The increased global production of plastic materials and the presence of plastic waste in the environment have resulted in widespread environmental contamination despite the presence of restrictions from various governments. The breakdown of macroplastic materials has resulted in the formation of microplastics (MPs; ≤ 5 mm), which are now widespread in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems. The widespread presence of MPs in the environment poses severe ecotoxicological risks to organisms at various trophic levels. Although there has been increased interest in the study of the impacts of MPs, critical knowledge gaps still exist regarding the application of remediation measures at various scales. This article aims to comprehend the present status of global MP contamination, with a special focus on the patterns of contamination and the difficulties associated with environmental monitoring in India. The study also examines advances over the last decade in the biodegradation of secondary MPs using bacterial and fungal consortia. The critical parameters associated with the degradation process, the efficiency of the microorganisms in various experimental setups, and the associated enzymatic processes are critically reviewed in the study.
Weather files strongly influence building performance simulation, especially in climatically diverse countries such as Brazil. Yet, the representativeness of typical meteorological years (TMY) for Brazilian applications remains insufficiently assessed. This study aims to evaluate four established TMY approaches and to introduce a performance-based alternative (Brazilian typical meteorological year, BTMY) that incorporates building-specific climatic sensitivity. Using ERA5-Land data for 480 locations, we compiled 15 actual meteorological years (2008–2022) per site and assessed their impact on operative temperature and energy needs in representative residential models. Spearman filtering removed collinear meteorological parameters, and optimized XGBoost and ε-SVR models predicted daily operative temperature with R2 = 0.91 ± 0.03 (RMSE = 0.64 ± 0.19 °C) and daily energy needs with R2 = 0.87 ± 0.05 (RMSE = 0.05 ± 0.01 kWh m−2 yr−1), identifying dry-bulb temperature as the dominant meteorological parameter (75
This study explores fatigue crack propagation in face-centered cubic metals using an adaptive concurrent multiscale framework that couples coarse-grained molecular dynamics with the finite element method. The approach dynamically refines the mesh and activates atomistic regions as the crack advances, enabling high-resolution modeling near the crack tip while preserving computational efficiency in less critical regions. A crack-free surface identification method is used to track the evolving crack tip. Coarse-graining of dislocation plasticity mitigates large deformations, ensuring stable crack growth during fatigue cycles. A refinement scheme activates virtual atoms when the crack tip approaches the FEM domain, with the continuum model imposing displacements. The framework is applied to simulate fatigue failure in single-crystal aluminum. The results demonstrate agreement with fully atomistic and non-adaptive multiscale models in terms of crack trajectory, stress intensity versus crack growth rate, and the Paris law exponent, while achieving up to a 46
Flexible hydropower is essential for integrating variable renewables, yet its short-term flow fluctuations (hydropeaking) can result in negative ecological impacts and, when mitigated, financial losses for operators. As balancing these impacts with energy system flexibility represents a key policy challenge for sustainable energy transitions, we conduct a systematic review of the economic dimensions of hydropeaking mitigation using the PRISMA methodology. We identify 35 studies and find that operational mitigation measures (e.g., ramping restrictions, minimum flows) can be effective in reducing ecological stress but may also reduce revenue by 1-8%, depending on market conditions and the perceived severity of the constraints. Structural mitigation measures, such as re-regulation reservoirs and compensation basins, lead to better ecological effectiveness by buffering flow variability, while also maintaining long-term economic feasibility, particularly when designed for multipurpose use. Emerging new hybrid mitigation measures, especially hydro-battery energy storage systems, exhibit potential to balance ecological objectives with system flexibility and market profitability. While some mitigation measures reduce hydropower revenues, several studies indicate that the associated environmental improvements can generate broader economic benefits for society, potentially resulting in net welfare gains. Additionally, the review highlights recent methodological advances used to assess economic trade-offs in hydropeaking mitigation contexts. Overall, environmental externalities associated with hydropeaking are often not fully internalized in market outcomes, with implications for hydropower regulation and market design. Policy frameworks such as environmental flow regulations, compensation mechanisms, and targeted support for mitigation infrastructure may help internalize environmental externalities and incentivize hydropower operation that balances system flexibility with river ecosystem protection.
In diesem Beitrag wird mittels wissenssoziologischer Diskursanalyse ausschnitthaft nachgezeichnet, wie ‚Leistung‘ und ‚Leistungsdifferenz‘ im bildungspolitischen Diskurs performativ hervorgebracht werden, welche Bedeutung diese Begriffe im Diskurs annehmen und welche Deutungsmuster und narrativen Strukturen wirksam werden. Den Datenkorpus bilden dabei alle grundschulbezogenen, policy-relevanten Dokumente des Zeitraums 2002–2020 auf Bundesebene und exemplarisch der Bundesländer Nordrhein-Westfalen und Niedersachsen. Wir zeigen, dass der Diskurs das als ‚leistungsfähig‘ adressierte Kind diskursiv als ein selbst-entgrenztes Subjekt hervorbringt, welches libertäre gesellschaftliche Anforderungen wie Anstrengungsbereitschaft, Disziplin und Leistungsorientierung internalisiert hat, quasi-natürlich freudvoll lernt und sich selbst dabei als singulär und leistungsfähig inszeniert. Weiterhin wird kritisch beleuchtet, wie Schüler*innen durch unterschiedliche performative Marker als ‚leistungsstark‘ und ‚leistungsschwach‘ hervorgebracht werden und wie die Individualisierung von Schüler*innen über Konzeptionen von Kreativität, Fähigkeit oder Freude sowie Disziplin diskursiv zur Herstellung von Leistung und Differenz herangezogen werden. Singularisierung und Freude treten im Diskurs als prägnante Narrationen hervor, über die – gekoppelt an Leistung – Ungleichheitsverhältnisse legitimiert und harmonisiert werden.
