Mohammadamin Maleki, Abhinav Priyadarshi, Jolyon Cleaves
et al.
This study investigates hydrodynamic cavitation (HC) inception and development in micro-Venturi channels, focusing on the mechanism that drives spatially irregular cavitation events. The study reveals that cavitation regeneration is primarily governed by the interaction between residual cavitation nuclei and low-pressure vortices. Using ultra-high-speed imaging and advanced bubble dynamics analysis, it was revealed that the residual nuclei trapped in the boundary layer or reverse flow near the sidewall of the microscale reactor are the key to cavitation regeneration. Their interaction with vortices shed from the shear layer, triggering spatially distributed inception events throughout the channel. Bubble velocity analysis showed a size-dependent pattern: smaller residual bubbles migrate upstream (negative velocities) before growing and being advected downstream (positive velocities), directly linking their motion dynamics to cavitation inception. Spectral analysis of the bubble populations demonstrated two frequency components: low-frequency signals in the transient regime, reflecting slow periodic replenishment of residual nuclei and high-frequency fluctuations driven by vortex activity. With increasing upstream pressure, the system shifted to periodic attached cavitation, characterized by regular shedding-driven fluctuations in bubble content. At even higher pressures, fully developed cavitation emerged, marked by intense shear-layer activity, sporadic downstream variations, and shear-induced bubble breakup that sustained mainstream cavitation. The findings of this study illustrate how residual nuclei and their interaction with transient vortices play a pivotal role in microscale cavitation inception, thereby offering critical insights on controlling cavitation in microfluidic systems such as “HC on a chip” reactors, where stochastic nucleation and bubble transport significantly influence performance.
Jianqing Li, Nicholas J. Goddard, Ruamsiri Songsaeng
et al.
Acoustic levitation in air and contactless coalescence of levitated droplets using acoustic forces are of great significance to chemical and biological reactions. The state-of-the-art is levitation and coalescence of 3 pairs of droplets achieved via dual-side phased arrays. However, there are no reports on the general design principles for manipulation and coalescence of > 3 pairs of droplets. Equally, there are no reports on sequential coalescence of more than two columns of droplets, which is essential for performing reactions requiring addition of more than two reagents. In this paper, we showed that wide traps are more suited than narrow traps for the coalescence of droplets. In wide traps, the acoustic energy was expanded along the direction of merging of droplets. Additionally, uniform traps created in this work by distributing energy between traps increased the number of droplets that can be levitated. We have reported a new algorithm named DS-PAT based on direct search method to overcome the limitations of existing algorithms. Using wide uniform traps and the DS-PAT algorithm, for the first time, a stable coalescence of up to 6 pairs of levitated droplets was achieved. To measure experimental acoustic fields during the merging process, a custom-built acoustic scanning setup was employed, which showed good consistency with simulations. Subsequently, DS-PAT was used to design the sequential coalescence of 4 columns of droplets with 2 droplets in each column. This was then applied to study the well-known oscillatory Belousov–Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction. This work gives general principles of designing acoustic fields for stable coalescence of columns of droplets and introduces a global algorithm for dual-side phased arrays, paving the way for stable and efficient chemical and biological reactions in airborne droplets.
The emergence of high-intensity focused ultrasound applications brings great potential to establish noninvasive therapeutic treatment in place of conventional surgery. However, the development of ultrasonic technology also poses challenges to the design and manufacture of high-power ultrasound transducers with sufficient acoustic pressure. Here, the design of a sector vortex Archimedean spiral phased array transducer that is able to enhance focal acoustic pressure is proposed by maximizing the filling factor of the piezoelectric array. The transducer design was experimentally verified by hydrophone measurements and matched well with acoustic simulation studies. The focal deflection was shown to be feasible up to ±9 mm laterally and up to ±20 mm axially, where the effective focal acoustic pressure can be maintained above 50% and the level of the grating lobe below 30%. Furthermore, a homogeneous pressure distribution without secondary focus was observed in the pre-focal region of the transducer. The rational design of a high-intensity focused ultrasound transducer indicates promising development in the treatment of deep tissue thermal ablation for clinical applications.
Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate a radiomics model using Photoacoustic/ultrasound (PA/US) imaging at intra and peri-tumoral area to differentiate Luminal and non-Luminal breast cancer (BC) and to determine the optimal peritumoral area for accurate classification. Materials and methods: From February 2022 to April 2024, this study continuously collected 322 patients at Shenzhen People’s Hospital, using standardized conditions for PA/US imaging of BC. Regions of interest were delineated using ITK-SNAP, with peritumoral regions of 2 mm, 4 mm, and 6 mm automatically expanded using code from the Pyradiomic package. Feature extraction was subsequently performed using Pyradiomics. The study employed Z-score normalization, Spearman correlation for feature correlation, and LASSO regression for feature selection, validated through 10-fold cross-validation. The radiomics model integrated intra and peri-tumoral area, evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC), Calibration and Decision Curve Analysis(DCA). Results: We extracted and selected features from intratumoral and peritumoral PA/US images regions at 2 mm, 4 mm, and 6 mm. The comprehensive radiomics model, integrating these regions, demonstrated enhanced diagnostic performance, especially the 4 mm model which showed the highest area under the curve(AUC):0.898(0.78–1.00) and comparably high accuracy (0.900) and sensitivity (0.937). This model outperformed the standalone clinical model and combined clinical-radiomics model in distinguishing between Luminal and non-Luminal BC, as evidenced in the test set results. Conclusion: This study developed a radiomics model integrating intratumoral and peritumoral at 4 mm region PA/US model, enhancing the differentiation of Luminal from non-Luminal BC. It demonstrated the diagnostic utility of peritumoral characteristics, reducing the need for invasive biopsies and aiding chemotherapy planning, while emphasizing the importance of optimizing tumor surrounding size for improved model accuracy.
Andrzej NOWICKI, Jurij TASINKIEWICZ, Piotr KARWAT
et al.
It has been shown that within the range of acoustic pressures used in ultrasound imaging, waveforms are distorted during propagation in tissue due to the physically nonlinear behavior of the tissue. This distortion leads to changes in the spectrum of the received ultrasound echoes, causing the transfer of signal energy from the fundamental frequency to higher harmonics. Interestingly, adipose tissue exhibits up to 50 % stronger nonlinear behavior compared to other soft tissues. The tissue nonlinearity parameter B/A is typically measured ex vivo using an ultrasound method in transmission mode, which requires extensive receiving systems. Currently, there is no improved ultrasound method for measuring the B/A nonlinearity parameter in vivo, which could be used in assessing the degree of fatty liver disease.
We propose a new, simple approach to estimating nonlinear tissue properties. The proposed method involves transmitting ultrasound waves at significantly different acoustic pressures, recording echoes only in the fundamental frequency band at various depths, and introducing a nonlinearity index (NLI) based on specific echo amplitude ratios.
The NLI at a given depth is calculated using the ratio of two dimensionless parameters. The first parameter is a predetermined constant obtained by dividing the total echo values from transmitting a signal at higher sound pressure by those from a signal at lower sound pressure, summed over a small tissue sample volume located near the transducer. The second parameter is calculated at a fixed distance from the transducer, determined by dividing the total echo values from transmitting a signal at higher sound pressure by those from a signal at lower pressure, summed over a small tissue volume of the tissue at that distance from the transducer. The reliability of the proposed measurements for assessing tissue nonlinearity has been substantiated through experimental confirmation of the existing correlations between the values of NLI and B/A in water, sunflower oil, and animal liver tissue samples with oil-enriched regions. The NLI was more than 15 % higher in sunflower oil than in water. The NLI in bovine liver sample below the area with injected oil (mimicking “steatosis”) was
more than 35 % higher than in regions without oil. This method represents a promising modality for the nonlinear characterization of tissue regions in vivo, particularly for diagnosing fatty liver disease.
The regulation of propellant combustion using ultrasonic waves is proposed. Under ultrasonic frequencies of 25–40 kHz, we systematically examined the combustion characteristics of Al particles, ammonium perchlorate (AP)/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) propellants, and Al-containing Al/AP/HTPB propellants. Ultrasonic treatment increased the ignition delay time of the Al particles by 48.3 %. However, it increased the burning rate of the AP/HTPB propellants by up to 26.1 % and decreased their ignition delay by 39.3 %. As the ultrasonic frequency increased, the burning rate of the solid Al/AP/HTPB propellants increased by 22.5 %, and the degree of Al agglomeration decreased, resulting in a 24 % decrease in the size of the condensed-phase combustion products. The action mechanism was analyzed in terms of the effects of ultrasonic waves on Al droplets and combustion flames. The introduction of ultrasonic waves split the Al droplets near the burning surface into smaller particles, which affected combustion efficiency. Bringing the diffusion flame closer to the burning surface affected the burning rate. These findings demonstrate that the combustion and agglomeration characteristics of solid propellants can be modified using ultrasonic techniques, providing a new method for controlling the thrust of solid rocket motors.
Yogesh Patil, Shirish H. Sonawane, Perugu Shyam
et al.
Water reclamation from lakes needs to be accomplished efficiently and affordably to ensure the availability of clean, disinfected water for society. Previous treatment techniques, such as coagulation, adsorption, photolysis, ultraviolet light, and ozonation, are not economically feasible on a large scale. This study investigated the effectiveness of standalone HC and hybrid HC + H2O2 treatment techniques for treating lake water. The effect of pH (3 to 9), inlet pressure (4 to 6 bar), and H2O2 loading (1 to 5 g/L) were examined. At pH = 3, inlet pressure of 5 bar and H2O2 loadings of 3 g/L, maximum COD and BOD removal were achieved·H2O2 was observed to significantly improve the performance of the HC when used as a chemical oxidant. In an optimal operating condition, a COD removal of 54.5 % and a BOD removal of 51.5 % using HC alone for 1 h is observed. HC combined with H2O2 removed 64 % of both COD and BOD. The hybrid HC + H2O2 treatment technique resulted in a nearly 100% removal of pathogens. The results of this study indicate that the HC-based technique is an effective method for removing contaminants and disinfection of the lake water.
The sound speed profile data of seawater provide an important basis for carrying out underwater acoustic modeling and analysis, sonar performance evaluation, and underwater acoustic assistant decision-making. The data volume of the high-resolution sound speed profile is vast, and the demand for data storage space is high, which severely limits the analysis and application of the high-resolution sound speed profile data in the field of marine acoustics. This paper uses the dictionary learning method to achieve sparse coding of the high-resolution sound speed profile and uses a compressed sparse row method to compress and store the sparse characteristics of the data matrix. The influence of related parameters on the compression rate and recovery data error is analyzed and discussed, as are different scenarios and the difference in compression processing methods. Through comparative experiments, the average error of the sound speed profile data compressed is less than 0.5 m/s, the maximum error is less than 3 m/s, and the data volume is about 10% to 15% of the original data volume. This method significantly reduces the storage capacity of high-resolution sound speed profile data and ensures the accuracy of the data, providing technical support for efficient and convenient access to high-resolution sound speed profiles.
Joncer Naibaho, Anna Pudło, Małgorzata Korzeniowska
et al.
The study aimed to investigate the capability of bath-ultrasonication and its combination with conventional water-bath and autoclave treatment in modifying the volatile composition of brewers’ spent grain (BSG). It was hypothesized that the treatments modified the volatile composition of BSG due to the sonochemical modification. The results demonstrated that the treatments intensified the desirable odor and removed the undesirable one which might allow the possibility of masking and renewing the odor perception of BSG. Besides the influence on odor perception related compounds, it is worth to highlight that the treatments eliminated herbicidal compounds such as (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal and (E)-2-hexenal which might be present from herbicidal treatment. Combination of bath-ultrasonication with autoclave treatment modified the volatile aldehydes while its combination with conventional water-bath generated the same profile as it was in untreated BSG. Time elevation on bath-ultrasonication had no significant impact on the amount of ketones and alkanes, while the fluctuation occurred as an impact of thermal exposures. Moreover, the treatment reduced the amount of alcohol and increased the fatty acids. In conclusion, bath-ultrasonication and its combination with thermal exposure modified the volatile compositions of BSG.
Haoyang Lin, Huadan Zheng, Baiyang Antonio Zhou Montano
et al.
In this paper, an on-beam quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) sensor based on a custom quartz tuning fork (QTF) acting as a photoacoustic transducer, was realized and tested. The QTF is characterized by a resonance frequency of 28 kHz, ~15% lower than that of a commercially available 32.7 kHz standard QTF. One-dimensional acoustic micro resonator (AmR) was designed and optimized by using stainless-steel capillaries. The 28 kHz QTF and AmRs are assembled in on-beam QEPAS configuration. The AmR geometrical parameters have been optimized in terms of length and internal diameter. The laser beam focus position and the AmR coupling distance were also adjusted to maximize the coupling efficiency. For comparison, QEPAS on-beam configurations based on a standard QTF and on the 28 kHz QTF were compared in terms of H2O and CO2 detection sensitivity. In order to better characterize the performance of the system, H2O, C2H2 and CO2 were detected for a long time and the long-term stability was analyzed by an Allan variance analysis. With the integration time of 1 s, the detection limits for H2O, C2H2 and CO2 are 1.2 ppm, 28.8 ppb and 2.4 ppm, respectively. The detection limits for H2O, C2H2 and CO2 can be further improved to 325 ppb, 10.3 ppb and 318 ppb by increasing the integration time to 521 s, 183 s and 116 s
Periodontitis is a public issue and imaging periodontal pocket is important to evaluate periodontitis. Regular linear transducers have limitations in imaging the posterior teeth due to their geometry restrictions. Here we characterized a transducer that can image the posterior teeth including assessment of periodontal pockets via a combination of photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging. Unlike conventional transducer design, this device has a toothbrush-shaped form factor with a side-view transducer to image molars (total size: 1 ×1.9 cm). A laser diode was integrated as the light source to reduce the cost and size and facilitates clinical transition. The in vivo imaging of a molar of a periodontal patient demonstrated that the transducer could image in the posterior area of gum in vivo; the value determined by imaging was within 7 % of the value measured clinically.
: Underwater acoustics, which is the domain that addresses phenomena related to the generation, propagation, and reception of sound waves in water, has been applied mainly in the research on the use of sound navigation and ranging (SONAR) systems for underwater communication, target detection, investigation of marine resources and environment mapping, and measurement and analysis of sound sources in water. The main objective of remote sensing based on underwater acoustics is to indirectly acquire information on underwater targets of interest using acoustic data. Meanwhile, highly advanced data-driven machine-learning techniques are being used in various ways in the processes of acquiring information from acoustic data. The related theoretical background is introduced in the first part of this paper (Yang et al., 2020). This paper reviews machine-learning applications in passive SONAR signal-processing tasks including target detection/identification and localization.
An analysis of low-level feature space for emotion recognition from the speech is presented. The main goal was to determine how the statistical properties computed from contours of low-level features influence the emotion recognition from speech signals. We have conducted several experiments to reduce and tune our initial feature set and to configure the classification stage. In the process of analysis of the audio feature space, we have employed the univariate feature selection using the chi-squared test. Then, in the first stage of classification, a default set of parameters was selected for every classifier. For the classifier that obtained the best results with the default settings, the hyperparameter tuning using cross-validation was exploited. In the result, we compared the classification results for two different languages to find out the difference between emotional states expressed in spoken sentences. The results show that from an initial feature set containing 3198 attributes we have obtained the dimensionality reduction about 80% using feature selection algorithm. The most dominant attributes selected at this stage based on the mel and bark frequency scales filterbanks with its variability described mainly by variance, median absolute deviation and standard and average deviations. Finally, the classification accuracy using tuned SVM classifier was equal to 72.5% and 88.27% for emotional spoken sentences in Polish and German languages, respectively.
The Luneburg lens is a spherically symmetrical gradient refractive index (GRIN) device with unique imaging properties. Its wide field-of-view (FoV) and minimal aberration have lead it to be successfully applied in microwave antennas. However, only limited realizations have been demonstrated in acoustics. Previously proposed acoustic Luneburg lenses are mostly limited to inherently two-dimensional designs at frequencies from 1 kHz to 7 kHz. In this paper, we apply a new design method for scalable and self-supporting metamaterials to demonstrate Luneburg lenses for airborne sound and ultrasonic waves. Two Luneburg lenses are fabricated: a 2.5D ultrasonic version for 40 kHz and a 3D version for 8 kHz sound. Imaging performance of the ultrasonic version is experimentally demonstrated.