Micro-computed tomography for assessing the internal and external voids of bulk-fill composite restorations: A technical report

none6noopenTosco, Vincenzo; Monterubbianesi, Riccardo; Furlani, Michele; Giuliani, Alessandra; Putignano, Angelo; Orsini, GiovannaTosco, Vincenzo; Monterubbianesi, Riccardo; Furlani, Michele; Giuliani, Alessandra; Putignano, Angelo; Orsini, Giovann

Four-Round Black-Box Non-Malleable Commitments from One-Way Permutations

We construct the first four-round non-malleable commitment scheme based solely on the black-box use of one-to-one one-way functions. Prior to our work, all non-malleable commitment schemes based on black-box use of polynomial-time cryptographic primitives require more than $16$ rounds of interaction. A key tool for our construction is a proof system that satisfies a new definition of security that we call non-malleable zero-knowledge with respect to commitments. In a nutshell, such a proof system can be safely run in parallel with a (potentially interactive) commitment scheme. We provide an instantiation of this tool using the MPC-in-the-Head approach in combination with BMR

Actively Secure 1-out-of-N OT Extension with Application to Private Set Intersection

This paper describes a 1-out-of-N oblivious transfer (OT) extension protocol with active security, which achieves very low overhead compared with the passively secure protocol of Kolesnikov and Kumaresan (Crypto 2011). Our protocol obtains active security using a consistency check which requires only simple computation and has a communication overhead that is independent of the total number of OTs to be produced. We prove its security in both the random oracle model and the standard model, assuming a variant of correlation robustness. We describe an implementation, which demonstrates our protocol only incurs an overhead of around 5–30% on top of the passively secure protocol. Random 1-out-of-N OT is a key building block in recent, very efficient, passively secure private set intersection (PSI) protocols. Our random OT extension protocol has the interesting feature that it even works when N is exponentially large in the security parameter, provided that the sender only needs to obtain polynomially many outputs. We show that this can be directly applied to improve the performance of PSI, allowing the core private equality test and private set inclusion subprotocols to be carried out using just a single OT each. This leads to a reduction in communication of up to 3 times for the main component of PSI

Microleakage Analysis of Different Bulk-Filling Techniques for Class II Restorations: µ-CT, SEM and EDS Evaluations

none8This study aimed to compare two different bulk-filling techniques, evaluating the internal and external adaptation of class II resin-composite restorations, by analysing the gap formation using microcomputed tomography (µ-CT) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Two standardized mesio/disto-occlusal (MO/DO) cavities were prepared in eight extracted human third molars that were divided, according to the filling technique used, in the following two groups (n = 4): BG (Bulk&Go group) and BT (Bulk Traditional group). After universal bonding application, followed by the light curing, all teeth were restored using a bulk-fill composite. Specimens were scanned with µ-CT to evaluate 3D interfacial gaps. Acquired µ-CT data were analysed to quantify the gap formation. Complementary information to the µ-CT analysis were obtained by SEM. Thereafter, the chemical composition of tooth-restoration interface was analysed using EDS. The µ-CT analysis revealed gaps formation at the tooth-restoration interface for both the BG and BT groups, while within the restoration, only in the BT group there was evidence of microleakage formation. The scanning electron micrographs of both groups showed that the external marginal integrity of the restoration was preserved, while EDS showed the three different structures (tooth surface, adhesive layer and resin composite) of the tooth-restoration interface, highlighting the absence of gap formation. In both BG and BT, the two filling techniques did not show significant differences regarding the internal and external marginal adaptation of the restoration. To achieve a successful restoration, the clinician could be advised to restore a class II cavity using a single increment bulk-filling technique (BG), thus treating it as a class I cavity.openTosco, Vincenzo; Vitiello, Flavia; Furlani, Michele; Gatto, Maria Laura; Monterubbianesi, Riccardo; Giuliani, Alessandra; Orsini, Giovanna; Putignano, AngeloTosco, Vincenzo; Vitiello, Flavia; Furlani, Michele; Gatto, Maria Laura; Monterubbianesi, Riccardo; Giuliani, Alessandra; Orsini, Giovanna; Putignano, Angel

Multidisciplinary evaluation of the remineralization potential of three fluoride-based toothpastes on natural white spot lesions.

OBJECTIVES This in vitro study aimed assessing the remineralization potential of three commercial fluoride-based toothpastes in permanent teeth with natural white spot lesions (WSLs). A multidisciplinary approach based on Raman microspectroscopy (RMS), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Vickers microhardness (VMH) was exploited. METHODS N = 12 human molars with natural WSLs in the proximal-vestibular zone were selected and divided into 4 groups (n = 3) according to the different treatments: HAF (hydroxyapatite with fluoride ions); SMF (sodium monofluorophosphate with arginine); SF (sodium fluoride with enzymes), and CTRL (untreated group). All toothpastes tested contained 1450 ppm of fluoride. Teeth samples were submitted to the following protocol: a 7-day pH cycling treatment, with two daily exposures (2 min each time) to the commercial toothpastes described above. The surface micromorphology (SEM), the chemical/elemental composition (RMS and EDS), and the Vickers microhardness (VMH) were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS A remarkable remineralization of WSLs in SEM images was observed in all treated groups compared to CTRL. In particular, HAF and SF displayed higher values of VMH, phosphates amount (I960), crystallinity (FWHM960), and lower ones of C/P (I1070/I960) with respect to CTRL. Intermediate values were found in SMF, higher than CTRL but lower with respect to HAF and SF. As regards the Ca/P ratio, statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between SF and the other groups. CONCLUSIONS All the tested dentifrices have shown to remineralize the WSLs. SF and HAF have comparable capability in hardness recovery and crystallinity; however, SF shows the best remineralizing potential according to both micromorphological and chemical analyses. Clinical relevance The daily use of toothpastes containing hydroxyapatite partially replaced with fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate with arginine and sodium fluoride toothpaste associated with enzymes represents a preventive, therapeutic, effective, and non-invasive tool for remineralize WSLs

UrbanFarm 2023: Integrating social, economic and environmental sustainability pillars for sustainable food systems and urban regeneration

Nowadays, with the current and foreseen scenario of urbanization and world population growth, urban agriculture (UA) represents an opportunity and a strategy to improve food production and supply, local economy, social integration, environmental sustainability as well as health conditions. Within this context, UA can reach and integrate the three pillars of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. For these reasons, UA has become a popular and common urban land use form worldwide in many cities. Indeed, in recent times, UA projects have spread across the world, guided as well as supported by governments and born by community-based initiatives. These projects may have a great variability: they range from low to high technological UA projects or they may have different purposes, being projects with a purely social and educational purpose or instead mainly devoted to food production and environmental services. Therefore, UA brings together multidisciplinary fields and opportunities. To facilitate a wider uptake of innovative policies and instruments for the promotion of the sustainable goals associated with UA, it is fundamental to first create and raise awareness both between institutional stakeholders as well as civil society through innovative and interdisciplinary approaches

VertiFarm2024 - Book of Abstracts

Vertical farming, growing plants on multiple layers or upright surfaces, in enclosed climate controlled chambers and supplemented with artificial lighting technologies, is reshaping current agriculture. This revolutionary way of food production may substantially impact our knowledge on plant biology and physiology, cultivation systems and resource use. Beyond the hype toward this new sector, a clear need for successful cooperation between industry and research is pivotal to ensure feasibility and sustainability of the technology. The International Workshop on Vertical Farming (abbreviated as VertiFarm from its 1st edition, in 2019, followed by a 2nd event in 2023) is a recurring workshop within the portfolio of scientific dissemination and communication events of the International Society for Horticultural Sciences (ISHS), the World's leading independent organization of horticulturists with a network of over 70,000 individuals, universities, governments, institutions, libraries and commercial companies. At VertiFarm, experts from diversified World regions and with cross-disciplinary backgrounds encounter entrepreneurs, policy makers and investors to exchange on priorities and challenges of the sector. Its mission is to shed light on innovation technologies and pave the way for the future evolution of the sector. The content of the 3rd International Workshop on Vertical Farming (#VertiFarm2024) are condensed in the following pages, where an effort was made to summarize the many diverse (though all significant) steps research and industry are advancing toward a viable vertical farming sector, ranging from the single technologies to the whole food system approach. Thematic sessions, business panels, workshop, technical visits and a dense agenda of social and networking events constitute the solid framework of the workshop series, as clearly visible in the agenda of this VertiFarm2024 edition. We sincerely hope you will enjoy the workshop and look forward to meet and exchange with you in the coming days