Topological fermion condensates from anomalies

We show that a class of fermion theory formulated on a compact, curved manifold will generate a condensate whose magnitude is determined only by the volume and Euler characteristic of the space. The construction requires that the fermions be treated as K\"{a}hler-Dirac fields and the condensate arises from an anomaly associated with a $U(1)$ global symmetry which is subsequently broken to a discrete subgroup. Remarkably the anomaly survives under discretization of the space which allows us to compute the condensate on an arbitrary triangulation. The results, being topological in character, should hold in a wide range of gravitationally coupled fermion theories both classical and quantumComment: 10 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables. minor corrections. Version published in JHE

Lattice quantum gravity with scalar fields

We consider the four-dimensional Euclidean dynamical triangulations lattice model of quantum gravity based on triangulations of $S^{4}$. We couple it minimally to a scalar field in the quenched approximation. Our results suggest a multiplicative renormalization for the mass of the scalar field which is consistent with the shift symmetry of the discretized lattice action. We discuss the possibility of measuring the mass anomalous dimension and the gravitational binding energy between two scalar test particles, where a negative bound state energy would imply that this model has an attractive gravitational force.Comment: 1+6 pages, proceedings for the 36th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory (22-28 July 2018). v2 -- Added one reference and fixed a typo. Comments welcome

Analogies Between Digital Radio and Chemical Orthogonality as a Method for Enhanced Analysis of Molecular Recognition Events

Acoustic wave biosensors are a real-time, label-free biosensor technology, which have been exploited for the detection of proteins and cells. One of the conventional biosensor approaches involves the immobilization of a monolayer of antibodies onto the surface of the acoustic wave device for the detection of a specific analyte. The method described within includes at least two immobilizations of two different antibodies onto the surfaces of two separate acoustic wave devices for the detection of several analogous analytes. The chemical specificity of the molecular recognition event is achieved by virtue of the extremely high (nM to pM) binding affinity between the antibody and its antigen. In a standard ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) test, there are multiple steps and the end result is a measure of what is bound so tightly that it does not wash away easily. The fact that this “gold standard” is very much not real time, masks the dance that is the molecular recognition event. X-Ray Crystallographer, Ian Wilson, demonstrated more than a decade ago that antibodies undergo conformational change during a binding event[1, 2]. Further, it is known in the arena of immunochemistry that some antibodies exhibit significant cross-reactivity and this is widely termed antibody promiscuity. A third piece of the puzzle that we will exploit in our system of acoustic wave biosensors is the notion of chemical orthogonality. These three biochemical constructs, the dance, antibody promiscuity and chemical orthogonality will be combined in this paper with the notions of in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals from digital radio to manifest an approach to molecular recognition that allows a level of discrimination and analysis unobtainable without the aggregate. As an example we present experimental data on the detection of TNT, RDX, C4, ammonium nitrate and musk oil from a system of antibody-coated acoustic wave sensors

Ti-Girl Power: American Utopianism in the Queer Superhero Text

This paper examines the ways in which artist-writer Jaime Hernandez engages with issues of national belonging in terms of ethnicity and gender in his 2012 superhero graphic novel God and Science: Return of the Ti-Girls. By presenting the adventures of a group of multi-racial female superheroes, Hernandez productively exploits the inherent social marginality of the superhero, conflating it with a comparable marginality of non-whites and women in American society. By doing so, he rearticulates that marginality as an actualization of the promise of pluralistic utopianism inherent in American society. As a Chicano and fan of Silver Age superhero comic books himself, Henandez also realizes this ethos for himself in the very creation of this work

Peptide Therapy

Abstract Peptide therapy is a type of alternative medicine. The science behind why peptides are beneficial is apparent in many standard medications used every day. Studies have been done on different peptides and how their usage can benefit healing. Peptides are naturally found in the body but can also be made artificially. They can be used as additional therapy or alone. The purpose of this study will be focusing on two peptides and the many valuable capabilities they possess. Several studies regarding the effects of Thymosin Beta 4 (Tβ4) and Body Protective Compound (BPC) 157 were utilized to further explain the benefits of peptide therapy. Peptide therapy is an interesting concept that stems from the basis of the pathophysiology of the human body