Midfrequency acoustic propagation and reverberation in a deep ice-covered Arctic ocean.

A model-based analysis of sound transmission in a deep ice-covered Arctic ocean recorded during the Ice Experiment 2014 is presented. A source of opportunity transmitted mid-frequency (3500 Hz) 5 s duration continuous wave pulses. The source and receiver were omnidirectional, located under ice at a ∼30 m depth at a ∼719 m distance from each other. Recorded acoustic intensity time series showed a clear direct blast signal followed by an about 30 s duration reverberation coda. The model considers several types of arrivals contributing to the received signal at different time intervals. The direct signal, corresponding to a short-range nearly horizontal propagation, is strongly affected by the presence of a weak near-surface (within 50 m depth) acoustic channel. Reverberation coda that follows the direct signal corresponds to medium-range bottom- and ice-bounced arrivals from steep angles which are controlled by reflectivity and scattering strengths of ice and bottom, their physical properties, and acoustical parameters.

Superimmunity by pan-sarbecovirus nanobodies.

Vaccine boosters and infection can facilitate the development of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies with improved potency and breadth. Here, we observe superimmunity in a camelid extensively immunized with the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD). We rapidly isolate a large repertoire of specific ultra-high-affinity nanobodies that bind strongly to all known sarbecovirus clades using integrative proteomics. These pan-sarbecovirus nanobodies (psNbs) are highly effective against SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron, with the best median neutralization potency at single-digit nanograms per milliliter. A highly potent, inhalable, and bispecific psNb (PiN-31) is also developed. Structural determinations of 13 psNbs with the SARS-CoV-2 spike or RBD reveal five epitope classes, providing insights into the mechanisms and evolution of their broad activities. The highly evolved psNbs target small, flat, and flexible epitopes that contain over 75% of conserved RBD surface residues. Their potencies are strongly and negatively correlated with the distance of the epitopes from the receptor binding sites.

Buried targets in layered media: A combined finite element/physical acoustics model and comparison to data on a half buried 2:1 cylinder.

Previously, a combined finite element/physical acoustics model for proud targets [K. L. Williams, S. G. Kargl, E. I. Thorsos, D. S. Burnett, J. L. Lopes, M. Zampolli, and P. L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 127, 3356-3371 (2010)] was compared to both higher fidelity finite element models and to experimental data for a proud 2:1 aluminum cylinder. Here that expression is generalized to address the case of a target buried in a layered media. The result is compared to data acquired for the same 2:1 cylinder but half buried in a mud layer that covers the sand sediment (considered here as infinite in extent below the mud layer). The generalized expression reduces to both the previous proud result and to the result for a target buried in an infinite medium under the appropriate limiting conditions. The model/data comparisons shown include both the previous proud model and data results along with the ones for the half buried cylinder. The comparison quantifies the reduction in target strength as a function of frequency in the half buried case relative to the proud case.

High frequency backscattering by a solid cylinder with axis tilted relative to a nearby horizontal surface.

The backscattering spectrum versus azimuthal angle, also called the "acoustic color" or "acoustic template," of solid cylinders located in the free water column have been previously studied. For cylinders lying proud on horizontal sand sediment, there has been progress in understanding the backscattering spectrum as a function of grazing angle and the viewing angle relative to the cylinder's axis. Significant changes in the proud backscattering spectrum versus the freefield case are associated with the interference of several multipaths involving the target and the surface. If the cylinder's axis has a vertical tilt such that one end is partially buried in the sand, the multipath structure is changed, thus modifying the resulting spectrum. Some of the changes in the template can be approximately modeled using a combination of geometrical and physical acoustics. The resulting analysis gives a simple approximation relating certain changes in the template with the vertical tilt of the cylinder. This includes a splitting in the azimuthal angle at which broadside multipath features are observed. A similar approximation also applies to a metallic cylinder adjacent to a flat free surface and was confirmed in tank experiments.

Acoustic scattering from a water-filled cylindrical shell: measurements, modeling, and interpretation.

Understanding the physics governing the interaction of sound with targets in an underwater environment is essential to improving existing target detection and classification algorithms. To illustrate techniques for identifying the key physics, an examination is made of the acoustic scattering from a water-filled cylindrical shell. Experiments were conducted that measured the acoustic scattering from a water-filled cylindrical shell in the free field, as well as proud on a sand-water interface. Two modeling techniques are employed to examine these acoustic scattering measurements. The first is a hybrid 2-D/3-D finite element (FE) model, whereby the scattering in close proximity to the target is handled via a 2-D axisymmetric FE model, and the subsequent 3-D propagation to the far field is determined via a Helmholtz integral. This model is characterized by the decomposition of the fluid pressure and its derivative in a series of azimuthal Fourier modes. The second is an analytical solution for an infinitely long cylindrical shell, coupled with a simple approximation that converts the results to an analogous finite length form function. Examining these model results on a mode-by-mode basis offers easy visualization of the mode dynamics and helps distinguish the different physics driving the target response.

Adding thermal and granularity effects to the effective density fluid model.

Previously, an effective density fluid model (EDFM) was developed by the author [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 110, 2276-2281 (2001)] for unconsolidated granular sediments and applied to sand. The model is a simplification of the full Biot porous media model. Here two additional effects are added to the EDFM model: heat transfer between the liquid and solid at low frequencies and the granularity of the medium at high frequencies. The frequency range studied is 100 Hz-1 MHz. The analytical sound speed and attenuation expressions obtained have no free parameters. The resulting model is compared to ocean data.

Boundary effects on backscattering by a solid aluminum cylinder: experiment and finite element model comparisons (L).

Backscattering of sound by a solid aluminum cylinder was measured in the free field and with the cylinder near a flat surface. The target was suspended just below the surface of a water tank to simulate some aspects of backscattering when resting on the seabed. Measurements were compared with predictions made by an approximate hybrid approach based on multiple two-dimensional finite element calculations and the use of images. Many of the spectral features present in the tank data were present in the model. Comparing numerical model predictions with experimental data serves to build credibility for the modeling approach and can assist in developing insight into the underlying physical processes.

Acoustic scattering from a solid aluminum cylinder in contact with a sand sediment: measurements, modeling, and interpretation.

Understanding acoustic scattering from objects placed on the interface between two media requires incorporation of scattering off the interface. Here, this class of problems is studied in the particular context of a 61 cm long, 30.5 cm diameter solid aluminum cylinder placed on a flattened sand interface. Experimental results are presented for the monostatic scattering from this cylinder for azimuthal scattering angles from 0 degrees to 90 degrees and frequencies from 1 to 30 kHz. In addition, synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) processing is carried out. Next, details seen within these experimental results are explained using insight derived from physical acoustics. Subsequently, target strength results are compared to finite-element (FE) calculations. The simplest calculation assumes that the source and receiver are at infinity and uses the FE result for the cylinder in free space along with image cylinders for approximating the target/interface interaction. Then the effect of finite geometries and inclusion of a more complete Green's function for the target/interface interaction is examined. These first two calculations use the axial symmetry of the cylinder in carrying out the analysis. Finally, the results from a three dimensional FE analysis are presented and compared to both the experiment and the axially symmetric calculations.

Sand acoustics: The effective density fluid model, Pierce/Carey expressions, and inferences for porous media modeling.

Recently, Pierce and Carey [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 124, EL308-EL312 (2008)] presented a low frequency analysis of sound propagation in sand/silty sediments. Here, equivalent expressions are presented using a low frequency expansion of an unconsolidated version of Biot porous medium theory. The resulting expression for attenuation allows identification of the non-dimensional parameter beta in the Pierce/Carey result in terms of physical parameters. The agreement of these two derivations motivates further analyses. The results imply that porous media propagation models that treat the medium's inertia via a single component approximation disregard a fundamental physical effect resulting from the relative inertia of the grains and fluid and are thus incomplete.

Direct measurement of sediment sound speed in Shallow Water '06.

Knowledge of sediment sound speed is crucial for predicting sound propagation. During the Shallow Water '06 experiment, in situ sediment sound speed was measured using the Sediment Acoustic-speed Measurement System (SAMS). SAMS consists of ten fixed sources and one receiver that can reach a maximal sediment depth of 3 m. Measurements were made in the frequency range 2-35 kHz. Signal arrival times and propagation distances were recorded, from which sediment sound speed was determined. Preliminary results from three deployments show that SAMS was capable of determining sediment sound speed with uncertainties less than 1.6%. Little dispersion in sediment sound speed was observed.

Mid-frequency sound propagation through internal waves at short range with synoptic oceanographic observations.

Preliminary results are presented from an analysis of mid-frequency acoustic transmission data collected at range 550 m during the Shallow Water 2006 Experiment. The acoustic data were collected on a vertical array immediately before, during, and after the passage of a nonlinear internal wave on 18 August, 2006. Using oceanographic data collected at a nearby location, a plane-wave model for the nonlinear internal wave's position as a function of time is developed. Experimental results show a new acoustic path is generated as the internal wave passes above the acoustic source.

Mid-frequency acoustic propagation in shallow water on the New Jersey shelf: mean intensity.

Mid-frequency (1-10 kHz) sound propagation was measured at ranges 1-9 km in shallow water in order to investigate intensity statistics. Warm water near the bottom results in a sound speed minimum. Environmental measurements include sediment sound speed and water sound speed and density from a towed conductivity-temperature-depth chain. Ambient internal waves contribute to acoustic fluctuations. A simple model involving modes with random phases predicts the mean transmission loss to within a few dB. Quantitative ray theory fails due to near axial focusing. Fluctuations of the intensity field are dominated by water column variability.

Mid-frequency acoustic propagation in shallow water on the New Jersey shelf. II. Intensity fluctuation.

The scintillation index and the intensity cumulative distribution function of mid-frequency (2-10 kHz) sound propagation are presented at ranges of 1-9 km in a shallow water channel. The fluctuations are due to water column sound speed variability. It is found that intensity is only correlated over a narrow frequency band (50-200 Hz) and the bandwidth is independent of center frequency and range. Furthermore, the intensity probability distribution peaks at zero for all frequencies, and follows an exponential distribution at small values.