A model-based approach for automatic validation of protection settings

The reliable operation of protection systems depends on the correct setting of protective devices. Due to the increasing network complexity and the large number of protective devices (and their associated setting parameters), it is extremely laborious for engineers to manually validate the settings. Existing model-based (MB) systems that are capable of performing the validation task require significant manual input for network models creation, relay models configuration, simulation result analysis, etc., which is both time consuming and subject to human errors. This paper presents a methodology that adopts the principle of model-based reasoning (MBR) for automated validation of protection settings. Such a methodology is demonstrated through the design and implementation of a prototype tool Model-Based protection setting Smart Tool (MBST), which is capable of automatically populating network models, configuring relay models with settings to be validated, creating credible system events, and simulating the relays’ behaviour under these events. The automated process is achieved by an interface layer within MBST that allows interaction with a commercially available simulation engine to leverage its internal data and functions for the settings validation task. The simulated results are automatically analysed using a rule-based (RB) approach. The key advantage of the work is the mechanism to automate the entire settings validation process. The design of the interface layer to interact with existing simulation engine and models also demonstrates a solution for rapid prototyping of intelligent systems dedicated to validation of protection settings

Impulsive Spin-Motion Entanglement for Fast Quantum Computation and Sensing

We perform entanglement of spin and motional degrees of freedom of a single, ground-state trapped ion through the application of a $16$ ps laser pulse. The duration of the interaction is significantly shorter than both the motional timescale ($\approx 10$ $\mu$s) and spin precession timescale ($\approx 10$ ns), demonstrating that neither sets a fundamental speed limit on this operation for quantum information processing. Entanglement is demonstrated through the collapse and revival of spin coherence as the spin components of the wavefunction separate and recombine in phase space. We infer the fidelity of these single qubit operations to be $97(3)\%$.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Associations between dietary intakes of first-time fathers and their 20-month-old children are moderated by fathers\u27 BMI, education and age

Children\u27s learning about food is considerable during their formative years, with parental influence being pivotal. Research has focused predominantly on maternal influences, with little known about the relationships between fathers\u27 and children\u27s diets. Greater understanding of this relationship is necessary for the design of appropriate interventions. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between the diets of fathers and their children and the moderating effects of fathers\u27 BMI, education and age on these associations. The diets of fathers and their first-born children (n 317) in the Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program were assessed using an FFQ and 3×24-h recalls, respectively. The InFANT Program is a cluster-randomised controlled trial in the setting of first-time parents groups in Victoria, Australia. Associations between father and child fruit, vegetable, non-core food and non-core drink intakes were assessed using linear regression. The extent to which these associations were mediated by maternal intake was tested. Moderation of associations by paternal BMI, education and age was assessed. Positive associations were found between fathers\u27 and children\u27s intake of fruit, sweet snacks and take-away foods. Paternal BMI, education and age moderated the relationships found for the intakes of fruit (BMI), vegetables (age), savoury snacks (BMI and education) and take-away foods (BMI and education). Our findings suggest that associations exist at a young age and are moderated by paternal BMI, education and age. This study highlights the importance of fathers in modelling healthy diets for their children

Dietary associations of fathers and their children between the ages of 20 months and 5 years

OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between dietary intakes of fathers and their children at child age 20 months, 3·5 years and 5 years, and to determine if fathers\u27 intake predicts change in children\u27s intake between 20 months and 3·5 and 5 years of age. DESIGN: The diets of fathers and their first-born children participating in the longitudinal Melbourne Infant Feeding Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT) Program were assessed using FFQ and three 24 h recalls, respectively. SETTING: Sixty-two pre-existing first-time parent groups were selected from fourteen local government areas within a 60 km radius of Deakin University Burwood, Victoria, Australia. SUBJECTS: Fathers and their first-born children at 20 months (n 317), 3·5 years (n 214) and 5 years of age (n 208). RESULTS: Positive associations were found between fathers\u27 and children\u27s intakes of fruit and sweet snacks at 20 months (P=0·001) and 5 years of age (P=0·012). Fathers\u27 intake at child age 20 months was associated with change in children\u27s intake for fruit, sweet snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages between child age 20 months and 3·5 years, and for sweet snacks and sugar-sweetened beverages between child age 20 months and 5 years (all P<0·05). After adjustment for maternal intake, fathers\u27 intake of sweet snacks remained a predictor of change in children\u27s sweet snack intake between 20 months and 3·5 years of age (P=0·03). CONCLUSIONS: Associations between the dietary intakes of fathers and their children commence at a young age and continue through early childhood. Fathers should be included in future interventions aimed at improving children\u27s diets

Constraints on the evolution of Taranaki Fault from thermochronology and basin analysis: Implications for the Taranaki Fault play

Taranaki Fault is the major structure defining the eastern margin of Taranaki Basin and marks the juxtaposition of basement with the Late Cretaceous-Paleogene succession in the basin. Although the timing of the basement over-thrusting on Taranaki Fault and subsequent marine onlap on to the basement block are well constrained as having occurred during the Early Miocene, the age of formation of this major structure, its character, displacement history and associated regional vertical movement during the Late Cretaceous- Recent are otherwise poorly known. Here we have applied (i) apatite fission track thermochronology to Mesozoic basement encountered in exploration holes and in outcrop to constrain the amount and timing of Late Cretaceous-Eocene exhumation of the eastern side of the fault, (ii) basin analysis of the Oligocene and Miocene succession east of the fault to establish the late-Early Miocene - Early Pliocene subsidence history, and (iii), regional porosity-bulk density trends in Neogene mudstone to establish the late uplift and tilting of eastern Taranaki Basin margin, which may have been associated with the main period of charge of the underlying Taranaki Fault play. We make the following conclusions that may be useful in assessing the viability of the Taranaki Fault play. (1) Mid-Cretaceous Taniwha Formation, intersected in Te Ranga-1 was formerly extensive across the western half of the Kawhia Syncline between Port Waikato and Awakino. (2) Taranaki Fault first formed as a normalfault during the Late Cretaceous around 85±10 Ma, and formed the eastern boundary of the Taranaki Rift-Transform basin. (3) Manganui Fault, located onshore north of Awakino, formed as a steeply east dipping reverse fault and accommodated about four km of displacement during the mid-Cretaceous. (4) Uplift and erosion, involving inversion of Early Oligocene deposits, occurred along the Herangi High during the Late Oligocene. This may have been associated with initial reverse movement on Taranaki Fault. (5) During the Early Miocene (Otaian Stage) the Taranaki and Manganui Faults accommodated the westward transport of Murihiku basement into the eastern margin of Taranaki Basin, but the amount of topography generated over the Herangi High can only have been a few hundred metres in elevation. (6) The Altonian (19-16 Ma) marked the start of the collapse of the eastern margin of Taranaki Basin that lead during the Middle Miocene to the eastward retrogradation of the continental margin wedge into the King Country region. During the Late Miocene, from about 11 Ma, a thick shelf-slope continental margin wedge prograded northward into the King Country region and infilled it (Mt Messenger, Urenui, Kiore and Matemateaonga Formations). (7) During the Pliocene and Pleistocene the whole of central New Zealand, including the eastern margin of Taranaki Basin, became involved in long wavelength up-doming with 1-2 km erosion of much of the Neogene succession in the King Country region. This regionally elevated the Taranaki Fault play into which hydrocarbons may have migrated from the Northern Graben region

Promoting HIV Testing for Gay and Bisexual Men: An evaluation of the 2011-2012 campaign in Toronto and Ottawa

This paper reports on a social marketing campaign directed toward high-risk men who have sex with men (MSM) in Toronto and Ottawa to: encourage testing for HIV and syphilis; improve knowledge about HIV transmission, seroconversion symptoms, and the HIV window period; and heighten awareness of syphilis transmission and its relationship to facilitating HIV transmission. Evaluation data were collected from a large-scale online pre-and post-campaign survey of sexually active MSM and from laboratory testing data. Men who turned up to be tested also filled out an exit survey. The campaign websites attracted some 15,000 unique visitors, 54% of whom had an IP address in Toronto or Ottawa. Laboratory data showed a 20% increase in HIV testing in Toronto over the campaign compared to the previous year. The overall rate of HIV-positive tests remained relatively constant. Knowledge levels about seroconversion symptoms, STI and HIV transmission, and the HIV window period were significantly better among post-campaign survey respondents aware of the campaign compared to post-campaign respondents who were not aware, and compared to pre-campaign respondents

Differences between mothers and fathers of young children in their Use of the internet to support healthy family lifestyle behaviors : Cross-sectional study

Background: In early life, both mothers and fathers are important influences on their children’s diet, active play, and obesity risk. Parents are increasingly relying on the internet and social media as a source of information on all aspects of parenting. However, little is known about the use of Web-based sources of information relevant to family lifestyle behaviors and, in particular, differences between mothers’ and fathers’ use and sociodemographic predictors. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine if mothers and fathers differ in their use of the internet for information on their own health and their child’s health, feeding, and playing and to examine sociodemographic predictors of the use of the internet for information on these topics. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis on data collected from mothers (n=297) and fathers (n=207) participating in the extended Infant Feeding, Activity and Nutrition Trial (InFANT Extend) when their children were 36 months of age. The main outcome variables were the use of the internet for information gathering for parents’ own health and child health, feeding, and playing. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the sociodemographic predictors of outcomes. Results: Compared with fathers (n=296), a higher proportion of mothers (n=198) used the internet for information on their own health (230, 78.5% vs 93, 46.5%), child health (226, 77.1% vs 84, 42.4%), child feeding (136, 46.3% vs 35, 17.5%), and child play (123, 42.1% vs 28, 14.0%) and intended to use Facebook to connect with other parents (200, 74.9% vs 43, 30.5%). Despite the high use of the internet to support family health behaviors, only 15.9% (47/296) of mothers reported consulting health practitioners for advice and help for their own or their child’s weight, diet, or physical activity. Sociodemographic predictors of internet use differed between mothers and fathers and explained only a small proportion of the variance in internet use to support healthy family lifestyle behaviors. Conclusions: Our findings support the use of the internet and Facebook as an important potential avenue for reaching mothers with information relevant to their own health, child health, child diet, and active play. However, further research is required to understand the best avenues for engaging fathers with information on healthy family lifestyle behaviors to support this important role in their child’s life. Trial Registration: ISRCTN Registry ISRCTN81847050; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN8184705

Bright and Fast Multicoloured Voltage Reporters via Electrochromic FRET

Genetically encoded fluorescent reporters of membrane potential promise to reveal aspects of neural function not detectable by other means. We present a palette of multicoloured brightly fluorescent genetically encoded voltage indicators with sensitivities from 8–13% ΔF/F per 100 mV, and half-maximal response times from 4–7 ms. A fluorescent protein is fused to an archaerhodopsin-derived voltage sensor. Voltage-induced shifts in the absorption spectrum of the rhodopsin lead to voltage-dependent nonradiative quenching of the appended fluorescent protein. Through a library screen, we identify linkers and fluorescent protein combinations that report neuronal action potentials in cultured rat hippocampal neurons with a single-trial signal-to-noise ratio from 7 to 9 in a 1 kHz imaging bandwidth at modest illumination intensity. The freedom to choose a voltage indicator from an array of colours facilitates multicolour voltage imaging, as well as combination with other optical reporters and optogenetic actuators.Chemistry and Chemical BiologyEngineering and Applied SciencesPhysic