Böcker utgivna av Mdpi AG

The demand for plant proteins continues to increase due to the growing global population, rising protein deficiency, and their versatile environmental, functional, nutritional, and health benefits. Plant proteins represent a more sustainable source to (partially) supplement costly animal-based foods. Many factors can influence protein functionality and application, such as protein sources, production methods, molecular structures, chemical properties, food formulations and environment, and food processing techniques. The potential applications of plant proteins are diverse. This reprint covers diverse topics related to the characterization, chemistry, interaction, processing, modification, functionality, and/or application of various plant proteins in relation to human food.

The purpose of this reprint based on the Special issue "Molecules in Diabetes Melitus, Dyslipidemia and Cardiovascular Disease", IJMS journal, MDPI, is to present the impact in clinical practice as well as in medical research of novel molecules that have been introduced in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease.

This reprint contains 12 high-quality original research papers by 74 authors from 17 countries on 3 continents: Asia (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Russia), Europe (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom), and North America (USA). These papers were published in a Special Issue, "Performance and Modification of Wood and Wood-Based Materials", of the journal Forests. They provide examples concerning conventional and novel modification processes of wood and wood-based materials, their improved/modified properties, and their relevant applications.

A change from a consumer society to a sustainable and conserver society must focus on for the welfare of the planet and future generations through balance rather than by maximizing the exploitation of resources. This will bring about further growth as an option for both per capita consumption and the population. Muddled and tepid responses make it clear that the society has not developed a vision of what a truly sustainable society looks like. It is essential to bring awareness to the possibility of creating a sustainable society which will incorporate sustainable development goals (SDGs) to generate a future with more possibilities. In order to move towards a sustainable society, it is vital to provide the highest standard of wellbeing, from an environmental, human, and economic perspective. We can contribute by providing technical and scientific studies that can be accessed freely and implemented by all. These works cover the important parameters that can be addressed to achieve sustainability, such as being energetically sustainable, resource-sustainable, environmentally sustainable, fiscally sustainable, and socially sustainable.

The intention of this Special Issue is to focus on new aspects of drug discovery, including the search for new molecular targets of various diseases, the creation of new modern methods for diagnosing diseases, the development of new test systems and kits for assessing the selectivity and effectiveness of new drugs, the study of the molecular mechanisms of biologically active compounds, the formulation of new drugs, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies, and preclinical trials of important molecules.

Since the introduction of robotic surgery in the early 2000s, several studies have demonstrated its safety and feasibility in various complicated procedures, including esophageal, gastric, and colorectal surgery (for both benign and malignant pathologies), hepatobiliopancreatic surgery, and gynecological and urological procedures.Robot-assisted surgery provides the advantages of a magnified tridimensional view and movement stability without a tremor, which facilitate a precise dissection. The EndoWrist instrument also facilitates dissection at difficult angles, thus enabling surgery in complex conditions.Even if some of the advantages of robotic surgery have been defined, we are still far from clearly recognizing precise indications for a robotic approach in gastrointestinal surgery.With this Special Issue, we aim to investigate the conditions that support the robotic approach in gastrointestinal surgery toward the definition of gold-standard robotic procedures, as established in urological surgery for prostatectomy.

Robotics and intelligent systems often appear to be linked, as they take advantage of the best abilities of each other towards a common goal. In industry, it is common to see robotic systems aided by machine learning and vice versa and in applications spanning from robot navigation, grasping, human-robot interaction/collaboration, safety, and team management, among others. Achievements targeting the industrial domain can be directly applied in robotic systems operating in other domains. While the advancements in the last few years have been enormous, industrial robotics and intelligent systems face several scientific and technological challenges related to their integration with other systems, interaction with humans, safety, flexibility, reconfigurability, and autonomy. These challenges are especially relevant when robots operate in unstructured industrial environments and share their workspaces with human co-workers and other robots. This reprint collects research and technological achievements related to advanced intelligent robotic systems. The contributions cover the coordination of multiple robots navigating on the factory floor, path planning strategies, human-robot interaction, robot redundancy and kinematics, systems integration, grasping, and manipulation.

Coasts are highly dynamic and geomorphologically complex systems that evolve under the growing pressures of climate change and anthropogenic activities, which can have direct or indirect impacts on the coastal environment. Among the major adverse effects, coastal erosion represents one of the most pressing global issues, especially in flat and low-lying coastal areas that appear to be particularly susceptible to beach erosion and related shoreline retreat. This Special Issue presents twelve papers on "Shoreline Dynamics and Beach Erosion" that contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the dynamics and spatial-temporal evolution of shorelines and beach systems. Using multi-, interdisciplinary, and new experimental approaches, coastal systems of variable complexities located in different geographic and climatic contexts are investigated. The major topics covered concern the morphodynamics and hydrodynamics of coastal systems, the driving factors of coastal erosion, and the use of models and indexes to study coastal vulnerability, and the mitigation of human and natural pressures affecting coastal ecosystems.

This Special Issue on "Carbon Dioxide Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS)" features invited articles on the latest technologies and developments in CCUS, including but not limited to pre-combustion carbon capture; post-combustion carbon capture; oxyfuel or chemical cycle combustion; conversion of CO2 to synthetic fuels; biomass thermal conversion; CO2 storage; BECCUS; and other abatement technologies.

This reprint considers a wide variety of topics concerning molecular and clinical advances in understanding early mammalian embryo development. The authors of various chapters of this book examine oocyte biology, preimplantation embryo development, blastocyst implantation in the uterus, and second cellular lineage differentiation. In addition, epigenetic contributions to reproduction, which may occur throughout pregnancy and in resultant offspring, are also considered. Environmentally induced epigenetic changes in germ cells can render mammalian offspring less healthy, and these changes can be difficult to reverse. Included in these changes are those caused by assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). It remains to be determined whether the healthiest preimplantation embryos develop in vitro in conditions that mimic the physiological environment in vivo or whether simpler conditions can also foster this development in vitro. In this regard, a number of advances as well as challenges in ART are considered by the authors of the chapters included in this book.

This Special Issue, entitled the "Synthesis of Heteroaromatic Compounds", is an outstanding collection of fourteen original research papers and six review articles that discuss the advances made in both conventional and green preparatory methods, as well as the properties and applications of heteroaromatic molecules in industrial and medicinal chemistry areas of study.The collected works featured herein collate contributions from a truly international and diverse array of ninety experts in the fields of heteroaromatic compound synthesis, QSAR studies, computational chemistry and molecular docking, as well as bioactivity studies.

Fruit- and vegetable-based products (F&Vs) have been conventionally processed using thermal techniques such as pasteurization, scalding, and/and drying, ensuring microbial safety and/or enzyme deactivation. Although thermal treatments are the most cost-effective tools, they could also reduce bioactive compounds, nutrients, and even sensory attributes. Nowadays, non-thermal food-processing technologies such as UV light and high-pressure processing have been proposed to develop food products with extended shelf life and preserved/encouraged bioactive compounds, while preserving the sensory properties. This reprint addresses the existing knowledge gaps of novel thermal and non-thermal techniques in the production of F&Vs and their derivatives. This reprint focuses on the effect of thermal and non-thermal treatments (light stresses, high hydrostatic pressure, pulse electric fields, oscillating magnetic fields, cold plasma, ultrasound, drying, etc.) on shelf-life, key bioactive compound changes (antioxidants, nutraceuticals, flavonoids, and non-flavonoids), enzymatic antioxidant systems, and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems of fruit- and vegetable-based products. Apart from an editorial written by the guest editors, the Special Issue consists of 13 papers that cover a range of subjects: thermal and non-thermal treatments on whole fruits (n = 4); thermal and non-thermal treatments on fruit and vegetable byproducts (n = 3); and, thermal and non-thermal treatments on fruit-based beverages and purées (n = 6).

Fungi-induced stains on paper are one of the most challenging forms of biodeterioration to study and to prevent; this is because they involve living organisms, and the ways in which fungi respond to changes in the environment and modifications of paper are unpredictable. Yet, there is a great desire among those who encounter fungi on documents, manuscripts, or artwork to remove fungi and clean the paper. This experience in most cases is particularly challenging. What are the reasons behind this challenge? This ground-breaking book attempts to answer this question, among others, by exploring the complex interfacial forces between paper, fungi, and their pigmented secretions which result in bio-stains on paper. Black fungi, collectively referred to as Dematiaceous fungi, were used in this study as a subset of pigment-producing fungi species. The focus is on two, under-studied aspects of the fungi infestation of paper, an interface of fungal pigments and paper, and the impact of light on the production of fungi bio-stains. The results of analytical testing included in this book elucidate the synergistic interactions between the environment, biological clocks of the microorganisms, and secretion of fungal pigments to paper. The black fungal pigment formation is explored in-depth in two scenarios: one that is 'natural', when the bio-stains of original artworks have occurred over time by chance, and another, induced by Aspergillus niger, in bio-simulation on known papers in a controlled environment. The findings are intended to provide guidance for preservation strategies, mitigating the biodeterioration of paper, and designing conservation treatment when applicable. The surface of artworks and artifacts is of great aesthetic and artistic importance; conversely, it plays a significant role in governing fungal attachments. In this book, the paper surface is characterized in detail and in correlation with chemical and physical alterations caused by fungal pigmentation. A broad range of analytical instruments was used for surface characterization, such as surface metrology profilometers, a confocal laser scanning microscope, and environmental scanning electron microscope; chemical microanalysis was carried out using X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. The novel, three-dimensional characterization of pigmented fungal inclusions and their interaction with paper matrix was studied with micro-X-ray-computed micro-tomography on the synchrotron ESRF. The proposed book is the first to explore the complexity of fungal-paper interactions with the intention to assist professionals working with cultural materials, especially paper-based materials, to make informed decisions when dealing with the fungi infestation of paper.

The rapid emergence of COVID-19 presented unprecedented challenges to the education sector. COVID-19 caused the full or partial closing of schools and universities, as well as the cancellation of face-to-face activities in most parts of the world. To conduct business as usual, many higher education providers have taken steps towards digital transformation, moving to online or hybrid learning and teaching delivery approaches. This reprint provides timely research on the impact of COVID-19 on education systems, including the lessons learned. It seeks to unite scholars, educators, policymakers and practitioners to collectively and critically identify, investigate and share the best practices that may lead to rethinking and reframing the way we deliver education in the future.

This reprint, named "Landslides in Forests around the World: Causes and Mitigation", covers various topics, such as the impact mechanism of tree roots on landslide stability, landslide deformation monitoring, landslide disaster prevention and control engineering technology, the automatic identification of regional landslides, susceptibility and hazard assessment, and a rainfall-induced mass landslide warning.

Maritime traffic data (e.g., radar data, AIS data, and CCTV data) provide designers, officers on watch, and traffic operators with extensive information about the states of ships at present and in history, representing a treasure trove for behavior analysis. Additionally, navigation rules and regulations (i.e., knowledge) offer valuable prior knowledge about ship manners at sea. Combining multisource heterogeneous big data and artificial intelligence techniques inspires innovative and important means for the development of MASS. This reprint collects twelve contributions published in "Data-/Knowledge-Driven Behavior Analysis of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships" Special Issue during 2021-2022, aiming to provide new views on data-/knowledge-driven analytical tools for maritime autonomous surface ships, including data-driven behavior modeling, knowledge-driven behavior modeling, multisource heterogeneous traffic data fusion, risk analysis and management of MASS, etc.

The main difficulty of radiotherapy is to destroy cancer cells without depletion of healthy tissue. Stem cells and cancers are tightly interrelated. On one hand, radiosensitivity/radioressistance of cancer stem cells affects the radiocurability of tumors. On the other hand, radiosensitivity is responsible for the stem cell depletion of organs at risk exposed to irradiation. Efficient solide cancer destruction is limited by the preservation of organ homeostasis. For this reason, targeted irradiation is an effective cancer therapy, but damage inflicted to normal tissues surrounding the tumor may cause severe complications. The consequences of stem cell depletion of healthy tissue irradiated are acute and chronic radiation diseases. Research on the radiosensitivity of cancer stem cells and adult stem cells associated with tissue regeneration medicine will bring forth the solution for optimal radiocurability associated with long-term patients' quality of life.

Selected studies focussing on various aspects of the evaluation of marine larval settlement on both natural and artificial surfaces, including those on pro-fouling and anti-fouling systems, have been collected for advancing our understanding of larvae-surface interactions. Biofouling is a large problem worldwide since it often causes severe damage to submerged structures, but it also leads to the formation of a well-structured community on natural hard substrata characterised by ecological succession and can be considered an important source of biodiversity. Therefore, the influence of a substratum's physico-chemical interactions on the settlement of various organisms of the macrofouling community represents an essential factor in choosing an appropriate artificial surface for application in a variety of coastal marine ecosystems. This reprint will certainly be greatly beneficial with respect to addressing the challenges of future innovative eco-engineering designs, yielding the best solutions for industrial biofouling protection and coastal ecosystem preservation.

Organogels, hydrogels, and ionic gels have been investigated both in a theoretical and experimental manner. The research performed was focused on their synthesis and applications in high-performance chemistry and its important branches. All mentioned gels were characterized from structural and supramolecular points of view by FTIR, NMR, X-ray diffraction, and POM. The keywords proposed in this reprint were as follows: organogels, hydrogels, ionic gels, chitosan, and fractal analysis. These terms were extremely pertinent to this research piece, hereby presented. As a result, all reference themes, as well as those associated with them, were touched upon in this reprint. We mention that the articles in this selection focused on one or more of the topics listed above.