Potential of photodynamic therapy in the management of infectious oral diseases

In recent years there are more and more multi-drug resistant infections also at the oral level and this has led researchers to find alternative solutions to conventional pharmacology that have no impact on systemic health. Among these is photodynamic therapy, which has demonstrated efficacy both in vitro and in vivo, both in bacterial, viral (reducing recrudescence) and fungal infections, in particular Candida spp multidrug resistant

Deep-seated gravitational slope deformations in central Sardinia: insights into the geomorphological evolution

In this study, we analyse deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) in central Sardinia. The area is characterised by plateaus with a prominent limestone scarp overlying metamorphites. A comprehensive mapping of structural, karst, fluvial, and slope morphologies in Pardu and Ulassai valleys is presented herein. The uplift linked to the Plio-Pleistocene tectonic activity leads to high-slope topography, which favours gravitational processes, such as DSGSDs and rock-avalanches. Although DSGSD is a common phenomenon in the relief of the central Mediterranean region, it has never been studied in Sardinia. We describe the kinematic models and geomorphological evolution of DSGSD in Sardinia for the first time. The application of light detection and ranging, high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry, and geological, structural, and geomorphological surveys enabled a depth morphometric analysis and the development of interpretative three-dimensional models. The geo-structural setting and high relief energy associated with recent upliftment are the major controlling factors of DSGSDs

Evolution of deep-seated gravitational slope deformations in relation with uplift and fluvial capture processes in Central Eastern Sardinia (Italy)

Connections between Plio-Pleistocenic tectonic activity and geomorphological evolution were studied in the Pardu Valley and Quirra Valley (Ogliastra, East Sardinia). The intensive Quaternary tectonic activity in Sardinia linked to the opening of the Tyrrhenian Basin is known. In Eastern Sardinia, it manifests with an uplift that is recorded by geomorphological indicators, such as deep-seated gravitational slope deformation, fluvial captures, engraved valleys, waterfalls, and heterogeneous water drainage. The Pardu River flows from the NW toward the SE and then abruptly changes direction toward the NE. At this point, a capture elbow adjacent to the current head of the Quirra River is well developed. The Quirra River, in its upstream part, flows at altitudes approximately 200 m higher than the Pardu River. It also shows an oversized and over-flooded valley with respect to the catchment area upstream. This setting indicates that the Pardu River, which previously flowed south along the Quirra River, was captured by the Pelau River. We analyzed long-term landslides with lateral spreading and sackung characteristics, which involve giant carbonate blocks and underlying foliated metamorphites in both valleys. The use of LiDAR, high-resolution uncrewed aerial vehicle digital photogrammetry (UAV-DP), and geological, structural, and geomorphological surveys enabled a depth morphometric analysis and the creation of interpretative 3D models of DGSDs. Space-borne interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data using ERS and Sentinel-1 satellites identified downslope movement of up to 20 mm per year in both Pardu Valley flanks. Multi-source and multi-scale data showed that the state of activity of the DGSDs is closely linked to the geomorphological evolution of the catchment areas of the Rio Pardu and Rio Quirra. The intense post-capture erosion acted in the Rio Pardu Valley, giving it morphometric characteristics that were favorable to the current evolution of the DGSDs, while the Rio Quirra Valley presents paleo-DGSDs that have been fossilized by pre-capture terraced alluvial deposits

Fingerprint recognition with embedded presentation attacks detection: are we ready?

The diffusion of fingerprint verification systems for security applications makes it urgent to investigate the embedding of software-based presentation attack detection algorithms (PAD) into such systems. Companies and institutions need to know whether such integration would make the system more “secure” and whether the technology available is ready, and, if so, at what operational working conditions. Despite significant improvements, especially by adopting deep learning approaches to fingerprint PAD, current research did not state much about their effectiveness when embedded in fingerprint verification systems. We believe that the lack of works is explained by the lack of instruments to investigate the problem, that is, modeling the cause-effect relationships when two non-zero error-free systems work together. Accordingly, this paper explores the fusion of PAD into verification systems by proposing a novel investigation instrument: a performance simulator based on the probabilistic modeling of the relationships among the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) of the two individual systems when PAD and verification stages are implemented sequentially. As a matter of fact, this is the most straightforward, flexible, and widespread approach. We carry out simulations on the PAD algorithms’ ROCs submitted to the most recent editions of LivDet (2017-2019), the state-of-the-art NIST Bozorth3, and the top-level Veryfinger 12 matchers. Reported experiments explore significant scenarios to get the conditions under which fingerprint matching with embedded PAD can improve, rather than degrade, the overall personal verification performance

Self-propagating reactions for environmental protection: Treatment of wastes containing asbestos

A thermochemical process based on the occurrence of self-propagating reactions that is able to convert asbestos fibers into harmless, nonfibrous species is proposed. Specifically, a mixture consisting of a waste (containing about 85 wt % of chrysotile), ferric oxide, and magnesium is able, once locally ignited by a thermal source, to generate a self-propagating reaction that travels through the mixture without requiring additional energy. The process is accompanied by a dramatic change in the material from both the chemical and microstructural points of view. In addition, front velocity and maximum combustion temperature decrease as the amount of waste in the starting mixture increases, with the self-propagating character being maintained if the waste content is equal to or below 60 wt %. It is also observed that, when nonasbestos (nontoxic) materials, i.e., sepiolite and glass fibers, are used instead of the hazardous waste, the front velocity, combustion temperature, propagation limits, and apparent activation energies are found to be very similar to those observed in the case of asbestos

Epigenetic mechanisms in oral cancer: new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies

Complexity and heterogeneity are frequently present during the development and progression of carcinogenesis and, in the last 15 years, significant progress made in clinical research underlines the role of some epigenetic mechanisms. The most important characteristics of the epigenetic concept are that these events are reversible, not related to modifications in the structure of DNA and may drive fundamental cell signaling alterations1. Among these systems of communication in normal and pathological conditions, also microbiome and staminal cells2 seem to be important. These new profiles of pathological communication develop novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tool

Mitigating Sensor and Acquisition Method-Dependence of Fingerprint Presentation Attack Detection Systems by Exploiting Data from Multiple Devices

The problem of interoperability is still open in fingerprint presentation attack detection (PAD) systems. This involves costs for designers and manufacturers who intend to change sensors of personal recognition systems or design multi-sensor systems, because they need to obtain sensor-specific spoofs and retrain the system. The solutions proposed in the state of the art to mitigate the problem still require data from the target sensor and are therefore not exempt from the problem of obtaining new data. In this paper, we provide insights for the design of PAD systems thanks to an overview of an interoperability analysis on modern systems: hand-crafted, deep-learning-based, and hybrid. We investigated realistic use cases to determine the pros and cons of training with data from multiple sensors compared to training with single sensor data, and drafted the main guidelines to follow for deciding the most convenient PAD design technique depending on the intended use of the fingerprint identification/authentication system