Downtown revitalization

Even before the present economic crisis, suburbanization, shopping malls and easy transportation steered business traffic to the outskirts of many communities. Consequently, many downtowns are faced with declining sales, competition from shopping malls, decaying buildings and, finally, the potential loss of the dynamic quality of the community. Currently, there is a need to increase economic and social activity, as well as community pride, in many downtown areas. Revitalization can result in a spill-over effect, which may help revitalize other aspects of the community.Reviewed October 1993

The job of the board member

University of Missouri--Columbia Extension Division4/87/2M (Reprint)Includes bibliographical reference

How to organize neighborhoods

"MP 506"Publication date not found on the item. Date info retrieved from a 1986 catalog published by Extension https://hdl.handle.net/10355/57305

The job of the board member of a public agency or organization

"MP476, 11/75/2M

Putting Robert's rules to work

This simplified guide is intended to help you wade through the waters of Robert's Rules of Order. It does not suggest that Robert's Rules is the most effective way of conducting meetings in every situation. It is a guide for those meetings which of necessity are run by Robert's Rules of Order. Based on the Handbooks "The How in Parliamentary Procedure" and "Parliamentary Procedure in Action" with special references to 'Robert's Rules of Order' The large type statement indicates the action being taken. The smaller type statements indicate examples of what might be stated during the action.--Forward

H-alpha Activity of Old M Dwarfs: Stellar Cycles and Mean Activity Levels For 93 Low-Mass Stars in the Solar Neighborhood

Through the McDonald Observatory M Dwarf Planet Search, we have acquired nearly 3,000 high-resolution spectra of 93 late-type (K5-M5) stars over more than a decade using HET/HRS. This sample provides a unique opportunity to investigate the occurrence of long-term stellar activity cycles for low-mass stars. In this paper, we examine the stellar activity of our targets as reflected in the H-alpha feature. We have identified periodic signals for 6 stars, with periods ranging from days to more than 10 years, and find long-term trends for 7 others. Stellar cycles with P > 1 year are present for at least 5% of our targets. Additionally, we present an analysis of the time-averaged activity levels of our sample, and search for correlations with other stellar properties. In particular, we find that more massive, earlier type (M0-M2) stars tend to be more active than later type dwarfs. Furthermore, high-metallicity stars tend to be more active at a given stellar mass. We also evaluate H-alpha variability as a tracer of activity-induced radial velocity (RV) variation. For the M dwarf GJ 1170, H-alpha variation reveals stellar activity patterns matching those seen in the RVs, mimicking the signal of a giant planet, and we find evidence that the previously identified stellar activity cycle of GJ 581 may be responsible for the recently retracted planet f (Vogt et al. 2012) in that system. In general, though, we find that H-alpha is not frequently correlated with RV at the precision (typically 6-7 m/s) of our measurements.Comment: Submitted to ApJ. Reflects comments from a positive refere

The elements of economic development

More communities have come to realize that change is inevitable and they are establishing economic development programs to help them manage that change. At a time when the industrial revolution has given way to the information age, a good economic development program will help a community remain "tuned in" to the world. It can help business and industry to be more productive and also contribute to the community's overall viability. Accomplishing this takes a program that is broad-based and long-term.New 6/92/5M

Compact, Efficient Drive Circuit for a Piezoelectric Pump

A switching circuit that drives a piezoelectric pump at a high voltage with a polarity that alternates at the desired mechanical pump frequency is described and depicted. This circuit offers advantages of (1) high energy efficiency relative to conventional direct-drive circuits and (2) compactness relative to conventional resonant drive circuits

Vegetation and Flora of the Sand Deposits of the Mississippi River Valley in Northwestern Illinois

This study was undertaken to determine vascular plant species composition, vegetation structure, and floristic quality of the major plant communities in the windblown sand deposits of northwestern Illinois during the growing seasons of 2002 through 2005. The major plant communities of the Ayers Sand Prairie Nature Preserve in Carroll County, Big River State Forest in Henderson County, Lost Mound Unit of the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge in Carroll and Jo Daviess counties, and the Thomson-Fulton Sand Prairie Nature Preserve located in Whiteside County were examined and the importance values determined for the plant species present. Located on broad terraces of the Mississippi River, these nature preserves and natural areas are remnants of a larger grassland/savanna/forest complex that contained extensive marsh; wet, mesic, and dry sand prairie; sand savanna; and sand forest communities. Most of the sand deposits are now cultivated and the original vegetation is found only in protected remnants, some of which are relatively large. The mature dry sand prairies were dominated by Schizachyrium scoparium; other important species were Opuntia macrorhiza, Dichanthelium villosissimum, Ambrosia psilostachya, and Tephrosia virginiana. Other assemblages of prairie and exotic species were encountered in successional sand prairie communities. Generally, the mature prairie communities in these preserves and natural areas had 35 or more species present in the study plots. Savanna and closed canopy forest communities were also examined. The dry sand savannas were dominated by Quercus velutina and Q. marilandica, dry sand forests were dominated by Q. velutina, and dry-mesic sand forests were dominated by Q. alba and Q. velutina.Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Illinois Nature Preserves Commissionpublished or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Decision-making Techniques for Community Groups

Community groups often have a problem coming to a decision about projects to undertake. Quite often, resources, both human and financial, are limited; the number of problems seem overwhelming; or there are forceful advocates of a "pet" project. How can a group overcome these difficulties? The four decision-making techniques shown in this guide will make the task easier. The first two techniques generate ideas about community goals or projects while the last two prioritize the alternatives you have identified.New 6/92/5M