Böcker utgivna av Mdpi AG

This book follows up on the previous volume focusing on the different biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases. It includes original research works and review articles focusing on an improved understanding of disease mechanisms. It also aims to identify aspects of early therapeutic intervention for enhanced disease management. Some critical approaches include studies involving human tissue samples, mouse disease models, and different imaging techniques. These studies present the essential information necessary to address such pathological conditions in the future.

This Special Issue is dedicated to the investigation and optimization of supply chain management in the context of sustainable development. In order to meet the needs of social development, enterprises are gradually innovating their supply chains to achieve sustainable development. Sustainable supply chain management can improve the competitiveness of enterprises; promote the sustainable development of enterprises; and realize the coordinated development of society, the economy, and the environment. However, the current development of sustainable supply chain management is not perfect. Therefore, scholars have become more and more interested in investigating supply chain management optimization. Supply chain management problems usually include product production and pricing, transportation location, upstream and downstream supply, and marketing problems. Existing research usually selects some of these problems and combines optimization methods, such as data-driven robust optimization methods, to optimize the status quo. Finally, an optimized scheme can be obtained, and some constructive suggestions are put forward to achieve sustainable and optimized development of supply chain management.

The sustainable management of water cycles is crucial in the context of climate change and global warming. It involves managing global, regional, and local water cycles, as well as urban, agricultural, and industrial water cycles, to conserve water resources and their relationships with energy, food, microclimates, biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and anthropogenic activities. Hydrological modeling is indispensable for achieving this goal, as it is essential for water resources management and the mitigation of natural disasters. In recent decades, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in hydrology and water resources management has led to notable advances. In the face of hydro-geo-meteorological uncertainty, AI approaches have proven to be powerful tools for accurately modeling complex, nonlinear hydrological processes and effectively utilizing various digital and imaging data sources, such as ground gauges, remote sensing tools, and in situ Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The thirteen research papers published in this Special Issue make significant contributions to long- and short-term hydrological modeling and water resources management under changing environments using AI techniques coupled with various analytics tools. These contributions, which cover hydrological forecasting, microclimate control, and climate adaptation, can promote hydrology research and direct policy making toward sustainable and integrated water resources management.

This reprint focuses on a very important topic in metrology, which is represent by measurement uncertainty. Any good metrologist or scientist in engineering knows that no measurement makes sense without an associated uncertainty value: without an uncertainty value, no decision can be taken; no comparisons can be made; no conformity can be assessed. Any decision, comparison or conformity assessment made without considering the measurement uncertainty affecting the measurement value is completely useless and meaningless. Stated that, it becomes very clear that uncertainty in measurement plays indeed a very important rule in our everyday life. This is the reason why there is a great need to have a fruitful academic and scientific discussion on this topic.We have been speaking about measurement uncertainty for less than 30 years, since the concept of "measurement uncertainty" has been introduced in 1995 by the "Guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement" (GUM). Thirty years seems to be many, but still the concept of measurement uncertainty has not been spread worldwide and the GUM is a document that is not known everywhere. On the other hand, this document should be considered not only in academic scenario, but also in any technical and industrial scenario, where it is pivotal to know the meaning of measurement uncertainty, identify the uncertainty contributions and know how these contributions affect the final measurement result.

This volume is a reprint of the Special Issue "Theory and Application of Web 3.0 in the Media Sector". Launched to highlight vital multidisciplinary perspectives, the SI's contents are both theory- and application-oriented. The advancements of computational processing and storage capacities (at affordable or decreasing costs), the evolution of content compression techniques, and the constant update of networking infrastructures led to the domination of the so-called User-Generated Content (UGC). The proliferation of mobile devices, offering inherent networking with enhanced content capturing and sharing capabilities, also fueling the models of Participatory and Citizens' Journalism. Thus, the interest has shifted to semantic services, purposing, among others, to automate content production, publishing, validation, documentation, and management. Such technological solutions have already entered the media sector, with their successful growth and elaboration requiring multidisciplinary effort supported by digital literacy initiatives. Nevertheless, further research is needed for the transition to the new media era in which algorithmic automations and semantic services will serve their original purposes, helping both media professionals and broader audiences. A total of 11 contributions were published within this volume, enlightening various aspects of contemporary Web 3.0 services from both technological/algorithmic and conceptual/social science approaches..

The pressure upon natural resources and the increasing awareness of the necessary transformation of the global food system are driving the quest of both academia and industry towards more sustainable approaches. Sustainability in the agro-food sector begins with the valorization of food industry waste and side streams, products with an extremely high intrinsic value but often discarded because unfit for further processing that meet consumers expectations. Apart from their use as feed, a more practical solution responding to the modern vision of circular economy must be sought. Indeed, several processes can guarantee that the potential of food industry by-products is fully unleashed, generating high-value ingredients while ensuring nutritional quality. In this framework, this Special Issue included the most recent advances in the valorization of food by-product (of both animal and plant origin), from extraction to bioprocessing, including their application in a variety of food-related industries throughout the entire food supply chain.

To address the increasingly prominent environmental pollution and energy shortage, many countries devote themselves to green manufacturing and logistics in which some optimization problems are common and challenging, e.g., production planning and scheduling, supply chain management, location and allocation problems, vehicle routing problem, resource optimization, and pricing strategies. The present book contains all of the articles accepted and published in the Special Issue "Mathematical Modeling and Intelligent Optimization in Green Manufacturing & Logistics" from the MDPI Mathematics journal. This Special Issue is focused on collecting recent mathematical modeling and intelligent optimization research in green manufacturing and logistics, including operations research, game theory, (meta)heuristics, machine learning, knowledge-driven, digital twin, and so on. We hope that the scientific results presented in this book will serve as a valuable source of documentation and inspiration to those researching the modeling and optimization of green manufacturing and sustainable logistics.

Polymeric products made from petrochemical polymers are extremely stable in environmental conditions. After their exploitation, this becomes a serious problem for the environment. Most of the products made of plastic are stockpiled in landfills, and the decomposition time of such products is often several hundred years. The solution to this problem may be the use of biodegradable polymers derived from renewable materials, undergoing a process of biodegradation.Biodegradable polymers are distinctly different than regular polymers in material characteristics. Biodegradable polymers like any other polymer can be processed using conventional techniques such as injection molding, extrusion, and compression molding. Furthermore using appropriate methods of modification, new or improved properties of materials can be obtained. However, the distinct narrow modification and processing window makes them a challenge to modify or process.Continuing technological progress in the modification and processing of biodegradable polymers leads not only to the enhancement of the product quality, but also to the reduction of their prices. As a result, biodebradable polymers may be used to produce both common-use articles or packaging materials, as well as more complex engineering applications.In this reprint, we aimed therefore to publish original work and reviews about the current trends and technologies for the modification and processing of biodegradable polymers and its composites aimed at improving their properties and extending the application possibilities.

This reprint describes how lifestyle changes can impact the incidence and progression of chronic non-communicable diseases. In this context, regular physical activity and heathy nutritional habits are very important. Moreover, natural bioactive compounds could represent a new adjuvant therapy in the clinical management of these pathological conditions.

Maternal and infant nutrition has been on the global agenda as central to health, sustainable development, and progress in low- and middle-income countries. Micronutrients, which play a major role in the metabolism of macronutrients, cellular metabolism, and organ development of the fetus, are important for maintaining pregnancy and fetal growth. Besides, during pregnancy, there is an elevated demand for micronutrients, the excess or deficiency of which can result in an increased risk of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes. As China is a rapidly developing country with a large population, micronutrient status and its influence on maternal and infant health have always been a concern.This Special Issue aims to estimate the influence that micronutrients can have on maternal and infant health, which provides evidence for clinical interventions and government nutrition-related policies. Additionally, this Special Issue provides study directions for research on micronutrients among pregnant women and infants.In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following: Micronutrient status of pregnant women and infants; Relationship between micronutrients and pregnancy complications as well as birth outcomes. I/We look forward to receiving your contributions.

New scientific advances in different areas have allowed the design of more precise strategies for the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders through nutrition. In this context emerges the term Precision Nutrition, a new approach that takes advantage of scientific knowledge about the interaction of internal and external environmental factors to develop dynamic and precise nutritional recommendations.Therefore, Precision Nutrition includes personalized advice based on genetics and well-documented gene-nutrient-phenotype interactions, as well as other factors such as individual metabolome, transcriptome, and microbiota profile; food behavior; and dietary, physical activity, and life-style habits; and the resulting interactomes.Precision Nutrition should be based at least on three sequential steps: conventional nutritional approaches (considering age, gender, and physiological states); the incorporation of nutritional and health status information (e.g., metabolites, physical and nutritional behavior); and the genetic baggage including multiomics functional integration.

As the crime of human trafficking/modern slavery is multifaceted, collaborating to counter it across sectors, disciplines, regions, and from local to international levels is widely understood to be of utmost importance. However, the processes of organizing and leading robust collaborations are complex and challenging, and to be sustainable, such processes must result in both positive outcomes for the collaborating partners and demonstrable progress toward countering human trafficking. Despite a growing body of published research on anti-trafficking collaboration, many aspects of it remain understudied. In this Special Issue of Societies, researchers and collaboration leaders in the anti-trafficking field share research findings and evidence-supported practices on how to conceptualize, catalyze, and support collaboration to generate and sustain constructive impacts.

Due to increasing concern about the use of pesticides and its potential side effects, this book considers the development and application of alternative, environmental-friendly, plant protection methods for the control of weeds, disease, and pests (predators, parasitoids, competitors, plant-plant interactions, microelements, biopesticides). Some of the main advantages of the measures presented in papers are the absence of toxicity to humans and vertebrates, beneficial organisms, and the environment, as well as the absence of pest resistance. In order to provide sustainable and eco-friendly food production, those are important subjects, both in conventional, organic and integrated agricultural farming. Through reviews and original research articles, this book covers all aspects of alternative measures in plant protection.

The thirty-plus years of progress in the field of structural health monitoring (SHM) have had a huge impact on our everyday lives. Be it for the monitoring of fixed- and rotary-wing aircrafts, for the preservation of the cultural and architectural heritage, or for the predictive maintenance of long-span bridges or wind farms, SHM has shaped the framework of many engineering fields. Given the current state of quantitative and principled methodologies, it is nowadays possible to rapidly and consistently evaluate the structural safety of industrial machines, modern concrete buildings, historical masonry complexes, etc., to test their capability and to serve their intended purpose. However, old unsolved problems as well as new challenges exist. Furthermore, unprecedented conditions, such as stricter safety requirements and ageing civil infrastructure, pose new challenges. Therefore, the second volume of this Special Issue series gathers the main contributions of academics and practitioners in civil, aerospace, and mechanical engineering to provide a common ground for structural health monitoring in dealing with old and new aspects of this ever-growing research field.

We are in the modern era of innovations, technological developments and minimisation in the field of urology. While laparoscopy and robotic surgery have revolutionised pelvic and upper tract oncology, there is continuous evolution and increasing use of these in the field of benign conditions and paediatric urology. As lasers have changed endourology, new minimally invasive surgical techniques (MISTs) have given a new meaning to benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) surgery. Oncological developments for prostate cancer now include treatments such as robotic prostatectomy, brachytherapy, radiotherapy, cryotherapy and HIFU. Robotic partial nephrectomy and cryotherapy have changed the face of renal cancer. While robotic cystectomy is also gaining popularity for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, new concepts of En-bloc resection of bladder cancer are emerging and being increasingly adopted. MISTs for BPH include laser (Holmium, thulium and green light), water-based treatments (Rezum, Aquablation) and other minimally invasive procedures such as prostate artery embolisation (PAE), TIND and Urolift. There is increasing emphasis on the role of suction in endourological procedures, while the quest for better intrarenal pressure and temperature monitoring continues. The use of Thulium fibre laser (TFL), Moses technology and small disposable ureteroscopes all help in pushing the boundaries of ureteroscopy (URS) and percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) procedures. These new technological developments have led to improvements in patients' quality of life (QoL), shorter hospital stays and reductions in complication rates.

Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disease that starts in utero. It is caused by a defective protein called the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and while the effects are seen throughout the body, changes in the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas and liver primarily impact nutritional status. Survival and pulmonary function have been linked to nutritional status. Malnutrition and growth failure were historically the hallmark of disease. Patients with pancreatic insufficiency require pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy and fat-soluble vitamin supplements. With improvements in many areas including newborn screening, nutrition supplements, pancreatic enzymes, CFTR modulator drugs, inhaled antibiotics and mucolytics, life expectancy has increased. In this issue, we will review the latest information in children and adults regarding important factors that play a role in optimizing nutrition status, including body composition, the gut microbiome, food security, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, growth and bone health, and micronutrient abnormalities. Pediatric and adult providers both need to be aware of the nuances of care as more patients with CF become adults. Optimizing nutritional status, anticipating and preventing the complications of CF will result in best management practice.

This reprint focuses on fundamental and applied research on asymmetry of movement and postural balance and underlying functions in humans. Experimental protocols based on kinetic, kinematic, radiological, functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial Doppler ultrasound data taken from healthy, young, elderly and pathological individuals provide new insights into asymmetry in human movement and posture and are presented in the Special Issue.

This reprint focuses on state-of-the-art technologies, the latest findings and current challenges in IoT with emphasis on healthcare, transportation, antenna design and disease detection. The included papers cover numerous topics of interest that include:IoT communication protocols;LPWAN for IoT (Sigfox, LoRa, etc.);Antenna design for IoT applications;Large-scale, high-density IoT networks and architectures;IoT applications and multi-sensors for transportation and traffic control;IoT convergence for Smart Health;Machine-learning/deep-learning algorithms for sensing IoT;Machine-learning-based healthcare applications and disease detection using IoT architectures;Applications and examples of use.

This reprint entitled "Nanomedicine Based Drug Delivery Systems: Recent Developments and Future Prospects" contains 14 articles in total. This includes one editorial, ten research articles, and three review articles. All articles are associated with nanomedicine-based drug delivery systems for the solubility, bioavailability, and therapeutic enhancement of active drug molecules. In recent years, there has been a tremendous amount of research on nanomedicine-based drug delivery systems. This reprint has brought together prominent scientists who have explored a diverse range of applications of nanomedicine-based drug delivery systems. I believe that further clinical and toxicological studies on both animal and human models are still required to explore the complete potential and commercial exploitation of nanomedicine-based drug delivery systems. The diverse and critical perspectives within this reprint provide sufficient information on the development, characterization, and evaluation of nanomedicine-based drug delivery systems.

Plant-derived phenolic compounds whose most important classes are flavonoids (i.e., catechin, epicatechin) quinones, stilbenes (i.e., resveratrol) and essential oils (i.e., thymol, carvacrol), widely found in fruits, seeds, flowers, and leaves, are considered as beneficial molecules for prevention and treatment of several diseases, since it has been shown that they have antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory properties. The Special Issue contains contributions concerning different aspects of the use of phenolic plant-derived molecules for prevention and therapy of several diseases, in order to understand the mechanisms involved in their protective role, their bioavailability and their metabolism in human tissue. Moreover, the use of different strategies for extraction, synthesis, and delivery of these compounds, has been covered.

Currently, with the popularity of smart devices, assured Position Navigation and Time (PNT) is critical for these devices and some fundamental infrastructures, i.e., the power grid. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is dominant in providing PNT information due to its coverage and high accuracy. However, its signals are weak, and it is vulnerable; multipath and None-Line-Of-Signals (NLOS) are the major errors that occur with regard to the GNSS in applications in urban areas. Advanced signal processing methods are expected to improve its resilience and assurance. In addition, the GNSS is fragile to interference and spoofing, which should be emphasized for unmanned systems and smart devices.This Special Issue aimed to provide a platform for researchers to publish innovative work on the advanced technologies for position and navigation under GNSS signal-challenging or -denied environments.

The human body poses various biological barriers to protect itself from pathogens, foreign materials and is important for its functioning and development. This reprint serves as a collection of research and review articles describing novel approaches and new therapeutic modalities to overcome biological barriers. This collection is a must read for scientists working in the field of drug and vaccine delivery.

After almost two decades of continuous development in bio, circular, and green economy, the time is ripe for the assessment of the major achievements and challenges that private and public enterprises face today to further enhance these global sustainability concepts. Due to the central role of political incentives for the development and implementation of environmentally friendly and sustainable practices, the present book project focuses on the nexus between public policies, institutions, quality of public sector management, and patterns of interaction between government and private businesses in backing bio, green, and circular economy practices and eco-innovation. In addition, the project also accommodates surveys that elaborate on the differences between the implementation of new organizational forms and scientific innovations in technologically advanced and developing settings.

The aim of this reprint devoted to the topic "Polymers and the Environment" was to pursue environmentally friendly objectives for polymer-based materials under a two-fold perspective, applied and academic. In the 1980s, the first global environmental crisis occurred with an emphasis on the role of plastics in big cities' massive solid waste streams. It was apparent then (and now) that the best environmental management practices required solid scientific and technical knowledge. Moreover, once at the end of their useful life, these plastics become involved in their materials (polymers and additives) into a circular economy strategy conjugated with the non-steady scenarios of the other key sectors of the economy, industry, society, and policy. Thus, linking tandem polymers and the environment has led, 40 years later, to a wide polymer research field devoted to continuously improving the environmental performance of polymer and polymer-based materials. This strategy comprises all the steps in the polymer management chain, from the raw materials to the polymers, many of which come from classical and renewable sources (the so-called bioplastics). Additionally, there is a need to improve the processability, ultimate properties, and performance by employing friendly environment additives; the recyclability of the materials; and the development of innovative and disruptive processes allowing better mechanical and energy recovery, including chemical recycling. This reprint includes approaches related to this frontrunner polymer science and technology area.

The outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has made the general public aware of the breakthrough technologies which were developed in recent years for state-of-the-art biosensing, and terms such as clinical specificity and sensitivity are now widely understood. The need for reliable point-of-care diagnostic systems during the last few years has been crucial.Continuous developments in MEMS technology and microfluidics are key drivers for the miniaturization of lab-grade sensing systems. Micro-technologies and miniaturization allow for designing lightweight and small devices, other advantages include reduced consumption of power and reagents, faster response times, increased sensitivity, reduced environmental footprint, availability of batch production processes for low-cost and disposable devices.This Special Issue published seven novel contributions in the fields of biosensing, lab-on-chip, organ-on-chip and related technologies such as numerical microfluidics studies, digital micro-fluidics and micromixers.

Overcoming biological barriers is a significant challenge in drug development, and recent advancements in drug delivery systems and technologies offer promising solutions. This Special Issue highlights the innovative approaches and techniques being used to improve drug permeability and absorption, as well as their potential impact on a wide range of therapeutic goals. These advancements being made in drug delivery and permeability offer exciting possibilities to improve patient outcomes.

Fungal Nanotechnology 2 provides an updated and thorough explanation of the green and sustainable production of metal- and organic-based nanostructures by various fungal species, as well as an investigation of intracellular and extracellular mechanisms, with a particular focus on the applications of fungal nanotechnology in biomedical, environmental, and agri-food sectors. Since FN is still in its infancy, major research should be conducted in this field; plants, animals, and people will all benefit significantly from this, and effective and environmentally acceptable methods should be developed.

Dual disorders, meaning the coexistence in the same individual of a substance use disorder and another mental disorder, have become an area of great interest in the fields of psychiatry and addiction and in health overall due to their high prevalence, clinical relevance and multicultural presence. This book includes a compilation of papers published between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2023 focused on recent advances in dual disorders.The contributions present a broad look at various relevant aspects. Among them are the characterization of patients treated in different services, with special interest in the risk of overdoses, suicidal attempts and HIV, as well as the so-forgotten gender perspective and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the attention of addiction centers. One of the first studies to consider the comorbidity of gambling disorders with substance use is also presented. The possible usefulness of explanatory models of machine learning for diagnosis and for performing chronobiological measurements that allow a more individualized treatment stand out among the novel contributions to the field of dual disorders. The aim of each of the contributions of this book is to be transferred for the benefit of clinical practice.

Mangrove communities represent a coastal habitat located in the intertidal zone or brackish water of tropical and subtropical coastal areas, between 5°N and 5°S latitudes, spanning over 118 countries. The special ecological conditions of mangroves include high salinity, nutrient limitation, tidal gradients, high temperatures, excessively high light, and muddy anaerobic or sandy soil, which lead to various morphological and physiological adaptations of inhabiting species and act as an effective selector for the metabolic pathway via the generation of unique functional metabolites with highly unique chemical scaffolds and pharmaceutical application potential. In recent decades, numerous metabolites with uncommon structures and efficacious bioactivities have been discovered in mangrove-derived microorganisms, along with mangrove plants. For this reason, mangrove ecosystems have taken the limelight as an attractive biodiversity hotspot, attracting significant attention from organic chemists and pharmacologists. Additionally, many unique and novel chemical structures with a wide range of structural classes have suggested various biosynthetic origins containing novel functional genes and corresponding enzymes with unique catalytic functions. In this Special Issue, we welcome articles describing recent studies and pertinent reviews focusing on the latest and most important developments in bioactive product discovery from mangrove ecosystems and correlating structures with chemical synthesis, biosynthesis, genomic and metabolomics approaches, biological activities, and pharmaceutical mechanisms. We are now in the process of putting together a group of top researchers whose work we would like to feature in this collection, and we would like you to participate.

The first three papers describe research activities about poly(lactic acid) (PLA)-based blends and their composites with wheat bran that were carried out under the framework of the BIONTOP project ("Novel Packaging Films and Textiles with Tailored End of Life and Performance Based on Bio-based Copolymers and Coatings", 837761) funded by the European Commission BBI-JU program. The melt fluidity, morphological, thermo-mechanical, creep and fracture properties of these promising biodegradable materials were considered and discussed. The reprint then includes two contributions (a review and a research article) written in the contest of ECOFUNCO project ("ECO Sustainable Multi FUNctional Biobased COATings with Enhanced Performance and End of Life Options", 837863) funded by the European Commission BBI-JU program. The review explores possible innovations in the field of solid and liquid biobased coatings, whereas the research article examines the modification of paper tissues with biobased additives for sustainable personal care applications. A research paper on the production of PLA-based composites to valorize hazelnut shell powder, which represents an agro-food waste, is also included in the reprint. Moreover, the reprint presents research papers investigating different biobased materials for environmental depollution, including hydrogel-based, bacterial cellulose-based and biochar-based materials. Finally, a research paper on the behavior of natural rubber during aging is presented.