614results about "Particle spectrometer methods" patented technology

An apparatus for detecting chemical substances which is high in sensitivity and selectivity is provided.

An organic acid or an organic acid salt is used to generate an organic acid gas from an organic acid gas generator 3 to be mixed with a sample gas for introduction into an ion source 4 for ionization, thereby obtaining a mass spectrum by a mass analysis region 5. A data processor 6 determines the detection or non-detection of a specific m/z of an organic acid adduct ion obtained by adding a molecule generated from the organic acid to a molecule with specific m/z generated from a target chemical substance to be detected based on the obtained mass spectrum. When there is an ion peak with the m/z of the organic acid adduct ion, the presence of the target chemical substance to be detected is determined, and an alarm is sounded. False detection can be prevented.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for identifying new markers, diagnosing patients with a biological state of interest, and marketing/commercializing such diagnostics. The present invention relates to systems and methods of greater sensitivity, specificity, and/or cost effectiveness.

The present invention provides a time of flight mass spectrometer having a spiral flight path, whose mass resolution can be appropriately changed with respect to the analysis object or other factor without any complicated alteration or addition of the mechanical construction. In a specific form of the invention, the mass spectrometer includes deflecting electrodes 20-23 located between semi-cylindrical electrodes 11 and 12 for making ions fly along a spiral path. The deflecting electrodes 20-23 generate deflecting electric fields for shifting the ions in the axial direction of the semi-cylindrical electrodes 11 and 12. The voltage applied to the deflecting electrodes 20-23 is changed according to the mass resolution required. The deflecting electric fields are generated or removed with the change of the voltage, which makes the ions fly either along a spiral path or in the same loop orbit. The flight distance of the ions can be controlled as desired by regulating the voltage so that the ions fly in the loop orbit an appropriate number of times. Thus, the mass resolution can be arbitrarily controlled.

An apparatus and method analyzes a metabolic profile in a biological sample. The apparatus includes an input unit for inputting the drugs and/or metabolites to be screened; a controlling unit for determining a parameter set for metabolites preparation and for mass spectrometry analysis depending on the input of the kind of metabolites to be screened; a treatment unit for preparing the metabolites to be screened depending on the determined parameter set; a mass spectrometer for performing mass spectrometry analysis on prepared metabolites depending on the parameter set; a database for storing results of analyzing and parameter sets for metabolite preparation and for mass spectrometry analyses; and an evaluation unit for evaluating the results of mass spectrometry by use of reference results stored in the database to output an analysis of the metabolites profile.

The invention provides a method for grouping measurement data obtained by effecting two or more techniques to provide characterization data characterizing at least one sample with respect to characterizing substances. According to one aspect of the invention, the grouping is effected on the basis of at least one statistical distribution of deviations (Δm/z_i) of a respective characterizing measurement value. According to another aspect of the invention, the grouping is effected on the basis of at least one collective characteristic of a plurality of respective quantitative measurement values (I_i).

Correlation ion mobility spectrometry (CIMS) uses gating modulation and correlation signal processing to improve IMS instrument performance. Closely spaced ion peaks can be resolved by adding discriminating codes to the gate and matched filtering for the received ion current signal, thereby improving sensitivity and resolution of an ion mobility spectrometer. CIMS can be used to improve the signal-to-noise ratio even for transient chemical samples. CIMS is especially advantageous for small geometry IMS drift tubes that can otherwise have poor resolution due to their small size.

Provided are an apparatus and a method for measuring gas transmission rates and nanoleaks of deformable and brittle materials. The apparatus includes a test chamber having an upper and lower diffusion cells that when closed form a chamber wall seal, a gas inlet and a gas outlet in fluid communication with the lower diffusion cell, the upper diffusion cell being fluidly connected to a high-vacuum mass spectrometer. The method of measuring gas transmission rates and nanoleaks includes placing a sealed package containing the test gas in the lower diffusion cell, closing the upper and lower diffusion cells, flushing the lower diffusion cell with a source of a second gas other than the test gas, closing off the source of the second gas; and measuring the leak rate of the sealed package.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for ionizing a neutral MALDI desorption plume, and in particular, for efficiently measuring the ionized MALDI desorption plume when post-ionization techniques are combined with a medium pressure MALDI-IM-oTOFMS instrument. Additionally, the present disclosure provides a method and apparatus that simultaneously separates tissue-sample MALDI ions by IM-oTOFMS according to their chemical family. After separation, the MALDI ions are directly compared to the ions created by post-ionizing the co-desorbed neutral molecules with a second laser wherein the second laser is delayed by a few hundred microseconds. The present disclosure further provides novel approaches that enhance the analysis of ions, including the use of giant fullerene internal standards to enhance mass accuracy, and ultraviolet (UV) declustering lasers to generate intact peptides and proteins, either of which may be followed by VUV post-ionization which generates identifiable structural fragments.

An electrostatic trap such as an orbitrap is disclosed, with an electrode structure. An electrostatic trapping field of the form U′(r,φ,z) is generated to trap ions within the trap so that they undergo isochronous oscillations. The trapping field U′(r, φ,z) is the result of a perturbation W to an ideal field U(r, φ,z) which, for example, is hyperlogarithmic in the case of an orbitrap. The perturbation W may be introduced in various ways, such as by distorting the geometry of the trap so that it no longer follows an equipotential of the ideal field U(r, φ,z), or by adding a distortion field (either electric or magnetic). The magnitude of the perturbation is such that at least some of the trapped ions have an absolute phase spread of more than zero but less than about 2π radians over an ion detection period T_m.

In a method for optimizing an ion detector a control voltage, such as in a mass spectrometry system, an array of mass scan data is acquired. Based on the size of the largest peak in the array or part of the array, a determination is made as to whether the current detector gain should be changed to a new detector gain. If the current detector gain should be changed, the control voltage for the subsequent mass scan is adjusted to a new control voltage corresponding to the new detector gain. The data are scaled based on the current detector gain. In another method, a gain versus control voltage curve is generated for calibration. These methods may be implemented by hardware, software, analog or digital circuitry, and/or computer-readable or signal-bearing media.

The present invention provides novel radiation associated markers. The radiation associated markers may be one or more of albumin, LTGF-β, or any protein or peptide listed in any one of Tables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 provided herein. The present invention also provides methods of assessing exposure to ionizing radiation by determining the presence of one or more radiation associated markers. The methods may optionally include quantifying one or more of the radiation associated markers. The methods may further include comparing the amount of one or more radiation associated markers in the sample determined to be present in the sample with either (i) the amount determined for temporally matched, normal samples or (ii) the amount determined for samples obtained from individuals or subjects that have not been exposed to an elevated level of ionizing radiation. The present invention further provides a method of predicting outcome in a subject after exposure to elevated levels of ionizing radiation. Further, the present invention provides a method of determining the amount of radiation therapy that has been delivered to a particular tissue. Also, the present invention provides kits for assessing the likelihood of significant damage, death, illness or medical complications post exposure to elevated levels of ionizing radiation by determining the presence or absence or by quantifying the amount of one or more radiation associated markers.

The invention generally relates to systems and methods for mass spectrometry analysis of samples. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a mass spectrometry probe including at least one porous material connected to a high voltage source, in which the porous material is discrete from a flow of solvent.

A mass spectrometer is disclosed wherein a z-lens upstream of an orthogonal acceleration Time of Flight mass analyser is repeatedly switched between a first mode wherein ions are transmitted to the mass analyser for subsequent mass analysis with a relatively high transmission and a second mode wherein ions are transmitted with a relatively low transmission. If it is determined that mass spectral data obtained when the mass analyser is in the first mode is suffering from saturation, then suitably scaled mass spectral data obtained when the mass analyser is in the second mode is used instead. If the saturation is severe then the mass spectral data obtained in the first mode may be replaced in its entirety with mass spectral data obtained in the second mode.

Electrospray ionization sources interfaced to mass spectrometers have become widely used tools in analytical applications. Processes occurring in Electrospray (ES) ionization generally include the addition or removal of a charged species such as H+ or other cation to effect ionization of a sample species. Electrospray includes ionization processes that occur in the liquid and gas phase and in both phases ionization processes require a source or sink for such charged species. Electrolyte species, that aid in oxidation or reduction reactions occurring in Electrospray ionization, are added to sample solutions in many analytical applications to increase the ion signal amplitude generated in Electrospray and detected by a mass spectrometer (MS) Electrolyte species that may be required to enhance an upstream sample preparation or separation process may be less compatible with the downstream ES processes and cause reduction in MS signal New Electrolytes have been found that increase positive and negative polarity analyte ion signal measured in ESMS analysis when compared with analyte ESMS signal achieved using more conventional electrolytes The new electrolyte species increase ES MS signal when added directly to a sample solution or when added to a second solution flow in an Electrospray membrane probe. It has also been found that running the ES membrane probe with specific Electrolytes in the second solution of the ES membrane probe have been found to enhance ESMS signal compared to using the same electrolytes directly in the sample solution being Electrosprayed The new electrolytes can be added to a reagent ion source configured in a combination Atmospheric pressure ion source to improve ionization efficiency.

A method of interfacing atmospheric pressure ion sources, including electrospray and desorption electrospray ionization sources, to mass spectrometers, for example miniature mass spectrometers, in which the ionized sample is discontinuously introduced into the mass spectrometer. Discontinuous introduction improves the match between the pumping capacity of the instrument and the volume of atmospheric pressure gas that contains the ionized sample. The reduced duty cycle of sample introduction is offset by operation of the mass spectrometer under higher performance conditions and by ion accumulation at atmospheric pressure.

A fabric phase sorptive extractor (FPSE) is a sampling device where a flexible fabric is coated with at least one sol-gel derived film that includes at least two of a metal oxide portion, a siloxy portion, and an organic portion, where the gel has at least some amorphous portions. The FPSE is flexible such that it can be used in an extended form or draped over a solid surface to contact a gaseous, liquid, or solid environment and can be manipulated for placement in a container where the absorbed analyte can be removed from the FPSE for instrumental analysis. The FPSE can have specific functionalities that bind to specific analytes or can provide a general sorbent medium for extraction of a wide range of analytes, such that the sampling device can be employed for sampling analytes with biological, environmental, food, pharmaceutical, bio-analytical, clinical, forensic, toxicological, national security, public health, and/or safety implications.

The present invention provides methods of identifying a genetic abnormality such as mutation in EGFR or KRAS or ALK which is associated with the management of lung cancer or diagnosing, prognosing or monitoring the treatment of pre-cancerous conditions of the lung, such as bronchial dysplasia or atypical alveolar hyperplasia (AAH), through the detection of at least one volatile organic compound indicative of these states.