Towards defining ambition: how and when it leads to extreme behavior

The present dissertation is structured in 7 chapters. Chapter 1 provides a review of the literature regarding ambition and proposes a new conceptualization of this construct. Chapter 2 presents a review on the evidence regarding extreme behavior. Chapter 3 displays the aims of the present dissertation and the studies that were conducted to fulfil those aims. Chapter 4 concerns the first, correlational, study which aimed to test the mediating role of ambition in the relationship between inspiration and extremism. Chapter 5 concerns the second, longitudinal, study, aimed to investigate the relationship between ambition and extreme behavior. Chapter 6 contains correlational results from two samples in which we tested the hypothesis that ambition leads to extremism via obsessive but not via harmonious passion. Chapter 7 contains results from two samples in which we tested the hypothesis that relative deprivation can moderate the relationship between ambition and extreme behavior – in one sample this prediction was tested through a correlational design; in the other sample, the same prediction was tested through an experimental design. In conclusion, the General The present dissertation is structured in 7 chapters. Chapter 1 provides a review of the literature regarding ambition and proposes a new conceptualization of this construct. Chapter 2 presents a review on the evidence regarding extreme behavior. Chapter 3 displays the aims of the present dissertation and the studies that were conducted to fulfil those aims. Chapter 4 concerns the first, correlational, study which aimed to test the mediating role of ambition in the relationship between inspiration and extremism. Chapter 5 concerns the second, longitudinal, study, aimed to investigate the relationship between ambition and extreme behavior. Chapter 6 contains correlational results from two samples in which we tested the hypothesis that ambition leads to extremism via obsessive but not via harmonious passion. Chapter 7 contains results from two samples in which we tested the hypothesis that relative deprivation can moderate the relationship between ambition and extreme behavior – in one sample this prediction was tested through a correlational design; in the other sample, the same prediction was tested through an experimental design. In conclusion, the General discussion offers a summary of the findings embodied in the dissertation, along with their limits and theoretical and practical implications

An Object-Oriented Bayesian Framework for the Detection of Market Drivers

We use Object Oriented Bayesian Networks (OOBNs) to analyze complex ties in the equity market and to detect drivers for the Standard & Poor\u2019s 500 (S&P 500) index. To such aim, we consider a vast number of indicators drawn from various investment areas (Value, Growth, Sentiment, Momentum, and Technical Analysis), and, with the aid of OOBNs, we study the role they played along time in influencing the dynamics of the S&P 500. Our results highlight that the centrality of the indicators varies in time, and offer a starting point for further inquiries devoted to combine OOBNs with trading platforms

Ambition and extreme behavior: relative deprivation leads ambitious individuals to self-sacrifice

Ambitious people are characterized by strong motivation toward great and valuable objectives, with the superordinate goal to gain respect and recognition from others. Recent literature regarding ambition demonstrated that it leads individuals to engage in extreme behavior. However, no previous research has investigated under which conditions the relation between ambition and extremism is enhanced. Across two studies, we tested the hypothesis that ambitious individuals are more prone to engage in extreme behavior in the face of relative deprivation (i.e., justice sensitivity), than their less ambitious counterparts. We confirmed our predictions employing a cross-sectional design with an American sample (Study 1) and an experimental design with an Italian sample (Study 2). The present research adds theoretical knowledge and empirical support to the existing literature on ambition, extreme behavior, and relative deprivation, and provides fruitful insight into strategies for preventing extremism

Load Balancing Hashing for Geographic Hash Tables

In this paper, we address the problem of balancing the network traffic load generated when querying a geographic hash table. State-of-the-art approaches can be used to improve load balancing by changing the underlying geo-routing protocol used to forward queries in the geographic hash table. However, this comes at the expense of considerably complicating the routing process, which no longer occurs along (near) straightline trajectories, but requires computing complex geometric transformations. Thus, current load balancing approaches are impractical in application scenarios where the nodes composing the geographic hash table have limited computational power, such as in most wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to solve the traffic load balancing problem in geographic hash tables: instead of changing the (near) straight-line geo-routing protocol used to send a query from the node issuing the query (the source) to the node managing the queried key (the destination), we propose to "reverse engineer" the hash function so that the resulting destination density, when combined with a given source density, yields a perfectly balanced load distribution. We first formally characterize the desired destination density as a solution of a complex integral equation. We then present explicit destination density functions (taken from the family of Beta distributions) yielding quasi-perfect load balancing under the assumption of uniformly distributed sources. Our theoretical results are derived under an infinite node density model. In order to prove practicality of our approach, we have performed extensive simulations resembling realistic wireless sensor network deployments showing the effectiveness of our approach in considerably improving load balancing. Differently from previous work, the load balancing technique proposed in this paper can be readily applied in geographic hash tables composed of computationally constrained nodes, as it is typically the case in wireless sensor networks

A Measurement-based Study of Beaconing Performance in IEEE 802.11p Vehicular Networks

Active safety applications for vehicular networks aims at improving safety conditions on the road by raising the level of "situation awareness" onboard vehicles. Situation awareness is achieved through exchange of beacons reporting positional and kinematic data. Two important performance parameters influence the level of situation awareness available to the active safety application: the beacon (packet) delivery rate (PDR), and the packet inter-reception (PIR) time. While measurementbased evaluations of the former metric recently appeared in the literature, the latter metric has not been studied so far. In this paper, for the first time, we estimate the PIR time and its correlation with PDR and other environmental parameters through an extensive measurement campaign based on IEEE 802.11p technology. Our study discloses several interesting insights on PIR times that can be expected in a real-world scenarios, which should be carefully considered by the active safety application designers. A major insight is that the packet inter reception time distribution is a power-law and that long situation awareness black-outs are likely to occur in batch, implying that situation awareness can be severely impaired even when the average beacon delivery rate is relatively high. Furthermore, our analysis shows that PIR and PDR are only loosely (negatively) correlated, and that the PIR time is almost independent of speed and distance between vehicles. A third major contribution of this paper is promoting the Gilbert-Elliot model, previously proposed to model bit error bursts in packet switched networks, as a very accurate model of beacon reception behavior observed in real-world data

Understanding Vehicle-to-Vehicle IEEE 802.11p Beaconing Performance in Real-World Highway Scenarios

Periodic exchange of situational information (beacons) is at the basis of most active safety applications in vehicular environments. Despite its fundamental role in raising the level of "situational awareness" onboard vehicles, very little is known to date on beaconing performance in a real vehicular environment. This paper analyzes the results of two measurement campaigns that have been designed with the purpose of disclosing beaconing performance in a variety of vehicular links, for what concerns vehicle configuration (tall/short), line-of-sight conditions (LOS/NLOS), as well as single-hop or two-hop propagation of the information reported in the beacons. For the first time, beaconing performance is characterized in terms of not only the packet (beacon) delivery rate (PDR), but also in terms of the packet (beacon) inter-reception (PIR) time. The latter metric has been suggested in the literature as more accurately measuring the level of "situation awareness" onboard vehicles than the traditional PDR metric. This paper also presents a simulation-based analysis aimed at estimating the benefit of multi-hop propagation of situational information beyond the second hop of communication. The analysis of the data collected in the measurement campaigns as well as the simulation-based analysis disclose a number of interesting insights which might prove useful in the design of active safety applications. Finally, another major contribution of this paper is promoting the Gilbert-Elliot model, previously proposed to model bit-error bursts in packet switched networks, as a very accurate model of beacon reception behavior observed in real-world scenarios

Detection of subcellular nitric oxide in mitochondria using a pyrylium probe: assays in cell cultures and peripheral blood

Fluorescent probes for the detection of intracellular nitric oxide (NO) are abundant, but those targeted to the mitochondria are scarce. Among those molecules targeting mitochondrial NO (mNO), the majority use a triphenylphosphonium (TPP) cation as a vector to reach such organelles. Here we describe a simple molecule (mtNOpy) based on the pyrylium structure, made in a few synthetic steps, capable of detecting selectively NO (aerated medium) over other reactive species. The calculated detection limit for mtNOpy is 88 nM. The main novelty of this probe is that it has a simple molecular architecture and can act both as a fluorogenic and as a mitochondriotropic agent, without using TPP. mtNOpy has been tested in two different scenarios: (a) in a controlled environment of cell line cultures (human colon carcinoma HT-29 cells and mouse macrophage RAW 264.7 cells), using confocal laser scanning microscopy, and (b) on a much more complex sample of peripheral blood, using flow cytometry. In the first context, mtNOpy has been found to be responsive (turn-on fluorescence) to exogenous and endogenous NO stimuli (via SNAP donor and LPS stimulation, respectively). In the second area, mtNOpy has been able to discriminate between NO-generating phagocytes (neutrophils and monocytes) from other leukocytes (NK, B and T cells)

Quantitative serological evaluation as a valuable tool in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign

Objectives: After exceptional research efforts, several vaccines were developed against SARS-CoV-2 which sustains the pandemic COVID-19. The Comirnaty vaccine showed high efficacy in clinical trials and was the first to be approved for its distribution to the general population. We evaluated the immune response induced by the first vaccine dose in different sex/age groups and subjects with or without naturally present anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Methods: As part of an Italian multicenter project (Covidiagnostix), serum samples from 4,290 health-professionals were serologically tested the day of the first vaccination dose, and 21 days later, using two different instrumentations (Siemens-Healthineers and Roche). Results: In total, 97% of samples showed the presence of specific antibodies 21 days after the vaccination dose; the percentage of non-responders increased with age in both genders. Remarkably, naturally seropositive individuals showed antibody persistence up to 11 months and an exceptionally higher vaccination response compared to subjects never infected by SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions: This study highlighted the importance of the serological test i) to identify naturally SARS-CoV-2 seropositive individuals and ii) to evaluate the antibody level elicited by the first vaccination dose. Both tests, highlighted differences in the immune response, when subjects were stratified by sex and age, and between naturally seropositive and seronegative subjects.The data obtained show how serological tests could play a crucial role in the triage of the population subjected to the vaccination campaign for COVID-19. The definition of suitable instrumentation-specific thresholds is needed to correctly follow eventually acquired post-vaccination immunity in the general population

Antibody Titer Kinetics and SARS-CoV-2 Infections Six Months after Administration with the BNT162b2 Vaccine

Background: Studies reporting the long-term humoral response after receiving the BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine are important to drive future vaccination strategies. Yet, available literature is scarce. Covidiagnostix is a multicenter study designed to assess the antibody response in >1000 healthcare professionals (HCPs) who received the BNT162b2 vaccine. Methods: Serum was tested at time-0 (T0), before the first dose, T1, T2, and T3, respectively, 21, 42, and 180 days after T0. Antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid-protein were measured to assess SARS-CoV-2 infections, whereas antibodies against the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein were measured to assess the vaccine response. Neutralization activity against the D614G, B.1.1.7, and B.1.351 variants were also analyzed. Results: Six months post-vaccination HCPs showed an antibody titer decrease of approximately 70%, yet, the titer was still one order of magnitude higher than that of seropositive individuals before vaccination. We identified 12 post-vaccination infected HCPs. None showed severe symptoms. Interestingly, most of them showed titers at T2 above the neutralization thresholds obtained from the neutralization activity experiments. Conclusion: Vaccination induces a humoral response which is well detectable even six months post-vaccination. Vaccination prevents severe COVID-19 cases, yet post-vaccination infection is possible even in the presence of a high anti-S serum antibody titer