Abstract: A porous layer open tubular (PLOT) column includes capillary tubing; one or two particle traps disposed inside one or two end sections of the capillary tubing; and a stationary phase comprising a porous or non-porous material coated inside a main section of the capillary tubing. A method for preparing a porous layer open tubular (PLOT) column includes preparing one or two particle traps inside one or two end sections of a capillary tubing; and preparing a stationary phase comprising a layer of a porous material coated inside a main section of the capillary.

Abstract: An ion trap includes a trap exit at which an ion energy adjusting device is located. The adjusting device may be configured for focusing a beam of ions ejected from the trap, reducing the energy distribution of the ions, and/or reducing the average kinetic energy of the ions. The adjusting device may include lenses to which RF and/or DC voltages are applied.

Abstract: A method for operating a plurality of processor to determine a sequence of states traversed by a finite state machine in processing an input stream that includes a plurality of characters. The method divides the input stream into a plurality of contiguous sections characterized by a beginning character and an end character. Each section is assigned to a different processor. Each processor determines an end state that the finite state machine would traverse after the end character in the section assigned to that processor has been processed. That end state is provided to a processor that did not process the section associated with that end state. Each processor determines a sequence of states that the finite state machine would traverse if the finite state machine processed the section assigned to that processor using one of said received end states.

Abstract: A method for determining an efficiency of target enrichment from a DNA library, includes: adding a negative control sequence and a positive control sequence to the DNA library, or picking a negative control sequence and/or a positive control sequence from the library; determining a pre-capture amount of the negative control sequence and a pre-capture amount of the positive control sequence; performing enrichment of a target sequence from the DNA library using a bait sequence to produce a post-capture library; determining a post-capture amount of the negative control sequence and a post-capture amount of the positive control sequence in the post-capture library; and determining the efficiency of the target enrichment, based on the post-capture amount of the positive control sequence, the post-capture amount of the negative control sequence, the pre-capture amount of the positive control sequence, and the pre-capture amount of the negative control sequence.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for detecting or enriching for a target deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) present in a nucleic acid sample, said method comprising: (a) fragmenting a nucleic acid sample to generate nucleic acid fragments including a target fragment containing said target DNA and non-specifically ligating an adaptor sequence to an end of said fragments; (b) rendering said fragments at least partially single-stranded; (c) contacting the at least partially single-stranded fragments of step (b) with oligonucleotides A and B of a single target-specific nucleic acid probe; (d) ligating oligonucleotide B of said probe to the part of the single-stranded portion of said target fragment which is hybridised to oligonucleotide A of said probe to produce a probe-target fragment hybrid; and (e) detecting or enriching for said probe-target fragment hybrid.

Abstract: A dried biological fluid spot punch device includes a tube, a frit, and a filter disposed on the frit. The tube includes a main section and a distal section adjoining the main section. The main section includes a proximal tube end circumscribing a proximal tube opening, and the distal section includes a distal tube end circumscribing a distal tube opening. The distal section further includes a distal tube having a tapered inside diameter that reduces from the main section to the distal tube opening. The frit is disposed in the distal section at a distance from the distal tube opening and fixed in position by frictional contact with the distal tube wall. The punch device may also include a punching tool. The punching tool may include a body engaging the tube at the proximal tube end and an ejection mechanism configured for disengaging the body from the tube.

Abstract: A peripheral component interconnect express (PCI-E) system has a reconfigurable link architecture. The system comprises a system slot adapted to receive a PCI-E compatible system controller, a plurality of peripheral slots adapted to receive a plurality of peripheral modules, and a reconfigurable switch fabric configured to create a variable number of PCI-E links between the system slot and the plurality of peripheral slots.

Abstract: A method is provided increasing the useful dynamic range of an ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) or an IMS-mass spectrometry (IMS-MS) device. The method includes accumulating a first sample of ions over a first time interval; providing the first sample of ions to an ion detector to provide a first frame, accumulating a second sample of ions over a second time interval, where the second time interval is different than the first time interval, and providing the second sample of ions to the ion detector to provide a second frame. First data points of the first frame are selectively combined with second data points of the second frame to provide an accumulation frame of the first and second samples of ions.

Abstract: In a method for fabricating a heat exchanger, a metal body includes a bore and inlet and outlet connectors fitted to the body at respective inlet and outlet ends of the bore. The connectors each include an inner surface in which annular grooves are formed. A tube is inserted in the bore such that inlet and outlet ends of the tube are respectively located in the inlet and outlet connectors. A mandrel is operated to expand at least a portion of the tube into contact with the body, and to expand the inlet and outlet tube ends into contact with the grooves of the inlet and outlet connectors, respectively. The heat exchanger provides improved thermal exchange efficiency between the tube and the body, and fluid-tight connections between the tube and the inlet and outlet connectors.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical detection cell for micro-fluidics. The detection cell provides a first layer, a detection cell layer contacting the first layer, a third layer contacting the detection cell layer, a micro-fluidic chip having a fluidic port and a detection channel defined through the detection cell and being in fluid communication with the fluidic port of the chip, the detection channel serving as a light path for receiving light for detecting a molecule. Methods of detecting molecules and making the detection cell are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for operating a mass spectrometer (MS) includes establishing a pressure differential across a membrane wherein an upstream pressure in a calibrant gas inlet line on an upstream side of the membrane is greater than a downstream pressure in an ion source on a downstream side of the membrane; flowing a calibrant gas from the calibrant gas inlet line, through a nano-scale orifice of the membrane, and into the ion source; and maintaining the upstream pressure at a constant value. The calibrant may be flowed at a low flow rate. An MS system includes a membrane interposed between a calibrant gas introduction system and a mass spectrometer. The membrane may include an orifice of nano-scale diameter.

Abstract: A mass spectrum is acquired by accumulating parent ions in an ion trap, ejecting parent ions of a selected m/z ratio into a collision cell, producing fragment ions from the parent ions, and analyzing the fragment ions in a mass analyzer. The other parent ions remain stored in the ion trap, and thus the process may be repeated by mass-selectively scanning parent ions from the ion trap. In this manner, the full mass range of parent ions or any desired subset of the full mass range may be analyzed without significant ion loss or undue time expenditure. The collision cell may provide a large ion acceptance aperture and relatively smaller ion emission aperture. The collision cell may pulse ions out to the mass analyzer. The mass analyzer may be a time-of-flight analyzer. The timing of pulsing of ions out from the collision cell may be matched with the timing of pulsing of ions into the time-of-flight analyzer.

Abstract: An ion trap includes a trap exit at which an ion energy adjusting device is located. The adjusting device may be configured for focusing a beam of ions ejected from the trap, reducing the energy distribution of the ions, and/or reducing the average kinetic energy of the ions. The adjusting device may include lenses to which RF and/or DC voltages are applied.

Abstract: A system for estimating a baseline of a signal exhibits a signal generator and a processor. The signal generator is configured to generate a signal exhibiting a plurality of peaks and a baseline. The processor is configured to perform operations including determining an estimator indicating at least one region of the signal that exhibits a peak, determining a weight indicating at least one region of the signal that does not exhibit a peak based on the estimator, and estimating the baseline of the signal based on at least the determined weight.

Abstract: A fluidic device, the fluidic device comprising a planar fluidic conduit for conducting a fluid, wherein the fluidic conduit has a plurality of fluidic disturbance features located along at least a section of the fluidic conduit for disturbing a laminar flow of the fluid along the section.

Abstract: Devices and systems for reflecting ions are provided. In general, the devices and systems include a plurality of curved lens plates adapted for connection to at least one voltage source and having a passage therein to allow the ions to pass therethrough. The plurality of curved lens plates generates electric fields having elliptic equipotential surfaces that reflect and focus the ions as they pass through the passage. Reflectron time-of-flight (RE-TOF) spectrometers are also provided that include an ion source, ion detector, and such a reflectron as described above. Mass spectrometer systems are provided that comprise an ion source that generates ions and a reflectron TOF spectrometer such as described above.

Abstract: A method and compositions for sulfurizing at least one phosphite or thiophosphite linkage in an oligonucleotide. The methods employ a phenylacetyl disulfide reagent (known as PADS), phenylthioacetic acid (PTAA) in the presence or absence or N-alkyl imidazole in industrially preferred solvents or solvents that are derived from renewable resources. The use of PTAA eliminates the need to “age” the PADS solution prior to its use in sulfurization reactions.

Abstract: Crosslinking reagents and methods for using the same for analysis of protein-protein interactions, are provided. The crosslinking reagents include a trifunctional scaffold that links two protein linking groups to each other and branches to link an affinity tag, where the protein linking groups can be fragmented from the scaffold. The distance between the two protein linking groups can be selected to crosslink two proteins of a protein complex via accessible amino acid residues. Also provided are crosslinked polypeptide compounds and kits that include crosslinking reagents. These reagents and methods find use in a variety of applications in which crosslinking of proteins in desired.

Abstract: A microfluidic device for glycopeptide analysis includes an enrichment column capable of binding carbohydrates; a trapping column capable of binding peptides, wherein the trapping column is configured to be connected downstream of the enrichment column; a separation column, wherein the separation column is configured to be connected downstream of the trapping column; and a plurality of ports configured to work with a switching device to form a plurality of flow paths, wherein one of the plurality of flow paths allows the trapping column to be in fluid communication with the separation column. A method for glycopeptide analysis using a microfluidic device comprising a trapping column and a separation column, the method includes applying a sample of peptides to the microfluidic device; trapping the peptides on the trapping column; eluting the peptides from the trapping column into the separation column; and separating the peptides on the separation column.

Abstract: A mass spectrum is acquired by accumulating parent ions in an ion trap, ejecting parent ions of a selected m/z ratio into a collision cell, producing fragment ions from the parent ions, and analyzing the fragment ions in a mass analyzer. The other parent ions remain stored in the ion trap, and thus the process may be repeated by mass-selectively scanning parent ions from the ion trap. In this manner, the full mass range of parent ions or any desired subset of the full mass range may be analyzed without significant ion loss or undue time expenditure. The collision cell may provide a large ion acceptance aperture and relatively smaller ion emission aperture. The collision cell may pulse ions out to the mass analyzer. The mass analyzer may be a time-of-flight analyzer. The timing of pulsing of ions out from the collision cell may be matched with the timing of pulsing of ions into the time-of-flight analyzer.