The programs that run on the hardware Essay Example for Free

The programs that run on the hardware Essay Presentation software The main use of this software is to animated visual presentations. Examples of use include:   presentations for meetings   computer-based help systems Graphics software There are two types of graphics packages. Bitmap graphics software stores images as lots of coloured dots, known as pixels. Vector based graphics software stores images as rules, covering the dimensions, direction, and colour of the drawn object. Function Explanation/description drawing tools pre-defined shapes ability to scale, stretch, and crop images ability to rotate images ability to flip images paint palettezoom/magnify ability to fill Computer aided design (CAD) software The main use of this software is to design three dimensional objects. HTML editing software The main use of this software is to create web-pages. Communications software There are two types of communications software. Electronic mail, used to send and receive messages. Web-browser software to view web pages on the Internet. Integrated software A software package that combines the functions of two or more distinct generic applications. Specific software Software designed to carry out a single task for users. System software Software that manages and controls the computer and all its peripherals. Operating system software A layer of software that enables a user to control the hardware, and application programs to run on the computer. Utility software Software used to carry out routine tasks often needed by the user to maintain the performance of the computer. Hardware Hardware is the name given to any part of the computer that you can actually touch. A device is an individual piece of hardware. Examples include:   keyboard   visual display unit (VDU) or monitor   floppy disk drive Describing hardware Technical specification. This is a list of its properties. It usually refers to the performance and/or capacity of the device. Performance This is a way of describing how well a device in a computer system does its job. This often refers to the speed at which it works. Capacity This is the amount of data that can be stored. Processor The central processing unit (CPU) is the part of the computer where the searching and sorting of data, calculating and decision-making goes on. Also known as the processor. Choosing a processor Processors are measured by their speed. The number of instructions it can perform in 1 second. This is measured in hertz (Hz). 1 hertz = 1 instruction per second 1 KHz = 1,000 instructions per sec 1 MHz = 1,000,000 instructions per sec 1 GHz = 1,000,000,000 instructions per sec Input devices Input devices are used to enter commands or information into a computer. Examples of input devices include:   keyboard   mouse   scanner   microphone   trackball   joystick/ joypad   graphics tablet digital camera/ web-camera Output devices Output devices are used by the computer to communicate information to human users or to affect a change in a physical environment. Examples of output devices include: VDU/monitor   printer   speakers Types of VDUs/monitors cathode ray tube (CRT) liquid crystal display (LCD) less expensive to buy more expensive to buy better quality image lower quality image can be easily viewed from an angle can only be properly viewed from one angle requires more power requires less power gives off lots of heat gives off less heat takes up a lot of space takes up less space more likely to cause eye strain less likely to cause eye strain Choosing VDUs/monitors Type cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display (LCD) (thin-film transistor [TFT]) Colour. Monochrome, or grey-scale, or colour Resolution measured in pixels; 640 X 480 (VGA), 800 X 600 (SVGA), 1024 X 768 (XVGA or XGA) Size diagonal distance, from one corner to another (inches) Types of printers inkjet laser less expensive to buy more expensive to buy more expensive to run less expensive to run relatively slow speed printing relatively fast speed printing Choosing printers Speed characters per second (cps) or pages per minute (ppm) Quality dots per inch (dpi) Colour monochrome, or colour Data storage devices Storage devices are used to store the programs and data needed by the computer. The two main categories of storage devices are main memory and backing storage. Main memory RAM random access memory RAM is used by the computer to store the programs and data that are being used at a given time. RAM is volatile which means that when the computer is turned off all its contents are wiped clean. Choosing RAM RAM is measured by its capacity; the amount of data that it can store when the computer is switched on. All computers ultimately store data as 1s and 0s (this number system is known as binary). A single unit (either 1 or 0) is called a bit. 8 bits = 1 byte 1,000 bytes = 1 KB 1,000 KB = 1 MB 1,000 MB = 1 GB Backing storage Backing storage is used to store programs and data when they are not being used or when the computer is switched off. Backing storage is non-volatile which means that when the computer is turned off none of its contents are lost. backing storage device used to read and write data onto storage media. backing storage media the collective name given to the disks and tapes used to store data. Choosing backing storage The first decision is between fixed media or removable media. Backing storage media can be measured by its capacity; bytes, or kilobytes (KB), or megabytes (MB), or gigabytes (GB). Backing storage can also be judged by the data transfer speed of the backing storage device to the backing storage media. This is measured in; bytes per second (Bps), or kilobytes per second (KBps), megabytes per second (MBps). Audio CDs read at 150KBps 8X, 16X, 24X, 48X, 52X. The final way that backing storage can be differentiated is whether it is: * read only memory (ROM), or * recordable (R)/ write once read many (WORM), or * read and write (RW). Types of portable backing storage * floppy disk drive (FDD) * compact disk (CD) drive * Zip drive * digital versatile disk (DVD) drive * flash stick Computers and peripherals Desktop computer An entire computer that sits on a desk or a table. Laptop computer A personal computer that can be simply carried around by one person and used in transit from internal battery power. Peripherals Standard (expected) Additional (extra) hard disk drive (HDD) printer floppy disk drive (FDD) scanner VDU/monitor microphone keyboard web-cam mouse (pointing device) joystick CD drive (ROM/R/RW) DVD drive (ROM/R/RW) speakers Zip drive Social Impact In the home In business P:\ICT\KS4\Yr09\Yr09Revision. 0304. doc HBDugard Page 1 of 10 Last printed 28/05/2004 14:09

Patient Falls and Medication Errors Essay example -- Health Care, Pati

Issue/Problem of Interest Falls are the second most common adverse event within health care institutions following medication errors, and an estimated 30% of hospital-based falls result in serious injury. The severity of this problem led the Joint Commission to make reducing the risk of patient injuries from falls a national patient safety goal for hospitals in 2009 (AHRQ, 2006). Falls are a leading cause of hospital-acquired injury and frequently prolong and complicate hospital stays and result in poor quality of life, increased costs, and unanticipated admissions to long-term care facilities. Changes in health care financing in the 1990s were accompanied by a variety of cost-cutting measures in hospitals across the United States. Common cost-cutting strategies included reducing the total number of nursing hours per patient day and reducing the percentage of hours supplied by registered nurses (RNs), the most highly paid group. The reduction in staffing led to widespread concern that patient care in acute care settings would suffer. In response to concerns about staffing and quality of care, the American Nurses Association (ANA) launched the Patient Safety and Nursing Quality Initiatives in 1994 to address the impact of health care restructuring on patient care and nursing. To facilitate the initiative, ANA established the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) in 1997, with two goals: (1) to develop a database that would support empirical monitoring of the impact of nurse staffing on patient safety and quality of care across the nation, and (2) to provide individual hospitals with a quality improvement tool that includes national comparisons of nurse staffing and patient outcomes with similar hospi... ...al adverse incidents, depending on the patient population studied (Hitcho, 2004). The rates vary from 1.9 up to 18.4 falls per 1,000 patient days depending on organization type, and according to a study by the National Council on Aging, 30% of these incidences result in serious injury (Stevens, 2004). Another significant consequence of falls is that they are expensive and contribute to the increasing health care expenditure. An estimate of the average DRG payment for injuries sustained by a patient falling is $25, 643 (Hart, Chen, Rashidee, and Sanjaya, 2009). This is significant in that with the developing atmosphere of pay-for-performance, initiated by CMS, hospitals now have a major monetary stake in reducing the number of fall-related injuries. The CDC estimates that the cost of fall injuries will exceed $23 billion within the next few years (Tzeng, 2008). Patient Falls and Medication Errors Essay example -- Health Care, Pati Issue/Problem of Interest Falls are the second most common adverse event within health care institutions following medication errors, and an estimated 30% of hospital-based falls result in serious injury. The severity of this problem led the Joint Commission to make reducing the risk of patient injuries from falls a national patient safety goal for hospitals in 2009 (AHRQ, 2006). Falls are a leading cause of hospital-acquired injury and frequently prolong and complicate hospital stays and result in poor quality of life, increased costs, and unanticipated admissions to long-term care facilities. Changes in health care financing in the 1990s were accompanied by a variety of cost-cutting measures in hospitals across the United States. Common cost-cutting strategies included reducing the total number of nursing hours per patient day and reducing the percentage of hours supplied by registered nurses (RNs), the most highly paid group. The reduction in staffing led to widespread concern that patient care in acute care settings would suffer. In response to concerns about staffing and quality of care, the American Nurses Association (ANA) launched the Patient Safety and Nursing Quality Initiatives in 1994 to address the impact of health care restructuring on patient care and nursing. To facilitate the initiative, ANA established the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) in 1997, with two goals: (1) to develop a database that would support empirical monitoring of the impact of nurse staffing on patient safety and quality of care across the nation, and (2) to provide individual hospitals with a quality improvement tool that includes national comparisons of nurse staffing and patient outcomes with similar hospi... ...al adverse incidents, depending on the patient population studied (Hitcho, 2004). The rates vary from 1.9 up to 18.4 falls per 1,000 patient days depending on organization type, and according to a study by the National Council on Aging, 30% of these incidences result in serious injury (Stevens, 2004). Another significant consequence of falls is that they are expensive and contribute to the increasing health care expenditure. An estimate of the average DRG payment for injuries sustained by a patient falling is $25, 643 (Hart, Chen, Rashidee, and Sanjaya, 2009). This is significant in that with the developing atmosphere of pay-for-performance, initiated by CMS, hospitals now have a major monetary stake in reducing the number of fall-related injuries. The CDC estimates that the cost of fall injuries will exceed $23 billion within the next few years (Tzeng, 2008).

Microsoft’s MACH Program Designed to Help Millennial Grads Make a Difference †Fast Essay

The Microsoft Academy for College Hires (MACH) is as an accelerated career development program designed to recruit and hire top-performing graduates across a broad range of roles, and aims to cultivate talent utilizing training, mentoring, and community support. Microsoft believes that work is a place for exploration, creativity, innovation and professional growth. It’s about being inspired and motivated to achieve extraordinary things that leave a lasting impact. At Microsoft, graduates learn from the finest in the business. As a full time graduate employee, they experience an inspiring world-class program. MACH participants are hired based on potential and are provided with a comprehensive on-boarding curriculum, enabling them to accelerate their careers and become part of the next generation of key contributors and leaders. Microsoft will be invested in your career development and provide guidance and support to enable you to excel in your Microsoft career. The two year pro gram is focused on ensuring that graduates receive the professional development early to help them accelerate the impact in role and that they have the tools and knowledge to steer long term career. With over 2,500 MACH employees in over 60 countries worldwide, graduates gain a network to a global community of peers, leadership exposure, world class trainings and the opportunity to take on challenging work that contributes meaningfully to helping people and businesses realize their full potential. Questions †¢How does orientation differ from onboarding? Orientation is the formal process of familiarizing new employees with the organization, their jobs, and their work units, while onboarding is the process of systematically socializing new employees to help them get â€Å"on board† with an organization. Orientation is a timed event. It usually lasts a day (or less if you do it well) and is an opportunity to share a lot of information that employees should know. For example: Where the bathrooms are; what time everyone takes lunch; Where to park to avoid being towed. Orientation is meant to share the essentials. It is intended to ensure that new hires get the very basics of what they have and usually includes a lot of paperwork filling out time. It is not very interactive and certainly does not help the new hire after it is over. Onboarding is much longer. It takes  place both before and after the hire. It could last weeks or months – the longer the better. It is meant to introduce and ingrain the company culture and way of working. It should reinforce everything the new hire was told in the recruiting phase. It should incentivize new hires to do their best work until they can do better. Then it should incentivize them to do better. It should make them happy with their decision. It should develop, coach and mentor. It should turn a great hire into a great employee. †¢Why do you think Microsoft implemented the MACH program? Can you see any drawbacks of doing so? Microsoft Academy for College Hires (MACH) is a two-year program designed to provide new university graduates hired into the company’s sales, marketing, and services divisions with onboarding courses, hands-on training, coaching and networking opportunities. The main objective of MACH is not only to onboard new graduates so they can start adding value to their teams quickly, but to help them more efficiently navigate the corporate culture and politics. MACH has help numerous graduates maneuver throughout the corporate world by helping them build network with senior employees and also to connect with other Microsoft employees around the world. Microsoft Academy for College Hires is an excellent idea, especially in today’s economy. If more large companies such as Microsoft developed a program as this, new graduates joining the work force will be more comfortable, more engaged in what they want to do and their specialties. The program teaches networking and corporate skill s these graduates will take throughout life. The only drawback the program may entail is the mentors scheduling. Once new hires beginning observing a mentor, it is more beneficial for them to remain with their mentor for the duration of the program. Switching between mentors has its positives and negatives and lost of interest and personality adjustments are a few negatives that may be included. †¢How might the program improve Microsoft’s employer brand and help it attract talent? Joseph Ibarra, a MACH 2008 graduate, is a supporter of the program. â€Å"I’ve seen alumni at the MACH events, people who have accelerated quickly throughout the company and won some of Microsoft’s most prestigious awards. It’s really inspirational to see people come to the company and have  a huge influence. It shows it can be done, even at a company with so many people.† Graduates of the Microsoft Academy for College Hires (MACH) are perfect advertisement for Microsoft. The positive enrichment and development that the graduates have received are perfect for Microsoft to use to engage other soon to be graduates to the company. These graduates that are currently apart of the MACH program are also perfect candidates to become apart of the growing company. Since Microsoft have invested time and money into the development and training of these graduates, employing them within the company will be a positive give back to the company and the program itself. REFERENCE: †¢Snell, S., & Bohlander, G. W. (2013). Managing human resources (16th Ed), Mason, Ohio: South-Western Cengage Learning †¢Microsoft Careers: MACH Program. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://careers.microsoft.com/careers/en/nz/mach.aspx

Dystopia Essay

Dystopia is a Utopia gone wrong to create a society that rather than making people happy, makes people unhappy. That is exactly what the town in Fahrenheit 451 had become, a dystopia. The creation of this dystopia was the result of the government fearing the power given to the citizens through the knowledge in books so they took them away. The ban of books formed the dystopia, the people’s fear of being burned for reading made the social principles, and the people who didn’t fear to be burned rebelled and showed their society what was wrong with the way they were living.What started this whole dystopia in the first place was the government’s fear of being overpowered by the citizens who read and gained power from the knowledge they had collected. Because of the government’s fear, books were completely banned and anyone who decided to break the law was burned with the books inside the house. People called the firemen were the ones to start the fire which di ffers from their former job of putting them out.Everything changed when the books got banned whether it was as simple as people getting an urge to read even if they never wanted to before or as drastic as a worker who once saved people from fires was someone who killed people with fire. Because the penalty was so extreme, the law was followed in most cases and a lot of people were afraid of being burned. The only thing that kept this law in action was the fact that the people were afraid of the consequence which made society obedient as they quaked in fear. Because of the obedience, there always seemed to be routine.Nobody really knew how to feel about it because they didn’t want to know how to feel about it in fear that they would feel negatively towards it and be burned for the thought. The social principles throughout the whole novel, Fahrenheit 451, revolved around the fear of the people and the government as a whole. What really scared the government, however, were the p eople who were not afraid of the government or the consequences of reading. They were the ones that had the power in knowledge and could see the fault in the society.Rebels in society tried to make everyone see what was wrong but failed. In the novel, they had a plan that worked and put an end to the ban of books using the government’s war to get rid of the rebels against them. What the rebels showed the rest of the town was that the government took away power we had a right to and knowledge we created and were entitled to and that the government took it away from the people so that they would be the only one with power and the citizens were to always be the obedient ones.The realization of the dystopia is what destroyed the government with help from the rebellious ones. Within knowledge comes power and in that power, people are the welders. If you try to take away power that people are given and entitled to, you’re not going to get very far. That’s what happene d in Fahrenheit 451 that made it a dystopia. The government took away the power of the people and in the end, society rebelled. Making the novel, Fahrenheit 451, a dystopia.

buy custom Development of Church Policy essay

buy custom Development of Church Policy essay Medieval period represented major developments of the church policy. During this period, the church dominated the society. Medieval people believed in God entirely. Thus, the church had control over them. Both peasants and town people worked for free in church. One of the major policies that were implemented during medieval period was the translation of the Great works that particularly related to church activities from Latin to English. This made it possible for the works to spread across Europe (Powell, 2006). Moreover, this facilitated the spread of the Roman Catholic Church. During this period, many people were illiterate. Thus, the church developed a policy where it sponsored learning institutions. Large number of people was able to read and write. During the medieval period, the pope played both spiritual and political roles. He represented the authority of the church. He influenced the direction of the church and the state. Pope had the authority to make decisions affecting the church and the entire empire. For example, Pope Innocent III facilitated the re-union of the western and Byzantine Empire. Thus, pope could perform the duties of the king or those of the emperor. Throughout the history of papacy, Pope Innocent III was the most influential and powerful. He was able to exert changes over all Christian regimes especially in Europe. He supported catholic reforms. This was on ecclesiastical matters. In addition, due to his influence, there was an increase in the canon law. Politically, he was highly influential. For example, he used interdiction and censures to ensure that the prince obeyed his decisions. He was able to call for military action against some religious groups such as Muslims and Cathars. He also called for the Fourth Crusade that resulted in the sacking of Constantinople by his crusaders. This led to the reunion of both the Western and Eastern churches something that made the Pope happy. Therefore, the reign of Pope Innocent III, clearly shows that Popes were both religious and political leaders during this period. Buy custom Development of Church Policy essay

A Few Words about our Oldest Science

A Few Words about our Oldest Science Astronomy is one of those subjects that just reaches out and grabs you the first time you step outside under a sky full of stars. Sure, its a science, but astronomy is also a cultural practice. People have watched the skies since the first person looked up and wondered about what was up there. Once they got the hang of observing and noticing what was happening in the sky, it wasnt long before people figured out a way to use the sky as a calendar for planting, growing, harvesting, and hunting. It aided in survival.   Noticing Sky Cycles It didnt take long for observers to notice that the Sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Or, that the Moon moves through a monthly cycle of phases. Or, that certain spots of light in the sky move against the backdrop of stars (which appear to twinkle due to the action of Earths atmosphere).. Those wanderers, which look more disk-like, became known as planets, after the Greek word planetes. From Earth, with the naked eye, you can seeMercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The others require a telescope, and are quite faint. The point is, these are things you can see for yourself.   Oh, and you can also see the Moon, which is one of the easiest objects to observe. Study its mottled surface and it will show you evidence of ancient (and recent) bombardments. Did you know that the Moon was created when Earth and another object collided early in solar system history? And, if we didnt have a moon, there might not be life on Earth?   Thats a fascinating aspect of astronomy that most of us dont think about! Star Patterns Help you Navigate the Sky If you watch the sky a few nights in a row, youll notice star patterns. Stars are more or less randomly arranged in three-dimensional  space, but from our point of view on Earth, they appear in patterns called constellations. The Northern Cross, also known as Cygnus the Swan, is one such pattern. So is Ursa Major, which contains the Big Dipper, and the constellation Crux in the Southern Hemisphere skies. While those are merely a trick of perspective, those patterns help us make our way around the sky. They add order to an otherwise chaotic-seeming universe. You Can Do Astronomy You dont need much to do astronomy: just your eyes and a good dark sky sight. Oh, you can add in binoculars, or a telescope to help magnify your view, but they arent necessary when youre getting started. For thousands of years, people did astronomy without any fancy equipment at all.   The science of astronomy began as   people went out and observed each night and made notes of what they saw. In time, they DID build telescopes, and eventually attached cameras to them, to record what they saw. Today, astronomers use the light (emissions) from objects in space to understand a great deal about those objects (including their temperatures and motions in space). To do this, they  use ground-based AND space-based observatories to study the far distant reaches of the universe. Astronomy concerns itself with studying and explaining everything from nearby planets to the earliest galaxies that formed not long after the universe was born, some 13.8 billion years ago.   Making Astronomy a Career To do Big Astronomy, people need a solid background in math and physics, but they still need a basic familiarity with the sky. They need to know what stars and planets are, and what galaxies and nebulae look like. So, in the end, it all still comes down to that basic activity of going out and looking up. And, if you get hooked, you can take it at your own speed, learning the constellations, the names and motions of the planets, and eventually peering out to deep space with your own telescope and binoculars.   Deep down, were all astronomers and were descended from astronomers. So, when you go out tonight and look up, think about this: youre carrying on a tradition as old as humanity. Where you go from there - well, the skys the limit!

Critically examine the role of the mainstream school in the light of Essay

Critically examine the role of the mainstream school in the light of the concers and challenges for hearing impaired pupils - Essay Example ilities but to also serve their social needs through inclusive education, particularly those having ‘social, emotional and behavioural difficulties’ (St. Bartholomew’s, 2006, p. 3). Analysts argue that with the performance of the deaf children falls below the national average, as children with hearing impairments are most likely suffering from social adjustments deficiencies that are further aggravated by inadequate support facilities (Burns, 2006); (Cline and Frederickson, 2002); (Greville, 2009); (Stillman, 2002); Nunes et al, 2005; (Rustemier, 2003). According to a National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS) report 2008, only 33 percent of deaf students achieved a GCSE grade of between A and C as compared to the national average of 57 percent. This translated to a 42 percent less likelihood of hitting the benchmark. The provision for inclusion of SENs in the mainstream schools is therefore a noble ideal that will incorporate the UN objectives of equal rights for all children (UNICEF, 2006) and (NDCS, 2008). Wells (1937) categorised school going children with defective hearing into three major segments. Grade I are those with partial hearing problems and can lip-read hence are more easily assimilated into normal classroom settings. Grade II, are children who need some sort of assistance due to slightly poorer hearing loss thus may require special educational aids but not necessary with the severely impaired. Grade III are those with advanced hearing problems that require ample special education needs [See Table: 1]. According to the definition of the Deaf Persons Act, Grade I does not fall in the category of hearing defects although this are children who must be carefully scrutinised to avoid falling into neglect due to their partial hearing problems (WELLS, 1937). The British Association of Teachers of the Deaf (BATOD) and the National Autistic Society (NAS) assert that due to the lack of adequate special schools for autistic children, there was no