A Foucauldian and Deleuzian reading of autopoietic bisexual lives

This paper will locate the convergence of Foucault’s and ’Deleuze’s critico-political itinerary on the ethics of autopoiesis. It will re-evaluate the aims and objectives of Foucault’s ‘ethical turn’ in the later volumes of the history of sexuality project alongside Deleuzian ideas about the processes of becoming-other. Then, using primary research from a sociological study on bisexual lives, the paper will demonstrate the consonances of their respective theoretical insights about the potential of erotic ‘pleasure’ and ‘desire’ as a force of resistance. The aim of the analysis is twofold: firstly, to set the groundwork for further dialogical exchange between Deleuzian and Foucauldian thinking; and secondly, to highlight a lacuna in queer scholarship on bisexuality

Sonar for the Visually Impaired

There are currently no inexpensive assistive devices that allow the visually impaired detect low hanging objects that are above waist height and may cause injury, such as a rope or tree branch. The challenge presented to the team by the Quality of Life Plus Lab (QL+) was to develop a Sonar Cane device that attaches to a traditional white cane to address this problem. This device must be lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, have a long battery life, and accurately detect obstacles to prevent user injury

Skew-Gaussian model of small-photon-number coherent Ising machines

A Gaussian quantum theory of bosonic modes has been widely used to describe quantum optical systems, including coherent Ising machines (CIMs) that consist of $\chi^{(2)}$ degenerate optical parametric oscillators (DOPOs) as nonlinear elements. However, Gaussian models have been thought to be invalid in the extremely strong-gain-saturation limit. Here, we develop an extended Gaussian model including two third-order fluctuation products, $\langle \delta \hat{X}^3\rangle$ and $\langle \delta \hat{X}\delta \hat{P}^2\rangle$, which we call self-skewness and cross-skewness, respectively. This new model which we call skew-Gaussian model more precisely replicates the success probability predicted by the quantum master equation (QME), relative to Gaussian models. We also discuss the impact of skew variables on the performance of CIMs

Nonlinear Quantum Behavior of Ultrashort-Pulse Optical Parametric Oscillators

The quantum features of ultrashort-pulse optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are theoretically investigated in the nonlinear regime near and above threshold. Starting from basic premises of input-output theory, we derive a general quantum model for pulsed OPOs subject to χ(2) interactions between a multimode signal cavity and a non-resonant broadband pump field, elucidating time scale conditions required for such pulsed OPOs to admit an input-output description. By employing a supermode decomposition of the nonlinear Lindblad operators governing pump-signal interactions, we perform multimode quantum simulations in the regime of strong nonlinearity and study effects such as pump depletion and corrections to the squeezing spectrum of the linearized model. We observe non-Gaussian states with Wigner function negativity and show that multimode interactions with the pump can act as decoherence channels

Cultural studies and matters of faith: the case of dhammawheel.com

 This article begins with the premise that cultural studies has neglected questions about religion and faith. Through an analysis of a discussion in an online Buddhist forum whereby the participants debate the issue of faith vis-a-vis knowledge, the paper explicates how Buddhism negotiates dominant cultural formations and evolves against various contexts of social struggles. The analysis also reveals how the participants articulate a vernacular theory of faith to rethink the relationships between reason, religion, faith, knowledge, and ethics. The article demonstrates how an engagement with a religious discourse elucidates themes that are of interest to cultural studies’ critical project, and argues that cultural studies has an ethical responsibility to engage with religion and address matters of faith

Decomposition of risk based on the Martingale Representation Theorem for annuity and insurance portfolios

Numerous methods have been proposed throughout the literature for decomposing liabilities into risk factors. Such analysis is of great importance because it allows for explaining the impact of each source of risk in relation to the total risk, and thus it allows actuaries to have a certain degree of control over uncertainties. In an insurance context, such sources usually consist of the mortality risk, represented in this paper by the systematic and by the unsystematic mortality risk, and of the investment risk. The objective of this thesis is to consider the Martingale Representation Theorem (MRT) introduced by Schilling et al., (2015) for such risk decomposition, because this method allows for a detailed analysis of the influence of each source of risk. The proposed dynamic models used in this thesis are the Lee-Carter model for the mortality rates and, the arbitrage-free Nelson-Siegel (AFNS) models for the interest rates. These models are necessary in providing accuracy by improving the overall predictive performance. Once, the risk decomposition has been achieved, quantifying the relative importance of each risk factor under different risk measurements is then proceeded. The numerical results are based on annuities and insurances portfolios. It is found that for extended coverage periods, investment risk represents most of the risk while for shorter terms, the unsystematic mortality risk takes larger importance. It is also found that the systematic mortality risk is almost negligible

Buddhism, cultural studies, a profession of faith

 The thesis examines the reciprocity between Buddhist teachings and ethical understandings in cultural theory and continental philosophy. It establishes channels of hospitable exchange between sacred and scholarly commitments, and demonstrates that faith is a necessary affective response of trust that supports the aspirations of ‘believers’ and ‘non-believers’ alike

The (zen) Buddhist heart of I ♥ Huckabees

 This paper offers a Buddhist reading of I ♥ Huckabees (2004). I begin with an overview of director David O. Russell\u27s Zen influence to reveal how he weaves the Buddhist metaphor of Indra\u27s net (a metaphor for the doctrine of pratitya-samutpada) and the principles of meditation into the narrative. The main objective, however, is to demonstrate that Russell doesn\u27t merely re-present Buddhist ideals but also attempts to "practice" Buddhism by using the visual vernacular of contemporary media culture to rework film as meditation and meditation as film. In weaving Buddhist ideals into his satire on contemporary culture, I argue that Russell is engaging us in religious and ethico-political reflection