Close X
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Now, ultrasound can penetrate bones, metals

Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Nov, 2014 12:07 PM
    In a major breakthrough, researchers have developed a technique that allows ultrasound to penetrate bones and metals.
     
    Materials like bones and metals, called aberrating layers, have physical characteristics that block or distort ultrasound's acoustic waves.
     
    "We have designed complementary metamaterials that will make it easier for medical professionals to use ultrasound for diagnostic or therapeutic applications, such as monitoring blood flow in the brain or to treat brain tumors," said lead author Tarry Chen Shen from North Carolina State University.
     
    "These metamaterials could also be used in industrial settings," pointed out Yun Jing, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at North Carolina State University.
     
    The new technique will allow us to use ultrasound to detect cracks in airplane wings under the wing's metal "skin", noted Yun Jing.
     
    Ultrasound imaging works by emitting high frequency acoustic waves.
     
    When those waves bounce off an object, they return to the ultrasound equipment, which translates the waves into an image.
     
    The team has designed customised metamaterial structures that take into account the acoustic properties of the aberrating layer and offsetting them.
     
    The metamaterial structure uses a series of membranes and small tubes to achieve the desired acoustic characteristics.
     
    The researchers have tested the technique using computer simulations and are in the process of developing and testing a physical prototype.
     
    The technique can be used for ultrasound imaging, as well as therapeutically like using ultrasound to apply energy to brain tumors, in order to burn them.
     
    The study appeared in the journal Physical Review X.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Get it right! More lefties are born in winter

    Get it right! More lefties are born in winter
    Are you left-handed and born in winter? Blame your hormones as according to new research, more left-handed men are born specifically during November, December and January.

    Get it right! More lefties are born in winter

    Donate blood to keep your heart healthy

    Donate blood to keep your heart healthy
    If you are a shift worker, donating blood could be an easy way to reduce the risk of heart disease, says a study.

    Donate blood to keep your heart healthy

    New drug ring inside vagina may prevent HIV

    New drug ring inside vagina may prevent HIV
    A novel intravaginal ring implanted with anti-retroviral drug tablets, or pods, maintained steady state drug levels in the vaginal tissues, the key anatomic compartment for preventing sexual HIV transmission, says a study.

    New drug ring inside vagina may prevent HIV

    Sexting linked to risky sexual behaviour among kids

    Sexting linked to risky sexual behaviour among kids
    Parents may wish to openly monitor cell phones of their kids, and check what types of messages they are receiving as researchers have found that kids who receive sexually suggestive text or photo - sexts - are likely to have had sex.

    Sexting linked to risky sexual behaviour among kids

    IVF: Quality of sperm, not donors' age matters

    IVF: Quality of sperm, not donors' age matters
    It is the sperm quality of the donor and not his age that matters in the success of fertility treatment with sperm donation, a study says.

    IVF: Quality of sperm, not donors' age matters

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!
    Here comes a shocker. Contrary to popular perception that playing violent video games makes people aggressive, a new study says playing such games may actually lead to increased moral sensitivity and pro-social behaviour in real life.

    What? Violent video games promote good behaviour in real life!