Rising electricity demand and the growing integration of renewables are intensifying congestion in transmission grids. Grid topology optimization through busbar splitting (BuS) and optimal transmission switching can alleviate grid congestion and reduce the generation costs in a power system. However, BuS optimization requires a large number of binary variables, and analyzing all the substations for potential new topological actions is computationally intractable, particularly in large grids. To tackle this issue, we propose a set of metrics to identify and rank promising candidates for BuS, focusing on finding buses where topology optimization can reduce generation costs. To assess the effect of BuS on the identified buses, we use a combined mixed-integer convex-quadratic BuS model to compute the optimal topology and test it with the non-linear non-convex AC optimal power flow (OPF) simulation to show its AC feasibility and generation cost reduction compared to the AC-OPF simulations. By testing and validating the proposed metrics on test cases of different sizes, we show that they are able to identify busbars that reduce the total generation costs when their topology is optimized. Thus, the metrics enable effective selection of busbars for BuS, with no need to test every busbar in the grid, one at a time.
This article tracks the development of niche innovations in civic sustainable agriculture across eleven initiatives around the world employing co-creation processes. Drawing on the food system transitions literature, the article provides a definition of civic sustainable agricultural innovations to account for the range of sustainable and civic agriculture innovations found across the cases. An inventory of innovative practices are provided and the co-creation governance factors employed in each case to achieve these practices are analyzed. The article concludes with some assertions about the promise and challenges of employing co-creation methods in advancing civic sustainable agricultural niche innovations. Certain co-creation governance practices contributing to niche innovations were found across all cases including the awareness of prevailing biospheric conditions, facilitative leadership, the use of channels for broadening and deepening engagement, and the use of collaborative platforms. However, each case presents contextual variance as evidenced in the leveraging of different combinations of other co-creation governance factors for each case. The limitations of co-creation for establishing frameworks for accountability and trust building are discussed.
Fungi have repeatedly delivered transformative advances across industries, from medicine to food to materials, yet these breakthroughs have emerged from a narrow base of organisms and well-studied systems. Although mycology has taken a big leap forward in the past decades because of advances in genomics, multi-omics, engineering, phenotyping and environmental monitoring, much fungal diversity remains taxonomically and functionally under-characterised, and many sustainability-relevant innovations remain limited by lack of investment, sparse infrastructure, and fragmented governance. We now have technologies that make previously inaccessible fungal questions tractable, which can help unlock the next generation of fungal breakthroughs. Informed by a workshop held in December 2025 that convened 20 leading experts across fungal disciplines, here we lay out key bottlenecks to fungal research and innovation through three lenses: functional mycology, human and institutional capacity, and governance. We identify selected sustainability-relevant fungal frontiers and use these to surface the recurrent gaps that cut across domains. We propose four elements of coordinated action across research and development, governance, and advocacy that could contribute to unlocking the full potential of fungi for sustainability transitions.
Abstract Manufactured homes (MHs) are highly vulnerable to damage during extreme winds, with roof-to-wall (RTW) connections identified in post-storm assessments conducted in Wind Zones II and III as being critically susceptible. This study experimentally evaluates seven RTW connection configurations using steel straps and various fastener arrangements. These configurations are commonly specified for use in Wind Zones II and III, as defined by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The configurations were derived from manufacturer structural drawings that specify different capacity requirements and fasteners counts for RTW connections located on different sides of the structure. A total of 97 tests, including both monotonic and cyclic tests, were conducted. The results reveal that the evaluated sidewall connections failed to meet the design demands of both HUD and ASCE/Structural Engineering Institute (SEI) 7-22, evidencing significant capacity shortfalls. Staggered fastener configurations improved performance by mitigating premature row-splitting, particularly in nailed connections. Strap rupture emerged as the dominant failure mode in sidewall connections, indicating that current detailing fully mobilizes strap capacity with little to no reserve. Ductility, initial stiffness, cumulative energy dissipation, and strength degradation, were also quantified. The findings provide critical empirical data to advance understanding of wind-induced uplift behavior in MH RTW connections. They also lay a foundation for improved design provisions in HUD’s Part 3280, “Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards,” including new strap and fastener requirements for RTW connections.
