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Publication Open Access AI, disinformation, and democracy in Malaysia(Safer Internet Lab, 2025-07-01)This paper examines the evolving intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), disinformation, and democracy in Malaysia, focusing on how regulatory frameworks and institutional responses are adapting to emerging digital challenges. Malaysia’s experience with disinformation has been shaped by a history of restrictive legislation—such as the Anti-Fake News Act 2018 and the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021—whose broad definitions and political use raised serious concerns over free expression. Although both were repealed, similar dynamics persist under long-standing statutes like the Sedition Act, Defamation Act, and Communications and Multimedia Act, which continue to influence information governance. Against this backdrop, the rapid growth of generative and predictive AI has complicated the landscape, prompting the introduction of forward-looking measures including the National AI Roadmap (2021–2025), the National Guidelines on AI Governance and Ethics (2024), amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act (2024), and proposed laws such as the Cyber Security Act and Online Safety Bill. These initiatives reflect Malaysia’s intent to balance innovation with accountability and privacy, yet they also reveal persistent fragmentation and overlapping mandates across agencies. Complementary interventions by civil society and the media—such as Sebenarnya.my, MyCheck Malaysia, and JomCheck—have improved fact-checking and media literacy, though challenges remain in ensuring independence, sustainability, and AI literacy. The paper argues that Malaysia’s regulatory trajectory illustrates both progress and tension: efforts to safeguard national security and public order risk encroaching on democratic freedoms if not carefully implemented. Strengthening multi-stakeholder collaboration, consolidating existing laws, and embedding AI literacy into media education are critical steps toward building a more resilient and democratic information ecosystem in the age of artificial intelligence.Publication Open Access How TikTok’s visual politics shaped Indonesia’s 2024 election(ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, 2025-07-21)The 2024 Indonesian presidential election marked a watershed moment in the evolution of electoral campaigns. TikTok, a platform that had gained popularity for its entertaining short-form videos, emerged as one of the most influential arenas for political messaging, particularly among youth voters. This development was not merely technological; it also reflected deeper shifts in how Indonesians, especially the digitally-savvy generation, engage with political content. While traditional platforms such as television, WhatsApp, and in-person conversations continue to play key roles in shaping voter perceptions, especially among older demographics, TikTok’s role in this election was anything but marginal. Nationally representative surveys[1] confirm that although no single platform dominated across all age groups, TikTok stood out for its cultural resonance and algorithmic reach among voters aged 15 to 24, a demographic that makes up a substantial portion of Indonesia’s electorate. Plus, its highly visual and participatory nature sets it apart from other platforms such as Facebook or YouTube, even when user rates appear similar. Indonesia, with over 66.5% of its population connected to the Internet, became TikTok’s second-largest user base in the world by February 2025, reaching 107.7 million users and surpassing the country’s user numbers on both Facebook and Instagram. TikTok’s appeal was especially strong among younger demographics, with over 50% of its users being between the ages of 18 and 40.[4] This demographic composition mirrored the electorate, where voters under 40 accounted for more than half of the 205 million eligible voters. This convergence of demographics, digital culture, and platform design made TikTok an especially powerful force in shaping the tone, imagery, and emotion of the 2024 presidential race. Its algorithm, optimised to amplify emotionally engaging and visually rich content, created unprecedented opportunities for political actors to generate virality at scale. For Prabowo Subianto, a long-standing political figure with a controversial past, TikTok offered a chance to fundamentally reshape his public image. Through choreographed videos, meme-able content, AI-generated visuals (including animations), and viral trends, his campaign leveraged the full suite of TikTok’s features to connect with younger voters in ways unmatched by any other medium. This paper focuses on TikTok not because it is the only platform of influence, but because it played an outsized and uniquely transformative role in the 2024 Indonesian election. We examine how Prabowo’s campaign used visual politics and algorithmic culture to engineer a narrative shift, and what this tells us about the future of political communication in Indonesia. In doing so, we aim to provide a deeper understanding of TikTok’s place in the evolving media landscape and its implications for democracy.Publication Open Access Effect of supplemental protein degradability on nitrogen metabolism and performance of beef steers grazing dormant tallgrass prairie(2025-07)Protein is often the first nutrient that is limited in diets of growing calves on low quality forage diets. Therefore, nitrogen utilization is vital to optimize nutrition of beef calves grazing dormant native range. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of supplements containing low or high proportions of rumen degradable protein (RDP) on nitrogen utilization while cattle were grazing dormant tallgrass prairie. Twenty-three Angus steers (328 ± 27.8 kg) were allowed unlimited access to a prairie grass pasture (7.7 ha)for 85 days. Steers were randomly assigned to either a high RDP (71.5 % RDP), or low RDP (41.1% RDP) supplement at 6.36 kg/week prorated for feeding three times weekly. Supplements consisted of mainly soybean meal for the high RDP supplement and wheat middlings, and corn gluten meal for the low RDP supplements. Steers were gathered at 0800 each Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, placed into individual feeding stations and provided their respective supplement before returning to pasture. Blood and fecal samples were collected on days 0, 42, 63, and 84. Fecal samples were serially collected on day 46 to 50 and day 67 to 71 in 4-hour increments to measure passage rate and fecal output using titanium dioxide as a pulse dosed external marker. Forage masticate samples were collected on d 50 and day 71 following rumen evacuation of a ruminally cannulated steer grazing with steers on trial. Body weights (BW) were collected full with no previous shrink on days 0, 1, 29, 42, 63, 84, and 85 for performance measurements. Data were analyzed as a completely random design experiment using the mixed models procedure of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary NC) with treatment as the fixed effect and steer the experimental unit. The low RDP treatment group was 27 kg heavier (P = 0.03) than the high RDP treatment group steers at the conclusion of the study. Steers fed a low RDP supplement while grazing dormant range recycled adequate protein to meet supplementation requirements and improve performance compared with the high RDP supplement. While showing no differences in nitrogen excretion between the two treatment groupsPublication Open Access Age-heterogenous marriages and cognitive aging(2025-07)Cognitive health is often explored within social relationships, where spousal relationships and the bond between the partners have been widely documented in previous literature. However, there has not been enough literature that explores whether age-heterogeneous marriages influence individuals' cognitive health differently for both men and women. Comparing age heterogeneous marriages with age homogeneous marriages, this study explores if men and women have different cognitive health outcomes. Data has been used from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), a longitudinal, population-based study of older adults in the United States, conducted in 2010-2011 (wave 2). The results from the interaction models show a gendered pattern. For older men in age heterogenous marriages, a significant negative association between spousal age gap and cognitive functioning was found as they aged compared to men from age homogenous marriages. However, for younger women in age-heterogeneous marriages, the association is steady across their age compared to women in same age marriages. These findings highlight the importance of exploring the influence of spousal age gap on cognitive health for future longitudinal studies in order to further our understanding of marriage, age gap, gender, and cognitive health.Publication Open Access Assessment of environmental impacts from septic tank irrigation systems in Oklahoma(2025-08)Septic tank irrigation systems are widely used for decentralized wastewater management. While effective in treatment, their environmental impacts, particularly on soil microbial processes and resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are not well understood. This study examined soil microbial contributions to GHG fluxes from irrigated and non-irrigated plots using soil flux measurements in the field and microbial enzyme assays in the lab. Results showed negative fluxes of methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) in control plots, indicating net uptake, while carbon dioxide (CO₂) exhibited positive fluxes. Statistically significant differences in CH₄ and N₂O fluxes were observed between irrigated and non-irrigated zones, with cumulative mean fluxes higher for all three GHG in irrigated soils. Soil and water quality assessments revealed elevated pH, hardness, and nutrient loads, particularly ammonium and orthophosphate, exceeding EPA-recommended thresholds. In-vitro targeted enzymatic assays for mcrA and nosZ indicated elevated potential for CH₄ and N₂O production in the treated zone. Amplicon sequencing of microbial communities showed distinct differences in taxonomic composition and functional gene diversity, including a heterogeneous distribution of mcrA in irrigated soils. Quantitative PCR revealed significantly higher abundance of nosZ operational taxonomic unit 1, which encodes nitrous oxide reductase, in the irrigated plot. Overall, the study highlights that septic tank irrigation systems can alter microbial activity and increase trace gas emissions, suggesting potential adverse effects on ecosystem function and the need for revised management strategies.
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