Visualization of scientific arts and some examples of applications

In this paper, implementation and visualization of scientific arts are described using some examples of application in subject research areas, such as sculpture, archeology, fine arts and information aesthetics, which have been discussed through the Scientific Art Session at FLUCOME9, Tallahassee, Florida, 2007–9. In the application to sculpture, stereo visualization techniques, such as anaglyph stereo visualization and integral imaging technique, are introduced to realize the three-dimensional geometry of sculpture to enhance visual impact on the art. The second application is the flow visualization technique for archeology, where the vortices behind the river stones are studied to understand the origin of patterns on Jomon pottery. Interestingly, such vortex patterns also appear in the paintings of fine arts. The third example is the visualization of information aesthetics, where the Web information, such as public media and stock market, are visualized through scientific techniques. These examples of visualization of scientific arts provide the present state of the art in interdisciplinary visualization.     

Visualization of industrial engineering data in Augmented Reality

This paper presents an innovative application of Augmented Reality (AR) techniques in the field of industrial engineering in which the user explores data from numerical simulations or the results of measurements and experiments, superimposed to the real object that they refer to. The user observes the object through a tablet PC, used as a video see-through handheld display. Data are visualized superimposed to the real object that represents a spatial reference relative to which the user can refer to, so the exploration is more natural compared to a traditional visualization software. Moreover, we have developed a new framework, called VTK4AR, that provides a set of useful software classes for the rapid development of AR applications for scientific visualization. VTK4AR is built on top of VTK (an open source API for scientific visualization), so it will be possible to employ a wide range of visualization techniques in many application fields, and moreover, it is possible to interactively manipulate data-sets in order to achieve a more effective way of visualization.     

Visualization and diagnostics of thermal plasma flows

Flow visualization is a key tool for the study of thermal plasma flows. Because of their high temperature and associated self emission, standard and high speed photography is commonly used for flow and temperature field visualization. Tracer techniques through the injection of a seed powder in the plasma flow have also been often used for the study of flow structure. Shadowgraphs and Schlieren techniques have been used particularly when cold flow regions are present in the close proximity of the plasma discharge. They also provide key information about the flow structure in the fringes of the discharge. Laser strobe techniques are commonly used for the characterization of particle trajectories under plasma conditions. A brief review is presented of available plasma and particulate diagnostic techniques with detailed measurements reported for a radio frequency (r.f.) induction plasma discharge using enthalpy probe techniques.     

An improved, free surface, topographic technique

Current techniques of water wave visualization such as shadowgraphy and stereo photography are widely used but are deficient in many aspects. Refraction based visualization observes the bending of light as it traverses across a liquid-air interface. This work describes the continued development of techniques to measure the surface height of a liquid free surface. The method, Reference Image Topography, utilizes refraction of light at the free surface as a function of the local angle of that surface. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) software is used to evaluate apparent dislocations of the target image viewed through the free surface, which are approximately proportional to the surface angle. High-resolution images are presented of the dynamic surface topography for a point source and the shallow water flow around a vertical cylinder.     

A numerical visualization technique based on the hydraulic analogy

Journal of Visualization - The principles of experimental visualization are widely used in developing numerical visualization techniques. Numerous techniques have been created by the simulation of...     

Improvement of 3D acquisition and visualization in MRI.

Three-dimensional (3D) visualization techniques are becoming an ever more important aid in the interpretation of tomographic data. Up to now, however, they have not received widespread use in MRI, because both acquisition and visualization techniques have been inadequate. In this paper we describe new 3D acquisition techniques which can acquire up to 128 slices with a resolution of 256 x 256 pixels in from 8 to 20 min. These techniques produce 3D data sets with excellent contrast and few motion artifacts, which are very well suited for 3D visualization techniques. For the visualization we investigate several rendering techniques, describe some improvements and compare their results. We found that there is no single method which renders all objects equally well. We show which shading method is best suited for different objects and why the other methods fail. Our studies suggest that in a 3D view with several objects each object should be rendered with a separate shading method. In so doing, 3D views can be generated which look like the real human anatomy.     

Examining interaction techniques in data visualization authoring tools from the perspective of goals and human cognition: a survey

Journal of Visualization - 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...     

Visualization of multiple scalar and velocity fields in a lifted jet flame

The stabilization of lifted jet diffusion flames has long been a topic of interest to combustion researchers. The flame and flow morphology, the role of partial premixing, and the effects of large scale structures on the flame can be visualized through advanced optical imaging techniques. Many of the current explanations for flame stabilization can benefit from the flow and flame information provided by laser diagnostics. Additionally, the images acquired from laser diagnostic experiments reveal features invisible to the eye and line-of-sight techniques, thereby allowing a deeper insight into flame stabilization. This paper reports visualizations of flame and flow structures from Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and Rayleigh scattering. The techniques are surveyed and the success of visualization techniques in clarifying and furthering the understanding of lifted-jet flame stabilization is discussed.     

Simultaneous Shadow, Schlieren and Interferometric Visualization of Compressible Flows

For detailed investigations of processes and phenomena in the flow of compressible fluids, it is sometimes necessary to apply more than just one flow visualization technique as each method has its own characteristic strengths and weaknesses. In the case of flows with a low degree of repeatability, it may become mandatory to perform these multiple visualizations within the same experiment at identical or at least almost identical instants. This paper describes how two or more density-sensitive visualization techniques can be coupled in order to obtain simultaneously the distribution of density and its gradient and/or its second derivative in a flow field. The resulting optical systems are more complex than a conventional single visualization apparatus, but they can provide an unprecedented wealth of information about the flow field. By applying multiple visualization techniques, the inherent shortcomings of each individual method can be overcome and the risk of overlooking or misinterpreting certain flow features is reduced.     

Contrast enhancement of time-averaged fringes based on moving average mapping functions

Moving average contrast enhancement techniques are applied for visualization of time-averaged fringes produced by time average projection moiré. The complexity of the problem is based on the fact that grayscale levels at centerlines of fringes depend from the geometrical location of these fringes. Moreover, moiré grating geometry determines the direction of sensitivity to dynamic deflections. Standard fringe visualization methods fail to produce interpretable results. The developed pixel-based analysis techniques enable efficient reconstruction of projected fringes.     

Recent progress in flow visualization techniques toward the generation of fluid art

This paper describes recent progress in flow visualization techniques from the viewpoint of visual art incorporating fluid motion. The images of fluid art introduced here are categorized into four groups: the reflected or refracted patterns of free surface motion in nature and in a controlled environment, the coherent turbulent phenomena of fluid flow, and the fluid motion induced by the physical properties of fluids. It is shown that flow visualization techniques, which were originally developed in the field of engineering, have been successfully applied to the creation of artistic images.     

Structure and dynamic behavior of combustion visualized by 2-D laser diagnostics

This paper describes studies of structure and dynamic behavior of combustion by use of laser-aided two-dimensional flame visualization. Attentions are given to the recent development of the laser sheet imaging techniques of velocity, temperature and concentration and its application to flame visualization. Visualization of turbulent diffusion flames by use of RIV (Rayleigh scattering Image Velocimetry) and OH-PLIF conducted by the authors are presented together with the short review of laser diagnostics of combustion.     

Images of fluid flow: Art and physics by students

In Spring 2003, a new experimental course on flow visualization was offered to a mixed class of Fine Arts Photography and Engineering students. Course content included fluid flow physics, history of photography with respect to the relationship of science and art, as well as flow visualization and photography techniques. Issues such as “What makes an image art? What makes an image scientific?” were addressed. The class focused on studio/laboratory experiences for mixed teams of students. In Spring 2004 these concepts were distilled into an engineering outreach experience for middle school girls. The spectacular images resulting from these experiments show that flow visualization can be both performed and appreciated by a broad spectrum of people. Thus flow visualization may represent a new bridge between scientists and non-scientists.     

Properties of blends of poly(vinyl chloride) and chlorinated polyethylene. I. Optical methods of characterization of PVC multiphase systems

Hitherto it has not been possible to produce a microscopic image with adequate resolution of the high-impact two-phase system poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC)/chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) due to inadequate phase contrast. With the aid of various chemical staining methods and through ion etching, a way has been found for studying the microstructure of the PVC/CPE system by light microscopy and electron microscopy. These independent visualization techniques and scanning electron micrographs of fracture surfaces show, as the morphology with optimal mechanical and rheological properties, networklike distribution of the rubber phase and, imbedded in this, a PVC phase consisting of primary particles.     

Folding and mixing in the Birkhoff-Shaw chaotic attractor

Some new visualization techniques are employed to elucidate the folding topology of the Birkhoff-Shaw chaotic attractor and the mixing action of trajectories wandering across its spirally wing-beak structure.     

Visualization of electron orbitals in scanning tunneling microscopy

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is one of the main techniques for direct visualization of the surface electronic structure and chemical analysis of multi-component surfaces at the atomic scale. This review is focused on the role of the tip orbital structure and tip-surface interaction in STM imaging with picometer spatial resolution. Fabrication of STM probes with well-defined structure and selective visualization of individual electron orbitals in the STM experiments with controlled tunneling gap and probe structure are demonstrated.     

相位物可视化的研究

从理论、实验和数值模拟3方面对几种常见相位物可视化方法进行了分析比较,得出了各种方法的优劣点和适用范围.提出了新的图像处理方法,其核心思想是利用低频正弦光栅替代复合光栅滤波,用三重干涉来达到类似微分运算的效果,以此实现相位物可视化.     

Longitudinal Patent Analysis for Nanoscale Science and Engineering: Country,Institution and Technology Field

Nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) and related areas have seen rapid growth in recent years. The speed and scope of development in the field have made it essential for researchers to be informed on the progress across different laboratories, companies, industries and countries. In this project, we experimented with several analysis and visualization techniques on NSE-related United States patent documents to support various knowledge tasks. This paper presents results on the basic analysis of nanotechnology patents between 1976 and 2002, content map analysis and citation network analysis. The data have been obtained on individual countries, institutions and technology fields. The top 10 countries with the largest number of nanotechnology patents are the United States, Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Australia. The fastest growth in the last 5 years has been in chemical and pharmaceutical fields, followed by semiconductor devices. The results demonstrate potential of information-based discovery and visualization technologies to capture knowledge regarding nanotechnology performance, transfer of knowledge and trends of development through analyzing the patent documents.     

Schlieren ultrasonic visualization of delaminations in composite materials

The application of Schlieren ultrasonic techniques to the visualization of delaminations in composite materials is described and discussed. It is shown that this technique can provide an efficient, practical, non-destructive testing method.     

Mucosal Wave: A Normophonic Study Across Visualization Techniques

Visualization of vocal fold vibration is essential for accurate diagnoses and optimal treatment of persons with voice disorders. Recently, scientific and anecdotal reports have evidenced an increased amount of variation in the diagnostically relevant features of extent and symmetry of mucosal wave magnitude in normophonic speakers. The objectives of this study were to preliminarily ascertain the variation in mucosal wave magnitude and symmetry for normophonic speakers as assessed via standard and novel techniques, and compare findings across modal and pressed phonations. A correlational design with a multiple baseline across visualization methods approach was used. Mucosal wave presence, magnitude, and symmetry from 52 normophonic speakers were judged via stroboscopy, high-speed videoendoscopy (HSV) playback, mucosal wave playback, and mucosal wave kymography playback. Results demonstrate a prevalence of atypical magnitude and symmetry of mucosal wave during modal and pressed phonations by normophonic persons, differences across techniques, and a relationship between judgments and habitual fundamental frequency. Given the prevalence of mucosal wave magnitude and symmetry variations in the normophonic population, overdiagnosis may be possible without caution. The various visualization techniques provided unique information suggesting that it may be beneficial to use both full view and kymographic visualization techniques in combination. A major restriction of the current commercial HSV systems is the frame rate, typically limited to 2000 frames per second, which appears insufficient for most female habitual phonations.