embryo implantation. However, it is also secreted in varying amounts in non-pregnant conditions commonly heralding a neoplastic process. We present a case of 50-year-old man, who presented with bilateral gynaecomastia with elevated testosterone, oestradiol, suppressed gonadotropins with progressively increasing levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Biochemical and radiological investigations including ultrasonography of testes, breast tissue, MRI pituitary and CT scan full body did not identify the source of hCG. FDG PET scan revealed a large mediastinal mass with lung metastasis. Immunostaining and histological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of primary choriocarcinoma of the mediastinum. It is highly aggressive and malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and management are essential for the best outcome. Learning Points: High βhCG in a male patient or a non-pregnant female suggests a paraneoplastic syndrome. In the case of persistently positive serum hCG, exclude immunoassay interference by doing the urine hCG as heterophilic antibodies are not present in the urine. Non-gestational choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare trophoblastic tumor and should be considered in young men presenting with gynaecomastia and high concentration of hCG with normal gonads. A high index of suspicion and extensive investigations are required to establish an early diagnosis of extra-gonadal choriocarcinoma. Early diagnosis is crucial to formulate optimal management strategy and to minimize widespread metastasis for best clinical outcome

Measurement of single event upsets in the ALICE-TPC front-end electronics

The Time Projection Chamber of the ALICE experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider features highly integrated on-detector read-out electronics. It is following the general trend of high energy physics experiments by placing the front-end electronics as close to the detector as possible -- only some 10 cm away from its active volume. Being located close to the beams and the interaction region, the electronics is subject to a moderate radiation load, which allowed us to use commercial off-the-shelf components. However, they needed to be selected and qualified carefully for radiation hardness and means had to be taken to protect their functionality against soft errors, i.e. single event upsets. Here we report on the first measurements of LHC induced radiation effects on ALICE front-end electronics and on how they attest to expectations

Higgs Inflation, Quantum Smearing and the Tensor to Scalar Ratio

In cosmic inflation driven by a scalar gauge singlet field with a tree level Higgs potential, the scalar to tensor ratio r is estimated to be larger than 0.036, provided the scalar spectral index n_s >= 0.96. We discuss quantum smearing of these predictions arising from the inflaton couplings to other particles such as GUT scalars, and show that these corrections can significantly decrease r. However, for n_s >= 0.96, we obtain r >= 0.02 which can be tested by the Planck satellite.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures and 3 table