Optical Absorption Characteristics of Silicon Nanowires for Photovoltaic Applications

Solar cells have generated a lot of interest as a potential source of clean renewable energy for the future. However a big bottleneck in wide scale deployment of these energy sources remain the low efficiency of these conversion devices. Recently the use of nanostructures and the strategy of quantum confinement have been as a general approach towards better charge carrier generation and capture. In this article we have presented calculations on the optical characteristics of nanowires made out of Silicon. Our calculations show these nanowires form excellent optoelectronic materials and may yield efficient photovoltaic devices

India\u27s Higher Educator Sector: Challenges and Opportunities

For both developed and emerging economies, knowledge and innovation will increasingly drive competitive advantage, according to a great deal of analysis conducted by the OECD and other Institutions. Higher Education is a key component of future competitive advantage in the knowledge and innovation spheres. This paper will examine the challenges and opportunities for the Indian Higher Education Sector, as it grapples with meeting the needs of a changing economy, and providing access and opportunity for millions of its population. Drawing on a variety of data sources and benchmarking India against a number of nations around the world, this paper contends that India needs to further significantly reform its Higher Education sector in areas of quality, efficiency, accessibility, internationalisation and in meeting labour force needs. This paper will also recommend further policy initiatives

International Student Mobility: Recent developments and prognosis with special reference to India

This paper examines global student mobility. It finds that student mobility has been on the rise rapidly in the last five years, mostly of a global nature, rather than intra-regional, especially in the case of Indian students. Students are highly aspirational and seek an edge in the labour market through specialist studies and post study work rights, and are focussed on obtaining a strong return on educational investment. Universities around the world increasingly seek to cater to these aspirations. Beyond the traditionally dominant inbound countries, a number of others, including especially in Asia, are becoming hubs of international student activity both as senders and receivers. Australia is becoming an increasingly key location for students, especially in recent times for Asian students. From a strategic standpoint, it will be important to maintain freedom of movement for students to benefit individuals and host and home countries

Africa\u27s Knowledge Economy and Links to India

Competitive advantage for economies, both developed and developing, will be increasingly based on knowledge in all its forms, including science and technology, smart entrepreneurship, and new business and organizational development models. Due to COVID-19, the need for innovative solutions to health and economic disruptions has never been as keenly felt. This paper is structured in five parts. The first part examines the extent to which various countries in Sub-Saharan Africa participate in the global knowledge economy. Data is drawn from the UN Knowledge Index and canvases knowledge economy parameters such as research and development, value-added industrial production and knowledge-intensive services, advanced education, and entrepreneurship. The second part examines in more depth some of the critical drivers of the knowledge economy, drawing on our own framework. The third part critically examines the key policy documents and visions of select African nations to ascertain progress and performance in the knowledge economy from a policy point of view. The fourth section examines the relationship between Africa and India. India has long-standing links with Africa in economy, culture, and society. This paper examines recent developments in the relationship including trade and student mobility. The final section is the conclusion and provides some strategies and policies for Africa to engage further with the knowledge economy

OSEM : occupant-specific energy monitoring.

Electricity has become prevalent in modern day lives. Almost all the comforts people enjoy today, like home heating and cooling, indoor and outdoor lighting, computers, home and office appliances, depend on electricity. Moreover, the demand for electricity is increasing across the globe. The increasing demand for electricity and the increased awareness about carbon footprints have raised interest in the implementation of energy efficiency measures. A feasible remedy to conserve energy is to provide energy consumption feedback. This approach has suggested the possibility of considerable reduction in the energy consumption, which is in the range of 3.8% to 12%. Currently, research is on-going to monitor energy consumption of individual appliances. However, various approaches studied so far are limited to group-level feedback. The limitation of this approach is that the occupant of a house/building is unaware of his/her energy consumption pattern and has no information regarding how his/her energy-related behavior is affecting the overall energy consumption of a house/building. Energy consumption of a house/building largely depends on the energy-related behavior of individual occupants. Therefore, research in the area of individualized energy-usage feedback is essential. The OSEM (Occupant-Specific Energy Monitoring) system presented in this work is capable of monitoring individualized energy usage. OSEM system uses the electromagnetic field (EMF) radiated by appliances as a signature for appliance identification. An EMF sensor was designed and fabricated to collect the EMF radiated by appliances. OSEM uses proximity sensing to confirm the energy-related activity. Once confirmed, this activity is attributed to the occupant who initiated it. Bluetooth Low Energy technology was used for proximity sensing. This OSEM system would provide a detailed energy consumption report of individual occupants, which would help the occupants understand their energy consumption patterns and in turn encourage them to undertake energy conservation measures