Visual Ideas Research Articles

Engineering-Based Thermal CFD Simulations on Massive Parallel Systems

The development of parallel Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes is a challenging task that entails efficient parallelization concepts and strategies in order to achieve good scalability values when running those codes on modern supercomputers with several thousands to millions of cores. In this paper, we present a hierarchical data structure for massive parallel computations that supports the coupling of a Navier–Stokes-based fluid flow code with the Boussinesq approximation in order to address complex thermal scenarios for energy-related assessments. The newly designed data structure is specifically designed with the idea of interactive data exploration and visualization during runtime of the simulation code; a major shortcoming of traditional high-performance computing (HPC) simulation codes. We further show and discuss speed-up values obtained on one of Germany’s top-ranked supercomputers with up to 140,000 processes and present simulation results for different engineering-based thermal problems.

Clustering and visualization of failure modes using an evolving tree

Despite the popularity of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) in a wide range of industries, two well-known shortcomings are the complexity of the FMEA worksheet and its intricacy of use. To the best of our knowledge, the use of computation techniques for solving the aforementioned shortcomings is limited. As such, the idea of clustering and visualization pertaining to the failure modes in FMEA is proposed in this paper. A neural network visualization model with an incremental learning feature, i.e., the evolving tree (ETree), is adopted to allow the failure modes in FMEA to be clustered and visualized as a tree structure. In addition, the ideas of risk interval and risk ordering for different groups of failure modes are proposed to allow the failure modes to be ordered, analyzed, and evaluated in groups. The main advantages of the proposed method lie in its ability to transform failure modes in a complex FMEA worksheet to a tree structure for better visualization, while maintaining the risk evaluation and ordering features. It can be applied to the conventional FMEA methodology without requiring additional information or data. A real world case study in the edible bird nest industry in Sarawak (Borneo Island) is used to evaluate the usefulness of the proposed method. The experiments show that the failure modes in FMEA can be effectively visualized through the tree structure. A discussion with FMEA users engaged in the case study indicates that such visualization is helpful in comprehending and analyzing the respective failure modes, as compared with those in an FMEA table. The resulting tree structure, together with risk interval and risk ordering, provides a quick and easily understandable framework to elucidate important information from complex FMEA forms; therefore facilitating the decision-making tasks by FMEA users. The significance of this study is twofold, viz., the use of a computational visualization approach to tackling two well-known shortcomings of FMEA; and the use of ETree as an effective neural network learning paradigm to facilitate FMEA implementations. These findings aim to spearhead the potential adoption of FMEA as a useful and usable risk evaluation and management tool by the wider community.

Russian

The article analyzes the use of various mathematics software in the study of stochastic. The idea of dynamic visualization of the results of random experiments on the example of the classical problem of the meeting, which can be solved in two ways: using statistical definition of probability, which is based on random experiments, and traditionally using the geometric definition of probability. Some tasks, on the base of which the idea of visualization of the results of random experiments can be implemented, are offered with instructions.

PROJECTING VISUALISATION OF DIDACTIC OBJECTS AS A DETERMINANT OF STUDENTS’ DEVELOPMENT

The paper investigates the pedagogic potential of visualization phenomenon. The research is aimed at substantiating the didactic instruments implementation for raising the effectiveness of knowledge acquisition. The research methodology basis incorporates the cognitive visualization ideas along with the theory and technology of instrumental didactics. The projection process, viewed as the mechanism and outcome of the human mind activity, is regarded as a pedagogic means for visualization and modeling of educational content. For organizing and controlling the above process, the author introduces a regulative concept, referred to as the programming basis of a human consciousness directing the cognition processes and reflecting the outcomes of teaching activity. The development trends of pedagogic principle of visibility are demonstrated; the projective regulative visualization of didactic objects being outlined. The author describes the anthropological and socio-cultural background of visibility principle and suggests the complex of didactic visual means for solving the pedagogic tasks.

Beyond the Innovation: An Exploratory Study of Designing Web-based Self-services

Customized web-based self-services play an important role in today's product/service innovation. Compared to traditional tangible services, helpful web-based self-services and off-line services may better facilitate creativity, accelerate value co-creation, and reduce the costs and risks of development and commercialization. Therefore, in order to offer a conceptual framework for a web-based self-service system that enhances the fuzzy-front end (FFE) of new product/service development, this study analyzed the needs and challenges found during the transition of the Dechnology (Design Thinking plus Technology Innovation) project at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the largest R&D organization in Taiwan. Through literature review, in-depth interviews, and participatory action research, we formalized five core system modules, including: 1) user behavior and lifestyle, 2) thematic trend analysis, 3) technology screening and translation, 4) idea visualization, and 5) O2O service connection, with corresponding design principles for supporting user creativity in a web-based self-services environment. Finally, this study proposes a conceptual framework integrated with service design to serve as an important reference for enterprises that undergo similar innovation projects in the future.

Идея моделирование и визуализации основных компонентов персонального компьютера

Идея моделирование и визуализации основных компонентов персонального компьютера

Semantics Visualization – Definition, Approaches and Challenges

Abstract The visualization of the simulation results must be done in conformity with beneficiaries perception and professional domain understanding. It means that right data must be identified before. Semantic technologies provide new ways for accessing data and acquiring knowledge. The underlying structures allow finding information easier, gathering meanings and associations of the data entities and associating the data to users’ knowledge. Even though the focus of the research in this area is more to provide “machine readable” data, human-centered systems benefit from the technologies too. Especially graphical representations of the semantically structured data play a key-role in today's research. The meaningful relations of data entities and the meaningful and labeled clustering of data in form of semantic concepts enable new ways to visualize data. With these new ways, various challenges are related with deploying semantics visualizations beyond analytical search and simulation. The goal is to give a common understanding of the term semantics as it is used in semantic web. This paper dealt with the general idea of semantics visualization. First a short introduction to semantic formalisms is given followed by a general definition. Subsequently approaches and techniques of existing semantics visualizations are presented, where-as a new classification is introduced to describe the techniques. The article concludes with future challenges in semantics visualization focusing on users, data and tasks.

A smooth subclass of graphical models for chain graph: towards measuring gender gaps

Recent gender literature shows a growing demand of sound statistical methods for analysing gender gaps, for capturing their complexity and for exploring the pattern of relationships among a collection of observable variables selected in order to disentangle the latent trait of gender equity. In this paper we consider parametric Hierarchical Marginal Models applying to binary and categorical data, as a promising statistical tool for gender studies. We explore the potential of Chain Graphical Models, by focusing on a special smooth sub-class of models known as Graphical Models of type II as recently developed (Nicolussi in Marginal parameterizations for conditional independence models and graphical models for categorical data, 2013) , i.e. an advanced methodology for untangling and highlighting any dependence/independence pattern between gender and a set of covariates of mixed nature, either categorical, ordinal or quantitative. With respect to traditional methodologies for treating categorical variables, such as Logistic Regression and Chi-Squared test for contingency table, the proposed model lead to a full multivariate analysis, allowing for isolating the effect of each dependent variable from all other response variables. At the same time, the resulting graph offers an immediate visual idea of the association pattern in the entire set of study variables. The empirical performance of the method is tested by using data from a recent survey about sexual harassment issues inside university, granted by the Equal Opportunities Committee of the University of Milano-Bicocca (Italy).

Divergent Thinking and Age-Related Changes

Aging can affect cognition in different ways. The extent to which aging affects divergent thinking is unclear. In this study, younger and older adults were compared at the performance on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking in visual and verbal form. Results showed that older adults can think divergently as younger participants, although they produce fewer visual ideas. This finding involves implications for active aging, given that also older adults can be still capable to produce original ideas and improve living conditions surrounding them.

StorVi (Story Visualization): A Text-to-Image Conversion

Natural language is an easy and effective medium for describing visual ideas and mental images. thus, we forecast the appearance of language-based 2D scene generation systems to let ordinary users fast create 2D scenes without having to learn special software, obtain imaginative skills, or even touch a desktop window-oriented interface. This research presented by the researchers entitled StorVi (story visualization): a text-to-image conversion, is a system that can visualize stories of multiple framing in pictures. the system focus on fable stories for children ages 4-7 yrs. old. Recognizing the characters and partitioning of frames are the general problems of the study. In solving the two general problems, the researchers used classification algorithm/simple co-reference resolution algorithm an algorithm for recognizing the characters and used the rule to partition the frames by sentence with character/s for the partitioning of frames.

Do people regard generic drugs as good as original brand-named drugs, and are there age or gender differences?

Much of the migrant workforce in Qatar is of low literacy level and does not understand Arabic or English, presenting a significant challenge to health care professionals. Medicine labels are typically in Arabic and English and are therefore poorly understood by these migrant workers.To develop pictograms illustrating selected medicine label instructions and to evaluate comprehension of the pictograms or conventional text supported with verbal instructions in foreign workers with low literacy skills.A range of common labeling instructions were identified and pictograms depicting these were developed using visual concepts and ideas from the literature. The process involved a consultative approach with input from the researchers, a local graphic artist, and members of the target population. The final set was evaluated for comprehension in participants who were randomized to one of three study groups: text plus verbal instructions, pictogram-only label, and pictogram with verbal instructions. One-way ANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to assess differences between group variables. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ 0.05.Of 23 label instructions screened, 11 were selected for the study. A total of 123 participants took part in this study. Pictogram plus verbal instructions group achieved better results in interpreting the majority of the label instructions (P ≤ 0.05). The best interpreted pictograms with verbal instructions included: “Take two tablets three times a day,” “Take one tablet in the morning and one tablet at night,” and “Instill one drop in the eye.” The worst interpreted pictograms with verbal instructions were: “Do not take with dairy products” and “Do not use by mouth.” Some pictograms were difficult to interpret even when accompanied with verbal instructions, suggesting the need to thoroughly pilot them among users prior to implementation.Medication labels consisting of simple pictorials supported by verbal instructions were better comprehended by individuals with low literacy skills than labels with written plus verbal instructions in a language that the individual did not understand. Further, pictogram-only labels were the least comprehended types of medicine labels among the participants.

Professional development through lesson study: teaching the derivative using GeoGebra

This study focuses on mathematics teachers’ professional development through elements of Japanese lesson study. The teachers designed a research lesson with regard to sense-making of the derivative using the integration of GeoGebra. In the second year of the four-year lesson study project, seven secondary school teachers – from different Dutch schools – worked cooperatively, building on the first-year experiences with the introduction of the derivative. The teachers designed a lesson that focused on encapsulation of the conceptual understanding of the derivative before solving problems with operational symbolism later in the course. They tried to make sense of the calculus using GeoGebra as a tool to realize surprise in which conceptual embodiment and operational symbolism blend together. The teachers integrated GeoGebra to consolidate the derivative using the visual idea of zooming in on the graph to see its local behavior (where a differentiable function looks ‘locally straight’). The teachers reported that they have learned to use visualizations and experienced the importance of student interaction. The teachers realized that this approach of the derivative – integrating GeoGebra – encouraged them to reflect on how the students made sense of learning activities in general.

Competing in Architecture. Crowdsourcing as a Research Tool

Architectural competitions are powerful strategies for generating visual ideas for new futures. Academic research generates new knowledge based on rigorous investigations of informed propositions. This paper describes an unusual merging of a research process with a competition process using crowdsourcing to leverage knowledge. The Australian Research Council (ARC) is the pre-eminent funding body of academic research for universities across Australia. In 2010 a multidisciplinary academic team, with twelve industry partners including six education departments, successfully sought ARC research funding. The application proposed an unprecedented strategy to include an open Ideas Competition in the middle year of a three-year research program as a form of crowdsourcing to leverage knowledge between academia and industry. The research project, entitled Future Proofing Schools, was focused on Australia’s relocatable school buildings.

Development and evaluation of pictograms on medication labels for patients with limited literacy skills in a culturally diverse multiethnic population

Much of the migrant workforce in Qatar is of low literacy level and does not understand Arabic or English, presenting a significant challenge to health care professionals. Medicine labels are typically in Arabic and English and are therefore poorly understood by these migrant workers. To develop pictograms illustrating selected medicine label instructions and to evaluate comprehension of the pictograms or conventional text supported with verbal instructions in foreign workers with low literacy skills. A range of common labeling instructions were identified and pictograms depicting these were developed using visual concepts and ideas from the literature. The process involved a consultative approach with input from the researchers, a local graphic artist, and members of the target population. The final set was evaluated for comprehension in participants who were randomized to one of three study groups: text plus verbal instructions, pictogram-only label, and pictogram with verbal instructions. One-way ANOVA and Chi-square tests were used to assess differences between group variables. Statistical significance was set at P≤0.05. Of 23 label instructions screened, 11 were selected for the study. A total of 123 participants took part in this study. Pictogram plus verbal instructions group achieved better results in interpreting the majority of the label instructions (P≤0.05). The best interpreted pictograms with verbal instructions included: "Take two tablets three times a day," "Take one tablet in the morning and one tablet at night," and "Instill one drop in the eye." The worst interpreted pictograms with verbal instructions were: "Do not take with dairy products" and "Do not use by mouth." Some pictograms were difficult to interpret even when accompanied with verbal instructions, suggesting the need to thoroughly pilot them among users prior to implementation. Medication labels consisting of simple pictorials supported by verbal instructions were better comprehended by individuals with low literacy skills than labels with written plus verbal instructions in a language that the individual did not understand. Further, pictogram-only labels were the least comprehended types of medicine labels among the participants.

Analyzing simulations of biochemical systems with feature-based visual analytics

Spatial simulations of biochemical systems are carried out to gain insight into nature's underlying mechanisms. However, such simulations are usually difficult to set up and they generate large and complex data. In order to help scientists understand their models and the data generated by the simulations, appropriate visual support can be a decisive factor. In this paper, we apply and extend ideas of feature-based visualization to develop a visual analytics approach to analyze data of reaction–diffusion system simulations. Our approach enables simulation experts to interactively specify meaningful features, which are automatically extracted and tracked via analytical means. Events in the features’ evolution over time are detected as well. Features and events are visualized via dedicated 3D and 2D views, which in combination portray the interplay of the spatial, temporal, and structural aspects of the simulation data. Our approach is being implemented in the context of a multi-view multi-display visualization environment. We demonstrate how researchers can analyze spatio-temporal distributions of particles in a multi-step activation model with spatial constraints. The visual analytics approach helped to identify interesting behavior of the spatial simulation, which was previously only speculated about, and to examine and discuss competing hypotheses regarding possible reasons for the behavior.

The influence of Roger Corman in Richard Corben’s The Fall of the House of Usher

Abstract This article presents a comparative analysis of the movie (directed by Roger Corman in 1960) and the comic-book version (drawn by Richard Corben in 1989 for Pacific Comics) of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher. Both adaptations can be considered unfaithful to the original tale. However, as M. L. Rosenblat affirms in his book about Poe and Cortazar, the originality of Poe is related to the creation of a new effect. This article studies how this effect is represented visually in Corman’s work and how Corben uses some of the same visual ideas to revive this effect. Corman’s work attempts to identify a relationship between Poe and Freud, affirming that they have the same concept of the unconscious. The difference between the conscious and the unconscious is shown by Corman in the opposition between the narrator of the story and the character of Roderick Usher as the director plays with the concept of on-camera (for the conscious) and off-camera (for the unconscious). The same idea is captured by Corben when he attempts to show this opposition between the two characters, including the physical resemblance of the narrator with Poe himself. This opposition between the conscious and the unconscious plays a crucial role in the way Corman develops the movie’s scenarios (with two levels representing different states of mind) and places the camera. This article shows how Corben includes his own contributions but follows the principles introduced by Corman to create an oppressive atmosphere that reflects the effect created by Poe’s tales. Other aspects examined in this article include the use of colour in both works to represent the melancholy, following the ideas presented by Yves Hersant in his essay about the colours of the melancholy, and the representation of the incestuous relationship between Roderick and Madeleine, which is similar in both works in the understanding of incest as an element of the American Gothic, as defined by Leslie Fiedler. Considering these aspects and following the idea presented by Linda Hutcheon in her book A Theory of Adaptation (2006), it can be affirmed that these adaptations share what can be called, in Benjaminian terms, a common aura.

The principle of activity specificity in episodic memory

In psychology in Russia chess has repeatedly been model for studying fundamental problems of thinking; memory; creative and its motivation; emotional, sense, and personal regulation; and creative as changed by information technologies (Bartashnikov, 1988; Blumenfeld, 1948 ; Levit, 1988; Tikhomirov, 1967, 1984; Vasilyev, 1980; Vasyukova, 1986, 1995,1999, 2001, 2008, 2009a,b, 2012a; Vinogradov, 1972; and others). The problem of thinking and communication has been studied by using information on chess playing: Krogius (1986) studied inter- personal cognition in conflict activities; Kurochkina (1997) analyzed impact of direct communication with a on creativity.Blumenfeld (1948) described thinking of a chess player as practical and connected with emotional-volitional sphere. The thinking of a chess player is visual and has a limited time frame. Experience of past is basis of thinking process. Among semantic entities, which are formed in experience, visual and verbal ideas are identified. A distinction is made between thinking in combinational and in positional game. The two main forms of intellectual in combinational game are calculation and vision. In positional game, a plan in which verbal thinking dominates plays a significant role. However, even in a positional game thought process is not confined to reasoning.According to Tikhomirov (1967), Chess is a special case of processes of selection of a specific practical action in a concrete situation on basis of studying peculiarities of this situation. In practice this process is included in all types of human activity (p. 176).In works of Tikhomirov and his disciples in field of psychology of thinking, a breakthrough occurred in sphere of unconscious mental processes, in many respects thanks to their use of chess as a model object. The very idea of thinking as a purely rational process changed; a semantic content was added to its composition. Thinking has been regarded as an integral with unconscious components, motivation, and emotional regulation. Thanks to emergence of new research methods possibilities of studying thinking have greatly expanded. There are new concepts: operational sense (unverbalized and verbalized), dynamic conceptual system, and psychological system. The concepts of goal formation and sense formation are being intensively developed.In this article, episodic memory and principle of of coding, which acts in episodic memory, are studied by using relevant information from chess players. We interpret this principle from position of theory of activity.Episodic memory, which stores episodes of past, has been object of most of psychological research on memory, from work of H. Ebbingaus to that of modern cognitive psychologists. Its functioning is closely linked with other kinds of long-term memory, both procedural and semantic. According to E. Tulving, procedural memory corresponds to a anoetic consciousness (unconscious regulation), semantic memory corresponds to noetic consciousness (I know), and episodic memory corresponds to autonoetic consciousness (I remember) (Nourkova, 2008).In episodic memory principle of specificity of coding applies: avail- ability of information from past is determined by coincidence of key elements of encoding and retrieval of that information.However, the principle of implies passivity of subject and therefore recognizes conditionality of accuracy of episodic memory for external situational reasons (Nourkova, 2008, p. 211). From point of view of Nourkova, most adequate interpretation is combined one, which should be called the principle of specificity. According to this interpretation, those aspects of information flow that correspond to ongoing activities are stably encoded. …

Tiered model of learning disability forensic service provision

PurposeTraditionally, services for people with learning disabilities (LD) and forensic needs are underdeveloped. This paper aims to describe the setting up of a tiered model of LD forensic service provision in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, facilitated and driven by a core team of professionals who have the skills and expertise in this area.Design/methodology/approachWith no dedicated funding, this team is virtual in nature and provides support for the community and in‐patient teams in the assessment and management of offenders with LD. A care pathway including a process map is included to represent a visual idea of the referral, assessment, intervention and disposal strategies across the four tiers of service delivery. The service has a unique partnership arrangement with the independent sector that allows for staff training in order to deliver quality outcomes. The virtual team can support patients with learning disabilities and forensic needs in the community and in‐patient settings, both by avoiding unnecessary in‐patient admissions and by improving the treatment outcomes of those discharged from in‐patient settings.FindingsFurther research is required to demonstrate the clinical and social outcomes for offenders with LD using the tiered model of care and care‐pathway.Originality/valueThe virtual team and the LD forensic care pathway were developed because of a gap in service that was identified as part of a mapping exercise and stakeholder discussion. In the current economic climate, additional resources to address this gap in service may not be readily available; therefore, an innovative way of addressing this gap in service was by developing a care pathway for use by community LD teams based on lean principles and evidence‐based medicine and the pooling of specialist skills to develop the virtual team to enable and support the implementation of the care pathway.

ARTvertisers. Arte y publicidad en las Vanguardias históricas

Se analiza la producción publicitaria de tres profesionales directamente vinculados con las Primeras Vanguardias artísticas del siglo XX: Alekxandr Ródchenko, Fortunato Depero y A. M. Cassandre. Artistas-publicistas que se nutren de las experimentaciones plásticas vanguardistas persiguiendo tres objetivos diferentes: social, autopromocional y puramente comercial. El objetivo es demostrar la intensa y fecunda circulación de ideas visuales que se dio entre arte y publicidad durante la primera mitad del siglo XX, construyendo un pilar más del puente que las une.

The liver in painting: a case of abstraction

The liver in painting: a case of abstraction