An adaptor (64,66) has attachment means to releasably attach a core orientation instrument (60) or survey probe to a drill string component and/or drill string, preferably by one or more screw threads (70, 72, 76, 78), retaining screws, bolts, clips or pins or welding/soldering. Anti release means, such as a circlip, can be used to prevent release of the adaptor. A survey system for obtaining data from a drilling operation includes a core orientation instrument, a downhole survey probe and a common single remote controller/data logger configured to control or communicate with both the survey probe and the core orientation instrument. Further, a survey system includes multiple components arranged in a portable container for transport and deployment at a drilling site include a survey probe, a core orientation instrument and a single controller configured to control or communicate with the survey probe and core orientation instrument.

A magnetic resonance imaging system adaptively and dynamically adjusts color and brightness of illuminators mounted on the inside of a bore in response to a scan sequence used for magnetic resonance imaging or the state of a patient in order to relieve discomfort during magnetic resonance imaging. An illuminator control unit selects and determines optical characteristics of the illuminators in response to a scan sequence or the state of a patient.

In order to obtain high-quality images easily with high flexibility for imaging conditions and apparatus configuration changes in an MRI apparatus using a multi-element coil, an output pattern identifying a synthesizing mode of the respective reception signals received by the respective elements comprising a reception coil is determined according to imaging conditions in the present invention. The determination is performed so that, for example, at least one of a covering rate of an imaging range, an S/N ratio of the final image, and element utilization efficiency becomes the best. The output pattern is comprised of information identifying one or more elements that use reception signals and a synthetic pattern synthesizing the reception signals among the elements to be used. The synthetic pattern, for example, is selected in advance from among a plurality of synthetic pattern candidates to be stored according to a synthesizing method.

An MRI scanner may include one or more gradient waveform generators, gradient amplifiers, gradient coils, an RF waveform generator, an RF amplifier, an RF coil, a superconducting magnet, an RF detector; a digitizer, and a computer system that controls the one or more gradient waveform generators and the RF waveform generator so as to generate a magnetization saturation preparation pulse sequence that includes a tip-down pulse that is insensitive to RF field inhomogeneity followed by a tip-back pulse that employs a conjugate symmetry constraint in its energy spectrum.

In a method and apparatus for echo planar magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequence of phase encoding gradient fields and a sequence of readout gradient fields are applied in order to produce a well-defined zigzag-type trajectory for entering raw data into k-space. Zigzag-type trajectories can be achieved that have flanks without curvature, or without significant curvature. Cartesian methods for image reconstruction of parallel MR imaging are applied to echo planar MR imaging with such zigzag-type trajectories.

A DNP apparatus includes a cryostat (7) having an opening (8) and a loading path for a sample (1), the loading path extending from the opening to a sample receptacle (29), with a cryomagnet and a microwave source (2) as well as a configuration for supplying microwave radiation from the microwave source to the sample, which comprises a microwave path extending directly to the sample. The microwave path extends spatially separately from the loading path and the configuration for supplying microwave radiation has at least one microwave feed-through passing through one or more walls of the cryostat. The microwave path is incident on the sample from a direction opposite to the loading path or from a sideward direction at right angles to or at an inclination with respect to the axis of the loading path. This leads to simple and efficient polarization of the electron spins in the sample.

In a method and apparatus for acquiring magnetic resonance data, a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging sequence is executed in alternation with a morphological data acquisition sequence. The alternating sequences are executed with no time interruptions therebetween, with at least one repetition of the alternating sequences. The resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging sequence can be a BOLD-EPI sequence, and the morphological imaging sequence can be an MPRAGE sequence.

A method for sensing a condition of a hydrocarbon reservoir from a subterranean well having a lined section with a liner and an unlined section includes attaching an electric current sensor to the liner proximate to a lower end of the lined section and a plurality of electromagnetic sources located along the unlined section. The electromagnetic sources are activated independently and the resulting current induced in the liner by each electromagnetic source is measured with the electric current sensor. These measurements can be inverted to determine the spatial distribution of the electric conductivity within the reservoir and its changes in time due to fluid substitution during production. Alternatively, a fast and robust method for interpretation of the data is presented for early detection and location of a possible water front approaching the production well.

Methods and apparatus for tracking movement over the ground or other surfaces of a buried utility locator during a utility locate operation are disclosed.

Methods and apparatus for tracking movement over the ground or other surfaces of a buried utility locator during a utility locate operation are disclosed.