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Ichthyofaunal assemblages of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) remain largely uncharacterized in the Western Indian Ocean. Recent underwater exploration of MCEs on the island of Réunion in the Mascarene Archipelago, Western Indian Ocean, resulted in several high-quality photographs of the island’s deep reef ichthyofauna. We report new distributional records for Plectranthias inermis Randall, 1980 and Pseudanthias bimarginatus Randall, 2011 at Réunion Island based on field observations and underwater photographs. Additionally, we provide new live photographs of the little-known Réunion Angelfish, Apolemichthys guezei (Randall & Maugé, 1978), representing only the second photographic documentation of this elusive and apparently endemic species.

Survey of Physical Activity App Use Among Chronic Disease Patients (English Version). The questionnaire describes the participantsâ demographic profile, patient health status and current status of doing exercise, current status of using activity apps, and willingness of and barriers to using physical activity apps. (PDF 138 kb)

Grammatonotus roseus (G��nther, 1880) Rosy Groppo (Figure 3, Table 2) Heliastes roseus G��nther, 1880:45, plate XX, fig. D (original description, illustration; lectotype, herein designated, BMNH 1879.5.14.10, 64.6 mm SL; type locality off the Kai Islands, Indonesia, Challenger station 192). Zabulon roseus: Whitley, 1928:297 (new combination). Description. Dorsal-fin rays XI, 9. Anal-fin rays III, 9. Pectoral-fin rays 19. Pseudobranch with 11 or 12 filaments. Gillrakers 7 to 9 + 17 to 19, total 24 to 28. Tubed lateral-line scales 14 to 17. Midbody lateral scales 24 to 27. Circum caudal-peduncular scales 15 or 16. Scales between anal-fin origin and lateral line 8 or 9. Caudal fin subtruncated (G��nther, 1880:45, plate XX, fig D). Selected morphometric data are presented in Table 2. Coloration. ���Uniform rose coloured��� ( G��nther, 1880:45). Designation of lectotype. When G��nther (1880:45) described Heliastes roseus he did not designate a holotype. There are five syntypes of this species in the Natural History Museum, London: BMNH 1879.5.14:10���11 (two specimens, 53.0 & 64.6 mm SL) and BMNH 1890.2.26:141���3 (three specimens, 49.2���58.9 mm SL). To unequivocally fix the name of this species to a zoological entity, we hereby designate as the lectotype of Heliastes roseus the syntype of 64.6 mm SL (BMNH 1879.5.14.10). By that action the other syntypes���BMNH 1879.5.14.11 (53.0 mm SL) and BMNH 1890.2.26.141���3 (3: 49.2���58. 9 mm SL) become paralectotypes. Distribution. Known only from the type specimens collected off the Kai Islands, Indonesia, at Challenger station 192 (5��49���15��� S, 132��14���15��� E, in 129 fathoms ���236 meters). Comment. Along with the type specimens of Grammatonotus roseus, the lectotype and paralectotype of Propoma roseum (= Symphysanodon typus, family Symphysanodontidae) were also collected at Challenger station 192 (Anderson, 1970:333). Material examined. Five specimens, 49.2 to 64.6 mm SL. INDONESIA, off the Kai Islands: BMNH 1879.5.14.10 (lectotype: 64.6 mm SL), BMNH 1879.5.14.11 (paralectotype: 53.0 mm SL), BMNH 1890.2.26.141���3 (3 paralectotypes: 49.2���58.9 mm SL)., Published as part of Anderson, William D., Greene, Brian D. & Rocha, Luiz A., 2016, Grammatonotus brianne, a new callanthiid fish from Philippine waters, with short accounts of two other Grammatonotus from the Coral Triangle, pp. 289-295 in Zootaxa 4173 (3) on pages 293-294, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4173.3.7, http://zenodo.org/record/159398, {"references":["Gunther, A. (1880) Report on the shore fishes procured during the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger in the years 1873 - 1876. In: Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger during the years 1873 - 76. Zoology 1 (Part 6), 1 - 82, plates 1 - 32. [Reprinted in 1963 by J. Cramer, Weinheim.]","Whitley, G. P. (1928) Fishes from the Great Barrier Reef collected by Mr. Melbourne Ward. Records of the Australian Museum, 16 (6), 294 - 304.","Anderson, W. D. Jr. (1970) Revision of the genus Symphysanodon (Pisces: Lutjanidae) with descriptions of four new species. Fishery Bulletin, 68 (2), 325 - 346."]}

Grammatonotus brianne, new species Batangas Groppo (Figure 1; Tables 1, 2) Diagnosis. A species of Grammatonotus distinguishable from the other described species of the genus by the following combination of characters: caudal fin rhomboid shaped with mid-caudal rays produced, lateral-line usually disjunct (7 of 8 lateral lines disjunct, counts made on both sides of each specimen), anal-fin spines short (see Tables 1 & 2), and live coloration distinctive (see Fig. 1 and description of coloration below). Description. Dorsal fin not incised at junction of spinous and soft portions. Dorsal-fin rays XI, 9. Anal-fin rays III, 9. Pectoral-fin rays 18 or 19. Pelvic-fin rays I, 5. Caudal fin rhomboid shaped with median rays produced. Principal caudal-fin rays 15 (8 + 7); branched caudal-fin rays 13 (7 + 6); procurrent caudal-fin rays 6 dorsally, 6 or 7 ventrally. Branchiostegal rays 6. Pseudobranch with ca. 10 to ca. 14 filaments. Gillrakers long and slender, 7 or 8 + 19 or 20, total number on first gill arch 26 to 28. Lateral line ascending abruptly from its origin near opercle to run just below dorsal-fin base; tubed lateral-line scales 15 to 17 (lateral line usually disjunct, with 2 scales near opercle separated from main part of lateral line); other tubed scales present in various places that are not in main part of lateral line. Midbody lateral scales 24 or 25. Rows of cheek scales 4 or 5. Scales between dorsal-fin origin and lateral line 1 or 2. Scales between anal-fin origin and lateral line (counted along a posterodorsal series) 8 or 9. Circum-caudal-peduncular scales 15 to 17. Morphometric data are presented in Tables 1 & 2. Vertebrae 24 (10 precaudal + 14 caudal). Parapophyses absent from first caudal vertebra. No spur on posteriormost ventral procurrent caudal-fin ray; penultimate ventral procurrent caudal-fin ray not shortened basally (see Johnson, 1975). Parhypural autogenous, with well-developed hypurapophysis; hypural 1 + hypural 2 present as a single unit, no evidence of ontogenetic fusion; hypural 3 + hypural 4 present as a single unit, no evidence of ontogenetic fusion; hypural 5 autogenous; epurals 3. Epineurals associated with first 11 to 13 vertebrae. One trisegmental pterygiophore associated with dorsal fin, and one with anal fin. Configuration of supraneural bones, anterior neural spines, and anterior dorsal pterygiophores difficult to depict in the conventional symbolization of Ahlstrom et al. (1976) because supraneural bones do not actually interdigitate with neural spines; the two supraneural bones oriented more or less obliquely with their proximal ends usually terminating anterior to or dorsal to distal end of anteriormost neural spine. Body compressed, moderately deep. Mouth terminal and oblique; jaws almost equal. Maxilla reaching posteriorly to near middle of eye. Premaxilla protrusile. No supramaxilla. Interorbital convex. One opercular spine; distal margins of interopercle and subopercle smooth; margin of preopercle smooth to somewhat roughened. Premaxilla with outer series of conical teeth and usually one to a few small canines or canine-like teeth at anterior end of jaw; inner band of villiform to small conical teeth, band expanded near symphysis; no teeth at symphysis. Dentary with series of conical teeth (a few well back on jaw enlarged into caninform teeth); patch of villiform to conical teeth next to symphysis; usually one to a few exserted canines at anterior end of jaw; no teeth at symphysis. Vomer with small conical teeth, arranged in a chevron-shaped patch, patch without posterior prolongation. Palatine with row or band of villiform to small conical teeth. No teeth on tongue or pterygoids. Scales peripheral ctenoid (Roberts, 1993:92); posterior field of a scale with primary and secondary cteni (i.e., no ctenial bases present in posterior field). Body with midlateral series of modified scales (see Anderson et al., 2015:74, fig. 2). Secondary squamation absent on scales. Most of head, including maxilla, dentary, dorsum of snout, and interorbital region with scales. Dorsal, anal, pectoral, and pelvic fins without (or nearly without) scales; pelvic axillary scales present; modified scales (interpelvic process) overlapping pelvic-fin bases along midventral line; scales extending well out onto caudal fin. Coloration. Coloration based on digital photographs of two specimens (PNM 1 5196, formerly CAS 237785, 84.4 mm SL, the holotype [Fig. 1], and CAS 237786, 77.7 mm SL, a paratype): Dorsally head and body rosy to red; ventrally head and area below base of pectoral fin pale yellow to silvery; mid-body pink to pale rose above dull yellow; ventrally body pale yellow to faint purplish. Iris of eye yellow centrally with dark red to rose peripherally (widest ventrally); short band of blue at dorsalmost part of iris. Dorsal fin yellow to yellow orange proximally, light to dark purple distally (distal ends of dorsal spines yellow); anal fin light purple; pectoral fin pale yellow; pelvic fin light purple. Caudal fin pale to bright yellow proximally, pale yellow distally. Numerous bright yellow spots superimposed on ground coloration of proximal part of dorsal fin and all or most of caudal fin. Comparisons. Grammatonotus brianne n. sp. and G. crosnieri (Fourmaoir, 1981) have been collected off Batangas Province, Luzon, in the Coral Triangle. Another Grammatonotus, G. ro s e u s (G��nther, 1880), is also known from the Coral Triangle; the types and only known specimens of that species are from the Banda Sea off the Kai Islands, Indonesia. Grammatonotus brianne n. sp. is most easily distinguished from those two species by the shape of the caudal fin��� G. brianne n. sp. with a rhomboid shaped fin with mid-caudal rays produced, G. crosnieri with upper and lower lobes of caudal fin produced (examined specimens less than 70 mm SL with damaged caudal fins), and G. ro s e u s with a subtruncated fin (G��nther, 1880:45, plate XX, fig. D). In Table 2, we present comparisons of selected measurements for the three species of Grammatonotus known from the Coral Triangle. Distribution. This species is only known from specimens collected off Batangas Province, Luzon Island, Philippines. Material examined. Four specimens (72.9���84.4 mm SL) caught off Batangas Province, Luzon Island, Philippines; Mabini Dive & Trek; 13��48.035��� N, 120��54.635��� E.; depth of ca. 150 meters; collected by Brian Greene, 21/22 May 2014. Holotype. PNM 15196 (formerly CAS 237785), 84.4 mm SL. Paratypes. CAS 237786, 77.7 mm SL; CAS 237787, 72.9 mm SL; USNM 432499 (formerly CAS 237788), 82.4 mm SL. Etymology. The name brianne is for the second author���s wife (Brianne M. Atwood) and is a noun in apposition to the generic name Grammatonotus. Callanthias crosnieri Fourmanoir, 1981:91, fig. 15 (original description; illustration; holotype MNHN 1978���79, 116 mm SL; type locality Philippines, off Batangas Province, southern Luzon Island, MUSORSTOM cruise Station 6, 14��01.2��N, 120��20.0��� E, 200 meters). Grammatonotus crosnieri (Fourmanoir, 1981): Anderson, 2000: 2556 (species account, illustration). Description. Dorsal-fin rays XI, 9. Anal-fin rays III, 9. Pectoral-fin rays 18 to 20 (usually 19). Pseudobranch with 11 to 17 filaments. Gillrakers 8 or 9 + 18 to 20, total 26 to 29. Tubed lateral-line scales 14 to 17. Midbody lateral scales 23 to 25. Circum-caudal peduncular scales 16. Scales between anal-fin origin and lateral line 8 or 9. Anal spines long (see Table 2). Caudal fin damaged in smaller specimens (Coloration. The following description is based on a color transparency provided by Pierre Fourmanoir of a 71���mm SL specimen of Grammatonotus crosnieri collected in the Philippines (see Fig. 2). Dorsum of head rosy, side of head ventral to orbit silvery, ventral midline of head rosy. Iris of eye mostly pallid with broad blue blotch above narrow rosy stripe at dorsal border, narrow rosy arch at ventral and posterorventral borders, and some yellow posteriorly. Bright rosy stripe (one or two scales high) ventral to dorsal fin and continuing on dorsal surface of caudal peduncle. Rest of body mostly pale yellow to rose with brownish rivulations, except for silvery area anterior and ventral to base of pectoral fin. Ventral half of spinous dorsal fin mostly yellow green with distal portions of dorsal spines and most of soft dorsal fin rosy. Pectoral fin mostly dull orange; pelvic and anal fins mostly rose. Middle of caudal fin mostly yellow; several of dorsalmost and ventralmost caudal fin rays rosy. Distribution. Known from the Philippines (off Batangas Province, southern Luzon Island) in depths of 150 to 210 meters and reported from the west coast of the Malay Peninsula in 200 to 400 meters (Fourmanoir, 1981:92). Material examined. Nine specimens, 41.9 to 118 mm SL. PHILIPPINES, off Luzon Island (Batangas Province): MNHN 1978���79 (holotype: 116 mm SL), MNHN 1978���80 (2 paratypes: 110���118), MUSORSTOM 2���Station 12 (4: 41.9���116), MUSORSTOM 2���Station 51 (2: 57.8���97.5)., Published as part of Anderson, William D., Greene, Brian D. & Rocha, Luiz A., 2016, Grammatonotus brianne, a new callanthiid fish from Philippine waters, with short accounts of two other Grammatonotus from the Coral Triangle, pp. 289-295 in Zootaxa 4173 (3) on pages 290-293, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4173.3.7, http://zenodo.org/record/159398, {"references":["Johnson, G. D. (1975) The procurrent spur: An undescribed perciform caudal character and its phylogenetic implications. Occasional Papers of the California Academy of Sciences, 121, 1 - 23.","Ahlstrom, E. H., Butler, J. L. & Sumida, B. Y. (1976) Pelagic stromateoid fishes (Pisces, Perciformes) of the eastern Pacific: Kinds, distributions, and early life histories and observations on five of these from the northwest Atlantic. Bulletin of Marine Science, 26 (3), 285 - 402.","Roberts, C. D. (1993) Comparative morphology of spined scales and their phylogeneticsignificance in the Teleostei. Bulletin of Marine Science, 52 (1), 60 - 113.","Anderson, W. D. Jr., Johnson, G. D. & Baldwin, C. C. (2015) Review of the splendid perches, Callanthias (Percoidei: Callanthiidae). Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 105 (Part 3). Philadelphia, i - xxii + 1 - 126, plates 1 - 8, figures 1 - 23, tables 1 - 20, maps 1 - 5.","Fourmanoir, P. (1981) Poissons (premiere liste). In: Resultats des Campagnes Musorstom. I. Philippines (18 - 28 mars 1976). Memoires de l'ORSTOM (Office de la Recherche Scientifique et Technique Outre-Mer), No. 91 (Art. 3), 85 - 102.","Gunther, A. (1880) Report on the shore fishes procured during the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger in the years 1873 - 1876. In: Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger during the years 1873 - 76. Zoology 1 (Part 6), 1 - 82, plates 1 - 32. [Reprinted in 1963 by J. Cramer, Weinheim.]","Anderson, W. D. Jr. (2000) Callanthiidae. In: Carpenter, K. E. & Niem, V. H. (Eds.), FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific. Vol. 4. Bony Fishes Part 2 (Mugilidae to Carangidae). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome, 2553 - 2556. [Dated 1999, but published in 2000]"]}

Anderson, William D., Greene, Brian D., Rocha, Luiz A. (2016): Grammatonotus brianne, a new callanthiid fish from Philippine waters, with short accounts of two other Grammatonotus from the Coral Triangle. Zootaxa 4173 (3): 289-295, DOI: http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4173.3.7

Much of the low energy phenomenology which can be extracted from the field theory limit of the intrinsically ten dimensional E 8 ® E 8 heterotic superstring depends upon the topological and geometrical properties of the six dimensional compactified component of spacetime. After briefly reviewing the topological constraints on the latter manifold which ensure the survival of N=l four dimensional supersymmetry, we present and apply the mathematics necessary for the rigorous construction of vacuum solutions and the determination of the four dimensional massless field content. Two phenomenologically attractive classes of solutions, with unbroken E8 ⨂ SU(5) and E8 ⨂ SO(10) gauge groups, arise if the vacuum configuration contains a Ricci flat Kahler manifold with SU(3) holonomy (Calabi-Yau manifold), which admits certain SU(5) or SU(4) vector bundles. Further reduction of the gauge group and emergence of naturally light weak Higgs doublets may also occur by flux breaking if the Calabi Yau manifold is multiply connected. We analyse the feasibility of such scenarios for Calabi Yau manifolds with any possible fundamental group. Phenomenological considerations place severe constraints on the dimensions and transformation properties of certain cohomology groups and thereby lead to a highly restricted class of acceptable models. We then present the mathematical analysis of a three generation heterotic superstring inspired model, with E8 ⨂ E6 gauge symmetry. A detailed description of the manifold of compactification is given, along with a determination of its Hodge numbers and of the associated light supermultiplet structure. For a particular choice of vacuum moduli we derive this manifold's symmetry group, and determine its action on the massless fields in the theory. Preliminary investigation indicates that these transformation properties give rise to a remarkably realistic model. In the second volume we derive cosmological constraints on a supersymmetric extension of the standard model in which weak gauge symmery breaking is triggered at the tree level by a Higgs singlet superfield. The fermionic component of this gauge singlet (the "nino") is shown to be the lightest supersymmetric particle with a relic abundance near the critical closure density for a surprisingly wide range of the unconstrained parameters. The previously favoured photino dark matter scenario has been eliminated by the non observation of high energy solar neutrinos. After briefly reviewing this argument, we extend the analysis to eliminate Higgsino dark matter scenarios with and#60H1°and#62 ≠ and#60H2°and#62. We show that the nino produces an acceptably low level of solar neutrinos and that it may also account for the anomalously high level of cosmic ray antiproton flux.

We consider acceleration-assisted entanglement harvesting as evidenced in correlations between two accelerating Unruh detectors coupled to a scalar field. We elaborate on earlier studies, which in a stationary phase approximation calculated the entanglement dependence on two parameters $c_1 = \kappa L$, and $c_2 = \kappa \Omega \sigma^2$, where $\kappa$ describes the detector's acceleration, $L$ their separation and $\Omega$ the energy splitting in a pair of two state Unruh detectors. Here, we go beyond the stationary phase approximation by performing a numerical calculation of entanglement harvesting, allowing us to present the dependence on $c_3 = \sigma \Omega$, where $\sigma$ denotes the half width of a Gaussian window function specifying the field-detector interaction, and show agreement with earlier work the large $c_3$ limit., Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures

The new labrid species, Cirrhilabrus isosceles, is described from six specimens, 31.0–56.7 mm SL, collected from the Ryukyu Archipelago of Japan and the northern reaches of the Philippines in the western Pacific Ocean. The holotype and a paratype were collected at 35 m depth from Funauki Bay, Iriomote-jima, Ryukyu Islands, while the four other paratypes were collected at 24–36 m from Fuga Island, Cagayan Province, northern Philippines. The new species is distinguished by features of the terminal-phase male: i.e. color pattern, a prominent long mid-dorsal-fin basal dark spot, and a broadly lanceolate caudal fin. Despite its atypical caudal-fin shape, the new species has similar color patterns to the Cirrhilabrus lunatus species complex, which differ in having a somewhat lunate caudal fin. Indeed, the mtDNA barcode COI sequences for the new species matches those of some other members of the C. lunatus complex, specifically C. cf. lunatus, C. brunneus, and C. squirei (shared mtDNA haplotypes among species has been documented in other Cirrhilabrus species complexes). Cirrhilabrus isosceles is sympatric with three other members of the C. lunatus complex, and apparently hybridizes with at least one of them. The new species is most often confused with Cirrhilabrus lanceolatus, based on the shared caudal-fin shape, however, the two species are not closely related: C. lanceolatus is in a different set of mtDNA lineages most closely related to C. jordani from Hawai’i, indicating that caudal-fin shape in this genus is not phylogenetically informative. A neighbor-joining tree and genetic distance matrix based on the COI marker is presented for a number of Cirrhilabrus species.

Rain barrels are an easy way to conserve rain water and help protect our environment. This fact sheet tells how to find out about the current regulations in Utah and how to build a rain barrel for your own home.

Brian Greene discusses his latest project, World Science U, with writer Claudia Dreifus. Brian Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, and is widely recognized for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory, including the co-discoveries of mirror symmetry and topology change. His first book for general audiences, The Elegant Universe, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and has sold more than a million copies worldwide. His more recent books, The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Hidden Reality, were both New York Times bestsellers, and inspired the Washington Post to call him "the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today." Greene's latest project, World Science U, brings science education online with innovative digital courses available to anyone with an interest in science. Greene makes frequent media appearances on programs such as Charlie Rose, The Colbert Report and David Letterman. He has hosted two NOVA specials, based on The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos, which were nominated for four Emmy Awards and won a George Foster Peabody Award. Professor Greene is co-director of Columbia's Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics, and with producer Tracy Day, he is co-founder of the World Science Festival. Claudia Dreifus, a journalist and adjunct professor at Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, is well known for her interviews in the New York Times with leading figures in world politics and science. Maurice Matiz, CCNMTL's acting executive director, moderates the discussion on World Science U, online learning, and the changing role of the university professor.

We investigate the possibility that spiral inflation can be realized using the near-conifold flux potentials for the complex structure moduli in type IIB string theory compactified on a Calabi-Yau manifold. Using the explicit form of the flux potential for complex structure moduli, we provide analytical and numerical arguments showing that spiral inflation is difficult to support. We also show that for this sector of low energy string theories, a viable spiral inflationary scenario would owe its success to a de Sitter-like vacuum energy, with minimal reliance on the non-gradient flow field trajectories which characterize spiral inflation. We thus conclude that even though the near conifold region has the requisite multi-sheeted potential called for by spiral inflation, generically it appears that spiral inflation is not realized using the complex structure flux potential alone., Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures

Chromis abyssus, new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8 BDC0735-FEA 4-4298 - 83 FA-D04F 67 C 3 FBEC Deep Blue Chromis (Figs. 1 a ��� 1 c; Table 1; Morphbank 59; DigiMorph 60; GenBank 61; Barcode 62) Holotype. BPBM 40861 63 (81.6 mm SL), Belau (Palau) Islands; off Ngemelis Island; below and slightly N of Blue Holes caverns (7 �� 8 ' 16.49 "N, 134 �� 13 ' 18.5 "E): above large rock outcrop, 110 m, hand net, R.L. Pyle, 27 April 2007 [PCMB 3113 64]. Paratypes. BMNH 2007.10. 31.1 65 (50.2 mm SL) [PCMB 3103 66]. BPBM 40855 67 (3; 37.6 ���98.0 mm SL) [PCMB 3100 68, 3102 69]. CAS 225755 70 (64.1 mm SL) [PCMB 3105 71]. MNHN 2007.1922 72 (63.7 mm SL) [PCMB 3104 73]. USNM 391136 74 (2; 44.4���90.2 mm SL) [PCMB 3101 75]. WAM P. 32898 -001 76 (64.5 mm SL) [PCMB 3106 77]. All from same locality as holotype: sand and rubble slope with scattered rock outcroppings, 107���116 m, quinaldine and hand net, R.L. Pyle and B.D. Greene, 25 April 2007. Diagnosis. Dorsal rays XIV, 12���13 (usually 13); anal rays II, 12���14 (usually 13); pectoral rays 18���19 (usually 19); spiniform caudal rays 3; tubed lateral-line scales 14���16; gill rakers 6���7 + 17���18 (usually 7 + 18; total 24���25, usually 25); body depth 1.58���1.83 in SL; color when fresh dark gray with a large iridescent dark blue spot at center of each scale; membranes on median fins and pelvic fins opaque charcoal gray, with an iridescent dark blue margin on the spinous portion of the dorsal and anal fins; caudal fin mottled iridescent dark blue and black; pectoral fins with a black ovoid spot covering the basal portion and pectoral-fin axil. Description. Dorsal rays XIV, 13 (two paratypes with XIV, 12); anal rays II, 13 (II, 12���14); all dorsal and anal rays branched, the last to base in some specimens; pectoral rays 19 (one paratype with 18), the upper 2 and lowermost unbranched; pelvic rays I, 5; principal caudal rays 8 + 7 = 15; upper and lower procurrent caudal rays 5, the anterior 3 spiniform, the posterior 2 segmented and unbranched; tubed lateral-line scales 16 | 14 (14���16 except for one paratype with 11 | 15); posterior midlateral scales with a pore or deep pit 7 | 6 (5���8); scales above dorsal fin to origin of dorsal fin 3.5 (3���3.5); scales below lateral line to origin of anal fin 9 (9���10); gill rakers 7 + 18 = 25 (6���7 + 17���18 = 24���25), 6 gill rakers on upper limb of gill arch in one paratype, 17 gill rakers on lower limb of gill arch in one paratype); surpaneural (predorsal) bones 3; vertebrae 12 + 13. Body moderately deep, depth 1.73 (1.58���1.83) in SL, and compressed, the width 3.23 (2.65���3.56) in body depth; head length 3.01 (2.79���3.05) in SL; dorsal profile of head with slight convexity anterior to eye, slight concavity dorsal to eye, and slight convexity on nape; snout shorter than orbit diameter, its length 4.11 (4.00��� 5.74) in head length; orbit diameter 2.66 (2.28���2.90) in head length; interorbital space convex, its width 2.79 (2.59���2.92) in head length; caudal-peduncle depth 2.17 (2.15���2.59) in head; caudal-peduncle length 3.01 (3.34���4.39) in head. Mouth terminal, small, oblique, the upper jaw forming an angle of about 40 �� to horizontal axis of head and body; posterior edge of maxilla reaching slightly beyond a vertical at anterior edge of pupil, the upper jaw length 3.57 (3.39���4.11) in head; an outer row of conical teeth in each jaw, largest anteriorly; about 27 upper and about 20 lower teeth on each side of jaw; a narrow band of villiform teeth lingual to outer row, in 2���3 irregular rows anteriorly, narrowing to a single row on side of jaws; tongue triangular with rounded tip; gill rakers long and slender, the longest on lower limb near angle about four-fifths length of longest gill filaments; nostril with a fleshy rim, more elevated on posterior edge and located at level of middle of pupil, slightly less than one-third distance from front of snout to base of upper lip. Opercle ending posteriorly in a flat spine, the tip relatively obtuse and obscured by a large scale; margin of preopercle smooth, the posterior margin extending dorsally to level of upper edge of pupil; suborbital with free lower margin extending nearly to a vertical at posterior edge of pupil. Scales finely ctenoid; anterior lateral line ending beneath rear portion of spinous dorsal fin (between 11 th and 12 th dorsal-fin spines); head scaled except lips, tip of snout, and a narrow zone from orbit to edge of snout containing nostrils; a scaly sheath at base of dorsal and anal fins, about two-thirds pupil diameter at base of middle of spinous portion of dorsal fin, progressively narrower on soft portion; a column of scales on each membrane of dorsal fin, narrowing distally, those on spinous portion of dorsal progressively longer, reaching about two-thirds distance to spine tips on posterior membranes; scales on anal-fin membrane in two columns, progressively smaller distally; small scales on caudal fin extending slightly more than two-thirds distance to posterior margin; small scales on basal one-fifth of pectoral fins; a median scaly process extending posteriorly from between base of pelvic fins, its length about half that of pelvic spine; axillary scale above base of pelvic spine about one-half length of spine. Origin of dorsal fin over second lateral-line scale, the pre-dorsal length 2.29 (2.24���2.54) in SL; base of spinous portion of dorsal fin contained 2.24 (2.02���2.39) in SL; base of soft portion of dorsal fin contained 5.75 (5.65���6.48) in SL; first dorsal spine 10.85 (7.78���11.01) in SL; second dorsal spine 6.64 (5.22���7.14) in SL; third dorsal spine 5.41 (4.53���5.42) in SL; fourth dorsal spine 5.00 (4.44���5.08) in SL; fifth dorsal spine 4.88 (4.39���5.05) in SL; sixth dorsal spine 4.90 (4.45���4.99) in SL; last dorsal spine 6.19 (6.11���7.40) in SL; membranes of spinous portion of dorsal fin moderately incised; fourth dorsal soft ray longest, sometimes with a filamentous extension, its length 4.39 (4.21���5.06) in SL; first anal spine 10.92 (8.76���11.13) in SL; second anal spine 4.03 (3.66���4.24) in SL; first anal soft ray the longest, its length 4.41 (4.15���4.62) in SL; caudal fin forked, without significant filamentous extensions, its length 2.89 (2.87���3.64) in SL, the caudal concavity 5.83 (4.54 ���8.00) in SL; fourth pectoral-fin ray longest, 2.77 (2.65���3.08) in SL; pelvic spine 5.20 (4.95���5.67) in SL; first soft ray of pelvic fin filamentous, usually reaching to first through third anal-fin ray (when not broken or damaged), its length 2.86 (2.54���4.03) in SL. Color of adults and juveniles when fresh predominantly charcoal gray, a large iridescent dark blue spot at center of each scale (including scales on head and median fins), blue spots occupying about half of visible area of each scale on body, decreasing in size slightly towards abdomen and ventral portion of body, blue spots forming a near-continuous line along base of dorsal and anal fins, a vertical column of scales with iridescent dark blue spots extending dorsally on each interspinous membrane of dorsal fin, blue spots on scales covering soft portions of dorsal and anal fins varying in size, forming a mottled pattern of blue and black; membranes on median fins and pelvic fins opaque charcoal gray, with an iridescent dark blue margin on spinous portion of the dorsal fin, and a broad iridescent dark blue margin on the anal fin; caudal fin mottled iridescent dark blue and black; pelvic-fin spine entirely iridescent dark blue, an iridescent dark blue streak on the pelvic-fin soft rays, the filamentous extension on the pelvic fin white; pectoral fins translucent charcoal gray with a ovoid black spot on base and axil; iris charcoal gray to black; iridescent blue fleshy orbit margin. Color in alcohol similar to general color pattern when fresh, except charcoal gray pigment sometimes fades to brownish gray, and iridescent dark blue is either faded to pale gray blue, or has disappeared altogether (leaving the specimen uniform brownish gray, or sometimes charcoal gray overall). Distribution. Only collected from the type locality; also observed at similar depths at Augulpelu Reef in Palau. An individual of what appears to be this species was observed and photographed by Mr. Forrest Young at 120���150 m near Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia. Etymology. Named abyssus, a Latinized form of the Greek noun abyssos (meaning ���abyss���), to honor the documentary film Pacific Abyss, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which funded the expedition on which the type specimens were collected. The vernacular name ���Deep Blue Chromis ���, a reference to both the life color of this species and the relatively (within the context of the genus) deep-dwelling habits, is suggested instead of the more literally translated ���Abyss Chromis ���, so as not to imply that the species inhabits depths commonly defined as ���abyssal���. Remarks. This species was first observed by the senior author on May 10, 1997, during a mixed-gas rebreather dive to 120 m on the east side of Augulpelu Reef; Palau (07�� 16.41 ' N, 134 �� 31.44 ' E). It was later observed at the same reef at depths of 117���139 m from a submersible by Patrick L. Colin and Lori J. Bell in February���March, 2001. In April 2005, Mr. Forrest Young and colleagues observed several individuals of this (or a very similar) species during mixed-gas rebreather dives at depths of 120���150 m at Manado, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The type specimens included herein are the first of this species to be collected. From these observations, C. abyssus appears to prefer depths in excess of 115 m, staying close to the substratum among boulders and rock outcroppings, where it takes refuge in small caves and holes. Juveniles and some subadults were also observed around limestone talus. Adults were usually observed singly or in pairs, while subadults and juveniles were seen in small groups. All type specimens were collected in the same general area, where the species is not uncommon. Other Chromis observed in the vicinity include three of the new species described herein (C. brevirostris, C. degruyi, and C. earina). Chromis abyssus is not obviously allied with any other known species of the genus. It shares some similarities with a group of seven Indo-Pacific deep-dwelling Chromis species, characterized by a similar stout body shape, a large eye, and usually XIV dorsal spines. In their 1985 description of C. abyssicola, Allen and Randall noted a complex of deep-dwelling Chromis species distinguished by, among other characters, 19 or 20 pectoral rays, and 28���34 gill rakers. In addition to C. abyssicola, their complex included C. megalopsis 78 Allen 1976 (now regarded as a junior synonym of C. mirationis Tanaka 1917), C. mirationis Tanaka 1917 and C. struhsakeri Randall and Swerdloff 1973, to which we would add the subsequently named C. planesi 79 Lecchini and Williams 2004. C. abyssus has fewer pectoral rays (18 or 19) and fewer gill rakers (24���28) than members of this species complex, and may comprise a second grouping of deep-dwelling Chromis species, along with C. okamuri Yamakawa and Randall 1989 from Japan, the East African C. woodsi 80 Bruner and Arnam 1979 (both easily distinguished from C. abyssus on the basis of color and certain morphological characters such as number of gill rakers and tubed lateral-line scales), as well as the two new species C. circumaurea and C. degruyi, both described herein. Of the remaining two deep-dwelling Indo-Pacific stout-bodied Chromis species with XIV spines, C. onumai Senou and Kudo 2007 has the high pectoral-ray count of the first complex (19���20) and the gill-raker count of the second (25���27). C. axillaris 81 (Bennett 1831) has a wide gillraker range (26���30) and cannot easily be placed in either complex by this character. Of the three new Chromis with XIV dorsal-fin spines described herein (C. abyssus, C. circumaurea, and C. degruyi), each has a unique and distinctive color pattern, and is readily distinguished from the others. Among the three, the former two (C. abyssus and C. circumaurea) share the most similarities both in terms of morphology and in Barcode DNA sequence data., Published as part of Richard L. Pyle, John L. Earle & Brian D. Greene, 2008, Five new species of the damselfish genus Chromis (Perciformes: Labroidei: Pomacentridae) from deep coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific, pp. 3-31 in Zootaxa 1671 on pages 6-9, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180187, {"references":["Allen, G. R. (1976) Two new species of damselfishes (Pomacentridae) from Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum, 4, 133 - 144. 150","Tanaka, S. (1917) Eleven new species of fish from Japan. Dobutsugaku Zasshi, 29, 7 - 12. 178","Randall, J. E. & Swerdloff, S. N. (1973) A review of the damselfish genus Chromis from the Hawaiian Islands, with descriptions of three new species. Pacific Science, 27, 327 - 349. 176","Lecchini, D. & Williams, J. T. (2004) Description of a new species of damselfish (Pomacentridae: Chromis) from Rapa Island, French Polynesia. Aqua, Journal of Ichthyology and Aquatic Biology, 8, 97 - 102. 162","Yamakawa, T. & Randall, J. E. (1989) Chromis okamurai, a new damselfish from the Okinawa Trough, Japan. Japanese Journal of Ichthyology, 36, 299 - 302. 180","Bruner, J. C. & Arnam, S. (1979) Chromis woodsi, a new species of damselfish (Pomacentridae) from the western Indian Ocean with a redescription of Chromis axillaris (Bennett), 1831. Fieldiana Zoology, 73, 49 - 63. 155","Senou, H. & Kudo, T. (2007) A new species of the genus Chromis (Perciformes: Pomacentridae) from Taiwan and Japan. Bulletin of the National Museum of Natural Science, Series A, Suppl. 1, 51 - 57. 177","Bennett, E. T. (1831) Observations on a collection of fishes from the Mauritius, with characters of new genera and species. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1830 - 31 (Part 1), 126 - 128. 154"]}

Chromis circumaurea, new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8 ADC 4817 - 8 F 1 C- 4 C 88 - 8 B 8 A- 5372 A 84 CAEC 9 Gold-rim Chromis (Figs. 3 a ��� 3 c, Table 4; Morphbank 105; GenBank 106; Barcode 107) Holotype. BPBM 40836 108 (98.2 mm SL), Caroline Islands; Yap, S end; ���Magic Kingdom��� (9 �� 26 ' 3.41 "N, 138 �� 2 ' 5.96 "E): among boulders on sloping shelf above deep drop-off, 98���100 m, hand net, R.L. Pyle and B.D. Greene, 20 April 2007 [PCMB 3080 109]. Paratypes. BMNH 2007.10. 31.3 110 (102.4 mm SL) [PCMB 3081 111]. CAS 225757 112 (97.6 mm SL) [PCMB 3078 113]. MNHN 2007 - 1924 114 (92.5 mm SL) [PCMB 3076 115]. USNM 391138 116 (94.2 mm SL) [PCMB 3077 117]. WAM P. 32900 -001 118 (96.6 mm SL) [PCMB 3079 119]. All with same data as holotype. Diagnosis. Dorsal rays XIV, 12���13 (usually 13); anal rays II, 13���14 (usually 13); pectoral rays 18���19; spiniform caudal rays 3; tubed lateral-line scales 16���17; gill rakers 6���7 + 20���21 (total 26���27); body depth 1.68���1.86 in SL; color when fresh mahogany brown with bright yellow distally on spinous portion of dorsal fin; soft portion of dorsal fin, caudal fin, and anal fin bright yellow. Description. Dorsal rays XIV, 13 (12 in one paratype); anal rays II, 13 (14 in one paratype); all dorsal and anal rays branched, the last to base in some specimens; pectoral rays 19 (18���19), the upper 2 and lowermost unbranched; pelvic rays I, 5; principal caudal rays 8 + 7 = 15; upper and lower procurrent caudal rays 5, the anterior 3 spiniform, the posterior 2 segmented and unbranched; tubed lateral-line scales 16 | 17 (16���17); posterior midlateral scales with a pore or deep pit 8 (5���8); scales above dorsal fin to origin of dorsal fin 3.5 (3���3.5); scales below lateral line to origin of anal fin 10 (9���10.5); gill rakers 6 + 21 = 27 (6���7 + 20���21 = 26���27); surpaneural (predorsal) bones 3; vertebrae 12 + 13. Body moderately deep, depth 1.71 (1.68���1.86) in SL, and compressed, the width 3.02 (2.93���3.22) in body depth; head length 3.28 (3.18���3.37) in SL; dorsal profile of head with slight convexity anterior to eye, slight concavity dorsal to eye, and slight convexity on nape; snout shorter than orbit diameter, its length 3.71 (3.82���4.30) in head length; orbit diameter 2.61 (2.35���2.63) in head length; interorbital space convex, its width 2.61 (2.54���2.74) in head length; caudal-peduncle depth 2.04 (2.02���2.04) in head; caudal-peduncle length 3.19 (2.72���3.40) in head. Mouth terminal, small, oblique, the upper jaw forming an angle of about 40 �� to horizontal axis of head and body; posterior edge of maxilla reaching slightly beyond a vertical at anterior edge of pupil, the upper jaw length 3.09 (2.86���3.22) in head; teeth multi-serial, an outer row of conical teeth in each jaw, largest anteriorly; about 32 upper and about 26 lower teeth on each side of jaw; a narrow band of villiform teeth lingual to outer row, in 2���3 irregular rows anteriorly, narrowing to a single row on side of jaws; tongue triangular with rounded tip; gill rakers long and slender, the longest on lower limb near angle about three-fourths length of longest gill filaments; nostril with a fleshy rim, more elevated on posterior edge and located at level of middle of pupil, slightly less than one-third distance from front of snout to base of upper lip. TABLE 4. Proportional measurements (%SL) and counts of Chromis circumaurea, new species. Values separated by a pipe ���|��� are left|right or upper|lower. Holotype Paratypes Opercle ending posteriorly in a flat spine, the tip relatively obtuse and obscured by a large scale; margin of preopercle smooth, the posterior margin extending dorsally to level of upper edge of pupil; suborbital with free lower margin extending nearly to a vertical at posterior edge of pupil. Scales finely ctenoid; anterior lateral line ending beneath rear portion of spinous dorsal fin (between 12 th and 13 th dorsal-fin spines); head scaled except lips, tip of snout, and a narrow zone from orbit to edge of snout containing nostrils; a scaly sheath at base of dorsal and anal fins, about two-thirds pupil diameter at base of middle of spinous portion of dorsal fin, progressively narrower on soft portion; a column of scales on each membrane of dorsal fin, narrowing distally, those on spinous portion of dorsal progressively longer, reaching about two-thirds distance to spine tips on posterior membranes; scales on anal-fin membrane in two columns, progressively smaller distally; small scales on caudal fin extending slightly more than two-thirds distance to posterior margin; small scales on basal one-fifth of pectoral fins; a median scaly process extending posteriorly from between base of pelvic fins, its length about half that of pelvic spine; axillary scale above base of pelvic spine slightly more than one-third length of spine. Origin of dorsal fin over fourth lateral-line scale, the pre-dorsal distance 2.31 (2.30���2.47) in SL; base of spinous portion of dorsal fin contained 2.14 (2.09���2.18) in SL; base of soft portion of dorsal fin contained 6.16 (5.68���6.35) in SL; first dorsal spine 12.62 (9.91���10.88) in SL; second dorsal spine 6.83 (6.13���6.88) in SL; third dorsal spine 5.52 (4.81���5.53) in SL; fourth dorsal spine 4.88 (4.73���5.09) in SL; fifth dorsal spine 4.86 (4.66���5.02) in SL; sixth dorsal spine 4.82 (4.63���5.08) in SL; last dorsal spine 6.40 (6.13���6.57) in SL; membranes of spinous portion of dorsal fin moderately incised; fourth dorsal soft ray longest, its length 4.20 (4.18���4.67) in SL; first anal spine 11.98 (10.50���11.05) in SL; second anal spine 3.77 (3.89���4.15) in SL; first anal soft ray the longest, its length 4.18 (4.31���4.56) in SL; caudal fin forked, its length 3.17 (2.68���3.39) in SL, the caudal concavity 5.46 (5.20���6.44) in SL; fourth pectoral-fin ray longest, 2.77 (2.62���2.83) in SL; pelvic spine 5.78 (5.09���5.52) in SL; first soft ray of pelvic fin without long filamentous extension, usually not reaching anal fin, its length 3.89 (3.82���4.20) in SL. Color when fresh mahogany brown, appearing slate brown underwater; lateral line faintly brownish cream-colored; scales below lateral line with faint brownish cream-colored broad center area, forming approximately eight horizontal stripes visible underwater; spinous portion of dorsal fin same color as body, becoming bright yellow distally on first spine; second through last dorsal spines and membranes abruptly yellow distally, yellow portion increasing from distal one-fourth of fin at third spine to distal half at eleventh spine; soft dorsal fin entirely bright yellow except for posteriorly diminishing thin brown area basally on anterior 6 rays; caudal region from posterior base of dorsal fin to posterior tip of caudal fin uniform bright yellow; brown body color extends posterior to anal fin to lower anterior caudal peduncle; anal fin spines yellowish white; anal fin rays and membranes bright yellow; scales along ventral margin from anus to origin anal fin yellow; pectoral fin translucent; pelvic-fin spine translucent, medial yellow wash on anterior 3 pelvic rays, rays otherwise translucent; pelvic-fin membranes mahogany brown basally, translucent distally; iris brown with yellow wash. Color in alcohol similar to fresh color, except yellow portions are much paler yellow, and brown portions are slightly paler brown (much paler brown on thorax). Distribution. Observed from submersibles in the Marshall Islands and Mariana Islands, but only collected from Yap. Etymology. Named circumaurea, an adjective derived from the Latin words circum (meaning ���around���) and aurea (meaning ���golden, of gold���), in reference to the golden-yellow anal fin, caudal fin, and outer margin of the dorsal fin. Remarks. This species was first observed and photographed from a submersible by Patrick L. Colin at Enewetak in the Marshall Islands. An unconfirmed sighting and video clip of this species from the Mariana Islands requires verification. It was observed at Yap at depths of 98���120 m, in a group of about a dozen individuals living among large (~ 1���2 m) rock boulders just above the upper edge of a precipitous drop-off. A juvenile of approximately 40 mm SL was observed by the first author at a depth of 120 m, below the site where the type specimens were collected; its color pattern was consistent with that of the adults. Two photos appearing on p. 390 of Kuiter & Tonozuka (2001), labelled as Chromis analis 120 (Cuvier 1830), bear a remarkable resemblance to C. circumaurea, but differ in number of dorsal-fin spines (XIII vs. XIV) and color of body (paler in C. analis), caudal peduncle (dark centrally vs. entriely yellow), and central region of caudal fin (transparent vs. yellow). This species also bears a superficial resemblance in color to Chromis flavicauda 121 (G��nther 1880) from the western Atlantic Ocean, but is readily distinguished from that species on the basis of body color (blue in C. flavicauda vs. brown in C. circumaurea), dorsal-fin rays (XIII, 11���12 vs. XIV, 12���13, usually 13), anal-fin soft rays (11 vs. 13). Similarities with other deep-dwelling species with XIV dorsal-fin spines, including the new species C. abyssus described herein, are discussed in the Remarks section of C. abyssus., Published as part of Richard L. Pyle, John L. Earle & Brian D. Greene, 2008, Five new species of the damselfish genus Chromis (Perciformes: Labroidei: Pomacentridae) from deep coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific, pp. 3-31 in Zootaxa 1671 on pages 15-18, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.180187, {"references":["Kuiter, R. H. & Tonozuka, T. (2001) Pictorial guide to Indonesian reef fishes. Part 2. Fusiliers - Dragonets, Caesionidae - Callionymidae. Zoonetics. Australia. pp. 304 - 622. 161","Gunther, A. (1880) Report on the shore fishes procured during the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger in the years 1873 - 1876. In: Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H. M. S. Challenger during the years 1873 - 76. Zoology, Vol. 1, 82 pp, 32 pls. 159"]}

Seventy-five years ago, Albert Einstein completed his unified field theory; but, as had happened before and would happen again, Einstein had to go bak to the drawing board. Much progress have been inspired, with the most recent advances coming from an approach called string theory. (1,5 page)

"Quantum mechanics describes the world of the infinitely small, explaining the very special interactions at particle levl. Einstein's theory of general relativity applies to the infinitely big, combining space and time within a single entity (space-time) whose deformation explains the universal gravitational attraction between the large galactic and stellar objects in the universe (2.5 pages)

We study the effects of $ ��'$ corrections to the K��hler potential on volume stabilisation and racetrack inflation. In a region where classical supergravity analysis is justified, stringy corrections can nevertheless be relevant for correctly analyzing moduli stabilisation and the onset of inflation., 13 pages, 4 figures. Typos corrected, references added, this version to appear in JHEP

We clarify the status of transplanckian effects on the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy. We do so using the boundary effective action formalism of hep-th/0401164 which accounts quantitatively for the cosmological vacuum ambiguity. In this formalism we can clearly 1) delineate the validity of cosmological effective actions in an expanding universe. The corollary of the initial state ambiguity is the existence of an earliest time. The inability of an effective action to describe physics before this time demands that one sets initial conditions on the earliest time hypersurface. A calculation then shows that CMB anisotropy measurements are generically sensitive to high energy corrections to the initial conditions. 2) We compute the one-loop contribution to the stress-tensor due to high-energy physics corrections to an arbitrary cosmological initial state. We find that phenomenological bounds on the backreaction do not lead to strong constraints on the coefficient of the leading boundary irrelevant operator. Rather, we find that the power spectrum itself is the quantity most sensitive to initial state corrections. 3) The computation of the one-loop backreaction confirms arguments that irrelevant corrections to the Bunch-Davies initial state yield non-adiabatic vacua characterized by an energy excess at some earlier time. However, this excess only dominates over the classical background at times before the `earliest time' at which the effective action is valid. We conclude that the cosmological effective action with boundaries is a fully self-consistent and quantitative approach to transplanckian corrections to the CMB., Comment: LaTeX, 26 pages, 3 figures; JCAP version, minor corrections + references added

We discuss the high temperature behaviour of IIB strings in the maximally symmetric plane wave background, and show that there is a Hagedorn temperature. We discuss the map between strings in the pp-wave background and the dual superconformal field theory in the thermal domain. The Hagedorn bound describes a curve in the R-charge chemical potential versus temperature phase diagram of the dual Yang-Mills theory and the theory manifestly exists on both sides. Using a recent observation of Brower, Lowe, and Tan, we update our earlier calculation to reflect that the pp-wave string exists on both sides of the Hagedorn bound as well., 23 pages, LaTeX, 1 figure; v2 minor corrections and clarifications, references added; v3 nature of the Hagedorn transition updated, version published in NPB

These lectures are devoted to introducing some of the basic features of quantum geometry that have been emerging from compactified string theory over the last couple of years. The developments discussed include new geometric features of string theory which occur even at the classical level as well as those which require non-perturbative effects. These lecture notes are based on an evolving set of lectures presented at a number of schools but most closely follow a series of seven lectures given at the TASI-96 summer school on Strings, Fields and Duality., LaTeX file; 150 pages; please latex 3 times; contains 44 figures in postscript format. Lectures given at TASI96

For each family of Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces in toric varieties, Batyrev has proposed a possible mirror partner (which is also a family of Calabi-Yau hypersurfaces). We explain a natural construction of the isomorphism between certain Hodge groups of these hypersurfaces, as predicted by mirror symmetry, which we call the monomial-divisor mirror map. We indicate how this map can be interpreted as the differential of the expected mirror isomorphism between the moduli spaces of the two Calabi-Yau manifolds. We formulate a very precise conjecture about the form of that mirror isomorphism, which when combined with some earlier conjectures of the third author would completely specify it. We then conclude that the moduli spaces of the nonlinear sigma models whose targets are the different birational models of a Calabi-Yau space should be connected by analytic continuation, and that further analytic continuation should lead to moduli spaces of other kinds of conformal field theories. (This last conclusion was first drawn by Witten.), 22 pages, LaTeX

Much of the low energy phenomenology which can be extracted from the field theory limit of the intrinsically ten dimensional E 8 ® E 8 heterotic superstring depends upon the topological and geometrical properties of the six dimensional compactified component of spacetime. After briefly reviewing the topological constraints on the latter manifold which ensure the survival of N=l four dimensional supersymmetry, we present and apply the mathematics necessary for the rigorous construction of vacuum solutions and the determination of the four dimensional massless field content. Two phenomenologically attractive classes of solutions, with unbroken E8 ⨂ SU(5) and E8 ⨂ SO(10) gauge groups, arise if the vacuum configuration contains a Ricci flat Kahler manifold with SU(3) holonomy (Calabi-Yau manifold), which admits certain SU(5) or SU(4) vector bundles. Further reduction of the gauge group and emergence of naturally light weak Higgs doublets may also occur by flux breaking if the Calabi Yau manifold is multiply connected. We analyse the feasibility of such scenarios for Calabi Yau manifolds with any possible fundamental group. Phenomenological considerations place severe constraints on the dimensions and transformation properties of certain cohomology groups and thereby lead to a highly restricted class of acceptable models. We then present the mathematical analysis of a three generation heterotic superstring inspired model, with E8 ⨂ E6 gauge symmetry. A detailed description of the manifold of compactification is given, along with a determination of its Hodge numbers and of the associated light supermultiplet structure. For a particular choice of vacuum moduli we derive this manifold's symmetry group, and determine its action on the massless fields in the theory. Preliminary investigation indicates that these transformation properties give rise to a remarkably realistic model. In the second volume we derive cosmological constraints on a supersymmetric extension of the standard model in which weak gauge symmery breaking is triggered at the tree level by a Higgs singlet superfield. The fermionic component of this gauge singlet (the "nino") is shown to be the lightest supersymmetric particle with a relic abundance near the critical closure density for a surprisingly wide range of the unconstrained parameters. The previously favoured photino dark matter scenario has been eliminated by the non observation of high energy solar neutrinos. After briefly reviewing this argument, we extend the analysis to eliminate Higgsino dark matter scenarios with and#60H1°and#62 ≠ and#60H2°and#62. We show that the nino produces an acceptably low level of solar neutrinos and that it may also account for the anomalously high level of cosmic ray antiproton flux.

We review how initial state effects generically yield an oscillatory component in the primordial power spectrum of inflationary density perturbations. These oscillatory corrections parametrize unknown new physics at a scale $M$ and are potentially observable if the ratio $H_{infl}/M$ is sufficiently large. We clarify to what extent present and future CMB data analysis can distinguish between the different proposals for initial state corrections., Invited talk by B. Greene at the XXII Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, Stanford University, 13-17 December 2004, (TSRA04-0001), 8 pages, LaTeX, some references added, added paragraph at the end of section 2 and an extra note added after the conclusions regarding modifications to the large k power spectra deduced from galaxy surveys

Modern cosmology has sharpened questions posed for millennia about the origin of our cosmic habitat. The age-old questions have been transformed into two pressing issues primed for attack in the coming decade: How did the Universe begin? and What physical laws govern the Universe at the highest energies? The clearest window onto these questions is the pattern of polarization in the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), which is uniquely sensitive to primordial gravity waves. A detection of the special pattern produced by gravity waves would be not only an unprecedented discovery, but also a direct probe of physics at the earliest observable instants of our Universe. Experiments which map CMB polarization over the coming decade will lead us on our first steps towards answering these age-old questions.