"Being Simple on Complex Issues" -- Accounts on Visual Data Communication about Climate Change

Data visualizations play a critical role in both communicating scientific evidence about climate change and in stimulating engagement and action. To investigate how visualizations can be better utilized to communicate the complexities of climate change to different audiences, we conducted interviews with 17 experts in the fields of climate change, data visualization, and science communication, as well as with 12 laypersons. Besides questions about climate change communication and various aspects of data visualizations, we also asked participants to share what they think is the main takeaway message for two exemplary climate change data visualizations. Through a thematic analysis, we observe differences regarding the included contents, the length and abstraction of messages, and the sensemaking process between and among the participant groups. On average, experts formulated shorter and more abstract messages, often referring to higher-level conclusions rather than specific details. We use our findings to reflect on design decisions for creating more effective visualizations, particularly in news media sources geared toward lay audiences. We hereby discuss the adaption of contents according to the needs of the audience, the trade-off between simplification and accuracy, as well as techniques to make a visualization attractive.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, 5 table

Data journeys in popular science: Producing climate change and COVID-19 data visualizations at Scientific American

Vast amounts of (open) data are increasingly used to make arguments about crisis topics such as climate change and global pandemics. Data visualizations are central to bringing these viewpoints to broader publics. However, visualizations often conceal the many contexts involved in their production, ranging from decisions made in research labs about collecting and sharing data to choices made in editorial rooms about which data stories to tell. In this paper, we examine how data visualizations about climate change and COVID-19 are produced in popular science magazines, using Scientific American, an established English-language popular science magazine, as a case study. To do this, we apply the analytical concept of "data journeys" (Leonelli, 2020) in a mixed methods study that centers on interviews with Scientific American staff and is supplemented by a visualization analysis of selected charts. In particular, we discuss the affordances of working with open data, the role of collaborative data practices, and how the magazine works to counter misinformation and increase transparency. This work provides a theoretical contribution by testing and expanding the concept of data journeys as an analytical framework, as well as practical contributions by providing insight into the data (visualization) practices of science communicators.Comment: 44 pages, 4 figures, 3 boxe

What is the message? Perspectives on Visual Data Communication

Data visualizations are used to communicate messages to diverse audiences. It is unclear whether interpretations of these visualizations match the messages their creators aim to convey. In a mixed-methods study, we investigate how data in the popular science magazine Scientific American are visually communicated and understood. We first analyze visualizations about climate change and pandemics published in the magazine over a fifty-year period. Acting as chart readers, we then interpret visualizations with and without textual elements, identifying takeaway messages and creating field notes. Finally, we compare a sample of our interpreted messages to the intended messages of chart producers, drawing on interviews conducted with magazine staff. These data allow us to explore understanding visualizations through three perspectives: that of the charts, visualization readers, and visualization producers. Building on our findings from a thematic analysis, we present in-depth insights into data visualization sensemaking, particularly regarding the role of messages and textual elements; we propose a message typology, and we consider more broadly how messages can be conceptualized and understood

Review on Pediatric Malignant Focal Liver Lesions with Imaging Evaluation: Part II

Malignant focal liver lesions (FLLs) represent various kinds of epithelial and mesenchymal tumors. In pediatric patients, the understanding of pediatric liver diseases and associated imaging manifestations is essential for making accurate diagnosis and differential diagnosis. This paper will discuss the latest knowledge of the common pediatric malignant FLLs, including undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, angiosarcoma, and malignant rhabdoid tumor. Medical imaging features are not only helpful for clinical diagnosis, but can also be useful in the evaluation and follow-up of pre- and post-treatment. The future perspectives of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) enhancement patterns of FLLs in pediatric patients are also mentioned

Review on Pediatric Malignant Focal Liver Lesions with Imaging Evaluation: Part I

Malignant focal liver lesions (FLLs) are commonly reported in adults but rarely seen in the pediatric population. Due to the rarity, the understanding of these diseases is still very limited. In children, most malignant FLLs are congenital. It is very important to choose appropriate imaging examination concerning various factors. This paper will outline common pediatric malignant FLLs, including hepatoblastoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and cholangiocarcinoma and discuss them against the background of the latest knowledge on comparable/similar tumors in adults. Medical imaging features are of vital importance for the non-invasive diagnosis and follow-up of treatment of FLLs in pediatric patients. The use of CEUS in pediatric patients for characterizing those FLLs that remain indeterminate on conventional B mode ultrasounds may be an effective option in the future and has great potential to be integrated into imaging algorithms without the risk of exposure to ionizing radiation

Comments and illustrations of the WFUMB CEUS liver guidelines: Rare benign focal liver lesion, part I.

Improved detection and characterization of common focal liver lesions (FLL) are the main topics of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) guidelines on the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). On stateof-the-art CEUS imaging, to create a library of rare FLL, especially concerning their atypical imaging characteristics, might be helpful for improving clinical diagnostic efficiency. In this review, we aim to summarize the ultrasound and CEUS features of rare benign FLL. Currently there are limited reports and images published

Comments and illustrations of the WFUMB CEUS liver guidelines: Rare benign focal liver lesion, part II.

It is important to be familiar with the typical imaging features of the uncommon or even extremely rare focal liver lesions (FLL). Current guidelines of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) is aimed at assessing the usefulness of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the management of various FLL. In this review, we aim to summarize the ultrasound and CEUS characteristics with literature review of some extremely rare benign FLL, which might be helpful for improving diagnostic efficiency clinically

Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): From basic to advanced approaches

© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, published by Wiley Periodicals, LLC on behalf of the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year-on-year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non-vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional studies. To address the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) updates its 'Minimal Information for Studies of Extracellular Vesicles', which was first published in 2014 and then in 2018 as MISEV2014 and MISEV2018, respectively. The goal of the current document, MISEV2023, is to provide researchers with an updated snapshot of available approaches and their advantages and limitations for production, separation and characterisation of EVs from multiple sources, including cell culture, body fluids and solid tissues. In addition to presenting the latest state of the art in basic principles of EV research, this document also covers advanced techniques and approaches that are currently expanding the boundaries of the field. MISEV2023 also includes new sections on EV release and uptake and a brief discussion of in vivo approaches to study EVs. Compiling feedback from ISEV expert task forces and more than 1000 researchers, this document conveys the current state of EV research to facilitate robust scientific discoveries and move the field forward even more rapidly.Peer reviewe

Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 4 comprises globally distributed and geographically restricted sublineages

Generalist and specialist species differ in the breadth of their ecological niches. Little is known about the niche width of obligate human pathogens. Here we analyzed a global collection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 4 clinical isolates, the most geographically widespread cause of human tuberculosis. We show that lineage 4 comprises globally distributed and geographically restricted sublineages, suggesting a distinction between generalists and specialists. Population genomic analyses showed that, whereas the majority of human T cell epitopes were conserved in all sublineages, the proportion of variable epitopes was higher in generalists. Our data further support a European origin for the most common generalist sublineage. Hence, the global success of lineage 4 reflects distinct strategies adopted by different sublineages and the influence of human migration.We thank S. Lecher, S. Li and J. Zallet for technical support. Calculations were performed at the sciCORE scientific computing core facility at the University of Basel. This work was supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (grants 310030_166687 (S.G.) and 320030_153442 (M.E.) and Swiss HIV Cohort Study grant 740 to L.F.), the European Research Council (309540-EVODRTB to S.G.), TB-PAN-NET (FP7-223681 to S.N.), PathoNgenTrace projects (FP7-278864-2 to S.N.), SystemsX.ch (S.G.), the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF; S.N.), the Novartis Foundation (S.G.), the Natural Science Foundation of China (91631301 to Q.G.), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (5U01-AI069924-05) of the US National Institutes of Health (M.E.)