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Cannabis has a history of medical use dating back millennia; however, the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes fell out of favor in the middle of the last century. There is currently a renewed interest in the potential medicinal value of this plant, as well as individual compounds produced by Cannabis (as well as synthetic analogs). Currently, nearly 50 countries permit the medical use of cannabis, and over a dozen other countries have legalized cannabis-based products (CBD, Sativex, Dronabinol, etc.) for medical use. While there exists a plethora of anecdotal reports indicating that cannabis can treat a variety of diseases, there is a limited amount of strong, evidence-based scientific data to support these claims. This Special Edition of Biomedicines, "Therapeutic Potential for Cannabis and Cannabinoids", was dedicated to providing evidence for the medicinal value of cannabis to treat human illness and disease. Topics included, but were not limited to, preclinical animal models examining the efficacy of cannabis and cannabinoid derivatives on pain, anxiety, cancer, and other diseases; and cell and molecular models of cannabinoid pharmacokinetics, drug-drug interactions, and disease treatment. These studies are of great importance not only for progressing the cannabis field, but also for validating the use of cannabis and cannabinoids as therapeutics.

The study of complex dynamic systems has become increasingly important in recent years due to its wide range of applications in fields such as engineering, physics, economics, and biology. These systems are characterized by their interconnectedness, nonlinearities, and feedback loops, which make them difficult to understand and control. As a result, there has been growing interest in developing tools and techniques for the modelling, identification, and control of complex dynamic systems.The aim of this reprint is to provide an overview of the state-of-the-art methods for the modelling, identification, and control of complex dynamic systems. This reprint covers a wide range of topics, including system identification, model-based control, adaptive control, nonlinear control, and predictive control. It also includes case studies and examples from different fields to demonstrate the practical application of these methods.This reprint is intended for researchers, graduate students, and practitioners in the field of control systems. It assumes a basic understanding of linear systems theory, calculus, and linear algebra. Overall, this reprint provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the methods for the modelling, identification, and control of complex dynamic systems.

This is a reprint of the articles from the Special Issue entitled "10th Anniversary of Actuators", published in the open-access journal, Actuators. It consists of 18 representative works with four main topics: systematic reviews for specific types of actuators, performance evaluation, design and controls, and new actuators' applications. This reprint helps readers to understand the challenges and the trends of research and development in advancing the theories, methodologies, and design tools of actuators.

The construction industry is growing rapidly and time has changed the construction methods used. The traditional way of construction is becoming obsolete and technology is taking over. In this case, sustainable construction is the future and the new norm in the construction industry. Although there are various opportunities in this sector, there are also some challenges that exist and hinder productivity. Hence, this reprint covers the opportunities and challenges in sustainable construction.

This reprint focuses on the mechanisms, modeling and controlling techniques of flash flood disasters, mainly in mountainous areas. Flash floods are among the most severe natural disasters, and the current publication will not only inspire future research but also enrich the current practice of flash flood disaster prevention and mitigation. This collection focusses on the engaged efforts in mitigating flash flood disasters, deepening the understanding of the causes of disasters in existing cases, finding appropriate modeling approaches, and implementing mitigation strategies. The readers will find within this reprint significant contributions for improving prevention and developing mitigation strategies, as well as protecting the safety of exposed populations.

The reprint has collected the latest scientific achievements in the microstructure-related deformation and fracture behavior of various metallic materials (e.g., steels, superalloys, and titanium alloys) under monotonical or cyclic loads. According to the research findings arising from this collection of works, the initial microstructure and microstructural evolution have a significant effect on deformation and fracture mechanisms and, thus, mechanical properties. To understand these influences, microstructure characterization, mechanical property testing, and numerical simulation are discussed in this reprint. These results are beneficial for promoting the potential applications of these materials and for the future development of novel high-performance metallic materials.

The sustainability of water resources worldwide is increasingly imperiled as climate change contributes to the human-induced problems of water supply scarcity and maldistribution. Environmental problems associated with water quality, such as aquifer depletion, land subsidence, the seasonal drying of river flows, waterlogging, the salinization of rivers and groundwater, and human health problems from the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides will require a radical re-thinking of resource-management policy and new tools to help analysts and regulators craft novel solutions. Over the past several decades, with the advent and rapid progress of computational technology, watershed models have increasingly become important and effective tools for tackling a wide range of water resource and environmental management issues and for supporting regulatory compliance. Statistical and machine-learning methods are being used to support and even supplant more traditional simulation models to improve the estimation of the temporal dynamics and patterns of variability in pollutant concentrations and loads. With the advancements in modeling approaches for water quality, there have also been developments in decision-support tools for water quality management. This reprint describes innovative decision-support approaches from around the world and across sectors that can be applied by stakeholders, government entities, and regulators to reduce environmental pollution and result in cost-effective and sustainable water management strategies.

In the domain of electronic navigation, satellite navigation (GNSS) is one of the most important complex modern systems. GNSS is a key aspect of infrastructure which supports the development and improvement of power grid systems, banking operations, global transportation systems, and global communication systems. Today, GNSS requires the use of several positioning networks and sensors, such as radio networks and MEMS. The Earth's atmosphere, particularly the ionosphere and troposphere, can be seen as a huge laboratory where multiple processes and phenomena directly affecting the propagation of EM waves occur. Like all complex systems, GNSS technology has also gone through certain evolutionary stages. Factors affecting the future evolution of GNSS technology include the appearance of new signals and frequencies, complementary technologies in use, etc., but in the domain of GNSS technologies, it is essential to study the impact of space weather on GNSS systems. A key part of research related to GNSS technologies is the vertical TEC distribution and anomalies related to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions on Earth. There are many challenges that need to be addressed because they affect reliability, accuracy, and all other essential parameters of GNSS systems. It addresses some of these issues by publishing manuscripts which study GNSS risk assessment, different effects of space weather disturbances on the operation of GNSS systems, environmental impacts on the operation of GNSS systems, GNSS positioning error budgets, TEC special features in volcano eruptions, and similar topics.

The present Special Issue will lead you to discover the association between cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, through update reviews and original articles exploring the pathophysiological mechanisms underpinning this association and describing the latest results in term of cardiovascular event prevention. An interesting scientific journey that reflects the recent advances in pharmacological treatments and interventional procedures.

In this book, the underlying damage mechanisms of materials used under extreme conditions are explored using computer simulation and modelling methods, presenting important information to predict the lifetime of related facilities. The scope of this book embraces numerical work on material responses to extreme conditions, such as high-speed impact or loading, neutron or ion irradiation, and high-pressure and/or high-temperature environments. Related simulation results based on the first principle method, molecular dynamics, and finite element methods are reported. Results of various topics have been reported by papers collected in this book, for example, including fitting a better empirical potential, diffusion of atoms on surface, corrosion, interaction between different defects, elastic constants calculations, effect of hot press forming on collision toughness and energy distribution, and influence of radiation defects on the thermo-mechanical properties of UO2. Furthermore, a review about the experiments and models for the effect of strain rate on NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) has also been included in this book. These new results present new knowledge for understanding the damage mechanisms of materials under extreme conditions, which would be useful not only for researchers in these fields but also for new readers to learn about basic concepts and current research progress to better understand the response of materials under extreme conditions.

This reprint focuses on the current research trends in renewable energy sources (RESs) penetrated modern power systems (PSs). Various operational, power quality and stability issues and their solutions are discussed comprehensively in RESs integrated PSs. The topics of attraction include islanding detection and prevention, frequency regulation, pricing based multi-objective optimal scheduling, day-ahead load demand forecasting, advancing intelligent and robust optimization techniques based control strategies.

This Special Issue examines English teachers' perspectives on multilingualism and teaching English in multilingual contexts, implemented or planned teaching practices, and the teachers' intended goals. The research presented in this collection focuses on the perspectives of pre- and in-service teachers in a range of educational settings. Overall, the findings suggest that teachers continue to experience tensions between monolingual and multilingual ideologies and need continued support in adapting to the ever-evolving teaching contexts. While researchers and philosophers of language have been calling for a multilingual shift in education, teacher education and professional development programs lag behind in revising their curricula. Therefore, due consideration must be paid to the teachers; they are the agents of change, but they are also experts and professionals, and their views, knowledge, and pedagogical aims must be treated with respect. Many of the articles presented in this reprint illustrate that collaboration and mentorship between school and university partners can be fruitful, creative, and rewarding. The collection is a call for more opportunities for teachers and researchers to work in tandem to implement multilingual pedagogies that foster equal educational opportunities for all learners across different ages and stages of language development.

In a developing world, the demands for energy, water and the damage to our environment are constantly increasing. Electrochemistry could be a great tool to solve these problems, with an impact that could minimize or at least control damage in our environment, since the main driver of the reaction is the electron that can be produced in a sustainable manner.In electrochemical approaches of energy conversion and production, drinking water production and wastewater treatment, the material synthesis and interface characterization are key components that greatly affect a system's performance.The Special Issue "Electromaterials for Environment & Energy" proposes a set of publications that covers a range of subjects and applications related to energy, water and environmental pollution treatment, with a focus on material and interface control for process optimization.

The book is the reprint of the Special Issue 'Advances in Sustainable and Digitalized Factories: Manufacturing, Measuring Technologies and Systems' published in the journal Applied Science (MDPI). It contains 17 articles, including 1 Editorial, 14 Research Papers, and 2 Reviews.

The fast development of the industrial internet is boosting the evolution of the manufacturing industry to a new stage of socialization, servitization, universal interaction and connection, and platformization. Under this background, social manufacturing emerged as a new kind of manufacturing paradigm, established based on the self-driven, self-organizing and self-adaptive cyber-physical-social interaction among extensive numbers of socialized manufacturing resource providers. Up until now, social manufacturing has drawn attention from both academic and industrial fields due to its promising research and application values. However, social manufacturing is still at its infant stage as the fast development of the industrial internet, artificial intelligence, collective intelligence, cloud/edge/fog computing, and a new generation of information and communication technologies, etc., are changing the interaction, configuration and operation mechanisms of social manufacturing every day. In this regard, this Special Issue is established to explore precisely how the newly emerged social manufacturing paradigm influences the trends of mass customization and the configuration/operation patterns during order delivery, and exactly how the advanced information technologies can boost the development and application of social manufacturing

In a developing world, the demands for energy, water and the damage to our environment are constantly increasing. Electrochemistry could be a great tool to solve these problems, with an impact that could minimize or at least control damage in our environment, since the main driver of the reaction is the electron that can be produced in a sustainable manner.In electrochemical approaches of energy conversion and production, drinking water production and wastewater treatment, the material synthesis and interface characterization are key components that greatly affect a system's performance.The Special Issue "Electromaterials for Environment & Energy" proposes a set of publications that covers a range of subjects and applications related to energy, water and environmental pollution treatment, with a focus on material and interface control for process optimization.

Marine environmental conditions are very distinct in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the East/Japan Sea. Physico-chemical properties and subsequently biological characteristics are different among the three seas. During the recent decades, dramatic changes in physical structure and vertical distribution of chemical properties were reported in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the East/Japan Sea. However, we do not know much about the current status of the marine ecosystems in these three distinct seas to date. Since 2018, the integrated ecosystem assessment for ecosystem-based fisheries management have been implemented in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the East/Japan Sea by the National Institute of Fisheries Science, Korea. This special volume will provide basic information for the current status of the marine ecosystems and an important background for the future monitoring of marine ecosystem responses to ongoing climate changes in the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the East/Japan Sea.

The articles discussed in this book show the potential health benefits of nutraceuticals, which are products containing bioactive compounds that can prevent and treat chronic diseases. This book explores various functional ingredients, including plant-derived products, mushrooms, microalgae, and goji berries, for their therapeutic, hypoallergenic, and sporting purposes. The study of the gut microbiome and its interactions with dietary components is also discussed. Additionally, the importance of sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in the food industry also stands out. As consumers seek out natural and functional food products, continued research on and the development of nutraceuticals will be critical in promoting healthy aging and addressing chronic diseases.

This publication summarizes the proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Hand-Arm Vibration, held on 6-9 June 2023 in Nancy, France. This multidisciplinary conference was organized by the INRS (National Research and Safety Institute, France) under the patronage of the International Advisory Committee on Hand-Arm Vibration. It brought together experts from many different backgrounds to present and discuss their most recent work on hand-arm vibration. This conference aimed to develop a better understanding of the health risks resulting from vibration exposure in order to improve risk control measures. This event was intended for scientists, occupational physicians, epidemiologists, machine manufacturers, metrologists, health and safety practitioners, standardization groups, and government agencies.

This reprint focuses on basic and applied research on fatigue and fracture processes in engineering of materials and composites. Special attention is given to understanding fracture processes from the point of view of micro and nano damage mechanisms related to material microstructure. Advanced experimental methods such as tomography, digital image correlation, high resolution electron microscopy and fractography are applied in combination with theoretical multiscale models based on finite element methods and fracture mechanics to reveal the fundamental causes of material failure.

The present reprint, entitled 'Scaffolds and Surfaces with Biomedical Applications', published 13 papers (10 research and 3 review papers) that describe the synthesis of new materials for biomedical applications and their thorough characterization using conventional and emerging techniques.

This collection of articles includes the latest results related to applications of dynamical systems in the mathematical modelling of engineering problems, such as those concerning power system dynamics, material science, energy systems, gas dynamical networks, etc.Its purpose is to bring together mathematicians with engineers and physicists, as well as other scientists. The articles accepted and included are of a high quality and have original research results.

Electric motors consume about 70% of industrial electricity and about 40%-45% of produced electricity in the world. This means that using high-efficiency electric motors will improve the level of energy consumption. In addition, it will reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Furthermore, it will significantly reduce the need for new power plants, thus reducing the invested resources to do so. Electric machines employing rare-earth magnets have higher efficiency and power density. However, rare-earth magnets are expensive, and their manufacturing process, as well as the process of mining rare-earth raw materials, is harmful to the environment. Thereby, the development of energy-efficient electric machines without rare-earth magnets is of great interest. The aim of this book is to gather new research publications in various topics related to improving the energy efficiency of electric machines without using rare-earth magnets. Ten articles have been published which cover various topics.

Catholic education faces many challenges, mainly due to secularisation. This applies to both content and methods, as well as teacher training. In response to these challenges, the publication titled "Catholic Education" has been prepared. This topic is understood very broadly and includes all dimensions of education provided within the Catholic Church, in Catholic schools and Catholic communities around the world. The main aim of this book is to specify and answer new challenges for Catholic education and Catholic religious education that arise from secularisation and other reasons. This reprint contains 17 chapters authored by researchers from various countries and different traditions. Drawing from their diverse experiences, they not only address the issues within their own environments but also analyse global problems. Papers presenting Catholic education and Catholic religious education in historical, contemporary, and future perspectives are also present.

The business model concept has gained a prominent position both in academia and among practitioners during the past 30+ years. The aim of this Special Issue of Systems is to contribute to a stronger theoretical basis for the business model concept. This includes a focus on the systemic character of business models and the systems approaches that this entails. Another important aspect is to allocate more attention to innovations of business models. The business models that emerged with e-commerce and e-business as such were in themselves innovations. However, innovations of business models have received too little attention. Most of the business models analyzed and discussed in the business model literature have been rather static instead of dynamic. This is the reason why this Special Issue of Systems, entitled 'Business Model-the Perspective of Systems Thinking and Innovation', has been developed.

Electrospinning can be used to prepare nanofibrous membranes from diverse polymers. The large surface-to-volume ratio makes them suitable for diverse fields of applications, from filters to catalysts to tissue engineering.Here, we search for the latest developments dealing with nanofiber mats for biomedicine. From wound healing to slow release, and from tissue engineering to stem cell differentiation, nanofibrous membranes can be found in a broad range of biomedical applications. For these utilizations, their chemical as well as physical properties are important, such as hydrophobicity, fiber morphology, membrane porosity, mechanical strength, etc. This Special Issue focuses on nanofibrous membranes for biomedical applications, measuring and optimizing the correlated membrane properties. It covers the full range from basic research on new materials and producing novel electrospun structure to drug release to cell growth on nanofiber mats.

Digital health, virtual assistance, and telemedicine are terms often used interchangeably to refer to remote medical assistance, monitoring and care. Several studies and insights have developed these issues, analyzing the advantages and disadvantages and successes and failures and offering reflections on the implications and issues of these technologies in the health domain. The results of these investigations are affecting the redesign of hospital and outpatient management based on digital innovation using eHealth and mHealth. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this approach made it possible to offer assistance and continue care at home, protecting patients, preserving health workers, limiting the spread of the virus, and reducing the need for hospitalization. This reprint contains contributions dealing with the development of DH during the COVID-19 pandemic. The contributions are from various experts in different fields regarding the application of digital health, which, in some cases is also integrated with artificial intelligence, including digital contact tracing, mHealth, virtual reality, mental health, physiology, and rehabilitation.

This book is dedicated to Professor Delfim F. M. Torres for his 50th birthday.Professor Delfim F. M. Torres is a recognized researcher, particularly in the calculus of variations, optimal control, and mathematical biology.In this book, several studies in his research fields are presented.

Virtual and augmented reality technology has seen tremendous progress in recent years, enabling novel and exciting ways to interact inside virtual environments. An interesting approach to interaction in VR and AR is the use of tangible user interfaces, which leverage on our natural understanding of the physical world and how our bodies move and interact with it, and on our learned capabilities to manipulate physical objects.For this Special Issue, we are interested in gathering research that bridges atoms and bits in virtual and augmented environments. Basic research papers that demonstrate new interaction technologies or techniques, descriptions of applications that use tangibles in VR/AR in any domain, and survey papers that can help structure and systematize current knowledge on this area are all suitable.

Air pollution is a mixture of particles and gases, which can reach unsafe concentrations for human health, the environment, vegetation, and materials. It has become one of the main sustainability issues and a concerning topic in atmospheric science. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 90% of the world's population lives in highly polluted environments, and about 7 million premature deaths are caused yearly by outdoor and indoor air pollution. The combination of fast-growing populations, transport, fossil fuels, and biomass burning leads to pollution levels being especially high in some urban areas. Agriculture and natural phenomena are also important sources of pollution, underscoring the multi-faceted and transboundary nature of air pollution. The monitoring and understanding of the temporal and spatial behaviours of air pollutant concentrations are essential for both the implementation of air quality policies and the definition of effective measures to mitigate air pollution and its effects. Quantifying and monitoring exposure to air pollution in terms of public health is also a critical component in policy discussion. This reprint presents recent research activities concerning the characterization of air pollution and the applied modelling approaches.