Evidence for long-lived quasiparticles trapped in superconducting point contacts

We have observed that the supercurrent across phase-biased, highly transmitting atomic size contacts is strongly reduced within a broad phase interval around {\pi}. We attribute this effect to quasiparticle trapping in one of the discrete sub-gap Andreev bound states formed at the contact. Trapping occurs essentially when the Andreev energy is smaller than half the superconducting gap {\Delta}, a situation in which the lifetime of trapped quasiparticles is found to exceed 100 \mus. The origin of this sharp energy threshold is presently not understood.Comment: Article (5 pages) AND Supplemental material (14 pages). To be published in Physical Review Letter

Sébastien de La Haye de Silz : jeunesse tumultueuse et années d’enfermement

Cet article retrace la vie de Sébastien de la Haye de Silz et de sa famille jusqu’en 1791. Avant d’être chef de la Chouannerie du Morbihan en 1794-1795 et de diriger à ce titre des guerriers redoutables comme Cadoudal, Guillemot et Jean Jan, Sébastien a eu une jeunesse tumultueuse, que nous relions au décès de sa mère et au remariage de son père Jean-Sébastien, comte de Silz. Un conflit familial s’engage entre Sébastien et son père, qui demande l’enfermement de son fils par lettre de cachet. À l’issue d’une procédure compliquée impliquant l’intendance de Bretagne à Rennes et la maison du roi à Versailles, Sébastien est enfermé de 1781 à 1785 à la maison de La Rossignolerie d’Angers. Seize lettres de lui nous renseignent sur sa vie en prison. Il s’oppose tout du long à sa détention, en mobilisant tout un réseau, famille, amis et connaissances. La lettre de cachet dont il fait l’objet, et sa défense en réponse (que nous connaissons par ses lettres), apportent un éclairage sur la société d’ancien régime et sur la noblesse bretonne à la veille de la Révolution.This article examines the life of Sébastien de la Haye de Silz and of his family until 1791. Before becoming leader of the Morbihan Chouannerie in 1794-1795 and commanding formidable warriors like Cadoudal, Guillemot and Jean Jan, Sébastien had a tumultuous youth that can be linked to his mother’s death and to the remarriage of his father Jean-Sébastien, count of Silz. A family conflict began between Sébastien and his father in which the latter asked for the imprisonment of his son by lettre de cachet. After a complicated procedure involving the Breton intendant in Rennes and the house of the king in Versailles, Sébastien was imprisoned from 1781 until 1785 at La Rossignolerie in Angers. Sixteen letters written by Sébastien allow us to understand his life in jail. There, he rebelled against his detention and enlisted the help of a whole network of family, friends and acquaintances. The lettre de cachet and his defence, known thanks to his letters, throw light on Ancien Régime society and the nobility of Brittany on the eve of French Revolution

De la responsabilité sociale des acteurs

Nous montrons ici, sans prétendre à l’exhaustivité, quels sont, au-delà des (grandes) entreprises, les autres acteurs intéressés à réclamer leur part de responsabilité vis-à-vis du développement durable. Nous nous demandons quelles sont leurs motivations, leurs objectifs et leurs moyens d’action, et si ces moyens sont les mêmes pour tous les acteurs. Le mouvement de revendication d’une responsabilité de la part de nombreux acteurs est replacé dans le cadre plus général des évolutions (économiques, sociales, environnementales, géopolitiques, etc.) des trente dernières années. La première section de cet article explique l’émergence de la notion de responsabilité des acteurs (RSA), clarifie les relations entre RSA et développement durable, puis montre les variantes géographiques de la RSA. La seconde section s’attache aux différents acteurs de la RSA et compare leurs objectifs et moyens d’action

Asymmetric noise probed with a Josephson junction

To be published in Physical Review LettersInternational audienceFluctuations of the current through a tunnel junction are measured using a Josephson junction. The current noise adds to the bias current of the Josephson junction and affects its switching out of the supercurrent branch. The experiment is carried out in a regime where switching is determined by thermal activation. The variance of the noise results in an elevated effective temperature, whereas the third cumulant, related to its asymmetric character, leads to a difference in the switching rates observed for opposite signs of the current through the tunnel junction. Measurements are compared quantitatively with recent theoretical predictions

Factors Influencing Handwriting Development among Preschool Children: A Systematic Review

Handwriting development is essential for academic performance, yet the research on the factors contributing to it is scant. This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the factors contributing to handwriting development among preschool children that may benefit public health knowledge, especially among teachers, parents, and therapists. A systematic search was conducted using four databases: PubMed, ERIC, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. During the preliminary search, 565 relevant studies were found. Screening, review selection, and characterization were performed based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria included preschool children, quantitative, written in English, and published in January 2012 – January 2022. The exclusion criteria were studies involving children with specific diagnoses. A consensus agreement was obtained, and ten studies were eventually selected for the comprehensive review. Executive function, letter knowledge, motor skills, and writing surface were identified. These factors indicated that handwriting was not an independent process, as its acquisition involved numerous components. This systematic review confirmed that executive function, letter knowledge, motor skills, and writing surface influenced handwriting development. More randomized controlled trials should be conducted to provide more conclusive and exhaustive evidence

Development and validation of personal care module as a guideline to assist older adults with more significant disabilities

Introduction: Older adults residing in community, as well as those who are residing in institutional or care home may experience various cognitive, health and physical impairments that may affect their independent. Continuous supports are needed to manage most of their personal care activities usually managed by their family members, often without proper training or guidance. To date, there is no personal care module that can be used as a guideline by family members and paid caretakers. Therefore, this study aims to develop and validate a personal care module as a guideline in assisting older adults with more significant disabilities. Methods: This study was a three-phase study, involving 1) development of the personal care module, 2) focus group discussion with healthcare experts and 3) face and content validity by the expert reviewers. Results: A total of 13 occupational therapists (77% of the experts were female) involved as experts in evaluating the module, 46% of them having Bachelor Degree in Occupational Therapy and having between 5 to 25 years of working experience. The finding showed that the developed module had high content validity ranging from 0.88 to 1.00 on six domains of personal hygiene, bathing, dressing, feeding, bed mobility and stairs climbing, indicated that the module is suitable for used as a guideline in assisting older adults with more significant disabilities. Conclusion: This study provides a preliminary support for the developed personal care module as a valid instrument to be used as a guideline in managing personal care activities of older adults with more significant disabilities

Reframing services for Malaysian students in schools: time to bring occupational therapy into the classroom

Autism spectrum disorder is a developmental disability that has gained increasing attention in Malaysia. Much effort is now being taken to include children with autism spectrum disorder in the school system, either in inclusive settings or in special educational settings. However, this endeavor raises many challenges for the children with autism spectrum disorder, their families and for service providers. The current study uses a qualitative approach to investigate parents’ perceptions of problems faced by their children with autism spectrum disorder in issues related to academic skills. A face-to-face interview was performed with parents of children with autism spectrum disorders who were receiving occupational therapy services for their difficulties in academic related skills. Findings indicate that most of the difficulties faced by these children are related to skills needed to be accepted at school, such as ability to communicate and socialize and this often limit their performance at school. These findings not only raise and discuss important implications for service providers such as teachers, health care professionals and policy makers, but also lead to suggestions for future research

Ayres sensory integration ® implementation in Malaysian occupational therapists : challenges and limitations

One of the most popular interventions provided by occupational therapists for pediatric clients is Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI). Strict fidelity measures consisting of procedural and structural elements must be adhered to when using it. These fidelity measures distinguish Ayres Sensory Integration® from other sensory-based interventions. This study involved the development of a survey instrument and outlined the challenges that Malaysian occupational therapists face when using Ayres sensory integration® (ASI). The questionnaire development involved the processes of assessing its validity and reliability. A total of 161 occupational therapists working in various healthcare settings responded to the survey by answering a self-administered questionnaire. The results identified eight themes or issues: (1) Inadequate Training, (2) Resource Issues, (3) Physical Constraints, (4) Time Constraints, (5) Limited Information/ Support Provided By Family, (6) Limited Support From Management, (7) Limited Information/Support Provided By Suppliers, and (8) Issues in Implementing Evidence-Based Practice. Identifying the challenges of implementing ASI is an important aspect of improving occupational therapy assessments and interventions, which would establish the effectiveness of the interventions provided

Adaptation, validation and reliability testing of sensory processing measure home form Malay version for children with autism

Inappropriate responses towards sensory input received from the environment, also known as sensory processing difficulties (SPD) may affect daily living activities of the children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Sensory Processing Measure Home Form (SPM Home Form) as a parent report measure for SPD is available in English and other foreign languages. To enhance the applicability and meaningfulness of SPM Home Form for the Malay speaking population, a study that focuses on translating, adapting, and validating the SPM Home Form into the Malay language was conducted. The development of the Malay version of the SPM Home Form (SPM-MV Home Form) involved three steps: 1) Item evaluation, 2) Forward and backward translation, and 3) Expert review and content validity. The process of translation and adaptation of the form was performed according to standard guidelines. No item was excluded from the original SPM Home Form as all the items were considered by the expert panel as appropriate and relevance to evaluate the activity and social participation among children in Malaysia. Content validity as measured by 10 experts in occupational therapy is high. The mean of sub-scales I-CVI is between 0.96 and 1.00. The total S-CVI of the form is 0.95 with sub-scales S-CVI range between 0.82 and 1.00. Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency was reported at 0.80 and ICC for test-retest reliability ranged from 0.80 to 0.97. The SPM-MV Home Form has high potential to be used for assessing SPD among children ages 5-12 years in Malaysia

Video modelling to improve hand dexterity in students with learning disabilities : special education teachers' perspectives

Proficient hand dexterity (HD) may help students with learning disabilities (LDs) perform various hand tasks efficiently. Video modelling (VM) is a strategy that uses a model to improve desired skills. However, the limited study focuses on VM to improve HD among students with LDs. Therefore, this study explores VM implementation in the learning and teaching process to improve the HD of students with LDs. Five Special Education (SE) teachers who taught the Hand Manipulative Component lessons in two different states were purposefully selected and invited to participate in this study. A one-to-one interview was conducted with individual SE teachers. The interview sessions were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the data was analysed through thematic analysis. Rigorous approaches were performed to ensure the findings' trustworthiness, such as triangulation, member checking, and an audit trail. Four key themes emerged: conventional learning and teaching methods, challenges faced by students with LDs in improving HD, and the advantages of implementing VM in learning and teaching to improve HD and develop a video module. This study suggests SE teachers can implement VM in their learning and teaching processes to improve the HD performance of students with LDs. This current study concludes that VM can be a supportive strategy in the teaching process to improve HD performance among students with LDs