Information Protection as a Fundamental Principle V: Inflation, Reheating, Gauge Coupling Running, and Precision Cosmological Observables from Information-Response Dynamics

We apply the information-protection framework to the early universe and to gauge coupling evolution. The finite information-response time tau = 2/H modifies the inflaton dynamics, reduces the scalar perturbation sound speed to cₛ² = 2/3, and yields the classical inflationary predictions nₛ approx 0. 971 and r approx 0. 0555. Including the renormalization group flow of the scalar field between the GUT and inflationary scales generates an anomalous dimension that refines these to nₛ approx 0. 966 and r approx 0. 046. Both values are rigid, zero-parameter targets for next-generation CMB experiments. We further derive the threshold corrections that drive gauge coupling unification at alphaGUT^ (-1) approx 59. 0, reproduce the electroweak-scale couplings to within 0. 2 percent, and obtain the Higgs mass mH approx 125 GeV from first principles. The reheating temperature Tᵣeh approx 6 x 10¹4 GeV is independently fixed and yields a high-frequency gravitational wave background at fₚeak approx 3 x 10⁹ Hz. All results follow from the single information-response equation and the parameters fixed in Papers I--IV.