Böcker utgivna av Mdpi AG

Calcium is the main mineral in the body, involved in a variety of structural and functional roles. The maintenance of calcium homeostasis is perhaps the most studied function of vitamin D. This Special Issue of Nutrients, "Calcium, Vitamin D and Health" contains 12 original publications and two reviews investigating the contribution of (mainly) vitamin D and calcium on relevant health outcomes in a variety of populations, which reflect the evolving and broad interest of researchers on this topic.

With the rapid development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials have been widely applied in many industrial sectors, including medicine, consumer products, and electronics. While such technology has brought benefits and convenience to our daily lives, it may also potentially threaten human health. In some cases, nanomaterials present unexpected risks to both humans and the environment. Assessments of the potential hazards associated with nanotechnology have been emerging, but substantial challenges remain, because the large number of different nanomaterials cannot be effectively evaluated in a timely manner. The development of a good strategy for a nanomaterials hazard assessment not only promotes the more widespread adoption of non-rodent or 3Rs principles, but also makes nanotoxicology testing more ethical, relevant, and cost- and time-efficient. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms by which nanomaterials perturb biological systems is critical for a more comprehensive elucidation of their nanotoxicity, and this will also facilitate the development of prevention and intervention policies against adverse outcomes induced by them. We hope that the articles included in this eBook can provide updated knowledge on nanotoxicology and nanosafety, from the point of view of both toxicology and ecotoxicology.

Nowadays, all scientists recognize that fluorescent probes play important roles in wide research areas, from chemistry to biology. By combining this fact with specific functional benefits from synthetic polymers, fluorescent polymeric probes are occasionally superior to small organic and inorganic fluorescent (or luminescent) probes in terms of sensitivity, robustness, and multiple functionality. The targets of fluorescent polymeric probes have extended from chemical species to physical parameter. This special issue is a platform for researches to develop a novel fluorescent polymeric probe and to establish a new analytical method using a conventional fluorescent polymeric probe. Related researches, e.g., fluorometric investigation of functional polymers, are also included.

Due to the increased capabilities of microprocessors and the advent of graphics processing units (GPUs) in recent decades, the use of machine learning methodologies has become popular in many fields of science and technology. This fact, together with the availability of large amounts of information, has meant that machine learning and Big Data have an important presence in the field of Energy. This Special Issue entitled "Predicting the Future-Big Data and Machine Learning" is focused on applications of machine learning methodologies in the field of energy. Topics include but are not limited to the following: big data architectures of power supply systems, energy-saving and efficiency models, environmental effects of energy consumption, prediction of occupational health and safety outcomes in the energy industry, price forecast prediction of raw materials, and energy management of smart buildings.

Our senses shape our reality and allow us to adapt to the everlasting changing environment. From all sensory modalities, olfaction is maybe the most intriguing one, probably because olfactory information influences our daily life without us even noticing. However, we can all relate to the powerful impact that the smell of our favorite food has on us. Likewise, olfactory cues could be determinants for partner selection (because love can be blind but not anosmic), mood regulation and cognition. Furthermore, recent studies link early olfactory dysfunctions to the occurrence of devastating pathologies, such as Alzheimer┬┤s and Parkinson┬┤s. Thus, the study of olfaction, at different levels from genetics to behavior, will pave the way for a better understanding of brain processes and associated disorders.

This book is a collection of state-of-the-art research works in the field of materials science. Specifically, the works deal with issues related to the welding, joining and coating of metallic materials. These methods are known as main processes in the field of metallurgy, and are usually applied in order to solve complex problems of joining metals or the fabrication of metallic surfaces with required properties and performance. The focus of this book is on metals such as aluminum, magnesium, titanium, various types of steel, intermetallics and shape memory alloys. These scientific works address microstructural evaluation, as well as the performance of the produced joints and coatings. Scientists from all over the globe have presented novel advances and possible solutions for metallic materials joints and coatings for applications in the automotive, aerospace, chemical and medical industries, among others.

Farmland abandonment is one of the major land use changes occurring in many rural territories, especially in mountainous regions. Without intervention (passive land management), farmland abandonment leads to an expansion of shrubs and forest on formerly cultivated hillslopes and grazing areas. All these land use changes affect the hydrological and geomorphological dynamics of slopes and channels, having important implications for water resources and soil conservation. However, the heterogeneity of abandoned scenarios complicates the assessment of farmland abandonment on water resources and soil conservation. In this Special Issue, we will publish papers that examine the hydrological and geomorphological consequences of farmland abandonment in one (or several) of these abandoned scenarios. Our final purpose is to help water and land managers to select the most sustainable strategy (in terms of water resources and soil conservation) for the land management of marginal rural areas.

Changing the temperature of a substance can stimulate dramatic changes of its state. These changes can be intermolecular (physical) and intramolecular (chemical) in nature. Physical changes occur without breaking intramolecular bonds, and lead to transitions between the four major phases: gas, liquid, crystal, and glass. Chemical changes are associated with chemical reactions that originate from breaking intramolecular bonds. Phase transitions as well as chemical reactions occur at finite rates. Measuring the rates of processes is the realm of kinetics. The kinetics of thermally stimulated processes is routinely measured using thermal analysis techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Knowing the process rates and their dependence on temperature is of vital importance for understanding the behavior of materials exposed to variations in temperature. In recent years, thermal analysis kinetics has made significant progress by developing computational tools for reliable kinetic analysis. It has also expanded its traditional application area to newly developed nano- and biomaterials. This Special Issue is a series of papers that reflect recent developments in the field and highlight the essential role of thermal analysis kinetics in understanding the processes responsible for the thermal behavior of various materials.

Mast cells, which play critical roles in IgE-mediated immediate allergic responses, have recently been found to be involved in much broader immune responses, a fascinating process of which is partly depicted in this volume.

Advances in technology have produced a range of on-body sensors and smartwatches that can be used to monitor a wearer''s health with the objective to keep the user healthy. However, the real potential of such devices not only lies in monitoring but also in interactive communication with expert-system-based cloud services to offer personalized and real-time healthcare advice that will enable the user to manage their health and, over time, to reduce expensive hospital admissions. To meet this goal, the research challenges for the next generation of wearable healthcare devices include the need to offer a wide range of sensing, computing, communication, and human-computer interaction methods, all within a tiny device with limited resources and electrical power. This Special Issue presents a collection of six papers on a wide range of research developments that highlight the specific challenges in creating the next generation of low-power wearable healthcare sensors.

Childhood is a crucial period for establishing lifelong healthy nutritional habits. The environment has an important influence on children''s dietary intake. This book focuses on the influence of environmental factors on the dietary intake of children and adolescents (0-18 years of age) within various settings including home, early care and education, school, college, holiday clubs, neighborhoods, and supermarkets. The reported studies examine a variety of factors within these settings, including the influence of cooking and parenting, teacher style, resources and barriers within various settings, marketing, and many other factors. The dietary intake behaviors examined include snacking, fruit and vegetable intake, beverage intake, and also nutrition in general. In addition, several papers focus on problems caused by inadequate nutrition, such as hunger and obesity. This work underlines the importance of the environment in influencing children''s and adolescents'' dietary intake. In addition, the papers identified some crucial barriers and facilitators for the implementation of environmental changes to enable a healthy diet for young children. Therefore, it provides some important directions for both future research and practice.

The book presents a collection of 10 articles published in a Special Issue entitled "Oral Inflammations and Systemic Diseases" in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067) in the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics". The oral inflammations that are covered in this issue consist of dental caries, periodontitis, and gingivitis, with a preponderance of periodontitis. Periodontitis is clearly a bacterial disease; however, it is not an infectious disease in the classical sense because it results from complex interactions between the commensal microbiota, host susceptibility and environmental factors such as diet and smoking. The human mouth contains one of the most diverse microbiomes in the human body, comprising viruses, fungi, protozoa, archaea and bacteria. The peer-reviewed articles of the book consist of original and review papers focused on the question of how exposure of the mouth to specific oral microbiota impacts systemic diseases, such as neuroinflammation, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and arthritis.

The articles presented in this Special Issue cover different aspects of the urban planning process, such as simulation, optimization or decision-making. The authors highlighted the importance of performing an integrated design of the district, considering different sectors, different energy vectors and different operation modes. In order to better integrate renewable and residual energy sources (R┬▓ES), careful design of systems and storage solutions should be performed. Different storage solutions were tested, ranging from large-scale thermal energy storage to vehicle batteries or the thermal mass of buildings. Van der Heijde et al. (2019) proposed a two-layer design optimization algorithm to design a district heating network with solar thermal collectors, seasonal thermal energy storage and excess heat injection. Pajot et al. (2019) also performed an optimization of the sizing and control of energy systems in a district equipped with heat pumps, with thermal energy storage or thermal mass utilization. A hybrid distribution system, coupling the thermal and electrical networks, was proposed by Widl et al. (2019). Arnaudo et al. (2019) used the vehicle-to-grid (V2G) concept to decrease the overloading of the electrical distribution network during heat pump operation. Finally, Kazmi et al. (2019) proposed an integrated decision-making planning approach for a better integration of R┬▓ES in the distribution network. The complexity of urban planning leads to the development of new tools and methodologies. Until now, operation was poorly integrated in the design phase. New urban building energy modeling tools were proposed by the different authors. These tools are either based on co-simulations or integrated solutions to be able to capture the fine dynamics of a district. The difficulty of generating the input data for the models was also discussed. Regarding the methodology, most articles proposed a two-stage optimization procedure to optimize both the operational and design aspects. Mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) and genetic algorithms were often used to find optimal solutions.

Christian ethics is a wide and varied field; so diverse are the methods and approaches, theological perspectives and starting points, and scopes of inquiry and purposes-dare we even call it a discipline?-that the field is rarely considered as a whole. Christian ethics includes historical, descriptive, critical, constructive, and applied projects on countless topics. Lending creative energy to this field of study are a range of partner disciplines, including, most prominently, theology, philosophy, and sociology, each containing multiple schools themselves. To envision the entire field of Christian ethics is a difficult task; to reenvision the entire field may perhaps be impossible for one person. Thus, this publication includes original research by multiple scholars, each offering a distinct perspective from their primary partner discipline. Chapters include Roman Catholic and Protestant voices from Europe, Asia, and North America. In aggregate, these writings contribute to a composite reenvisioning of Christian ethics, refracting our collective vision through the prisms of diverse academic and methodological perspectives in this vast field of inquiry, study, and practice.

This Special Issue contains original scientific papers in the field of mineral physics (and also rock physics). These papers are grouped into four categories: Reviews, Experimental Science, Theoretical Science and Technological Developments. These papers include those from first authors covering 5 generations of mineral physicists, including contemporaries of Orson [e.g., William Bassett, Frank Stacey], the next generation of leaders in mineral physics throughout the world [e.g., Michael Brown, Eiji Ohtani], current leaders in this field [e.g., Agnes Dewaele, Jun Tsuchiya], senior graduate students [e.g., Jan Borgomano, Vasilije Dobrosavlijevic, Francesca Miozzi], and an undergraduate student [e.g., Tyler Perez]. Mineral physics is the study of mineralogical problems through the application of condensed matter physics. In reality, mineral physicists use not only physics, but also solid-state chemistry; they study not only minerals, but all materials related to natural minerals (e.g., structural analogs, but also glasses, melts and fluids). Mineral and rock physics is intimately connected to many other geoscience disciplines including seismology, planetary science, petrology, geochemistry, geomagnetism, and geodynamics, and even materials and climate science. This book is dedicated to Orson Anderson who died in June 2019 at the age of 94.

This eBook is a volume based on the "Eye Movements and Visual Cognition" Special Issue published in the journal Vision by MDPI and edited by Raymond Klein and Simon Liversedge. The eBook comprises 19 high-quality chapters that are original and topical works by leading academic figures in the field of human vision and visual cognition. In putting together the book, we aimed to provide an informative body of work to stimulate and foster useful intellectual exchange between individuals working on basic theoretical issues as well as on more applied aspects of vision and cognitive science. From the outset, we sought papers that provide concise and astute reviews of topics within this broad field. The present volume includes reviews that are narrative (critiquing and summarizing research on a topic), tutorial (with a focus on methods and findings), empirical (e.g., meta-analytic), and theoretically synthetic. The eBook also features chapters with new empirical content that resolves an undecided issue stemming from an evaluation of the literature. Finally, where possible, we also selected papers that bridge theoretical and applied issues and provide insight into behavior and its neural substrate. All chapters were subject to peer review and went through several rounds of revision prior to acceptance.

Throughout most of the 20th century, the toxinological literature consisted largely of pharmacological and functional characterizations of crude venoms and venom constituents, often constituents that could not be identified unambiguously. The advent of amino acid composition analysis in the 1950s enabled the first forays into physical characterizations of purified toxins, though these remained few in number until the 1970s. Then, the tryptic and chymotryptic cleavage of venom proteins coupled with manual Edman degradation began to provide the first complete sequences, particularly of three-finger toxins. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and improved resins for liquid chromatography permitted improved purification and better gross structural characterization of venom components. The early 1980s witnessed the advent of automated Edman degradation, and entire sequences of longer proteins began to be reported in the literature. Then, the molecular biology revolution enabled the generation of cDNA sequences of more and larger proteins, followed by mass-spectrometry-based proteomics and quantitative high-throughput DNA sequencing and genomics. Today, we face an unprecedented situation in which our capacity to generate sequence/structural data has completely overwhelmed our capacity to functionally characterize venom constituents. This Special Issue of Toxins includes 11 publications addressing the discovery and functional characterization of novel venom constituents of vertebrate and invertebrate venoms.

In recent years, microfluidic devices with a large surface-to-volume ratio have witnessed rapid development, allowing them to be successfully utilized in many engineering applications. A smart control process has been proposed for many years, while many new innovations and enabling technologies have been developed for smart flow control, especially concerning "smart flow control" at the microscale. This Special Issue aims to highlight the current research trends related to this topic, presenting a collection of 33 papers from leading scholars in this field. Among these include studies and demonstrations of flow characteristics in pumps or valves as well as dynamic performance in roiling mill systems or jet systems to the optimal design of special components in smart control systems.

In recent years, microfluidic devices with a large surface-to-volume ratio have witnessed rapid development, allowing them to be successfully utilized in many engineering applications. A smart control process has been proposed for many years, while many new innovations and enabling technologies have been developed for smart flow control, especially concerning "smart flow control" at the microscale. This Special Issue aims to highlight the current research trends related to this topic, presenting a collection of 33 papers from leading scholars in this field. Among these include studies and demonstrations of flow characteristics in pumps or valves as well as dynamic performance in roiling mill systems or jet systems to the optimal design of special components in smart control systems.

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are a group of heritable connective tissue disorders (HCTDs) characterized by a variable degree of skin hyperextensibility, joint hypermobility and tissue fragility. The current EDS classification distinguishes 13 subtypes and 19 different causal genes mainly involved in collagen and extracellular matrix synthesis and maintenance. EDS need to be differentiated from other HCTDs with a variable clinical overlap, including Marfan syndrome and related disorders, some types of skeletal dysplasia and cutis laxa. The clinical recognition of EDS is not always straightforward, and, for a definite diagnosis, molecular testing can be of great assistance, especially in patients with an uncertain phenotype. Currently, the major challenging task in EDS is to unravel the molecular basis of the hypermobile EDS that is the most frequent form, and for which the diagnosis is only clinical in the absence of any definite laboratory test. This EDS subtype, as well as other EDS-reminiscent phenotypes, are currently investigated worldwide to unravel the primary genetic defect and related pathomechanisms. The research articles, case report, and reviews published in the Special Issue entitled "Molecular Genetics and Pathogenesis of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Related Connective Tissue Disorders" focus on different clinical, genetic and molecular aspects of several EDS subtypes and some related disorders, offering novel findings and future research and nosological perspectives.

This book addresses various aspects of in vitro digestibility: ΓÇóApplication of meta-analyses and machine learning methods to predict methane production; ΓÇóMethane production of sainfoin and alfalfa; ΓÇóIn vitro evaluation of different dietary methane mitigation strategies; ΓÇóRumen methanogenesis, rumen fermentation, and microbial community response; ΓÇóThe role of condensed tannins in the in vitro rumen fermentation kinetics; ΓÇóFermentation pattern of several carbohydrate sources; ΓÇóAdditive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects of plant extracts; ΓÇóIn vitro rumen degradation and fermentation characteristics of silage and hay; ΓÇóIn vitro digestibility, in situ degradability, and rumen fermentation of camelina co-products; ΓÇóRuminal fermentation parameters and microbial matters to odd- and branched-chain fatty acids; ΓÇóComparison of fecal versus rumen inocula for the estimation of NDF digestibility; ΓÇóRumen inoculum collected from cows at slaughter or from a continuous fermenter; ΓÇóSeaweeds as ingredients of ruminant diets; ΓÇóRumen in vitro fermentation and in situ degradation kinetics of forage Brassica crops; ΓÇóIn vitro digestibility and rumen degradability of vetch varieties; ΓÇóIntestinal digestibility in vitro of Vicia sativa varieties; ΓÇóRuminal in vitro protein degradation and apparent digestibility of Pisum sativum; ΓÇóIn vitro digestibility studies using equine fecal inoculum; ΓÇóEffects of gas production recording system and pig fecal inoculum volume on kinetics; ΓÇóIn vitro methods of assessing protein quality for poultry; and ΓÇóIn vitro techniques using the DaisyII incubator.

The International Institute of Knowledge Innovation and Invention (IIKII, http://www.iikii.org) promotes the exchange of innovations and inventions and establishes a communication platform for international innovations and research. In 2019, IIKII cooperates with the IEEE Tainan Section Sensors Council to hold IEEE conferences, such as IEEE ICIASE 2019, IEEE ECBIOS 2019, IEEE ICKII 2019, ICUSA-GAME 2019, and IEEE ECICE 2019. This Special Issue, entitled "Selected Papers from IIKII 2019 conferences", aims to showcase outstanding papers from IIKII 2019 conferences, including symmetry in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and computer science, etc. It selected 21 outstanding papers from 750 papers presented in IIKII 2019 conferences on the topic of symmetry. The main goals of this Special Issue are to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible, and to discover new scientific knowledge relevant to the topic of symmetry.

This Special Issue "Recent Advances and Future Trends in Pavement Engineering" was proposed and organized to present recent developments in the field of innovative pavement materials and engineering. The 12 articles and state-of-the-art reviews highlighted in this editorial are related to different aspects of pavement engineering, from recycled asphalt pavements to alkali-activated materials, from hot mix asphalt concrete to porous asphalt concrete, from interface bonding to modal analysis, and from destructive testing to non-destructive pavement monitoring by using fiber optics sensors. This Special Issue partly provides an overview of current innovative pavement engineering ideas that have the potential to be implemented in industry in the future, covering some recent developments.

The structure of sequential behavior and its patterns have attracted the attention of researchers from various disciplines, such as game theory, human and animal behavior, evolutionary ecology, psychology, behavioral economy, and cognitive sciences. Sequential behavior seems to be involved in the processes of sequential learning, decision-making processes, and exploratory behavior. There are, however, competing hypotheses regarding the mechanisms involved in the complexity of the behavioral responses of organisms when exposed to changing environments. The behavioral response to different environmental conditions is often utilized in behavioral ecology studies, where the changes in behavior are quantified in terms of probability of dispersal, distance, and speed of movements or time budget, where the time spent on different activities (foraging, resting, explore, etc.) is registered and analyzed in terms of cost-benefit. This book represents a series of articles covering a broad spectrum of organisms and proposes the analysis of sequential behavior utilizing indices commonly applied in the estimation of developmental instability (fluctuating asymmetry, directional asymmetry, and antisymmetry) toward estimating the degree of "Behavioral Instability". Deviations from symmetry will be interpreted in ecological and evolutionary terms, where the cost and benefits of changes of the degree of behavioral instability will be analyzed in terms of overall costs and benefits and its evolutionary significance. Presented in this collection are multidisciplinary studies (theoretical and computational as well as experimental and empirical approaches) that validate the proposed approach and pave the way for future investigation in the novel field of what is best described as behavioral instability.

Worldwide, liver fibrosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality and is associated with a high medical and economic burden. It is the common consequence of chronic liver injury due to various etiologies. During fibrogenesis, there is a progressive substitution of the liver parenchyma by scar tissue. Recent advances in the understanding of the history of liver fibrosis have shown that the pathogenesis is driven by different cell types and a large variety of soluble mediators. At present, scientists working in this field aim to increase basic knowledge, improve diagnostics, and try to translate experimental findings into new treatment modalities. This book includes 12 selected contributions from the Special Issue "Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Pathogenesis of Hepatic Fibrosis" that was published in Cells. These articles summarize current perspectives and findings in hepatic fibrosis research showing how scientists try to use basic scientific research to create new therapies and diagnostics.

This Special Issue reports on recent research trends in hydraulics, hydrodynamics, and hydroinformatics, and their novel applications in practical engineering. The Issue covers a wide range of topics, including open channel flows, sediment transport dynamics, two-phase flows, flow-induced vibration and water quality. The collected papers provide insight into new developments in physical, mathematical, and numerical modelling of important problems in hydraulics and hydroinformatics, and include demonstrations of the application of such models in water resources engineering.

This Special Issue reports on recent research trends in hydraulics, hydrodynamics, and hydroinformatics, and their novel applications in practical engineering. The Issue covers a wide range of topics, including open channel flows, sediment transport dynamics, two-phase flows, flow-induced vibration and water quality. The collected papers provide insight into new developments in physical, mathematical, and numerical modelling of important problems in hydraulics and hydroinformatics, and include demonstrations of the application of such models in water resources engineering.