Personal computer

About: Personal computer is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 58809 publications have been published within this topic receiving 800814 citations. The topic is also known as: PC.

The star user interface: an overview

Abstract: In April 1981 Xerox announced the 8010 Star Information System, a new personal computer designed for office professionals who create, analyze, and distribute information. The Star user interface differs from that of other office computer systems by its emphasis on graphics, its adherence to a metaphor of a physical office, and its rigorous application of a small set of design principles. The graphic imagery reduces the amount of typing and remembering required to operate the system. The office metaphor makes the system seem familiar and friendly; it reduces the alien feel that many computer systems have. The design principles unify the nearly two dozen functional areas of Star, increasing the coherence of the system and allowing user experience in one area to apply in others.

Workforce scheduling and routing problems: literature survey and computational study

Abstract: In the context of workforce scheduling, there are many scenarios in which personnel must carry out tasks at different locations hence requiring some form of transportation. Examples of these type of scenarios include nurses visiting patients at home, technicians carrying out repairs at customers’ locations and security guards performing rounds at different premises, etc. We refer to these scenarios as workforce scheduling and routing problems (WSRP) as they usually involve the scheduling of personnel combined with some form of routing in order to ensure that employees arrive on time at the locations where tasks need to be performed. The first part of this paper presents a survey which attempts to identify the common features of WSRP scenarios and the solution methods applied when tackling these problems. The second part of the paper presents a study on the computational difficulty of solving these type of problems. For this, five data sets are gathered from the literature and some adaptations are made in order to incorporate the key features that our survey identifies as commonly arising in WSRP scenarios. The computational study provides an insight into the structure of the adapted test instances, an insight into the effect that problem features have when solving the instances using mathematical programming, and some benchmark computation times using the Gurobi solver running on a standard personal computer.

A computer-based digital feedback control of frequency drift of multiple lasers

Abstract: We report a method to monitor and control laser frequencies with an optical cavity and a digital feedback system. A frequency-stabilized He–Ne laser provides the reference that is transferred to several other lasers using a scanning Fabry–Perot cavity. A personal computer-based multifunction data acquisition system generates the scan wave form, and reads the detector outputs synchronously with the cavity scan. The computer determines the positions of all of the peaks in the scan, and generates output signals to control the laser frequencies. It also provides a visual display of cavity spectra. We have successfully used the setup to achieve a long-term lock of the lasers for magneto-optical trapping of radioactive francium atoms.

Aesthetic imaging system

Abstract: Disclosed is an aesthetic imaging system (20) for use in editing digital images. The aesthetic imaging system includes an imaging program (21) that runs on a personal computer (28) having an image capture board (30), a monitor (32), a video source (34) for providing digital images to be edited by the aesthetic imaging system, and a pen and tablet 38 for use in editing the images. The imaging program includes a unique combination draw tool that includes a freehand draw mode, a curve mode and an undo mode that are available without cycling through menus. The combination draw tool may be used with any of the draw tools. Another feature of the imaging program is autoblend, a rectangular user interface that is invoked by each of the shape tools. The autoblend interface simplifies editing when using shape tools by consolidating the move, paste and blend, and paste without blending commands into a single, convenient interface.

Smart car radio

Abstract: The present invention provides a large capacity, user defined audio content delivery system. The system delivers uninterrupted music and delivers information content (e.g., news by evaluating and encoding an input audio stream while outputting another stream. Undesirable audio content (e.g., advertisements and unwanted news) are not present in the output audio stream as only desired portions of information content are stored for playback on demand. The invention also includes a user interface that is simple enough to facilitate utilization of the audio system in an automobile and employs standard hardware available in typical computing and/or personal digital assistant equipment. Additionally, the audio system can be portable (e.g., as portable as a personal digital assistant) and can be updated in real time or off line via a personal computer.