books and software
Statistics Training for Valid Analytical Measurements VAM STAT II LGC, Ltd. www.vam.org.uk Requires: WINDOWS 98 and up Single user: $190; multiuser: $535 40% discount to academic organizations
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primer in methods of statistics is always a welcome tool in an environmental analytical laboratory. All too often, chemists are faced with statistics that are divorced from the actual problems encountered in the laboratory. VAMSTAT II is a good basis to learn or refresh one’s knowledge of applied statistics in chemistry. The package is produced in England and has a matter-of-fact air to it. There is a demonstration of VAMSTAT II on the VAM website. It assumes no prior knowledge and is suitable for workplace self-instruction. In 2002, it’s surprising that there is little if any sound on the CD. Clearly, the authors had to balance multimedia with information. Full narration can be tedious in most of these types of packages, but the statistics section could be improved with some more sound. Transition from one screen to
Software Received c c Laboratory Docum entControlSystem ChemSW www.chemsw.com Requires: Windows 95 or higher $999, single-user licensing agreement $1999, 5 users; $3999, 15 users Laboratory Document Control System is a database application that controls documents and standard operating procedures and provides efficient access to the most current information. The system incorporates built-in or existing customer templates and allows documents to be “checked out” for revisions. With a common file cabinet and defined procedures, the status of any document, including a complete revision history, is available at any time.
another can be confusing because no This package is complete in the basic clear “NEXT” signal appears on the areas of statistics and very good in adscreen. To get to the next screen, the dressing the growing area of measureuser must operate the mouse; keyboard ment uncertainty. I found myself using arrows or page-down strokes have no the CD as a refresher and was able to effect. The animations and graphic build- navigate through the sections once I being will help users visualize the concepts, came familiar with the layout. I suggest but without the “NEXT” signal, I found myself waiting for the animation to end. A feature that might be considered for future versions is the ability to print out a user’s completed sections. With the many requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 17025 for VAMSTAT II is a good basis to learn or refresh one’s knowledge of documenting applied statistics in chemistry. The package also addresses the growtraining sessions, this product could ing area of measurement uncertainty. be an excellent tool for recording annual instructions. How- eliminating the “fly-ins” on the opening ever, there would need to be some docu- screen because downloading takes about mentation of used and completed sections. 30 seconds on my 400-MHz computer with 24X CD-ROM. One can speed this up by downloading the CD onto the hard drive, but then the memory competes with other disk space. c HaveItAllNM R I believe future editions would beneBio-Rad Laboratories fit by including some description and www.sadtler.com examples of Bayesian statistics. This area Requires: Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT is growing, and the United Kingdom $2500 for unlimited-access, one-year has a strong tradition in this subject. subscription (academic pricing available) Overall, I rate the VAMSTAT II software above average for basic statistics HaveItAll NMR offers spectrosinstruction and “brushing up” on the copists and other analytical chemfield. With a little more sound to break ists a reliable source of more than the monotony, the ability to document 140,000 13C and 12,000 1H spectra sections, and coverage of Bayesian stafor predicting and searching in a fully tistical theory, this software would be an integrated NMR environment. The outstanding tool for beginner and expesystem also allows scientists to imrienced users alike. port their own data and search against the reference database by Reviewed by David Klein of the Texas name, structure, substructure, propParks and Wildlife Environmental erty field—such as manufacturer, Contaminants Laboratory, San Marcos, technique, or boiling point—and Texas. other parameters.
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