1,929 research outputs found
Negotiating sexuality and masculinity in school sport: An autoethnography
This autoethnography explores challenging and ethically sensitive issues around sexual orientation, sexual identity and masculinity in the context of school sport. Through storytelling, I aim to show how sometimes ambiguous encounters with heterosexism, homophobia and hegemonic masculinity through sport problematise identity development for young same-sex attracted males. By foregrounding personal embodied experience, I respond to an absence of stories of gay and bisexual experiences among males in physical education and school sport, in an effort to reduce a continuing sense of Otherness and difference regarding same-sex attracted males. I rely on the story itself to express the embodied forms of knowing that inhabit the experiences I describe, and resist a finalising interpretation of the story. Instead, I offer personal reflections on particular theoretical and methodological issues which relate to both the form and content of the story
High altitude climbers as ethnomethodologists making sense of cognitive dissonance: ethnographic insights from an attempt to scale Mt Everest
This ethnographic study examined how a group of high altitude climbers (N = 6)drew on ethnomethodological principles (the documentary method of interpretation,
reflexivity, indexicality, and membership) to interpret their experiences of cognitive dissonance during an attempt to scale Mt. Everest. Data were collected via participant observation, interviews, and a field diary. Each data source was subjected to a content mode of analysis. Results revealed how cognitive dissonance reduction is accomplished from within the interaction between a pattern of
self-justification and self-inconsistencies; how the reflexive nature of cognitive dissonance is experienced; how specific features of the setting are inextricably
linked to the cognitive dissonance experience; and how climbers draw upon a shared stock of knowledge in their experiences with cognitive dissonance
Audiogenic reflex seizures in cats
This study aims at characterizing feline audiogenic reflex seizures (FARS). An online questionnaire was developed to capture information from owners with cats suffering FARS. This was collated with the medical records from the primary veterinarian.
Ninety-six cats were included. Myoclonic seizures were one of the cardinal signs of this syndrome (90/96), frequently occurring prior to generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS) in this population. Other features include a late-onset (median 15 years) and absence seizures (6/96), with most seizures triggered by high frequency sounds amid occasional spontaneous seizures (up to 20%). Half the population (48/96) had hearing impairment or were deaf. One third of cats (35/96) had concurrent diseases, most likely reflecting the age distribution. Birmans were strongly represented (30/96). Levetiracetam gave good seizure control. The course of the epilepsy was non-progressive in the majority (68/96) with an improvement over time in some (23/96). Only 33/96 and 11/90 owners respectively felt the GTCS and myoclonic seizures affected their cat’s quality of life (QoL). Despite this, many owners (50/96) reported a slow decline in their cat’s health becoming less responsive (43/50), not jumping (41/50), uncoordinated or weak in the pelvic limbs (24/50), and exhibiting dramatic weight loss (39/50). These signs were exclusively reported in cats experiencing seizures for >2 years with 42/50 owners stating these signs affected their cat’s QoL.
In gathering data on audiogenic seizures in cats, we have identified a new epilepsy syndrome named FARS with a geriatric-onset. Further studies are warranted to investigate potential genetic predispositions to this condition
High efficiency coherent optical memory with warm rubidium vapour
By harnessing aspects of quantum mechanics, communication and information
processing could be radically transformed. Promising forms of quantum
information technology include optical quantum cryptographic systems and
computing using photons for quantum logic operations. As with current
information processing systems, some form of memory will be required. Quantum
repeaters, which are required for long distance quantum key distribution,
require optical memory as do deterministic logic gates for optical quantum
computing. In this paper we present results from a coherent optical memory
based on warm rubidium vapour and show 87% efficient recall of light pulses,
the highest efficiency measured to date for any coherent optical memory. We
also show storage recall of up to 20 pulses from our system. These results show
that simple warm atomic vapour systems have clear potential as a platform for
quantum memory
An AC Stark Gradient Echo Memory in Cold Atoms
The burgeoning fields of quantum computing and quantum key distribution have
created a demand for a quantum memory. The gradient echo memory scheme is a
quantum memory candidate for light storage that can boast efficiencies
approaching unity, as well as the flexibility to work with either two or three
level atoms. The key to this scheme is the frequency gradient that is placed
across the memory. Currently the three level implementation uses a Zeeman
gradient and warm atoms. In this paper we model a new gradient creation
mechanism - the ac Stark effect - to provide an improvement in the flexibility
of gradient creation and field switching times. We propose this scheme in
concert with a move to cold atoms (~1 mK). These temperatures would increase
the storage times possible, and the small ensemble volumes would enable large
ac Stark shifts with reasonable laser power. We find that memory bandwidths on
the order of MHz can be produced with experimentally achievable laser powers
and trapping volumes, with high precision in gradient creation and switching
times on the order of nanoseconds possible. By looking at the different
decoherence mechanisms present in this system we determine that coherence times
on the order of 10s of milliseconds are possible, as are delay-bandwidth
products of approximately 50 and efficiencies over 90%
Storage and Manipulation of Light Using a Raman Gradient Echo Process
The Gradient Echo Memory (GEM) scheme has potential to be a suitable protocol
for storage and retrieval of optical quantum information. In this paper, we
review the properties of the -GEM method that stores information in
the ground states of three-level atomic ensembles via Raman coupling. The
scheme is versatile in that it can store and re-sequence multiple pulses of
light. To date, this scheme has been implemented using warm rubidium gas cells.
There are different phenomena that can influence the performance of these
atomic systems. We investigate the impact of atomic motion and four-wave mixing
and present experiments that show how parasitic four-wave mixing can be
mitigated. We also use the memory to demonstrate preservation of pulse shape
and the backward retrieval of pulses.Comment: 26 pages, 13 figure
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Exploring thermal signatures in the experimentally heated CM carbonaceous chondrite Allan Hills 83100
A Scalable, Self-Analyzing Digital Locking System for use on Quantum Optics Experiments
Digital control of optics experiments has many advantages over analog control
systems, specifically in terms of scalability, cost, flexibility, and the
integration of system information into one location. We present a digital
control system, freely available for download online, specifically designed for
quantum optics experiments that allows for automatic and sequential re-locking
of optical components. We show how the inbuilt locking analysis tools,
including a white-noise network analyzer, can be used to help optimize
individual locks, and verify the long term stability of the digital system.
Finally, we present an example of the benefits of digital locking for quantum
optics by applying the code to a specific experiment used to characterize
optical Schrodinger cat states.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
Time- and frequency-domain polariton interference
We present experimental observations of interference between an atomic spin
coherence and an optical field in a {\Lambda}-type gradient echo memory. The
interference is mediated by a strong classical field that couples a weak probe
field to the atomic coherence through a resonant Raman transition. Interference
can be observed between a prepared spin coherence and another propagating
optical field, or between multiple {\Lambda} transitions driving a single spin
coherence. In principle, the interference in each scheme can yield a near unity
visibility.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure
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