Government support, software

System interoperability is currently a major challenge. Commonly accepted open standards permitting different equipment to work together in a variety of settings are badly needed. Several companies have proposed proprietary standards for use by alliances of vendors, and there has been some academic and government-supported work to provide tool kits, especially in software. However, these efforts are still very fragmented. 

GLP regulations require QA personnel to inspect/audit each study conducted, but the extent to which QA personnel are involved in software development and the val-idation/verification process varies from company to company. In some companies, there is little or no QA involvement in these processes, whereas in others QA personnel are involved. QA personnel can provide assistance in the area of vendor audits for purchased software or can conduct inspections of in-house software development to ensure that internal procedures are being followed. QA personnel, who conduct in-process inspections and review the resulting data and validation report for accuracy, could provide inspection support during the validation and verification process. During system development and validation, properly trained QA personnel can provide the regulatory advice needed to ensure that the system will meet government standards. QA personnel become more familiar with the system(s) that will be used when they are involved early in the validation process. 

Based on their corporate experience in supporting their own research and development projects as well as a number of government-sponsored activities, the development of scientific software at BBN grew out of a long history of support of a variety of scientific applications. For example, in the 1960 s, BBN developed a hospital information system for Massachusetts General Hospital which used an early minicomputer, the PDP-1, to support clinical research activities. Under the sponsorship of the National Institutes of Health, they developed a system called PROPHET (1) which provides a... 

Many government and commercial impairment testing systems can be implemented on standard commercially available personal computer platforms (e.g., PC, Macintosh). Despite software and hardware advancements that have minimized the differences across platforms, it is still important to consider carefully the hardware and software requirements needed to support a system, as these specifications may have important implications for the accuracy of stimulus presentation and the precision of performance measures. In addition, there may be differential costs associated with the hardware and software specifications. The speed of the computer processor is one important specification that requires careful consideration. Other concerns include the amount of memory that is needed to present the test and record the results, the manner in which the data are to be stored, the size and portability of the computer, and the video-display requirements. Some systems... 

When an estimator costs pressure vessels such as reactors and distillation columns, care must be taken to ensure that the wall thickness is adequate. The default method in IPE calculates the wall thickness required based on the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII Division 1 method for the case where the wall thickness is governed by containment of internal pressure (see Chapter 13 for details of this method). If other loads govern the design, then the IPE software can significantly underestimate the vessel cost. This is particularly important for vessels that operate at pressures below 5 bara, where the required wall thickness is likely to be influenced by dead weight loads and bending moments from the vessel supports, and for tall vessels such as distillation columns and large packed-bed reactors, where wind loads may... 

Establishing that the hardware and software making up a computer system are those specified and installed in accordance with any governing practices, and that supporting documentation including operating procedures are available. 

See, for example. Defense Acquisition Peiformance Assessment Report, Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, January 2006 https //acc.dau.mil/CommumtyBrowser. aspx id=18554 (accessed 16 July 2009) Report cf the Defense Science Board Task Force on Defense Software, Defense Science Board, November 2(XX) http //www.acq. osd.mil/dsb/reports/defensesoftwaie.pdf (accessed 16 July 2009) and Government Accountabihty Office, Government Best Practices Better Support of Weapon System Program Managers Needed to Improve Outcomes, Report GAO-06-110, November 2(X)5 http //www.gao.gOv/new.items/d06110.pdf (accessed 16 July 2009). 

Hydraulic engineering is not a new field. Its governing principles were established starting in the eighteenth century and were refined through the twentieth century. Modern advances in the industry have been mainly the development of commercial software that supports designers in their modeling. 

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