Using Autoregressive Models for Real-Time Packet Loss Concealment in Networked Music Performance Applications

In Networked Music Performances (NMP), concealing the effects of lost/late packets on the quality of the playback audio stream is of pivotal importance to mitigate the impact of the resulting audio artifacts. Traditional packet loss concealment techniques implemented in standard audio codecs can be leveraged only at the price of an increased mouth-to-ear latency, which may easily exceed the strict delay requirements of NMP interactions. This paper investigates the adoption of a low-complexity prediction technique based on autoregressive models to fill audio gaps caused by missing packets. Numerical results show that the proposed approach outperforms packet loss concealment methods normally implemented in NMP systems, typically based on filling audio gaps with silence or repetition of the last received audio segment

Collection of Design Directions for the Realization of a Visual Interface with Haptic Feedback to Convey the Notion of Sonic Grain to DHH Students

This paper presents the results of a survey campaign aimed at distilling design directions for the realization of a visual interface with haptic feedback. The scope of the interface is to ease the conveyance of the concept of "sonic grain" to deaf and hard of hearing music students. Results from the questionnaire were leveraged for the realization of a prototype which exploits cross-modal associations among images, colors, sounds and textures to render different types of sonic grains and offer a multisensorial perceptual experience to the users. Such prototype represents a promising starting point for further investigation on how to jointly exploit visual, auditory and haptic feedback to support more inclusive pedagogical approaches to music teaching

Web-Based Networked Music Performances via WebRTC: A Low-Latency PCM Audio Solution

Nowadays, widely used videoconferencing software has been diffused even further by the social distancing measures adopted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. However, none of the Web-based solutions currently available support high-fidelity stereo audio streaming, which is a fundamental prerequisite for networked music applications. This is mainly because of the fact that the WebRTC RTCPeerConnection standard or Web-based audio streaming do not handle uncompressed audio formats. To overcome that limitation, an implementation of 16-bit pulse code modulation (PCM) stereo audio transmission on top of the WebRTC RTCDataChannel, leveraging Web Audio and AudioWorklets, is discussed. Results obtained with multiple configurations, browsers, and operating systems showthat the proposed approach outperforms theWebRTC RTCPeerConnection standard in terms of audio quality and latency, which in the authors' best case to date has been reduced to only 40 ms between twoMacBooks on a local area network

FPGA-based Low-Latency Audio Coprocessor for Networked Music Performance

Networked Music Performance (NMP) applications are acknowledged to be a particularly challenging field due to their stringent latency requirements and their demand for high audio quality. Most solutions developed in the last decades tried to overcome these obstacles by leveraging software approaches, that can introduce excessive time delays as a consequence of the general-purpose nature of the architectures on which they are implemented. Alternatively, a dedicated audio processor can be employed to minimize the mouth-to-ear latency.This paper presents the ongoing development of an hardware system that exploits an Application-Specific Instruction set Processor (ASIP) implemented on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) to accelerate audio sample management. Specifically, a Transport Triggered Architecture (TTA) is being investigated as a processor design that aligns well with the required application domains. Preliminary empirical results indicate that the proposed solution has the potential to achieve extremely low latency, compatible with NMP requirements. Further optimizations and enhancements are actively being pursued to address the yet open challenges posed by NMP applications

HiFiReM: un approccio unificato, web e nativo, per la didattica musicale remota

Le applicazioni professionali di trasmissione audio a bassa latenza finalizzate a supportare sessioni musicali in rete sono state tradizionalmente sviluppate come software nativi, specifici per ciascun sistema operativo, con conseguenti difficoltà di installazione, configurazione e utilizzo. Ciò ne ha ristretto l’uso ad una nicchia di musicisti esperti di informatica. Questo studio propone una implementazione fruibile via browser, realizzata sia come applicazione nativa sia come applicazione web, rivolta in particolar modo alla didattica musicale, al fine di facilitare lo svolgimento di sessioni musicali in rete con basso ritardo di trasmissione ed elevata qualità audio

Artificial intelligence in head and neck cancer diagnosis

Introduction: Artificial intelligence (AI) is currently being used to augment histopathological diagnostics in pathology. This systematic review aims to evaluate the evolution of these AI-based diagnostic techniques for diagnosing head and neck neoplasms. Materials and methods: Articles regarding the use of AI for head and neck pathology published from 1982 until March 2022 were evaluated based on a search strategy determined by a multidisciplinary team of pathologists and otolaryngologists. Data from eligible articles were summarized according to author, year of publication, country, study population, tumor details, study results, and limitations. Results: Thirteen articles were included according to inclusion criteria. The selected studies were published between 2012 and March 1, 2022. Most of these studies concern the diagnosis of oral cancer; in particular, 6 are related to the oral cavity, 2 to the larynx, 1 to the salivary glands, and 4 to head and neck squamous cell carcinoma not otherwise specified (NOS). As for the type of diagnostics considered, 12 concerned histopathology and 1 cytology. Discussion: Starting from the pathological examination, artificial intelligence tools are an excellent solution for implementing diagnosis capability. Nevertheless, today the unavailability of large training datasets is a main issue that needs to be overcome to realize the true potential

Keratocystoma of the parotid gland is rare and requires an integrated multidisciplinary approach: Report of a case and a literature review

not abstract availabl

Alpha-synuclein seeds in olfactory mucosa and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies

In patients with suspected dementia with Lewy bodies, the detection of the disease-associated alpha-synuclein in easily accessible tissues amenable to be collected using minimally invasive procedures remains a major diagnostic challenge. This approach has the potential to take advantage of modern molecular assays for the diagnosis of alpha-synucleinopathy and, in turn, to optimize the recruitment and selection of patients in clinical trials, using drugs directed at counteracting alpha-synuclein aggregation. In this study, we explored the diagnostic accuracy of alpha-synuclein real-time quaking-induced conversion assay by testing olfactory mucosa and CSF in patients with a clinical diagnosis of probable (n=32) or prodromal (n=5) dementia with Lewy bodies or mixed degenerative dementia (dementia with Lewy bodies/Alzheimer's disease) (n=6). Thirty-eight patients with non-alpha-synuclein-related neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (n=10), sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (n=10), progressive supranuclear palsy (n=8), corticobasal syndrome (n=1), fronto-temporal dementia (n=3) and other neurological conditions (n=6) were also included, as controls. All 81 patients underwent olfactory swabbing while CSF was obtained in 48 participants. At the initial blinded screening of olfactory mucosa samples, 38 out of 81 resulted positive while CSF was positive in 19 samples out of 48 analysed. After unblinding of the results, 27 positive olfactory mucosa were assigned to patients with probable dementia with Lewy bodies, five with prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies and three to patients with mixed dementia, as opposed to three out 38 controls. Corresponding results of CSF testing disclosed 10 out 10 positive samples in patients with probable dementia with Lewy bodies and six out of six with mixed dementia, in addition to three out of 32 for controls. The accuracy among results of real-time quaking-induced conversion assays and clinical diagnoses was 86.4% in the case of olfactory mucosa and 93.8% for CSF. For the first time, we showed that alpha-synuclein real-time quaking-induced conversion assay detects alpha-synuclein aggregates in olfactory mucosa of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies and with mixed dementia. Additionally, we provided preliminary evidence that the combined testing of olfactory mucosa and CSF raised the concordance with clinical diagnosis potentially to 100%. Our results suggest that nasal swabbing might be considered as a first-line screening procedure in patients with a diagnosis of suspected dementia with Lewy bodies followed by CSF analysis, as a confirmatory test, when the result in the olfactory mucosa is incongruent with the initial clinical diagnosis

Impact of lymph node ratio and number of lymph node metastases on survival and recurrence in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

IntroductionThe aim of this study is to assess the impact of lymph node ratio (LNR) and number of positive lymph nodes (NPLN) on mortality and recurrence rates in patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and methodsWe conducted a retrospective multicenter international study involving 24 Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery divisions. Disease-specific survival (DSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were evaluated as the main outcomes. The curves for DSS and DFS according to NPLN and LNR were analyzed to identify significant variations and establish specific cut-off values. Results2507 patients met the inclusion criteria. DSS and DFS were significantly different in the groups of patients stratified according to LNR and NPLN. The 5-year DSS and DFS based on LNR and NPLN demonstrated an improved ability to stratify patients when compared to pN staging. ConclusionOur data demonstrate the potential prognostic value of NPLN and LNR in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma