Graphing in depth: perspectives on the use of three-dimensional graphs to represent lower-dimensional data

Embellishing simple graphs by adding perspective, 'the 3D look, has become increasingly commonplace with the ready availability of graphics software. However, the effect of adding such decorative depth on the comprehension and recall of the graph's message has received little attention. The present study evaluated performance on such common graphical formats as line graphs, bar charts and pie charts constructed with and without the 3D look. When subjects were asked to make relative magnitude estimations, only the 3D line graphs resulted in reliable performance decrements. Likewise, information presented in 3D line graphs was remembered less accurately than information presented in 2D line graphs. For the estimation of global trends, both 3D line graphs and bar charts were used more quickly than 2D formats, but this speed was obtained at the expense of accuracy. For a trend classification task involving more focused processing, 3D line graphs and bar charts were associated with an overall performance decrement when compared with their 2D counterparts. Finally, the use of 3D designs, in addition to modifying performance, may influence the attitudes formed by subjects toward the information presented in the graphs.     

Illumination direction from texture shading

We investigate the ability of human observers to judge the direction of illumination from image texture. Photographs of 61 real surfaces were used, taken from the Columbia-Utrecht Reflectance and Texture (Curet) database (http:/www.cs.columbia.edu/CAVE/curet). All samples were normally viewed but obliquely illuminated, the elevation of the source being 22.5 degrees, 45.0 degrees, or 67.5 degrees. The illumination was with a collimated, parallel beam. Stimuli were presented in random orientation, and observers had to judge both the elevation and the azimuth of the source. Observers judged the azimuth within approximately 15 degrees, except for the fact that they committed random (with approximately 50% probability) sign flips (180 degrees flips). Connected with this finding is the fact that observers judged the illumination to be from above rather than below in the overwhelming majority of cases, despite the fact that each case occurred with equal probability. The elevation of the illumination can be judged to some extent but is not far above chance level. The data are in good agreement with a simple model that bases the estimate of illumination direction on the second-order statistics of local luminance gradients. This locates the locus of the probable mechanism very early in the visual stream.     

Irradiation direction from texture

We present a theory of image texture resulting from the shading of corrugated (three-dimensional textured) surfaces, Lambertian on the micro scale, in the domain of geometrical optics. The derivation applies to isotropic Gaussian random surfaces, under collimated illumination, in normal view. The theory predicts the structure tensors from either the gradient or the Hessian of the image intensity and allows inferences of the direction of irradiation of the surface. Although the assumptions appear prima facie rather restrictive, even for surfaces that are not at all Gaussian, with the bidirectional reflectance distribution function far from Lambertian and vignetting and multiple scattering present, we empirically recover the direction of irradiation with an accuracy of a few degrees.     

On the cognitive basis of subjective well-being analysis: What do individuals have to say about it?

Examined the perceived importance of comparison and causal attribution for well-being in the process of subjective well-being (SWB) evaluation. After having reporting their SWB level, 240 Ss from 2 age groups (19–27 yr old undergraduates and their 40–78 yr old parents) were asked to indicate the extent to which they based their SWB judgment on different types of comparisons (social, temporal, and telic). Ss also indicated if they perceived various causes (internal and external) to be responsible for their current level of well-being. Results indicate that social comparisons were not perceived as being important in SWB evaluation. Telic comparison was reported to be used more than other comparison types by young adults, but related negatively to their SWB level. Ss attributed their well-being more to internal than external causes. However, the more strongly they could ascertain various causes (internal and external) to explain their SWB, the higher their SWB level was. It is suggested that individuals' accounts of the processes involved in their personal well-being evaluation could be a useful approach to understand and promote the experience of happiness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Housing the underhoused

Conclusion Simple though this scheme is, its use would seemingly alleviate, in part, many of the problems preventing the maximization of the number of acceptable housing units for lower-income households made available under federal subsidies thus far disclosed in the interviews with community leaders. But perhaps its value lies in the fact that in the process of making the model operational hitherto unconsidered problems would be raised concerning (1) the motivation and measurement of community effort and commitment; (2) the measurement of the housing needs of lower-income households in various subcultures and localities; (3) the measurement of cost-effectiveness in various new contexts; and (4) the more precise assessment of social benefits accruing from the improvement of housing. Arriving at the estimates and weights required by the matrix will be no simple task but it may be a rewarding one. The model is, therefore, offered herein, as a basis for further research.     

Sexual behavior and nonsexual deviance: A sibling study of their relationship.

Analyzed the correlation of nonsexual deviance and physical, sexual behavior using a sibling design. Hypothesized that both types of behavior are partly determined by a latent trait of deviance proneness, d. In two separate studies—one based on an Oklahoma dataset of college students and their siblings, and the other, on the Adolescent Sexuality Project ({adsex}) dataset of high-school students and their siblings in Tallahassee, Florida—found a strong relationship between relatively early sexual intimacy and nonsexual forms of deviance. Siblings were more alike than chance in deviance and in physical sexual behavior. Most critical for the model, there was also an association between one sibling's sexual intimacy with a partner and the other's deviance. Using {lisrel}, tested the latent-trait model statistically and accepted it as consistent with the obtained correlations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The efficiency of corona wind drying and its application to the food industry

This work pertains to a novel drying method, the ‘corona wind’, and looks at the potential to optimise a corona wind blower for application to the food industry.

The corona wind is a method of inducing forced convection by ionic injection and subsequent acceleration between two electrodes. The wind velocity of a blower was found to be proportional to the voltage applied for specific electrode spacing and with cube root proportionality to the electrical power used. The power consumption was shown to be independent of the electrode spacing, allowing a generic calculation for a corona wind blower in air of 1.5% conversion of electric energy into kinetic energy.

This low energetic efficiency is offset by the unique properties of the corona wind, which allows the wind to be directed. Experiments using the corona wind to evaporate water from paper towels and biscuits shows significant drying enhancement at an overall efficiency comparable to convention drying methods. The caveat is that the arrangement of electrodes is crucial for effective operation.