Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThe main concern of human population genetics is to identify and describe genetic differences between groups of people. These differences give insight into the evolutionary processes and unique histories that have shaped these populations. A better understanding of human genetic diversity will lead to a better understanding of the biological systems that underly human phenotypic diversity. Here I explore three processes which have led to population differentiation in modern humans. First, I examine how differential disease risk across continents may have (or may not have) led to differences in allele frequencies immune-related genes. Second, I describe a method for discovering genomic regions in admixed populations that appear more similar to one parent population than the other. This method highlights regions which may have very recently been under selection in these populations. And finally, using the same method I attempt to discern regions of the genome in modern humans that may have been shaped by archaic admixture

Kristine Klein, interviewed by Kennedy Platter

Kristine Klein was raised in Greece. She attended Brockport, where she earned a Bachelor\u27s in Music History. She then earned a Master\u27s degree in Library Science at SUNY Geneseo. She then earned a law degree in Georgia. She became politically involved while living in Washington D.C. She has lived in Tennessee, Florida, Maryland, Texas, Washington D.C., and California, and she moved back to New York state in order to spend time with her then dying sister. As of November 2020, she had recently taken archaeology and anthropology courses through the adult education program at SUNY Brockport

Design of a Ballistically-Launched Foldable Multirotor

The operation of multirotors in crowded environments requires a highly reliable takeoff method, as failures during takeoff can damage more valuable assets nearby. The addition of a ballistic launch system imposes a deterministic path for the multirotor to prevent collisions with its environment, as well as increases the multirotor’s range of operation and allows deployment from an unsteady platform. In addition, outfitting planetary rovers or entry vehicles with such deployable multirotors has the potential to greatly extend the data collection capabilities of a mission. A proof-of-concept multirotor aircraft has been developed, capable of transitioning from a ballistic launch configuration to a fully controllable flight configuration in midair after launch. The transition is accomplished via passive unfolding of the multirotor arms, triggered by a nichrome burn wire release mechanism. The design is 3D printable, launches from a three-inch diameter barrel, and has sufficient thrust to carry a significant payload. The system has been fabricated and field tested from a moving vehicle up to 50mph to successfully demonstrate the feasibility of the concept and experimentally validate the design’s aerodynamic stability and deployment reliability

New Directions in Philosophy of Medicine

The purpose of this chapter is to describe what we see as several important new directions for philosophy of medicine. This recent work (i) takes existing discussions in important and promising new directions, (ii) identifies areas that have not received sufficient and deserved attention to date, and/or (iii) brings together philosophy of medicine with other areas of philosophy (including bioethics, philosophy of psychiatry, and social epistemology). To this end, the next part focuses on what we call the “epistemological turn” in recent work in the philosophy of medicine; the third part addresses new developments in medical research that raise interesting questions for philosophy of medicine; the fourth part is a discussion of philosophical issues within the practice of diagnosis; the fifth part focuses on the recent developments in psychiatric classification and scientific and ethical issues therein, and the final part focuses on the objectivity of medical research

Design and Autonomous Stabilization of a Ballistically Launched Multirotor

Aircraft that can launch ballistically and convert to autonomous, free flying drones have applications in many areas such as emergency response, defense, and space exploration, where they can gather critical situational data using onboard sensors. This paper presents a ballistically launched, autonomously stabilizing multirotor prototype (SQUID, Streamlined Quick Unfolding Investigation Drone) with an onboard sensor suite, autonomy pipeline, and passive aerodynamic stability. We demonstrate autonomous transition from passive to vision based, active stabilization, confirming the ability of the multirotor to autonomously stabilize after a ballistic launch in a GPS denied environment.Comment: Accepted to 2020 International Conference on Robotics and Automatio

QuickCut Waterjet Cutter

The QuickCut Waterjet Cutter was created in 2019 as a senior design project. This is the third iteration of the waterjet cutter. The goal of this project was to create an operable CNC waterjet cutter that is able to cut 1/16” tensile specimens consisting of nonferrous metal or plastic. This machine will be utilized in the Manufacturing Laboratory at the University of Akron to provide education to interested students on the waterjet cutting process, how it operates, and industrial application of the technology. Waterjet cutting is a subtractive manufacturing process which is recognized for its specialized applications such as cutting dangerous materials or preserving heat treatment. Waterjet cutting utilizes high pressurized water with entrained garnet to cut through materials with precision and accuracy. The QuickCut Waterjet Cutter aims to bring the applications of industrial waterjet cutting operations to the smaller, tabletop scale to cut softer materials with precision. This report goes in depth on what defines an abrasive waterjet cutter, important components and the benefits of the waterjet cutting process. Detailed steps on how the newest rendition of the Quickcut Waterjet Cutter was created are covered. This includes brainstorming, design of components, design of controls, manufacturing process, as well as testing and future work to be completed

Households’ Coping Dynamics to Climatic Shocks of Flood and Drought in Northern Ghana

The Guinea and Sudan Savannah zones of Ghana experiences much of the recent climate change effects than any other ecological zone in the country. This paper presents the coping strategies adopted by households in response to the climate change effects of floods and droughts in Northern Ghana. The study espoused a case study design. Key informants’ interviews, focus group discussions and household interviews were the methods applied in gathering primary data from 250 household heads randomly selected from six farming communities along the white Volta basin within three disaster prone districts. The descriptive statistic tool of SPSS was employed in analyzing, summarizing and describing the data obtained. Key subjective views of the participants were also presented using quotations. Destruction of food crops and livestock, decline in crop yield and food shortage as well as destruction of building were identified by the study as the most devastating effects of floods and droughts in the study areas. To cope with these effects, households adopted various coping dynamics which included decision not to farm or build in lowlands areas or waterways, migration, reliance on external support and early planning of activities. The study concludes that the effects of both floods and drought in Northern Ghana poses great challenges to livelihoods of households who have adapted by find coping strategies. The findings reveal new dimensions of the empirical accounts on households’ coping dynamics in response the climatic effects of flood and drought. Keywords: Floods; droughts; climate change; coping strategies; rural househol

Detrimental Tears

For our museum we chose to design it as a walkthrough of a ship used during the Transatlantic trade. Through research we were able to understand how slaves on the ship were treated. We were able to understand that slaves were confined to small spaces while linked together with others during voyages. With this we were able to gather ideas on the layout of our museum. First we chose to put a set of metal chains in the museum to give a sense of how slaves had to be transported. As you walk through you will see what it was like for a slave to be living on the ship. In part of the museum we will have small boxes where someone can sit down and get a feel of how slaves were confined to space while aboard the ship. While sitting there will be a pair of headphones to put on so you will be able to hear the sound of the ocean and other voices.https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/historyfrombelow/1010/thumbnail.jp