The Gap Between Aesthetic Science and Aesthetic Experience

For over a century we have attempted to understand human aesthetic experience using scientific methods. A typical experiment could be described as reductive and quasi-psychophysical. We vary some aspect of the stimulus and systematically measure some aspect of the aesthetic response. The limitations of this approach can be categorized as problems on the Y axis (what we measure) and the X axis (what we manipulate). The most enigmatic components of aesthetic experience include inclination to cry, aesthetic rapture, a sense of the sublime, and intense fascination. However, we cannot evoke these 'hot' aesthetic emotions in the lab, at least not with well controlled stimuli on multiple trials. We thus resort to measuring cold, cognitive preference ratings. There are also problems on the X axis. The reductive psychophysical approach explicitly assumes that there are lawful relations between different stimulus dimensions and preferences. It also tacitly assumes that these dimensions are independent and orthogonal. The second assumption is implausible. Whatever stimulus-preference laws we discover are likely to be twisted and modulated when another dimension is added to the stimuli. This 'gestalt nightmare' has long been recognized, but never resolved. This matters, because human aesthetic faculties are probably tuned to the balance and relationship of parts which make up a whole and are indifferent to the parts presented in isolation. I conclude that the future of scientific aesthetics depends on how successfully we can transcend reductive, quasi-psychophysical approaches

Analysis of rock mechanical parameters from well log data and Dipole Shear sonic Imager. Application to Algerian sahara "Algeria"

The use of 'DSI' (Dipole Shear sonic Imager), in the Tin Fouye Tabankort area in Algeria allowed the exploitation of the rock mechanics properties in the field of drilling having for objective determination of the margin of ability of the well. The tool 'DSI' has a considerable advantage by its application which makes it possible to combine the technology of monopole and of dipole and to offer an effective method for the determination of the acoustic dynamic mechanical properties in - situ. The practical results of this study showed that: 1 - The phenomenon of BIOT is less when the medium is impermeable, 2- There is a significant effect of the petrophysic properties on the mechanical properties expressed by the effect of the coefficient of BIOT on the variation of the values of the density of mud. The beach of variation of the stability of the well obtained starting from the tool 'DSI' lies between the values 1.40 g/cc and 1.80 g/cc. On the other hand the results obtained by the application of Leake-off test and the successive increase in the density of mud vary from 1.50 g/cc with 1.90 g/cc. With the base of these results, it is necessary to note that the result obtained by tool DSI is almost closer than the practical methods and the percentage of error obtained by the application of this tool is due to the difference between the dynamic and static mechanical properties. The finality of this study is to determine a field of application of this new technique in the study of the stability of the well during drillin

Place, recreation and local development

Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitors in Recreational and Protected Areas (MMV9), Bordeaux, FRA, 29-/08/2018 - 31/08/2018It is our pleasure to welcome you to the 9th international Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitors in Recreational and Protected Areas (MMV9) with a program including keynote speeches, organized and poster sessions, a half-day field trip, social events and post conference trips. This is the first time that France has hosted an MMV Conference. Our country is ranked as the world's top tourist destination, thanks largely to its culture, art, and gastronomy, as well as popular cities such as Paris and Bordeaux. On the other hand, France's potential as a destination for outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism is not hugely publicized, despite its many unique features in this respect: varied climate and natural assets (shoreline, mountains, lakes, and forests), large expanses of countryside, and a network of protected natural areas, to name but a few. France's protected areas are often free to access for the general public. However, in contrast with other countries, nature conservation in specific areas is much less widespread. Where it does take place, it is often centered on territories that are perceived to be "attractive", and where many conflicting activities are practiced. This may be one of the reasons why contractual tools and regional park systems are quite popular in France. The MMV Conference offers an excellent opportunity to discuss the situation in France in greater depth. The theme proposed for the conference was "recreation, place and local development". This reflects our assumption that recreational areas are not just physical assets designed to receive visitors for the purpose of leisure - which in itself would already be something of great importance - but that they reflect deeper social phenomena, as demonstrated through the range of organized sessions dedicated to discussing questions such as environmental education and economic development, but also emerging themes such as social integration, community resilience, environmental justice, and health. The traditional topics covered by MMV Conference reflect an evolving society: with innovations in monitoring techniques (both on people and nature), focus on new populations (Y generation, ethnic minority) and a larger concern for individual engagement and participative management. The 9th Edition of MMV is co-hosted by Irstea and BSA. This would not have been possible without significant contributions from a large number of additional partners and sponsors as well as our national scientific and organizing committee. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help. After two years of planning, we are proud to announce that we have more than 160 presentations from 30 countries, meaning that the conference will host over 200 participants from across the globe. We are honored that the International Steering Committee has given us the opportunity to be part of this great MMV community, which organized its first meeting in 2002. We hope you will enjoy the conference as much as we enjoyed organizing it. If you can't be with us in person, we hope that you will enjoy reading our publications

Visual perceptions of portion size normality and intended food consumption: A norm range model

Smaller portion sizes are associated with lower energy intake. We test a norm range model of the portion size effect on intended intake. A wide range of portion sizes were perceived as normal. Portions perceived as normal did not prompt intended compensatory eating. Portions perceived as smaller than normal prompted intended compensation

Square root computation over even extension fields

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the computation of square roots over finite extension fields. We propose two novel algorithms for computing square roots over even field extensions of the form \F_{q^{2}}, with $q=p^n,$ $p$ an odd prime and $n\geq 1$. Both algorithms have an associate computational cost roughly equivalent to one exponentiation in \F_{q^{2}}. The first algorithm is devoted to the case when $q\equiv 1 \bmod 4$, whereas the second one handles the case when $q\equiv 3 \bmod 4$. Numerical comparisons show that the two algorithms presented in this paper are competitive and in some cases more efficient than the square root methods previously known