Design for testability of a latch-based design

Abstract. The purpose of this thesis was to decrease the area of digital logic in a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), by replacing selected flip-flops with latches. The thesis consists of a theory part, that provides background theory for the thesis, and a practical part, that presents a latch register design and design for testability (DFT) method for achieving an acceptable level of manufacturing fault coverage for it. The total area was decreased by replacing flip-flops of read-write and one-time programmable registers with latches. One set of negative level active primary latches were shared with all the positive level active latch registers in the same register bank. Clock gating was used to select which latch register the write data was loaded to from the primary latches. The latches were made transparent during the shift operation of partial scan testing. The observability of the latch register clock gating logic was improved by leaving the first bit of each latch register as a flip-flop. The controllability was improved by inserting control points. The latch register design, developed in this thesis, resulted in a total area decrease of 5% and a register bank area decrease of 15% compared to a flip-flop-based reference design. The latch register design manages to maintain the same stuck-at fault coverage as the reference design.Salpaperäisen piirin testattavuuden suunnittelu. Tiivistelmä. Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena oli pienentää digitaalisen logiikan pinta-alaa integroidussa tehonhallintapiirissä, korvaamalla valitut kiikut salpapiireillä. Opinnäytetyö koostuu teoriaosasta, joka antaa taustatietoa opinnäytetyölle, ja käytännön osuudesta, jossa esitellään salparekisteripiiri ja testattavuussuunnittelun menetelmä, jolla saavutettiin riittävän hyvä virhekattavuus salparekisteripiirille. Kokonaispinta-alaa pienennettiin korvaamalla luku-kirjoitusrekistereiden ja kerran ohjelmoitavien rekistereiden kiikut salpapiireillä. Yhdet negatiivisella tasolla aktiiviset isäntä-salpapiirit jaettiin kaikkien samassa rekisteripankissa olevien positiivisella tasolla aktiivisten salparekistereiden kanssa. Kellon portittamisella valittiin mihin salparekisteriin kirjoitusdata ladattiin yhteisistä isäntä-salpapireistä. Osittaisessa testipolkuihin perustuvassa testauksessa salpapiirit tehtiin läpinäkyviksi siirtooperaation aikana. Salparekisterin kellon portituslogiikan havaittavuutta parannettiin jättämällä jokaisen salparekisterin ensimmäinen bitti kiikuksi. Ohjattavuutta parannettiin lisäämällä ohjauspisteitä. Salparekisteripiiri, joka suunniteltiin tässä diplomityössä, pienensi kokonaispinta-alaa 5 % ja rekisteripankin pinta-alaa 15 % verrattuna kiikkuperäiseen vertailupiiriin. Salparekisteripiiri onnistuu pitämään saman juuttumisvikamallin virhekattavuuden kuin vertailupiiri

Stop as a next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle in constrained MSSM

So far the squarks have not been detected at the LHC indicating that they are heavier than a few hundred GeVs, if they exist. The lighter stop can be considerably lighter than the other squarks. We study the possibility that a supersymmetric partner of the top quark, stop, is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle in the constrained supersymmetric standard model. Various constraints, on top of the mass limits, are taken into an account, and the allowed parameter space for this scenario is determined. Observing stop which is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric particle at the LHC may be difficult.Comment: v2: A few references, a plot indicating used parameters, discussion about the role of parameters in determination of the stop NLSP, CCB minima and a comment about (g-2) added. Typos corrected. Version in PR

Compliance with key practices of root canal treatment varies by the reward system applied in public dental services

Introduction: To assess clinical practices in root canal treatments (RCTs) performed by general dental practitioners under 2 different reward schemes applied in public dental services. Methods: This study used a retrospective design with tooth as the observation unit. The data included all teeth (n = 547) with nonsurgical primary RCT completed in 2016. Electronic documents included treatment details and radiographs. RCT assessment covered 4 key items: taking pre- and postoperative radiographs, using a rubber dam, measuring working length. Assessed dichotomies indicated whether practices were adequate. Dentists' reward schemes were "salaried" and "fee-for-service." Chi squared tests analyzed frequency differences. Results: RCTs formed 2 groups by the reward scheme: 305 RCTs were performed by salaried dentists and 242 by fee-for-service dentists. Preoperative radiographs were diagnosable for 76.1% and postoperative radiographs, for 95.1% of all RCTs. Rubber dam use was documented for 28.9% of the RCTs, more frequently when performed by salaried than by fee-for-service dentists (43.9% vs 9.9%, P < .001). Working length measurement was documented for 72.9% of the RCTs, more frequently for RCTs performed by salaried than by fee-for-service dentists (85.2% vs 57.4%, P < .001). All 4 key items were assessed as adequate in 19.0% of all RCTs, more frequently when performed by salaried than by fee-for-service dentists (29.5% vs 5.8%, P < .001). Conclusions: Deficiencies in RCTs, particularly underuse of rubber dams call for further research to understand the reasons for noncompliance with good clinical practice guidelines.Peer reviewe

Pea-Barley Bi-Crop Silage in Milk Production

Whole crop silage (WCS) from barley or wheat has many advantages as roughage feed. The possibility to use the same harvest machinery as in harvesting grass reduces investment costs. The farms which are specialised in grass production may have shortage of open field area for manure spreading, in which case WCS can be the answer. However, digestibility and protein content of WCS is usually lower than in grass silage, which is limiting the feed intake and performance of the dairy cows. Cultivation of grains with grain legumes increases digestibility and protein content of the stand (Lunnan, 1988). Feeding of bi-crop pea-wheat silages has increased forage intake and milk yield compared to grass silage (Salawu et al., 2002; Adesogan et al., 2004). In this experiment pea-barley bi-crop silage was studied since in Finland barley harvested for WCS is more digestible than wheat

Accelerating variational quantum eigensolver convergence using parameter transfer

One impediment to the useful application of variational quantum algorithms in quantum chemistry is slow convergence with large numbers of classical optimization parameters. In this work, we evaluate a quantum computational warm-start approach for potential energy surface calculations. Our approach, which is inspired by conventional computational methods, is evaluated using simulations of the variational quantum eigensolver. Significant speedup is demonstrated relative to calculations that rely on a Hartree-Fock initial state, both for ideal and sampled simulations. The general approach of transferring parameters between similar problems is promising for accelerating current and near-term quantum chemistry calculations on quantum hardware, and is likely applicable beyond the tested algorithm and use case

Inhibition of testosterone biosynthesis by ethanol: relation to the pregnenolone-to-testosterone pathway

AbstractThe concentrations of metabolites in the pregnenolone → testosterone pathway were determined in freezestopped testes in control rats and during ethanol intoxication (2 h after injection of 1.5 g ethanolkg body wt). Ethanol lowered the mean testicular concentrations of testosterone (by 63–74%), androstenedione (49–81%), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (60–76%), progesterone (29–67%) and pregnenolone (12–25%). 4-Methylpyrazole had no effect on the ethanol-induced changes. The present results reveal no inhibition at the 17-hydroxyprogesterone → androstenedione → testosterone steps, but do not exclude inhibition before the step yielding pregnenolone and at the pregnenolone → progesterone → 17-hydroxyprogesterone steps

Second-generation antipsychotic use during pregnancy and risk of congenital malformations

Purpose To study if second-generation antipsychotic (S-GA) use during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations (MCM). Methods A population-based birth cohort study using national register data extracted from the Drugs and Pregnancy database in Finland, years 1996-2017. The sampling frame included 1,273,987 pregnant women. We included singleton pregnancies ending in live or stillbirth or termination of pregnancy due to severe malformation. Pregnancies with exposure to known teratogens were excluded. Women were categorized into three groups: exposed to S-GAs (n = 3478), exposed to first-generation antipsychotics (F-GAs) (n = 1030), and unexposed (no purchases of S-GAs or F-GAs during pregnancy, n = 22,540). We excluded genetic conditions and compared the prevalence of MCMs in S-GA users to the two comparison groups using multiple logistic regression models. Results Use of S-GAs during early pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of overall MCMs compared to unexposed (adjusted odds ratio, OR 0.92; 95% CI 0.72-1.19) or to F-GA users (OR 0.82; 95% CI 0.56-1.20). Of individual S-GAs, olanzapine use was associated with an increased risk of overall MCMs (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.19-3.76), and specifically, an increased risk of musculoskeletal malformations (OR 3.71; 95% CI 1.35-10.1) when compared to unexposed, while comparisons to F-GA users did not show significant results. Conclusions Olanzapine use is associated with an increased risk of major congenital malformations and specifically, musculoskeletal malformations. Use during pregnancy should be restricted to situations where no safer alternatives exist.Peer reviewe

Genome-Wide Linkage Analysis of Human Auditory Cortical Activation Suggests Distinct Loci on Chromosomes 2, 3, and 8

Neural processes are explored through macroscopic neuroimaging and microscopic molecular measures, but the two levels remain primarily detached. The identification of direct links between the levels would facilitate use of imaging signals as probes of genetic function and, vice versa, access to molecular correlates of imaging measures. Neuroimaging patterns have been mapped for a few isolated genes, chosen based on their connection with a clinical disorder. Here we propose an approach that allows an unrestricted discovery of the genetic basis of a neuroimaging phenotype in the normal human brain. The essential components are a subject population that is composed of relatives and selection of a neuroimaging phenotype that is reproducible within an individual and similar between relatives but markedly variable across a population. Our present combined magnetoencephalography and genome-wide linkage study in 212 healthy siblings demonstrates that auditory cortical activation strength is highly heritable and, specifically in the right hemisphere, regulated oligogenically with linkages to chromosomes 2q37, 3p12, and 8q24. The identified regions delimit as candidate genes TRAPPC9, operating in neuronal differentiation, and ROBO1, regulating projections of thalamocortical axons. Identification of normal genetic variation underlying neurophysiological phenotypes offers a non-invasive platform for an in-depth, concerted capitalization of molecular and neuroimaging levels in exploring neural function.Peer reviewe