Social inclusion of robots depends on the way a robot is presented to observers

Abstract Research has shown that people evaluate others according to specific categories. As this phenomenon seems to transfer from human–human to human–robot interactions, in the present study we focused on (1) the degree of prior knowledge about technology, in terms of theoretical background and technical education, and (2) intentionality attribution toward robots, as factors potentially modulating individuals' tendency to perceive robots as social partners. Thus, we designed a study where we asked two samples of participants varying in their prior knowledge about technology to perform a ball-tossing game, before and after watching a video where the humanoid iCub robot was depicted either as an artificial system or as an intentional agent. Results showed that people were more prone to socially include the robot after observing iCub presented as an artificial system, regardless of their degree of prior knowledge about technology. Therefore, we suggest that the way the robot was presented, and not the prior knowledge about technology, is likely to modulate individuals' tendency to perceive the robot as a social partner

ERP markers of action planning and outcome monitoring in human – robot interaction

The present study aimed to examine event-related potentials (ERPs) of action planning and outcome monitoring in human-robot interaction. To this end, participants were instructed to perform costly actions (i.e. losing points) to stop a balloon from inflating and to prevent its explosion. They performed the task alone (individual condition) or with a robot (joint condition). Similar to findings from human-human interactions, results showed that action planning was affected by the presence of another agent, robot in this case. Specifically, the early readiness potential (eRP) amplitude was larger in the joint, than in the individual, condition. The presence of the robot affected also outcome perception and monitoring. Our results showed that the P1/N1 complex was suppressed in the joint, compared to the individual condition when the worst outcome was expected, suggesting that the presence of the robot affects attention allocation to negative outcomes of one's own actions. Similarly, results also showed that larger losses elicited smaller feedback-related negativity (FRN) in the joint than in the individual condition. Taken together, our results indicate that the social presence of a robot may influence the way we plan our actions and also the way we monitor their consequences. Implications of the study for the human-robot interaction field are discussed

Eccrine poroma: dermoscopical and confocal features of five cases

Background: Eccrine poroma (EP) is a rare benign adnexal tumor arising from the intraepidermal ductal portion of the sweat gland. It commonly occurs as a single, slowly growing, erythematous, skin-colored, cyanotic or pigmented papule, plaques or nodule. EP occurs usually at the acral sites, but it can develop in other cutaneous sites. It may occasionally mimic malignant tumors including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe dermoscopical and confocal features of EP. Methods: A retrospective analysis of the dermoscopical and confocal characteristics of EP was performed. All diagnosis were confirmed by histological examination. Results: A total of 5 cases of non-pigmented EP was analysed. Dermoscopic evaluation found in all lesions a polymorphous vascular pattern, including at least two type of vessels: hairpin (80%), linear (60%), leaf-like (60%), flower-like (40%) and glomerular (40%) vessels. A white-to-pink halo surrounding the vessels was found in 40% of the lesions. Multiple pink-white structureless areas were found in 4 out of 5 (80%) cases. Only in 2 cases irregular haemorrhagic and blue-white areas were also observed. Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM) revealed the presence of well-demarcated hyporefractile tumor nests, dark holes corresponding to areas of ductal differentiation within the tumor and highly vascularized stroma in all 5 lesions. Conclusions: The great clinical variability of EP gives reason of the appellative of “big simulator”. Dermoscopy does not revealed univocal features except from “leaf-flower-like” vessels that have not been described in other types of skin tumors. This characteristic, when presents, may be considered an useful clue for the diagnosis. RCM examination of EP revealed features (hyporefractile tumor nests and dark holes) that relate with their histopathological findings. Dermoscopy and RCM improve the diagnostic accuracy and help for diagnosis, although they cannot replace histology that is still required

A recalcitrant case of folliculitis decalvans: imaging and treatment options

Folliculitis decalvans (FD) is a rare form of scarring alopecia, presenting with tufted hairs, follicular papules or pustules. It is the most common of neutrophilic alopecia, often associated with pruritus and pain. Currently, the cause of FD is still unknown. Scalp colonization by staphylococcus aureus seems to induce a severe inflammatory reaction with consequent destruction of hair follicles. All patients with active FD should be treated because the disease destroys hair follicles and causes permanent hair loss. Multiple treatments exist, but often provide only transitory or modest improvement. For this reason FD can negatively affect patient’s quality of life. A 46-year-old man presented with 15-year history of FD characterized by recurrent purulent follicular lesion on occipital side of the scalp and consequent scarring alopecia. His medical history was unremarkable, but he was distressed by the appearance of the lesions and hair loss. He was treated with different therapies such as doxycycline, rifampicin and hydroxychloroquine with poor results. He underwent two sessions of photodynamic treatment with methyl aminolevulinate at 2-week interval. At first, he was achieved benefit, but after 2 months there was recurrence and further progression of the disease. Based on literature reports, we decided to treat with long-pulse ND:Yag laser. We started at 30 J/cm2 and then we improved dose until 80 J/cm2. A total of 7 treatments in an 8-12 weeks inter-treatment interval were performed with successfully outcome, without relapse for more than 18 months of follow up. We monitored scalp inflammation with reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) during patient’s treatment. Both technologies represent non-invasive diagnostic tool and their application on inflammatory skin diseases has increased in the last years. ND:Yag laser is useful therapy option in the treatment of recalcitrant FD. Our experience allowed us to monitor the evolution of inflammatory reaction, confirmed treatment’s efficacy over the clinical examination

Action-space coding in social contexts

In two behavioural experiments we tested whether performing a spatial task along with another agent changes space representation by rendering some reference frames more/less salient than others. To this end, we used a Simon task in which stimuli were presented in four horizontal locations thus allowing for spatial coding according to multiple frames of reference. In Experiment 1 participants performed a go/no-go Simon task along another agent, each being in charge of one response. In Experiment 2 they performed a two-choice Simon task along another agent, each being in charge of two responses. Results showed that when participants were in charge of only one response, stimulus position was coded only with reference to the centre of the screen hence suggesting that the co-actor's response, or the position of the co-actor, was represented and used as a reference for spatial coding. Differently, when participants were in charge of two responses, no effect of the social context emerged and spatial coding relied on multiple frames of reference, similarly to when the Simon task is performed individually. These findings provide insights on the influence played by the interaction between the social context (i.e. the presence of others) and task features on individual performance

“Lambs” in wolves’ clothing: when basal cell carcinoma mimics melanoma, but it is detected by the use of reflectance confocal microscopy

Background Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most frequent non-melanoma skin cancer. There are some cases in which clinical and dermoscopic examinations do not allow to formulate a unique diagnosis and in particular can be difficult the differential diagnosis with melanoma. Reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) is a non-invasive technology, which allows an in vivo imaging of the skin with high resolution. Objectives We addressed our research to evaluate the reliability of the well-known RCM criteria for classic BCCs in a group of lesions with atypical dermoscopy presentation, possibly mimicking melanoma. Methods We retrospectively analyzed at RCM excised lesions presenting in dermoscopy ≥1 score at revisited 7-point checklist. The study population consisted of 177 cases showing no melanocytic RCM findings. Lesions were investigated for distinct non-melanocytic RCM features, while blinded from histopathology. Histopathology matching was performed before statistical analysis. Results Among the lesions classified at RCM with no-melanocytic characteristics, we recognized 34 cases, histopathological confirmed as BCCs (21 nodular BCCs and 13 superficial BCCs) and 143 cases classified as other lesions (DFs, SebKs, SCCs and others). The main features of nBCCs (with histopathological confirm) at RCM are peritumoral clefts (20/21 95,2%; p=0,037), peripheral palisading (19/21 90,5%; p=0,001), increased vascularization (20/21 95,2%; p=0,004). In sBCCs we found mild keratinocytic atypia (13/13 100%; p=<0,001), solar elastosis (12/13 92,3%; p=0,002), cords connected to epidermidis (9/13 69,2%; p=<0,001). Dendritic structures, nests of basaloid cells, inflammatory infiltrate can be seen in all tumors. Conclusions RCM classification proved high agreement with histopathology for BCCs with atypical dermoscopy presentations, allowing an early differential diagnosis and even identification of BCCs subtypes. RCM features in this group of lesions were similar to those described for typical cases of BCCs, and may drive clinicians decisions, helped them in the recognition of melanocytic and non melanocytic lesions, increasing the rate of accurate diagnoses and allowing better therapeutic management

Response Coordination Emerges in Cooperative but Not Competitive Joint Task

Effective social interactions rely on humans’ ability to attune to others within social contexts. Recently, it has been proposed that the emergence of shared representations, as indexed by the Joint Simon effect (JSE), might result from interpersonal coordination (Malone et al., 2014). The present study aimed at examining interpersonal coordination in cooperative and competitive joint tasks. To this end, in two experiments we investigated response coordination, as reflected in instantaneous cross-correlation, when co-agents cooperate (Experiment 1) or compete against each other (Experiment 2). In both experiments, participants performed a go/no-go Simon task alone and together with another agent in two consecutive sessions. In line with previous studies, we found that social presence differently affected the JSE under cooperative and competitive instructions. Similarly, cooperation and competition were reflected in co-agents response coordination. For the cooperative session (Experiment 1), results showed higher percentage of interpersonal coordination for the joint condition, relative to when participants performed the task alone. No difference in the coordination of responses occurred between the individual and the joint conditions when co-agents were in competition (Experiment 2). Finally, results showed that interpersonal coordination between co-agents implies the emergence of the JSE. Taken together, our results suggest that shared representations seem to be a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for interpersonal coordination

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum and reflectance confocal microscopy: report of two affected young sisters

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a rare inherited multisystem disorder that mainly affects skin, eyes and cardiovascular system. The associated clinical signs are due to progressive calcification of elastic fibres and blood vessels, despite normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in blood and urine. The first clinical description of the disease was done in 1881 by Rigal, and in 1896 it was named PXE by Darier. Transmission of the disease is autosomal recessive. PXE is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the ATP-binding cassette subfamily C member 6 (ABCC6) gene, which encodes a transmembrane transport ADP-dependent protein (MRP6). The gene is expressed predominantly in the liver and kidney, and found in low level in the tissue involved by PXE. The clinical expression of PXE is heterogeneous with considerable variation in age of onset, progression and severity of the disease, even in individuals of the same family with identical mutations. We present the case of two young sisters affected by PXE and the correlation between the histopathology and the reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM). Parents and brother carry one copy of the mutated gene, without showing signs and symptoms of the disorder. We report the main clinical aspects of PXE and we highlight the importance of early diagnosis of the disease for adequate therapeutical management of associated complications

Social categorization and joint attention: Interacting effects of age, sex, and social status.

In the present study, we examine how person categorization conveyed by the combination of multiple cues modulates joint attention. In three experiments, we tested the combinatory effect of age, sex, and social status on gaze-following behaviour and pro-social attitudes. In Experiments 1 and 2, young adults were required to perform an instructed saccade towards left or right targets while viewing a to-be-ignored distracting face (female or male) gazing left or right, that could belong to a young, middle-aged, or elderly adult of high or low social status. Social status was manipulated by semantic knowledge (Experiment 1) or through visual appearance (Experiment 2). Results showed a clear combinatory effect of person perception cues on joint attention (JA). Specifically, our results showed that age and sex cues interacted with social status information depending on the modality through which it was conveyed. In Experiment 3, we further investigated our results by testing whether the identities used in Experiments 1 and 2 triggered different pro-social behaviour. The results of Experiment 3 showed that the identities resulting as more distracting in Experiments 1 and 2 were also perceived as more in need and prompt helping behaviour. Taken together, our evidence shows a combinatorial effect of age, sex, and social status in modulating the gaze following behaviour, highlighting a complex and dynamic interplay between person categorization and joint attention

“Agnelli” vestiti da lupi: quando il carcinoma basocellulare imita il melanoma, ma viene smascherato dalla microscopia laser confocale

Background. Nella pratica clinica, molto spesso, l’esame clinico-dermoscopico del carcinoma basocellulare (BCC) non è sufficiente per una diagnosi corretta e la diagnosi differenziale si pone con il melanoma. La microscopia laser confocale (RCM) è una metodica di diagnosi non invasiva che consente di ottenere immagini in vivo ad alta risoluzione. Obiettivi. Nel nostro studio abbiamo valutato l'affidabilità dei ben noti criteri RCM per i classici BCC in un gruppo di lesioni con presentazione clinica e dermoscopica atipica. Metodi. Abbiamo analizzato retrospettivamente alla RCM tutte le lesioni asportate dal 2010 al 2016 con positività per almeno uno dei criteri dermoscopici della 7-point check list revisitata. Risultati. Tra le lesioni esaminate sono stati identificati 34 casi, confermati istologicamente come BCC (21 nodulari, 13 superficiali) e 143 casi classificati come altre lesioni (DF, Sebk, SCC e altri). Conclusioni. Le caratteristiche in RCM dei BCC che mimano dermoscopicamente il melanoma erano le stesse descritte per i classici BCC. Il nostro studio sottolinea l'importante ausilio della microscopia laser confocale nel corretto inquadramento diagnostico di neoplasie con differente comportamento biologico e nella conseguente gestione terapeutica