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This article, written in the form of a dialogue, is a cross-testimony from two experienced practitioners whose careers took place in the world of consumer products. They testify to the evolution of logistics and then Supply Chain Management (SCM). They also discuss the role of these functions in manufacturer-distributor relationships. They evoke the issues associated with SCM and its strategic importance for supply chain stakeholders.

L’article rédigé sous forme d’un dialogue est un témoignage croisé de deux praticiens expérimentés du SCM dont les carrières se sont déroulées dans l’industrie et la distribution des produits de grande consommation. Les questions abordent l’évolution de la fonction logistique vers le supply chain management , son rôle déterminant dans le rapport complexe entre fabricants et distributeurs et les enjeux stratégiques pour les parties prenantes de création de valeur et de satisfaction des marchés. The article, written in the form of a dialogue, restores the cross-testimony of two experienced practitioners whose careers took place in the world of consumer products. They testify to the evolution of logistics and then to the supply chain management (SCM) but also the role of these functions in the manufacturer-distributors relationships. They evoke the issues associated with the SCM and its strategic character for the supply chain stakeholders.

This paper describes manual and automatic design strategies of UMTS networks. The design aims at adjusting antenna parameters: antenna pattern, tilt and azimuth angles, as well as the common channels'transmitted power to improve the network performance in terms of coverage, capacity, quality of service and service continuity. The manual design strategy is based on an expert system that analyzes different quality criteria of the network and suggests the designer the most effective parameter modifications. The automatic design strategy is based on a Genetic Algorithm that orchestrates the design process. Two optimisation models are considered: the first one uses constant load hypotheses in the network evaluation; the second one takes into account inhomogeneous traffic distribution and utilizes accurate modelling of basic UMTS quantities such as power, load and interference. Detailed examples of network optimization illustrate the effectiveness of the design strategies.

This paper describes manual and automatic design strategies of UMTS networks. The design aims at adjusting antenna parameters: antenna pattern, tilt and azimuth angles, as well as the common channels' transmitted power to improve the network performance in terms of coverage, capacity, quality of service and service continuity. The manual design strategy is based on an expert system that analyzes different quality criteria of the network and suggests the designer the most effective parameter modifications. The automatic design strategy is based on a Genetic Algorithm that orchestrates the design process. Two optimisation models are considered: the first one uses constant load hypotheses in the network evaluation; the second one takes into account inhomogeneous traffic distribution and utilizes accurate modelling of basic UMTS quantities such as power, load and interference. Detailed examples of network optimization illustrate the effectiveness of the design strategies. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]

We analyze how insurance law can mitigate moral hazard by allowing insurers to reduce or cancel coverage in some circumstances. We consider an incomplete contract setting in which the insurer may obtain information related to the policyholder's behavior through a costly audit of the circumstances of the loss. Court decisions are based on a standard of proof such as the balance of probabilities. We show that an optimal insurance law brings efficiency gains compared to the no-audit case. We also highlight the conditions under which the burden of proof should be on the insured, provided that insurers are threatened with sanctions for bad faith.

This study aims to report and characterise the frequent new particle formation (NPF) events observed at the Maïdo observatory, Réunion, a Southern Hemisphere site located at 2150 m (a.s.l.) and surrounded by the Indian Ocean. From May 2014 to December 2015, continuous aerosol measurements were made using both a differential mobility particle sizer (DMPS) and an air ion spectrometer (AIS) to characterise the NPF events down to the lowest particle-size scale. Carbon monoxide (CO) and black carbon (BC) concentrations were monitored, as well as meteorological parameters, in order to identify the conditions that were favourable to the occurrence of nucleation in this specific environment. We point out that the annual NPF frequency average (65 %) is one of the highest reported so far. Monthly averages show a bimodal variation in the NPF frequency, with a maximum observed during transition periods (autumn and spring). A high yearly median particle growth rate (GR) of 15.16 nm h−1 is also measured showing a bimodal seasonal variation with maxima observed in July and November. Yearly medians of 2 and 12 nm particle formation rates (J2 and J12) are 0.858 and 0.508 cm−3 s−1, respectively, with a seasonal variation showing a maximum during winter, that correspond to low temperature and RH typical of the dry season, but also to high BC concentrations. We show that the condensation sink exceeds a threshold value (1.04×10−3 s−1) with a similar seasonal variation than the one of the NPF event frequency, suggesting that the occurrence of the NPF process might be determined by the availability of condensable vapours, which are likely to be transported together with pre-existing particles from lower altitudes.

New particle formation (NPF) is a key atmospheric process which may be responsible for a major fraction of the total aerosol number burden at the global scale, including in particular cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). NPF has been observed in various environments around the world, but some specific conditions, such as those encountered in volcanic plumes, remain poorly documented in the literature. Yet, understanding such natural processes is essential to better define pre-industrial conditions and their variability in climate model simulations. Here we report observations of NPF performed at the high-altitude observatory of Maïdo (2165 m a.s.l., La Réunion Island) between 1 January and 31 December 2015. During this time period, three effusive eruptions of the Piton de la Fournaise, located ∼39 km away from the station, were observed and documented, resulting in 29 d of measurement in volcanic plume conditions to be compared with 250 “non-plume days”. This dataset is, to our knowledge, the largest ever reported for the investigation of NPF in tropospheric volcanic plume conditions, and it allowed for the first time a statistical approach to characterize the process and also assessment of its relevance with respect to non-plume conditions. NPF was observed on 90 % of the plume days vs. 71 % of the non-plume days during the 4 months when the eruptions occurred. The events were on average detected earlier on plume days, most likely benefiting from larger amounts of precursors available at the site prior to nucleation hours. The overall effect of the plume conditions on the particle growth rate was limited. However, with the exception of September, particle formation rates were significantly higher on plume days. The signature of the volcanic plume on the aerosol spectra up to dp=600 nm was further investigated based on the analysis and fitting of the particle size distributions recorded under in-plume and off-plume conditions. The spectra recorded prior to nucleation hours, in the absence of freshly formed particles, featured a significant contribution of particles likely formed via heterogeneous processes at the vent of the volcano (and assimilated to volcanic primary particles) to the concentrations of the two accumulation modes on plume days. Later on in the morning, the concentrations of the nucleation and Aitken modes showed important variations on plume days compared to event days outside of plume conditions. The spectra recorded on event days, under in-plume and off-plume conditions, were further used to provide an average size distribution of the particles of volcanic origin, which clearly highlighted the dominant contribution of secondary over primary particles (93 %) to the total concentration measured on NPF event days within a volcanic plume. In a next step, particular attention was paid to the concentration of particles with dp>50 nm (N50), used as a proxy for potential CCN population. The contribution of secondary particles to the increase in N50 was the most frequent in plume conditions, and the magnitude of the increase was also more important on plume days compared to non-plume days. Finally, in order to further evaluate the effect of volcanic plume conditions on the occurrence of NPF, we analysed the variations of the condensation sink (CS) and [H2SO4], previously reported to play a key role in the process. Over the investigated months, higher CS (calculated prior to nucleation hours) were observed in plume conditions and coincided with high SO2 mixing ratios. Those most likely compensated for the strengthened loss rate of the vapours and favoured the occurrence of NPF, suggesting at the same time a key role of H2SO4 in the process. This last hypothesis was further supported by the correlation between the formation rate of 2 nm particles (J2) and [H2SO4], and by the fair approximation of J2 that was obtained by means of a recent parameterization of the binary nucleation of H2SO4–H2O. This last result demonstrates that in the absence of direct measurements of [H2SO4] and sub-3 nm particle concentrations, estimates of J2 could be fairly estimated from the knowledge of SO2 mixing ratios only. Finally, the use of the parameterization for ion-induced binary nucleation also highlighted the likely significant contribution of ion-induced nucleation for [H2SO4] below ∼8×108 cm−3.

Insurers have the reputation of being bad payers who nitpick whenever an opportunity arises. However, this nitpicking activity has a positive impact on their auditing strategy since auditing may prove profitable when claims are not fraudulent. We show that reducing the indemnity payments of audited claims induces a lower fraud rate at equilibrium and that some degree of nitpicking is socially optimal when insurance fraud is a concern. Its remains optimal even if it induces adverse effects on policyholders' moral standards.

Identifying how aerosol particles interact with atmospheric water is critical to understand climate and precipitation. Ice‐nucleating particles (INP) trigger the formation of atmospheric ice crystals at higher temperatures than pure water. They are difficult to characterize because of their scarce occurrence, and variability, in the atmosphere, especially at temperatures above −20°C. It has been demonstrated that at these temperatures, biological aerosol particles can contribute significantly to INP number concentration. This study incorporates a series of offline, size‐segregated measurements of INPs collected at the Puy de Dôme station (PUY, 1,465 m a.s.l.) over a 6 month period from October to May, covering the transitions from autumn, winter, to spring. These measurements show a general trend of decreasing particle number concentrations during the winter months and higher concentration during autumn and spring. INP concentrations measured in the range of −5 and −18°C, had concentrations of 0.001 INP/Lair at the warmest temperatures, and between 0.01 and 0.1 INP/Lair at the coldest temperatures. The majority of INP measured at temperatures warmer than −15°C were heat labile, suggesting a biological or organic origin. The INP variability was compared with collocated aerosol physical and chemical properties, allowing us to associate highest INP concentrations with local and marine origins. Following these comparisons, we use aerosol total number concentration to develop a new parameterization. In addition, this parameterization is specifically optimized for warmer temperature INP measurements, and demonstrated a good performance when tested on independent data sets. Plain Language Summary Understanding how tiny particles in the air (aerosol particles) interact with water in the atmosphere is crucial for studying climate and precipitation. Ice Nuclei Particles (INP) play a role in forming ice crystals in the atmosphere, especially at higher temperatures. This is important because it's been found that biological aerosol particles can significantly contribute to INP at temperatures above −20°C. The study conducted offline measurements of INPs over 6 months at the Puy de Dôme station, covering the transition from autumn to spring. Results showed a general trend of fewer particles during winter and more during autumn and spring. The INP concentrations were highest at temperatures between −5 and −18°C, with warmer temperatures having 0.001 INP per liter of air and colder temperatures having 0.01 to 0.1 INP per liter of air. Most INPs at temperatures above −15°C were heat‐sensitive, indicating a biological or organic origin. This study linked high INP concentrations to local and marine sources by comparing them with aerosol properties. A new parameterization based on total aerosol number concentration, specifically optimized for warmer temperatures, performed well when tested on independent data sets. Key Points Size‐segregated airborne ice‐nucleating particles (INP) concentrations were measured at an altitude station in Central France over 6 months Seasonal variations are observed with a minimum in winter. The majority of INPs is biological and activated above −18°C We developed a parameterization for predicting INP concentrations at warm temperatures based on total aerosol concentrations