Water Quality of the West Branch of the Dupage River and Kline Creek, Illinois, as Evaluated Using the Arthropod Fauna and Chemical Measurements

The water quality of the West Branch of the DuPage River (W. Branch) and Kline Creek, a tributary of the W. Branch, were examined. Both streams are located in rapidly developing DuPage County, IL. Using Hilsenhoff\u27s biotic index of the arthropod fauna and selected chemical measurements, the W. Branch was found to be moderately polluted and Kline Creek moderately to severely polluted. High mean biotic index measurements ranging from 6.28 to 7.97, ammonia- nitrogen readings of 1.0-3.9 ppm, nitrate-nitrogen readings of 0.4-1.6 ppm, chloride readings of 231-313 ppm, and orthophosphate readings of 0.3-0.5 ppm reflect organically polluted waters in both streams. Stream channelization and modification may also be contributing to the less than optimal water quality at the headwater of the W. Branch

COVAR: Computer Program for Multifactor Relative Risks and Tests of Hypotheses Using a Variance-Covariance Matrix from Linear and Log-Linear Regression

A computer program for multifactor relative risks, confidence limits, and tests of hypotheses using regression coefficients and a variance-covariance matrix obtained from a previous additive or multiplicative regression analysis is described in detail. Data used by the program can be stored and input from an external disk-file or entered via the keyboard. The output contains a list of the input data, point estimates of single or joint effects, confidence intervals and tests of hypotheses based on a minimum modified chi-square statistic. Availability of the program is also discussed.

Land leasing and land sale as an infrastructure-financing option

Municipal land sales provide one option for financing urban infrastructure investment. In countries where land is owned by the public sector, land is by far the most valuable asset on the municipal balance sheet. Selling land or long-term leasing rights to land use while investing the proceeds in infrastructure facilities can be viewed as a type of portfolio asset adjustment. This paper shows that in China many municipalities have financed more than half of their high rates of infrastructure investment from land sales, for periods of 10 to 15 years. Much of the remaining investment has been financed by municipal borrowing against the collateral of land values. Other countries also have turned to land sales and leasing for infrastructure finance. From a local perspective, land sales have the advantage that they typically are free from the intergovernmental restrictions that require higher-level approval for increases in local tax rates or user fees and that restrict local government borrowing. However, financing municipal infrastructure investment through land sales creates special risks that are not recognized in most intergovernmental fiscal frameworks. One danger involves the use of proceeds to finance operating budgets. Risk exposure is exaggerated by the highly volatile nature of urban land markets and evidence that in some countries urban land values in 2006 reflected a real estate bubble. In the past, Hong Kong, a jurisdiction that has relied heavily on land-leasing to finance its infrastructure budget, has seen land sales fall to zero at the bottom of the real estate cycle. The greatest financial sector risk stems from municipal borrowing based on inflated land values offered as collateral to banks. Sound intergovernmental fiscal management will require tighter regulation of municipalities'financial leveraging of land assets to avoid excessive risk taking by local governments.Public Sector Economics&Finance,Municipal Financial Management,Public Sector Management and Reform,Regional Governance,Urban Governance and Management

PROBLEMS AND POTENTIALS OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS EXTENSION

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

The theory and practice of school choice

Education

What Next for School Vouchers?

Voucher, Schule, Schulfinanzierung, Schulpolitik, Bildungsverhalten, Vereinigte Staaten, School, School finance, School policy, Education behaviour, United states

Is public infrastructure undersupplied?

Infrastructure (Economics) ; Public policy ; Capital investments

NEBRASKA'S EXTENSION PROGRAM IN STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC FINANCE

Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Sensitivity of the inverse wave crest problem

In a previous paper [Physica D 141 (3-4) (2000) 316], the inverse problem for wave crests was introduced and a solution strategy for two-wave interactions was given. Here these solutions are actually constructed, in particular for the cases with small interaction angle, moderate phase shifts, and/or symmetric interactions. Two detailed examples are presented and analyzed. The sensitivity of the method is investigated, and conclusions about the practical applicability are given