Abstract: A method for determining an amount of electricity to purchase includes determining electrical power consumption characteristics of an electrical load at an end user of the electricity. A preference of the end user for an output of the electrical load is ascertained. The output varies with a rate of electrical power consumption by the load. A mathematical model is created of an amount of electrical power to be consumed by the load as a function of time and of monetary cost of the electricity. The model is dependent upon the electrical power consumption characteristics of the electrical load and the preference of the end user for an output of the electrical load. An amount of electricity is purchased based on the mathematical model of an amount of electrical power to be consumed by the load, and based on the monetary cost of the electricity.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, a system for non-intrusive load monitoring includes an output device, a data storage device including program instructions stored therein, a sensing device operably connected to a common source for a plurality of electrical devices, and an estimator operably connected to the output device, the data storage device, and the sensing device, the estimator configured to execute the program instructions to obtain data associated with a sensed state of the common source from the sensing device, obtain at least one model of each of the plurality of electrical devices, solve a Mixed Integer Programming problem for the at least one models over a fixed time horizon using the obtained data to determine a combination of operational stages of the plurality of electrical devices, and store operational data based on the solved Mixed Integer Programming problem.

Abstract: A medical sleep disorder arrangement integrates into current diagnosis and treatment procedures to enable a health care professional to diagnose and treat a plurality of subjects suffering from insomnia. The arrangement may include both environmental sensors and body-worn sensors that measure the environmental conditions and the condition of the individual patient. The data may be collected and processed to measure clinically relevant attributes of sleep quality automatically. These automatically determined measures, along with the original sensor data, may be aggregated and shared remotely with the health care professional. A communication apparatus enables the healthcare professional to remotely communicate with and further assess the patient and subsequently administer the treatment. Thus, a more accurate diagnosis and more effective treatment is provided while reducing the required clinician time per patient for treatment delivery.

Abstract: A method for non-intrusively monitoring a load including a plurality of appliances includes retrieving a plurality of mathematical models for modeling operation of a respective subset of the appliances. A value of a respective operational parameter is predicted for each of the subsets of appliances. An output of the load is measured. A respective value of each of the operational parameters is calculated based on the mathematical models and the outputs of the load. The predicting, measuring and calculating steps are repeated until a metric pertaining to a difference error between the measured output and the predicted output calculated from the operational parameter and the mathematical models is equal to or below a threshold for one of the subsets of appliances. It is decided that the one subset of appliances is currently operating whose metric pertaining to a difference error is equal to or below the threshold.

Abstract: A method of detecting human presence includes using a radar sensor to monitor a space, and receiving an output signal from the radar sensor. A Fourier transform is performed on the output signal to produce a signal spectrum. It is decided whether the output signal is indicative of human activity dependent upon at least one acoustic feature of the signal spectrum and at least one spectral feature of the signal spectrum.

Abstract: A method for deploying and evaluating a network system includes providing an electronic two- or three-dimensional representation of a layout of a building, placing a plurality of nodes of the network system in the building, and communicatively coupling the nodes together to form the network system. The nodes are inspected dependent upon a regulatory requirement and/or the representation of the layout of the building. The network is evaluated dependent upon data collected during the inspecting and dependent upon a network protocol design and/or an interference model. The inspecting of the nodes and the evaluating of the network are performed automatically by use of at least one electronic processor.

Abstract: A method of detecting human presence includes using a radar sensor to monitor a space, and receiving an output signal from the radar sensor. A Fourier transform is performed on the output signal to produce a signal spectrum. It is decided whether the output signal is indicative of human activity dependent upon at least one acoustic feature of the signal spectrum and at least one spectral feature of the signal spectrum.

Abstract: The invention relates to an adjustable safety distance spacer for bicycles, comprising two guide tubes (1, 2), a spacer rod (5) which moves inside the aforementioned guide tubes and which passes through perforated plugs (9), a refracting rotor comprising four curved blades (7) and a circumferential protector (6) which is disposed at one of the ends of the spacer rod and which is solidly connected to said rod by means of a safety clevis (8), and two supports (3, 4) which are used to fix the guide tubes (1, 2) to the bicycle frame (10). In this way, the cyclist can adjust the size of a safety signal strip quickly, comfortably and safely using just one hand when he/she is being overtaken by another vehicle, thereby preventing the cyclist from being hit owing to the incompetency or carelessness of the driver of the overtaking vehicle.

Abstract: A method for synthesizing cyclic polymers using transition metal alkylidene complexes as reaction catalysts is provided, wherein the complexes contain a cyclic group. Polymerization is carried out on the catalyst, using cyclic olefin monomers that undergo ring insertion polymerization, and no linear intermediates are generated. Following completion of polymerization, the cyclic polymer detaches from the complex via an intramolecular chain transfer reaction and the catalytic complex is regenerated. The invention also provides novel transition metal alkylidene complexes useful as catalysts in the aforementioned process, as well as novel cyclic hydrocarbons.

Abstract: A method for synthesizing cyclic polymers using transition metal alkylidene complexes as reaction catalysts is provided, wherein the complexes contain a cyclic group. Polymerization is carried out on the catalyst, using cyclic olefin monomers that undergo ring insertion polymerization, and no linear intermediates are generated. Following completion of polymerization, the cyclic polymer detaches from the complex via an intramolecular chain transfer reaction and the catalytic complex is regenerated. The invention also provides novel transition metal alkylidene complexes useful as catalysts in the aforementioned process, as well as novel cyclic hydrocarbons.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel method for synthesizing transition metal carbene complexes useful as olefin metathesis catalysts. The method is a convenient one-pot synthesis in which transition metal carbenes are prepared in high yield from readily available starting materials via a dihydrogen complex containing two different anionic ligands, preferably a phosphine and a heteroatom-stabilized carbene. The invention additionally provides a method for synthesizing precursors to carbene ligands useful, inter alia, in the aforementioned one-pot synthesis. The precursors are in the form of trichloromethyl adducts of the formula L1-CCl3, where L1 is a heteroatom-stabilized carbene ligand, and are prepared by contacting an unsaturated, ionized analog of L-CCl3 with a non-nucleophilic base in the presence of chloroform.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel method for synthesizing transition metal carbene complexes useful as olefin metathesis catalysts. The method is a convenient one-pot synthesis in which transition metal carbenes are prepared in high yield from readily available starting materials via a dihydrogen complex containing two different anionic ligands, preferably a phosphine and a heteroatom-stabilized carbene. The invention additionally provides a method for synthesizing precursors to carbene ligands useful, inter alia, in the aforementioned one-pot synthesis. The precursors are in the form of trichloromethyl adducts of the formula L1-CCl3, where L1 is a heteroatom-stabilized carbene ligand, and are prepared by contacting an unsaturated, ionized analog of L-CCl3 with a non-nucleophilic base in the presence of chloroform.