Abstract: Method for producing stable capsules which comprises the steps of providing a first component comprising a wax-like substance and a second component comprising a substance to be encapsulated, dissolved or dispersed in a liquid medium, homogeneously mixing the first and second components, dispersing the mixture in an aqueous solution using at least one dispersion auxiliary at a temperature above the melting point of the wax-like substance to prepare a microemusion, and cooling and diluting the microemulsion.

Abstract: A dispenser (132), a magnetic resonance imaging system (100), and a method for using hyperpolarized contrast agent (304) during a magnetic resonance imaging examination. The dispenser comprises an attachment component (136) for a face piece (138). The face piece is adapted for receiving the surface of a subject (114) such that when the subject inhales hyperpolarized contrast agent enters the respiratory system of the subject. The dispenser further comprises a reservoir (300) adapted for receiving the hyperpolarized contrast agent. The dispenser further comprises a gas flow (406) tube connected to the attachment component and a vaporizer (406, 408, 412, 510, 602, 606) for vaporizing the hyperpolarized contrast agent in the gas flow tube into a hyperpolarized vapor. The dispenser further comprises a controller (402) for controlling when the vaporizer vaporizes the hyperpolarized contrast agent.

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 novel silica sol material containing at least one therapeutically active ingredient and its use for the production of bioabsorbable and biodegradable silica gel materials with improved properties. The materials, such as, for example, fibers, fleeces, powder, monolith and/or coating are employed, for example, in medical technology and/or human medicine, in particular for wound treatment.

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 device (1) for magnetic resonance imaging of a body (7) placed in a stationary and substantially homogeneous main magnetic field. In order to provide an MR device (1) which is able to reconstruct a final complex image of high quality, the invention proposes that the device is arranged to simultaneously acquire MR signals via the receiving antennas (10a, 10b, 10c) with subsampling of k-space, compute intermediate MR signal data at a complete set of k-space positions from the acquired MR signals, wherein the intermediate MR signal data values are calculated as linear combinations of the acquired MR signal samples using weighting factors, which weighting factors are derived from the covariances of the acquired MR signal samples, and to reconstruct an MR image from the intermediate MR signal data.

Abstract: MR method for generating MR images of an object to be examined located inside an examination volume by means of an MR device and for simultaneously locating an interventional instrument inserted into the examination object, which instrument is equipped with a locating device. For the reconstruction of an MR image (20) MR signals together with device-delivered location signals from the examination volume are then recorded, after which the locating of the instrument takes place by the assessment of the image characteristics conditioned by the location signals. For making it possible to determine the position of the interventional instrument in an extremely rapid way, the invention proposes that the recording of the MR signals be effected by recording successively a plurality of MR partial data records (16, 17, 18) with respective incomplete and preferably non-cartesian sampling of the local frequency spectrum assigned to the examination volume.

Abstract: A novel magnetic resonance imaging method and apparatus is described wherein an image is derived from sub-sampled magnetic resonance signals and on the basis of the spatial sensitivity profile of each receiving antenna. A sequence of RF-pulses and gradients is applied, which sequence corresponds to a set of trajectories containing at least one substantially non-linear trajectory in k-space, wherein the density of said trajectory set being substantially lower than the density corresponding to the object size. Each signal along said trajectory set is sampled at least at two different receiver antenna positions. The image is reconstructed by converting the data of said signals to a Cartesian grid by convolution with a gridding kernel, whereby the gridding kernel is specific for each antenna, differs between one region and another in k-space, and is a Fourier-transform of a pattern weighted for each antenna with respect to the Cartesian grid.

Abstract: A method for generating an MR image of an object situated in an examination volume of an MR apparatus begins with the acquisition of a plurality of echo signals having at least two different echo-time values (t1, t2, t3). The echo signals are generated from high-frequency pulses and magnetic-field gradient pulses by an imaging sequence. An intermediate MR image (5, 6, 7) is then reconstructed for each echo-time value (t1, t2, t3). By analyzing these intermediate MR images (5, 6, 7), local relaxation times (T2*(x)) and/or local frequency shifts (??(x)) are determined by taking account of the respective echo-time values (t1, t2, t3). Finally, a definitive MR image (11) is reconstructed from the echo signals (1) in their entirety.

Abstract: An MR image (14) is reconstructed from MR signals (1, 2, 3, 4) that are acquired in parallel by a plurality of receiving coils (5, 6, 7, 8) with incomplete sampling of the spatial frequency space. The reconstructed MR image (14) is calculated iteratively as the solution of a system of linear equations. To provide a more highly developed method for parallel SENSE imaging, an iteration process (15) begins with a starting image (9) which approximates to the MR image to be reconstructed (14), in such a way that undersampling artifacts are suppressed in the intermediate solutions of the system of equations that are obtained during the course of the iteration process.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for generating an MR image of an object situated in an examination volume of an MR apparatus. The method begins with the acquisition of a plurality of echo signals having at least two different echo-time values (ti, t2, t3), the echo signals being generated from high-frequency pulses and magnetic-field gradient pulses by means of an imaging sequence. An intermediate MR image (5, 6, 7) is then reconstructed for each echo-time value (ti, t2, t3). By analyzing these intermediate MR images (5, 6, 7), local relaxation times (T2*(x)) and/or local frequency shifts (Aw(x)) are determined by taking account of the respective echo-time values (t1, t2, t3). Finally, a definitive MR image (11) is reconstructed from the echo signals (1) in their entirety.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of reconstructing an MR image (14) from MR signals (1, 2, 3, 4) that are acquired in parallel by a plurality of receiving coils (5, 6, 7, 8) with incomplete sampling of the spatial frequency space, the reconstructed MR image (14) being calculated iteratively as the solution of a system of linear equations. To provide a more highly developed method for parallel SENSE imaging that is an improvement on the prior art in respect of the computing time required for image reconstruction, the invention proposes that the iteration process (15) begin with a starting image (9) which approximates to the MR image to be reconstructed (14), in such a way that undersampling artifacts are suppressed in the intermediate solutions of the system of equations that are obtained during the course of the iteration process.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance (MR) system (10) includes radiofrequency (R) transmitters (34) which send RF pulses into an examination region (14) to excite a spin system to be imaged. Coil elements (20, 24, 28) pick up an MR signal, which is demodulated and converted into digital data by RF receivers (36). A plurality of independent parallel processing channels (421, 422, . . . , 42a) is operatively connected to the RF receivers to reconstruct images from the digital data. The parallel processing channels (421, 422, . . . , 42n) include one or more pipeline stages (541, 542, . . . , 54m). Processing channels and pipeline stages include a plurality of processing or reconstruction units (52). Processing tasks are dynamically allocated to these processing or reconstruction units on a per scan basis using a single general strategy for mapping processing tasks to hardware resources. The connections (56) between the processing or reconstruction units (52) are reconfigured using a switching means (60).

Abstract: MR method for generating MR images of an object to be examined located inside an examination volume by means of an MR device and for simultaneously locating an interventional instrument inserted into the examination object, which instrument is equipped with a locating device. For the reconstruction of an MR image (20) MR signals together with device-delivered location signals from the examination volume are then recorded, after which the locating of the instrument takes place by the assessment of the image characteristics conditioned by the location signals. For making it possible to determine the position of the interventional instrument in an extremely rapid way, the invention proposes that the recording of the MR signals be effected by recording successively a plurality of MR partial data records (16, 17, 18) with respective incomplete and preferably non-cartesian sampling of the local frequency spectrum assigned to the examination volume.

Abstract: A device for determining the position of a medical instrument that is introduced into an object to be examined is also used for imaging the vicinity of the medical instrument. In order to enable the acquisition of instantaneous position information and image information from the vicinity of the medical instrument for all kinds of medical instruments, a localization device that is arranged in the end zone of the medical instrument that is to be introduced determines the position of the medical instrument within the object to be examined; at the same time image information is acquired in the vicinity of the medical instrument by an image acquisition device that is arranged on the medical instrument and on the basis of the position thus determined the position of the medical instrument (3) is reproduced in a survey image of the object to be examined and images of the vicinity of the object to be examined are displayed on the basis of the image information acquired.

Abstract: Described is a single or multi-layered film having at least one polyamide layer (I) containing dispersed nanoscale nucleating particles. The smallest components of the dispersed nanoscale nucleating particles in layer (I) have an extension of less than 100 nm in at least one randomly selected direction for each component, based on a weighted average of all components of the dispersed nanoscale nucleating particles. Crystalline structures emanating from the surface of the dispersed nanoscale nucleating particles are formed after the layer (I) is cooled from the molten state at a rate of from 10 to 20° C. per minute. The dispersed nanoscale nucleating particles are present in the polyamide layer (I) in an amount of from 10 ppm to 3000 ppm, based on the total weight of layer (I).

Abstract: Described is a flexible, multilayered film comprising, (i) an outer layer composed substantially of polyamide containing nanodispersed filing material (e.g., in an amount of from 0.1 and 3 wt. %), and (ii) at least one additional polyamide layer. The multilayered film of the present invention may be produced by flat film or blown film methods. Also described is a method of using the multilayered film of the present invention as a packaging for foodstuff.

Abstract: Described is a thermoformable film comprising at least one layer (I) of polyamide containing solid anisotropic fillers (A) and individual spherulites. The anisotropic fillers (A) of the layer (I) of the thermoformable film, in a number-weighted average of all the dispersed constituents of the anisotropic fillers (A), have a dimension of no more than 10 nm in at least one first direction (r1) freely selectable for each dispersed constituent and, in at least one second direction (r2) perpendicular to the first direction (r1), have a dimension of at least 50 times the dimension in the first direction (r1). The individual spherulites in the layer (I) have a number-average distance from each other of no more than 50 nm, and the cores of a majority of the individual spherulites in the layer (I) are free of a filler particle of the anisotropic fillers (A). Also described is a method of preparing the thermoformable films of the present invention, and methods of using the films for, for example, packaging foodstuffs.

Abstract: The invention relates to an MR method and an MR device for the formation of MR images of an examination zone of an object (10) to be examined. An excitation coil (21) which includes at least one movable and/or flexible excitation coil (19) is used therein for the excitation of the examination zone to be imaged and/or a receiving coil system which includes at least one movable and/or flexible receiving coil (61, 62, 63) is used for the acquisition of MR data from the examination zone. In order to enable the acquisition of MR images with a high accuracy and notably a high spatial and temporal resolution, it is proposed to acquire information concerning the position and orientation of the receiving coils (61, 62, 63) or the at least one excitation coil (19) and to utilize the acquired information for the correction of the input data for the reconstruction or for the correction of the excitation signal of the at least one excitation coil (19).

Abstract: Described is a thermoformable film comprising at least one layer (I) of polyamide containing solid anisotropic fillers (A) and individual spherulites. The anisotropic fillers (A) of the layer (I) of the thermoformable film, in a number-weighted average of all the dispersed constituents of the anisotropic fillers (A), have a dimension of no more than 10 m in at least one first direction (r1) freely selectable for each dispersed constituent and, in at least one second direction (r2) perpendicular to the first direction (r1), have a dimension of at least 50 times the dimension in the first direction (r1). The individual spherulites in the layer (I) have a number-average distance from each other of no more than 50 nm, and the cores of a majority of the individual spherulites in the layer (I) are free of a filler particle of the anisotropic fillers (A). Also described is a method of preparing the thermoformable films of the present invention, and methods of using the films for, for example, packaging foodstuffs.