(P1-17) Zürich Rescue System for Mass Gatherings: 19 Year Experience with Disaster Risk Reduction, Risk Management, and Rescue Organizations

Zürich is divided by a river and > 6 km lakeside labyrinth of small streets in the old city. Since 1992, Zürich hosts the street parade, which is the biggest event in Switzerland and one of the biggest in Europe. It is an event of techno parties, and nearly one million people gather along the lake and the old city. Medical assistance is provided by the emergency system of Zürich in cooperation with the fire department, police department, as well as the emergency systems of the neighborhoods, civil protection, and Volunteers. This mass gathering is unique because almost 16 km2 of the city and old city and four of the six bridges that connect the two sides of the city are closed and dedicated to the Streetparade, which complicates rescue operations. Since it is impossible for an ambulance to get to injured persons in the crowd, and very difficult to transfer patients to a hospital, many stationary medical units and two boats are used in the city, each with a combination of emergency doctors, paramedics, firefighters, and volunteers, who also can build mobile units and an advanced medical unit in a shelter that has rooms for 108 patients. Every mobile unit has a GPS system that permits the Operational Headquarters to have an overview. This system has been helpful in this particular event, permitting medical personnel to reach the injured persons in short time and to treat the majority of the patients in situ, minimizing the necessity of transport. In 2010, 680 patients were treated 680, of which, only 42 were transported to a hospital. No deaths due to panic attacks of lack of emergency response have occurred in the past 19 year

Laser driven self-assembly of shape-controlled potassium nanoparticles in porous glass

We observe growth of shape-controlled potassium nanoparticles inside a random network of glass nanopores, exposed to low-power laser radiation. Visible laser light plays a dual role: it increases the desorption probability of potassium atoms from the inner glass walls and induces the self-assembly of metastable metallic nanoparticles along the nanopores. By probing the sample transparency and the atomic light-induced desorption flux into the vapour phase, the dynamics of both cluster formation/evaporation and atomic photo-desorption processes are characterized. Results indicate that laser light not only increases the number of nanoparticles embedded in the glass matrix but also influences their structural properties. By properly choosing the laser frequency and the illumination time, we demonstrate that it is possible to tailor the nanoparticles'shape distribution. Furthermore, a deep connection between the macroscopic behaviour of atomic desorption and light-assisted cluster formation is observed. Our results suggest new perspectives for the study of atom/surface interaction as well as an effective tool for the light-controlled reversible growth of nanostructures.Comment: 14 pages,6 figures, http://iopscience.iop.org/1612-202X/11/8/085902

Hybrid and inorganic plumbo-halide perovskites for solar cells

This thesis explores the hybrid and inorganic lead halide perovskite compounds methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI) and caesium lead iodide-bromide (CsPbI2Br) with regard to their synthesis, stability and use in thin film solar photovoltaic devices. MAPI thin films were prepared using two different approaches: the one-step and the two-step solution processes to determine which gives better films, in terms of physical-chemical properties, environmental stability and device performance. The best device efficiency obtained by devices prepared with MAPI (glass/ITO/TiO2/MAPI/spiroOMeTAD/Au) was of 11.8% PCE, however the device stability toward environmental conditions was poor, showing degradation effects in environments containing UV light combined with oxygen. In order to circumvent the instability issue, the fully inorganic CsPbI2Br compound was studied for direct comparison, as an alternative, more stable perovskite compound. Once the synthesis of CsPbI2Br thin films was optimised, devices were fabricated (glass/ITO/TiO2/CsPbI2Br/spiro-OMeTAD/Au) and measured, giving a champion device PCE of 9.1%. However, while the CsPbI2Br devices were found to present higher environmental stability compared to MAPI devices, they showed high susceptibility towards humid conditions. Unlike MAPI, however, the degradation of CsPbI2Br was caused by phase instability, rather than chemical degradation, which was demonstrated to be reversible. Most devices in this work were fabricated using a superstrate n-i-p device architecture commonly used for perovskite solar cells. In addition, a new device structure was created, with the aim of forming a heterojunction between MAPI and silicon. First the device structure was studied (contact/Si/MAPI/transporting material/contact) using both n- and p-doped silicon wafers, to determining the ideal Ohmic contacts, the nature of MAPI deposited onto silicon and by understanding the electrical behaviours of each interface. Solar cells of this type produced efficiencies up to 2.1% PCE. It was demonstrated that these Si/MAPI heterojunction devices form a single-sided junction in the silicon. Recommendations for improvement are given

The divestment-reinvestment sequence in foreign countries: The role of relational vs. transactional ownership

In this paper, we claim that ownership is a key determinant of the firms' divestment-reinvestment sequence in a foreign country. Building on the notion of ‘relational vs. transactional ownership’, we distinguish between relational-type firms (namely, family-owned and state-owned firms), and transactional-type firms (privately non-family-owned firms). We argue that relational-type firms are less likely to both divest from, and reinvest in, a given foreign country. In fact, relational owners set a lower performance threshold of intervention than transactional ones; additionally, in order to turn the tide, the former often increase resource injection when subsidiary performance falls below the threshold. Such an escalation of commitment increases sunk costs and further decreases the likelihood of divesting the subsidiary. Moreover, when a divestment occurs, the memory of high sunk costs incurred reduces the propensity to reinvest in the same host country. We test our conceptual framework on a large sample of investments, divestments and subsequent re-entries undertaken in the period 2000–2015 by 602 Italian firms. Our econometric findings corroborate our hypotheses, thus contributing to the literature on the interdependencies between divestment and reinvestment choices, and their relationships with corporate ownership

Nitrogen and phosphorus accumulation and remobilization of durum wheat as affected by soil gravel content

Soil gravel content affects many soil physical properties, as well as crop yield. Little is known regarding the influence of soil gravel content on growth and nutrient uptake of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). The accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorous during the vegetative and reproductive periods and the contribution of pre-anthesis assimilates to grain N and P con- tent have been evaluated in two durum wheat varieties grown on soils with 0, 10, 20 and 30% gravel content. The two varieties showed similar behaviour and the increase of soil gravel de- creased plant biomass during the entire biological cycle. Nitrogen and P concentration of all plant parts was not affected by soil gravel content, while N and P content was greatly reduced, owing to the effect on dry matter yield. Post-anthesis accumulation and remobilization of N and P were greatly reduced: the decrease from gravel-free soil to 30% gravel content was about 41 kg N ha–1 and 4 kg P ha–1 for the former and 14 kg N ha–1 and 2 kg P ha–1 for the latter. The differences in growth rate were attributed to differences in development of the root system due to the restricted soil volume

Thermal imaging in the 3-5 micron range for precise localization of defects: Application on frescoes at the Sforza Castle

Infrared methods are of great importance in nondestructive testing of artworks, allowing a remote and wide-field imaging of interesting hidden features. Here we discuss a workflow based on thermal imaging in the mid infrared 3-5 micron range for the evaluation of subsurface defects in frescoes. Particular attention is payed to obtaining a high resolution (submillimetric) localization of the defects. The transfer of diagnostics techniques into real world applications, is discussed through the proof of concept of the proposed workflow on frescoes at the Sforza Castle (Milan, Italy)

Industrial districts, urban areas or both? The location behaviour of foreign and domestic firms in an Italian manufacturing region

The present paper aims at exploring the location behaviour of manufacturing firms, according to their ownership: domestic firms (henceforth DOMs) and inward foreign direct investments (henceforth IFDIs). This issue is empirically addressed by using data on manufacturing IFDIs and on DOMs in Veneto (north-east Italy) from the Reprint, AIDA and ISTAT databases. Veneto is an industrial district region, specialized in the Made-in-Italy sectors, hosting a central metropolitan area (Padua) and attracting a high share of IFDIs. Geo-referenced mapping and econometric analysis (counterfactual) are developed to explore the location behaviour of the two groups of firms. In line with previous work, findings show that IFDIs are more likely to be located in areas close to the main urban centres, such as the metropolitan area of Padua, to exploit the advantages of complex environments and higher connectivity. However, they also tend to locate in district areas more often than their DOMs counterfactual, suggesting the objective of acquiring a system of specialized productive knowledge and skills developed within a district ecosystem, and hardly reproducible in other contexts