Abstract: An electrode for use in instruments capable of measuring the electrophoretic mobility of particles in solution is disclosed. The electrode is comprised of an inexpensive support member, generally made of titanium, onto a flat surface of which has been connected, generally by microwelding, a flat electrically conductive but chemically inert foil member, preferably platinum. A uniform texture can be generated on the exposed surfaces of the electrode by various means including tumbling the electrode with an abrasive. An oxide layer can be generated on the support member by soaking the composite electrode in an appropriate medium, protecting the exposed surface of the support member from fluid contact with the sample solution, while the foil member, unaffected by the oxidation process, is able to contact the sample solution.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a method, a system, and a computer program product of analyzing data collected by analytical instruments. In an embodiment, the method, the system, and the computer program product include receiving set-up information, running at least one incomplete analytical method on at least one known sample on at least one analytical instrument with respect to the set-up information, resulting in known sample data, processing the at least one incomplete analytical method with respect to the known sample data, resulting in at least one validated analytical method, and running the at least one validated analytical method on at least one unknown sample on the at least one analytical instrument with respect to the set-up information, resulting in analyzed sample data.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a computer implemented method, a system, and a computer program product of measuring light scattering of a sample.

Abstract: When measuring electrophoretic mobility it is customary to apply an electric field and determine the electrophoretic velocity while minimizing all other contributions to the particle movement. A method and apparatus for the measurement of mobility while the sample is flowing is disclosed. Combined with a fractionation system, this approach further enables the direct measurement of individual species' mobility within a multi-modal sample. Other advantages of this new mobility measurement approach include the ability to easily pressurize the sample to suppress electrolysis, mitigation of oxidation-reduction effects and efficient heat dissipation.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes an apparatus and method of improving temperature uniformity and suppressing well plate warping. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a barrier configured to be positioned above at least one well configured to contain a liquid sample, where a vessel includes the at least one well, where the vessel is transparent and is configured to be placed within a measurement chamber, where a light measurement apparatus includes the measurement chamber, where the light measurement apparatus is configured to measure light scattered from the liquid sample, where the barrier is configured to seal the at least one well from the measurement chamber, and a weighted lid configured to press a bottom surface of the vessel against a well plate retainer of the measurement chamber, thereby spreading heat among the at least one well and preventing the vessel from warping.

Abstract: A new liquid flow cell assembly for light scattering measurements is disclosed which utilized a floating manifold system. The assembly operates with minimal stacked tolerances by aligning the cell to the windows within a manifold and independently aligning the cell to the read head directly. This configuration enables the ability to replace the flow cell or the flow cell/manifold assembly within a light scattering instrument without the need to realign the flow through elements with the light scattering illumination source while still maintaining reproducible, quality data. Some embodiments employ wide bore cells which enable the measurement of process analytic technology (PAT) including online monitoring of reactions.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a differential refractometer for gradient chromatography. In an exemplary embodiment, the differential refractometer includes a solvent delay volume, an eluent flow meter coupled to an eluent inlet of a sample cell, a solvent flow regulator coupled to an outlet of the solvent delay volume and coupled to a solvent inlet of a reference cell, an instrument controller configured to receive the eluent flow rate from the eluent flow meter, configured to receive the solvent flow rate from the solvent flow regulator, configured to receive a flow rate ratio from a flow rate ratio data source, wherein the flow rate ratio indicates a ratio of the eluent flow rate to the solvent flow rate, and an optical bench configured to measure a difference between a refractive index of the eluent present in the sample cell and a refractive index of the solvent present in the reference cell.

Abstract: An improved version of the capillary bridge viscometer that compensates for the effect of solvent compressibility is disclosed. A novel, yet simple and inexpensive modification to a conventional capillary bridge viscometer design can improve its ability to reject pump pulses by more than order of magnitude. This improves the data quality and allows for the use of less expensive pumps. A pulse compensation volume is added such that it transmits pressure to the differential pressure transducer without sample flowing there through. The pressure compensation volume enables the cancellation of the confounding effects of pump pulses in a capillary bridge viscometer.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a computer implemented method, a system, and a computer program product of determining intrinsic viscosity and Huggins constant of an unknown sample. In an embodiment, the method, system, and computer program product include, receiving specific viscosity values over time from a viscometer corresponding to a series of aliquots of an unknown sample injected into an instrument chain where the instrument chain includes the viscometer, calculating a total mass of each of the aliquots, calculating a first intermediate viscosity value of each of the aliquots, calculating a second intermediate viscosity value of each of the aliquots, and fitting the total mass, the first intermediate viscosity value, and the second intermediate viscosity value to a fitting, resulting in a calculated intrinsic viscosity of the unknown sample and a calculated Huggins constant of the unknown sample.

Abstract: The present invention an apparatus and method of injecting a liquid borne sample into a field flow fractionator and a method of forming a top plate and spacer. In an embodiment, the field flow fractionation unit includes a top plate including a sample injection inlet port, a sample injection outlet port, and a spacer including a separation channel cavity defining at least a portion of the separation channel, a sample injection inlet cavity configured to be in fluid contact with the separation channel and located substantially beneath the sample injection inlet port, a sample injection outlet cavity configured to be in fluid contact with the separation channel and located substantially beneath the sample injection outlet port, such that the injection inlet and outlet paths are configured to define an injection channel that is essentially perpendicular to the length of the separation channel spanning the width of the separation channel cavity.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a field flow fractionator including (1) a top plate assembly including a first non-corrosive material, at least three fluid fittings machined into the first non-corrosive material, a top cavity machined into the first non-corrosive material, and at least one top plate o-ring configured to form a horizontal geometry of a separation channel, (2) a membrane, (3) a bottom plate assembly including a second non-corrosive material, a bottom cavity machined into the second non-corrosive material, a frit configured to be placed into the bottom cavity, and at least one bottom plate o-ring configured to seal the bottom plate assembly to the top plate assembly, such that a top surface of the second non-corrosive material and a top surface of the frit are machined to be coplanar, and (4) where the top plate assembly, the membrane, and the bottom assembly define the separation channel.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a computer implemented method, a system, and a computer program product of measuring quality attributes of a virus sample. In an embodiment, the method, system, and computer program product include (1) receiving light scattering (LS) data from a light scattering detector analyzing separations of a virus sample, dRI data, and UV data, (2) receiving a molecular weight of a protein component of the sample, Mprotein (expected), a refractive index increment of the protein component, (dn/dc)protein, a refractive index increment of a DNA component of the sample, (dn/dc)DNA, and an extinction coefficient of the protein component, ?protein, (3) calculating a protein fraction of the sample, xprotein, with respect to the LS data, the dRI data, the Mprotein (expected), the (dn/dc)protein, the (dn/dc)DNA, and an optical constant, K, (4) calculating a DNA extinction coefficient of the sample, ?DNA, and (5) calculating quality attribute values of the sample.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes an apparatus, method, system, and computer program product of identifying a cuvette for measuring light scattering of a sample. In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes at least one sensor configured to detect at least one shape feature of a cuvette, and an insulating block configured to maintain a temperature of the at least one sensor within an operating temperature range of the at least one sensor. In an exemplary embodiment, the method, system, and computer program product include receiving a first set of signals from a first sensor directed to a cuvette, receiving a second set of signals from a second sensor directed to the cuvette, and executing a set of logical operations detecting a shape feature of the cuvette.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a sample cell, method, and a computer implemented method of characterizing particles via an analytical flow field. In an exemplary embodiment, the sample cell includes (1) a sample cuvette including a top sample membrane, a sample container to contain a sample, and a bottom sample membrane, (2) a reference cuvette including a top reference membrane, a reference container to contain a solvent, and a bottom reference membrane, (3) where the sample cell is configured to allow a concentration boundary to form within the sample cell, and (4) where the sample cell is configured to allow the concentration boundary to move toward a bottom of the sample cell until equilibrium is reached in the sample cell.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a flow cell, a read head, and a skid attachment for measuring real-time molecular weight for downstream process control. In an embodiment, the flow cell comprises a hollow cylindrical tube, an inlet flange connected to an inlet of the tube, and an outlet flange connected to an outlet of the tube. In an embodiment, the read head comprises at least one push rod, at least two line contacts, where the at least one push rod is configured to push an outer side wall of a flow cell against the at least two line contacts. In an embodiment, the skid attachment comprises a plurality of arms connected to an enclosure configured to house at least a multi-angle light scattering instrument comprising a read head.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a differential refractometer for gradient chromatography. In an exemplary embodiment, the differential refractometer includes a solvent delay volume, an eluent flow meter coupled to an eluent inlet of a sample cell, a solvent flow regulator coupled to an outlet of the solvent delay volume and coupled to a solvent inlet of a reference cell, an instrument controller configured to receive the eluent flow rate from the eluent flow meter, configured to receive the solvent flow rate from the solvent flow regulator, configured to receive a flow rate ratio from a flow rate ratio data source, wherein the flow rate ratio indicates a ratio of the eluent flow rate to the solvent flow rate, and an optical bench configured to measure a difference between a refractive index of the eluent present in the sample cell and a refractive index of the solvent present in the reference cell.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a method and apparatus of measuring dynamic light scattering of a sample. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a platen, a light source underneath the platen and configured to emit emitted light through the platen and into the sample, collector optics underneath the platen and configured to capture scattered light, and an optical absorber configured to be in contact with the sample, configured to absorb transmitted light, and configured to redirect reflected light away from the collector optics. In an embodiment, the method includes depositing a sample on a platen, emitting emitted light from a light source underneath the platen through the platen and into the sample, capturing via collector optics underneath the platen scattered light, contacting the sample with an optical absorber, absorbing via the absorber transmitted light, and redirecting via the absorber reflected light away from the collector optics.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a computer implemented method, a system, and a computer program product of controlling the purification of a macromolecule solution via real-time multi-angle light scattering.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a computer implemented method, a system, and a computer program product of determining intrinsic viscosity and Huggins constant of an unknown sample. In an embodiment, the method, system, and computer program product include receiving concentration detector signal values over time from a concentration detector corresponding to a series of aliquots of an unknown sample injected into an instrument chain, receiving specific viscosity values over time from a viscometer corresponding to the series of aliquots, calculating a total mass of each of the aliquots, calculating a first intermediate viscosity value of each of the aliquots, calculating a second intermediate viscosity value of each of the aliquots, and fitting the total mass, the first intermediate viscosity value, and the second intermediate viscosity value to a fitting, resulting in a calculated intrinsic viscosity of the unknown sample and a calculated Huggins constant of the unknown sample.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes an apparatus, method, and system of regulating a detector flow of a field flow fractionator. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes (1) a detector flow meter, where the detector flow meter is configured to measure a detector flow from the field flow fractionator, (2) a channel pressure meter, where the channel pressure meter is configured to measure a channel pressure of the field flow fractionator, (3) at least one control valve, where an inlet of the at least one control valve is connected to an outlet of the channel pressure meter, (4) where the detector flow meter is configured to set a channel pressure set point of the channel pressure meter, and (5) where the channel pressure meter is configured to actuate the at least one control valve to maintain a channel pressure of the field flow fractionator at the channel pressure set point.