Abstract: A medical imaging system (10) includes a nuclear imaging system (62), a timing optimization unit (40), a magnetic resonance (MR) scanner (12), an MR reconstruction unit (38), and an attenuation map unit (50). The nuclear imaging system (62) receives nuclear decay data and generates at least one nuclear image (64) of a first resolution based on the received nuclear decay data of an imaged subject (16) and an attenuation map (52). The timing optimization unit (40) which selects a first and a second echo time for a modified Dixon (mDixon) pulse sequence and a sufficient number of repetition times (TRs) to generate an image of the subject (16) of at least a first resolution, with the phase angle difference between water and fat at the first and the second echo time being unequal to 0° and 180°. The MR scanner (12) applies the sequence to the subject (16) and receives MR data (32) from the subject. The MR reconstruction unit (38) reconstructs at least one MR image (44) based on the MR data (32).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of Dixon-type MR imaging. The method comprises the steps of—generating a first imaging sequence for producing first MR echo signals at a first echo time, such that contributions from MR signals emanating from water protons and MR signals emanating from fat protons to the first MR echo signals are essentially in phase,—acquiring the first MR echo signals at a first signal-to-noise ratio,—generating a second imaging sequence for producing second MR echo signals at a second echo time, such that contributions from MR signals emanating from water protons and MR signals emanating from fat protons to the second MR echo signals are at least partially out of phase,—acquiring the second MR echo signals at a second signal-to-noise ratio which is different from the first signal-to-noise ratio, and—reconstructing a MR image from the first and second MR echo signals, wherein signal contributions from water protons and fat protons are separated.

Abstract: A method of generating a magnetic resonance image of a subject comprising the acquisition of k-space samples by sampling an elliptical central area of k-space, wherein the k-space has a plurality of points, each point being representative of a potential sample and partially sampling an elliptical peripheral area of k-space, wherein the peripheral area surrounds the central area. The method further comprises the detection of respiratory motion of the subject and reconstruction of the magnetic resonance image of the subject using the k-space samples acquired before the detection of respiratory motion.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of CEST or APT MR imaging of at least a portion of a body (10) placed in a main magnetic field B0 within the examination volume of a MR device. The method of the invention comprises the following steps: •a) subjecting the portion of the body (10) to a saturation RF pulse at a saturation frequency offset; •b) subjecting the portion of the body (10) to an imaging sequence comprising at least one excitation/refocusing RF pulse and switched magnetic field gradients, whereby MR signals are acquired from the portion of the body (10) as spin echo signals; •c) repeating steps a) and b) two or more times, wherein the saturation frequency offset and/or a echo time shift in the imaging sequence are varied, such that a different combination of saturation frequency offset and echo time shift is applied in two or more of the repetitions; •d) reconstructing a MR image and/or B0 field homogeneity corrected APT/CEST images from the acquired MR signals.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of MR imaging, wherein a portion of a body placed in the examination volume of an MR device is subjected to an imaging sequence of RF pulses and switched magnetic field gradients. The imaging sequence is a stimulated echo sequence including i) two preparation RF pulses (?) radiated toward the portion of the body during a preparation period (21), and ii) reading RF pulses (?) radiated toward the portion of the body during an acquisition period (22) temporally subsequent to the preparation period (21). FID signals (I1) and stimulated echo signals I2) are acquired during the acquisition period (22) with equal T2*-weighting. A B1 map indicating the spatial distribution of the RF field of the preparation RF pulses within the portion of the body is derived from the acquired FID (I1) and stimulated echo (I2) signals.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of a body (10) placed in the examination volume of a MR device (1). It is an object of the invention to provide a method that enables efficient compensation of flow artefacts, especially for contrast-enhanced MR angiography in combination with Dixon water/fat separation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of at least two chemical species having different MR spectra. It is an object of the invention to provide a method that enables Dixon water/fat separation in cases in which a large field-of-view is required. The method of the invention comprises the steps of: a) generating at least one echo signal by subjecting a body placed in the examination volume of a MR device to an imaging sequence of RF pulses and switched magnetic field gradients; b) acquiring the at least one echo signal; c) separating signal contributions of the at least two chemical species to the at least one acquired echo signal on the basis of a spectral model and prior knowledge about the spatial variation of the main magnetic field B0 in the examination volume; and d) reconstructing a MR image from the signal contributions of at least one of the chemical species. Moreover the invention relates to a MR device and to a computer program to be run on a MR device.

Abstract: When distinguishing between fat and water in acquired MR data, a modified Dixon technique includes acquiring first and second signals Ii and I2, calculating the first and second components B and S of the signals I? and I2, where one of the first and second components corresponds to fat and the other corresponds to water, deriving two differential phase error candidates from them, and selecting a phase error candidate based on the assumption of smoothness of the disturbing field inhomogeneity. The exact determination of the absolute values of the water and fat components is then made by solving three signal equations for two variables that respectively correspond to water and fat, and is performed using for example a least square minimization with a Newton method.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of at least two chemical species having different MR spectra. The method comprises the steps of: generating MR signals of the chemical species by subjecting a portion of a body (10) to an imaging sequence of RF pulses and switched magnetic field gradients, which imaging sequence is determined by a set of imaging parameters (TR, ?, TE); acquiring the MR signals; determining a spectral model of at least one of the chemical species, which spectral model is associated with the set of imaging parameters (TR, ?, TE); separating signal contributions of the at least two chemical species to the acquired MR signals on the basis of the spectral model; and computing a MR image from the signal contributions of one of the chemical species. Moreover, the invention related to a MR device (1) and to a computer program for a MR device (1).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a polymer material comprising a polymer and an organically modified layered silicate dispersed in the polymer. The total content of alkali and/or alkaline earth metal cations in the polymer material is ?1 ppm. It relates further to the use of the polymer material as an electret material, and to an electromechanical converter comprising such a polymer material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of performing contrast enhanced first pass magnetic resonance angiography, the method comprising: acquiring (302) magnetic resonance datasets of a region of interest using a single- or multi-echo data acquisition technique, wherein the echo times of the one or multiple echoes are flexible, wherein at the time of the data acquisition the region of interest comprises fat, water and a contrast agent, processing (304) the datasets using a generalized Dixon water-fat separation technique to eliminate the signal originating from the fat from the background for reconstruction of an image data set.

Abstract: The invention relates to a novel composition for treating cancer, which allows the active substance to be released in the direct presence of the cells which are to be treated with the active substance. Said composition comprises an active substance carrier which is in the form of a liposome comprising a disulfide group, a cytostatic agent being contained in the active substance carrier. The invention also relates to a method for the locally defined release of a cytostatic agent.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a novel process for preparing organically modified sheet silicates in high purity. The process of the invention uses ion exchange resins for this purpose.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system, comprising bacteriophages and particles comprising active agents, in which a first additional peptide is fused to proteins of the bacteriophage, the first additional peptide adheres to the surface of the particle and furthermore a second additional peptide is fused to proteins of the bacteriophage. The second additional peptide can adhere on substrate surfaces. The present invention furthermore concerns the use of the system for delayed release of active agents and also a method for production of the system. The present invention furthermore concerns a method for the selection of phage species from a combinatorial phage population.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of imaging at least two chemical species using magnetic resonance imaging with signal separation for the two chemical species, the method comprising:—acquiring first and second echo data at different echo times resulting in a first and second acquired complex dataset,—modelling the first and second acquired dataset, said modelling comprising a spectral signal model of at least one of the chemical species,—identifying in the first and second acquired dataset the voxels for which the modelling yields a single, unambiguous mathematical solution for the signal separation, and—resolving the ambiguity for the voxels for which the modelling yields more than one mathematical solution, if any such voxels remain.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of acquiring a magnetic resonance image of an object employing spatial encoding by a gradient field, said gradient field comprising non-linear gradient field components, the method comprising: selecting (100) a limited set of spatially variant basis functions for describing the gradient field including the non-linear gradient field components by linear combinations of said basis functions, determining (102) the temporally variant weights of the basis functions for said linear combinations, acquiring (104) magnetic resonance data of the object (10), —embedding (106) the acquired magnetic resonance data into a multidimensional space, wherein the number of dimensions is given by the number of selected basis functions, transforming (110) the acquired magnetic resonance data in this multidimensional space from the measurement domain to the image domain, —calculating (112) the desired magnetic resonance image of the object (10) from this transformed multi-dimensional space by linea

Abstract: The present invention concerns a system, comprising bacteriophages and particles comprising active agents, in which a first additional peptide is fused to proteins of the bacteriophage, the first additional peptide adheres to the surface of the particle and furthermore a second additional peptide is fused to proteins of the bacteriophage. The second additional peptide can adhere on substrate surfaces. The present invention furthermore concerns the use of the system for delayed release of active agents and also a method for production of the system. The present invention furthermore concerns a method for the selection of phage species from a combinatorial phage population.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of imaging at least two chemical species using magnetic resonance imaging with signal separation for two chemical species resulting in separate signal datasets for these two chemical species, the method comprising: acquiring first and second echo data at different echo times resulting in a first and second acquired complex dataset, modelling the first and second acquired dataset by employing a spectral signal model of at least one of the chemical species, said modelling resulting in a first and second modelled complex dataset, said first and second modelled dataset comprising a first and second phase error and the separate signal datasets for the two chemical species, —determining from the first and second acquired dataset and the first and second modelled dataset the separate signal datasets for the two chemical species.

Abstract: The present invention relates to silo covers comprising at least two layers, wherein an inner first layer facing the silo is a single- or multi-ply plastic film having oxygen permeability according to DIN 53380-3 at 23° C. and 50% relative humidity of no more than 500 cm3/(m2 d bar) and a water vapor transmission rate according to ISO 15106-3 at 23 ° C. and 85% relative humidity of at least 5 g/(m2 d), and in at least one ply in total contains at least 50% by weight of one or more materials from the group comprising polyamide, copolyamide, polyester, copolyester, polyethylene vinyl alcohol, polyvinyl alcohol and mixtures thereof, and at least one second layer, which is located on top of the inner layer and is separate from the inner layer, or easy to separate therefrom, or self-separating on the silo, composed of at least 70% by weight of materials from the group comprising polyethylene, polypropylene, copolymers of ethylene and other vinyl monomers, and copolymers made of propylene and other vinyl monomers.

Abstract: The invention relates to a dynamic nuclear polarization apparatus (116) for continuous provision of hyperpolarized samples (114) comprising dynamically nuclear polarized nuclear spins, the apparatus (116) comprising a polarization region (106) for polarization of said nuclear spins resulting in said hyperpolarized samples, wherein the apparatus (116) further comprises: a cryostat (102) for cooling the samples (114) in the polarization region (106), a magnet (100) for providing a magnetic field to the cooled samples in the polarization region (106), a radiation source (112) for concurrently to the magnetic field provision providing a nuclear polarizing radiation to the polarization region (106) for receiving the hyperpolarized samples, a sample transport system (104) for continuously receiving unpolarized samples (114), transporting the unpolarized samples to the polarization region (106) for nuclear spin polarization and providing the resulting hyperpolarized samples (114).