Segue: Overviewing Evolution Patterns of Egocentric Networks by Interactive Construction of Spatial Layouts

Getting the overall picture of how a large number of ego-networks evolve is a common yet challenging task. Existing techniques often require analysts to inspect the evolution patterns of ego-networks one after another. In this study, we explore an approach that allows analysts to interactively create spatial layouts in which each dot is a dynamic ego-network. These spatial layouts provide overviews of the evolution patterns of ego-networks, thereby revealing different global patterns such as trends, clusters and outliers in evolution patterns. To let analysts interactively construct interpretable spatial layouts, we propose a data transformation pipeline, with which analysts can adjust the spatial layouts and convert dynamic egonetworks into event sequences to aid interpretations of the spatial positions. Based on this transformation pipeline, we developed Segue, a visual analysis system that supports thorough exploration of the evolution patterns of ego-networks. Through two usage scenarios, we demonstrate how analysts can gain insights into the overall evolution patterns of a large collection of ego-networks by interactively creating different spatial layouts.Comment: Published at IEEE Conference on Visual Analytics Science and Technology (IEEE VAST 2018

Optical Absorption and Thermal Effects of Plasmonic Nanostructures

With resonant light illumination, metallic nanostructures convert electromagnetic fields’ energy into heat because of optical absorption associated with plasmonic resonance. The optical absorption triggers a heat generation process that involves not only the absorption of photon energy but also heat transfer from the nanostructures to the surrounding medium. In this chapter, we study enhanced optical absorption of plasmonic nanostructures. Moreover, thermal effects induced by optical absorption and heat transfer between nanostructures are analyzed

Base cations release in soils along the 127‐year Hailuogou glacial retreat chronosequence

At the Hailuogou glacial retreat chronosequence, a mature forest has surprisingly fast developed in ∼120 yr, although the glacial debris is dominated by nutrient-poor granite with a small contribution of carbonate minerals. In previous work, we hypothesized that the fast vegetation development is synchronized with initial fast carbonate weathering followed by slow silicate weathering. To test this hypothesis, we (a) characterized the composition of the glacial debris to elucidate the sources of base cations and (b) determined the base cation release kinetics from topsoils (0–10 cm) along the chronosequence with a weathering experiment at a constant pH value (pH$_{stat}$). Besides granitic rocks, the glacial debris contained some meta-sedimentary and meta-volcanic calc-silicate rocks, amphibolite, mica schist, and quartzite. Although the total Ca concentration of the glacial debris was only about double that of Mg, K, and Na, during the 1st day of the pH$_{stat}$ experiment, the released mass of Ca was >10 times higher than that of Mg and K, and even about 100 times higher than that of Na. The size of the fast-reacting Ca-carbonate pool decreased quickly in the first approximately 40 yr, after which a slow-reacting Ca-silicate pool matched the fast-reacting pool with a size of 1.9 ± 0.6 g kg$^{–1}$ Ca. In contrast, for Mg, K, and Na the slow-reacting pool dominated from the beginning, suggesting that these elements mainly originated from silicate weathering. Our findings support the view that the well-synchronized interplay between carbonate and silicate weathering facilitated the fast vegetation succession

What Makes an Elite Shooter and Archer? The Critical Role of Interoceptive Attention

It is well-acknowledged that attention is important for expert performance in sports. However, the role of interoceptive attention, i.e., the attentional mechanism of awareness and conscious focus of bodily somatic and visceral signals, in self-paced and far-aiming sports remains to be explored. This study aims to investigate the relationship of expertise level and interoceptive attention ability in shooting and archery, and to examine if interoceptive attention can be improved by mindfulness training in elite athletes of shooting and archery. We tested the performance differences of 41 elite athletes from the Chinese national team of shooting and archery and 43 non-elite athletes from a provincial team in breath detection task (BDT) and dot flash detection task (DDT), which were designed to measure interoceptive and exteroceptive attention (i.e., attention toward information input of primary sensory), respectively. Furthermore, we applied mindfulness training to the 41 elite athletes for 5–8 weeks and remeasured their performances of BDT and DDT. Results showed that elite athletes outperformed non-elite athletes in BDT (but not in DDT) both in accuracy (DiffBDT = 11.50%, p = 0.004) and in discrimination sensitivity (d′, DiffBDT = 1.159, p = 0.002). Difference in accuracy and d′ reached significant level only in BDT (accuracy: DiffBDT = −8.50%, p = 0.001; d′: DiffBDT = −0.822, p = 0.003) before and after mindfulness training. These results indicate that elite athletes of shooting and archery (i.e., relative to non-elite athletes) can better perceive the somatic and visceral responses or changes and discriminate these signals from noises. Moreover, interoceptive attention can be improved by mindfulness training. These results have important implications for the selection and training of athletes of shooting and archery