Non-Gaussian versus non-Rayleigh statistical properties ofultrasound echo signals

Parameters expressing the non-Gaussian and the non-Rayleigh properties of ultrasound echo signals are derived for the case of a pulsed transducer insonifying a medium containing randomly distributed scatterers. Both parameters depend on the measurement system, including the transducer field and pulse frequency content, as well as on the medium's properties. The latter is expressed in terms of the number of scatterers per unit volume and the second and fourth moments of the medium's scattering functions. A simple relationship between the parameters describing the non-Gaussian and non-Rayleigh properties is derived and verified experimentally     

Acoustic attenuation estimation for soft tissue from ultrasound echo envelope peaks

A theoretical framework of a modified EP (envelope peak) method is developed. In this method, a wideband echo signal from each A line (one echo sequence) is first filtered in parallel by a bank of narrow-bandpass filters using a split-spectrum processing. The attenuation is then estimated from the EPs of each filtered signal using a narrowband technique. The combination of the split-spectrum processing with the narrowband technique enables the accuracy of the attenuation estimation to be well controlled without the precise measurements of the spectral shape and parameters of the transmitted pulses. On the other hand, the precision of the estimation is still determined by the bandwidth of the original echo signal, and is not affected by the split-spectrum processing. As a result, the modified EP method improves the accuracy of the attenuation estimation while retaining the high precision of the original EP method. Results from phantom experiments supported the theoretical analysis.     

多波束条带测深系统中正交信号的获取技术

本文针对多波束条带测深系统，提出了一种优化的数字希尔伯特（Ｈｉｌｂｅｒｔ）变换方法，来获取幅度和相位严格平衡的正交信号。给出了理论分析过程和实时产生多路正交信号的基于流水线操作的硬件实现结构。湖上实验表明了这种方法的有效性以及工程实现的简单可靠性。     

Study of the statistical characteristics of pulse metal-detector signals

The circuit and method used to investigate the statistical characteristics of pulse metal-detector output signals based on the transient response method are described. Recommendations on how to process the statistical signal characteristics and to evaluate the detector performance are proposed. Two groups of objects were investigated and the distribution functions of their ammplitude response and attenuation were determined. The obtained results are of practical value in the design of metal detectors for various applications. Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 5, pp. 48–51, May, 1995.     

Integrated statistical processing of NDE signals for class discrimination

An integrated methodology for the analysis of experimental NDE signals for the classification of test-objects according to their mechanical characteristics is presented. The methodology consists of several techniques, adopted from various multi-disciplinarial fields, and incorporates concepts from the theory of information, pattern recognition techniques, cluster analysis, and data compression. Statistical tests are performed to verify the significance of the differences between the signals obtained from different groups and to estimate the confidence level associated with the classification procedure. The techniques are outlined and discussed, and experimental examples are presented to demonstrate their successful application.     

基于声发射衰减特性的故障行星轮定位研究

行星齿轮箱是风力机传动装置的重要组成部分,行星轮在低速重载、既自转又公转的复杂环境下容易诱发故障,其故障诊断特别是故障行星轮定位一直是研究重点和难点。建立了行星轮齿轮箱实验装置,模拟了行星轮故障,并利用声发射信号进行故障行星轮定位。实验研究了声发射信号在齿轮内部、齿轮与齿轮之间的传播特性,利用信号的幅值衰减特性简化了故障定位模型。利用信号幅度随信号传播距离增加而呈指数衰减的关系,建立了故障源定位方程组,从而获得故障齿的啮合位置,进一步确定故障行星轮的位置。实验结果表明:利用声发射信号的幅值衰减特性能够较为精确的确定故障行星轮的位置。     

Estimation of ultrasound attenuation from broadband echo-signals using bandpass filtering

A problem with video signal analysis for estimating frequency-dependent ultrasonic attenuation is that relative echogenicity versus depth curves are distorted when broadband pulses are used. In this correspondence, we present results that demonstrate improved accuracy of attenuation estimates computed from B-mode or envelope data derived after narrowband (1 MHz BW) filtering at different frequencies around the center frequency of the broadband echo signal. Based on the premise that transducer center frequencies are selected in part on penetration or imaging depth requirements, simulation and experimental results for a typical ultrasound imaging system show that narrowband video signal analysis for frequencies lower than or at the center frequency of the broadband pulse provide unbiased attenuation estimation over this depth. Filtered signals above the center frequency of the pulse yield accurate results only at shallow depths.     

Time-domain calculation of spectral centroid from backscattered ultrasound signals

Spectral centroid estimation from backscattered ultrasound RF signals is the preliminary step for quantitative ultrasound analysis in many medical applications. The traditional approach of estimating the spectral centroid in the frequency domain takes a long time because discrete Fourier transform (DFT) processing for each RF segment is required. To avoid this, we propose time-domain methods to estimate the spectral centroid in this paper. First, we derive the continuous-time-domain equations for the spectral centroid estimation using Parseval's theorem and Hilbert transform theory. Then, we extend the method to the discrete-time domain to ease the implementation while maintaining the same accuracy as the calculation in the frequency domain. From the result, we observe that it is not practical to apply the discrete-time equations directly, because a high sampling rate is needed to approximate the time derivative in the discrete-time domain. Therefore, we also derive the feasible version of the discrete-time equations using a circular autocorrelation function, which has no constraints on the sampling rate for real RF signals acquired from pulse-echo ultrasound systems. Simulation results using numerical phantoms show that the time-domain calculation is approximately 4.4 times faster on average than the frequency-domain method when the software's built-in functions were used. The average estimation error compared with that of the frequency-domain method using DFT is less than 0.2% for the entire propagation depths. The proposed time-domain approach to estimate the spectral centroid can be easily implemented in real-time ultrasound systems.     

Modeling of received ultrasound signals from finite planar targets

Presents a computational solution to the ultrasonic target-dependent spectral distortion for a finite planar target (FT-SD). The FT-SD predicts the spectrum of the output signal from the receiving transducer generated in response to the insonification of a finite planar specular target, as a function of incident angle. The transducer is assumed to be operating in pulse-echo mode. The development is made via scalar diffraction theory, in terms of the angular spectrum decomposition of the acoustic source field. Numerical simulations of the FT-SD are presented for several reflector sizes and orientations, insonified by a planar circular piston transducer. Experimental verification of results for a finite square planar reflector is given for a range of reflector orientations     

Spectrum of Doppler ultrasound signals from nonstationary blood flow

A new formulation for the Doppler signal generation process in pulsatile flow has been developed enabling easier identification and quantification of the mechanisms involved in spectral broadening and the development of a simple estimation formula for the measured rms spectral width. The accuracy of the estimation formula was tested by comparing it with the spectral widths found by using conventional spectral estimation on simulated Doppler signals from pulsatile flow. The influence of acceleration, sample volume size, and time window duration on the Doppler spectral width was investigated for flow with blunt and parabolic velocity profiles passing through Gaussian-shaped sample volumes. Our results show that, for short duration windows, the spectral width is dominated by window broadening and that acceleration has a small effect on the spectral width. For long duration windows, the effect of acceleration must be taken into account. The size of the sample volume affects the spectral width of the Doppler signal in two ways: by intrinsic broadening and by the range of velocities passing through it. These effects act in opposite directions. The simple spectral width estimation formula was shown to have excellent agreement with widths calculated using the model and indicates the potential for correcting not only for window and nonstationarity broadening but also for intrinsic broadening.     

WOLD decomposition of the backscatter echo in ultrasound images of soft tissue organs

Deals with a method of detecting and estimating the scatterer spacing between the regularly spaced resolvable coherent scatterers in tissue. Scatterer spacing has been successfully used in classifying tissue structure, in differentiating between normal and cirrhotic liver, and in detecting diffuse liver disease. This paper presents a WOLD decomposition of the radio frequency (RF) field into its diffused and coherent components from which maximum likelihood estimates (MLE) or minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimates of the scattering spacing are easily computed. The MLE are efficient and for relatively long record are unbiased. They result in accurate estimates in low signal-to-noise (SNR) ratios. Unfortunately, they require nonlinear minimization and knowledge of the probability density associated with the RF backscatter echo. The MMSE estimates, on the other hand, are computationally simple, yield unique closed form solutions, do not require a-priori knowledge of the probability distribution function of the backscatter echo, and result in accurate estimates in low SNR ratios. This paper also presents an unbiased decision rule to detect whether or not an RF echo exhibits any specular scattering relative to the wavelength of the interrogating ultrasonic pulse. The approach has been tried on simulations as well as on in-vivo scans of liver data, and appears to perform well.     

Simulation of absolute amplitudes of ultrasound signals using equivalent circuits

Equivalent circuits for piezoelectric devices and ultrasonic transmission media can be used to cosimulate electronics and ultrasound parts in simulators originally intended for electronics. To achieve efficient system-level optimization, it is important to simulate correct, absolute amplitude of the ultrasound signal in the system, as this determines the requirements on the electronics regarding dynamic range, circuit noise, and power consumption. This paper presents methods to achieve correct, absolute amplitude of an ultrasound signal in a simulation of a pulse-echo system using equivalent circuits. This is achieved by taking into consideration loss due to diffraction and the effect of the cable that connects the electronics and the piezoelectric transducer. The conductive loss in the transmission line that models the propagation media of the ultrasound pulse is used to model the loss due to diffraction. Results show that the simulated amplitude of the echo follows measured values well in both near and far fields, with an offset of about 10%. The use of a coaxial cable introduces inductance and capacitance that affect the amplitude of a received echo. Amplitude variations of 60% were observed when the cable length was varied between 0.07 m and 2.3 m, with simulations predicting similar variations. The high precision in the achieved results show that electronic design and system optimization can rely on system simulations alone. This will simplify the development of integrated electronics aimed at ultrasound systems.     

Mesoscopic statistical properties of multistep enzyme-mediated reactions

Enzyme-mediated reactions may proceed through multiple intermediate conformational states before creating a final product molecule, and one often wishes to identify such intermediate structures from observations of the product creation. In this study, the authors address this problem by solving the chemical master equations for various enzymatic reactions. A perturbation theory analogous to that used in quantum mechanics allows the determination of the first (langnrang) and the second (sigma²) cumulants of the distribution of created product molecules as a function of the substrate concentration and the kinetic rates of the intermediate processes. The mean product flux V = dlangnrang / dt (or dasiadosedasiaresponsedasia curve) and the Fano factor F = sigma²/langnrang are both realistically measurable quantities, and whereas the mean flux can often appear the same for different reaction types, the Fano factor can be quite different. This suggests both qualitative and quantitative ways to discriminate between different reaction schemes, and the authors explore this possibility in the context of four sample multistep enzymatic reactions. Measuring both the mean flux and the Fano factor can not only discriminate between reaction types, but can also provide some detailed information about the internal, unobserved kinetic rates, and this can be done without measuring single-molecule transition events.     

Broadband ultrasound attenuation measurement of long bone using peak frequency of the echoes

The traditional peak frequency formulation requires the knowledge of the signal wavelet. We improved and applied the method to estimate attenuation for homogeneous silicon rubber and bovine cortical bone without recourse to the wavelet assumption. The estimated values for rubber and bone samples are 6.59 plusmn 0.28 dB/MHz/cm and 4.59 plusmn 1.09 dB/MHz/cm, respectively, as compared with 6.33 plusmn 0.19 dB/ MHz/cm and 5.00 plusmn 1.10 dB/MHz/cm, respectively, by the spectral ratio method.     

Relative measurements of the velocity and attenuation of ultrasound in highly absorbing liquids

It is shown that it is possible to use a continuous sinusoidal signal to make relative measurements of the velocity and absorption coefficient of ultrasound in highly absorbing liquids such as liquid crystals. Compared with the traditional variable-frequency pulse-phase method, the technique described has the advantage of giving a direct reading of the results under dynamic measurement conditions. A block diagram and the characteristics of the equipment for measuring the anisotropy of acoustic parameters by both pulse and continuous methods are presented.Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 1, pp. 66–67, January, 1995.     

冠脉内超声多普勒血流信号的极点特征

研究冠脉内超卢多普勒血流信号的极点特征，期望为微循环障碍等缺血性心脏病的诊断提供客观指标。先对冠脉内超声多普勒血流信号分段建立自回归滑动平均（Auto-regressive＆moving-average，即ARMA）模型，获取一个心动用期信号的极点分布，计算极点分布的特征参数。通过分析18例冠脉内超声多普勒血流信号，得出若干个对冠脉微循环障碍敏感的特征参数。结果表明：冠脉内超声多普勒血流信号的极点特征参数，可以一定程度反映冠脉循环的状况。