The Predictive Power of Interest Rates Spread for Economic Activity

Since the 1980s, economists argued that the spread between the long-and short-term interest rates is a good predictor of future economic activity. Developing Estrella (2006) study, I investigate the ability of the interest rate spread to predict USA and Germany recessions using a probit model. The results show that the slope of the yield curve well predicts recession periods. I also compare the performance of the spread to the performance of the Chicago Federal Nation Index (CFNAI) — a credited leading indicator for the economic activity of the US — finding out that the yield-spread based forecast anticipates by several months the CFNAI forecast.

Optimal randomness certification in the quantum steering and prepare-and-measure scenarios

Quantum mechanics predicts the existence of intrinsically random processes. Contrary to classical randomness, this lack of predictability can not be attributed to ignorance or lack of control. Here we find the optimal method to quantify the amount of local or global randomness that can be extracted in two scenarios: (i) the quantum steering scenario, where two parties measure a bipartite system in an unknown state but one of them does not trust his measurement apparatus, and (ii) the prepare-and-measure scenario, where additionally the quantum state is known. We use our methods to compute the maximal amount of local and global randomness that can be certified by measuring systems subject to noise and losses and show that local randomness can be certified from a single measurement if and only if the detectors used in the test have detection efficiency higher than 50%.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures. v2: Published versio

Necessary detection efficiencies for secure quantum key distribution and bound randomness

In recent years, several hacking attacks have broken the security of quantum cryptography implementations by exploiting the presence of losses and the ability of the eavesdropper to tune detection efficiencies. We present a simple attack of this form that applies to any protocol in which the key is constructed from the results of untrusted measurements performed on particles coming from an insecure source or channel. Because of its generality, the attack applies to a large class of protocols, from standard prepare-and-measure to device-independent schemes. Our attack gives bounds on the critical detection efficiencies necessary for secure quantum distribution, which show that the implementation of most partly device independent solutions is, from the point of view of detection efficiency, almost as demanding as fully device-independent ones. We also show how our attack implies the existence of a form of bound randomness, namely non-local correlations in which a non-signalling eavesdropper can find out a posteriori the result of any implemented measurement.Comment: 5 pages. v2: new title, published versio

Detection loophole attacks on semi-device-independent quantum and classical protocols

Semi-device-independent quantum protocols realize information tasks - e.g. secure key distribution, random access coding, and randomness generation - in a scenario where no assumption on the internal working of the devices used in the protocol is made, except their dimension. These protocols offer two main advantages: first, their implementation is often less demanding than fully-device-independent protocols. Second, they are more secure than their device-dependent counterparts. Their classical analogous is represented by random access codes, which provide a general framework for describing one-sided classical communication tasks. We discuss conditions under which detection inefficiencies can be exploited by a malicious provider to fake the performance of semi-device-independent quantum and classical protocols - and how to prevent it.Comment: 13 pages, 1 figure, published versio

Robustness of Device Independent Dimension Witnesses

Device independent dimension witnesses provide a lower bound on the dimensionality of classical and quantum systems in a "black box" scenario where only correlations between preparations, measurements and outcomes are considered. We address the problem of the robustness of dimension witnesses, namely that to witness the dimension of a system or to discriminate between its quantum or classical nature, even in the presence of loss. We consider the case when shared randomness is allowed between preparations and measurements and we provide a threshold in the detection efficiency such that dimension witnessing can still be performed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, published versio

Urban regeneration and bioregionalism

The sustainable development and the bioregionalism find their meeting point in the strategies of urban regeneration adoptable in the Campania Region. In the article, following a brief consideration about possible scenarios of short chain to be triggered between the agricultural and the building sector, three samples of experimental actions are described, which are under development in three areas, in S. Arsenio in the Diano valley, in S. Antonio Abate and in Naples. All the here presented cases are object of a collaboration between the University (Research and education institution), the local authorities and the Small and Medium Enterprises of the bioregions, which has led to application of those principles within design proposals of sustainable and bioregionalist urban regeneration. The sustainable development and the bioregionalism find their meeting point in the strategies of urban regeneration adoptable in the Campania Region. In the article, following a brief consideration about possible scenarios of short chain to be triggered between the agricultural and the building sector, three samples of experimental actions are described, which are under development in three areas, in S. Arsenio in the Diano valley, in S. Antonio Abate and in Naples. All the here presented cases are object of a collaboration between the University (Research and education institution), the local authorities and the Small and Medium Enterprises of the bioregions, which has led to application of those principles within design proposals of sustainable and bioregionalist urban regeneration

Implications of Cellular Aging in Cardiac Reprogramming

Aging is characterized by a chronic functional decline of organ systems which leads to tissue dysfunction over time, representing a risk factor for diseases development, including cardiovascular. The aging process occurring in the cardiovascular system involves heart and vessels at molecular and cellular level, with subsequent structural modifications and functional impairment. Several modifications involved in the aging process can be ascribed to cellular senescence, a biological response that limits the proliferation of damaged cells. In physiological conditions, the mechanism of cellular senescence is involved in regulation of tissue homeostasis, remodeling, and repair. However, in some conditions senescence-driven tissue repair may fail, leading to the tissue accumulation of senescent cells which in turn may contribute to tumor promotion, aging, and age-related diseases. Cellular reprogramming processes can reverse several age-associated cell features, such as telomere length, DNA methylation, histone modifications and cell-cycle arrest. As such, induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) can provide models of progeroid and physiologically aged cells to gain insight into the pathogenesis of such conditions, to drive the development of new therapies for premature aging and to further explore the possibility of rejuvenating aged cells. An emerging picture is that the tissue remodeling role of cellular senescence could also be crucial for the outcomes of in vivo reprogramming processes. Experimental evidence has demonstrated that, on one hand, senescence represents a cell-autonomous barrier for a cell candidate to reprogramming, but, on the other hand, it may positively sustain the reprogramming capability of surrounding cells to generate fully proficient tissues. This review fits into this conceptual framework by highlighting the most prominent concepts that characterize aging and reprogramming and discusses how the aging tissue might provide a favorable microenvironment for in vivo cardiac reprogramming

Tools for the analysis of the landscape structure and its configuration and resilience.

The st udy wi l l pr o po se an application on Cilento’s rural landscape to test a method of analysing the syntactical aspects and of identifying the dynamics of transformation in order to control changes and to define those elements that are resilient to change and how they can be modified to be consistent with emerging new needs. The perceptual dimension of the landscape is affected by many factors that may give rise to numerous and different evaluations; the study, by identifying the syntactic elements and the rules that govern the composition of a perspective system, allows the orderly return of what is recognized by the experiential memory. The study is aimed to define tools in order to educate the residents to avoid insertions or removals, booth natural or artificial components, inconsistent with the rules that govern the identity of the landscape