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Sound source localization for machines has been studied in microphone array and binaural paradigms in most cases, while much less work has been done in the single-microphone or monaural paradigm. This paper addresses this task and presents a system designed to classify azimuths of a speech-emitting source with respect to a binaural receiver, however using only one of its ears. The system uses the spectrum second derivative approximation calculated on short duration frames and based on a bank of gammatone filters, in conjunction with a classifier artificial neural network. It is tested to explore its abilities and the influence of different parameters on its performances. True recognition rates and confusion matrices are reported in different evaluations studying the effects of the frame duration, filterbank size, silence elimination, generalization capabilities and source movement. Reported results show an ability to classify azimuths correctly up to a certain extent depending on the parameters used, with confusions occurring mostly with neighboring azimuths. The presented system can be built upon for more efficient localization of speech sources in both azimuth and elevation components.

This research explores the integration of the Dry Sensor Interface-24 (DSI-24) EEG headset with a ChatGPT-enabled Furhat robot to monitor cognitive stress in video gaming environments. The DSI-24, a cutting-edge, wireless EEG device, is adept at rapidly capturing brainwave activity, making it particularly suitable for dynamic settings such as gaming. Our study leverages this technology to detect cognitive stress indicators in players by analyzing EEG data. The collected data are then interfaced with a ChatGPT-powered Furhat robot, which performs dual roles: guiding players through the data collection process and prompting breaks when elevated stress levels are detected. The core of our methodology is the real-time processing of EEG signals to determine players’ focus levels, using a mental focusing feature extracted from the EEG data. The work presented here discusses how technology, data analysis methods and their combined effects can improve player satisfaction and enhance gaming experiences. It also explores the obstacles and future possibilities of using EEG for monitoring video gaming environments.

Social robots are being conceived with different characteristics and being used in different applications. The growth of social robotics benefits from advances in fabrication, sensing, and actuation technologies, as well as signal processing and artificial intelligence. This paper presents a design and implementation of the humanoid robotic platform Adam, consisting of a motorized human-like head with precise movements of the eyes, jaw, and neck, together with capabilities of face tracking and vocal conversation using ChatGPT. Adam relies on 3D-printed parts together with a microphone, a camera, and proper servomotors, and it has high structural integrity and flexibility. Adam’s control framework consists of an adequate signal exploitation and motor command strategy that allows efficient social interactions. Adam is an innovative platform that combines manufacturability, user-friendliness, low costs, acceptability, and sustainability, offering advantages compared with other platforms. Indeed, the platform’s hardware and software components are adjustable and allow it to increase its abilities and adapt them to different applications in a variety of roles. Future work will entail the development of a body for Adam and the addition of skin-like materials to enhance its human-like appearance.

Three decades ago, telepresence was presented as an idea in the context of remote work and manipulation. Since then, it has evolved into a field combining different technologies and allowing users to have more or less realistic perceptions of immersion in remote environments. This paper reviews telepresence and its recent advances. While not covering all the work conducted in telepresence, this paper provides an array of applications for which telepresence can be envisioned, providing a clear view of the differences between components and functionalities of robotic platforms conceived for telepresence and pointing to the dependence of telepresence on several technological areas. Furthermore, challenges faced by telepresence technologies are shown, with consideration of user experiences. We consider telepresence from different perspectives, focusing on specific parts, making it possible to foresee future directions of research and applications. This review will be useful for researchers working in telepresence and related fields.

Recurrence and metastasis are the major causes of mortality in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). It is suggested that cancer stem cells (CSCs) play pivotal roles in recurrence and metastasis. Thus, a greater understanding of the mechanisms of CSC regulation may provide opportunities to develop novel therapies for improving survival by controlling recurrence or metastasis. Here, we report that overexpression of the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of PI3K (PIK3CA), the most frequently amplified oncogene in HNSCC, promotes epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition and enriches the CSC population. However, PIK3CA is not required to maintain these traits and inhibition of the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway paradoxically promotes CSC population. Molecular analysis revealed that overexpression of PIK3CA activates multiple receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), in which ephrin receptors (Ephs), tropomyosin receptor kinases (TRK) and mast/stem cell growth factor receptor (c‐Kit) contribute to maintain CSC population. Accordingly, simultaneous inhibition of these RTKs using a multi‐kinase inhibitor ponatinib has a superior effect at eliminating the CSC population and reduces metastasis of PIK3CA‐overexpressing HNSCC cells. Our result suggests that co‐targeting of Ephs, TRKs and the c‐Kit pathway may be effective at eliminating the PI3K‐independent CSC population, thereby providing potential targets for future development of a novel anti‐CSC therapeutic approach for HNSCC patients, particularly for patients with PIK3CA amplification.

Over decades, social robotics has evolved as a concept that presently covers different areas of application, and interacts with different domains in technology, education, medicine and others. Today, it is possible to envision social robots in tasks that were not expected years ago, and that is not only due to the evolution of social robots, but also to the evolution of the vision humans have for them. This survey addresses recent advances in social robotics from different perspectives. Different contexts and areas of application of social robots are addressed, as well as modalities of interaction with humans. Different robotic platforms used in social contexts are shown and discussed. Relationships of social robotics with advances in other technological areas are surveyed, and methods and metrics used for the human evaluation of the interaction with robots are presented. The future of social robotics is also envisioned based on surveyed works and from different points of view.

Salivary gland tumor (SGT) is a rare tumor type, which exhibits broad-spectrum phenotypic, biological, and clinical heterogeneity. Currently, the molecular mechanisms that cause SGT pathogenesis remain poorly understood. A lack of animal models that faithfully recapitulate the naturally occurring process of human SGTs has hampered research progress on this field. In this report, we developed an inducible keratin 5-driven conditional knockout mouse model to delete gene(s) of interest in murine salivary gland upon local RU486 delivery. We have deleted two major tumor suppressors, Pten, a negative regulator of the PI3K pathway, and Smad4, the central signaling mediator of TGFβ pathway, in the murine salivary gland. Our results have shown that deletion of either Pten or Smad4 in murine salivary gland resulted in pleomorphic adenomas, the most common tumor in human SGT patients. Deletion of both Pten and Smad4 in murine salivary gland developed several malignancies, with salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) being the most frequently seen. Molecular characterization showed that SACC exhibited mTOR activation and TGFβ1 overexpression. Examination of human SGT clinical samples revealed that loss of Pten and Smad4 is common in human SACC samples, particularly in the most aggressive solid form, and is correlated with survival of SACC patients, highlighting the human relevance of the murine models. In summary, our results offer significant insight into synergistic role of Pten and Smad4 in SGT, providing a rationale for targeting mTOR and/or TGFβ signaling to control SGT formation and progression.

Electrical biosignals have the potential for use as biometric authenticators, owing to their ability to facilitate liveness detection and concealed nature. In this work, the viability of using surface electromyogram (sEMG) as a biometric modality for users verification is investigated. A database of multi-channel sEMG signals is created using a wearable armband from able-bodied users. Each user used his/her muscles to form a password that consists of a unique combination of specific hand gestures. A total of 18 features are extracted from the signals in order to distinguish between the users. Several features are extracted in the frequency domain after estimating the power spectral density while using the Welch’s method. Specifically, average frequency, signal power, median frequency, Kurtosis, Deciles, coefficient of dissymmetry, and the peak frequency of the sEMG signal are considered. To further increase the accuracy of the classifier, time domain features are also extracted through segmentation of the signal into 10 segments, and then calculating both the root mean square and length of the signal. Several classifiers that are based on K-nearest Neighbors (KNN), Linear Discernment Analysis (LDA), and Ensemble of Classifiers are constructed, trained, and statistically compared, resulting in an average accuracy in 97.4%, 98.3%, and 98.5%, respectively. False acceptance rate (FAR) and False Rejection Rate (FRR) are estimated for each classifier in order to determine the effectiveness of the biometrics verification system. Although the ensemble classifier accuracy was found to be the highest, the results show that the KNN classifier exhibits a FAR of 0.2% and FRR of 2.9%. Thus, the KNN classifier was found to he the optimum classifier after the extraction of all 18 features. This work demonstrates the usefulness of sEMG as a biometric authenticator in user verification.

In this paper, a customizable wearable 3D-printed bionic arm is designed, fabricated, and optimized for a right arm amputee. An experimental test has been conducted for the user, where control of the artificial bionic hand is accomplished successfully using surface electromyography (sEMG) signals acquired by a multi-channel wearable armband. The 3D-printed bionic arm was designed for the low cost of 295 USD, and was lightweight at 428 g. To facilitate a generic control of the bionic arm, sEMG data were collected for a set of gestures (fist, spread fingers, wave-in, wave-out) from a wide range of participants. The collected data were processed and features related to the gestures were extracted for the purpose of training a classifier. In this study, several classifiers based on neural networks, support vector machine, and decision trees were constructed, trained, and statistically compared. The support vector machine classifier was found to exhibit an 89.93% success rate. Real-time testing of the bionic arm with the optimum classifier is demonstrated.

Sinonasal malignant neoplasms comprise only 3% of all head and neck malignancies. Synchronous and metachronous tumors of the head and neck have been described, but rarely have there been reports of a single tumor with two distinct histologies. Here, we describe a case of a sinonasal malignant neoplasm with two distinct histologies. A case report and literature review was performed. We present a case of paranasal sinus neoplasm involving two malignant cell types. An 83-year-old woman presented with a 2-year history of symptoms suggestive of chronic sinusitis, which included nasal congestion and intermittent midface pressure. More recently, her symptoms progressed with the development of left-side epistaxis and she was found to have a mass in the left maxillary and ethmoid regions. A biopsy of the maxillary sinus mass revealed a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). She underwent complete resection of the lesion through an extended endoscopic approach. Final pathological analysis showed a malignant neoplasm with two distinct malignant morphologies; a moderately differentiated SCC and small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of head and neck malignancy depends on accurate tumor classification and staging. We present a case of a sinonasal tumor with two distinct malignant entities and review the available literature on the subject. Additionally, we discuss the etiologic theories and challenges in planning the optimal approach to management in this scenario.

Radiation is a primary or secondary therapeutic modality for treatment of head and neck cancer. A common side effect of irradiation to the neck and neck region is xerostomia caused by salivary gland dysfunction. Approximately 40,000 new cases of xerostomia result from radiation treatment in the United States each year. The ensuing salivary gland hypofunction results in significant morbidity and diminishes the effectiveness of anti-cancer therapies as well as the quality of life for these patients. Previous studies in a rat model have shown no correlation between induction of apoptosis in the salivary gland and either the immediate or chronic decrease in salivary function following gamma-radiation treatment.A significant level of apoptosis can be detected in the salivary glands of FVB mice following gamma-radiation treatment of the head and neck and this apoptosis is suppressed in transgenic mice expressing an activated mutant of Akt (myr-Akt1). Importantly, this suppression of apoptosis in myr-Akt1 mice preserves salivary function, as measured by saliva output, three and thirty days after gamma-radiation treatment. In order to translate these studies into a preclinal model we found that intravenous injection of IGF1 stimulated activation of endogenous Akt in the salivary glands in vivo. A single injection of IGF1 prior to exposure to gamma-radiation diminishes salivary acinar cell apoptosis and completely preserves salivary gland function three and thirty days following irradiation.These studies suggest that apoptosis of salivary acinar cells underlies salivary gland hypofunction occurring secondary to radiation of the head and neck region. Targeted delivery of IGF1 to the salivary gland of patients receiving head and neck irradiation may be useful in reducing or eliminating xerostomia and restoring quality of life to these patients.

There has been a growing interest in the organizational and individual factors that affect employees green behaviors. However, it is necessary to examine their interactive effect in order to help clarify the mechanism by which such behaviors are developed and how they could be better reinforced. To address this issue, we have developed and tested a dynamic model of the interactions among responsible leadership, psychological ownership, and green moral identity in predicting employees green behavior. Empirical data were collected from 292 employees working in one of the holding companies, Egypt. The results support the hypothesized model, in which responsible leadership is a significant predictor of employees green behaviors. Moreover, it was found that psychological ownership significantly mediates the relationship between responsible leadership and such behaviors, while green moral identity significantly moderated that relationship. The theoretical and managerial implications of results are discussed. Primarly, organizations should reinforce leaders' sense of commitment toward protecting the environment. In turn, leaders should instil the concept of environmentalism as a continuous way of life in workplace culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To describe the outcomes of a case series of patients who underwent a novel technique for managing macroperforation during deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK). Methods: Nine eyes of 9 patients with advanced keratoconus who underwent DALK comprised the case series. A macroperforation occurred in all eyes during DALK. The stromal patch suturing technique was used to manage all cases; a large piece of the previously excised stromal tissue was sutured to the edge of the trephine to seal the perforation. The technical aspects of the procedure are described and data are presented on the visual outcomes, endothelial microscopy, and postoperative complications at last postoperative visit (average 18 months; range, 7 to 23 months). Results: All 9 cases were managed successfully with the stromal patch suturing technique. Postoperatively, the graft was clear in all cases. At day 1, seven eyes had a Descemet's membrane detachment, 3 of these eyes resolved spontaneously within 2 weeks and 4 required air bubble injection for successful reattachment. At last follow up seven eyes had a corrected distance visual acuity of 20/30 or better and 2 eyes had 20/40 vision. The average endothelial cell count was 2162 cell/mm2. There were no cases with excessive inflammation or vascularisation during the postoperative follow-up. Conclusion: The stromal patch suturing technique was successfully used to manage intraoperative macroperforation during DALK. This technique resulted in endothelial changes that were consistent with uncomplicated DALK and function visual acuity of 20/40 or better in all cases with no postoperative sequelae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVEThe incidence of occult nodal metastases associated with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and the clinical significance of nodal micrometastases by cytokeratin immunohistochemical analysis are examined.STUDY DESIGNIn all, 1012 lymph nodes from 50 patients treated between 1992 and 2001 at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (Denver, CO) were evaluated retrospectively for micrometastases.METHODSSerial sectioning in 5-to 6-μm interval specimens stained either with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) or immunostaining for cytokeratins using the monoclonal antibody cocktail AE1/AE3 was performed in 21 N0, 11 N1, and 14 N2 patient cases. Cases that showed scattered cells with suspect staining qualities but without morphological features consistent with HNSCC were further evaluated by epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) immunohistochemical analysis.RESULTSH&E-stained and cytokeratin-stained sections revealed occult nodal micrometastases in 3.8% of N0 and 5% of N1 cases. Overall, 26 micrometastases were identified in N0 and N1 patients, causing 29% of N0 patients and 45% of N1 patients to be upstaged. Cytokeratin immunostaining detected micrometastases in eight cases that were negative on H&E serial sectioning. Serial sectioning by H&E alone identified three additional micrometastases. Negative EMA immunostaining confirmed the absence of malignant cells in lymph node sections that were equivocal on cytokeratin staining.CONCLUSIONSThe use of serial sectioning with H&E and cytokeratin immunohistochemical analysis increases the detection of micrometastases that are often elusive by routine processing in patients with HNSCC. Improved methods of detecting micrometastases may provide a basis for improved planning of postoperative therapy for patients already at risk for tumor recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Endoscopic ultrasound with fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) has become the standard of care in the evaluation of solid pancreatic lesions. Limited data exist on interobserver agreement (IOA) among cytopathologists in assessing solid pancreatic EUS-FNA specimens. This study aimed to evaluate IOA among cytopathologists in assessing EUS-FNA cytology specimens of solid pancreatic lesions using a novel standardized scoring system and to assess individual clinical and cytologic predictors of IOA. Methods: Consecutive patients who underwent EUS-FNA of solid pancreatic lesions at a tertiary care referral center were included. EUS-FNA slides were evaluated by four blinded cytopathologists using a standardized scoring system that assessed final cytologic diagnosis and quantitative (number of nucleated/diagnostic cells) and qualitative (bloodiness, inflammation/necrosis, contamination, artifact) cytologic parameters. Final clinical diagnosis was based on final cytology, surgical pathology, or 1-year clinical follow-up. IOA was calculated using multi-rater kappa (κ) statistics. Bivariate analyses were performed comparing cases with and without uniform agreement among the cytopathologists followed by logistic regression with backward elimination to model likelihood of uniform agreement. Results: Ninety-nine patients were included (49 % males, mean age 64 years, mean lesion size 26 mm). IOA for final diagnosis was moderate (κ = 0.45, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.4 – 0.49) with minimal improvement when combining suspicious and malignant diagnoses (κ = 0.54, 95 %CI 0.49 – 0.6). The weighted kappa value for overall diagnosis was 0.65 (95 %CI 0.54 – 0.76). IOA was slight to fair (κ = 0.04 – 0.32) for individual cytologic parameters. A final clinical diagnosis of malignancy was the most significant predictor of agreement [OR 3.99 (CI 1.52 – 10.49)]. Conclusions: Interobserver agreement among cytopathologists for pancreatic EUS-FNA specimens is moderate-substantial for the final cytologic diagnosis. The final clinical diagnosis of malignancy was the strongest predictor of agreement. These results have significant implications for patient management and need to be validated in future trials.

Background Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a skin condition characterized by necrotic ulcers and most commonly occurs on the legs in association with inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis; however, PG rarely involves the head and neck, and very rarely causes nasal septal perforation. Objective Here, we describe a case report of PG causing nasal septal perforation in a 71-year-old male with truncal lesions in the absence of either inflammatory bowel disease or autoimmune arthritis. Methods Case report with histologic description. Results Histology from nasal mucosal biopsies showed chronic inflammation and reactive change without evidence of malignancy. Together with serologic and nonserologic testing, as well as clinical evaluation, we were able to rule out other causes of septal perforation including Wegener's granulomatosis, lymphoma, and vasculitis, and concluded that the cause of nasal septal perforation was most likely PG. Conclusion Septal perforation etiology should include a complete history and physical to evaluate for systemic etiologies, including rare ones such as PG.

Purpose: To describe the outcomes of a case series of patients who underwent a novel technique for managing macroperforation during deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK)., Methods: Nine eyes of 9 patients with advanced keratoconus who underwent DALK comprised the case series. A macroperforation occurred in all eyes during DALK. The stromal patch suturing technique was used to manage all cases; a large piece of the previously excised stromal tissue was sutured to the edge of the trephine to seal the perforation. The technical aspects of the procedure are described and data are presented on the visual outcomes, endothelial microscopy, and postoperative complications at last postoperative visit (average 18 months; range, 7 to 23 months)., Results: All 9 cases were managed successfully with the stromal patch suturing technique. Postoperatively, the graft was clear in all cases. At day 1, seven eyes had a Descemet's membrane detachment, 3 of these eyes resolved spontaneously within 2 weeks and 4 required air bubble injection for successful reattachment. At last follow up seven eyes had a corrected distance visual acuity of 20/30 or better and 2 eyes had 20/40 vision. The average endothelial cell count was 2162 cell/mm 2 . There were no cases with excessive inflammation or vascularisation during the postoperative follow-up., Conclusion: The stromal patch suturing technique was successfully used to manage intraoperative macroperforation during DALK. This technique resulted in endothelial changes that were consistent with uncomplicated DALK and function visual acuity of 20/40 or better in all cases with no postoperative sequelae., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2019 Nasr Hashem et al.)