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Dynamic face stimuli are increasingly used in face perception research, as increasing evidence shows they are perceived differently from static photographs. One popular method for creating dynamic faces is the dynamic morph, which can animate the transition between expressions by blending two photographs together. Although morphs offer increased experimental control, their unnatural motion differs from the biological facial motion captured in video recordings. This study aimed to compare ratings of emotion intensity and genuineness in video recordings, dynamic morphs, and static photographs of happy, sad, fearful, and angry expressions. We found that video recordings were perceived to have greater emotional intensity than dynamic morphs, and video recordings of happy expressions were perceived as more genuine compared to happy dynamic morphs. Unexpectedly, static photographs and video recordings had similar ratings for genuineness and intensity. Overall, these results suggest that dynamic morphs may be an inappropriate substitute for video recordings, as they may elicit misleading dynamic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ombrotrophic peat core was collected in 2005 from Etang de la Gruère, Jura Mountains, Switzerland. The concentrations of nine among the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (i.e., acenaphthene, phenanthrene, fluorene, pyrene, fluoranthene, benzo[ jbk]fluoranthene, benzo[ a]pyrene, benzo[ ghi]perylene, and indeno[1,2,3- cd]pyrene) were determined in both bulk peat and corresponding humic acids (HA) samples by gas chromatography equipped with a mass spectrometry detector (GC-MS). The maximum PAHs concentrations in peat (around 1,250 μg Σ PAHs kg−1 dry matter) were found at 28–30 cm of depth, which correspond to ca. 1920–1930, when coal inputs to Switzerland reached their maximum level. Amongst the nine PAHs analyzed in the peat samples, pyrene (Pyr) was the predominant species, accounting for ca. 20–100% of the total PAHs throughout the profile. In the HA fraction, that represents 24.7% (average value) of the bulk peat, only phenanthrene (Phe), and sporadically Pyr and fluoranthene (Fth), were detected. In particular, HA showed Phe concentrations that were ten–150 times higher than corresponding bulk peat samples, thus suggesting its preservation against biodegradation due to the incorporation into HA molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]