Browsing by Author "Liu, Xiao"

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    ATPG and DFT Algorithms for Delay Fault Testing
    Liu, Xiao (Virginia Tech, 2004-06-10)
    With ever shrinking geometries, growing metal density and increasing clock rate on chips, delay testing is becoming a necessity in industry to maintain test quality for speed-related failures. The purpose of delay testing is to verify that the circuit operates correctly at the rated speed. However, functional tests for delay defects are usually unacceptable for large scale designs due to the prohibitive cost of functional test patterns and the difficulty in achieving very high fault coverage. Scan-based delay testing, which could ensure a high delay fault coverage at reasonable development cost, provides a good alternative to the at-speed functional test. This dissertation addresses several key challenges in scan-based delay testing and develops efficient Automatic Test Pattern Generation (ATPG) and Design-for-testability (DFT) algorithms for delay testing. In the dissertation, two algorithms are first proposed for computing and applying transition test patterns using stuck-at test vectors, thus avoiding the need for a transition fault test generator. The experimental results show that we can improve both test data volume and test application time by 46.5% over a commercial transition ATPG tool. Secondly, we propose a hybrid scan-based delay testing technique for compact and high fault coverage test set, which combines the advantages of both the skewed-load and broadside test application methods. On an average, about 4.5% improvement in fault coverage is obtained by the hybrid approach over the broad-side approach, with very little hardware overhead. Thirdly, we propose and develop a constrained ATPG algorithm for scan-based delay testing, which addresses the overtesting problem due to the possible detection of functionally untestable faults in scan-based testing. The experimental results show that our method efficiently generates a test set for functionally testable transition faults and reduces the yield loss due to overtesting of functionally untestable transition faults. Finally, a new approach on identifying functionally untestable transition faults in non-scan sequential circuits is presented. We formulate a new dominance relationship for transition faults and use it to help identify more untestable transition faults on top of a fault-independent method based on static implications. The experimental results for ISCAS89 sequential benchmark circuits show that our approach can identify many more functionally untestable transition faults than previously reported.
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    Macrophage Activation in the Dorsal Root Ganglion in Rats Developing Autotomy after Peripheral Nerve Injury
    Xu, Xiang; Zhou, Xijie; Du, Jian; Liu, Xiao; Qing, Liming; Johnson, Blake N.; Jia, Xiaofeng (MDPI, 2021-11-26)
    Autotomy, self-mutilation of a denervated limb, is common in animals after peripheral nerve injury (PNI) and is a reliable proxy for neuropathic pain in humans. Understanding the occurrence and treatment of autotomy remains challenging. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of autotomy in nude and Wistar rats and evaluate the differences in macrophage activation and fiber sensitization contributing to the understanding of autotomy behavior. Autotomy in nude and Wistar rats was observed and evaluated 6 and 12 weeks after sciatic nerve repair surgery. The numbers of macrophages and the types of neurons in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) between the two groups were compared by immunofluorescence studies. Immunostaining of T cells in the DRG was also assessed. Nude rats engaged in autotomy with less frequency than Wistar rats. Autotomy symptoms were also relatively less severe in nude rats. Immunofluorescence studies revealed increased macrophage accumulation and activation in the DRG of Wistar rats. The percentage of NF200+ neurons was higher at 6 and 12 weeks in Wistar rats compared to nude rats, but the percentage of CGRP+ neurons did not differ between two groups. Additionally, macrophages were concentrated around NF200-labeled A fibers. At 6 and 12 weeks following PNI, CD4+ T cells were not found in the DRG of the two groups. The accumulation and activation of macrophages in the DRG may account for the increased frequency and severity of autotomy in Wistar rats. Our results also suggest that A fiber neurons in the DRG play an important role in autotomy.