Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover Change Impacts Upon Ecosystem Services in Montane Tropical Forest of Rwanda: Forest Carbon Assessment and REDD+ Preparedness

Changes in forest cover especially changes within tropical forests, affect global climate change, together with ecosystems and forest carbon. Forests play a key role in both carbon emission and carbon sequestration. Efforts to reduce emissions through reduced deforestation and degradation of forests have become a common discussion among scientists and politicians under the auspices of the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD Programme). This dissertation research assessed the impacts of land use land cover change upon ecosystem services from a protected area focusing on forest carbon distribution and vegetation mapping using remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS). I also assessed Rwanda’s preparedness in the United Nations global program, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation, Measuring, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verifying (REDD+MMRV). I carried out research in Nyungwe National Park (NNP), one of four National Parks of Rwanda. NNP is a montane tropical forest located in the Albertine Rift, one of the most biodiverse places in central and east Africa. I used remote sensing and field data collection from December 2011 and July 2012 in the western part of the Park to assess distribution and quantities of aboveground (ABG) forest carbon using generalized allometric functions. Using Landsat data together with 2009 high resolution color orthophotos and groundtruthing, I analyzed land cover changes between 1986 and 2011 for NNP. The land-use land cover change analysis showed that between 1986 and 1995 there was a minor increase in forest cover from 53% to 58% while from 1995-2003 a substantial decrease in forest cover occurred. Between 2003 and 2011 was a period of recovery with forest cover increasing by 59%. Vegetation analysis based on a 2009 Park biodiversity survey yielded 13 vegetation communities based on dominant and co-dominant species. Macaranga kilimandscharica was found to be dominant in three communities, representing 42% of the Park, and co-dominant in one community, representing 7% of the Park. While ~50% of the Park is secondary forest, the change in protection status has had a positive impact upon forest cover change within the Park. . Assessment of REDD+-MMRV readiness revealed that Rwanda has higher capacity and readiness in remote sensing and GIS than in forest inventory and carbon pools inventory. Lack of data to support development of emission models is a major problem at the national level which needs to be addressed

Empowering educators to be AI-ready

In this paper, we present the concept of AI Readiness, along with a framework for developing AI Readiness training. ‘AI Readiness’ can be framed as a contextualised way of helping people to understand AI, in particular, data-driven AI. The nature of AI Readiness training is not the same as merely learning about AI. Rather, AI Readiness recognises the diversity of the professions, workplaces and sectors for whom AI has a potential impact. For example, AI Readiness for lawyers may be based on the same principles as AI Readiness for Educators. However, the details will be contextualised differently. AI Readiness recognises that such contextualisation is not an option: it is essential due to the multiple intricacies, sensitivities and variations between different sectors and their settings, which all impact the application of AI. To embrace such contextualisation, AI Readiness needs to be an active, participatory training process and aims to empower people to be more able to leverage AI to meet their needs. The text that follows focuses on AI Readiness within the Education and Training sector and starts with a discussion of the current state of AI within education and training, and the need for AI Readiness. We then problematize the concept of AI Readiness, why AI Readiness is needed, and what it means. We expand upon the nature of AI Readiness through a discussion of the difference between human and Artificial Intelligence, before presenting a 7-step framework for helping people to become AI Ready. Finally, we use an example of AI Readiness in action within Higher Education to exemplify AI Readiness

Quadruple Helix Engagement: Reviews on Shariah Fintech Based SMEs Digitalization Readiness

The development of Sharia Financial Technology (Fintech) after Covid-19 has experienced significant fluctuations in affecting the country’s economy. The importance of the role of Financial Transactions in the digitalization readiness of SMEs makes a considerable contribution to the use of Financial Technology as an effort to maintain the sustainability of SMEs. Identification of the involvement of the quadruple Helix (government, investors, academics, and communities) in maintaining the financial stability of SMEs through Sharia Fintech emerged as new challenges and opportunities in improving the economy after Covid 19 in Indonesia. Therefore, a systematic literature review investigation regarding how to utilize Sharia fintech products that are adjusted to the degree of digitization is required to help SMEs’ sustainability as well as explore the role of the quadruple Helix in pursuing this success. We identified 110 papers published on Sharia Fintech for SMEs, SMEs Digitalization Readiness, and The Role of Quadruple Helix between 2003-2021 with 87 specifications from Scopus journals and 23 from proceedings conferences. The analysis was performed using Atlas.ti 9 Software Packages on the above topic by limiting the discussion to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The literature review found a lack of study about the evaluation of Quadruple Helix Engagement for Sharia Fintech Based SMEs Digitalization Readiness. Thus, it needs an enhancement of a new model of Sharia fintech quadruple helix recommendation focuses on the SMEs digital readiness assessment as an attempt to increase the utilization of proper Sharia fintech products for SMEs

Secure and Usable User-in-a-Context Continuous Authentication in Smartphones Leveraging Non-Assisted Sensors

Smartphones are equipped with a set of sensors that describe the environment (e.g., GPS, noise, etc.) and their current status and usage (e.g., battery consumption, accelerometer readings, etc.). Several works have already addressed how to leverage such data for user-in-a-context continuous authentication, i.e., determining if the porting user is the authorized one and resides in his regular physical environment. This can be useful for an early reaction against robbery or impersonation. However, most previous works depend on assisted sensors, i.e., they rely upon immutable elements (e.g., cell towers, satellites, magnetism), thus being ineffective in their absence. Moreover, they focus on accuracy aspects, neglecting usability ones. For this purpose, in this paper, we explore the use of four non-assisted sensors, namely battery, transmitted data, ambient light and noise. Our approach leverages data stream mining techniques and offers a tunable security-usability trade-off. We assess the accuracy, immediacy, usability and readiness of the proposal. Results on 50 users over 24 months show that battery readings alone achieve 97.05% of accuracy and 81.35% for audio, light and battery all together. Moreover, when usability is at stake, robbery is detected in 100 s for the case of battery and in 250 s when audio, light and battery are applied. Remarkably, these figures are obtained with moderate training and storage needs, thus making the approach suitable for current devices.This work has been partially supported by MINECO grants TIN2013-46469-R (SPINY), TIN2016-79095-C2-2-R (SMOG-DEV); CAM grant S2013/ICE-3095 (CIBERDINE), co-funded with European FEDER funds

A Cultural Tourism Strategy: Enriching Culture and Building Tourism in Buffalo Niagara

Their continued dedication to the region\u27s cultural, arts and heritage organizations and the development of cultural tourism has been, and will continue to be, essential to attaining the vision of “A Cultural Tourism Strategy”. The cultural tourism mission is to strengthen cultural, artistic and heritage organizations; expand individual opportunities for creativity and interpretation; help our regional economy grow; enhance the quality of life in our communities; advance the image and identity of the region; and build the region\u27s reputation as a world-class tourism destination. These benefits reinforce one another and can be achieved together

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, April 3, 2014

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education Prefix Change School of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education USU-Eastern Non-Credit Courses for Northstar to Banner Conversion Department of Art and Design New Course Prerequisite Change Course Description Change Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Title Change, Course Description Change Course Number Change, Prerequisite Change Course Number Change, Title Change Course Number Change, Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Delete Course Department of Psychology New Course Department of Biological Engineering New Course Title Change Prerequisite Change Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Prerequisite Change Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Prerequisite Change Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Inactivate Course Department of English Course Number Change Department of History University Studies Request Reactive Course Department of Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies Course Number Change Department of Political Science New Course Prerequisite Change Course Number Change Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology New Course S. J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources New Course Department of Environment and Society New Course Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Title Change, Course Description Change Course Description Change Department of Watershed Sciences Delete Course Department of Wildland Resources Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Prerequisite Change Delete Course Department of Biology Course Number Change Prerequisite Change Reactivate Course Department of Mathematics and Statistics University Studies Request Other Offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education Changing the names of three specializations under the Master of Business Administration Offering a Landscape Architecture Minor Offering a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree Using DocuSign for the Electronic Course Approval Form Electronically approving courses 2014-15 Curriculum Subcommittee Chair EPC and Curriculum Subcommittee Schedule for 2014-201

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, April 3, 2014

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education Prefix Change School of Applied Sciences, Technology and Education USU-Eastern Non-Credit Courses for Northstar to Banner Conversion Department of Art and Design New Course Prerequisite Change Course Description Change Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Title Change, Course Description Change Course Number Change, Prerequisite Change Course Number Change, Title Change Course Number Change, Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Delete Course Department of Psychology New Course Department of Biological Engineering New Course Title Change Prerequisite Change Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Prerequisite Change Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Prerequisite Change Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Inactivate Course Department of English Course Number Change Department of History University Studies Request Reactive Course Department of Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies Course Number Change Department of Political Science New Course Prerequisite Change Course Number Change Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology New Course S. J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources New Course Department of Environment and Society New Course Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Title Change, Course Description Change Course Description Change Department of Watershed Sciences Delete Course Department of Wildland Resources Title Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Prerequisite Change Delete Course Department of Biology Course Number Change Prerequisite Change Department of Mathematics and Statistics University Studies Request Other Offering a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education Changing the names of three specializations under the Master of Business Administration Offering a Landscape Architecture Minor Offering a Bachelor of Arts in Music degree Electronic Course Approval Form Update Election of 2014-2015 Curriculum Subcommittee Chai

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda, September 4, 2014

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education New Course Title Change Credit Hour, Grade Mode Change Title, Prerequisite, Course Description Change Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science New Course Department of Plants, Soils and Climate Credit Hour Change Prerequisite Change Department of Art and Design New Course Department of Theatre Arts Grade Mode Change Department of Family, Consumer and Human Development New Course Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation Title Change Prerequisite Change Department of Psychology Title, Prerequisite, Course Description Change Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Course Description change Prerequisite Change Department of Biological Engineering New Course Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Delete Course Inactivate Course Prerequisite Change Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering New Course Prerequisite Change Department of History Course Number Change Add Multiple List Department of Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies New Course Title and Course Number Change Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Title, Course Number, and Description Change University Studies Request S. J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources Course Number Change Department of Environment and Society Credit Hour Change Department of Biology Delete Cours