Purpose – Drawing on the theories of planned obsolescence and dynamic capabilities, this study aims to jointly address marketing and organizational aspects of the transition from the existing to the new generation of a product (i.e. a product rollover). It conceptualizes the relevance of organizational unlearning in rollovers and relates it to the improvement in the marketing mix of multigenerational products to predict product rollover performance. Design/methodology/approach – The study reports on a cross-sectoral sample of 179 product rollovers among UK-based manufacturers of multigenerational products. Findings – Organizational unlearning is indirectly associated with product rollover performance through the improvement in the marketing mix of the rollover. Environmental dynamism plays a moderating role. Research limitations/implications – This study enriches the operations management-leaning rollover literature with evidence about the under-addressed marketing perspective of rollovers. Owing to its theoretical foundations, it makes the rollover literature more cross-disciplinary. Not considering additional product and environmental factors is among its limitations. Practical implications – Firms whose products evolve through successive generations can boost rollover performance by deploying an organization-level dynamic capability (i.e. organizational unlearning), which promotes departure from encased knowledge, subject to the competence of channeling this capability in the marketing mix of multigenerational products. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to empirically address rollover marketing mix dynamics from the side of the firm, with underpinnings in economic and organizational theories.

Proteins play essential roles in virtually all cellular functions, and accurate profiling of the cellular proteome is critical for understanding biological processes and diagnosing diseases. However, current protein identification methods often lack the sensitivity required to reliably detect low-abundance proteins such as signaling molecules or early-stage biomarkers. Over the past decade, highly sensitive single-molecule protein identification methods, referred to as single-molecule protein sequencing, have been proposed, mainly those based on nanopore and fluorescence techniques. Yet, a fully developed method capable of identifying full-length proteins has not been realized. This Progress Report highlights recent developments in single-molecule protein identification methods using nanomechanical approaches that leverage 2D materials for label-free mass detection. We discuss strategies to enhance nanoelectromechanical resonators for precise mass measurements of single protein molecules and outline the prospects and remaining challenges of protein identification using 2D material-based nanodevices.

Subnational climate commitments are widely viewed as potential catalysts of national climate ambition, yet systematic evidence on whether and under what conditions subnational action shapes national target-setting remains limited. We introduce the concept of catalytic cascading to describe a cumulative process in which expanding policy commitments change the likelihood of subsequent policy commitment, even at a different jurisdictional level, through reinforcing top-down, horizontal, and bottom-up dynamics, without necessarily following an abrupt threshold or tipping behavior. We examine this theory through the lens of vertical policy diffusion, assessing whether subnational net-zero target declarations are associated with later national net-zero adoption while accounting for country characteristics and cross-national peer influences. Using a novel global time-series dataset of national and subnational net-zero targets, we estimate discrete-time adoption models using a directed country-pair (dyad–time) event history design that incorporates dyad-specific similarity and exposure measures alongside within-country subnational coverage. Across specifications, the share of a country's population, GDP, or greenhouse gas emissions covered by subnational net-zero commitments is positively and statistically significantly associated with the probability of national target adoption. The estimated relationship is gradual and monotonic rather than characterized by a sharp inflection, suggesting that bottom-up influence operates through cumulative reinforcement rather than threshold acceleration in this setting. These findings provide empirical support for catalytic cascading as an observable bottom-up linkage within polycentric climate governance and clarify the conditions under which subnational momentum is plausibly consequential for national target-setting.

The maritime sector faces growing pressure to decarbonize, driven by increasingly stringent regulations and long-term climate targets. Among zero-emission propulsion options, hydrogen fuel cell–battery-electric systems have emerged as promising solutions, particularly for short-sea shipping. However, their large-scale adoption remains limited due to high fuel and investment costs, insufficient infrastructure, safety considerations, and significant uncertainty regarding lifetime economic performance.

A key challenge in hydrogen-fuelled ship design is the strong coupling between energy system sizing, operational strategies, and external influences such as weather and market conditions. In the literature, these aspects are often treated separately, focusing either on control of fixed designs or on system sizing under simplified operating assumptions, which can lead to economically suboptimal or operationally infeasible solutions. This thesis addresses this gap by developing a unified design-operation optimization framework that minimizes lifetime cost while accounting for technical, operational, and regulatory constraints under realistic operating conditions.

This thesis focuses on conceptually retrofitted cargo vessels, where conventional diesel propulsion is replaced by a fuel cell-battery electric configuration. Lifetime performance is evaluated using a techno-economic framework based on a Net Present Value (NPV)-based cost formulation, which captures capital expenses, operational costs, component degradation, and replacement over the remaining service life of the vessel. The framework is used to compare the diesel baseline and hydrogen retrofitted configurations in terms of system design and lifetime cost under consistent operational assumptions....

This dissertation examines how bio-based design practices can contribute to a post-growth societal transformation by rethinking the material, social, and cultural dimensions of technological production. It begins from the recognition that escalating environmental crises expose the limitations of sustainable design: while sustainability-oriented innovation has led to many advances, these remain largely embedded within economies organized around perpetual growth, whose expanding material and energy throughput is incompatible with finite planetary boundaries. Addressing this tension requires a dual transformation: transitioning from fossil-carbon based infrastructures to regenerative, bio-based ones, while simultaneously reorienting society toward modes of living that prioritize wellbeing within ecological limits.

To explore the implications of post-growth thinking for design, I analyze three layers of society – infrastructure, social structure, and superstructure – combining theoretical investigation with practice-based experiments. At the infrastructure level, I consider the political dimensions of material production, and propose convivial materialization as an alternative to the industrial monopoly over how things get made, instead emphasizing localized, regenerative, and autonomy-enhancing modes of production. At the level of social structure, I explore the Commons an economic model to organize technology according to post-growth values. Focusing on carbon sequestration as a critical climate mitigation strategy, I propose the concept of a Carbon Commons, to reframe sequestration as a social process through which communal objectives can be integrated with technical ones. When treated as a commons, carbon sequestration can be designed to simultaneously regenerate ecosystems, meet collective needs and aspirations, while providing the basis for social relations based on reciprocity, shared responsibility, and mutual care. At the superstructure (cultural) level, I challenge the dominant temporal assumptions in design and argue for engaging more-than-human temporalities through two capacities – noticing and care – to embed design practice within ecological contexts and work towards long-term regeneration. Synthesizing these insights, the dissertation positions regenerative design as a practical means of operationalizing post-growth principles in a reinforcing manner.

Together, this dissertation presents a cohesive argument: design can play a transformative role in advancing post-growth futures, but only when it critically confronts the structural drivers of ecological crisis and reorients its material practices toward regenerative, convivial, commons-based, and care-centered modes of world-making.