Böcker utgivna av Mdpi AG

This overview of the most recent advances in the field of SMA research and applications in civil engineering aims to help remove the knowledge barriers across disciplines and sheds considerable light on the opportunity to commercialize SMA products in the construction industry.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been at the center of attention of studies and industry. The AM process involves gradual build-up in layers, and capability in the fabrication of complex shapes with low cost. Advances in the processing of polymers and polymer composites with this method are in the domain of this journal, which can provide a vital resource for anyone involved in additive manufacturing. This Special Issue cover original reviews and research articles dedicated to: AM processes of manufacturing and materials; Process-microstructure/morphology-properties relationships; Optimization of process parameters; Mechanical properties of fabricated parts; Modeling and simulation.

Analytical chemistry is bound to face growing challenges in the future, especially for the quantification of trace analytes in complex matrices. Although the development of increasingly sensitive and specific instrumental techniques has achieved remarkable results, sample preparation is still a fundamental step, often limiting the whole workflow. In the context spawned by the recent international environmental policies that are responsive to the rapport of human activities with the surrounding environment, chemistry cannot hesitate to give its contribution. Almost pioneeringly, in analytical chemistry, we have been talking for some time about "green analytical chemistry", its guiding principles, and the development of eco-friendly analytical approaches. However, the new and still open challenge is advance not only in eco-compatibility but mainly in eco-sustainability, rooting the future of analytical chemistry in new perspective aimed at minimizing the environmental impact of the analytical process by placing environmental cost as a priority aim on par with analytical performance. This is the reprint of a Special Issue that includes contributions focused on the progress in analytical chemistry based on the arguments previously raised and discussed, with a particular reference to eco-compatibility and eco-sustainability. The contributions include the development of low environmental impact methods and/or techniques or their applications.

This reprint compiles several studies on radiation interactions with biomolecules. The fragmentation induced by slow electron and electron scattering processes are described, and the induced processes by UV radiation are characterised. The present Special Issue offers complementary studies on radiation induced by photons and electrons in biological (and related) target molecules. The present collection provides important insights on radiation physics and chemistry and the advances in knowledge in these areas.

This Reprint Book provides recent studies addressing encapsulation systems for active compounds (e.g., drugs and food ingredients) to improve the quality of life around the world. The content may be helpful for the colleagues and students working on encapsulation of active compounds.

Sundqvist, Sandlund, Källkvist, and Gyllstad have edited a timely book that will help to guide the future of English language teaching and learning. This comprehensive and lucidly written volume brings together research on English classroom practices from all levels across the globe with the aim of enhancing our understanding of current developments. All chapters are theoretically informed, as the book is both practical in its style and orientation, and pedagogically astute in the recommendations offered. This volume is a welcome resource for teachers, student teachers, teacher educators and researchers around the world.

Nowadays, Forestry has become an important field for the Environmental and Earth sciences due to its importance in global systems. While forest recreation focuses on forests as the main destination for public recreational activities, landscape protection refers to the conservation and restoration of natural beauty. Urban and peri-urban forests have become a place for the recreational activities of people living in big cities. They provide benefits to the quality of life. Landscape protection is also important, not only for scientific and ecological reasons but also for social and cultural ones.This reprint presents different contributions by the authors dealing with recent scientific research on forestry, recreational activities, landscape management, ecosystem services, etc., in different areas of the world.

The reprint focuses on fundamental and applied research on environmentally friendly manufacturing of food additives and its effect on the structural features and functional applications of functional ingredients in several fields.Food additives and functional ingredients are naturally or artificially synthesized substances that are added to foodstüs to improve their color, aroma, and taste, as well as to meet anti-corrosion and other technological purposes. The innovation of clean production, encompassing environmental and sustainability issues in the manufacturing process of food additives and functional ingredients is of particular interest. Special attention is given to their bioconversion, extraction, separation and purification, stabilization, formulation and compounding, etc., as well as relevant process intensification and integration.

Dry pasta is one of the most popular staple foods worldwide due to its convenience in terms of affordability, versatility, long shelf life, as well as sensory and nutritional value. As such, it represents a suitable carrier for health-promoting substances providing specific physiological functions. This Special Issue deals with the continuum aspects, "from seed to fork", that could have an impact on the nutritional, sensory, and technological aspects of pasta. In this Special Issue, we aim to publish innovative research and review papers on physico-chemical and sensorial characteristics, nutritional value, functional and technological properties of pasta, and pasta-making processes. New raw materials, new functional ingredients, up-cycling of waste materials, in vivo experiments to test the effect of assumption of the supplemented pasta, and innovative packaging systems will also be addressed in this Special Issue. Predictions of pasta quality adopting chemometrics as well as multi-variate and statistical data analysis approaches are welcomed. Finally, in the medium term, the international pasta market is expected to stay negative unless tangible product innovations are introduced, particularly regarding the technological innovations aimed at improving the products' health benefits. This Special Issue aims to provide a fundamental understanding and present the current strategies to improve the technological, nutritional, and sensory properties of pasta.

Since the emergence of the Coronavirus-19 infectious disease (COVID-19) pandemic, a rising number of reports have underlined the risk of increasing antimicrobial resistance due to antibiotic overuse in COVID-19 patients. In addition, many physicians and pharmacists involved in antimicrobial stewardship have had to shift their activities to the containment of the COVID-19 crisis. In contrast to this observed overconsumption of antibiotics, very few bacterial superinfections have been documented in COVID-19 patients, especially in patients admitted outside the intensive care unit and in the first days of admission. However, the identification of bacterial co-/superinfections in COVID-19 patients is difficult, as inflammatory and radiological markers of bacterial infection lack specificity in this setting. Furthermore, studies regarding the effect of immune suppression, including the use of corticosteroids and anti-interleukins, and the effect of potential immunomodulatory properties of certain antibiotics on the occurrence of bacterial co-/superinfection are needed.This Special Issue of Antibiotics aims to increase our knowledge regarding (more or less specific) markers associated with bacterial co-/superinfection in COVID-19 patients, quantitative and qualitative data regarding antibiotic prescriptions in COVID-19 patients, potential beneficial effects of antibiotic use in certain COVID-19 subgroups, detrimental effects associated with antibiotic overuse in COVID-19 patients, and evidence-based guidelines, which could facilitate the decision-making process when antibiotic prescriptions are considered.

Microgrids deliver efficient, low-cost, and clean energy while improving regional electric grid operation and stability. They further provide exceptional dynamic responsiveness for energy resources. A global portfolio of operations centered on the development and deployment of microgrids to increase grid dependability and resilience would therefore assist communities in better preparing for future weather catastrophes and keep the world moving toward a sustainable energy future. Solar photovoltaic systems are seen as a promising renewable resource, and their application in microgrids has grown rapidly in recent years.

Medical imaging and computational biology continuously pose new fundamental medical and biological questions that often give rise to novel challenges in Artificial Intelligence. These research fields present an increasing need for the application of cutting-edge computational approaches that generally involve machine learning or computational intelligence techniques, which can effectively perform bioimage and biosignal processing in different clinical areas.

The Special Issue, "Effect of the Modification of Catalysts on the Catalytic Performance", should be of great interest to all researchers involved in this scientific area regarding the synthesis and characterization of various catalysts or catalytic materials; catalytic performance (activity and selectivity); synergetic effect; and the modification of catalysts or suitable promoters that are added to modify the catalyst structure.

The introduction of permanent cardiac pacing in the late 1950s began the era of cardiac electrotherapy. In the 1980s, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) were introduced. These advances created new challenges for cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs). Right ventricular pacing was the primary breakthrough; however, over the years, it has become apparent that it can induce cardiac contraction dyssynchrony. Biventricular pacing allowed for the alleviation of dyssynchrony and improved the survival of patients with heart failure and bundle branch block. In recent decades, His bundle pacing has become a new strategy for physiological ventricular activation. However, the use of CIEDs carries several risks, e.g., complications related to transvenous leads. This led to the development of percutaneous lead extraction techniques as well as the introduction of a subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) and leadless pacing. Technological evolution promises an exciting future in the development of cardiac electrotherapy.In this Special Issue, readers can find out about the clinical and hemodynamic aspects of right ventricular, His bundle, and biventricular pacing; ICD therapy; treatment of complications and technological advances in cardiac electrotherapy.

The reprint provides an overview of recent applications of both chemometrics and spectrometric techniques to target current issues associated with food authenticity, traceability, as well as modern approaches on the analysis of food ingredients and products.

Energy is an important material basis that can promote the development of human society. Despite the increasing use of renewable energy, the overall energy supply is dominated by fossil fuels. For a long period of time, the main consumption proportion of fossil energy will not change. With the perspective of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, shale oil, shale gas, and combustible ice, energy exploration, reservoir reconstruction, and intelligent applications in energy exploitation and energy occurrence geology are currently explored from the perspectives of exploration and exploitation technology. This reprint summarizes the intelligent unmanned mining and its development trends and conducts various research studies, including the stratigraphic correlation of sandy conglomerate in the Yellow River Delta Sag of the Bohai Bay basin, the growth and distribution of coal-measured hydrocarbon source rocks in a mixed platform, the physical and mechanical properties of sandstone, mudstone and granite in the geological environment of deep energy reservoirs, the formation mechanism of energy reservoirs and gas reservoirs, the two-phase flow experiment and numerical simulation in energy mining, the evolution law of cracks in the surrounding rock and the reinforcement principle of gradient support, and the comparison of particle pickup by axial flow and swirling flow in horizontal pneumatic conveying.

Dear Colleagues,The direction of fiber orientation plays a crucial role in deciding the mechanical performance of textile structural composites. Unlike conventional composite materials, geometrically oriented textile structures, e.g., woven, knitted, and braided constructions, can be designed and developed for load bearing in a particular direction. Their properties can be enhanced by modifying the geometry and material composition. One major challenge in producing textile structural composites with superior mechanical properties at a reasonably lower price is cost effective prepreg. Composites constructed from reinforcement having a well-defined geometry perform better than randomly oriented fibers at a reasonable cost. Their flex fatigue is superior to conventional preforms in specific applications. This Special Issue invites research as well as review articles dealing with different types of (2D, 3D, multiaxial) woven, knitted, and braided structures for load bearing structural composite applications. Use of industrial multifilament yarns of pure and hybrid composition in textile geometrical reinforcement structures can also be included. The methods of impregnation of such structures by thermoplastic and thermoset resins should be described. The superior performance in such structural composites must be highlighted. Methods of characterizing woven, knitted, and braided textile reinforced composites is the focus of this issue. Current and future applications of advanced textile structural composites can be summarized in the submitted articles. Theoretical (computational, numerical simulation etc.) as well as experimental work can be submitted with sufficient scientific innovation.Prof. Dr. Rajesh Mishra

The reprint provides the most relevant and state-of-the-art in the field, including recent developments in the production of natural compounds from various bioresources, and their formulations as bioactives. This reprint also covered the engineered approaches for enhanced biological properties and their potential applications. Identification of novel compounds and bioprocess tools to improve the quantity and quality of bioactive compounds and their formulations are exclusively covered in this reprint.

The world has never been richer than today. The distribution of our global wealth, however, is hugely biased. Since 1980, the gains were mainly captured by the rich: The top 1% obtained twice as much of the income growth as compared to the bottom 50%. Nevertheless, within economics, debates about inequality have remained rather marginal, despite long-term research by renowned scholars such as Tony Atkinson. Within the public arena, concerns about inequality emerged as a result of a number of developments: First, the global financial crisis in 2008 exposed the risks of the financing of the economy; secondly, 2013, Thomas Picketty's book "Capital in the 21st century" demonstrated that, against the trend of the overall 20th century, capital returns outstrip the gains through economic growth in recent decades, thus threatening social coherence and democratic institutions and thirdly, the Millennium Campaign presented impressive achievements regarding poverty but stirred doubts whether the most deprived were left even further behind.Since 2015, then, the stated aim of SDG 10 is to "reduce inequality within and among countries". There is growing consensus that economic growth is not sufficient to reduce poverty, and that our efforts to make it more inclusive so far were insufficient. The very first step reduce inequality is to adopt a systemic perspective, allowing an integrative analysis covering both ends of the ladder. Policies should be universal in principle and pay attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized populations. Predicated on comparison, inequality reminds us that it's not enough to study lower earners and the poor. Instead, the term demands that we expand our perspective, scrutinizing how economic value is generated, accumulated, at whose cost, and - not least - how the overall system could be made fairer. "Transitioning to Reduced Inequalities" therefore explores inequality trends worldwide, offers a debate on different measures and comparative perspectives, highlights key actors who either benefited or suffered from recent economic trends, and explores policy options to reduce inequality and thus contribute to SDG 10. The volume considers particularly:conceptual frameworks with regards to the inequality debate;the relationship between poverty reduction, economic growth and inequality;measures of inequality;overlooked/bypassed groups in developing countries;analysis on income/wealth growth for different groups in the global north;discussion about policies to reduce inequality;and further research in the realm of inequality.

This book contains 14 articles on various aspects of many-body physics. Most of the articles are devoted to different phenomena in Bose-Einstein condensate (M.R. Pathak and A. Nath; M.H. Figlioli Donato and S.R. Muniz ; B. Halder with coauthors; O.E. Alon).L. Madeira and V.S. Bagnato discuss the route of an out-of-equilibrium system to its thermalized state. M.R. Singh discusses the many-body interactions in plasmonic nanohybrids. M. Pudlak and R. Nazmitdinov analyze electron transport through a one-dimensional quantum ring, subject to Rashba spin-orbit interaction in the presence of external fields. R. Friedberg and J.T. Manassah report computer investigations on the duration memory for storage for an isolated atom. M.C. Pagnacco with coauthors describe the crazy-clock phenomenon. V.I. Yukalov and E.P. Yukalova consider materials with nanoscale phase separation. E.M. Anitas investigates materials with fractal-like geometry. L. Madeira with coauthors address the topic of quantum turbulence. K. Ziegler discusses how the employment of the diagonal elements of the time correlation matrix can be used to probe closed quantum systems that are measured at random times. L. Salasnich analyzes the collective dynamics of electrons in graphene positioned between the two slabs.

Over the last 50 years, people's lives and health have been increasingly defined and influenced across the life course and across levels of influence by different processes of medicalization and social control. Although medicalization is not a new concept, new actors, in addition to medical professionals and patients, and new phenomena, such as consumerism and human enhancement, influence the processes of the transformation of human conditions into medical problems today. This reprint integrates several articles that stimulate reflexivity on the use of the concept of medicalization. The articles selected for this reprint, written by research experts in their topic of interest, contribute to the discussion on the wide variety of ethical issues that arise from medicalization processes in areas ranging from medical research conduct to reproductive health. The reader will find a fertile space for theoretical and empirical reflection, where several social science researchers with different backgrounds share their research rigorously and innovatively.

Processing and Conversion of Oil and Gas: Modeling, Control, Simulation, and Optimization describes the core of the activity of petrochemical engineers, process controller engineers, industrial engineers, energy engineers, and researchers in the oil and gas field. This book explores the modeling, control, simulation, and optimization of new and revamped petrochemical processes using proven software. Thus, it offers novel illustrative examples, prospective applications, and solutions to improve these processes. This book aims to combine theoretical principles with examples modeled by commonly used simulation software employing steady-state or dynamic process simulation. Furthermore, applying numerical methods and optimization at both the theoretical and practical levels is within the scope of this book.

This reprint focuses on different techniques and strategies to obtain high-quality crystalline structures of biological macromolecules via X-ray diffraction and synchrotron radiation. Contributions cover various aspects ranging from the fundamentals of crystal growth of biomolecules with biomedical applications and materials science through to the biotechnological applications of crystals.

The use of biocatalysts, including enzymes and metabolically engineered cells, has attracted a great deal of attention in the chemical and bio-industry, because biocatalytic reactions can be conducted under environmentally-benign conditions and in more sustainable ways. The catalytic efficiency and chemo-, regio-, and stereo-selectivity of enzymes can be enhanced and modulated using protein engineering. Metabolic engineering seeks to enhance cellular biosynthetic productivity of target metabolites via controlling and redesigning metabolic pathways using multi-omics analysis, genome-scale modeling, metabolic flux control, and reconstruction of novel pathways. The aim of this book is to cover the recent advances in biocatalysis and metabolic engineering for biomanufacturing of biofuels, chemicals, biomaterials, and pharmaceuticals. Reviews and original research articles on the development of new strategies to improve the catalytic efficiency of enzymes, biosynthetic capability of cell factories, and their applications in production of various bioproducts and chemicals are included.

This book brings together featured papers that relate to several technologically important applications of coatings. These range from non-wetting coatings to underwater resistance and biomedical implant surfaces. In particular, nine interesting coating works have been collected with specific applications in the plasma treatment of polymers for superhydrophobicity, special coatings for glass glazing modification, non-sticky special inorganic coatings for polymeric surfaces, surfactant-controlled cationic polymer self-assembly from solutions, silicone-modified waterborne acrylic emulsion coatings, coating deamination/degradation resistance to corrosive water immersion, surface texturing of concrete to improve coating adhesion, electrochemical polymeric coatings for surgical implants and outdoor fungal growth mechanisms on various polymeric coatings. In terms of coating materials, the researchers have studied polystyrene, acrylic emulsions, epoxy formulations, vinylic polymers, alkyd coats, biopolymers, inorganic alloys such as CrN; CrAlN; CrAlSiN, and cationic polymers. Although the papers are diverse, there are several common attributes that each paper addresses in one way or another. For instance, adhesion failure under certain environmental conditions, hydrophobicity or non-stick performance, effect of substrate texture and resistance to biofouling. The collection will serve as a valuable reference for anyone wishing to stay abreast of the latest advances in the realm of specialized technological coatings.

Progressive changes in technology also cause changes in the methods used in food research, including microbiological aspects. The cooperation of research centers with industry is also important, as it poses new challenges to science. This reprint is devoted to the latest achievements in analytics, and to the application of new methods in food production technology. We present both original research and review articles focused on recent advanced technology in food science and microbiology, especially modern methods of the production and testing of food as well as the sustainable development of agriculture and the food industry. This topic will cover research on microbiological food ingredients and related topics such as microbial metabolites with application in food and feed as preservatives, texturants, and beneficial microorganisms, and methods to study and modify microbiota.

Considering the worldwide problem of aquatic pollution, we proposed this reprint, which presents a collection of articles on different aspects of environmental pollution, from monitoring to the evaluation of toxicity. In particular, the volume concerns the issues specifically related to emerging contaminants in aquatic environments, such as plastics and pharmaceuticals. However, to confer to this volume a more holistic view, some articles on priority pollutants, such as heavy metals and pesticides, are also reported.

This reprint focused on the advancements in the field of shoulder arthroplasty in recent years. These concern surgical indications that have dramatically evolved and planification and navigation. The rapid development of surgical techniques and new prosthetic designs, as well as glenoid and humeral reconstruction for various conditions, is also overviewed. Despite the important progress highlighted in this reprint, there is currently a myriad of prosthetic designs, highlighting the evolving nature of this field.

Over the last few decades, the field of fault diagnostics and structural health management has been experiencing rapid developments. The reliability, availability, and safety of engineering systems can be significantly improved by implementing multifaceted strategies of in situ diagnostics and prognostics. With the development of intelligence algorithms, smart sensors, and advanced data collection and modeling techniques, this challenging research area has been receiving ever-increasing attention in both fundamental research and engineering applications. This has been strongly supported by the extensive applications ranging from aerospace, automotive, transport, manufacturing, and processing industries to defense and infrastructure industries.

This reprint focuses on the theoretical principles and practical adoption of remote sensing approaches and datasets in understanding the nexus between urbanization, natural landscapes, urban micro-climate, climate change and Urban Heat Islands. Urbanization, characterized by natural landscape transformation, influences thermodynamics, surface energy and micro- and macro climate perturbations. These changes result in environmental deterioration that in turn adversely affects bio-physical processes and quality of urban life. A major consequence of urbanization is the Urban Heat Island (UHI). It is anticipated that the increased UHIs, in concert with the increasing anthropogenic activities, will further increase the vulnerability of urban landscapes to climate-related disasters such as floods and heatwaves. Recent advances in optical and thermal remotely sensed datasets offer great potential in understanding the relationship between urban bio-physical characteristics and UHIs. Hence, this reprint provides a basis for understanding urban ecological and thermal patterns, which is critical for the management of urban physical, ecological and social processes within a remotely sensed data framework. This reprint should be of interest to both specialists and generalists interested in, among other fields, urban planning, ecological conservation, the urban micro-climate, and climate change.