Queer to be kind: Exploring Western media discourses about the “Eastern bloc” during the 2007 and 2014 Eurovision Song Contests

This article examines the voting results and Western European media coverage of the 2007 and 2014 Eurovision Song Contests. The Austrian drag act Conchita Wurst (the alter ego of an openly gay man) won in 2014, whilst Serbian entrant Marija Šerifović, portrayed in Western European media as lesbian at the time, won in 2007. We first explore the extent to which there was an East-West voting divide in both contests. In 2014, while there was some elite hostility against Conchita in Eastern Europe, the popular support was on a similar level to that in Western Europe. In 2007, we find no significant geographic divide in support for Šerifović. However, when we examine mainstream UK and German media coverage during and after both contests, we find strong anti-Eastern European discourses that are at odds with the similarity in the public voting. We employ the concept of homonationalism to interrogate inconsistent Western media discourses: the East was depicted as a site of homophobia and the West as a site of tolerance in 2014, whilst the queer aesthetic/identity of Šerifović was largely overlooked in 2007

Detecting Acceleration-Enhanced Vacuum Fluctuations with Atoms Inside a Cavity

Some of the most prominent theoretical predictions of modern times, e.g., the Unruh effect, Hawking radiation, and gravity-assisted particle creation, are supported by the fact that various quantum constructs like particle content and vacuum fluctuations of a quantum field are observer-dependent. Despite being fundamental in nature, these predictions have not yet been experimentally verified because one needs extremely strong gravity (or acceleration) to bring them within the existing experimental resolution. In this Letter, we demonstrate that a post-Newtonian rotating atom inside a far-detuned cavity experiences strongly modified quantum fluctuations in the inertial vacuum. As a result, the emission rate of an excited atom gets enhanced significantly along with a shift in the emission spectrum due to the change in the quantum correlation under rotation. We propose an optomechanical setup that is capable of realizing such acceleration-induced particle creation with current technology. This provides a novel and potentially feasible experimental proposal for the direct detection of noninertial quantum field theoretic effects.Comment: Published in PR

Modelling and control of a water jet cutting probe for flexible surgical robot

Surgical removal of cancerous tissue from the spine is limited by the inability of hand held drills and cutting tools to reach small crevices present in complex bones such as the spinal column, especially on the anterior side. In addition, the high speed rotating mechanisms used presently are subject to stability issues when manoeuvring around tortuous bone forms. We report on the design and experimental testing of a novel flexible robotic surgical system which addresses these issues. The robot consists of a flexible probe, a water jet cutting system, and a haptic feedback controller. The water jet cutting system consists of a flexible end effector capable of bending around the anterior of the spinal column for tissue removal. A new experimental method of controlling the depth of water jet cut is described. The haptic feedback controller is based on a constraint set approach to define 3D boundaries, based on five key types of constraints. Experimental outcomes of measuring the depth of water jet cut were combined with haptic regional constraints with the aim of improving the safety of surgical procedures. The reliability, accuracy and performance of the prototype robot were tested in a mock surgical procedure on the lower lumbar vertebrae. Results show promise for the implementation of water jet cutting for robotic surgical spinal procedures

Phase Space Tomography of Matter-Wave Diffraction in the Talbot Regime

We report on the theoretical investigation of Wigner distribution function (WDF) reconstruction of the motional quantum state of large molecules in de Broglie interference. De Broglie interference of fullerenes and as the like already proves the wavelike behaviour of these heavy particles, while we aim to extract more quantitative information about the superposition quantum state in motion. We simulate the reconstruction of the WDF numerically based on an analytic probability distribution and investigate its properties by variation of parameters, which are relevant for the experiment. Even though the WDF described in the near-field experiment cannot be reconstructed completely, we observe negativity even in the partially reconstructed WDF. We further consider incoherent factors to simulate the experimental situation such as a finite number of slits, collimation, and particle-slit van der Waals interaction. From this we find experimental conditions to reconstruct the WDF from Talbot interference fringes in molecule Talbot-Lau interferometry.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, accepted at New Journal of Physic

Dynamical model selection for quantum optomechanical systems

This paper considers the problem of distinguishing between different dynamical models using continuous weak measurements; that is, whether the evolution is quantum mechanical or given by a classical stochastic differential equation. We examine the conditions that optimize quantum hypothesis testing, maximizing one's ability to discriminate between classical and quantum models. We set upper limits on the temperature and lower limits on the measurement efficiencies required to explore these differences, using experiments in levitated optomechanical systems as an example

A Mechanical Mass Sensor with Yoctogram Resolution

Nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS) have generated considerable interest as inertial mass sensors. NEMS resonators have been used to weigh cells, biomolecules, and gas molecules, creating many new possibilities for biological and chemical analysis [1-4]. Recently, NEMS-based mass sensors have been employed as a new tool in surface science in order to study e.g. the phase transitions or the diffusion of adsorbed atoms on nanoscale objects [5-7]. A key point in all these experiments is the ability to resolve small masses. Here we report on mass sensing experiments with a resolution of 1.7 yg (1 yg = 10^-24 g), which corresponds to the mass of one proton, or one hydrogen atom. The resonator is made of a ~150 nm long carbon nanotube resonator vibrating at nearly 2 GHz. The unprecedented level of sensitivity allows us to detect adsorption events of naphthalene molecules (C10H8) and to measure the binding energy of a Xe atom on the nanotube surface (131 meV). These ultrasensitive nanotube resonators offer new opportunities for mass spectrometry, magnetometry, and adsorption experiments.Comment: submitted version of the manuscrip

Ground states and dynamics of population-imbalanced Fermi condensates in one dimension

By using the numerically exact density-matrix renormalization group (DMRG) approach, we investigate the ground states of harmonically trapped one-dimensional (1D) fermions with population imbalance and find that the Larkin-Ovchinnikov (LO) state, which is a condensed state of fermion pairs with nonzero center-of-mass momentum, is realized for a wide range of parameters. The phase diagram comprising the two phases of i) an LO state at the trap center and a balanced condensate at the periphery and ii) an LO state at the trap center and a pure majority component at the periphery, is obtained. The reduced two-body density matrix indicates that most of the minority atoms contribute to the LO-type quasi-condensate. With the time-dependent DMRG, we also investigate the real-time dynamics of a system of 1D fermions in response to a spin-flip excitation.Comment: 20 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in New Journal of Physic

ifo Konjunkturprognose 2008/2009: Aufschwung geht zu Ende

Die Weltkonjunktur hat im Gefolge der US-Immobilienkrise und der Turbulenzen an den internationalen Finanzmärkten an Dynamik eingebüßt. Das vom ifo Institut erhobene Weltwirtschaftsklima hat sich im zweiten Quartal 2008 massiv verschlechtert; der Indikator fiel auf den niedrigsten Stand seit über sechs Jahren. Der Rückgang resultiert vor allem aus der ungünstigeren Einschätzung der derzeitigen wirtschaftlichen Lage, aber auch die Erwartungen für die nächsten sechs Monate wurden weiter nach unten revidiert. Die Verschlechterung des ifo Weltwirtschaftsklimas betrifft wiederum vor allem Nordamerika und Westeuropa. Der stärkste Rückgang des Klimaindikators ist wie schon in der vorangegangenen Umfrage in den USA zu verzeichnen. Die Expansion der Weltwirtschaft wird sich im Prognosezeitraum spürbar abkühlen. Der Anstieg des Bruttoinlandsprodukts wird sich verlangsamen, da der Höhepunkt des konjunkturellen Zyklus überschritten zu sein scheint. Zudem werden die anhaltende Unsicherheit auf den Finanzmärkten, die negativen Vermögenseffekte sinkender Hauspreise und Aktienkurse, die hohe Inflation sowie die zuletzt stark gestiegenen Ölpreise zunehmend bremsend wirken. Die deutsche Wirtschaft ist überaus schwungvoll in das neue Jahr gestartet. Nach den bisher vorliegenden amtlichen Ergebnissen stieg die gesamtwirtschaftliche Produktion im ersten Quartal 2008 saison- und kalenderbereinigt gegenüber dem Vorquartal um 1,5%. Nach der auch von Sondereffekten begünstigten kräftigen Ausweitung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Produktion im ersten Quartal 2008 ist für das zweite Quartal mit einem leichten Rückgang des realen Bruttoinlandsprodukts zu rechnen. Im Durchschnitt des ersten Halbjahres 2008 ergibt sich im Vergleich zum zweiten Halbjahr 2007 saison- und kalenderbereinigt ein BIP-Zuwachs von 1,5%; im Vorjahresvergleich beläuft sich die Zunahme auf 2,7%.Konjunktur, Konjunkturumfrage, Konjunkturprognose, Wirtschaftslage, Geschäftsklima, Weltkonjunktur, Deutschland, Welt

TSN-FlexTest: Flexible TSN Measurement Testbed (Extended Version)

Robust, reliable, and deterministic networks are essential for a variety of applications. In order to provide guaranteed communication network services, Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) unites a set of standards for time-synchronization, flow control, enhanced reliability, and management. We design the TSN-FlexTest testbed with generic commodity hardware and open-source software components to enable flexible TSN measurements. We have conducted extensive measurements to validate the TSN-FlexTest testbed and to examine TSN characteristics. The measurements provide insights into the effects of TSN configurations, such as increasing the number of synchronization messages for the Precision Time Protocol, indicating that a measurement accuracy of 15 ns can be achieved. The TSN measurements included extensive evaluations of the Time-aware Shaper (TAS) for sets of Tactile Internet (TI) packet traffic streams. The measurements elucidate the effects of different scheduling and shaping approaches, while revealing the need for pervasive network control that synchronizes the sending nodes with the network switches. We present the first measurements of distributed TAS with synchronized senders on a commodity hardware testbed, demonstrating the same Quality-of-Service as with dedicated wires for high-priority TI streams despite a 200% over-saturation cross traffic load. The testbed is provided as an open-source project to facilitate future TSN research.Comment: 30 pages, 18 figures, 6 tables, IEEE TNSM, in print, 2024. Shorter version in print in IEEE Trans. on Network and Service Management (see related DOI below

Acquired demyelination but not genetic developmental defects in myelination leads to brain tissue stiffness changes

Changes in axonal myelination are an important hallmark of aging and a number of neurological diseases. Demyelinated axons are impaired in their function and degenerate over time. Oligodendrocytes, the cells responsible for myelination of axons, are sensitive to mechanical properties of their environment. Growing evidence indicates that mechanical properties of demyelinating lesions are different from the healthy state and thus have the potential to affect myelinating potential of oligodendrocytes. We performed a high-resolution spatial mapping of the mechanical heterogeneity of demyelinating lesions using atomic force microscope-enabled indentation. Our results indicate that the stiffness of specific regions of mouse brain tissue is influenced by age and degree of myelination. Here we specifically demonstrate that acquired acute but not genetic demyelination leads to decreased tissue stiffness, which could influence the remyelination potential of oligodendrocytes. We also demonstrate that specific brain regions have unique ranges of stiffness in white and grey matter. Our ex vivo findings may help the design of future in vitro models to mimic the mechanical environment of the brain in healthy and diseased states. The mechanical properties of demyelinating lesions reported here may facilitate novel approaches in treating demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis