Eastern Switzerland Research Articles

Epidemiology of cerebral palsy in Eastern Switzerland (St. Gallen)

Epidemiology of cerebral palsy in Eastern Switzerland (St. Gallen)

Improved survival of older patients with multiple myeloma in the era of novel agents.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the most common hematologic malignancy in Europe. Although remaining an incurable disease, substantial progress has been made within the last two decades. However, until recently, improvement in overall survival (OS) was only documented in younger, transplant-eligible patients. In this analysis, we retrospectively investigated the outcome of older patients with newly diagnosed MM in an unselected patient population with a special focus on the use of novel agents in a routine care community-based, non-university setting. A total of 107 patients older than 65 years of age or patients aged 60-65 years with relevant comorbidities precluding the use of autologous stem cell transplantation diagnosed with MM between 2000 and 2011 at the two largest non-university hospitals of Eastern Switzerland were analyzed. Patients were grouped into two six-year periods by date of initial diagnosis, 2000-2005 and 2006-2011. The median follow-up was 6.9 (range of 2.1 to 9.4) years. The median OS for the entire cohort was 3.0 years (95% confidence interval, 2.4-4.4). The median OS was significantly longer for patients in the 2006-2011 group (4.3 years) compared with the 2000-2005 group (2.6 years, p = 0.04). The 5-year estimated OS improved from 26% to 38%; 1-year survival was similar in both groups (86% in the 2000-2005 group and 84% in the 2006-2011 group respectively). The use of novel agents showed a statistically significant correlation with OS, whereas the impact of age was only of borderline significance. In conclusion, we demonstrate improved OS outcomes in an unselected population of older patients with MM during the last decade. This improvement is associated with an increased use of novel agents for the treatment of transplant-ineligible MM patients in daily clinical practice. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Ocean current intensification during the Cretaceous oceanic anoxic event 2 – evidence from the northern Tethys

AbstractMesozoic Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs) are expressions of major physical oceanographic changes at times of perturbation of the global carbon cycle. A northern Tethyan record of OAE2 is preserved in expanded Cenomanian–Turonian pelagic limestone sections (Seewen Formation) in Eastern Switzerland. The new carbonate carbon‐isotope stratigraphy extracted from these limestones demonstrates that the OAE2 is condensed in all the studied successions and only the onset of the δ13C excursion (5.0‰) is present. The condensed interval is characterized by dissolution features, which are filled by a glauconite quartz sandstone. This bed is overlain by a well‐sorted sandstone with intercalated limestone pebbles (Götzis Member), which can be compared with palimpsest sands forming today along current‐swept shelves. The wide distribution of this thin sandstone layer within OAE2 indicates that an intense, erosive, east‐west trending shelf current was active during the highest sea level and most extreme carbon‐cycle perturbation of the OAE2.

Fractional snow-covered area parameterization over complex topography

Abstract. Fractional snow-covered area (SCA) is a key parameter in large-scale hydrological, meteorological and regional climate models. Since SCA affects albedos and surface energy balance fluxes, it is especially of interest over mountainous terrain where generally a reduced SCA is observed in large grid cells. Temporal and spatial snow distributions are, however, difficult to measure over complex topography. We therefore present a parameterization of SCA based on a new subgrid parameterization for the standard deviation of snow depth over complex topography. Highly resolved snow depth data at the peak of winter were used from two distinct climatic regions, in eastern Switzerland and in the Spanish Pyrenees. Topographic scaling parameters are derived assuming Gaussian slope characteristics. We use computationally cheap terrain parameters, namely, the correlation length of subgrid topographic features and the mean squared slope. A scale dependent analysis was performed by randomly aggregating the alpine catchments in domain sizes ranging from 50 m to 3 km. For the larger domain sizes, snow depth was predominantly normally distributed. Trends between terrain parameters and standard deviation of snow depth were similar for both climatic regions, allowing one to parameterize the standard deviation of snow depth based on terrain parameters. To make the parameterization widely applicable, we introduced the mean snow depth as a climate indicator. Assuming a normal snow distribution and spatially homogeneous melt, snow-cover depletion (SCD) curves were derived for a broad range of coefficients of variations. The most accurate closed form fit resembled an existing fractional SCA parameterization. By including the subgrid parameterization for the standard deviation of snow depth, we extended the fractional SCA parameterization for topographic influences. For all domain sizes we obtained errors lower than 10% between measured and parameterized SCA.

Numerical simulation including model validation of wind flow in alpine terrain in eastern Switzerland

A model for the simulation of wind flow in alpine terrain is presented. The model is based on the Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes equations using a κ-ε turbulence model. Additional terms are implemented in the energy equation to describe dry adiabatic cooling in the atmosphere. The orography and flora of the Earth's surface are described by high resolution data from swisstopo. Boundary and initial conditions are based on mesoscale simulation data from the COSMO-2 weather model of the MeteoSwiss. Various nestings with different grid resolutions are used to simulate wind flow in the region between Vaduz and Landquart located in Liechtenstein and Switzerland, respectively. The model is validated with light detecting and ranging (LIDAR) and cup anemometer velocity measurements from three locations for a specific foehn weather situation. Finally, the model is used to get a first indication of potential locations for the placement of wind turbines.

Tinea capitis and tinea faciei in the Zurich area - an 8-year survey of trends in the epidemiology and treatment patterns.

Tinea capitis and tinea faciei are dermatophyte infections of the scalp and glabrous skin of the face affecting mainly prepubertal children. During the past 30 years, a significant increase and a change in the pattern of infectious agents has been noted for tinea capitis. The aim of this study was to determine trends in the current epidemiological situation of tinea capitis and tinea faciei in the Zurich area, Switzerland and adjacent Central and Eastern Switzerland. Consecutive cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2013 were studied retrospectively. A total of 90 tinea capitis and 40 tinea faciei cases were observed. Anthropophilic isolates (primarily Trichophyton violaceum and Microsporum audouinii) accounted for 76% of tinea capitis cases. In contrast, zoophilic isolates (primarily T. interdigitale) were responsible for 73% of tinea faciei cases. The peak incidence in both conditions was in 4-8 year-old children. While the annual number of tinea faciei cases remained stable over the past 8 years, a trend for an increase in T. violaceum-positive tinea capitis has been observed. This was mainly due to patients of African ethnicity. Anthropophilic isolates accounted for three quarters of tinea capitis and one quarter of tinea faciei cases. T. violaceum-positive tinea capitis was primarily linked to patients of African ethnicity. Tinea capitis caused by Microsporum spp. was more refractory to therapy and needed longer treatment than Trichophyton spp.-induced infection.

The Alpstein in three dimensions: fold-and-thrust belt visualization in the Helvetic zone, eastern Switzerland

To investigate the geometrical relationships between folding and thrust faulting, we built a 3D geological model of the Helvetic fold-and-thrust belt in eastern Switzerland from several existing and two newly drawn cross-sections in the Säntis area. We partly redrew existing cross-sections and validated them by checking for line length balance; to fill areas with no data we drew additional cross-sections. The model was built based on surface interpolation of the formation interfaces and thrusts between the cross-sections, which allowed generating eight main surfaces. In addition, we used cave data to validate the final model in depth. The main structural elements in the Säntis area, the Säntis Thrust and the Sax-Schwende Fault, are also implemented in the model. The result is a 3D structural model of the area, which provides an intuitive way for examining a portion of a complex structural nappe. The 3D model highlights the shapes of the main anticline-syncline pairs and how these fold trains vary laterally in amplitude and wavelength. It shows how lateral variations in fold style correlate with regional shortening gradients as determined from line-length balancing. The model also clearly shows the lateral extension, the trend, and the variation in displacement along the principal faults. The reconstruction of horizons in 3D allows the investigation of cross-sections in any given direction. The 3D model is useful for developing and understanding how the internal nappe structures, namely folds and thrust faults, change along strike due to palaeogeographic and stratigraphic variations. Lateral stratigraphy variations correlate with different deformation responses of the nappe. Changes can occur either abruptly across transverse faults or in a more gradual manner.

Inherited tectonic structures controlling the deformation style: an example from the Helvetic nappes of the Eastern Alps

Based upon tectonic as well as facies arguments, two different Helvetic nappes can be distinguished in western Austria (Vorarlberg) and in southwestern Germany (Upper Allgau): the Hohenems nappe and the overlying Vorarlberg Santis nappe. Both encompass Middle Jurassic to Eocene strata deposited on the internal to external shelf of the southward deepening European margin of the Eurasian plate. Synsedimentary normal faults caused changes in thickness and facies of the various strata, which play a crucial role in deformation behavior. Arcuate fold axes in map view and an almost 3 km thick sequence of stacked Middle Jurassic shales and sandstones drilled below a Jurassic anticlinorium in the southern part of the Bregenzerwald are thought to be indicative of an inverted Jurassic basin. Inversion occurred during the Cenozoic Alpine nappe formation along synsedimentary normal faults, reactivated as ramps and tear faults. A lateral ramp, segmented by tear faults, running along the Iller Valley, and a supposed lateral ramp in the subsurface of the Rhine Valley mark the extension of the inverted former basin. Fault deformation style changes across the Rhine Valley. East of it, i.e. in Vorarlberg, the Vorarlberg Santis nappe comprises a coherent succession of Jurassic and Cretaceous strata detached along Middle Jurassic sediments. In the west, on the other hand, Cretaceous strata of the Swiss Santis nappe were largely detached from their Jurassic substrate (Gonzen-Walenstadt imbricates) along the Santis thrust. This allows to correlate the Helvetic nappe stack of eastern Switzerland, comprising the Swiss Santis nappe (together with the Gonzen-Walenstadt imbricates) and the underlying Murtschen nappe, with the Vorarlberg Santis nappe and the Hohenems nappe of Austria.

Accuracy Assessment of Timber Volume Maps Using Forest Inventory Data and LiDAR Canopy Height Models

Maps of standing timber volume provide valuable decision support for forest managers and have therefore been the subject of recent studies. For map production, field observations are commonly combined with area-wide remote sensing data in order to formulate prediction models, which are then applied over the entire inventory area. The accuracy of such maps has frequently been described by parameters such as the root mean square error of the prediction model. The aim of this study was to additionally address the accuracy of timber volume classes, which are used to better represent the map predictions. However, the use of constant class intervals neglects the possibility that the precision of the underlying prediction model may not be constant across the entire volume range, resulting in pronounced gradients between class accuracies. This study proposes an optimization technique that automatically identifies a classification scheme which accounts for the properties of the underlying model and the implied properties of the remote sensing support information. We demonstrate the approach in a mountainous study site in Eastern Switzerland covering a forest area of 2000 hectares using a multiple linear regression model approach. A LiDAR-based canopy height model (CHM) provided the auxiliary information; timber volume observations from the latest forest inventory were used for model calibration and map validation. The coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.64) and the cross-validated root mean square error (RMSECV = 123.79 m3 ha−1) were only slightly smaller than those of studies in less steep and heterogeneous landscapes. For a large set of pre-defined number of classes, the optimization model successfully identified those classification schemes that achieved the highest possible accuracies for each class.

The volcano-sedimentary evolution of a post-Variscan intramontane basin in the Swiss Alps (Glarus Verrucano) as revealed by zircon U–Pb age dating and Hf isotope geochemistry

The Late Palaeozoic Glarus Verrucano basin (GVB, Glarus Alps, eastern Switzerland) formed as an intramontane graben in the aftermath of the Variscan orogeny. Its fill, the Glarus Verrucano, consists of immature alluvial fan and playa lake deposits with intercalated bimodal volcanics (basalts and rhyolites). Despite its importance for local and regional geology, no modern sedimentologic or stratigraphic studies on the GVB exist. By means of sedimentologic and geochronologic studies, we reconstruct the volcano-sedimentary evolution of the GVB: it developed at the Carboniferous/Permian boundary and experienced a first (bimodal) volcanic phase around 285 Ma. For the same time, indications for temporarily humid climate in the otherwise rather arid Early Permian are demonstrated (e.g. pyrite-bearing sandstones). During the Middle and Early Late Permian, increasing aridity is indicated by playa deposits, fanglomerates and subaerial ignimbrites, which mark a second (silicic) volcanic phase at 268 Ma. The detrital zircon age spectra are dominated by Late Variscan ages and thus demonstrate that older sedimentary and metamorphic rocks once forming the Variscan nappe edifice were already mostly eroded at that time. Finally, some larger-scale speculations are given which could indicate a causal connection between the widespread tectono-magmatic Mid-Permian Episode and the local development of the Glarus Verrucano basin.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in elderly patients: A retrospective analysis

BackgroundFew data on patterns of care and outcomes are available for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) outside of clinical trials. MethodsWe identified patients with DLBCL older than 60years from a regional cancer registry between 2000 and 2010. Based on registry data and chart review, 128 patients from the oncology network of Eastern Switzerland were analysed for patient characteristics, treatment and outcomes of DLBCL. Three age groups were compared: 60–69, 70–79 and over 80years old. ResultsMedian age was 73years (range: 60 to 95years). 52/121 treated patients received 6cycles of R-CHOP/CHOP, of those 30 (58%), 18 (35%) and 4 (7%) patients were 60–69years, 70–79years or older than 80years respectively, with a significant difference by age group, p=0.001. Median OS of patients 60–69, 70–79, and 80years and older receiving 6cycles of R-CHOP/CHOP were: 54months, 31months and 24months respectively. In comparison, patients receiving other than 6cycles of R-CHOP/CHOP treatment regimens had a median OS of 22months, 17months and 6months, respectively. In the multivariable analysis other than 6cycles of R-CHOP/CHOP were significantly associated with poor survival. The risk of dying increased by a mean of 6% for each year of age from age 60years onwards. ConclusionIn conclusion, treatment regimens other than 6cycles of R-CHOP/CHOP were significant predictors for survival in our oncology network. The possibility of using R-CHOP treatment regimen should be seriously considered in elderly patients with DLBCL.

Institutional Resistance to Religious Diversity in Prisons: Comparative Reflections Based on Studies in Eastern Germany, Italy and Switzerland

This article explores the way in which prison institutions resist to religious diversity in three national contexts: Italy, Germany and Switzerland. The author observes a phenomenon which contributes to this resistance and that she calls ‘institutional neutralisation of Christianity’. Although they are secular state institutions, prisons’ profound Christian heritage impacts at a variety of levels beyond their chaplaincies. With the help of Durkheim’s and Foucault’s contributions on punishment, the author identifies in the punishment–rehabilitation complex a mediator of this Christian heritage contributing to its institutional neutralisation. An illustration of these theoretical insights by empirical observation concludes the article.

Epidemiology of tick-borne encephalitis in Switzerland, 2005 to 2011

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Space matters when defining effective management for invasive plants

AbstractAimInvasive alien species are a threat to biodiversity and can harm resident plants, animals, humans and infrastructure. To reduce deleterious effects, effective management planning for invasive plants is required. Currently, the effectiveness of management is primarily optimized locally through eradication of individual populations. By contrast, spatial prioritization of control activities at the landscape level has received less attention, despite its potential to improve management planning in complex landscapes, especially under budget constraints.LocationNorth‐eastern Switzerland, Europe.MethodsWe used a dynamic simulation model to evaluate the effectiveness of spatially designed management planning for controlling the expansion of three invasive alien plants (IAPs;Heracleum mantegazzianum, Impatiens glanduliferaandReynoutria japonica) across a heterogeneous landscape in North‐eastern Switzerland. The model predicted the spread ofIAPs from their current distribution under constraints of 361 control options differing in local intensity, frequency, duration, area and spatial prioritization of eradication measures.ResultsOur results demonstrate thatIAP‐control actions under a restricted budget are more effective if control actions are spatially prioritized. Most effective spatial treatments generally prioritized small populations in the case of the annual species and large populations in the case of the perennial species. Further, applying intensive control at early stages generally increased effectiveness of control.Main conclusionsForIAP‐management planning, our findings suggest that control should be applied early whenIAPs start spreading, to maximize success or minimize costs. Further, spatial prioritization schemes are particularly useful under limited financial means forIAP‐management. Finally, our modelling approach may serve as a proof of concept to evaluate the effectiveness of control actions of variousIAPs in complex landscapes.

Off-label use of anticancer drugs in eastern Switzerland: a population-based prospective cohort study

Prevalence data on the off-label use (OLU) of anticancer drugs are limited despite OLU being controversial for medical, pharmaco-economic, and ethical reasons. We therefore quantified and characterized the OLU of anticancer drugs and compared OLU based on the national drug label with international treatment recommendations. We prospectively collected data on patients receiving systemic anticancer therapy between October and December 2012 at hospitals affiliated with the Eastern Switzerland Oncology Network. Individual data on patient characteristics, tumor disease, and systemic treatment were collected, and each individual treatment was compared with the national drug label and international treatment guidelines. A total of 985 consecutive patients receiving 1,737 anticancer drug treatments were included in the study. Overall, 32.4 % of all patients received at least one off-label drug, corresponding to 27.2 % of all anticancer drugs administered. Major reasons for OLU were the lack of approval for the specific disease entity (15.7 %) and modified application of the anticancer drug (10 %). OLU that was unsupported by the current European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) treatment recommendations was rare (6.6 %) but higher for bevacizumab (29.6 %) due to its use in treating advanced ovarian cancer beyond the second-line setting and advanced breast cancer beyond the first-line setting and for lenalidomide (22.6 %) due to its use in treating Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Based on data collected on our patient cohort, OLU of anticancer drugs in a European clinical setting applies to one-third of all cancer patients. ESMO-unsupported use of chemotherapies or molecularly-targeted drugs is rare, opposing concerns that the off-label use of newer anticancer drugs is a substantial clinical problem.

Diagnosis and workup of 522 consecutive patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms in Switzerland

Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are difficult to diagnose. We used SwissNET data to characterise NEN patients followed in the two academic centres of western Switzerland (WS), and to compare them with patients followed in eastern Switzerland (ES) as well as with international guidelines. SwissNET is a prospective database covering data from 522 consecutive patients (285 men, 237 women) from WS (n = 99) and ES (n = 423). Mean ± SD age at diagnosis was 59.0 ± 15.7 years. Overall, 76/522 experienced a functional syndrome, with a median interval of 1.0 (IQR: 1.0-3.0) year between symptoms onset and diagnosis. A total of 51/522 of these tumours were incidental. The primary tumour site was the small intestine (29%), pancreas (21%), appendix (18%) and lung (11%) in both regions combined. In all, 513 functional imaging studies were obtained (139 in WS, 374 in ES). Of these, 381 were 111In-pentetreotide scintigraphies and 20 were 68Ga-DOTATOC PET. First line therapy was surgery in 87% of patients, medical therapy (biotherapy or chemotherapy) in 9% and irradiation in 3% for both regions together. Swiss NEN patients appear similar to what has been described in the literature. Imaging by somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) is widely used in both regions of Switzerland. In good accordance with published guidelines, data on first line therapy demonstrate the crucial role of surgery. The low incidence of biotherapy suggests that long-acting somatostatin analogues are not yet widely used for their anti-proliferative effects. The SwissNET initiative should help improve compliance with ENETS guidelines in the workup and care of NEN patients.

Precipitation isoscape of high reliefs: interpolation scheme designed and tested for monthly resolved precipitation oxygen isotope records of an Alpine domain

Abstract. Stable oxygen isotope composition of atmospheric precipitation (δ18Op) was scrutinized from 39 stations distributed over Switzerland and its border zone. Monthly amount-weighted δ18Op values averaged over the 1995–2000 period showed the expected strong linear altitude dependence (−0.15 to −0.22‰ per 100 m) only during the summer season (May–September). Steeper gradients (~ −0.56 to −0.60‰ per 100 m) were observed for winter months over a low elevation belt, while hardly any altitudinal difference was seen for high elevation stations. This dichotomous pattern could be explained by the characteristically shallower vertical atmospheric mixing height during winter season and provides empirical evidence for recently simulated effects of stratified atmospheric flow on orographic precipitation isotopic ratios. This helps explain "anomalous" deflected altitudinal water isotope profiles reported from many other high relief regions. Grids and isotope distribution maps of the monthly δ18Op have been calculated over the study region for 1995–1996. The adopted interpolation method took into account both the variable mixing heights and the seasonal difference in the isotopic lapse rate and combined them with residual kriging. The presented data set allows a point estimation of δ18Op with monthly resolution. According to the test calculations executed on subsets, this biannual data set can be extended back to 1992 with maintained fidelity and, with a reduced station subset, even back to 1983 at the expense of faded reliability of the derived δ18Op estimates, mainly in the eastern part of Switzerland. Before 1983, reliable results can only be expected for the Swiss Plateau since important stations representing eastern and south-western Switzerland were not yet in operation.

Chemotherapy for isolated locoregional recurrence of breast cancer (CALOR): a randomised trial

Patients with isolated locoregional recurrences (ILRR) of breast cancer have a high risk of distant metastasis and death from breast cancer. We aimed to establish whether adjuvant chemotherapy improves the outcome of such patients. The CALOR trial was a pragmatic, open-label, randomised trial that accrued patients with histologically proven and completely excised ILRR after unilateral breast cancer who had undergone a mastectomy or lumpectomy with clear surgical margins. Eligible patients were enrolled from hospitals worldwide and were centrally randomised (1:1) to chemotherapy (type selected by the investigator; multidrug for at least four courses recommended) or no chemotherapy, using permuted blocks, and stratified by previous chemotherapy, oestrogen-receptor and progesterone-receptor status, and location of ILRR. Patients with oestrogen-receptor-positive ILRR received adjuvant endocrine therapy, radiation therapy was mandated for patients with microscopically involved surgical margins, and anti-HER2 therapy was optional. The primary endpoint was disease-free survival. All analyses were by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00074152. From Aug 22, 2003, to Jan 31, 2010, 85 patients were randomly assigned to receive chemotherapy and 77 were assigned to no chemotherapy. At a median follow-up of 4·9 years (IQR 3·6-6 ·0), 24 (28%) patients had disease-free survival events in the chemotherapy group compared with 34 (44%) in the no chemotherapy group. 5-year disease-free survival was 69% (95% CI 56-79) with chemotherapy versus 57% (44-67) without chemotherapy (hazard ratio 0·59 [95% CI 0·35-0·99]; p=0·046). Adjuvant chemotherapy was significantly more effective for women with oestrogen-receptor-negative ILRR (pinteraction=0·046), but analyses of disease-free survival according to the oestrogen-receptor status of the primary tumour were not statistically significant (pinteraction=0·43). Of the 81 patients who received chemotherapy, 12 (15%) had serious adverse events. The most common adverse events were neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and intestinal infection. Adjuvant chemotherapy should be recommended for patients with completely resected ILRR of breast cancer, especially if the recurrence is oestrogen-receptor negative. US Department of Health and Human Services, Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK), Frontier Science and Technology Research Foundation, Australian and New Zealand Breast Cancer Trials Group, Swedish Cancer Society, Oncosuisse, Cancer Association of South Africa, Foundation for Clinical Research of Eastern Switzerland (OSKK), Grupo Español de Investigación en Cáncer de Mama (GEICAM), and the Dutch Breast Cancer Trialists' Group (BOOG).

Sediment storage and transfer on a periglacial mountain slope (Corvatsch, Switzerland)

High mountain geomorphology is mostly characterized by high elevation, steep gradients, rocky terrain, the presence of snow and ice and the related processes occurring in a high energy environment. Large sources of sediment and sediment storages often exist within high mountain systems and are controlled by the processes occurring within this setting. The purpose of this study is to describe sediment paths on a periglacial mountain slope and quantify geomorphic work within one example year in order to analyze and compare sediment budgets in high mountain geosystems. This energy-related approach helps to characterize a periglacial slope on account of the effectiveness of its geomorphological processes and might help to understand the complex dynamic behavior of its constituent subsystems.A periglacial mountain slope is investigated in Eastern Switzerland (Corvatsch). The environment is characterized by a typical coarse debris cascade: rock wall→rock fall→talus slope→permafrost creep→rockglacier. Rockglaciers are considered to be sediment traps of the coarse debris system, reflecting the erosion history of the corresponding catchment. Headwall recession and creep processes of the talus slopes and rockglaciers are quantified by a multi-method-approach combining remote sensing and terrestrial methods. Multitemporal DEMs of the last two decades enabled the quantification of sediment transfer of the slow moving landforms (frozen talus slopes and rockglaciers). Sediment input from the rock wall is quantified by repeated laser scanning over the last 4years. With the introduced cascading approach it is possible to assess dynamics within the coarse debris system. The mountain slope is divided into three subsystems (headwall, talus cone and rockglacier) and their dynamics are analyzed individually but also in relation to the entire mountain slope on a yearly base. A backweathering rate of 2mm can be derived for the headwall and an energy transfer of 29.8GJ from the headwall to the slope, 4GJ from the talus slope to rockglacier where 1.44GJ of geomorphic work are released by the downwards creep of the landform. This study is the first to include an analysis of the geomorphic work generated on the basis of vertically differentiated sediment production and transport processes.

Agglomerationen mit nutzergenerierten Inhalten neu definiert Visualisierung der Nordostschweiz mithilfe von Wikipedia

Commuters have had an important role in shaping the spatial organization of Switzerland, as commuter flows have been one of the most significant criteria to delineate urban agglomeration zones. Even though urban areas and respective agglomerations have continuously gained in importance in Switzerland to this day, the Swiss national population census will no longer include commuter data at high spatial resolution. Hence, the definition of the rapidly evolving urban agglomeration concept will have to be modified for future urban research and planning purposes.We propose a crowdsourcing approach to overcome this data gap, and employ the open and web-based Wikipedia encyclopedia as a new resource to delineate agglomeration areas. Using the North Eastern parts of Switzerland in this case study, we systematically evaluate whether user-generated content can serve as an option to fill the commuter data gap in future Swiss national population censuses to define agglomeration areas. In a second step, we evaluate the influence of potential edge effects on our chosen approach.We employ the number of hyperlinks in the Wikipedia database to quantify the strength of functional relationships between municipalities appearing in the Wikipedia encyclopedia. Next, we visualize the extracted municipality network structure for the chosen study area. Finally, we cluster the connected municipalities to agglomeration zones, and compare the computed municipality clusters with the agglomeration areas currently defined by the Swiss census.Our results suggest that the aggregation structure of our crowdsourcing approach is congruent with the officially developed agglomeration areas proposed by the Swiss census. Crowdsourced data thus might be an additional future data resource to complement more traditional census statistics for space districting purposes or socio-economic research in urban geography and planning.However, our results also suggest that geographic space indeed influences even non-spatially organized, crowdsourced encyclopedic entries, and this must be systematically studied further in future studies.English Title: Agglomerations newly defined with crowdsourced data: visualizing North Eastern Switzerland based on Wikipedia content.