Aesthetic Layout Research Articles

Graph Exploration With Embedding-Guided Layouts.

Node-link diagrams are widely used to visualize graphs. Most graph layout algorithms only use graph topology for aesthetic goals (e.g., minimize node occlusions and edge crossings) or use node attributes for exploration goals (e.g., preserve visible communities). Existing hybrid methods that bind the two perspectives still suffer from various generation restrictions (e.g., limited input types and required manual adjustments and prior knowledge of graphs) and the imbalance between aesthetic and exploration goals. In this article, we propose a flexible embedding-based graph exploration pipeline to enjoy the best of both graph topology and node attributes. First, we leverage embedding algorithms for attributed graphs to encode the two perspectives into latent space. Then, we present an embedding-driven graph layout algorithm, GEGraph, which can achieve aesthetic layouts with better community preservation to support an easy interpretation of the graph structure. Next, graph explorations are extended based on the generated graph layout and insights extracted from the embedding vectors. Illustrated with examples, we build a layout-preserving aggregation method with Focus+Context interaction and a related nodes searching approach with multiple proximity strategies. Finally, we conduct quantitative and qualitative evaluations, a user study, and two case studies to validate our approach.

Revisiting the Design Patterns of Composite Visualizations.

Composite visualization is a popular design strategy that represents complex datasets by integrating multiple visualizations in a meaningful and aesthetic layout, such as juxtaposition, overlay, and nesting. With this strategy, numerous novel designs have been proposed in visualization publications to accomplish various visual analytic tasks. However, there is a lack of understanding of design patterns of composite visualization, thus failing to provide holistic design space and concrete examples for practical use. In this paper, we opted to revisit the composite visualizations in IEEE VIS publications and answered what and how visualizations of different types are composed together. To achieve this, we first constructed a corpus of composite visualizations from the publications and analyzed common practices, such as the pattern distributions and co-occurrence of visualization types. From the analysis, we obtained insights into different design patterns on the utilities and their potential pros and cons. Furthermore, we discussed usage scenarios of our taxonomy and corpus and how future research on visualization composition can be conducted on the basis of this study.

Cumulative Impact of Testing Factors in Usability Tests for Human-Centered Web Design

The study examines the cumulative impact of factors that affect usability testing for user-centered web design, namely the so-called ‘contextual fidelity model’ factors that include product properties, task features, user traits, and environment/context factors. Today, the design, user experience and usability (DUXU) research experiences a lack of studies that would assess combinatorial, rather than individual, effects of these factors upon user performance. We address this gap by seeing both independent factors and the resulting user states as complex and dynamic, and testing the combined impact of aesthetic quality of websites, user traits, and individual/group experiment settings upon formation of two dysfunctional user states that critically affect user performance, namely monotony and anxiety. We develop a research design that allows for assessing the combinatorial effects in formation of user dysfunctionality. For that, we conduct a study with 80 assessors of Russian/European and Chinese origin in individual/group setting, employing two types of tasks and websites of high/low aesthetic quality. As the results of our experiment show, group task solving enhances the synchronous impact of website aesthetics and task features upon user states. Interaction of high-quality design, group environment, and monotonous tasks provides for an antagonistic effect when aesthetic layout in a group environment significantly reduces the fatigue rate. Low aesthetic quality in a group environment leads to cumulative enhancing of dysfunctionality for both monotony and anxiety. We conclude by setting questions and prospects for further research.

Flud: A Hybrid Crowd–Algorithm Approach for Visualizing Biological Networks

Modern experiments in many disciplines generate large quantities of network (graph) data. Researchers require aesthetic layouts of these networks that clearly convey the domain knowledge and meaning. However, the problem remains challenging due to multiple conflicting aesthetic criteria and complex domain-specific constraints. In this article, we present a strategy for generating visualizations that can help network biologists understand the protein interactions that underlie processes that take place in the cell. Specifically, we have developed Flud, a crowd-powered system that allows humans with no expertise to design biologically meaningful graph layouts with the help of algorithmically generated suggestions. Furthermore, we propose a novel hybrid approach for graph layout wherein crowd workers and a simulated annealing algorithm build on each other’s progress. A study of about 2,000 crowd workers on Amazon Mechanical Turk showed that the hybrid crowd–algorithm approach outperforms the crowd-only approach and state-of-the-art techniques when workers were asked to lay out complex networks that represent signaling pathways. Another study of seven participants with biological training showed that Flud layouts are more effective compared to those created by state-of-the-art techniques. We also found that the algorithmically generated suggestions guided the workers when they are stuck and helped them improve their score. Finally, we discuss broader implications for mixed-initiative interactions in layout design tasks beyond biology.

An Analysis of Technical Text Translation from the Perspective of Text Type Theory: Based on the E-C Translation of H5 Automotive Cab Instruction Manual

According to Katharian Reiss’s text type theory, the practical research object of this paper has three kinds of expression functions: information function, expression function and operation function. Figures and tables are widely used in various books, documents and reports and occupy an important position, but the translation study of them in technical texts is still a new field. This paper intends to analyze and study the translation practice from the following levels: First, at the level of vocabulary translation, the translation mostly uses the term fixation, compound words, clipping, initialism, acronyms, and the text structure is concentrated at the meaning level, thus the language is logical; Second, the contextual translation makes extensive use of strong logic sentences and the feature of these sentences is concise and expressive; Third, the format translation starts from the aspects of font, font size, and type setting, emphasizing the creative construction of text and the aesthetic layout of the page. The translation measures mentioned in this paper have practical value and strong operability. The author hopes to provide some reference and inspiration for the translation of subsequent colleagues.

Gaze-driven placement of items for proactive visual exploration

Recent advances in digital signage technology have improved the ability to visually select specific items within a group. Although this is due to the ability to dynamically update the display of items, the corresponding layout schemes remain a subject of research. This paper explores the sophisticated layout of items by respecting the underlying context of searching for favorite items. Our study begins by formulating the static placement of items as an optimization problem that incorporates aesthetic layout criteria as constraints. This is further extended to accommodate the dynamic placement of items for more proactive visual exploration based on the ongoing search context. Our animated layout is driven by analyzing the distribution of eye gaze through an eye-tracking device, by which we infer how the most attractive items lead to the finally wanted ones. We create a planar layout of items as a context map to establish association rules to dynamically replace existing items with new ones. For this purpose, we extract the set of important topics from a set of annotated texts associated with the items using matrix factorization. We also conduct user studies to evaluate the validity of the design criteria incorporated into both static and dynamic placement of items. After discussing the pros and cons of the proposed approach and possible themes for future research, we conclude this paper.

Digital protocol for comprehensive planning of dental treatment. Clinical case analysis

The main goal of the research presented in the article was to increase the effectiveness of dental orthopedic rehabilitation of patients by developing and implementing a complex of digital planning of the initial stages of treatment, including diagnostic methods, modeling, and manufacturing of prototypes of dentures using modern computer technologies. Planning of diagnostics and treatment of a dental patient with the use of modern digital technologies was proposed to be divided into stages. A complex of digital planning of dental orthopedic treatment was formed, which is illustrated by clinical case analysis. The first stage is the planning of the rehabilitation stage, which includes the diagnosis of the patient's dental status and preparation for orthopedic treatment. The second stage is 2D virtual planning of dental rows in the smile area-includes 2D visualization in the form of mandatory use of dental digital photography protocols and 2D creation of a virtual image of a smile using digital two-dimensional planning programs. The third stage includes 3D-virtual planning (mock-up) of teeth in an aesthetically significant area-included digitalization of clinical data of patients, namely, CBCT, scanning of the dentition separately and in the bite, face scanning. The fourth stage is the computer production of prototype dentures, according to the 3D virtual functional and aesthetic layout, which includes the production of prototypes of dentures by the additive method of 3D printing. At this stage, recommendations are given for the production of prototypes of dentures by 3D printing directly-in a direct way and using a silicone key-not in a direct way, obtained from a printed model of the prototype of the patient's dentition.

WYSIWYG Design of Hypnotic Line Art.

Hypnotic line art is a modern form in which white narrow curved ribbons, with the width and direction varying along each path over a black background, provide a keen sense of 3D objects regarding surface shapes and topological contours. However, the procedure of manually creating such line art work can be quite tedious and time-consuming. In this article, we present an interactive system that offers a What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get (WYSIWYG) scheme for producing hypnotic line art images by integrating and placing evenly-spaced streamlines in tensor fields. With an input picture segmented, the user just needs to sketch a few illustrative strokes to guide the construction of a tensor field for each part of the objects therein. Specifically, we propose a new method which controls, with great precision, the aesthetic layout and artistic drawing of an array of streamlines in each tensor field to emulate the style of hypnotic line art. Given several parameters for streamlines such as density, thickness, and sharpness, our system is capable of generating professional-level hypnotic line art work. With great ease of use, it allows art designers to explore a wide variety of possibilities to obtain hypnotic line art results of their own preferences.

Post-occupancy Modification and the Effect on the Aesthetic Layout of Low-income Housing Estates in Owerri Metropolis

The housing units in the low-income housing estates in Owerri metropolis show significant modifications of the exterior and interior spaces as well as in the site and estate layouts. The nature of Post-Occupancy modification in four housing estates; Aladinma Housing Estate (AHE), Federal Housing Estate Egbeada (FHEE), Trans-Egbu Housing Estate (TEHE), World Bank Housing Estate (WBHE), which includes Addition of rooms, Alteration of site arrangement, Alteration of fence design, Alteration of roofing pattern. Addition of shop spaces, total modification and change of use were studied and the effect of these unauthorized and poorly planned modifications on the aesthetic layout of the study area were analyzed. One sample test of proportion was used to analyze the research hypothesis and the result showed that the post-occupancy Modification of these housing estates has significantly affected the aesthetic layout of the housing estates studied negatively. The following recommendations were made; the need for more pragmatic and proactive action by the development control of the study area in enforcing already existing building regulations of minimum setbacks and building coverage which most layouts flaunted. Future housing designs should be more flexible to accommodate some level of modifications that will be monitored for compliance by the development control.

Empowering lung cancer survivors and family members to “breathe easier”: Adaptation and evaluation of a m-health intervention.

e23046 Background: Survivors of lung cancer often experience a myriad of symptoms that have devastating effects on their physical and psychological functioning such as dyspnea, fatigue, and stress. To combat these symptoms, the American College of Chest Physicians has recommended the use of complementary therapies. Mindfulness-based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) can empower survivors, and caregivers who often cope with their own health problems and the stress related to caring for a survivor. Our goal is to deliver a tailored, culturally sensitive, MBCR intervention to survivors and family members via a mHealth app. Methods: This research was comprised of four phases. Phase I was the development and testing of an 8-week in-person intervention called Breathe Easier with survivors and family members (dyads). Phase II adapted Breathe Easier into a mHealth app prototype utilizing user-centered design. Phase III was a focus-group evaluation of the usability and acceptance of the mHealth app prototype by survivors and family members. Phase IV was comprised of additional interviews with an African-American subset of survivors and family members to assess the cultural sensitivity of the mHealth app. Results: Findings from the in-person intervention (n = 62) showed that all agreed the intervention materials were acceptable, different levels of yoga, breathing exercises, and meditations helped them, and involving a family member was important. Preliminary analyses showed survivors had less dyspnea and perceived stress over time (T1 vs T2). Both groups had improved fatigue and sleep scores. Findings from the mHealth app design and acceptance evaluation were organized into two primary categories: usefulness and ease of use. User-friendly design recommendations included aesthetic appeal, navigation layout, and display of content. Furthermore, potential health outcomes, privacy concerns, and comparison to in-person interventions also influenced app usefulness and acceptance. Lastly, findings from our cultural sensitivity assessment demonstrated that the mHealth app was culturally sensitive for African-Americans, but some changes were recommended. Conclusions: MBCR interventions hold great promise for improving the lives of racially diverse survivors of lung cancer and family members. An mHealth app will increase accessibility. However, special consideration of app design is needed to ensure future acceptance and longer-term usage.

Neighborhood beautification: Graph layout through message passing

Graph layout algorithms are used to compute aesthetic and useful visualizations of graphs. In general, for graphs with up to a few hundred nodes, force-directed layout algorithms produce good layouts. Unfortunately, for larger graphs, they often get stuck at local minima and have high computational complexity. In this paper, we introduce a novel message passing technique for graph layout. The key idea of our message passing technique is that an aesthetic layout can be obtained if each node independently suggests aesthetic placements of its neighbors. In other words, every node sends messages to its neighbors, indicating new and better positions for them. As a result, the new technique, which we call Neighborhood Beautification, provides a new perspective that turns out to give a useful trade-off between the excellent layout quality reached by force-directed methods and the fast runtime achieved by algebraic methods. Neighborhood Beautification reduces, in many cases, the computational cost of force-directed algorithms, since only interactions between neighboring nodes are considered. Experimentally, we show that Neighborhood Beautification produces high-quality layouts for grid-like graphs but is outperformed by force-directed algorithms in the case of more complex graphs.

Analisis Layout Surat Kabar berdasarkan Prinsip-Prinsip Desain melalui Metode Estetika Birkhoff

This study has primary focus to analyze the aesthetic layout of a newspaper with a mathematical approach, which refers to some methods of Birkhoff’s aesthetic measurement developed by David Ngo Chek Ling, et.al. Ngo developed a method of measuring the aesthetic layout that can be used for various design purposes, especially for a computer interface design. Measurement method that he developed refers to the principles of design aesthetics, such as: the principle of balance, the principle of sequence, the principle of unity, and the principle of equilibrium. Birkhoff aesthetic measurement method was used as final analysis to determine the value of aesthetic layout. In this study, some national and local media were selected as samples to determine and assess the aesthetic layout. Based on data analysis, Birkhoff aesthetic measurement method can be applied to measure the aesthetic value of the newspaper layout mathematically.

论旅游景区建筑规划设计中应注意的几个问题

旅游景区的建筑规划设计有其自身的特殊性，自然环境是建筑规划设计的宏观背景，地域文化则是建筑规划设计的基础要素，旅游主题是建筑规划设计的核心，与自然协调是旅游建筑规划设计的基本原则，建筑的景观化与美学布局是吸引游人的关键。 Planning and design of tourism architecture has its own particularity, the natural environment is the back- ground, the regional culture is the basic element, tourism subject is the core and natural coordination is the basic prin- ciple, moreover, landscaping and aesthetic layout of buildings are the key factors to attract visitors.

ManiWordle: Providing Flexible Control over Wordle

Among the multifarious tag-clouding techniques, Wordle stands out to the community by providing an aesthetic layout, eliciting the emergence of the participatory culture and usage of tag-clouding in the artistic creations. In this paper, we introduce ManiWordle, a Wordle-based visualization tool that revamps interactions with the layout by supporting custom manipulations. ManiWordle allows people to manipulate typography, color, and composition not only for the layout as a whole, but also for the individual words, enabling them to have better control over the layout result. We first describe our design rationale along with the interaction techniques for tweaking the layout. We then present the results both from the preliminary usability study and from the comparative study between ManiWordle and Wordle. The results suggest that ManiWordle provides higher user satisfaction and an efficient method of creating the desired "art work," harnessing the power behind the ever-increasing popularity of Wordle.

Towards high-quality, untangled meshes via a force-directed graph embedding approach

Abstract High quality meshes are crucial for the solution of partial differential equations (PDEs) via the finite element method (or other PDE solvers). The accuracy of the PDE solution, and the stability and conditioning of the stiffness matrix depend upon the mesh quality. In addition, the mesh must be untangled in order for the finite element method to generate physically valid solutions. Tangled meshes, i.e., those with inverted mesh elements, are sometimes generated via large mesh deformations or in the mesh generation process. Traditional techniques for untangling such meshes are based on geometry and/or optimization. Optimization-based mesh untangling techniques first untangle the mesh and then smoothe the resulting untangled mesh in order to obtain high quality meshes; such techniques require the solution of two optimization problems. In this paper, we study how to modify a physical, force-directed method based upon the Fruchterman-Reingold (FR) graph layout algorithm so that it can be used for untangling. The objectives of aesthetic graph layout, such as minimization of edge intersections and near equalization of edge lengths, follow the goals of mesh untangling and generating good quality elements, respectively. Therefore, by using the force-directed method, we can achieve both steps of mesh untangling and mesh smoothing in one operation. We compare the effectiveness of our method with that of the optimization-based mesh untangling method in [1] and implemented in Mesquite by untangling a suite of unstructured triangular, quadrilateral, and tetrahedral finite element volume meshes. The results show that the force-directed method is substantially faster than the Mesquite mesh untangling method without sacrificing much in terms of mesh quality for the majority of the test cases we consider in this paper. The force-directed mesh untangling method demonstrates the most promise on convex geometric domains. Further modifications will be made to the method to improve its ability to untangle meshes on non-convex domains.

Visualization of Urban Transportation Data Generated by Wireless Sensor Network Using Modern Approaches

Distributed wireless sensor networks are one of the first real world examples of pervasive computing, the notion that small, smart, and cheap sensing and computing devices will eventually permeate the environment. Nowadays, it has proved to be useful in various applications. In a large sensor network, no matter the sensors are large or small, the data are especially complicated and unintelligible. We should make it easy to understand with the help of technologies of existence. Certainly, data visualization, which is defined as the interactive graphical presentation of data, could present data in the forms of aesthetic layout rather than traditional tables, pie charts and bar graphs, making the data more beautiful, elegant and descriptive. Attempting to visualize the data generated by wireless sensor networks, the audience will not be simply restricted to experts, but also all the people.This dissertation aims to demonstrate the technology of both wireless sensor network and data visualization with the basis for the critical problems, challenges and future goals of development and applications. And we propose a simulative model integrated the two above technologies, emphasis on the processing. The framework is based on Google Maps; thus it allows robust navigation and communications within several different spatial ontologies. Our approach factors the problem into the following sub goals: deploying the sensors in urban crossroad, acquiring and analyzing data, and representing the data with aesthetic forms.

Aesthetic Appraisal of Antenna Towers

The very rapid increases in telecommunication and advancements in the field of communications technology have resulted in many different structures to support antennae. Exponential growth in cellular telephone networks has given rise to numerous new masts and towers spread all over the landscape, especially in large cities. Although everybody wants a mobile phone, nobody wants an antenna tower in their neighborhood. Recently, local authorities, nature conservancy organizations, etc., in Europe have set forward requirements to reduce the impact of new antenna masts and towers on the landscape. As a result, telecommunication companies are paying more attention and concern toward the aesthetic layout and design of new antenna supporting structures. In the future, we may have antenna supporting structures that do not look like masts and towers that are used today. This paper gives a brief history of antenna towers, an introduction to the problem, and a discussion on a new approach to design based on aesthetics. Examples and illustrations are presented showing new designs and innovative ideas.

Valuing Local Public Goods with Advanced Stated Preference Models: Traffic Calming Schemes in Northern England

The paper reports the results of three stated preference surveys in urban-rural areas in Northern England. The objective is that of valuing the economic benefits from traffic calming schemes in two areas with different traffic problems from stated preference observations. Both choice-experiments and contingent valuation methods are employed using advanced modelling. Fixed and random coefficient utility models are estimated from responses of the choice-experiments, while double-bound spike models are used for contingent valuation. Welfare estimates from the different methods are compared. The role of accounting for repeated choices is found to be of relevance. Choice modelling is designed to disentangle the values of benefits from 5 major attributes of traffic calming schemes (noise abatement, speed control, community severance, aesthetic layout and tax burden).

Radiology Casebook for Medical Students

This is another addition to the growing range of Pastest paperback books for undergraduate medical students. As with all Pastest books, quality of content comes before aesthetic layout and simplicity of text. This book is in effect a collection of case based scenarios of everyday clinical situations in which radiographic imaging has played a part in the management of the illness. It is somewhat strangely divided into …

A linear algorithm for 2-bend embeddings of planar graphs in the two-dimensional grid

In this paper we describe a linear algorithm for embedding planar graphs in the rectilinear two-dimensional grid, where vertices are grid points and edges are noncrossing grid paths. The main feature of our algorithm is that each edge is guaranteed to have at most 2 bends (with the single exception of the octahedron for which 3 bends are needed). The total number of bends is at most2 n + 4 if the graph is biconnected and at most(7/3) n in the general case. The area is( n + 1) 2 in the worst case. This problem has several applications to VLSI circuit design, aesthetic layout of diagrams, computational geometry.