Is a downwards head tilt a cross-cultural signal of dominance? Evidence for a universal visual illusion

The present pre-registered research provides the first evidence that a downwards head tilt is sufficient to communicate dominance from a neutral facial expression among the Mayangna, members of an unindustrialized, small-scale traditional society in Nicaragua who have had minimal exposure to North American culture. Consistent with the Action Unit imposter effect observed in North American populations (Witkower and Tracy in Psychol Sci 30:893–906, 2019), changes to the appearance of the upper face caused by a downwards head tilt were sufficient to elicit perceptions of dominance among this population. Given that the Mayangna are unlikely to associate a downwards head tilt or related apparent facial changes with dominance as a result of cross-cultural learning, the present results suggest that perceptions of dominance formed from a downwards head tilt, and the visual illusion shaping these perceptions, are a widely generalizable, and possibly universal, feature of human psychology.

Increase of dynamic stability of a basis at operation of the compressor equipment of the Abazіvka unit of complex gas preparation

The object of research is the basis of the compressor equipment of the complex gas treatment plant at the Abazivka field and the strengthening of the base soils with soil-cement elements, which are proposed to be arranged with the use of drilling technology. The research area is located on the territory of the current Abazivka Integrated Gas Preparation, near the village of Bugaivka, Poltava region, Ukraine. Abazivka Integrated Gas Preparation receives products from wells in Abazivka and Sementsivske deposits. It is proposed to carry out the reconstruction of Integrated Gas Preparation, which includes strengthening the foundation of the compressor model C1004-JGT/2-1 manufactured by «Propak» (Alberta, Canada). The amplitudes of oscillations of the compressor foundation were determined at a speed of 1400 rpm at the appropriate site with geological conditions. The magnitudes of oscillations and subsidence of the compressor foundation of the Abazivka complex of complex gas treatment were investigated experimentally. When determining the amplitudes of oscillations of the compressor foundations, only the amplitudes of oscillations in the direction parallel to the sliding of the pistons were calculated, and the influence of the vertical component of the perturbing forces was not taken into account. It is established that the amplitude of horizontal-rotational oscillations of the upper face of the compressor foundation relative to the horizontal axis exceeds the maximum allowable. It is substantiated that soil cement is a sufficiently strong and waterproof material that can be used to strengthen the base during the construction of equipment foundations. The possibility of application of the technology of application of soil-cement piles, made by brown-mixing technology for strengthening the base under the foundation of the compressor, is described and investigated. It is proposed to reinforce the base with rows of soil-cement elements, which will increase the modulus of deformation of the base, which is represented by loam, light to 14.3 MPa. In the case of strengthening the base, the amplitude of horizontal-rotational oscillations of the upper face of the compressor foundation is much less than the maximum allowable 0.1 mm. The subsidence of the foundation at reinforcement of the base, which does not exceed the maximum allowable value, is determined. Soil-cement elements are proposed to be arranged according to the drilling technology.

Face masks impair basic emotion recognition: Group effects and individual variability (Accepted for Publication in Social Psychology)

With the widespread adoption of masks, there is a need for understanding how facial obstruction affects emotion recognition. We asked 120 participants to identify emotions from faces with and without masks. We also examined if recognition performance was related to autistic traits and personality. Masks impacted recognition of expressions with diagnostic lower face features the most and those with diagnostic upper face features the least. Persons with higher autistic traits were worse at identifying unmasked expressions, while persons with lower extraversion and higher agreeableness were better at recognizing masked expressions. These results show that different features play different roles in emotion recognition and suggest that obscuring features affects social communication differently as a function of autistic traits and personality.

On the need to control the state of the upper edge of the prism in a flow-through refractometer for measurements with an error less than 10−4

The article substantiates the need to use a flow-through refractometer to control the state of a flowing liquid during scientific research, when automating a technological process, etc. The main negative factors that affect an increase in the measurement error of the refractive index n of a flowing liquid are determined. It was found that one of these factors is the formation of a thin film (plaque) on the upper face of the prism, which is in contact with the medium under study. The study of the influence of this film on the measurement error has been carried out. A method has been developed to eliminate plaque from the upper face of the prism during the operation of the refractometer. The results of experimental studies are presented.

Exerting control: the grammatical meaning of facial displays in signed languages

Signed languages employ finely articulated facial and head displays to express grammatical meanings such as mood and modality, complex propositions (conditionals, causal relations, complementation), information structure (topic, focus), assertions, content and yes/no questions, imperatives, and miratives. In this paper we examine two facial displays: an upper face display in which the eyebrows are pulled together called brow furrow, and a lower face display in which the corners of the mouth are turned down into a distinctive configuration that resembles a frown or upside-down U-shape. Our analysis employs Cognitive Grammar, specifically the control cycle and its manifestation in effective control and epistemic control. Our claim is that effective and epistemic control are associated with embodied actions. Prototypical physical effective control requires effortful activity and the forceful exertion of energy and is commonly correlated with upper face activity, often called the “face of effort.” The lower face display has been shown to be associated with epistemic indetermination, uncertainty, doubt, obviousness, and skepticism. We demonstrate that the control cycle unifies the diverse grammatical functions expressed by each facial display within a language, and that they express similar functions across a wide range of signed languages.

A computerized facial approximation method for archaic humans based on dense facial soft tissue thickness depths

Facial approximation (FA) is a common tool used to recreate the possible facial appearance of a deceased person based on the relationship between soft tissue and the skull. Although this technique has been primarily applied to modern humans in the realm of forensic science and archaeology, only a few studies have attempted to produce FAs for archaic humans. This study presented a computerized FA approach for archaic humans based on the assumption that the facial soft tissue thickness depths (FSTDs) of modern living humans are similar to those of archaic humans. Additionally, we employed geometric morphometrics (GM) to examine the geometric morphological variations between the approximated faces and modern human faces. Our method has been applied to the Jinniushan (JNS) 1 archaic human, which is one of the most important fossils of the Middle Pleistocene, dating back to approximately 260,000 BP. The overall shape of the approximated face has a relatively lower forehead and robust eyebrows; a protruding, wider, and elongated middle and upper face; and a broad and short nose. Results also indicate skull morphology and the distribution of FSTDs influence the approximated face. These experiments demonstrate that the proposed method can approximate a plausible and reproducible face of an archaic human.

The influence of face masks on emotion recognition and the role of individual differences

With widespread adoption of mask wearing, the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic highlighted a need for a deeper understanding of how facial feature obstruction affects emotion recognition. Here we asked participants (n=120) to identify disgusted, angry, sad, neutral, surprised, happy, and fearful emotions from faces with and without masks, and examined if recognition performance was related to their level of social competence and personality traits. Performance was reduced for all masked relative to unmasked emotions. Masks impacted recognition of expressions with diagnostic lower face features the most (disgust, anger) and those with diagnostic upper face features the least (fear, surprise). Recognition performance also varied at the individual level. Persons with higher overall social competence were better at identifying unmasked expressions, while persons with lower trait extraversion and higher trait agreeableness were better at recognizing masked expressions. These results reveal novel insights about the role of face features in emotion recognition and show that obscuring facial features affects social communication differently as a function of individual social competence and personality traits.

Enhancement of Light Amplification of CsPbBr3 Perovskite Quantum Dot Films via Surface Encapsulation by PMMA Polymer

Photonic devices based on perovskite materials are considered promising alternatives for a wide range of these devices in the future because of their broad bandgaps and ability to contribute to light amplification. The current study investigates the possibility of improving the light amplification characteristics of CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dot (PQD) films using the surface encapsulation technique. To further amplify emission within a perovskite layer, CsPbBr3 PQD films were sandwiched between two transparent layers of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) to create a highly flexible PMMA/PQD/PMMA waveguide film configuration. The prepared perovskite film, primed with a polymer layer coating, shows a marked improvement in both emission efficiency and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE)/laser threshold compared with bare perovskite films on glass substrates. Additionally, significantly improved photoluminescence (PL) and long decay lifetime were observed. Consequently, under pulse pumping in a picosecond duration, ASE with a reduction in ASE threshold of ~1.2 and 1.4 times the optical pumping threshold was observed for PQDs of films whose upper face was encapsulated and embedded within a cavity comprising two PMMA reflectors, respectively. Moreover, the exposure stability under laser pumping was greatly improved after adding the polymer coating to the top face of the perovskite film. Finally, this process improved the emission and PL in addition to enhancements in exposure stability. These results were ascribed in part to the passivation of defects in the perovskite top surface, accounting for the higher PL intensity, the slower PL relaxation, and for about 14 % of the ASE threshold decrease.

Periorbital, lower face, and neck

Facial ageing occurs as a consequence of multifactorial changes in both the external skin and underlying tissues. The ageing process may vary dramatically between individual patients and is thus influenced by genetic factors. When assessing the ageing face it is important to consider the skeletal architecture, the soft tissue layers including the anterior fat pads, the osseocutaneous ligament anchors, and finally the overlying skin. Assessment of the external skin incorporates factors such as dermal thinning, solar damage, lifestyle effects such as smoking, and Fitzpatrick skin type. Surgical correction of facial ageing attempts to reverse both gravitational change of soft tissues and also to restore volume loss. There are a variety of methods used to divide the face into regions, but for the purpose of this chapter, the surgical management of facial ageing will be separated into three anatomical areas: (1) upper face, including the upper eyelids, eyebrows, and forehead; (2) midface, including the lower eyelid/anterior cheek continuum; and (3) lower and lateral cheek, neck, and perioral region