Mark Edward Tuah, Peter Aning Tedong and Melasutra Md Dali
This study investigated the role of community infrastructure planning in Sarawak, Malaysia, by concentrating on the obstacles that hinder effective governance of community…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigated the role of community infrastructure planning in Sarawak, Malaysia, by concentrating on the obstacles that hinder effective governance of community infrastructure planning.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative approach via case study design was adopted in this study. The Song District, located in the State of Sarawak, Malaysia, was selected as the case study area. Semi-structured interview sessions were conducted with 21 respondents who belonged to the government agencies involved in rural community infrastructure planning and village community representatives to capture their views on community infrastructure development planning in the selected district. The gathered responses were analysed thematically and the outcomes are discussed.
Findings
The findings revealed that although the development of community infrastructure in Song District has progressed and has exerted transformative impacts on rural livelihood, several challenges were identified in the delivery of community infrastructure. The four main themes of challenges that emerged from the data were location factors, financial resources, cooperation and collaboration of stakeholders, as well as community involvement. The outcomes disclosed that, in terms of governance, the institutional roles of the community, stakeholders and government agencies must be integrated throughout the rural community infrastructure planning process to resolve the emerging challenges effectively so that the demands of the rural community are met meritoriously.
Social implications
An effective and efficient community infrastructure planning approach ascertains that the community infrastructure development gaps in rural areas are bridged and brings fruition to the rural communities for their livelihood transformation.
Originality/value
This paper delineates a view on the governance aspect of community infrastructure planning in Sarawak, Malaysia, that is largely untapped. The study outcomes may facilitate practitioners and academics to move forward and recommend improvements in the approach to rural community infrastructure planning.
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Classification of remote sensing images (RSI) is a challenging task in computer vision. Recently, researchers have proposed a variety of creative methods for automatic recognition…
Abstract
Purpose
Classification of remote sensing images (RSI) is a challenging task in computer vision. Recently, researchers have proposed a variety of creative methods for automatic recognition of RSI, and feature fusion is a research hotspot for its great potential to boost performance. However, RSI has a unique imaging condition and cluttered scenes with complicated backgrounds. This larger difference from nature images has made the previous feature fusion methods present insignificant performance improvements.
Design/methodology/approach
This work proposed a two-convolutional neural network (CNN) fusion method named main and branch CNN fusion network (MBC-Net) as an improved solution for classifying RSI. In detail, the MBC-Net employs an EfficientNet-B3 as its main CNN stream and an EfficientNet-B0 as a branch, named MC-B3 and BC-B0, respectively. In particular, MBC-Net includes a long-range derivation (LRD) module, which is specially designed to learn the dependence of different features. Meanwhile, MBC-Net also uses some unique ideas to tackle the problems coming from the two-CNN fusion and the inherent nature of RSI.
Findings
Extensive experiments on three RSI sets prove that MBC-Net outperforms the other 38 state-of-the-art (STOA) methods published from 2020 to 2023, with a noticeable increase in overall accuracy (OA) values. MBC-Net not only presents a 0.7% increased OA value on the most confusing NWPU set but also has 62% fewer parameters compared to the leading approach that ranks first in the literature.
Originality/value
MBC-Net is a more effective and efficient feature fusion approach compared to other STOA methods in the literature. Given the visualizations of grad class activation mapping (Grad-CAM), it reveals that MBC-Net can learn the long-range dependence of features that a single CNN cannot. Based on the tendency stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) results, it demonstrates that the feature representation of MBC-Net is more effective than other methods. In addition, the ablation tests indicate that MBC-Net is effective and efficient for fusing features from two CNNs.
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Jurui Zhang, Shan Yu, Raymond Liu, Guang-Xin Xie and Leon Zurawicki
This paper aims to explore factors contributing to music popularity using machine learning approaches.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore factors contributing to music popularity using machine learning approaches.
Design/methodology/approach
A dataset comprising 204,853 songs from Spotify was used for analysis. The popularity of a song was predicted using predictive machine learning models, with the results showing the superiority of the random forest model across key performance metrics.
Findings
The analysis identifies crucial genre and audio features influencing music popularity. Additionally, genre specific analysis reveals that the impact of music features on music popularity varies across different genres.
Practical implications
The findings offer valuable insights for music artists, digital marketers and music platform researchers to understand and focus on the most impactful music features that drive the success of digital music, to devise more targeted marketing strategies and tactics based on popularity predictions, and more effectively capitalize on popular songs in this digital streaming age.
Originality/value
While previous research has explored different factors that may contribute to the popularity of music, this study makes a pioneering effort as the first to consider the intricate interplay between genre and audio features in predicting digital music popularity.
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Wantao Yu, Mark Jacobs, Roberto Chavez and Yongtao Song
This study aims to explore how bundling knowledge resources (i.e. knowledge integration mechanisms [KIMs]) and digital resources (i.e. big data-powered artificial intelligence…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore how bundling knowledge resources (i.e. knowledge integration mechanisms [KIMs]) and digital resources (i.e. big data-powered artificial intelligence [BDAI]) can enhance supply chain visibility (SCV) capabilities for implementing just-in-case (JIC) practices.
Design/methodology/approach
Analysis of survey data from Chinese manufacturers was conducted to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results reveal a significant positive effect of KIMs on BDAI, as well as positive effects of both BDAI and KIMs on SCV. Furthermore, the results suggest that SCV partially mediates the KIMs–JIC relationship and fully mediates the BDAI–JIC relationship.
Originality/value
This study advances the digital SC and inventory management literature by proposing and empirically testing a digital JIC model that explores how to bundle knowledge and digital resources into SC capabilities for managing JIC inventory in uncertain and digital times.
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The indigenous and sustainable knowledge possessed by the tribal people and communities plays an extremely important role in the conservation of the climate. As per the United…
Abstract
The indigenous and sustainable knowledge possessed by the tribal people and communities plays an extremely important role in the conservation of the climate. As per the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), tribal communities play an important role in preserving traditional knowledge, culture, food practices and textiles. The remains of the Indus Valley civilisation highlight the importance of the culture and religion. Animism and the worship of nature to achieve success in routines and tasks have been practised by these tribes for centuries. India is a mosaic of more than 705 different colourful tribes, and each of these tribes has their own identity that differentiates it from the other tribes. With increasing ecological complexities, the knowledge owned by the tribes is extremely useful in the preservation of the climate. This chapter seeks to explore the various hues and colours that constitute the mosaic of Indian tribal culture.
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Investigate the effects on audiences of musical events based on the digital simulation of artists who have already passed away, utilizing comments on YouTube recordings of these…
Abstract
Purpose
Investigate the effects on audiences of musical events based on the digital simulation of artists who have already passed away, utilizing comments on YouTube recordings of these events.
Design/methodology/approach
Comparative analysis of the two most viewed videos of events featuring the singers Michael Jackson and 2Pac, with a combined total of 150,000,000 views and 100,000 comments, employing a quantitative and qualitative linguistic analysis of the most frequent words in the comments.
Findings
The Michael Jackson event elicits ambiguous reactions from audiences who appreciate the opportunity to see an artist who has already passed away but simultaneously express unease due to the fact that the artist is deceased. The comparison with the 2Pac event, which is received more positively, suggests that the technological quality of the simulation is a determining factor in making the experience of the event positive or negative. This implies that technology serves to make the event more lifelike.
Originality/value
This is the first systematic study of audiences of digital post-mortem musical events based on YouTube comments. It claims that the simulation of the artist is not merely a reproduction of the artist as they were alive, but a different type of event that can evoke equally strong emotions because it challenges the barrier of death.
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The purpose of this study is to examine how Taylor Swift’s music influences language acquisition, gender representation, emotional well-being and cultural awareness among Thai…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how Taylor Swift’s music influences language acquisition, gender representation, emotional well-being and cultural awareness among Thai university students within the context of lifelong learning. By exploring these dimensions, the study aims to uncover the transformative potential of integrating popular culture, particularly music, into lifelong learning frameworks, thereby offering insights into the role of music in fostering continuous education, cultural sensitivity and personal growth.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions to explore the impact of Taylor Swift’s music on language acquisition, gender representation, emotional well-being and cultural awareness within the context of lifelong learning. Around 32 university students from six prominent universities in Thailand participated in the study. Thematic analysis was used to identify and interpret the recurring themes related to how Taylor Swift’s music influences these aspects of lifelong learning, providing an in-depth understanding of her music’s role in educational and personal development.
Findings
The study found that Taylor Swift’s music significantly impacts language acquisition by providing an immersive and engaging learning environment. Her music also challenges traditional gender norms, promoting self-expression and empowerment. Additionally, the emotional resonance of her songs contributes to students' emotional well-being, offering solace and encouragement. Furthermore, her advocacy for diversity and inclusivity enhances cultural awareness, fostering empathy and cross-cultural understanding. Overall, Taylor Swift’s music serves as a powerful tool for promoting lifelong learning, cultural awareness and emotional resilience among university students.
Research limitations/implications
This study primarily focused on Thai university students, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other cultural contexts. Future research could explore the impact of Taylor Swift’s music on a broader demographic, including different age groups and cultural backgrounds. Additionally, a longitudinal approach could provide deeper insights into how sustained engagement with music influences lifelong learning and personal development over time. The findings underscore the need for further exploration of popular culture’s role in education and its potential to enhance learning outcomes across diverse contexts.
Practical implications
The findings suggest that integrating popular music, like Taylor Swift’s, into educational curricula can enhance language learning, promote cultural awareness and support emotional well-being. Educators are encouraged to incorporate music-based activities into their teaching strategies to create a more engaging and relatable learning environment. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of using music as a tool for challenging traditional gender norms and fostering inclusivity, suggesting that educational programs should leverage popular culture to promote social empowerment and personal growth among students.
Social implications
The study demonstrates that Taylor Swift’s music plays a significant role in promoting social empowerment, gender equality and cultural sensitivity among university students. By challenging traditional norms and advocating for inclusivity, her music encourages listeners to embrace diversity and engage in lifelong learning. The findings suggest that popular culture, particularly music, can be a powerful force for social change, fostering a more inclusive and empathetic society. This underscores the potential of music to contribute to broader social objectives, including gender equality, cultural awareness and emotional resilience.
Originality/value
This study is unique in its comprehensive examination of Taylor Swift’s music as a tool for lifelong learning among university students in Thailand. While previous research has explored music’s role in language acquisition or emotional well-being, this study integrates multiple dimensions – language learning, gender representation, emotional well-being and cultural awareness – within the context of lifelong learning. By focusing on a global pop icon’s influence in a non-Western setting, the research provides valuable insights into the transformative potential of popular culture in education, offering educators innovative strategies to engage students through music.