Privatization Experiences in France

France lived through a long period of nationalization until the early 1980s, when nearly all the largest industrials firms as well as all the banks and public services were state-owned. Since then, a series of privatization moves have caused the state sector to shrink. Public services present a complex situation. For example, after its IPO, the national telecommunications operator France Telecom was simultaneously subjected to the deregulation of the telecom market in the world and to a new type of governance. EDF, the national electricity producer is next in line and should experience the same problems and opportunities.privatisation, competition, regulation, utilities

Privatisation Experiences in France

Privatisierung, Wettbewerb, Regulierung, Nutzen, Frankreich, Privatization, Competition, Regulation, Utility, France

Corrosion Behavior of α,β'-Brass in NaNO3 Solutions

The corrosion behavior of an α,β'-brass CuZn40Pb2 (CW617N) was studied in solutions with basic pHs and various nitrate ion concentrations. Corrosion at the open circuit potential was observed to proceed by the galvanic coupling of α and β' phases, leading to a surface dezincification of the β' phase and the evolution of the passive layer. When the alloy was polarized in the anodic domain, a pseudo-passive or a passive stage followed by a passive breakdown was observed

Development of Representative Tests to Quantify the Susceptibility to Stress Corrosion Cracking of , '-Brass Used for Gas Transfer Devices

Corrosion susceptibility of an α,β'-brass CuZn40Pb2 (CW617N), used for gas transfer devices, was investigated through accelerated corrosion tests at a constant anodic potential in NaNO3 solution with basic pHs. The anodic dissolution behavior of the α,β'-brass was characterized by a two stages-mechanism, with each stage including both dezincification and simultaneous dissolution phenomena of the β' phase but with different kinetics at each stage. Compressive or tensile stresses applied on brass specimens during the accelerated tests were observed largely to influence the anodic dissolution kinetics. Stresses were assumed to open or close the pores present in the dezincified β' phase, which promoted or slowed the dezincification mechanism, including with the Zn diffusion into the solution trapped inside of the pores

Dissolution Kinetics of α,β′-Brass in Basic NaNO3 Solutions

Corrosion tests at a constant anodic potential, referred to as dissolution tests, were performed to determine the dissolution kinetics of an α,β′-brass CuZn40Pb2 (CW617N) in a basic nitrate solution with and without mechanical loading. The corrosion behavior of the α,β′-brass was characterized by a two-step mechanism, with an initiation step for which the simultaneous dissolution of all the alloying elements of the β′ phase occurred only and a propagation step including at first, the afore-mentioned simultaneous dissolution process before a critical time tc and then, both simultaneous dissolution and dezincification of the β′ phase after tc. The pH and Cu concentration of the electrolyte near the brass surface were determined to be two of the major factors influencing the occurrence of the dezincification process. The dezincification of the β′ phase extended in depth by a percolation dissolution mechanism. Mechanical loading during the dissolution tests was observed to largely influence the dezincification process. It was assumed to open or close the pores present in the dezincified β′ phase, which promoted or slowed down the dezincification mechanism depending on the sign of the stress

The Electrochemical Behavior of α,β′-Brass in Basic NaNO3Solutions

The electrochemical behavior of an α,β'-brass CuZn40Pb2 (CW617N) was studied in basic nitrate solutions with various basic pHs and nitrate ion concentrations. In all the chosen experimental conditions, corrosion at the open circuit potential proceeded by the galvanic coupling of the α and β' phases, leading to a surface dezincification of the β' phase. The study showed that the extent of the dezincification was affected by the presence of lead in the alloy but the pH was the major parameter. During polarization tests, a pseudo-passive or a passive stage followed by a breakdown was observed: corrosion phenomena mainly involved copper and zinc dissolution from the β' phase. At pH 11, a Cu2O/PbO layer was efficient in achieving passivity of the brass. At pH 12, a Cu(OH)2-rich surface layer was formed: it was not protective enough, and complete dissolution of the β' phase was observed leading to the removal of lead particles

Evaluating sealing efficiency of caprocks for CO2 storage: an overview of the Geocarbone Integrity program and results

8 pagesInternational audienceThe objectives of the Geocarbone-Integrity program are to develop techniques, methodologies and knowledge concerning the long term confinement of CO2 in geological storage. Linked to other French programs such as Geocarbone Injectivity or Picoref, it is an integrated approach involving geochemistry, petrophysics, geology and geomechanics. Different scales must be considered in order to describe caprocks: from the pore or grain scale in petrophysics and geochemistry, to regional scale in geology and geomechanics. The program focused on a specific site of the Paris basin but the methodologies developed are general and can be applied elsewhere

Effect of the Photon's Brownian Doppler Shift on the Weak-Localization Coherent-Backscattering Cone

We report the first observation of the dependence of the coherent-backscattering (CBS) enhanced cone with the frequency of the backscattered photon. The experiment is performed on a diffusing liquid suspension and the Doppler broadening of light is induced by the Brownian motion of the scatterers. Heterodyne detection on a CCD camera is used to measure the complex field (i.e., the hologram) of the light that is backscattered at a given frequency. The analysis of the holograms yield the frequency and the propagation direction of the backscattered photons. We observe that the angular CBS cone becomes more narrow in the tail of the Brownian spectrum. The experimental results are in good agreement with a simple theoretical model

Prevalence, Clinical Staging and Risk for Blood-Borne Transmission of Chagas Disease among Latin American Migrants in Geneva, Switzerland

Chagas disease, a parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a leading cause of cardiac and digestive tract disorders in Mexico, Central and South America. An increasing number of cases have recently been reported in North America and Europe due to international human migration, but data outside Latin America remains scarce. This study showed that Chagas disease is an emerging health problem in Switzerland, affecting a substantial proportion of Latin American migrants (13%). Persons at increased risk of infection were Bolivian, older than 35 years or had a mother infected with T. cruzi. Early signs of cardiac or digestive tract disease were found in one out of six infected patients. The risk of local transmission by blood transfusion or organ transplant was illustrated by the frequent willingness expressed by patients to donate blood or organs in Switzerland. The authors recommend the screening of persons at risk of infection and the diffusion of appropriate information to the medical community to increase awareness of this emerging health problem. Considering that affected persons frequently lack health insurance in Switzerland, a facilitated access to medical care is an important step towards better recognition and management of Chagas disease