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.

Free-Viewpoint TV

Abstract: Free-viewpoint television (FTV) is an innovative visual media that enables us to view a three-dimensional (3-D) scene by freely changing our viewpoints. We proposed the concept of FTV and constructed the world???s first real-time system including the complete chain of operation from image capture to display. We also carried out the FTV on a single personal computer (PC) and a mobile player. FTV is based on the ray-space method that represents one ray in real space with one point in the ray-space. We have developed several types of ray capture systems and interfaces such as a 360° capture/ray-reproducing display. FTV is regarded as the ultimate 3DTV, since it can generate infinite number of views. Thus, FTV is the key to immersive communication. Regarding FTV as the most challenging 3-D media, the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) has been conducting its international standardization activities. This article reviews FTV and its related technologies.

Printer unit for PC disk drive bay

Abstract: A printer unit having a pagewidth full color ink jet printhead; a detachable print roll cartridge including ink and paper, wherein the printer unit is formed within the disk drive bay of a personal computer type system. The printer unit includes a rotatable mount enabling the printed paper to be ejected from the front of the disk drive bay in an operational position, and the cartridge to be loaded longitudinally from the front when the printer is rotated through 90° to a loading position.

Orientation of the lumbar facet joints: association with degenerative disc disease

Abstract: The orientation of the lumbar facet joints was studied with magnetic resonance imaging in 140 subjects to determine if there is an association between facet tropism and intervertebral disc disease or between the orientation of the facet joints and degenerative spondylolisthesis. The 140 subjects were divided into four groups: sixty-seven asymptomatic volunteers, forty-six of whom did not have a herniated disc on magnetic resonance scans (Group I) and twenty-one who did (Group II); forty-six symptomatic patients who had a herniated disc confirmed operatively (Group III); and twenty-seven patients who had degenerative spondylolisthesis at the interspace between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae (Group IV). Axial scans were made at each lumbar level and digitized, and the facet joint angle was measured by two independent observers with use of image analysis software in a personal computer. The technique of measurement of the facet angles on magnetic resonance scans was validated with a subset of subjects who also had computed tomography scans made. Similar values were obtained with the two methods (r = 0.92; p = 0.00001). For the forty-six asymptomatic volunteers who did not have a herniated disc on the magnetic resonance scans (Group I), the median facet tropism was 5 to 6 degrees and was more than 10 degrees in 24 per cent (eleven) of the subjects. There was no association between increased facet tropism and disc degeneration. At the level of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, the median facet tropism was 10.3 degrees in the symptomatic patients who had a herniated disc at the same level and 5.4 degrees in the asymptomatic volunteers (Group I) (p = 0.05). The mean orientation of the lumbar facet angles relative to the coronal plane was more sagittal at all levels in the patients who had degenerative spondylolisthesis. The greatest difference was at the level of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae (p = 0.000001). The mean facet angle was 41 degrees (95 per cent confidence interval, 37.6 to 44.6 degrees) in the asymptomatic volunteers and 60 degrees (95 per cent confidence interval, 52.7 to 67.1 degrees) in the patients who had degenerative spondylolisthesis. Furthermore, both the left and the right facet joints were more sagittally oriented in the patients who had degenerative spondylolisthesis. An individual in who both facet-joint angles at the level of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae were more than 45 degrees relative to the coronal plane was twenty-five times more likely to have degenerative spondylolisthesis (95 per cent confidence interval, seven to ninety-eight times). The increase in facet angles at levels other than that of the spondylolisthesis suggests that increased facet angles represent variations in anatomy rather than a secondary result of spondylolisthesis.

Test-Retest Reliability of the Biodex Isokinetic Dynamometer

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the test-retest reliability of the Biodex (Biodex, Corp., Shirley, NY) isokinetic concentric mode for a healthy active population for knee extension/flexion utilizing the parameters peak torque and work. Nineteen healthy active male and female subjects ages 20-35 with no history of knee injury were tested bilaterally for concentric knee extension and flexion at 60, 180, 240, and 300 degrees /sec., utilizing standard Biodex protocol. Seven days following the pre-test, a post-test was administered using identical protocol. Data collection of pre- and posttesting was done via a Compaq Desk Pro personal computer and Biodex software programming. The parameters of peak torque and single repetition work were analyzed for knee extension/flexion. Statistical analysis of data showed the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of knee extension peak torque at 60 degrees /sec to be r = 0.95; at 180 degrees /sec, r = 0.96; at 240 degrees /sec, r = 0.95; and at 300 degrees /sec, r = 0.97. Knee extension work ICC values were at 60 degrees /sec, r = 0.96; at 180 degrees /sec, r = 0.97; at 240 degrees /sec, r = 0.96 and r = 0.95 at 300 degrees /sec. All ICCs are significant at the 0.05 level. Therefore, the isokinetic concentric mode of the Biodex dynamometer was reliable for test-retest measures of peak torque, and single repetition work. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 1990;11(7):298-300.

The Effects of Trust and Enjoyment on Intention to Play Online Games

Abstract: As online games grow in importance as an electronic commerce application, researchers and practitioners increasingly believe that understanding online game player behavior is critical to the success of online game vendors. In an attempt to gain new insights into the determinants of behavioral intention to play online games, we propose a theoretical model that augments the theory of reasoned action (TRA) with two new constructs, trust and enjoyment. Within the model framework, we investigate the impact of trust and enjoyment on behavioral intention as well as on behavioral attitude. Our proposed model is tested by using questionnaire responses of 253 online game players. As hypothesized, attitude, enjoyment, and subjective norms predict intention, and enjoyment significantly affects attitude. The results also show that trust affects intention only indirectly through attitude. The paper contributes by highlighting the roles of trust and enjoyment in the online gaming context. Keywords: enjoyment, online games, TRA, trust 1. Introduction In the past decade, the business of online games has grown rapidly due to advances in personal computing and the remarkable penetration of the high-speed Internet. DFC Intelligence (2006) estimates that the total revenue of the online game industry will grow from $3.4 billion in 2005 to over $13 billion in 2011. The market research firm also estimates that the number of global online game players will increase from 124 million in 2005 to 376 million by 2009. The rapid growth of online gaming businesses calls for an investigation to discover what key factors motivate players to play games online. Little empirical study, however, has been conducted on the determinants of player behavior. Online games are played through the Internet (Hilton 2006). Unlike traditional PC or console games where one or two players play a game on a personal computer, online games allow many players around the world to play together on a game server via the Internet. With a monthly subscription fee of about $15, players can now play online almost all popular PC titles such as Battlefield, Counter-Strike, World of Warcraft, and Call of Duty. Meanwhile, a new breed of online game titles such as Star Wars Galaxies, EverQuest, and Dark Age of Camelot, known as massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), are available through the Internet only. MMOGs allow hundreds of thousands of players to simultaneously interact in a virtual game world. Online gaming websites, such as Yahoo! Games, MSN Zone, and Pogo, attract tens of millions of registered players and have 150,000 to 200,000 simultaneous users at any given time (DFC Intelligence 2004). Players' intention to play online games is of considerable interest because creators, sponsors, and operators of online games can benefit greatly from improved understandings of the driving factors behind players' intention. Understanding player intention is also an important first step for industry vendors in their quest to motivate players to visit online game websites more often and to develop customer loyalty. Moreover, other segments of the online entertainment industry, such as IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) and Podcast, may also benefit from improved understandings of player intention in online gaming settings. The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a theoretical model of the determinants of intention to play online games. The proposed theoretical model integrates trust and enjoyment into the theory of reasoned action (TRA). TRA suggests that behavioral intention is a function of an individual's attitude toward the behavior and the individual's subjective norms. To adapt TRA to the online gaming context, we extend it with two important constructs: trust and enjoyment. Prior research suggests that trust is the foundation of e-commerce (Fukuyama 1995; Keen 1999; Morgan and Hunt 1994; Williamson 1985), and we argue the same holds for online gaming because, like other e-commerce applications, it involves providing services to consumers via Internet. …