The Gardens Nearby: A narrative podcast exploring soil contamination and community gardening in Burlington, VT

The city of Burlington, Vermont (Burlington) is home to the Burlington Area Community Gardens (BACG), a program of the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department. This program has a 50-year legacy in the Burlington community and today comprises 14 garden sites that serve over 1,400 people. Within the framework of food sovereignty, community gardens are valuable, multi-functional spaces that positively benefit residents and neighborhoods alike. However, planting gardens in reclaimed urban spaces may come with food safety concerns. Like other cities that have an industrial heritage, some of Burlington’s urban areas may have soils with high levels of toxic heavy metals and other contaminants. This project seeks to understand the impact soil contamination has had on the development and implementation of community gardens across Burlington. The project also explores the continued implication of soil contamination and the resulting complexities of gardening in an urban area. Through interviews with 13 gardeners and key figures within the gardening community, a three-part narrative podcast is woven together. The Gardens Nearby, details how soil contamination fits into a larger problem of available open space for community gardens, the resiliency of residents and neighborhoods faced with soil contamination, and the resounding benefits these community gardens have for individuals and communities alike. Lastly this project intends to utilize place-based change methodology and adult learning theory to inspire and engage residents as a means to support the development and prioritization of community gardens across Burlington

Seizmic hazard assessment in the area of Croatia using OHAZ software

U ovom radu provedena je procjena seizmičkog hazarda na širem prostoru Hrvatske. Proračunu se pristupilo probabilističkom metodom i korištenjem programskog paketa za proračun hazarda OHAZ. Softverom OHAZ moguće je uz dobro definirane ulazne parametre izračunati sve faze proračuna hazarda. Za potrebe proračuna preuzeti su i pripremljeni katalog glavnih potresa, seizmotektonika područja i atenuacijske relacije prikladne za istraživano područje. Procjena sadrži sve potrebne elemente proračuna hazarda: seizmičku aktivnost, godišnje stope premašivanja niza referentnih vrijednosti površinskog gibanja, te vršne akceleracije tla pri povratnim periodima od 95, 475 i 1000 godina, tj. vjerojatnosti premašivanja površinskog gibanja od 10% u razdoblju od 10, 50 i 100 godina. Dobivena prostorna raspodjela PGA odgovara raspodjeli jakih potresa ( > 4) na istraživanom području, a vrijednosti su unutar očekivanih. Rezultati PGA usporedivi su s rezultatima dobivenim u projektu BSHAP u kojem je analiziran seizmički hazard na prostoru zapadnog Balkana: područja pojačanog potresnog djelovanja se podudaraju, a vrijednosti su istog reda veličine, iako su u ovom radu nešto veće od onih dobivenih projektom BSHAP.A probabilistic seismic hazard assessment was carried out for the territory of Croatia and parts of neighbouring countries using OHAZ software. Given well-defined input parameters, all stages of the hazard assessment can be calculated using OHAZ software. For that purpose, a catalogue of main events was specified, along with the seismotectonic setting of the area and the attenuation relationships best suited for the observed area. The analysis contains all the necessary steps of the hazard assessment: seismic activity, annual rate of exceedance for a range of reference ground motion levels and peak ground acceleration for the return periods of 95, 475 and 1000 years, i.e. the 10% probability of exceedance in 10, 50 and 100 years. The obtained spatial PGA distribution corresponds well to the distribution of strong earthquakes ( > 4) in the observed area, and the output values fall within the expected range. The results of the assessment are comparable to the PGA obtained in the BSHAP project, which analysed seismic hazard in the Western Balkan Region - the values, although somewhat higher here than in the BSHAP project, are of the same order of magnitude, and the areas of higher seismic activity match as well

Developing a Cohesive Urban Agriculture Policy for Burlington, VT

A growing interest in urban food production has prompted many North American cities to revise their municipal policies regarding agricultural activities. In March 2011, the City Council of Burlington, VT, created the Urban Agriculture Task Force to investigate and recommend policies to provide city officials with tools to effectively govern urban agriculture. In coordination with the Task Force as a community partner, I used a governance framework and participatory action research (PAR) to analyze: (1) the needs of local stakeholders, including urban agriculture practitioners, the general Burlington community, and government officials; (2) the policy tools available to the City of Burlington, including the direct provision of services, regulation, public information, and partnerships with other organizations; (3) the actors and relationships present in Burlington’s urban agriculture governance network; and (4) policy approaches used in other cities. Based on this analysis, over 50 policy recommendations were developed for the City of Burlington, ranging from ordinance revisions to the development of new urban agriculture initiatives. Key findings include that (1) a balance must be struck between stakeholder needs (e.g. practitioners desire that regulations be minimal, while municipal officials need measurable standards to ease implementation); (2) a legal basis for governing some aspects of urban agriculture, such as the humane treatment of livestock, is needed, but other aspects, such as managing neighbor conflicts or connecting people to available land, are not easily regulated and require innovative programming; and (3) the City has an opportunity to partner with other organizations that are better suited to provide technical expertise to practitioners. These recommendations lay the groundwork for the City to better govern and support current and future urban agriculture activities

Annual reports of the town officers of the town of Canterbury, N.H. comprising those of the selectmen, treasurer, town clerk, tax collector, health officer, road agent, library trustees, trustees of trust funds, planning board, board of adjustment, conservation commission, historical commission, historical society, police and fire departments, year ending December 31, 1983.

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire

Annual report of the officers of the town of Bartlett, New Hampshire for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014.

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire

Annual report of the officers of the town of Bartlett, New Hampshire for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014.

This is an annual report containing vital statistics for a town/city in the state of New Hampshire

Paramos sistema investuotojui valiutų rinkoje

Disertacijoje nagrinėjamos investavimo valiutų rinkoje, naudojant dirbtinį intelektą, galimybes. Literatūros analizė atskleidė, kad vienu metu pasaulyje formavosi dvi skirtingos mokslinių tyrimų kryptys: universalioji dirbtinio intelekto teorija ir investicijų teorija. Pirmoji kryptis turėjo įtakos universalios prognozės galimybės teorijos atsiradimui, tai lėmė įvairių dirbtinio intelekto algoritmų ir jų sistemų sukūrimą. Antroji kryptis vystėsi kartu su racionalaus numatymo teorija, kuri padėjo pagrindus moderniosios portfelio teorijos atsiradimui. Šiame darbe siekiama susieti šias dvi mokslines kryptis valiutų rinkos prognozavimui. Pagrindinis disertacijos tikslas – sukurti investicinių sprendimų priėmimo paramos sistemą investuotojui valiutų rinkoje tikslingai pritaikant dirbtinio intelekto algoritmus ir moderniąją portfelio teoriją. Darbe sprendžiami pagrindiniai uždaviniai: suformuoti valiutų rinkos prognozavimo modelį dirbtinio intelekto algoritmų pagrindu, integruoti investicinio portfelio optimizavimo principus į prognozavimo modelį, empiriškai aprobuoti modelio efektyvumą ir patikimumą investuojant valiutų rinkoje. Finansų rinkų prognozavimui tikslingai pritaikius dirbtinio intelekto algoritmus ir į juos integravus moderniąją portfelio teoriją, sukurta patikima ir efektyvi paramos sistema investuotojui. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas, trys skyriai, bendrosios išvados, naudotos literatūros ir autoriaus publikacijų sąrašai. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, aprašomas tyrimų objektas, formuluojami darbo tikslas ir uždaviniai, aprašoma tyrimų metodika, darbo mokslinis naujumas, darbo praktinė reikšmė, ginamieji teiginiai. Pirmasis skyrius skirtas literatūros analizei, jame pateikti finansų rinkų būties ypatumai, procesų analizė, valdymo ir reguliavimo aspektai globalioje ekonomikoje, prognozavimo dirbtinio intelekto sistemomis analizė bei investicinių portfelių formavimo strategijų analizė. Antrajame skyriuje teikiamos teorinės dirbtinio intelekto sukūrimo prielaidos, Evolino RNN pritaikymo produktyviam sprendimui teoriniai pagrindai, investicinio portfelio teorijos principų taikymo galimybės. Trečiajame skyriuje pateikiama prognozavimo modelių architektūra, įvertinamas jų patikimumas. Atsižvelgiant į pelningumą ir rizikingumą, lyginamos įvairios investavimo strategijos. Disertacijos tema paskelbti 4 straipsniai: 2 – ISI Web of Science žurnaluose, 2 – kituose recenzuojamuose žurnaluose. Perskaityti 9 pranešimai tarptautinėse konferencijose iš jų: 2 – konferencijų medžiagose Thomson ISI Proceedings duomenų bazėje, 7 – recenzuojamose konferencijų medžiagose