1. A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus comprising:
an MRI system having a plurality of gradient coils positioned about a bore of a magnet and an RF transceiver system and an RF switch controlled by a pulse module to transmit RF signals to an RF coil assembly to acquire MR images; and
a computer programmed to:
calculate a cost for each point to be acquired in k-space;
acquire MR data based on the calculated cost for each point; and
generate an MR image using the acquired MR data.
2. The MRI apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer is further programmed to calculate the cost based on a polar angle \u03b8 of k-space.
3. The MRI apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer is further programmed to calculate the cost based on a radial distance r from a center of k-space.
4. The MRI apparatus of claim 1 wherein the cost calculated for each point monotonically increases as a function of increased distance from a k-space center and as a function of an angular position from zero to 2\u03c0 radians in k-space coordinates.
5. The MRI apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer is further programmed to acquire the MR data beginning from a center of k-space and progressing to at least one edge of k-space and wherein the cost of each point is monotonically increasing during the acquisition.
6. The MRI apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer is further programmed to acquire the MR data beginning from an edge of k-space and progressing to a center of k-space, and wherein the cost of each point is monotonically decreasing during the acquisition.
7. The MRI apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer is further programmed to acquire the MR data such that:
a first portion of MR data is acquired beginning from an edge of k-space and progressing toward a center of k-space, wherein a set of points associated with the first portion of MR data has a monotonically decreasing cost; and
a second portion of MR data is acquired beginning from the center of k-space and progressing toward edges of k-space, wherein a set of points associated with the second portion of MR data has a monotonically increasing cost.
8. The MRI apparatus of claim 1 wherein the MRI apparatus performs one of an isotropic and an anisotropic scan.
9. A method of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging comprising:
calculating a cost for each encoding point in a plurality of encoding points to be acquired in k-space;
acquiring MR data for each encoding point based on the cost; and
reconstructing an MR image using the acquired MR data.
10. The method of claim 9 further comprising sorting the plurality of encoding points monotonically from a low cost to a high cost using the cost calculated for each encoding point.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the monotonically increasing cost increases with increased distance from a k-space center and as a function of an angular position of k-space.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein acquiring MR data comprises acquiring at least a first portion of MR data having a progressively increasing cost.
13. The method of claim 12 wherein the first portion of MR data is acquired beginning at a center of k-space.
14. The method of claim 12 wherein acquiring MR data includes acquiring at least a second portion of MR data beginning at an edge of k-space, wherein the second portion of MR data has a monotonically decreasing cost.
15. A computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon and representing a set of instructions that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to:
calculate a cost for each MR data point to be acquired in k-space;
acquire a first portion of MR data points having a monotonically increasing calculated cost; and
generate an MR image using the acquired first portion of MR data points.
16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the cost for the MR data points is monotonically increasing with increased distance from a k-space center and as a function of angular position in k-space coordinates.
17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the computer is further programmed to acquire a second portion of MR data points having a monotonically decreasing cost as a function of increased distance from a k-space edge and as a function of angular position in k-space coordinates.
18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17 wherein the second portion of MR data acquired begins from an edge of k-space and progresses toward a center of k-space.
19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the cost is calculated based on a polar angle \u03b8 of k-space.
20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15 wherein the cost is calculated based on a radial distance r from the center of k-space.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-30. (canceled)
31. A method for processing a biological material sample, the method comprising:
dispensing a sample into a plurality of wells of an array tape from a sample plate;
dispensing a reagent into the plurality of wells of the array tape from a reagent plate;
sealing the sample and the reagent in the array tape;
cooling the array tape; and
detecting biological material in the plurality of wells of the array tape.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the sample is dispensed using a pipettor and the reagent is dispensed using a dispensing jet or a reservoir dispenser.
33. The method of claim 31, wherein cooling the array tape prevents evaporation of the sample and the reagent from the array tape and inhibits the reaction.
34. The method of claim 31, wherein detecting biological material comprises detecting fluorescence of the biological material, detecting absorbance of the biological material, detecting radioactivity of the biological material, or detecting thermal activity of the biological material.
35. The method of claim 31, wherein the array tape is cooled while the sample is dispensed into the plurality of wells of the array tape.
36. The method of claim 31, wherein the array tape is cooled after the sample is dispensed into the plurality of wells of the array tape.
37. The method of claim 31, wherein the array tape is cooled while the reagent is dispensed into the plurality of wells of the array tape.
38. The method of claim 31, wherein the array tape is cooled after the reagent is dispensed into the plurality of wells of the array tape.
39. The method of claim 31, wherein the array tape is cooled while sealing the sample and the reagent in the array tape.
40. The method of claim 31, wherein the array tape is cooled after sealing the sample and the reagent in the array tape.
41. The method of claim 31, wherein the biological material is detected in real time while a chemical reaction proceeds.
42. The method of claim 41, wherein the chemical reaction proceeds isothermally.
43. The method of claim 31, wherein the biological material is detected after completion of a chemical reaction.
44. An apparatus for processing a biological material sample, the apparatus comprising:
a dispensing system for dispensing a sample and a reagent into a matrix of wells of a tape;
a sealing system for sealing the sample and the reagent in the tape, the sealing system comprising:
a sealing mechanism; and
a cooling system for cooling the tape; and
an amplification and detection system for detecting biological material in the matrix of wells of the tape.
45. The apparatus of claim 44, and further comprising:
a tape feeding system that feeds the tape into the dispensing system;
wherein the tape feeding system unwinds the tape prior to feeding the tape into the dispensing system.
46. The apparatus of claim 45, and further comprising:
a rewind system that rewinds the tape after receiving the tape from the amplification and detection system.
47. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the dispensing system comprises:
a sample plate stacker;
a sample dispenser; and
a reagent dispenser.
48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the sample dispenser is a pipettor and the reagent dispenser is a dispensing jet or a reservoir dispenser.
49. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the cooling system of the sealing system comprises a thermoelectric attachment.
50. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein the amplification and detection system comprises:
one of a charge coupled device, a fluorescence detector, a photo multiplier tube, or a photon counter; and
a Peltier plate.