The effect of phase cancellation on estimates of calcaneal broadband ultrasound attenuation in vivo

Broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA) is a clinically-accepted measurement for prediction of osteoporotic fracture risk. Typical clinical BUA measurements are performed with phase-sensitive receivers and, therefore, can be affected by phase cancellation. In order to separate the effects of conventional attenuation (absorption plus scattering) from phase cancellation, BUA was measured on phantoms with acrylic wedge phase aberrators and on 73 women using both phase sensitive (PS) and phase insensitive (PI) reception. A clinical bone sonometer with a two-dimensional (2-D) receiver array was used. PI BUA measurements on phantoms with acrylic wedge phase aberrators were found to be far more resistant to phase cancellation than PS BUA measurements. In data from 73 women, means and standard deviations for BUA measurements were 81.4 +/- 21.4 dB/MHz (PS) and 67.2 +/- 9.7 dB/MHz (PI). The magnitude of the discrepancy between PS BUA and PI BUA tended to increase with bone mineral density (BMD).     

Ultrasonic integrated backscatter coefficient profiling of human coronary arteries in vitro

A theoretical formulation for the profile of the integrated backscatter coefficient (IBC) is derived. This new formulation is based on a theoretical treatment. It includes correction for the diffraction of the ultrasonic beam and correction for the non-ideal nature of the reference signal. The inclusion of these correction factors permits accurate quantitative profiling of the IBC over the transducer focal zone. Experimental measurements are first performed on well-calibrated vessel-equivalent phantom materials and subsequently on human coronary arteries in vitro. A spherically focused 50.0 MHz f/1.83 transducer is used. IBC profiles are shown for three samples that are representative of early, mid, and advanced atherosclerotic coronary disease. The IBC profiles clearly differentiate the arterial tissues. However, variation between samples with histologically confirmed intimal thickening (N=24) was large. The mean IBC (±1 standard deviation), in (Sr.mm)^-1, for media, adventitia, and thickened intima were 3.86×10^-3, 1.53×10^-2, and 2.24×10^-2, respectively. The mean IBC of thickened intima is larger than previous measurements obtained from femoral arteries, and the mean IBC for media and adventitia layers are lower, reflecting differences in tissue composition between coronary and femoral vessels     

The relationship between ultrasonic backscatter and bone mineral density in human calcaneus

Backscatter and attenuation coefficients were measured from 24 human calcanei in vitro. The logarithm of the backscatter coefficient at 500 kHz showed moderate correlations with bone mineral density (r=0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.59-0.91) and attenuation (r=0.79, 95% CI: 0.56-0.91). These results suggest that backscatter measurements may be useful in the diagnosis of osteoporosis.     

The measurement of backscatter coefficient from a broadband pulse-echo system: a new formulation

A new formulation for obtaining the absolute backscatter coefficient from pulse-echo measurements is presented. Using this formulation, performing the diffraction correction and system calibration is straightforward. The diffraction correction function for the measurement of backscatter coefficient and the acoustic coupling function for a pulse-echo system are defined. Details of these functions for two very useful cases are presented: a flat disk transducer and a spherically focused transducer. Approximations of these functions are also provided. For a flat disk transducer, the final formulation appears as a modification to the established Sigelmann-Reid formulation. For a focused transducer, the final correction is a weak function of frequency when the scattering volume is near the focal area, rather than the frequency squared dependence proposed by earlier investigators.     

The dependence of ultrasonic backscatter on trabecular thickness in human calcaneus: theoretical and experimental results

Trabecular thickness within cancellous bone is an important determinant of osteoporotic fracture risk. Noninvasive assessment of trabecular thickness potentially could yield useful diagnostic information. Faran's theory of elastic scattering from a cylindrical object immersed in a fluid has been used to predict the dependence of ultrasonic backscatter on trabecular thickness. The theory predicts that, in the range of morphological and material properties expected for trabecular bone, the backscatter coefficient at 500 kHz should be approximately proportional to trabecular thickness to the power of 2.9. Experimental measurements of backscatter coefficient were performed on 43 human calcaneus samples in vitro. Mean trabecular thicknesses on the 43 samples were assessed using micro computed tomography (CT). A power law fit to the data showed that the backscatter coefficient empirically varied as trabecular thickness to the 2.8 power. The 95% confidence interval for this exponent was 1.7 to 3.9. The square of the correlation coefficient for the linear regression to the log transformed data was 0.40. This suggests that 40% of variations in backscatter may be attributed to variations in trabecular thickness. These results reinforce previous studies that offered validation for the Faran cylinder model for prediction of scattering properties of cancellous bone, and provide added evidence for the potential diagnostic utility of the backscatter measurement.     

Effects of frequency-dependent attenuation and velocity dispersion on in vitro ultrasound velocity measurements in intact human femur specimens

Numerous studies have shown that ultrasonic velocity measured in bone provides a good assessment of osteoporotic fracture risk. However, a lack of standardization of signal processing techniques used to compute the speed of sound (SOS) complicates the comparison between data obtained with different commercial devices. In this study, 38 intact femurs were tested using a through-transmission technique and SOS determined using different techniques. The resulting difference in measured SOS was determined as functions of the attenuation and the velocity dispersion. A numerical simulation was used to explain how attenuation and dispersion impact two different SOS measurements (group velocity, velocity based on the first zero crossing of the signal). A new method aimed at compensating for attenuation was devised and led to a significant reduction in the difference between SOS obtained with both signal processing techniques. A comparison between SOS and X-ray density measurements indicated that the best correlation was reached for SOS based on the first zero crossing apparently because it used a marker located in the early part of the signal and was less sensitive to multipath interference. The conclusion is that first zero crossing velocity may be preferred to group velocity for ultrasonic assessment at this potential fracture site.     

钢材料中声速与声衰减系数的测量

1引言测量钢的声速和声衰减是一件基础但十分有意义的工作,因为钢在工业上有着非常广泛的应用。超声波在钢中传播后声速和声衰减会发生变化,通过这种变化便可以了解钢材料的部分特性,从而对钢的无     

The effect of frequency dependent scattering and attenuation on the estimation of blood velocity using ultrasound

A comprehensive theoretical performance comparison of the wideband maximum-likelihood (WMLE) and cross-correlation strategies, previously proposed and evaluated for the estimation of blood velocity using ultrasound is presented. It is based on evaluation of the bias, local and global accuracy, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance. The results show that the intervening medium does not bias either wideband estimation, due to the effect of tracking the scattering target. The presence of intervening tissue actually improves the global accuracy of both wideband estimators, without a significant change in the local accuracy of either wideband estimator. After the transmission of P pulses, a comparison of the performance of the two strategies shows that the cross-correlation estimator requires P(2 ) correlations to achieve performance similar to that of the WMLE with P operations. In addition, the WMLE can increase the effective SNR in comparison with cross correlation.     

跟骨超声背散射系数与新生儿相关参数的相关性

采用超声背散射法检测新生儿跟骨的超声背散射系数(Ultrasonic Backscatter Coefficient,BSC),并分析BSC与出生胎龄、体重、身长和头围等因素之间的关系,从而评估BSC在评价新生儿松质骨状况中的作用。对122例新生儿的临床测试分析结果表明新生儿跟骨中的BSC与出生时的胎龄、体重和身长有良好的相关性。说明超声背散射信号及其BSC可用于评价新生儿的骨质量。     

The measurement of broadband ultrasonic attenuation in cancellous bone--a review of the science and technology

The measurement of broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA) in cancellous bone at the calcaneus was first described in 1984. The assessment of osteoporosis by BUA has recently been recognized by Universities UK, within its EurekaUK book, as being one of the "100 discoveries and developments in UK Universities that have changed the world" over the past 50 years, covering the whole academic spectrum from the arts and humanities to science and technology. Indeed, BUA technique has been clinically validated and is utilized worldwide, with at least seven commercial systems providing calcaneal BUA measurement. However, a fundamental understanding of the dependence of BUA upon the material and structural properties of cancellous bone is still lacking. This review aims to provide a science- and technology-orientated perspective on the application of BUA to the medical disease of osteoporosis.     

低频低能量超声联合微泡对前列腺细胞的影响

目的:采用原子力声显微镜及透射电镜观察低频低能量超声联合微泡对前列腺癌细胞DU145及正常前列腺上皮细胞RWPE-1的作用。方法:两种细胞均分为对照组、单纯超声组、超声联合微泡组。对照组加入一定比例的生理盐水,不进行超声辐照;单纯超声组加入相同比例的生理盐水,用发射频率为21 k Hz的低频超声辐照,辐照2 min,占空比30%;超声联合微泡组加入同前相同比例的微泡造影剂悬浊液,用与单纯超声组相同的超声辐照。处理过的细胞立即用原子力声显微镜观察其形貌并计算其杨氏模量。同时,对同一处理方式的对照组及超声联合微泡组细胞继续培养24 h后,用透射电镜观察细胞。结果:单纯超声组的DU145细胞及RWPE-1细胞的细胞形态与对照组无明显变化;超声联合微泡组的DU145细胞及RWPE-1细胞形态呈类圆形,细胞表面可见放射状显微丝状结构,细胞膜表面可见多个大孔状结构;超声联合微泡组的DU145细胞的弹性模量较RWPE-1细胞大,且与对照组相比,两种细胞的弹性模量均变大,DU145细胞尤甚。透射电镜观察结果示对照组的两种细胞未见细胞自噬,而超声联合微泡组两种细胞都出现自噬现象,其中DU145细胞中可见凋亡现象。结论:低频低能量超声联合微泡可引起前列腺癌DU145细胞及正常前列腺上皮RWPE-1细胞的细胞膜出现孔状结构,并诱导其自噬,且对DU145细胞的损伤大于RWPE-1细胞。     

US backscatter and attenuation 30 to 50 MHz and MR T2 at 3 Tesla for differentiation of atherosclerotic artery constituents in vitro

This study compares quantitative characterization of atherosclerotic artery constituents by high resolution estimates of ultrasonic attenuation, ultrasonic attenuation-compensated backscatter, and magnetic resonance transverse relaxation time. Atherosclerotic human arteries were studied in vitro at 37°C. Backscattered radio frequency signals were acquired with a 50 MHz backscatter acoustic microscope. Ultrasonic parametric images were constructed from the integrated (30 to 50 MHz) backscatter and attenuation obtained using FFT methods with diffraction correction and a multinarrow-band attenuation algorithm. Parametric magnetic resonance images were constructed from calculated values of the transverse relaxation time T2 determined from an 8 echo-single-slice sequence at 3 Tesla. In a total of 54 regions of interest, average values of integrated attenuation, integrated backscatter compensated for the attenuation between the artery surface and the scattering volume, and the transverse relaxation time were correlated with local tissue composition as assessed by histology. Results show that ultrasound and magnetic resonance techniques offer complementary approaches for characterization of plaque composition     

Reversal effect of low‐intensity ultrasound on adriamycin‐resistant human hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo

The aim of this study was to determine whether the ultrasound, with a dosage that did not lead to acute and delayed inhibition, could potentiate the cytotoxicity of adriamycin to human hepatoma resistant cell line HepG2 both in vitro and in vivo. In order to determine whether low‐intensity ultrasound could reverse resistance in adriamycin‐resistant human hepatoma cell line HepG2/ADM in vitro, cells were subjected to a variable level of ultrasound. The results showed that survival rates were decreased in groups in which ultrasound and adriamycin were exerted. The same effect of low‐intensity ultrasound was also observed in the xenograft tumor experiment. Furthermore, transmission electron microscope revealed the cavitation effects play the determining role in accelerating transmembrane transportation, suggesting that low‐intensity ultrasound altered the cell membrane thus resulting in change in adriamycin uptake into HepG2/ADM cells. Further investigation of the underlying mechanisms showed that the reversal effect of low‐intensity ultrasound on adriamycin‐resistant human hepatoma cells was attributed to the downregulation of the multidrug resistant genes, MDR1 and MRP1, in both mRNA and protein expression. In addition, downregulation of MDR1 and MRP1 was detected in HepG2/ADM xenograft tumor treated with adriamycin and ultrasound. These observations suggest the use of ultrasound could increase cytotoxicity attributable to adriamycin in chemoresistant human hepatoma cancer cells. Ultrasound is a promising therapeutic modality for refractory hepatoma patients.     

The effect of salinity and temperature on electromagnetic wave attenuation in brine

Ice slurries are typically formed from an aqueous solution of water and salt (NaCl) at 5% salinity. Ice pigs, used in many industry areas, are taken from a bulk ice slurry and used to clear waste or recover product from pipes. Ice fraction is a key property of an ice slurry, since it determines it's ‘thickness’ and therefore cleaning capacity. Electromagnetic wave interrogation has been shown to accurately predict an ice fraction to within an error of ±1.2%. The largest remaining process error comes from inherent salinity variation, which affects the electromagnetic wave attenuation significantly. Increasing electromagnetic wave attenuation with increasing salinity and the effect of temperature, shown to also increase attenuation, is quantified. Calibration methods are proposed, aiming to eliminate the unwanted effect of varying salinity. Analysis on multiple samples showed a 16% reduction in average error, and 9% reduction in maximum error when the calibration method was applied.     

Effects of the scattering coefficient on width estimates in a two-layer tissue

Abstract

We pose the problem of estimating the width of the upper layer of a two-stratum medium using data from reflectance measurements made at the interface separating the medium from its surroundings. The lower stratum is assumed to be infinite. In this analysis both the scattering and the absorption coefficients are allowed to differ, but are assumed to be known. We also suggest a simple way to include effects of noise into the analysis.     

The effect of dropping low scores on ability estimates

Dropping low scores is a common technique used in combining scores from multiple assessments, but no research has addressed the validity of ability estimates when dropping low scores. Using a simulation approach, the expected bias, root mean squared error (RMSE), and benefit to examinees resulting from dropping low scores was estimated for two ability estimation methods, Rasch estimation and proportion correct scoring. The simulation was done for three testing conditions: a normal condition; a bad day condition, when an examinee has a lower ability on one assessment; and a bad test condition, when one assessment is contaminated by an irrelevant factor. Ability estimates based on the complete data were generally preferable to estimates based on data with low scores dropped, suggesting that the use of dropping low scores is not warranted in most assessment situations.     

基于仿真方法的CFRP复合材料孔隙率与超声衰减系数的关系

为从超声衰减机制角度解释碳纤维增强树脂基（CFRP）复合材料孔隙率P与超声衰减系数α之间呈非唯一对应关系的原因,针对厚度为2 mm的热压罐成型单向CFRP层板,建立了具有不同孔隙尺寸的CFRP模型（P=0.5%~3.5%）,并采用数值计算方法得到衰减系数α值。当孔隙横向尺寸D=56 μm,即归一化波数kD=2π D/λ <1（超声波波长λ ≈560 μm）时,α随P增大而缓慢线性增加;当D=93 μm（kD ≈ 1）时,α随P增大呈对数增长。仿真结果表明,超声波在含孔隙CFRP中传播时,随着归一化波数的不同,超声波衰减可能包括瑞利散射和随机散射两种机制,孔隙形貌的随机复杂性导致CFRP孔隙率与超声衰减系数之间呈现非唯一对应关系。