A district typology developed as part of the National Research Programme “Sustainable Development of the Built Environment” (NRP 54) makes it possible to depict districts of Swiss urban centres in a similar way to municipalities and observe demographic trends and urban development. Analysis reveals significant differences between Switzerland’s urban centres as regards utilization density and sociocultural mix. The concentration of certain nationalities in individual districts of Lucerne, Basel and Berne is particularly striking. There is also pronounced segregation as regards population age structures in these cities.
The spotted knapweed was imported to Europe from North America a little over 100 years ago. Based on this species, researchers from the University of Lausanne have been able to develop a new approach to the investigation of geographical propagation. During the course of their research, which was funded by the National Centre of Competence in Research "Plant Survival", researchers managed to simulate the current propagation pattern based on historical data from both Europe and North America. With these new models, they were able to predict the future propagation trend of this particular plant as far ahead as 2080, taking into account a considerable degree of global warming.
The European tree frog (Hyla arborea) possesses a genetic system of sexual differentiation that developed only two or three million years ago. By way of comparison: the corresponding system in humans – the X and Y chromosomes – developed just under 300 million years ago. This suggests that nature offers different approaches to solving an apparently simple problem, i.e. that of producing individuals of different sex. In addition, the investigation of tree frog genes by SNSF-funded researchers at the University of Lausanne's Department of Ecology and Evolution shows that the commonly accepted theory of the development of chromosomes for sexual differentiation is incomplete.
Positive European signal for Swiss research: On 8 October, Dieter Imboden, President of the National Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) was appointed the new president of EuroHORCs (European Heads Of Research Councils). This is the first time that a Swiss representative will preside over this established science policy-making platform which is a key partner to the European Union in European research policy matters.
Since 2004 Switzerland has seen the introduction of a new type of treatment for the group of cancers known as non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The new treatment, known as radioimmunotherapy, destroys cancer cells while largely avoiding damage to healthy tissue. It involves introducing the radioactive element Yttrium-90 into the bloodstream. With funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, Sébastien Baechler, head of research at the Institute for Applied Radiophysics at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), is investigating the effects of radioactivity when tissue is exposed to different radiation levels. The aim of his work is to personalize treatment by estimating the most effective radiation dosage to be administered to each individual patient.
Between 1990 and 2005, the amount of energy used to air-condition buildings more than doubled. It is currently equivalent to half the electricity output of the Mühleberg nuclear power station. However, researchers point out that no real need exists for air conditioning. This is the conclusion of a study conducted as part of National Research Programme NRP 54 "Sustainable Development of the Built Environment". The researchers have therefore compiled a list of steps that people can take to maintain a comfortable room temperature without resorting to air conditioning. A further interesting finding of the study is that the term "heat" is used primarily when describing conditions at work and hardly ever when referring to the home environment.
With funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Berne are developing a new on-line platform capable of presenting hydrological and meteorological measurements in real time on an electronic map. The platform gives emergency teams an up-to-the-minute overview of developments in the event of flooding. The new tool lets teams look back over the past few hours and compares recent occurrences with previous cases of flooding. The instrument marks a new departure in the way spatial information is presented. In contrast to conventional maps, the information can now be processed and classified totally automatically.
The European Research Council (ERC) first began funding independent basic research projects at the European level in 2007. Upon invitation by the State Secretariat for Education and Research, the Council is currently convening in Switzerland. Its visit to the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) presented the opportunity for a mutual exchange of ideas. The SNSF welcomes the expansion of the competitive platform for cutting edge research and considers the ERC’s new grants to be a valuable complement to its national funding efforts.
How does the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster instantaneously process sensory stimuli and thus control its instable flight? This is the question being addressed by a team of researchers at the Institute of Neuroinformatics at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich under the leadership of biologist Steven Fry. With funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, they have built a high-tech wind tunnel with a virtual reality projector. This flight simulator for flies enables the scientists to analyse the physiological and neuronal bases of the insects’ flight under controlled conditions. Studying these tiny test subjects has produced some surprising results.
Researchers from EPF Lausanne are simulating mudslides and avalanches in their laboratory with funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation. Their aim is to understand the fluid mechanics processes at work down to the smallest detail. To this end they have developed a unique experimental apparatus that uses a laser to track the movement of the particles caught up in the flow. The researchers are confident that greater understanding of the key processes could help to reduce the costly consequences of such discharge phenomena.
In 2007 the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) supported promising research projects and talented young researchers with a total of 531 million Swiss francs. Particularly gratifying for the researchers: despite recent record application figures, the success rate has increased. For project funding of independent research the figure was approx. 50%.
EPFL researchers funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation have developed a method for detecting bronchial cancer at an early stage. This method is based on the fact that healthy bronchial tissue naturally fluoresces more intensely than precancerous tissue when exposed to light radiation of a specific wavelength. Late diagnosis is the primary factor behind the high mortality rate associated with this common form of lung cancer. An early detection method is therefore of particular interest and comes as a welcome development. The method is now commercially available – a gratifying success for basic research.
The temperature at the heart of a town or city is generally higher than in its surrounding areas: this is called the urban heat island effect. The degree to which this phenomenon occurs is dependent on several variables of urban life, but the difference in temperature can be as high as ten degrees Celsius. As part of the National Research Programme “Sustainable development of the built environment” (NRP 54), researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) are trying to find a better way to deal with this situation. Their model acts as a basis for the creation of built environment development scenarios – the virtual transformation or construction of areas of towns or cities – and the study of the environmental consequences of such work, with the aim of reducing the amount of energy used on maintaining the level of thermal comfort in buildings.
By analysing historical documents such as paintings, photographs, reports and old topographic maps, geographers from the University of Berne, with funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, have charted the changes in the Mer de Glace glacier between 1570 and 2003. Since these changes are a reliable climatic indicator, awareness of them is an important part of reconstructing climate history. This study is enabling scientists to refine their understanding of the climatic variations that occurred during the Little Ice Age, a period for which no real scientific measurements exist. The researchers are now planning to apply their model to other glaciers in the Alps and Scandinavia.