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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / A five microsecond, 15 joule, pulsed C0₂ Laser was used to irradiate polished 2024 aluminum targets. The target voltage response (TVR) was measured with respect to the incident laser radiation and showed a pulse width on the order of 30 nanoseconds. The voltage was measured at values from 22 to 140 volts with resistances varying from one ohm to two mega-ohms. The TVR was correlated to the emission and blow-off of electrons from the target surface and the possible ignition of a Laser Supported Detonation wave. The TVR, laser pulse, and flash associated with target surface breakdown were time correlated and shown to happen within the first 170 nanoseconds of the five microsecond laser pulse. Currents up to 500 amps were observed when the resistance to ground was reduced to less than 1 ohm. Also, the magnitude of the TVR was shown to be a function of background gas pressure. / http://archive.org/details/targetvoltageres00hark / Lieutenant, United States Navy

The purpose of this study had been to design and test a corona column and an insulating gas distribution system for a small tandem Van de Graaff. The intent of this paper is to describe the gas handling system and to compare experimentally the effects of corona electrode shape on the corona current carried between adjacent sections of the column.

The <i>spin</i> of an electron has for long excited researchers both with respect to its fundamental physics and technological applications. Consequently, the traditional field driven switching of ferromagnets gave way for more scalable current driven switching based on the well-known spin transfer torque phenomenon. However, in the quest for better energy-efficiency, the manipulation of electron spin through pure voltage driven or voltage-assisted mechanisms are being intensely explored. In this research, we demonstrate that the very physics and the characteristics of such voltage driven devices enable interesting possibilities with respect to memory, neuromorphic and logic applications. We rely on the recent experimental demonstrations of two novel voltage effects on nano-magnets - the voltage controlled magnetic anisotropy (VCMA) and the pure voltage driven magneto-electric (ME) effect. Specifically, we propose in-situ, in-memory, vector logic operations by exploiting the voltage asymmetry and precessional switching dynamics of the VCMA effect to construct 'stateful' logic gates. Stateful logic are those in which the same device acts as a storage element and compute engine, simultaneously. In addition, we show that the pure voltage driven mono-domain switching and domain-wall motion of nano-magnets through the ME effect can be leveraged to construct neuro-mimetic devices exhibiting leaky-integrate-fire dynamics of biological neurons and as well as non-volatile synaptic elements. Further, we propose a voltage driven logic-device using the ME switching and demonstrate that the proposed logic-device can be used to construct a complete cascadable logic family including XNOR, IMP (implication), NAND and NOR gates. Additionally, we present an energy and area efficient content addressable memory using a logic compatible ME-XNOR device. The presented research shows that voltage driven switching can augment the very functionality and widen the application scope of spin based devices and circuits.

CMOS technology scaling has enabled dramatic improvement for digital circuits both in terms of speed and power efficiency. However, most traditional analog-to-digital converter (ADC) architectures are challenged by ever-decreasing supply voltage. The improvement in time resolution enabled by increased digital speeds drives design towards time-domain architectures such as voltage-controlled-oscillator (VCO) based ADCs. The main challenge in VCO-based ADC design is mitigating the nonlinearity of VCO Voltage-to-frequency (V-to-f) characteristics. Achieving signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance better than 40dB requires some form of calibration, which can be realized by analog or digital techniques, or some combination. This dissertation proposes a highly digital, reconfigurable VCO-based ADC with lookup-table (LUT) based background calibration based on "split ADC" architecture. Each of the two split channels, ADC "A" and "B", contains two VCOs in a differential configuration. This helps alleviate even-order distortions as well as increase the dynamic range. A digital controller on chip can reconfigure the ADCs' sampling rates and resolutions to adapt to various application scenarios. Different types of input signals can be used to train the ADC’s LUT parameters through the simple, anti-aliasing continuous-time input to achieve target resolution. The chip is fabricated in a 180 nm CMOS process, and the active area of analog and digital circuits is 0.09 and 0.16mm^2, respectively. Power consumption of the core ADC function is 25 mW. Measured results for this prototype design with 12-b resolution show ENOB improves from uncorrected 5-b to 11.5-b with calibration time within 200 ms (780K conversions at 5 MSps sample rate).

This thesis reviews in general the topic of electromagnetic compatibility, and electromagnetic interference and their origin and effects in modern electronically controlled motor drives. The measurement techniques for EMI noise are reviewed. The sources of noise of a switching power circuit are described. This thesis investigates the establishment of a procedure for measuring conducted emission produced by motor drives, using a virtual instrument. This procedure is based on the traditional methodology of EMI measurement and the use of simulation techniques. A test bench is designed. The thesis covers the detailed design of a virtual instrument for measuring conducted current produced by motor drives. A line impedance stabilisation network LISN is designed and built. A series of measurements were carried out using the developed instrument. The results show very little difference between the conducted emission produced by induction, permanent magnet and reluctance motor drives. Comparing one of the experimental results with published results from a major test laboratory assesses the validity of the designed instrument. The experimental results refer to drive systems under no load conditions. Useful conclusions are drawn and future research studies recommended. / Master of Engineering (Hons)

This dissertation investigates the constraints which arise when switched-capacitor (SC) delta-sigma modulators are designed for low-voltage operation, targeting also low power dissipation, and proposes methods of improving the performance and optimizing for low power dissipation. This is accomplished by identifying critical elements whose performance can lead to increased power dissipation, as well as the fundamental limitations of available analog circuit techniques. A prototype was designed and fabricated, which reflected these findings, and therefore exhibited good performance and nearly optimum power dissipation. One of the key performance parameters is the dc gain of the amplifier in the first stage; it should be high. This is necessary for high linearity and low quantization noise leakage. In low-voltage operation, it may become impractical to use conventional topologies employing cascoding techniques (e.g., folded-cascode) which provide high gain in one single stage. Rather, cascaded structures have to be used. The disadvantage of the latter is the necessity for frequency compensation which results in increased power dissipation. Hence, another objective of this work is to exploit techniques which compensate for the open-loop gain characteristic of the amplifier (dc gain and nonlinearity), thus permitting the utilization of single-stage low-gain topologies. Predictive correlated double sampling is one of such techniques and is analyzed in detail. / Graduation date: 1998

by C.G. Aurell. / "June 27, 1947." / Bibliography: p. 20. / Army Signal Corps Contract No. W-36-039 sc-32037

Mammalian odorant receptors (ORs) are Class I G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) located within the nasal epithelium. Odorant receptors interact with Galpha olfactory, a Galpha S type G-protein. Activated Galpha olfactory stimulates adenylate cyclase and the resulting increase in cAMP concentration opens cyclic nucleotide gated channels allowing Ca2+ to enter the cell. The increased Ca2+ then activates a Ca2+ activated Cl- channel which further depolarizes the cell. This depolarization initiates an action potential that reaches the axon of the olfactory sensory neuron located in the main olfactory bulb. Information from the main olfactory bulb is then transmitted to higher regions of the brain. Olfactory information is initially coded through the interaction of odorant molecules with hundreds of distinct ORs, but difficulty in exogenous expression of odorant receptors has delayed the identification of ligands for individual ORs. However, expression of mouse odorant receptors in Xenopus laevis oocytes allows for a systematic screening for potential ligands, as well as for efficient study of the structure-function relationship of the receptors and their ligands. My screening of odorant receptors using Xenopus oocytes included the coexpression of a signal transduction system and the use of robotic two-electrode voltage clamp electrophysiology. In this study, I investigated the structural basis for ligand recognition in mouse odorant receptors. First, I expanded the molecular receptor ranges of seven Class I odorant receptors. By use of a high throughput assay, I was able to expand upon current knowledge in the field for the mouse odorant receptors 23-1, 31-4, 32-11, 40-4, 42-1, 42-2 and 42-3. I then examined one receptor (MOR23-1) in more detail. I used the substituted cysteine accessibility method to identify residues within transmembrane domain five of this receptor that are accessible from the extracellular space. These residues may line the ligand binding site or the ligand access pathway. Conventional mutations of A205 caused little alteration in the molecular receptive range of the receptor, suggesting that this residue may not play a significant role in ligand interaction within the binding pocket. Mutagenesis of G111, a residue within transmembrane domain three caused significant shifts in the molecular receptive range of the receptor, but the location of this residue within the binding pocket could not be confirmed by the substituted cysteine method. Previous reports had suggested significant similarity between the molecular receptive ranges of the seven mouse odorant receptors that I used in my research. By expanding upon the known aliphatic ligands for each receptor identified new ligands for each receptor, I was able to show that the molecular receptive ranges of these receptors are in fact distinct. The experimental identification of residues located within the binding pocket on transmembrane five of mouse odorant receptor 23-1 provides an improved understanding of ligand recognition by this receptor class and will aid in better computer modeling of these receptors. This increased accuracy of the computer models of these basic Class I GPCRs may aid in future drug discoveries. Since GPCRs constitute a significant fraction of current drug targets, understanding the mechanism of ligand interactions with mouse odorant receptors may aid in the development of more efficacious compounds in the treatment of many common ailments.

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: Biome, pulse oximeter, wearable sensors, telemedicine. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-119 ).