The 10 most recently published documents
Tanzveranstaltungen, Kinofilme, Spielhallen, sexuelle Dienstleistungen: Was diese scheinbar disparaten Angebote verbindet, ist ihre Besteuerung als Vergnügungen „besonderer Art" – eine der wenigen Einnahmequellen, die Kommunen weitgehend autonom gestalten können. Doch diese Autonomie birgt ein Dilemma: Die Steuer soll Einnahmen erzielen, gleichzeitig aber auch Verhalten regulieren. Wie diese Spannung historisch umgesetzt wurde und welche Bewertungen heute wirksam sind, ordnet dieses Buch systematisch ein.
Für die großen Ruhrgebietsstädte folgen empirische Analysen zum Umfang und zur Struktur der Angebote – mit teils erstaunlichen Unterschieden. Daraus leiten sich konkrete Empfehlungen ab – für Verzicht ebenso wie für Mehreinnahmen.
Das Buch zeigt, wie Gutachten und Studien zu "erwünschten" Ergebnissen gelangen und sich damit ihren Auftraggebern gefällig erweisen. Dies betrifft Bereiche der Consultingbranche, Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaften, Planungsbüros und wissenschaftlichen Institute, die von Kommunen, Ministerien oder Unternehmen beauftragt werden. Im Zentrum der Analyse stehen dabei die Felder Sport, Freizeit und Kultur.
Im Spannungsfeld zwischen Gemeinwohl und Partialinteressen analysiert das Buch zwei zentrale Strategien: Erstens, wie politische und wirtschaftliche Akteure umstrittenen Bauprojekten oder Großveranstaltungen mit gefälligen Gutachten Legitimität und Zustimmung verschaffen. Zweitens, ob und in welchem Maße Partizipationsformate tatsächlich ergebnisoffene Diskurse ermöglichen oder ob Protest und Widerstand in ‚angenehm‘ moderierten Gesprächsrunden neutralisiert werden.
Die systematische Analyse von Gutachtenmängeln erweist sich dagegen als wirksames Gegenmittel und ihre öffentliche Diskussion als eine der effektivsten Formen bürgerschaftlicher Einflussnahme bei kontroversen Großprojekten und Großveranstaltungen.
Planning a safe, comfortable, and energy-efficient ego-vehicle trajectory is fundamental for automated driving. Efficiency reduces emissions, while safety protects occupants and vulnerable road users. Purely data-driven models, however, struggle with robustness and out-of-distribution scenarios, especially for rare edge cases which are underrepresented in the training data. If the data is furthermore affected by sensor noise, the model performance can suffer drastically. Physics-Informed Neural Networks incorporate expert knowledge in form of physical laws or governing equations, enhancing generalisation and transparency compared to standard data-driven models. Only a few studies have applied such networks to the use case automated driving because of lack of reliable physical models for the complex human-driving patterns. This paper investigates the benefit of injecting a physical model, which describes the motion patterns only to a certain extent. It is demonstrated that it still enables a highly accurate extrapolation to OOD scenarios and yields robust performance even with limited data. The root mean squared error on the predicted trajectories is reduced up to a factor of 10.
Perovskite-based oxides are promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction due to their flexible composition, tunable electronic structure, and robust nature. However, their activity and durability in proton exchange membrane (PEM)–relevant acidic conditions are not fully understood, limiting their use in water electrolyzers. This review critically discusses recent advances in perovskite-based electrocatalysts, covering design, synthesis strategies, morphological engineering, reaction mechanisms, and degradation pathways. Fundamental design principles based on A-/B-site engineering, defect chemistry, metal–oxygen covalency, active-site optimization, and controlled surface reconstruction are discussed together with emerging oxide pathway mechanisms. Particular emphasis is placed on bridging fundamental electrochemical studies with practical implementation through membrane electrode assembly design, catalyst-layer optimization, in situ evaluation, and realistic performance benchmarking. Finally, current challenges associated with standardization, scalability, and industrial implementation are highlighted, and future research directions for developing durable, low-PGM perovskite electrocatalysts for PEM water electrolysis are outlined.
Jüngste Ransomware-Vorfälle an deutschen Hochschulen verdeutlichen, wie die fortschreitende Digitalisierung von Forschung, Lehre und Verwaltung die Angriffsfläche erhöht und Security Awareness zur strategischen Führungsaufgabe macht. Der Beitrag positioniert Awareness im Spannungsfeld von Offenheit, Resilienz und digitaler Souveränität. Theoretisch werden verhaltens- und lernpsychologische Modelle (u. a. Self-Determination Theory und Theory of Planned Behavior) mit organisationsbezogenen Perspektiven zu Governance, Kultur und Kommunikation verknüpft. Ein besonderes Augenmerk gilt dem E‑Learning als zentralem Hebel.
Auf dieser Basis wurden theoriebasierte Annahmen abgeleitet und methodisch mithilfe von leitfadengestützten Experteninterviews mit Informationssicherheitsbeauftragten und IT-Verantwortlichen mehrerer Hochschulen validiert. Die Ergebnisse verdichten aktuelle Praxiserfahrungen, wie beispielsweise das frei verfügbare Angebot
SecAware.nrw,
und identifizieren dabei drei Kernprobleme: knappe personelle und finanzielle Ressourcen, unklare Zuständigkeiten/Governance sowie eine stark heterogene Zielgruppe.
Der Beitrag leitet Handlungsempfehlungen für die Hochschulpraxis ab und schließt mit einer Forschungsagenda, welche die Nutzerperspektiven skizziert und motivationsbezogene psychologische Mechanismen in der Gestaltung von E‑Learning-Maßnahmen stärker berücksichtigt. So können E‑Learning-basierte Maßnahmen zielgruppengerecht weiterentwickelt und eine nachhaltige Sicherheitskultur im Hochschulbereich etabliert werden.
The growing emphasis on sustainable manufacturing has intensified interest in direct solid-state recycling of lightweight metals. Magnesium, owing to its biodegradability and biocompatibility, is particularly promising for temporary biomedical implants. However, the transformation of its machining waste into biologically functional forms remains largely unexplored. This study investigates the direct solid-state recycling of commercially pure magnesium machining chips into consolidated bulk material via friction stir consolidation (FSC). The recycled billets exhibit a dense and homogeneous microstructure with effective inter-chip bonding, confirming successful consolidation. Mechanical performance is evaluated through microhardness measurements. In vitro cytocompatibility assessment with fibroblast cells revealed excellent cell viability and an absence of cytotoxic effects. Electrochemical testing in a simulated physiological environment reveals a stable corrosion potential, low corrosion current density, and high charge-transfer resistance, indicating controlled degradation behavior. These results demonstrate that FSC provides a sustainable and efficient single-step route to upcycle magnesium machining waste into bulk materials with suitable microstructural integrity, mechanical coherence, controlled corrosion response, and excellent biocompatibility for potential biodegradable implant applications.
The relatedness of two industries is a central concept in economic geography, yet its micro-level foundations within firms remain insufficiently understood. This paper addresses the mico-level through an in-depth qualitative study of firms operating at the intersection of the German automotive and bicycle industries. Given the shared historical origins of these industries, we conceptualise their recent convergence as “re-alignment”. Re-alignment is a long-term pattern of inter-path dynamics in which previously related industries, after diverging through processes of specialisation, reconverge under changing technological and institutional conditions. The paper investigates why and how this re-alignment occurs at the firm level and examines its implications for innovation based on an exploratory research design combining document analysis with expert interviews. The findings reveal a diverse range of innovations emerging from the re-alignment of the two sectors. Automotive firms integrate bicycles into their product portfolios to strengthen brand identities associated with sportiness and sustainability, while also reviving historical connections between automobility and cycling. Bicycle manufacturers adopt production methods and quality standards inspired by the automotive industry in order to improve efficiency and product quality. The analysis demonstrates that re-alignment is facilitated by complementarities in technological capabilities and market strategies, but also constrained by significant structural differences between the industries. By foregrounding firm-level dynamics, the paper contributes to debates on relatedness and inter-path dynamics and advances a more nuanced understanding of how industries reconnect through innovation-driven processes of re-alignment.
The tedious and time-consuming solvent exchange during aerogel production was sped up using a standard Soxhlet extractor. Optimizing the setup with a vent and molecular sieve allowed to save up to 80% of the production time compared to batchwise extractions while maintaining state-of-the-art samples of silica and polyurethane aerogels, i.e. MTMS aerogels with a thermal conductivity of 15 mW m−1 K−1 and PU aerogels with 17 mW m−1 K−1 and good mechanical properties even after freeze-drying, which is generally more stressful than supercritical drying. The syntheses had to be carried out in high-boiling solvents, but adaptation and optimisation were made possible rapidly due to the method developed.
When applying wood preservatives, there are always losses due to the tools used (e.g. brushes or cloths). Furthermore, inexperienced users often have the problem that uneven application leads to unsightly stains. The use of organogels could solve both challenges. In this work, sorbitol-based gelators were used to gel various liquid organic protective agents (in particular linseed oil and furniture wax oil) to produce a quasi-solid version. The properties of the gels were analysed rheologically, whereby it was found that at deformations between 1 % - 4 % the top layer of the gel structure breaks down and the protective agent is released. After coating beech wood, the transferred mass was determined and the protective layer was analyzed. The method saves over 20 % protective agent, without taking tool losses into account. Practial coating layers were found which did not differ in their performance to those from ungelled materials.
Companies around the world are facing global challenges, such as internationally interwoven crisis situations and conflicts, climate change, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and technological disruptions. While the UN has developed a global agenda (namely, the SDGs) to drive sustainability, at a political and economic level, global players seem to have a rather heterogeneous understanding of the situation. How can companies successfully adapt to the resulting turbulent market environments? Design Thinking, a method for finding answers to complex and wicked problems, is experiencing a renaissance wherein it is being used not only as a tool for product innovation but also for organizational and strategic transformation. By incorporating the principles of Industry 5.0 into company visions and integrating Design Thinking and ecodesign at the level product innovation, Design Thinking can help strengthen the adaptability of companies and create sustainable innovations in these VUCA environments. However, the factors that are necessary to realize the full potential of Design Thinking for sustainable business transformation remain unclear in science. This paper presents a case study that shares key factors, including a company DNA that consists of a targeted orchestration of diversity and the company’s Love–Trust–Do mantra that, in combination, work transnationally in the company organization and can utilize the full potential of Design Thinking to foster sustainable innovation and thus strengthen the company’s resiliency in times of VUCA.
