Abstract: A digital signal processing system and method transforms pairs of channels selected from a multichannel signal into the frequency domain. Vector operations are performed upon the frequency-domain data by which signal components unique to one of the input channels are routed to one of the output channels, signal components unique to the other of the input channels are routed to another of the output channels, and signal components common to both channels are routed to a third and optionally to a fourth output channel. The frequency-domain output channels are then transformed back into the time-domain, forming a plurality of time-domain output channels. The vector operations are performed in a manner that preserves the overall information content of the input data.

Abstract: Ion mobilities are measured by entraining the ions in a gas and adiabatically expanding the ion-containing gas through a nozzle to form a gas jet. An electrical field barrier with variable height is located at the nozzle exit. The field barrier may be located adjacent to the nozzle exit or an ion guide may be located between the nozzle and the field barrier. If a continuous ion current is supplied, the height of the barrier is varied and the ion current of the ions passing over the barrier is measured, the ion current can be differentiated to generate a mobility spectrum. Alternatively, the ions can be temporarily stored in the ion guide so that measurement of the ion current of the ions passing over the barrier results in a direct measurement of the mobility spectrum.

Abstract: In a linear ion trap ions of both positive and negative polarities are stored simultaneously for fragmentation reactions caused by electron transfer dissociation (ETD). The ion trap comprises a plurality of parallel pole rods or stacked rings and the ions are stored by applying two phases of a first RF voltage to the pole rods or stacked rings in alternation, thereby radially confining both positive and negative ions. A second, single-phase RF voltage is applied to all the pole rods or stacked rings in common and creates a pseudopotential barrier at the ends of the linear ion trap that acts axially on ions of both polarities in order to maintain the ions in the trap.

Abstract: This invention is a game platform for the assessment and/or treatment of disorders of binocular vision, such as amblyopia. The game content is devised to maximize the possible therapeutic effects by leveraging advanced research in ophthalmology, as well as advanced display technology to render images independently to each eye. In particular, the game content engages both eyes at different levels of difficulty, forcing an amblyopic eye to work harder to regain its performance in the visual system. The invention herein described provides a mobile device, capable of interaction with an eye care specialist, for the assessment/treatment of binocular vision using innovative mechanisms for ensuring proper use thereof.

Abstract: An information difference between a left eye image and a right eye image is adjustable to achieve binocular vision in a patient having a deficiency of binocular vision. A source of image pairs is used along with a dichoptic display system to present a selected one of the image pairs as a right eye image to a patient's right eye and a left eye image to a patient's left eye. The difference at which a patients achieves binocular vision is a measure of a level binocular vision health or function, and continued exposure to the image pairs is therapeutic. The difference can be adjusted during therapy, and restoration of regular binocular vision is possible.

Abstract: In an ion mobility spectrometer (IMS) coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS), the ion current from a suitable ion source is modulated with an analog modulation having a smooth modulation function, whose instantaneous frequency varies with time over a wide frequency range. The modulated ion current is continuously fed through a mobility drift region into the mass spectrometer, where the temporally varying ion current profile of at least one ion species is measured. The mobility spectrum of the ion species is then generated by correlating its ion current time profile with the modulation function.

Abstract: In a mass spectrometer a target volume is filled with ions of different mass but substantially the same energy from a distant storage device by forming a plurality of spatially-limited ion swarms consisting of ions having the same mass. The ion swarms are ordered either by a mass-sequential extraction from the storage device or by rearranging the order of flight as the ions are in flight, so that swarms of different mass ions simultaneously enter the target volume despite having different flight velocities. A mass-sequential extraction in the order of decreasing mass can be achieved in one embodiment by decreasing a pseudopotential barrier at the storage device which causes the heavy ions to emerge first. In another embodiment, the ions can be rearranged in flight by applying a bunching potential. A second reverse bunching potential then restores the energy of the ions to their original values.

Abstract: In a mass spectrometer with an electrostatic ion trap, the electrostatic ion trap has an outer electrode with an ion-repelling electric potential applied to it and a plurality of inner electrodes with ion-attracting potentials applied to each inner electrode. The outer electrode and the inner electrodes are shaped and arranged in such a way that a harmonic electric potential is formed in one spatial direction and, perpendicular to this spatial direction, an electric potential is formed in which ions move in stable, radial trajectories.

Abstract: A Neural Gas network used for pattern recognition, sequence and image processing is extended to a supervised classifier with labeled prototypes by extending a cost function of the Neural Gas network with additive terms, each of which increases with a difference between elements of the class labels of a prototype and a training data point and decreases with their distance. The extended cost function is then iteratively minimized by adapting weight vectors of the prototypes. The trained network can then be used to classify mass spectrometric data, especially mass spectrometric data derived from biological samples.

Abstract: In an ion source that generates ions by matrix-assisted laser desorption (MALDI), ion acceleration diaphragms having apertures though which ions are accelerated and which have become contaminated by matrix material, are cleaned by temporarily heating the diaphragms. During the cleaning process, the sample support plate is moved aside but remains in the ion source housing, and the heating is preferably limited to regions surrounding the apertures in the diaphragms. In one embodiment, the diaphragms are heated by irradiation generated by infrared laser diodes.

Abstract: In a mass spectrometer having an ion source in which analyte substances are ionized by matrix assisted laser desorption and form an ion beam that travels to a parent ion selector for selecting ions to form daughter ions, the ion beam is reflected in at least one reflector prior to the parent ion selector so that only ions that have both the mass of the parent ions and their kinetic energy are allowed to pass to the parent ion selector. By taking this measure, the mass resolution in the daughter ion spectra is also increased; the improved mass resolution and improved signal-to-noise ratio produce higher sensitivity, even though fewer ions are admitted for analysis in the daughter ion spectrum.

Abstract: Fragment ion spectra are acquired in Kingdon ion traps that have a potential well for harmonic oscillations of the ions in the longitudinal direction and in which the ions can oscillate radially in a plane between two or more inner electrodes. Metastable ions, preferably produced by laser desorption, are introduced into the Kingdon ion trap close to the minimum of the longitudinal potential well and stored there locally for a predetermined time period. Excess internal energy in the metastable ions causes most of the ions to decompose ergodically to fragment ions. Then the fragment ions and any remaining analyte ions are excited to execute harmonic oscillations in the longitudinal potential well. The harmonic oscillations are measured as image currents, from which a high-resolution mass spectrum of the fragment ions can be calculated.

Abstract: A detection system for wavelength-dispersive and energy-dispersive spectrometry comprises an X-ray detector formed from a solid-state avalanche photodiode with a thin entrance window electrode that permits the efficient detection of X-rays scattered from “light” elements. The detector can be tilted relative to the incident X-rays in order to increase the detection efficiency for X-rays scattered from “heavy” elements. The entrance window may be continuous conductive layer with a thickness in the range of 5 to 10 nanometers or may be a pattern of conductive lines with “windowless” areas between the lines. A signal processing circuit for the avalanche photodiode detector includes an ultra-low noise amplifier, a dual channel discriminator, a scaler and a digital counter. A linear array of avalanche photodiode detectors is used to increase the count rate of the detection system.

Abstract: A resonator assembly for executing measurements on a sample within a constant magnetic field B0 by means of magnetic resonance is disclosed. It comprises a resonator portion defining a longitudinal axis and an axial direction. The resonator portion has, along the axial direction, a hollow cavity for exciting electron resonance within the sample. A coupling portion is provided adjacent the resonator portion and has, along the longitudinal axis, a stepped through being electrically conductive at its inner surface. A first, middle section of the stepped through configures the hollow cavity. A second and a third, lateral section adjacent axially opposed sides of the hollow cavity are each dimensioned such that a basic mode being resonant within the hollow cavity is unable to propagate within the second and the third section. A coil is wound around the resonator portion for additionally exciting a nuclear resonance within the sample.

Abstract: A mass spectrometric analysis of surface material is performed by vaporizing the surface material with pulses of laser light and then collecting the vaporized material by dissolving it in a liquid. The liquid with the dissolved material is then fed to an ionization process, preferably an electrospray ionization process. The resulting ions are then analyzed with a mass spectrometer. The method is particularly suited for use with imaging mass spectrometry.

Abstract: The mobility of mass-selected ions in gases is measured at pressures of a few hectopascal by selecting the ions under investigation in a quadrupole filter according to their mass-to-charge ratio m/z, measuring their mobility in a drift region at a pressure of a few hundred Pascal under the influence of a DC electric field and then filtering the measured ions by means of a quadrupole field in order to eliminate, or detect changes in, the mass-to-charge ratio. Several embodiments for the drift region are disclosed, in which the ions are kept in the axis of the drift region by RF fields. As these drift regions can also be utilized for a collision-induced decomposition of the ions, the device can additionally be used as a so-called triple quadrupole mass spectrometer.

Abstract: Crystallite size in a sample is determined by performing a quantitative ?-profile analysis on a diffraction ring in a two-dimensional X-ray diffraction pattern. In particular, a two-dimensional X-ray diffraction system is first calibrated with a sample having a known crystallite size, crystal structure and X-ray absorption coefficient. For a given instrument window, the number of grains contributing to a selected diffraction ring is determined by the effective diffraction volume, grain size and the multiplicity of the diffracting crystal planes. The grain size of an unknown sample can then be determined by a quantitative analysis of the diffraction ring.

Abstract: In an apparatus for performing a mass spectrometric analysis of a sample, a plurality of electrodes are positioned and driven by RF potentials to form a plurality of adjacent pseudopotential wells. Ions may be manipulated, reacted, analyzed, and ejected from the apparatus in a manner similar to conventional ion traps. In addition, selected ions or groups of ions may be passed from one pseudopotential well to another pseudopotential well without ion losses due to physical obstructions. The apparatus may be used alone or in conjunction with other mass analyzers to produce mass spectra from analyte ions.

Abstract: The invention relates to the determination and visualization of the spatial distribution of tissue states in histologic tissue sections on the basis of mass spectrometric signals acquired so as to be spatially resolved. The invention provides a method which determines the tissue state for the tissue spots as a state characteristic, which is calculated as a mathematical or logical expression from at least two mass signals of this tissue spot, and which indicates the tissue state as a gray-level or false-color image in one or two dimensions.

Abstract: In a three-dimensional Paul RF ion trap at least one of the ring electrode and end cap electrodes is structured to produce a high capture efficiency for analyte ions introduced into the trap. The electrode structuring may be produced by an electrode surface profile having edges or protrusions, resulting in a scattering reflection of the introduced ions. Alternatively, at least one electrode may be formed by physically separate electrode components. In one embodiment, the trap can be switched between operating as a linear ion trap with good capture efficiency and operating as a three-dimensional ion trap with good ion reaction conditions.