HawkWorks
The Institutional Repository for the University of Houston-Clear Lake
HawkWorks is a digital service provided by the UHCL Libraries that preserves and provides access to the scholarship and creative works produced and owned by the University of Houston-Clear Lake community.
Communities in HawkWorks
Select a community to browse its collections.
- An open-access digital archive for the scholarly output of UHCL four colleges (Business, Education, Humans Sciences and Humanities, and Science and Engineering), including theses and dissertations.
- Digitized collection of historical theses, dissertations, and graduate projects created by University of Houston-Clear Lake graduates
- A collection of electronic theses, dissertations, and graduate projects created by University of Houston-Clear Lake graduates
- Materials and finding aids from the University of Houston-Clear Lake Archives and Special Collections' three collecting areas and the Johnson Space Center History Collection.
- Collection of scholarly output from UHCL faculty, staff, and students, including academic publications, working papers, technical reports, & white papers, and conference papers, posters, & presentations
Recent Submissions
An experimental therapy for opioid withdrawal syndrome
(2023-12-04) Reed, Yvonne; Malin, David H.; Moreno, Georgina
The ongoing opioid crisis in the United States needs alternative therapeutics. To explore the role of the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor in opioid physical dependence and withdrawal syndrome, morphine dependent rats were treated with pimavanserin, a highly selective 5-HT2A inverse agonist in current medical use. In experiment 1, rats were rendered morphine-dependent after seven days of continuous infusion at 0.6 mg/kg/hr. On the seventh day, morphine infusion ceased, and a day later, rats were injected with either 0.3 or 1.0 mg/kg pimavanserin or saline. A non-morphine dependent saline-infused control group received only saline. One hour post injection, rats were observed under blind conditions for somatically expressed behavioral withdrawal signs utilizing a validated observation checklist. Compared to morphine dependent/saline-injected rats, the non-dependent rats and both morphine-dependent pimavanserin dose groups exhibited significantly reduced withdrawal signs, p < .001, based on Tukey’s HSD test for non-independent pairwise comparisons. The higher pimavanserin dose (1.0 mg/kg) fully reversed the effect of morphine infusion on withdrawal signs, while the lower dose (0.3 mg/kg) largely reversed it. In experiment 2, utilizing only non-dependent/salineinfused rats, pimavanserin showed no significant effect on overall withdrawal signs.
Given pimavanserin’s high selectivity for the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor, these findings indicate that the activity of this receptor plays a role in opioid physical dependence. These results suggest the need for further research on pimavanserin as a novel therapeutic for managing the aversive withdrawal symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal syndrome.
"Your Poor and Humble Petitioner": Political Agency in the Petitions of the Essex County Witchcraft Crisis, 1692-1712
(2023-11-28) Allen, Amanda; Dugre, Neal T; Hales, Barbara
This thesis contextualizes the witchcraft crisis of 1692 within the realm of late seventeenth-century popular politics by examining how residents of Essex County utilized petitions to navigate a period of societal turmoil and, ultimately, bring an end to the witch trials. Although the civic dimensions of witch-hunting in New England certainly have not been ignored, historians have yet to connect colonists' response to the witchcraft crisis with the growth of the public sphere. Similarly, both personal and collective petitioning in Massachusetts Bay Colony has received minimal scholarly attention. Putting this essential political process in conversation with witchcraft brings a trend of local political activism to light. Drawing upon petitions issued by ordinary people from 1692 through 1712, this thesis identifies the social, economic, and legal arguments that petitioners used to attack the validity of the witch trials and the far-reaching consequences of unchecked witch-hunting on Essex County towns. It contends that the extraordinary circumstances of the witchcraft crisis afforded such individuals an unprecedented opportunity to assert their political agency, and that petitioning allowed local communities to hold their colony government responsible for their role in perpetuating the negative side effects of the witch trials. Petitioners' efforts to overturn the witch trials, seek exoneration for the falsely accused, and demand accountability from colonial administrators demonstrate that residents of Essex County were agents of political change and that the witchcraft crisis is an integral example of how witch-hunting intersected with regional politics.
Examining the Influence of Dispositions and Practices on Student Achievement of Elementary Principals in Title I Schools
(2023-12-06) Lightfoot, Traci; Corrales, Antonio; Peters, Michelle; Grace, Jennifer; O'Brien, Randall
This qualitative phenomenological study examined the influence of leadership dispositions and practices on student achievement in Title I schools. Because of the many duties principals are asked to undertake, it is often difficult for principals to assume the role of instructional leadership. The role of principal has expanded to engage an explicit focus on increasing student achievement through equitable outcomes (DeMatthews et al., 2020). Despite education reforms of the past few decades, more low income children tend to underachieve and drop out of school than do their middle- and high-income peers (Maxwell, 2016).
According to Mestry (2017), ineffective leaders are often unskilled and unprepared and are placed in or continue a cycle of having low-performing schools. Since Title I schools predominantly cater to poor students, often the harmful effect of poverty on the school climate is particularly more pronounced compared to the non-Title I schools (Roy, 2019). Educational leaders and staffs in Title I schools need to believe that they can make a difference in their students’ lives as well as make the students believe that they have the capability to become successful in school and life (Benson, 2003). Therefore, a gap may exist for principals to utilize distinct actions across multiple leadership domains to effectively manage the operations and promote high quality instruction that increases academic achievement in high poverty schools.
However, defining and clarifying the principal’s impact on campus performance continues to remain challenging (Hutton, 2019). A deeper understanding of poverty and the value of invested adults in student’s future success in life, can be a valuable resource in challenging communities to promote sustainable progress in closing the achievement gap.
How fast is too fast: An analysis of the relationship between audio comprehension and playback speed
(2023-11-30) Ruiz, Rigoberto; Kelling, Nicholas; Lucas, Amy; Subramanian, Shreerekha
A lack of research regarding audio-only comprehension has created inconsistency in what would be considered average performance in terms of comprehension. Most research has focused on coupling this with video components leading to varying results due to cueing and a lack of standardizing testing methods. Given the advent of audio-only in an educational setting through means such as lectures and podcasts, understanding how those who engage with them using tools such as playback manipulation is becoming increasingly important. This study analyzes the effect of playback speed on comprehension and attempts to find the range where comprehension decreases. Participants underwent five different assessments ranging from 1 to 2 times original playback speed in increasing increments of .25, testing their comprehension between trials. Findings suggest that prior to the speed of 1.75 times, individuals should not expect a drop off in terms of performance. This suggests advising individuals to utilize playback manipulation tools across modalities, leading to a 40% decrease in time required to listen to the material.
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on social capital
(2023-12-04) Alzahrani, Najwa Said; McMullen, Mike; Lucas, Amy
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on all aspects of society, including social relationships and connections. In this study, I investigated the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on social capital. Using a quantitative approach, I measured various dimensions of social capital, focusing on social trust, social networks, and civic connections before, during, and after the pandemic to explore the changes caused by the pandemic on social capital. After careful analysis of 119 responses using SPSS, I found that social trust results in unique patterns with strong bonding within familiar circles like family, neighbors, and government's institutions, while a low level of trust was evident regarding diverse groups. In terms of social networks, family relationships thrived during the pandemic, and new friendships emerged, showing a strong indicator of bonding and bridging social capital. However, a decrease was observed in deeper friendships during and after the pandemic. Nevertheless, participants expressed satisfaction with their means of contacting others during the pandemic and 80% of participants were willing to continue using the same mode of communication in the post-pandemic era. Amidst the upheaval, civic engagement displayed a slight increase, particularly in ethnic associations, religious-affiliated groups, seniors, and youth groups. However, the pandemic circumstances led to a general reduction in participation in civil society organizations. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted various dimensions of social capital. The findings of this study have important implications for policymakers, community leaders, and individuals as we navigate the challenges of the pandemic and work to build stronger, more resilient communities in the post-pandemic world.