Announcements

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Asan Gani bin Abdul Muthalif
Kulliyyah of Engineering

B. Engin. in Mechatronics (IIUM)
M.Eng. in Science in Mechatronic Engineering (IIUM)

FRGS Research Topic: Mathematical Analysis to Estimate Optimal Shunt Impedance for Piezoelectric Transducer to Maximise Vibration Energy Dissipation in Non-Deterministic Sub-Systems

Findings:
MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS FOR ESTIMATING POWER DELIVERED BY PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATORS ON STRUCTURES WITH HIGH MODAL OVERLAP

Engineering systems such as aircrafts, ships and automotive are considered built-up structures. Dynamically they are fabricated from many components that are classified as ‘deterministic subsystems’ (DS) and ‘non-deterministic subsystems’ (Non-DS). Structures' response of the DS is deterministic in nature and analysed using deterministic modelling methods such as finite element (FE) method. The response of Non-DS is statistical in nature and estimated using statistical modelling technique such as statistical energy analysis (SEA). SEA method uses power balance equation, in which any external input to the subsystem must be represented in terms of power. Often, input force is taken as point force and ensemble average power delivered by point force is already well-established. However, the external input can also be applied in the form of moments by a piezoelectric (PZT) patch actuator. In order to be able to apply SEA method for input moments, a mathematical representation for moment generated by PZT patch in the form of average power is needed. Analytical model to estimate ensemble average power delivered by a PZT actuator to a non-deterministic structure is derived and established in this research. Estimation of the ensemble average power from the established analytical model takes just a few seconds compared to many hours using monte-carlo simulation.

AMOUNT AWARDED: RM 250,000

Associate Professor Dr. Nora Abdul Hak
Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws

LLB; MCL (IIUM)
PhD (Glasgow Caledonian University)

FRGS Research Topic: Establishing a Model for Family Mediation in Malaysia: Replacing the Marriage Tribunal under the National Registration Department

Findings: The law provides that before parties to the marriage may petition for divorce, they must first refer their matrimonial difficulties to a conciliatory body. Concerning this provision, practitioners of family law are of the view that the conciliation process in Malaysia has not been very successful in helping disputing couples resolving their problems and this is supported by statistics which shows that the success rate for these reconciliation sessions is very low. This research highlights on some emerging issues related to the effectiveness of conciliatory bodies especially, the Marriage Tribunal under the National Registration Department. It highlights the problems and constraints faced by the conciliatory bodies and it also suggests amendments to the law and policy. It is found that the conciliation provisions in the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 are insufficient to effectively reconcile the estranged couple. Therefore, very few cases of reconciliation have been successful. Referring to the literature review, many writings seem to support that the process of reconciliation was dissatisfactory. But, with the interviews conducted by the researcher with the NRD officers, it is clear that there had been many improvements done to process especially with the trainings of the reconciliation officers. Evidently, the overall findings show that although the respondents are quite satisfied with the session and officers, it still fails to reconcile the disputing parties.

AMOUNT AWARDED: RM 150,000

Associate Professor Dr. Suhaimi Mhd. Sarif
Kulliyyah of Economics and Management Sciences

BBA (IIUM)
MBA (Strategic Management) (UKM)
Ph.D (Murdoch)

FRGS Research Topic: A Contemporary Theory of Social Entrepreneurship from Tawhidic Paradigm

Findings: Tawhidic paradigm approach is used as a means to achieve sustainability in terms of innovation and competitive advantage for social entrepreneurship.  The study uses qualitative method via (a) semi structured personal interview with three types of informants - policy makers, government officers, SME association representatives, and founders/owners/managers of social enterprises in Malaysia, and (b) a quantitative method via self-administered survey to all social enterprises in Malaysia. The use of qualitative and quantitative methods through personal interviews and survey is appropriate for exploratory nature of the study to develop and validate the theory of social entrepreneurship. The study on Tawhidic approach offers a contingency insight on the theoretical and practical understanding of the development of a theory on social entrepreneurship. The immediate implications for public policy allow this contemporary theory of social entrepreneurship to facilitate the economic transformation program.

AMOUNT AWARDED: RM 90,000

Associate Professor Dr. Ramli Musa
Kulliyyah of Medicine

M.D., M.Med. (Psychiatry) (UKM)

FRGS Research Topic: The Need for and Designing a New Asian Family Scale

Findings:

All available family scales are designed for western countries and there is no validated family scale which is specifically devised for Asian population. The difference in culture and family values warrants the formulation of a specific Asian family scale to cater the regional needs. Intensifying social related problems among children and adolescents is another indication that an exploration on family environment is essential. The objectives are to devise and validate a new family scale (English & Malay versions) for the Malaysian population.

Method: The development of the questionnaire can be divided into 6 stages; identifying the domains of Asian family values, items identification for each domain and language review, pretest the pre-final version, pilot study and validation. Respondents were recruited from different ethnic groups and cultural backgrounds to represent the Malaysian population. They were selected by using stratified quota sampling from various health centres in Malaysia.

Results: Total Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.9 with 5 domains were identified by using explanatory factor analysis. From 43 items, 67% had good factor loading (>0.4) and 13 items were finally dropped. The 5 identified domains are namely Togetherness/Harmony (factor 1), Expression (factor 2), Relationship & Family dynamic (factor 3), Conflict (factor 4) and Religiosity & Traditional Practice (factor 5).

AMOUNT AWARDED: RM 80,000