The LIMS Glossary includes LIMS and Technology "often-used" terms. If you can't think of how to spell a word or are looking for a definition, use our online glossary.

UCC
Uniform Code Council is an organization which administers the UPC and retains other standards.

UPC
Universal Product Code is the standard bar code symbol for retail packaging in the United States .

Uncertainty
The range of values bounded by credible limits wherein the true value is estimated to lie. It represents the best estimate of the inaccuracy and imprecision of a test method due to random and systematic errors.

UNIX
An operating system developed at AT&T Bell Laboratories and written in C - Language,which is especially well suited to networking applications.

UPS
Un-interruptible Power Supply used to ameliorate the effects of poor electrical power quality, including voltage anomalies, high frequency noise, or ground loops. It is especially applicable where power outages of more than half-second duration occurs.

URL
(Uniform Resource Locator): (pronounced "You are Ells") A pointer that points to a specific bit of information on the Internet. Each web site has a unique address called the URL, an example of an URL is http://aoac.org

User Prompt
A message that appears on screen to guide the user to his next available option.

Validation
The process of assuring that a sample, a measurement method, a production process, a computer system (LIMS) or a data result will meet specifications and conform to predefined quality assurance criteria.

Validity
A state or quality of software that provides confirmation that the particular requirements for a specific intended use are fulfilled.

Variance
A measure of the spread of data. It is the averaged squared deviation about the mean.

Verifier
A device which measures the characteristics of a bar code including the contrast, reflectance, modulation, and compliance with the parameters of the bar code symbology

Verify
To review, inspect, test, check, audit, or otherwise establish and document whether or not LIMS Raw Data is accurate.

VGA
Video Graphics Array introduced by IBM to supersede EGA by offering 640 x 480 resolution.

Visible Laser Diode
Used in most hand held scanners to project a visible red light for scanning human readable bar codes.

Wand
A pen-like scanning device used as a contact bar code reader.

Web Browser
A user friendly graphical user interface that can be thought of as a window to the World Wide Web. Web browsers now support integrated or linked graphics, video and audio clips. Browsers also allow users to send e-mail, access FTP sites to download software or data files and access newsgroups.

Wedge
A hardware device or software program (Software Wedge) which uses a scanner for input and sends data directly into an application by emulating a keyboard stroke. A wedge (hardware wedge) is an external device and plugs between the keyboard and terminal.

Windows
1) A temporary, bounded area on a computer screen that is user specified to include data particular to a given application.
2) A MS DOS-based graphical user interface.

Workflow
The ability to graphically designate and change the distribution and approval routings of documents related to business process.

Workstation
1) An area used in a manufacturing process to perform a series of functional tasks, usually associated with a single operator.
2) A single user computer, typically with 32-bit messaging and integrated graphics.

World Wide Web
A global, interactive, distributed, cross-platform, graphical hypertext information system that operates over the Internet. An Internet system for hypertext, and the linking of multimedia documents, allowing users to move from one Internet site to another and to inspect information that is available without using complicated commands and protocols.

Worst Case
The set of conditions using the upper and lower boundary limits for checking the functionality and operations.

WYSIWYG
"What You See Is What You Get" is a term used to describe the presentation of the printable output viewed as is on the terminal.

X Dimension
The dimension of the narrowest bar in a bar code.