Cyber Fantasies: Rina Sawayama, Asian Feminism, and Techno-Orientalism in the Age of Neoliberalism

In the 21st century, neoliberalism and technological innovations in Asia produce techno-Orientalism, a new framework by which the West dominates Asia. In this process, Asian bodies are configured as inherently technological beings who exist solely for the production of information and neoliberal goods. Techno-Orientalism is a byproduct of the violence wrought by modernity. Yet, Rina Sawayama, a British-Japanese music artist, produces a new form of resistance that can be characterized as diasporic Asian cultural production. Her work challenges the white hegemonic masculine gaze by interrogating modernity in her lyrics, aesthetic, and performance. Sawayama\u27s aesthetic and music videos produce a new sense of Asian subjectivity via the hacking of Western epistemologies. Sawayama\u27s artistry provides a new praxis of counter-hegemonic resistance within the neoliberal era

Portrait of a Translator as an adventurer: discoveries of Irish literature and culture

What follows is a briefly expanded version derived from a short talk given at XIV ABEI and II AEIS Symposium of Irish Studies in South America, held at USP on August 14, 2019. I reflect on my experience both as a professor oftranslation and literature of English-speaking countries and – in this specific case – as a translator of texts by Irish authors and by different scholars and professionals who discuss Irish life, culture and society

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationFibrin fibers are an essential component of blood clots. They provide structural support and prevent embolism. Formation of fibrin fibers is initiated by the enzyme thrombin, which is a product of the coagulation cascade. It converts fibrinogen into fibrin monomers. Fibrin monomers polymerize to form half-staggered protofibrils that laterally aggregate to form fibrin fibers. Fibrin fibers form a mesh or gel-like structure over an injury zone and in and around platelet aggregates. It is known that the structure of fibers are dependent on the conditions in which they are formed. We present a two-dimensional mathematical model of fibrin polymerization in flow with feedback on the fluid. We include a spatial-temporal source of fibrin monomers from a simplified coagulation scheme. In the model, fibrin polymerizes by forming linear bonds between any two oligomers and by forming branch points between any three oligomers. Because we want to track oligomer concentrations composed of any number of monomers and branch points, we have a doubly infinite set of PDEs which include diffusion and advection of oligomers. Using a generating function and a change of variable, we find a closed system of equations to study fibrin gelation and postgelation dynamics. The model tracks both branch point and fibrin mass densities of the gel which are used to calculate a distribution of fiber diameters and pore sizes. The permeability of the gel, which is calculated from the volume fraction of fibrin and the fiber diameters, is used to hinder the fluid velocity through a Brinkman term. We vary model parameters, such as the thrombin production rate and the rate of branch point formation, to find what effect this has on clot structure. We also present two model modifications. We alter the model to include thrombin production on three different distributions of platelet aggregates. We also modify the model to include hindered transport on all proteins. The diffusivity and advection of oligomers and coagulation proteins are dependent on the amount of gel at each spatial locations. An additional velocity term is included that moves proteins from areas of high volume fraction of gel to areas of low gel volume fraction of gel

Studies on the subgenus Agraphoderus Bates of Blennidus Motschulsky from Peru: the jelskii species–group (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichini)

Estudio sobre el subgénero Agraphoderus Bates de Blennidus Motschulsky de Perú: el grupo de especies jelskii (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichini) Se describen cuatro especies nuevas de Blennidus subgen. Agraphoderus, de los Andes al sur de Perú: B. (A.) procerus sp. n., B. (A.) abramalagae sp. n., B. (A.) etontii sp. n. y B. (A.) straneoi sp. n. Estas cuatro especies, conjuntamente con B. (A.) jelskii (Tschitschérine, 1897), constituyen el grupo de especies jelskii, que es muy homogéneo y cuyas especies posiblemente estarían estrechamente emparentadas, diferenciándose de otros miembros de mismo subgénero por la peculiar morfología del edeago. Se realiza una redescripción de B. (A.) jelskii tomando como criterio el lectotipo y paralectotipo designados por Straneo & Vereshagina (1991), con la cual se completa la breve descripción original realizada por Tschitschérine. Finalmente, basándonos en el patrón de distribución de las especies del grupo jelskii, y enfatizando el rasgo característico de las especies estenoendémicas que habitan áreas geográficas restringidas, se considera que posiblemente se hayan originado por procesos de especiación alopátrica. Palabras clave: Blennidus, Agraphoderus, Perú, Taxonomía, Especies nuevas.Four new species of Blennidus subgenus Agraphoderus are described from the Andes of Southern Peru: B. (A.) procerus n. sp., B. (A.) abramalagae n. sp., B. (A.) etontii n. sp. and B. (A.) straneoi n. sp. Together with B. (A.) jelskii (Tschitschérine, 1897), they form a very homogeneous group of probably closely related species (the jelskii group), which is distinguished from other members of the subgenus by the distinctive morphology of the aedeagus. A redescription of B. (A.) jelskii is given based on the lectotype and paralectotype designated by Straneo & Vereshagina (1991), supplementing Tschitschérine’s brief original description. The distribution pattern of the species presently included in the jelskii species–group is discussed, emphasizing distinctive traits of stenoendemic species inhabiting restricted geographical areas, and discussing their possible origin by allopatric speciation. Key words: Blennidus, Agraphoderus, Peru, Taxonomy, New species.Estudio sobre el subgénero Agraphoderus Bates de Blennidus Motschulsky de Perú: el grupo de especies jelskii (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Pterostichini) Se describen cuatro especies nuevas de Blennidus subgen. Agraphoderus, de los Andes al sur de Perú: B. (A.) procerus sp. n., B. (A.) abramalagae sp. n., B. (A.) etontii sp. n. y B. (A.) straneoi sp. n. Estas cuatro especies, conjuntamente con B. (A.) jelskii (Tschitschérine, 1897), constituyen el grupo de especies jelskii, que es muy homogéneo y cuyas especies posiblemente estarían estrechamente emparentadas, diferenciándose de otros miembros de mismo subgénero por la peculiar morfología del edeago. Se realiza una redescripción de B. (A.) jelskii tomando como criterio el lectotipo y paralectotipo designados por Straneo & Vereshagina (1991), con la cual se completa la breve descripción original realizada por Tschitschérine. Finalmente, basándonos en el patrón de distribución de las especies del grupo jelskii, y enfatizando el rasgo característico de las especies estenoendémicas que habitan áreas geográficas restringidas, se considera que posiblemente se hayan originado por procesos de especiación alopátrica. Palabras clave: Blennidus, Agraphoderus, Perú, Taxonomía, Especies nuevas