“Whose Utopia?” Kimsooja & Bottari Utopia

This thesis will explore the progressive evolution of utopia and utopianism in order to answer the question: “Whose utopia? in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on people who were already marginalized, disadvantaged, and discriminated against. I will first review the writings of Sir Thomas More, Ernst Bloch, Michel Foucault, Edward Said, Owkui Enwezor, and Jose Estaban Muñoz tracing the progressive evolution of utopian ideals. I will then introduce and survey the artist, Kimsooja’s oeuvre in relation to salient features from my review of utopia\u27s progression, and gradually revealing her aesthetics of making as revealing utopian hope and creating what I have named “Bottari utopia” based on the metaphoric extension of her artistic vocabulary. As chronicled in her numerous performances and videos, her concern is for persons not included, outcast, enduring violence... Bottari utopia bundles all: persons, places, things and time, in time, and is particularly inspiring, uplifting, and instructional today, as we (the world) find ourselves navigating isolation, and displacement, and face the fragility of life and uncertain future caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I will then turn my attention to artist-activists and their import in transforming society for a better future, whether digital, virtual, or real

Example-based learning for single-image super-resolution and JPEG artifact removal

This paper proposes a framework for single-image super-resolution and JPEG artifact removal. The underlying idea is to learn a map from input low-quality images (suitably preprocessed low-resolution or JPEG encoded images) to target high-quality images based on example pairs of input and output images. To retain the complexity of the resulting learning problem at a moderate level, a patch-based approach is taken such that kernel ridge regression (KRR) scans the input image with a small window (patch) and produces a patchvalued output for each output pixel location. These constitute a set of candidate images each of which reflects different local information. An image output is then obtained as a convex combination of candidates for each pixel based on estimated confidences of candidates. To reduce the time complexity of training and testing for KRR, a sparse solution is found by combining the ideas of kernel matching pursuit and gradient descent. As a regularized solution, KRR leads to a better generalization than simply storing the examples as it has been done in existing example-based super-resolution algorithms and results in much less noisy images. However, this may introduce blurring and ringing artifacts around major edges as sharp changes are penalized severely. A prior model of a generic image class which takes into account the discontinuity property of images is adopted to resolve this problem. Comparison with existing super-resolution and JPEG artifact removal methods shows the effectiveness of the proposed method. Furthermore, the proposed method is generic in that it has the potential to be applied to many other image enhancement applications

Adjoint centroid-moment tensor inversions

We determine centroid-moment tensor (CMT) solutions by minimizing waveform differences between observed and simulated seismograms based on an adjoint method. Synthetic seismograms and Fréchet derivatives are calculated based on a spectral-element method. The non-linear adjoint CMT inversion algorithm requires three simulations for each iteration: one ‘forward’ simulation to obtain synthetics for the current source parameters, one ‘adjoint’ simulation which involves injecting time-reversed differences between observed and simulated seismograms as simultaneous virtual sources at each of the receivers, and an extra forward simulation to compute the step length in the conjugate-gradient direction. Whereas the vertical component of the adjoint wavefield reflects the radiation pattern near the centroid location, the components of the adjoint strain tensor capture the elements of the moment tensor. We use the method to determine adjoint CMT solutions for two representative southern California earthquakes using recent 3-D crustal model CVM-6.2. The adjoint CMT solutions are in good agreement with classical Hessian-based CMT solutions involving 3-D Green's functions. In general, adjoint CMT inversions require fewer numerical simulations than traditional Hessian-based inversions. This faster convergence holds promise for multiple moment-tensor and kinematic rupture inversions in 3-D earth models

Evidence of a collision between the Yucatán Block and Mexico in the Miocene

We present the evidence for an anomalous southwest-dipping slab in southern Mexico. The main evidence comes from a clear receiver function image along a seismic line across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and is also supported by a previous global tomographic model. The slab dips at 35°, is approximately 250 km in length and appears to truncate the Cocos slab at about 120 km depth. We hypothesize that the slab was created by subduction of oceanic lithosphere prior to the collision of the Yucatán Block with Mexico at approximately 12 Ma. This scenario would explain the Chiapas Fold and Thrust Belt as the product of this collision, and its age constrains the date of the event to be in the Miocene

How to Engage Active High-School Students in A Virtual Classroom To Learn and Adopt Healthy Lifestyles

This study aimed to evaluate the contingencies and reinforcements that most engage active high school (HS) students in a virtual classroom to learn and adopt healthy lifestyles. In Phase 1, 21 HS students completed focus groups about factors they perceived as engaging for them in learning about lifelong healthy habits. In Phase 2, three high schools were surveyed on the types of fluids that were available to active HS students and the number of water fountains in each school building. Both male and female high school students were most interested in learning about the types of foods that are helpful for an athlete’s performance, as well as recovery foods. Among three sampled HS, the most common beverage was flavored water. The variety of fluids available to students significantly decreased after school hours. School demographics were notably different. Crescent Valley High School (CVHS) was higher in Whites (76%), Corvallis High School (CHS) was higher in Hispanics (13%), and Clackamas High School (CLHS) was higher in Asian (16%). Per 10,000 square feet, there were 0.77, 0.63, and 0.73 fountains at CVHS, CHS, and CLHS, respectively. These findings contributed to the WAVE Project intervention to prevent childhood obesity among active HS students

ECgene: genome annotation for alternative splicing

ECgene provides annotation for gene structure, function and expression, taking alternative splicing events into consideration. The gene-modeling algorithm combines the genome-based expressed sequence tag (EST) clustering and graph-theoretic transcript assembly procedures. The website provides several viewers and applications that have many unique features useful for the analysis of the transcript structure and gene expression. The summary viewer shows the gene summary and the essence of other annotation programs. The genome browser and the transcript viewer are available for comparing the gene structure of splice variants. Changes in the functional domains by alternative splicing can be seen at a glance in the transcript viewer. We also provide two unique ways of analyzing gene expression. The SAGE tags deduced from the assembled transcripts are used to delineate quantitative expression patterns from SAGE libraries available publically. Furthermore, the cDNA libraries of EST sequences in each cluster are used to infer qualitative expression patterns. It should be noted that the ECgene website provides annotation for the whole transcriptome, not just the alternatively spliced genes. Currently, ECgene supports the human, mouse and rat genomes. The ECgene suite of tools and programs is available at http://genome.ewha.ac.kr/ECgene/