Depression of quasiparticle density of states at zero energy in La1.9Sr0.1Cu1-xZnxO4

We have measured low-temperature specific heat C(T, H) of La1.9Sr0.1Cu1-xZnxO4 (x=0, 0.01, and 0.02) both in zero and applied magnetic fields. A pronounced dip of C/T below 2 K was first observed in Zn-doped samples, which is absent in the nominally clean one. If the origin of the dip in C/T is electronic, the quasiparticle density of states N(E) in Zn-doped samples may be depressed below a small energy scale E0. The present data can be well described by the model N(E)=N(0)+alphaE^1/2, with a non-zero N(0) and positive alpha. Magnetic fields depress N(0) and lead to an increase in E0, while leaving the energy dependence of N(E) unchanged. This novel depression of N(E) below E0 in impurity-doped cuprates can not be reconciled with the semi-classical self-consistent approximation model. Discussions in the framework based on the non-linear sigma model field theory and other possible explanations are presented in this Letter

Effect of a Home Health and Safety Intervention on Emergency Department Use in the Frail Elderly: A Prospective Observational Study

Introduction: Geriatric patients are often frail and may lose independence through a variety of mechanisms including cognitive decline, reduced mobility, and falls. Our goal was to measure the effect of a multidisciplinary home health program that assessed frailty and safety and then coordinated ongoing delivery of community resources on short-term, all-cause emergency department (ED) utilization across three study arms that attempted to stratify frailty by fall risk.Methods: Subjects became eligible for this prospective observational study via one of three pathways: 1) by visiting the ED after a fall (2,757 patients); 2) by self-identifying as at risk for falling (2,787); or 3) by calling 9-1-1 for a “lift assist” after falling and being unable to get up (121). The intervention consisted of sequential home visits by a research paramedic who used standardized assessments of frailty and risk of falling (including providing home safety guidance), and a home health nurse who aligned resources to address the conditions found. Outcomes of interest were all-cause ED utilization at 30, 60, and 90 days post-intervention compared with subjects who enrolled via the same study pathway but declined the study intervention (controls).Results: Subjects in the fall-related ED visit arm were significantly less likely to have one or more subsequent ED encounters post-intervention than controls at 30 days (18.2% vs 29.2%, P<0.001); 60 days (27.5% vs 39.8%, P<0.001); and 90 days (34.6% vs 46.2%, P<0.001). In contrast, participants in the self-referral arm had no difference in ED encounters post-intervention compared to controls at 30, 60, or 90 days (P=0.30, 0.84, and 0.23, respectively). The size of the 9-1-1 call arm limited statistical power for analysis.Conclusion: A history of a fall requiring ED evaluation appeared to be a useful marker of frailty. Subjects recruited through this pathway experienced less all-cause ED utilization over subsequent months after a coordinated community intervention than without it. The participants who only self-identified as at risk for falling had lower rates of subsequent ED utilization than those recruited in the ED after a fall and did not significantly benefit from the intervention

Being born in the era of genomics

International audienceL’ingénierie génétique est toujours plus présente dans l’accompagnement et le suivi des grossesses. Avec la diffusion du séquençage du génome humain et les avancées récentes concernant l’édition du génome germinal (germline editing), les données produites par la génomique sont sur le point de transformer la reproduction humaine et les décisions la concernant. Trois temps du processus reproductif sont concernés : prévoir, choisir, corriger. Désormais cruciale, la période anténatale, qui va de la fécondation à la naissance, place les parents en situation de dépendance par rapport à l’expertise biomédicale. La naissance est marquée par un processus d’abstraction et de standardisation qui se traduit par l’omniprésence de la mesure génétique fondée sur une logique de prévision probabiliste étrangère à l’expérience subjective de l’individu. Cette vision nouvelle véhicule une représentation « génocentrée » de l’humain : le génome apparaît comme l’infrastructure de la personne et, une fois décrypté, anticipe le destin individuel résumé en une suite de probabilités. S’ajoute, promu par une influente littérature bioéthique, un ensemble de considérations normatives relatives au choix prénatal dessinant le portrait du « bon parent » en devoir de faire le tri génétique dans l’intérêt de l’enfant à naître