RACIAL/ETHNIC VARIABILITY IN THE EFFECT OF RADIATION ON SECOND PRIMARY THYROID CANCER IN CHILDREN: ANALYSIS USING SURVEILLANCE EPIDEMIOLOGY AND END RESULTS DATA

Increases in pediatric thyroid cancer incidence could be partly due to previous clinical intervention. This retrospective cohort study used 1973-2012 data from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results program to assess the association between previous radiation therapy exposure in development of second primary thyroid cancer (SPTC) among 0-19-year-old children. Statistical analysis included the calculation of summary statistics and univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. Relative to no previous radiation therapy exposure, cases exposed to radiation had 2.46 times the odds of developing SPTC (95% CI: 1.39-4.34). After adjustment for sex and age at diagnosis, Hispanic children who received radiation therapy for a first primary malignancy had 3.51 times the odds of developing SPTC compared to Hispanic children who had not received radiation therapy, [AOR=3.51, 99% CI: 0.69-17.70, p=0.04]. These findings support the development of age-specific guidelines for the use of radiation based interventions among children with and without cancer.

Surveillance in Cyberspace: Applying Natural and Place Manager Surveillance to System Trespassing

Research on the criminological side of system trespassing (i.e. unlawfully gaining access to a computer system) is relatively rare and has yet to examine the effect of the presence of other users on the system during the trespassing event (i.e. the time of communication between a trespasser’s system and the infiltrated system). This thesis seeks to analyze this relationship drawing on principles of Situational Crime Prevention, Routine Activities Theory, and restrictive deterrence. Data were collected from a randomized control trial of target computers deployed on the Internet network of a large U.S. university. This study examined whether the number (one or multiple) and type (administrative or non-administrative) of computer users present on a system reduced the seriousness and frequency of trespassing. Results indicated that the type of user (administrative) produced a restrictive deterrent effect and significantly reduced the frequency and duration of trespassing events.