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Biomedical subjects

Tribikram Kundu

Publications and source records attributed to Tribikram Kundu.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Distribution of the microelastic properties within the human anterior mitral leaflet.

Knowledge of the biomechanical properties of the mitral valve leaflets and their relation to histologic structure is of importance for understanding the leaflet movement characteristics under normal and pathologic conditions, but such knowledge is not yet available. The aim of this study was to determine biomechanical properties of the human anterior mitral leaflet on a microscopic scale. We used scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) to examine the human anterior mitral leaflet. Sections of fixed human anterior mitral leaflet tissue were obtained from postmortem human anterior mitral leaflets (n = 5). We measured the speed of sound (nu(L)) in each histologic layer in three regions-of-interest (ROIs): these were at the annular edge, at the valve midpoint and close to the free edge. nu(L) varied in the three histologic layers (p < 0.01). It was higher in the fibrous layer (1.76 km/s) compared with the atrial layer (1.75 km/s) and ventricular layer (1.73 km/s). Also, nu(L) differed between positions along the length of the annulus-free edge line (p < 0.01), showing a decline from the annular edge (1.76 km/s) to the free edge (1.73 km/s), both as a whole and also within the atrial and the fibrous layer. These results demonstrate that the fibrous layer is stiffer than the atrial and ventricular layer and that the leaflet as a whole and within the atrial and the fibrous layer is stiffer at the annulus part in comparison with those near the free edge. (E-mail: ).

Adult↗

Elastic wave propagation in sinusoidally corrugated waveguides.

The ultrasonic wave propagation in sinusoidally corrugated waveguides is studied in this paper. Periodically corrugated waveguides are gaining popularity in the field of vibration control and for designing structures with desired acoustic band gaps. Currently only numerical method (Boundary Element Method or Finite Element Method) based packages (e.g., PZFlex) are in principle capable of modeling ultrasonic fields in complex structures with rapid change of curvatures at the interfaces and boundaries but no analyses have been reported. However, the packages are very CPU intensive; it requires a huge amount of computation memory and time for its execution. In this paper a new semi-analytical technique called Distributed Point Source Method (DPSM) is used to model the ultrasonic field in sinusoidally corrugated waveguides immersed in water where the interface curvature changes rapidly. DPSM results are compared with analytical solutions. It is found that when a narrow ultrasonic beam hits the corrugation peaks at an angle, the wave propagates in the backward direction in waveguides with high corrugation depth. However, in waveguides with small corrugation the wave propagates in the forward direction. The forward and backward propagation phenomenon is found to be independent of the signal frequency and depends on the degree of corrugation.

Journal Article↗

Acoustic microscope lens modeling and its application in determining biological cell properties from single- and multi-layered cell models.

The acoustic microscopy technique provides some extraordinary advantages for determining mechanical properties of living cells. It is relatively fast, of excellent spatial resolution, and of minimal invasiveness. Sound velocity is a measure of the cell stiffness. Attenuation of cytoplasm is a measure of supramolecular interactions. These parameters are of crucial interest for studying cell motility and volume regulations and to establish the functional role of the various elements of the cytoskeleton. Using a scanning acoustic microscope, longitudinal wave speed, attenuation and thickness profile of a biological cell were measured earlier by Kundu et al. [Biophys. J. 78, 2270-2279 (2000)]. In that study it was assumed that the cell properties did not change through the cell thickness but could vary in the lateral direction. In that effort the acoustic-microscope-generated signal was modeled as a plane wave striking the cell at normal incidence. Such assumptions ignored the effect of cell inhomogenity and the surface skimming Rayleigh waves. In this paper a rigorous lens model, based on the DPSM (distributed point source method), is adopted. For the first time in the literature the cell is modeled here as a multi-layered material and the effect of some external drug stimuli on a living cell is studied.

Cell Biology↗

Modeling of phased array transducers.

Phased array transducers are multi-element transducers, where different elements are activated with different time delays. The advantage of these transducers is that no mechanical movement of the transducer is needed to scan an object. Focusing and beam steering is obtained simply by adjusting the time delay. In this paper the DPSM (distributed point source method) is used to model the ultrasonic field generated by a phased array transducer and to study the interaction effect when two phased array transducers are placed in a homogeneous fluid. Earlier investigations modeled the acoustic field for conventional transducers where all transducer points are excited simultaneously. In this research, combining the concepts of delayed firing and the DPSM, the phased array transducers are modeled semi-analytically. In addition to the single transducer modeling the ultrasonic fields from two phased array transducers placed face to face in a fluid medium is also modeled to study the interaction effect. The importance of considering the interaction effect in multiple transducer modeling is discussed, pointing out that neighboring transducers not only act as ultrasonic wave generators but also as scatterers.

Humans↗

A combination of PZT and EMAT transducers for interface inspection.

A PZT (Lead Zirconate-Titanate) transducer requires a couplant to send and receive mechanical waves. This requirement is a major shortcoming of the PZT technique for use in field applications. In the laboratory environment careful considerations and surface treatments are required to use PZT because the couplant can affect the consistency of experimental results. One alternative to overcome this shortcoming is the use of EMAT (ElectroMagnetic Acoustic Transducer). However, EMAT gives relatively low transmitted ultrasonic energy, with low signal to noise ratio, and the induced energy is critically dependent on the probe proximity to the test object. These are not desirable properties for NDT (nondestructive testing) of civil infrastructures. That is why, in this paper, a combination of PZT and EMAT is introduced for investigating reinforced concrete structures. Interface defects between steel bars and concrete are investigated by this technique. It is shown that the PZT-EMAT combination is very effective for steel bar-concrete interface inspection and the guided waves are useful for nondestructive testing of civil infrastructures.

Electromagnetic Phenomena↗