This thesis explores the development of residential segregation over a long time period in Stockholm, Sweden. By following the spatial distribution of two socio- economic indicators and two indicators of housing characteristics between 1930 and 2015, it describes how changing housing policy has affected the indicators. Historic data was gathered and compiled in a longitudinal data base. Spatial analysis of the variables produced results that indicate spatio-temporal variation in all variables, and indicate a central-peripheral pattern that has developed and persisted for long time periods. Variation in spatial distributions of the variables is furthermore connected to changes in undertaken housing policy. Regression models also indicate that the characteristics of residential segregation has arguably been different in different times. The long time period is argued to be important in segregation research because of the longevity of many segregation processes. Following continuous indices of residential segregation over long time periods is important as it may help us understand contemporary trends better, conversely creating better knowledge for policy makers when counter segregation policy is implemented. Long time approaches are, however, lacking the literature, motivating the analysis performed in this thesis.

In enterprise networks, all aspects of the network, such as placement of security devices and performance, must be carefully considered. Even with forethought, networks operators are ultimately unaware of intra-subnet traffic. The inability to monitor intra-subnet traffic leads to blind spots in the network where compromised hosts have unfettered access to the network for spreading and reconnaissance. While network security middleboxes help to address compromises, they are limited in only seeing a subset of all network traffic that traverses routed infrastructure, which is where middleboxes are frequently deployed. Furthermore, traditional middleboxes are inherently limited to network-level information when making security decisions. Software-defined networking (SDN) is a networking paradigm that allows logically centralized control of network switches and routers. SDN can help address visibility concerns while providing the benefits of a centralized network control platform, but traditional switch-based SDN leads to concerns of scalability and is ultimately limited in that only network-level information is available to the controller. This dissertation addresses these SDN limitations in the enterprise by pushing the SDN functionality to the end-hosts. In doing so, we address scalability concerns and provide network operators with better situational awareness by incorporating system-level and graphical user interface (GUI) context into network information handled by the controller. By incorporating host-context, our approach shows a modest 16% reduction in flows that can be processed each second compared to switch-based SDN. In comparison to enterprise networks, residential networks are much more constrained. Residential networks are limited in that the operators typically lack the experience necessary to properly secure the network. As a result, devices on home networks are sometimes compromised and, unbeknownst to the home user, perform nefarious acts such as distributed denial of services (DDoS) attacks on the Internet. Even with operator expertise in residential networks, the network infrastructure is limited to a resource-constrained router that is not extensible. Fortunately, SDN has the potential to increase security and network control in residential networks by outsourcing functionality to the cloud where third-party experts can provide proper support. In residential networks, this dissertation uses SDN along with cloud-based resources to introduce enterprise-grade network security solutions where previously infeasible. As part of our residential efforts, we build and evaluate device-agnostic security solutions that are able to better protect the increasing number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Our work also shows that the performance of outsourcing residential network control to the cloud is feasible for up to 90% of home networks in the United States.

O setor da construção civil é o maior e o que mais consome recursos em qualquer economia, considerando todas as suas fases, desde a fabricação de materiais até a ocupação e demolição. No Brasil, os edifícios são responsáveis por cerca de 50% do consumo de eletricidade e por 21% do consumo de água. Na cidade de São Paulo, a maior do país, o mercado imobiliário residencial é o principal mercado da construção e, por consequência, responsável por impactos socioambientais compatíveis. Desde 2007, ferramentas de certificação Green Building (internacionais e nacionais) ganharam força no mercado brasileiro, com destaque para os empreendimentos comerciais e de serviços. A partir de 2010, foram criados sistemas de avaliação voltados exclusivamente ao setor residencial, que ainda pouco explora o conceito de sustentabilidade nos projetos e canteiros de obra. Com base em um estudo detalhado do mercado da construção civil e das ferramentas de avaliação e normas técnicas brasileiras, foi possível definir 29 requisitos de sustentabilidade para a concepção e o desenvolvimento de projetos residenciais multifamiliares na cidade de São Paulo. Os requisitos (qualitativos) se desdobram em critérios (quantitativos) e devem servir de ferramenta para incorporadores e projetistas (com ênfase no arquiteto), durante a concepção e o desenvolvimento do projeto, incluindo a escolha do terreno e a especificação de materiais e sistemas. Abrangendo temas importantes como conectividade urbana, áreas verdes, uso racional de água, eficiência energética, materiais de menor impacto ambiental, gestão de resíduos, conforto ambiental e acessibilidade, os requisitos e critérios, uma vez adotados em projetos, resultarão em melhor desempenho econômico, ambiental e social do edifício ao longo de toda a sua vida útil, reduzindo as emissões de CO2, os custos operacionais e a exploração de recursos naturais, além de melhorar a qualidade de vida dos usuários. Entretanto, esta deve ser entendida como uma abordagem inicial, visto que ainda há muito a se pensar quando o assunto é sustentabilidade na habitação e a participação de todas as partes interessadas nesse processo de mudança (governo, incorporadores, construtores, projetistas, fabricantes de materiais e equipamentos, pesquisadores, consultores e consumidores) é de fundamental importância. / The civil construction sector is the biggest resources consumer in any economy, considering all phases, from the material fabrication to the occupation and demolition. In Brazil, buildings are responsible for 50% of electricity consumption and 21% of water consumption. In São Paulo city, the largest in the country, the residential property market is the main construction market and, therefore, responsible for compatible social-environmental impacts. Since 2007, Green Building certifications (international and national) became relevant in Brazilian market with highlights for commercial and service enterprises. In 2010, some evaluation systems were created exclusively for the residential sector, which is still less explored in terms of sustainability during design phase and construction sites. Based on detailed study of the civil construction market, evaluation tools and Brazilian technical Standards, it was possible to define 29 sustainability requirements for the conception and development of multifamily residential projects in São Paulo city. The requirements (qualitative) were translated into criteria (quantitative) and shall be used as a tool for developers and designers (with emphasis on the architect) during the conception and project development, including site selection and material and systems specifications. Covering very important issues such as urban connectivity, green areas, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials with less environmental impact, waste management, environmental comfort and accessibility, the requirements and criteria, once applied in projects, will result in a better economic, environmental and social performance of the buildings throughout its lifetime, decreasing the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, operational cost and natural resource exploration and also improving the user´s life quality. However, this should be understood as an initial approach, since there it still plenty to be thought when it comes to sustainability in dwellings and the participation of all stakeholders in this process of change (government, developers, builders, designers, materials and equipment manufacturers, researchers, consultant and consumers) is extremely important.

Strong Teens is an evidence-based social and emotional learning (SEL) curriculum designed to target internalizing disorders by promoting emotional resilience and social competence. In this study, Strong Teens was implemented among 36 adolescent girls during group therapy in a residential treatment center (RTC). A non-equivalent, quasi-experimental wait-list control group design was used. The curriculum was evaluated by tracking the girls' social and emotional knowledge, internalizing symptoms, and resilience from the perspectives of the girls, group therapists, and a supervisor who was blind to the study. Although the results indicated that exposure to Strong Teens was not effective in increasing the social and emotional knowledge of the girls, statistically significant reductions in internalizing symptoms and statistically significant gains in resilience were reported. Treatment fidelity checklists were filled out during 31% of the lessons where it was observed that the average lesson time was 30.11 minutes and 62% of the lessons' components implemented with integrity. In addition, group therapists completed a social validity questionnaire after the completion of the lessons in which they agreed with the goals and procedures of the curriculum, were neutral with the outcomes, and generally reported that the curriculum helped the girls facilitate better awareness of linking thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as well as helping them better understand empathy and improved peer interactions. They also indicated that the curriculum was "too basic" and wished it would have had more tailored specifics for their population. It is recommended that future research with this population investigate which SEL topics are most suitable, identify the most favorable lesson time, and explore student perspectives and experiences with Strong Teens.

In many spatial epidemiologic studies, investigators use residential location at diagnosis as a surrogate for unknown environmental exposures or as a geographic basis for assigning measured exposures. Inherently, they make assumptions about the timing and location of pertinent exposures which may prove problematic when studying long latency diseases such as cancer. In this work we explored how the association between environmental exposures and disease risk for long-latency health outcomes like cancer is affected by residential mobility. We used simulation studies conditioned on real data to evaluate the extent to which the commonly held assumption of no residential mobility 1) affected the ability of generalized additive models to detect areas of significantly elevated historic environmental exposure and 2) increased bias in the estimates of the relationship between environmental exposures and disease in a case-control study. While the literature suggests that some researchers have begun to develop methods to incorporate historic locations in studies of health outcomes, a number of questions remain. One reason for the knowledge gap is that residential histories have not been collected in most U.S. epidemiologic studies. In our work we evaluated the impact of using public-record database generated histories to estimate the effects of exposure in lieu of using subject-reported addresses collected during a study. Finally, we evaluated the effect of environmental exposure on cancer risk in a case-control study using an approach that combined a multiple membership conditional autoregressive (CAR) model with an environmental exposure index for temporally correlated time-varying exposure assigned based on residential histories. We used this model in a data application to explain bladder cancer risk in the New England Bladder Cancer Study. We included a temporal arsenic exposure index in the model to assess a large number of correlated arsenic exposures.

In two separate studies, I examine the relationship between skin tone and important psychological well-being, delinquency, and social integration outcomes for Blacks, testing not only if skin tone is important in determining these outcomes but attempting to disentangle the mechanism by which the inequality is produced. More specifically, using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), in study one I draw on important propositions of Agnew’s (1992) General Strain Theory to investigate the extent to which darker skin impacts youths’ feelings of strain, psychological well-being, and delinquency. The study found skin tone to be significantly associated with certain facets of well-being but surprisingly there were no direct effects on various types of strain. Skin tone is a strong predictor of one’s involvement in serious weapon violence, controlling for prior delinquency. Results also show that skin tone matters more for female adolescents’ odds of being suspended compared to their male counterparts, while certain forms of strain significantly impact the effect of skin tone on one’s involvement in delinquent activity. In study two, I continue my investigation of skin tone as an external or interracial source of discrimination using the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). In this study I am concerned with whether Blacks with darker skin tones are more likely than their lighter-skinned counter parts to live in neighborhoods that they perceive as more segregated and with fewer amenities and community resources. Although these data did not allow me to directly test how the respondents came to reside in their present community (i.e. racial steering or neighborhood choice), I examine skin tone discrimination as well as major types of everyday discrimination (e.g. being denied a bank loan or housing opportunity) experiences reported by Blacks. Overall, findings suggest that darker-skinned Blacks fare worse in regard to frequent experiences of skin tone discrimination from Whites. Skin tone is significantly related to respondent’s perceived seriousness of drug activity in their current neighborhood, suggesting that skin tone may have some impact on one’s perceived neighborhood quality. Further results, implications, and conclusions are discussed.

This study evaluated a physical activity-based residential treatment program. It explored the current literature on adolescent treatment implementing physical exercise with parental participation, specifically at residential treatment centers. While the current literature strongly supports physical exercise and family involvement in adolescent treatment, research on combining physical exercise with family involvement is insufficient at best. The data were obtained from Telos Residential Treatment Center, an all-boys treatment program that incorporates a triathlon into their treatment curriculum and keeps pre- and posttest scores of the Youth Outcome Questionnaire for their students as well as completed questionnaires from students' parents. Research questions addressed whether or not the pre- and posttest scores support Telos' treatment program in terms of standardized test scores as well as possible differences in outcomes based on parent participation in the triathlon. Missing data and data corruption were major flaws in the study, significantly limiting the sample size. Consequently, the research questions could not be tested appropriately; however, there were statistically significant relationships (p < .05) between pre and post scores of intrapersonal distress as well as scores from the Global Assessment of Functioning, with both scores indicating change in a positive direction. Cohen's d also showed change in the desired direction in regards to interpersonal relationships and somatic symptoms. Students of parents who did not participate in a triathlon showed more improvement in interpersonal relationships as well as in intrapersonal distress and somatic symptoms. Parents who trained and physically participated in at least a portion of the triathlon with their son attributed their sons' treatment gains to the emotional intensity of the triathlon more than nonparticipating parents. Contrary to expectation, however, they did not weigh their own participation in the triathlon as heavily as nonparticipating parents in explaining treatment gains, specifically in improvements in how they and their son perceive and experience each other.

Land resources are essential to the production of many goods and services, including food, fiber, housing, and recreation. Often, these alternate uses are thought to be incompatible, and the conventional wisdom holds that in a place such as Utah, where rapid population growth is occurring near farming activities, at least some agricultural land must be converted to developed uses. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strength of the relationship between population growth and change in farmland, especially cropland, in Utah. Theoretically, population growth has been assumed to affect the amount of land in agricultural use. An empirical model is formulated to explain changes in the quantity of various types of agricultural land as a function of four hypothesized explanatory variables, one of which is the percentage change in population. The conclusion reached is that population growth is not statistically related to changes in the amount of land in agriculture in Utah. Although some land at the urban fringes is converted to developed uses every year, it is replaced in other locations by new farmland . Therefore, the increase in population that resulted in some cropland conversion is not directly related to the change in cropland. Moreover, none of the other explanatory variables are consistently related. Even in a hypothetical "worst-case" scenario, in which all future development is assumed to take place on cropland, little of Utah's cropland would be lost by the year 2000. If Utah state and local planners desire to encourage retention of land in agriculture, further study should be directed towards finding the relevant explanatory variables, and policies should be based on an understanding of the significant relationships.

In this study, water meter accuracy in response to short, intermittent flows was tested. Burst flows have short durations (a few seconds or less), and occur at a variety of flow rates. For some types of meters, it is difficult to accurately measure short, intermittent flow rates. Depending on the meter type, an intermittent flow can result in either under-registering or over-registering of the actual throughput. During the testing for this research, water was passed through meters for various time combinations, test setups, and flows. It should be understood that realistically, a household setting will not see burst flows occurring in a repeated manner. For the purposes of laboratory testing, however, time-on and condensed time-off combinations were used. The reduced time off allowed for a controlled test procedure and efficient data collection. Ultrasonic, electromagnetic, nutating disc, and oscillating piston meters were tested. The meter types were found to perform differently under the varying test setups, time combinations, and flow rates. The electromagnetic meters were generally unaffected by burst flows. Burst flows caused one of the ultrasonic meter models to have decreased accuracies, while the other model remained mostly unaffected. Nutating disc and oscillating piston meters were generally affected by burst flows only at the lowest flow.

Americans across the nation are showing an increased awareness of the problems caused by the rapid and uncontrolled growth our country has undergone over the last fifty years. It is apparent to most that we can no longer abuse our natural resources as if they were inexhaustable . In the last few years, there has been a specific concern for prices, consumption, and energy conservation. These real concerns are moving us towards a reconsideration of our living habits that will certainly affect the future of residential planning and site design.