Circuit of time-domain quality factor measurement in 0.35μm CMOS process

Based on the time-domain quality factor (Q-factor) measurement principle, an architecture which not only achieves an accurate Q-factor at the specific frequency but also covers a range of frequencies without any loss in Q-factor measurement accuracy is proposed. Based on a reconfigurable structure, an improved peak detector compensation method is presented. To guide the design of such an architecture, a theoretical analysis for reaching the required accuracy and expanding the input frequency range has been first developed in this paper. Besides, the system power dissipation can be reduced by 7.5％ thanks to the improved digital control logic. In this paper, circuit is realized in a 0.35μm CMOS process for the first time. With the 5V supply voltage and 1MHz input frequency, the post-layout simulation result have demonstrated that an accuracy of the Q-factor measurement is within 0.2％. Furthermore, the input frequency range that can be measured by this circuit is extended from 100kHz to 1.5MHz with the same accuracy.     

Reference classes: a tool for benchmarking universities’ research

Based on new comparison principles that take into account both the volume of scientific production and its impact, this paper proposes a method for defining reference classes of universities. Several tools are developed in order to enable university managers to define the value system according to which their university shall be compared to others. We apply this methodology to French universities and illustrate it using the reference classes of the best ranked universities according to several value systems.     

Non-destructive examination of the bonding interface in DEMO divertor fingers

Plasma facing components (PFCs) with tungsten (W) armor materials for DEMO divertor require a high heat flux removal capability (at least 10 MW/m² in steady-state conditions). The reference divertor PFC concept is a finger with a tungsten tile as a protection and sacrificial layer brazed to a thimble made of tungsten alloy W – 1% La₂O₃ (WL10). Defects may be located at the W thimble to W tile interface. As the number of fingers is considerable (>250,000), it is then a major issue to develop a reliable control procedure in order to control with a non-destructive examination the fabrication processes. The feasibility for detecting defect with infrared thermography SATIR test bed is presented. SATIR is based on the heat transient method and is used as an inspection tool in order to assess component heat transfer capability. SATIR tests were performed on fingers integrating or not the complex He cooling system (steel cartridge with jet holes). Millimeter size artificial defects were manufactured and their detectability was evaluated. Results of this study demonstrate that the SATIR method can be considered as a relevant non-destructive technique examination for the defect detection of DEMO divertor fingers.     

A linear 60 GHz 65 nm-CMOS power amplifier realization and characterization for OFDM signal

A millimeter-wave Power Amplifier (PA) based on a 65nm CMOS technology from STMicroelectronics has been designed. The targeted feature is the unlicensed band around 60 GHz suitable for wireless personal area network application (WPAN). To optimize the linearity, the PA is designed under class A biasing to have an output compression point (OCP₁) close to its saturated Power (P _sat). S-parameters and large signal measurement results are demonstrated and compared with electromagnetic simulations. The PA offers a P _sat of 8.3 dBm, an OCP₁ of 6 dBm and a gain of 6.7 dB. The die area is 0.29 mm² with pads. Considering those results, one-tone simulations are not sufficient to characterize the linearity performances of the PA in its real conditions of use. Consequently, two-tone simulations are firstly performed. After, linearity figures of merit (FoM) are discussed applying an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulated signal. The PA offers an adjacent channel power ratio (ACPR) of 15 dB and an error vector magnitude (EVM) of 20% at PA compression operating mode.     

Analysis of the musculoskeletal system of the hand and forearm during a cylinder grasping task

Musculoskeletal disorders of the hand are mostly due to repeated or awkward manual tasks in the work environment and are considered a public health issue. To prevent their development, it is necessary to understand and investigate the biomechanical behavior of the musculoskeletal system during the movement. In this study a biomechanical analysis of the upper extremity during a cylinder grasping task is conducted by using a parameterized musculoskeletal model of the hand and forearm. The proposed model is composed of 21 segments, 28 musculotendon units, and 20 joints providing 24 degrees of freedom. Boundary conditions of the model are defined by the three-dimensional coordinates of 43 external markers fixed to bony landmarks of the hand and forearm and tracked with an optoelectronic motion capture system. External marker positions from five healthy participants were used to test the model. A task consisting of closing and opening fingers around a cylinder 25 mm in diameter was investigated. Based on experimental kinematic data, an inverse dynamics process was performed to calculate output data of the model (joint angles, musculotendon unit shortening and lengthening patterns). Finally, based on an optimization procedure, joint loads and musculotendon forces were computed in a forward dynamics simulation. Results of this study assessed reproducibility and consistency of the biomechanical behavior of the musculoskeletal hand system.     

A comparative study of hardware architectures for lightweight block ciphers

A hardware-based performance comparison of lightweight block ciphers is conducted in this paper. The DESL, DESXL, CURUPIRA-1, CURUPIRA-2, HIGHT, PUFFIN, PRESENT and XTEA block ciphers have been employed in this comparison. Our objective is to survey what ciphers are suitable for security in Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and other security applications with demanding area restrictions. A general architecture option has been followed for the implementation of all ciphers. Specifically, a loop architecture has been used, where one basic round is used iteratively. The basic performance metrics are the area, power consumption and hardware resource cost associated with the implementation resulting throughput of each cipher. The most compact cipher is the 80-bit PRESENT block cipher with a count of 1704 GEs and 206.4 Kbps, while the largest in area cipher is the CURUPIRA-1. The CURUPIRA-1 cipher consumes the highest power of 118.1 μW, while the PRESENT cipher consumes the lowest power of 20 μW. All measurements have been taken at a 100 kHz clock frequency.     

Motorcyclists’ speed and “looked-but-failed-to-see” accidents

Previous research on motorcycle crashes has shown the frequency and severity of accidents in which a non-priority road user failed to give way to an approaching motorcyclist without seeing him/her, even though the road user had looked in the approaching motorcycle's direction and the motorcycle was visible. These accidents are usually called “looked-but-failed-to-see” (LBFS) accidents. This article deals with the effects that the motorcyclist's speed has in these accidents. It is based on the in-depth study and precise kinematic reconstruction of 44 accident cases involving a motorcyclist and another road user, all occurring in intersections. The results show that, in urban environments, the initial speeds of motorcyclists involved in “looked-but-failed-to-see” accidents are significantly higher than in other accidents at intersections. In rural environments, the difference in speed between LBFS accidents and other accidents is not significant, but further investigations would be necessary to draw any conclusions. These results suggest that speed management, through road design or by other means, could contribute to preventing “looked-but-failed-to-see” motorcycle accidents, at least in urban environments.