A 51-year-old man was admitted to hospital on the basis of dysarthria, left-side facial paralysis, pharyngitis, proximal loss of vision, left-arm paresis, and asphyxiation. Through various neurological testing, the patient was confirmed to have an ischemic stroke caused by an arterial dissection with a subintimal hematoma in the area of the carotid artery (carotid dissection). The patient was released from the hospital 3 days after being admitted with post-incident treatment instructions to ensure recovery. In this case study, detailed clinical assessments, radiological findings, and therapeutic interventions will be reviewed to provide a holistic understanding of the patient's journey from injury to recovery. Through a meticulous analysis of real-life patient care, this thesis aims to help highlight the early symptoms of strokes and their impact on individuals, particularly those in physically demanding and dangerous work conditions, such as the patient, who worked as a roofer. By shedding light on the unique challenges faced by individuals in such occupations, I seek to contribute to the growing body of knowledge in stroke medicine. Ultimately, the goal is to improve clinical management and outcomes for individuals affected by carotid dissection while advocating for safer working conditions for those at risk. Keywords: Psychology, Psychobiology, Evolutionary Studies, Honors, Neuroscience, Neurology, Carotid Dissection, Stroke, Medicine, Work Conditions

Observing transiting exoplanets with ground-based telescopes and high-resolution spectrographs enables the resolution of individual absorption lines in the exoplanet transmission spectra. However, observing from the ground inherently introduces telluric contamination: spectral contamination from absorption due to molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. We take high-resolution observations of a transiting exoplanet around a bright A-type star as a case study and use synthetic telluric molecfit models to remove contamination from water and oxygen molecules in Earth’s atmosphere. The quality of the telluric corrections was statistically assessed for several different telluric regions based on absorption depth and molecular absorption species. We find that corrections for shallow telluric lines are more robust than deeper telluric lines, though both depend similarly on airmass. Corrections for different molecular bands varied by region. Some regions demonstrate a higher dependency on airmass, potentially due to the wavelength, depth, or quantity of telluric lines. Finally, we determine that the most accurate corrections are performed at observations with airmass under 1.07 corresponding to a zenith angle of approximately 20.84 degrees. Whilst this is a somewhat limited airmass range, these results highlight the need for improving telluric models for future searches of water and oxygen features in Earth-like exoplanet transmission spectra with 30m-class telescopes. These results may assist in optimizing observations for retrieving and preserving more data in an exoplanet transmission spectrum, especially when absorption features from the same molecules–and potential biosignatures–in Earth-like atmospheres fall in these highly contaminated regions. Key Words: astronomy; astrobiology; exoplanets; atmosphere; spectroscopy; telluric contamination; telluric corrections

The most recent Pleistocene glaciation ended approximately 12,000 years ago, a cooling interval that deposited lacustrine clay and glacial till throughout the Catskill watershed. These fine-grained glacial legacy sediments erode during heavy rainfall events and create turbidity in the streams. The streams of the Catskills feed into various reservoirs that provide clean drinking water to millions of residents in New York City. Turbidity reduction in the Catskills is a NYS-funded effort to ensure the cleanliness of the New York City Water Supply. Since the early 2000s, the New York Cite Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) has worked collaboratively with the Ashokan Watershed Stream Management Program (AWSMP), contracted firms, and municipalities to uphold its initiative to reduce turbidity in the Ashokan Watershed. This analysis of stream management explores the evolution of terrain mapping techniques used in the Stony Clove watershed and Broadstreet Hollow Creek watershed, both tributaries to the Upper Esopus Creek. The survey, monitoring, and restoration project phases of stream management all play a crucial role in the success in turbidity reduction. Over the past two decades, these approaches to stream management have evolved as new innovations have been made in the industry. Even so, there are still mentionable critiques of stream management that can be applied to future stream assessments, monitoring studies, and restoration projects.

Almost all of Shakespeare’s plays are based on prior sources, some contemporary to him and some not. By looking at the prior sources for two of Shakespeare’s famous tragedies, Hamlet and Macbeth, we can better appreciate and understand Shakespeare’s work. This paper begins with a discussion of whether Shakespeare exists as an adaptor, a plagiarist, or an appropriator. Next, I explore how Shakespeare’s changes to the endings, protagonists, and female characters change the original texts from historic sagas to theatrical tragedies. Keywords: English, History, Shakespeare, Hamlet, Macbeth, Raphael Holinshed, Saxo Grammaticus, The Danish History, Amleth, The Hystorie of Hamblet, Hamblet

This research paper examines the impact of music and music therapy techniques in enhancing the communication and social skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The studies addressed in this paper demonstrate how music therapy, such as Improvisational Music Therapy (IMT), has been shown to help improve non-verbal communication behaviors such as joint attention and turn-taking in children with ASD. This paper also discusses evidence supporting the idea that children with ASD who engage in music therapy demonstrate great improvements in verbal communication and social skills, such as understanding and perspective-taking. This research reveals that music is beneficial in enhancing sensory and emotional regulation, creating an environment conducive to effective communication. Overall findings support the idea that music therapy can be used in collaboration with speech therapy to help improve the communication skills of children with ASD. Keywords: Communication disorders, music therapy, autism spectrum disorder, vocal communication, joint attention, social skills, sensory integration, emotional regulation

The representation of Deaf individuals and Deaf culture in media has been a debated topic in the Deaf Community for years. Many feel that the way Deaf characters are depicted on screen perpetuates negative stereotypes that can spread misconceptions about the Deaf Community. With recent blockbuster films like CODA and A Quiet Place featuring Deaf characters played by Deaf actors, it brings up the question of if these modern films depict deafness in a way that is accurate to and accepted by the Deaf Community. The purpose of this thesis was to collect data to try and better understand how Deaf characters in film have been portrayed and characterized in films from 1975 to 2021. The desired outcome by conducting this research was to determine if the quantity of Deaf characters has increased over time, and whether the quality of the Deaf characters has improved over time as well. A questionnaire was designed that allowed me to keep track of the role that Deaf characters played in the films I watched. Based on the data collected through the questionnaire, it was determined that the total number of films featuring Deaf characters has increased over time, and that these characters have overall become more well-rounded and developed. Areas for improvement when it comes to representation of the Deaf community in film were also pinpointed, as there was a lack of representation that was age appropriate for children, as well as several stereotypes that were seen in multiple films across the years. This thesis contributes to pre-existing literature surrounding the representation of deafness in the media. Key words: Communication disorders, Deaf, representation, film, stereotype

The authoritarian roots of state-sanctioned education continue to impact public schools in the United States, despite the nation’s democratic ideals. Increased police presence, strict hierarchical relationships between students and adults, and limited opportunities for student autonomy are just a few examples of authoritarian tendencies in modern public education (Goodman et al., 2011; Mann et al., 2019). Furthermore, the current literature suggests that these elements may be influencing the students’ attitude towards their academics, as well as their socio-emotional well-being (Goodman et al., 2011; Mann et al., 2019). The primary purpose of the present study was to examine empowerment in high school based on the level of respect former students perceived from adult authority figures and their level of control and autonomy within the institution. Empowerment was then examined in relation to current confidence and adjustment to adulthood. A significant positive correlation was observed between empowerment and adulthood adjustment (r(64) =.428, p < .001), and empowerment was also found to be significantly predictive of adjustment (sr2 =.08, p = .015). These findings suggest that the sense of control and connection people felt in their school experience is intertwined with subsequent development into adulthood and confidence in handling the challenges and duties of this new phase of life. Motivated by the goal of promoting a healthier and smoother transition into adulthood, future research directions and possible interventions in schools to empower students and mitigate authoritarian influences are discussed. Keywords: psychology, public education, authoritarianism, empowerment, development, preparation, mental health

Contaminant transport modeling plays a great role in environmental science to understand how chemical or biological contaminants are transported through subsurface aquifer systems. This thesis introduces a simple mathematical model for the transport of contaminants carried by water through a porous medium, such as soil. Moreover, we briefly introduce important mathematical concepts in the study of partial differential equations: traveling waves and shock formation. By examining the behavior of traveling waves and shock formation within our model, we describe the solution’s behavior and compare this description with the numerical solution of the model. Keywords. Mathematics, Partial Differential Equations, Contaminant transport, Groundwater, Mathematical modeling, Conservation laws, Reaction-Advection-Dispersion Equations, Numerical methods, Simulation