Advanced three-dimensional tailored RF pulse design in volume selective parallel excitation

Volume selective excitation has a variety of uses in clinical magnetic resonance imaging, but can suffer from insufficient excitation accuracy and impractically long pulse duration in ultra-high field applications. Based on recently-developed parallel transmission techniques, an optimized 3D tailored radio-frequency RF (TRF) pulse, designed with a novel 3D adaptive trajectory, is proposed to improve and accelerate volume selective excitation. The trajectory is designed to be regular-shaped and adaptively stretched according to the size of a 3D k-space "trajectory container." The container is designed to hold most of the RF energy deposition responsible for the desired pattern in the excitation k-space in the use of the blurring patterns caused by the multichannel sensitivity maps. The proposed method can also be used to reduce both global and peak RF energy required during excitation. The feasibility of this method is confirmed by simulations of ultra-high field cases.     

Fast Large-Tip-Angle Multidimensional and Parallel RF Pulse Design in MRI

Large-tip-angle multidimensional radio-frequency (RF) pulse design is a difficult problem, due to the nonlinear response of magnetization to applied RF at large tip-angles. In parallel excitation, multidimensional RF pulse design is further complicated by the possibility for transmit field patterns to change between subjects, requiring pulses to be designed rapidly while a subject lies in the scanner. To accelerate pulse design, we introduce a fast version of the optimal control method for large-tip-angle parallel excitation. The new method is based on a novel approach to analytically linearizing the Bloch equation about a large-tip-angle RF pulse, which results in an approximate linear model for the perturbations created by adding a small-tip-angle pulse to a large-tip-angle pulse. The linear model can be evaluated rapidly using nonuniform fast Fourier transforms, and we apply it iteratively to produce a sequence of pulse updates that improve excitation accuracy. We achieve drastic reductions in design time and memory requirements compared to conventional optimal control, while producing pulses of similar accuracy. The new method can also compensate for nonidealities such as main field inhomogeneties.     

RF Pulse Measurement Techniques and Picture Quality

One of the most critical performance characteristics of the TV antenna system is its ability to transmit "ghost-free" pictures. It has been shown that the amount of reflection from the antenna can be correlated to picture quality. How the vestigial sideband RF pulse technique, developed by RCA, more closely simulates TV operation than any other method is discussed. The selection of optimal RE pulse-widths to best reflect correlation with picture quality is discussed. Two RP pulsewidths, one of long duration (up to 2,?s) and the other of shorter duration (0.25, ?s), are recommended for use in antenna test measurements. The RF pulse testing procedure can also be used for measuring the color performance of antenna systems.     

Motion-induced phase error estimation and correction in 3D diffusion tensor imaging

A multishot data acquisition strategy is one way to mitigate B0 distortion and T2? blurring for high-resolution diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging experiments. However, different object motions that take place during different shots cause phase inconsistencies in the data, leading to significant image artifacts. This work proposes a maximum likelihood estimation and k-space correction of motion-induced phase errors in 3D multishot diffusion tensor imaging. The proposed error estimation is robust, unbiased, and approaches the Cramer-Rao lower bound. For rigid body motion, the proposed correction effectively removes motion-induced phase errors regardless of the k-space trajectory used and gives comparable performance to the more computationally expensive 3D iterative nonlinear phase error correction method. The method has been extended to handle multichannel data collected using phased-array coils. Simulation and in vivo data are shown to demonstrate the performance of the method.     

A fast method for designing time-optimal gradient waveforms for arbitrary k-space trajectories

A fast and simple algorithm for designing time-optimal waveforms is presented. The algorithm accepts a given arbitrary multidimensional k-space trajectory as the input and outputs the time-optimal gradient waveform that traverses k-space along that path in minimum time. The algorithm is noniterative, and its run time is independent of the complexity of the curve, i.e., the number of switches between slew-rate limited acceleration, slew-rate limited deceleration, and gradient amplitude limited regions. The key in the method is that the gradient amplitude is designed as a function of arc length along the k-space trajectory, rather than as a function of time. Several trajectory design examples are presented.     

Variable Power Combiner for RF Mode Shimming in 7-T MR Imaging

This contribution discusses the utilization of RF power in an MRI system with RF mode shimming which enables the superposition of circularly polarized modes of a transmit RF coil array driven by a Butler matrix. Since the required power for the individual modes can vary widely, mode-shimming can result in a significant underutilization of the total available RF power. A variable power combiner (VPC) is proposed to improve the power utilization: it can be realized as a reconfiguration of the MRI transmit system by the inclusion of one additional matrix network which receives the power from all transmit amplifiers at its input ports and provides any desired (combined) power distribution at its output ports by controlling the phase and amplitude of the amplifiers' input signals. The power distribution at the output ports of the VPC is then fed into the "mode" ports of the coil array Butler matrix in order to superimpose the spatial modes at the highest achievable power utilization. The VPC configuration is compared to the standard configuration of the transmit chain of our MRI system with 8 transmit channels and 16 coils. In realistic scenarios, improved power utilization was achieved from 17% to 60% and from 14% to 55% for an elliptical phantom and a region of interest in the abdomen, respectively, and an increase of the power utilization of 1?dB for a region of interest in the upper leg. In general, it is found that the VPC allows significant improvement in power utilization when the shimming solution demands only a few modes to be energized, while the technique can yield loss in power utilization in cases with many modes required at high power level.     

Multicast-enabled high-speed VCSEL technology for flexible data center networks

We experimentally demonstrate the multiple signal modulation on a single class 10 G vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) carrier at 1 310 nm for next generation multicast-enabled data center networks. A 10 Gbit/s data signal is directly modulated onto a single mode VCSEL carrier. To maximize carrier spectral efficiency, a 2 GHz reference frequency (RF) clock tone is simultaneously modulated on the VCSEL phase attribute. The inherent VCSEL orthogonal polarization bistability with changing bias current is further exploited in transmission of a polarization based pulse per second (PPS) timing clock signal. Therefore, we simultaneously transmit a 10 Gbit/s directly modulated data, 2 GHz phase modulated RF and a polarization-based PPS clock signals using a single mode 10 GHz bandwidth VCSEL carrier. It is the first time that a single class 10 G VCSEL carrier is reported to transmit a directly modulated data, phase modulated RF clock and polarization based PPS timing signal simultaneously in a single wavelength. A of G.652 single mode fibre (SMF) transmission over 3.21 km is experimentally attained. A receiver sensitivity of ?15.60 dBm is experimentally obtained for the directly modulated 10 Gbit/s data signal. A 3.21-km-long SMF transmission introduces a penalty of 0.23 dB to the data signal. The contribution of a 2 GHz phase modulated RF and a polarization-based PPS clock signal to this penalty is found to be 0.03 dB. An RF single-side band (SSB) phase noise values of ?82.36 dBc/Hz and ?77.97 dBc/Hz are attained without and with simultaneous directly modulated data and polarization-based PPS clock signals respectively for a 3.21-km-long SMF transmission. This work provides an alternative efficient and cost effective technique for simultaneous high-speed multiple information transmission to different network nodes within a data center network through shared network infrastructure.     

A generalization of the two-dimensional prolate spheroidal wave function method for nonrectilinear MRI data acquisition methods.

The two-dimensional (2-D) prolate spheroidal wave function (2-D PSWF) method was previously introduced as an efficient method for trading off between spatial and temporal resolution in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with minimal penalty due to truncation and partial volume effects. In the 2-D PSWF method, the k-space sampling area and a matching 2-D PSWF filter, with optimal signal concentration and minimal truncation artifacts, are determined by the shape and size of a given convex region of interest (ROI). The spatial information in the reduced k-space data is used to calculate the total image intensity over a nonsquare ROI instead of producing a low-resolution image. This method can be used for tracking dynamic signals from non-square ROIs using a reduced k-space sampling area, while achieving minimal signal leakage. However, the previous theory is limited to the case of rectilinear sampling. In order to make the 2-D PSWF method more suitable for dynamic studies, this paper presents a generalized version of the 2-D PSWF theory that can be applied to nonrectilinear data acquisition methods. The method is applied to an fMRI study using a spiral trajectory, which illustrates the methods efficiency at tracking hemodynamic signals with high temporal resolution.     

Combined multidimensional signaling and transmit diversity forhigh-rate wide-band CDMA

Multidimensional signaling is newly designed to provide a diversity gain of order 2 using two transmit antennas in uplink transmission of wide-band CDMA (W-CDMA) while achieving high and multiple data rates at the same time. The rate can be easily changed on the slot basis in a frame transmission by adapting the order of multidimensional signaling to the incoming traffic. The multidimensional signaling of order zero simply reduces to conventional multicode scheme, so there exists a tradeoff between rate and complexity. Also, the use of multidimensional signaling results in far reduced envelope variations at the maximum rate. With the transmit diversity, the uplink signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) will be further stabilized to meet the requirements of multimedia traffic. Statistics of interferences are characterized in terms of their second- and fourth-order moments from which diversity gain is theoretically verified. For realistic multipath fading channels, considering both equal and unequal average path powers, the average probability of symbol error is obtained in compact form, in which the two schemes, multidimensional signaling with and without transmit diversity are compared, and then with nonmulticode scheme in view of the bit error rate (BER). Numerical and simulation results show that the multidimensional signal with transmit diversity provides a significant gain over that with no diversity, and furthermore outperforms nonmulticode scheme subject to the same signal energy per bit and chip rate     

PDSA: parallel distributed sample acquisition for M-ary DS/CDMAsystem

We propose a parallel distributed sample acquisition (PDSA) scheme applicable to a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) system employing M-ary signaling for data transmission. While the primitive distributed sample acquisition scheme can be employed only for the binary signaling systems which transmit 1 bit per symbol, the proposed PDSA scheme extends its applicability to the general signaling systems allowing multibit transmission per symbol. The proposed PDSA technique can also be applied to fast acquisition of the scrambling code in multicarrier DS/CDMA cellular systems with a slight modification of the transceiver circuitry     

A maximum likelihood approach to parallel imaging with coil sensitivity noise

Parallel imaging is a powerful technique to speed up magnetic resonance (MR) image acquisition via multiple coils. Both the received signal of each coil and its sensitivity map, which describes its spatial response, are needed during reconstruction. Widely used schemes such as SENSE assume that sensitivity maps of the coils are noiseless while the only errors are in coil outputs. In practice, however, sensitivity maps are subject to a wide variety of errors. At first glance, sensitivity noise appears to result in an errors-in-variables problem of the kind that is typically solved using total least squares (TLSs). However, existing TLS algorithms are in general inappropriate for the specific type of block structure that arises in parallel imaging. In this paper, we take a maximum likelihood approach to the problem of parallel imaging in the presence of independent Gaussian sensitivity noise. This results in a quasi-quadratic objective function, which can be efficiently minimized. Experimental evidence suggests substantial gains over conventional SENSE, especially in nonideal imaging conditions like low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), high g-factors and large acceleration, using sensitivity maps suffering from misalignment, ringing, and random noise.     

Tunable Impedance Transformer Using a Transmission Line With Variable Characteristic Impedance

This paper proposes a new structure for a tunable impedance transformer. The proposed transformer consists of a quarter-wavelength transmission line with variable characteristic impedance. The operating principle of the variable characteristic impedance is based on the use of parallel combinations of multiple transmission lines and by controlling the line connection with RF switches. Multiple switches are inserted at the in/out terminals of each transmission line. Since a parallel microstrip transmission line has a unique structure that involves a partially removed ground plane under the conductor line, it is possible to realize a high characteristic impedance line with a wide linewidth.     

An endoscope based on extremely anisotropic metamaterials for applications in magnetic resonance imaging

The possibility of transfer of the spatial distribution of the near-zone RF magnetic field recorded by receiving coils during magnetic resonance imaging with the use of an endoscope designed from an extremely anisotropic metamaterial is considered. Application of such a material can lead to an increase in the image resolution and/or reduction of the object scanning time in the tomograph. Possibilities of the endoscope for the undistorting transfer of the spatial distribution of the alternating magnetic field through significant distances are theoretically studied and transfer of different spatial field distributions from the isocenter of the tomograph to the region of weak static magnetic field is experimentally demonstrated. The dependence of the quality of obtained images on positions receiving coils in the endoscope is studied. It is found that, in addition to the image transfer with a small distortion, it is possible to significantly increase the signal-to-noise ratio by pumping standing waves in a medium consisting of parallel wires.     

Frequency domain multiplexing for parallel acquisition of MR images

A frequency domain multiplexing (FDM) technique is described for parallel acquisition of magnetic resonance images. Two signals from different RF coils encoded with different frequencies were combined to feed into a high-speed ADC. The multiplexed signal is then decoded by a commercial multi-carrier digital receiver. Experimentation found no phase shift, no SNR loss and essentially no crosstalk in the proposed FDM method. It is expected that the FDM technique, with the development of commercially available digital receivers, may be valuable and cost-effective in the design of a parallel MRI receiver system.     

Mitigation of Antenna Displacement with Array Antenna for Data Transmission in Wireless Power Transfer System

Magnetic resonance wireless power transfer is expected to be one of the prevalent schemes because of its high efficiency and long transmission range. However, in this scheme, there is a problem that the characteristics of a transmission channel changes in according with the distance between coil antennas. This paper investigates the performance of data transmission with an array antenna in a wireless power transfer system. In the assumed system, the same antennas for wireless power transfer are used for data transmission. The assumed system uses multiple transmit antennas and beamforming is realized by shifting the phases of signals in a transmitter. Numerical results obtained through computer simulation show that the proposed scheme can mitigate the dependently of a bit error rate (BER) to the distance between the antenna coils. The variation of the performance is suppressed within 1–3 dB at the BER of \(10^{-5}\) in the case of two transmit antennas. In addition, the system with two transmit antennas achieves 2 dB or more improvement in term of the BER performance than that with a single antenna at specific antenna distances.     

Common-mode differential-mode (CMDM) method for double-nuclear MR signal excitation and reception at ultrahigh fields

Double-tuned radio-frequency (RF) coils for heteronuclear mangentic resonance (MR) require sufficient electromagnetic isolation between the two resonators operating at two Larmor frequencies and independent tuning in order to attain highly efficient signal acquisition at each frequency. In this work, a novel method for double-tuned coil design at 7T based on the concept of common-mode differential-mode (CMDM) was developed and tested. Common mode (CM) and differential mode (DM) currents exist within two coupled parallel transmission lines, e.g., microstrip lines, yielding two different current distributions. The electromagnetic (EM) fields of the CM and DM are orthogonal to each other, and thus, the two modes are intrinsically EM decoupled. The modes can be tuned independently to desired frequencies, thus satisfying the requirement of dual-frequency MR applications. To demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed CMDM technique, CMDM surface coils and volume coils using microstrip transmission line for (1)H and (13)C MRI/MRSI were designed, constructed, and tested at 7T. Bench test results showed that the isolations between the two frequency channels of the CMDM surface coil and volume coil were better than -30 and -25 dB, respectively. High quality MR phantom images were also obtained using the CMDM coils. The performance of the CMDM technique was validated through a comparison with the conventional two-pole design method at 7T. The proposed CMDM technique can be also implemented by using other coil techniques such as lumped element method, and can be applied to designing double-tuned parallel imaging coil arrays. Furthermore, if the two resonant modes of a CMDM coil were tuned to the same frequency, the CMDM coil becomes a quadrature coil due to the intrinsic orthogonal field distribution of CM and DM.     

PAPR Reduction in MIMO-OFDM Systems: Spatial and Temporal Processing

Multiple-input multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) technology is a promising solution for next generation wireless communications, due to high bandwidth efficiency, resistance to RF interference, and robustness to multipath fading. A major drawback of OFDM is its high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) which results in non-linearities in the output signal. In this paper, two methods based on spatial/temporal processing are proposed to reduce the PAPR of MIMO-OFDM systems. These methods divide the OFDM block at each transmit antenna into some subblocks. Then, spatial and temporal processing in the form of circular shifting or interleaving are applied to generate different candidate sequences. Finally, for each transmit antenna the candidate sequence with the lowest PAPR is chosen for transmission. Compared to the conventional PAPR reduction schemes such as ordinary partial transmit sequences (O-PTS), the proposed methods require lower computational complexity and have superior PAPR reduction performance.     

Sparsity-enforced slice-selective MRI RF excitation pulse design

We introduce a novel algorithm for the design of fast slice-selective spatially-tailored magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) excitation pulses. This method, based on sparse approximation theory, uses a second-order cone optimization to place and modulate a small number of slice-selective sinc-like radio-frequency (RF) pulse segments ("spokes") in excitation k-space, enforcing sparsity on the number of spokes allowed while simultaneously encouraging those that remain to be placed and modulated in a way that best forms a user-defined in-plane target magnetization. Pulses are designed to mitigate B(1) inhomogeneity in a water phantom at 7 T and to produce highly-structured excitations in an oil phantom on an eight-channel parallel excitation system at 3 T. In each experiment, pulses generated by the sparsity-enforced method outperform those created via conventional Fourier-based techniques, e.g., when attempting to produce a uniform magnetization in the presence of severe B(1) inhomogeneity, a 5.7-ms 15-spoke pulse generated by the sparsity-enforced method produces an excitation with 1.28 times lower root mean square error than conventionally-designed 15-spoke pulses. To achieve this same level of uniformity, the conventional methods need to use 29-spoke pulses that are 7.8 ms long.     

一种适用于古建筑建模的全波形高光谱激光雷达设计与实现

为了获取古建筑完整的空间结构、历史演进及其健康状态等特征信息,研制了一种全波形的高光谱激光雷达系统(HSL)。该系统同时获得目标的空间三维信息和光谱信息,用于古建筑空间和状态特征的建模。利用超连续谱激光器和声光可调滤波器(AOTF)作为发射单元,实现550~1050 nm的连续光谱波长范围内101个光谱通道采样,并利用5 GHz/s高速采集卡完成主波和回波全波形数据采集。设计了静态单点测试和zigzag单点扫描相结合的双模式分步扫描方案,保证三维空间和光谱信息的准确获取。在实验室环境下,对HSL系统反射率稳定性、信噪比以及扫描精度进行了分析测试。利用三维空间和超连续的高光谱信息对古建筑构件样本建模进行验证,并采用随机森林(RF)多分类方法实现不同古建筑构件木种材料的分类。结果表明,HSL系统能够同时获得空间三维信息和连续光谱信息,满足古建筑空间和状态特征建模的信息采集的需求。     

Performance Analysis of MIMO Based CDMA Code Acquisition Over Rayleigh Fading Channels

This paper proposes a new MIMO based CDMA code acquisition scheme. The pilot codes consist of a number of short Gold code sequences which are transmitted in parallel using a group of transmit antennas. Reception diversity is performed by multiple receive antennas at the receiver. Three different acquisition detection techniques are proposed and compared. Corresponding threshold optimizations are investigated as well. Detection and false alarm probabilities are derived in closed form based on the outputs of non-coherent matched filters. The acquisition performance is evaluated in terms of mean acquisition time (MAT) in Rayleigh fading environment. It is shown that the proposed MIMO acquisition scheme exhibits a much better MAT performance than the conventional single-antenna acquisition scheme. The results reveal that multiple receive antennas can be utilized to significantly reduce the MAT at the expense of receiver complexity increase. On the other hand, increasing the number of transmit antennas makes the MAT performance more robust in the presence of strong interference.