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Electric engineers can use VHDL for hardware design because it offers the benefit of designing at a higher level of abstraction. VHDL and other HDL improves productivity by allowing engineers to work with logic operations rather than circuit diagrams. VHDL also improves documentation and quality and encourages simulation., As your designs become more complex it becomes more efficient to use tools that allow you to design at a higher level of abstraction. Hardware-description languages, such as VHDL, are [...]

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, reports that the construction industry contributed 4.2 percent of GDP in 2016, the highest amount since 2008. The first quarter 2017 [...]

The article focuses on the collaborative designing of field programmable gate array (FPGA) chips. The benefits of collaboration are great. Best people may be assigned for the job. FPGA building blocks or Internet protocol modules created can be reused for enhanced derivative products. Sometimes, collaboration is needed.

The efficacy levels of different physical and chemical washing treatments in the reduction of viral and bacterial pathogens from inoculated strawberries were evaluated. Escherichia coliO157:H7, SalmonellaMontevideo, poliovirus 1, and the bacteriophages PRD1, φX174, and MS2 were used as model and surrogate organisms. Chemicals readily available to producers and/or consumers were evaluated as antimicrobial additives for the production of washes. The gentle agitation of contaminated strawberries in water for 2 min led to reductions in microbial populations ranging from 41 to 79% and from 62 to 90% at water temperatures of 22 and 43°C, respectively. Significant reductions (>98%) in numbers of bacteria and viruses were obtained with sodium hypochlorite (50 to 300 ppm of free chlorine), Oxine or Carnebon (200 ppm of product generating “stabilized chlorine dioxide”), Tsunami (100 ppm of peroxyacetic acid), and Alcide (100 or 200 ppm of acidified sodium chlorite) washes. Overall, 200 ppm of acidified sodium chlorite produced the greatest reductions of microorganisms. Hydrogen peroxide (0.5%) was slightly less effective than free chlorine in a strawberry wash and caused slight fruit discoloration. Cetylpyridinium chloride (0.1%) was effective in the reduction of bacterial species, while trisodium phosphate (1%) was effective against viruses. The consumer-oriented produce wash Fit was very effective (>99%) in reducing the numbers of bacteria but not in reducing the numbers of viruses. Another wash, Healthy Harvest, was significantly less effective than Fit in reducing bacterial pathogens but more effective for viruses. The performance of automatic dishwashing detergent was similar to that of Healthy Harvest and significantly better than that of liquid dishwashing detergent. Solutions containing table salt (2% NaCl) or vinegar (10%) reduced the numbers of bacteria by about 90%, whereas only the vinegar wash reduced the numbers of viruses significantly (ca. 95%).

This study compared the effect of different physical and chemical treatments of strawberries and tomatoes to determine their ability to recover seeded viral and bacterial pathogens from produce surfaces. Solutions of salts, amino acids, complex media, and detergents were compared as eluants. Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 0.1% Tween 80 eluted the highest number of seeded microorganisms. Elution with this defined solution was then compared under different conditions of physical agitation. Rotary shaking for 20 min at 36°C eluted higher numbers of viruses and bacteria than did low- or high-speed stomaching. Commercially available and laboratory prepared bacteriological differential media were compared for their ability to recover and distinguish eluted SalmonellaMontevideo and Escherichia coliO157:H7 strains from seeded produce. The recovery of seeded bacterial pathogens was low when differential media containing selective ingredients were used (Mac-Conkey sorbitol agar, XLD agar, MacConkey agar). Highest recoveries were obtained on a medium consisting of tryptic soy agar supplemented with sodium thiosulfate and ferric ammonium citrate compared with selective media that inhibited up to 50% of the growth of the eluted microorganisms.

Talks about computer software that can be used to design both boards and programmable logic devices. Transition to high-level design with languages such as VHDL; Characteristics of products needed by designers; OrCAD Express for Windows; Express Project Master's use of `setup wizards.'

The article offers information on calculating power consumption of field programmable gate arrays. Parameters including voltage, temperature, process variations, air flow, heat sink and resource utilisation, activity, and frequency are specified while estimating dynamic and static power consumption. Static current is comprised of the leakage current through the device, whereas dynamic current is the power consumed by the used resources while they are switching.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "Savior or Threat" in the November/December 2014 issue, "A Powerful New Purpose" in the November/December 2014 issue, and "Signing up the Public" in the November/December 2014 issue.