Program load adaptive voltage generator for flash memories

This paper describes a program load voltage generator for flash memories. It is based on an adaptive feedback loop which senses the current delivered to the memory cells during programming and adjusts the output voltage accordingly to compensate for the voltage drop caused by the programming current across the bit-line select transistors. The proposed circuit (silicon area=0.065 mm²) was integrated in a 0.8-μm CMOS 4 Mb flash memory device (0.6 μm in the matrix). Experimental evaluations showed that very effective compensation is achieved, with bit-line voltage kept at the desired value during the whole programming operation. A spread as small as 70 mV was measured between the single-bit and 16-b programming cases     

Frequent detection of human herpesvirus-6 sequences by polymerase chain reaction in paraffin-embedded lymph nodes from patients with angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy and angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy-like lymphoma

In search of a possible involvement of viral agents in angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinaemia (AILD) and AILD-like lymphoma (AILD-L), we studied the presence of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) in the lymph node biopsies of 12 cases by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Given the rarity of this lymphoproliferative disorder, we investigated archival specimens, consisting of formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues, obtained from patients with a clinical and histologic diagnosis of AILD and AILD-L. HHV-6 sequences were detected in the lymph node biopsies of 7 out of the 12 AILD and AILD-L cases examined. HHV-6 sequences were identified also in the involved liver and spleen tissues of one patient and in the PBMCs of two patients, all carrying viral sequences in the affected lymph nodes. We also used PCR to characterize the HHV-6 genomes, showing that two different viral strains are represented in the pathologic tissues. This study provides evidence of the presence of HHV-6 specific sequences in an unexpectedly high proportion of our series of AILD and AILD-L cases, suggesting a possible involvement of this lymphotropic virus in the pathogenesis of at least some cases of the disease.     

Design and Characterization of Myristoylated and Non-Myristoylated Peptides Effective against Candida spp. Clinical Isolates

The increasing resistance of fungi to antibiotics is a severe challenge in public health, and newly effective drugs are required. Promising potential medications are lipopeptides, linear antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) conjugated to a lipid tail, usually at the N-terminus. In this paper, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo antifungal activity of three short myristoylated and non-myristoylated peptides derived from a mutant of the AMP Chionodracine. We determined their interaction with anionic and zwitterionic membrane-mimicking vesicles and their structure during this interaction. We then investigated their cytotoxic and hemolytic activity against mammalian cells. Lipidated peptides showed a broad spectrum of activity against a relevant panel of pathogen fungi belonging to Candida spp., including the multidrug-resistant C. auris. The antifungal activity was also observed vs. biofilms of C. albicans, C. tropicalis, and C. auris. Finally, a pilot efficacy study was conducted on the in vivo model consisting of Galleria mellonella larvae. Treatment with the most-promising myristoylated peptide was effective in counteracting the infection from C. auris and C. albicans and the death of the larvae. Therefore, this myristoylated peptide is a potential candidate to develop antifungal agents against human fungal pathogens.     

High-Selectivity Switched-Capacitor Bandpass Filter with Quasi-Continuous Quality Factor Tunability

This paper describes the design and implementation of a second-order switched-capacitor (SC) bandpass (BP) filter with very wide quality factor (Q) programmability range. The filter selectivity is digitally programmed by varying the effective sampling frequency of an SC branch, without modifying any capacitor value. The proposed approach allows a quasi-continuous Q-factor tunability avoiding, in principle, the inherent quantization error associated to any traditional programming technique. Automatic Q-factor tuning is performed by using a scheme based on an amplitude-locking loop approach. Experimental results obtained from a 0.8-m CMOS integrated prototype demonstrate the versatility of the proposed technique for high-Q SC BP filters.     

Series/Parallel Time-Multiplexed Switched-Capacitor Filters with Programmability Based on Non-Uniform Sampling

This paper presents an improved scheme for programmable time-multiplexed (TM) switched-capacitor (SC) filters. The proposed approach uses a novel sampling technique, which eliminates the need for resolution/area tradeoffs. The programmability of each processing channel is based on the use of non-uniform clock signals with noise-shaped sampling energy. No capacitor values are modified for programming frequency response parameters and, hence, the performance of the TM SC filter is not sacrificed for programmability. Such a sampling technique not only leads to an accurate frequency response control, but also allows the design procedures and the resulting SC circuit implementation to be simplified. A test-chip including a programmable second-order TM SC filter with a multiplexing order of four, which operates in series or in parallel mode, was fabricated in conventional CMOS technology. Measurement results demonstrate the effectiveness and versatility of the proposed technique.     

Enhancement of interconnected power system stability using a control strategy involving static phase shifters

The static phase shifting transformer is one of the potential options of the recently proposed FACTS (flexible AC transmission systems). Promising results have been obtained for enhancing the small-disturbance and the transient stability of interconnected power systems.

In this paper, the important concept of involving in the same control strategy both generating units and static phase shifters has been considered. A systematic procedure for designing co-ordinated and decentralized controllers of these components is provided to assure a satisfactory dynamic performance of an interconnected power system under both small and large perturbations. The approach uses optimal control theory as a basis for the co-ordination of static phase shifter and governor controllers. A suboptimal decentralized control scheme is derived from the designed optimal controller by using a ‘minimum norm’ nearness criterion. The resulting feedback control signals for each generating unit and for each phase shifter is expressed in terms of measurable and local variables only.

Test results show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy and the usefulness of control actions on static phase shifters.     

Common-Mode Response Overlapping vs. Shaping in Rail-to-Rail Op-Amp Input Stages

In this paper, a circuit technique—common-mode (CM) response overlapping—for maintaining the small-signal behavior of rail-to-rail amplifiers nearly constant over the whole input CM range, is introduced. This technique modifies the CM response of the rail-to-rail input stage adequately by means of two constant input floating voltage sources, which are adjusted by using a static tuning section. Its performance is compared with a second technique—CM response shaping—, which is also based on two variable input floating voltage sources, but relies on a dynamic feedback tuning loop. Experimental results obtained from two 3-V 0.8-m CMOS single-stage rail-to-rail amplifiers, which operate with CM response overlapping and shaping, respectively, are provided.     

New minimal-realisation algorithm from system Markov parameters

A method is given to determine a minimal realisation of a finite-dimensional linear time-invariant system from a finite set of Markov parameters (time moments). The novel feature of this approach is the direct determination of the roots of the minimal polynomial.