17362 research outputs found
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Assessing the growth and spatial-temporal evolution of China's digital economy
No full textThis research examines the assessing growth and spatial-temporal evolution of China’s digital economy. There exists a notable imbalance in the advancement of the digital economy across different districts in China. To gain a comprehensive understanding of China's digital economy’s development, this study establishes an evaluation system to assess the level of digital economic growth. By employing metrics such as the difference coefficient, Moran’s I, and Moran scatter plot, the research delves into the spatial distribution characteristics of China's regional digital economy using provincial panel data from 2013 to 2020. The findings reveal a consistent alignment between the distribution of the regional digital economy and the country's geographical layout, with the development level regularly decreasing from east to west. The decreasing overall difference coefficient indicates a gradual convergence in the development level of the regional digital economy. Moreover, substantial spatial autocorrelation is observed, suggesting the formation of a relatively stable spatial pattern in the development of the digital economy
Entrepreneurial personality as a moderator in the relationship between financial attitudes and financial knowledge on financial management behavior
No full textPurpose: This study examines the moderating role of entrepreneurial personality in the relationship between financial attitude, financial knowledge, and financial management behavior among MSME actors in Tarakan City. Research Design and Methodology: Data were collected from 130 MSME respondents using a quantitative approach with purposive sampling. The analysis employed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with WarpPLS version 8.0 software to assess direct and moderating effects. This analysis includes outer and inner model evaluations to test the reliability, validity, and significance of the relationships between variables and the moderating effects of entrepreneurial personality. Findings and Discussion: The findings reveal that financial attitudes and knowledge significantly and positively impact financial management behavior. However, entrepreneurial personality does not significantly moderate the relationship between financial attitude and financial management behavior. On the other hand, it substantially moderates the relationship between financial knowledge and financial management behavior in a negative direction. This suggests that individuals with strong entrepreneurial traits tend to rely more on intuition and experience, weakening the influence of financial knowledge on their financial behavior. Implications: The study implies that improving financial behavior among MSMEs should focus on enhancing knowledge and attitude and aligning entrepreneurial traits with sound financial practices through integrated training and mentoring programs
Pluralisme agama daripada pemikiran Muhammad Uthman Elmuhammady
No full textPluralisme yang membawa maksud kepelbagaian agama diterima secara baik, namun apabila perkataan ini digabungkan dengan agama dan membawa maksud menyamaratakan semua agama atau membawa kepada kecenderungan untuk menyatukan kebenaran agama, perkara tersebut menjadi kontroversi. Terdapat dua masalah utama yang dilihat iaitu kekeliruan terhadap definisi pluralisme agama dan pelbagai pendekatan berbeza menghadapi pluralisme agama. Para sarjana berbeza pendapat mengenai konsep pluralisme agama dan pendekatannya termasuklah Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady. Kajian ini mengkaji pemikiran Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady tentang pluralisme agama. Kajian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan menganalisis sumber penulisan Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady yang berkaitan dengan pluralisme agama, antaranya ialah risalah Pemikiran Mohammed Arkoun dalam konteks ahli sunnah wal jamaah: Satu pengamatan awal (2011), Falsafah agama John Hick: pengamatan dari perspektif ajaran ahli sunnah wal-Jamaah (2012) dan Al-Firqah al-Najiyah: Epistemologi aqidah golongan yang berjaya (2017). Hasil kajian menunjukkan Muhammad Uthman El-Muhammady mendefinisikan pluralisme dengan maksud ruang awam di mana para penganut agama bertemu dan berhubung serta mengadakan interaksi pelbagai untuk saling memahami antara satu sama lain, manakala pluralisme agama pula ialah fahaman yang menyatakan bahawa semua agama sama, sama-sama membawa kepada syurga
Happiness among Malaysian University students who stayed on campus during movement control order: What really matters?
No full textThe happiness of 245 students who stayed on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced Movement Control Order (MCO) at a public university in Malaysia was examined by comparing Subjective Happiness Scale scores from before the MCO to fve diferent time phases of the MCO. Happiness declined through MCO3, then increased back to pre-MCO levels. Factors that helped students sustain happiness levels during the MCO also were identifed. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA showed a signifcant time efect in happiness with a signifcant decline in happiness from before the MCO and the frst three MCOs. However, after MCO3, there was no further signifcant decline in happiness. Students reported that factors contributing to stability of happiness in social relationships were communication with friends and family; important infrastructure factors were quality Wi-Fi and café access; university support factors were money that students received and food supply, and important online teaching and learning factors were the e-learning platform and suitability of timing. Implications for counselling and organizational interventions are discussed
Developmental of a checklist of transdiagnostic therapeutic skills for use in general healthcare appointments
No full textIntroduction Psychotherapy is not available for most people globally with mental disorders. Training general healthcare staff in transdiagnostic psychological intervention skills is a more feasible approach in settings where the access to therapy is low. Tools are needed to measure the use of these skills in general healthcare settings to enable further research into effectiveness. Methods We operationalised skills taught in a psychological intervention course for general healthcare staff and created a 26-item observational checklist. This was validated using generalisability theory by asking five experts to rate 26 videos. Two research assistants then used the checklist to observe doctors’ consultations before and after a psychological intervention course. We used Rasch analysis to refine the checklist so that it conformed to the Rasch unidimensional measurement model. We analysed the pre-post difference in skill use, and length of appointment using linear mixed modelling. Results The research assistants observed 87 interviews of 12 doctors before the course and 75 interviews of 11 doctors after the course. The final 18-item checklist had a generalisability coefficient of 86.8 % and conformed to the Rasch model. There were 4.28 extra skills on the checklist used per consultation after compared to before the course (95 % CI [2.40, 6.16]). The length of appointment did not change. Conclusion This approach has allowed the development of a flexible checklist, which is valid, reliable and change sensitive, and can be modified and added to by other researchers according to needs. This provides a foundation for further research into effectiveness
Comprehensive investigation of phthalates contamination in tea from China: Insights from successive brewing experiment and nationwide perspective on health risk
No full textWith the widespread use of plastic products, phthalates (PAEs), as common plasticizers, have become a significant contributor to environmental pollution. PAEs can migrate to tea leaf during cultivation, processing, and packaging, and can be released into the tea infusion during brewing, posing potential risks to human health. A total of 220 tea samples from four major tea-producing regions in China were collected and analyzed for the concentrations of 13 PAEs in tea leaves and tea infusions. PAEs were present in all tea samples at concentrations ranging from 504.4 to 6177.0 ng/g, with dibutyl phthalate (DBP) contributing the most. Dark tea and tea from the eastern coast and southern regions of China were the most contaminated. The brewing experiments indicated that PAEs could migrate into tea infusions, with concentrations ranging from 0 to 77.4 ng/mL, showing the highest transfer rates during the second and third brews. The health risk assessment results revealed that PAEs posed low noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks through tea consumption, but risk levels were significantly higher in children than in adults. This indicates the necessity for giving children more attention. We suggest stricter environmental protection measures during tea cultivation, processing, and packaging to safeguard public health
RGB and RGNIR image dataset for machine learning in plastic waste detection
No full textThe increasing volume of plastic waste is an environmental issue that demands effective sorting methods for different types of plastic. While spectral imaging offers a promising solution, it has several drawbacks, such as complexity, high cost, and limited spatial resolution. Machine learning has emerged as a potential solution for plastic waste due to its ability to analyse and interpret large volumes of data using algorithms. However, developing an efficient machine learning model requires a comprehensive dataset with information on the size, shape, colour, texture, and other features of plastic waste. Moreover, incorporating near-infrared (NIR) spectral data into machine learning models can reveal crucial information about plastic waste composition and structure that remains invisible in standard RGB images. Despite this potential, no publicly available dataset currently combines RGB with NIR spectral information for plastic waste detection. To address this research gap, we introduce a comprehensive dataset of plastic waste images captured onshore using both standard RGB and RGNIR (red, green, near-infrared) channels. Each of the two-colour space datasets include 405 images that were taken along riverbanks and beaches. Both datasets underwent further pre-processing to ensure proper labelling and annotations to prepare them for training machine learning models. In total, there are 1,344 plastic waste objects that have been annotated. The proposed dataset offers a unique resource for researchers to train machine learning models for plastic waste detection. While there are existing datasets on plastic waste, the proposed dataset aims to set itself apart by offering a more comprehensive dataset with unique spectral information in the near-infrared region. It is hopeful that these datasets will contribute to the advancement of the field of plastic waste detection and encourage further research in this area
Bornean Orangutan nest classification using Image enhancement with convolutional neural network and kernel multi support vector machine classifier
No full textPreserving wildlife habitats is crucial in mitigating climate change. Species like orangutans and monkeys contribute to fruiting and planting in forests. The World Wide Fund Sabah Malaysia faces challenges in manually identifying and classifying orangutan nests for studying their behaviour and conserving their habitats. To address this, we propose automating the classification of captured images using machine learning algorithms. This research involves three key components: image processing, feature extraction, and image classification. Our proposed image processing includes several steps, such as image pre-processing and enhancement techniques like local contrast enhancement, sharpening, intensity adjustment, histogram equalization, and colour thresholding. We applied four different Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to extract and identify orangutan nests’ features. Subsequently, we utilize Support Vector Machine (SVM) for image classification. The results reveal that the Inception Residual Network Version 2 (ResNet-v2) achieves the best performance. This architecture is then combined with a kernel SVM to classify Bornean orangutan nests. Our approach demonstrates impressive results, boasting an accuracy of 96.60%, an F1-score of 96.60%, a precision of 96.59%, and a recall of 96.58%. These metrics underscore the high accuracy and effectiveness of our proposed methodology for classifying Bornean orangutan nests. By reducing the need for extensive human intervention in image analysis, our method presents a valuable tool for conservationists and researchers committed to studying and safeguarding these endangered orangutans and their habitats. In future work, we aim to develop orangutan nest detector, contributing to wildlife conservation research
Isolated population of Proboscis monkeys and their status in Sulaman Lake Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia
No full textProboscis monkeys are largely confined along the eastern coastal zone of Sabah, Malaysia. Sulaman Lake Forest Reserve (SLFR) is the only Class V Mangrove Forest Reserve in the forestry district of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. This study is in accordance with the conservation strategies outlined in the Sabah Proboscis Monkey Action Plan (2019–2028), which is to focus on areas that have not been surveyed. Prior to this study, the status of proboscis monkeys in this reserve had not been scientifically documented. In addition, the habitat of this colobine species along the coastal zone of Sulaman Bay will be impacted by the construction of Pan Borneo Highway (Work Package 9). Hence, we intend to shed light on the status of proboscis monkeys in the SLFR including local threats to their population. This study discovered a small and isolated relict population of proboscis monkeys through a boat survey approach, which was also derived from interview sessions with local communities. We found that the degradation of mangrove forest integrity is a major threat to this population in the SLFR. It is hoped that this study will trigger more research, especially population size estimation, because such baseline information is crucial in the formulation of effective conservation programmes
The analysis of Natrah @ Maria Huberdina Hertogh background and marriage issues by The Straits Times, 1950
No full textThe story of Natrah @ Maria Huberdina Hertogh was a significant event in Singapore at the end of 1950. Natrah was part of a tragedy that offended the feelings and sensitivity of the Muslims when the court granted custody to Natrah’s biological parents from the Netherlands. The report published by The Straits Times had caused the Natrah Riot that led to several deaths among the Muslim Malays. The Straits Times had its interest in every article which was written about Natrah. Hence, this article investigates the extent of The Straits Times involvement in publishing daily issues about Natrah background and marriage issues, which have not been highlighted by other researchers. An in-depth study of the sensationalised discourse about Natrah by this newspaper would be presented in this paper. In the beginning, The Straits Times seemed to focus on Natrah’s background, which aimed to introduce Natrah to the public especially pro-Western readers. The sensationalisation of the issue reached its peak when the article reported Natrah’s marriage which was an attempt to instigate and provide a lopsided view on Islam and the Malays. The Straits Times continues to publish prejudiced reports as the proceeding on Natrah’s custody was ongoing and the readers’ sentiment. Several perceptions touched on religious sentiments, but these issues are not the focus of this discussion since many have discussed it earlier. Nevertheless, it is found that this newspaper attempted to highlight the story of Natrah through background and marriage issues as a strategy to attract the reader's attention