Four-dimensionalism is a popular philosophical view of how we persist through time. However, some philosophers, such as Mark Johnston and Eric Olson, argue that four-dimensionalism has perverse implications on our practical ethics. This is because, if four-dimensionalism is true, then there exist entities called personites. And if personites exist, then many of the ordinary prudential, social, and moral habits we engage in, like present self-sacrifice for future benefit, promising to do something painful in the future, or being held responsible for something the we did in the past, subjects personites to suffering without sufficient compensation, consent, or desert. And this would be immoral according to our common-sense morality. In this paper, I argue that if four-dimensionalism is true, and personites exist, then we are still morally permitted to engage in the above practices. If four-dimensionalism turns out to be true, it has no perverse implications on how we ought to live.

In this creative project, I created arrangements for string quartet of two very common pop songs that are frequently requested at wedding gigs, "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran and "Purpose" by Justin Bieber. However, to meet the demands of the dynamic gigging environment and context for string musicians, I created string quartet arrangements that could be adapted and condensed into string trio or duo by eliminating one or two parts from the full quartet arrangement. As such, this project not only shares the adaptable arrangements I created, but also shares the tips and tricks I gathered throughout the course of the project, both from engaging in the creative aspect of the arranging process and also through my own personal experience.

The purpose of this study was to find an appropriate solution in reducing inflammation around the ankle joint for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients, so they are able to increase their endurance and improve their overall quality of life. RA patients have to deal with a significant amount of complications that include chronic inflammation, continuous pain in their joints, and overwhelming stress. In addition, it is very common for RA patients to develop severe mental issues that only makes matters worse. As a result, it is imperative that treatments are provided to RA patients to improve their current situation. Three devices from the current market, made for reducing inflammation of the ankle, were chosen for evaluating the effectiveness of each device. It was determined that with 95% confidence that the Gonicc Professional Foot Sleeve was the most effective in reducing inflammation. A prototype was developed based on the feedback of the participants. Further improvements, the prototype will be compared against the Gonicc Professional Foot Sleeve to determine which is the best solution to improve millions of RA patients' lives.

This thesis investigates the performance of publicly traded equity real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the United States (U.S.) and their sensitivity to underlying macroeconomic factors. Specifically, this study employs a quantitative research analysis that utilizes technical, correlation, and regression analyses to identify how different REIT sectors react to changes in economic conditions. Data for the study was collected from publicly available and reliable sources, including the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Nareit) and the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED). Four areas of research guide the study. First, the study explores the relationship between different REIT property sectors and the underlying causes of similarities and differences in sector performance. Second, the study examines how macroeconomic variables, such as GDP, inflation, and interest rates, affect the performance of publicly traded equity REITs. Third, the study investigates the significance of the relationship between macroeconomic factors and REIT sector performance to assess the varying impact on different property types. Finally, the study explores whether a model can be developed to predict the performance of REIT sectors based on macroeconomic variables. Overall, the findings in this study will provide valuable insights into how REITs across and within property types perform and react to changes in the macroeconomic environment. Furthermore, because real estate represents a significant component of the economy, it can offer investors valuable insights into broader economic trends and conditions, contributing to a better understanding of economic cycles and identifying potential opportunities and risks.

I have designed a college-level course to help college-aged students build and maintain healthy friendships. Every week, students will engage in collaborative activities and learn a variety of topics related to friendship, including the benefits of friendship, barriers to friendship, and friendship maintenance mechanisms. As part of their final project, students will demonstrate their knowledge of making and maintaining healthy friendships by completing a case study in which students will be expected to apply their learnings from class to a chosen friendship and observe how the friendship changes as a result. In order to establish the need for the course I made, I first conducted a literature review on friendship, loneliness, and factors that may contribute to young adults having difficulties making friends.