Speed of Sound in Asymmetric Quark Matter

The speed of sound in quark matter is an important physical quantity for studying the properties and the spacetime evolution of quark-gluon plasma(QGP).The behavior of the speed of sound with respect to temperature and density can reveal to some extent the equation of state and the phase structure of QGP.Building upon the previous studies on the speed of sound in symmetric quark matter,the formulae for calculating the speed of sound in asymmetric quark matter in the temperature-density space are further derived.The PNJL model is then used to calculate the dependence of the speed of sound on isospin asymmetry.Furthermore,the relationship between the magnitude of the speed of sound and the QCD phase structure is discussed,and the regions where the acoustic equation fails are indicated under different physical conditions.It is found that the boundary of vanishing sound speed in asymmetric quark matter is smaller than that in symmetric quark matter,meaning that the range where the acoustic wave equation fails in asymmetric quark matter is smaller than that in symmetric quark matter.The results also indicate that in most of the stable phase,the speed of sound in asymmetric quark matter is slightly larger than that in symmetric quark matter.

Piecewise Acoustic Source Imaging with Unknown Speed of Sound Using a Level-Set Method

We investigate the following inverse problem:starting from the acoustic wave equation,reconstruct a piecewise constant passive acoustic source from a single boundary temporal measurement without knowing the speed of sound.When the amplitudes of the source are known a priori,we prove a unique determination result of the shape and propose a level set algorithm to reconstruct the singularities.When the singularities of the source are known a priori,we show unique determination of the source amplitudes and propose a least-squares fitting algorithm to recover the source amplitudes.The analysis bridges the low-frequency source inversion problem and the inverse problem of gravimetry.The proposed algorithms are validated and quantitatively evaluated with numerical experiments in 2D and 3D.

Enhancement of photoacoustic tomography in the tissue with speed-of-sound variance using ultrasound computed tomography

The speed-of-sound variance will decrease the imaging quality of photoacoustic tomography in acoustically inhomo- geneous tissue. In this study, ultrasound computed tomography is combined with photoacoustic tomography to enhance the photoacoustic tomography in this situation. The speed-of-sound information is recovered by ultrasound computed to- mography. Then, an improved delay-and-sum method is used to reconstruct the image from the photoacoustic signals. The simulation results validate that the proposed method can obtain a better photoacoustic tomography than the conventional method when the speed-of-sound variance is increased. In addition, the influences of the speed-of-sound variance and the fan-angle on the image quality are quantitatively explored to optimize the image scheme. The proposed method has a good performance even when the speed-of-sound variance reaches 14.2%. Furthermore, an optimized fan angle is revealed, which can keep the good image quality with a low cost of hardware. This study has a potential value in extending the biomedical application of photoacoustic tomography.

Accounting for speed of sound variations in volumetric hand-held optoacoustic imaging

Hand-held implementations of recently intro- duced real-time volumetric tomography approaches repre- sent a promising path toward clinical translation of the optoacoustic technology. To this end, rapid acquisition of optoacoustic image data with spherical matrix arrays has attained exquisite visualizations of three-dimensional vascular morphology and function deep in human tissues. Nevertheless, significant reconstruction inaccuracies may arise from speed of sound （SOS） mismatches between the imaged tissue and the coupling medium used to propagate the generated optoacoustic responses toward the ultra- sound sensing elements. Herein, we analyze the effects of SoS variations in three-dimensional hand-held tomo- graphic acquisition geometries. An efficient graphics processing unit （GPU）-based reconstruction framework is further proposed to mitigate the SoS-related image quality degradation without compromising the high-frame-rate volumetric imaging performance of the method, essential for real-time visualization during hand-held scans.

Image-Based Ultrasound Speed Estimation: Phantom and Human Liver Studies

Purpose: A novel image-based method for speed of sound (SoS) estimation is proposed and experimentally validated on a tissue-mimicking ultrasound phantom and normal human liver in vivo using linear and curved array transducers. Methods: When the beamforming SoS settings are adjusted to match the real tissue’s SoS, the ultrasound image at regions of interest will be in focus and the image quality will be optimal. Based on this principle, both a tissue-mimicking ultrasound phantom and normal human liver in vivo were used in this study. Ultrasound image was acquired using different SoS settings in beamforming channels ranging from 1420 m/sec to 1600 m/sec. Two regions of interest (ROIs) were selected. One was in a fully developed speckle region, while the other contained specular reflectors. We evaluated the image quality of these two ROIs in images acquired at different SoS settings in beamforming channels by using the normalized autocorrelation function (ACF) of the image data. The values of the normalized ACF at a specific lag as a function of the SoS setting were computed. Subsequently, the soft tissue’s SoS was determined from the SoS setting at the minimum value of the normalized ACF. Results: The value of the ACF as a function of the SoS setting can be computed for phantom and human liver images. SoS in soft tissue can be determined from the SoS setting at the minimum value of the normalized ACF. The estimation results show that the SoS of the tissue-mimicking phantom is 1460 m/sec, which is consistent with the phantom manufacturer’s specification, and the SoS of the normal human liver is 1540 m/sec, which is within the range of the SoS in a healthy human liver in vivo. Conclusion: Soft tissue’s SoS can be determined by analyzing the normalized ACF of ultrasound images. The method is based on searching for a minimum of the normalized ACF of ultrasound image data with a specific lag among different SoS settings in beamforming channels.

Speed of Sound and Ideal-Gas Heat Capacity at Constant Pressure for HFC-125

The gaseous speed of sound, the ideal gas heat capacity at constant pressure, and the second Virial coefficient were determined for pentafluoroethane (HFC 125). A total of 49 data points of speed of sound for gaseous HFC 125 were measured for temperatures from 273 to 313 K and pressures from 32 to 479 kPa with a cylindrical, variable path acoustic interferometer. The ideal gas heat capacity at constant pressure and the second acoustic Virial coefficient were determined over the temperature range from the speed of sound measurements and were correlated as functions of temperature. An analytical expression for the second Virial coefficient derived using the square well intermolecular potential model was compared with the data.

Valid Regions of Formulas of Sound Speed in Bubbly Liquids

There are numerous formulae relating to the predictions of sound wave in the cavitating and bubbly flows. However, tile valid regions of those formulae are rather unclear from the view point of physics. In this work, the validity of the existing formulae is discussed in terms of three regions by employing the analysis of three typical lengths involved （viscous length, thermal diffusion length and bubble radius）. In our discussions, viscosity and thermal diffusion are both considered together with the effects of relative motion between bubbles and liquids. The importance of relative motion and thermal diffusion are quantitatively discussed in a wide range of parameter zones （including bubble radius and acoustic frequency）, The results show that for large bubbles, the effects of relative motion will be prominent in a wide region.

Temperature imaging with speed of ultrasonic transmission tomography for medical treatment control:A physical model-based method

Hyperthermia is a promising method to enhance chemo and radiation therapy of breast cancer. In the process of hyperthermia, temperature monitoring is of great importance to assure the effectiveness of treatment. The transmission speed of ultrasound in biomedical tissue changes with temperature. However, when mapping the speed of sound directly to temperature in each pixel as desired for using all speeds of ultrasound data, temperature bipolar edge enhancement artifacts occur near the boundary of two tissues with different speeds of ultrasound. After the analysis of the reasons for causing these artifacts, an optimized method is introduced to rebuild the temperature field image by using the continuity constraint as the judgment criterion. The significant smoothness of the rebuilding image in the transitional area shows that our proposed method can build a more precise temperature image for controlling the medical thermal treatment.

Screening with ultrasound of the heel may contribute to the prevention in osteoporosis

Objective:To calibrate a Quantitative Ultrasonography(QUS)system against densitometryby defining the sensitivity and specificity of the method,and to propose a series of QUS interpre-tation thresholds to classify the individual risk with regards to the risk of developing osteoporosisin later life.Methods:Subjects were recruited in New York City over a 1-year period.Women with amen-orrhea for at least 12 months were defined as postmenopausal,and all other women as premeno-pausal.Bone mineral density(BMD)was measured with a dual energy X-ray absorptiometer(DXA)and QUS performed with the calcaneus of broadband ultrasound attenuation(BUA)andspeed of sound(SOS)using the Lunar Achilles system.Statistical analysis was performed usingSPSS software Version 10.0.Results:Two hundred twenty-eight premenopausal and menopausal women were recruited.Most of the participants were Hispanic,Caucasian and African-American in this study.All thesubjects had DXA and QUS examined and T-score was got from both.The statistical resultsshowed that the T-score of QUS has a significant relationship with that of DXA(spine:r=0.557,P<0.0001;femur:r=0.611,P<0.0001).Both QUS and DXA T-score has a significant andnegative relationship with age(QUS:r=-0.241,P<0.0001;Spine:r=-0.277,P<0.0001;femur:-0.296,P<0.0001).When T-score of heel ultrasound -1.5 was set as the interpreta-tion threshold,the osteoporosis patients with T-score of DXA-femur scan(100%)and DXA-spine(77.10%)less than -2.5 were detected.As well,the specificities of T-score -1.5 ofQUS for DXA-femur and DXA-spine were 67.5% and 72.8%,respectively.In addition,if we set-1.0 of T-score of QUS as the cutoff,74.80% and 79.60% of the osteopenia based on DXA ofspine and femur were identified.The specificities were 59.4% and 57.7%.Conclusions:QUS of the calcaneus may be an effective method for providing risk stratifica-tion for osteoporosis,and for the closely associated future risk for fragility-fracture.

Volumetric and ultrasonic properties of thiamine hydrochloride drug in aqueous solutions of choline-based deep eutectic solvents at different temperatures

Important efforts have been made over the past years to improve the drug acts,which leads to the discovery of novel drug preparations and delivery systems.The optimal design of such processes requires a molecular-level understanding of the interactions between drug molecules and biological membranes.The thermodynamic investigation provides deep and complete knowledge of interactions and the choice of appropriate and suitable production compounds in pharmaceutical fields.Particularly,the analysis of drugs+co-solvents in aqueous media is the central issue in many types of research because they exert their impact by interacting with biological membranes.This work is aimed to measure the density and speed of sound for the thiamine hydrochloride in water+deep eutectic solvents(DESs)mixtures(choline chloride/urea,choline chloride/ethylene glycol and choline chloride/glycerol)at temperature range(293.15-308.15)K.By correlation of the evaluated parameters in some standard relations,the partial molar parameters i.e.apparent molar volumes,Vφ,m,and apparent molar isentropic compression,κ_(s,φ,m),are calculated.In addition,apparent molar isobaric expansion,E^(0)_(φ,m),and Hepler’s constant are computed from the density and speed of sound data.For fitting the experimental Vφ,m andκ_(s,φ,m)the Redlich-Meyer equation was employed that the important quantities;standard partial molar volume,V^(0)_(m),and partial molar isentropic compression,κφ,m0,were obtained.The thermodynamic analysis of the studied system also plays a crucial role in the pharmaceutical industry.

Unleashing the Power of Information Theory: Enhancing Accuracy in Modeling Physical Phenomena

When building a model of a physical phenomenon or process, scientists face an inevitable compromise between the simplicity of the model (qualitative-quantitative set of variables) and its accuracy. For hundreds of years, the visual simplicity of a law testified to the genius and depth of the physical thinking of the scientist who proposed it. Currently, the desire for a deeper physical understanding of the surrounding world and newly discovered physical phenomena motivates researchers to increase the number of variables considered in a model. This direction leads to an increased probability of choosing an inaccurate or even erroneous model. This study describes a method for estimating the limit of measurement accuracy, taking into account the stage of model building in terms of storage, transmission, processing and use of information by the observer. This limit, due to the finite amount of information stored in the model, allows you to select the optimal number of variables for the best reproduction of the observed object and calculate the exact values of the threshold discrepancy between the model and the phenomenon under study in measurement theory. We consider two examples: measurement of the speed of sound and measurement of physical constants.

Thermodynamic properties at the kinetic freeze-out in the Au + Au and Cu + Cu collisions at the RHIC using the Tsallis distribution

The thermodynamic properties of charged particles,such as the energy density,pressure,entropy density,particle density,and squared speed of sound at the kinetic freeze-out in the Au+Au collisions from the relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC)beam energy scan program √S_(NN) and in the Cu+Cu collisions at √S_(NN),200 GeV are studied using the thermodynamically consistent Tsallis distribution.The energy density,pressure,and particle density decrease monotonically with the collision energy for the same collision centrality;These properties also decrease monotonically from the central to peripheral collisions at the same collision energy.While the scaled energy densityε∕T^(4) and scaled entropy density s∕T^(3) demonstrate the opposite trend with the collision energy for the same collision centrality.There is a correlation betweenε∕T^(4) and s∕T^(3) at the same centrality.In addition,the squared speed of sound was calculated to determine that all the collision energies share nearly the same value at different collision centralities.

A methodology to achieve the basis function for the expansion of sound speed profile

In order to evaluate the reliability and applicability of the Empirical Orthogonal Functions（EOFs）in the acoustic inversion of sound speed profile（SSP）and reduce EOF＇s dependence on the sample data,a methodology is proposed for the achievement of the basis functions for SSP＇s expansion.By analyzing the oceanographic dynamics which is the main cause of the SSP＇s variation,the basis functions are obtained naming the Hydrodynamic Normal Modes（HNMs）.The HNM basis functions are almost the same as those derived from the EOF method,while HNMs has less dependence on the amount of the sample data.HNMs method has a physically meaningful interpretation,and it could give out the physical parameters which determine the basis functions for the expansion of SSP,and this makes it possible to analyze and evaluate the trustiness and applicability of EOFs.

Combating acoustic heterogeneity in photoacoustic computed tomography:A review

Based on the energy conversion of light into sound,photoacoustic computed tomography(PACT)is an emerging biomedical imaging modality and has unique applications in a range of biomedical fields.In PACT,image formation relies on a process called acoustic inversion from received photoacoustic signals.While most PACT systems perform this inversion with a basic assumption that biological tissues are acoustically homogeneous,the community gradually rea-lizes that the intrinsic acoustic heterogeneity of tissues could pose distortions and artifacts to finally formed images.This paper surveys the most recent research progress on acoustic het-erogeneity correction in PACT.Four major strategies are reviewed in detail,including half-time or partial-time reconstruction,autofocus reconstruction by optimizing sound speed maps,joint reconstruction of optical absorption and sound speed maps,and ultrasound computed tomog-raphy(USCT)enhanced reconstruction.The correction of acoustic heterogeneity helps improve the imaging performance of PACT.

Sound waves in fluidized bed using CFD-DEM simulations

The speed of sound waves in a fluidized bed is investigated using CFD-DEM numerical simulations, Appro- priate initial and boundary conditions are applied to reproduce bed phenomena. The effect of varying the height of the bed is also studied. The results of the simulations matched those from the literature. The pressure and particle velocity profiles obtained feature oscillatory behavior to which functions （based on a damped standing wave） were fitted, enabling an explicit dependence on time and space variables to be established. These fitted functions were substituted into the linearized governing equations for the two-phase flow. These solutions enabled a new relationship to be derived for the speed of sound and damping in the system. The conclusion drawn is tbat the damping in the system is governed by the effective bulk viscosity of the solid phase, which arises from the particle viscosity.

A new accelerating technique for low speed flow:Pseudo high speed method

This paper proposes a new accelerating technique for simulating low speed flows,termed as p Seudo High Speed method(SHS),which uses governing equations and numerical methods of compressible flows.SHS method has advantages of simple formula,easy manipulation,and only need to modify flux of Euler equations.It can directly employ the existing well-developed schemes of hyperbolic conservation laws.To verify the technique,several numerical experiments are performed,such as:flow past airfoils and flow past a cylinder.Analysis of SHS method and comparisons with some precondition methods are made numerically.All tests show that SHS method can greatly improve the efficiency of compressible method simulating low speed flow fields,which exhibits in accelerating the convergence rate and increasing the accuracy of the numerical results.

CAVITATION CONTROL BY AERATION AND ITS COMPRESSIBLE CHARACTERISTICS

This paper presents an experimental investigation and a theoretical analysis of cavitation control by aeration and its compressible characteristics at the flow velocity V=20m/s-50m/s. Pressure waveforms with and without aeration in cavitation region were measured. The variation of compression ratio with air concentration was described, and the relation between the least air concentration to prevent cavitation erosion and flow velocity proposed based on our experimental study. The experimental results show that aeration remarkably increases the pressure in cavitation region, and the corresponding pressure wave exhibits a compression wave/shock wave. The pressure increase in cavitation region of high-velocity flow with aeration is due to the fact that the compression waves/shock wave after the flow is aerated. The compression ratio increases with air concentration rising. The relation between flow velocity and least air concentration to prevent cavitation erosion follows a semi-cubical parabola. Also, the speed of sound and Mach number of high-velocity aerated flow were analyzed.