Trans-Planckian censorship and single-field inflaton potential

It was recently proposed that a field theory cannot be consistent with quantum gravity if it allows a mode shorter than the Planck length to exit the Hubble horizon. This is called the Trans-Planckian Censorship Conjecture (TCC). We discuss the implications of the TCC on the possible shape of the inflaton potential in single-field slow-roll inflation. We point out that (1) there is generically an initial condition in which the total e-folding number $N_\text{total}$ is doubled or more compared to the e-folds necessary for the cosmic microwave background fluctuations, and (2) a sizable negative running of spectral index is generically expected to make $N_\text{total}$ small. In concrete setups, we find a stringent constraint on the inflationary energy scale, $V_\text{inf}^{1/4} < \mathcal{O}(10) \, \text{TeV}$ with $r < \mathcal{O}(10^{-50})$, and the running parameter is bounded above as $\alpha_\text{s} \lesssim - 4 \times 10^{-3}$.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figures; published version (minor revision

Effect of different types of carbohydrate supplementation on glycogen supercompensation in rat skeletal muscle

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Infrared Imaging of z=2.43 Radio Galaxy B3 0731+438 with the Subaru Telescope - Detection of Hα\alpha Ionization Cones of a Powerful Radio Galaxy

We report on infrared imaging observations of the z=2.429 radio galaxy B3 0731+438 with the Subaru telescope. The images were taken with the K'-band filter and the 2.25 um narrow-band filter to examine the structure and properties of the Ha+[N II] 6548,6583 emission-line components. The Ha+[N II] emission-line image shows biconical lobes with an extent of 40 kpc, which are aligned with the radio axis. The rest-frame equivalent widths of the emission lines at these cones are as large as 1100 AA, and can be well explained by a gas-cloud model photoionized by power-law continuum radiation. The isotropic ionizing photon luminosity necessary to ionize the hydrogen gas in these cones amounts to 1e57(photons/s), which is larger than that in the majority of radio-loud QSOs. From these results, we propose that the Ha alignment effect in this object is produced by biconical gas clouds, which are swept up by the passage of radio jets, and are ionized by strong UV radiation from a hidden AGN. The continuum image consists of two components, a stellar-like point source and an extended diffuse galaxy. These are supposed to be a type-2 AGN and its host galaxy. The SED is fitted by a combination of spectra of a reddened dust-scattered AGN and an instantaneous starburst population of 500 Myr old. The stellar mass of the galaxy is estimated to be 3e11 M_solar, which is as large as that of typical 3C radio galaxies at z=1.Comment: 12 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses PASJ2.sty, PASJ95.sty, PASJadd.sty. Accepted for publication in PASJ (2000

A new prognostic index for overall survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma: the rPHS (regimen, PS, histology or stage) index.

First published online: April 2, 2015[Objective] Existing prognostic indices for malignant pleural mesothelioma do not incorporate the recent advances in oncology care. The purpose of this study was to provide a prognostic index for overall survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma patients treated with chemotherapy with pemetrexed or best supportive care in the recent clinical setting. [Methods] A retrospective cohort study was performed in two hospitals in Japan (2007–13). The primary outcome was overall survival. The Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariable analyses to identify prognostic factors. A final model was chosen based on both clinical and statistical significance. [Results] A total of 283 patients (chemotherapy: n = 228, best supportive care: n = 55) were enrolled in the study. On multivariate analysis, regimen including platinum plus pemetrexed, a performance status >0, non-epithelial histological type and Stage IV disease predicted poor overall survival in chemotherapy patients. As hazard ratios of individual risk factors were approximately similar, a prognostic index for overall survival was constructed by counting the risk factors. Median overall survival in chemotherapy patients decreased by each one-point increase in this count: 1030 days for zero; 658 days for one; 373 days for two; 327 days for three; 125 days for four. Internal validation using the bootstrapping technique showed robustness of the model (c-index, 0.677; 95% confidence interval, 0.624–0.729). Further, the discrimination was consistent in best supportive care patients (c-index, 0.799; 95% confidence interval, 0.725–0.874). [Conclusions] This novel index can provide clinicians and malignant pleural mesothelioma patients with a better framework for discussing prognosis at the time of diagnosis

H2_2 Emission Nebulosity Associated with KH 15D

An H$_2$ emission filament is found in close proximity to the unique object KH 15D using the adaptive optics system of the Subaru Telescope. The morphology of the filament, the presence of spectroscopic outflow signatures observed by Hamilton et al., and the detection of extended H$_2$ emission from KH 15D by Deming, Charbonneau, & Harrington suggest that this filament arises from shocked H$_2$ in an outflow. The filament extends about 15" to the north of KH 15D.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, 1 table. Astrophysical Journal Letters, in pres

Topkapı Sarayı Müzesinde Türk saatleri

Taha Toros Arşivi, Dosya No: 114-Müzelerİstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı (TR10/14/YEN/0033) İstanbul Development Agency (TR10/14/YEN/0033

Soft Gamma-ray Detector for the ASTRO-H Mission

ASTRO-H is the next generation JAXA X-ray satellite, intended to carry instruments with broad energy coverage and exquisite energy resolution. The Soft Gamma-ray Detector (SGD) is one of ASTRO-H instruments and will feature wide energy band (40-600 keV) at a background level 10 times better than the current instruments on orbit. SGD is complimentary to ASTRO-H's Hard X-ray Imager covering the energy range of 5-80 keV. The SGD achieves low background by combining a Compton camera scheme with a narrow field-of-view active shield where Compton kinematics is utilized to reject backgrounds. The Compton camera in the SGD is realized as a hybrid semiconductor detector system which consists of silicon and CdTe (cadmium telluride) sensors. Good energy resolution is afforded by semiconductor sensors, and it results in good background rejection capability due to better constraints on Compton kinematics. Utilization of Compton kinematics also makes the SGD sensitive to the gamma-ray polarization, opening up a new window to study properties of gamma-ray emission processes. The ASTRO-H mission is approved by ISAS/JAXA to proceed to a detailed design phase with an expected launch in 2014. In this paper, we present science drivers and concept of the SGD instrument followed by detailed description of the instrument and expected performance.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2010: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray