Abstract: A combination of nanoparticles is disclosed comprised of amine functionalized polyethylene glycol in which one particle with a fluorescent donor dye having one wavelength excitation maximum and at least one additional particle with a second fluorescent dye having a second, higher wavelength excitation maximum, the particles having the same or different biomolecule targeting moieties bound to their external surfaces.

Abstract: A carrier for a sample of highly polarized material includes a shell having a radially exterior surface and a radially interior surface, and a sample of highly polarized material interiorly adjacent to the radially interior surface. The shell may be substantially cylindrical, and may be constructed from a magnetic or non-magnetic material. The sample of highly polarized material may comprise a methyl rotor group material. The sample of highly polarized material may comprise pyruvic acid or an acetic acid. The sample of highly polarized material may be co-axial with the cylindrical shell. The sample of highly polarized material may be bonded or frozen to the radially interior surface of the shell. The carrier may further comprise a wad of material that forms a volume and contacts an axially proximate end of at least one of the shell or the sample.

Abstract: Fluorescent activatable probes for imaging biological processes and disease detection in vitro and in vivo. There is also described a method for detecting the presence of an enzyme. A sample is contacted with a nanoparticle including a monomer, at least one cleavable spacer comprising at least one fluorescence activation site, and at least two dyes of at least two types. The cleavable spacer is attached at one end to the nanoparticle. The at least two types comprise an energy donor type and an energy acceptor type. At least one dye of one type is embedded in the nanoparticle and the cleavable spacer has at least one dye of the other type attached. The at least two dyes comprise at least one matched pair capable of fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Fluorescence is detected by exposing the sample to a light source, and detecting emitted light with a detector.

Abstract: An NMR experiment on hyperpolarizable magnetic nuclei of substrate molecules in a living human or animal body, involves polarizing the substrate molecules by non-hydrogenating para-hydrogen induced polarization (=NH-PHIP) into a singlet/pseudo singlet state in low magnetic field and injecting the substrate molecules into the living body, the body or a part thereof being previously located inside a magnet at low magnetic field. The magnet is switched on to high magnetic field, and in at least part of the substrate molecules, the singlet state/pseudo singlet state is converted into observable magnetization. An MRI or MRS measurement is carried out with the living body or the part thereof, collecting data from the substrate molecules. The NMR experiment is well applicable on hyperpolarized nuclei within a patient, with reduced losses of magnetization due to relaxation processes.

Abstract: A method for producing a Sn based alloy (15) comprising a metal matrix of a metal matrix material, wherein the metal matrix material comprises Sn, and inclusions of a compound material, further referred to as compound inclusions, wherein the compound material contains one element or a combination of elements of the group Ti, V, Zr, Hf, further referred to as dopant, and one or a plurality of other elements, in particular Sn, Cu and/or Nb. Particles of the metal matrix material, further referred to as matrix particles, are mixed with particles of the compound material, further referred to as compound particles, and the matrix particles and the compound particles are compacted during and/or after their mixing. A Sn based alloy containing finer compound inclusion of a dopant can be prepared, in order to produce Nb3Sn superconductor material with a superior current carrying capacity.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (1, 21, 31, 41, 64) for the preparation and measurement of a nuclear spin resonance (NMR) measurement sample (10), including—a flow-through NMR probehead (2), with a first tube (3) and a second tube (14) each for the supply and removal of a liquid NMR measurement sample (10),—at least one chamber (4, 22, 32) which is connected to one of the tubes (3, 14),—a sample inlet (5) for introducing the liquid measurement sample (10) into the device (1, 21, 31, 41, 64), wherein at least one chamber (4, 22, 32) has at least one connection for increasing (9, 24, 25, 42, 43, 46, 47) and releasing (8, 23, 27, 48a, 48b) the gas pressure, and in which at least one chamber (4, 22, 32) comprises means for mixing the liquid measurement sample (10) contained in the chamber (4, 22, 32) with a gas With the inventive device it is possible to reduce the measurement sample consumption when doing an NMR spectroscopic measurement on liquid measurement samples to which spin order can be catalytically tr

Abstract: In an electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer, a closed cycle cryocooler is used to cool gaseous helium, which is then circulated around a sample to cool the sample by direct convection. Since the sample is not mechanically connected to the refrigerator, no vibrations are transmitted from the refrigerator to the sample and the sample can be quickly removed and replaced. The cooled helium can be passed through a Joule-Thomson expansion device before circulating the cooled helium around the sample to further cool the helium. In addition, a vacuum pump can be connected to the helium outlet after circulating the cooled helium around the sample to increase the pressure differential across the Joule-Thomson expansion device and further cool the helium. In order to raise the temperature of the cooled helium, a heater can be placed about the cooled helium line upstream from the sample.

Abstract: A device for real-time correction of set-point signals intended to receive at the input set-point signals and to deliver at its output set-point signals that are modified to compensate for defects, negative effects or the like subsequently encountered during the processing and/or the application of the set-point signals. This device (1) includes at least one circuit (1?) that is based on a microprogrammed structure and composed of several subassemblies (3, 4, 5, 6, 6?) that work with digital components essentially including a micro-sequencer (3) forming a counter, a memory (4) for storing micro-instructions, and a processing unit (5) combined with at least one working memory (6, 6?) and integrating arithmetic calculation modules (7,7?), whereby the processing unit (5) modifies the data of set-point signals in accordance with the micro-instructions that are addressed by the micro-sequencer (3) and by taking into account the correction coefficients that are provided.

Abstract: A method for regulating radio frequency (RF) signals in a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system, comprising a spectrometer, a control loop, and an NMR probe head with RF components (BE, LE, BK), wherein the spectrometer comprises a transmitter that transmits RF signals at measuring frequencies with a transmission power (PS), the NMR probe head contains an RF oscillating circuit, and the RF oscillating circuit comprises an RF coil (LE), is characterized in that the control loop controls the duration and/or the phase and/or the power of the transmitted RF signals. Measurement of a parameter is performed by means of the NMR probe head, via which parameter the current in or the voltage across one of the RF components (BE, LE, BK) can be determined, and the transmission powers (PS) and/or the phases and/or the duration of the RF signals are regulated in dependence on the measured parameter. Any occurring losses can thereby be compensated for without reducing the pulse duration.

Abstract: A comparative image display system comprises a monitor, an import unit and an image matching unit. The import unit receives from the user a tag and display mode of a first image selected by the user from a first imaging data group, and informs the monitor to display the first image on the display interface thereon by the display mode; the image matching unit receives the tag of the first image from the import unit, identifies the imaging information of the first image in the first imaging data group according to the tag, selects a second image with the corresponding imaging information from a second imaging data group according to a pre-defined rule, and informs the monitor to display the second image; the monitor simultaneously and correspondingly displays the second image on the display interface by the display mode as same as that of the first image, wherein the first imaging data group and the second imaging data group both contain multiple images of the same target object.

Abstract: A magnet coil configuration (20-24) is manufactured from a band-shaped conductor (1), which is slit in the longitudinal direction except for its two end areas (2, 3) such that the band-shaped conductor (1) has a first and a second half band (4, 5) and two end areas (2, 3) which connect these two half bands (4, 5) to form a closed loop. The two half-bands (4,5) of the slit band-shaped conductor (1) are initially wound onto two separate intermediate coils (14,15) and the final coil structure is subsequently wound by alternate extraction of the two half-bands (4,5) from the intermediate coils (14,15). A simple method is thereby proposed for winding a slit band-shaped conductor to form a magnet coil configuration which also generates strong magnetic fields.

Abstract: An antenna configuration for use in a magnetic resonance apparatus has at least two individual antennas which each include at least one conductor loop, one tuning network and one matching network, wherein the individual antennas are each combined into separate modules which are positioned on and mounted to a support body and can be removed therefrom in a non-destructive fashion, is characterized in that the individual antennas are connected to each other through decoupling elements, wherein the decoupling elements are mounted to the support body in an undetachable fashion. It is thereby possible to define individual antenna modules which can be arranged in a simple fashion around the measuring volume, are also electromagnetically decoupled from each other, and can be positioned close to the measuring volume in order to ensure that the received MRI image has a maximum, high signal-to-noise ratio.

Abstract: A method for producing a hyperpolarized sample for use in a magnetic resonance investigation has the following steps: a) providing a solid sample (50), containing long T1 nuclei and short T1 nuclei in the same molecules (51); b) hyperpolarizing the short T1 nuclei in the solid sample (50); c) transforming the solid sample (50) into a liquid sample (52); and d) transferring the polarization of the short T1 nuclei to the long T1 nuclei within the molecules in the liquid sample (52) by Cross Polarization. The method can provide samples with hyperpolarized long T1 nuclei, in particular 13C or 15N, in a simple and efficient way.

Abstract: A heat exchanger delivers a pressurized dry gas stream cooled to an essentially constant temperature. The gas stream circulates in a coil with a functional part immersed in a liquid fraction of a second gas in a chamber of a corresponding container, whereby a portion of the wall of the container with the chamber contacts a liquid fraction of a third gas, providing a condensation surface for the second gas. The container containing the second pressurized gas is airtight. The condensation surface is dimensioned to allow absorption of a predetermined caloric power by the gas in the chamber without significant variation of temperature/pressure. Included is a monitored variable heater of the bath of the liquid fraction of the residual gas in the container, whereby total caloric power released by the circulating gas to be cooled and by the heater is constantly kept approximately equal to the specified caloric power.

Abstract: A monitoring cell, used to perform a measurement in an NMR spectrometer of a reaction fluid produced by a reaction vessel, has a body having inlet and outlet transport coaxial capillaries for transporting the reaction fluid between the body and the reaction vessel. Cooling lines are also positioned coaxially with the transport capillaries to transport cooling liquid between the body and the reaction vessel. The cell further has a hollow sample probe for insertion into the NMR spectrometer and a coupler section that removably connects the sample probe to the body so that the inlet transport capillary extends through the body into the interior of the sample probe and the outlet transport capillary is sealed to the sample probe to allow reaction fluid that enters the sample probe via the inlet transport capillary to exit the sample probe via the outlet transport capillary.

Abstract: An imaging system for imaging an object. More specifically, an imaging system enabling depth sectioned fluorescence imaging in a turbid medium, such as human or animal tissue, to substantially minimize the excitation radiation from reaching the detection beam path. The imaging system includes an arrangement of the excitation radiation source wherein the optical axis of the source is inclined relative to the optical axis of the camera, the optical plane of the source and the optical plane of the object are subject to a Scheimpflug condition, and the angle of inclination of the source is selected such that the excitation radiation incident upon the object is reflected to minimize excitation radiation from reaching the detection beam path.

Abstract: A luminescence-guided focused ultrasound apparatus, comprising at least one focused ultrasound transducer that delivers focused ultrasound energy to at least one focal region within the subject, at least one luminescence detector that detects a luminescence signal generated within the subject, and at least one guiding element that guides the at least one focused ultrasound transducer to deliver focused ultrasound energy to the at least one focal region wherein the at least one guiding element is influenced by the detected luminescence signal. The at least one focused ultrasound transducer may be configured in operate in a plurality of modes, including a low-intensity mode for delivering low-intensity focused ultrasound energy and a high-intensity mode for delivering high-intensity focused ultrasound energy.

Abstract: A torsional support apparatus is disclosed for craniocaudal rotation of test animals to enable multiple-view imaging. The animal is supported in a U-shaped loop of optically transparent material and the loop is moved to apply torsion to the animal to rotate it about its craniocaudal axis. Methods of imaging also are disclosed that use the torsional support technique.

Abstract: A method for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy of a sample involves excitation of long lived coherences (LLC) between the singlet state S0 and the central triplet state T0 of nuclei of the sample by initiating irradiation of the sample with an rf-field with carrier frequency ?rf; sustaining of the LLC by maintaining the rf-irradiation during an interval ?2; converting the LLC temporarily into observable magnetization by interrupting the rf-irradiation during an observation interval ?3; detecting NMR-signals during the observation interval ?3 and reconversion of the observable magnetization back into LLC after the observation interval ?3. These steps are repeated n times, wherein n is a positive integer. The method allows ultra high-resolution spectra of long-lived coherences to be obtained.

Abstract: A method for designing the time dependence function km(t) for a given k-space trajectory km, where m stands for one or multiple of the spatial dimension indices x, y, or z, of a magnetic resonance imaging (=MRI) experiment carried out on an MRI system, wherein the trajectory km is generated by applying a time varying waveform gm(t) of a gradient magnetic field, the method taking into account—the gradient magnitude limit G and—the gradient slew rate limit S of the MRI system, is characterized in that the method further takes into account a given frequency limit F in such a way that the gradient waveform gm(t) does not contain frequency components above the frequency limit F which is characteristic for the gradient hardware of the MRI system. The invention provides a method for designing a time dependence function for a given k-space trajectory, which allows obtaining better quality MRI images.