The present disclosure provides a method for producing a radio frequency (RF) pulse for use in magnetic resonance. The steps of the method include providing a computer system and a set of RF input parameters. The computer system then generates an optimal phase surface by iteratively updating an initial RF pulse profile based at least in part on the set of RF input parameters. The optimal phase surface contains a set of iteratively generated RF pulse profiles with various characteristics, such as bandwidths or selectivity. The steps of the method further include selecting an RF pulse profile with the computer system based on a search on the optimal phase surface, which can be implemented with the help of an index file. The search can be performed using an artificial intelligence algorithm, and can retrieve the shortest pulse profile that satisfies user input parameters or requirements.

Disclosed herein is a method of: providing a circuit having: a rechargeable pouch cell battery comprising lithium and an electrically insulating coating, a first electrical lead in contact with the coating at a first location on the battery, a second electrical lead in contact with the coating at a second location on the battery, a tuning capacitor in parallel to the battery, and an impedance matching capacitor in series with the battery and the tuning capacitor; placing the battery in a magnetic field; applying a radio frequency voltage to the circuit; and detecting a .sup.7Li nuclear magnetic resonance signal in response to the voltage.

The invention provides a method for performing a magnetic resonance measurement of an element in a target region, wherein the element has a magnetic resonance excitation spectrum peak with a linewidth L.sub.R, wherein the method comprises a measurement cycle (100) comprising: a magnetization transfer stage (110) comprising providing a plurality of pulses (115) of first radiation to the target region, wherein the plurality of pulses (115) are selected to provide a net pulse having a net pulse angle α.sub.N≤1°, and wherein the first radiation comprises a first frequency spectrum peak having a first linewidth L.sub.F, wherein the first frequency spectrum peak at least partially overlaps with the magnetic resonance excitation spectrum peak, and wherein L.sub.F>5*L.sub.R; an excitation stage (130) comprising providing a radio frequency pulse to the target region, wherein the radio frequency pulse excites the element resulting in a transverse magnetization of the element; and a measurement stage (140) comprising detecting a signal from the element, wherein the measurement stage (140) is temporally arranged at an echo time TE after the radio frequency pulse, wherein the echo time TE is smaller than a transverse relaxation time of the element in the target region.

Embodiments of a compact portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) device are described which generally include a housing that provides a magnetic shield; an axisymmetric permanent magnet assembly in the housing and having a bore, a plurality of magnetic elements that together provide a well confined axisymmetric magnetization for generating a near-homogenous magnetic dipole field B.sub.0 directed along a longitudinal axis and providing a sample cavity for receiving a sample, and high magnetic permeability soft steel poles to improve field uniformity: a shimming assembly with coils disposed at the longitudinal axis for spatially correcting the near homogenous magnetic field B.sub.0; and a spectrometer having a control unit for measuring a metabolite in the sample by applying magnetic stimulus pulses to the sample, measuring free induction delay signals generated by an ensemble of hydrogen protons within the sample; and suppressing a water signal by using a dephasing gradient with frequency selective suppression.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to systems and methods for obtaining and interpreting magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data obtained from the pancreas of a subject. In some embodiments, systems and methods of the disclosure relate to analyzing MRS spectra of metabolites, for example y-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), to assess pancreatic islet density and function in a subject. In some embodiments, systems and methods described by the disclosure are useful for the diagnosis and/or treatment of diseases associated with impaired pancreatic function, for example diabetes.

A method for producing an image of a subject with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) comprises acquiring a first set of partial k-space data from the subject and generating a phase corrected image based on a phase correction factor and the first set of the partial k-space data. The method further includes transforming the phase corrected image into a second set of partial k-space data and reconstructing the image of the subject from the second set of the partial k-space data and a weighting function.

Embodiments of a compact portable nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) device are described which generally include a housing that provides a magnetic shield; an axisymmetric permanent magnet assembly in the housing and having a bore, a plurality of magnetic elements that together provide a well confined axisymmetric magnetization for generating a near-homogenous magnetic dipole field B.sub.0 directed along a longitudinal axis and providing a sample cavity for receiving a sample, and high magnetic permeability soft steel poles to improve field uniformity: a shimming assembly with coils disposed at the longitudinal axis for spatially correcting the near homogenous magnetic field B.sub.0; and a spectrometer having a control unit for measuring a metabolite in the sample by applying magnetic stimulus pulses to the sample, measuring free induction delay signals generated by an ensemble of hydrogen protons within the sample; and suppressing a water signal by using a dephasing gradient with frequency selective suppression.

Electrochemical devices with metal casings have been considered incompatible with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy because the oscillating magnetic fields (“rf fields”) responsible for excitation and detection of NMR active nuclei do not penetrate metals. According to the present invention, rf fields can still efficiently penetrate into nonmetallic layers of electrochemical cells (such as a coin cell battery configuration) provided the magnetic field is oriented tangentially to the electrochemical cell electrodes in a “skimming” orientation. As an example, noninvasive high field in situ .sup.7Li and .sup.19F NMR of an unmodified commercial off-the-shelf rechargeable coin cell was demonstrated using a traditional external NMR coil setup. The in operando NMR measurements revealed that irreversible physical changes accumulate at the anode during electrochemical cycling.

A composite pulse sequence for MR systems is described. The pulse sequence involves a plurality of pulses which each individually have a desired rotation (A°, B° etc.) in which the pulses each cause a rotation about respective axes. Slice selection magnetic gradients may be employed to make the component rotations of the composite pulse slice selective. Optionally phase correction (re-phasing) gradients can also be included in the pulse sequence. One or more of the pulses making up the composite pulse are not based on a sinc shaped pulse envelope.

Electrochemical devices with metal casings have been considered incompatible with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy because the oscillating magnetic fields (“rf fields”) responsible for excitation and detection of NMR active nuclei do not penetrate metals. According to the present invention, rf fields can still efficiently penetrate into nonmetallic layers of electrochemical cells (such as a coin cell battery configuration) provided the magnetic field is oriented tangentially to the electrochemical cell electrodes in a “skimming” orientation. As an example, noninvasive high field in situ .sup.7Li and .sup.19F NMR of an unmodified commercial off-the-shelf rechargeable coin cell was demonstrated using a traditional external NMR coil setup. The in operando NMR measurements revealed that irreversible physical changes accumulate at the anode during electrochemical cycling.