Banks’ attitude to partnership as an antecedent of Open Banking platforms: structural determinants and effects on performance in the Italian context

The recent developments in regulation, in particular PSD2 and ICT technologies, are fostering the Open Banking phenomenon, a model of forced or voluntary collaboration based on the sharing of data and applications between subjects not necessarily affiliated, in order to develop, produce and distribute innovative and value-added financial products and services for the customer. Open Banking is still in its early stages, and the approach with which banks decide to interpret and adapt to the new PSD2 regulations is crucial to grasp the evolution of the structure and operativity of the financial system in the coming years, as well as the role that banks will play in it. Indeed, a positive banks’ attitude to partnership is a crucial factor for developing Open Banking ecosystems and platforms and deserves the attention of researchers. In this paper, we investigate the attitude to partnership of a sample of 45 Italian banks, which allows us to better understand whether there exist conditions for creating Open Banking ecosystems. Furthermore, we explore the economic determinants of banks’ attitudes to partnership and its effect on performance. Results reveal a low current attitude to partnership of Italian banks, a factor that may hinder the formation of Open Banking ecosystems and platforms. The attitude to partnership tends to be low for larger and more capitalised banks, while the opposite occurs for smaller and less capitalised banks, which can be more inclined to participate in Open Banking platforms to compensate for possible constraints in size, resources and human capital. Overall, participation in Open Banking platforms can be justified by the positive effect of attitude to partnership on banks’ performance, as shown by our analysis

Insights into ALS pathomechanisms:from flies to humans

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease causing the death of motor neurons with consequent muscle atrophy and paralysis. Several neurodegenerative diseases have been modeled in Drosophila and genetic studies on this model organism led to the elucidation of crucial aspects of disease mechanisms. ALS, however, has lagged somewhat behind possibly because of the lack of a suitable genetic model. We were the first to develop a fly model for ALS and over the last few years, we have implemented and used this model for a large scale, unbiased modifier screen. We also report an extensive bioinformatic analysis of the genetic modifiers and we show that most of them are associated in a network of interacting genes controlling known as well as novel cellular processes involved in ALS pathogenesis. A similar analysis for the human homologues of the Drosophila modifiers and the validation of a subset of them in human tissues confirm and expand the significance of the data for the human disease. Finally, we analyze a possible application of the model in the process of therapeutic discovery in ALS and we discuss the importance of novel “non-obvious” models for the disease

Resistance and Resistance Fluctuations in Random Resistor Networks Under Biased Percolation

We consider a two-dimensional random resistor network (RRN) in the presence of two competing biased percolations consisting of the breaking and recovering of elementary resistors. These two processes are driven by the joint effects of an electrical bias and of the heat exchange with a thermal bath. The electrical bias is set up by applying a constant voltage or, alternatively, a constant current. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to analyze the network evolution in the full range of bias values. Depending on the bias strength, electrical failure or steady state are achieved. Here we investigate the steady-state of the RRN focusing on the properties of the non-Ohmic regime. In constant voltage conditions, a scaling relation is found between $/_0$ and $V/V_0$, where $$ is the average network resistance, $_0$ the linear regime resistance and $V_0$ the threshold value for the onset of nonlinearity. A similar relation is found in constant current conditions. The relative variance of resistance fluctuations also exhibits a strong nonlinearity whose properties are investigated. The power spectral density of resistance fluctuations presents a Lorentzian spectrum and the amplitude of fluctuations shows a significant non-Gaussian behavior in the pre-breakdown region. These results compare well with electrical breakdown measurements in thin films of composites and of other conducting materials.Comment: 15 figures, 23 page

The use of Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) in the study of Cultural Heritage

Several analytical techniques are actually employed for the study of Cultural Heritage and permit to identify production methodologies, constituent materials, degradation products, dating and provenance of the objects examined; elemental analyses provide precious information to archaeologists, art historians, restorers and analysts, opening a door into the past. Those techniques capable of ensuring versatility of application, sensitivity and non-destructive or micro-invasive analysis are generally requested. Laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS), by virtue of its effective lateral resolution, sensitivity to most elements and capacity of outdoing limitations due to the low quantity of accessible samples, fulfils these requirements. Multivariate statistical techniques applied to the elemental data permit classification and provenance of artistic objects and allow to confute or confirm historical hypotheses. In the present work several case studies, addressed recently by the authors concerning objects of artistic and historical value, are outlined: pottery and glazes of Vesuvian area (Campania, Italy), fibulae of Egnatia (Puglia, Italy), inks of painting of Sant’Irene by Giuseppe Verrio and lime mortars from Siponto (Puglia, Italy). For each of the presented activity, results, advantages and drawbacks of the LA-ICPMS were discussed

Tuning the Correlation Decay in the Resistance Fluctuations of Multi-Species Networks

A new network model is proposed to describe the $1/f^\alpha$ resistance noise in disordered materials for a wide range of $\alpha$ values ($0< \alpha < 2$). More precisely, we have considered the resistance fluctuations of a thin resistor with granular structure in different stationary states: from nearly equilibrium up to far from equilibrium conditions. This system has been modelled as a network made by different species of resistors, distinguished by their resistances, temperature coefficients and by the energies associated with thermally activated processes of breaking and recovery. The correlation behavior of the resistance fluctuations is analyzed as a function of the temperature and applied current, in both the frequency and time domains. For the noise frequency exponent, the model provides $0< \alpha < 1$ at low currents, in the Ohmic regime, with $\alpha$ decreasing inversely with the temperature, and $1< \alpha <2$ at high currents, in the non-Ohmic regime. Since the threshold current associated with the onset of nonlinearity also depends on the temperature, the proposed model qualitatively accounts for the complicate behavior of $\alpha$ versus temperature and current observed in many experiments. Correspondingly, in the time domain, the auto-correlation function of the resistance fluctuations displays a variety of behaviors which are tuned by the external conditions.Comment: 26 pages, 16 figures, Submitted to JSTAT - Special issue SigmaPhi200

Stationary Regime of Random Resistor Networks Under Biased Percolation

The state of a 2-D random resistor network, resulting from the simultaneous evolutions of two competing biased percolations, is studied in a wide range of bias values. Monte Carlo simulations show that when the external current $I$ is below the threshold value for electrical breakdown, the network reaches a steady state with a nonlinear current-voltage characteristic. The properties of this nonlinear regime are investigated as a function of different model parameters. A scaling relation is found between $/_0$ and $I/I_0$, where $$ is the average resistance, $_0$ the linear regime resistance and $I_0$ the threshold value for the onset of nonlinearity. The scaling exponent is found to be independent of the model parameters. A similar scaling behavior is also found for the relative variance of resistance fluctuations. These results compare well with resistance measurements in composite materials performed in the Joule regime up to breakdown.Comment: 9 pages, revtex, proceedings of the Merida Satellite Conference STATPHYS2

Il finanziamento della ricerca clinica in Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP): cosa determina l'intervento della Finanza?

Il finanziamento della ricerca medica è un prerequisito per migliorare la salute pubblica e l'inclusione sociale ed economica. Tuttavia, la ricerca medica incontra numerosi ostacoli nell’ottenimento di finanziamenti, che sono ancora più rilevanti per la ricerca su Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP). Lo sviluppo clinico degli ATMP presenta sfide peculiari che possono influenzare il processo di valutazione degli investitori e le decisioni di investimento, con conseguente errata o mancata allocazione delle risorse finanziarie da parte di investitori pubblici e privati. L'industria finanziaria ha il potenziale per mobilitare capitali pazienti e superare le difficoltà di finanziamento della ricerca nel campo degli ATMP. Combinando un approccio sia qualitativo che quantitativo, questo studio indaga se e come le istituzioni finanziarie investono nella ricerca medica sugli ATMP e quali sono i fattori trainanti dell'intervento della finanza attraverso un campione di 1.042 studi clinici europei nell’ambito degli ATMP. Attualmente, il settore finanziario supporta indirettamente la ricerca clinica in ATMP. Tale supporto si concretizza attraverso il finanziamento di PMI impegnate in studi clinici in ATMP di Fase I, solitamente più soggette a esclusione o razionamento finanziario. Questo studio, peraltro, dimostra empiricamente che l’investimento in queste PMI è caratterizzato da un processo decisionale razionale. Nello specifico, risultati suggeriscono che le istituzioni finanziarie si concentrano su progetti caratterizzati da minore incertezza, un orizzonte temporale più breve tra investimento e ritorno economico, maggiore fattibilità, maggiore qualità e rigore metodologico e maggiore diversificazione delle malattie target

ARCHAEOLOGICAL MATERIALS FROM GABII (CENTRAL ITALY): KNOWLEDGE OF OFFERINGS AND RITUALS AT THE INFANT BURIALS THROUGH AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

The ancient Latin city of Gabii is situated 18 km (11.2 miles) to the east of Rome (Central Italy) along the modern Via Prenestina. Gabii was a renowned city in Roman times, particularly during the Republican period and there are various influences in the site that can be identified in Roman culture itself. Gabii is also one of the most significant and important archaeological sites in the territory of the Municipality of Rome and due to its characteristics, it represents today an extraordinary research context. From the excavations carried out in the past it is possible to see how, under the soil, the main structures and buildings of the ancient city are still largely preserved. Among the various testimonies of the past, the tombs, and the micro and macro remains that these contain, represent an opportunity to investigate such practices in the context of Early Iron Age and Orientalizing Latium. In particular, the finds from the Area D baby burials of Gabii enriched the existing dataset so far significantly, allowing us to explore funerary ritual behavior in a more systematic way. This work reports the results of the detailed examination of four tombs (Tombs 30, 50, 51 and 52) of archaeological site. The field strategy for the excavation of the tombs was geared from the start towards both the systematic retrieval of archaeobotanical and zooarchaeological remains and the sampling for organic residue analysis. Aiming for total recovery, the sediments from the tomb fills were sifted in their entirety as their stratigraphic excavation progressed, and samples were taken for flotation. This careful screening allowed for the detection of concentrations of organic material that represent plant and/or animal depositions. The excavation and removal of the grave goods was carried out following strict protocols for residue sampling, minimizing the risk of organic contamination. Samples were analysed by High Temperature Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (HTGC/MS) and Gas chromatography/Combustion/Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC-C-IRMS). For each burial, a subset of vessels including both closed and open shapes was selected, such as cups, open bowl without foot, amphoretta, amphora with dots, Kantharos, plate on a foot, olla, and olpe in bucchero. The results demonstrate the still largely unexploited potential of this sort of integrated studies, encouraging us to expand the application of chemical methods to contexts from other well–controlled excavations

Generalised extreme value statistics and sum of correlated variables

We show that generalised extreme value statistics -the statistics of the k-th largest value among a large set of random variables- can be mapped onto a problem of random sums. This allows us to identify classes of non-identical and (generally) correlated random variables with a sum distributed according to one of the three (k-dependent) asymptotic distributions of extreme value statistics, namely the Gumbel, Frechet and Weibull distributions. These classes, as well as the limit distributions, are naturally extended to real values of k, thus providing a clear interpretation to the onset of Gumbel distributions with non-integer index k in the statistics of global observables. This is one of the very few known generalisations of the central limit theorem to non-independent random variables. Finally, in the context of a simple physical model, we relate the index k to the ratio of the correlation length to the system size, which remains finite in strongly correlated systems.Comment: To appear in J.Phys.

Temperature dependent fluctuations in the two-dimensional XY model

We present a detailed investigation of the probability density function (PDF) of order parameter fluctuations in the finite two-dimensional XY (2dXY) model. In the low temperature critical phase of this model, the PDF approaches a universal non-Gaussian limit distribution in the limit T-->0. Our analysis resolves the question of temperature dependence of the PDF in this regime, for which conflicting results have been reported. We show analytically that a weak temperature dependence results from the inclusion of multiple loop graphs in a previously-derived graphical expansion. This is confirmed by numerical simulations on two controlled approximations to the 2dXY model: the Harmonic and ``Harmonic XY'' models. The Harmonic model has no Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii (KTB) transition and the PDF becomes progressively less skewed with increasing temperature until it closely approximates a Gaussian function above T ~ 4\pi. Near to that temperature we find some evidence of a phase transition, although our observations appear to exclude a thermodynamic singularity.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures and 1 tabl