quality control

quality control Built In The genesis of the Abaxis technology took place at the Oak Ridge Laboratory, where under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), scientists sought to develop and manufacture a small biochemical analyzer for use in space laboratories. The VetScan VS2 chemistry analyzer has an extremely sophisticated Intelligent Quality Control (iQC) system and proprietary algorithms that assure quality and dependable results. iQC is a series of automatic checks that verify the chemistry, optics and electronic functions of the analyzer during each run and ensures...

Chemistry and iQC Barcode The barcode on the top surface of each rotor encodes the type of test panel, the expiration date and the reagent calibration factors. At the beginning of the run, iQC verifies the integrity of the information in the barcode by the use of a cyclic redundancy check. It then checks the expiration date of the rotor against the analyzer’s clock to verify that the expiration date has not been exceeded. The calibration information is transferred to the analyzer’s memory to be used in the calculation of results. Fluidics The metering and movement of fluids (sample, diluent,...

Optics and iQC Signal Adjustments iQC includes a series of flashes through the “minimum-absorbance” cuvette at the beginning of each run. It monitors changes in flash intensity and adjustments for maximum dynamic range. Simultaneously, it monitors the noise associated with the lamp intensity at all wavelengths. When changes in the lamp intensity exceed the range for any wavelength, iQC will cancel the run and display an error message. Background noise is ever-present in every system. iQC includes a series of flashes through the “maximum-absorbance” cuvette at the beginning of each run, measuring...

Electronics and iQC Microprocessors and Memory The architecture of the instrument consists of two microprocessors: 1) a real-time controller that monitors and controls all the measurements 2) n input/output controller for memory management, calculations a and data storage Software The analyzer’s software is comprised of two matching software programs. One program processes the information and controls the measurement engine. The second program reports analyte concentrations. Calculations from Absorbance Data Each reported absorbance is calculated from a series of hundreds of flashes through the...

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