Eastern Part Of Peninsular Malaysia Research Articles

PREVALENCE OF PATHOGENIC Leptospira spp. IN SMALL MAMMAL HOSTS FROM DUNGUN, TERENGGANU

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by Leptospira, which is transmitted through infected mammalian species, including small mammals. However, the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. in small mammals, particularly between different site categories in the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia, is still underexplored. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to determine the species composition of small mammals and the prevalence of pathogenic Leptospira spp. between different site categories from Dungun, Terengganu. We selected five case sites (leptospirosis cases were recorded) and five control sites (no leptospirosis cases were recorded) in Dungun, Terengganu, based on previous reports by the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia (2016-2020). For three consecutive nights, 100 cage traps were used for each trapping session. In addition, kidney samples from captured individuals were extracted for the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Overall, 89 individuals from five species were captured (6.43% trapping success), consisting of Rattus norvegicus (n = 39), Rattus rattus (n = 27), Suncus murinus (n = 11), Rattus exulans (n = 10) and Tupaia glis (n = 2). Out of 89 individuals captured, 14 tested positive with a 15.7% (n = 14/89) prevalence rate. R. norvegicus was the most dominant captured species and had the highest number of infected individuals with pathogenic Leptospira (20.5%, n = 8/39). The statistical analysis revealed that there is a significant difference in pathogenic Leptospira spp. between case and control sites (P < 0.05), with control sites recording higher positive individuals (78.6%, n = 11/14) compared to case sites (21.4%, n = 3/14). However, no significant differences were observed between species and sex (P > 0.05). The results show that the monitoring of leptospirosis cases should not only focus on case areas but also control areas in order to prevent the outbreak of this disease in the future.

Assessment of groundwater recharge sources and its dynamics using environmental isotope and hydrochemical approaches in coastal aquifers of Peninsular Malaysia

The aims of this study are to investigate the interconnection and the dynamics between groundwater and surface water in the coastal area in the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia using isotope technique integrated with the hydrochemical and hydrogeological approach. Using stable isotopic composition (d2H and d18O), it was shown that there is no relationship between the mid–deep and deep groundwater indicating that they came from different aquifers. Based on the two–component mass balance for oxygen, the source of groundwater salinity was determined. The results showed that 12% of the groundwater is recharged by the seawater while 88% is from both rainwater and river water. This reveals that one of the deep groundwater (UMPB) was affected by seawater intrusion. However, the deep groundwater in the southern part of the study area was not influenced by saline water because of the geological conditions. As a result of the seawater intrusion, UMPB is showing the characteristics of shallow groundwater due to mixing with modern saline water which was also supported by the natural radioactive isotope (3H and 14C) and hydrochemical results.

Geospatial Analysis of Coastline Erosion Along Pulau Tuba, Langkawi

The erosion in Malaysia has brought attention to many authorities especially the coastline in the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Although the erosion in the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia does not receive as much attention as the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia, however, the issue should not be neglected. High spatial resolution satellite imageries were used for the extraction of coastline and classification level of erosion rate along with the Pulau Tuba. The coastline data was extracted using two different methods known as Maximum Likelihood (ML) and On-Screen Digitizing (OSD) in the determination of the best approach of coastline detection from the Sentinel-2 data of the year 2016 and 2019. Furthermore, the level of erosion is made based on the physical and economic parameters outlined by the National Coastal Erosion Study 2015 (NCES). Due to some inevitable constraints of Movement Control Order by the Malaysian government due to the COVID-19 pandemic, physical observation data of Pulau Tuba were collected via Google Maps. The information acquired includes type of coastal geomorphology, land use, development on the area, activities conducted, and adaptation of erosion if any. These data were utilized to determine the erosion rate and categories using the proposed model by NCES for five divided management units (MU) of the Pulau Tuba areas utilizing Erdas Imagine and ArcGIS software. The analysis found that the ML approach has under-detected the coastline length between 3.19% to 45.0% as compared to OSD for both years of 2016 and 2019. Rate of erosion for Pulau Tuba based on the NCES approach found that the highest erosion rate occurred at the MU1 (Pulau Dayang Bunting- Pulau Tuba causeway) with 2.91% and classified as K1 (critical erosion category) with a value of 4.39 m/yr−1 and the highest accretion rate at the MU3 with 3.06%. The critical erosion category was associated with the MU that has significant development and on-going activities that occurred in the area especially in MU 4 (Pulau Tuba) and MU 5 (Teluk Berembang). Other than that, the high number of erosions occurred in that section is due to the exposure of waves, wind, currents, and tides.

Nepenthes malayensis (Nepenthaceae), a new species of carnivorous pitcher plant from Peninsular Malaysia

Nepenthes malayensis A.Amin, M.N.Faizal & Dome is described as a new species discovered from a montane forest in the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The species is considered highly threatened since only a few individuals have been discovered within a limited area and almost all of them grow on humus-covered boulders scattered in the summit region. Due to a slight resemblance to N. sanguinea Lindl., it was initially thought to be of an allied form; however, anatomy, morphological and molecular analyses have established N. malayensis as a distinct taxon. A diagnosis, description, figures and preliminary conservation status of the species are provided in this article.

Rainfall Runoff Model Evaluation for Lebir River, Kelantan, Malaysia

On January 5, 2015, the National Security Council (NSC) confirmed the massive flood that hit Kelantan was the worst in the history of the state. According to the council’s report, the water level of Kelantan River at Tambatan Diraja which has a danger level of 25 meters, reached 34.17 meters. The Kelantan River basin is located in the north eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia between latitudes 4° 40’ and 6° 12’ North, and longitudes 10° 20’ and 102° 20’ East. The river is about 248 km long and drains an area of 13,100 km2. It divides into the Galas and Lebir Rivers near Kuala Krai, about 100 km from the river mouth. The Lebir River itself has catchments area of 2430 km2. This current paper investigates a calibration and confirmation method of hydrologic model using HEC-HMS (Hydrologic Engineering Center-Hydrologic Modeling System) applied in Lebir River. General speaking, the degree of confidence of hydrologic models prediction will normally depend on how well the model can replicate and imitate the observations recorded data. The stream flow data used in this analysis is obtained from station 5222452 at Kg. Tualang with a duration period from years 2004–2014. The results of investigation revealed that the observed and simulated discharge hydrographs in the calibration and confirmation exercises were reasonably close.

Parameter Estimation in Mathematical Modelling for Photovoltaic Panel

The demand for solar photovoltaic (PV) system is growing rapidly driven by new technology and strong economies of scale. PV systems directly convert solar energy into electricity without release any pollution into the environment and deplete natural resources. PV technology has matured and its reliability keeps improving. However, PV system is more expensive to produce than conventional sources of energy due in part to the cost of manufacturing PV devices and in part to the conversion efficiencies of the equipment. Besides, important attention in designing, developing and installing the PV systems is time-consuming. In this paper, we propose a mathematical model to predict the PV systems behaviour and performance by considering the plausible factors. The factors accept in this model are solar irradiance and manufacturers’ information for the type of PV panel. A case study at the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia was conducted to examine the effect of factors on the performance of PV. Through the comparative analysis, the results have a good agreement.

The Effect of School Leaders’ Authentic Leadership on Teachers’ Job Stress in the Eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia

The Effect of School Leaders’ Authentic Leadership on Teachers’ Job Stress in the Eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia

Trend of Rainfall Indices at Kg. Kedaik Station, Pahang

Malaysia has been constantly facing massive floods caused by excessive weather events during monsoon and inter-monsoon seasons. Major concerns on the consequences of flood include structural and erosional damage, loss of life and property and disruption of socio-economic activities. Mitigation efforts require proper planning, relying on credible quantification of such changes. The eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia is frequently affected by severe floods especially during north east monsoon season. Affected area includes Pahang state which is located in the middle and more towards the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. As such, this study examine the trend of rainfall indices to have a better understanding on rainfall distribution within the area. In particular, the performance of Gamma and Weibull distributions incorporated in Neyman Scott Rectangular Pulse model in reproducing rainfall indices was assessed at Kg. Kedaik station in Pahang. The trends of indices based on thirty years data were calculated and analysed using non-parametric, Mann Kendall test. Performance of both probability distributions was compared using Root Mean Square Error criteria. Results suggest that Gamma is the better distribution in reproducing the hourly rainfall series for Kg. Kedaik station. Further analysis indicate Gamma able to replicate the key rainfall characteristics such as the total amount of rainfall, mean rainfall amount on wet days or rainfall intensity, including the extreme indices; frequency of wet days exceeding the 95th percentile and rainfall intensity exceeding the 95th percentile. Meanwhile, the calculated trend in this study is consistent with previous studies, indicating the presence of positive trend at Kg. Kedaik station.

Interactive geotechnical design in karst and ex-mining ground in Malaysia

The Kinta Formation is one of the prominent and complex karst formations in Malaysia. Karst ground has an abundance of cavities, solution channels, pinnacles, overhangs and floaters. Design and construction of foundations in such ground conditions are complicated. If a given site has karst geology and is an also ex-mining ground, the challenges are compounded. Often, generalised and one-size-fits-all designs are used in geotechnical engineering. However, in such unpredictable and challenging soil conditions, this approach can be either conservative or unsafe. An interactive geotechnical design approach is vital to achieving an economical and practical solution. In this paper, the role of interactive design in foundation design and construction of a lime-processing plant in Malaysia is discussed. The site, located in the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia, sits within the bounds of the Kinta Formation and was a former tin-mining ground. Over the 34 ha of the project site, earthworks and foundations were required to be executed. Some examples of solutions derived by interactive design in geotechnical engineering as applied to this project are discussed.

ANALYSIS OF EXTREME RAINFALL INDICES IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Extreme rainfall events are the main cause of flooding. This study aimed to examine seven extreme rainfall indices, i.e. extreme rain sum (XRS), very wet day intensity (I95), extremely wet day intensity (I99), very wet day proportion (R95), extremely wet day proportion (R99), very wet days (N95) and extremely wet days (N99) using Mann-Kendall (MK) and the normalized statistic Z tests. The analyses are based on the daily rainfall data gathered from Bayan Lepas, Subang, Senai, Kuantan and Kota Bharu. The east coast states received more rainfall than any other parts in Peninsular Malaysia. Kota Bharu station recorded the highest XRS, i.e. 648 mm. The analyses also indicate that the stations in the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia experienced higher XRS, I95, I99, R95 and R99 as compared to the stations located in the western and northern part of Peninsular Malaysia. Subang and Senai show the highest number of days for wet and very wet (N95) as compared to other stations. Other than that, all stations except for Kota Bharu show increasing trends for most of the extreme rainfall indices. Upward trends indicate that the extreme rainfall events were becoming more severe over the period of 1960 to 2014.

Application of Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) for Dungun River Basin

The Northeast monsoon happening during the months of October until January is the major rainy season found in the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The Dungun river basin (1,858 km2) is exposed to this season thus experiencing characteristically regular flooding due to the prolong rainfall events. The annual rainfall over the river basins are 2,880 mm with great proportion falling in the months of December (19.4%). This study is to apply the Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) model which Dungun river basin has been chosen for this study as the catchments have range of flood and relevant data that can be used to develop the model. The satellite data used in this study is provided by JAXA Global Rainfall Watch. The main feature of this real-time flood analysis model is the satellite-based rainfall data input employed during the model creation phase. The performance of the model for the river basins from satellite and ground-based rainfall data are compared using three error analysis methods.

Influence of Ritual behavior on Religious Delinquent behavior Among youth: A Path Analysis Approach

This paper aims to report a study on the influence of ritual behaviour on the religious behaviour delinquency. Ritual behaviour consists of syahadah, prayer, fasting, giving alms and knowledge, while delinquent behaviour is divided into five categories: delinquency in religion, life, mind, heredity and property. Ritual behaviour is expected to abstain one from indulging in delinquent behaviour from religious point of view. Research questionnaires were developed consisting of items on ritual behaviour and delinquent behaviour forms. About 600 respondents from eastern part of peninsular Malaysia participated in the study through the multi-stage stratified sampling method. Data were analysed using path analysis. Results indicated that prayer (β=-0.415) followed by fasting (β=0.171) significantly influence all five forms of delinquent behaviour. This suggests that prayer is the most influential preventive measure in abstaining one from delinquent behaviour.

Assessment of the impact of petroleum and petrochemical industries to the surrounding areas in Malaysia using mosses as bioindicator supported by multivariate analysis

Biomonitoring of multi-element atmospheric deposition using terrestrial moss is a well-established technique in Europe. Although the technique is widely known, there were very limited records of using this technique to study atmospheric air pollution in Malaysia. In this present study, the deposition of 11 trace metals surrounding the main petroleum refinery plant in Kerteh Terengganu (eastern part of peninsular Malaysia) has been evaluated using two local moss species, namely Hypnum plumaeforme and Taxithelium instratum as bioindicators. The study was also done by means of observing whether these metals are attributed to work related to oil exploration in this area. The moss samples have been collected at 30 sampling stations in the vicinity of the petrochemical industrial area covering up to 15 km to the south, north, and west in radius. The contents of heavy metal in moss samples were analyzed by energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence technique. Distribution of heavy metal content in all mosses is portrayed using Surfer software. Areas of the highest level of contaminations are highlighted. The results obtained using the principal components analysis revealed that the elements can be grouped into three different components that indirectly reflected three different sources namely anthropogenic factor, vegetation factor, and natural sources (soil dust or substrate) factor. Heavy metals deposited mostly in the distance after 9 km onward to the western part (the average direction of wind blow). V, Cr, Cu, and Hg are believed to have originated from local petrochemical-based industries operated around petroleum industrial area.

Genetic characterization of Perna viridis L. in peninsular Malaysia using microsatellite markers

A total of 19 polymorphic microsatellite loci were used to analyse levels of genetic variation for 10 populations of Perna viridis L. collected from all over peninsular Malaysia. The populations involved in this study included Pulau Aman in Penang, Tanjung Rhu in Kedah, Bagan Tiang in Perak, Pulau Ketam in Selangor, Muar, Parit Jawa, Pantai Lido and Kampung Pasir Puteh in Johore, and Kuala Pontian and Nenasi in Pahang state. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to seven, with an average of 3.1. Heterozygote deficiencies were observed across all the 10 populations. Characterization of the populations revealed that local populations of P. viridis in peninsular Malaysia were genetically similar enough to be used as a biomonitoring agent for heavy metal contamination in the Straits of Malacca. Cluster analysis grouped the P. viridis populations according to their geographical distributions with the exception of Parit Jawa. The analysis also revealed that P. viridis from the northern parts of peninsular Malaysia were found to be the most distant populations among the populations of mussels investigated and P. viridis from the eastern part of peninsular Malaysia were closer to the central and southern populations than to the northern populations.

Geology and palaeontology of the Redang islands, Trengganu, Peninsular Malaysia

The Redang islands are underlain by sediments contact metamorphosed by a granitic intrusion. The sediments are mapped as the Redang beds which are conglomeratic and the Pinang beds which are represented by arenaceous and argillaceous rocks. The Redang beds are interpreted to be continental fluviatile or near shore deposits while the Pinang beds with evidence of soft-sediment deformation and other slump-induced structures are interpreted to be deposited in relatively deeper water. Both units are strongly folded and deformed. Fossil plants discovered in chiastolite-bearing black slate in the Redang beds are found to be Calamites, Pecopteris, Cordaites and Taenopteris. The Calamites and Pecopteris resemble Late Carboniferous to Permian species. The implications of the results of this study in relation to the geology of the eastern part of Peninsular Malaysia is discussed.