ARTICLE - Settings and tools bar

The settings menu in the top left corner allows the user to alter the way the simulator behaves and creates images.

The following actions and settings are presented (from left to right):

• Patient settings
  1. Motion
     • Allows the user to add Translational and Rotational motion of the patient/model. The options button allows the user to manipulate how much motion that is added.
  2. Brain Conditions - (only if Brain model is selected) select between 3 degrees of brain Multiple sclerosis and a Tumour lesion.
  3. Tissue Properties - (only if Corsmedian Total Body model is selected): 
     
     1. Default
     2. Advanced allows the user to change and save cardiac tissue values to obtain a different simulation effect.
• Scanner settings
  1. Coil
     • Allows the user to select different receiver and transmitter -coils.
     • Basic/Advanced selects between two types of signal- and distribution maps. Advanced allows for signal outside the area of decay. Basic is the recommended default selection.
     • 10 different coils can be selected. Optimal Rx gives an optimal Rx, which means that is a perfect receiver (perfectly uniform field distribution, zero phase).
  2. B0 strenght - allows the user to select a different magnetic field strenght (from low field to 3T).
  3. Max. Gradient Strength - enables the user to select a different gradient strength cutoff, up to 80 mT/m.  
• Simulations settings
  1. Noise Allows the user to turn noise on or off, the advanced button also opens a selection menu to alter how much background noise that is added when the setting is on
  2. Simulate slice thickness – Turns slice thickness simulation on or off. Checking this option is a more realistic choice, and gives more realistic looking images, but increases the simulation time. Having slice thickness off will result in images with very sharp edges between anatomical borders, i.e. there will be a clear distinction exactly where two different tissues will border. Having slice thickness off is useful in some educational scenarios, such as when looking at contrast in specific tissues.
  3. Activate CS (Chemical Shift) – Checking this option enables Chemical shift as an artifact in the simulator.
  4. Activate T2* - inhomogeneities in the main magnetic field are simulated to increase T2* signal.
• Advanced

1. Simulator Model Resolution
   • If Model native is selected, the simulation platform does not apply a re-gridding method on the anatomical model so as to create a constant distance of consecutive spins along the three dimensions (x,y,z). 
   • Having isotropic grid on will remove eventual simulation based artifacts that may appear.
   • Using a more granular grid (1mm, 0.5mm and Optimal) will give slightly more realistic images, but will also increase simulation time slightly.
2. Fast algorithm – Compresses the pulse sequence to reduce the simulation time. The amount of compression depends on the design of the pulse sequence.
   

    

3. Fuzzy Model - These segmented models accommodate multiple tissue types per image pixel, giving the resulting simulated images a “fuzzier” look (spatial boundaries between tissues are blurred). 

• Tools

1. • 1. Image viewer – Opens a tool to view the resulting images on a larger viewer. Also allows downloading the images in Dicom and JPG/PNG -formats. The image viewer also presents a tool to let users mark Regions of Interest (ROIs)
        1. The ROIs shows average pixel intensity. These areas can be selected using the Free-hand tool or the Circle tool
     2. Isocentre – Opens the Isocentre tool to move the isocentre and change the corresponding SCOUT images.
     3. Display options
        1. Show text on viewers – Checking this option will display information on finished sequences/images in the corners of the image.
        2. Show intersections on active viewer – Toggling this will show extra blue lines on the active viewer (otherwise the blue lines are hidden on the active viewer).
        3. Show tissues on hover (image viewer) – Checking this option will enable the user to, within the image viewer (3.a), be able to hover the mouse above the tissue in an image, and get a note which tissue it is.
   • Preferences
     1. Units
        1. Distance – Changes the parameters displayed distance unit, mm/cm/m
        2. Time – Changes the parameters displayed time unit, ms/s/min
     2. Advanced notifications on/off
   • Notifications
     1. Brings up the notifications window with information about each sequence you have run
   • Help
     1. Opens the Help and support window
   • Reset
     1. Deletes all pulses that have been run, as well as returns any custom settings to default values
   • Save and Close
     1. Saves the protocols and data, and closes the session, returning the user to the control panel. Note: If a user is idle for more than 15 minutes, the session will automatically save and close. Furthermore, Saving the session is automatically done even if the web browser is closed first.