Allocating and Funding Universal Service Obligations in a Competitive Network Market

We examine, in a network market open to competition, various mechanisms of allocating and funding ''universal service obligations'' among agents (rival operators and consumers). The obligations we consider are geographic ubiquity and non discrimination. We analyze, from both the efficiency and equity point of views, the respective advantages of a ''restricted-entry'' system (where the entrant is not allowed to serve high cost consumers) and the ''pay or play'' system at work for instance in Australia. We show that the pay or play regulation always dominates the restricted-entry regulation under ubiquity constraint alone. This result no longer holds when the regulator imposes also the non discrimination constraint.

A reverse chemical ecology approach to explore wood natural durability

The natural durability of wood species, defined as their inherent resistance to wood‐destroying agents, is a complex phenomenon depending on many biotic and abiotic factors. Besides the presence of recalcitrant polymers, the presence of compounds with antimicrobial properties is known to be important to explain wood durability. Based on the advancement in our understanding of fungal detoxification systems, a reverse chemical ecology approach was proposed to explore wood natural durability using fungal glutathione transferases. A set of six glutathione transferases from the white‐rot Trametes versicolor were used as targets to test wood extracts from seventeen French Guiana neotropical species. Fluorescent thermal shift assays quantified interactions between fungal glutathione transferases and these extracts. From these data, a model combining this approach and wood density significantly predicts the wood natural durability of the species tested previously using long‐term soil bed tests. Overall, our findings confirm that detoxification systems could be used to explore the chemical environment encountered by wood‐decaying fungi and also wood natural durability

Dedicated and industrial robotic arms used as force feedback telerobots at the AREVA-La Hague recycling plant

ISBN: 978-1-4244-6635-1/10International audienceCEA LIST and AREVA have been developing remote operations devices, also called telerobotics for 15 years. These tools were designed for interventions in the AREVA nuclear spent fuel facilities hot cells. From these 15 years of joint research and development, several technological bricks have been industrialized and used at the AREVA La Hague facilities. This article presents some of these bricks and their industrial developments. The “TAO2000” CEA LIST telerobotics generic software controller will be first discussed. This controller has been used to teleoperate dedicated slave arms like the MT200 TAO (an evolution of the conventional wall-transmission mechanical telemanipulator (MSM)) as well as industrial robotic arms like the Stäubli RX robots. Both the MT200 TAO and Stäubli RX TAO telerobotics systems provide force-feedback and are now ready to be used as telemaintenance tools at the AREVA La Hague facilities. Two recent maintenance operations using these tools will be detailed at the end of this pape

Design and acceptability assessment of a new reversible orthosis

International audience— We present a new device aimed at being used for upper limb rehabilitation. Our main focus was to design a robot capable of working in both the passive mode (i.e. the robot shall be strong enough to generate human-like movements while guiding the weak arm of a patient) and the active mode (i.e. the robot shall be able of following the arm without disturbing human natural motion). This greatly challenges the design, since the system shall be reversible and lightweight while providing human compatible strength, workspace and speed. The solution takes the form of an orthotic structure, which allows control of human arm redundancy contrarily to clinically available upper limb rehabilitation robots. It is equipped with an innovative transmission technology, which provides both high gear ratio and fine reversibility. In order to evaluate the device and its therapeutic efficacy, we compared several series of pointing movements in healthy subjects wearing and not wearing the orthotic device. In this way, we could assess any disturbing effect on normal movements. Results show that the main movement characteristics (direction, duration, bell shape profile) are preserved

La discrimination systémique dans le système éducatif français

1. IntroductionComme le remarque Patrick Simon (2005), la question des discriminations a subi une transformation assez sensible en France ces dernières années. L’accumulation d’enquêtes convergentes a en effet quelque peu dissipé une perspective qu’on peu qualifier, avec le recul, de « grossièrement morale ». L’approche du racisme s’en est trouvée, elle même, renouvelée : désindexée de la lutte idéologique contre les groupements racistes, elle peut se recentrer sur « cette somme de petites dé..

Strategies d'alliances et nouvelles frontieres de la cooperative agro-alimentaire

This document is based on the analysis of 70 alliances established between 1987 and 1999 by the cooperatives of the Brittany region. It analyses the consequences of this strategy on the agro-food cooperative boundaries. It shows the emergence of new cohesion forms regarding the business, geographical, strategical and governing dimensions. Their control represents a key challenge for the future of the co-operative system

Stratégies d'alliances et nouvelles frontières de la coopérative agro-alimentaire

This document is based on the analysis of 70 alliances established between 1987 and 1999 by the cooperatives of the Brittany region. It analyses the consequences of this strategy on the agro-food cooperative boundaries. It shows the emergence of new cohesion forms regarding the business, geographical, strategical and governing dimensions. Their control represents a key challenge for the future of the co-operative system

Les stratégies d'alliances dans I'industrie agro-alimentaire française : des logiques contrastées

*Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Rennes 65 rue de Saint-Brieuc 35042 RENNES CEDEX (FRA) Diffusion du document : Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Rennes 65 rue de Saint-Brieuc 35042 RENNES CEDEX (FRA)The evolution of co-operative inter-firm relations over the last two decades has given rise to profuseliterature, in tl,e form of either theoretical analyses or empirical studies. The food processing industryhas been kept out of these studies and has never been included in any specific work on strategicalliances. As part of an ernpirical approach based on a database of 259 agreements reached between1988 and 1997, this paper confirms that alliances are a significant feature of this industry and that theyfollow two main logics, i.e., a vertical logic of value chain and a horizontal logic taking in account themarket dimension. This analysis offers a novel alliance classification and identifies specific factorscharacterising the practice of alliances within this sector. In particular, it highlights the need to take thespecificities of food processing activities into consideration, as well as the existence of a specifictechnological status and particular innovation practices.Au cours des deux dernières décennies, l'évolution des relations de coopération inter-firmes a suscitéune littérature abondante tant au niveau des analyses théoriques que des études empiriques. L'industrieagro-alimentaire est restée largement en marge de ces travaux et n'a jamais fait I'objet d'analysesspécifiques concernant la pratique des alliances stratégiques. Dans le cadre d'une démarche empirique,fondée sur l'exploitation d'une base de données recensant 259 accords conclus sur la période 1988 -7997, cet article confirme que les alliances constituent une pratique significative dans ce secteur etqu'elles obéissent à deux logiques principales, l'une verticale de chaîne de valeur et l'autre horizontalede marché. Cette analyse permet de proposer une typologie originale des alliances et de repérer lesfacteurs d'identité et de spécificité de cette pratique, dans ce secteur. En particulier, elle rappelle lanécessité de tenir compte des dimensions caractéristiques des métiers et des activités des firmes del'agro-alimentaire, et de l'existence d'un régime technologique et de modes d'innovation particuliers

La Cueva del León, Chalatenango: Arte rupestre en una región de confines

Los pueblos que ocupaban las montañas de Chalatenango en el momento de la llegada de los españoles y antes de este suceso, siguen envueltos en las nieblas de la historia. La información brindada al respecto por las fuentes etno-históricas es muy limitada; no obstante, provee valiosos indicios que pueden ayudar a determinar la afiliación cultural y lingüística de los autores del arte rupestre de la Cueva del León. Por medio de una alianza entre la Universidad de El Salvador, la Dirección Nacional de Patrimonio Cultural y el Centro de Estudios Mexicanos y Centroamericanos, se realizó una visita al sitio de la Cueva del León en febrero de 2010 para investigar un aspecto particular del patrimonio prehispánico de La Montañona: el arte rupreste. Luego de haber expuesto algunos datos etnohistóricos referentes al actual departamento de Chalatenango, en el sigueinte artículo, se presentará una síntesis de las diversas investigaciones que ya se llevaron a cabo sobre el rico arte rupestre de la región, antes de abordar el estudio del sitio y los petroglifos de la Cueva del León