On Intergenerational Transmission of Reading Habits in Italy: Is a Good Example the Best Sermon?

The intergenerational transmission of preference and attitudes has been less investigated in the literature than the intergenerational transmission of education and income. Using the Italian Time Use Survey (2002-2003) conducted by ISTAT, we analyse the intergenerational transmission of reading habits: are children more likely to allocate time to studying and reading when they observe their parents doing the same activity? The intergeneration transmission of attitudes towards studying and reading can be explained by both cultural and educational transmission from parents to children and by imitating behaviours. The latter channel is of particular interest, since it entails a direct influence parents may have on child’s preference formation through their role model, and it opens the scope for active policies aimed at promoting good parents’ behaviours. We follow two fundamental approaches to estimation: a “long run” model, consisting of OLS intergenerational type regressions for the reading habit, and “short run” household fixed effect models, where we aim at identifying the impact of the role model exerted by parents, exploiting different exposure of sibling to parents’ example within the same household. Our long run results show that children are more likely to read and study when they live with parents that are used to read. Mothers seem to be more important than fathers in this type of intergenerational transmission. Moreover, the short run analysis shows that there is an imitation effect: in the day of the survey children are more likely to read after they saw either the mother or the father reading.

Investigation of peak shapes in the MIBETA experiment calibrations

In calorimetric neutrino mass experiments, where the shape of a beta decay spectrum has to be precisely measured, the understanding of the detector response function is a fundamental issue. In the MIBETA neutrino mass experiment, the X-ray lines measured with external sources did not have Gaussian shapes, but exhibited a pronounced shoulder towards lower energies. If this shoulder were a general feature of the detector response function, it would distort the beta decay spectrum and thus mimic a non-zero neutrino mass. An investigation was performed to understand the origin of the shoulder and its potential influence on the beta spectrum. First, the peaks were fitted with an analytic function in order to determine quantitatively the amount of events contributing to the shoulder, also depending on the energy of the calibration X-rays. In a second step, Montecarlo simulations were performed to reproduce the experimental spectrum and to understand the origin of its shape. We conclude that at least part of the observed shoulder can be attributed to a surface effect

NIKEL: Electronics and data acquisition for kilopixels kinetic inductance camera

A prototype of digital frequency multiplexing electronics allowing the real time monitoring of microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKIDs) arrays for mm-wave astronomy has been developed. Thanks to the frequency multiplexing, it can monitor simultaneously 400 pixels over a 500 MHz bandwidth and requires only two coaxial cables for instrumenting such a large array. The chosen solution and the performances achieved are presented in this paper.Comment: 21 pages, 14 figure

Uniform non-stoichiometric titanium nitride thin films for improved kinetic inductance detector array

We describe the fabrication of homogeneous sub-stoichiometric titanium nitride films for microwave kinetic inductance detector (mKID) arrays. Using a 6 inch sputtering target and a homogeneous nitrogen inlet, the variation of the critical temperature over a 2 inch wafer was reduced to <25 %. Measurements of a 132-pixel mKID array from these films reveal a sensitivity of 16 kHz/pW in the 100 GHz band, comparable to the best aluminium mKIDs. We measured a noise equivalent power of NEP = 3.6e-15 W/Hz^(1/2). Finally, we describe possible routes to further improve the performance of these TiN mKID arrays.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Journal of low temperature physics, Proceedings of LTD-1

Early GRB Optical and Infrared Afterglow Observations with the 2-m Robotic Liverpool Telescope

We present the first optical observations of a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) afterglow using the 2-m robotic Liverpool Telescope (LT), which is owned and operated by Liverpool John Moores University and situated on La Palma. We briefly discuss the capabilities of LT and its suitability for rapid follow-up observations of early optical and infrared GRB light curves. In particular, the combination of aperture, site, instrumentation and rapid response (robotic over-ride mode aided by telescope's rapid slew and fully-opening enclosure) makes the LT ideal for investigating the nature of short bursts, optically-dark bursts, and GRB blast-wave physics in general. We briefly describe the LT's key position in the RoboNet-1.0 network of robotic telescopes. We present the LT observations of GRB041006 and use its gamma-ray properties to predict the time of the break in optical light curve, a prediction consistent with the observations.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Il nuovo cimento (4th Workshop Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Afterglow Era, Rome, 18-22 October 2004

Niobium Silicon alloys for Kinetic Inductance Detectors

We are studying the properties of Niobium Silicon amorphous alloys as a candidate material for the fabrication of highly sensitive Kinetic Inductance Detectors (KID), optimized for very low optical loads. As in the case of other composite materials, the NbSi properties can be changed by varying the relative amounts of its components. Using a NbSi film with T_c around 1 K we have been able to obtain the first NbSi resonators, observe an optical response and acquire a spectrum in the band 50 to 300 GHz. The data taken show that this material has very high kinetic inductance and normal state surface resistivity. These properties are ideal for the development of KID. More measurements are planned to further characterize the NbSi alloy and fully investigate its potential.Comment: Accepted for publication on Journal of Low Temperature Physics. Proceedings of the LTD15 conference (Caltech 2013

Development of Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detectors for NIKA

Lumped-element kinetic inductance detectors(LEKIDs) have recently shown considerable promise as direct absorption mm-wavelength detectors for astronomical applications. One major research thrust within the N\'eel Iram Kids Array (NIKA) collaboration has been to investigate the suitability of these detectors for deployment at the 30-meter IRAM telescope located on Pico Veleta in Spain. Compared to microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKID), using quarter wavelength resonators, the resonant circuit of a LEKID consists of a discrete inductance and capacitance coupled to a feedline. A high and constant current density distribution in the inductive part of these resonators makes them very sensitive. Due to only one metal layer on a silicon substrate, the fabrication is relatively easy. In order to optimize the LEKIDs for this application, we have recently probed a wide variety of individual resonator and array parameters through simulation and physical testing. This included determining the optimal feed-line coupling, pixel geometry, resonator distribution within an array (in order to minimize pixel cross-talk), and resonator frequency spacing. Based on these results, a 144-pixel Aluminum array was fabricated and tested in a dilution fridge with optical access, yielding an average optical NEP of ~2E-16 W/Hz^1/2 (best pixels showed NEP = 6E-17 W/Hz^1/2 under 4-8 pW loading per pixel). In October 2010 the second prototype of LEKIDs has been tested at the IRAM 30 m telescope. A new LEKID geometry for 2 polarizations will be presented. Also first optical measurements of a titanium nitride array will be discussed.Comment: 5 pages, 12 figures; ISSTT 2011 Worksho

Notação Visual para Representação de Linguagens de Padrões Ontológicos

Embora, atualmente, engenheiros de ontologias possam contar com vários métodos e ferramentas de apoio à engenharia de ontologias, o desenvolvimento de ontologias ainda não é uma tarefa fácil, mesmo para especialistas. Nesse contexto, reúso tem sido apontado como uma abordagem promissora para a engenharia de ontologias. Reutilização em ontologias permite acelerar o processo de desenvolvimento, além de melhorar a qualidade das ontologias resultantes, uma vez que promove a aplicação de boas práticas. O uso de padrões como abordagem para favorecer o reúso tem sido bastante explorado em Engenharia de Software, no entanto, o tema é consideravelmente recente em Engenharia de Ontologias. Um padrão (pattern) pode ser definido como uma solução bem-sucedida para um problema recorrente. Assim, padrões ontológicos (PO) apresentam soluções para problemas recorrentes de modelagem. Tipicamente, POs são disponibilizados em catálogos, porém essa abordagem não favorece reúso, uma vez que em um catálogo convencional perde-se o senso de conexão entre os POs. Padrões podem ser organizados em uma Linguagem de Padrões (LP), que representa os padrões e suas relações em uma rede e define um processo para seleção e utilização dos padrões para resolução sistemática de problemas. Nesse sentido, Linguagem de Padrões Ontológicos (LPO) fornecem, além dos padrões, diretrizes para sua seleção, incluindo a sequência em que podem ser usados, as variações existentes e os caminhos possíveis, entre outros. Para facilitar o uso de uma LPO, o processo e as relações entre os padrões devem ser representados de forma clara, não ambígua e completa. Notações visuais podem ser utilizadas para prover uma representação visual da LPO e são um importante meio de comunicação entre stakeholders, uma vez que se acredita que elas transmitam informações de forma mais eficaz do que texto. Para facilitar o entendimento e potencializar o uso de uma LPO, sua notação visual deve ser cognitivamente rica. Este trabalho propõe uma notação visual para representação de LPOs. Como bases para a proposta, foram utilizados os resultados de um mapeamento sistemático que investigou notações visuais em Linguagens de Padrões de Software e resultados de um estudo experimental em que se avaliou uma notação utilizada para representar LPOs. Buscando-se obter uma notação cognitivamente rica, os princípios de PoN (Physics of Notation) foram considerados no desenvolvimento da notação. Como prova de conceito, a notação visual proposta foi utilizada na reengenharia de LPO

Bi-layer Kinetic Inductance Detectors for space observations between 80-120 GHz

We have developed Lumped Element Kinetic Inductance Detectors (LEKID) sensitive in the frequency band from 80 to 120~GHz. In this work, we take advantage of the so-called proximity effect to reduce the superconducting gap of Aluminium, otherwise strongly suppressing the LEKID response for frequencies smaller than 100~GHz. We have designed, produced and optically tested various fully multiplexed arrays based on multi-layers combinations of Aluminium (Al) and Titanium (Ti). Their sensitivities have been measured using a dedicated closed-circle 100 mK dilution cryostat and a sky simulator allowing to reproduce realistic observation conditions. The spectral response has been characterised with a Martin-Puplett interferometer up to THz frequencies, and with a resolution of 3~GHz. We demonstrate that Ti-Al LEKID can reach an optical sensitivity of about $1.4$ $10^{-17}$~$W/Hz^{0.5}$ (best pixel), or $2.2$ $10^{-17}$~$W/Hz^{0.5}$ when averaged over the whole array. The optical background was set to roughly 0.4~pW per pixel, typical for future space observatories in this particular band. The performance is close to a sensitivity of twice the CMB photon noise limit at 100~GHz which drove the design of the Planck HFI instrument. This figure remains the baseline for the next generation of millimetre-wave space satellites.Comment: 7 pages, 9 figures, submitted to A&