Models for the electronic processing of flow cytometric data at high particle rates.

In flow cytometry at high particle rates, complete processing of data is limited by the capacity of the flow cytometer electronics which are constrained by the waiting or cycling time of the processor. Four models of impulse processors were analyzed to study the influence of the waiting time and reset mechanisms on the input-output properties of commonly used electronic devices. The models contain a feedback loop to represent a waiting time and describe reset mechanisms to filter trains of consecutive pulses such as clumps and doublets. Discrete systems analytical tools have been used to derive formulas for the yield of a simple waiting time device, a doublet filter, a clump filter and a clump and doublet filter. Also, the response to a sudden onset of an input signal has been analyzed and is described. The reset mechanism is an important determinant of the capacity of a waiting time device depending on the impulse rate of the input signal.