Limited research on microplastics makes it increasingly difficult to measure the potential dangers of their toxicological effect on humans and the environment. Today, evidence has revealed that microplastics have been located in highly remote areas of the world. There are few studies that examine the movement of microplastics within urban landscapes and even fewer that observe different communities within cities. To this end, a study was devised that utilized filtration, dehydration, and Laser Direct Infrared Spectroscopy to monitor drinking water microplastics found in residential buildings across different communities. Houses and apartments of low and high-income at different distances from the nearest water treatment plant were considered. Comparisons between format differences between housing units were made possible by creating a ratio between rent and the square footage of the unit. Samples were extracted from kitchen faucets for their high impact on cooking and human consumption. While there was no significant difference between distance, income level, and building structure some factors had a stronger influence on microplastic count than others. Using a general linear model, it was found that distance had the greatest effect on microplastic count followed by building type and then income levels. The greater the distance from a water treatment plant the fewer microplastics one was exposed to. Microplastics were found to be more abundant in apartments as opposed to houses. A weak positive correlation between income level and the number of microplastics was found but was not significant enough to state that income played a role in microplastic count. This is interpreted as microplastics having no discrimination on one’s socioeconomic status. As everyone, no matter their background is affected by microplastics, it is recommended that more research be conducted in order to confirm whether other building types and other factors have an influence on microplastic exposure.

Residential facilities for adults with developmental disabilities offer essential accommodations and support services, with fostering communication for residents as an important aspect of care. Despite the importance of communication, previous research has identified concerns about staff performance (SP) in facilitating positive social interactions, such as engaging in consequent-mediating behavior for residents' mands. Previous research has primarily focused on improving SP through skills-based training. Yet, Skinner's theory of verbal behavior emphasizes the social and reciprocal nature of mands. Skinner suggests that the listener's behavior, engaging in consequence-mediating behavior, must be conditioned by the verbal community. However, empirical investigations into the reinforcing practices of staff in residential facilities, such as the shaping and sustaining of different types of resident mands, is limited. The current investigation sought to address this gap in research by evaluating if distinct mand topographies, disguised or specific mands, influenced the likelihood of staff engaging in consequence-mediated behavior across three staff-resident dyads. Results suggest a low probability of staff responding to, or reinforcing, mands, thus limiting conclusions on the effects of mand topographies on staff performance. Future directions and considerations regarding resident-staff interactions are discussed.

This work presents the development of a new framework for the commercialization of innovative products in the residential construction industry. It is the aim of this work to identify commercialization decisions, actions, risks, barriers and accelerators specific to the residential construction industry market that will increase the acceptance of product innovations for those developing them. Commercialization is broadly defined as the process of developing a business enterprise from an idea, through feasibility and implementation, to its acceptance into a market (USDOE 1999, Goldsmith 2003). Commercialization frameworks describe the concurrent decisions and actions along the innovation development process, optimizing all of the technical and business decisions required for a successful introduction to the marketplace. Successful commercialization frameworks serve as a form of development plan, promoting solutions to questions and problems that arise along the development path. This research derives such a framework for the commercialization of innovative products and makes it specific to residential construction through the following tasks: 1. Understanding standard terminology: defining innovation and commercialization as they relate to this work. 2. Creating a lens for the unique nature of commercialization in this industry: deriving a commercialization framework (matrix) from the research literature in business, construction, and concurrent engineering, capable of accepting later alterations. 3. Understanding the manufacturer's role and risks: conducting case study interviews for fifteen innovative residential construction products that specify important tasks, risks and benefits for commercialization. 4. Understanding the role, risks and benefits of builders, as users of innovation: comparing case studies and workshop surveys of many residential construction industry players that focus on the builder to establish parameters for the innovation commercialization matrix. 5. Linking both manufacturer and builder: comparing manufacturer commercialization best-practices with builder adoption patterns for innovative products over time. / Ph. D.

It is unmistakable that sport is a universally vital element in our society today. Sport teaches us teamwork, sportsmanship, and provides a stage to compete instead of fight. Sport has been known to end civil wars and bring peace when all hope is lost. Sport has been called the world's first global culture. It has been said that where the crowds gather, history is made. With stadiums providing a stage for over 100,000 people at one time, it is easy to associate a stadium with this thought. Since the function that stadiums hold is so important to us as people, shouldn't our stadiums reflect the importance of the function they represent? / Master of Architecture

Massive migration is one the most significant phenomena of China's urbanization. In the thirty years since the "Reform and Open Up" policy began, Guangzhou has experienced economic growth and urban expansion and attracted a vast number of migrants. Seen as the product of the rapid urbanization, urban villages accommodate the majority of migrants by providing low-rent housing, but at the same time cause many social problems. This thesis aim at improving the migrants' standard of living, helping them gradually integrate into the city, and enhancing the potential for social interactions in the neighborhood. / Master of Architecture

The thought of building on this land is frightening to me. Construction is necessarily accompanied by a relative level of destruction, and I always have to question whether the positive outweighs the negative. It is rare that the act of building is approached with the level of gravity it deserves, considering the significance of what is taking place. It is the replacement and/or displacement of "what is" with what we think "should be". And what "should be"? Luigi Snozzi tells us to "Destroy with sensibility." So the question becomes, what is sensible, and conversely (and maybe more importantly), what is insensible. Architecture has the role of establishing the relationship that will exist between inhabitants and inhabited before the former even arrive. In a building that is designed with careful consideration of its surroundings, the inhabitants are themselves likely to extend a more careful consideration toward their environment. It is a fortunate relationship for both, as the inhabited is treated to at least a greater level of regard if not reverence, while the inhabitants benefit from the richness of experience that comes with a positive connection to place. In buildings where this role is neglected, the unfortunate relationship established by default is one of dominion with disregard. / Master of Architecture

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the factors that contribute to client behavior change and motivation during residential treatment for adolescent females on probation. Data were obtained through retrospective individual interviews with residents of a residential treatment center in Northern Virginia. Semi-structured, open-ended questions were asked in order to obtain a rich description of each girl's experience of change. The results illuminated specific aspects of the treatment program that were most helpful to the participants. By analyzing these data, a specific process of change was developed for this unique population. Participants in the current study reported relationships with staff and their families as very important in terms of making changes. It seems the attachments they were able to establish were a significant factor in change. Through the lens of attachment theory, it is hypothesized that participants' relationships with staff were instrumental in helping them to make changes, as these relationships offered a secure base from which to explore themselves. In the context of an alternative attachment, the current study could be beneficial in helping counselors view themselves as alternative attachment figures, and help them to be more intentional about how they use this in treatment. / Master of Science

The single family home is a building type synonymous with residential architecture among many in the United States. The notion that the ideal built character of a dwelling is a private structure, built on private land, and owned by a private entity is as old as that ownership equating to power in human history. Though the houses of today are no longer the literal manifestations of strength seen in the fortifications of feudal castles or wealth seen in the opulence of imperial palaces, the metaphorical implications remain. It was on these allegories that the Post-WWII housing boom capitalized, using slogans and advertisements meant to invoke the glory and strength of owning a home. They charged that a man was not truly a man until he owned his own home, and that this American Dream can be achieved for surprisingly low prices. Thus the home was commoditized and development after development of ‘single family homes’ were replicated across the country. 70 years later, these structures which were built quickly for cost efficiency, and with a very specific ‘single family’ in mind for their residents are reaching the end of their usable lives. The architecture which replaces or adds to them has significant power to redefine the notion of a single-family home and its surrounding neighborhood. This thesis seeks to understand the current trend of redevelopment in these areas and propose alternate solutions which enrich the built character of the community and expands on the notion of what residential architecture can be. / Master of Architecture / To address the idea of what the architecture of a home can be, the first step is looking at what that definition is currently and then imagining what it has the potential to become. Through this study the home is revealed as more than the brick and mortar building, becoming instead an extension of the people who inhabit it and their surrounding neighborhood. When viewed through this perspective, the potential impact that building can have and the value it can serve to a community is dramatically increased and should therefore be a topic of significant consideration as new forms of housing are designed. Ultimately this approach will provide a wider set of dwelling options for a broader range of inhabitants within a single connected area.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Background/Aims: Children and young people in residential care often exhibit complex emotional and behavioural needs. Attachment theory is frequently used to explain these difficulties, whereby a young person's early experience can influence their internal representations of relationships and their subsequent interactions within the residential milieu. Thus, residential childcare staff have a fundamental role supporting young people, to facilitate therapeutic change and mitigate poor long-term outcomes. Policy and research often recommend staff training and attachment-informed care, yet there is very limited understanding of how this translates into practice or influences outcomes. Therefore, this thesis aimed to systematically review literature on the types, measurement and effectiveness of residential staff training, focussed upon psychosocial outcomes. It also aimed to construct an explanatory theory of how residential staff make sense of, and use, attachment theory in practice. Methods: Research aims are addressed in two studies. Literature on residential staff training was systematically reviewed in Journal Article 1. This was conducted through a search of electronic databases, quality assessment of included studies, and subsequent narrative synthesis. Journal Article 2 used qualitative methodology in the form of constructivist grounded theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty residential staff members through an iterative process of data collection and analysis, and theoretical sampling, until theoretical saturation was achieved. Results: Eighteen studies were included in the systematic review. Results highlight heterogeneous staff training, often evaluated through measurement of staff knowledge, skills and/or attitudes, and/or child behaviour frequency. Findings offer tentative support for the positive impact of training upon staff skills but other outcomes remain unclear. Results from Journal Article 2 indicate that staff had difficulty articulating attachment theory and often did not have a coherent narrative to describe attachment theory to practice links. Instead, they focussed upon a natural process of building relationships within a challenging context, with attachment theory only coming to the forefront when deemed relevant. Conclusions: The effectiveness of residential staff training remains unclear due to the methodological limitations of included studies. Significant improvements are identified for future evaluations of training to address this issue. Future staff training may benefit from limiting jargon, developing theory to practice links, and facilitating staff reflective function. Recommendations of attachment-informed care must also recognise the complexity of the residential system; and the current disparity between attachment theory narrative within policy and research, and practice.