Sub-Micron CMOS Characterisation for Single Chip Wireless Applications

This paper describes a multifunctional, electronically reconfigurable, small/large signal load pull measurement system and its integrated use with BSIM 3v3 for modelling of sub-micron CMOS transistors and sub-circuits. This turnkey measurement system can be electronically configured from a battery of instruments in order to characterise minimum noise, optimum power, intermodulation, dc and S-parameters, together with harmonic response and dynamic load line information under both source and load pull conditions. The instrumentation provides validation data against the BSIM physical model simulator. Hence, for the first time measurement of all of the significant devices parameters can be made for the device operated under all possible primary modes for model validation so that optimal circuit design can be carried out in a holistic fashion

Colloquium: Mechanical formalisms for tissue dynamics

The understanding of morphogenesis in living organisms has been renewed by tremendous progressin experimental techniques that provide access to cell-scale, quantitative information both on theshapes of cells within tissues and on the genes being expressed. This information suggests that ourunderstanding of the respective contributions of gene expression and mechanics, and of their crucialentanglement, will soon leap forward. Biomechanics increasingly benefits from models, which assistthe design and interpretation of experiments, point out the main ingredients and assumptions, andultimately lead to predictions. The newly accessible local information thus calls for a reflectionon how to select suitable classes of mechanical models. We review both mechanical ingredientssuggested by the current knowledge of tissue behaviour, and modelling methods that can helpgenerate a rheological diagram or a constitutive equation. We distinguish cell scale ("intra-cell")and tissue scale ("inter-cell") contributions. We recall the mathematical framework developpedfor continuum materials and explain how to transform a constitutive equation into a set of partialdifferential equations amenable to numerical resolution. We show that when plastic behaviour isrelevant, the dissipation function formalism appears appropriate to generate constitutive equations;its variational nature facilitates numerical implementation, and we discuss adaptations needed in thecase of large deformations. The present article gathers theoretical methods that can readily enhancethe significance of the data to be extracted from recent or future high throughput biomechanicalexperiments.Comment: 33 pages, 20 figures. This version (26 Sept. 2015) contains a few corrections to the published version, all in Appendix D.2 devoted to large deformation

Active Brownian Particles. From Individual to Collective Stochastic Dynamics

We review theoretical models of individual motility as well as collective dynamics and pattern formation of active particles. We focus on simple models of active dynamics with a particular emphasis on nonlinear and stochastic dynamics of such self-propelled entities in the framework of statistical mechanics. Examples of such active units in complex physico-chemical and biological systems are chemically powered nano-rods, localized patterns in reaction-diffusion system, motile cells or macroscopic animals. Based on the description of individual motion of point-like active particles by stochastic differential equations, we discuss different velocity-dependent friction functions, the impact of various types of fluctuations and calculate characteristic observables such as stationary velocity distributions or diffusion coefficients. Finally, we consider not only the free and confined individual active dynamics but also different types of interaction between active particles. The resulting collective dynamical behavior of large assemblies and aggregates of active units is discussed and an overview over some recent results on spatiotemporal pattern formation in such systems is given.Comment: 161 pages, Review, Eur Phys J Special-Topics, accepte

End-of-life care for hospitalized patients with lung cancer: utilization of a palliative care service.

PURPOSE: High symptom burden and hospital mortality among patients with lung cancer argues for early palliative care intervention. Patient characteristics and discharge dispositions in hospitalized patients with lung cancer receiving usual care were compared to those referred to a new palliative care service. METHODS: A retrospective database review of all lung cancer discharges receiving usual care (UC) and palliative care service (PCS) consultation was conducted. Demographics, length of stay, discharge disposition, and mortality were described and compared. Palliative Performance Scale scores were described according to discharge disposition in the PCS group. Disposition of all patients receiving either chemotherapy or surgery was also noted. RESULTS: A total of 1476 hospital discharges with a diagnosis of lung cancer occurred between March 15, 2006 and June 30, 2009. Among all discharges, 9% received chemotherapy and 29% had surgery. The PCS was consulted for 8% of all lung cancer patients most commonly to address end-of-life-issues. PCS patients were more likely to be at the end-of-life than UC patients as evidenced by higher hospital mortality (31% versus 7%), higher intensive care (ICU) mortality (67% versus 16%) and more frequent discharge to hospice (41% versus 7%). PCS patients were hospitalized a median of 6 days before a referral was made. Hospitalization was significantly longer for PCS patients (M = 16.3 days, p \u3c 0.001) than UC patients (M = 8.3 days). CONCLUSIONS: In the first 3 years of a new palliative care initiative consults for lung cancer patients occurred late in the hospital stay or when death was imminent

A fully integrated multi-band MIMO WLAN transceiver RFIC

A multiple input multiple output transceiver compliant with IEEE 802.11a/b/g and Japan wireless LAN standards is presented. The transceiver has two complete radio paths integrated on the same chip. When two chips are used in tandem to form a four path composite beam forming system, 15dB of link margin improvement is obtained. The transceiver was implemented in a 47GHz SiGe technology and consumes 195mA in RX mode and 240mA in TX mode from a 2.75V supply

A fully integrated multiband MIMO WLAN transceiver RFIC

A multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) transceiver RFIC compliant with IEEE 802.11a/b/g and Japan wireless LAN (WLAN) standards is presented. The transceiver has two complete radio paths integrated on the same chip. When two chips are used in tandem to form a four-path composite beam forming (CBF) system, 15 dB of link margin improvement is obtained. The transceiver was implemented in a 47-GHz SiGe technology with 29.1-mm2 die size. It consumes 195 mA in RX mode and 240 mA in TX mode from a 2.75-V supply