ETH Zurich Research Articles

Attitudes and preferences of the Swiss population towards noise abatement measures: Results from a nationwide panel survey

As part of the Swiss Environmental Panel (SEP) survey, conducted jointly by ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), we aimed at obtaining a representative picture of the Swiss people's attitudes regarding noise and noise sources as well as their opinions and preferences about the currently implemented institutional noise protection measures. Knowledge of people's attitudes in this domain is very useful for policy makers, the public administration and the wider public. Survey topics included: degree of satisfaction with the current state of noise abatement, annoyance by emerging new sources, the attitudes vis à vis speed reductions and other noise abatement measures at source, the reasons one is in favor or against these measures, the sanctioning of excessively loud car enthusiasts ("posers" as they are also called), or the installment of "noise radars" to catch and punish noise offenders. Stratified analyses consider political and environmental orientation, age group, degree of urbanization, and socioeconomic status. Data gathering was carried out between May and August 2023 and involved more than 7000 respondents across whole Switzerland.

Cartography: Facts, Figures, Fiction, Fake – or: 170 Years of Cartography at ETH Zurich

Cartography: Facts, Figures, Fiction, Fake – or: 170 Years of Cartography at ETH Zurich

Leonhard Med, a trusted research environment for processing sensitive research data.

This paper provides an overview of the development and operation of the Leonhard Med Trusted Research Environment (TRE) at ETH Zurich. Leonhard Med gives scientific researchers the ability to securely work on sensitive research data. We give an overview of the user perspective, the legal framework for processing sensitive data, design history, current status, and operations. Leonhard Med is an efficient, highly secure Trusted Research Environment for data processing, hosted at ETH Zurich and operated by the Scientific IT Services (SIS) of ETH. It provides a full stack of security controls that allow researchers to store, access, manage, and process sensitive data according to Swiss legislation and ETH Zurich Data Protection policies. In addition, Leonhard Med fulfills the BioMedIT Information Security Policies and is compatible with international data protection laws and therefore can be utilized within the scope of national and international collaboration research projects. Initially designed as a "bare-metal" High-Performance Computing (HPC) platform to achieve maximum performance, Leonhard Med was later re-designed as a virtualized, private cloud platform to offer more flexibility to its customers. Sensitive data can be analyzed in secure, segregated spaces called tenants. Technical and Organizational Measures (TOMs) are in place to assure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive data. At the same time, Leonhard Med ensures broad access to cutting-edge research software, especially for the analysis of human -omics data and other personalized health applications.

Contrasting paired benthic and planktonic foraminifera radiocarbon ages from Bermuda Rise ODP Site 1063 during Heinrich Stadials 1 and 2

AbstractWe report 27 planktonic and 21 benthic radiocarbon ages from the subtropical marine sediment core ODP Site 1063 (Bermuda Rise) for the time range between 30 and 14 ka before present. Despite low abundances of benthic specimens, it was possible to measure radiocarbon ages down to ∼10 µg carbon using a MICADAS and the gas ion source developed at ETH Zurich. Based on a tentative radiocarbon–independent age-model we found that the radiocarbon reservoir of the bottom water varied moderately relative to the analytical and age-model related uncertainties throughout the examined time-period, but larger differences in the radiocarbon reservoir appear to have affected the upper ocean layer. In particular, radiocarbon levels around Heinrich Stadial 2 reveal surface radiocarbon content similar to that of the atmosphere, while during Heinrich Stadial 1 surface waters were significantly depleted in 14C.

Athina Anastasaki is the recipient of the 9th Polymer International-IUPAC Award

Abstract The SCI® (Society of Chemical Industry), the Editorial Board of Polymer International and the IUPAC Polymer Division are delighted to announce that Athina Anastasaki, Assistant Professor of Polymeric Materials at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, is the winner of the 9th Polymer International-IUPAC award for Creativity in Applied Polymer Science.

Women in Natural Sciences (WiNS) at ETH Zurich Celebrates its 10th Anniversary – A Retrospective and Outlook

For this CHIMIA special issue on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the coincidental 10th anniversary of the association of Women in Natural Sciences (WiNS) at ETH Zurich, there is no better opportunity to share what we have achieved in the last decade. WiNS was originally founded by female PhD students and PostDocs at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences (D-CHAB) and has expanded to include three additional departments at ETH Zurich. Join us in celebrating our anniversary, reflecting on what we and other associations with the same mission have done to promote gender equality and reduced inequalities for all. We invite you to reflect on what yet has to be done to enact a systemic change towards achieving equal opportunities for all, rather than simply accommodating the female perspective to Switzerland’s predominantly masculine working culture.

Building Solid-State Batteries: Insights from Swiss Research Labs

This review article delves into the growing field of solid-state batteries as a compelling alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries. The article surveys ongoing research efforts at renowned Swiss institutions such as ETH Zurich, Empa, Paul Scherrer Institute, and Berner Fachhochschule covering various aspects, from a fundamental understanding of battery interfaces to practical issues of solid-state battery fabrication, their design, and production. The article then outlines the prospects of solid-state batteries, emphasizing the imperative practical challenges that remain to be overcome and highlighting Swiss research groups’ efforts and research directions in this field.

Analysis Dimensions of Globalization and Poverty : Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) Approach

This study analyzes how the dimensions of globalization, economic growth, and income inequality affect poverty with the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) model in the long term. This research method uses time series data and secondary data. The data used in this study are economic growth rate, Gini ratio index, de facto and de jure economic globalization index, social globalization index (%), and the number of poor people (%) in Indonesia from 1984 to 2020 sourced from BPS, World Bank, and KOF ETH Zurich. The result of this study is the cointegration of the dependent variable, namely poverty, with the independent variables, namely the dimensions of globalization, economic growth, and inequality in Indonesia. Hence, the model chosen in this study is the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). Economic growth, economic globalization, social globalization, and economic cooperation negatively and significantly affect poverty in Indonesia in the long run. Inequality has a positive and significant effect on poverty in Indonesia in the long run.

SmartWood: field-based analysis of large wood movement dynamics using inertial measurement units (IMUs)

Wood plays an important ecological role in rivers. Yet challenges arise when large wood (LW) is mobilised and transported during floods. Due to a lack of quantitative data, movement behaviour of LW during floods is still not well understood to date. A proof-of-concept study was conducted at three Swiss rivers to test state-of-the-art sensor-tagged logs, so-called “SmartWood” and collect quantitative field-scale data about LW movement behaviour. The experiments utilised innovative inertial measurement units (IMUs), which have been developed at the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW) at ETH Zurich and implanted into wood logs (SmartWood) at prototype scale. Each IMU comprised three individual sensors (gyroscope, accelerometer, and magnetometer) and was equipped with an on-board processor, an AA battery (4.35 V), a memory (8 MB), and a Wi-Fi transmitter (100 m) for data transfer. After successful initial verification tests of the sensors, the IMUs were installed into debranched wood logs, measuring 4.35 m in length and 0.33 m in diameter. At the time of the field experiments, each SmartWood-log weighted between 170 and 220 kg, yielding a density of roughly 500 kg∙m−3. At the Limmat, Thur, and Grosse Melchaa Rivers in Switzerland, innovative yet discontinuous data were obtained. Results revealed consistent movement dynamics across all field sites. Specifically, we observed positive yaw movement during transport of SmartWood along the left river bank and negative yaw movement along the right river bank. Furthermore, interactions of SmartWood with channel boundaries, riparian vegetation, and objects (e.g., ferry dock) were registered and quantified, even when the SmartWood-log was transported out of sight of traditional sensing methods. The conducted field experiments enabled the initial testing of SmartWood in the field and exposed critical limitations of the IMUs and software algorithms for the reconstruction and analysis of floating LW dynamics. The gained knowledge and introduced sensing method will benefit the quantitative assessment of LW dynamics in rivers to maintain safety and functionality for instream structures (e.g., considering LW movement dynamics for the robust design of LW retention and guiding structures), but also river restoration projects and numerical models that rely on quantitative field-scale data.

Towards a dynamic earthquake risk framework for Switzerland

Abstract. Scientists from different disciplines at ETH Zurich are developing a dynamic, harmonised, and user-centred earthquake risk framework for Switzerland, relying on a continuously evolving earthquake catalogue generated by the Swiss Seismological Service (SED) using the national seismic networks. This framework uses all available information to assess seismic risk at various stages and facilitates widespread dissemination and communication of the resulting information. Earthquake risk products and services include operational earthquake (loss) forecasting (OE(L)F), earthquake early warning (EEW), ShakeMaps, rapid impact assessment (RIA), structural health monitoring (SHM), and recovery and rebuilding efforts (RRE). Standardisation of products and workflows across various applications is essential for achieving broad adoption, universal recognition, and maximum synergies. In the Swiss dynamic earthquake risk framework, the harmonisation of products into seamless solutions that access the same databases, workflows, and software is a crucial component. A user-centred approach utilising quantitative and qualitative social science tools like online surveys and focus groups is a significant innovation featured in all products and services. Here we report on the key considerations and developments of the framework and its components. This paper may serve as a reference guide for other countries wishing to establish similar services for seismic risk reduction.

High-resolution snapshots of antibody repertoires as potential correlates of protection

High-resolution snapshots of antibody repertoires as potential correlates of protection Klaus Eyer from ETH Zurich describes high-resolution snapshots of antibody repertoires as potential correlates of protection. The induction and long-term presence of key adaptive immune cells are essential for vaccine-mediated protection. As a direct, causal measure of protection is often challenging; finding and defining correlates of protection are critical for vaccine development, approval, and efficacy testing. Correlates of protection are quantifiable signs of being protected from becoming infected and/or developing disease that may be causal to protection itself. Antibodies in serum are often assessed as potential correlates as immunisations often lead to generating a vaccine-specific, functionally active and diverse antibody repertoire. In its simplest form, a potential correlate could be their presence if binding by the antibody is sufficient. This is assessed in the so-called titer measurements. Here, a serum sample is sequentially diluted, and the binding of the antibodies towards the vaccine is evaluated and compared to an often empirically derived threshold. This gold-standard measure has many advantages: it is fast, reliable and easily compared.

A Question of Immediacy: The Exhibition “Rational Lot Development” at the Third Congrès international d’architecture moderne in Brussels, 1930

CIAM’s exhibitions are a mystery. Despite their prominence within the collection of congresses, meetings, publications and events, they have been overlooked in scholarship. The following article is based on doctoral research at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), which aims to unfold the significance of CIAM’s exhibitions as a working method for and of the Congrès internationaux d'architecture moderne. The research aims to introduce an alternative approach to reframe the canonical histories of CIAM’s congresses and well-known actors. It contributes to the quest for a more complex view on the historiography of architectural modernism. The article puts CIAM’s second exhibition “Rational Lot Development,” first shown at the third CIAM meeting in Brussels in 1930, into the focus. Based on archival material from the CIAM Archives in the gta Archives at ETH Zurich, it deciphers the significance of the exhibition “Rational Lot Development” as space and program for the third CIAM meeting.

Offshore foundations in low-plasticity cohesive soils: Cyclic degradation experimental evidence and simplified numerical analysis

The paper studies the effect of soil strength and stiffness degradation on the undrained cyclic performance of offshore foundations in low-plasticity cohesive soil using 3D finite element modelling. Cyclic triaxial tests on reconstituted kaolin are conducted at the ETH Zurich laboratory, providing insights into key parameters affecting the degradation process. A simplified soil constitutive model accounting for cyclic degradation is developed and encoded in Abaqus via a user subroutine. The model is calibrated against experimental results and validated with published centrifuge model tests of monopiles under cyclic lateral loading. It is subsequently used to evaluate the performance of suction caisson foundations with different aspect ratios (L/D = 0.5 and 2) under short-term cyclic and seismic loading. Due to its ductile resistance mechanism, the L/D = 0.5 caisson exhibits superior performance under vertical cyclic loading in fast-degrading soil. Under inclined cyclic loading, the slower degradation rate of the L/D = 2 caisson governs response, reversing the trend. Under seismic shaking, the degradation-induced resistance imbalance amplifies the irrecoverable settlements produced by kinematic shearing at the caisson sidewalls. For the fast-degrading soil examined, degradation is shown to increase settlements by up to 50%.

Advances in Structural Applications of Digital Fabrication With Concrete

The construction industry needs to reduce its large environmental footprint drastically. Building with less material is one of the main levers for reducing this negative impact. This material reduction can be achieved with structurally efficient geometries requiring a higher degree of complexity than typically applied in conventional construction practices. Digital fabrication with concrete has been proposed as one of the solutions to facilitate the fabrication of efficient structures. Over the last few years, extensive research has been conducted within the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Digital Fabrication at ETH Zurich to investigate digital fabrication with concrete for structural applications. Various digital technologies were investigated, including 3D concrete printing, digital casting, Mesh Mould, printed polymer formworks and knitted formworks. This contribution highlights the main findings of these investigations with a particular focus on the development of reinforcement strategies, as these strategies are an essential step to ensure compliance with existing design guidelines and ease of mass-market adaptation. Promising future research areas are identified based on the assessment of the technology readiness and sustainability potential of the investigated approaches.

Transition in Architecture Education? Exploring Socio-Technical Factors of Curricular Changes for a Sustainable Built Environment

Curricular changes in architecture can support to meet the increased demand for sustainability in higher education (HE). Identifying their associated factors is necessary to understand ongoing and future transitions in architecture education. Transition management (TM) frameworks have been frequently used to analyze structural changes in various institutions but have received little attention in architecture education. This study explores the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) as a case study, focusing on its architecture curricula within 32 years from 1990 to 2022, corresponding to multiple generations of academic careers. A multiple-level perspective (MLP) document analysis on curricular changes is conducted in three steps, drawing on a specific perspective on sustainability in architecture. First, generic characteristics that may influence curricular changes are identified from the literature. Second, shifts in the undergraduate curriculum of ETH Zurich are systematically mapped. Third, a classification of implemented curricular shifts results in seven nuanced variations in generic factors. These socio-technical factors involve the development and dissemination of new disciplinary (1) and interdisciplinary (2) approaches to a sustainable built environment (SBE), a relocation of the viewpoint on sustainability from physiology/hygiene to building physics (3), experimentation with inquiry-based learning in niches (4), extended spheres of influence in teaching (5), early committed intra-faculty opinion leaders (6), and the formation of educational networks (7). The proposed approach based on longitudinal curriculum mapping offers a way to locate structural curricular changes, identify hidden educational trends, and inform institutional changes.

A Team for the Low‐Temperature Bulk Depolymerization of Polymethacrylates

AbstractThis invited Team Profile was created by Athina Anastasaki of the Laboratory of Polymeric Materials at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. They recently published an article developing a low‐temperature and solvent‐free method to depolymerize polymers made by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition‐fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The key to the success of the approach was an efficient end‐group transformation of the polymers to macromonomer, which allowed up to 90 % monomer regeneration at low temperatures. “Solvent‐Free Chemical Recycling of Polymethacrylates Made by ATRP and RAFT Polymerization: High‐Yielding Depolymerization at Low Temperatures”, R. Whitfield, G. R. Jones, N. P. Truong, L. E. Manring, A. Anastasaki, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202309116.

A Team for the Low-Temperature Bulk Depolymerization of Polymethacrylates.

This invited Team Profile was created by Athina Anastasaki of the Laboratory of Polymeric Materials at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. They recently published an article developing a low-temperature and solvent-free method to depolymerize polymers made by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The key to the success of the approach was an efficient end-group transformation of the polymers to macromonomer, which allowed up to 90 % monomer regeneration at low temperatures. "Solvent-Free Chemical Recycling of Polymethacrylates Made by ATRP and RAFT Polymerization: High-Yielding Depolymerization at Low Temperatures", R. Whitfield, G. R. Jones, N. P. Truong, L. E. Manring, A. Anastasaki, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202309116.

René Furer’s Semantic and Syntactic Analysis: Venturi and Vignola at ETH Zurich

This paper explores the response of the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zurich) to the student unrest of 1968. Specifically, it analyses the teaching of Swiss architect and educator René Furer on architectural theory. One of the key examples is Furer’s lecture on mannerism, in which both sixteenth-century and contemporary projects were used to illustrate “semantic” and “syntactic” dimensions of architecture. The terminology and pluralist content of the lecture show how mannerism was related to the notion of architecture as language and to nascent postmodernism. By highlighting this episode, the paper challenges the prevailing narrative of Swiss architecture as a bastion of modernism, suggesting that teaching at ETH was more in tune with international developments than previously thought.

The GHG Emission Timeline – Integrating sustainability assessment into the early building design stage

To address the challenges of integrating sustainability assessment such as life cycle assessment (LCA) in the early building design stage, we propose a new concept: The Greenhouse gas (GHG) Emission Timeline. The concept is derived from researching robustness assessment methods and personal experiences from teaching. Rather than aggregating environmental aspects into a single number, with the Timeline we want to highlight the temporality of GHG emissions in the context of ongoing transformation processes. Similarly to the previously proposed Material Pyramid for comparing the CO2 footprint of different materials, the Timeline is a pedagogical tool to visualize quantities, dynamics, and uncertainties aiming to provide a common ground for discussing sustainability in the early building design stage. The Timeline is compiled in a few simple steps with readily available resources. Hence, it does not need prior expert knowledge. The concept, as well as the first application examples of the Timeline from an architectural design studio at ETH Zurich are presented and discussed. By using GHG emission calculations for the compilation of a historic timeline, students created new lenses that addressed sustainability from a holistic viewpoint beyond GHG emissions.

Transformation toward sustainable academia: ETH Zurich’s Air Travel Project

Making academia more sustainable necessitates reducing emissions from academic air travel substantially. This requires a transformation of the academic system, including norms, practices, institutional rules, and framework conditions. We reflect on how the ETH Air Travel Project aims to reduce air travel at ETH Zurich while maintaining scientific excellence.