A fully integrated SRAM-based CMOS arbitrary waveform generator for analog signal processing

This dissertation focuses on design and implementation of a fully-integrated SRAM-based arbitrary waveform generator for analog signal processing applications in a CMOS technology. The dissertation consists of two parts: Firstly, a fully-integrated arbitrary waveform generator for a multi-resolution spectrum sensing of a cognitive radio applications, and an analog matched-filter for a radar application and secondly, low-power techniques for an arbitrary waveform generator. The fully-integrated low-power AWG is implemented and measured in a 0.18-¥ìm CMOS technology. Theoretical analysis is performed, and the perspective implementation issues are mentioned comparing the measurement results. Moreover, the low-power techniques of SRAM are addressed for the analog signal processing: Self-deactivated data-transition bit scheme, diode-connected low-swing signaling scheme with a short-current reduction buffer, and charge-recycling with a push-pull level converter for power reduction of asynchronous design. Especially, the robust latch-type sense amplifier using an adaptive-latch resistance and fully-gated ground 10T-SRAM bitcell in a 45-nm SOI technology would be used as a technique to overcome the challenges in the upcoming deep-submicron technologies.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Kim, Jongman; Committee Member: Kang, Sung Ha; Committee Member: Lee, Chang-Ho; Committee Member: Mukhopadhyay, Saibal; Committee Member: Tentzeris, Emmanouil

Exploratory Practice: Researching the Impact of Songs on EFL Learners' Verbal Memory

Traditionally popular songs have been used as a way of enhancing listening and auditory perception skills and teaching vocabulary, but not necessarily for memory recall. Popular song gap-fills are already commonplace within the EFL (English as a foreign language) field; however, this study found that more attention needs to be given, to the lexical, grammatical and phonological items that learners are instructed to retain. The results of this study suggest that, verbal memory is a vital part of language learning that should be incorporated into popular song gap-fills and that EFL teachers, theorists and textbook authors need to review the way language in popular songs is encoded, stored and retrieved, by incorporating memory strategies, following guidelines on gap-selection, including a phonological aspect and using a recycling activity. In this article traditional and contemporary understandings of verbal memory and popular song are outlined and comprehensively analysed within relevant fields that embrace ELT (English language teaching), Biology, Psycholinguistics, Neurolinguistics and Cognitive Psychology perspectives and discusses their pedagogical implications

Beamforming optimization for full-duplex cooperative cognitive radio networks

This paper considers the problem of beamforming optimization in a cognitive cooperative energy harvesting network, in which the secondary transmitter (ST) harvests energy from the primary transmitter (PT) and relays the information for the primary user (PU) with amplify-and-forward (AF) relay protocol. When the channel of the primary system is affected with deep fading or shadowing effects, the ST can assist the primary information transmission. It is particularly useful to employ the energy harvesting protocol to avoid that the ST does not have enough energy to assist the PU. Based on the self-energy recycling relay protocol, we study the beamforming optimization problem. We develop a semidefinite programming (SDP) relaxation method to solve the proposed problem. We also use SDP and one-dimension (1-D) optimization to solve the beamforming optimization based on a time-switching relaying protocol (TSR) as a benchmark. The simulation results are presented to verify that the self-energy recycling protocol achieves a significant rate gain compared to the TSR protocol and the power-splitting relaying (PSR) protocol

Transceiver design for wireless energy harvesting cooperative networks

In this thesis, the RF energy harvesting technique is studied in the cooperative wireless network, and different optimization studies are investigated. First, an energy-efficient optimization is considered in the cooperative system with the time switching relaying and power splitting relaying protocols. Then, a security issue in the cooperative network with energy harvesting is proposed, in which the optimization problem is designed to maximize the secrecy rate. We also consider the application of energy harvesting in the full-duplex relaying network with a self-energy recycling protocol. Finally, the energy harvesting is studied in the full-duplex cooperative cognitive radio network. The system performance of all studies is verified in the thesis with MATLAB simulation results

Affordances, constraints and information flows as ‘leverage points’ in design for sustainable behaviour

Copyright @ 2012 Social Science Electronic PublishingTwo of Donella Meadows' 'leverage points' for intervening in systems (1999) seem particularly pertinent to design for sustainable behaviour, in the sense that designers may have the scope to implement them in (re-)designing everyday products and services. The 'rules of the system' -- interpreted here to refer to affordances and constraints -- and the structure of information flows both offer a range of opportunities for design interventions to in fluence behaviour change, and in this paper, some of the implications and possibilities are discussed with reference to parallel concepts from within design, HCI and relevant areas of psychology