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.

What next, ubicomp?: celebrating an intellectual disappearing act

Abstract: Weiser's landmark Scientific American article inspired many researchers to explore an exciting socio-technical vision of a third generation of computing. At the 21st anniversary of that published vision, I want to assess ubicomp's maturity and explore the identity challenge it faces. Today, ubicomp as a niche research topic no longer makes sense; we must celebrate its "disappearance" as a well-scoped research agenda because it has become a profound agenda across most of computing, and beyond. This should not be surprising; the 2nd generation of computing, the personal computer revolution, experienced the same profound disappearance. In celebration of this imminent disappearance, I will highlight the unique contributions of the ubicomp community, express some remaining intellectual challenges, and speculate on how to formulate new visions of computing that might succeed this third generation.

The Sexual Objectification of Women in Advertising: A Contemporary Cultural Perspective

Abstract: This study measures attitudes of young women to sexually objectified advertising. A survey combining elements of two previous studies (Ford, LaTour, and Lundstrom, 1991; Mittal and Lassar, 2000) was administered to 94 female undergraduates. Results show significant (p < 0.001) changes in attitudes of young, educated women. Respondents agreed females were portrayed as sex objects in advertisements, but were less offended by these portrayals than female respondents in 1991. Results also show females' attitudes toward the advertisement have little effect on purchase intention, a highly significant change from attitudes of women in 1991. SINCE THE REBIRTH of the women's movement in the 1960s, critics consistently have raged against the way advertising treats women. Scantily clad, suggestively portrayed women sell every different type of product on television, in magazines, and now on personal computer screens, in increasing numbers, since the 1980s. In the past, young, educated women were the strongest critics of advertisements. Many of the changes in the advertising industry occurred because these women raised their voices in protest. This study examines how today's generation of young, educated females feels about the portrayal of women in advertisements and the consequences of those attitudes. For women born in the early 1980s, sex in the media has been a constant companion. Sex is everywhere, on prime time television programs, movies, and music videos. It is rare to view an hour of television and not see a suggestively dressed or undressed female, whether in a program or a commercial. Sexual imagery appears in magazine articles and advertisements. A recent issue of Cosmopolitan might contain hundreds of half-naked women, stories of sexual mishaps, and even instructions for the ancient art of Kama Sutra. The Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit national health organization, found that sexual con

Scheduling short-term marine transport of bulk products

Abstract: A multinational company uses a personal computer to schedule a fleet of coastal tankers and barges transporting liquid bulk products among plants, distribution centres (tank farms), and industrial customers. A simple spreadsheet interface cloaks a sophisticated optimization-based decision support system and makes this system useable via a varity of natural languages. The dispatchers, whose native language is not English, and some of whom presumably speak no English at all, communicate via the spreadsheet, and view recommended schedules displayed in Gantt charts both internationally familiar tools. Inside the spreadsheet, a highly detailed simulation can generate every feasible alternate vessel employment schedule, and an integer linear set partitioning model selects one schedule for each vessel so that all loads and deliveries are completed at minimal cost while satisfying all operational requirements. The optimized fleet employment schedule is displyed graphically with hourly time resolution over a plann...

Wireless communication system and method to provide geo-spatial related event data

Abstract: A system and method for communication of information that has particular significance to a specific location only to those individuals that are at or near that geo-spatial location In particular, providing safety factor data and alerts is a preferred use of the invention The invention allows information to be tailored to the individual at that location by selectively filtering what is communicated and what is not The system includes a transmitting proximity event server, a GPS client wireless component that can be a personal wiress communication device (such a Palm Pilot, cellular digital phones, etc) or personal computer configured for use within a global position satellite network

Successful oesophageal pH monitoring with a catheter-free system.

Abstract: Summary Background : Traditional catheter-based oesophageal pH testing is limited by patient discomfort and the tendency for patients to alter their diet and activities during the study. A catheter-free pH monitoring system (Bravo) designed to avoid these problems has recently become available, but the advantages and limitations of this device have not been fully explored. Aim : To report our initial experience with this new technology. Methods : The records of consecutive patients undergoing Bravo pH monitoring were reviewed. The squamo-columnar junction was localized endoscopically and the pH capsule was placed 6 cm above this junction. All patients were re-endoscoped immediately following placement to document mucosal attachment. Patients were monitored for 24–48 h and then returned the radiotelemetry recording device. Data were subsequently downloaded to a personal computer. Results : Sixty studies were performed over an 11-month period. In seven of the 60 (12%), the probe did not attach properly, but in six of these a replacement probe was prepared and deployed without difficulty. In one case, the probe could not be attached after two attempts and the procedure was abandoned. During one procedure, the probe was attached to the mucosa at a point 9 cm from the squamo-columnar junction, but a positive test result was obtained. In two cases, the data were not initially retrievable from the recorder, but in one case the manufacturer was able to retrieve the data overnight. Finally, two patients were away from the data recorder for extended periods, resulting in a loss of data, in two cases, but there was sufficient information for interpretation in both studies. Therefore, adequate diagnostic data were obtained in 58 of the 60 (97%) studies. Conclusions : Catheter-free pH testing is a major advance in patient convenience and comfort. The technical difficulties associated with this new technology are minimal and appear to be no more frequent than those seen with catheter-based systems.