Nibong Tebal Research Articles

Bimbingan Sosial Berbasis Prinsip Islam Dalam Meningkatkan Interaksi Sosial Positif Siswa di Kolej Vokasional Nibong Tebal Malaysia

Social interaction plays a crucial role in education as it fosters communication skills and emotional intelligence, essential for personal and professional growth. Additionally, interacting with peers and educators in a learning environment enhances understanding and knowledge retention, supporting collaborative learning and problem-solving skills. This study aims to explore social guidance based on Islamic principles implemented by students of Islamic counselling at Nibong Tebal Vocational College, located at Jalan Bukit Panchor, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia. The research was designed to help individuals identify, handle, and overcome social issues, enabling them to adapt well within their social environments. Data collection involved direct observations and interviews with lecturers and students at the college. During the implementation, students guided classroom discussions and activities in open areas like reading gardens. The results showed a significant improvement in social interactions, including greetings, smiles, salutations, and handshakes. The guidance provided has also been integrated into the students' daily lives, enhancing their understanding and awareness of both positive and negative social interactions and developing empathy, social care, and good social character

Bimbingan Konseling Islam Dalam Membentuk Kesadaran Beribadah Kepada Siswa Kolej Vokasional Nibong Tebal Malaysia

Islamic counselling guidance is an effort to assist an individual or a group who are experiencing physical and emotional difficulties in fulfilling their life duties using a religious approach, namely by awakening the strength of faith to overcome problems. This study aims to investigate the role of religious guidance services in enhancing the worship awareness of students at Kolej Vokasional and to analyse the obstacles that arise during the religious guidance process. The methods used in this activity are observation and interviews with Kolej Vokasional Nibong Tebal. The research findings show that there is an increased deep understanding among students about the etiquette in the mosque, the virtues of congregational prayers, memorization of the Qunut prayer, and the pillars of prayer through religious guidance services. However, challenges such as variability in students' religious knowledge levels, limited time and resources, and varied student responses indicate an urgent need for adaptation and improvement in programme delivery. These challenges highlight the importance of differentiated teaching approaches, technology integration, and programme duration extension to achieve maximum effectiveness in vocational religious education and ensure that all students can internalise the values taught most effectively and sustainably.

Traffic emissions before and after development based on traffic impact assessment

Abstract Traffic impact assessment evaluates the traffic conditions in the vicinity before and after the completion of a new development as new development will generate additional vehicle trips on the road and contribute to a rise in traffic emission. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the impact of the proposed development in Nibong Tebal, Penang, on the existing road network and identify the necessary improvements to ensure all intersections perform satisfactorily. Additionally, the impact of the proposed intersection’s design on fuel consumption and traffic emissions will also be investigated. During morning and evening rush hours, six hours manual vehicle counts were conducted at ten intersections. The collected data is then analyzed to determine the performance of the intersection. The level of service, based on the delay and ratio of volume over capacity of a turning movement, is used as the performance indicator for intersections. This study revealed that the reduction of delay time of more than 100 seconds at signalized intersections can significantly reduce fuel consumption and traffic emissions. In conclusion, a well-designed intersection will facilitate traffic movement and reduce traffic emissions which will eventually reduce the quantity of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere that contribute to global climate change.

PREDICTING GEOTECHNICAL AXIAL CAPACITY OF REINFORCED CONCRETE DRIVEN PILE USING MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUE

Modified Meyerhof method is a popular method to calculate pile geotechnical axial capacity in Malaysia currently. From past experience, pile design based on empirical and analytical method produce variability of predicted capacity, in which, there is a wide scatter of predicted capacities and tendency for the predictions to be conservative, i.e. to underestimate the load capacity. This study provides options of machine learning and statistical approach for prediction of pile capacity based on soil investigation and dynamic pile load test result. It serves as an additional checking for engineer during design of pile based on conventional empirical method. It also helps to provide deeper insights of non-linear variables related to pile capacity through machine learning and statistical approach. This study helps engineer to design pile foundation optimally, economically and safely. The prediction of pile geotechnical axial capacity with machine learning technique and statistical approach for local marine clay soil in Penang, Malaysia is proposed in this study. The information from soil investigation report and dynamic pile load test report are gathered from six projects at Batu Kawan and Nibong Tebal located in Penang state that contributed 439 numbers of data. The skin friction factor, end bearing factor and pile geotechnical axial capacity are computed and predicted using empirical method, machine learning model and statistical model. Support Vector Machine illustrate best fit model for predicting skin friction factor with R2 of 0.517 while Random Forest seems to be the best fit model for predicting end bearing factor with R2 of 0.264. Random Forest is found to be the best model in predicting the geotechnical pile axial capacity compare to other models as it explains 96.2% of the variability of pile capacity.

Bioretention System as a Stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs): A Case Study in Malaysia

Bioretention systems, such as rain gardens, are landscaped depressions that treat on-site stormwater discharge from impervious surfaces such as roofs, driveways, sidewalks, parking lots and compacted lawns. They are used to collect stormwater and filter it through a mixture of soil, sand and/or gravel. In this study, a pilot-scale bioretention system has been constructed in Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang. This bioretention system will be used as a stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) to solve water quality issues in tropical climates, particularly Malaysia. This study consists of two bioretention pilot sites, a vegetated site with tropical plants, such as Red Hot Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), Amaryllis (Hippeastrum), Singapore Daisy (Sphagneticola trilobata), Lobster claw (Heliconia rostrata), Alternanthera (Alternanthera cultivar) and a non-vegetated control site. The study investigated the pollutant removal efficiency between two pilot sites in treating polluted runoff. The site uptake from the polluted runoff will be observed by testing the effluent with TSS, TN and TP test for three weeks at 30 mins, 2 hours, 4 hours and 8 hours after the runoff being released. The results showed pollutant removal efficiency for TSS (76 %), TN (78 %), and TP (71 %) for the vegetated site, which is slightly better compared to control site (TSS (75 %), TN (76 %) and TP (54 %)). This study concluded that the vegetated site has slightly better performance on nutrient removal efficiency.

Daily fresh water production from Malaysia’s urban atmosphere using 6 thermoelectric cooling units

Extracting fresh water from Malaysia’s atmosphere which stores a wealth of water can be conducted via the air condensation. In this study, a miniature atmospheric water generator (AWG) system named Mini-AWG was designed and constructed using 6 thermoelectric cooler (TEC) units, a mesh-shaped air filter and a ventilation fan. Subsequently, the Mini-AWG was experimented for several days under Malaysia’s outdoor climate at River Engineering and Urban Drainage Research Centre (REDAC) in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) which is located in the urban area of Nibong Tebal. The objectives of this work are to develop a miniature AWG system using 6 TEC units to generate water by vacuuming the urban outdoor Malaysia’s atmosphere into the system, determine the impacts of the humidity rates and ambient temperatures values on the quantity of water production and analyze the quality of the water generated by the Mini-AWG system. The daily percentages of relative humidity, rates of ambient temperatures and the volume of produced water were measured which was resulted that the hourly amount of produced water by Mini-AWG were proportional to the hourly percentages of relative humidity, though they had inverse relationship with the hourly rates of ambient temperatures. The Mini-AWG produced the maximum daily fresh water of 0.355 litres experimentally in 12 hour-period in the day. According to the various hourly rates of relative humidity ranged between the least of 46% and the peak of 75% in Malaysia from morning to night, an equation of y= 1.3136x + 16.936 with R2 of 0.8901 was attained experimentally to project the amount of water production of Mini-AWG, where Y and X were designated as the percentage of humidity and the amount of water production, respectively. The examined quality parameters of the water produced from Mini-AWG was in compliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Malaysia class I drinking water standards.

Preliminary study on mangrove plants used as food in Sungai Acheh, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang

Mangroves can be sources of food, especially in scarce times. A community in Sungai Acheh Nibong Tebal Pulau Pinang had been using several mangrove plant species as food and beverages. Sonneratia caseolaris (L.) Engl. (Lythraceae), Acanthus ilicifolius L. (Acanthaceae), Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh. (Avicenniaceae), A. officinalis L. (Avicenniaceae) and Acrostichum aureum (Parkeriaceae) are examples of mangrove species that have been used as food. A preliminary study has been carried out to identify the major phytochemical groups, total flavonoid content, radical scavenging activity, and cytotoxicity in these species. From this study, the community can develop commercial food or product with therapeutic effects by using fruits of S. caeolaris and leaves of A. aureum. This is due to their flavonoid content, antioxidant activities, and low cytotoxicity effect

BUILT ENVIRONMENT ROLE IN CHANGING MOTHERS PERCEPTION ON CHILDREN’S WALKING INDEPENDENTLY TO SCHOOL

Women have a great significance in their children's lives from the moment they are born. The choice that mothers make regarding their children's mode of travelling to school will have a significant impact on how those children will think about walking and cycling in the future. The purpose of this study is to identify the perspectives of mothers towards allowing their children to school by walking in an area that is deemed suitable for such trip in our discussion on the nation’s future generation towards walking and not depending on private vehicles as the main mode of travelling. A focus group discussion, also known as FGD, took place in Taman Ilmu, which is in Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang. As a result of this study, using thematic analysis to analyse the results of conversation during the FGD session and collective mapping, we discovered four (4) themes of mother’s perspectives towards their children walking to school, which are as follows: (1) confidence and trust; (2) safety; (3) age and gender; and (4) weather. In summary, the built environment can be described as a solution to the 'out of control' scenario in which government and parental roles are effective in resolving the issue of children walking independently to school.

Concentration of the PM2.5 according to the sampling areas associated with the concentration of heavy metals and anions in Penang

Particulate matter (PM) was identified as the main air pollutants in Malaysia which directly impose a treat to human health and understanding this pollutant is also crucial for its mitigation and control. This study aims to determine and characterize the PM2.5 with the influence of meteorological parameters. The PM2.5 samples were collected at Perai, Nibong Tebal and highway of Penang Bridge represented the industrial, residential, and roadside areas of Mainland Penang, respectively. The descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to understand the variations of PM2.5 concentration on the study areas, while its relationship with meteorological parameters were tested using Pearson correlation. Eleven heavy metals and three anions were determined using mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Ion Chromatography, respectively. Results showed that the mean concentration of PM2.5 are 10.88 ?g/m³, 31.96 ?g/m³, and 39.35 g/m³ for residential area, industrial area, and roadside, respectively. The results revealed that mean concentrations of PM2.5 (39.35 ?g/m³) in the roadside are significantly higher than NAAQG 24-h average of 35 ?g/m³. Result also suggested that meteorological parameters were lest significant in controlling the PM2.5 concentrations as only the air pressure was found to be significant with the value of correlation coefficient of 0.476. The major components such as SO42-, K and Na account for about 70-90% of the PM2.5.

Soft soils: A study on their electrical resistivity values and geotechnical properties (porosity, SPT and particle size distribution)

Soft soils pose abundant engineering issues due to its low bearing capacity and shear strength. Comprehensive study on soft soil’s physical properties such as shear strength and ability to store water (porosity) could help in devising the optimum ground improvements and foundations techniques. Therefore, physical properties of soft marine clay in Nibong Tebal were thoroughly studied using 2-Dimensional Resistivity Imaging (2-DRI) method in conjunction with porosity measurements, standard penetration test values (SPT-n) and particle size distribution (PSD) analysis. The 2-DRI profile depicts three lithologies, which are unsaturated topsoil, saturated soft clayey soil and saturated sandy soil in the area. The soft soil extends up to 32 m in thickness where it overlies the sandy layer and could be correlated back to lithology profile from borehole record. Additionally, soil samples were collected at three locations along the survey line for porosity measurements via saturation porosimetry method. The samples demonstrate that the clay layer has a very large porosity range and signifies that the soil will compress tremendously under load. On the other hand, SPT-N values of the soft clay is also very low; thus, could be classed as very soft to soft cohesive soil with very low shear strength as compared to a higher range SPT-n values of the sandy layer. The PSD result also compliments the 2-DRI, porosity and SPT results to show distinct differences between topsoil and the soft clay layer in terms of the presence of fine grains. These results further indicate that the thick upper layer is not capable of bearing immense loads such as high-rise infrastructures due to the soil’s high porosity and low shear strength. Hence, the area must undergo ground remediations prior to any infrastructure developments on the land.

ASSESSMENT ON MARKING SPECIFICATION OF REAR SIDE OF HEAVY GOODS VEHICLES IN MALAYSIA

A vehicle's conspicuity is determined by the colour and pattern of painted surfaces, height, lighting system, reflectorization and fluorescent markings. In Malaysia, the better visibility of heavy goods vehicles has to be marked with retroreflective marking. The objectives of the study to analyse percentages of marking requirement that compliant with the MS 828:2011. The study was conducted at Jawi Toll Plaza, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m for three days. As a result, the highest compliance level of marking requirement was 96% which is box truck two axles. Meanwhile, other categories were between 17% to 91%. Many HGVs were not installing rear-end marking type 5, while all trucks and trailers with a maximum gross vehicle weight (GVW) of 3500 kg and above had to be marked with Type 5 (contour marking) as of 1 July 2019. Some improvement needed to reduce the severity and the number of road accidents by recommended a safe following distance.

REAR SIDE CONSPICUITY OF HEAVY GOOD VEHICLES BASED ON LIGHTING COMPONENTS

In Malaysia, accidents that involve collisions with rigid and articulated trucks are mainly related to the conspicuity issue i.e. the issue of the conspicuity of the lighting components on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). Thus, visibility and conspicuity must be improved because such an improvement can help drivers encounter safety measures on the psychological phenomenon. Conspicuity is the ability of a vehicle to be noticed without observers intentionally searching for it. In Malaysia, HGVs must be equipped with lighting components for improved visibility. The study aims to analyse the percentages of lighting components that comply with the MS ISO 303:2004. This research is conducted at Jawi Toll Plaza, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Results show that 93% of two-axle box trucks have installed rear lighting components that adhere to the standard. Meanwhile, other categories are between 38% and 91%. In conclusion, even though Heavy Goods Vehicles recorded as having high compliance levels of the rear lighting components, the accident still occurred. The types of crashes are based on the inadequate visibility involved when the moving vehicles are approaching the rear or sides of slow-moving or stationary vehicles at night.

An unconventional method for calculating porosity of marine clay deposits using the 2D resistivity method

ABSTRACTVarious methods were earlier designed to calculate porosity of a formation, but many of them are reliant on physical soil sampling and/or laboratory measurements. The present work examines a recently proposed method, which we call here as Sample‐free Porosity Calculation from Resistivity Imaging Data (SPyCRID), to calculate porosity of unconsolidated soils. By conjoining Archie's and Waxman–Smits’ equations, SPyCRID can achieve high accuracy in porosity calculation, while requiring no physical soil‐sampling data. Two‐dimensional resistivity data acquired at Segantang Garam were modelled to calibrate SPyCRID's workflow and to devise data constraints for marine clay and brackish pore‐fluid conditions. Measured porosities from soil samples were used only for calibration and validation purposes. With data transformation added into the workflow, the performance of SPyCRID was improved as it was possible to achieve more precise value for the calculated porosity (error ≤3.1%). The final step to establish SPyCRID's competency was implemented through testing SPyCRID at the Nibong Tebal test site that has similar geological conditions to the model. Results from this test site showed nominal errors (≤3.9%) in the calculated porosity. SPyCRID could successfully calculate the porosity of the unconsolidated, marine clayey soils with a confidence limit exceeding 96%, while requiring no physical sampling data.

Characterization of Environmental Noise Pollution Based on Noise Measurement and Mapping at USM Engineering Campus

This paper describes an analysis of visualizing noise impact on the environment by producing the noise mapping, determining the noise sources and characterization of sound levels measurements at USM Engineering Campus, Nibong Tebal, Penang. Measurements were taken at a total of 30 points with the duration of 3 minutes during working hours using the sound level meter. The ArcMap 10.3.1 software and Google Maps were used to create the noise mapping based on the coordinates and each sampling point. The results revealed that 23 points exceeded the maximum permissible limit, 55 dB(A). The maximum measured sound level was obtained at point 4 (68.3 dB(A)), while the lowest sound level was 43.8 dB(A) at point 26. Characterization of sound levels by measuring the noise levels and performing noise mapping is substantial to analyse and determine the level of noise pollution in institutional and educational areas. In addition, such practices would help in understanding the activities that contribute to the increase in sound level.

Road Traffic Noise Levels at Different Types of Residential Areas in Nibong Tebal, Penang

Traffic vehicles on the road networks during their movement create noise that has greater impact on environment. The sources, the receivers and the place of transition, where the sound wave propagates, are the three vital parameters for the field of noise acoustics. For this research, the aim of this study is to assess traffic noise levels between different types of residential areas in Nibong Tebal, Penang. The study is carried out in order to achieve the following three main objectives, which are to assess the level of traffic noise at selected residential areas, to characterize the traffic flow composition nearby study areas, and to compare noise levels between low density and terraced house residential areas. The noise levels measurements were carried out periodically in the morning (from 0700 to 1100), evening (from 1600 to 1900), and at night (from 2200 to 2300) for 15 minutes using a sound level meter. The traffic characteristics were measured simultaneously during noise levels measurements. The highest equivalent continuous noise levelsfor the low density residential areas was at Kampung Batu 2 in the evening with 65.9 dB(A), while for the medium density residential areas, Taman Sri Acheh contributed 68.60 dB(A) during the morning. The lowest equivalent continuous noise levelswere obtained at Kampung Simpang Tiga in the morning that contributed 54.9 dB(A) for low density residential areas. However, the minimum equivalent continuous noise levelsobtained for the medium density residential areas was at Taman Ilmu Indah in the morning with 63.10 dB(A). The results obtained, clearly show that the equivalent continuous noise level for all study sites exceeded the maximum permissible sound level for medium density areas during daytime (from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm), which is 55 dB(A), while at night time (from 10.00 pm to 7.00 am) is 45 dB(A), and for low density residential areas during daytime (from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm) is 55 dB(A), while at night time (from 10.00 pm to 7.00 am) is 45 dB(A), respectively. These values are based on the guidelines for environmental noise limits and control by the Department of Environment, Malaysia.

Comparison of Road Traffic Noise at Residential Areas in Klang Valley, Selangor and Nibong Tebal, Penang

In this work, weekdays and weekends noise level were investigated in three residential areas in high density population residential areas and three medium density population residential areas. The objective of this study is to investigate the level of traffic noise at the selected residential areas. Noise level was measured using sound level meter over a range of traffic noise levels. The results revealed that the highest noise levels measured were at Desa Tun Razak in Klang Valley with 74 .25 dB(A) in the morning, 74.14 dB(A) in the evening and 73.18 dB(A) at night. The lowest LAeq was measured at Taman Ilmu Indah with the noise levels of 62.9 dB(A) in the morning, 66.3 dB(A) in the evening and 62 dB(A) at night. The high noise pollution levels in the morning and evening at study areas locations were due to morning rushing hours of office workers and business men and women, e.g. resuming work at offices and opening shops for customers. Noise generated from motorcycles are generally noticeable and contribute to the high value of Lmax. All the recorded noise levels on peak hours and off peak hours exceeded the guidelines for maximum permissible sound level (LAeq) for residential (high density and medium density) areas during daytime (from 7.00 am to 10.00 pm) are 60 dB (A) (high density), 55 dB(A) (medium density) and the night-time (10.00 pm to 7.00 am) are 50 dB(A) (high density), 45 dB(A) (medium density).

Comparison of Road Traffic Noise near High, Medium and Low Density Residential Areas in Nibong Tebal and Juru, Penang

Nowadays, environmental noise pollution is ranked second among other environmental pollutions in terms of public health impacts due to rapid urbanization and growing traffic especially road traffic. The aim of this study is to assess traffic noise levels between different types of residential areas in Nibong Tebal and Juru, Penang. This study compares road traffic noise levels in high density (Juru) and medium density (Nibong Tebal) residential areas in Penang. The noise levels measurements were carried out periodically in the morning (from 0700 to 1100), evening (from 1600 to 1900), and at night (from 2200 to 2300) for 15 minutes using sound level meter. The traffic characteristics were measured simultaneously during noise levels measurements. One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to determine any significant differences between two or more noise levels measured at sites of the study. Independent samples t-test was used to compare independent groups (noise levels at two different study sites and areas). In the present study, p values of less than 5% (p<0.005) were considered as statistically significant The results show that all of the noise levels measured in Juru and Nibong Tebal residential areas exceed the noise permissible limits stated in The Planning Guidelines For Environmental Noise Limits and Noise Control by low density residential areas with the permissible limits of 50dB(A) day time and 40dB(A) night time, suburban residential (medium density with the permissible limits of 55dB(A) day time and 45dB(A) night time) and urban residential (high density with the permissible limits of 60dB(A) day time and 55dB(A) night time). The equivalent continuous noise levels measured in Nibong Tebal residential areas are between 57.6 – 69dB(A) while in Juru residential areas, the noise levels measured are 66.65 to 70.7dB(A). All noise levels exceed the maximum permissible sound levels in both areas.

Thermal Comfort and its Relation to Ventilation Approaches in Non-Air-Conditioned Mosque Buildings

This paper reports the outcome of a thermal comfort study that assessed the satisfaction of occupants with their surrounding thermal conditions. The study was carried out in 10 mosque buildings around lowland Nibong Tebal, Penang and highland Cameron Highlands, Pahang. It involved determining the compliance level of thermal comfort parameters (i.e. air temperature, relative humidity and air speed) at lowland and highland and establishing relationships between ventilation systems with predicted mean vote and predicted percentage of dissatisfied at lowland and highland according to ASHRAE Standard-55. The study was conducted from 1200h to 1700h/1730h to assess the thermal conditions of the 10 mosques during Zohor/Friday and Asar prayer times. During prayer times, an active ventilation system was in operation, while before and after prayer times, only passive ventilation (windows and doors) was available. Overall, findings indicated that better thermal comfort conditions occurred during prayer time at highland compared with those at the lowland, with the thermal sensation conditions of mosques in the former ‘slightly warmer’ to ‘slightly cool’ and in the latter ‘slightly warm’ to ‘hot’. Moreover, most mosques at lowland did not provide good thermal comfort because the percentage of dissatisfied was high compared to that at highland.

Pembangunan Spiritual dalam Pelaksanaan Program Tarbiah di Asrama Sekolah-Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Pulau Pinang

This study is to explore the aspects of spiritual development in the implementation of tarbiah programmes at selected National Religious Secondary Schools or SMKA in Penang that consist of SMKA al-Mashoor (L), SMKA al-Mashoor (P), SMKA al-Irsyad and SMKA Nibong Tebal. The main objective of this study is to identify how far the elements of spiritual development are applied in the implementation of the programme, evaluating the involvement of hostel teachers as murabbī and to comprehend the effectiveness of the tarbiah programme towards students’ spiritual development. This study is an exploratory mix-method research with the qualitative data collected through observation and partially-closed interview methods, while the quantitative data is obtained through questionnaires. Overall, the findings from the qualitative part highlighted that only a small number of respondents implemented the elements of spiritual development of mujāhadah al-nafs and al-ihsān. This indirectly revealed that the participation of boarding teachers as murabbī in the student’s spiritual development is at a moderate stage. However, the findings from the quantitative part of the study further confirmed the involvement of boarding teachers as murabbī and manhaj of spiritual development was at a medium high mean (min = 3.78 and 3.18). Similarly, the inferential statistical analysis based on a one-way ANOVA test shows that there is no significant difference (p = 0. 42, p> 0.05) between the length of time the respondent resides in the hostel when explaining the effectiveness of student’s spiritual development through tarbiah programme. Hence, this study concludes that the spiritual development in the implementation of the tarbiah program at SMKA Penang hostel requires a systematic and efficient murabbī organization to realize the objective of spiritual development in the formation of students’ character.

Parental Knowledge and Practices on Preschool Children Oral Healthcare in Nibong Tebal Penang, Malaysia

Parental Knowledge and Practices on Preschool Children Oral Healthcare in Nibong Tebal Penang, Malaysia