Objective: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) in a sample of Moroccan students. Method: A total of 208 Moroccan students participated in this study. The dimensionality of the DASS-21 scale was assessed using exploratory factor analysis. Construct validity was assessed using the Stress Perception (PSS-10), State Anxiety (SAI), and Depression (CESD-10) scales. Results: Correlation analyses between Depression, Anxiety, and Stress subscales showed significant results. The exploratory factor analysis results confirmed the DASS’s three-dimensional structure. Furthermore, correlation analyses revealed positive correlations between the DASS-18 sub-dimensions and the three scales for Stress (PSS-10), Anxiety (SAI), and Depression (CESD-10). Conclusion: In line with previous work, the results of this study suggest that the DASS-18 reflect adequate psychometric properties, making it an appropriate tool for use in the university context.

The centers of trade and economic activities in the region of Southeast Asia rank from a huge and modern to a small and traditional pattern. Malacca and Singapore have been cases in point for huge and modern patterns, while the border areas in eastern Indonesia, East Malaysia, and the Philippines are the cases for small and traditional centers. This paper will argue that with global connectivity and regional dynamics, the small and traditional trade and economic centers could shift to modern ones. History records that the introduction of the Southeast Asian region by the outside world, especially in relation to trade and economic activities, was largely derived from the significant role played by the people in the mainland of Southeast Asia regarding the silk roads route and the role of the people in the insular or islands of Southeast Asia regarding the spice trade route in the premodern time. Later in the modern time in Southeast Asia, the role of Islam, the Europeans and the center trade of Malacca around the 17th and 18th centuries played a significant role. Indeed, huge trade centers like Malacca in the 17th C and 18th C and later by Singapore in the 9th C have been very important throughout the history of trade in the Southeast Asian region. However, we must not ignore the roles of the border areas in the Southeast Asian archipelago, especially in eastern Indonesia, East Malaysia, and the border region of the Philippines which have played a dominant role in trade and economic activities. These activities have been smaller and more traditional than the Malacca and Singapore cases, but economic activities could develop rapidly with the global connection and its interconnectivity. Besides, those border areas have also become an important key for security issues not only in the Southeast Asia region in particular but also in the Asia Pacific or Indo Pacific region as well. The security of the region of Southeast Asia and even Indo Pacific could be affected by the situation in those border areas. Interconnectivity is a challenge as well as an opportunity for these border areas to become the future of trade and economic activities within the region of Southeast Asia that also connects with the region of Indo Pacific, especially China, South Korea, and Taiwan. The planning of Indonesian capital movement to East Kalimantan will add opportunities for those border areas located near the proposed new capital. About the above issues, this paper will address several issues: firstly, the history of trade and economic activities in Malacca, Singapore, and the border areas in eastern Indonesia, East Malaysia, and the Philippines; secondly, the different patterns of trade and economic developments of the Malacca, Singapore, and the border areas in eastern Indonesia, East Malaysia, and Philippines; thirdly, the challenges and opportunities of the border areas in eastern Indonesia, East Malaysia, and the Philippines to develop bigger trade centers in the future; fourth, the interconnectivity of those border areas to Asia Pacific region. This paper uses an interdisciplinary approach in the fields of social sciences and humanities. With this study, it is hoped that a better understanding of regional dynamics will be obtained, especially in the border areas. The period that we use is from 1998 until present time regarding if there was changing policy due to the end of Old Order to the Reformation period of Indonesian government. As a result, the development of border areas had been in existence before the colonial time in which people moved freely and had trade contacts. Even though they used to have the same ethnic linkage, after the formation of a modern state where they have different citizenships, in reality they can relate to each other in harmony and peace because of the similarity of ethnic linkages they had in the past. Colonial powers intended to replace the powers of traditional kingdoms with the idea of civilizing the colonializ

Himalayan ‘Ecotone’ temperate conifer forest is the cradle of life for human survival and wildlife existence. Human intervention and climate change are rapidly degrading and declining this transitional zone. This study aimed to quantify the floristic structure, important value index (IVI), topographic and edaphic variables between 2019 and 2020 utilizing circular quadrant method (10m × 10m). The upper-storey layer consisted of 17 tree species from 12 families and 9 orders. Middle-storey shrubs comprise 23 species representing 14 families and 12 orders. A total of 43 species of herbs, grasses, and ferns were identified from the ground-storey layer, representing 25 families and 21 orders. Upper-storey vegetation structure was dominated by Pinus roxburghii (22.45%), while middle-storey vegetation structure was dominated by Dodonaea viscosa (7.69%). However, the ground layer vegetation was diverse in species composition and distribution. By using Ward’s agglomerative clustering technique, the floral vegetation structure was divided into three floral communities. Ailanthus altissima, Pinus wallichiana, and P. roxburghii had the highest IVI values in Piro–Aial (Group 2), Piwa–Quin (Group 3) and Aial–Qugal (Group 2). The IVI values for Aesculus indica, Celtis australis, and Quercus incana in Aial-Qugal (Group 2) were not determined. Nevertheless, eleven of these species had 0 IVI values in Piro–Aial (Group 2) and Piwa–Quin (Group 3). Based on the CCA ordination biplot, significant differences were observed in floral characteristics and distribution depending on temperature, rainfall, soil pH, altitude, and topographic features. Based on Ward’s agglomerative clustering, it was found that Himalayan ‘Ecotone’ temperate conifer forests exhibit a rich and diverse floristic structure.

SMEs are characterized by a number of flaws that threaten their survival and counteract them from reaching high levels of growth and development. Access to finance is the primary problem facing these companies in the Moroccan context. Aware of the effective and potential impacts of SMEs on the country as a whole, the Moroccan Government through a variety of actors has mobilized its efforts in a number of ways to support this population of companies. This study assesses the extent to which actors within the Moroccan SMEs’ financing ecosystem align to support these companies and develop their ability to access external financing. Using the MACTOR model, based on an in-depth contextual analysis and expert interviews, our findings suggest that Morocco’s SMEs’ financing ecosystem is skewed, with high levels of convergence between its components.

Illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing) crimes by rogue fisheries companies are rife in the sea waters of Riau Province. However, this issue is rarely reported by those provincial journalists in the online media where they work. In fact, in Riau, there are 163 online media companies and 600 competent journalists; 200 of them live in capture fisheries center areas. Apart from the journalist competency factor, the decision to make IUU fishing news can also be influenced by the fisheries company intervention that committed the crime. Besides, the policy role of media leaders—editors, editors-in-chief, and media owners—also determines journalists’ decisions to make those news stories. This research aims to analyze the influence of journalist competence and fishing company intervention on the decision to make IUU fishing news, as well as the role of media leader policy as mediators in these influences. This survey involved 100 competent journalists as respondents. Data collection was carried out through a questionnaire containing a number of closed statements measured on a 5-point Likert scale, which was distributed to respondents. The data were analyzed using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method. The research results show that the fishing company intervention has a negative and significant influence on the decision to make IUU fishing news in Riau, while journalist competence does not. Additionally, media leader policy was found to play a significant role in mediating the influence of fisheries company intervention and journalist competence on the decision to make IUU fishing news. The leader policy could prevent journalists from making IUU fishing news if fisheries companies, who are responsible for those crimes, intervene and request it. Those actions of media leaders need to be questioned because they can hamper the media’s function as a means of disseminating information, educating the public, and implementing social control, especially those related to combating IUU fishing crimes.

Analyzing ecosystem service values (ESV) is crucial for achieving sustainable development. The main objective of this study was to assess the ecosystem services of the Cisadane watershed in Indonesia, with specific goals: (i) examining the spatiotemporal dynamics of ESV using multi-year land use and land cover (LULC) data from 2000 to 2021, (ii) exploring trade-offs and synergies among various ecosystem services, and (iii) investigating the sensitivity of ESV to changes in LULC. The results unveiled a significant decrease in forested areas (21.2%) and rice fields (10.2%), leading to a decline in ESV of $196.37 billion (33.17%) from 2010 to 2021. Throughout the period from 2000 to 2021, interactions between ESV were mainly synergistic. Projected from the baseline year (2021), the decline in ESV is expected to persist, ranging from $24.78 billion to $124.28 million by 2030 and from $45.78 billion to $124.28 million by 2050. The total estimated ecosystem values exhibited an inelastic response in terms of ecosystem value coefficients. The study also emphasizes an inelastic response in total estimated ESV coefficient concerning ecosystem value coefficients. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted conservation efforts and sustainable land management practices to mitigate the further decline in ecosystem services and safeguard the long-term well-being of the Cisadane watershed and its inhabitants.