New Ways through the Alps The New Gotthard Base Tunnel - Impact of a Big Construction Site on a Small Mountain Village

For Switzerland as located in the heart of Europe transport policy is a matter of particular importance. Especially transports between Italy and Germany use the Swiss corridors through the Alps. Therefore Switzerland realised a most ambitious construction project called NEAT (Neue Alpen Transversale) to improve the European train connections especially for freight transports. One part of the project is the new Gotthard base tunnel, the longest railway tunnel of the world and the most impressive element of the new transalpine railway line through the Alps. In view of the difficult accessibility and extreme climatic conditions, ensuring the fast and reliable transit of more than 300 trains per day through the two 57 km long single-track galleries represents a considerable technical challenge. The Gotthard base line directly links the northern and southern sides of the Alps and the project of building a new line should achieve the following goals: Massive increase in goods capacity (twice as much as today) Much shorter North-South transit time for passengers and freight Reduced traction power requirements, per weight unit of transported goods, as a result of the elimination of steep slopes. The construction work started in 1996 and will be probably finished by 2013. Because of the length of the tunnel five points were chosen, from which the drilling started. The shortest but technical most challenging phase of construction is located under the small village of “Sedrun” in the canton of “Graubünden”. Sedrun is a tourism destination for skiing, 1335 m above sea level with about 1.500 inhabitants. Here a gallery leads to a mine shaft with a depth of 800 m, ending at 550 m above sea level. At the intermediate access of Sedrun a multifunctional station is located which also is used for crossover, air ventilation, technical infrastructure and in case of emergency. The construction site with its enormous needs on resources, infrastructure, workforces - for example at the beginning a lot of specialists from South African mining branch came to Sedrun – may be a big challenge for the small village. In 2004 during the peak period up to 400 workers have been employed. Also logistical solutions for the transport of machines and material to the construction side and the carrying of stone to the deposits have to be developed. An ongoing long-term accompanying research (2000 – 2013) is analysing the ecological, economic and social impact on the construction site for the village and the region. The research project wants to assess the sustainability of such a long-term construction process. The contracting body is an advisory group of public institutions including the community of Sedrun, the region ‘Obere Surselva’, the canton Graubünden and the Swiss Federal Office of Transport. Within the long-term research a set of indicators will be collected every year furthermore an every third year deep-rooted analysis on different topics will be done. The project also has the function of an early-warning system to anticipate unexpected stresses and strains. The results of the research will be visualised from a documentary film team. Besides the annual research we tried to answer the following question: Which are the economic impacts of the construction site for the region of Sedrun? The decision to choose Sedrun as one of the five construction sites for the Gotthard base tunnel did not only change the ecological and social situation in the region but also has economic effects on the community. Especially the local building sector but also hotels, restaurants and local industry are benefiting from the construction site. To calculate these economic effects for the region of Sedrun we used the method of the incidence analysis. The incidence analysis is a kind of cost-benefit analysis which is especially suited to assess the spatial effects of infrastructural facilities or the service of these facilities. Considering the direct effects we focus on the receipts and expenditures which are directly connected with the realisation of the project. The economic effects could be divided into the so called tangible and intangible effects. Tangible effects are measurable as indirect economic effects (spill-over effects). To measure the indirect economic effects we carry out an interview survey among the workers to calculate the additional economic impacts caused by the expenditures of the workers in the region. The intangible effects could be explained as soft and mostly not quantifiable effects. To acquire the intangible effects we carry out an image analysis based on national newspaper articles about the construction site in Sedrun. In our paper we present the structure and main indicators of the long-term accompanying research and the results of the incidence analysis to calculate the economic effects for the region.

How to measure the economic impacts of mega-events - the example of the World Economic Forum in Davos

The number, diversity and popularity of events has increased in the recent years. The question of the concrete economic effects for the location and the surrounding region becomes therefore more and more important. Because every economic activity whether a public intervention or an economic action causes changes in the consumer demand. To measure the economic effects of events you can use different scientific methods. Using the traditional methodological approaches like the input-output-analysis, the cost-benefit analysis or the financial mathematics you can exclusively point out the monetary effects which are directly connected with the event. On the other hand the longterm intangible effects could only be included partially. However the ascertainment of the intangible and longterm effects like the meaning of competences and the learning of regions has become more and more important for the analysis of the spatial effects of mega-events in the recent years. The example of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos shows how the direct as well as the indirect effects of events could be worked out based on the spatial incidence analysis. The incidence analysis is a kind of cost-benefit analysis which is especially suited for analysing the spatial effects of infrastructural facilities or the service of these facilities. Another advantage is that you can present the results relatively transparent and coherent. Strict-talken the incidence analysis is a systematic to the ?problem-related? and spatial order of accounting and statistical information. It considers the basic principles of economic impact analysis, especially focussing on the clearly spatial and textual correlation of the cash flows. In spite of certain methodological and theoretical deficits the spatial incidence analysis seems to be qualified for the presented analysis as a methodological basis. In the context of the the incidence analysis, the theoretical guidelines were adapted to the specific facts of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum. The question of the direct and indirect effects of the World Economic Forum was pointed out as the center of the analysis. Considering the direct effects you focus on the receipts and expenditures which are directly connected with the realisation of the event. The indirect effects could be devided into the so called tangible and intangible effects. Tangible effects are measurable as indirect economic effects. These are the so called spill-over effects. The intangible effects could be explained as soft and mostly not quantifiable effects. Normally these effects are distinguished between image effects (positive and negative), infrastructure-, structure-, competence- and network effects. These effects often cause a clearly higher contribution to the development of an event location than the direct monetary amount to the regional national income. To analyse these effects we used a combination based on a demand-oriented and supply-oriented approach to calculate the whole transaction volume of the event. Spatially we differed between the effects concerning Davos itself, the region of Graubünden and the rest of Switzerland

The contribution of cultural infrastructure and events to regional development

The importance of creative industries and the creative sector for economic growth and regional development found its way more and more into scientific discussions. These discussions mainly focus on the influence of creative industries on the innovative ability (innovative milieu),on the competitiveness, and on the labour market of regions and nations. Most prominent within this field is the approach of the 'creative class' used to explain the success and the development of regions and nations. Terms and definitions of creative industries and the cultural sector are so far not consistent and sometimes include different businesses. The meaning of the cultural sector becomes more evident by focussing on the regional level. Infrastructure facilities and cultural events are part of the cultural sector and are located in nearly every area, in agglomerations as well as in rural areas. This paper will concentrate on the role of infrastructure facilities and cultural events, and will point out their contribution and their potential for the location itself and the regional development. The author will use empirical data from infrastructure facilities in Germany and Switzerland (Konzert- und Kongresshaus Luzern, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden) and two amateur theatres in Switzerland, which are located in rural areas (Einsiedler Welttheater, Landschaftstheater Ballenberg). Based on these four case studies the paper will show how different cultural facilities and activities can contribute to several aspects of regional development. As a result the paper will state that cultural infrastructure facilities and activities have positive effects on the regional added value as well as on the image of a region, on networks and competences within a region and on the identity of a region. Especially these so called intangible effects have positive effects on the location attractiveness and the competitiveness of the region

Quantum Transport in Graphene Nanoribbons with Realistic Edges

Due to their unique electrical properties, graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) show great promise as the building blocks of novel electronic devices. However, these properties are strongly dependent on the geometry of the edges of the graphene devices. Thus far only zigzag and armchair edges have been extensively studied. However, several other self passivating edge reconstructions are possible, and were experimentally observed. Here we utilize the Nonequilibrium Green's Function (NEGF) technique in conjunction with tight binding methods to model quantum transport through armchair, zigzag, and several other self-passivated edge reconstructions. In addition we consider the experimentally relevant cases of mixed edges, where random combinations of possible terminations exist on a given GNR boundary. We find that transport through GNR's with self-passivating edge reconstructions is governed by the sublattice structure of the edges, in a manner similar to their parent zigzag or armchair configurations. Furthermore, we find that the reconstructed armchair GNR's have a larger band gap energy than pristine armchair edges and are more robust against edge disorder. These results offer novel insights into the transport in GNRs with realistic edges and are thus of paramount importance in the development of GNR based devices.Comment: J. Phys. Chem. C, 201

New Ways through the Alps The New Gotthard Base Tunnel - Impact of a Big Construction Site on a Small Mountain Village

For Switzerland as located in the heart of Europe transport policy is a matter of particular importance. Especially transports between Italy and Germany use the Swiss corridors through the Alps. Therefore Switzerland realised a most ambitious construction project called NEAT (Neue Alpen Transversale) to improve the European train connections especially for freight transports. One part of the project is the new Gotthard base tunnel, the longest railway tunnel of the world and the most impressive element of the new transalpine railway line through the Alps. In view of the difficult accessibility and extreme climatic conditions, ensuring the fast and reliable transit of more than 300 trains per day through the two 57 km long single-track galleries represents a considerable technical challenge. The Gotthard base line directly links the northern and southern sides of the Alps and the project of building a new line should achieve the following goals: Massive increase in goods capacity (twice as much as today) Much shorter North-South transit time for passengers and freight Reduced traction power requirements, per weight unit of transported goods, as a result of the elimination of steep slopes. The construction work started in 1996 and will be probably finished by 2013. Because of the length of the tunnel five points were chosen, from which the drilling started. The shortest but technical most challenging phase of construction is located under the small village of "Sedrun” in the canton of "Graubünden”. Sedrun is a tourism destination for skiing, 1335 m above sea level with about 1.500 inhabitants. Here a gallery leads to a mine shaft with a depth of 800 m, ending at 550 m above sea level. At the intermediate access of Sedrun a multifunctional station is located which also is used for crossover, air ventilation, technical infrastructure and in case of emergency. The construction site with its enormous needs on resources, infrastructure, workforces - for example at the beginning a lot of specialists from South African mining branch came to Sedrun – may be a big challenge for the small village. In 2004 during the peak period up to 400 workers have been employed. Also logistical solutions for the transport of machines and material to the construction side and the carrying of stone to the deposits have to be developed. An ongoing long-term accompanying research (2000 – 2013) is analysing the ecological, economic and social impact on the construction site for the village and the region. The research project wants to assess the sustainability of such a long-term construction process. The contracting body is an advisory group of public institutions including the community of Sedrun, the region 'Obere Surselva', the canton Graubünden and the Swiss Federal Office of Transport. Within the long-term research a set of indicators will be collected every year furthermore an every third year deep-rooted analysis on different topics will be done. The project also has the function of an early-warning system to anticipate unexpected stresses and strains. The results of the research will be visualised from a documentary film team. Besides the annual research we tried to answer the following question: Which are the economic impacts of the construction site for the region of Sedrun? The decision to choose Sedrun as one of the five construction sites for the Gotthard base tunnel did not only change the ecological and social situation in the region but also has economic effects on the community. Especially the local building sector but also hotels, restaurants and local industry are benefiting from the construction site. To calculate these economic effects for the region of Sedrun we used the method of the incidence analysis. The incidence analysis is a kind of cost-benefit analysis which is especially suited to assess the spatial effects of infrastructural facilities or the service of these facilities. Considering the direct effects we focus on the receipts and expenditures which are directly connected with the realisation of the project. The economic effects could be divided into the so called tangible and intangible effects. Tangible effects are measurable as indirect economic effects (spill-over effects). To measure the indirect economic effects we carry out an interview survey among the workers to calculate the additional economic impacts caused by the expenditures of the workers in the region. The intangible effects could be explained as soft and mostly not quantifiable effects. To acquire the intangible effects we carry out an image analysis based on national newspaper articles about the construction site in Sedrun. In our paper we present the structure and main indicators of the long-term accompanying research and the results of the incidence analysis to calculate the economic effects for the region

Die mobile Freizeitgestaltung: Konsequenzen für die Infrastrukturplanung

In der Freizeitgesellschaft können seit einigen Jahren starke Veränderungen festgestellt werden, die sich im alltäglichen Freizeitverhalten der Bevölkerung und auch in deren Reiseverhalten äußern. Für die auch direkt vor Ort feststellbaren Veränderungen der Freizeitgesellschaft sind hier vor allem die Faktoren Mobilität, Zeitverfügbarkeit und auch die neuen IuK-Technologien von großer Bedeutung. Diese Faktoren führen zu einer zunehmenden Konzentration der Freizeitaktivitäten auf einzelne Standorte und dazu, dass deren Nutzung stärker als bisher auch zeitlich konzentriert auftritt. Gleichzeitig ist die Mobilität im Freizeitbereich in den vergangenen Jahren erheblich angestiegen, sowohl was die durchschnittliche Reichweite als auch deren Häufigkeit angeht. Der motorisierte Individualverkehr stellt dabei das zentrale Verkehrsmittel dar, eine Verlagerung ist nur sehr begrenzt möglich. Aus diesen Entwicklungen entstehen vielfältige Herausforderungen für die Raumordnungs- und Infrastrukturplanung, um hier möglicherweise negativen Effekten entgegenzuwirken.Major changes have been underway in the leisure society for a number of years, most clearly evident in changes in the day-to-day leisuretime behaviour of the general public and in their travel patterns. The most important factors here with regard to the changes which are directly observable at the local level are mobility, the amount of disposable time, and information and communication technologies. These factors are contributing to the increasing concentration of leisure activities on specific locations, and equally to a higher degree of temporal concentration than was previously the case. Mobility in the leisure sector has also increased considerably over recent years, both in terms of the average distance travelled and the frequency of trips. The main form of transport here is the private car; there is only very limited scope for a shift to other modes of transport. These developments pose a variety of challenges for spatial planning and infrastructure planning in attempting to mitigate possible negative impacts

Aperiodic conductivity oscillations in quasi-ballistic graphene heterojunctions

We observe conductivity oscillations with aperiodic spacing to only one side of the tunneling current in a dual-gated graphene field effect transistor with an n-p-n type potential barrier. The spacing and width of these oscillatoins were found to be inconsistent with pure Farbry-Perot-type interferences, but are in quantitative agreement with theoretical predictions that attribute them to resonant tunneling through quasi-bound impurity states. This observation may be understood as another signature of Klein tunneling in graphene heterojunctions and is of importance for future development and modeling of graphene based nanoelectronic devices.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Transconductance and Coulomb blockade properties of in-plane grown carbon nanotube field effect transistors

Single electron transistors (SETs) made from single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are promising for quantum electronic devices operating with ultra-low power consumption and allow fundamental studies of electron transport. We report on SETs made by registered in-plane growth utilizing tailored nanoscale catalyst patterns and chemical vapor deposition. Metallic SWCNTs have been removed by an electrical burn-in technique and the common gate hysteresis was removed using PMMA and baking, leading to field effect transistors with large on/off ratios up to 10^5. Further segmentation into 200 nm short semiconducting SWCNT devices created quantum dots which display conductance oscillations in the Coulomb blockade regime. The demonstrated utilization of registered in-plane growth opens possibilities to create novel SET device geometries which are more complex, i.e. laterally ordered and scalable, as required for advanced quantum electronic devices.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

Localized States and Resultant Band Bending in Graphene Antidot Superlattices

We fabricated dye sensitized graphene antidot superlattices with the purpose of elucidating the role of the localized edge state density. The fluorescence from deposited dye molecules was found to strongly quench as a function of increasing antidot filling fraction, whereas it was enhanced in unpatterned but electrically back-gated samples. This contrasting behavior is strongly indicative of a built-in lateral electric field that accounts for fluorescence quenching as well as p-type doping. These findings are of great interest for light-harvesting applications that require field separation of electron-hole pairs.Comment: NanoLetters, 201

Erfahrungen von Dienstleistungspools und Vermittlungsagenturen: Ergebnisse einer bundesweiten Befragung

Haushaltsbezogene Dienstleistungen werden häufig genannt, wenn es um die Erschließung zusätzlicher Beschäftigungspotentiale in Deutschland geht. Auch in der Diskussion um mehr Beschäftigung durch Niedriglöhne wird häufig auf diesen Bereich verwiesen. Allerdings sind reguläre Arbeitsplätze im Bereich haushaltsbezogener Dienstleistungen bislang selten und deren Ausweitung gestaltet sich schwierig. In den letzten Jahren sind - meist mit öffentlicher Förderung - zahlreiche Dienstleistungspools und Vermittlungsagenturen im gesamten Bundesgebiet entstanden, die auf eine Schaffung zusätzlicher Arbeitsplätze in diesem Bereich zielen. Eine systematische Auswertung der Erfahrungen mit diesen Ansätzen fehlte bislang allerdings. Mit unserer bundesweiten Befragung der Projekte und Unternehmen haben wir versucht, diese Lücke zu schließen. Im Mittelpunkt der Befragung standen Fragen zur Arbeitsweise, den bisherigen Ergebnissen und Erfahrungen von Dienstleistungspools und Vermittlungsagenturen. In diesem Bericht stellen wir die Befragungsergebnisse vor und diskutieren sie im Kontext der aktuellen politischen Debatten.Services to private households are often regarded as having a great deal of employment potential in Germany. Even in the discussion on more employment through promoting low wage jobs these services are one of the focuses. Up to now, however, there are only few regular jobs in this field and their expansion seems to be very difficult. In the last few years numerous servicepools and placement agencies have been founded all over Germany (mostly with public funds) in order to create additional jobs in services to private house-holds. But there has been no systematical analysis of their structure and experiences up to now. With our written survey of projects and companies in this field we have tried to close this gap. The survey has focused on the mode of operation, the current results and experiences of service pools and placement agencies which offer services to private households. In this report we present the results of the survey and discuss them within the context of the current political debates