Fully integrated high quality factor GmC bandpass filter stage with highly linear operational transconductance amplifier

This paper presents an electrical, fully integrated, high quality (Q) factor GmC bandpass filter (BPF) stage for a wireless 27 MHz direct conversion receiver for a bendable sensor system-in-foil (Briem, 2016). The core of 10 the BPF with a Q factor of more than 200 is an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) with a high linearity at an input range of up to 300 mVpp,diff. The OTA’s signal-to-noise-and-distortion-ratio (SNDR) of more than 80 dB in the mentioned range is achieved by stabilizing its transconductance Gm with a respective feedback loop and a source degeneration resistance RDG. The filter stage can be tuned and is tolerant to global and local process variations due to offset and common-mode 15 feedback (CMFB) control circuits. The results are determined by periodic steady state (PSS) simulations at more than 200 global and local process variation parameter and temperature points and corner simulations. It is expected, that the parasitic elements of the layout have no significant influence on the filter behaviour. The current consumption of the whole filter stage is less than 600 μA

Shifting attention in viewer- and object-based reference frames after unilateral brain injury

The aims of the present study were to investigate the respective roles that object- and viewer-based reference frames play in reorienting visual attention, and to assess their influence after unilateral brain injury. To do so, we studied 16 right hemisphere injured (RHI) and 13 left hemisphere injured (LHI) patients. We used a cueing design that manipulates the location of cues and targets relative to a display comprised of two rectangles (i.e., objects). Unlike previous studies with patients, we presented all cues at midline rather than in the left or right visual fields. Thus, in the critical conditions in which targets were presented laterally, reorienting of attention was always from a midline cue. Performance was measured for lateralized target detection as a function of viewer-based (contra- and ipsilesional sides) and object-based (requiring reorienting within or between objects) reference frames. As expected, contralesional detection was slower than ipsilesional detection for the patients. More importantly, objects influenced target detection differently in the contralesional and ipsilesional fields. Contralesionally, reorienting to a target within the cued object took longer than reorienting to a target in the same location but in the uncued object. This finding is consistent with object-based neglect. Ipsilesionally, the means were in the opposite direction. Furthermore, no significant difference was found in object-based influences between the patient groups (RHI vs. LHI). These findings are discussed in the context of reference frames used in reorienting attention for target detection

Testing for Spatial Neglect with Line Bisection and Target Cancellation: Are Both Tasks Really Unrelated?

Damage to the parietal lobe can induce a condition known as spatial neglect, characterized by a lack of awareness of the personal and/or extrapersonal space opposite the damaged brain region. Spatial neglect is commonly assessed clinically using either the line bisection or the target cancellation task. However, it is unclear whether poor performance on each of these two tasks is associated with the same or different lesion locations. To date, methodological limitations and differences have prevented a definitive link between task performance and lesion location to be made. Here we report findings from a voxel-based lesion symptom mapping (VLSM) analysis of an unbiased selection of 44 patients with a recent unifocal stroke. Patients performed both the line bisection and target cancellation task. For each of the two tasks a continuous score was incorporated into the VLSM analysis. Both tasks correlated highly with each other (r = .76) and VLSM analyses indicated that the angular gyrus was the critical lesion site for both tasks. The results suggest that both tasks probe the same underlying cortical deficits and although the cancellation task was more sensitive than the line bisection task, both can be used in a clinical setting to test for spatial neglect

Rapidly Measuring the Speed of Unconscious Learning: Amnesics Learn Quickly and Happy People Slowly

BACKGROUND We introduce a method for quickly determining the rate of implicit learning. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The task involves making a binary prediction for a probabilistic sequence over 10 minutes; from this it is possible to determine the influence of events of a different number of trials in the past on the current decision. This profile directly reflects the learning rate parameter of a large class of learning algorithms including the delta and Rescorla-Wagner rules. To illustrate the use of the method, we compare a person with amnesia with normal controls and we compare people with induced happy and sad moods. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Learning on the task is likely both associative and implicit. We argue theoretically and demonstrate empirically that both amnesia and also transient negative moods can be associated with an especially large learning rate: People with amnesia can learn quickly and happy people slowl

Cerebellar-dependent delay eyeblink conditioning in adolescents with Specific Language Impairment

Cerebellar impairments have been hypothesized as part of the pathogenesis of Specific Language Impairment (SLI), although direct evidence of cerebellar involvement is sparse. Eyeblink Conditioning (EBC) is a learning task with well documented cerebellar pathways. This is the first study of EBC in affected adolescents and controls. 16 adolescent controls, 15 adolescents with SLI, and 12 adult controls participated in a delay EBC task. Affected children had low general language performance, grammatical deficits but no speech impairments. The affected group did not differ from the control adolescent or control adult group, showing intact cerebellar functioning on the EBC task. This study did not support cerebellar impairment at the level of basic learning pathways as part of the pathogenesis of SLI. Outcomes do not rule out cerebellar influences on speech impairment, or possible other forms of cerebellar functioning as contributing to SLI

High frequency equivalent circuit of GaAs depletion and enhancement FETs for large signal modelling.

For the design of digital circuits as well as for power amplifiers, the nonlinear modelling of GaAs FETs is a necessity. We use an extended equivalent circuit, which takes into account the gate current of positive biased transistors as well as the symmetrical nature of the devices at low drain voltages. A fast method to determine the elements of the equivalent circuit from measured S-parameters is presented which delivers for the first time good agreement for all operating points. A valid large signal description of the device can be obtained by implementing the bias dependences of the intrinsic elements into a circuit simulator like SPICE

A 2 GHz CMOS dB-linear programmable-gain amplifier with 51 dB dynamic range

A 2 GHz programmable-gain amplifier (PGA) using 0.12-µm CMOS technology is presented in this paper, which has a 51 dB gain control range with 3 dB gain control steps. The maximum output power of this PGA achieves 9 dBm while the 1-dB compression point is located at 8 dBm. A high linearity denoted by the oIP3 of 22 dBm at the maximum gain has been achieved. A new configuration to digitally implement a dB-linear gain characteristic is demonstrated in this paper, which simultaneously enables an adaptive power consumption

Comparison of a single and a dual-gate GaN switching-amplifier for future communication systems

A high efficiency switch-mode amplifier with a dualgate configuration in the output stage is designed in a 250 nm GaN HEMT technology. Measurements are performed up to 8 Gbps using periodic square wave signals and bandpass delta sigma (BPDS) signals. The results are compared to a single-gate amplifier which uses the same driver stage and gate width. The dual-gate amplifier achieves a higher output power and shows a better RF-performance at bit rates above 2 Gbps. A broadband output power of 14 W and a PAE of 77.5 % at 0.9 Gbps are demonstrated. Furthermore, a 5.2 Gbps BPDS signal with an eye amplitude of about 50 V is measured. It is the first time that such high amplitudes are achieved in combination with bit rates above 5 Gbps. The presented measurement results demonstrate the importance of GaN devices for future switch-mode amplifiers