Chapter 1 provides a discussion of definitions, criticisms, and measurements of urban sprawl. Land-use controls are surveyed in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, we present the monocentric urban model, followed by a discussion of extensions of that model to include land-use controls. Chapter 4 is a survey of previous empirical analysis of the monocentric model, while Chapters 5 and 6 present our own empirical work. In general, our empirical results support the theoretical predictions as well as providing support for policies to control sprawl. In particular, the results support the use of maximum lot-size zoning, urban growth boundaries, and density restrictions in the form of minimum building heights, minimum square-footage limits, maximum building permits, and minimum persons per room. The importance of this dissertation lies in the fact that it presents the first empirical analysis of the effects of land-use controls on urban sprawl. For this reason, the findings should be of interest to urban planners in their efforts to control urban sprawl. Because we test theoretical hypotheses found in the urban economics literature, the results should also be of interest to academic economists. Finally, the data on land-use controls gathered for the empirical analysis should be of importance to researchers in urban economics.

Financial fraud in church organizations is increasing rapidly, which can affect the reputation, donation appeal, future funding, and ability of church organizations to meet their planned organizational goals. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies for preventing financial fraud in church organizations. The conceptual framework for the study was Cressey’s fraud triangle theory. Twenty participants who utilize strategies for preventing financial fraud in their organizations were purposively selected from 5 church organizations in Ghana. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analysis of organizational financial policy documents. Interview data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed with Saldaña’s coding guidelines. Data analysis followed recommendations from Yin, including examining the data, grouping data into categories, regrouping data in themes, interpreting the data, and producing empirically based findings that answered the central research question of the study. Three significant themes emerged from the data analysis: effective administration, good stewardship and accountability, and caliber of employees. Implementation of the findings may lead to positive social change by enhancing the donation appeal of church organizations, improving their finances, and enabling them to optimize their operations to benefit individuals, families, communities, and society.

A study of soil erosion in the United States, especially in Texas, which brings attention to the causes of soil erosion under the existing system of farm management. The material gathered and compiled and arranged under certail main heading. Two chapters deal with present and immediate causes of erosions and their results. One full chapter takes up the history of the conservation movement and attempts to show how slow Texans have been in comparison with some of the other states of the United States. The study calls for further research, teaching of better land-use, raising awareness of soil erosion causes and conditions.

An unprecedented rise in the availability of new synthetic drugs of abuse has been observed in the recent years. One of the most noted cases is that of a popularized designer drug mixture known as ‘bath salts’. Commonly obtained from various shops and on the internet, “bath salts” often contain the synthetic cathinones 3,4 methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), mephedrone, and methylone in diverse combinations. Individually, the synthetic cathinones are known to have similar pharmacology to controlled psychostimulants such as cocaine and the amphetamines, increasing the levels of dopamine (DA) in the synaptic cleft. DA is an important neurotransmitter that regulates a variety of behaviors and functions; neurons within the mesolimbic DA pathway (ventral tegmental area to nucleus accumbens) are involved in reward and motivation and are activated by these drugs of abuse. Additionally, psychostimulant-induced increases in DA in the nigrostriatal pathway (substantia nigra to corpus striatum) lead to increases in locomotor behavior. However, the majority of preclinical investigations have only assessed the effects of individual bath salt constituents and have provided little information regarding the possibility of significant drug interactions with the co-exposure of MDPV, mephedrone, and methylone. This study sought to evaluate and compare the effects of individual versus combined MDPV, mephedrone, and methylone on dopamine (DA) levels in discrete brain regions as well as motor stimulant responses in mice. Male adolescent Swiss-Webster mice received intraperitoneal injections of saline, MDPV, mephedrone, methylone (1.0 or 10.0 mg/kg), or the cathinone cocktail (MDPV + mephedrone + methylone at 1.0, 3.3, or 10 mg/kg). The effect of each treatment on DA and DA metabolite levels in mesolimbic and nigrostriatal brain tissue was quantified 15 min after a single exposure utilizing high pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD). Additionally, locomotor activity was recorded in mice after acute (day 1) and chronic intermittent (day 7) dosing. The results demonstrate that MDPV, mephedrone, and methylone produce dose-related increases in the mesolimbic and nigrostriatal DA levels that are significantly enhanced following their co-administration. Additionally, a decrease in locomotor activity on day 1 that was exacerbated by day 7 was noted in mice treated with the cathinone cocktail and was not observed with any of the single agents. The decrease in locomotor activity was accompanied by an increase in stereotypic-like behavior including excessive grooming and even self-mutilation. Our findings demonstrate a significantly enhanced effect of MDPV, mephedrone, and methylone on both DA and its metabolites resulting in significant alterations in locomotor activity. This work provides insight into the potential enhanced risk of the use of these combination synthetic cathinone products.

Metabolic syndrome is associated with pathologies that include type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, all of which increase the risks of heart disease. Glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) is a hormone produced by intestinal enteroendocrine L‑cells. GLP-1 increases insulin sensitivity, augments glucose-dependent insulin secretion, and suppresses glucagon release. GLP-1 also works centrally to decrease appetite and increase metabolism. Evidence suggests that the beneficial effect is mediated by metabolically related sympathetic neurons within the hypothalamus. Although the hypothalamus contains neurons that control metabolism, there are also neurons that control cardiovascular activity. Considering that one main goal of obesity and diabetes treatments is to reduce cardiovascular-related comorbidities, any drug‑induced increase in blood pressure is unacceptable. Therefore, a better understanding of GLP-1 agonists on sympathetic activity and the role of the hypothalamus in central GLP‑1 activity is essential. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the long‑acting FDA approved GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide activates both metabolic and cardiovascular‑related hypothalamic neurons and augments reflex cardiovascular sympathetic activity in rats. To test this hypothesis, we administered liraglutide (125 mg/kg, SC, n=10) or vehicle (saline, n=10) to rats for 15 days and measured food intake and body weight. Next, we recorded blood pressure and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in the anesthetized rat before and after liraglutide treatment. Finally, to determine the activation of hypothalamic neurons we performed neuroanatomical tracing studies and turned metabolically-related (raphe‑projecting) neurons green, and cardiovascular-related (rostroventrolateral medulla, RVLM) neurons red. After treating rats with liraglutide, (75 mg/kg IV) we performed immunohistochemical (IHC) labeling to identify neurons expressing cFos, a marker of neuronal activation. Daily liraglutide significantly (p < 0.05) reduced both food intake and body weight from the pretreatment baseline. In vehicle-treated rats, the mean baseline food intake was 27.9 ± 0.5g. During vehicle treatment, the mean food intake was 28.6 ± 0.8 g and body weight was 110 ± 1.5% of its baseline. In liraglutide-treated rats, the mean baseline food intake was 29.9 ± 0.7g. During liraglutide treatment, the mean food intake was 22.7 ± 1.4g and body weight was 105 ± 1.1% of its baseline. At the end of liraglutide treatment, food intake and body weight returned to that of the vehicle-treated rats. In the anesthetized rat, liraglutide significantly (p < 0.05) increased basal RSNA and augmented baroreflex and chemoreflex activity. Lastly, our cFos data show that liraglutide activates metabolic, but not cardiovascular hypothalamic neurons. Collectively, these data suggest that although liraglutide elevates sympathetic activity, it is not by activation of pre-sympathetic hypothalamic neurons.

Obesity has risen 75% in the United States since 1980 and an estimated 80 million American adults are considered obese. Obesity activates the sympathetic nervous system and is associated with neurogenic hypertension. Leptin is an obesity-related neuropeptide released from fat cells which reduces appetite and increases metabolism. Leptin activates metabolic and cardiovascular responsive pre‑sympathetic neurons within the hypothalamus. Although leptin increases metabolism and curbs appetite, it also increases blood pressure. Considering that one main goal of obesity treatments is to diminish the cardiovascular-related co-morbidities this is an unacceptable side effect for potential treatments. Thus, a better understanding of the role hypothalamic sites involved in obesity-related hypertension is necessary for successful treatments. Our hypothesis is that leptin activates hypothalamic neurons that control metabolic (raphe pallidus) and cardiovascular activity (RVLM, rostroventrolateral medulla) within the brainstem. To test our hypothesis we created a line of transgenic mice using the cre-lox recombination system to express the reporter gene tdTomato under the control of the leptin (ObRb) receptor gene. First, we performed a behavioral study to verify the physiological effect and optimal dose of daily leptin treatment. To do this we implanted mini-osmotic pumps for continuous subcutaneous leptin (400 ng/hr) administration and measured food intake and body weight over 4 weeks. To determine if leptin activates pre‑sympathetic hypothalamic neurons we performed neuroanatomical tracer studies in these mice. At the end of the 4-week period, we injected fluorescent retrograde tracers into the raphe pallidus (green, metabolic center) and RVLM (magenta, cardiovascular). We then performed fluorescence immunohistochemical labelling to identify leptin-induced neuronal activation cFos a marker of neuronal activation of these neurons. Data from this behavioral, neurophysiological and neuroanatomical study will provide a better understanding of the role of the hypothalamus in controlling blood pressure and metabolism in obesity. Information from this study will provide groundwork for a better understanding of central autonomic mechanisms of cardiovascular risk as well as risk introduced by drugs intended to treat obesity.

El objetivo del presente trabajo de investigación es una propuesta de Arquitectura de Software para la gestión de monitoreo de controles de seguridad del Programa Integral Nacional para el bienestar Familia – INABIF, siguiendo buenas prácticas de enfoques predictivos, análisis de procesos, marcos de trabajo de la arquitectura empresarial y diseño arquitectónico de software. El modelo propuesto proveerá al negocio un diseño de arquitectura de software que optimice las tareas asociadas al control y medición de los controles de seguridad de la organización. Entonces, para el desarrollo de la propuesta de trabajo, se presentará el análisis del negocio, que, mediante la metodología de Zachman, se mostrará una vista a alto nivel del giro de negocio de la organización, sus objetivos estratégicos y su posicionamiento en la actualidad. Seguidamente, se presentará el enfoque desde el punto de vista del proceso estudio, conocer el rol que cumple dentro de los procesos macros de la compañía, su trazabilidad con los objetivos de la compañía, así como el grado de responsabilidad que tienen asignada. Asimismo, una vez identificado las tareas que hacen deficiente el proceso, se generará los casos de uso de sistema (basado en lenguaje de modelamiento unificado), que representen el comportamiento del sistema que el diseño de arquitectura de software deberá soportar. Finalmente, y bajo lineamientos de calidad de arquitectura, se emplearán herramientas de modelado que definan la estructura arquitectónica de la presente propuesta, de tal forma garanticen calidad de análisis, diseño y cumplimiento de objetivos trazados por el negocio. / The objective of this research work is to provide a Software for the management of security controls and monitoring of the National Comprehensive Program for Families well-being - INABIF, following practices of predictive approach, process analysis, structure of the business, construction and software design. The proposed model will provide a software design that optimizes the tasks associated with the control and study of the organization's security controls. Also, for the development of the proposed work, a business analysis will be presented, which, through the Zachman methodology, it will present a high-level view of the organization's business line, its strategic objectives, and its current positioning. The approach will be visible from the point of view of the study process, knowing the role it plays within the company's macro processes, following the company's objectives, as well as the degree of responsibility assigned to it. Once deficient tasks have been identified, the system will generate case studies (based on the unified modeling language), which represent the behavior of the system that the software design must support. Finally, under design quality guidelines, modeling tools will be used to define the structure of this proposal, thereby guaranteeing quality of analysis, design and compliance with objectives set by the organization. / Tesis

Fluid-structure interactions occur in many engineering and industrial applications. Such interactions may result in undesirable forces acting on the structure that may cause fatigue and degradation of the structural components. The purpose of this research is to develop a solver that simulates the fluid-structure interaction, assess tools that can be used to control the resulting motions and analyze a system that can be used to convert the structure's motion to a useful form of energy. For this purpose, we develop a code which encompasses three-dimensional numerical simulations of a flow interacting with a freely-oscillating cylinder. The solver is based on the accelerated reference frame technique (ARF), in which the momentum equations are directly coupled with the cylinder motion by adding a reference frame acceleration term; the outer boundary conditions of the flow domain are updated using the response of the cylinder. We develop active linear and nonlinear velocity feedback controllers that suppress VIV by directly controlling the cylinder's motion. We assess their effectiveness and compare their performance and required power levels to suppress the motion of the cylinder. Particularly, we determine the most effective control law that requires minimum power to achieve a desired controlled amplitude. Furthermore, we investigate, in detail, the feasibility of using a nonlinear energy sink to control the vortex-induced vibrations of a freely oscillating circular cylinder. It has been postulated that such a system, which consists of a nonlinear spring, can be used to control the motion over a wide range of frequencies. However, introducing an essential nonlinearity of the cubic order to a coupled system could lead to multiple stable solutions depending on the initial conditions, system's characteristics and parameters. Our investigation aims at determining the effects of the sink parameters on the response of the coupled system. We also investigate the extent of drag reduction that can be attained through rotational oscillations of the circular cylinder. An optimization is performed by combining the CFD solver with a global deterministic optimization algorithm. The use of this optimization tool allows for a rapid determination of the rotational amplitude and frequency domains that yield minimum drag. We also perform three-dimensional numerical simulations of an inline-vibrating cylinder over a range of amplitudes and frequencies with the objective of suppressing the lift force. We compare the amplitude-frequency response curves, levels of lift suppression, and synchronization maps for two- and three-dimensional flows. Finally, we evaluate the possibility of converting vortex-induced vibrations into a usable form of electric power. Different transduction mechanisms can be employed for converting these vibrations to electric power, including electrostatic, electromagnetic, and piezoelectric transduction. We consider the piezoelectric option because it can be used to harvest energy over a wide range of frequencies and can be easily implemented. We particularly investigate the conversion of vortex-induced vibrations to electric power under different operating conditions including the Reynolds number and load resistance. / Ph. D.

Purpose- This study aims to explore how management control systems are used to manage their corporate social responsibility strategies in organizations. This paper dives into how sustainability managers use existing controls in planning, executing, measuring, and reporting on their CSR. The challenges they face in implementing their CSR strategies with these control systems are also covered.  Methodology- The research was conducted using a qualitative research approach and a multiple case study strategy. The multiple case study involved three companies within a CSR network in Sweden. Secondary data from sustainability reports, internal financial control (IFC) reports were used together with seven semi-structured interviews.  Findings- Control systems monitor influence and steer the employee's behavior and actions towards achieving organizational goals. The thesis provides practical insights into how sustainability managers from the studied companies use management control systems. The findings indicate that companies use similar clusters of management controls in planning, executing, measuring and reporting on their corporate social responsibility. However, there are differences in how the same management controls are used. The author identified a different type of control which is mostly not included in discussing when discussing MCS.

Consensus control algorithms for multi-agent systems are an area of much research. Several consensus control laws are experimentally validated on a multi-robot testbed in this thesis. A graphical user interface (GUI) is developed that simplies use of the testbed, as well as allows the execution of the testbed programs to be divided across multiple computers. This not only provides a more powerful computing environment, but a more realistic communication environment for the testbed. A method for a time varying or dynamic formation is both proposed and experimentally validated on the testbed. This research also explores a method for dynamic group resizing, i.e. addition or removal of members of the formation. Also, a new control law for synchronized oscillations is validated. Finally, a testbed for multiple cooperative Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) is developed for the Procerus UAV.