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Storyline visualizations, which are useful in many applications, aim to illustrate the dynamic relationships between entities in a story. However, the growing complexity and scalability of stories pose great challenges for existing approaches. In this paper, we propose an efficient optimization approach to generating an aesthetically appealing storyline visualization, which effectively handles the hierarchical relationships between entities over time. The approach formulates the storyline layout as a novel hybrid optimization approach that combines discrete and continuous optimization. The discrete method generates an initial layout through the ordering and alignment of entities, and the continuous method optimizes the initial layout to produce the optimal one. The efficient approach makes real-time interactions (e.g., bundling and straightening) possible, thus enabling users to better understand and track how the story evolves. Experiments and case studies are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness and usefulness of the optimization approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visualization resizing is useful for many applications where users may use different display devices. General resizing techniques (e.g., uniform scaling) and image-resizing techniques suffer from several drawbacks, as they do not consider the content of the visualizations. This work introduces ViSizer, a perception-based framework for automatically resizing a visualization to fit any display. We formulate an energy function based on a perception model (feature congestion), which aims to determine the optimal deformation for every local region. We subsequently transform the problem into an optimization problem by the energy function. An efficient algorithm is introduced to iteratively solve the problem, allowing for automatic visualization resizing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning an ideal tour schedule is a tedious process, where the attractions to visit and the order of visits need to be carefully determined. In this paper, we propose a novel interactive approach for tour planning. We first extract prior tourists' experiences from the crowdsourcing tour data on the Web using frequent substring mining. We then design and implement a planning tool equipped with interactive visualizations, enabling users to learn the extracted experiences and plan their own tours. Our approach is evaluated with two usage scenarios on real-world tour data in two cities. Compared with previous methods, our approach strikes a balance between efficiency and reliability. On the one hand, we support the interactive manipulation of attraction sequence (i.e., multiple attractions at a time), thereby ensuring efficiency. On the other hand, we keep humans in the loop of the tour planning process via interactive visualizations. This paper shows the value of tour data published by tourists on the Web for personalized tour planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help people learn the touch-based gestures needed to perform various tasks, researchers commonly use training from an experimenter. However, it leads to dependence on a person, as well as memory problems with increasing number and complexity of gestures. Several on-demand training and feedback methods have been proposed that provide constant support and help people learn novel gestures without human assistance. Non-speech audio with the visual clue, a gesture training/feedback method, could be extended in the interactive visualization tools. However, the literature offers several options in the non-speech audio and visual clues but no comparisons. We conducted an online study to identify suitable non-speech audio representations with the visual clues of 12 touch-based gestures. For each audiovisual combination, we evaluated the thinking, time demand, frustration, understanding, and learnability of 45 participants. We found that the visual clue of a gesture, either iconic or ghost, did not affect the suitability of an audio representation. However, the preferences in audio channels and audio patterns differed for the different gestures and their directions. We implemented the training/feedback method in an Infovis tool. The evaluation showed significant use of the method by the participants to explore the tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many patients recovering from surgery in wards are disturbed by environmental noise. However, the effects of environmental noise on postoperative pain are unclear. This study aimed to assess the association between postoperative noise and pain. This prospective study included 182 women who underwent cesarean sections. Postoperative noise was continuously recorded, and pain intensity at rest was assessed using a numerical rating scale (NRS) for 0–6, 6–12, 12–18, and 18–24 h after the patients were returned to the ward. Cumulative pain scores were calculated by summing the NRS scores at each time point and comprised the primary outcome. The maximum pain NRS score and analgesic consumption during the 24 h after surgery were also recorded. Mean environmental noise intensity during the daytime was an independent factor for cumulative pain scores, maximum pain scores, and analgesic use during the first postoperative 24 h (β, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.21–0.53 and β, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.07–0.17; P < 0.001 for both; β, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.25–1.46; P = 0.006). Cumulative and maximum NRS pain scores as well as the incidence of NRS ≥ 4 were significantly higher in patients under mean daytime environmental noise of ≥58, than <58 decibels (dB) (8.0 [6.0–11.3] vs. 6.0 (5.0–7.0); 3.0 [2.0–4.0] vs. 2.0 [2.0–2.0, and 25.6% vs. 11.0%; RR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.19–4.54, respectively; P < 0.001 for all). Higher-level postoperative noise exposure was associated with more severe postoperative pain and increased analgesic needs, as well as a higher incidence of moderate-to-severe pain in patients recovering from cesarean delivery. Our findings indicate that reducing environmental ward noise might benefit for postoperative pain management. CD, cesarean delivery; PCIA, patient-controlled intravenous analgesia; BMI, body mass index; dB, decibel; NRS, number rating scale. [Display omitted] • We explored whether noise affects pain induced by surgery in patients receiving from cesarean delivery. • We found that higher-level postoperative noise correlated with more severe postoperative pain in patients undergoing cesarean delivery. • Given the affordability and safety of noise reduction measures, proactive steps to reduce noise pollution within patient wards is crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review the state-of-the-art interaction techniques of visualization authoring tools. The visualization tools tend to help users in the creation, exploration, or presentation of visualizations. Also, they allow users to craft expressive designs or extract data from visualizations. The review presents the interaction techniques integrated into the tools for those mentioned above five high-level goals. We cover each goal's tools and summarize how a sequence in the independent interaction techniques leads to the goal. We also discuss how well researchers had evaluated the usability and intuitiveness of interaction techniques. We aimed to reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of the evaluations. To that end, from the perspective of human cognition, we reviewed the goals, procedures, and findings of evaluations. Principally, human cognition is engaged when they perform tasks in a tool. The interaction techniques bridge the gap between human cognition and the goals they want to achieve from the tool. To sum up, in this review, we present a novel triad 'goals-interaction techniques-cognition' taxonomy. Besides, the review suggests the need for further work to enhance tools and understand users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]