Attenuation of noise by windbreaks

Sound attenuation by narrow forest belts, under quasi-line source conditions has been investigated. Experiments were conducted on windbreaks of Casuarina and Eucalyptus belts, along three sites at Nobria.Windbreaks of Casuarina were found to act as sound barriers, which reduce the highway noise resulting from trucks, cars and other traffic. Reduced or even negative attenuation is, however, recorded in some locations behind mixed windbreaks of Eucalyptus and Casuarina as a result of downward scattering of acoustic propagation.     

Enhanced Raman scattering provided by fullerene nanoclusters

Two new nonlinear optic effects are observed in crystalline solutions of fullerenes in toluene and carbon tetrachloride. Both are provided by a self-clustering of the solute molecules and are referred to fullerene-enhanced Raman scattering and solvent-enhanced luminescence. The effects are induced by the excitation of charge-transfer states of the fullerene nanoclusters, which makes the latter act as amplifiers of local electric fields. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Attenuation of high-level impulses by earmuffs

Attenuation of high-level acoustic impulses (noise reduction) by various types of earmuffs was measured using a laboratory source of type A impulses and an artificial test fixture compatible with the ISO 4869-3 standard. The measurements were made for impulses of peak sound-pressure levels (SPLs) from 150 to 170 dB. The rise time and A duration of the impulses depended on their SPL and were within a range of 12-400 mus (rise time) and 0.4-1.1 ms (A duration). The results showed that earmuff peak level attenuation increases by about 10 dB when the impulse's rise time and the A duration are reduced. The results also demonstrated that the signals under the earmuff cup have a longer rise and A duration than the original impulses recorded outside the earmuff. Results of the measurements were used to check the validity of various hearing damage risk criteria that specify the maximum permissible exposure to impulse noise. The present data lead to the conclusion that procedures in which hearing damage risk is assessed only from signal attenuation, without taking into consideration changes in the signal waveform under the earmuff, tend to underestimate the risk of hearing damage.     

Measurement of traffic noise shielding provided by buildings

This paper presents a comparison between some current prediction methods for traffic noise shielding provided by buildings and the actual measured attenuations in typical residential areas. Generally, it was found that the method developed by the Department of Environment in the UK gives a reasonably accurate prediction of attenuation by shielding in fairly simple situations. In more complex situations, and particularly where a receiving position is close to a significant shielding structure, such as building, the attenuation obtained is underpredicted by the DOE method, thus the design facade levels for the rear of a building are overpredicted; however, in some other situations, the DOE method overpredicts the attenuation obtained. The attenuations measured for individual noise events under nominally identical conditions are shown to have large variations in attenuation.     

Attenuation measurement uncertainties caused by speckle statistics

Attenuation measurements can be derived from the decay of backscattered signal with depth in an inhomogeneous material. In cases such as liver tissue, where many small inhomogeneities are likely to be included in sample volumes defined by pulse and beam widths, Rayleigh statistics describe the random nature of the magnitude of backscattered pressure. The statistics of speckle underlie the uncertainties in estimates of attenuation at discrete frequencies, and of the magnitude and frequency dependence of attenuation over a bandwidth. This paper derives expressions for the standard deviations of attenuation magnitude and frequency dependence in terms of parameters such as the dimensions of the region of interest, and the bandwidth of the ultrasonic system. Practical examples are given using published data, and comparisons to other techniques which measure "attenuation slope" are made. The analysis yields insights into trade-offs among variables such as the dimensions and shape of regions of interest, and the segmenting of data in time and frequency domain.     

Selective Attenuation of Optical Radiation by Aerodisperse Media

The possibility of creating aerodisperse media that selectively attenuate optical radiation by generating aerosols, whose substance has distinct regions of anomalous dispersion, is justified numerically.     

非均匀等离子体对平面电磁波的衰减

利用荧光灯排列形成非均匀等离子体层（面积约60 cm×52 cm,消耗功率约400 W）,研究了其对1～8 GHz E波（电矢量方向平行于灯轴方向的入射波）的反射和透射的影响。结果表明,该等离子体对1～4 GHz的E波具有强吸收和弱反射的特性,单程衰减最高可达8 dB。利用2维分段线性电流密度递归卷积时域有限差分计算式,模拟了E波传播及其在非均匀等离子体内推进的瞬态过程,计算了等离子体对电磁波的反射和透射衰减,并与实验结果拟合,得到等离子体电子数密度峰值约9.72×1016 m-3-3,电子与中性粒子碰撞频率约4 GHz。     

非均匀等离子体对平面电磁波的衰减

利用荧光灯排列形成非均匀等离子体层(面积约60cm×52cm,消耗功率约400W),研究了其对1～8GHzE波(电矢量方向平行于灯轴方向的入射波)的反射和透射的影响。结果表明,该等离子体对1～4GHz的E波具有强吸收和弱反射的特性,单程衰减最高可达8dB。利用2维分段线性电流密度递归卷积时域有限差分计算式,模拟了E波传播及其在非均匀等离子体内推进的瞬态过程,计算了等离子体对电磁波的反射和透射衰减,并与实验结果拟合,得到等离子体电子数密度峰值约9.72×1016m-3,电子与中性粒子碰撞频率约4GHz。     

Attenuation of phonon scattering intensities by point defects

The cross section of the coherent, inelastic neutron scattering is characteristically decreased in the presence of defect-induced lattice distortions. This effect is in analogy to the attenuation of Bragg intensities due to a static Debye-Waller factor. The integrated scattering intensities from transversal acoustic (TA-) phonons of the system NbN_0.014 have been measured and are shown to be attenuated with respect to the scattering intensities from the phonons of a pure Nb crystal. We discuss the obtained results through comparison with various model calculations.     

Stationariness provided by filtration to a periodic non-stationary random process

The concept of generalized spectral density is used for evaluating the variance of the response of a simple linear oscillator excited by periodic non-stationary random functions. The generalized Wiener-Khintchine relations are slightly reshaped, so that the generalized spectral density of the excitation function could be expressed as the sum of Dirac delta functions, whose coefficients could be given in the form of closed analytical expressions. The results show that, apart from a few exceptions, the response of a lightly damped system is practically stationary. It is noted in general that filtration brings about stationarization.     

Quantitative elastography provided by surface acoustic waves measured by phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography

We report on a quantitative elastography technique achieved by combining phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PhS-OCT) with the surface acoustic wave (SAW) method. Different from traditional optical coherence elastography, the elastography is achieved by impulse-stimulated SAW, rather than by shear waves. PhS-OCT serves not only as a detector to measure SAW signals but also as a means to provide a cross-sectional image of the sample. The experimental results indicate that the combination of PhS-OCT with SAW is feasible to provide quantitative elastography of heterogeneous tissue samples.     

Analytical evaluation of the acoustic insulation provided by double infinite walls

The acoustic insulation provided by infinite double panel walls, when subjected to spatially sinusoidal line pressure loads, is computed analytically. The methodology used extends earlier work by the authors on the definition of the acoustic insulation conferred by a single panel wall. It does not entail any simplification other than the assumption that the panels are of infinite extent. The full interaction between the fluid (air) and the solid layers is thus taken into account and the calculation does not involve limiting the thickness of any layer, as the Kirchhoff or Mindlin theories require. The problem is first formulated in the frequency domain. Time domain solutions are then obtained by means of inverse Fourier transforms using complex frequencies.The model is first used to compute the sound reduction provided by a double homogeneous brick wall, with identical panels, when illuminated by plane sound waves. The results are then compared with those provided by the simplified method proposed by London, which was later extended by Beranek (London-Beranek method). The limitations of the simplified London-Beranek model, namely, its applicability only to double walls with identical mass, subjected to plane waves, and its failure to account for the coincidence effect, are overcome by the method proposed.Time signatures are produced to illustrate the different sound transmission mechanisms. Several types of body and guided waves are originated, giving rise to a complex dynamic system with multiple reflections within the solid and fluid layers and the global resonance of the system. The effect of the cavity absorption is considered by attributing a complex density to the air filling the space between the two wall panels. Absorption attenuates the dips of insulation controlled by the cavity resonances. Several simulations are then performed for different combinations of wall and air layer thickness to assess the influence of this variable on the final acoustic insulation. The influence of the air cavity on sound reduction was found to be dependent on the frequency. At low frequencies a better performance was achieved for thicker air layers, while at higher frequencies a thinner air layer is preferable. The use of wall panels with different mass resulted in the wall performing better, particularly for high frequencies.     

Attenuation of microwave electromagnetic radiation by means of buckypaper

A material based on carbon nanotubes (buckypaper) is prepared, and the size and structural characteristics of initial nanotubes and the prepared buckypaper are studied. The parameters of electromagnetic radiation-buckypaper interaction are derived for the range 25.5–73.3 GHz. Strong reflection and attenuation of the radiation in this range are discovered.     

Attenuation and reflection coefficient nomogram

A nomogram is described for the determination of the sound pressure reflection coefficient R and the round-trip loss 2αL when using the pulse-echo buffer rod technique.     

Simultaneous dual molecular contrasts provided by the absorbed photons in photoacoustic microscopy

We investigated the feasibility of simultaneously imaging two distinctive molecular contrasts provided by the absorbed photons in biological tissues with a single light source. The molecular contrasts are based on two physical effects induced by the absorbed photons: photoacoustics (PA) and autofluorescence (AF). In an integrated multimodal imaging system, the PA and AF signals were detected by a high-sensitivity ultrasonic transducer and an avalanche photodetector, respectively. The system was tested by imaging ocular tissue samples, including the retinal pigment epithelium and the ciliary body. The acquired images provided information on the spatial distributions of melanin and lipofuscin in these samples.     

Study on high-voltage conductivity provided solely by field-enhanced dissociation in liquid dielectrics

The study investigates the process of the electrical current passage in a system with non-uniform electric field under assured absence of injection. The cell has a special design, with the region of the strong electric field located far from metal electrode surfaces and the non-linearity of the current-voltage characteristics ensured solely by the field-enhanced dissociation. The characteristics were measured experimentally and studied numerically for dielectric liquids with different values of low-voltage conductivity; the results were compared. The computations were carried out on the basis of the complete set of electrohydrodynamic equations using commercial software package COMSOL Multiphysics.