7,305 research outputs found

    Network design for urban light transport

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    Gravitational Lensing by Black Holes

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    We review the theoretical aspects of gravitational lensing by black holes, and discuss the perspectives for realistic observations. We will first treat lensing by spherically symmetric black holes, in which the formation of infinite sequences of higher order images emerges in the clearest way. We will then consider the effects of the spin of the black hole, with the formation of giant higher order caustics and multiple images. Finally, we will consider the perspectives for observations of black hole lensing, from the detection of secondary images of stellar sources and spots on the accretion disk to the interpretation of iron K-lines and direct imaging of the shadow of the black hole.Comment: Invited article for the GRG special issue on lensing (P. Jetzer, Y. Mellier and V. Perlick Eds.). 31 pages, 12 figure

    An Ethical Underworld?: Legendary Con Artists in Arabic Vernacular Fiction

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    Changing the Definition of the Orient Through Hollywood

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    In 2018, the film, Crazy Rich Asians showcased the glitz and glamour of the life of the one percenters of Singapore, one of the richest countries in the world. The film fueled the obsession that American media already has with cultures that are not their own. The purpose of this paper is to underscore the ways in which postcolonial theory applies to the way that American media and culture has warped the understanding of Asian cultures. I will use Edward Said’s definition of Orientalism and the theories set forth by Said’s work as a framework to explain how American media has commercialized and fetishized Eastern cultures for their advantage. Through the analysis of the work of Asian-American authors, such as Crazy Rich Asians, both the trilogy and the movie, by Kevin Kwan, the casting process of Hollywood, and the Pixar short film Bao, the orthodoxies of “the Orient” are challenged. The way that these pieces showcase Asian cultures that have then been commercialized to fit an American standard in media highlights the fetishization of Eastern cultures for the consumption of a larger public. It is not the intent of an author to commercialize their piece for a larger audience, but the intent of the media to create something that does not stray from what their audience already understands. I will demonstrate how American media has created a niche market for Eastern cultures to be showcased in the way that American media understands it, and not as it actually exists. The taking of Eastern cultures and warping it to fit in with an American perception and belief system is an issue that has plagued Asian-American creators and the work that they hope will highlight the culture to which they came from and belong to

    East Meets West: A Musical Analysis of Chinese Sights and Sounds, by Yuankai Bao

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    In the wake of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966-76) and with China’s new “Open Door” policy toward Western culture and Western music, Chinese composers have adapted Western compositional techniques. The new generation of Chinese composers have expressed in various ways of their research to the heritage of Western composers. Yuankai Bao is one of the new generations of Chinese composers. The topic of this paper is the integration of Chinese and Western compositional techniques in Chinese folk songs. The purpose of this research is to find out how Yuankai Bao connects Chinese pentatonic scale to Western harmony, and how he helps develop Chinese new music and applies some characteristics of Western music to his composition, Chinese Sights and Sounds-24 Pieces by Themes on Chinese Folk Tunes. This research will facilitate a better understanding to Western performers of Chinese folk songs and piano music and assist in the achievement of a more authentic performance
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