The Central Board of the Commercial Association has elected Christian Zünd (52) as CEO. Christian Zünd holds a doctorate in law and is admitted to the bar of the Canton of Zurich. He gained leadership and management experience at the Directorate of Justice and Home Affairs of the Canton of Zurich, where he was responsible for business as Secretary General from 2005 to 2015. Prior to that, Zünd was involved as a social security judge, where he was involved in the establishment of the Social Security Court of the Canton of Zurich, among other things.

"With Christian Zünd, we have gained an experienced leader who has the best prerequisites to lead the association into a successful future," says Daniel Jositsch, President of the Commercial Association. Christian Zünd will succeed Peter Kyburz on April 1, 2016. Peter Kyburz has decided to hand over the leadership of the association after eight successful years as CEO. Peter Kyburz is moving to the Road Traffic Office of the Canton of Zurich as Managing Director.

www.kfmv.ch

Final cessation of power operations: Mühleberg nuclear power plant to be definitively taken off the grid on 20 December 2019 | Media release BKW Energie AG

At the end of February, BKW notified the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate ENSI in due time that it will finally cease power operations at the Mühleberg nuclear power plant on 20 December 2019. From this date, no more electricity will be produced at the nuclear power plant. This is subject to the condition that the necessary legal framework conditions are in place for dismantling without delay.

In this way, BKW is fulfilling a requirement made by ENSI in December 2015 with regard to the planned decommissioning of the Mühleberg nuclear power plant. Following the final cessation of power operations on 20 December 2019, preparations for dismantling are to begin without delay with the establishment of technical post-operation and preparatory measures. The prerequisite for this is the availability of the legally binding decommissioning order and the necessary approvals from ENSI.

The establishment of technical post-operation will be completed when all fuel assemblies are in the fuel pool and the pool is cooled independently of other systems. According to the current planning status, this work will take at least nine months. Once this work has been completed, the Mühleberg nuclear power plant will be finally decommissioned. This will therefore take place at the end of September 2020 at the earliest. BKW also communicated this date to ENSI in due time in accordance with the December 2015 requirement.

The decommissioning of the Mühleberg nuclear power plant is a major project. BKW is the first company in Switzerland to decommission a power reactor. BKW submitted the decommissioning application for the Mühleberg nuclear power plant to the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications in December 2015. The documents are expected to be made available to the public for one month from the beginning of April. At this time, the local population will also be informed about the contents at information events and the public will be informed in detail via the media.

Final cessation of power operation The term "final cessation of power operation" refers to the point in time from which a nuclear power plant is taken off the grid and no longer produces electricity.

Final decommissioning

Final decommissioning" is the point in time from which the nuclear power plant is ready for post-commissioning. In the case of the Mühleberg nuclear power plant, this is the point in time from which all fuel assemblies are in the fuel pool and this is cooled independently of other systems.

The demands of society are changing. The retirees of the digital society want more self-determination, more individualization and more comfort.

This raises questions about the future of nursing and care in Switzerland:

Who will provide for us in old age - the state or private individuals?

What new needs are emerging, and how can they be met?

Which providers and business models will shape the market in the future?

These questions are answered by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute in the study "Fluid Care: Demand Market versus Welfare Structure" commissioned by Senesuisse. The study will be published at the "Fluid Care" trend meeting.

Thursday, March 17, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at GDI.

At the meeting, GDI researchers will discuss with high-level experts, including:

Pascal Strupler, Director Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)

Prof. Dr. Reimer Gronemeyer, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany

Clovis Défago, President Senesuisse

You can find more information at gdi.ch/fluidcare

Since the 1980s, large aircraft engines have had to comply with pollutant limits, which have been gradually tightened over the years. As a result, the pollutant contribution from air traffic in Switzerland is relatively low today, and the days when jet engines left behind plumes of smoke visible from afar are also a thing of the past. What has not been solved, however, is the emission of ultrafine particles by jet engines. These microscopic particles can penetrate deep into the lungs and thus have negative effects on health. In accordance with the precautionary principle, these emissions from air traffic are now also to be measured, regulated and reduced, even though air traffic in Switzerland only accounts for less than 1 percent of particulate emissions.

Measuring ultrafine dust particles from aircraft engines is technically extremely demanding. In close cooperation between Empa, SR Technics and the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), experts have spent years developing a test rig and a method for standardized measurement of fine dust emissions from aircraft engines. Both the measurement system and the instrumentation were tested to operational readiness in international campaigns. In addition to the mass of the particles, the measurement system also provides the number of particles emitted per liter of fuel. Even the smallest particles with a diameter of less than one hundred thousandth of a millimeter are recorded.

Work on the new global standard was led by the FOCA in partnership with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The Environmental Panel of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted the standard, which was developed in large part by FOCA, SR Technics and Empa, on February 2 in Montreal. (we reported) Final adoption by the ICAO Council is expected in one year.

All types of engines for passenger aircraft in production from January 1, 2020 onwards must be certified in accordance with the new regulation. Most engine manufacturers now have their own measurement systems that comply with the regulations and have begun to re-measure their engines. Technologies for further reducing particulate emissions are also already known.

(Empa)

The Environmental Institute Munich tested the 14 most commonly drunk beers in Germany for residues of glyphosate, the most commonly used pesticide. The shocking result: Residues of glyphosate were found in every type of beer tested - and well above the limit value.

Glyphosate is by far the most commonly used pesticide active ingredient in Germany - around 5,400 tons of it are used nationwide every year. According to the World Health Organization, the total herbicide is mutagenic and "probably carcinogenic." The values measured ranged from 0.46 micrograms per liter (µg/l) to 29.74 µg/l, and in extreme cases were almost 300 times higher than the legal limit for drinking water (0.1 µg/l).

"All the beers tested contained the pesticide glyphosate. This threatens to make a mockery of the German Purity Law in its 500th anniversary year of all places," said biologist Sophia Guttenberger of the Munich Environmental Institute. "A substance that is probably carcinogenic has no place in beer or in our bodies." Germans consume an average of 107 liters of beer per year and thus also unknowingly ingest glyphosate. This is not compatible with the image of purity and naturalness that German breweries stand for, Guttenberger said.

"We appeal to the breweries to now closely examine their products and ingredients. They must clarify how glyphosate could get into the beer and ensure in the future that their products are free of pesticide residues," the biologist demanded.

To the Detailed results.

In its new Car environmental list 2016 the VCS Verkehrs-Club der Schweiz recommends waiting before buying a diesel car. This is because the nitrogen oxide limit for diesels only applies to certification on the test bench. In real-world operation, however, diesel cars still emit several times more toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx).

However, thanks to the introduction of new test regulations, the so-called Real Drive Emission Tests (RDE tests), diesel models will soon be much cleaner. The most environmentally friendly way to drive in Germany continues to be with natural gas/biogas. As in the previous year, the three natural gas-powered cars VW eco up!, Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii are at the top of the Auto-Umweltliste 2016.

Rising sales of diesel cars

In conurbations and along busy roads, the immission limit value for NOx is not being complied with, and emissions have hardly fallen in recent years. The culprit is the increasing sales of diesel cars, which still emit ten times more nitrogen oxide than gasoline-powered vehicles. Although the permissible limit was lowered from 180 mg/km to 80 mg/km at the beginning of September 2014, under real-life conditions on the road diesels emit many times the pollutant load permitted in the test.

Around the exhaust emissions scandal of the last months, many independent pollutant measurements have been carried out on dozens of models. According to the EU Commission and confirmed by studies conducted by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research Empa, NOx emissions from modern diesel passenger cars (Euro 6 standard) are on average five times higher in reality than the limit value of 80 mg/km applicable on the chassis dynamometer.

At the beginning of February, the EU Parliament decided to tighten the emission limits for NOx from September 2017. Based on these findings, the rating system of the Auto Environmental List will be adjusted with RDE tests until the introduction of the stricter test regulations and expects a realistic emission value of 400 mg/km (5 × 80 mg/km) with regard to NOx.

As a result, diesel models have temporarily almost completely disappeared from the ranking lists by vehicle class. The VCS's latest car environmental list therefore advises against buying these models with soon-to-be obsolete emission control technology. According to statements by carmakers, however, diesels that comply with the stricter emissions regulations and will therefore be significantly cleaner will be coming onto the market as early as the second quarter of 2016. These models can only be taken into account from the June update of the Auto-Environment list.

Natural gas/biogas cars unbeatable at the moment

The 33rd edition of the Auto-Umweltliste is also dominated by natural gas/biogas models. In addition to the three winning cars VW eco up!, Skoda Citigo and Seat Mii, the top ten ranking includes five other natural gas/biogas models. The once dominant hybrid cars are still represented by two models in the top ten.

There are two reasons for the superiority of natural gas/biogas cars: On the one hand, the combustion of natural gas produces less CO2 than gasoline or diesel engines, and on the other hand, around 20 percent climate-neutral biogas from waste recycling plants is added to Swiss natural gas. This is why natural gas cars also score better in the Auto Environmental List than hybrid cars.

Electric cars - only with renewable electricity

The electric car segment grew strongly last year. Of the purely battery-electric cars, 3257 units were put into service in 2015 (previous year: 1659). There was a marked increase in new registrations of plug-in hybrids from 827 (2014) to 2279 (2015) vehicles. By contrast, sales of "normal" hybrid models that cannot be charged from a power socket are stagnating. In 2014, sales were 6027 units, only marginally below the 2015 sales figures of 6191 passenger cars.

Experts continue to argue about the environmental compatibility of electric cars. The decisive factor in any case is the way in which the electricity is generated. A good environmental rating is only possible if the electricity for the drive is generated in a renewable way. Unfortunately, with a few exceptions, the industry's efforts to consistently use sustainable electricity are still not visible. The Auto Environmental List rates electric vehicles powered by green electricity in accordance with the Swiss "naturmade star" quality label in a separate compilation.

"Education has become very digitized" - Rolf Butz, Managing Director of Kaufmännischer Verband Zürich.

The education center could not be better situated between Zurich's city center and the new, up-and-coming "Europaallee" district. In addition to an ideal location, the new training and seminar facilities offer excellent learning opportunities for adults.

Instead of chalkboards or overhead projectors like those found in classic KV classrooms around Escherwyss-Platz, the renovated, modern Sihlpost premises feature touch-screen monitors and other e-learning gadgets.

Interactive didactics

Rolf Butz, Managing Director of Kaufmännischer Verband Zürich, emphasizes: "Education has become very digitalized. Our new offerings incorporate an active, if not interactive, didactic approach."

By the way, each of the rooms can be adapted to the needs of learners (from small groups to larger events) in terms of its layout. In total, 24 training and seminar rooms and 7 meeting rooms were realized.

The educational courses and seminars, such as "Data Protection Law" for adults, can be found at www.kvz-weiterbildung.ch

The issue of sustainable development is also becoming increasingly important for financial market policy. This is currently reflected in the work of the G20 in the financial sector (Finance Track), which under the Chinese presidency has for the first time created a study group on "Green Finance", in which Switzerland is also represented. At the same time, the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are looking into the potential impact of climate change on financial market stability.

State as mediator

Switzerland actively participates in the relevant work of international financial bodies and strives to pursue a consistent policy at the national and international level. The Federal Council has now adopted principles for this policy and Switzerland's role. They are based on the primacy of market-based solutions and the subsidiarity of state action, and emphasize transparency and long-term orientation. The state can act as a facilitator to support the industry's efforts to open up the business field of sustainable investment.

With regard to the issue of environmental sustainability in the context of financial market policy, the Federal Council sees both the potential risks for financial stability and the opportunities for the Swiss financial center. Switzerland has the potential for a long-term competitive advantage in the area of sustainable investment thanks to its expertise in the environmental field, favorable framework conditions and a strong financial sector with great expertise.

This report is not only about the cost to businesses of mobile threats and data breaches, but also about the reasons why many companies do not protect themselves adequately against mobile threats. For this, the Ponemon Institute surveyed 588 IT and IT security experts from US Global2000 companies.

The weak points

The majority of IT and security professionals believe employee mobile devices are vulnerable to hacking (83 percent). Two-thirds (67 percent) of Global2000 companies report that their organization has experienced data breaches resulting from employees using mobile devices to access company data.

The extent of mobile access to corporate data is increasing - by 43 percent from 2014 to 2015. Approximately 56 percent of the data accessible on PCs is also accessible on mobile devices.

In the companies included in the report, employees use about 54,000 mobile devices. Respondents indicate that probably three percent of mobile devices, or about 1,700 devices, are infected with malware at any given time. On average, 26 percent of infected mobile devices are detected or identified.

Rising costs for virus killers

Today, the average total cost that companies spend on these infected mobile devices is 11'3 million euros in total, or 8'430 euros per malware-infected device. If the malware were detected or identified on all 1,700 devices, then the average cost could be 23.4 million euros. These costs are based on the necessary steps that have to be taken after an attack or compromise of a mobile device, for example, to helpdesk support, security support by the IT department, including loss of productivity as well as indirect costs such as image loss!

Other risks

Only 30 percent of respondents say there is a policy in place that governs what types of company data can be stored on mobile devices.

"Employees have continuous access to cloud-based services and demand flexibility. They want to be able to access work apps like Salesforce and personal apps like Facebook at the same time," said Gert-Jan Schenk, VP of Lookout EMEA. "The primary concern for IT security managers is balancing mobility and security. It's critical that organizations get mobile security right from the start, especially with regard to the financial implications and consequences for the company's reputation."

www.lookout.com

Battery storage from electric vehicles is being expanded when they still have up to 90% of capacity. A new research project is investigating the use of these electricity storage units as stationary storage systems. This conserves resources and puts the used but still powerful electricity storage units to a useful second use.

Range and capacity of rechargeable batteries in electromobility

Range is a decisive factor for the acceptance of electric cars. In 2015, a survey showed that the desired range of an electric car should be 420 km. Currently, only a few vehicles achieve this, and the batteries lose capacity and range from day one. For this reason, rechargeable batteries in electric cars are already being replaced and sent for recycling when they still have 80-90% of their capacity.

The idea behind the project is that storage units from electric vehicles with a capacity of 80-90% will continue to operate with good performance for a long time in stationary operation. This is because charging and discharging processes take place in a more controlled manner there. The research project is investigating how the high residual capacity of the storage cells can be optimally used in stationary systems. According to the current state of research, the storage units will continue to operate reliably for many years. Only after a second life in stationary use will they be recycled. This protects the environment and lowers the acquisition costs for electricity storage systems.

Quality and technology

Electricity storage systems with batteries from secondary use are equipped with a highly efficient energy management system and will receive a performance guarantee, which will have to be defined after completion of the research project.

To get a feel for acceptance of secondary use of storage from electromobility in stationary storage systems, the researchers have developed a short survey with 11 questions. Help the researchers with their work, say what you think about the use of used batteries from electromobility and, with a little luck, win a brand new I-pad mini from Apple. You can find the survey at: http://www.smart-power.net/umfrage-formular/

About the research project

The project is funded by the climate and energy fund and is being carried out as a joint project of AVL DiTest GmbH, Saubermacher Dienstleistungs AG, Smart Power GmbH and the University of Leoben as part of the "Lighthouses of Electromobility" program. Saubermacher Dienstleistungs AG is in charge of the project management, while Smart Power GmbH, based in Garching near Munich, is responsible for the Re-Use work package, i.e. the reuse of used battery cells.

While the reintegration of previous pension recipients is a major challenge for the IV offices, the integration before pension is very successful. This is shown by the latest figures of the IV-Stellen-Konferenz (IVSK), which were collected from the 26 cantonal IV offices. 20,119 people with health impairments were able to keep their job or find a new job with the support of employers and the IV offices.

Profit orientation and social commitment can be very well combined - many companies prove this. Nevertheless, a lot of awareness-raising work is still needed. The IV offices guarantee committed employers the necessary support and effective resources. The figure of 20,119 includes the preservation of jobs with the previous employer (10,570), re-placements in the same company (1,791) and jobs with new employers (6,984).

The results for the reintegration of former pension recipients are more mixed: As a result of pension revisions, 774 successful job placements were made last year. This figure does not include apprenticeships and internships.

Without disability quota

The IV agencies and the employers prove with these success stories that it is also possible without a disability quota. Hiring an employee because of his or her disability just to achieve a certain quota does not create a good basis for a fruitful and lasting employment relationship, according to the position of the IVSK.

Examples of successful incorporations at: www.ivsk.ch or under www.compasso.ch (Information portal for employers).

Auralization is the process of making audible sound events that will only take place in the future. Until a few years ago, it was primarily used by interior designers to optimize room acoustics. In Empa's "TAURA" project, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), a research group led by Reto Pieren is now working on an auralization model that simulates the sounds of accelerating passenger cars passing an observer. The model thus makes it possible to take noise-reducing precautions into account as early as the planning stage of road construction projects.

Developing such an auralization model is easier said than done. This is because the noise caused by a car speeding past comes from different sources, which are entered into the computer model in the "emission module". On the one hand, there is the engine, which roars in the ears, especially during heavy acceleration. But driving speed, car type and the driving style of the driver also influence the engine or drive noise. Secondly, the tires cause noise by rolling on the road. This depends primarily on the type of road surface and the type of tire. In the future, Pieren and his colleagues want to map even more sound sources in their auralization model, such as the effect of different road surfaces and wind noise.

Complex vehicle sounds

The researchers first had to identify all these influencing variables. To do this, they recorded the driving noises of various car types, for example those of a VW Touran, a Ford Focus 1.8i or a Skoda Fabia. These measurements were made from several microphone positions and at different speeds. The researchers also varied the tire type, engine load and engine speed. They extracted the noise characteristics from the recordings and transferred them as parameters to their auralization model. This resulted in a total of several thousand such parameters, which, depending on their interaction, cause a completely different driving noise.

But that was not enough: Next, propagation phenomena such as the Doppler effect, sound absorption by the air or the attenuation of sound due to the distance between the noise source and the observer had to be taken into account. This is because depending on where an observer is in relation to the noise source and how the two move relative to each other, the observer will perceive the noise differently. The Doppler effect, for example, is well known from everyday life: The siren of an emergency vehicle sounds high when the vehicle is moving toward you, and comparatively low when it moves away from you again.

How annoying are noises perceived?

Finally, the modeled signals must be converted into sound via headphones or a pair of loudspeakers. However, noise only arises in our consciousness, so it is perceived differently from listener to listener and cannot be objectively measured in physical units. Therefore, test persons listen to the simulated driving noises and make statements about their annoyance, the degree of their noise-induced impairment. If several test persons judge different noises according to their annoyance, objectifiable correlations can be determined, although noise is a subjective quantity.

Noise affects people differently depending on the time of day, health status and age. Accordingly, the health consequences range from temporary sleep disturbances to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. In order to prevent such impairments, noise-reducing measures must be taken into account in the planning of residential and industrial zones as well as traffic routes. For this purpose, urban planners, political decision-makers and the public need information about the expected noise emissions. Standard measures can be calculated today - but auralization can help to evaluate new ideas for noise optimization. This is how Empa researchers contribute to noise reduction with the help of their auralization model.

Also of interest for research

In addition to the practical benefits, there is also a scientific one. Because before Reto Pieren and his colleagues started their research, there was no such detailed auralization model to simulate road noise. In particular, the simulation of accelerating vehicles is new. In this respect, the research group is doing pioneering work in the field of auralization. In the next few weeks, the scientists plan to conduct initial tests with test subjects in the specially set-up listening lab.

Audio samples

Use headphones or a pair of speakers to achieve the highest possible playback quality.

The following three audio samples reproduce the components of the sound of a passenger car accelerating from 20 km/h to 50 km/h with two gear changes.

Engine noise (isolated)

Tire noise (isolated)

Total noise (engine and tires together)

Using the next two audio samples, you can compare the driving sounds of a passing passenger car on a road with a normal surface with the sounds of the same car on a road with a "whispering" surface. Both sound samples also simulate the Doppler effect.

Standard road surface

Whisper coating

(Source: Empa)