Modeling the influence of mineral content and porosity on ultrasound parameters in bone by using synthetic phantoms

Model composite media − 10×15×80 mm³ bone tissue phantoms based on an epoxy resin with fillers—were made to study the influence of porosity and mineral content on ultrasound velocity and attenuation. The pores were simulated by ∼ 1 mm³ particles of a soft rubber, while the mineral content was imitated by a mineral residue of natural bone obtained by burning and grinding. The porosity and mineral content were varied in the range of 0–70% by volume with a step of 10%. The velocity, attenuation, and prevalent frequency of ultrasound were measured by the pulse transition method, using transducers with nominal frequencies 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 MHz. It was experimentally found that the ultrasound velocity decreased nearly exponentially with growth in porosity, while the velocity dispersion was negligible at frequencies >0.2 MHz; the ultrasound attenuation increased linearly with growth in porosity and strongly depended on the frequency; the velocity increased nonlinearly with growth in mineral content above 40%; the attenuation did not exhibit a distinct dependence on the mineral content; the porosity provoked a shift in the prevalent frequency of transducers, tending to the common value of 0.2 MHz, while the mineral content did not excite similar changes. The complex measurement of velocity, frequency-dependent attenvation, and prevenlent frequency of ultrasound is proposed in ultrasonic diagnostics of bone for more precise determination of the influence of the porosity and the degree of mineralization on the bone condition.     

Modeling the influence of mineral content and porosity on ultrasound parameters in bone by using synthetic phantoms

Model composite media – 10×15×80 mm³ bone tissue phantoms based on an epoxy resin with fillers—were made to study the influence of porosity and mineral content on ultrasound velocity and attenuation. The pores were simulated by 1 mm³ particles of a soft rubber, while the mineral content was imitated by a mineral residue of natural bone obtained by burning and grinding. The porosity and mineral content were varied in the range of 0–70% by volume with a step of 10%. The velocity, attenuation, and prevalent frequency of ultrasound were measured by the pulse transition method, using transducers with nominal frequencies 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 MHz. It was experimentally found that the ultrasound velocity decreased nearly exponentially with growth in porosity, while the velocity dispersion was negligible at frequencies >0.2 MHz; the ultrasound attenuation increased linearly with growth in porosity and strongly depended on the frequency; the velocity increased nonlinearly with growth in mineral content above 40%; the attenuation did not exhibit a distinct dependence on the mineral content; the porosity provoked a shift in the prevalent frequency of transducers, tending to the common value of 0.2 MHz, while the mineral content did not excite similar changes. The complex measurement of velocity, frequency-dependent attenvation, and prevenlent frequency of ultrasound is proposed in ultrasonic diagnostics of bone for more precise determination of the influence of the porosity and the degree of mineralization on the bone condition.Published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 211–220, March–April, 1999.     

A general class of fuzzy operators,the demorgan class of fuzzy operators and fuzziness measures induced by fuzzy operators

In this paper we examine operators which can be derived from the general solution of functional equations on associativity. We define the characteristics of those functions f(x) which are necessary for the production of operators. We shall show, that with the help of the negation operator for every such function f(x) a function g(x) can be given, from which a disjunctive operator can be derived, and for the three operators the DeMorgan identity is fulfilled. For the fulfillment of the DeMorgan identity the necessary and sufficient conditions are given.We shall also show that an f_λ(x) can be constructed for every f(x), so that for the derived k_λ(x,y) and d_λ(x,y) lim_λ→∞k_λ(x,y) and lim_λ→∞d_λ(x,y) = max(x,y).As Yager's operator is not reducible, for every λ there exists an α, for which, in case x < α and y<α, k_λ(x,y) = 0.We shall give an f(x) which has the characteristics of Yager's operator, and which is strictly monotone.Finally we shall show, that with the help of all those f(x), which are necessary when constructing a k(x,y), an F(x) can be constructed which has the properties of the measures of fuzziness introduced by A. De Luca and S. Termini. Some classical fuzziness measures are obtained as special cases of our system.     

New approach to control and filtering of mechanical systems by using the estimates of their Lagrangians

When a mechanical system is defined by its Lagrangian, some control problems can be solved by using directly the latter, instead of the dynamical equations themselves; this is based upon the property that the dynamics is continuous with respect to the Lagrangian. After stating the main lemma which supports the approach, we consider applications to active mechanical systems, that is to say, with time-varying structural parameters, to tracking control via external applied forces, and to state estimation problems for which we propose a new variational principle.This research was supported by the National Research Council of Canada.