Science of Wave Energy Conversion Systems for Sensor Buoys Furthered by Business and University

Introduction
The ocean is in constant motion and the effects of sea states are enormous. Ocean energy has a profound impact on the development of storm systems; shipping safety and shipping routes; recreational boating, surfing and swimming; and fishing and other methods of obtaining seafood. Wind-driven currents on the ocean surface extrapolate down into the ocean depths. Data from Sensor Buoys can provide critical information regarding ocean properties such as: ocean color, sea height, temperature, currents, and pollution.Power Problem
Existing power systems for remote sensor buoys and other remote ocean platforms often include solar panels and batteries. These systems would benefit form major improvement or replacement. Problems include: poor performance in cold and/or dark latitudes, insufficient power to operate the latest electronic equipment, high maintenance costs, high replacement costs, loss due to theft and vandalism, and battery disposal. Power harvesting from ambient ocean wave energy is a natural option to augment or replace any of these electrical-power-providing systems.Research Participants
Engineering companies, R&D groups, and universities are working on solving the issues of powering sensor buoys. Collaboration among these organizations is beneficial because of the great number of scientific areas that the development of self-powered sensor buoys encompass: marine geology and geophysics, biology, atmospheric and ocean chemistry and physics, marine hydrodynamics, electrical generators, advanced controls and dynamics, data communication, data acquisition, motor control and power systems. Close proximity to an ocean or a bay can provide researchers with easy access to test their power systems.Ocean Wave Energy Harvesting Systems
Ocean wave energy harvesting systems designed for sensor buoys convert wave motion into electricity to allow operation under all weather conditions. These new systems will enable enhanced functionality, higher performance and continuous operation. Such systems generate and accumulate energy that can be used to indefinitely power remote buoys equipped with sensor arrays as well as electronics for processing and communications. These power sources can be integrated with buoy systems to minimize the size of batteries, or to eliminate the need for batteries if super-capacitors are used. The goal is to store accumulated energy and form a completely self-contained, persistent, energy source platform suitable for a variety of sensor payloads.Obviously there are many challenges. The systems need to provide automatic wave energy harvesting and work with both drifting and moored buoys. The systems need to function at a low acoustic noise level and provide stealthy acoustic and visual operation plus a wide band response to the wave period. The elimination of batteries is the ultimate goal along with enhanced functionality, higher performance and continuous operationResearch Sponsors
There are numerous organizations interested in this technology. Some of the organizations that have provided funding include: the Office of Naval Research, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, and the Rhode Island Science and Technology Council. Some of the projects investigated include the development of a small spar buoy, a direct drive system and a resonant drive system.Small Spar Buoy
This project was to devise a means of energy harvesting for a small diameter buoy free floating on the ocean surface. The buoy would contain an antenna on the upper portion and electronics for remote communications and sensing. The design would ensure that the buoy produce enough energy so that more than 4 milliwatts of power would be available at an instance. The required battery storage capacity would be at least 60 joules. Energy storage could include the use of a rechargeable battery. New scientific research has greatly extended both design concepts and theoretical analyses typically proposed for such systems and performed detailed numerical modeling that featured a wave-to-wire model of the power generation system in ocean sea states.Direct Drive System
A Direct Drive System has been developed that employs small electric generators that are directly driven via a surface buoy’s wave-induced heave motion. This system provides power from the differential motion between the buoy float and a submerged resistant plate. This configuration provides reliable operation without the need for additional gearing and has the ability to harness electrical power in the 1 to 10 Watt range in small sea states (WMO Sea State 1: Calm). The buoy response in the Direct Drive System is designed to match a wide range of expected ocean wave spectra based on the deployment location. Direct Drive of the system with wave motion results in broad band response with high efficiency. Other benefits of this system include low acoustic noise and stealthy operation.Resonant Drive System
A Resonant Drive System has been developed that employs small electric generators that are resonantly driven via a surface buoy’s wave-induced heave motion. This system amplifies the generator’s armature motion at the peak period of the sea state (WMO Sea State 1: Calm). The buoy response in the Resonant Drive System is designed to match the expected ocean wave spectrum based on the deployment location. The benefits of the resonant system include enhanced functionality, higher performance and continuous operation. The buoy is completely sealed with no external moving parts.Scale Model Testing
Scale model testing of the Direct Drive and Resonant Drive Systems has been performed in a wave tank as well as at the mouth of Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay. This small buoy sensor system generates and accumulates energy that can be used to indefinitely power remote buoys equipped with sensor arrays as well as electronics for processing and communications. This power source can be used to minimize the size of batteries or to eliminate the need for batteries if supercapacitors are used. The buoy system design is customized and scalable (1-250 W) and can be suited to moored or drifting applications.Furthering the Science
This technology has many government and commercial applications including:
• Recharging stations for unmanned underwater vehicles
• Replacement or augmentation for solar power
• Elimination of batteries
• Sonar listening stations
• Weather monitoring buoys
• Wave monitoring buoys
• Tsunami warning stations
• Port monitoring buoys.The goal of these scientific endeavors is to develop wave energy converters that can operate in all environmental conditions and augment or replace any of the currently used battery/solar power systems with efficient, low-cost, ambient ocean wave energy systems.

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Two Tier Education System For Higher Technical Education in India

IntroductionWith ever increasing use of technology and the internet in India and ever growing demand and need for expanding the coverage of Higher Technical Education there is a wide scope of introducing technology in the way the Higher Technical Education is imparted in India. In today’s environment mostly the methods employed are labor intensive, limited to class room interaction, access to which is not available to students in the event of they missing out the classes due to certain reasons. In addition there are difficulties in explaining and demonstrating the complex subjects involving three dimensional figures/models. More over it is an accepted fact that it is difficult for the students to concentrate on a subject in a typical classroom environment for more than about 20 minutes. The best of students have often been found to be losing concentration after about 20 minutes of classroom teaching which mostly becomes monotonous in traditional class where teacher mostly resorts to one way transmission without initiating interactive discussion. Though interactive sessions offer little improvement but it is not always possible to initiate the interaction till the time the students have developed certain level of understanding of basic concepts and fully understand the prerequisite required for a typical course.BackgroundIn order to improve teaching learning process it is important that we go beyond the boundaries of classroom and fixed timetable limits. The teaching material must be delivered to the student at a time, pace and place which provides best learning environment for him. This may have lot of variation depending on individual students needs. The EDUSAT program launched at the initiative of the government has also not achieved the desired success though large numbers of terminals have been established all over India and best of Professors are delivering lectures in real time environment. The root cause of failure can be attributed to the fact that it is still not getting out of a typical class room environment. Though virtual classrooms have been created but still it is limited to formalities of a classroom.Use of technology in improving the teaching learning process normally termed as Educational Technology – also known variously as e-learning, instructional technology and learning technology – is the use of technology to support the enhancement of learning process. It impacts upon the learning process, e.g. in delivering learning materials, facilitating communication and providing assessment and feedback. This technology can effectively be used to enhance and supplement the classroom teaching wherein the material is once again made available to the student at a time, pace and place that is best suitable for his needs. It will fill in the blanks which he must have drawn while he was in the classroom and could not clarify his concepts due to certain reasons. More ever certain other things like tutorials, tests, assignments etc can also handled effectively on line thereby saving the valuable time of the competent faculty members which can be used for other more useful activities.Course management systems (CMSs), which are online systems, were designed and developed to support classroom learning in academic settings, such as universities and other Educational Institutes. CMSs provide instructors with the ability to perform the following tasks:• Place course materials online. Most CMSs provide pre-programmed buttons for the course syllabus, course schedule, and course materials linked to specific lessons, such as copies of readings and PowerPoint slides from lectures.• Track student progress through assessment features, which enable instructors to give quizzes and tests online, and an online grade book, where instructors can post student grades.• Discussion board, where instructors and students can discuss readings and continue class discussions between formal class sessions.• Other communications tools, which let instructors send announcements to classes and communicate individually with students.• Lock box for students, where students can store class materials in a safe place-either a presentation to give later in class or backing up class assignments in a safe place.• Course statistics, which provide information on the use of the course site, including who used the course site and when.• Examples of CMSs include the commercial products Blackboard and WebCT, and the open source system like Moodle.MotivationWith ever increasing need for automation in the education system and the Government having decided to go for decentralization in Higher Technical Education in a big way there has been mushrooming growth of Engineering Institutions all over India. Good faculty members with thorough understanding of basic through advanced topics are difficult to find. With the current system of the faculty resources being utilized only for the benefit of the students enrolled with the Institute/University employing the concerned faculty, the scarce resources are not being utilized optimally. With the current developments and availability of Information Technology tools it may be possible to share the rich experiences of the distinguished faculty resources of certain key institutions in a typical University by other inexperienced faculty members of the same university engaged in teaching similar or same subjects.The basic idea will be to introduce two tier system in the higher technical education. The first tier will involve a continuous and consistent effort made to train and educate the fresh and inexperienced faculty members by using real time interaction with a group of experienced faculty members located at a center of excellence. This will involve creation of a “Nodal Center of Excellence” for each of the course being offered by the university. Such nodal center will design and develop a course by using the best suitable and simple to operate tools available in course management systems to perfection. This course will compulsorily be subscribed to by all faculty members engaged in teaching same course all throughout the University. They can share the expertise available at the nodal center and also clarify the intricacies of the subjects on a day to day basis as the course advances in the semester.The second tier of the system will involve Individual teachers who are already subscribed to the first tier discussed above. Such teachers will run their own course management systems for the benefit of the students attending their lectures.In this manner all the center of excellence established everywhere can be shared by all the institutes affiliated to the university and also the university campus colleges. This will result in:-• Uniformity in the coverage of the syllabus and its standardization.• Discovering the shortcoming of the syllabus and a common platform for discussing the same for future revision.• Clarification of the basic through advanced concepts through the chatting/tools offered by concerned selected service of the CMS.• Standardization and sharing of the grading and assessment of the students without significant variation form teacher to teacher.• Moderation of the grading centrally.• Readily available standardized course material which can be developed by networking of teachers sharing same subject in the university but at different institutions.• Standardization of reference books and the topics to be covered.• Standardization of the depth of individual topics to be covered for each subject.• Typical standardization of question bank.• Development of reference standard study material at the center of excellence which can be shared by all other institutions.• Automation of tutorial submission, FAQ answers, question paper generation, and response to earlier similar question asked.• Provision of authenticated links to related and useful material for further higher study for research.The System can be Implemented in these steps:Conceive, design and develop a two tier education system based on nodal concept of center of excellence in Engineering Education (Higher technical education) typical to Indian Universities by selecting the best suitable tools offered by Course Management Systems (CMS) available and demonstrate the viability of the concept.(1) Step one:(a) Identify the essential and desirable features which should be offered by the nodal center of excellence, in typical Indian University environment, to make it effective in sharing and updating its resources.(b) Carry out comparative study of the available course management systems world wide and selecting the best suitable system for this purpose.(2) Step Two: Developing a comprehensive module in selected course which should preferably support following features:-(a) Learning Tools• Book marking• Student Area• Library and Information Access• Annotation• Glossary• Course Index/Search Engine• Learning Exemplars/Guidance• Access to Grades• Student Guide• Self-Assessment Exercises• Study Skill Building• Student Web Pages(b) Collaboration Tools• Discussion Options• File Sharing• Work Group Areas(c)Faculty Tools• Course Planning, Design, Templates• Automated Glossary• Automated Course TOC/Index/Search Engine• File Management• Instructor Guide/Course Exemplars• Web Search Tools• Multimedia Capability(d)Course Management• Course Pages• Student Management• Automatic student assignment reminders (currently none of the CMS offer this currently)• Course Archive/Backup/Replication• Course Revision• Online Help/FAQs• Administration Tools• Automated Registration• Security• Student Transcript(3) Step Three: Implementing the nodal concept of center of excellence in real time and initiate the process for demonstration purposes.Milestones completedNodal concept has widely been applied in service, telecommunication and repair & maintenance industry wherein certain nodal centers are created with all the facilities and expertise available at easily accessible place which can be accessed by the prospective customers. In telecommunications wherein certain communication nodes are created and users can hook on to these nodes for getting the desired services. In education system the concept has widely been applied in various admission management systems and placement services.The concept of creating the Nodal center of excellence has been experimented in India by EDUSAT which is based on real time lectures in virtual classroom environment. However it has not invoked much enthusiasm. The root cause for this can be attributed to the fact that the lecture tends to be monologue and is not at a place, pace and time as may be required by the perspective learner. More over it lacks personal contact between the teacher and the students. The proposed two tier system of education involving nodal concept is intended to supplement the classroom teaching. It will be designed to optimize the contact time between the teacher and students in a way that the most important tings are attended to during the contact period and things of lesser importance can be attended to by the course management system like tutorials, class tests, assignments etc.This concept can be related to the service industry where in a nodal point, which can be termed as centre of excellence, is established which caters to the training needs of service engineers who are placed all over the operational areas. These service engineers in turn provide service to the customers. In case they find they are not able to address the problem they consult the nodal point for further advice. Almost same concept is applied in case of maintenance support provided by most of the companies for maintenance cover provided to their customers.The defense forces are known to have been using multi tier system for their training, maintenance and repair needs, though their system is not automated but the nodal concept is well established. In the proposed system we intend to use the two tier system with automation by using Course Management Systems.

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Secured and Unsecured Loans – Vital Things That You Should Know

If an emergency takes places, it really makes you mad if you do not have the ready cash to handle the situation. Since your only other alternative for obtaining fast cash is asking for it from friends and relatives, your only viable option is to borrow the money. You have the option of taking out either a secured or unsecured loan. Which one are you going to choose?Unfortunately, you may not have a chance to get the one that you really want. Many times, your financial situation will determine the type of loan that you get in the end. The following article is going to describe some of the features of both secured and unsecured loans.Facts You Should Know About Secured LoansWhen you have a secured loan, this means that you have collateral that will be forfeited if you fail to make payments on your new loan. Your signature on the dotted line indicates that you understand your obligation to repay the loan. However, if you fail to keep your promise, he can take the personal asset that is associated with the loan. Obviously, the collateral has to be just as worthy as the loan total. This is the only way that the lender knows that he will eventually get his investment back. The lender is not stressing about lending you the money because will just demand your personal property if you do not make your payments.The lender sees you as a credit gamble. This is why the interest rate on a secured loan is not that high. A secured loan is the best way for a person with bad credit to get a good interest rate on a loan. If you do not have good credit, there are not loads of loan options available for you. So, you might want to look into secured loans if you do not have stellar credit. Since the loan is pledged with your collateral, the lender does not use your credit history as a deciding factor during the approval process.Things You Will Need to Remember about Unsecured LoansAn unsecured loan is the exact opposite of a secured loan. An unsecured loan is lacking your guaranteed property. The lender grants loan approval based upon the reputation of the borrower. If your credit history is almost spotless, then you might be able to get a lower interest rate on an unsecured loan. The lender does not think that you are a credit liability. If you do not have any hidden problems on your credit history and you need a loan without pledging any collateral, then you should look into getting an unsecured loan.The quick cash loan is an unsecured loan. It was developed for those who do not have a good credit rating. The lenders who supply payday loans will not ask to see a credit report. You can get a fast cash loan in under 24 hours. However, this type of loan is expensive as a whole. The interest rate on this type of loan is extremely high. This is due to the fact that instant cash lenders never require for credit scores or collateral. This is one of the riskiest loans available.A Couple of Concluding WordsThere are both good and bad items about unsecured and secured loans. With a secured loan, you are entitled to a low interest rate, but the lender can take your property if you miss just one payment. Or, would you prefer to acquire an unsecured loan with a high rate of interest, but low possibility of the lender taking your collateral.Do not forget that a lender can lay claims your property. For instance, when it comes to mortgages, a lender will not take your home right now. This is because many of them do not want to deal with the legal system. They will let you make arrangements to bring the loan up to date. But, then again, do not assume that unsecured loan lenders will shy away from going after your personal property when you fail to make payments. The will provide you plenty of time to pay the debt before they try to take you to court. Hopefully, you will not let it get this behind.In conclusion, secure loans and unsecured loans are not the same. Your credit history will determine which one you will get approved for. But, if you get to decide, make a good decision.

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Startup Financing For Small Businesses

Startup financing for small business is necessary and hard to acquire.  Financing the startup of a business is a particular challenge during tough economic times, as small business startups need money when money for starting up is hard to find.  During these challenging economic times, it is difficult to obtain startup financing from traditional business financing sources; particularly for small businesses, which are considered a high risk for business failure.However, fueled by a growing unemployment issue (caused by shrinking businesses and lay-offs), individuals are following their dreams and opening a small business.  If their business idea is perceived to be very strong and if they have a unique product or service with a good strategic plan, they might be able to get traditional business start up loans. If there is a perception of risk, those entrepreneurs need to find an alternative method of raising startup funds.Traditional business financing includes commercial lending organizations, banks and government financial programs. These organizations provide loan products, operating lines of credit, equipment leasing and asset financing, and more. But, due to current global financial market conditions, it can be challenging to qualify for this startup financing (lending criteria has tightened as most traditional lending institutions want a high level of security and low risk) and it can also be challenging to get cash-strapped lending institutions to disperse business start up loans, asset financing, or operating funds promised.One alternative to traditional financing is to see if you can interest an Angel investor in providing an investment in your business.  Angel investors typically charge higher interest rates and are in for a short term period; they want an exit strategy within a specified period of time (therefore they will want their money back, with interest, quickly). Angel investors are often interested in the high tech or biotech industries; or other high reward (and also high risk) industries.  To attract Angel investors, your business needs to have strong and fast growth potential, a talented management team, a compelling business plan, and well priced equity. Angel investors usually look for up to 50 percent equity in the business; this is really dependent on the business proposal and the investment amount.  You typically give up some control when you develop a relationship with an angel investor.Another alternative is to find a strategic partner or to build a strategic alliance that allows your business to reduce its cash and/or startup financing needs. This also means a loss of control over the business; and partnerships can end up like marriages, in divorce.  Yet another alternative startup financing is bootstrapping.  Bootstrapping is financing a business startup or business growth through non-traditional methods. Bootstrapping is about raising funds (for example, to start a new business), without startup capital.  If you plan to startup a business that has a significant investment in capital equipment, consider asset financing.  Asset financing will provide a loan for equipment that you buy to operate your business.For new business owners, that might mean working several jobs to raise cash.  Or revising your plan to start your business with less money, or fewer products or services.  Consider leasing furniture, computers, sharing office space and administration staff.  Make sure you carefully consider your cash flow needs and do a cash flow projection for at least a two-year period.  Cash flow management is a way of reducing startup financing needs; effectively manage your cash flow by managing receivables, payables, inventory, and short term debt (in other words, increase incoming cash and reduce outgoing cash). Some other non-traditional business financing methods might include:
use of credit cards;
second mortgages on the entrepreneur’s home;
equity loans, secured by personal assets; loans from key suppliers;
partial pre-payments or progress payments from large customers;
and/or loans from family, friends and associates.
For small business owners, obtaining the financing to startup your business or to keep it operating is usually a challenging experience. Before you borrow the money you need for startup, ensure that your business can support that level of debt and can repay on the lender’s debt schedule.  You need to have a strong business plan and be able to present a strong business case to your lenders.  Financial lenders will assess your knowledge, your capability, and your business proposal. You will likely have to put up personal guarantees for the money you need; this means you have to have assets to back up your guarantees. Unfortunately, not all prospective business owners have the credit rating to qualify with their lending institutions. Business financing and business start up loans are serious endeavors.  You will owe a lot of money and if your business doesn’t succeed, your money and your lenders’ or investors’ money will be gone.

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A Guide to Help You Pick the Best Air Purifier for Your Loved Ones

Holidays are around the corner. This is the time of year when people start purchasing gifts for their loved ones. If you are going to purchase an air purifier for someone you love, we have some helpful tips for you. If you want to purchase the best unit, you may be able to use this guide to your advantage. Read on to find out more.

1: Set Your Budget

Just like anything you purchase, make sure you have set your budget first. The price of the unit will vary based on a lot of factors, such as the capacity, filter type, features, and brand of the unit. If you don’t have a flexible budget, we suggest that you go for a product that is available to purchase for less than $300.

2: Consider the Needs of the Recipient

Your next move is to consider the needs of your recipient. If you are going to purchase this unit for everyday use, we suggest that you go for a unit that comes with a HEPA filter. On the other hand, if your loved one has a specific need, we suggest that you consider a specialized unit.

For example, if they are more prone to respiratory issues, such as allergies and infections, we suggest that you get a UV purifier for them. The devices are designed to neutralize viruses and bacteria.

3: Think About the Available Space

Another primary factor is to consider the available space in the office or house of the recipient. For example, if they need a general-purpose unit for a small apartment, you may want to consider a filterless unit.

On the other hand, if they have plenty of free space, you may consider a bigger unit that features a higher airflow rating. These units are powerful enough to cover a large face.

4: Consider Extra Features

Lastly, we suggest that you consider additional features that they will just love. For example, some units come with an indicator that turns on when the filter needs to be replaced. This will allow the user to change the filter so that the device continues to work properly.

So, you may want to consider these features before you place your order. These features may not be important to you, but your friend may just be over the moon.

Long story short, we suggest that you consider these four tips if you are going to purchase a gift for your loved one on these holidays. Since the air is full of pollution during winter days, nothing can make a better gift than an air purifier. Therefore, you should consider these tips before looking for an online or physical store to make your purchase decision.

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