Upper bound on the Andreev states induced second harmonic in the Josephson coupling of YBa2Cu3O7-δ/Nb junctions from experiment and numerical simulations

Theory predicts that d-wave superconductivity induces a significant second harmonic J2 in the Josephson current, as a result of zero-energy Andreev states ZES formed at the junction interface. Consequently, anomalies such as half-integer Shapiro steps and signatures of period doubling of the dc Josephson current versus magnetic field should be observed. We performed experiments on junctions between untwinned d-wave YBa2Cu3O7-δ and Nb and found no trace of such anomalies although clear evidence of Andreev states formation is provided. These findings do not lead to an observable J2. This result combined with extensive numerical simulations put an upper bound on the ZES-induced J2 of about 0.1% from the first harmonic in the Josephson current for tunneling into the 010 direction and of about 2% for tunneling close to the 110 direction. Our results suggest strong J2 suppression by diffusive scattering, which is possibly due to nanoscale interface roughness. This is important for proposed quantum-electronic device concepts based on the expectance of J2

Musicians’ profession-related health issues and their evolving transformative learning through biography

Within a study on ‘musicians as lifelong learners’, explorative biographical research was used. When analysing the learning biographies informed by grounded theory, the emergence of profession-related health issues was striking. More than half of the portrayed musicians suffered from both physical and psychological problems, the latter mostly consisting of performance anxiety (stage fright), which was often connected to low self-esteem. However creative coping strategies were also frequently found by the musicians, showing their extensive use of metacognitive skills. This paper addresses the coping strategies found and relates it to musicians’ transformative learning

Improvisation and identity:a biographical perspective

Een overzicht van de rol van improvisatie in het leven en werk van de musicus. Improvisatie wordt belicht als vorm van zelfexpressie, wat voor de meeste musici van jongsaf aan een belangrijk thema is. Daarnaast wordt improvisatie belicht als middel voor expressie van 'zichzelf en de ander', zoals dat bijv. gebeurt tijdens participatieve muziekworkshops met publiek in uiteenlopende sociale contexten. Het onderzoek naar de praktijk Music for Life in Engeland wordt hier als voorbeeld genomen voor hoe 'person centred' of 'applied improvisation' in deze setting werkt

Lifelong learning as a challenge for music education

The concept of lifelong learning refers to the several skills able to provide for needs of music graduates. Such as it occurs with other areas, the domain of music is in constant modification, either for the incorporation of new technologies, either had the cultural demands or for the multiplicity of activities that music has accumulated. Observing the deficits in the formation of the students, the lifelong learning appears as an alternative to enable the acquisition of tools which improve continuously the professional. The lifelong learning includes a new notion of knowledge that brings together the formal, non-formal and informal teaching, making possible experiences of knowledge objective and practical, as a way to consider the several challenges that appear to the profession. To hold the lifelong learning in the Music Colleges as an objective many changes are requested, and all the structures of the Music Colleges must be engaged

Religion, social movements, and zone of crisis in Latin America

This repository item contains a single issue of Issues in Brief, a series of policy briefs that began publishing in 2008 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.Based on the outcomes of a three-year project led by Boston University’s Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA), this Issues in Brief explores the connections between religion and social movements in Latin America, especially in areas where efforts have been made to expand citizens’ rights and institute reforms to improve social justice. The authors use examples presented by collaborating scholars at the project’s conferences to show how religion is, in fact, an intrinsic part of everyday life and has played an important role in both revolutions and evolutions toward democracy in the region. They argue that any assessment of where Latin America has been and where it is headed must understand and consider “the multiple roles played by religion as citizens fight for new rights and reshape democratic politics.