Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Roger L Firor

Mahmoud F Abdel-Rahman

Chin-Kai Meng

Disclosed is a method of identifying an anomalous sample in a group of complex samples. The method provides vapor phase molecules from each complex sample to a mass sensor to derive a mass spectrum representative of each of the complex samples. Further, the method provides all of the mass spectra to a computer in a data matrix. The method performs exploratory data analysis on the data matrix using at least one set of principal components and performs a classification analysis of such matrix using a soft independent modeling of class analogy technique to select masses exhibiting high discrimination power. The method performs a mass correlation analysis with the selected masses to determine at least three correlated masses. A comparison of the three correlated masses is made to a library of mass spectra to identify at least one candidate that is potentially indicative of the anomalous sample. A review is made of the one or more candidates to identified the anomalous sample.

Identification of sample component using a mass sensor system

Energy efficiency of a thermal zone in an analytical instrument is improved by use of an oven housing module having an enclosure body defining an oven cavity, wherein the enclosure body exhibits a size and shape sufficient to receive a component to be subjected to temperature control within a thermal zone located in the oven cavity. A temperature control assembly includes a vent assembly communicating with ambient air, a fan, and a fast cooling flap, wherein the temperature of the thermal zone may be modulated by supplementing the oven cavity air with ambient air. The fast cooling flap may be operated for opening one side of the oven cavity to ambient conditions such that ambient air may be rapidly introduced to the oven cavity and the cavity air may be rapidly exhausted from the oven cavity for rapid cooling of the thermal zone. The oven cavity is very compact so as to allow only a marginal amount of cavity volume to be disposed about the temperature-controlled component, so as to permit efficient circulation of cavity air around the component for efficient temperature control of the component, and yet minimize the volume of the oven cavity, thus reducing the effective thermal mass of the enclosure body.

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Landenberg, PA, United States of America

Roger L Firor