High Acoustic Pressure Research Articles

Ultrasound Therapy With High-Pressure Pulses Is Effective to Reduce the Effects of Collagenase-Induced Tendinopathy in Rat's Achilles Tendon

ObjectiveWe propose an ultrasonic treatment for collagenase-induced tendinopathy in rat's Achilles tendon using pulses with a low number of cycles, high acoustic pressure and very low duty cycle. MethodsTwenty rats were used to perform the experiment. Four experimental groups of calcaneal tendons were studied: control (n = 6), sham (n = 4), collagenase-induced tendinopathy (n = 8) and ultrasound-treated collagenase-induced tendinopathy (n = 8). Surgical intervention was performed to expose the tendons prior to collagenase injection. A 1 MHz ultrasonic tansducer with a focusing lens was used. Ultrasonic treatments were used with an average total treatment time of 2.5 min, 20-cycle pulses, pressure amplitude p = 7 MPa, and 0.02% duty cycle. Histopathology of the samples was performed to evaluate nuclear density, acute inflammation, and signs of neovascularization. Collagen (types I and III), elastic fibers, and glycosaminoglycans were also analyzed. ResultsNo tendon involvement was found by the surgical process. Ultrasonic treatment is safe, as it does not affect healthy tendons. When collagenase infiltrated animals were treated with US, a clear predominance of type I collagen fibers and a similar collagen ratio profile to that observed in the control and sham groups was observed, with a higher density of elastic fibers compared to the control and sham groups and a significant increase in the density of glycosaminoglycans. ConclusionThe ultrasound treatment proposed reduces the effects of the artificial collagenase lesion to reach the basal level after 45 d.

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of single-bubble evolution under synergy of ultrasound and an electrostatic field

In the study reported here, a two-phase flow model was developed for the evolution of a single bubble under ultrasonic irradiation coupled with an electrostatic force. We started with the following assumptions: (I) the liquid is incompressible, (II) the effect of gravity is negligible in the liquid, (III) the bubble is insulating, and no free charges are distributed on the liquid–gas interface, and (IV) the liquid contains only one bubble. Using computational fluid dynamics, we analyzed how the bubble shape evolves under various conditions, and the main findings are as follows: (1) With increasing electric field strength, the bubble reaches a larger maximum area and a smaller minimum area. Furthermore, during the positive phase of ultrasound, a higher electric field strength leads to faster compression and a more slender bubble. (2) As the initial bubble radius is increased from 3 to 5 μm, the cavitation becomes significantly stronger, but when the initial bubble radius reaches 10 μm, the cavitation intensity decreases instead because of greater compression resistance caused by there being more gas in the bubble. (3) Cavitation cannot be triggered under an excessively low acoustic pressure amplitude, and an excessively high acoustic pressure amplitude results in weaker cavitation; the appropriate acoustic pressure amplitude is considered to be 1.35 atm.

The comparison of the dynamics of Ca2+ and bleomycin intracellular delivery after cell sonoporation and electroporation in vitro

Ca2+, in combination with SP or EP, induces cell cytotoxicity much faster compared to BLM. The application of BLM in combination with, SP or EP, reaches the level of cell death, induced by similar combination with Ca2+, only after 72 h. The methods of SP and EP were calibrated according to the level of differential cytotoxicity, determined after 6 days (using cell clonogenic assay). The combination of Ca2+ SP induces cell death faster than Ca2+ EP – after Ca2+ SP it increases to a maximum level after 15 min and remains constant for up to 6 days, while the cytotoxic efficiency after Ca2+ EP increases to the level of Ca2+ SP only after 72 h. The combination of BLM SP shows a very similar dynamics to BLM EP – both reach maximal level of cytotoxicity after 48–72 h.Ca2+ and BLM in combination with SP have shown similar levels of cytotoxicity at higher acoustic pressures (≥250 kPa); therefore, Ca2+ SP can be used to induce immediate and maximal level of cytotoxic effect. The faster cytotoxic efficiency of Ca2+ in combination with SP than EP was determined to be due to the involvement of microbubble inertial cavitation.

Ultrasound and microbubble mediated T cell modulation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Ultrasound (US)-stimulated microbubbles are emerging as a revolutionary therapeutic technique, notably within the field of cancer immunotherapy. While this approach has been shown to modify cell permeability and to trigger local anti-tumor effects, the interactions between vibrating microbubbles and T-cells is not well understood. Here, we explore the biophysical impact of microbubbles on T-cell permeability and viability, setting the stage for potential advancements in cellular immunotherapy. Following the activation of fresh human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), cells were incubated with FITC-dextran (10kDa)—used here as a surrogate drug– and exposed in the presence of DefinityTM(1:217–cell:bubble ratio) US (1MHz, N = 1000, PRF = 5 ms for 2 minutes) over a range of peak-negative pressures (208-563kPa). Viability was assessed immediately and post-treatment concurrently with FITC macromolecule uptake using flow cytometry. T-cell population was identified using CD3 and CD4 antibodies (60% CD3 + and 20% CD4+). All conditions examined resulted > 95% viability. Results indicated a significant increase in viably permeated PBMCs with higher acoustic pressures, ranging from 0% to 30% (sham-corrected). When analyzed separately both CD4 + and CD4- T-cells exhibited similar permeability rates (0%–37.5%). The 563 kPa condition yielded the highest permeability with minimal viability loss. These findings open avenues for enhancing the efficacy of cellular immunotherapy for solid tumors.

Solid-core photonic crystal fiber with high acoustic pressure sensitivity

This study reports the design and fabrication of a Φ60/100-μm solid-core photonic crystal fiber with high acoustic pressure sensitivity. By decreasing the diameter of the cladding and increasing the proportion of air holes in the cladding, the equivalent Young’s modulus of the cladding was reduced, and the acoustic pressure sensitivity of the optical fiber was improved. The simulation and test results showed that the acoustic pressure sensitivity of the fabricated Φ60/100-μm solid-core photonic crystal fiber is approximately five times higher than that of the conventional Φ125/250-μm single-mode fiber.

Performance comparison of a standing-wave thermoacoustic engine with different resonator shapes with air working gas

The resonator is one of the key components of thermoacoustic machines and the choice of its geometry is of course of crucial importance, as it determines the way the machine operates. The resonator must be designed so that the quality factor of the resonance is as high as possible and must satisfy the technological production constraints related to the high pressurization of the working fluid and the presence of temperature non-uniformities. The shape of the resonator can be modified to reduce certain loss phenomena, particularly on the walls, and to limit the formation of harmonics in the high-level acoustic field. In this work, an acoustic power losses analysis and a numerical study of a standing-wave TAE with air working gas, considering changes in resonator shape, are performed to investigate the effect of resonator geometry on the thermoacoustic energy conversion. The acoustic power dissipation in the resonator is analyzed based on the simplified thermoacoustic theory and the numerical study is conducted based on a 2D numerical model based on a CFD analysis. Results show that the shape of the resonator significantly affects the frequency, the temperature along the stack, and the acoustic pressure produced on the TAE. In addition, it is shown that the resonator composed of two different diameters showed its ability to produce a high acoustic pressure amplitude (20.5% than the iso-diameter resonator) and minimize the viscous and thermal losses.

A New Multi-mode, High Pressure Portable Transcranial Ultrasound Stimulation System.

Transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) is a promising non-invasive neuromodulation method for brain disorders. Commonly-used TUS systems in research include custom-built and commercial devices. Custom-built devices typically consist of traditional function generator, power amplifier, and ultrasound transducer. Due to cumbersome wiring and absence of dedicated control software, the operation of these devices is inconvenient. Commercial devices often have limited waveform modes and cannot perform ultrasound modulation with complex waveforms. These limitations limit the application of TUS technology by ordinary users. Therefore, we propose a portable TUS system with multiple modes and high acoustic pressure. The proposed portable TUS system utilizes a high-power multi-mode stimulator, and an ultrasound transducer with impedance matching module to achieve multiple modes and high acoustic pressure ultrasound neuromodulation. The stimulator can output four types of waveforms: continuous pulse continuous stimulus (CPCS), intermittent pulse continuous stimulus (IPCS), continuous pulse intermittent stimulus (CPIS), and intermittent pulse intermittent stimulus (IPIS). When using a same transducer, it generates a peak negative pressure that is nearly identical to one produced by a commercial device. And compared to commercial transducer, the peak negative pressure of our transducer is significantly higher, reaching a maximum of 0.95 MPa. In-vitro experiments were conducted using rat hippocampal brain slices. The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the TUS system for neural stimulation. It offers a design method of a portable multi-mode, high pressure TUS system, which is used for complex neural modulation research.

A model of coupled oscillation of bubble cluster in liquid cavity wrapped by viscoelastic medium

Considering the interactions between bubbles in a multi-bubble system in a liquid micro-cavity, a spherical bubble cluster in a liquid cavity is modeled in order to describe the dynamical effect of the viscoelastic medium outside the liquid cavity on the oscillation of bubbles, and the coupled equations of bubbles are obtained. Subsequently, the acoustic response characteristics of bubbles are investigated by analyzing the radial oscillation, the stability of the non-spherical shape of bubbles and the threshold of inertial cavitation. The results show that the confinement of the cavity and the bubble cluster facilitates the suppression of bubble oscillation, however, it might enhance the nonlinear properties of bubbles to a certain extent. From the acoustic response curve at 1 MHz, it is found that the main resonance peaks shift leftward with the increase of the bubble number, which means a minor resonant radius can be obtained. The nonlinear stability of bubbles in a confined environment is mainly determined by acoustic pressure amplitude and frequency, the initial bubble radius, and bubble number density, while the effect of the cavity radius is enhanced with the increase of the driving pressure. There is a minimum unstable driving acoustic pressure threshold, depending on the initial bubble radius, and the unstable regions are mainly located in a range of less than 4 μm. With the increase in bubble number density, the strip-type stable region scattered of the unstable region in the map is gradually transformed into a random patch-like distribution, which indicates that the bubble oscillation under high acoustic pressure is more sensitive to the parameters, and it is very susceptible to interference, produces unstable oscillation and then collapses. When the bubble equilibrium radius is in a range greater than 4 μm, the influences of frequency and bubble number density on the inertial thresholds are particularly significant.

Numerical analysis of dynamic acoustic resonance with deformed liquid surfaces: the acoustic fountain

Applying a focused ultrasonic field on a free liquid surface results in its growth eventually leading to the so-called acoustic fountain. In this work, a numerical approach is presented to further increase the understanding of the acoustic fountain phenomenon. The developed simulation method enables the prediction of the free surface motion and the dynamic acoustic field in the moving liquid. The dynamic system is a balance between inertia, surface tension and the acoustic radiation force, and its nonlinearity is demonstrated by studying the relation between the ultrasonic excitation amplitude and corresponding liquid deformation. We show that dynamic resonance is the main mechanism causing the specific acoustic fountain shapes, and the analysis of the dynamic acoustic pressure allows us to predict Faraday-instability atomisation. We show that strong resonance peaks cause atomisation bursts and strong transient deformations corresponding to previously reported experimental observations. The quantitative prediction of the dynamic acoustic pressure enables us to assess the potential of cavitation generation in acoustic fountains. The observed local high acoustic pressures above both the cavitation and the atomisation threshold hint at the coexistence of these two phenomena in acoustic fountains.

Producing a High Level Harmonic Acoustic Pressure Field with Harmonic Acoustic Pneumatic Source (HAPS): Experimental Validation of the Harmonic Distortion Reduction

Applications such as active control of fane noise, require high Sound Pressure Levels (SPL). Pneumatic acoustic sources are usually used for that purpose (e.g. the WAS 3000 and the Mark VI and VII). The harmonic acoustic pneumatic sources (HAPS) - which use the chopping of an airflow to generate an acoustic pressure field - are being studied for applications requiring high-level harmonic acoustic pressure fields. A recent study has shown that the amplitude, phase, and frequency generated by HAPS are accurately controllable, and can reach 120 dBSPL. However, higher harmonics are also generated at high SPL and this could be detrimental to the intended applications (e.g. active control of tonal noise). An experimental campaign dedicated to understanding the harmonic distortion of HAPS has been conducted on a single HAPS in a semi-anechoic chamber. Measurements with quarter-wave tube at the output of the HAPS were also carried out to reduce this distortion. Levels of 120 to 130 dBSPL for the fundamental were reached, with a difference of 10 dB between the fundamental and the second harmonic (H1/H2 distorsion). Adding a quarter-wave tube increased the acoustic pressure level from 4 to 6 dBSPL, and the H1/H2 distorsion from 2 to 8 dBSPL.

Direct numerical simulation-based vibroacoustic response of plates excited by turbulent wall-pressure fluctuations

We use direct numerical simulation to study the vibroacoustic response of an elastic plate in a turbulent channel at $Re_\tau$ of 180 and 400 for three plate boundary conditions and two materials – synthetic rubber and stainless steel. The fluid–structure–acoustic coupling is assumed to be one-way coupled, i.e. the fluid affects the solid and not vice versa, and the solid affects the acoustic medium and not vice versa. The wall pressure consists of intermittent large-amplitude fluctuations associated with the near-wall, burst-sweep cycle of events. For stainless steel plates, displacement has similar large-amplitude peak events due to comparable time scales of plate vibration and near-wall eddies. For synthetic rubber plates, large-amplitude displacement fluctuations are observed only near clamped or simply supported boundaries. Away from boundaries, plate displacement resembles an amplitude-modulated wave, and no large-amplitude events are observed. We discuss displacement and acoustic pressure spectra over different frequency ranges. For frequencies much smaller than the first natural frequency, the product of plate-averaged displacement spectrum and bending stiffness squared collapses with Reynolds number and plate material in outer units. At high frequencies, displacement and acoustic pressure spectra scale better in inner units, and the scaling depends on the type of damping. For synthetic rubber plates, the spectra display an overlap region that collapses in both outer and inner units. Soft plate deformation displays a range of length scales. However, stiff plate deformation does not exhibit a similar range of scales and resembles plate mode shapes. The soft plate has two distinct deformation structures. Low-speed, large deformation structures with slow formation/break-up time scales are found away from boundaries. High-speed, small deformation structures with fast formation/break-up time scales formed due to boundary reflections exist near the boundaries.

Enhanced and spatially controllable neuronal activity induced by transcranial focused ultrasound stimulation combined with phase-change nanodroplets

Non-invasive ultrasound neuromodulation (USNM) is a powerful tool to explore neural circuits and treat neurological disorders. Due to the heterogeneity of the skull and regional variations in modulation and treatment objectives, it is necessary to develop an efficient and spatially controllable neuromodulation approach. Recently, transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) combined with external biomicro/nanomaterials for brain stimulation has garnered significant attention. This study focused on tFUS combined with perfluoropentane (PFP) nanodroplets (NDs) to improve the efficacy and spatial controllability of USNM. The developed two-stage variable pulse tFUS sequence that include the acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV) pulse for vaporizing PFP NDs into microbubbles (MBs) and the USNM sequence for inducing mechanical oscillations of the formed MBs to enhance neuronal activity. Further, adjusting the acoustic pressure of the ADV pulse generated the controllable vaporization regions, thereby achieving spatially controllable neuromodulation. The results showed that the mean densities of c-fos+ cells expression in the group of PFP NDs with ADV (109 ± 19 cells/mm2) were significantly higher compared to the group without ADV (37.34 ± 8.24 cells/mm2). The acoustic pressure of the ADV pulse with 1.98 MPa and 2.81 MPa in vitro generated the vaporization regions of 0.146 ± 0.032 cm2 and 0.349 ± 0.056 cm2, respectively. Under the same stimulation conditions, a larger vaporization region was also obtained with higher acoustic pressure in vivo, inducing a broader region of neuronal activation. Therefore, this study will serve as a valuable reference for developing the efficient and spatially controllable tFUS neuromodulation strategy.

MXene-based photoacoustic transducer with a high-energy conversion efficiency.

The applications of two-dimensional transition metal carbide/nitride (MXene) in the fields of optoelectronics, sustainable energy, and sensors, among others, have been broadly investigated due to their special electrical, optical, and structural properties. In this Letter, MXene (Ti3C2Tx) has been firstly, to the best of our knowledge, adopted for the application of a photoacoustic transducer by taking advantage of the photothermal property. The efficiency of the photoacoustic transducer based on a sandwich structure of glass/MXene/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) has been experimentally demonstrated to be 1.25 × 10-2 by converting laser pulses into ultrasonic waves, generating a high acoustic pressure of 15.7 MPa without additional acoustic focusing. That can be explained by the great light absorption and photothermal conversion of the Ti3C2Tx layer.

Spatio-temporal measurement of density distribution in oscillatory boundary layer using phase-shifting interferometer

The objective of this study is to directly measure the acoustic density fluctuations of a gas confined between two parallel plates. For this purpose, we originally developed a phase-shifting interferometer, where a polarizing Mach–Zehnder interferometer was incorporated with a polarization camera. This enabled us to achieve a time resolution of 70 FPS in addition to the high-resolution measurement by the phase-shifting technique. The test beam passes through the two parallel plates of width 10 mm, where an acoustic field is generated using a loudspeaker that produces high acoustic pressures (up to 3000 Pa) at frequencies ranging from 0.5 to 5 Hz. In this work, we successfully measure the density fluctuations, which are otherwise difficult to obtain using conventional optical interferometers. Additionally, the experimental results are compared to the visco-thermal acoustic theory, where a good agreement was reached, affirming the effectiveness of this phase-shifting interferometer. Furthermore, using the proposed setup, we are able to measure and deduce the spatiotemporal variations of the pressure, density, and temperature without interfering with the acoustic field, which distinguishes it from measurement probes like thermocouples. This interferometer can be used to study more complex phenomena such as edge effects in thermoacoustic engines.

Investigation of the orifice flow of over-the-rotor liner and its interaction with the rotor flow field

The emergence of ultra-high bypass ratio engines calls for advanced noise control technology. A promising technology is installing the acoustic liner at the casing over the rotor (OTR), forming the so-called OTR liner. Experiments have shown that this treatment could compensate for the reduced noise absorption due to the shortened intake length. Compared with the conventional liner receiving a pure acoustic pressure excitation, the OTR liner is exposed to the combined aerodynamic pressure perturbance and high acoustic pressure excitation, leading to complex flow mechanisms in the liner orifices. In this work, the large-eddy simulation method is used to investigate the flow phenomenon of OTR liner where each liner orifice is explicitly modeled to capture the flow behaviors at the blade tip proximity. Interesting findings are as follows: first, OTR liner orifices have an asynchronous dynamic response with a phase lag corresponding to the blade traversing speed; second, oscillating flow, resembling that in a classical Helmholtz resonator, is formed in the upstream liner orifices, while a bias flow appears in the downstream liner orifices. The dramatically different flow behaviors lead to non-uniform energy dissipation among orifices, implying the uniform impedance assumption in conventional acoustic liner definition fails when installing the liner near the rotor blade. Results also show that the orifice flow interacts with the blade tip leakage flow, affecting the development of the tip leakage vortex that may impact the rotor–stator interaction noise.

Enhancement of sonochemical production of hydroxyl radicals from pulsed cylindrically converging ultrasound waves

Sonochemistry is the use of ultrasound to generate highly reactive radical species through the inertial collapse of a gas/vapour cavity and is a green alternative for hydrogen production, wastewater treatment, and chemical synthesis and modifications. Yet, current sonochemical reactors often are limited by their design, resulting in low efficacy and yields with slow reaction kinetics. Here, we constructed a novel sonochemical reactor design that creates cylindrically converging ultrasound waves to create an intense localised region of high acoustic pressure amplitudes (15 MPaPKPK) capable of spontaneously nucleating cavitation. Using a novel dosimetry technique, we determined the effect of acoustic parameters on the yield of hydroxyl radicals (HO), HO production rate, and ultimately the sonochemical efficiency (SE) of our reactor. Our reactor design had a significantly higher HO production rate and SE compared to other conventional reactors and across literature.

On the non-linear behaviour of ultrasonic air-borne phased arrays

Air-coupled phased arrays are an increasing area of academic and industrial interest. Their application to acoustic levitation and mid-air haptics relies on high amplitude focussed fields capable of generating very high acoustic pressures (e.g. >150 dB SPL). At these elevated pressures non-linear propagation effects can become significant, for example: the generation of harmonic frequencies, waveform asymmetry and acoustic saturation. In this work the basics of non-linear acoustics are presented with emphasis on energy loss mechanisms. Experimental work shows non-linearities as a function of focussing distance and driving amplitude. Large 2D microphone scans normal and tangential to the acoustic axis are carried out. Comparisons to linear models are made as well as modification to saturation equations developed for water-coupled fields. It is shown that saturation losses can become significant at elevated transducer amplitudes and focal distances. Metrics such as the waveform asymmetry, total harmonic distortion and energy loss are used to show the onset and magnitude of non-linearities. The volumetric experimental data shows how the fundamental and harmonic fields can differ in amplitude sufficiently such that harmonic amplitudes can exceed the fundamental. Suggestions are made on how to identify non-linearities and their general effect on air-coupled arrays and their applications.

TRPV1-mediated sonogenetic neuromodulation of motor cortex in freely moving mice

Background. Noninvasive and cell-type-specific neuromodulation tools are critically needed for probing intact brain function. Sonogenetics for noninvasive activation of neurons engineered to express thermosensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) by transcranial focused ultrasound (FUS) was recently developed to address this need. However, using TRPV1-mediated sonogenetics to evoke behavior by targeting the cortex is challenged by its proximity to the skull due to high skull absorption of ultrasound and increased risks of thermal-induced tissue damage. Objective. This study evaluated the feasibility and safety of TRPV1-mediated sonogenetics in targeting the motor cortex to modulate the locomotor behavior of freely moving mice. Approach. Adeno-associated viral vectors was delivered to the mouse motor cortex via intracranial injection to express TRPV1 in excitatory neurons. A wearable FUS device was installed on the mouse head after a month to control neuronal activity by activating virally expressed TRPV1 through FUS sonication at different acoustic pressures. Immunohistochemistry staining of ex vivo brain slices was performed to verify neuron activation and evaluate safety. Results. TRPV1-mediated sonogenetic stimulation at 0.7 MPa successfully evoked rotational behavior in the direction contralateral to the stimulation site, activated cortical neurons as indicated by the upregulation of c-Fos, and did not induce significant changes in inflammatory or apoptotic markers (GFAP, Iba1, and Caspase-3). Sonogenetic stimulation of TRPV1 mice at a higher acoustic pressure, 1.1 MPa, induced significant changes in motor behavior and upregulation of c-Fos compared with FUS sonication of naïve mice at 1.1 MPa. However, signs of damage at the meninges were observed at 1.1 MPa. Significance. TRPV1-mediated sonogenetics can achieve effective and safe neuromodulation at the cortex with carefully selected FUS parameters. These findings expand the application of this technique to include superficial brain targets.

Validation of Packaged Clad-Etched Fiber Bragg Grating as Underwater Acoustic Sensor

The low intrinsic pressure sensitivity of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors impede their potential applications in the field of hydro-acoustics. This article demonstrates a simple, yet effective way of improving the aggregate hydro-acoustic sensitivity of a bare FBG sensor through clad-etching of the fiber sensor followed by a side-hole polymer packaging. The proposed underwater acoustic sensor system is characterized and validated with a standard lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-based hydrophone under various experimental conditions. This is the first time, to the best of our knowledge, such a high acoustic pressure sensitivity enhancement of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim 50$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dB, in comparison with a bare FBG sensor, is reported using a conventional and highly operationally stable wavelength interrogation technique. The minimum detectable acoustic pressure is calculated to be <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim 1$ </tex-math></inline-formula> Pa/ <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$(\text {Hz})^{1/2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> with a maximum responsivity of <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim 100$ </tex-math></inline-formula> nm/MPa in the investigated frequency range, with excellent performances in terms of linear response and repeatability. The dynamic range, in the present scenario, is only limited by the range of the interrogation system. The proposed underwater acoustic sensor along with the interrogation technique is a highly compact and cost-effective method for underwater acoustic sensing. Thus, the obtained results can be used for developing and producing long, narrow hydro-acoustic quasi-distributed sensor arrays for marine explorations and other applications.

Ultrasonic Enhancement of Chondrogenesis in Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Bolt-Clamped Langevin Transducers.

We recently investigated the design and fabrication of Langevin-type transducers for therapeutic ultrasound. Effect of ultrasonic energy arising from the transducer on biological tissue was examined. In this study, the transducer was set to radiate acoustic energy to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for inducing differentiation into cartilage tissue. The average chondrogenic ratio in area was 20.82% in the control group, for which no external stimulation was given. Shear stress was applied to MSCs as the contrast group, which resulted in 42.66% on average with a 25.92% minimum rate; acoustic pressure from the flat tip causing transient cavitation enhanced chondrogenesis up to 52.96%. For the round tip excited by 20 Vpp, the maximum differentiation value of 69.43% was found, since it delivered relatively high acoustic pressure to MSCs. Hence, the results from this study indicate that ultrasound pressure at the kPa level can enhance MSC chondrogenesis compared to the tens of kHz range by Langevin transducers.