Constraining Primordial Black Hole Formation from Single-Field Inflation.

The most widely studied formation mechanism of a primordial black hole is collapse of large-amplitude perturbation on small scales generated in single-field inflation. In this Letter, we calculate one-loop correction to the large-scale power spectrum in a model with sharp transition of the second slow-roll parameter. We find that models producing an appreciable amount of primordial black holes induce nonperturbative coupling on a large scale probed by cosmic microwave background radiation.

Associations between physical physique/fitness in children and bone development during puberty: a 4-year longitudinal study.

Bone growth is most remarkable during puberty. This study aimed to clarify the effects of physique and physical strength on bone mineral density and bone metabolism markers during puberty to help improve bone growth during puberty and prevent future osteoporosis. There were 277 pubertal participants (125 boys and 152 girls) in this survey from 2009 to 2015, all aged 10/11 and 14/15 years.

Why Must Primordial Non-Gaussianity Be Very Small?

One-loop correction to the power spectrum in generic single-field inflation is calculated by using standard perturbation theory. Because of the enhancement inversely proportional to the observed red tilt of the spectral index of curvature perturbation, the correction turns out to be much larger than previously anticipated. As a result, the primordial non-Gaussianity must be much smaller than the current observational bound in order to warrant the validity of cosmological perturbation theory.

Constraints on primordial black holes.

We update the constraints on the fraction of the Universe that may have gone into primordial black holes (PBHs) over the mass range 10to 10 g. Those smaller than ∼10 g would have evaporated by now due to Hawking radiation, so their abundance at formation is constrained by the effects of evaporated particles on big bang nucleosynthesis, the cosmic microwave background (CMB), the Galactic and extragalactic-ray and cosmic ray backgrounds and the possible generation of stable Planck mass relics. PBHs larger than ∼10 g are subject to a variety of constraints associated with gravitational lensing, dynamical effects, influence on large-scale structure, accretion and gravitational waves.

Relationships between body composition and pulmonary function in a community-dwelling population in Japan.

Pulmonary diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are major chronic diseases that result in decreased pulmonary function. Relationships between body composition and pulmonary function have been reported. However, few epidemiological studies have used the visceral fat area (VFA) to measure body composition.

Association between Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid and Reactive Oxygen Species Production of Neutrophils in the General Population.

Little is known about the relationship between polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the general population. Therefore this study aimed to describe the association of PUFAs with ROS according to age and sex in the general population and to determine whether PUFA levels are indicators of ROS. This cross-sectional study included 895 participants recruited from a 2015 community health project.

Toward the detection of gravitational waves under non-Gaussian noises II. Independent component analysis.

We introduce a new analysis method to deal with stationary non-Gaussian noises in gravitational wave detectors in terms of the independent component analysis. First, we consider the simplest case where the detector outputs are linear combinations of the inputs, consisting of signals and various noises, and show that this method may be helpful to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. Next, we take into account the time delay between the inputs and the outputs.

Toward the detection of gravitational waves under non-Gaussian noises I. Locally optimal statistic.

After reviewing the standard hypothesis test and the matched filter technique to identify gravitational waves under Gaussian noises, we introduce two methods to deal with non-Gaussian stationary noises. We formulate the likelihood ratio function under weakly non-Gaussian noises through the Edgeworth expansion and strongly non-Gaussian noises in terms of a new method we call Gaussian mapping where the observed marginal distribution and the two-body correlation function are fully taken into account. We then apply these two approaches to Student's t-distribution which has a larger tails than Gaussian.

Reheating the universe once more: the dissipation of acoustic waves as a novel probe of primordial inhomogeneities on even smaller scales.

We provide a simple but robust bound on the primordial curvature perturbation in the range 10(4)  Mpc(-1) View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Additive effects of cilnidipine, an L-/N-type calcium channel blocker, and an angiotensin II receptor blocker on reducing cardiorenal damage in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Cilnidipine (Cil), which is an L-/N-type calcium channel blocker (CCB), has been known to provide renal protection by decreasing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the renin-angiotensin system. In this study, we compared the effects of the combination of Cil and amlodipine (Aml), which is an L-type CCB, with an angiotensin (Ang) II receptor blocker on diabetic cardiorenal damage in spontaneously type 2 diabetic rats. Seventeen-week-old Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rats were randomly assigned to receive Cil, Aml, valsartan (Val), Cil + Val, Aml + Val, or a vehicle (eight rats per group) for 22 weeks.

Effects of low-carbohydrate/high-monounsaturated fatty acid liquid diets on diurnal glucose variability and insulin dose in type 2 diabetes patients on tube feeding who require insulin therapy.

Objective: A low-carbohydrate/high-monounsaturated fatty acid liquid diet (LC/HMD) was investigated for its role in long-term glycemic control in tube-fed type 2 diabetes patients who require insulin therapy.

Patients And Methods: The study included 10 type 2 diabetes patients requiring insulin therapy who were being tube-fed with a high-carbohydrate liquid diet (HCD). With stable glucose control maintained, these patients were monitored for glucose levels for 4 consecutive days by using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Cosmology based on f(R) gravity admits 1 eV sterile neutrinos.

It is shown that the tension between recent neutrino oscillation experiments, favoring sterile neutrinos with masses of the order of 1 eV, and cosmological data which impose stringent constraints on neutrino masses from the free streaming suppression of density fluctuations, can be resolved in models of the present accelerated expansion of the Universe based on f(R) gravity.

Effects of add-on treatment with sitagliptin on narrowing the range of glucose fluctuations in Japanese type 2 diabetes patients receiving insulin therapy.

Background: In an earlier continuous glucose monitoring (CGM)-based study, we reported that sitagliptin not only reduced 24-h mean glucose levels but also suppressed postprandial glucose increases, thus reducing the range of glycemic fluctuations in type 2 diabetes patients. In this study, we investigated whether sitagliptin might provide similar benefits in type 2 diabetes patients receiving insulin therapy by using CGM.

Patients And Methods: The study included a total of 13 type 2 diabetes patients in whom stable glycemic control had been achieved after admission for glycemic control.

The effect of a low-carbohydrate/high-monounsaturated fatty acid liquid diet and an isoleucine-containing liquid diet on 24-h glycemic variability in diabetes patients on tube feeding: a comparison by continuous glucose monitoring.

Objective: This study compare the effect of various liquid diets on 24-h glycemic variability in diabetes patients on tube feeding.

Patients And Methods: The study included type 2 diabetes patients in whom percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy had been performed for dysphagia as a sequela of cerebrovascular disease and who had been put on tube feeding with a standard high-carbohydrate liquid diet (HCD). Once stable glycemic control was achieved, these patients were continuously monitored for glucose levels for 5 days on continuous glucose monitoring.

Effect of miglitol as an add-on to bolus insulin on postprandial glycemic excursions in type 2 diabetes patients assessed by continuous glucose monitoring.

Background: We compared the effects of miglitol as an add-on to bolus insulin and dose-intensified bolus insulin on postprandial glycemic excursions by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Subjects And Methods: The glucose levels of 21 type 2 diabetes patients admitted for glycemic control were monitored for three consecutive days by CGM after stable glycemic control was achieved with bolus or basal-bolus insulin therapy. During the 3-day period, bolus insulin administration was continued in 11 patients on Day 1; the dose of bolus insulin in these patients was increased by 2 U before each meal on day 2, and on day 3, 50 mg of miglitol was administered before each meal in addition to the initial dose of bolus insulin given on Day 1.

Primordial non-Gaussianities of gravitational waves in the most general single-field inflation model with second-order field equations.

We completely clarify the feature of primordial non-Gaussianities of tensor perturbations in the most general single-field inflation model with second-order field equations. It is shown that the most general cubic action for the tensor perturbation h(ij) is composed only of two contributions, one with two spacial derivatives and the other with one time derivative on each h(ij). The former is essentially identical to the cubic term that appears in Einstein gravity and predicts a squeezed shape, while the latter newly appears in the presence of the kinetic coupling to the Einstein tensor and predicts an equilateral shape.

Liraglutide narrows the range of circadian glycemic variations in Japanese type 2 diabetes patients and nearly flattens these variations in drug-naive type 2 diabetes patients: a continuous glucose monitoring-based study.

Background: Liraglutide was examined for its effects on 24-h glucose fluctuations in Japanese type 2 diabetes patients as well as for its differential effects depending on glucose tolerance status after favorable glycemic control was obtained in these patients.

Patients And Methods: In this prospective open-label pilot study, a total of 20 type 2 diabetes patients hospitalized for glycemic control were given liraglutide 0.3 mg, followed by liraglutide 0.

Influence of telmisartan on insulin response after glucose loading in obese patients with hypertension: ARB trial of hypertension in obese patients with hyperinsulinemia assessed by oral glucose tolerance test (ATHLETE).

Introduction: The number of patients with both hypertension and obesity has been increasing in Japan. Many of these patients may also have insulin resistance. Telmisartan, an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB), selectively activates peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor (PPAR)-gamma, and this effect is considered to markedly improve insulin resistance in obese patients with hypertension.

Effects of sitagliptin on 24-h glycemic changes in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes assessed using continuous glucose monitoring.

Background: This study was performed to examine the efficacy of sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) of 24-h glycemic changes.

Subjects And Methods: The study was a prospective open-label pilot study in patients with type 2 diabetes who were admitted to our hospital and treated with sitagliptin alone or concomitantly with another oral hypoglycemic drug. CGM was performed for 2 days before sitagliptin administration and for another 2 days after administration.

Evaluation of efficacy of acarbose on glucose fluctuation and postprandial glucose using continuous glucose monitoring in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the α-glucosidase inhibitor acarbose on glucose fluctuations in patients with type 2 diabetes using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).

Methods: CGM was performed for 4 days (72 h), and acarbose at 300 mg/day was administered on two of these days but not on the other two days. The effects on blood glucose fluctuations were evaluated.

Inflation driven by the Galileon field.

We propose a new class of inflation model, G inflation, which has a Galileon-like nonlinear derivative interaction of the form G(ϕ,(∇ϕ)(2))□ϕ in the Lagrangian with the resultant equations of motion being of second order. It is shown that (almost) scale-invariant curvature fluctuations can be generated even in the exactly de Sitter background and that the tensor-to-scalar ratio can take a significantly larger value than in the standard inflation models, violating the standard consistency relation. Furthermore, violation of the null energy condition can occur without any instabilities.

Association of polymorphism of estrogen receptor-alpha gene with circulating levels of adiponectin in postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes.

Aim: Menopause is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women because of the reduction in endogenous estrogen. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the estrogen receptor alpha (ESR-1) gene (c.454-397T>C) associated with the prognosis of myocardial infarction in postmenopausal women were identified; however, the mechanism by which genetic variation of ESR-1 contributes to the pathogenesis of CVD is unknown.

Gravitational-wave background as a probe of the primordial black-hole abundance.

The formation of a significant number of black holes (PBHs) is realized if and only if primordial density fluctuations have a large amplitude, which means that tensor perturbations generated from these scalar perturbations as a second-order effect are also large and comparable to the observational data. We show that pulsar timing data essentially rule out PBHs with 10;{2}-10;{4}M_{middle dot in circle}, which were previously considered as a candidate of intermediate-mass black holes, and that PBHs with a mass range of 10;{20} to 10;{26} g, which serves as a candidate of dark matter, may be probed by future space-based laser interferometers and atomic interferometers.

Structural and glycation site changes of albumin in diabetic patient with very high glycated albumin.

Background: Glycated albumin (GA) has been utilized to monitor mid-term glycemic control, and reflects the status of blood glucose more rapidly and effectively than hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)). To examine the relationship between GA level and structural changes or glycation sites of albumin, we analyzed pre- and post-treatment samples from a diabetic patient with extraordinary increase of GA.

Method: A female diabetic patient with poor glycemic control had a GA >94% and was treated with intensive insulin therapy to decrease blood glucose.