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.

Comparative study of electronic vs. paper VAS ratings: A randomized, crossover trial using healthy volunteers

Abstract: The visual analogue scale (VAS) is an established, validated, self-report measure usually consisting of a 10 cm line on paper with verbal anchors labeling the ends. Palmtop computers (PTCs also known as personal digital appliances) have incorporated VAS entry by use of a touch screen. However, the validity and psychophysical properties of the electronic VAS have never been formally compared with the conventional paper VAS. The aim of this study is to determine the agreement between the electronic (eVAS) and paper (pVAS) modes. Twenty-four healthy volunteers were recruited for this study. Each study participant provided input using both measurement methods by marking the eVAS and pVAS in response to two kinds of stimuli, cognitive and sensory. A verbal rating scale of seven descriptors of intensity represented the cognitive stimuli. Participants were asked to mark the location that best corresponded to the pain intensity described by each word on scales from 'no pain' to 'worst possible pain'. The sensory stimuli used were a set of test weights consisting of plastic containers ranging from 7 to 129 g. The VAS for sensory stimuli ranged from 0 (no weight) to 'reference weight' (the heaviest weight outside the range of test weights). There were two types of input stimuli and two modes for recording responses for a total of four experimental conditions. Two evaluators independently measured and recorded all the pVAS forms to the nearest millimeter. A total of 2016 stimuli were rated. The overall correlation for ratings of both sensory and cognitive stimuli on eVAS and pVAS was r = 0.91. For paired verbal stimuli the correlation was r = 0.97. For paired sensory stimuli the correlation was r = 0.86. The correlation between group eVAS and pVAS ratings to common verbal stimuli was r = 0.99. For common sensory stimuli the group correlation was r = 0.99. The median of correlations comparing eVAS and pVAS ratings was 0.99 for verbal stimuli and 0.98 for sensory stimuli. Multivariate analyses showed equivalent stimuli to be rated much the same whether entered on paper VAS or PTC touch screen VAS (P < 0.0001). Support was found for the validity of the computer version of the VAS scale.

The Information Technology Revolution

Abstract: From the Publisher: "If the automobile and airplane business had developed like the computer business, a Rolls Royce would cost $275 and would run for 3 million miles on one gallon of gas And a Boeing 767 would cost just $500 and would circle the globe in 20 minutes on five gallons of gas" Tom Forester's comparison points up the dramatic reduction in the cost of computing and this collection of essays he has assembled unfolds the equally dramatic changes that the revolution in electronics, computing, and telecommunications has brought about in the way we live and work-and maybe even think The Information Technology Revolution emphasizes actual case studies and much of the material has been written by computer engineers in the front line of technological change Extensive chapters deal with the revolution in telecommunications, artificial intelligence and the "fifth generation" of supercomputers, the rise of the personal computer and the use of information technology in schools, factories, offices, banks, shops, and hospitals Among the social issues discussed are computer crime, privacy, the impact of new technology on women, the Third World, 'smart' weapons, and the future of work itself A final section of the book assesses the extent to which this revolution is transforming Western society The Information Technology Revolution is a sequel to Forester's edited collection The Microelectronics Revolution (MIT Press paperback, 1980) It contains entirely new material published between 1980 and 1984 Chapters are presented as in the earlier book: an introductory article is usually followed by either detailed case studies or pieces that explore some of the issuesin greater depth - a format particularly useful for teaching purposes Comprehensive guides to further reading follow each chapter Tom Forester is a free-lance journalist living in England He has contributed numerous articles to New Society, The Times, The Guardian, The Sunday Times, New Statesman, and Labour Weekly

Network printer apparatus and LAN network system

Abstract: A high-speed network printer apparatus which can be used in common by clients having different communication protocols and which can sort out printing jobs into the order of clients. Printing information is supplied from a client which may be a personal computer or a work station through a connector of the printer apparatus. A LAN interface driver receives the printing information and identifies a communication protocol by which the printing information is transferred. A communication protocol controller receives printing information in accordance with a predetermined protocol. A spooling controller, which is coupled to a storage unit which stores the received printing information, creates a queue for printing jobs. A printer controller reads out from the storage unit the printing information corresponding to a printing job of the highest priority which is designated by the queue, and forms a dot image on the basis of the printing information. A printing mechanism prints the image on paper. A mailbox stores printed paper into a designated bin. A printing job table is provided in the printer apparatus, in which each row is allotted to one printing job which includes a field for storing an emulation program name. A registering unit judges whether or not there is a another printing job having the same emulation program name to expedite the printing process.

High speed microcomputer in-circuit emulator

Abstract: An in-circuit emulator (ICE) for hardware/software development and debugging microprocessors. Program execution reconstruction is extracted from an on-board cache memory. An external ICE enclosure interfaces to a target system microprocessor via a cable and a buffer/interface pod. A control program directs a non-intrusive emulation and a monitor program resides in a personal computer host and supports ICE commands. The monitor program allows a user to follow a target system's program flow, to capture related processor information, to make program modifications, and allows the user to restart programs. An on-line disassembler presents a display so as to allow the designer to examine memory, using instruction mnemonics rather than hexadecimal values, thus improving the designer's ability to read program memory. A bit trace buffer records the state of each the microprocessor's signals during each cycle of each instruction. Multiple breakpoints allow a system developer to control a program in ROM, as well as one resident in RAM. An external-range hardware breakpoint and up to sixteen software breakpoints are provided and these allow a designer to display, set and reset breakpoint addresses.