Data-First Visualization Design Studies

We introduce the notion of a data-first design study which is triggered by the acquisition of real-world data instead of specific stakeholder analysis questions. We propose an adaptation of the design study methodology framework to provide practical guidance and to aid transferability to other data-first design processes. We discuss opportunities and risks by reflecting on two of our own data-first design studies. We review 64 previous design studies and identify 16 of them as edge cases with characteristics that may indicate a data-first design process in action

Characteristics of Mongolian Wild Ass Hooves (\u3ci\u3eEquus hemionus hemionus\u3c/i\u3e)

Measurements of hoof angles, hoof length, toe length, etc., and non-metrical hoof characters of Mongolian Wild Ass carcasses collected in in the South Gobi and in Bordzongijn-Gobi desert are presented. Khulan hooves are flat, wide and look big in relation to the animal’s dimensions. Remarkably is the wide variability in size, angles, in non metric characteristics like shape, color and the occurrence of particularly prolonged hoof wall and flaring walls. For example, toe angles are 52° for front and 54° for hind hooves on average. This measures and the suggested graphical model of the „ideal hoof shape“ can assist to understand equine hoof morphology and to choose proper hoof care methods for domestic equids as well as for zoo-living wild equids

Automatic measurement of departing times in smartphone alerting systems: A pilot study

Aim Smartphone alerting systems (SAS) alert volunteers in close vicinity of suspected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Some systems use sophisticated algorithms to select those who will probably arrive first. Precise estimation of departing times and travel times may help to further improve algorithms. We developed a global positioning system (GPS) based method for automatic measurements of departing times. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate feasibility and precision of the method. Methods Region of Lifesavers alerting app (iOS/ Android, version 3.0, FirstAED ApS, Denmark) was used in this study. 27 experiments were performed with 9 students, who were instructed to stay in their flats during the study days. A geofence was set for each alarm in the alerting system with a radius of 10 m (8 cases), 15 m (10 cases), and 20 m (9 cases) around the GPS position at which the alarm was accepted in the app. The system logged responders as being departed when the smartphone position was registered outside the geofence. The students were instructed to manually start a stopwatch at the time of the alert and to stop the stopwatch once they had entered the street in front of their flat. Results The median difference between automatically and manually retrieved times were −16 seconds [interquartile range IQR 50 seconds] (geofence 10 m), 30 seconds [IQR 25 seconds] (15 m), and 20 seconds [IQR 13 seconds] (20 m), respectively. The 20 m geofence was associated with the smallest interquartile range. Conclusion Departing times of volunteer responders in SAS can be retrieved automatically using GPS and a geofence

The Relation of Surgical Procedures and Diagnosis Groups to Unplanned Readmission in Spinal Neurosurgery: A Retrospective Single Center Study

Background: Unplanned readmission has gained increasing interest as a quality marker for inpatient care, as it is associated with patient mortality and higher economic costs. Spinal neurosurgery is characterized by a lack of epidemiologic readmission data. The aim of this study was to identify causes and predictors for unplanned readmissions related to index diagnoses and surgical procedures. Methods: In this study, from 2015 to 2017, spinal neurosurgical procedures were recorded for surgical and non-surgical treated patients. The main reasons for an unplanned readmission within 30 days following discharge were identified. Multivariate logarithmic regression revealed predictors of unplanned readmission. Results: A total of 1172 patient records were examined, of which 4.27% disclosed unplanned readmissions. Among the surgical patients, the readmission rate was 4.06%, mainly attributable to surgical site infections, while it was 5.06% for the non-surgical patients, attributable to uncontrolled pain. A night-time surgery presented as the independent predictive factor. Conclusion: In the heterogeneous group of spinal neurosurgical patients, stratification into diagnostic groups is necessary for statistical analysis. Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis and spinal abscesses are mainly affected by unplanned readmission. The surgical procedure dorsal root ganglion stimulation is an independent predictor of unplanned re-hospitalizations, as is the timing of surgery

High power, single-frequency, monolithic fiber amplifier for the next generation of gravitational wave detectors

Low noise, high power single-frequency lasers and amplifiers are key components of interferometric gravitational wave detectors. One way to increase the detector sensitivity is to increase the power injected into the interferometers. We developed a fiber amplifier engineering prototype with a pump power limited output power of 200 W at 1064 nm. No signs of stimulated Brillouin scattering are observed at 200 W. At the maximum output power the polarization extinction ratio is above 19 dB and the fractional power in the fundamental transverse mode (TEM00) was measured to be 94.8 %. In addition, measurements of the frequency noise, relative power noise, and relative pointing noise were performed and demonstrate excellent low noise properties over the entire output power slope. In the context of single-frequency fiber amplifiers, the measured relative pointing noise below 100 Hz and the higher order mode content is, to the best of our knowledge, at 200 W the lowest ever measured. A long-term test of more than 695 h demonstrated stable operation without beam quality degradation. It is also the longest single-frequency fiber amplifier operation at 200 W ever reported. © 2019 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement