Abstract: An image data compressing apparatus includes an image data compressor for compressing image data input thereto at first and second compression rates to produce first and second compressed data, respectively, an approximate-expression selector having an approximate-expression table including approximate expressions corresponding to sample data sizes, respectively, and a compression rate determining unit for determining the second compression rate. The approximate-expression selector selects an approximate expression from the approximate expressions. The first approximate expression corresponds to a first sample data size nearest a data size of the first compressed data among the sample data sizes. Each of the approximate expressions indicates a change of a data size in response to a compression rate. The compression rate determining unit determines the second compression rate based on the selected approximate expression.

Abstract: An image data compressing apparatus includes an image data compressor for compressing image data input thereto at first and second compression rates to produce first and second compressed data, respectively, an approximate-expression selector having an approximate-expression table including approximate expressions corresponding to sample data sizes, respectively, and a compression rate determining unit for determining the second compression rate. The approximate-expression selector selects an approximate expression from the approximate expressions. The first approximate expression corresponds to a first sample data size nearest a data size of the first compressed data among the sample data sizes. Each of the approximate expressions indicates a change of a data size in response to a compression rate. The compression rate determining unit determines the second compression rate based on the selected approximate expression.

Abstract: For audio data configured in units of frames with a header at the top and compressed in a way such that data corresponding to a specific frame is also present in a different frame, the present invention executes at least one of the following processing (1) and processing (2) at dividing this compressed audio into two pieces of audio data, i.e., front and rear pieces, at a predetermined position. (1) A step to divide the audio data into front and rear pieces, and a step to add data of a predetermined number of bytes at the beginning of the rear audio data to an end of the front audio data. (2) A step to divide the audio data into front and rear pieces, and a step to add data of a predetermined number bytes from an end of the front audio data to the front of the beginning of the rear audio data. This prevents the generation of abnormal noise even when data is compressed in a way, typically in MP3, such that location of a frame and location of data for that frame do not always match.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging capable of reducing the processing time in general, providing the nuclear magnetic resonance images with improved contrast among the imaged elements and reduced background noises, providing thee nuclear magnetic resonance images in which the preliminary processing using thresholds in various image processings becomes easier, and reducing the imaging time in obtaining the SAS image of high contrast resolution and satisfactory three dimensional quality. In the apparatus, a predetermined imaging pulse sequence is carried out in order to obtain nuclear magnetic resonance image data; a nonlinear operation is applied on the nuclear magnetic resonance image data in order to obtain contrast enhanced image data; and an image given by the contrast enhanced image data is displayed.

Abstract: An MRI system includes static and gradient field generators for respectively generating static and gradient fields to be applied to an object, a radio-frequency (RF) field transmitter/receiver for transmitting and receiving an RF field, a sequence controller for applying the gradient field and the RF field to the object at a predetermined timing while the object is being applied with the static field, thereby causing a predetermined MR phenomenon, a signal processor for performing predetermined processing of MR signal data detected through the RF field transmitter/receiver to obtain an MR image, and a display for displaying the image obtained by the signal processor. The sequence controller comprises a multi-slice controller for executing a multi-slice method using a sequence with a relatively long echo time so that an MR signal of a proton of a fat is suppressed and an MR signal of a proton of a CSF is emphasized.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance blood flow imaging method employs a field-echo technique and a gapless multi-slice acquisition technique in which a selective excitation pulse with a flip angle of less than 90 degrees is utilized and a pulse repetition time is set shorter than usual. Imaging data are acquired from multiple slices of a subject under examination while the multiple slices are shifted in sequence in position. A cross-sectional image is reconstructed for each of the multiple slices. Images obtained by performing subtractions on plural images for the same slice are gathered to thereby produce an image of blood vessels of the subject under examination which contain at least two blood vessels which run substantially in parallel and are opposite to each other in the direction of blood flow therein.

Abstract: A musical sound synthesizing apparatus which simulates a sound generating mechanism of a string instrument by using an electronic circuit comprises a driver for applying data, an adder, a delay unit for storing data temporarily, a low pass filter for processing data, and a word length designating unit for designating a word length (address width) of the delay unit. The adder, delay unit and low pass filter form a loop-shaped circuit, with their corresponding input ends and output ends connected with each other. The word length designating unit corrects a word length of the delay unit in accordance with a phase delay of the low pass filter or in accordance with the number of stages of the pipeline structure of the loop. In the case where a musical sound of the type generated by touching or hitting strings is synthesized, the driver reads at least two series of data stored beforehand and applies the read data to one of the inputs to the adder.

Abstract: In an MRI system, in order to acquire an MR image representing a brain surface anatomy of a head of a subject, a surface coil is disposed near the head of the subject, and a predetermined pulse sequence by a spin echo method, a field echo method, or the like is performed. A view direction is changed for a single slice, and an MR image based on stereoscopic viewing is obtained by a single scan. Regions of interest are set on the brain surface portion on the MR image, and then a predetermined pulse sequence is using an echo time for inhibiting mr signals from fat of the brain surface and using a pulse repetition time for enhancing mr signals from water of the brain surface in order performed to obtain projection data in a direction of depth, thereby allowing accurate grasping of the position of a disease portion.

Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to offer an electronic musical instrument which can synthesize the sound of brass instruments with fidelity and furthermore in real time. In order to achieve the above purpose, the musical sound synthesis algorithm is to utilize the tonguing information as well as the embouchure information in addition to the sound generation information, the frequency information, and the sound volume information, which have been used as the playing informations in conventional electronic musical instruments. Furthermore, by tabulating the functional relations between the above-mentioned playing informations and corresponding output waveforms, and storing them in memories, necessary waveforms for sounding the musical instrument can be obtained by only referring to those tables, thereby the speed-up, that is, the realization by hardware, can be realized and thus the sound of brass instruments can be synthesized with fidelity and in real time.

Abstract: In a musical tone waveform producing apparatus having an operating device for receiving an instruction from a user, a waveform memory, a waveform control circuit for reading out tone-color waveform data from the waveform memory, an envelope memory, an envelope control circuit for reading out the envelope data from the envelope memory, and a multiplier for producing a resultant waveform, tone-color waveform data formed of a number of waveform data blocks each having an attenuation flag is prestored in the waveform memory and the attenuation flag is received by the envelope control circuit to produce attenuated envelope data while the attenuation flag is valid and to output the envelope data read out of the envelope memory while the attenuation flag is invalid. As a result, the resultant waveform has no undesirable noise component caused by the following tone-color waveform data.

Abstract: First and second MR (magnetic resonance) echo signals are detected from the subject by means of a spin echo method. These MR echo signals have been provided with different phase encoding data by applying the gradient magnetic fields. As a result, first and second MR echo signal data are acquired from a single Fourier plane. These MR echo signal data are amplitude-corrected and phase-corrected. Then, they are subjected to Fourier transform, thereby forming an MR image of the subject within a short time.

Abstract: A method and apparatus provides complete mensuration of two-dimensional Fourier components of a nuclear spin property thereby permitting undistorted image reconstruction. In spite of an unavoidable phase factor which originates from basic field inhomogeneities and drifts and from non-perfect electronics adjustment, an optimum sectional image is obtained from half measurements of the sampled resonance signals which are complex conjugate pairs. The image is obtained by determining the phase and then eliminating it from a spatial Fourier transform of the spin density distribution.

Abstract: A quadrature detection circuit compensates for phase and amplitude differences in an NMR quadrature detection apparatus. The quadrature detection circuit comprises a test signal generator, first and second modulators, amplitude detectors, phase error detectors and a corrector. The corrector compensates the NMR signal as to phase and amplitude factors determined during an initial calibration mode utilizing the test signals, thus eliminating ghost images of the object which would otherwise be formed during image reconstruction.

Abstract: In the NMR apparatus the resonant conditions may be kept constant by adjusting the strength of the static magnetic field. The echo signal that is induced under the specific conditions is processed so as to obtain the deviation of the resonant frequency in the correction circuit. The shift of the given static magnetic field is calculated based upon the deviation of the resonant frequency. The DC energizing current for the H.sub.O power supply is varied based upon the magnetic field shift so as to maintain the NMR phenomenon at the desirable resonant conditions.

Abstract: In a speech analysis and synthesis (composing) method, a phoneme transition waveform is generated to smoothly couple phoneme PHA to PHB having different pitch periods. The method involves obtaining the differential value (difference phoneme .DELTA.PH or difference phoneme .DELTA.PHI and difference clock or pitch period), and in composition merely adding phoneme PHA and difference phoneme .DELTA.PHI and clock period and difference clock period.