An Exploratory Study of Data Sketching for Visual Representation

Hand‐drawn sketching on napkins or whiteboards is a common, accessible method for generating visual representations. This practice is shared by experts and non‐experts and is probably one of the faster and more expressive ways to draft a visual representation of data. In order to better understand the types of and variations in what people produce when sketching data, we conducted a qualitative study. We asked people with varying degrees of visualization expertise, from novices to experts, to manually sketch representations of a small, easily understandable dataset using pencils and paper and to report on what they learned or found interesting about the data. From this study, we extract a data sketching representation continuum from numeracy to abstraction; a data report spectrum from individual data items to speculative data hypothesis; and show the correspondence between the representation types and the data reports from our results set. From these observations we discuss the participants’ representations in relation to their data reports, indicating implications for design and potentially fruitful directions for research.     

Error categories, detection, and reduction in a musical database

The results of a detailed study of errors in a musical database are presented. It is shown that the form of analytic processing employed may substantially magnify the effect of database errors so that very small error rates can produce very large errors in the analytic results. An equation is devised to assist in estimating the effect of an overall error-rate on arbitrary analytic measures derived from the database. Considering the potential for erroneous or misleading analytic results, it is recommended that scholars using computer-based methods should habitually calculate error rates associated with their analytic procedures, and ought to present an analysis of errors in tandem with their results in order to validate their interpretations.Four methods of error detection are examined: manual proof-reading, double-entry method, programmed syntactic checking, and programmed heuristics. Significant differences were found in the thoroughness of different detection methods in uncovering all errors of a given type. The double-entry method was found to be superior to all other methods of detection; the humanities scholar's traditional allegiance to manual proof-reading was not supported by this study. Programmed methods of error detection were found to be fallible, but nonetheless useful.David Huron is a doctoral student in musicology at the University of Nottingham. He is currently engaged in research in the field of music perception.     

Comparing Bar Chart Authoring with Microsoft Excel and Tangible Tiles

Providing tools that make visualization authoring accessible to visualization non‐experts is a major research challenge. Currently the most common approach to generating a visualization is to use software that quickly and automatically produces visualizations based on templates. However, it has recently been suggested that constructing a visualization with tangible tiles may be a more accessible method, especially for people without visualization expertise. There is still much to be learned about the differences between these two visualization authoring practices. To better understand how people author visualizations in these two conditions, we ran a qualitative study comparing the use of software to the use of tangible tiles, for the creation of bar charts. Close observation of authoring activities showed how each of the following varied according to the tool used: 1) sequences of action; 2) distribution of time spent on different aspects of the InfoVis pipeline; 3) pipeline task separation; and 4) freedom to manipulate visual variables. From these observations, we discuss the implications of the variations in activity sequences, noting tool design considerations and pointing to future research questions.     

Predicting NRTL parameters for binary hydrocarbon mixtures for calculating liquid—vapor equilibriums of multicomponent systems

The parameters of the NRTL method are fitted, for binary hydrocarbon systems, on the activity coefficients calculated by the Flory—Hildebrand method with binary coefficients l_ij of deviation from the geometric mean assumption for cohesive energy densities (NRTL-FH parameters). For aromatic saturated hydrocarbon mixtures, the l_ij coefficients are correlated to the products δ_iδ_j of solubility parameters. The predicted NRTL-FH parameters are used in calculations of bubble pressures and vapor phase compositions of binary hydrocarbon mixtures and of ternary mixtures with at least two hydrocarbon components. The NRTH-FH method is compared to the Chao—Seader and the zero l_ij-Flory-Hildebrand methods for many hydrocarbon systems, and gives the best results among these three predictive methods. The introduction of the non zero l_ij coefficients is an improvement in regards to the case with zero l_ij coefficients, particularly for the cycloparaffin-aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures. The NRTL-FH method is also compared to the NRTL-EXP method (parameters fitted on experimental data), and results obtained with the two methods are satisfactory for binary and ternary mixtures.     

Episodic memory and impairment of an early encoding process in schizophrenia.

Investigations of memory impairment in schizophrenia have frequently revealed a strategic processing deficit at encoding. The authors studied an early encoding process, refreshing (in this case, thinking of a stimulus that has just-previously been presented), and its impact on recognition memory in schizophrenia. Following simultaneous presentation of three words or a single word in the top, middle, or bottom position of the screen, 25 patients with schizophrenia and 25 control participants saw and read a new word (read condition), or a word presented on the previous screen (repeat condition), or saw a dot indicating that they should think of and say the last word to have appeared in that position (refresh condition). Later, on a surprise test, participants were asked to recognize words seen previously and give a Remember, Know, or Guess response according to whether they recognized each on the basis of conscious recollection, familiarity, or guessing. The cognitive operation of refreshing was impaired in schizophrenia: patients were slower on 1-word trials and less accurate on 3-word trials to refresh a word, and their Remember responses did not benefit from refreshing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

罗茨鼓风机扭叶叶轮的简易数显加工

根据曲面加工原理,利用2个数显装置实现了罗茨鼓风机扭叶叶轮的简易加工.     

Prediction of the solubility of hydrogen in hydrocarbon solvents through cubic equations of state

Soave—Redlich—Kwong and the Peng—Robinson equations of state have been applied to the calculation of hydrogen solubility in hydrocarbon solvents. The interaction parameter can be obtained from experimental data: vapour liquid equilibria or Henry's constants. It has been shown that the so obtained value can be correlated as a simple function of temperature only, regardless of the solvent nature, and a predictive procedure has been developed which results in a rather good calculation of hydrogen-solvents vapour liquid equilibria.     

Subjective qualities of memories associated with the picture superiority effect in schizophrenia.

Patients with schizophrenia (n=24) matched with 24 normal subjects were presented with both words and pictures. On a recognition memory task, they were asked to give remember, know, or guess responses to items that were recognized on the basis of conscious recollection, familiarity, or guessing, respectively. Compared with normal subjects, patients exhibited a lower picture superiority effect selectively related to remember responses. Unlike normal subjects, they did not exhibit any word superiority effect in relation to guess responses; this explains why the overall picture superiority effect appeared to be intact. These results emphasize the need to take into account the subjective states of awareness when analyzing memory impairments in schizophrenia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)