Extragalactic gamma-ray signal from dark matter annihilation: an appraisal

We re-evaluate the extragalactic gamma-ray flux prediction from dark matter annihilation in the approach of integrating over the nonlinear matter power spectrum, extrapolated to the free-streaming scale. We provide an estimate of the uncertainty based entirely on available N-body simulation results and minimal theoretical assumptions. We illustrate how an improvement in the simulation resolution, exemplified by the comparison between the Millennium and Millennium II simulations, affects our estimate of the flux uncertainty and we provide a "best guess" value for the flux multiplier, based on the assumption of stable clustering for the dark matter perturbations described as a collision-less fluid. We achieve results comparable to traditional Halo Model calculations, but with a much simpler procedure and a more general approach, as it relies only on one, directly measurable quantity. In addition we discuss the extension of our calculation to include baryonic effects as modeled in hydrodynamical cosmological simulations and other possible sources of uncertainty that would in turn affect indirect dark matter signals. Upper limit on the integrated power spectrum from supernovae lensing magnification are also derived and compared with theoretical expectations.Comment: 20 pages, 9 figures, 1 table. Updated to match the published version. New material and figures added, conclusions unchange

A multi-sensory interactive reading experience for visually impaired children; a user evaluation

© 2018 Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature The children’s experience of reading is enhanced by visual displays, and through picture book experiences, young children expose themselves to develop socially, personally, intellectually, and culturally. While a sighted person’s mental imagining is constructed mostly through visual experiences, a visually impaired person’s mental images are a product of haptic, taste, smell, and sounds. In this paper, we are introducing a picture book with multi-sensory interactions for the visually impaired children. The key novelty in our concept is the integration of multi-sensory interactions (touch, sound, and smell) to create a new reading experience for visually impaired. Also, this concept is highlighting the lack of appropriately designed sensory reading experiences for visually impaired children. We have conducted a user study with 10 educators, and 25 children from a special school for visually impaired in Malaysia, and our evaluation revealed that this book is engaging and a novel experience of multi-sensory interactions to both children and educators

The Haptic Recognition of Geometrical Shapes in Congenitally Blind and Blindfolded Adolescents: Is There a Haptic Prototype Effect?

International audienceBACKGROUND: It has been shown that visual geometrical shape categories (rectangle and triangle) are graded structures organized around a prototype as demonstrated by perception and production tasks in adults as well as in children. The visual prototypical shapes are better recognized than other exemplars of the categories. Their existence could emerge from early exposure to these prototypical shapes that are present in our visual environment. The present study examined the role of visual experience in the existence of prototypical shapes by comparing the haptic recognition of geometrical shapes in congenitally blind and blindfolded adolescents. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: To determine whether the existence of a prototype effect (higher recognition of prototypical shapes than non prototypical shapes) depended on visual experience, congenitally blind and blindfolded sighted adolescents were asked to recognize in the haptic modality three categories of correct shapes (square, rectangle, triangle) varying in orientation (prototypical/canonical orientation vs. non prototypical/canonical orientation rotated by 45°) among a set of other shapes. A haptic prototype effect was found in the blindfolded sighted whereas no difference between prototypical and non prototypical correct shapes was observed in the congenitally blind. A control experiment using a similar visual recognition task confirmed the existence of a visual prototype effect in a group of sighted adolescents. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings show that the prototype effect is not intrinsic to the haptic modality but depends on visual experience. This suggests that the occurrence of visual and haptic prototypical shapes in the recognition of geometrical shape seems to depend on visual exposure to these prototypical shapes existing in our environment

Le spectateur en mouvement (perspectives et impacts de la diffusion cinématographique numérique sur les pratiques spectatorielles en milieu festivalier)

Cette recherche, réalisée en partenariat avec le Marché du Film de Cannes, s attache à appréhender l impact qu exercent les évolutions des outils numériques de diffusion sur les spectateurs de cinéma dans un contexte festivalier. A l envers des rhétoriques fonctionnant sur l'idée d une rupture positiviste dans les pratiques des individus, particulièrement dans un contexte où un grand nombre de représentations médiatiques présentent les évolutions numériques comme révolutionnaires , nous nous sommes efforcé de saisir ce qui constitue la complexité des pratiques et représentations des spectateurs, tant dans leurs aspects évolutifs que dans leurs aspects de continuité, dans le contexte de ce que nous avons nommé le régime numérique. Nos deux principaux terrains d étude, le Marché du Film de Cannes et le Festival de Kinotayo, nous ont permis de considérer notre questionnement sous deux angles : celui de l impact direct des relais numériques sur les pratiques et représentations des spectateurs en situation collective, mais également celui de l impact des technologies numériques de diffusion sur la forme de l entité festivalière elle même.La problématique du mouvement spectatoriel permis par les usages des relais numériques de diffusion débouche ainsi, dans le contexte éminemment sédentaire de l activité cinématographique, sur de multiples enjeux d importance : questionnant à la fois la portée de l hypothétique individualisation d une pratique collective, les perspectives renouvelées d interaction des individus avec la chaine cinématographique mais également les limites évolutives de ce qui constitue la forme festival . C est ainsi une dynamique de reconfiguration multidimensionnelle de l expérience collective cinématographique et festivalière qui apparaît dans cette recherche. Entre sphère collective et sphère privée, entre imaginaires traditionnels et pratiques évolutives, elle ancre l évolution des pratiques et représentations en régime numérique non dans une optique de rupture, mais bien dans une optique de continuité.This research, conducted in partnership with the Cannes Film Market, seeks tounderstand the impact exerted by digital diffusion technologies on the movie goers in the collective context of festivals.Unlike theories associating the practices of individuals to the idea of a positivist break, particularly in a context where a large number of medias describe digital evolutions as"revolutionary", we have tried to grasp the complexity of the practices and representations of spectators, both in the irevolutionary and continuity aspects, in the context of what we have called the digitalera.Our two main studyfields,the Cannes Film Market and the Kinotayo Festival, have allowed ustotackle our questions from two perspectives : that of the direct impact of digital tools on the practices and representations of spectators in a collective situation,but also that of the impact of digital diffusion technologies on the festival entity itself. The question of the spectators movement allowed by the uses of digital diffusion tools leads us, in the context of the highlys edentary cinematographic activity, to several issues of importance : questioning the potential individualization of a collective practice, questioning the renewed possibilities of interaction between the spectators and the cinematographicchain,but also questioning the evolving limits of what is known as "festivals". Thus appears, in this research, a multidimensional dynamic of reconfiguration of the collective festival and cinema expériences. Between the collective and private spheres, between "traditional" representations and evolving practices, this study shows us that the evolution of practices and représentations in a digital context is not about the idea of a break, but about the idea of continuity.AVIGNON-Bib. numérique (840079901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Seven- to 11-year-olds’ developing ability to recognize natural facial expressions of basic emotions

Being able to recognize facial expressions of basic emotions is of great importance to social development. However, we still know surprisingly little about children’s developing ability to interpret emotions that are expressed dynamically, naturally and subtly, despite real-life expressions having such appearance in the vast majority of cases. The current research employs a new technique of capturing dynamic, subtly expressed natural emotional displays (happy, sad, angry, shocked and disgusted). Children aged 7, 9 and 11 years (and adults) were systematically able to discriminate each emotional display from alternatives in a 5-way choice. Children were most accurate in identifying the expression of happiness and were also relatively accurate in identifying the expression of sadness; they were far less accurate than adults in identifying shocked and disgusted. Children who performed well academically also tended to be the most accurate in recognizing expressions and this relationship maintained independently of chronological age. Generally, the findings testify to a well-developed ability to recognize very subtle naturally occurring expressions of emotions