# Key Points from ##hplusroadmap IRC Logs

• A Seiko SMI3200 Focused Ion Beam (FIB) system was spotted on eBay for $15,000, prompting discussion about single-beam versus dual-beam systems and their capabilities for imaging versus modifying samples.

• Advances in cryo-electron microscopy were discussed, particularly the RELION software which uses Bayesian approaches to generate 3D reconstructions from 2D images, with resolution now extending below 3Å.

• ImplicitCAD was highlighted as a tool for designing microfluidic devices, with recent improvements fixing rendering issues at micron scales, specifically for a tobacco mesophyll protoplast fusion device.

• Intel's optimization work for life sciences applications was shared, including optimizations for GROMACS and RELION software on Xeon and Xeon Phi processors for structural biology applications.

• A need was expressed for a protein complex that could attach specific DNA barcodes to arbitrary DNA messages with high binding affinity and specificity, beyond standard ligase capabilities.

• A paper on "Decentralized anonymous micropayments" was shared (https://eprint.iacr.org/2016/1033.pdf), along with mention of "Atlantropa," a 1920s plan to dam the Mediterranean Sea.

• A "Silicon proven Verilog library for IC and FPGA designers" was referenced, pointing to the Parallella open hardware repository on GitHub.