Overview of Infrastructure Charging, part 4, IMPROVERAIL Project Deliverable 9, “Improved Data Background to Support Current and Future Infrastructure Charging Systems”

Improverail aims are to further support the establishment of railway infrastructure management in accordance with Directive 91/440, as well as the new railway infrastructure directives, by developing the necessary tools for modelling the management of railway infrastructure; by evaluating improved methods for capacity and resources management, which allow the improvement of the Life Cycle Costs (LCC) calculating methods, including elements related to vehicle - infrastructure interaction and external costs; and by improving data background in support of charging for use of railway infrastructure. To achieve these objectives, Improverail is organised along 8 workpackages, with specific objectives, responding to the requirements of the task 2.2.1/10 of the 2nd call made in the 5th RTD Framework Programme in December 1999.This part is the task 7.1 (Review of infrastructure charging systems) to the workpackage 7 (Analysis of the relation between infrastructure cost variation and diversity of infrastructure charging systems).Before explaining the economic characteristics of railway and his basic pricing principles, authors must specify the objectives of railways infrastructure charging.principle of pricing ; rail infrastructure charging ; public service obligation ; rail charging practice ; Europe ; Improverail

Quelle mobilité en Chine en 2050 ?

En 2050, la Chine sera un pays développé, le PIB par habitant se situera entre celui du Japon et celui de la France de 2000. Quelle sera alors la mobilité des personnes et des marchandises ?D'après les simulations et des projections réalisées par le LET, et sous réserve des limites méthodologiques et de disponibilité des données statistiques, les quatre principales tendances sont les suivantes :•en interurbain, malgré de lourds investissements en infrastructures routières et une forte motorisation, les limites de capacité contraindront la mobilité des personnes ;•en urbain, même dans les scénarios les plus élevés, la mobilité d'une ville chinoise théorique se situerait en dessous des trois déplacements par jour et per capita. La part modale des transports collectifs atteindrait entre 25 % et 30 % ;•dans le domaine du transport aérien, il existera vraisemblablement un grand nombre de très grands aéroports, desservis par un chemin de fer suburbain et des trains rapides interurbains ;•pour poursuivre le développement de l'activité portuaire, la qualité de service ainsi que les infrastructures de transport pour les relations avec les zones d'approvisionnement et de desserte seront déterminantes.-------------------------------------------Cet article peut être téléchargé sur le site de l'éditeur : http://www.statistiques.equipement.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/NS_CHINE_25-34_cle5c8a3f.pdf (lien consulté le 18.09.2008)Chine – modélisation à long terme – transport urbain – transport interubain – ports – aéroports – prospective – scénarios – Système d'Information Géographique (SIG) – Shanghai – Pékin – élasticités – tonnes.kilomètres – voyageurs.kilomètres – parc de véhicules – études 2050

Péage urbain et (in)justice perçue : un obstacle à l'expérimentation en France ?

Urban Toll and (un)Fairness: an Obstacle to an Experimentation in France? - With an attitude survey in Lyon, we test different principles of rationing car traffic by prices (road toll) or by quantities (odd numbers or reduced day of travelling). Rationing by price or by quantity is strongly perceived as unfair by responders. Attitudes towards tolls justified by the pollution caused by automobile traffic are less negative. On the compensation side, car-pooling should have free toll. Support for a reduced rate for low-income users means an equity position we have to answer.Dans une enquête d'attitudes réalisée à Lyon, nous testons différents principes de rationnement de la circulation automobile par les prix (péage routier) ou par les quantités (plaques paires / impaires ou limitation des jours de circulation). Le rationnement par les prix ou par les quantités est massivement jugé injuste par les enquêtés. L'attitude envers la justification du péage par la pollution du trafic automobile est moins négative. Concernant la compensation, le covoiturage devrait bénéficier d'une exemption du péage. Le soutien en faveur d'un tarif réduit pour les usagers à bas revenus témoigne d'un souci d'équité auquel il faudra répondre

On the perceived justice of urban road pricing: An empirical study in Lyon

International audienceVarious methods of restricting automobile traffic, by price (tolls) or by quantity (odd/even license plates or limited days of traffic), are tested in a survey (N ∼ 400) about attitudes toward traffic restrictions in Lyon, France. Ordered probit models with random-effects panel allow us to estimate the survey respondents' perceptions of these methods, as well as the roles of individual socio-demographic characteristics in the formation of these perceptions. Both the restriction of automobile traffic and its regulation by congestion (waiting in line) are widely considered unjust by the respondents, regardless of whether they work and whether they are drivers or non-drivers. Their attitudes towards tolls justified by the pollution caused by automobile traffic are less negative. As regards compensation, in addition to emergency vehicles and those that transport people with limited mobility, respondents believe car-pooling ought to benefit of a toll exemption. The support for a reduced rate for low-income users shows a concern for justice to which it will be necessary to respond. The respondents' socio-professional status, level of education, car use or non-use, and residence inside or outside of the toll zone clearly play a role in their perceptions of these methods of regulation and compensation

Probing the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect at the nanoscale

Special issue of physica status solidi (a) containing a compilation of contributions representing the main topics covered at the seventh Trends in Nanotechnology (TNT2006) International Conference, held in Grenoble (France), 4-8 September 2006.This article presents a theoretical formalism for a magneto-optical scanning near-field microscope (MO-SNOM) in the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect configuration. Polarized light emitted by a nanosource is scattered by the magnetic object towards the detector. The nanosource is modelled as a circular aperture in an infinitely thin, perfectly conducting screen following the Bethe-Bouwkamp model. The theorem of reciprocity is used for calculating the detected signal in a constant-height scanning mode for a Co thin film pattern. Two magnetic distributions are investigated: the single domain and the Bloch wall

Interest of protoplasts for lettuce breeding

International audienceProcedures are now available for the exploitation of protoplast technology for the genetic manipu- lation of lettuce and for studies of lettuce/virus interactions. These techniques have made it possible to overcome interspecific barriers by protoplast fusion. Following the procedures we developed, we were able to obtain hybrids between Lactuca sativa and two wild Lactuca species (L. tatarica and L. perennis). Moreover, protoplast technology can overcome some of the limitations in the application of mutation techniques in crops. In this paper, we demonstrated the feasibility and the power of our in vitro techni- ques, in combination with induced mutations, for creating new variability in lettuce. Furthermore, we adapted protocols that can provide the opportunity to start studies on mechanisms associated with the different LMV-resistance genes at the cellular level. It is presently possible to obtain protoplasts from different Lactuca species containing different resistance genes. A protocol for specific staining by immu- nofluorescence of infected lettuce protoplasts is described and preliminary electroporation experiments in some Lactuca protoplasts were performed

Electric field-induced modification of magnetism in thin-film ferromagnets

International audienceA large electric field at the surface of a ferromagnetic metal is expected to appreciably change its electron density. In particular, the metal's intrinsic magnetic properties, which are commonly regarded as fixed material constants, will be affected. This requires, however, that the surface has a strong influence on the material's properties, as is the case with ultrathin films. We demonstrated that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of ordered iron-platinum (FePt) and iron-palladium (FePd) intermetallic compounds can be reversibly modified by an applied electric field when immersed in an electrolyte. A voltage change of -0.6 volts on 2-nanometer-thick films altered the coercivity by -4.5 and +1% in FePt and FePd, respectively. The modification of the magnetic parameters was attributed to a change in the number of unpaired d electrons in response to the applied electric field. Our device structure is general and should be applicable for characterization of other thin-film magnetic systems

Les transports en Chine en 2050 : rapport final

Ce rapport est issu d'une recherche commandée au Laboratoire d'Economie des Transports par la Direction des Affaires Economiques et Internationales (DAEI) du Ministère français de l'Equipement des Transports et du Logement. Il a bénéficié d'une collaboration avec plusieurs personnes en particulier des universitaires de l'Université de Tondji (Shanghai).Supervision de Monsieur Philippe Gratadour.Monsieur Jean-François DOULET a participé à l'étude. (With a participation of Jean-François Doulet).174 p.Rapport de rechercheTransportation in China in 2050. -Several studies have concluded that, in 2050, China will be developed, with a GDP per capita comparable to Japan in 2000. This result derives from reasonable assumptions on the economic and demographic evolution of China, the report BRIC (Goldman and Sachs) being the most popular example of this kind of projections. The objective of this report is to envision how China can cope with such a fast growth, as transportation infrastructures appear very poor, as of 2000. Will the economic growth or the mobility be constrained by insufficient transport investment?The strong economic growth of China is coming after several other examples, notably Japan and Korea. What is more specific to China is the size of the population, the extent of the territory, combined with its density (in the East and Center regions). So China is facing unprecedented challenges, to serve this vast territory. In this presentation, we will address the question of interurban transportation and urban transportation. The basic methodology is to compare China to currently developed countries. To that end, various scenarios are built on macro economics, demographics, urbanization and regional balance.Then the methodology relies on various approaches:- comparison with existing developed countries ;- projections according to different methods;- modeling (China is supposed to be comparable to a sample of countries, given some explanatory variables).The main conclusions are the following:- China economic growth will be hindered by the insufficient capacity of the inter urban network, this might be the cause of serious regional imbalance. - Thus China will have a large car fleet but the yearly mileage of these vehicles will be very low according to international standards;- Regarding urban transportation, some serious TDM measures will be needed, if the current trend of urbanization keeps on the same pace.En 1960, le Japon était un pays en développement plus pauvre que l'Argentine. Ce rappel est issu du rapport« BRIC » publié par Goldman Sachs en 2003 et réalisé par Wilson et Purushothaman qui s'interroge sur le développement de quatre grandes économies émergentes : le Brésil, la Russie, l'Inde et la Chine. Les auteurs de ce même rapport, utilisant des hypothèses réalistes et des tests de sensibilité, donnent une projection médiane pour le PIB par habitant de la Chine en 2050 qui la situe à peu près au niveau du Japon de l'an 2000 et de la France en 2020.En un mot, en 2050, la Chine sera développée. Cette hypothèse, confortée par d'autres études est un signe d'espoir et d'opportunité notamment en termes de débouchés et d'investissements. Elle ne va pas sans poser un certain nombre de questions en termes de transport et de mobilité notamment par l'explosion de la demande induite. L'objectif de ce rapport est donc d'établir un champ des possibles et des souhaitables en matière de transport de marchandises et de mobilité des personnes. Cette démarche de prospective de long terme vise à identifier les leviers à l'œuvre, à pointer les contraintes futures probables et à éclairer les stratégies d'investissement de transport. Elle envisage le cas des transports urbains et interurbains, des transports portuaires et aéroportuaires. Les dimensions macro-économiques, démographiques, énergétiques, environnementales et d'occupation de l'espace sont prises en compte à la fois comme facteurs explicatifs des transports mais également comme résultants de cette activité. Différentes approches méthodologiques ont été mobilisées pour ce rapport :- la comparaison (on compare la Chine à des pays actuellement développés),- les projections, selon différentes méthodes ;- la modélisation (on suppose que la Chine se comporte comme la moyenne d'un échantillon de pays)