Evaluation of tissue mimicking quality of tofu for biomedical ultrasound.

The tissue mimicking quality of tofu has been evaluated in terms of acoustic properties and acousto/thermal conversion as functions of frequency and diffraction corrected intensity over the 2 MHz to 18 MHz range using three unfocussed transducers with center frequencies of 5 MHz, 10 MHz and 15 MHz. The density and acoustic velocity were close to the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM) recommended values for the soft tissue, however, the attenuation increases nonlinearly with frequency as alpha = 0.56 x f(1.3). As a result, the temperature rise in tofu due to ultrasound absorption is expressed by the product of the acousto/thermal conversion factor and the attenuation/diffraction corrected acoustic intensity. The decrease of temperature rise with depth measured by embedded thermocouples agrees with the theoretical exponential decrease of the attenuation/diffraction corrected acoustic intensity. The heat capacity per unit mass of tofu is 0.76 cal/g degrees C (equivalent to 3.18 J/g degrees C) of which about 76% is water. The nonlinear frequency dependence of attenuation in tofu as f(1.3) correctly describes the frequency dependence of temperature rise. The present results suggest that tofu may only be used in a limited low MHz range in view of the estimation of temperature rise and penetration depth due to nonlinear frequency dependence of attenuation.

Asymmetric activation in the prefrontal cortex by sound-induced affect.

This study is based on previous information regarding asymmetric activation in the prefrontal cortex by film-induced affects, as well as the inverse proportionality of prefrontal cortex activity to power in the alpha band of EEG. To search for a specific EEG band where the asymmetric activation in the prefrontal cortex by sound-induced affects is mainly reflected, we measured 32 college students' EEGs; 11 bands ranged from 6.5 to 35.0 Hz, at Fp1 and Fp2 sites. The power in the alpha band (8.0 to 13.0 Hz) at Fp2, especially in the alpha-2 band (9.0 to 11.0 Hz) increased while the students listened to music, during which participants reported positive affect. In contrast, the power at Fp1 increased while the students listened to noise, during which participants reported negative affect. These results imply that sound-induced positive affect increases relative left-sided activation in the prefrontal cortex, whereas induced negative affect elicits the opposite pattern of asymmetric activation.