Choosing the right microcontroller: A comparison of 8-bit Atmel, Microchip and Freescale MCUs

When choosing a microcontroller there are many options, so which platform should you choose? There is little independent information available to help engineers decide which platform might best suit their needs and most designers tend to stick with the brand with which they are familiar. This is a difficult question to answer without bias if the people conducting the evaluations have had previous experience with MCU programming predominantly on one platform. This article draws on a case study. We built three “Smart” Sprinkler Taps, small, self-contained irrigation controllers, differing only in the microcontroller unit (MCU) on the inside. We compare cost, development software quality and hardware performance from the perspective of a new user to each of the platforms

Response of the PUI Distribution To Variable Solar Wind Conditions

We present the first systematic analysis to determine pickup ion (PUI) cutoff speed variations, during general compression regions identified by their structure, shock fronts, and times of highly variable solar wind (SW) speed or magnetic field strength. This study is motivated by the attempt to remove or correct for these effects on the determination of the longitude of the interstellar neutral gas flow from the flow pattern related variation of the PUI cutoff with ecliptic longitude. At the same time, this study sheds light on the physical mechanisms that lead to energy transfer between the SW and the embedded PUI population. Using 2007-2014 STEREO A PLASTIC observations we identify compression regions and shocks in the solar wind and analyze the PUI velocity distribution function (VDF). We developed a routine to identify stream interaction regions and CIRs, by locating the stream interface and the successive velocity increase in the solar wind speed and density. Characterizing these individual compression events and combining them in a superposed epoch analysis allows us to analyze the PUI population under similar conditions and find the local cutoff shift with adequate statistics. The result of this method yields substantial cutoff shifts in compression regions with large solar wind speed gradients. Additionally, through sorting the entire set of PUI VDFs at high time resolution, we obtain a noticeable correlation of the cutoff shift with gradients in the SW speed and interplanetary magnetic field strength. We discuss implications for the understanding of the PUI VDF evolution and the PUI cutoff analysis of the interstellar neutral gas flow

Atropine-resistant bradycardia due to hyperkalaemia

Symptomatic sinus bradycardia is routinely treated in the emergency department with atropine and pacing. Two cases are presented that illustrate the importance of considering hyperkalaemia, particularly in the presence of atropine-resistant symptomatic bradycardia. The administration of calcium in such cases acts to stabilise the myocardium and resolve the bradycardia. Blood gas analysis provides a rapid estimate of serum potassium concentrations, facilitating timely treatment

Automatic semantic and geometric enrichment of CityGML 3D building models of varying architectural styles with HOG-based template matching

While the number of 3D geo-spatial digital models of buildings with cultural heritage interest is burgeoning, most lack semantic annotation that could be used to inform users of mobile and desktop applications about the architectural features and origins of the buildings. Additionally, while automated reconstruction of 3D building models is an active research area, the labelling of architectural features (objects) is comparatively less well researched, while distinguishing between different architectural styles is less well researched still. Meanwhile, the successful automatic identification of architectural objects, typified by a comparatively less symmetrical or less regular distribution of objects on façades, particularly on older buildings, has so far eluded researchers. This research has addressed these issues by automating the semantic and geometric enrichment of existing 3D building models by using Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG)-based template matching. The methods are applied to the texture maps of 3D building models of 20th century styles, of Georgian-Regency (1715-1830) style and of the Norman (1066 to late 12th century) style, where the amalgam of styles present on buildings of the latter style necessitates detection of styles of the Gothic tradition (late 12th century to present day). The most successful results were obtained when applying a set of heuristics including the use of real world dimensions, while a Support Vector Machine (SVM)-based machine learning approach was found effective in obviating the need for thresholds on matchscores when making detection decisions

Automatic semantic and geometric enrichment of CityGML building models using HoG-based template matching

Semantically rich 3D building models give the potential for a wealth of rich geo-spatially-enabled applications such as cultural heritage augmented reality, urban planning, radio network planning and personal navigation. However, the majority of existing building models lack much if any semantic detail. This work demonstrates a novel method for automatically locating subclasses of windows and doors, using computer vision techniques including the histogram of oriented gradient (HoG) template matching, and automatically creating enriched CityGML content for the matched windows and doors. Good results were achieved for class identification with potential for further refinement of subclasses of windows and doors and other architectural features. It is part of a wider project to bring even richer semantic content to 3D geo-spatial building models

Semantic and geometric enrichment of 3D geo-spatial models with captioned photos and labelled illustrations

There are many 3D digital models of buildings with cultural heritage interest, but most of them lack semantic annotation that could be used to inform users of mobile and desktop applications about their origins and architectural features. We describe methods in an ongoing project for enriching 3D models with generic annotation, derived from examples of images of building components and from labelled plans and diagrams, and with object-specific descriptions obtained from photo captions. This is the first stage of research that aims to annotate 3D models with facts extracted from the text of authoritative architectural guides

Long-range correlations in the mechanics of small DNA circles under topological stress revealed by multi-scale simulation

It is well established that gene regulation can be achieved through activator and repressor proteins that bind to DNA and switch particular genes on or off, and that complex metabolic networks deter- mine the levels of transcription of a given gene at a given time. Using three complementary computa- tional techniques to study the sequence-dependence of DNA denaturation within DNA minicircles, we have observed that whenever the ends of the DNA are con- strained, information can be transferred over long distances directly by the transmission of mechanical stress through the DNA itself, without any require- ment for external signalling factors. Our models com- bine atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) with coarse- grained simulations and statistical mechanical calcu- lations to span three distinct spatial resolutions and timescale regimes. While they give a consensus view of the non-locality of sequence-dependent denatura- tion in highly bent and supercoiled DNA loops, each also reveals a unique aspect of long-range informa- tional transfer that occurs as a result of restraining the DNA within the closed loop of the minicircles

Joint British Society consensus recommendations for magnetic resonance imaging for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is increasingly a fundamental component of the diagnostic pathway across a range of conditions. Historically, the presence of a cardiac implantable electronic device (CIED) has been a contraindication for MRI, however, development of MR Conditional devices that can be scanned under strict protocols has facilitated the provision of MRI for patients. Additionally, there is growing safety data to support MR scanning in patients with CIEDs that do not have MR safety labelling or with MR Conditional CIEDs where certain conditions are not met, where the clinical justification is robust. This means that almost all patients with cardiac devices should now have the same access to MRI scanning in the National Health Service as the general population. Provision of MRI to patients with CIED, however, remains limited in the UK, with only half of units accepting scan requests even for patients with MR Conditional CIEDs. Service delivery requires specialist equipment and robust protocols to ensure patient safety and facilitate workflows, meanwhile demanding collaboration between healthcare professionals across many disciplines. This document provides consensus recommendations from across the relevant stakeholder professional bodies and patient groups to encourage provision of safe MRI for patients with CIEDs