Predicting the sound insulation of plywood panels when treated with decoupled mass loaded barriers

The addition of mass loaded barriers can be used to improve the sound transmission loss properties of lightweight panels. Decoupling of the mass layer from the panel is achieved using a layer of open celled foam. This treatment causes the panel system to exhibit sound transmission loss behaviour that is similar to conventional double leaf walls. The effects of altering the thickness of the decoupling foam layer, the surface density of the barrier, and the attachment between the treatment and the panel were assessed experimentally. Several analytical prediction methods were combined to develop a model for the transmission loss of the treated system. The material properties of the panel and treatment were measured using static and dynamic methods. These measured values were used in the prediction methods. The prediction methods yielded a range of agreements with the experimental results. The quality of agreement was found to depend on the thickness of the foam decoupling layer, the surface density of the barrier layer and most significantly the attachment method

The acoustic radiation impedance of a rectangular panel

This paper extends the definition of the one sided radiation impedance of a panel mounted in an infinite rigid baffle which was previously used by the authors so that it can be applied to all transverse velocity wave types on the panel rather than just to the possibly forced travelling plane transverse velocity waves considered previously by the authors. For the case of travelling plane waves on a rectangular panel with anechoic edge conditions, and for the case of standing waves on a rectangular panel with simply supported edge conditions, the equations resulting from one of the standard reductions from quadruple to double integrals are given. These double integral equations can be reduced to single integral equations, but the versions of these equations given in the literature did not always converge when used with adaptive integral routines and were sometimes slower than the double integral versions. This is because the terms in the integrands in the existing equations have singularities. Although these singularities cancel, they caused problems for the adaptive integral routines. This paper rewrites these equations in a form which removes the singularities and enables the integrals in these equations to be evaluated with adaptive integral routines. Approximate equations for the azimuthally averaged one sided radiation impedance of a rectangular panel mounted in an infinite baffle are given for all the cases considered in this paper and the values produced by these equations are compared with numerical calculations

Approximate equations for the radiation impedance of a rectangular panel

The authors have previously published approximate formulae for the average one sided specific radiation wave impedance of a finite rectangular panel mounted in a rigid infinite baffle. The panel's transverse vibration was due to a (possibly forced) two dimensional bending plane wave propagating in the panel without reflection at the edges of the panel. The average was over all the surface area of the panel and over all possible azimuthal angles of propagation direction. The radiation from waves propagating in different directions was assumed to be uncorrelated. These approximate formulae were derived from the 1982 research of Thomasson whose approximate formulae only covered the high and low frequency regions and not the mid frequency region. This paper presents more accurate versions of some of the approximate formulae. When the bending wave number is larger than the wave number of sound, the real part of the impedance is smaller than that for the case studied by Maidanik and Leppington. This is because correlated reflections are not included the case analyzed in this paper. When the bending wave number is smaller than or equals the wave number of sound, the real part of the impedance is the same for both cases

Approximate formulae for the average one sided specific radiation wave impedance of a finite rectangular panel

The authors have previously published approximate formulae for the average one sided specific radiation wave impedance of a finite rectangular panel mounted in a rigid infinite baffle. The panel's transverse vibration was due to a (possibly forced) two dimensional bending plane wave propagating in the panel without reflection at the edges of the panel. The average was over all the surface area of the panel and over all possible azimuthal angles of propagation direction. The radiation from waves propagating in different directions was assumed to be uncorrelated. These approximate formulae were derived from the 1982 research of Thomasson whose approximate formulae only covered the high and low frequency regions and not the mid frequency region. This paper presents more accurate versions of some of the approximate formulae. When the bending wave number is larger than the wave number of sound, the real part of the impedance is smaller than that for the case studied by Maidanik and Leppington. This is because correlated reflections are not included the case analyzed in this paper. When the bending wave number is smaller than or equals the wave number of sound, the real part of the impedance is the same for both cases

The sound insulation of single leaf finite size rectangular plywood panels with orthotropic frequency dependent bending stiffness

Current theories for predicting the sound insulation of orthotropic materials are limited to a small range of infinite panels. This paper presents a method that allows for the prediction of the sound insulation of a finite size orthotropic panel. This method uses an equation for the forced radiation impedance of a finite size rectangular panel. This approach produces an equation that has three nested integrals. The long numerical calculation times were reduced by using approximate formulas for the azimuthally averaged forced radiation impedance. This reduced the number of nested integrals from three to two. The resulting predictions are compared to results measured using two sample sizes of four different thicknesses of plywood and one sample size of another three different thicknesses of plywood. Plywood was used for all the tests because it is somewhat orthotropic. It was found during testing that the Young's moduli of the plywood were dependent on the frequency of excitation. The influence of the frequency dependent Young's moduli was then included in the prediction method. The experimental results were also compared with a simple isotropic prediction method

Predicting optical coherence tomography-derived diabetic macular edema grades from fundus photographs using deep learning

Diabetic eye disease is one of the fastest growing causes of preventable blindness. With the advent of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) therapies, it has become increasingly important to detect center-involved diabetic macular edema (ci-DME). However, center-involved diabetic macular edema is diagnosed using optical coherence tomography (OCT), which is not generally available at screening sites because of cost and workflow constraints. Instead, screening programs rely on the detection of hard exudates in color fundus photographs as a proxy for DME, often resulting in high false positive or false negative calls. To improve the accuracy of DME screening, we trained a deep learning model to use color fundus photographs to predict ci-DME. Our model had an ROC-AUC of 0.89 (95% CI: 0.87-0.91), which corresponds to a sensitivity of 85% at a specificity of 80%. In comparison, three retinal specialists had similar sensitivities (82-85%), but only half the specificity (45-50%, p<0.001 for each comparison with model). The positive predictive value (PPV) of the model was 61% (95% CI: 56-66%), approximately double the 36-38% by the retinal specialists. In addition to predicting ci-DME, our model was able to detect the presence of intraretinal fluid with an AUC of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.81-0.86) and subretinal fluid with an AUC of 0.88 (95% CI: 0.85-0.91). The ability of deep learning algorithms to make clinically relevant predictions that generally require sophisticated 3D-imaging equipment from simple 2D images has broad relevance to many other applications in medical imaging

A new 'saccamminid' genus (Rhizaria: Foraminifera), from 4400 m water depth in the Nazare Canyon (NE Atlantic)

We describe Bithekammina occulta, a new monothalamous agglutinated foraminiferan ('saccamminid') collected in multicore samples at 4400 m on the terrace of the lower Nazare Canyon on the Portuguese margin. The test is spherical to oval, up to similar to 400 mu m in length, with a simple circular aperture. The wall has a very smooth surface with a distinct sheen in reflected light. It is <10 mu m thick and composed of very fine agglutinated plate-like clay particles and a thin inner organic layer. The most distinctive feature of the new species is that the test is contained within an agglutinated case ('secondary test') composed mainly of larger (10-50 mu m) quartz grains. The case is equipped with a long, narrow tube that originates near the aperture of the inner test and presumably acts as a channel through which pseudopodia are deployed. Secondary agglutinated structures have been described in a number of foraminifera, but never before in a 'saccamminid'.EC FP6 GOCE-CT-2005–511234 HERMESEC FP7 - 226354 HERMIONEFCT - PTDC/MAR/110082/2009 DeepForamsFCT - SFRH/BPD/26272/200

Subretinal Fluid in Eyes with Active Ocular Toxoplasmosis Observed Using Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

Purpose To describe the clinical finding of subretinal fluid (SRF) in the posterior pole by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in eyes with active ocular toxoplasmosis (OT). Design Retrospective case series. Participants Thirty-eight eyes from 39 patients with active OT. Methods Eyes with active OT which underwent SD-OCT were reviewed. SRFs in the posterior pole were further analyzed. Main Outcome Measures Presence of SRF; its accompanying features, e.g. retinal necrosis, cystoid macular edema (CME), choroidal neovascularization (CNV); and longitudinal changes of SRF, including maximum height and total volume before and after treatment. Results SRF presented in 45.5% (or 15/33) of eyes with typical active OT and in 51.3% (or 20/39) of eyes with active OT. The mean maximum height and total volume of SRF were 161.0 (range: 23–478) µm and 0.47 (range: 0.005–4.12) mm3, respectively. For 12 eyes with SRF related to active retinal necrosis, SRF was observed with complete absorption after conventional anti-toxoplasmosis treatment. The mean duration for observation of SRF clearance was 33.8 (range: 7–84) days. The mean rate of SRF clearance was 0.0128 (range: 0.0002–0.0665) mm3/day. Conclusions SRF (i.e., serous retinal detachment) is a common feature in patients with active OT when SD-OCT is performed. The majority of SRF was associated with retinal necrosis and reacted well to conventional therapy, regardless of total fluid volume. However, SRF accompanying with CME or CNV responded less favorably or remained refractory to conventional or combined intravitreal treatment, even when the SRF was small in size

Post-operative immune suppression is reversible with interferon gamma and independent of IL-6 pathways

Introduction The post-operative period is characterised by increased IL-6 production and clinical features of immune suppression. In vitro anti-inflammatory actions of IL-6 are mediated through suppression of interferon gamma (IFNγ) [1]. The clinical significance of IL-6 in mediating post-operative immune suppression remains unclear. Objectives To evaluate the role of IL-6 pathways in post-operative immune suppression and the reversibility of this phenomenon. Methods Patients over 45 years old undergoing elective surgery involving the gastrointestinal tract and requiring at least an overnight hospital stay were recruited. The primary outcome was hospital-acquired infection. IL-6 and IFNγ levels were assayed using ELISA preoperatively and at 24 and 48 hours. Pooled healthy control peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured in perioperative serum and CD14+HLA-DR (mHLA-DR) geometric mean florescent intensity (MFI) measured in the presence and absence of interferon gamma (IFNγ) and IL-6 neutralising antibody. Data were analysed with non-parametric statistics. Results 119 patients were recruited and 44 (37%) developed a post-operative infection a median of 9 (IQR 5-11) days postoperatively (Figure 1). IL-6 levels increased from baseline to 24 hours postoperatively (P < 0.0001, Figure 1A) but were then unchanged between 24 and 48 hours (P = 0.06, Figure 1B). Postoperative IL-6 levels correlated with the duration of the procedure (P = 0.009). Higher preoperative IL-6 levels were observed in patients with cancer (P = 0.02). IL-6 levels at 24 (P = 0.0002) and 48 hours (P = 0.003) were associated with the later occurrence of infectious complications. This pattern remained similar after adjustment for baseline characteristics. Healthy donor PBMCs incubated with postoperative serum downregulated mHLA-DR MFI when compared with serum from baseline (n = 8, p = 0.008). Culturing in the presence of IFNγ 250IU (n = 4) prevented this decrease whereas culturing in the presence of IL-6 neutralising antibody 15ng/ml (n = 8) did not. Conclusions IL-6 levels increase following major surgery and are associated with an increased susceptibility to post-operative infections. Serum obtained from post-operative patients induces an immunosuppressive response through an IL-6 independent pathways which is reversible with IFNγ treatment