66 research outputs found
Rapid FPGA Development Framework Using a Custom Simulink Library for MTCA.4 Modules
No full textThe recent introduction of advanced hardware architectures such as the Micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture (MTCA) caused a change in the approach to implementation of control schemes in many fields. It required the development to move away from traditional programming languages (C/C++) to hardware description languages Verilog), which are used in FPGA development.. With MATLAB/Simulink it is possible to describe complex systems with block diagrams and simulate their behavior. Those diagrams are then used by the HDL experts, to implement exactly the required functionality in hardware. Both the porting of existing applications and adaptation of new ones requires a lot of development time from them. To solve this, Xilinx SystemGenerator, a toolbox for MATLAB/Simulink, allows rapid prototyping of those block diagrams using hardware modelling. It is still up to the firmware developer to merge this structure with the hardware-dependent HDL project. This prevents the application engineer from quickly verifying the proposed schemes in real hardware.The framework described in this article overcomes these challenges, offering a hardware-independent library of components that can be used in Simulink/SystemGenerator models. The components are subsequently translated into VHDL entities and integrated with a pre-prepared VHDL project template. Furthermore, the entire implementation process is run in the background, giving the user a one-click path from control scheme modelling and simulation to bit-file generation.This approach allows the control theory engineers to quickly develop new schemes and test them in real hardware environment. The applications may range from simple data logging or signal generation ones to very advanced controllers. Taking advantage of the Simulink simulation capabilities and user-friendly hardware implementation routines, the framework significantly decreases the development time of FPGA-based applications
Antidiabetic, Antihypertensive and Statin Medication Use in Metabolic Syndrome
No full textBackground: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterised by a cluster of metabolic risk factors, which eventually increases the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of the current study was to investigate medication use in outpatient communities with respect to the occurrence of these metabolic risk factors as defined by ATPIII.Methods: Data for this study was obtained from patients attending a diabetes health screening clinic (DiabHealth) in south-eastern Australia between 2005 and 2011. Participants had a medical history taken and anthropomorphic data collected. Participants with three or more MetS factors were classified as MetS positive as outlined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III).Results: Antidiabetic, antihypertensive and antihyperlipidaemic use varies significantly in uptake by participants and with respect to the number of ATPIII factors present. Blood glucose levels (BGL) and the female waist circumference were significantly better in the MetS compared to the non-MetS group. The most increase in medication use in the MetS group was seen for antidiabetic medication (21.3% versus 2.4%, p < 0.01) compared to the non-MetS group. Antihypertensive use tripled (67.8% vs. 26.03%) and Statin use doubled significantly (p<0.01) in the MetS group (21.8% vs. 8.9%).Conclusion: Medication use increases with an increase in ATPIII factors present in the study. Participants with increased BGL (>6.1mmol/L) were not found to have antihyperglycemic medication prescribed. However both antihypertensive medication and Statins were extensively prescribed in cases where only 1 and 2 ATP factors for MetS were present.</p
Body Surveillance on Instagram: Examining the Role of Selfie Feedback Investment in Young Adult Women’s Body Image Concerns
No full textArrival Time Stabilization at Flash Using the Bunch Arrival Corrector Cavity (BACCA)
No full textFor pump-probe and seeding experiments at free electron lasers, a femtosecond precise bunch arrival time stability is mandatory. To stabilize the arrival times a fast longitudinal intra bunch-train feedback (L-IBFB) using bunch arrival time monitors is applied. The electron bunch energy prior to a bunch compression chicane is modulated by superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities to compensate fast arrival time fluctuations of the subsequent bunches. A broadband normal conducting RF cavity was installed in front of the first bunch compression chicane at FLASH. The L-IBFB uses the normal conducting cavity for small but fast energy corrections together with the SRF cavities for larger and slower corrections. Current measurements show arrival time stabilities of the electron bunches towards 5 fs (rms) at the end of the linac, if the normal conducting cavity acts together with the SRF cavities in the L-IBFB system
FPGA Firmware Framework for MTCA.4 AMC Modules
No full textMany of the modules in specific hardware architectures use the same or similar communication interfaces and IO connectors. MicroTCA (MTCA.4) is one example of such a case. All boards: communicate with the central processing unit (CPU) over PCI Express (PCIe), send data to each other using Multi-Gigabit Transceivers (MGT), use the same backplane resources and have the same Zone3 IO or FPGA mezzanine card (FMC) connectors. All those interfaces are connected and implemented in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chips. It makes possible to separate the interface logic from the application logic. This structure allows to reuse already done firmware for one application and to create new application on the same module. Also, already developed code can be reused in new boards as a library. Proper structure allows the code to be reused and makes it easy to create new firmware. This paper will present structures of firmware framework and scripting ideas to speed up firmware development for MTCA.4 architecture. European XFEL control systems firmware, which uses the described framework, will be presented as example
Cardiovascular risk assessment in prediabetes: A hypothesis
No full textThere are screening programs for future risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) complications in diabetes, but not in subclinical diabetes. There is little or no risk and no differences between genders when a man or woman at age below 50 years presents blood pressure below 140/90 mmHg and total cholesterol/HDL less down 7.0. In the current screening programs, a hypothetical apparently non-diabetic and non-smoking person aged 49 years old; who present blood pressure 140/90 mmHg, fasting blood sugar 5.8 mmol/L and total cholesterol/HDL 6.5 has no risk of future CVD and does not require any intervention. However, by counting numbers, the person has two risk factors, hyperglycaemia and hyperlipidaemia. Furthermore, considering smoking as a factor and the propensity for hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative stress being a smoker-like effect of hyperglycaemia toxicity, the person actually has three risk factors, which qualifies the person for intervention. The issue is that a prediabetes sufferer is treated like a healthy person in the current screening programs. The problem here is that risk of CVD in prediabetes is inadequately assessed. We present a hypothesis that employs a combination of blood glucose level and an index of oxidative damage to improve CVD screening in prediabetes. We propose a longitudinal study to repeat the whole lipid modelling exercise in order to develop a separate model chart for the screening of future CVD in people with diagnosed or undiagnosed prediabetes. The proposal would also serve for people with undiagnosed diabetes
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