Author: claimsbot

1. A system for use in a motor vehicle comprising:
a navigation system;
a control unit configured such that a list of goods stored in the control unit is used to generate a route of stops for the purchase of the goods, the route being displayed by the navigation system;
at least one of a near-field receiver and a near-field transponder connectable to the control unit and configured to detect goods present in the motor vehicle, wherein a further list is generated that includes the detected goods present in the motor vehicle,
wherein the further list is transmitted to the control unit and the stored list is updated to remove from the stored list the detected goods.
2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the near-field receiver and the near-field transponder is arranged in the motor vehicle.
3. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises at least one of an onboard computer and a portable communications unit.
4. The system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the at least one of the near-field receiver and the near-field transponder is fixed in the motor vehicle.
5. A method for monitoring goods with a system comprising:
a navigation system;
a control unit configured such that a list of goods stored in the control unit is used to generate a route of stops for the purchase of the goods, the route displayable by the navigation system;
at least one of a near-field receiver and a near-field transponder connectable to the control unit and configured to detect goods present in the motor vehicle, the method comprising:
transmitting the list of goods to be purchased to the control unit;
generating the route that is adapted to the list of goods to be purchased;
displaying the route that provides at least one stop for the purchase of the goods to be purchased by the navigation system;
comparing the goods purchased at the at least one stop determined by the at least one of the near-field receiver and the near-field transponder with the list of goods to be purchased by the control unit and updating the list of goods to be purchased by removing the detected goods from the list of goods to be purchased.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit comprises a database of the goods and respective stops associated with the goods, at which respective stops the goods are purchased,
wherein the associated stops are ascertained using a learning algorithm based at least in part on previous lists of goods to be purchased and stops where the goods on the previous lists were purchased.
7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit comprises a database of the goods and preferred substitution products, and the goods to be purchased in the list that are not detected by the at least one of the near-field receiver and the near-field transponder after the comparison can be partially replaced by the preferred substitution goods and the generated route can be adapted to the substitution goods.
8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the control unit comprises a further database of the goods and preferred substitution products, and the goods to be purchased in the list that are not detected by the at least one of the near-field receiver and the near-field transponder after the comparison can be partially replaced by the preferred substitution goods and the generated route can be adapted to the substitution goods.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A method for administering a constructed response assessment item to a respondent:
defining a stimulus response stem requiring the respondent to demonstrate knowledge of a relationship between two or more concepts;
providing the respondent at least one device uniquely associated with each of the two or more concepts, at least one device having at least one attribute that can be selectively manipulated by the respondent to change a relationship of that device with respect to at least one other device to construct an arrangement of devices representing a relationship between the concepts with which the devices in the arrangement are associated;
defining a scoring rubric for the constructed response assessment item including a conceptual pattern corresponding to a relationship between the two or more concepts;
observing the selectively manipulable attributes of the devices in the arrangement constructed by the respondent;
converting the observed attributes into a conceptual pattern associated with the arrangement constructed by the respondent; and
comparing the conceptual pattern of the arrangement constructed by the respondent with the conceptual pattern of the scoring rubric to determine whether or not the conceptual pattern associated with the arrangement constructed by the respondent matches the conceptual pattern of the scoring rubric.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said rubric includes a conceptual pattern corresponding to a correct relationship between the two or more concepts.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the devices comprise physical items that the respondent can physically manipulate andor position with respect to each other to create a spatial arrangement of the devices demonstrating a relationship between the concepts with which the devices are associated.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the devices comprise virtual items displayed on a computer that the respondent can electronically manipulate andor position with respect to each other to create a virtual arrangement of the devices demonstrating a relationship between the concepts with which the devices are associated.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of each device that can be manipulated includes one or more of size, length, height, spatial, orientation, color, direction of movement, speed of movement, sound, sound volume, texture, pattern, smell, taste, elasticity, weight, transparency, absorbency, reflectivity, shape, electrical charge, magnetism, temperature, conductivity, composition, intensity, perspective, emotion, and time.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising defining at least one implication corresponding to each pattern of the rubric, wherein each implication comprises information relating to an outcome that occurs as the result of a pattern being found in the student response to an item.
7. A method of creating a constructed response assessment item:
defining a stimulus response stem requiring a respondent to demonstrate knowledge of a relationship between two or more concepts;
defining at least one device uniquely associated with each of the two or more concepts, at least one device having at least one attribute that can be selectively manipulated by the respondent to change a relationship of that device with respect to at least one other device to construct an arrangement of devices representing a relationship between the concepts with which the devices in the arrangement are associated; and
defining a scoring rubric for the constructed response including a conceptual pattern corresponding to a relationship between the two or more concepts.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said rubric includes a conceptual pattern corresponding to a correct relationship between the two or more concepts.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein the devices comprise physical items that the respondent can physically manipulate andor position with respect to each other to create a spatial arrangement of the devices demonstrating a relationship between the concepts with which the devices are associated.
10. The method of claim 7, wherein the devices comprise virtual items displayed on a computer that the respondent can electronically manipulate andor position with respect to each other to create a virtual arrangement of the devices demonstrating a relationship between the concepts with which the devices are associated.
11. The method of claim 7, wherein the attribute of each device that can be manipulated includes one or more of size, length, height, spatial, orientation, color, direction of movement, speed of movement, sound, sound volume, texture, pattern, smell, taste, elasticity, weight, transparency, absorbency, reflectivity, shape, electrical charge, magnetism, temperature, conductivity, composition, intensity, perspective, emotion, and time.
12. The method of claim 7, further comprising defining at least one implication corresponding to each pattern of the rubric, wherein each implication comprises information relating to an outcome that occurs as the result of a pattern being found in the student response to an item.
13. The method of claim 7, wherein defining at least one device comprises:
selecting a template defining a plurality of devices and attributes of each device that can be manipulated; and
selecting one of said devices to be uniquely associated with each of said two or more concepts.
14. A system for administering a constructed response assessment item to a respondent, said system comprising:
a content creation engine for defining a stimulus response stem requiring the respondent to demonstrate knowledge of a relationship between two or more concepts, said content creation engine comprising:
a concept creator constructed and arranged to allow an item designer to defined the two or more concepts;
a template selector constructed and arranged to enable the item designer to select a template defining devices with which each of the two or more concepts will be associated and attributes of the devices that can be manipulated by the respondent; and
a representation linker constructed and arranged to enable the item designer to uniquely associate at least one of the devices defined by said template selector with each of the two or more concepts;

an administration engine for administering the constructed response item to the respondent, said administration engine comprising:
a representation engine constructed and arranged to present devices selected to represent the two or more concepts to a respondent;
a manipulation engine constructed and arranged to enable the respondent to manipulate attributes of the devices; and
an attribute acquisition engine constructed and arranged to retrieve and record attributes of the manipulated devices;

a rubric engine for creating a rubric for evaluating a response by the respondent, said rubric engine comprising:
a pattern definer constructed and arranged to enable the item designer to define one or more rubric patterns defining device arrangements that correspond to correct and incorrect responses that are possible with the templates selected using said template selector; and
an implication selector constructed and arranged to enable the designer to associate one or more implications with each of the patterns defined by said pattern definer; and

a scoring engine for scoring a response created by the respondent, said scoring engine comprising:
a pattern recognition and comparison engine constructed and arranged to convert the attributes of the manipulated devices recorded by said attribute acquisition engine and to convert the attributes to a response pattern and to compare the response pattern to the one or more rubric patterns defined by said pattern definer to identify any match that may exist between the response pattern and the one or more rubric patterns;
an implication selector constructed and arranged to select at least one of the one or more implications associated with any rubric patterns which match the response pattern; and
a results engine constructed and arranged to return desired response results based on the implication selected by the implication selector.
15. A system for creating a constructed response assessment item comprising:
a content creation engine for defining a stimulus response stem requiring the respondent to demonstrate knowledge of a relationship between two or more concepts, said content creation engine comprising:
a concept creator constructed and arranged to allow an item designer to defined the two or more concepts;
a template selector constructed and arranged to enable the item designer to select a template defining devices with which each of the two or more concepts will be associated and attributes of the devices that can be manipulated by the respondent; and
a representation linker constructed and arranged to enable the item designer to uniquely associate at least one of the devices defined by said template selector with each of the two or more concepts; and

a rubric engine for creating a rubric for evaluating a response by the respondent, said rubric engine comprising:
a pattern definer constructed and arranged to enable the item designer to define one or more rubric patterns defining device arrangements that correspond to correct and incorrect responses that are possible with the templates selected using said template selector; and
an implication selector constructed and arranged to enable the designer to associate one or more implications with each of the patterns defined by said pattern definer.
16. A system for administering a constructed response assessment item to a respondent, said system comprising:
content creation means for defining a stimulus response stem requiring the respondent to demonstrate knowledge of a relationship between two or more concepts;
item administration means for administering the constructed response item to the respondent;
rubric means for creating a rubric for evaluating a response by the respondent; and
scoring means for scoring a response created by the respondent.
17. A system for administering a constructed response assessment item requiring a respondent to demonstrate knowledge of a relationship between two or more concepts by manipulating attributes of devices uniquely associated with each of said two or more concepts, said system comprising:
an administration engine for administering the constructed response item to the respondent, said administration engine comprising:
a representation engine constructed and arranged to present devices selected to be uniquely associated with each of the two or more concepts to a respondent;
a manipulation engine constructed and arranged to enable the respondent to manipulate attributes of the devices; and
an attribute acquisition engine constructed and arranged to retrieve and record attributes of the manipulated devices; and

a scoring engine for scoring a response created by the respondent, said scoring engine comprising:
a pattern recognition and comparison engine constructed and arranged to convert the attributes of the manipulated devices recorded by said attribute acquisition engine and to convert the attributes to a response pattern and to compare the response pattern to one or more predefined rubric patterns which define device arrangements that correspond to correct and incorrect responses to identify any match that may exist between the response pattern and the one or more rubric patterns.

1. A water tower comprising:
a reservoir configured to store fluid, the reservoir including a bottom surface;
a recirculating passageway fluidly connected to the reservoir, the recirculating passageway including a first end connected to and located near or below the bottom surface of the reservoir, and a second end connected to the reservoir above the bottom surface of the reservoir;
a pump located in the recirculating passageway and configured to pump fluid through the recirculating passageway; and
a fluid-driven energy generating device fluidly connected to at least one of the recirculating passageway or a fluid discharge passageway.
2. The water tower of claim 1, wherein the energy generating device is connected to the pump to supply power to the pump.
3. (canceled)
4. (canceled)
5. The water tower of claim 1, further including a power storage system and a renewable energy device each connected to at least one of the energy generating device and the pump.
6. (canceled)
7. (canceled)
8. The water tower of claim 1, further including the discharge passageway fluidly connected to the reservoir, the discharge passageway including a first end connected to and located near or below the bottom surface of the reservoir and a second end located below the first end of the discharge passageway.
9. The water tower of claim 1, further including a heating mechanism configured to heat fluid in the recirculating passageway.
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. The water tower of claim 1, further including:
a display viewable by persons passing the water tower;
wherein the display is configured to show at least one of power saved, power cost savings from operation of the water tower, and reductions in pollutants or global warming from operation the water tower.
13. A method of operating a power generation system, the method comprising:
storing fluid in a reservoir in the power generation system;
pumping at least a portion of fluid discharged from the reservoir back into the reservoir through a recirculating passageway in the power generation system;
supplying power for pumping the discharged fluid using a plurality of power sources, the power sources including a fluid-driven energy generating device located in the power generation system; and
using a control system to determine which of the power sources to supply power for pumping the discharged fluid or whether to store power in a power storage system.
14. (canceled)
15. (canceled)
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the power sources further include an electric grid, and the method further includes:
determining at least one of whether to direct power to or whether to receive power from the electric grid based on a stored parameter, and the stored parameter includes at least one of a time schedule, a power purchase rate, or a characteristic of the power storage system.
17. (canceled)
18. The method of claim 13, wherein the power sources further include a renewable energy generating device including at least one of a solar array or a wind turbine attached to or placed near the water tower.
19. (canceled)
20. A power generation system comprising:
a reservoir configured to store fluid, the reservoir including a bottom surface;
a recirculating passageway fluidly connected to the reservoir, the recirculating passageway including a first end located near or below the bottom surface of the reservoir and a second end connected to the reservoir above the bottom surface of the reservoir;
a fluid-driven energy generating device fluidly connected to the recirculating passageway, at least a portion of fluid directed through the energy generating device being directed through the recirculating passageway;
a pump located in the recirculating passageway; and
an arm inside the reservoir and fluidly connected to the recirculating passageway, the arm including a discharge valve through which fluid is capable of being supplied to the reservoir.
21. (canceled)
22. The power generation system of claim 20, wherein the arm is moveable based on a vertical location of a liquid surface in the reservoir.
23. (canceled)
24. The power generation system of claim 20, wherein the arm includes multiple discharge valves at different locations along a longitudinal axis of the arm.
25. The power generation system of claim 20, further including:
a sensor configured to sense a condition in the reservoir; and
a control system configured to control a flow of fluid through a plurality of discharge valves based on the sensed condition.
26. (canceled)
27. (canceled)
28. The power generation system of claim 20, further comprising:
a compressed fluid passageway fluidly connected to a compressor and configured to direct compressed fluid from the compressor into the reservoir;
wherein the fluid-driven energy generating device is located in at least one of the recirculating passageway, the compressed fluid passageway, or a passageway connected to an outlet of the reservoir.
29.-31. (canceled)
32. The power generation system of claim 28, further including a control system configured to monitor a condition of the power generation system and configured to control the compressor based on the monitored condition, wherein the monitored condition includes power from the energy generating device.
33.-35. (canceled)
36. The power generation system of claim 20, further including a fluid treatment device located in the recirculating passageway, wherein the fluid treatment device includes at least one of a water aeration system, a water filtering system, and a water purification system.
37.-40. (canceled)
41. The power generation system of claim 20, further comprising:
a control system;
a plurality of reservoirs including the reservoir configured to store fluid, the plurality of reservoirs being connected to the control system and an electric grid; and
a plurality of sensors configured to monitor power and fluid conditions in each reservoir, wherein the control system is connected to the sensors and controls power and fluid conditions in each reservoir.
42. The power generation system of claim 41, wherein the power and fluid conditions that are controlled are determined by at least one of power quality, available fluid, demand and supply at various locations on the grid, time of day rates, power availability from various sources, and weather.
43. (canceled)
44. The power generation system of claim 20, further including a plurality of power sources configured to supply power to the power generation system, wherein the power sources include at least one of a solar, wind, hydroelectric, or other renewable energy source, a battery, or a fuel cell.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. An electrospray emitter assembly for mass spectrometry comprising:
a conduit adapted to be received in a mass spectrometer having a substantially continuous portion extending along an a conduit axis and terminating at an orifice adapted to provide an electrospray ionization for a mass spectrometer, the continuous portion providing a transparent analysis region;
a light source positioned adjacent to the transparent section for projecting light into the transparent section to stimulate fluorescent material contained in the conduit;
a light detector positioned adjacent to the transparent section for receiving the light emitted by the fluorescent material contained in the conduit;
wherein a volume of a conduit between the orifice and the transparent section is less than 1 microliter.
2. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 wherein the conduit is a glass capillary tube.
3. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 wherein an internal diameter of the conduit is less than 1000 \u03bcm.
4. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 further including a filter position before the transparent analysis region for blocking chromatographic packing material.
5. The electrospray emitter of claim 4 wherein the filter is a cast chemical frit.
6. The electrospray emitter of claim 4 including a bubble reducing element positioned in the conduit after the filter.
7. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 further including a liquid chromatography column positioned before the transparent analysis section to provide separated analyte to the transparent analysis region, the liquid chromatography column having an internal diameter substantially equal to a diameter of the conduit.
8. The electrospray emitter of claim 7 wherein the liquid chromatography column is provided by a substantially continuous portion of the conduit extending away from the orifice beyond the transparent analysis region.
9. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 further including a ball lens adjacent to the transparent portion between the light source and the transparent portion.
10. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 wherein the light is an LED.
11. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 wherein the light detector includes a light filter selectively passing a frequency of light associated with a fluorescence of the fluorescent material.
12. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 wherein the light source projects light along a first light axis substantially perpendicular to the conduit axis and the light detector receives light along a second light axis substantially perpendicular to the first light axis and the conduit axis.
13. The electrospray emitter assembly of claim 1 wherein further including an electrode communicating with material within the conduit and adapted to be connected to the mass spectrometer.