A Brief History of Plasma Television

A Brief History of Plasma Television The very first prototype for a plasma display monitor was invented in July 1964 at the University of Illinois by professors Donald Bitzer and Gene Slottow, and then graduate student Robert Willson. However, it was not until after the advent of digital and other technologies that successful plasma televisions became possible. According to Wikipedia a plasma display is an emissive flat panel display where light is created by phosphors excited by a plasma discharge between two flat panels of glass. During the early sixties, the University of Illinois used regular televisions as computer monitors for their in-house computer network. Donald Bitzer, Gene Slottow, and Robert Willson (the inventors listed on the plasma display patent) researched plasma displays as an alternative to the cathode ray tube-based televisions sets being used. A cathode-ray display has to constantly refresh, which is okay for video and broadcasts but bad for displaying computer graphics. Donald Bitzer began the project and enlisted the help of Gene Slottow and Robert Willson. By July of 1964, the team had built the first plasma display panel with one single cell. Todays plasma televisions use millions of cells. After 1964, television broadcast companies considered developing plasma television as an alternative to televisions using cathode ray tubes. However, LCD or liquid crystal displays made possible flat screen television that squelched the further commercial development of plasma display. It took many years for plasma televisions to became successful and they finally did due to the efforts of Larry Weber. University of Illinois author Jamie Hutchinson wrote that Larry Webers prototype sixty-inch plasma display, developed for Matsushita and bearing the Panasonic label, combined the size and resolution necessary for HDTV with the addition of thinness.

Attentional Deficit, Alcoholism, and P300 Amplitude essays

Attentional Deficit, Alcoholism, and P300 Amplitude essays Two of the largest issues concerning youth in the United States today are psychiatric illness and drug abuse. Increasingly large numbers of young people are being diagnosed with various neurological problems, such as depression, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. In fact, the incidence of children diagnosed with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, has risen from 4.4 million in 1997 to six million today. Drug use and abuse amongst young adults is also on the rise, with alcohol second only to cigarettes as the drug most commonly abused by teenagers. This paper will explore the neurological properties behind attention and alcohol abuse in relation to deficiencies in cognitive functioning; specifically that of working memory and attentional processing. Such deficiencies are validated by decreased amplitude at positive 300 ms (P3). in the measurement of event-related potential for certain cognitive tasks. These shared properties, along with other psychological evidence, show a possible correlation between ADHD and alcohol abuse, and consequently reveal many implications involving diagnoses and treatment of such disorders. One article that is particularly relevant to these issues is "Meta-Analysis of P300 Amplitude From Males at Risk for Alcoholism," by John Polich, Vicki E. Pollock, and Floyd E. Bloom. Since P3 amplitude is dependant on many variables and is therefore very hard measure in an experimental setting, this article is basically an analysis of numerous studies, all if which include testing for correlations between abnormal waveforms at P300 ms. and risk for alcoholism. In addition, all the studies reviewed in the article are concerned with the comparison of P3 measurements in control subjects and sons of alcoholics; this criterion was instated given that the only conclusive information available at the time (the article was published in 1998) regarding genetic risk for alcoholism related to...

Ethics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ethics - Coursework Example The business world is adopting information technology (IT). This is the use of computers for data and information management, which results in new ethical concerns. It is, therefore, the responsibility of computer developers, users and other stakeholders to define what amounts to violation of the accepted ethical laws, prevention of unethical practices, and the remedy if such violation occurs. Various individuals have different reasons for adopting information technology (IT) in their daily activities, most of whom mean well, at least for themselves and their firms. These noble intentions may have a negative effect on others, and that is where computer ethics play a part. In addition, IT has brought with it new forms of criminal activities not clearly defined by existing laws. In fact, the laws defining IT related crimes quickly become obsolete due to the fast rate at which the technology and the vices that come with it are evolving (Lee and Chan, 2007). Approaches by Decision Makers and Those Affected In the attempt to join the computer revolution, managers, employees, customers, and shareholders have adopted the use of IT for various reasons, mostly to benefit themselves before the goodwill can spread to others. Everyone at the workplace stands to gain a lot from IT except those who stand to lose their jobs as a result. Managers want to ensure that their companies minimize costs and maximize profits in order to please shareholders and creditors. In addition, the management also wants to ensure they have all the relevant information, including the one easily overlooked by employees, before making critical decisions that affect both the present and the future business landscape of the firm. In summary, the management wants higher efficiency, and if possible, at a lower cost. The employees, on the other hand, want adoption of IT because of the better opportunities it has to offer. For those who have to beat targets, it is easier to reach their customers without having to meet them physically, and more customers can be served at a relatively shorter time as no time is wasted travelling to them. IT is also an excellent way of posting reports and book keeping regardless of the distance one is from the office. However, IT also has negative effects. First, the employees and management, in their quest for more customers and higher profits, resort to using illegal and unethical means to obtain customer information. Second, retrenchment starts once the management realizes it can make sales online with little or no help from salespeople. The idea that started as an admirable thing now results in sales people and most of the accounting staff losing their jobs. A reliable IT system can sell and do accounting analysis in no time, with little input from employees (Maurice, Schweitzer and Gibson, 2007). Conflicting Objectives of Business Leaders Beating competition, marketing, and ensuring the business prospers are the principal functions of efficient m anagement. In addition, the management should keep its employees in a favorable state of mind since they are the core drivers of the business. However, in their quest to fulfill their obligations to the business and the community, these business leaders become involved in some practices that go against the