The Current-Temperature Phase Diagram of Layered Superconductors

The behavior of clean layered superconductors in the presence of a finite electric current and in zero-magnetic field behavior is addressed. The structure of the current temperature phase diagram and the properties of each of the four regions will be explained. We will discuss the expected current voltage and resistance characteristics of each region as well as the effects of finite size and weak disorder on the phase diagram. In addition, the reason for which a weakly non-ohmic region exists above the transition temperature will be explained.Comment: 8 pages (RevTeX), 4 encapsulated postscript figure

Flux Lattice Melting and Lowest Landau Level Fluctuations

We discuss the influence of lowest Landau level (LLL) fluctuations near H_{c2}(T) on flux lattice melting in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{7-\delta}$ (YBCO). We show that the specific heat step of the flux lattice melting transition in YBCO single crystals can be attributed largely to the degrees of freedom associated with LLL fluctuations. These degrees of freedom have already been shown to account for most of the latent heat. We also show that these results are a consequence of the correspondence between flux lattice melting and the onset of LLL fluctuations.Comment: 4 pages, 2 embedded figure

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

Why the lowest Landau level approximation works in strongly type II superconductors

Higher than the lowest Landau level contributions to magnetization and specific heat of superconductors are calculated using Ginzburg - Landau equations approach. Corrections to the excitation spectrum around solution of these equations (treated perturbatively) are found. Due to symmetries of the problem leading to numerous cancellations the range of validity of the LLL approximation in mean field is much wider then a naive range and extends all the way down to $H = {H_{c2}(T)}/13$. Moreover the contribution of higher Landau levels is significantly smaller compared to LLL than expected naively. We show that like the LLL part the lattice excitation spectrum at small quasimomenta is softer than that of usual acoustic phonons. This enhanses the effect of fluctuations. The mean field calculation extends to third order, while the fluctuation contribution due to HLL is to one loop. This complements the earlier calculation of the LLL part to two loop order.Comment: 20 pages, Latex file, three figure

Historical-institutionalist perspectives on the development of the EU budget system

The EU budget has only recently started to feature in theories of European integration. Studies typically adopt a historical-institutionalist framework, exploring notions such as path dependency. They have, however, generally been rather aggregated, or coarse-grained, in their approach. The EU budget has thus been treated as a single entity rather than a series of inter-linked institutions. This paper seeks to address these lacunae by adopting a fine-grained approach. This enables us to emphasize the connections that exist between EU budgetary institutions, in both time and space. We show that the initial set of budgetary institutions was unable, over time, to achieve consistently their treaty-based objectives. In response, rather than reform these institutions at potentially high political cost, additional institutions were layered on top of the extant structures. We thus demonstrate how some EU budgetary institutions have remained unchanged, whilst others have been added or changed over time

Current-voltage characteristics of the two-dimensional XY model with Monte Carlo dynamics

Current-voltage characteristics and the linear resistance of the two-dimensional XY model with and without external uniform current driving are studied by Monte Carlo simulations. We apply the standard finite-size scaling analysis to get the dynamic critical exponent $z$ at various temperatures. From the comparison with the resistively-shunted junction dynamics, it is concluded that $z$ is universal in the sense that it does not depend on details of dynamics. This comparison also leads to the quantification of the time in the Monte Carlo dynamic simulation.Comment: 5 pages in two columns including 5 figures, to appear in PR

Constituting monetary conservatives via the 'savings habit': New Labour and the British housing market bubble

The ongoing world credit crunch might well kill off the most recent bubble dynamics in the British housing market by driving prices systematically downwards from their 2007 peak. Nonetheless, the experience of that bubble still warrants analytical attention. The Labour Government might not have been responsible for consciously creating it, but it has certainly grasped the opportunities the bubble has provided in an attempt to enforce a process of agential change at the heart of the British economy. The key issue in this respect is the way in which the Government has challenged the legitimacy of passive welfare receipts in favour of establishing a welfare system based on incorporating the individual into an active asset-holding society. The housing market has taken on new political significance as a means for individuals first to acquire assets and then to accumulate wealth on the back of asset ownership. The ensuing integration of the housing market into an increasingly reconfigured welfare system has permeated into the politics of everyday life. It has been consistent with individuals remaking their political subjectivities in line with preferences for the type of conservative monetary policies that typically keep house price bubbles inflated

The measurement of the winds near the ocean surface with a radiometer-scatterometer on Skylab

The author has identified the following significant results. There were a total of twenty-six passes in the ZLV mode that yielded useful data. Six were in the in-track noncontiguous mode; all others were in the cross-track noncontiguous mode. The wind speed and direction, as effectively determined in a neutral atmosphere at 19.5 m above the sea surface, were found for each cell scanned by S193. It is shown how the passive microwave measurements were used both to compute the attenuation of the radar beam and to determine those cells where the backscatter measurement was suspect. Given the direction of the wind from some independent source, with the typical accuracy of measurement by available meteorological methods, a backscatter measurement at a nadir angle of 50, 43, or 32 deg can be used to compute the speed of the wind averaged over the illuminated area

Immune System Dysregulation and Herpesvirus Reactivation Persist During Long-Duration Spaceflight

Background: Immunity, latent herpesvirus reactivation, physiological stress and circadian rhythms were assessed during six month spaceflight onboard ISS. Blood and saliva samples were collected early, mid and late in-flight and returned for immediate analysis. Mid-point study data (10 of 17 planned subjects) will be presented. Results: Some shifts in leukocyte distribution occurred during flight, including alterations in CD8+ T cell maturation. General T cell function was consistently reduced early in-flight. Levels CD8+/IFNg+ producing T cells were depressed early in-flight, and immediately upon landing. Persistent mitogen-dependant reductions were observed in IFNg, IL-17a, IL-10, TNFa and IL-6 production. Monocyte production of IL-10 was reduced, whereas IL-8 levels were increased. Levels of mRNA for the TNFa, IL-6 and IFNg were transiently elevated early in-flight, and the dynamics of TNF and IL-6 gene expression were somewhat antagonistic to their corresponding receptors during flight. The number of virus-specific CD8+ T-cells was measured using MHC tetramers, while their function was measured using intracellular cytokine analysis following peptide stimulation. Both the number and function of EBV-specific cells decreased during flight as compared to preflight levels. The number of CMV-specific T-cells generally increased as the mission progressed while their function was variable. Viral (EBV) load in blood was elevated postflight. Anti-EBV VCA antibodies were significantly elevated by R+0; anti-EA antibodies were not significantly elevated at landing; and anti-CMV antibodies were somewhat elevated during flight. Higher levels of salivary EBV DNA were found during flight. VZV DNA reactivation occurred in ~50 % of astronauts during flight, continuing for up to 30 days post-flight. CMV was shed in 35 % the in-flight and 30% of postflight urine samples of the crewmembers. There was generally a higher level of cortisol as measured in urine and saliva in the astronauts during flight, but plasma cortisol was relatively unchanged during flight. Circadian rhythm of salivary cortisol was altered during flight. Conclusion. Some alterations in immunity do not resolve during six month spaceflight, consequentially resulting in persistent herpesvirus reactivation. Ongoing immune dysregulation may represent specific clinical risks for exploration-class space missions

Nanoscale Mechanical Drumming Visualized by 4D Electron Microscopy

With four-dimensional (4D) electron microscopy, we report in situ imaging of the mechanical drumming of a nanoscale material. The single crystal graphite film is found to exhibit global resonance motion that is fully reversible and follows the same evolution after each initiating stress pulse. At early times, the motion appears “chaotic” showing the different mechanical modes present over the micron scale. At longer time, the motion of the thin film collapses into a well-defined fundamental frequency of 1.08 MHz, a behavior reminiscent of mode locking; the mechanical motion damps out after ∼200 μs and the oscillation has a “cavity” quality factor of 150. The resonance time is determined by the stiffness of the material, and for the 75 nm thick and 40 μm square specimen used here we determined Young’s modulus to be 1.0 TPa for the in-plane stress−strain profile. Because of its real-time dimension, this 4D microscopy should have applications in the study of these and other types of materials structures