In one aspect, a method of inducing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals from a region of an object to be imaged is provided. The method comprises applying to the region a preparation sequence configured to substantially establish a zero flip-angle pseudo steady state (PSS) for the region, applying to the region a transitioning sequence configured to transition the zero flip-angle PSS to a higher target flip-angle PSS, and applying a radio frequency (RF) pulse sequence configured to cause the region to emit detectable NMR signals.