Böcker utgivna av Mdpi AG

The great economic and strategic importance of catalysis makes it a rapidly evolving field. Catalysis is fundamental in areas such as sustainable development, energy production, environmental protection, food production, and water purification. In the face of the significant challenges of the present day, acquiring fundamental knowledge about the structure and phenomena on the surface of catalysts and the relationships between the composition, synthesis method, properties, and performance of catalysts in industrial processes is essential. Research is still needed to improve existing catalysts or design new systems which may efficiently and selectively conduct a given reaction toward the desired product. This Special Issue was devoted to designing and characterizing heterogeneous catalytic systems for industrial chemical processes. The reprint collects 10 research articles providing insight into important aspects of modern catalyst design. The papers cover recent advances and comprehensive experimental studies of synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of catalyst performance in the following processes: ammonia synthesis, selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides, hydrogen production from ethanol, and photocatalysis.

The Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) has advanced the accelerating gradient many orders of magnitude over the conventional technologies. Their application to high energy accelerators has been considered, while a new field of micrometric accelerators appears for medical applications.

Membrane Distillation (MD) is based on the evaporation of a hot feed through a microporous and hydrophobic membrane. Thermal energy is needed to heat the feed up to the desired temperature during the process. Therefore, improvements of the thermal performance of MD are important to apply this technology at large scale. The Special Issue "Thermal Performance of Membrane Distillation" focuses on the recent research efforts made in this direction, covering both the development of new membranes and the optimization of the process.¿¿

We are honored to announce this reprint, containing contributions from the top experts in the field of logic and fuzzy logic. In total, this reprint consists of 10 papers that were selected from more than 20 submissions. The 10 papers comprising the reprint are the product of re-known experts in fuzzy logic from all over the world, such as Canada, Poland, China, Slovakia, Lithuania, Turkey, Pakistan, Germany, Serbia, Portugal, Taiwan, Norway, India, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Mexico. We expect that the papers comprising the Special Issue will contribute to an advancement in the state of the art in the fields of logic and also fuzzy logic.

This open access Special Issue brings together original research and review articles on molecular oncology, with attention given to endometrial cancer. It highlights new findings, methods, and technical advances in molecular cancer research. The main feature of this Special Issue is that it is a platform for open-source sharing of significant works in the field of molecular oncology that can increase our understanding of endometrial cancer development, which may lead to the discovery of new molecular diagnostic technologies and targeted therapeutics.Topics include:Molecular methods to personalize endometrial cancer screening and detection;Identification and new aspects of cellular signaling molecules and pathways for target discovery, drug design, and personalized and gender medicine;DDI discovery in endometrial cancer management;Drug repurposing for endometrial cancer prevention/treatment;Molecular modeling studies.

This Special Issue of Foods comprises ten research and two review articles, highlighting the recent advances in food authentication and clearly demonstrating that no single method is suitable to cover all aspects of food authenticity.

Personalized medicine plays an important role in cancer prevention. To date, it is clear that many cancers are molecularly distinct subtypes, and different therapeutic approaches would be required for each. Indeed, the identification of cancer susceptibility genes permits identifying patients "at risk" of developing neoplasia and supports modifying individual risk behaviors or the choice of preventive therapy. Additionally, the efficacy of various targeted therapies in different cancer subtypes suggests that treatment choices in the near future will be more and more centered on molecular signatures. Data from preclinical, clinical, and observational studies have revealed the ability to prevent cancer development for compounds with different indications than cancer. The concept of drug repurposing permits combinations that can target several critical pathways of a specific disease, decreasing the risk of resistance observed when using single-agent targeted therapy.This open-access Special Issue brings together original research and review articles on molecular oncology with attention to the early detection and prevention of cancer. It highlights new findings, methods, and technical advances in molecular cancer research. The main feature of this Special Issue is to provide an open-source sharing of significant works in the field of molecular oncology that can increase our understanding of cancer development, which may lead to the discovery of new molecular diagnostic technologies and targeted therapeutics.

The use of composite materials is ubiquitous in every field of human activities, including in the agricultural, industrial, environmental, biomedical and transport sectors. After a pandemic with the simultaneous unfolding of an energy and climatic crisis, we now realize how necessary it is to carry out studies on composite materials based on polymers to positively affect our current society and, in particular, future generations.To this aim, in the present selection of scientific articles we have given visibility to worthy contributions on a wide variety of topics, highlighting how essential plastic-based composite materials and their derivatives are in our daily lives. The articles in this Special Issue were wide-ranging and devoted to the properties and characterization of composites for innovative and strategic applications and, more generally, for the development of the chemical-physical properties of these materials.

This reprint comprises 17 papers published in the Special Issue entitled "The Impact of COVID-19 on Financial Markets and the Real Economy", centered on socioeconomic models affected by the pandemic (Vasin, 2022); the COVID-19 impact on various sectors or the economy as a whole, for instance in Canada (Singh et al., 2022), China (Habibi et al., 2022), Slovakia (Svabova et al., 2022), the United States (Rodousakis & Soklis, 2022) or Vietnam (Huynh et al., 2021; Nguyen et al., 2022); the benefits of teleworking on the continuity of operations across various sectors (Santos et al., 2022); research of the tourism and recreational possibilities of Russia and Kazakhstan's cross-border regions and the threats these areas faced during the pandemic (Tanina et al., 2022), the impact of the new coronavirus infection on the Russian labor market (Rodionov et al., 2022); the factors driving young Vietnamese people's intention to use financial technology in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak (Khuong et al., 2022) or those influencing access to credit for informal labor sector (Vu and Ho, 2022); predicting and analyzing Jordanian insurance firms' performance (Altarawneh et al., 2022) or developing an early warning system for solvency risk in the banking industry (Hidayat et al., 2022) during the COVID-19 pandemic; the impact of the pandemic on European stock markets (Keliuotyte-Staniuleniene and Kviklis, 2022); the drivers of cross-border mergers and acquisitions during the pandemic (Lee et al., 2021); examining the financial and fiscal variables of Ecuadorian economic groups (Tulcanaza-Prieto and Morocho-Cayamcela, 2021).

The present Special Issue refers to the last 30 years of contributions to the application of cytogenetics to domestic animals, as clearly reported in the five-paper review. In addition, eight original contributions regarding the cytogenetics of several animal species are included. In each contribution, several thematic areas and various cytogenetic techniques are proposed to better demonstrate the potentiality of this biological technology in the genetic improvement of livestock. Special attention was paid to the presence of chromosomal abnormalities in domestic animals and their effects on reproduction, suggesting the routine use of karyotype analyses on reproducers to drastically reduce the effects on reproduction and the economic losses encountered by breeders. In addition to classical cytogenetic analyses such as chromosome banding, the use of molecular cytogenetics, especially the FISH mapping technique, with both specific molecular markers (generally BAC clones) and chromosome painting probes were emphasized in all papers to better study the following:(a) Chromosomal abnormalities; (b) The chromosomal evolution of species; (c) Physical gene mapping in light of genomic sequences in the most important domestic species.Finally, a specific review is dedicated to molecular cytogenetics, in which examples of applied molecular techniques, including the FISH technique, comparative genomic hybridization array, and PCR-based method, are reported.

System dynamics is a simulation modeling approach to strategic and policy analysis that has been applied to many health care and public health issues since the 1960s and has become increasingly prevalent since the 2000s. The ten articles in this reprint appeared in a Special Issue of Systems and cover a broad cross-section of relevant methodological topics as well as applications to specific health problems.One methodological article describes the use of cascaded system archetypes, with an application to reducing hospital congestion. Another discusses Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis, with an application to the US opioid crisis. Three of the articles describe models of community response to severe shocks, including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Two other articles address strategies for dealing with myriad chronic diseases and risk factors in a population. Other papers include in-depth analyses of prostate cancer screening, digital prosthetic services for lower-limb amputees, and the complex behavioral health challenge of youth homelessness.This reprint provides an excellent snapshot of the current state of practice in system dynamics as it is applied to public health, health care delivery, and health policy. It offers practical policy guidance and will be of interest to both experienced practitioners and those new to the field.

For this Special Issue, research leaders in sports nutrition were approached and invited to submit current reviews in their areas of expertise. The topics are novel and wide-ranging, and include updates and insights on protein, dietary patterns, and nutritional interventions to support sleep, older athletes, and sports performance; pre-exercise nutrition; supplementation with betaine, iron, and creatine; and sports nutrition research methodologies for body composition and muscle glycogen analysis. A major emphasis in all of the papers was a focus on strengths and weaknesses for various sports nutrition strategies, and insights for future research. This Special Issue on sports nutrition provided current updates in many core areas, with insights from leading experts for future research. Hopefully, scientific understanding will be advanced as these ideas are converted into novel research designs and discoveries.

The reprint provides a comprehensive review of various topics related to sustainable building design and operation, with a particular focus on energy efficiency and environmental impact. It covers a wide range of topics, including visual comfort assessment, decision-making processes of residents, low-cost devices for CO2 monitoring, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on residential energy use. The reprint also includes discussions on solar energy in urban planning, cost-optimal measures for energy renovation, and passive solar solutions for buildings. It provides insights into the use of different materials and strategies for improving the energy efficiency of building envelopes, including the integration of phase change materials and the use of reflective coatings on building roofs. Several case studies are presented in the book, which explores the implementation of sustainable design strategies in different building types and climates. The authors also discuss the use of advanced modeling techniques to simulate the performance of different building systems, including vertical greenery systems and the solar cadaster.

Computational modeling and simulation are essential to solid and structural mechanics. They have not only covered entire engineering fields (civil, aerospace, mechanical, etc.) but also various scales (from nano to macro) and physics (mono- and multiphysics). Recently, they have been found to be able to offer theoretical backgrounds of digital transformation. Society at large is increasingly enthusiastic about data-driven modeling and simulation, and the possibilities they offer. The aim of this Special Issue reprint was to provide a forum for researchers to discuss recent advanced computational modeling and simulation techniques of solids and structures, and applications to solve challenging engineering problems.

Floods are one of the most common natural hazards that substantially affect human lives and properties globally. Engineering is of key importance to cope with flood risk as it provides integrated solutions associated with hydrological-hydraulic and coastal-advanced techniques for analysing flooding risk, for designing flood infrastructures for direct protection, for providing natural retention measures that enhance environmental and river restoration, for developing flood warning systems, and for presenting integrated construction and non-construction measures in order to adapt to emerging climatic challenges and develop resilience under the modern city environment.This Special Issue highlights the current efforts being made to advance the science and applications in flood engineering and, more specifically, in a wide spectrum of its related geosciences, such as hydrology, hydraulics, sedimentation, and river restoration.

Personalized medicine is playing an important role in cancer prevention. To date, it is clear that many cancers are molecularly distinct subtypes, and different therapeutic approaches would be required for each. This Special Issue brings together original research and review articles on molecular oncology with attention to the early detection and prevention of cancer. It highlights new findings, methods, and technical advances in molecular cancer research. The main feature of this reprint was to provide an open-source sharing of significant works in the field of molecular oncology that can increase our understanding of cancer development. Topics include:Molecular methods to personalize cancer screening and detection;Molecular target therapies to prevent cancer development and metastases;Identification and new aspects of cellular signaling molecules and pathways for target discovery, drug design and personalized and gender medicine;Drug repurposing for cancer prevention;Molecular modeling studies.

The article collection of this Special Issue reprint covers a wide range of neurorehabilitation modalities, although they only represent a small proportion of the whole scene. We trust that they will assist clinicians in performing evidence-based interventions and illuminate the necessity of multidisciplinary collaboration. Furthermore, they share an important motivational drive, that is, the inspiration to move forward to a new era where medical, basic research, engineering, and high-tech advances can develop more efficacious approaches, combining neuromodulation techniques under sophisticated neuroimaging guidance. These can be widely and remotely applied to all people that need them, organized under a fresh "patient-centric" approach, with home-based and tele-rehabilitation protocols replacing long stays in medical centers.

This reprint is a collection of recent advanced studies in the field of heat and fluid flow in porous media. The pore size of the studied porous media in this reprint starts from a nanoscale, and the applications include the drying process of materials such as clay and lentil grain as well as the enhancement of heat transfer by using high thermal conductive porous media such as metal foams and stacked woven wire mesh. The use of a suitable porous structure for helium gas cooling under high heat flux conditions of a nuclear fusion divertor is an interesting application of porous structures for heat transfer enhancement, which is discussed in this reprint. A method for the trade-off thermo-hydrodynamic performance of a porous medium, which is an important issue for heat transfer enhancement, is also discussed. In the performed numerical studies, different methods such as finite volume method, lumped analysis and molecular dynamics are employed. Heat and mass transfer in structural ceramic blocks is analyzed by an analytical and phenomenological approach. All chapters of this reprint are advanced studies including wide application areas of porous media as well as interesting computational models that are useful for the researchers in the field of "Heat Transfer in Porous Media".

Energy and its economic implications have been in the spotlight of policymakers, academics, traders, speculators and the industry for decades now. It has been an active research topic for more than 150 years. From the 19th century, the problem of creating, processing, storing and transporting energy was well defined. The issues of efficiently producing, pricing, distributing, and forecasting the demand, supply and prices of energy-related products and services are central to most modern economies irrespective of their level of development. These issues are apparent in times of relative tranquility in the respective markets but become central for all stakeholders in times of turbulence.This volume focuses on emerging methodologies of analysis, description, modelling, and forecasting in the topical area of Energy Economics. Includes emerging and innovative methodological approaches from the areas of machine learning, artificial intelligence, econometrics, and statistics aimed to model, describe or forecast the energy markets at all levels. Additionally, the volume also presents a bibliographical review, summarizes and compares results of different studies in the energy-sustainable economic growth and development nexus. The practical importance of the results to all energy market stakeholders in terms of regulating, pricing, and distributing energy is evident. Theoretical robustness, methodological innovation, and possible direct applicability of the conclusions were the basic requirements for research work to be included in this publication.

This reprint presents a collection of papers showcasing the latest advancements and research work in the field of electrical machines. The reprint focuses on pioneering electrical machine technologies that have the potential to emerge as the next generation of electrical machines, and their potential applications in various industries. The papers delve into distinct machine technologies, such as flux-intensifying memory machines, Vernier machines, flux-reversal machines, wound rotor machines, line start motors, and doubly fed machines, and explore their applications in areas including electric transportation and renewable energy power generation. The reprint serves as a useful resource for researchers, engineers, and students who are interested in emerging electrical machine technologies.

Modern materials and structures are significantly different from conventional ones. Their sizes can be orders of magnitude smaller, and their compositions are so sophisticated that traditional characteristic methods are inapplicable. Non-conventional methods are essential to tackle these issues, which must often be approached in an interdisciplinary fashion. This Special Issue is a collection of articles that shed light on these problems.

Insects are the most diverse group of organisms, representing approximately 80 percent of the world's species. It is estimated that there are some ten quintillion individual insects alive. During millions of years of evolution, insects developed extraordinary adaptations that allowed them to reside in different habitats. As with all other organisms, insects encounter a wide range of microbes. Although lacking adaptive immunity, they rely on robust innate immune systems to combat these microbes to maintain organismal homeostasis. Conversely, some microbial communities can benefit the host and profoundly affect the host's physiology and overall fitness. Microbiotas have been proven to provide nutrients, promote host defense, and mediate host reproductive behavior. In recent decades, the emergence of high-throughput sequencing has enabled researchers to study host-microbe interactions from the whole microbiome level rather than single microbial species, greatly expanding our knowledge of insect biology.

This is a reprint of the Special Issue entitled "Wood-Based Materials in Building" and deals with the latest developments in reinforcing construction materials, their joining, glulam-concrete composite beams, the effect of fire-retarding wood on its strength, and the applicability of newly developed wood-based boards and composite insulation materials produced with the use of wood by-products.

Drought and Groundwater Development is an important reference work in the field of groundwater science. Covering various topics related to groundwater contamination and aquifer management, this reprint makes an important contribution to the field of hydrogeology and hydrology by providing up-to-date, comprehensive, and holistic information on groundwater management during droughts. Key features:- Presents global case studies that show readers how this problem affects sites around the world.- Includes a remediation plan, problem-solving, groundwater management, water treatment techniques, and management of available groundwater resources.- Provides advanced techniques that can be applied as a methodology for solving.

Fruits and vegetables are important sources of nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds, and provide many health benefits. However, due to non-optimal post-harvest management, large quantities of fresh or fresh-cut fruits and vegetables experience a decline in their quality and nutritional value before they reach the consumer. This Special Issue covers technologies for the harvesting, handling, and storage of vegetables, including storage strategies such as active packaging, edible coatings, the application of nanotechnology in the post-harvest of vegetable crops, and others, with the aim of improving the shelf-life of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.

This Special Issue highlights how zoos, aquariums, and botanical gardens have partnered with organizations and agencies to address local and regional conservation issues through research and education projects, rehabilitation programs, policymaking efforts, and other types of activities. Understanding how such partnerships are developed and maintained, the challenges encountered, and success stories (as well as unsuccessful ones) were of interest. Hopefully, the stories shared and lessons learned will guide other organizations in their local and regional conservation efforts.

The recovery of solid waste is a challenge and an opportunity for companies, thanks to the ongoing awareness of sustainability and technological advances. The end-of-waste criteria constitute a European strategic goal that promotes recycling in order to ensure a high level of environmental protection by means of reducing the quantity of waste destined for disposal.This Special Issue promotes the knowledge regarding technological methods for solid waste recovery. Articles investigate innovative processing methods with the goal of valorizing solid waste from different civil and industrial activities. Topics includes studies on construction and building, mining, plastics, and WEEE, referring to the treatment techniques used and, where appropriate, the critical raw materials that can be valorized. The recovery processes of critical raw materials can be very energy-intensive, affecting environmental and soil factors. Case studies on sustainable, low-carbon and resource-efficient techniques for the purpose of a more competitive economy were also very welcomed. The environmental impact and safety measures, especially for dangerous waste, should be taken into account in the description of their processing and management.

This reprint contains a collection of research articles covering the recent advances of process systems engineering tools in the areas of integrated biorefineries and ionic liquid design. The reprint comprises original research contributions and review articles on these topics.

The research scope of this reprint mainly focuses on GNSS data processing methods; GNSS applications; precise GNSS positioning and navigation; theories, models, and methods for processing wojGNSS errors; multi-GNSS positioning technologies; positioning and navigation methods under challenging environments; and low-cost GNSS positioning and navigation.

Asthma is a prevalent chronic inflammatory disease of the airways with complex etiology and mechanistic pathways and variable clinical presentation. Such heterogeneity renders the search for targeted therapies difficult. Currently, the best-known disease phenotype with tailored biological treatment is eosinophilic asthma; however, even in some of these patients, anti-IL5 treatment is ineffective. Furthermore, about a quarter of patients, especially those with a severe phenotype, develop progressive and irreversible airway obstruction, leading to persistent symptoms despite optimized treatment. Therefore, new therapeutic approaches are still needed, particularly in severe asthma. The Special Issue presents asthma research focusing on modern personalized therapeutic approaches. Particular interest is directed to novel asthma biomarkers, including molecular and epigenetic ones, shining new light on pathogenesis, phenotyping, and customized therapy in various airway inflammatory patterns of the disease. In addition, research articles on airway epithelial cell dysfunction, airway remodeling, and the overlap between asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are welcomed.Stanislawa Bazan-Socha (Guest Editors)