Ultrasound frame rate requirements for cardiac elastography: experimental and in vivo results

Cardiac elastography using radiofrequency echo signals can provide improved 2D strain information compared to B-mode image data, provided data are acquired at sufficient frame rates. In this paper, we evaluate ultrasound frame rate requirements for unbiased and robust estimation of tissue displacements and strain. Both tissue-mimicking phantoms under cyclic compressions at rates that mimic the contractions of the heart and in vivo results are presented. Sinusoidal compressions were applied to the phantom at frequencies ranging from 0.5 to 3.5 cycles/sec, with a maximum deformation of 5% of the phantom height. Local displacements and strains were estimated using both a two-step one-dimensional and hybrid two-dimensional cross-correlation method. Accuracy and repeatability of local strains were assessed as a function of the ultrasound frame rate based on signal-to-noise ratio values.The maximum signal-to-noise ratio obtained in a uniformly elastic phantom is 20 dB for both a 1.26 Hz and a 2 Hz compression frequency when the radiofrequency echo acquisition is at least 12 Hz and 20 Hz respectively. However, for compression frequencies of 2.8 Hz and 4 Hz the maximum signal-to-noise ratio obtained is around 16 dB even for a 40 Hz frame rate. Our results indicate that unbiased estimation of displacements and strain require ultrasound frame rates greater than ten times the compression frequency, although a frame rate of about two times the compression frequency is sufficient to estimate the compression frequency imparted to the tissue-mimicking phantom. In vivo results derived from short-axis views of the heart acquired from normal human volunteers also demonstrate this frame rate requirement for elastography.     

Apparent mass of the human body in the vertical direction: Inter-subject variability

The biodynamic responses of the seated human body to whole-body vibration vary considerably between people, but the reasons for the variability are not well understood. This study was designed to determine how the physical characteristics of people affect their apparent mass and whether inter-subject variability is influenced by the magnitude of vibration and the support of a seat backrest. The vertical apparent masses of 80 seated adults (41 males and 39 females aged 18-65) were measured at frequencies between 0.6 and 20 Hz with four backrest conditions (no backrest, upright rigid backrest, reclined rigid backrest, reclined foam backrest) and with three magnitudes of random vibration (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 m s^-2 rms). Relationships between subject physical characteristics (age, gender, weight, and anthropometry) and subject apparent mass were investigated with multiple regression models. The strongest predictor of the modulus of the vertical apparent mass at 0.6 Hz, at resonance, and at 12 Hz was body weight, with other factors having only a marginal effect. After correction for other variables, the principal resonance frequency was most consistently associated with age and body mass index. As age increased from 18 to 65 years, the resonance frequency increased by up to 1.7 Hz, and when the body mass index was increased from 18 to 34 kg m⁻² the resonance frequency decreased by up to 1.7 Hz. These changes were greater than the 0.9-Hz increase in resonance frequency between sitting without a backrest and sitting with a reclined rigid backrest, and greater than the 1.0-Hz reduction in resonance frequency when the magnitude of vibration increased from 0.5 to 1.5 m s⁻² rms. It is concluded that the effects of age, body mass index, posture, vibration magnitude, and weight should be taken into account when defining the vertical apparent mass of the seated human body.     

Experimental identification of pedestrian-induced lateral forces on footbridges

This paper presents a comprehensive experimental analysis of lateral forces generated by single pedestrians during continuous walking on a treadmill. Two different conditions are investigated; initially the treadmill is fixed and then it is laterally driven in a sinusoidal motion at varying combinations of frequencies (0.33-1.07 Hz) and amplitudes (4.5-48 mm). The experimental campaign involved 71 male and female human adults and covered approximately 55 km of walking distributed between 4954 individual tests. When walking on a laterally moving surface, motion-induced forces develop at the frequency of the movement and are herewith quantified through equivalent velocity and acceleration proportional coefficients. Their dependency on the vibration frequency and amplitude is presented, both in terms of mean values and probabilistically to illustrate the randomness associated with intra- and inter-subject variability. It is shown that the motion-induced portion of the pedestrian load (on average) inputs energy into the structure in the frequency range (normalised by the mean walking frequency) between approximately 0.6 and 1.2. Furthermore, it is shown that the load component in phase with the acceleration of the treadmill depends on the frequency of the movement, such that pedestrians (on average) subtract from the overall modal mass for low frequency motion and add to the overall modal mass at higher frequencies.     

Effect of frequency, magnitude and direction of translational and rotational oscillation on the postural stability of standing people

Oscillatory motions can cause injury in transport when standing passengers or crew lose balance and fall. To predict the loss of balance of standing people, a model is required of the relationship between the input motion and the stability of the human body. This experimental study investigated the effect of frequency, magnitude and direction of oscillation on the postural stability of standing subjects and whether response to rotational oscillation can be predicted from knowledge of response to translational oscillation.Twelve male subjects stood on a floor that oscillated in either horizontal (fore-and-aft or lateral) or rotational (pitch or roll) directions. The oscillations were one-third octave bands of random motion centred on five preferred octave centre frequencies (0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 Hz). The horizontal motions were presented at each of four velocities (0.04, 0.062, 0.099, and 0.16 ms⁻¹ rms) and the rotational motions were presented at each of four rotational angles (0.73, 1.46, 2.92, and 5.85° rms) corresponding to four accelerations (0.125, 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 ms⁻² rms), where the acceleration is that caused by rotation through the gravitational vector. Postural stability was determined by subjective methods and by measuring the displacement of the centre of pressure at the feet during horizontal oscillation.During horizontal oscillation, increases in motion magnitude increased instability and, with the same velocity at all frequencies from 0.125 to 2.0 Hz, most instability occurred in the region of 0.5 Hz. Fore-and-aft oscillation produced more instability than lateral oscillation, although displacements of the centre of pressure were similar in both directions. With the same angular displacement at all frequencies from 0.125 to 2.0 Hz, pitch oscillation caused more instability than roll oscillation, but in both directions instability increased with increased frequency of oscillation. Frequency weightings for acceleration in the plane of the floor during translational and rotational excitation show the significance of low-frequency translational oscillation and high-frequency rotational motion, and show that it is necessary to know whether the measured acceleration is caused by translation or rotation through gravity.     

Dependence of the power losses of a non-oriented 3% Si-steel on frequency and gauge

The power losses of a non-oriented 3% Si-steel rolled to gauges between 0.05 and 2 mm and heat-treated thereafter have been measured under sinusoidal polarizations at frequencies between 15 Hz and 10 kHz. The losses were analysed using a loss separation model based on statistical theory. For the thick samples the skin effect caused the model to fail above a certain frequency, while for the very thin samples the model seems to describe the losses well at all frequencies studied.     

A maze structure for sound attenuation

Sonic crystals are periodic arrangement of scatterers made of material with low acoustic impedance or sound hard materials [1]. Sonic crystals have numerous applications such as green belts and sound barriers. Here we showed that a typical maze structure at children playground can attenuate noise effectively for frequencies ranging from 12.5 Hz to 20,000 Hz. The original designer for the maze structure probably does not have that in mind. The maze structure can be viewed as a sonic crystal structure with sound attenuation characteristics. We found that the maze was able to attenuate noise up to 17.9 dBA for frequency range below 1000 Hz and 23 dBA for higher frequency range up to 20,000 Hz. The maze structure was able to mitigate noise at a wide range of frequencies in addition to the center frequency (f_c$f_c$) of 478 Hz which was estimated based on the Bragg’s Law. The periodic effects of the maze was also proven by numerical studies. Our results demonstrated that the maze structure commonly found in children playgrounds was able to attenuate noise covering the whole human hearing range.     

A Fabry-Perót type resonator tunable below 2 GHz for use in time domain rotational spectroscopy: Application to the measurement of the radio frequency spectra of bromobenzene and iodobenzene

Two aluminum mirrors with radii of 203.2 mm and radii of curvature also of 203.2 mm have been used to construct a tunable Fabry-Perót type resonator with Q values of ∼200 at frequencies as low as 500 MHz. The resonator has been incorporated into a pulsed nozzle, Fourier transform, Balle-Flygare spectrometer typically used for recording pure rotational spectra in the microwave region. The resonator design allows the instrument to access the radio frequency region (?3 GHz) of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrometer is of use in (i) recording low J transitions of large asymmetric molecules where the spectra are often greatly simplified compared to higher frequency regions; (ii) measuring hyperfine constants for heavy molecules with higher accuracy than may be obtained at higher frequencies where hyperfine structure may not be resolvable; and (iii) provides further synchronicity between laboratory based measurements and radio astronomy in the 30 cm region. The resonators use is illustrated by recording the rotational spectra of bromobenzene and iodobenzene. The lowest ΔJ = +1 transition for iodobenzene has been observed at 1130.5292(10) MHz.     

Suitability of laser Doppler velocimetry for the calibration of pressure microphones

The details of a new approach for absolute calibration of microphones, based on the direct measurement of acoustic particle velocity using laser Doppler velocimetry (LDV), are presented and discussed. The calibration technique is carried out inside a tube in which plane waves propagate and closed by a rigid termination. The method developed proposes to estimate the acoustic pressure with two velocity measurements and a physical model. Minimum theoretical uncertainties on the estimated pressure and minimum measurable pressure are calculated from the Cramer Rao bounds on the estimated acoustic velocity amplitude and phase. These uncertainties and the minimum measurable pressure help to optimize the experimental set up. Acoustic pressure estimations performed with LDV are compared with acoustic pressures obtained with a reference microphone. Measurements lead to a minimum bias of 0.006 dB and a minimum uncertainty of 0.013 dB on the acoustic pressure estimation for frequencies 1360 Hz and 680 Hz.     

Guided ultrasonic waves for non-destructive monitoring of the stress levels in prestressed steel strands

The safety of prestressed civil structures such as bridges, dams, nuclear power plants, etc. directly involves the security of both environment and users. Health monitoring of the tensioning components, such as strands, tendons, bars, anchorage bolts, etc. is an important research topic and a challenging task bringing together the non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and civil engineering communities. This paper deals with a guided ultrasonic wave procedure for monitoring the stress levels in seven-wire steel strands (15.7 mm in diameter). The mechanical and geometrical characteristics of the prestressed strands were taken into account for optimizing the measurement configuration and then the choice of the guided ultrasonic mode at a suitable frequency. Simplified acoustoelastic formulations were derived from the acoustoelasticity theory according to either calibration test or in situ measurement. The results from acoustoelastic measurements on the seven-wire steel strands are presented and discussed in the case of calibration tests and industrially prestressed strands. They show the potential and the suitability of the proposed guided wave method for evaluating the stress levels in the tested seven-wire steel strands.     

The vibration discomfort of standing persons: 0.5-16-Hz fore-and-aft, lateral, and vertical vibration

To minimise the discomfort of standing people caused by vibration of a floor, it is necessary to know how their sensitivity to vibration depends on the frequency of the vibration. This study was designed to determine how the discomfort of standing people exposed to horizontal and vertical vibration depends on vibration frequency over the range 0.5-16 Hz. Using the method of magnitude estimation, sixteen subjects judged the discomfort caused by fore-and-aft, lateral, and vertical sinusoidal vibration at each of the sixteen preferred one-third octave centre frequencies from 0.5 to 16 Hz at each of nine magnitudes. Subjects also reported the main cause of their discomfort. Equivalent comfort contours were constructed, reflecting the effect of frequency on subject sensitivity to vibration acceleration. With horizontal vibration, at frequencies between 0.5 and 3.15 Hz the discomfort was similar when the vibration velocity was similar, whereas at frequencies between 3.15 and 16 Hz the discomfort was similar when the vibration acceleration was similar. At frequencies less than 3.15 Hz, the subjects experienced problems with their stability, whereas at higher frequencies vibration discomfort was mostly experienced from sensations in the legs and feet. With vertical vibration, discomfort was felt in the lower-body and upper-body at all frequencies. The frequency weightings in current standards for predicting the vibration discomfort of standing persons have been greatly influenced by the findings of studies with seated subjects: the weightings are consistent with the experimentally determined frequency-dependence of discomfort caused by vertical vibration but inconsistent with the experimentally determined frequency-dependence of discomfort caused by horizontal vibration. The results suggest that the responses of seated and standing people are similar for vertical vibration, but differ for horizontal vibration, partly due to greater instability in standing persons.     

Magnitude-dependence of equivalent comfort contours for fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical whole-body vibration

It is currently assumed that the same frequency weightings, derived from studies of vibration discomfort, can be used to evaluate the severity of vibration at all vibration magnitudes from the threshold of vibration perception to the vibration magnitudes associated with risks to health. This experimental study determined equivalent comfort contours for the whole-body vibration of seated subjects over the frequency range 2-315 Hz in each of the three orthogonal axes (fore-and-aft, lateral and vertical). The contours were determined at vibration magnitudes from the threshold of perception to levels associated with severe discomfort and risks to health.At frequencies greater than 10 Hz, thresholds for the perception of vertical vibration were lower than thresholds for fore-and-aft and lateral vibration. At frequencies less than 4 Hz, thresholds for vertical vibration were higher than thresholds for fore-and-aft and lateral vibration. The rate of growth of sensation with increasing vibration magnitude was highly dependent on the frequency and axis of vibration. Consequently, the shapes of the equivalent comfort contours depended on vibration magnitude. At medium and high vibration magnitudes, the equivalent comfort contours were reasonably consistent with the frequency weightings for vibration discomfort in current standards (i.e. W_b and W_d). At low vibration magnitudes, the contours indicate that relative to lower frequencies the standards underestimate sensitivity at frequencies greater than about 30 Hz. The results imply that no single linear frequency weighting can provide accurate predictions of discomfort caused by a wide range of magnitudes of whole-body vibration.     

Low frequency sound insulation using stiffness control with honeycomb panels

A new honeycomb core design has been used to increase the stiffness of the panel and applied to improve the noise transmission loss at frequencies between 100 and 200 Hz. A model is presented to predict the transmission loss of the honeycomb panels based on the structural modal parameters. A new test specimen with fiber reinforced plastic cores and face sheets had been used to investigate the effect of stiffness and damping on noise transmission loss. The measurements of noise transmission loss have been compared with data for common structural panels. The results show that the new core fabrication techniques using moulding to improve the noise transmission are effective. In comparison to a cement panel of the same mass, the honeycomb panels have higher TL at low frequencies between 100 and 200 Hz due to higher stiffness and damping. The honeycomb panels have more significant vibration responses above 500 Hz but these are limited by damping.     

Reverberation time measurements in non-diffuse acoustic field by the modal reverberation time

The increasing presence of low frequency sources and the lack of acoustic standard measurement procedures make the extension of reverberation time measurements to frequencies below 100 Hz necessary. In typical ordinary rooms with volumes between 30 m³ and 200 m³ the sound field is non-diffuse at such low frequencies, entailing inhomogeneities in space and frequency domains. Presence of standing waves is also the main cause of bad quality of listening in terms of clarity and rumble effects. Since standard measurements according to ISO 3382 fail to achieve accurate and precise values in third octave bands due to non-linear decays caused by room modes, a new approach based on reverberation time measurements of single resonant frequencies (the modal reverberation time) has been introduced. From background theory, due to the intrinsic relation between modal decays and half bandwidth of resonant frequencies, two measurement methods have been proposed together with proper measurement procedures: a direct method based on interrupted source signal method, and an indirect method based on half bandwidth measurements. With microphones placed at corners of rectangular rooms in order to detect all modes and maximize SNRs, different source signals were tested. Anti-resonant sine waves and sweep signal turned out to be the most suitable for direct and indirect measurement methods respectively. From spatial measurements in an empty rectangular test room, comparison between direct and indirect methods showed good and significant agreements. This is the first experimental validation of the relation between resonant half bandwidth and modal reverberation time. Furthermore, comparisons between means and standard deviations of modal reverberation times and standard reverberation times in third octave bands confirm the inadequacy of standard procedure to get accurate and precise values at low frequencies with respect to the modal approach. Modal reverberation time measurements applied to furnished ordinary rooms confirm previous results in the limit of modal sound field: for highly damped modes due to furniture or acoustic treatment, the indirect method is not applicable due to strong suppression of modes and the consequent deviation of the acoustic field from a non-diffuse condition to a damped modal condition, while standard reverberation times align with direct method values. In the future, further investigations will be necessary in different rooms to improve uncertainty evaluation.     

3D high-resolution acoustic imaging of the sub-seabed

Chirp sub-bottom profilers are marine acoustic devices that use a known and repeatable frequency-modulated source signature to produce vertical seismic reflection cross-sections of the sub-seabed. Here a 3D Chirp system is described that operates in the frequency range of 1.5-13 kHz, to produce a three-dimensional image of the sub-seabed, with typical penetration of 10-30 m and decimetric horizontal and vertical resolution. The system design incorporates a rigid frame that contains the Chirp source array together with 60 receiver elements, with positioning provided by an integrated real-time-kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS). The system can be surface towed from a small survey vessel and can be applied to targets of marine geological, engineering, archaeological and defence interest. Data acquisition and processing are described for a case study which images a buried engineering structure in the Port of Southampton.     

Three-dimensional high-resolution acoustic imaging of the sub-seabed

Chirp sub-bottom profilers are marine acoustic devices that use a known and repeatable frequency-modulated source signature to produce vertical seismic reflection cross-sections of the sub-seabed. Here a 3D Chirp system is described that operates in the frequency range of 1.5-13 kHz, to produce a three-dimensional image of the sub-seabed, with typical penetration of 10-30 m and decimetric horizontal and vertical resolution. The system design incorporates a rigid frame that contains the Chirp source array together with 60 receiver elements, with positioning provided by an integrated real-time-kinematic (RTK) global positioning system (GPS). The system can be surface towed from a small survey vessel and can be applied to targets of marine geological, engineering, archaeological and defence interest. Data acquisition and processing are described for a case study which images a buried engineering structure in the Port of Southampton.     

Study on fast linear scanning for a new laser scanner

In the field of lidar system design, there is a need for laser scanners that offer fast linear scanning, are small size and have small a rotational inertia moment. Currently, laser scanners do not meet the above needs. A new laser scanner based on two amplified piezoelectric actuators is designed in this paper. The laser scanner has small size, high mechanical resonance frequencies and a small rotational inertia moment. The size of the mirror is 20 mm×15 mm. To achieve fast linear scanning performance, an open-loop controller is designed to compensate the hysteresis behavior and to restrain oscillations that are caused by the mechanical resonances of the scanner's mechanical structure. By comparing measured scanning waveforms, nonlinearities and scan line images between the uncontrolled and controlled scanner, it was found that the scanning linearity of linear scanning was improved The open-loop controlled laser scanner realizes linear scanning at 250 Hz with optical scan angle of ±12 mrad.     

LES-FEM coupled analysis and experimental research on aerodynamic noise of the vehicle intake system

To thoroughly explore the aerodynamic noise in order to achieve a more efficient engineering application for a vehicle intake system, the large eddy simulation and the finite element method were employed in numerical simulations, and the aeroacoustic characteristics were validated through the experimental data. In this research, the k-ε model was adopted to simulate the steady state fluid dynamic, and the static pressure loss was consistent with the bench test data, indicating the computational fluid dynamics model was valid. After acquiring the data from the steady state simulation, the fluctuating pressure of the inner wall was calculated based on the transient state calculation results from the large eddy simulation. Thereafter, the finite element method was used to determine the acoustic performance of the intake system. By comparing the experiment data, the noise reduction indicated that the intake system performed well at various frequencies, e.g. 320 Hz, 520 Hz and 770 Hz, but poorly at 140 Hz, 210 Hz, 420 Hz and 600 Hz. Finally, the far-field aerodynamic noise was calculated based on FW-H equation, and the output showed that the noise of each measuring point agreed well with the test results in trend. In particular, the inlet sound pressure spectrum almost fit the test data with the airflow of 300 m³/h, and several amplitude peaks appeared at 210 Hz, 420 Hz and 600 Hz, corresponding to the low-attenuation region of the noise reduction curve. Moreover, the specific frequencies were not shifted with the airflow changing. In conclusion, the numerical simulation method proves to be effective in calculating the aerodynamic noise accurately.     

Experimental passive self-tuning behavior of a beam resonator with sliding proof mass

A passively self-tuning resonator configuration is presented in this study. Three different prototype beam–mass systems were built and tested and all successfully displayed passive self-tuning behavior when driven by vibrations at frequencies ranging from 45 to 140 Hz and accelerations ranging from 0.007 to 2g. All three systems were able to achieve tuning within their operating regime when driven at a single frequency, as well as maintain a tuned condition as frequency was stepped up or down, demonstrating a bandwidth between 6 and 40 Hz. One application of such a passively self-tuning system is in vibration energy harvesting, where it is critical for performance that the harvester device resonance frequency matches the input vibration frequency, yet the input frequency may change over time and is not known a priori. The self-tuning resonator demonstrated in this paper can enable the energy harvesting system to adjust to the varying input frequencies and thereby increase the energy harvested over time.     

A study of the spectral characteristics of traffic noise attenuation by vegetation belts in Delhi

Traffic noise attenuation at different 1/3-octave frequencies is measured at three vegetation sites and a control site in Delhi, the capital city of India. The study indicates that attenuation generally increases with frequency. At low frequencies, maxima (between 10 and 16 dB) in relative attenuation are observed in the frequency interval between 315 and 400 Hz. Comparatively greater relative attenuation (>20 dB) is observed in the high frequency range between 10 and 12.5 kHz. A significantly higher relative attenuation of more than 24 dB is observed characteristically at 3.15 kHz at all the vegetation sites. The results indicate that vegetation belts could be used as effective barriers for traffic noise control along the roadsides.     

Effect of pulse frequency on the microstructure, phase composition and corrosion performance of a phosphate-based plasma electrolytic oxidation coated AM50 magnesium alloy

An AM50 magnesium alloy was plasma electrolytic oxidation treated using a pulsed DC power supply at three different pulse frequencies viz., 10 Hz, 100 Hz and 1000 Hz with a constant pulse ratio for 15 min in an alkaline phosphate electrolyte. The resultant coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy for their phase composition and microstructural features. The 10 Hz condition yielded relatively thick and rough coatings, which was attributed to the higher energy input per individual pulse during the PEO processing. The phase composition was also found to be influenced by the processing frequency. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies performed in 0.1 M NaCl solutions revealed that the coatings produced at 10 Hz condition had a better corrosion resistance, which was attributed to the higher thickness, more compact microstructural features and a relatively stable phase composition.