Sound propagation through bone tissue

Effect of perforation on structure borne sound propagation through rigid porous materials has been investigated. Experimental works has been carried out on rigid porous materials with and without perforations. A low frequency vibration has been applied to excite the material structure by using a force transducer connected a shaker to detect the changes in resulting response. Applied vibration on sample surface causes structure borne sound wave to propagate through the material. The resulting response of this structural borne vibration is detected by using an accelerometer. The results with and without perforation of the sample have been compared. The results show that changing the structure of the material has an effect on the amplitude, shape and arrival time of the transmitted acoustic wave

Objective dysphonia quantification in vocal fold paralysis: comparing nonlinear with classical measures

Clinical acoustic voice recording analysis is usually performed using classical perturbation measures including jitter, shimmer and noise-to-harmonic ratios. However, restrictive mathematical limitations of these measures prevent analysis for severely dysphonic voices. Previous studies of alternative nonlinear random measures addressed wide varieties of vocal pathologies. Here, we analyze a single vocal pathology cohort, testing the performance of these alternative measures alongside classical measures.

We present voice analysis pre- and post-operatively in unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) patients and healthy controls, patients undergoing standard medialisation thyroplasty surgery, using jitter, shimmer and noise-to-harmonic ratio (NHR), and nonlinear recurrence period density entropy (RPDE), detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) and correlation dimension. Systematizing the preparative editing of the recordings, we found that the novel measures were more stable and hence reliable, than the classical measures, on healthy controls.

RPDE and jitter are sensitive to improvements pre- to post-operation. Shimmer, NHR and DFA showed no significant change (p > 0.05). All measures detect statistically significant and clinically important differences between controls and patients, both treated and untreated (p < 0.001, AUC > 0.7). Pre- to post-operation, GRBAS ratings show statistically significant and clinically important improvement in overall dysphonia grade (G) (AUC = 0.946, p < 0.001).

Re-calculating AUCs from other study data, we compare these results in terms of clinical importance. We conclude that, when preparative editing is systematized, nonlinear random measures may be useful UVFP treatment effectiveness monitoring tools, and there may be applications for other forms of dysphonia.
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Quantum theory for parametric interactions of light and hypersound

The problem of energy exchange between two electro-magnetic modes of different frequencies and an acoustic mode is formulated and solved. The results of the quantum mechanical analysis are also analyzed in classical terms and are found to be consistent with the theory for parametric interactions. Specific cases treated include: parametric amplification of light, stimulated Brillouin scattering, and frequency conversion

Modeling thin-film piezoelectric polymer ultrasonic sensors

This paper presents a model suitable to design and characterize broadband thin film sensors based on piezoelectric polymers. The aim is to describe adequately the sensor behavior, with a reasonable number of parameters and based on well-known physical equations. The mechanical variables are described by an acoustic transmission line. The electrical behavior is described by the quasi-static approximation, given the large difference between the velocities of propagation of the electrical and mechanical disturbances. The line parameters include the effects of the elastic and electrical properties of the material. The model was validated with measurements of a poly(vinylidene flouride) sensor designed for short-pulse detection. The model variables were calculated from the properties of the polymer at frequencies between 100 Hz and 30 MHz and at temperatures between 283 K and 313-K, a relevant range for applications in biology and medicine. The simulations agree very well with the experimental data, predicting satisfactorily the influence of temperature and the dielectric properties of the polymer on the behavior of the sensor. Conversely, the model allowed the calculation of the material dielectric properties from the measured response of the sensor, with good agreement with the published values.Fil: González, Martín Germán. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Sorichetti, Patricio Aníbal. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Física; ArgentinaFil: Cardozo Santiago, Gustavo David. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ingeniería. Departamento de Física; Argentin

Sound propagation through bone

Effect of perforation on structure borne sound propagation through rigid porous materials has been investigated. Experimental works has been carried out on rigid porous materials with and without perforations. A low frequency vibration has been applied to excite the material structure by using a force transducer connected a shaker to detect the changes in resulting response. Applied vibration on sample surface causes structure borne sound wave to propagate through the material. The resulting response of this structural borne vibration is detected by using an accelerometer. The results with and without perforation of the sample have been compared. The results show that changing the structure of the material has an effect on the amplitude, shape and arrival time of the transmitted acoustic wave

Emerging technologies for the non-invasive characterization of physical-mechanical properties of tablets

The density, porosity, breaking force, viscoelastic properties, and the presence or absence of any structural defects or irregularities are important physical-mechanical quality attributes of popular solid dosage forms like tablets. The irregularities associated with these attributes may influence the drug product functionality. Thus, an accurate and efficient characterization of these properties is critical for successful development and manufacturing of a robust tablets. These properties are mainly analyzed and monitored with traditional pharmacopeial and non-pharmacopeial methods. Such methods are associated with several challenges such as lack of spatial resolution, efficiency, or sample-sparing attributes. Recent advances in technology, design, instrumentation, and software have led to the emergence of newer techniques for non-invasive characterization of physical-mechanical properties of tablets. These techniques include near infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray microtomography, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging, terahertz pulsed imaging, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, and various acoustic- and thermal-based techniques. Such state-of-the-art techniques are currently applied at various stages of development and manufacturing of tablets at industrial scale. Each technique has specific advantages or challenges with respect to operational efficiency and cost, compared to traditional analytical methods. Currently, most of these techniques are used as secondary analytical tools to support the traditional methods in characterizing or monitoring tablet quality attributes. Therefore, further development in the instrumentation and software, and studies on the applications are necessary for their adoption in routine analysis and monitoring of tablet physical-mechanical properties

Applications of MST radars: Meteorological applications

Applications of mesosphere stratosphere troposphere radar to mesoscale meteorology are discussed. The applications include using the radar either as a research tool to improve our understanding of certain dynamical systems or as part of a network used to provide input data for weather forecasting. The workhorse of the operational observing network is the radiosonde balloon which provides measurements of pressure, temperature, humidity, and winds up to heights of 16 to 20 km. Horizontal and vertical measurement capabilities, reflectivity data, derivable quantities and parameters, and special operational requirements are surveyed

Using Acoustic Holography for Vibration Analysis

Disertační práce se zabývá bezkontaktní analýzou vibrací pomocí metod akustické holografie v blízkém poli. Akustická holografie v blízkém poli je experimentální metoda, která rekonstruuje akustické pole v těsné blízkosti povrchu vibrujícího předmětu na základě měření akustického tlaku nebo akustické rychlosti v určité vzdálenosti od zkoumaného předmětu. Konkrétní realizace této metody závisí na použitém výpočetním algoritmu. Vlastní práce je zaměřena zejména na rozbor algoritmů, které využívají k rekonstrukci zvukového pole v blízkosti vibrujícího objektu transformaci do domény vlnových čísel (prostorová transformace), kde probíhá vlastní výpočet. V úvodu práce je vysvětlena základní teorie metody akustické holografie v blízkém poli s popisem základních vlastností a dále rozborem konkrétních nejčastěji používaných algoritmům pro lokalizaci a charakterizaci zdroje zvuku a pro následnou vibrační analýzu. Stěžejní část práce se věnuje pokročilým metodám zpracování, které se snaží určitým způsobem optimalizovat přesnost predice zvukového pole v blízkosti vibrujícího předmětu v reálných podmínkách. Jde zejména o problematiku použitého měřicího systému s akustickými snímači, které nejsou ideální, a dále o možnost měření v prostorách s difúzním charakterem zvukového pole. Pro tento případ byla na základě literárního průzkumu optimalizována a ověřena metoda využívající dvouvrstvé mikrofonní pole, které umožňuje oddělení zvukových polí přicházejících z různých stran a tedy úspěšné měření v uzavřených prostorách např. kabin automobilů a letadel. Součástí práce byla také optimalizace, rozšíření a následné ověření algoritmů publikovaných v posledních letech pro měření v reálných podmínkách za použití běžně dostupných akustických snímačů.The main aim of the thesis is application of near-field acoustic holography for non-contact vibration analysis. Near-field acoustic holography is an experimental technique for reconstruction of sound field close to the surface of the vibrating object based on measurement of sound pressure or acoustic particle velocity in certain distance from the examined object. Practical realization of this method depends on used calculation procedure. The thesis is focused on analysis of acoustic holography algorithms with transformation into wavenumber domain (spatial transformation) where the reconstruction of the sound field near vibrating object is calculated. The introductory part of the thesis describes the theory of near-field acoustic holography with general characteristics and with analysis of most common algorithms used for localization and characterization of sound source and consequent vibration analysis. Principal part of the thesis deals with advanced processing methods where these methods try to optimize the accuracy of prediction of sound field near vibrating object in real environment. In this study, real measurement conditions represent the measurement system with non-ideal acoustic sensors and also areas with reverberant sound field. Based on literature study, there has been optimized and verified the new method which uses double layer microphone array to separate incoming and outgoing sound field, thus allows successful measurement in confined space e.g. cabins of cars and airplanes. Part of the thesis has been also focused on optimization, extension and successive experimental validation of selected classical algorithms published in last decade for possible measurement in real conditions and with common acoustic sensors.

The application of acoustic emission technique to fatigue crack measurement

The applicability of acoustic emission technique to measure fatigue cracks in aluminum alloy specimens was investigated. There are several variables, such as the metallurgical and the physical treatment of the specimen, that can affect the level of acoustic activity of a fatigue specimen. It is therefore recommended that the acoustic emission technique be supplemented by other nondestructive evaluation methods to obtain quantitative data on crack growth

Time dependent seafloor acoustic backscatter (10-100kHz)

A time-dependent model of the acoustic intensity backscattered by the seafloor is described and compared with data from a calibrated, vertically oriented, echo-sounder operating at 33 and 93 kHz. The model incorporates the characteristics of the echo-sounder and transmitted pulse, and the water column spreading and absorption losses. Scattering from the water–sediment interface is predicted using Helmholtz–Kirchhoff theory, parametrized by the mean grain size, the coherent reflection coefficient, and the strength and exponent of a power-law roughness spectrum. The composite roughness approach of Jackson et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 79, 1410–1422 (1986)], modified for the finite duration of the transmitted signal, is used to predict backscatter from subbottom inhomogeneities. It depends on the sediment’s volume scattering and attenuation coefficients, as well as the interface characteristics governing sound transmission into the sediment. Estimation of model parameters (mean grain size, roughness spectrum strength and exponent, volume scattering coefficient) reveals ambiguous ranges for the two spectral components. Analyses of model outputs and of physical measurements reported in the literature yield practical constraints on roughness spectrum parameter settings appropriate for echo-envelope-based sediment classification procedures