Stand-alone computers

Stand-alone computer systems, usually based on a personal computer (PC) or programmable logic controller (PLC), provide a separate computer system for each pilot plant. This allows for economical expansion for new units, separates pilot plants completely for maintenance and troubleshooting, and often has the lowest initial cost. Standardization can be a problem and software control, data gathering, and storage packages can be limited in size, scope, and capabiUty these are usually acceptable trade-offs. 

Virtuady ad new pdot plants wid be computer controded and heavdy automated due to the high cost of operating labor, need for high accuracy and repeatabdity, and ease of data gathering and work-up. Stand-alone computer and programmable logic controder systems wid continue to dominate the market because of their low cost and ease of use. 

Proper functioning and performance of equipment and computer systems play a major role in obtaining consistency, reliability, and accuracy of analytical data. Therefore, equipment qualification (EQ) and computer system validation (CSV) should be part of any good analytical practice. It is also requested by FDA regulations through the overall requirement that equipment must be suitable for its intended use. While in the past, equipment qualification and computer validation focused on equipment hardware and stand-alone computer systems, recently the focus has been on network infrastructure, networked systems, and on the security, authenticity, and integrity of data acquired and evaluated by computer systems. 

Networked systems with integrated databases are used extensively in the pharmaceutical industry. These are computerized systems, and as such, must be qualified and validated to demonstrate suitability of their intended use. While validation of stand-alone computer systems is well described [8] and understood, there is still uncertainty on how to qualify networks and networked systems. On the other hand, inspectors are looking more and more into such systems, and validation of... 

HEAT STABILIZERS] (Vol 12) Stand-alone computer systems... 

The scope of the CRS validation must be defined. For a stand-alone application on a stand-alone computer system, this maybe straightforward. If there are any interfaces with other systems, however, the scope becomes more challenging. A clear definition of the VMP scope will help prevent misunderstandings and scope creep that can cause significant schedule delays. Consider such questions as... 

Additionally, it should be remembered that, in order to attract the buyers, most of the stand-alone computer packages are designed as general purpose products. This means that a package is programmed to handle as many different problems (in its scope, of course) as possible and as such cannot be equally well suited for all of them. 

Stand-alone computer systems including laptops Client workstations... 

Embedded System GAMP Forum (1996) A system, usually microprocessor or PLC based, whose sole purpose is to control a particular piece of automated equipment. This is contrasted with a stand-alone computer system. 

These simulation models use probabilistic approaches, but are much more complex than the simply Monte Carlo models described above that have been used in exposure assessments. Monte Carlo analysis has been applied to simple spreadsheet calculations of dose using add-in software programs such as Risk or Crystal Ball. These analyses seek to understand the uncertainty and variation in the predictions of these simple dose models. In contrast, these new models are stand-alone computer... 

Direct order entry, or electronic prescribing, is not limited to the inpatient setting. Electronic prescribing encompasses till computer-driven automated processes used to write a prescription for a patient. Within the past few years, technological advances have allowed electronic prescribing to be performed in an ambulatory setting. This process is executed in many ways. Early versions of electronic prescribing devices consisted of a stand-alone computer terminal located at fixed points in physicians offices. These fixed terminals have expanded to use Internet web-based interfaces to access patient level information from a health plan, write prescriptions, and send prescriptions to a pharmacy to be filled. 

As an initial step toward this goal, all current titles were converted into electronic versions suitable for both stand-alone computers networks. The next step was the aggregation and integration of all ten Therapeutic Guidelines to produce a single comprehensive prescribing resource. 

Microcomputers as we now know them, that is, compact stand-alone computers, came into being in the mid-1970 s with the introduction of microprocessor chips. These combined all of the components of a computer s central processor unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit chip. 

Obviously, as one moves from a stand-alone computer to a computer system to a computerised system, the complexity of the interfaces increases and the designer must be concerned not only for computer-operator relationships, but also for computer-machine relationships. The interface is a medium transporting information from an output boundary of one system to the input boundary of another. The designer must also have some concept of what the intelligent human-computer interface should do in the new system. The improvements in the HMI were largely an undertaking of the designers, builders, and fliers of the machines. 

Mainframe Large, stand-alone computer that completes batch processing (groups of computer instructions completed at once). 

System mode profile a system mode is a set of operations or functions grouped in analyzing system execution. The rehability analyst selects the level of granularity at which a system mode is defined. Some reference points for selecting system modes could be user group, administration vs. students in a university environmental condition overload vs. normal load operational architectural structure, network communications vs. stand-alone computations criticality, normal nuclear power plant operation vs. after trip operations hardware components, functionality is performed on hardware component 1 vs. component 2. The system mode profile is the set of all system modes and their occurrence probabilities. 

Cluster computing. Integrates stand-alone computers devised for mainstream processing tasks through local-area (LAN) or system-area (SAN) interconnection networks and employed as a singly administered computing resource (e.g., Beowulf, NOW, Compaq SC, IBM SP-2). 

Precisely how this is done is the subject of current research. Of particular interest, however, is that the "Yellow Book" concept has been extended by the introduction of other factors, such as the number of users, the types of terminal used and the quantity of data processed. Given these extensions it is possible to show that a stand-alone computer system which requires "beyond Al" assurance by the "Yellow Book" can be implemented by a distributed "fault-tolerant" computer system using available off-the-shelf technology. This is a promising avenue of... 

A new model for aqueous chemistry has also been developed. This model is currently available in a stand-alone computer code. It might eventually be incorporated into VICTORIA if there is motivation to do so. This model accounts for the effects of temperature and pH on aqueous specia-tion. It could be especially useful for determining the partitioning of iodine. 

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