Norizah Mohamad

Wind speed analysis at Nibong Tebal

Wind speed is the fundamental parameter in the design and study the potential of wind energy at certain area. In this research, Nibong Tebal has been selected as a case study for grassland type in order to evaluate the variation and an availability of wind speed. Hellman exponential law is used which correlates the wind speed readings at two different heights. Result shows that at height of 10m a monthly average of 163.14Wh energy has been produced at Nibong Tebal.

The effects of organizational innovation on operational performance and other types of innovation

The objective of this study is to examine the interrelationship between four types of innovation capabilities, mainly organizational, product, process and marketing innovation capability and to assess the impact of these innovations capability types on the operational performance of manufacturing SMEs. A survey method was used to collect data involving 124 Indonesian manufacturing SMEs. Structural equation modeling and relevant statistical methods were then used for analysis. It is found that organizational innovation capability is positively associated with product, process, and marketing innovation capabilities. These four types of innovation capability simultaneously are also related to the operational performance. In addition, it is found that organizational innovation capability is indirectly correlated with the improvement in operational performance.

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) implementation in electrical & electronic engineering final year projects

Outcome Based Education (OBE) approach has become a compulsory process in ensuring the quality of undergraduate programs offered in recognized tertiary institutions. It focuses on the measurable outcome of the achievement of the students in terms of the skills and abilities to prepare themselves before embarking upon their career path. The final year project (FYP) is one of the major subjects in an engineering program. It can be considered as a problem based learning (PBL) subject where students need to apply and integrate their theoretical knowledge and skills to solve a given task in two academic semesters. Due to the significant number of credit units allocated for this subject, it has become an essential subject to focus on during the accreditation process. As the accreditation process proceeds and progresses, it should consider the improvised actions that would be necessary to improve the quality of the program, which is the continuous quality improvement (CQI) cycle. This paper focuses on the implementation of the CQI process in an electrical & electronic engineering final year project implementation. It describes the comments and feedbacks from the stakeholders and the implemented CQI actions to address the uprising issues during the accreditation process.

The Application of Biotechnology in Agriculture Based Product R&D at Government Based Research Institute in Malaysia

The emerging of biotechnology had tremendously added value to the Malaysian Agriculture sector. An in depth case study on R&D conducted at biotechnology unit in a local agriculture research and development institute had indicated that the thrust areas in research were agriculture and industrial biotechnology. The results from the study indicated the extensiveness of biotechnology application undertaken by the unit with sophisticated infrastructure such as laboratories, qualified scientist of different areas in biotechnology. Success stories were included to elaborate the capability of the institute in establishing networking with the industry. In addition, implication to the technology management was also highlighted in the study.

Conceptual Understanding: A Transitional Process from Novice to Expert User in Radio Frequency and Microwave Course

Assessing conceptual understanding helps depict competency and expertise in a course. This paper investigates the conceptual understanding and competency in radio frequency and microwave (RFnM) course. Current assessments were unreflective in acquiring in-depth conceptual understanding on microstrip. In this paper, a new assessment using recorded interview was added to measure conceptual understanding and improvements based on course duration, academic performance, and peer review. The new assessment was performed in week 7 during Part 1 and week 14 during Part 2. There were in total 17 participants from third-year electronic program. Scoring rubric was specifically developed to measure student’s conceptual understanding observed from verbal screenshot using cloud application available online. Findings have shown that conceptual understanding takes time to develop and retaining meaningful information improved from multiple representations on underlying concept. Study also signaled that self-efficacy may possibly elevate novice learners to proficient or expert learner.

Development and Implementation of Synchronous DC–DC Buck Converter for Photovoltaic Power Generation

This paper presents the development and implementation of non-isolated synchronous DC–DC buck converter for photovoltaic power generation. The intention in designing synchronous DC–DC buck converter is to provide robust maximum power point tracker acting as an intermediate between the photovoltaic module and load. The dead-time interval and bootstrap technique are implemented in this topology. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed prototype achieved an average of 80 % efficiency with maximum output power of 60 W at a constant input voltage of 20 V.

Manufacturing Flexibility and Operational Performance: Empirical Evidence in Manufacturing SMEs

This study aims to investigate the multidimensional and individual relationship between manufacturing flexibility and operational performance in manufacturing SMEs. A survey methodology was followed to collect data pertaining to the phenomena of manufacturing flexibility and operational performance in the SMEs using a single respondent design. The results provided evidence that manufacturing flexibility is positively and significantly associated with operational performance; suggesting that more flexible manufacturing system is equivalent to the higher operational performance. In addition, the results highlighted the important role of machine flexibility, product flexibility, volume flexibility, routing flexibility, and labor flexibility in improving the operational performance. Each of them contributed not equally, but positively, to all dimensions of operational performance. The findings aim at contributing towards understanding the manufacturing flexibility dimensions that give rise to operational performance. Keywords: manufacturing flexibility, operational performance; manufacturing SMEs

Design and development of DC-DC buck converter for photovoltaic application

This paper presents the design and development of DC-DC buck converter for photovoltaic application. The intention in designing DC-DC buck converter is to provide robust and high performance power point tracker acting as an intermediate between supply source and load. The system was simulated using Power Electronic Simulation (PSIM 9.0). The procedure in terms of selection of components has also been demonstrated. The experimental results show that with a constant input voltage of 80V, the buck converter is able to produce 164W with average 60 percent efficiency.