TAG: Learning Circuit Spatial Embedding From Layouts

Analog and mixed-signal (AMS) circuit designs still rely on human design expertise. Machine learning has been assisting circuit design automation by replacing human experience with artificial intelligence. This paper presents TAG, a new paradigm of learning the circuit representation from layouts leveraging text, self-attention and graph. The embedding network model learns spatial information without manual labeling. We introduce text embedding and a self-attention mechanism to AMS circuit learning. Experimental results demonstrate the ability to predict layout distances between instances with industrial FinFET technology benchmarks. The effectiveness of the circuit representation is verified by showing the transferability to three other learning tasks with limited data in the case studies: layout matching prediction, wirelength estimation, and net parasitic capacitance prediction.Comment: Accepted by ICCAD 202

Somatic mutations and progressive monosomy modify SAMD9-related phenotypes in humans

It is well established that somatic genomic changes can influence phenotypes in cancer, but the role of adaptive changes in developmental disorders is less well understood. Here we have used next-generation sequencing approaches to identify de novo heterozygous mutations in sterile α motif domain–containing protein 9 (SAMD9, located on chromosome 7q21.2) in 8 children with a multisystem disorder termed MIRAGE syndrome that is characterized by intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) with gonadal, adrenal, and bone marrow failure, predisposition to infections, and high mortality. These mutations result in gain of function of the growth repressor product SAMD9. Progressive loss of mutated SAMD9 through the development of monosomy 7 (–7), deletions of 7q (7q–), and secondary somatic loss-of-function (nonsense and frameshift) mutations in SAMD9 rescued the growth-restricting effects of mutant SAMD9 proteins in bone marrow and was associated with increased length of survival. However, 2 patients with –7 and 7q– developed myelodysplastic syndrome, most likely due to haploinsufficiency of related 7q21.2 genes. Taken together, these findings provide strong evidence that progressive somatic changes can occur in specific tissues and can subsequently modify disease phenotype and influence survival. Such tissue-specific adaptability may be a more common mechanism modifying the expression of human genetic conditions than is currently recognized

Strain modulation spectroscopy

The technique of resonant strain modulation has been applied for the first time to the modulation of optical transitions occurring between levels of the 4f shell of lanthanide ions. This allows changes in signal strength of typically 0.01% of the maximum spectral line height, which results from spectral line shifts smaller than 10-²/(kg/mm²), to be easily detected. After a full description the method is used to obtain the orbit lattice parameters dB₀²/dδ of Pr³⁺ in CaF₂ and SrF₂ hosts. On the assumption of a local cubic lattice these are found to be (-4.5 ± 1.5) x 10 cm and (-5.4 ± 1.0) x 10 cm respectively. The shifts of some optical transitions of CaF₂:Er³⁺are also presented. Application of the method to shifts of the vibronic sided bans of MeF₂:sm²⁺, polarisation studies of the no phonon f-d transitions of Sm²⁺, and to Er³⁺ and Sm²⁺ in different site symmetries, is also discussed