Method and apparatus for non-contact charge measurement

A method and apparatus for the accurate non-contact detection and measurement of static electric charge on an object using a reciprocating sensing probe that moves relative to the object. A monitor measures the signal generated as a result of this cyclical movement so as to detect the electrostatic charge on the object

WATER2006-20008 DEVELOPMENT OF A TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP FOR THE ENERGY AND WATER NEXUS

INTRODUCTION Energy and water are critical resources that are inextricably and reciprocally linked. The production of energy requires large volumes of water, and the treatment and distribution of water depends upon readily available, low-cost energy. For example, electricity production from thermoelectric power plants can use ~140,000 million gallons of water per day for cooling-accounting for 39% of all freshwater withdrawals in the nation, second only to agriculture in the United State

The phylogeography and spatiotemporal spread of south-central skunk rabies virus.

The south-central skunk rabies virus (SCSK) is the most broadly distributed terrestrial viral lineage in North America. Skunk rabies has not been efficiently targeted by oral vaccination campaigns and represents a natural system of pathogen invasion, yielding insights to rabies emergence. In the present study we reconstructed spatiotemporal spread of SCSK in the whole territory of its circulation using a combination of Bayesian methods. The analysis based on 241 glycoprotein gene sequences demonstrated that SCSK is much more divergent phylogenetically than was appreciated previously. According to our analyses the SCSK originated in the territory of Texas ~170 years ago, and spread geographically during the following decades. The wavefront velocity in the northward direction was significantly greater than in the eastward and westward directions. Rivers (except the Mississippi River and Rio Grande River) did not constitute significant barriers for epizootic spread, in contrast to deserts and mountains. The mean dispersal rate of skunk rabies was lower than that of the raccoon and fox rabies. Viral lineages circulate in their areas with limited evidence of geographic spread during decades. However, spatiotemporal reconstruction shows that after a long period of stability the dispersal rate and wavefront velocity of SCSK are increasing. Our results indicate that there is a need to develop control measures for SCSK, and suggest how such measure can be implemented most efficiently. Our approach can be extrapolated to other rabies reservoirs and used as a tool for investigation of epizootic patterns and planning interventions towards disease elimination

Map (a) and maximum clade credibility tree (b) of SCSK G gene sequences used in the study.

<p>Posterior probabilities are shown for key nodes, and timescale is present at the bottom. To show the phylogenetic position of SCSK in the context of other related RABV lineages, several representative G gene sequences of raccoon RABV (RACCOON), north-central/central Mexican skunk RABV (MXSK), bat RABV (BAT) are shown, and a canine RABV is used as an outgroup.</p

The reconstruction of spatiotemporal dynamics of SCSK inferred from the Bayesian skygrid model: dispersal rate (a) and wavefront velocity (b).

<p>Years are shown on the horizontal axis. The dashed lines indicate 95% HPD.</p

The reconstructed spatiotemporal diffusion of SCSK at different time points from 1860 to 2013.

<p>Black lines show a spatial projection of a representative phylogeny, with each node being mapped to its known (external node) or estimated (internal node) location. In each panel colored clouds (cumulative, in different colors for each state) represent statistical uncertainty in the estimated locations of the SCSK lineages (95% HPD regions). In the last panel (2013), white circles indicate isolate sampling locations.</p