The political economy of the Jospin government

This article explores the political economy of the French Socialist Party (PS), beginning with the neo-liberal U-turn of 1983. It then charts the re-evaluation of the PS's political economic foundations after the 1993 defeat, the rejection of the neo-liberal 'pensée unique', and the rehabilitation of a broadly Keynesian frame of reference. The article goes on to explore how this shift has fed through into the Jospin government's policy and positions at both the national and international level. It explores aspirations to reinvent the EU as a Keynesian social democratic 'policy space', and at the national level, employment, macroeconomic, and structural policies

A search for evidence of irradiation in Centaurus X-4 during quiescence

We present a study of the neutron star X-Ray Transient Cen X-4. Our aim is to look for any evidence of irradiation of the companion with a detailed analysis of its radial velocity curve, relative contribution of the donor star and Doppler tomography of the main emission lines. To improve our study all our data are compared with a set of simulations that consider different physical parameters of the system, like the disc aperture angle and the mass ratio. We conclude that neither the radial velocity curve nor the orbital variation of the relative donor's contribution to the total flux are affected by irradiation. On the other hand, we do see emission from the donor star at H${\alpha}$ and HeI 5876 which we tentatively attribute to irradiation effects. In particular, the H${\alpha}$ emission from the companion is clearly asymmetric and we suggest is produced by irradiation from the hot-spot. Finally, from the velocity of the HeI 5876 spot we constrain the disc opening angle to alpha=7-14 deg.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&A as a R

Advanced information processing system: The Army fault tolerant architecture conceptual study. Volume 1: Army fault tolerant architecture overview

Digital computing systems needed for Army programs such as the Computer-Aided Low Altitude Helicopter Flight Program and the Armored Systems Modernization (ASM) vehicles may be characterized by high computational throughput and input/output bandwidth, hard real-time response, high reliability and availability, and maintainability, testability, and producibility requirements. In addition, such a system should be affordable to produce, procure, maintain, and upgrade. To address these needs, the Army Fault Tolerant Architecture (AFTA) is being designed and constructed under a three-year program comprised of a conceptual study, detailed design and fabrication, and demonstration and validation phases. Described here are the results of the conceptual study phase of the AFTA development. Given here is an introduction to the AFTA program, its objectives, and key elements of its technical approach. A format is designed for representing mission requirements in a manner suitable for first order AFTA sizing and analysis, followed by a discussion of the current state of mission requirements acquisition for the targeted Army missions. An overview is given of AFTA's architectural theory of operation

Advanced information processing system: The Army fault tolerant architecture conceptual study. Volume 2: Army fault tolerant architecture design and analysis

Described here is the Army Fault Tolerant Architecture (AFTA) hardware architecture and components and the operating system. The architectural and operational theory of the AFTA Fault Tolerant Data Bus is discussed. The test and maintenance strategy developed for use in fielded AFTA installations is presented. An approach to be used in reducing the probability of AFTA failure due to common mode faults is described. Analytical models for AFTA performance, reliability, availability, life cycle cost, weight, power, and volume are developed. An approach is presented for using VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) to describe and design AFTA's developmental hardware. A plan is described for verifying and validating key AFTA concepts during the Dem/Val phase. Analytical models and partial mission requirements are used to generate AFTA configurations for the TF/TA/NOE and Ground Vehicle missions

On multicomponent effects in stellar winds of stars at extremely low metallicity

We calculate multicomponent line-driven wind models of stars at extremely low metallicity suitable for massive first generation stars. For most of the models we find that the multicomponent wind nature is not important for either wind dynamics or for wind temperature stratification. However, for stars with the lowest metallicities we find that multicomponent effects influence the wind structure. These effects range from pure heating to possible fallback of the nonabsorbing wind component. We present a simple formula for the calculation of metallicity for which the multicomponent effects become important. We show that the importance of the multicomponent nature of winds of low metallicity stars is characterised not only by the low density of driving ions, but also by lower mass-loss rate

U Geminorum: a test case for orbital parameters determination

High-resolution spectroscopy of U Gem was obtained during quiescence. We did not find a hot spot or gas stream around the outer boundaries of the accretion disk. Instead, we detected a strong narrow emission near the location of the secondary star. We measured the radial velocity curve from the wings of the double-peaked H$\alpha$ emission line, and obtained a semi-amplitude value that is in excellent agreement with the obtained from observations in the ultraviolet spectral region by Sion et al. (1998). We present also a new method to obtain K_2, which enhances the detection of absorption or emission features arising in the late-type companion. Our results are compared with published values derived from the near-infrared NaI line doublet. From a comparison of the TiO band with those of late type M stars, we find that a best fit is obtained for a M6V star, contributing 5 percent of the total light at that spectral region. Assuming that the radial velocity semi-amplitudes reflect accurately the motion of the binary components, then from our results: K_em = 107+/-2 km/s; K_abs = 310+/-5 km/s, and using the inclination angle given by Zhang & Robinson(1987); i = 69.7+/-0.7, the system parameters become: M_WD = 1.20+/-0.05 M_sun,; M_RD = 0.42+/-0.04 M_sun; and a = 1.55+/- 0.02 R_sun. Based on the separation of the double emission peaks, we calculate an outer disk radius of R_out/a ~0.61, close to the distance of the inner Lagrangian point L_1/a~0.63. Therefore we suggest that, at the time of observations, the accretion disk was filling the Roche-Lobe of the primary, and that the matter leaving the L_1 point was colliding with the disc directly, producing the hot spot at this location.Comment: 36 pages, 14 figures, ccepted for publication in A

Polyoma virus infection and urothelial carcinoma of the bladder following renal transplantation

Renal transplant recipients are at increased risk of bladder carcinoma. The aetiology is unknown but a polyoma virus (PV), BK virus (BKV), may play a role; urinary reactivation of this virus is common post-renal transplantation and PV large T-antigen (T-Ag) has transforming activity. In this study, we investigate the potential role of BKV in post-transplant urothelial carcinoma by immunostaining tumour tissue for PV T-Ag. There was no positivity for PV T-Ag in urothelial carcinomas from 20 non-transplant patients. Since 1990, 10 transplant recipients in our unit have developed urothelial carcinoma, and tumour tissue was available in eight recipients. Two patients were transplanted since the first case of PV nephropathy (PVN) was diagnosed in our unit in 2000 and both showed PV reactivation post-transplantation. In one of these patients, there was strong nuclear staining for PV T-Ag in tumour cells, with no staining of non-neoplastic urothelium. We conclude that PV infection is not associated with urothelial carcinoma in non-transplant patients, and is uncommon in transplant-associated tumours. Its presence in all tumour cells in one patient transplanted in the PVN era might suggest a possible role in tumorigenesis in that case

Transport Properties of Highly Aligned Polymer Light-Emitting-Diodes

We investigate hole transport in polymer light-emitting-diodes in which the emissive layer is made of liquid-crystalline polymer chains aligned perpendicular to the direction of transport. Calculations of the current as a function of time via a random-walk model show excellent qualitative agreement with experiments conducted on electroluminescent polyfluorene demonstrating non-dispersive hole transport. The current exhibits a constant plateau as the charge carriers move with a time-independent drift velocity, followed by a long tail when they reach the collecting electrode. Variation of the parameters within the model allows the investigation of the transition from non-dispersive to dispersive transport in highly aligned polymers. It turns out that large inter-chain hopping is required for non-dispersive hole transport and that structural disorder obstructs the propagation of holes through the polymer film.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

On the Correlated X-ray and Optical Evolution of SS Cygni

We have analyzed the variability and spectral evolution of the prototype dwarf nova system SS Cygni using RXTE data and AAVSO observations. A series of pointed RXTE/PCA observations allow us to trace the evolution of the X-ray spectrum of SS Cygni in unprecedented detail, while 6 years of optical AAVSO and RXTE/ASM light curves show long-term patterns. Employing a technique in which we stack the X-ray flux over multiple outbursts, phased according to the optical light curve, we investigate the outburst morphology. We find that the 3-12 keV X-ray flux is suppressed during optical outbursts, a behavior seen previously, but only in a handful of cycles. The several outbursts of SS Cygni observed with the more sensitive RXTE/PCA also show a depression of the X-rays during optical outburst. We quantify the time lags between the optical and X-ray outbursts, and the timescales of the X-ray recovery from outburst. The optical light curve of SS Cygni exhibits brief anomalous outbursts. During these events the hard X-rays and optical flux increase together. The long-term data suggest that the X-rays decline between outburst. Our results are in general agreement with modified disk instability models (DIM), which invoke a two-component accretion flow consisting of a cool optically thick accretion disk truncated at an inner radius, and a quasi-spherical hot corona-like flow extending to the surface of the white dwarf. We discuss our results in the framework of one such model, involving the evaporation of the inner part of the optically thick accretion disk, proposed by Meyer & Meyer-Hofmeister (1994).Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap