Bücher veröffentlicht von Mdpi AG

Modern financial management is largely about risk management, which is increasingly data-driven. The problem is how to extract information from the data overload. It is here that advanced statistical and machine learning techniques can help. Accordingly, finance, statistics, and data analytics go hand in hand. The purpose of this book is to bring the state-of-art research in these three areas to the fore and especially research that juxtaposes these three.

"Sámi Religion: Religious Identities, Practices, and Dynamics" explores expressions of ''''Sámi religion'''' in contemporary cultures, the role it plays in identity politics and heritagization processes, and the ways the past and present are entangled. In recent years, attitudes towards ''''Sámi religion'''' have changed both within religious, cultural, political, and educational contexts as a consequence of what can be called the ''''Indigenous turn''''. Contemporary, indigenous religion is approached as a something that adds value by a range of diverse actors and for a variety of reasons. In this Special Issue, we take account of emic categories and connections, focusing on which notions of ''''Sámi religion'''' are used today by religious entrepreneurs and others who share and promote these types of spiritual beliefs, and how Sámi religion is taking shape on a plenitude of arenas in contemporary society.

Electric power systems are headed for a true changing of the guard, due to the urgent need for achieving sustainable energy delivery. Fortunately, the development of new technologies is driving the transition of power systems toward a carbon-free paradigm while maintaining the current standards of quality, efficiency, and resilience. The introduction of HVDC and FACTS in the 20th century, taking advantage of dramatic improvements in power electronics and control, gave rise to unprecedented levels of flexibility and speed of response in comparison with traditional electromechanical devices. This flexibility is nowadays required more than ever in order to solve a puzzle with pieces that do not always fit perfectly. This Special Issue aims to address the role that FACTS and HVDC systems can play in helping electric power systems face the challenges of the near future.

This Special Issue will deal with pathophysiological as well as the phenomenological signs of insomnia. For example, Is ''hyperarousal'' outdated? What is the difference between acute and chronic insomnia? What sleep disorders are linked to traumatic brain injuries? How is social facial recognition impacted by insomnia? What factors are linked to socioeconomic factors and alcohol consumption in the face of insomnia? We aim to set forward new thinking about insomnia research, including unchartered territories needing to be explored. Reviews, meta-analyses, and new experimental research are welcome in this Issue.

In recent years, technological breakthroughs have greatly enhanced our ability to understand the complex world of molecular biology. Rapid developments in genomic profiling techniques, such as high-throughput sequencing, have brought new opportunities and challenges to the fields of computational biology and bioinformatics. Furthermore, by combining genomic profiling techniques with other experimental techniques, many powerful approaches (e.g., RNA-Seq, Chips-Seq, single-cell assays, and Hi-C) have been developed in order to help explore complex biological systems. As a result of the increasing availability of genomic datasets, in terms of both volume and variety, the analysis of such data has become a critical challenge as well as a topic of great interest. Therefore, statistical methods that address the problems associated with these newly developed techniques are in high demand. This book includes a number of studies that highlight the state-of-the-art statistical methods for the analysis of genomic data and explore future directions for improvement.

Machine Learning (ML)-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms have the capability to learn from known examples, creating various abstract representations and models. When applied to unfamiliar examples, these algorithms can perform a range of tasks, including classification, regression, and forecasting, to name a few.Frequently, these highly effective ML representations are challenging to comprehend, especially in the case of Deep Learning models, which may involve millions of parameters. However, in many applications, it is crucial for stakeholders to grasp the reasoning behind the system's decisions to utilize them more effectively. This necessity has prompted extensive research efforts aimed at enhancing the transparency and interpretability of ML algorithms, forming the field of explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI).The objectives of XAI encompass: introducing transparency to ML models by offering comprehensive insights into the rationale behind specific decisions; designing ML models that are both more interpretable and transparent, while maintaining high levels of performance;, and establishing methods for assessing the overall interpretability and transparency of models, quantifying their effectiveness for various stakeholders.This Special Issue gathers contributions on recent advancements and techniques within the domain of XAI.

This reprint contains a collection of articles showing how the environmental processes governing the Earth's system can induce the formation of sudden and severe natural phenomena as their most violent expression. Their impact is unevenly distributed over the Earth's surface because of the presence of complex overlapping global or local endogenous and exogenous factors. Climate change and anthropogenic forcing can directly or indirectly exacerbate most of the occurrences at different spatial and temporal scales in the tropospheric area. When such phenomena interact directly with inhabited areas and society, different risk scenarios can develop even for human life itself. The degree of safety in a community is determined by the differential exposure to these events and the level of preparation based on awareness and perception. The social development and uncontrolled (or poorly regulated) spatial growth of human activities via the consumption of soil and natural resources have further contributed to creating vulnerability, increasing the challenges of conscious societies in coping with severe natural processes and their effects. As a whole, all the papers collected here highlight how the protection of territory, in its social and environmental complexity, is ultimately a key element for the pursuit of sustainable development.

This reprint contains a collection of articles showing how the environmental processes governing the Earth's system can induce the formation of sudden and severe natural phenomena as their most violent expression. Their impact is unevenly distributed over the Earth's surface because of the presence of complex overlapping global or local endogenous and exogenous factors. Climate change and anthropogenic forcing can directly or indirectly exacerbate most of the occurrences at different spatial and temporal scales in the tropospheric area. When such phenomena interact directly with inhabited areas and society, different risk scenarios can develop even for human life itself. The degree of safety in a community is determined by the differential exposure to these events and the level of preparation based on awareness and perception. The social development and uncontrolled (or poorly regulated) spatial growth of human activities via the consumption of soil and natural resources have further contributed to creating vulnerability, increasing the challenges of conscious societies in coping with severe natural processes and their effects. As a whole, all the papers collected here highlight how the protection of territory, in its social and environmental complexity, is ultimately a key element for the pursuit of sustainable development.

The 29th International Conference on Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Semiconductors (ICANS 29) served as a continuation of the biennial conference that has been held since 1965. ICANS 29 was held from 23 to 26 August at the campus of Nanjing University-a great venue for global academic researchers, industrial partners, and policymakers to come together and share their latest progress, breakthroughs, and new ideas on a wide range of topics in the fields of amorphous and nanocrystalline thin films and other nanostructured materials, as well as device applications.It was the first time that this prestigious event was held in China, and it provided the perfect opportunity for young Chinese researchers and students to participate more actively in academic exchange as a part of the conference and become familiarized with the latest developments in the fields in which they work. And despite a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ICANS 29 still attracted more than 300 paper submissions from 11 countries, including both on-site and virtual oral and poster presentations, which made it truly both a global and hybrid conference.

This reprint contains a collection of articles showing how the environmental processes governing the Earth's system can induce the formation of sudden and severe natural phenomena as their most violent expression. Their impact is unevenly distributed over the Earth's surface because of the presence of complex overlapping global or local endogenous and exogenous factors. Climate change and anthropogenic forcing can directly or indirectly exacerbate most of the occurrences at different spatial and temporal scales in the tropospheric area. When such phenomena interact directly with inhabited areas and society, different risk scenarios can develop even for human life itself. The degree of safety in a community is determined by the differential exposure to these events and the level of preparation based on awareness and perception. The social development and uncontrolled (or poorly regulated) spatial growth of human activities via the consumption of soil and natural resources have further contributed to creating vulnerability, increasing the challenges of conscious societies in coping with severe natural processes and their effects. As a whole, all the papers collected here highlight how the protection of territory, in its social and environmental complexity, is ultimately a key element for the pursuit of sustainable development.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has affected life throughout the world, and dentistry is no exception. Dentistry has already been shown to be a hazardous occupation due to the numerous infectious and health risks associated with it. Over the past year and a half, this risk has only grown because of the highly transmissible nature of the Coronavirus. Dentistry, being a profession where the operator and the assistants are in close contact with the patients, has seen numerous changes. Not only this, but even dental education has been impacted as most of the teaching over the pandemic period has been conducted online. Furthermore, dental education has been highly impacted as a major part of it involves hands-on training. Due to this, there are several social, financial, and health-related repercussions that must be analyzed and understood. This Special Issue invited manuscripts, both research and review, that analyze the SARS-CoV-2 situation with regard to dentistry and dental education.

Material degradation is a long-standing issue that poses a number of challenges from both a scientific and engineering perspective. In particular, metallic materials and their surfaces can be significantly affected by the effects of degradation, which reduce their properties over time, thereby leading to premature failure or loss of functionality. This reprint presents a collection of studies on the mechanical, corrosive, and tribological degradation of metal coatings and modified metallic surfaces. The subject is discussed from theoretical, experimental, and synthesis perspectives.

This reprint is a collection of 11 peer-reviewed articles that focus on the biology and ecology of eels. This reprint addresses the current advances and challenges in eel studies, including both the European eel, Anguilla anguilla, and the Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica. The reprint comprises a high diversity of selected topics on the interface between fundamental science and the management of eel resources. Topics range from genomics and environmental DNA used to detect the presence of eels and ascertain eel biomass to observations of eel abundance based on catches. Other topics addressed include the study of the swimbladder function, assessing migration patterns in estuaries, eel reproduction, the effect of water pollution, otolith studies, and the optimization of the design of passage facilities for juvenile European eel (Anguilla anguilla).

This reprint focuses on older adults, who represent a large portion of patients with acute coronary syndromes and cardiovascular diseases in general but are seldom included in randomized clinical trials. The articles in this reprint offer evidence to assist clinical decision making and guide clinicians worldwide in problems with everyday clinical implications, which often result in the mis- or undertreatment of this large population of fragile individuals.

This Special Issue serves as a compendium of the most recent advancements in the field of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radars, including a wide array of high-potential research domains. These areas span across both theoretical frameworks and practical applications. Its key focal points include MIMO radar waveform design, MIMO signal detection, parameter estimation and imaging, as well as MIMO clutter and jamming suppression techniques. The primary objective of this Special Issue is to stimulate the generation of innovative ideas while fostering enhanced communication and collaboration opportunities among students and researchers actively involved in the field of MIMO radar research.

Point clouds are deemed to be one of the foundational pillars in representing the 3D digital world, despite irregular topologies among discrete points. Recently, advancements in sensor technologies that acquire point cloud data for flexible and scalable geometric representation have paved the way for the development of new ideas, methodologies, and solutions in countless remote sensing applications. State-of-the-art sensors are capable of capturing and describing objects in a scene by using dense point clouds from various platforms (satellites, aerial, UAVs, vehicle-borne, backpacks, handheld, and static terrestrial), perspectives (nadir, oblique, and side view), spectra (multispectral), and granularity (point density and completeness). Meanwhile, the ever-expanding application areas of point cloud processing have already covered not only conventional domains in geospatial analysis but also manufacturing, civil engineering, construction, transportation, ecology, forestry, mechanical engineering, etc. Readers can learn about the latest innovative technologies for generating, processing, and analyzing point cloud data from these contributions, which helps to understand the challenges faced by point cloud data and develop new 3D applications.

The worldwide spread of COVID-19 in 2020 posed severe challenges in the realm of public health and also resulted in social limitations, such as on access to parks and other public open spaces. The restrictions on movement and lockdowns that were imposed by many governments had profound implications, altering not only the frequency and purpose of urban green space visitation, but also the social and psychological effects which such green spaces had on citizens. This Special Issue gathered recent studies on how the need, perception and usage of green spaces have been impacted by the pandemic and the restriction measures, in order to provide insights and guidance for administrators and policy makers to manage future crisis situations. A total of 15 papers examine the effects of COVID-19 in different countries and even continents, offering various research methodologies and reflections on the role of urban green spaces in daily life. One of the recurring themes is that there is a general need to guarantee equitable access to these valuable resources, especially in times of societal disruption. The opportunities for relaxation, social interaction and spiritual regeneration are indeed important benefits that such natural amenities can offer, but they are very much dependent on the design and particular qualities of the space, which may decisively influence the level of satisfaction and engagement by users. It is our hope that by encouraging a communal discussion on the planning and management of urban green spaces, we can increase the resilience of both our cities and the natural environment on which they depend.

Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT), or Rendu-Osler-Weber syndrome, is a dominantly inheritable rare disease with a prevalence of 1:5,000 - 10,000 people. The diagnosis of HHT, as a rare disease, follows the Curaçao Diagnostic Criteria: Nosebleeds (epistaxis), whether spontaneous or recurrent; (multiple) telangiectases at characteristic sites, including the lips, oral cavity, fingers and nose; Internal lesions: arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) or telangiectases in the stomach, lungs, liver, brain and spinal cord; Family history: a first-degree relative with HHT, according to these criteria. When a patient meets at least three of these criteria, it is considered definite that they have HHT. Nowadays, three subtypes of HHT have been identified. HHT type 1 refers to mutations on the endoglin gene ENG; HHT type 2 refers to mutations on the activin A receptor-like type 1 (ACVRL1) gene; and the third one, named juvenile polyposis-hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (JPHT or JPHHT) overlap syndrome, refers to mutations on the gene MADH 4. There are two other subtypes (HHT-3 and 4) in which the mutations have not yet been completely identified, but they are known to be located on the 5q31.3-q32 and 7p14 chromosomal regions, respectively.

Food is subjected to various treatments and processes before human consumption, which have an effect on the food's shelf life, nutritional value, and sensory qualities. This Special Issue reprint contains studies regarding cold storage, refrigeration, freezing, fermentation, cold plasma, cooking, shaping, reforming, and packaging. These methods were applied during the processing of vegetables, fruit, dairy, oils, meats, seeds, marine foods, beverages, and other food items. This Special Issue reprint is designed for food scientists, technologists, food industry workers, dietitians, and nutritionists, as well as research scientists.

The Internet's great success has been essentially based on the simplicity and versatility of its TCP/IP architecture, as it imposes almost no restrictions on either the underlying network technology or the data being transmitted. In essence, applications built on top of TCP/IP get a point-to-point channel that can be used to transmit arbitrary information. This approach has served quite satisfactorily for many years, but it is no longer well suited to some of the new communication paradigms now being used on the Internet. Nowadays, most applications running on top of the Internet are no longer interested in using a point-to-point channel to exchange traffic between two endpoints. In contrast, what they want is to obtain some piece of information that is available in the network somewhere. The current use of load balancers and cache overlay networks is an interim solution to address this mismatch between the network communication model and the needs of applications, but such a solution suffers from significant shortcomings. Information-centric networks (ICNs), particularly Named Data Networking (NDN) and CCNx, offer a service where users can directly obtain information, regardless of location. This service suits current network uses and can provide the traditional point-to-point communication service if desired. This Special Issue highlights and presents recent advances in different problems related to using information-centric network architecture.

Metallic and ceramic materials play a significant role in the development of modern science and technology. They have a broad range of applications in various engineering fields. A proper manufacturing process, heat treatment, and forming are three main processes that can lead to obtaining metallic and ceramic materials which are created mainly to discover new or improved materials of construction, e.g., due to their strength properties. The main aim of this Special Issue was to publish original review and research articles from a wide range of research fields involving the manufacturing, heat treatment, and forming processes of metallic and ceramic materials.

Legume crops are grown worldwide and provide a major source of protein, oil, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and dietary minerals. Legume crops also play an important role in international trade. Genetic improvement has been a key to the growth of crop production, and it continuously contributes to sustainable agriculture and food security. Presently, plant genetic improvement is in the middle of evolution from field-based traditional breeding to a new era of application of multiple novel techniques such as marker-assisted selection, genomic prediction, and gene editing, which are integrated with conventional methods in practical breeding. This Reprint contains fifteen research articles and a review paper that address a wide range of research topics in legume crops. The research involved all the traits of importance, including yield, quality, resistance to pests and diseases, and abiotic stresses. This Reprint can be used as a source of information for future work.

Humans and animals may be exposed on a continuous daily basis to a mixture of environmental contaminants that may cause adverse consequences. This Topic focuses on environmental pollutants including heavy metals, pesticides, nanoparticles, micro-nanoplastics, indoor air pollutants, pharmaceuticals, and industrial toxicants with effects on human health, risk assessment, and the relationship between various diseases and environmental pollutants. The aim of this Topic is to present a comprehensive overview of various studies carried out with in vivo and in vitro model organisms and the potential risks posed by environmental pollutants to human health. In this Topic, 20 original articles, 6 reviews and 1 communication are collected, with a particular focus on alcohol-based hand sanitizers, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, monochromatic light pollution, paraben as an endocrine disruptor, heavy metal pollution attributed to the antimony and arsenic found in mines in soil, water, and sediments, groundwater with high fluoride levels, the transmission of viruses due to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems of urban subways, chronic home radon exposure, organotin compounds, heavy metal pollutants, polypropylene microplastics, ventral body wall defects in chick embryos, microcystin-LR as an aquatic toxin, N-nitroso compounds, methylmercury as a global pollutant, triazine herbicides, persistent organic pollutants, bisphenol A and trace metals, autophagy, nano- and micro-sized polystyrene particles, tributyltin as an environmental contaminant, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

This reprint is a collection of original research papers that cover recent developments in the field of microstructure engineering of metals and alloys. Microstructure and its engineering are of high scientific and industrial interest since it is among the major factors that affect the properties and performance of metals and alloys. This reprint covers studies on microstructure effects on ferrous and non-ferrous alloys.

This Special Issue, titled "Problems during the Design and Testing of Instrument, Special and Power Transformers", presents and disseminates the latest developments in the theory, design, modeling, and laboratory testing of all types of transformers. The scope includes design calculations and diagnostics of various types and structures of 1- and 3-phase power transformers, special transformers, and measurement transformers with various applications. Design requirements concern exploitation and optimal design methodologies, advanced device modeling methods, and technical research methods.

The rapid development of polymer science has brought convenience to people's lives. At the same time, more and more waste is produced from the use of polymer products, which causes harm to the environment. In order to protect the living environment, scholars have researched and developed the recycling technology of waste plastics. On the other hand, many contemporary medicines contain polymers as a component, so a detailed study of the decay of such polymers, at least to their exit from the body, is required.

The spreading antibiotic resistance of bacteria is one of the most important challenges of modern medicine, and a search for methods that could replace conventional treatments of bacterial infections is urgently needed. Bacteriophage therapy is considered one of the most important alternatives to commonly applied antibacterial strategies.This Special Issue, titled "Bacteriophage Therapy: Recent Developments and Applications of a Renaissance Weapon", collected eleven articles focused on different aspects of phage therapy. It includes five original articles, two case studies, and four reviews presenting research on the application of phages against pathogens posing a serious threat to human health, such as Salmonella enterica, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Vibrio cholerae, and Staphylococcus aureus. The published articles also relate to the practical aspects of phage application, such as the development of modern phage carriers or the employment of mathematical tools for predicting bacteriophage features and their antibacterial potential. Furthermore, an important research topic discussed in this Special Issue is the application of phages in food safety, where phages could potentially replace routinely used antibacterials.

This collection aims to emphasize the ever-changing nature of sport. In doing so, the reader is moved away from the traditional routes of organized and elite sport to consider how sport and other physical activities evolve and shift in response to and in anticipation of broader social changes. Included within are contributions stemming from the idea of "rethinking sport" that address the notion of training as part of cancer treatment, the development of informal and lifestyle sports, parkour activities in James Bond movies, and the phenomenon of Timbersports. This collection has a further specific focus on topics related to "social issues" and how sport may counter or create inequalities. This anthology includes chapters that engage in analyses of several of these topics, such as sexual abuse, drug abuse, health promotion programs, trauma-informed coaching, inclusion and exclusion mechanisms in gym culture, the long-term social impact of sport gentrification, and human rights and racialization in sport. Built on the work of established and emerging scholars, this collection includes research from a variety of disciplines including sociology, sport science, social work, cultural studies, gender studies, and more.

Grassland ecological management and utilization is a hot topic which attracts grassland scientists around the world, and this reprint focuses on research related to the management and utilization of traditional grasslands, the restoration and management of degraded grasslands, and grassland conservation. This reprint contains empirical studies and systematic reviews regarding grassland effective management and sustainability. It includes the management of grassland species, grassland production, grassland grazing, grassland nutrients, grassland restoration, and other topics. We hope that it will serve as a meaningful resource which provides valuable insights and evidence-based strategies for anyone interested in sustainable grassland management.