Studies in social perception traditionally use as stimuli frontal portrait photographs. It turns out, however, that 2D frontal depiction may not fully capture the entire morphological diversity of facial features. Recently, 3D images started to become increasingly popular, but whether their perception differs from the perception of 2D has not been systematically studied as yet. Here we investigated congruence in the perception of portrait, left profile, and 360° rotation photographs. The photographs were obtained from 45 male athletes under standardized conditions. In two separate studies, each set of images was rated for formidability (portraits by 62, profiles by 60, and 360° rotations by 94 raters) and attractiveness (portraits by 195, profiles by 176, and 360° rotations by 150 raters) on a 7-point scale. The ratings of the stimuli types were highly intercorrelated (for formidability all rs > 0.8, for attractiveness all rs > 0.7). Moreover, we found no differences in the mean ratings between the three types of stimuli, neither in formidability, nor in attractiveness. Overall, our results clearly suggest that different facial views convey highly overlapping information about structural facial elements of an individual. They lead to congruent assessments of formidability and attractiveness, and a single angle view seems sufficient for face perception research.

• Klíčová slova
• 2D, 3D, assessment, attractiveness, formidability, head, morphology, standardized photography,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Existing research indicates that the shape of various facial regions is linked to perceived attractiveness and perceived formidability. Interestingly, little evidence shows that people directly focus on these specific facial regions during judgments of attractiveness and formidability, and there is little support for the notion that the levels of attractiveness and formidability affect raters' visual attention. We employed eye-tracking to examine visual attention (the number of fixations and dwell time) in 40 women and 37 men, while they assessed 45 male faces in life-sized photographs for attractiveness and formidability. The facial photographs were grouped by varying levels of attractiveness and formidability (low, medium, and high). Our results showed that regardless of the characteristics rated, both men and women paid the most visual attention to the eyes, nose, mouth, and forehead regions. We found statistically discernible variation in visual attention in relation to the rater's sex or target's attractiveness levels for other facial features (the chin, cheeks, or ears), but these differences may not be substantial enough to have practical implications. We suggest that the eyes, the nose, and the mouth regions play a central role in the evolution of face perception as regions most salient to the acquisition of informative cues about others. Further, during both attractiveness and formidability judgments, men looked longer at the stimuli than women did, which may hint at increased difficulty of this task for men, possibly because they compare themselves with the stimuli. Additionally, irrespective of sex, raters looked marginally longer at faces with a medium level of formidability than at those with a high formidability level, which may reflect ambiguity of these stimuli and uncertainty regarding assessment. We found no other significantly relationships between the target's attractiveness and formidability levels and the rater's visual attention to whole faces.

• Klíčová slova
• Attractiveness, Eye-tracking, Formidability, Intersexual selection, Intrasexual selection,
• MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• kompetitivní chování * MeSH
• krása * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• obličej * MeSH
• pozornost * fyziologie   MeSH
• rozpoznání obličeje * MeSH
• technologie sledování pohybu očí MeSH
• výběrové chování * MeSH
• zraková percepce * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Facial perception plays a key role in various social interactions, including formidability assessments. People make relatively accurate inferences about men's physical strength, aggressiveness, and success in physical confrontations based on facial cues. The physical factors related to the perception of fighting ability and their relative contribution have not been investigated yet, since most existing studies employed only a limited number of threat potential measures or proxies. In the present study, we collected data from Czech Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters regarding their fighting success and physical performance in order to test physical predictors of perceived fighting ability made on the basis of high-fidelity facial photographs. We have also explored the relationship between perceived and actual fighting ability. We created standardized 360° photographs of 44 MMA fighters which were assessed on their perceived fighting ability by 94 raters (46 males). Further, we obtained data regarding their physical characteristics (e.g., age, height, body composition) and performance (MMA score, isometric strength, anaerobic performance, lung capacity). In contrast to previous studies, we did not find any significant links between the actual and the perceived fighting ability. The results of a multiple regression analysis have, however, shown that heavier fighters and those with higher anaerobic performance were judged as more successful. Our results suggest that certain physical performance-related characteristics are mirrored in individuals' faces but assessments of fighting success based on facial cues are not congruent with actual fighting performance.

• Klíčová slova
• aggressiveness, anaerobic performance, beardedness, body composition, formidability, perception, strength, vital capacity,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Recent research has reported an association between facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) and both fighting performance and judgments of formidability in a sample of mixed martial arts (MMA) combatants. The results provide evidence of fWHR being associated with sporting performance and aggression in men. However, it has been argued that the effect of fWHR might be a by-product of associations between body size and behavioral measures. Here we tested whether fWHR is associated with perceived aggressiveness, fighting ability and success in physical confrontation, while controlling for body size, also in a sample of MMA fighters. We found that perceived fighting ability was predicted by weight but not by fWHR. In contrast, both fWHR and body weight independently predicted perceived aggressiveness. Furthermore, we found positive associations between fWHR and fighting performance which appear to be independent of body size. Our findings provide further support for the proposal that fWHR is associated with fighting ability and perceived aggression, and that these effects are independent of body size. Therefore, fWHR might be considered as a viable and reliable marker for inference of success in male intra-sexual competition.

• Klíčová slova
• aggression, fWHR, fight, formidability, perception,
• MeSH
• agrese fyziologie   MeSH
• bojové sporty fyziologie   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• obličej anatomie a histologie   MeSH
• rozpoznání obličeje fyziologie   MeSH
• sociální percepce * MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• komentáře MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Explicit solvent atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations represent an established technique to study structural dynamics of RNA molecules and an important complement for diverse experimental methods. However, performance of molecular mechanical (MM) force fields (ff's) remains far from satisfactory even after decades of development, as apparent from a problematic structural description of some important RNA motifs. Actually, some of the smallest RNA molecules belong to the most challenging systems for MD simulations and, among them, the UUCG tetraloop is saliently difficult. We report a detailed analysis of UUCG MD simulations, depicting the sequence of events leading to the loss of the UUCG native state during MD simulations. The total amount of MD simulation data analyzed in this work is close to 1.3 ms. We identify molecular interactions, backbone conformations, and substates that are involved in the process. Then, we unravel specific ff deficiencies using diverse quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) and QM calculations. Comparison between the MM and QM methods shows discrepancies in the description of the 5'-flanking phosphate moiety and both signature sugar-base interactions. Our work indicates that poor behavior of the UUCG tetraloop in simulations is a complex issue that cannot be attributed to one dominant and straightforwardly correctable factor. Instead, there is a concerted effect of multiple ff inaccuracies that are coupled and amplifying each other. We attempted to improve the simulation behavior by some carefully tailored interventions, but the results were still far from satisfactory, underlying the difficulties in development of accurate nucleic acid ff's.

• MeSH
• konformace nukleové kyseliny MeSH
• RNA chemie   MeSH
• sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
• simulace molekulární dynamiky * MeSH
• teorie funkcionálu hustoty MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• RNA MeSH

Historically, antagonistic interactions have been a crucial determinant of access to various fitness-affecting resources. In many vertebrate species, information about relative fighting ability is conveyed, among other things, by vocalization. Previous research found that men's upper-body strength can be assessed from voice. In the present study, we tested formidability perception of intimidating vocalization (roars) and a short utterance produced by amateur male MMA fighters attending the amateur European Championships in relation to their physical fitness indicators and fighting success. We also tested acoustic predictors of the perceived formidability. We found that body height, weight, and physical fitness failed to predict perceived formidability either from speech or from the roars. Similarly, there was no significant association between formidability of the roars and utterances and actual fighting success. Perceived formidability was predicted mainly by roars' and utterances' intensity and roars' harmonics-to-noise ratio and duration. Interestingly, fundamental frequency (F0) predicted formidability ratings in both roars and utterances but in an opposite manner, so that low F0 utterances but high F0 roars were rated as more formidable. Our results suggest that formidability perception is primarily driven by intensity and duration of the vocalizations.

• Klíčová slova
• competition, handgrip, human, perception, roar, speech, vocalization,
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The human voice carries information about a vocalizer's physical strength that listeners can perceive and that may influence mate choice and intrasexual competition. Yet, reliable acoustic correlates of strength in human speech remain unclear. Compared to speech, aggressive nonverbal vocalizations (roars) may function to maximize perceived strength, suggesting that their acoustic structure has been selected to communicate formidability, similar to the vocal threat displays of other animals. Here, we test this prediction in two non-WEIRD African samples: an urban community of Cameroonians and rural nomadic Hadza hunter-gatherers in the Tanzanian bushlands. Participants produced standardized speech and volitional roars and provided handgrip strength measures. Using acoustic analysis and information-theoretic multi-model inference and averaging techniques, we show that strength can be measured from both speech and roars, and as predicted, strength is more reliably gauged from roars than vowels, words or greetings. The acoustic structure of roars explains 40-70% of the variance in actual strength within adults of either sex. However, strength is predicted by multiple acoustic parameters whose combinations vary by sex, sample and vocal type. Thus, while roars may maximally signal strength, more research is needed to uncover consistent and likely interacting acoustic correlates of strength in the human voice. This article is part of the theme issue 'Voice modulation: from origin and mechanism to social impact (Part I)'.

• Klíčová slova
• Hadza, acoustic communication, aggression, handgrip strength, nonverbal vocalization,
• MeSH
• agrese MeSH
• akustika MeSH
• hlas * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• řeč * MeSH
• síla ruky MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Indigenous and local peoples' (ILPs) role in cataloging life on Earth has been significant but underappreciated. ILPs knowledge faces growing cultural and biological threats. Greater participation by ILPs in research would make science more efficient, conservation more sustainable, and traditional knowledge stronger, but formidable obstacles remain.

• Klíčová slova
• biodiversity discovery, conservation, equitable science, interdisciplinary research, traditional knowledge,
• MeSH
• biodiverzita * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zachování přírodních zdrojů * MeSH
• znalosti MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The entire plasmid content of a multidrug-resistant, CTX-M-15-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST416 clone was investigated. Two FII(K) plasmids, pKDO1 (127 kb) and pKPN-CZ (207 kb), were identified and found to carry a formidable set of genes conferring resistance to toxic compounds, metals, and antimicrobial drugs and exhibiting novel features putatively associated with adaptation and fitness of the bacterium in the human host.

• MeSH
• antiinfekční látky farmakologie   MeSH
• bakteriální proteiny biosyntéza   metabolismus   MeSH
• beta-laktamasy biosyntéza   metabolismus   MeSH
• infekce bakteriemi rodu Klebsiella farmakoterapie   MeSH
• Klebsiella pneumoniae účinky léků   genetika   MeSH
• kovy farmakologie   MeSH
• mikrobiální testy citlivosti MeSH
• mnohočetná bakteriální léková rezistence genetika   MeSH
• molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
• plazmidy genetika   MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Česká republika MeSH
• Názvy látek
• antiinfekční látky MeSH
• bakteriální proteiny MeSH
• beta-lactamase CTX-M-15 MeSH Prohlížeč
• beta-laktamasy MeSH
• kovy MeSH
• Qnr protein, Klebsiella pneumoniae MeSH Prohlížeč

Quantum state tomography is both a crucial component in the field of quantum information and computation and a formidable task that requires an incogitable number of measurement configurations as the system dimension grows. We propose and experimentally carry out an intuitive adaptive compressive tomography scheme, inspired by the traditional compressed-sensing protocol in signal recovery, that tremendously reduces the number of configurations needed to uniquely reconstruct any given quantum state without any additional a priori assumption whatsoever (such as rank information, purity, etc.) about the state, apart from its dimension.

• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH