A Fully Differential Phase-Locked Loop With Reduced Loop Bandwidth Variation

Phase-Locked Loops (PLLs) are essential building blocks to wireless communications as they are responsible for implementing the frequency synthesizer within a wireless transceiver. In order to maintain the rapid pace of development thus far seen in wireless technology, the PLL must develop accordingly to meet the increasingly demanding requirements imposed on it by today's (and tomorrows) wireless devices. Specically this entails meeting stringent noise specications imposed by modern wireless standards, meeting low power consumption budgets to prolong battery lifetimes, operating under reduced supply voltages imposed by modern technology nodes and within the noisy environments of complex system-on-chip (SOC) designs, all in addition to consuming as little silicon area as possible. The ability of the PLL to achieve the above is thus key to its continual progress in enabling wireless technology achieve increasingly powerful products which increasingly benet our daily lives. This thesis furthers the development of PLLs with respect to meeting the challenges imposed upon it by modern wireless technology, in two ways. Firstly, the thesis describes in detail the advantages to be gained through employing a fully dierential PLL. Specically, such PLLs are shown to achieve low noise performance, consume less silicon area than their conventional counterparts whilst consuming similar power, and being better suited to the low supply voltages imposed by continual technology downsizing. Secondly, the thesis proposes a sub-banded VCO architecture which, in addition to satisfying simultaneous requirements for large tuning ranges and low phase noise, achieves signicant reductions in PLL loop bandwidth variation. First and foremost, this improves on the stability of the PLL in addition to improving its dynamic locking behaviour whilst oering further improvements in overall noise performance. Since the proposed sub-banded architecture requires no additional power over a conventional sub-banded architecture, the solution thus remains attractive to the realm of low power design. These two developments combine to form a fully dierential PLL with reduced loop bandwidth variation. As such, the resulting PLL is well suited to meeting the increasingly demanding requirements imposed on it by today's (and tomorrows) wireless devices, and thus applicable to the continual development of wireless technology in benetting our daily lives

Fast Digital Calibration of Static Phase Offset in Charge-Pump Phase-Locked Loops

Mismatches within the charge pump (CP) deteriorate the spectral perfor- mance of the CP-PLL output signal resulting in a static phase offset. Classical analog approaches to reducing this offset consume large silicon area and increase gate leak- age mismatch. For ultra-deep-submicron (UDSM) technologies where gate leakage in- creases dramatically, reduction of static phase offset through digital calibration becomes more favorable. This paper presents a novel technique which digitally calibrates static phase offset down to < 10 ps for a PLL operating at 4.8 GHz, designed using a 1V 90nm CMOS process. Calibration is completed in only 2 steps, making the proposed technique suitable for systems requiring frequent switching such as frequency hopping systems commonly used in today’s wireless communication systems

A 90nm, Low Power VCO with Reduced KVCO and Sub−band Spacing Variation

In this paper we present the design of a low power VCO with reduced variations in VCO gain (KVCO) and subband spacing resolution (fres). The proposed VCO is designed using a 90nm CMOS process to cover a tuning range of 23%. Variations in KVCO and fres are reduced by factors of 6 and 17 respectively over a conventional sub-banded VCO, designed using the same process, to meet the same tuning range. This makes the proposed VCO more suited to stable PLL operation with its reduced KVCO requirements resulting in an improvement in phase noise performance over the conventional VCO by 2 dB. Due to the reduced loading on the VCO tank achieved by the presented design, power consumption is kept extremely low at 850 μW from a 1 V suppl

An experimental assessment of channel selection in cognitive radio networks

The management of future networks is expected to fully exploit cognitive capabilities that embrace knowledge and intelligence, increasing the degree of automation, making the network more self-autonomous and enabling a personalized user experience. In this context, this paper presents the use of knowledge-based capabilities through a specific lab experiment focused on the Channel Selection functionality for Cognitive Radio Networks (CRN). The selection is based on a supervised classification that allows estimating the number of interfering sources existing in a given frequency channel. Four different classifiers are considered, namely decision tree, neural net-work, naive Bayes and Support Vector Machine (SVM). Additionally, a comparison against other channel selection strategies using Q-learning and game theory has also been performed. Results obtained in an illustrative and realistic test scenario have revealed that all the strategies allow identifying an optimum solution. However, the time to converge to this solution can be up to 27 times higher according to the algorithm selected.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Predicting the impact of scientific concepts using full‐text features

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134425/1/asi23612.pd

Case Reports1. A Late Presentation of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: Beware of TGFβ Receptor Mutations in Benign Joint Hypermobility

Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) and dissections are not uncommon causes of sudden death in young adults. Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare, recently described, autosomal dominant, connective tissue disease characterized by aggressive arterial aneurysms, resulting from mutations in the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) receptor genes TGFBR1 and TGFBR2. Mean age at death is 26.1 years, most often due to aortic dissection. We report an unusually late presentation of LDS, diagnosed following elective surgery in a female with a long history of joint hypermobility. Methods: A 51-year-old Caucasian lady complained of chest pain and headache following a dural leak from spinal anaesthesia for an elective ankle arthroscopy. CT scan and echocardiography demonstrated a dilated aortic root and significant aortic regurgitation. MRA demonstrated aortic tortuosity, an infrarenal aortic aneurysm and aneurysms in the left renal and right internal mammary arteries. She underwent aortic root repair and aortic valve replacement. She had a background of long-standing joint pains secondary to hypermobility, easy bruising, unusual fracture susceptibility and mild bronchiectasis. She had one healthy child age 32, after which she suffered a uterine prolapse. Examination revealed mild Marfanoid features. Uvula, skin and ophthalmological examination was normal. Results: Fibrillin-1 testing for Marfan syndrome (MFS) was negative. Detection of a c.1270G > C (p.Gly424Arg) TGFBR2 mutation confirmed the diagnosis of LDS. Losartan was started for vascular protection. Conclusions: LDS is a severe inherited vasculopathy that usually presents in childhood. It is characterized by aortic root dilatation and ascending aneurysms. There is a higher risk of aortic dissection compared with MFS. Clinical features overlap with MFS and Ehlers Danlos syndrome Type IV, but differentiating dysmorphogenic features include ocular hypertelorism, bifid uvula and cleft palate. Echocardiography and MRA or CT scanning from head to pelvis is recommended to establish the extent of vascular involvement. Management involves early surgical intervention, including early valve-sparing aortic root replacement, genetic counselling and close monitoring in pregnancy. Despite being caused by loss of function mutations in either TGFβ receptor, paradoxical activation of TGFβ signalling is seen, suggesting that TGFβ antagonism may confer disease modifying effects similar to those observed in MFS. TGFβ antagonism can be achieved with angiotensin antagonists, such as Losartan, which is able to delay aortic aneurysm development in preclinical models and in patients with MFS. Our case emphasizes the importance of timely recognition of vasculopathy syndromes in patients with hypermobility and the need for early surgical intervention. It also highlights their heterogeneity and the potential for late presentation. Disclosures: The authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Obesity in adults: a 2022 adapted clinical practice guideline for Ireland

This Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the management of obesity in adults in Ireland, adapted from the Canadian CPG, defines obesity as a complex chronic disease characterised by excess or dysfunctional adiposity that impairs health. The guideline reflects substantial advances in the understanding of the determinants, pathophysiology, assessment, and treatment of obesity. It shifts the focus of obesity management toward improving patient-centred health outcomes, functional outcomes, and social and economic participation, rather than weight loss alone. It gives recommendations for care that are underpinned by evidence-based principles of chronic disease management; validate patients' lived experiences; move beyond simplistic approaches of "eat less, move more" and address the root drivers of obesity. People living with obesity face substantial bias and stigma, which contribute to increased morbidity and mortality independent of body weight. Education is needed for all healthcare professionals in Ireland to address the gap in skills, increase knowledge of evidence-based practice, and eliminate bias and stigma in healthcare settings. We call for people living with obesity in Ireland to have access to evidence-informed care, including medical, medical nutrition therapy, physical activity and physical rehabilitation interventions, psychological interventions, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery. This can be best achieved by resourcing and fully implementing the Model of Care for the Management of Adult Overweight and Obesity. To address health inequalities, we also call for the inclusion of obesity in the Structured Chronic Disease Management Programme and for pharmacotherapy reimbursement, to ensure equal access to treatment based on health-need rather than ability to pay

User Friendly Edge Computing in FTI Networks

Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI) networks typically require low power, small form factor equipment which can capture and process data in rugged environments. Edge computing is a computing paradigm that brings data processing closer to the source of the data. In recent years, advances in low power processors and the proliferation of user friendly, single-board computers, has made edge computing more accessible and powerful. These advances can be leveraged and integrated into an FTI network to provide for flexible data processing, both reducing post processing requirements and providing services on the FTI network that were previously not feasible. In addition to this, standards like IRIG-106 Chapter 7 allow for more flexible transfer of native network traffic to the ground, allowing these edge computing devices to pass the processed data, transparently to the ground. This paper will address some of the approaches, showing how user-friendly data processing can be brought to the FTI network, within existing power, weight and size constraints.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit https://telemetry.org/contact-us/ if you have questions about items in this collection

Flexible Switching for Flight Test Networks

ITC/USA 2015 Conference Proceedings / The Fifty-First Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 26-29, 2015 / Bally's Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, NVThe network switch is a critical element in the flight test network. All devices in the network are configured, synchronised and managed via the switch. In addition to this all acquired data is routed through the switch. For these reasons, the flight test network switch has always needed to be rugged and reliable with high throughput and simple intuitive setup. Ethernet technology and the move towards open standards within FTI systems have enabled flight test networks to become increasingly flexible and heterogeneous. Modern FTI networks may have different synchronisation and data transmission protocols running simultaneously. It is also important to quickly switch network configurations for different flight profiles and to enable new features to be easily added to existing installations. This paper examines the increasing network interoperability and flexibility challenges and discusses how the network switch is best placed to provide solutions.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection