Comparison of scanning schemes for opto-acoustic diagnostics of turbid media

This paper is devoted to the numerical simulation of the applicability of electronically scanning quasiresonant ultrasonic receivers, similar to those used in the ultrasonic studies, for noninvasive opto-acoustic diagnostics of turbid media under conditions of limited access of the medium surface. An advantage of such receivers is their ability to acquire a two-dimensional opto-acoustic image of the internal structure of the studied object in the case of its limited accessibility without the necessity of moving macroscopically the acoustic sensor itself. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 349–358, April 2008.     

Noninvasive treatment efficacy monitoring and dose control for high-intensity focused ultrasound therapy using relative electrical impedance variation

As an effective therapeutic modality, high-intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU) can destroy tumour tissues by thermocoagulation with less metastasis, but it is still limited by inaccurate non-invasive temperature monitoring and efficacy evaluation. A model of electrical impedance measurement during HIFU therapy was established using the temperatureimpedance relationship. Based on the simulations of acoustic pressure, temperature, and electrical conductivity, the impedance of the phantom was calculated and experimentally demonstrated for different values of acoustic power values and treatment time. We proved that the relative impedance variation(RIV) increases linearly with the increasing treatment time at a fixed acoustic power, and the relative impedance variation rate shows a linear relationship with the acoustic power.The RIV and treatment time required for HIFU treatment efficacy are inversely proportional to the acoustic power and the square of acoustic power, respectively. The favourable results suggest that RIV can be used as an efficient indicator for noninvasive temperature monitoring and efficacy evaluation and may provide new strategy for accurate dose control of HIFU therapy.     

利用PVDF传感器检测激光超声的实验研究

简要介绍了激光超声技术以及声表面波的基本特点、激光超声产生和接收的基本原理及激光超声技术的应用。概述了聚偏二氟乙烯（PVDF）压电薄膜材料的结构、性质和应用，以及薄膜压电性产生的机理。对PVDF换能器的设计思路和实验方法进行了简单讨论。具体实验采用脉冲激光器激发声表面波，利用PVDF传感器接收实验信号，调试实验信号，得出波形，并对实验现象作出初步分析。证实了该实验装置应用于激光超声无损检测的可行性与可靠性。     

水中物体的光学三维形貌测量的研究

提出了一种对水中物体进行光学投影式表面三维形貌测量的新方法。通常的测量方法都是假设摄像机和被测物体都处于空气中,测量水中物体时,由于光在空气、水分界面上发生折射,投射到被测表面的光条纹图像发生扭曲,从而给三角测量法带来误差。新方法可以精确测量出水中被测物表面的三维坐标并计算出物体的几何尺寸,实验验证了该方法的有效性。考虑折射后,该测量类似于在空气环境中的测量。采用的极线约束及亚像素技术,提高了测量精度和速度。     

Effect of ultrasound on the structural characteristics and oxidative stability of walnut oil oleogel coated with soy protein isolate-phosphatidylserine

In this study, the three-dimensional network system formed by rice bran wax (RBW) was used as the internal structure, and the external structure formed by soybean protein isolate (SPI) and phosphatidylserine (PS) was added on the basis of the internal structure to prepare walnut oil oleogel (SPI-PS-WOG). Ultrasonic treatment was applied to the mixed solution to make SPI-PS-WOG, on the basis, the effects of ultrasonic treatment on SPI-PS-WOG were investigated. The results showed that both β and β’ crystalline forms were present in all SPI-PS-WOG samples. When the ultrasonic power was 450 W, the first weight loss peak in the thermogravimetric (TGA) curve appeared at 326 °C, which was shifted to the right compared to the peak that occurred when the ultrasonic power was 0 W, indicating that the thermal stability of the SPI-PS-WOG was improved by the ultrasonic treatment. Moreover, when the ultrasonic power was 450 W, the oil holding capacity (OHC) reached 95.3 %, which was the best compared with other groups. Both confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the ultrasonic treatment of appropriate power succeeded in making the SPI-PS-WOG samples more evenly dispersed in the internal structure and denser in the external structure. In terms of oxidative stability, it was found that the peroxide value of SPI-PS-WOG remained at 9.8 mmol/kg oil for 50 days under 450 W ultrasonic power treatment, which was significantly improved compared with liquid walnut oil (WO). These results provide a new idea for the preparation of oleogels, and also lay a theoretical foundation for the application of ultrasonic treatment in oleogels.     

Depth sensing using coherence mapping

A method for depth sensing based on sensing the visibility associated with the coherence function of a laser source is presented. The setup is based on an electronic speckle pattern interferometric (ESPI) setup, where the object depth is encoded into the amplitude of the interference pattern without the need for depth scanning. After performing phase-shifting method, the object three-dimensional (3-D) shape is reconstructed by means as a range image from the visibility of the image set of interferograms and where each gray level represents a given object depth. Experimental results validate the proposed approach for reflective diffuse objects at different measurement distances.     

Ultrasonic study on organic liquid and binary organic liquid mixtures by using Schaaffs＇ collision factor theory

Based on Schaaff's collision factor theory (CFT) in liquids, the equations for nonlinear ultrasonic parameters in both organic liquid and binary organic liquid mixtures are deduced. The nonlinear ultrasonic parameters, including pressure coefficient, temperature coefficients of ultrasonic velocity, and nonlinear acoustic parameter B/A in both organic liquid and binary organic liquid mixtures, are evaluated for comparison with the measured results and data from other sources. The equations show that the coefficient of ultrasonic velocity and nonlinear acoustic parameter B/A are closely related to molecular interactions. These nonlinear ultrasonic parameters reflect some information of internal structure and outside status of the medium or mixtures. From the exponent of repulsive forces of the molecules, several thermodynamic parameters, pressure and temperature of the medium, the nonlinear ultrasonic parameters and ultrasonic nature of the medium can be evaluated. When evaluating and studying nonlinear acoustic parameter B/A of binary organic liquid mixtures, there is no need to know the nonlinear acoustic parameter B/A of the components. Obviously, the equation reveals the connection between the nonlinear ultrasonic nature and internal structure and outside status of the mixtures more directly and distinctly than traditional mixture law for B/A, e.g. Apfel's and Sehgal's laws for liquid binary mixtures.     

功率超声珩磨磨削区空化声场的建模与仿真研究

通过建立Φ47功率超声珩磨磨削区流体-结构耦合声场的理论模型,采用ANSYS有限元分析软件对磨削区的空化声场进行了仿真分析,得出磨削区二维、三维空化声场的分布情况和声压幅值,并利用超声波功率测量仪对磨削区的空化声场进行模拟实验测量。结果表明:在谐振频率18.6 kHz下,声场主要集中在油石的中部,二维和三维声场的声压最大值分别为1.39 MPa和1.47 MPa,与实验测得声压最大值1.3 MPa在同一个数量级,为进一步研究功率超声珩磨空化效应提供理论和实验的基础。      

Downstream Fabry-Perot interferometer for acoustic wave monitoring in photoacoustic tomography

An optical detection setup consisting of a focused laser beam fed into a downstream Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) for demodulation of acoustically generated optical phase variations is investigated for its applicability in photoacoustic tomography. The device measures the time derivative of acoustic signals integrated along the beam. Compared to a setup where the detection beam is part of a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the signal-to-noise ratio of the FPI is lower, but the image quality of the two devices is similar. Using the FPI in a photoacoustic tomograph allows scanning the probe beam around the imaging object without moving the latter.     

Nonlinear ultrasonic nature of organic liquid and organic liquid mixture

Based on Jacobson's molecular free length theory in liquids and the relationship between ultrasonic velocity and the molecular free length in organic liquids, this paper deduces the equations for pressure coefficient and temperature coefficient of ultrasonic velocity and nonlinear acoustic parameter B/A in both of organic liquid and organic liquid binary mixtures. These nonlinear acoustic parameters are evaluated against the measured results and data from other sources. The equations reveal the connections between the nonlinear acoustic parameters and some internal structural of the medium or mixtures e.g. the sizes of molecule, several thermodynamic physical parameters and outside status e.g. condition of pressure and temperature of the liquid or liquid mixture. With the equations the nonlinear acoustic parameter B/A of organic liquid binary mixtures, which is impossible to know without the nonlinear acoustic parameter B/A of the tow components before, can be calculated based on the structural and physical parameters of organic liquid and organic liquid binary mixtures.     

A comprehensive numerical analysis of heat and mass transfer phenomenons during cavitation sono-process

The present study treats the effects of mass transport, heat transfer and chemical reactions heat on the bubble dynamics by spanning a range of ambient bubble radii. The thermodynamic behavior of the acoustic bubble was shown for three wave frequencies, 355, 515 and 1000 kHz. The used acoustic amplitude ranges from 1 to 3 atm. It has been demonstrated that the ambient bubble radius, R₀, of the maximal response (i.e., maximal bubble temperature and pressure, T_max and P_max) is shifted toward lower values if the acoustic amplitude (at fixed frequency) or the ultrasonic frequency (at fixed amplitude) are increased. The range of the ambient bubble radius narrows as the ultrasonic frequency increases. Heat exchange at the bubble interface was found to be the most important mechanism within the bubble internal energy balance for acoustic amplitudes lower than 2.5 and 3 atm for ultrasonic frequencies of 355 and 515 kHz, respectively. For acoustic amplitudes greater or equal to 2.5 and 3 atm, corresponding to 355 and 515 kHz, respectively, mass transport mechanism (i.e., evaporation and condensation of water vapor) becomes dominant compared to the other mechanisms. At 1000 kHz, the mechanism of heat transfer persists to be dominant for all the used acoustic amplitudes (from 1 to 3 atm). Practically, all the above observations were maintained for bubbles at and around the optimum bubble radius, whereas no significant impact of the three energetic mechanisms was observed for bubbles of too lower and too higher values of R₀ (limits of the investigated ranges of R₀).     

Skin-scanning technique for superficial blood flow imaging using a high-frequency ultrasound system

In this paper we propose a skin-scanning technique with a high-frequency ultrasound imaging system that enables images to be acquired at the fixed depth of field of a single-element focused transducer along the profile of an object contour by simultaneously moving the transducer in the horizontal and vertical directions. The scanning path, which closely parallels the profile of the object contour, was determined from the intensity difference between an object and the background in a brightness-mode image. The transducer moved along the profile of the object contour while maintaining a constant distance interval between adjacent pairs of ultrasonic signals in the horizontal direction. The image was then reconstructed by applying an alignment process to eliminate the distortion. The performance of skin-scanning technique was verified in vitro experiment using an arc-shaped phantom and the results showed a percentage error of 0.55% for the volumetric blood flow estimates. Moreover, in vivo experiment on a subcutaneous tumor was also performed. The results indicated that the proposed technique can accurately estimate the blood flow information along the profile of the object contour and avoid distortion of the morphology of blood vessels. The skin-scanning technique has potential for assessing superficial blood flows and prognoses in the oncology and dermatology fields.     

Experimental modeling of the processes of active-passive thermoacoustic tomography

Experiments confirming the major results of the theoretical study of an active-passive mode of acoustic thermotomography are described. Experimental results are obtained with a setup intended for physical modeling of the processes of correlation reconstruction of the temperature, absorption, and phase velocity of sound in the object under investigation in the presence of an additionally introduced “illuminating” acoustic noise field. A possibility of reconstructing the local values of absorption and inhomogeneity of sound velocity from analyzing the correlation dependences based on difference and summary delays and also with the help of a controlled anisotropic acoustic irradiation is demonstrated.     

Detection of sonoluminescence signals in a gel phantom in the presence of Protoporphyrin IX conjugated to gold nanoparticles

The particles in a liquid decrease the ultrasonic intensity threshold required for cavitation onset. In this study, a new nanoconjugate composed of Protoporphyrin IX and gold nanoparticles (Au–PpIX) was used as a nucleation site for cavitation. The nonradiative relaxation time of Protoporphyrin IX in the presence of gold nanoparticles is longer than the similar time without gold nanoparticles. The acoustic cavitation activity was investigated via recording of the integrated sonoluminescence signal in the wavelength range of 220–700 nm in a gel phantom by a cooled charge coupled device (CCD) at different intensities of 1 MHz ultrasound. In order to confirm these results, a chemical dosimetric method was utilized, too. The recorded sonoluminescence signal in the gel phantom containing Au–PpIX was higher than the other phantoms. These records have been confirmed by the chemical dosimetric data. Therefore, we anticipate that a new nanoconjugate composed of Protoporphyrin IX and gold nanoparticles can act as an efficient sonoluminescence agent and could be introduced as a novel sonosensitizer for sonodynamic therapy.     

Investigation of intracranial media ultrasonic monitoring model

The objectives are to investigate the peculiarities of the ultrasound pulse propagation through human extra/intracranial media by mathematical simulation and to confirm the simulation results experimentally by proving the suitability of the ultrasonic time-of-flight measurement method for human intracranial media (IM) physiological non-invasive monitoring. The mathematical model of ultrasound pulse propagation through the human extra/intracranial media is described. The simulation of various physiological phenomena were performed to determine the relationship between the characteristics of the transmitted ultrasound pulse through the human head and the acoustic properties of the IM. It is shown that non-invasive monitoring of the IM acoustic properties is possible by measuring the changes of the ultrasonic signal time-of-flight and the oscillation period. The influence made by variations in acoustic parameters of the external tissue/skull bones on the non-invasive measurement data is investigated and methods of compensation of that influence are presented. The models were applied for developing of a new non-invasive sonographic intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor (Vittamed). Comparative studies of this monitor with the invasive ICP monitor (Camino) have shown the possibility of achieving clinically acceptable accuracy of the long term non-invasive ICP monitoring of head injured patients in intensive care units.     

Vibro-acoustography and multifrequency image compounding

Vibro-acoustography is an ultrasound based imaging modality that can visualize normal and abnormal soft tissue through mapping the acoustic response of the object to a harmonic radiation force at frequency Δf induced by focused ultrasound. In this method, the ultrasound energy is converted from high ultrasound frequencies to a low acoustic frequency (acoustic emission) that is often two orders of magnitude smaller than the ultrasound frequency. The acoustic emission is normally detected by a hydrophone. Depending on the setup, this low frequency sound may reverberate by object boundaries or other structures present in the acoustic paths before it reaches the hydrophone. This effect produces an artifact in the image in the form of gradual variations in image intensity that may compromise image quality. The use of tonebursts with finite length yields acoustic emission at Δf and at sidebands centered about Δf. Multiple images are formed by selectively applying bandpass filters on the acoustic emission at Δf and the associated sidebands. The data at these multiple frequencies are compounded through both coherent and incoherent processes to reduce the acoustic emission reverberation artifacts. Experimental results from a urethane breast phantom are described. The coherent and incoherent compounding of multifrequency data show, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the efficacy of this reverberation reduction method. This paper presents theory describing the physical origin of this artifact and use of image data created using multifrequency vibro-acoustography for reducing reverberation artifacts.     

Effect of acoustic field parameters on arc acoustic binding during ultrasonic wave-assisted arc welding

As a newly developed arc welding method, power ultrasound has been successfully introduced into arc and weld pool during ultrasonic wave-assisted arc welding process. The advanced process for molten metals can be realized by utilizing additional ultrasonic field. Under the action of the acoustic wave, the plasma arc as weld heat source is regulated and its characteristics make an obvious change. Compared with the conventional arc, the ultrasonic wave-assisted arc plasma is bound significantly and becomes brighter. To reveal the dependence of the acoustic binding force on acoustic field parameters, a two-dimensional acoustic field model for ultrasonic wave-assisted arc welding device is established. The influences of the radiator height, the central pore radius, the radiator radius, and curvature radius or depth of concave radiator surface are discussed using the boundary element method. Then the authors analyze the resonant mode by this relationship curve between acoustic radiation power and radiator height. Furthermore, the best acoustic binding ability is obtained by optimizing the geometric parameters of acoustic radiator. In addition, three concave radiator surfaces including spherical cap surface, paraboloid of revolution, and rotating single curved surface are investigated systematically. Finally, both the calculation and experiment suggest that, to obtain the best acoustic binding ability, the ultrasonic wave-assisted arc welding setup should be operated under the first resonant mode using a radiator with a spherical cap surface, a small central pore, a large section radius and an appropriate curvature radius.     

圆环形聚焦声场的构建与调控

提出了一种由径向振动模式的圆环形压电换能器晶片组成的圆柱形阵列换能器结构, 依据阵元激励信号的相位调控机理, 推导了圆环形聚焦声场的调控公式, 在三维空间中构建了圆环形聚焦声场, 实现了对其聚焦区域大小、聚焦圆环半径以及轴向位置移动的调控. 理论分析和仿真研究表明, 所提出的圆柱形阵列换能器实现了对圆环形聚焦声场的调控. 为检测超声、功率超声、医学超声等应用领域提供了一种可实现的新型圆环形可调控聚焦声场.     

Selective depiction of susceptibility transitions using Laplace-filtered phase maps

In this work, we aim to demonstrate the ability of Laplace-filtered three-dimensional (3D) phase maps to selectively depict the susceptibility transitions in an object. To realize this goal, it is first shown that both the Laplace derivative of the z component of the static magnetic field in an object and the Laplacian of the corresponding phase distribution may be expected to be zero in regions of constant or linearly varying susceptibility and to be nonzero when there is an abrupt change in susceptibility, for instance, at a single point, a ridge, an interface, an edge or a boundary. Next, a method is presented by which the Laplace derivative of a 3D phase map can be directly extracted from the complex data, without the need for phase unwrapping or subtraction of a reference image. The validity of this approach and of the theory behind it is subsequently demonstrated by simulations and phantom experiments with exactly known susceptibility distributions. Finally, the potential of the Laplace derivative analysis is illustrated by simulations with a Shepp-Logan digital brain phantom and experiments with a gel phantom containing positive and negative focal susceptibility deviations.     

Acoustic study of melting and freezing of mercury nanoparticles in porous glasses

The processes of melting and freezing of small mercury particles embedded in porous glasses with nanometric pore sizes are studied by an ultrasonic method for various values of the pore filling factor. The filling factor is found to have a threshold, below which the acoustic anomalies accompanying phase transitions change their character. The critical radius of mercury nanoparticles that corresponds to the zero melting temperature is estimated.