A Novel ADC Architecture for Digital Voltage Regulator Module Controllers

The design and implementation of a novel ADC architecture called ring-ADC for digital voltage regulator module controllers are presented. Based on the principle of voltage-controlled oscillators＇ transform from voltage to frequency,the A/D conversion of ring-ADC achieves good linearity and precise calibration against process variations compared with the delay-line ADC. A differential pulse counting discriminator also helps decrease the power consumption of the ring-ADC. It is fabricated with a Chartered 0.35μm CMOS process, and the measurement results of the integral and differential nonlinearity performance are 0.92LSB and 1.2LSB respectively. The maximum gain error measured in ten sample chips is ± 3.85%. With sampling rate of 500kHz and when the voltage regulator module （VRM） works in steady state, the ring-ADC＇s average power consumption is 2.56mW. The ring-ADC is verified to meet the requirements for digital VRM controller application.

IC Implementation of a Programmable CMOS Voltage Reference

A new approach for the design and implementation of a programmable voltage reference based on an improved current mode bandgap voltage reference is presented. The circuit is simulated and fabricated with Chartered 0. 35μm mixed-signal technology. Measurements demonstrate that the temperature coefficient is ± 36. 3ppm/℃ from 0 to 100℃ when the VID inputs are 11110.As the supply voltage is varied from 2.7 to 5V, the voltage reference varies by about 5mV. The maximum glitch of the transient response is about 20mV at 125kHz. Depending on the state of the five VID inputs,an output voltage between 1.1 and 1.85V is programmed in increments of 25mV.

Cystic fibrosis associated liver disease in children

Cystic fibrosis(CF)is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator gene.CF liver disease develops in 5%-10%of patients with CF and is the third leading cause of death among patients with CF after pulmonary disease or lung transplant complications.We review the pathogenesis,clinical presentations,complications,diagnostic evaluation,effect of medical therapies especially CF transmembrane conductance regulator modulators and liver transplantation in CF associated liver disease.

Lumacaftor/ivacaftor therapy is associated with reduced hepatic steatosis in cystic fibrosis patients

BACKGROUND Hepatic steatosis is a common form of cystic fibrosis associated liver disease(CFLD)seen in an estimated 15%-60%of patients with cystic fibrosis(CF).The pathophysiology and health implications of hepatic steatosis in cystic fibrosis remain largely unknown.In the general population,hepatic steatosis is strongly associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.Cystic fibrosis related diabetes(CFRD)impacts 40%-50%of CF adults and is characterized by both insulin insufficiency and insulin resistance.We hypothesized that patients with CFRD would have higher levels of hepatic steatosis than cystic fibrosis patients without diabetes.AIM To determine whether CFRD is associated with hepatic steatosis and to explore the impact of lumacaftor/ivacaftor therapy on hepatic steatosis in CF.METHODS Thirty patients with CF were recruited from a tertiary care medical center for this cross-sectional study.Only pancreatic insufficient patients with CFRD or normal glucose tolerance(NGT)were included.Patients with established CFLD,end stage lung disease,or persistently elevated liver enzymes were excluded.Mean magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)proton density fat fraction(PDFF)was obtained for all participants.Clinical characteristics[age,sex,body mass index,percent predicted forced expiratory volume at 1 s(FEV1),lumacaftor/ivacaftor use]and blood chemistries were assessed for possible association with hepatic steatosis.Hepatic steatosis was defined as a mean MRI PDFF>5%.Patients were grouped by diabetes status(CFRD,NGT)and cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator(CFTR)modulator use(lumacaftor/ivacaftor,no lumacaftor/ivacaftor)to determine between group differences.Continuous variables were analyzed with a Wilcoxon rank sum test and discrete variables with a Chi square test or Fisher’s exact test.RESULTS Twenty subjects were included in the final analysis.The median age was 22.3 years(11.3-39.0)and median FEV1 was 77%(33%-105%).Twelve subjects had CFRD and 8 had NGT.Nine subjects were receiving lumacaftor/ivacaftor.The median PDFF was 3.0%(0.0%-21.0%).Six subjects(30%)had hepatic steatosis defined as PDFF>5%.Hepatic fat fraction was significantly lower in patients receiving lumacaftor/ivacaftor(median,range)(2.0%,0.0%-6.4%)than in patients not receiving lumacaftor/ivacaftor(4.1%,2.7-21.0%),P=0.002.Though patients with CFRD had lower PDFF(2.2%,0.0%-14.5%)than patients with NGT(4.9%,2.4-21.0%)this did not reach statistical significance,P=0.06.No other clinical characteristic was strongly associated with hepatic steatosis.CONCLUSION Use of the CFTR modulator lumacaftor/ivacaftor was associated with significantly lower hepatic steatosis.No association between CFRD and hepatic steatosis was found in this cohort.

Combination Approach of FEM and Circuit System in IR Drop Analysis and Its Applications

A method was developed to solve the combined system of the current field and the circuit. The ＂super-node＂ was used to transform the matrix for conventional nodal analyses of a circuit system from non-positive definite to positive definite. Then, a positive definite matrix for the overall system was obtained by combining the matrix from the circuit nodal analysis method and the matrix resulted from finite element method （FEM） formulation to solve the FEM fields. This approach has been successfully applied to simulate the electrical potential and current distributions on each metal layer of printed circuit boards （PCBs） and integrated circuit （IC） packages for a given power supply. The simulation results can then be used to analyze the properties of the PCBs and IC packages such as the port resistances and IR drops. The results can also be used to optimize PCB and IC package designs, such as by adjusting the power/ground distribution networks.