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The Impact of Temperature on Child Cognitive Functioning and Learning
No full textThe number of extremely high temperature days has grown over time. Developing countries have less capacity to protect against the harm of extreme heat. It is important to understand how extreme heat affects children's learning and functioning. There is a growing literature on the effects of extreme heat on productivity but very little empirical evidence on Africa. The first chapter examines the effect of heat on children’s executive function behavior in Ghana. Executive function behavior reflects the ability to stay focused in the presence of external stimuli. Heat may affect executive function behavior through changes in brain chemistry and functioning, leading to decreases in attention, memory, information retention and processing. Using rich longitudinal data on children, this paper estimates child fixed-effects models to obtain the contemporaneous effects of temperature on executive function behavior and tests scores. The paper finds that higher UTCI heat index temperatures significantly decrease children's executive function, as measured by assessments made by the assessor administering the one-on-one test to the child. It also finds that, at hotter temperatures, children are more likely to be rated "never attentive". The paper also finds that poorer children's executive function is more affected under heat. The paper finds no difference between young (children younger than 6 years old) and old children in the impact of heat on executive function. These findings have implications for children's behavior in everyday classroom settings, and suggest global warming will make it more difficult to learn. The second chapter examines the effect of heat on learning in West and Central Africa. Using geo-referenced temperature data, the paper measures children's exposure during the school year of days of higher and lower temperatures. Using two-way fixed effects models, controlling for location and year fixed effects, the paper estimates the effect of temperature during the school year on math and reading test scores at the end of the school year. The paper finds that exposure to more days of high temperature has a significant negative effect on math and reading scores
Understanding the Roles of Bicoid and Broad in Lysozyme Production
No full textThis poster is the presentation of the outline for an ongoing project which evaluates the genes Bicoid and Broad and their effects on the production of lysozymes as potential transcription factors. This research project involves the use of a temperature-sensitive GAL system which localizes the expression of double-stranded RNA to the gut. This method of RNA interference is used to knockdown Bicoid and Broad expression to determine their effects on lysozyme expression. Lysozyme expression is to be measured via RNA extraction and analysis. It is expected that knocking down Bicoid will lead to higher expression of lysozymes and knocking down Broad will lead to a lower expression of lysozymes.Biology and Biochemistry, Department ofHonors Colleg
Hydrocodone Rescheduling and Opioid Prescribing Disparities in Breast Cancer Patients
No full textBackground: Pain is a prevalent issue among breast cancer patients and survivors, with a significant proportion receiving hydrocodone for pain management. However, the rescheduling of hydrocodone from Schedule III to Schedule II by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in October 2014 raised concerns about potential barriers to opioid access for cancer patients, particularly among vulnerable populations such as dually eligible Medicare–Medicaid beneficiaries and racial/ethnic minorities. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare linked data including 52,306 early-stage breast cancer patients from 2011 to 2019. We employed multivariable logistic regression models with model specification tests to stratify the subgroups and evaluate the differential effects of the policy change by Medicaid dual eligibility and race–ethnicity, while adjusting for other patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and cancer treatments. Results: The rescheduling of hydrocodone was associated with significantly different effects on prescription opioid use across subgroups, with the most pronounced reduction in hydrocodone prescription observed among dual-eligible racial/ethnic minority patients (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44–0.74; p < 0.001). Non-dual-eligible patients experienced a smaller reduction in hydrocodone use (AOR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.78–0.90; p < 0.001). Concurrently, non-hydrocodone opioid use significantly increased among non-dual-eligible non-Hispanic White patients (AOR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.19–1.40; p < 0.001), suggesting a substitution effect, while smaller non-significant increases were observed among other subgroups. Conclusions: Hydrocodone rescheduling led to the greatest reduction in hydrocodone use among dual-eligible racial–ethnic minority patients. The corresponding increase in non-hydrocodone opioid use was limited to non-dual-eligible non-Hispanic White patients. These findings highlight the need for opioid policies that balance misuse prevention with equitable access to pain relief, particularly among underserved populations
What are the Leading Causes that Affected the Marginal Difference in COVID-19 Vaccination Rates in the Houston Community (Harris County)?
No full textThe rollout of COVID-19 vaccines marked a monumental moment in efforts to combat against the pandemic. However, disparities in vaccination rates across different communities revealed underlying inequalities in healthcare access. Especially in Harris County, one of the most diverse metropolitan areas in the United States, these underlying disparities were pronounced. The goal for this research is to explore the leading causes behind the marginal differences in COVID-19 vaccination rates across the Houston community. This study aims to uncover the systemic barriers that influenced vaccine uptake. By understanding these barriers, we hope to strive for a more equitable development of public health strategies and ensure that all communities are adequately protected.Honors Colleg
Intergenerational Relationships and Inheritance in Chinese Science Fiction: Negotiation Between Tradition and Modernity
No full textA common theme in Chinese science fiction (SF) is the negotiation of China's past with its rapidly arriving future, often represented through tropes such as time travel, space-time collapse, and interdimensional travel. Previous studies of this theme often focus on Chinese SF stories that depict realities or futures with technological advancement surpassing our own. This paper investigates the representation of this theme through the relatively mundane tropes of grandparent-grandchild relationship and cultural inheritance in Xia Jia's "Tongtong's Summer" and Wang Nuonuo's "The Mountain and the Secret of Their Names." The juxtaposition of mundane, accessible tropes in a genre marked by its newness dismantles the binaries of modernity/tradition and technology/culture. These stories reveal that 'tradition' is technology that has resisted obsolescence, and the 'cutting-edge' has the potential to become ubiquitous and mundane, thereby questioning what we value about technological advancement-novelty, accessibility, and/or the ability to help people.Modern and Classical Languages, Department ofHonors Colleg
Perceptions of Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence: Effects of Sex and Masculinity
No full textBackground: Research on intimate partner violence (IPV) has traditionally focused on heterosexual relationships. In recent years, same-sex IPV has been more recognized and studied. Most same-sex IPV studies focused on the prevalence rate of IPV, correlates of violence perpetration, and consequences of IPV. Fewer studies have examined perceptions of same-sex IPV. Existing studies have shown that same-sex IPV is perceived differently from different-sex IPV; however, only a few studies were conducted to identify the reasons for such differences. By identifying contributing factors that account for such differences, same-sex IPV prevention and bystander programs can address these factors to change bystanders’ perceptions and promote more intervening behaviors. Purpose: To further understand how same-sex IPV is perceived and to identify factors influencing such perceptions, the present study first compared differences between perceptions of same-sex and different-sex IPV. Then I examined the effect of participants’ gender, participants’ homonegativity, participants’ masculinity, IPV victim’s masculinity, couple’s sexual orientation, and the interaction effect between couple’s sexual orientation and IPV victim’s masculinity on perceptions of IPV. Methods: The current study is vignette-based and manipulates the type of couple (same-sex male couple, same-sex female couple, different-sex couple) and masculinity of the IPV victim (feminine victim versus masculine victim). Participants read one of six hypothetical IPV scenarios and completed four questionnaires to measure their masculinity, homonegativity, and perceptions of the corresponding IPV scenario. A set of linear regression and multinomial logistic regression tests was conducted to examine the corresponding hypotheses. Results: Findings suggested that participants’ homonegativity had a negative association with perceptions of IPV; traditional masculinity was negatively related to perceived seriousness of the IPV scenario; and participants were more dismissive against same-sex male IPV than heterosexual IPV. Additionally, participants’ homonegativity, participants’ gender, participants’ sexual orientation, couple’s sexual orientation, and the interaction of couple’s sexual orientation and victim’s masculinity affected potential intervention behaviors. The current study highlights the importance of examining how bystanders’ characteristics affect perceptions of IPV and potential intervention behaviors. Results can be incorporated into existing prevention and intervention programs, and also therapist training programs
Science Speed Dating to Spur Inter-Institutional Collaborative Research
No full textA principal strategic goal of the RCMI Coordinating Center (RCMI-CC) is to improve the health of minority populations and to reduce ethnic and geographic disparities in health by coordinating the development and facilitating the implementation of clinical research across the RCMI Consortium. To more effectively spur inter-institutional collaborative research, the RCMI-CC supports a Clinical Research Pilot Projects Program for hypothesis-driven clinical research projects proposed by postdoctoral fellows, early-career faculty and/or early-stage investigators from two or more RCMI U54 Centers. The purpose of this brief report is to summarize the Science Speed Dating sessions to facilitate cross-site collaboration at the RCMI Investigator Development Core (IDC) Workshop, held in conjunction with the 2024 RCMI Consortium National Conference. RCMI investigators and IDC Directors from 20 RCMI U54 Centers participated in two rounds of highly interactive small-group presentations of research ideas and resource needs in search of new collaborative and mentoring partnerships. Workshop participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the speed-networking format and strongly agreed that the workshop was beneficial to their professional-development goals
Eloise Garcia Castillo: Proof of Political Participation
No full textEloise Garcia Castillo (1920-2005) was an active member of the Houston Latino community through local politics and civic engagement. She received recognition for her service to the Harris County Juror Office, Bayou City of Democratic Women, Houston Independent School District (HISD), and others. She was also the first woman elected to office of the American GI Forum, President of LULAC Council 22, and inducted into the Hispanic Women's Hall of Fame 1989 among other achievements. The Castillo Collection, originally donated to Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage (Recovery) under the title of "A. John Castillo Collection," did not name Eloise, his wife. Yet, the collection contains a significant amount of her archives. Archives tend to be named after men, thereby erasing women from the historical record. In addition, models on political participation often fail to account for intersections between gender, race, and class which form how minority women interact with their political community. Recovering Eloise G. Castillo's archive makes visible the role she played as a Latina in community-level and local politics.Honors Colleg
Developing a Headset Integrating Vision Testing and VR with EEG Scanning
No full textThe development of a virtual reality (VR) device that integrates Vestibular Ocular Motor Screening (VOMS) with Electroencephalogram (EEG) technology aims to make brain health assessment more accessible and efficient. Currently, VOMS and EEG testing require administration by healthcare professionals, limiting accessibility and delaying diagnosis. A VR headset equipped with EEG capabilities could standardize these tests, allowing users to self-administer assessments and receive preliminary analyses. This technology has the potential to improve concussion detection, particularly in sports settings, where quick, mid-game assessments could help minimize brain injuries.This study focuses on developing an integrated EEG-VR system to track brainwave activity, enabling users to identify abnormalities and seek timely treatment. Research objectives include optimizing EEG electrode placement, conducting IRB-approved testing, analyzing baseline data, and redesigning the system for cost-effectiveness. Data collection involves 20 participants with no known neurological impairments using a Meta Quest 3 VR headset and Unicorn Hybrid Black EEG device, with each participant undergoing three trials. The expected impact includes enhanced concussion detection and improved brain health monitoring. Future research will explore real-world applications of the system beyond controlled environments, investigate EEG differences in concussed individuals, and assess multimodal approaches to refine concussion diagnosis. [This project was completed with contributions from Sarah Wong from LSI Industries Inc.]Architecture and Design, Gerald D. Hines College ofHonors Colleg
Reimagining Welfare: Addressing LGBTQ Needs in Texas Policy
No full textThis research explores the historical and contemporary challenges LGBTQ individuals face in accessing state welfare programs, focusing on Texas. Beginning with the 1960s, the project highlights how social services have historically failed to adequately support these communities. Despite efforts by LGBTQ individuals to create their own support networks, systemic exclusion and resource constraints have limited long-term relief, particularly in Texas, where high rates of employment discrimination and homelessness persist. The research analyzes welfare policies rooted in the 1980s 'personal responsibility' rhetoric which reframed welfare discourse around the concept of deservingness. This ideological shift has resulted in reduced access to aid, disproportionately harming marginalized communities. Using care ethics as a methodological framework, this study critiques Texas welfare policies for failing to meet the concrete needs of LGBTQ individuals, particularly in the face of privacy concerns, state surveillance, and inadequate funding. The research advocates for comprehensive welfare reform, including the removal of lifetime limits on TANF and SNAP benefits, and expanding access to direct cash assistance. Recognizing diverse family structures and fostering community interdependence are proposed as key strategies to enhance financial stability for LGBTQ individuals and other vulnerable groups. This project contributes to policy discussions aimed at creating more inclusive welfare systems that address structural inequalities and better support marginalized communities.Public Affairs, Hobby School ofHonors Colleg