On applying the set covering model to reseeding

The Functional BIST approach is a rather new BIST technique based on exploiting embedded system functionality to generate deterministic test patterns during BIST. The approach takes advantages of two well-known testing techniques, the arithmetic BIST approach and the reseeding method. The main contribution of the present paper consists in formulating the problem of an optimal reseeding computation as an instance of the set covering problem. The proposed approach guarantees high flexibility, is applicable to different functional modules, and, in general, provides a more efficient test set encoding then previous techniques. In addition, the approach shorts the computation time and allows to better exploiting the tradeoff between area overhead and global test length as well as to deal with larger circuits

A Low-Cost FPGA-Based Test and Diagnosis Architecture for SRAMs

The continues improvement of manufacturing technologies allows the realization of integrated circuits containing an ever increasing number of transistors. A major part of these devices is devoted to realize SRAM blocks. Test and diagnosis of SRAM circuits are therefore an important challenge for improving quality of next generation integrated circuits. This paper proposes a flexible platform for testing and diagnosis of SRAM circuits. The architecture is based on the use of a low cost FPGA based board allowing high diagnosability while keeping costs at a very low leve

Defective Behaviour of an 8T SRAM Cell with Open Defects

The defective behaviour of an 8T SRAM cell with open defects is analyzed. Full and resistive open defects have been considered in the electrical characterization of the defective cell. Due to the similarity between the classical 6T SRAM cell and the 8T cell, only defects affecting the read port transistors have been considered. In the work, it is shown how an open in a defective cell may influence the correct operation of a victim cell sharing the same read circuitry. Also, it is shown that the sequence of bits written on the defective cell prior to a read action can mask the presence of the defect. Different orders of critical resistance have been found depending on the location of the open defect. A 45nm technology has been used for the illustrative example presented in the wor

The view from elsewhere: perspectives on ALife Modeling

Many artificial life researchers stress the interdisciplinary character of the field. Against such a backdrop, this report reviews and discusses artificial life, as it is depicted in, and as it interfaces with, adjacent disciplines (in particular, philosophy, biology, and linguistics), and in the light of a specific historical example of interdisciplinary research (namely cybernetics) with which artificial life shares many features. This report grew out of a workshop held at the Sixth European Conference on Artificial Life in Prague and features individual contributions from the workshop's eight speakers, plus a section designed to reflect the debates that took place during the workshop's discussion sessions. The major theme that emerged during these sessions was the identity and status of artificial life as a scientific endeavor

Test exploration and validation using transaction level models

The complexity of the test infrastructure and test strategies in systems-on-chip approaches the complexity of the functional design space. This paper presents test design space exploration and validation of test strategies and schedules using transaction level models (TLMs). Since many aspects of testing involve the transfer of a significant amount of test stimuli and responses, the communication-centric view of TLMs suits this purpose exceptionally wel

Health Care Financing Reforms in Italy: Projects of Jefferson\u27s Center for Research in Medical Education and Health Care

No abstract available

Facts and misconceptions about 2d:4d, social and risk preferences

We study how the ratio between the length of the second and fourth digit (2D:4D) correlates with choices in social and risk preferences elicitation tasks by building a large dataset from five experimental projects with more than 800 subjects. Our results confirm the recent literature that downplays the link between 2D:4D and many domains of economic interest, such as social and risk preferences. As for the former, we find that social preferences are significantly lower when 2D:4D is above the median value only for subjects with low cognitive ability. As for the latter, we find that a high 2D:4D is not correlated with the frequency of subjects\u2019 risky choices

Statistical mechanics of the Cluster-Ising model

We study a Hamiltonian system describing a three-spin-1/2 cluster-like interaction competing with an Ising-like anti-ferromagnetic interaction. We compute free energy, spin correlation functions and entanglement both in the ground and in thermal states. The model undergoes a quantum phase transition between an Ising phase with a nonvanishing magnetization and a cluster phase characterized by a string order. Any two-spin entanglement is found to vanish in both quantum phases because of a nontrivial correlation pattern. Neverthless, the residual multipartite entanglement is maximal in the cluster phase and dependent on the magnetization in the Ising phase. We study the block entropy at the critical point and calculate the central charge of the system, showing that the criticality of the system is beyond the Ising universality class.Comment: To be published in Physical Review

Radon mitigation during the installation of the CUORE 0νββ0\nu\beta\beta decay detector

CUORE - the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events - is an experiment searching for the neutrinoless double-beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay of $^{130}$Te with an array of 988 TeO$_2$ crystals operated as bolometers at $\sim$10 mK in a large dilution refrigerator. With this detector, we aim for a $^{130}$Te $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay half-life sensitivity of $9\times10^{25}$ y with 5 y of live time, and a background index of $\lesssim 10^{-2}$ counts/keV/kg/y. Making an effort to maintain radiopurity by minimizing the bolometers' exposure to radon gas during their installation in the cryostat, we perform all operations inside a dedicated cleanroom environment with a controlled radon-reduced atmosphere. In this paper, we discuss the design and performance of the CUORE Radon Abatement System and cleanroom, as well as a system to monitor the radon level in real time.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 1 tabl