This novel study shows that, compared to a single microwave split-ring resonator (SRR), the image quality and detection accuracy of near-surface material defects can be significantly improved with the use of an N × M — channel SSR array. An example 3 × 3 array of independently driven SRRs was modelled to image 2 mm wide near-surface cracks in concrete and aluminium with S-parameters recorded over a frequency span of 3.5–6.5 GHz. Images with improved quality were obtained with the new multi-channel SRR array. It is hoped that this is an initial step in the direction of implementing a near-surface microwave camera system prototype.

The article seeks to explore the status of the inequality of bargaining power doctrine under Malaysian law. A careful examination of the Malaysian judicial decisions on the doctrine seems to suggest that Malaysian courts have adopted the English doctrine of inequality of bargaining power, albeit in a somewhat different form. The article argues that the judicial reception of inequality of bargaining power is a welcome development but more needs to be done to ensure that the doctrine is either legislated into the Malaysian Contracts Act 1950 or, alternatively, adopted into Malaysian Common Law pursuant to the Malaysian Civil Law Act 1956.

The Malaysian Consumer Protection Act 1999 (CPA) was amended in 2010 by the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Act 2010 which inserted into the Act Part IIIA entitled ‘Unfair Contract Terms’. This article argues that the addition of Part IIIA is a welcome move towards greater consumer protection in Malaysia, but that the situation on the ground is still far from perfect. Some of the provisions in the CPA seem to be a source of many uncertainties. This article seeks to identify some of the most troubling inconsistencies and loopholes, and it attempts to offer a measured interpretation of those provisions from different angles.

The debate on whether Malaysia needs to sustain strong links with English law is likely to continue. Irrespective of which side of the argument one may take, the truth is that Malaysia’s links with English law have contributed tremendously towards the development of the plural Malaysian legal system which is highly regarded in the region. This article argues that the abolition of section 3 of the Civil Law Act 1956, or the Act as a whole, which permits the reception of English law in Malaysia, is not necessary. The argument that the Act stifles the development of the Malaysian common law is untenable. The existing framework within the Act allows, if not promotes, the development of the Malaysian common law. Even though this article argues that section 3 should not be abolished, it is submitted that the time has come for the provision to be amended and improved. This article proposes various amendments to section 3 which would enable both smoother reception of English law in Malaysia and more effective development of the Malaysian common law.

Conventionally, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is performed by pulsing gradient coils, which invariably leads to strong acoustic noise, patient safety concerns due to induced currents, and costly power/space requirements. This modeling study investigates a new silent, gradient coil-free MR imaging method, in which a radiofrequency (RF) coil and its nonuniform field (B 1 +) are mechanically rotated about the patient. The advantage of the rotating B 1 + field is that, for the first time, it provides a large number of degrees of freedom to aid a successful B 1 + image encoding process. The mathematical modeling was performed using flip angle modulation as part of a finite-difference-based Bloch equation solver. Preliminary results suggest that representative MR images with intensity deviations of <5% from the original image can be obtained using rotating RF field approach. This method may open up new avenues towards anatomical and functional imaging in medicine.

This article aims to present a fast, efficient and accurate multi‐layer integral method (MIM) for the evaluation of complex spatiotemporal eddy currents in nonmagnetic and thin volumes of irregular geometries induced by arbitrary arrangements of gradient coils.

To present and evaluate a fully automatic method for segmentation (i.e., detection and delineation) of suspicious tissue in breast MRI.

MRI-LINAC is a new image-guided radiotherapy treatment system that combines magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a linear particle accelerator (LINAC) into a single unit. Moving (i.e., rotating or translating) the patient inside the strong magnetic field of the split MRI-LINAC magnet can potentially induce high levels of electric fields and corresponding current densities in the conducting tissues. The prediction and assessment of patient safety in terms of electromagnetic field exposure have received very little attention for a split cylindrical MRI magnet configuration, especially in the vicinity of the gap region. In this novel numerical study, based on the quasi-static finite-difference method, rotation-induced electric fields and current densities are calculated considering a split 1-T magnet and a tissue-accurate 2-mm-resolution human body model. The patient was modeled in both axial and radial orientations relative to the magnet gap in a number of treatment/imaging scenarios. It was found that rotating the patient in the radial orientation produced an order of magnitude larger field exposure in the central nervous system than when the patient was rotated in the axial orientation. Also, rotating the patient with periods lower than about Trot = 43.3 s may result in field exposures above the limits set out in the international safety guidelines. The novel results of this investigation can provide useful insights into the safe use of the MRI-LINAC technology and optimal orientations of the patient during the treatment.

In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), gradient coils are switched during fast current pulse sequences. These time-varying fields interact with the conducting structures of the scanner, producing deleterious effects such as image distortions and Joule heating. Using a multi-layer integral method, the spatiotemporal nature of the eddy currents induced by the gradient coils is investigated. The existence of the eigenmode is experimentally demonstrated by measuring the magnetic field and the time decay constant of a typical unshielded z-gradient coil and its interaction with a conductive cylinder. An effective current tailoring is achieved using the characteristic eigenvalues of the conducting domain-exciting coil system. The method can be used to understand and mitigate undesired effects of eddy currents in MRI.