The French Multimodal Fund Case Study, Annex 4 to REVENUE Project Deliverable 4, “Report on the Implementation of Interurban Case Studies”

In December 2003, the French government decided to implement an ambitious transport policy with a set of significant transport infrastructure projects. So as to finance a part of this policy a new public funding agency, called AFITF ("Agence pour le Financement des Infrastructures de Transport de France") was implemented the 1st January 2005.AFITF took over from the FITTVN ("Fonds d'Investissement pour les Transports Terrestres et les Voies Navigables") which was created in 1995 to re-launch public investment in transport infrastructures and abolished the 1st January 2001. The succession of investment funds underlines the persistent need for an everlasting transport investment financing.The main objective of successive French governments is an everlasting (or “sustainable”) transport investment financing with the concern of opening up less developed areas. To reach this aim, we focus our case study on important questions like revenues, pricing rule, equity and efficiency issues:• Which revenues to obtain a “sustainable” transport investments financing?• Which pricing rule for financing in an efficient way?• Which allocation between modes for optimal efficiency and for equity?• How will AFITF be “accepted” by different transport actors (motorways companies, road users, rail users...) and poor and rich regions inhabitants?Financing “sustainability”, efficiency and equity issues are addressed by the means of the Molino model and acceptability aspects through an analysis of the creation and ending of the FITTVN.The first part of the case study is devoted to the investment funds feasibility question through the FITTVN example.The second part of the case study is devoted to the assessment of regulation schemes.transport infrastructures ; investment ; regulation schemes ; sustainable mobility ; France ; REVENUE

Improving the design and management of agile supply chains : feedback and application in the context of humanitarian aid

Le secteur humanitaire a fortement évolué ces dernières années. Il est poussé à plus de transparence et doit rendre des comptes aux donateurs. Dans ce contexte, notre étude vise à expliciter, mesurer et améliorer l'une des principales caractéristiques des chaines logistiques humanitaires : leur capacité à répondre rapidement et adéquatement aux changements à court terme. Cette capacité, l'agilité, est fortement influencée par la manière dont le réseau logistique est conçu et dimensionné. Notre seconde problématique consiste donc à assurer un niveau déterminé d'agilité aux chaînes logistiques humanitaires en les aidant à mieux positionner leurs ressources. L'objectif est de montrer que l'on peut obtenir ce niveau de service enmaximisant l'efficience du réseau. Nous avons donc quantifié, en terme de coûts, l'impact de plusieurs décisions stratégiques comme le niveau de service, la proximité des fournisseurs et le degré de centralisation du réseau. ABSTRACT : A push for increased professionalism during disaster relief operations has been reinforced over the last decade. The uncertainties humanitarian organisations have to cope with and the vital importance of their success has incited them to develop their ability to respond quickly and adequately to short-term changes. This agility capability is becoming highly prized by the private sector. Starting from a framework of supply chain agility, this thesis analyses humanitarian methods and defines an agility maturity model aiming to measure and improve the agility capability of a supply chain. As agility often depends on the adequate balance between delivery capacity and needs, our second problemstatement aims to design a logistics network that can operate under high levels of uncertainty so that for a given level of service in terms of agility, efficiency is maximized. Our study quantifies the impact on costs of various decisions, such as network design, supply strategy or level of service

De la pertinence des mesures gravitaires de l'accessibilité : démonstration par la théorie et l'exemple

Le présent article s'attache à démontrer l'intérêt des indicateurs d'accessibilité gravitaire et ce, malgré les différentes critiques qui leur sont portées par les précurseurs de la time-geography et de l'Activity Based Accessibility. Ainsi dans un premier temps, l'article prouve que le calcul d'indicateurs d'accessibilité spatiale à partir d'un modèle de distribution spatiale de type gravitaire, est cohérent avec le calcul économique classique de surplus. Il souligne ensuite au travers d'une série de mesures d'accessibilité menées sur Strasbourg qu'il est possible d'une part de prendre en compte l'hétérogénéité de la population en menant une analyse désagrégée et d'autre part de travailler sur une approche zonale fine grâce à l'utilisation d'un SIG suffisamment précis.accessibilité gravitaire, surplus de l'usager, évaluation économique, politiques de transport, politiques urbaines, SIG, Strasbourg

Adoption and appropriation: towards a new theoretical framework. An exploratory research on mobile technologies in French companies

The objective of this research is to propose an alternative theoretical model that goes beyond the well-accepted separation between adoption and appropriation. The theoretical analysis of appropriation ignores the question of adoption of the technology. As mobile technologies can be used for private or business purposes, and because employees have often a prior experience with mobile technologies before joining a company, the linkage between adoption and appropriation of mobile technologies should be taken into account at the theoretical level. The uses developed at the individual level, outside the company environment and before entering the company, can influence organizational usage and the processes of appropriation at the organizational level. Our purpose in this article is to see if there us a link between mobile technology adoption and appropriation, and usage. We first present the numerous specific characteristics of mobile technologies that generate paradoxical effects for the user. We then examine the traditional models of adoption to show their limitations, specifically in the case of mobile technologies. The principal models of appropriation are then discussed. An exploratory empirical study, involving 76 managers in eight French companies is presented to understand the logic of adoption and the uses of mobile technologies. This research highlights the complex logic of adoption and usage that diverges from the existing models that are discussed in the theoretical section. In the final part of the paper, the discussion of the results makes it possible to outline a new theoretical framework that combines the adoption process and the appropriation process. Key-words: Adoption, Appropriation, Mobile technologies, Mobile phone, Laptop computer

Les conséquences paradoxales de l'usage des outils mobiles de communication sur les situations perçues de travail : une étude exploratoire sur l'impact humain et organisationnel des technologies mobiles.

Il est largement reconnu que les technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) ont bouleversé les modes d'organisation depuis une dizaine d'années notamment avec l'usage généralisé des ordinateurs portables connectés au réseau Internet et des téléphones mobiles. De nombreux travaux mettent l'accent sur une transformation profonde des situations de travail permise par ces technologies dans le sens d'un développement de l'autonomie et de la responsabilité. Cependant, dans le cas des technologies mobiles, l'impact de ces technologies sur le travail apparaît comme beaucoup plus paradoxal : d'une part, le fait de pouvoir être joint "n'importe où, n'importe quand" impose des exigences nouvelles en raison de l'abolition des frontières du temps et d'espace et, d'autre part, le fait de pouvoir accéder partout à des informations cruciales pour l'exercice du travail donne aux individus une véritable autonomie et un pouvoir de contrôle sur leurs décisions et actions. À partir du cadre théorique proposé par le modèle "exigence-autonomie-soutien social" (Karasek & Theorell, 1990; Johnson & Hall, 1988), les résultats d'une étude exploratoire menée dans 8 entreprises Françaises confirment cette hypothèse des conséquences paradoxales des TIC mobiles sur les situations perçues de travail. Des enseignements pour les responsables RH et des pistes de recherche future sont proposés en conclusion de cette contribution.Soutien social; Autonomie; Contrainte; Situation de travail; Tic mobile;

Sensory profile and consumer acceptability of Ziziphus mauritiana and processing product in Savannah region of Cameroon

Aim: Ziziphus mauritiana is an endemic fruit spread in the savannah region of Cameroon. The fruit, locally called Jaabi, is harvested dry and consumed as such or processed into a local cake named Yaabande, using three baking techniques (sun drying, steam baking and stifle baking). The aim of the study is to characterize the sensory profile and consumer acceptability of the fruit and its processed product, in order to evaluate the determinant of their quality attributes as influenced by ecotype, origin and processing method. Place of Study: The study was carried out in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Ngaoundéré, Cameroon. Methodology: Physico-chemical analysis, sensory profile by a semi trained panel, and consumer acceptability of the fruits and their processed products were undergone through collection of two ecotypes of the fruit (Jaabi Dakamji and Jaabi Lammuji) from four areas (Garoua, Mora, Maroua and Mokolo). African and non African consumers were used for the consumer tests. Results: Sensory analysis differentiated the fruits by ecotype and origin, with the Dakamji ecotype appearing more homogeneous whatever the origin. The processed cakes differed mainly by their texture, depending on the baking method, with chewing texture for sun processed method, while samples from steam and stifle baking were more firm in mouth. Meanwhile, all samples were acceptable at comparable level corresponding to pleasant character, the sweet taste constituting the main criteria for consuming the products, both for African and non African consumers. In this respect Dakamji ecotype was sweeter, due to its higher sugar content, while the sweetness of Lammuji ecotype was lowered by its acid content. Conclusion: Jaabi and Yaabande samples are globally acceptable by consumers, whatever the origin and the variety. Development of products emphasising the original taste of Jaabi and standardisation of processing techniques appear as some main aspects of the market development of the fruit

Patterns of Ecological Adaptation of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus and Stegomyia Indices Highlight the Potential Risk of Arbovirus Transmission in Yaoundé, the Capital City of Cameroon

The dynamic of arbovirus vectors such as Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus remains poorly understood in large cities in central Africa. Here, we compared the larval ecology, geographical distribution and degree of infestation of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon, and estimated their Stegomyia indices revealing a significant potential risk of arbovirus transmission. An entomological survey was conducted in April–May 2018 in a cluster of houses randomly selected. Each selected house was inspected, the number of inhabitants was recorded, and potential and positive containers for Aedes were characterized. Stegomyia and pupae-based indices were estimated. Overall, 447 houses and 954 containers were inspected comprising 10,801 immature stages of Aedes with 84.95% of Ae. albopictus and 15.05% of Ae. aegypti. Both species bred mainly in discarded tanks and used tyres, associated with turbid water and the presence of plant debris inside containers. Aedes albopictus was the most prevalent species in almost all neighbourhoods. The house index, Breteau index, and container index were higher for Ae. albopictus (38.26%, 71.81%, and 29.61%) compared to those of Ae. aegypti (25.73%, 40.93%, and 16.88%). These indices are high compared to the thresholds established by Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization, which suggests a high potential risk of arbovirus transmission

The ArT\'eMiS wide-field submillimeter camera: preliminary on-sky performances at 350 microns

ArTeMiS is a wide-field submillimeter camera operating at three wavelengths simultaneously (200, 350 and 450 microns). A preliminary version of the instrument equipped with the 350 microns focal plane, has been successfully installed and tested on APEX telescope in Chile during the 2013 and 2014 austral winters. This instrument is developed by CEA (Saclay and Grenoble, France), IAS (France) and University of Manchester (UK) in collaboration with ESO. We introduce the mechanical and optical design, as well as the cryogenics and electronics of the ArTeMiS camera. ArTeMiS detectors are similar to the ones developed for the Herschel PACS photometer but they are adapted to the high optical load encountered at APEX site. Ultimately, ArTeMiS will contain 4 sub-arrays at 200 microns and 2x8 sub-arrays at 350 and 450 microns. We show preliminary lab measurements like the responsivity of the instrument to hot and cold loads illumination and NEP calculation. Details on the on-sky commissioning runs made in 2013 and 2014 at APEX are shown. We used planets (Mars, Saturn, Uranus) to determine the flat-field and to get the flux calibration. A pointing model was established in the first days of the runs. The average relative pointing accuracy is 3 arcsec. The beam at 350 microns has been estimated to be 8.5 arcsec, which is in good agreement with the beam of the 12 m APEX dish. Several observing modes have been tested, like On-The-Fly for beam-maps or large maps, spirals or raster of spirals for compact sources. With this preliminary version of ArTeMiS, we concluded that the mapping speed is already more than 5 times better than the previous 350 microns instrument at APEX. The median NEFD at 350 microns is 600 mJy.s1/2, with best values at 300 mJy.s1/2. The complete instrument with 5760 pixels and optimized settings will be installed during the first half of 2015.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figures. Presented at SPIE Millimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy VII, June 24, 2014. To be published in Proceedings of SPIE Volume 915