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An Efficient Distracted Driving Detection Based on MobileNet V2SE Fusion
No full textThe issue of distracted driving has become a significant concern, leading to numerous fatalities and injuries. There is a pressing need to develop innovative approaches to identify and mitigate this problem. This paper proposes a lightweight deep learning model that uses MobileNetV2 as the base and includes attention mechanisms like the Squeeze and Excite (SE) module to identify distracted driver actions. The proposed model underwent rigorous training and testing using the American University in Cairo (AUC) distracted driver dataset, which includes ten distraction categories. The model was optimized through hyperparameter tuning,
data augmentation, and class weighting. To validate the model’s effectiveness, a confusion matrix, frames per second (FPS), accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 score were used as evaluation metrics. The proposed model achieved 93% accuracy with a batch size of 32, learning rate of 0.0001, and 21 epochs. Furthermore, the proposed model was compared to the MobileNetV2 and other existing architectures
regarding accuracy and parameters. The proposed method outperformed unmodified deep learning models and maintained a balance between accuracy and parameter utilization, while some other modified models performed slightly better. The proposed method shows promising potential for accurately detecting distracted drivers with efficiency
Basic Properties of Concrete with Silica Fume as Supplementary Cementitious Material: Effects of Replacement Level and Particle Size
No full textThis study systematically investigates both the effects of replacement level and particle size of silica fume (SF) on concrete, identifying critical insights for optimising its use as a supplementary cementitious material (SCM). The key finding is that while SF significantly enhances mechanical properties, its optimal performance is contingent on two distinct factors: a specific replacement percentage for different strengths and a refined particle size for overall efficacy. Specifically, compressive strength was maximised at a 20%wt cement replacement, achieving 49.5 MPa at 56 days, whereas flexural strength peaked at a lower 10%wt replacement, showing a 40% increase over the control. This divergence underscores distinct strengthening mechanisms; compressive strength is governed by enhanced bulk hydration, while flexural strength is more sensitive to the densification of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). Concurrently, any incorporation of SF markedly reduced workability, with slump values plummeting from 178 mm for the control mix to just 25 mm at 25%wt replacement, primarily due to its fine particle morphology. Beyond replacement level, particle size was identified as a decisive factor. Grinding SF from a median diameter of 76 μm to a finer median diameter of 47 μm profoundly improved concrete performance, leading to a 25% increase in early compressive strength and a remarkable more than 60% increase in flexural strength compared to mixes with larger, unground SF particles, despite a manageable reduction in slump. These results demonstrate that the sustainability and structural efficiency gains from using SF are not inherent but must be engineered. Ultimately, successfully balancing the often-competing demands of workability and strength requires a tailored approach that simultaneously optimises both its proportion in the mix and its physical fineness
Does Motivation Predict Performance of Food and Beverages (F & B) Employees? Organizational Culture as a Moderator
No full textEmployee performance is crucial to an organisation's success, particularly in the dynamic and competitive food and beverage (F&B) sector. This study studies the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on employee performance with the organisational culture moderating variable in the context of food and beverage sector in Kuching, Sarawak. According to Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, the study quantitatively processed 168 complete answers. Analysis was performed by SPSS and PLSS-SEM to examine correlations and moderating. The findings demonstrate that the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation have statistically significant influence on employee performance. This revelation that motivated employees are high in productivity, do work in good quality and work fast. Organizational culture serves as the moderating variable that enhances the relationship between motivation and performance. Cultures that encourage and support employees can make motivation more potent, while negative or dictatorial cultures can leave employees disengaged and their performance lower.
Keywords: Employee Performance, Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, Organizational Culture, Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theor
The Application of Animal Biotechnology in the Cattle Industry
No full textAn animal is in a good state of wellbeing if it is free from pain, fear, and distress and is able to exhibit its natural behaviour in a safe environment. The scientific methods for evaluating animal well-being have advanced quickly in recent years, and many of these methods can be used to evaluate genetically-modified (GM) or biotech-treated animals. Measures of physiology, behaviour, anatomy, immunological function, pathological change, growth, reproduction, and longevity should be used to evaluate each modified strain or treated animal in comparison to unmodified or untreated animals. Any elevated levels of pain, fear, or distress
should be exposed via many indicators. These indices reveal
how dismal welfare really is, but other research can reveal how much improvement is possible. These ideas on animal welfare are not just applicable to cattle; they may be applied to any animal that has any kind of relationship with a human being, such as an agricultural animal, a companion animal, an animal employed in a circus or zoo, or an animal that is used for scientific research
Navigating Challenges in Sarawak’s Quail Farming Industry
No full textBiotechnology becomes an important force in poultry
husbandry, greatly improving quail populations’ production,
health, and breeding. By investigating biotechnology
insights in quail husbandry, the distance between theory
and actual practice in poultry farm operations is reduced.
Scientifically known as Coturnix coturnix, quails are
becoming increasingly valuable for their nutritional and
economic benefits, which has led to an increase in quail
farming
Mapping China's ESG Disclosure Research Evolution: A CiteSpace-Based Knowledge Visualization Analysis (2004-2024)
No full textObjective — This study aims to systematically investigate the evolutionary trajectory of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) information disclosure research in China from 2004 to 2024, mapping the intellectual structures, collaboration networks, and research dynamics to identify developmental patterns and research gaps in this rapidly evolving domain.
Methodology – A comprehensive bibliometric analysis was conducted using CiteSpace visualization software to analyze 1,039 academic publications sourced from the Web of Science database. The methodology employed temporal distribution analysis, author and institutional collaboration network visualization, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and burst detection to map knowledge structures and research trends.
Findings – The analysis revealed three distinct developmental phases in China's ESG disclosure research: an emergence phase (2004-2014), a steady growth phase (2015-2019), and an acceleration phase (2020-2024) following China's "dual carbon" goals announcement. Critical gaps were identified in interdisciplinary collaboration and industry-academia partnerships. Research focus has shifted from conceptual frameworks toward technology-enhanced disclosure mechanisms, with emerging clusters on digital transformation, climate risk disclosures, and greenwashing detection.
Novelty – This research produces the first comprehensive knowledge map of China's ESG disclosure research ecosystem using visualization techniques, providing quantitative evidence of the policy-driven nature of sustainability reporting development in emerging economies. The work uniquely bridges international ESG disclosure theories with China's distinctive institutional context while offering a methodological innovation that demonstrates how visualization techniques overcome traditional literature review limitations in complex research domains
New Amphibians from 2025
No full textThe year 2025 has been all-right for batrachian (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) philately, with six issues from genuine postal agencies related to the theme (till our cut-off date of 30 November 2025). In alphabetical order, these have been Austria, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Jersey, New Zealand, and Singapore.
Apart from the ones from Austria and the Czech Republic (both semi-officials), all others are commemoratives from respective authorities. Associated philatelic products are also listed.
We list them here in chronological order, and include related official philatelic products (souvenir sheets/miniature sheets, first day covers, information sheet, maximum cards, a collector’s sheet and a prestige stamp book)
THE IMPACT OF LIQUIDITY RISK AND MACROECONOMIC FACTORS ON THE FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN MALAYSIA
No full textThis study aims to examine the impact of liquidity risk and macroeconomics factors on the financial performance of commercial banks in Malaysia. This study uses secondary data from 20 commercial banks in Malaysia from 2019 to 2023 and panel data estimation. The empirical results show that the loan-to-deposit ratio has a significant negative impact on return on assets. Interest rates and GDP also show significant positive effects on bank performance, highlighting the role of macroeconomic conditions in influencing profitability. In contrast, capital adequacy ratio and current ratio had insignificant effects on profitability. This study provides practical insights for policymakers, investors, and bank managers in enhancing risk management and decision-making processes
Assessing the Farmer’s Sustainable Livelihood Outcome of Rice Sectors Development in Sarawak
No full textThis study aims to identify the relationship between the production, socioeconomic and environmental factors, and the sustainable livelihood outcomes of the farmers in Sarawak. The research was carried out in ten sites across the Miri and Kuching divisions. This research conducted a qualitative analysis that utilised an empirical approach. Interviews were conducted with thirty selected respondents to acquire information about rice production and livelihood strategies. The study indicated that land size, capital, subsidies, and incentives significantly influence rice output and farmers' livelihoods. Consequently, governmental action to standardise the Guaranteed Minimum Price rate between Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia is vital for enhancing the farmers' income. Paddy cultivation land must be conserved and formally designated to avert its transformation into cash crop plantations and to ensure the viability of paddy agriculture in Sarawak. This study emphasises the significance of equitable rice pricing and land preservation for paddy farmers in Sarawak. It underscores the necessity of considering issues beyond output levels in the pursuit of sustainable living and the mitigation of climate change. Ultimately, governmental involvement and contemporary agricultural practices will be necessary to guarantee food security, enhance the quality of life for farmers, and assure the sustainable profitability of paddy cultivation in Sarawak
Content Validation of Malay-Version Instruments Measuring Attitude, Subjective Norms, Perceived Behavioural Control and Intention in Predicting Diet Quality among University Students Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour
No full textThe Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) is widely used to assess diet quality, but the validity of instruments measuring its constructs Attitude (ATT), Subjective Norms (SN), Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC), and Intention (INT) remains uncertain due to limited context- specific studies. Cultural and linguistic diversity in southern Sarawak underscores the need for content validation on the
instruments before their use on the field. This study aimed to examine content validity of the Malay version instruments for assessing diet quality among university students in this region. The translated and pre-tested instruments were adapted from the previously published journal articles, mostly under western setting. The questionnaire consists of 23 items: 5 (ATT), 6 (SN), 6 (PBC), and 6 (INT). Three
nutrition-related and one public health specialist were invited to assess relevance, clarity, simplicity, and ambiguity. Quantitative indices, including the Item-Level Content Validity Index (I-CVI) and the Scale- Level Content Validity Index (S-CVI/Ave), were used. ATT and PBC showed S-CVI/Ave scores of 1.00 for relevance, clarity, simplicity, and ambiguity. In contrast, the Subjective Norms performed
very well on relevance (S-CVI/Ave of 1.00) and clarity (S-CVI/Ave of 0.96), however it showed a slight weakness in simplicity and ambiguity, with both criteria scoring an S-CVI/Ave of 0.88. All examined instruments demonstrated validity and can assess the TPB constructs used to explain diet quality among university students in southern Sarawak, supporting their use in future research on healthy eating determinants with reliable data