A process of analyzing a sample by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) includes providing a sample having a sample surface within a vacuum chamber, performing a Raman spectroscopic analysis on a plurality of selected areas of the sample surface within the vacuum chamber to map an area of the sample surface comprising the selected areas, the Raman spectroscopic analysis including identifying one or more face in one or more of the selected areas of the sample surface, and performing an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of one or more selected areas of the sample surface containing at least one chemical and/or structural feature identified by the Raman spectroscopic analysis, wherein the duration of the XPS analysis of a given selected area of the sample surface is longer than the duration of the Raman spectroscopic analysis of that given selected area.

A system and method for determining impurities in a beverage grade gas such as CO.sub.2 or N.sub.2 relies on a coupling of FTIR analysis and UV fluorescence detection. Conversion of reduced sulphur present in some impurities to SO.sub.2 can be conducted using a furnace. In some cases, CO.sub.2 % also is determined.

A scattered light polarimetry (LSP) sub-system of a hybrid system for characterizing stress in a chemically-strengthened (CS) substrate having a top-surface and a near-surface waveguide, includes a LSP light source system, an LSP light source actuator coupled to the LSP light source system, and an optical compensator within an optical path of a LSP laser beam emitted by the LSP light source system. The optical compensator includes a half-wave plate, a half-wave plate actuator, a diffuser, and a diffuser actuator. The LSP sub-system further includes a LSP detector system in optical communication with the optical compensator through an LSP coupling prism having a LSP coupling surface, a focusing lens and a focusing lens actuator, and a support plenum having a surface and a measurement aperture, the support plenum configured to support the CS substrate at a measurement plane at the measurement aperture, and to operably support the LSP coupling prism.

An automatic analysis device has a plurality of types of photometers having different quantitative ranges, and an analysis control unit for quantifying the desired component in specimens based on measurement values of one or more photometers selected from among the plurality of types of photometers. The analysis control unit: sets a switching region in an overlap region of respective quantitative ranges of the plurality of types of photometers, said switching region having a greater width than does the variation in quantitative values of the desired component based on the measurement values of photometers having the same specimen; compares the quantitative value of a quantitative range portion that corresponds to the switching region and the quantitative values of the desired component based on the measurement values of the photometers; and selects a photometer to be used in quantitative output of the desired component from among the plurality of types of photometers.

The present invention provides a particle enhanced agglutination immunoassay including the steps of: mixing a sample solution containing an analyte with a solution containing insoluble carrier particles carrying a binding partner or binding partners for the analyte to prepare a mixed solution; determining a variation (i) in intensity of light scattered from the mixed solution based on a difference in intensity of scattered light between first and second time points; determining a variation (ii) in absorbance of the mixed solution based on a difference in absorbance between third and fourth time points; and correlating the determined variation (i) in intensity of scattered light and the determined variation (ii) in absorbance with an amount of the analyte present in the sample using a calibration curve plotted based on the variation in intensity of scattered light and a calibration curve plotted based on the variation in absorbance. The present invention employs measurements of the intensity of scattered light and the absorbance in combination for a single assay, and thus provides a particle enhanced agglutination immunoassay which achieves higher sensitivity and a wider dynamic range than conventional assays.

A method for measuring the water concentration in a light-diffusing material, includes the following steps: an emission by N light sources of beams with wavelengths; an acquisition by M sensors, sensitive in at least one portion of the wavelengths; wherein M+N>3. The method also includes the steps of: calculating a first piece of information representing the diffusion, and a second piece of information representing the absorption, as a function of the signals and a piece of digital information representing the diffusing material as well as the sources and the sensors; calculating the water concentration in the sample as a function of the second piece of information.

A method is disclosed for selecting an optimal value for an adjustable parameter of a structured light metrology (SLM) system, for scanning an object. The SLM system performs test scans of the object to acquire a plurality of sets of measurements of the object, wherein a different value is used for the parameter for each test scan. For each test scan, a value of a quality metric is calculated, based on the set of measurements of the object associated with the test scan and simulation data representing a simulated scan of the object by the SLM system. A test scan is then identified that has a quality metric value that satisfies a specified optimization criterion; and a value of the adjustable parameter that was used for the identified test scan is selected as the optimal value of the adjustable parameter, for scanning the object.

A sample comprising a first substance and a second substance is modified by breaking down molecular bonds of the second substance of the sample to form a modified sample having altered surface enhanced luminescence (SEL) characteristics to reduce overlapping of SEL characteristics of the first substance in the second substance. Surface enhanced luminescence data resulting from excitation of the modified sample is collected. Characteristics of the first substance based upon the collected surface enhanced luminescence data are identified.

Systems and methods for analyzing an unknown sample are disclosed. The system includes at least one subsystem to obtain molecular information about the sample and at least one other subsystem to obtain elemental information about the sample. The system also includes a data collection component to collect and combine the information from the subsystems to create combined analytical information and a multivariate model that relates known attributes to information previously generated with at least two analytical systems that are the same types of systems as the at least two analytical subsystems. A prediction engine applies the multivariate model to the combined analytical information to produce predictions of attributes in the unknown sample.

A system or method for analyzing a sample include an input light source, an excitation light source positioned to receive light from the input light source and to sequentially illuminate the sample with each of a plurality of wavelengths, a fluorescence detector positioned to receive and substantially simultaneously detect multiple wavelengths of light emitted by the sample for each of the plurality of excitation wavelengths, an absorption detector positioned to receive and detect light passing through the sample, and a computer in communication with the excitation light source, the fluorescence detector, and the absorption detector, the computer controlling the excitation light source to sequentially illuminate the sample with each of the plurality of wavelengths while measuring absorption and fluorescence of the sample based on signals received from the fluorescence and absorption detectors.