Comparative genomics reveals insights into avian genome evolution and adaptation

Birds are the most species-rich class of tetrapod vertebrates and have wide relevance across many research fields. We explored bird macroevolution using full genomes from 48 avian species representing all major extant clades. The avian genome is principally characterized by its constrained size, which predominantly arose because of lineage-specific erosion of repetitive elements, large segmental deletions, and gene loss. Avian genomes furthermore show a remarkably high degree of evolutionary stasis at the levels of nucleotide sequence, gene synteny, and chromosomal structure. Despite this pattern of conservation, we detected many non-neutral evolutionary changes in protein-coding genes and noncoding regions. These analyses reveal that pan-avian genomic diversity covaries with adaptations to different lifestyles and convergent evolution of traits

Engineering: Cornell Quarterly, Vol.02, No.4 (Winter 1968): Some Engineering-Biological Interfaces

In this Issue: "Bionics and Robots" by Henry D. Block ... "Living Chemical Factories" by Robert K. Finn and Victor H. Edwards ... "Education in Bioengineering" by Nelson H. Bryant ... "Ecology: Key to Water Quality Management" by Alonzo Wm. Lawrence ... Faculty Publications

Vision-based Intelligent Prosthetic Robotic Arm

This project involves the design and development of an anthropomorphic trans-radial prosthetic robot that offers low-level assistive intelligence. The device is capable of autonomously determining object positions through a palm-embedded camera, and utilizes a two degree-of-freedom wrist to track and orient itself to an object. The fingers are actuated using a bevel-gear driven system that allows for variable grip strength through the relation between the forces generated at the fingertips and the current draw of the motors. The core advantage of this system is its user-friendly human interaction, reducing cognitive burden during grasping activities of daily living

HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF ROMAN GLADIATORIAL ARMS AND ARMORS: 300 B.C. - 450 A.D.

In ancient Rome, gladiatorial combat was one of the most popular spectator sports of the Roman Empire. Over the course of 800 years, gladiatorial combat evolved from a sacrifice for deceased ancestors in a display of combat, to a political and social tool that used many lives to gain admiration. This project’s purpose was to look into the historical background of gladiatorial combat in the Roman Empire, and to analyze the armor, weapons and combat of combatants. We were also tasked with replicating one piece of armor or weaponry used by gladiators. For this project, the weapon chosen was the Gladius, one of the most popular and iconic weapons among gladiators

White House publicity operations during the Korean War, June 1950 – June 1951

Truman was the first modern president to face the challenge of selling a limited war. Based on a wide range of primary sources, this article explores the impact that the Korean War had on Truman’s publicity operations. Whereas all wars place important new demands on presidents to speak out more frequently and forcefully, limited wars place significant constraints on what presidents can say and do. During the Korean War, Truman refused to go public at key moments, often employed rhetoric that was more restrained than at earlier moments of the Cold War, and shied away from creating new structures to coordinate the official message. Such actions also had important consequences. In 1950-51, they hampered the task of effective presidential communication, and contributed to the war’s growing unpopularity. For the longer term, they demonstrated the difficulties of selling a limited war, and hence place into sharper context the problems that beset Truman’s successors during the subsequent conflict in Vietnam