Bücher veröffentlicht von Mdpi AG

Often, a project's sustainability is centred on building services and energy, but we need to have a comprehensive view of how we integrate deeper sustainability. Traditionally, we have neglected embodied carbon generated during building construction, which has led to significant carbon emissions over the last few decades, causing global warming and other related problems. The aim of this Special Issue was to collect the results of research and practice experiences in sustainable building structures, made from steel, concrete, timber, and other composite materials. Dr Roy and Dr Ananthi warmly invited authors to submit their papers for potential inclusion in this Special Issue of "Sustainable construction using steel, concrete, timber, and other composite materials", in the journal of Journal of Composites Science.

In the realm of complex decision making, characterized by inherent incompleteness and uncertainty, the foundational work of Lotfi A. Zadeh on fuzzy set theory has been instrumental. The efficacy of classical fuzzy sets in addressing vagueness has prompted an exploration of various extensions, each catering to the intricacies of real-world decision-making problems. This reprint delves into an array of advanced fuzzy theories, including type-2 fuzzy sets, hesitant fuzzy sets, multivalued fuzzy sets, cubic sets, intuitionistic fuzzy sets, Pythagorean fuzzy sets, spherical fuzzy sets, neutrosophic sets, and more. The richness of these extensions reflects the dynamism of fuzzy theories in diverse decision-making applications.

Wine has a complex matrix with many volatile compounds present, which evolves over time. These volatile compounds are important to wine quality as they contribute to the aroma and varietal characteristics of wine. Recent development in the analysis of volatile compounds in wine has greatly improved our understanding of the complexity of wine aroma. Analytical methods used for wine aroma fingerprinting have shown potential in determining the origin and quality of wine. Thus, research on volatile compounds responsible for wine aroma and their correlation with wine provenance and wine quality have increasingly attracted great interest from researchers and winegrowers. This Special Issue presents the latest research regarding wine aroma compounds, including, but not limited to, the topics on the characterization of aroma compounds in grapes and wine, factors influencing the production of aroma compounds in wine during fermentation and maturation, and analytical methods for wine aroma analysis.

A high demand for metals (cobalt, copper, gold, lithium, nickel, tin, vanadium, etc.) has been recorded for the past several decades, and this demand is expected to increase even further in the coming decades as the world moves to low-carbon technologies based on renewable energy sources (RESs) and electric vehicles (EVs) and away from the heavy use of fossil fuels. To meet the high forecasted demand, unconventional sources of metals such as low-grade complex ores, seafloor massive sulfides (SMSs), and wastes (e.g., tailings, metallurgical residues, and electronic wastes (e-wastes)) have become very important sources of metals; moreover, these metals should be extracted in a sustainable manner without negatively impacting the environment. This Special Issue focused on recent advances in the sustainable production of metals from the above-mentioned unconventional sources.This reprint is a compilation of a Special Issue of Minerals, "Sustainable Production of Metals for Low-Carbon Technologies", where 13 papers contributed by experts in the area were published. Papers published in this Reprint cover a wide range of topics, including mineral processing (gravity concentration, magnetic separation, and flotation), hydrometallurgical techniques (leaching, solvent extraction, and cementation) to extract minerals/metals from primary and secondary resources. All the papers are of high scientific value and will be of great interest to readers of Minerals.

Global warming is imposing tremendous challenges upon human and otherwise biotic life on Earth. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. The consensus is that the moisture transport by the atmospheric circulation strengthens and makes already wet areas of moisture convergence wetter and already dry areas of moisture divergence drier. Therefore, the tropics and mid-to-high latitudes will get wetter and the subtropics will get drier. Without any change in the interannual variability of hydroclimate, the change in the mean hydroclimate would equally increase drought risk in some places and flood risk in others. Moreover, global warming will cause the interannual variability of the hydroclimate to intensify, which will induce more droughts and floods. Furthermore, the changing atmospheric circulation interaction with the land surface may cause storm track alterations and may play an important role in shaping moisture redistribution. The author's contributions have documented the precipitation trends in southeast of the US, the Nile River Basin Ethiopia, Iraq, the Huai River Basin of northern China, and the Qilian Mountains of western China. The precipitation predictability on both global and regional scales are also studied. The interaction among climate systems in southeast Asia is also explicitly documented.

Pain biomarkers are biological indicators or measurable characteristics that can provide information about the presence, severity, or underlying mechanisms of pain. They are valuable for several reasons: Diagnosis and differential diagnosis: Biomarkers can help in the diagnosis of various pain conditions and differentiate between different types of pain, such as neuropathic, inflammatory, or nociceptive pain. This can lead to more accurate and timely diagnoses, which in turn can improve patient care. Monitoring treatment efficacy: Pain biomarkers can be used to track how well treatments are working for individuals suffering from chronic pain conditions. This allows healthcare providers to make informed decisions about adjusting treatment plans, optimizing pain management, and avoiding unnecessary or ineffective interventions. Drug development and testing: Biomarkers play a crucial role in the development of new pain medications and therapies. They can help researchers identify potential drug targets, screen compounds for their pain-relieving properties, and assess the safety and efficacy of experimental treatments in clinical trials. Personalized medicine: Pain biomarkers may, in a future, contribute to treatments, tailored to an individual's unique genetic and biological disposition. Reducing opioid misuse: By using biomarkers to assess pain and treatment responses, healthcare providers can make more informed decisions about opioid prescriptions, potentially reducing the overuse and abuse of these medications.

This Special Issue provides an update on the state of the art and current trends in polymeric drug delivery systems specifically designed for improving drug bioavailability. The multiple contributions received further strengthen the role of polymers in modern drug delivery and targeting, illustrating the different approaches possible and unveiling what the future may bring.

Machining continues to be a hot topic within the field of Mechanical Engineering, due to the fact that it allows for high precision and surface quality. Studies around machining remain extremely active, and there is still a strong demand for knowledge and development in this area. Sectors, such as the aeronautical industry, aerospace industry, defense industry, automotive industry and mold industry, are just some of the sectors that depend heavily on this manufacturing process to produce the components that the market requires. The industry continues to require increasingly reliable and competitive solutions, and it is up to science to study means of achieving these ends. This reprint seeks to compile a series of articles that contribute to the increasing knowledge in this area.

This reprint focuses on the importance of the micronutrient iron in human physiological iron homeostasis and iron-related diseases. Daily adequate dietary iron supply ensures vital body functions and hemoglobin synthesis during erythropoiesis. During the last few decades, scientific evidence has shown that the maintenance of human iron homeostasis is an important factor for physical and mental health. The present reprint gives an overview of how iron, as an essential dietary element, is responsible for physiological and pathological biochemical processes in the human body. For the readership, this relevant information will provide an evidence-based update on the complex regulatory mechanisms and related diseases of iron metabolism.

Autonomous vehicles are increasingly prevalent, navigating both structured urban roads and challenging offroad scenes. At the core of these vehicles lie the planning and control modules, which are crucial for demonstrating the intelligence inherent in an autonomous driving system. The planning module is responsible for devising an open-loop trajectory, taking into account a variety of environmental restrictions, task-related demands, and vehicle-kinematics-related constraints, while the control module ensures adherence to this trajectory in a closed-loop manner. This adherence is vital in a range of conditions, including diverse weather scenarios, different driving situations, and in response to potential disturbances such as mechanical failures or cyber threats. In certain contexts, these modules are collectively referred to as 'control', with the planning component considered an open-loop controller. This Special Issue focuses on the latest research trends in planning and control methods for autonomous driving. It comprises 11 papers that cover a broad spectrum of applications, including occlusion-aware motion planning in warehouses, control strategies for articulated vehicles, cooperative trajectory planning for autonomous forklifts, and tracking control for underwater vehicles in the face of disturbances and uncertainties. These contributions collectively underscore the diverse and evolving nature of autonomous vehicle technology.

This reprint showcases a collection of a Special Issue entitled "Soilless Culture, Growing Media and Horticultural Plants". Within its pages, readers will find an assortment of 22 original papers accompanied by 1 review paper and 1 editorial. Representing a collaborative effort involving by 84 authors from 15 different countries, this Special Issue explores cutting-edge advancements in soilless culture, investigating the interaction between soilless and environmental factors while also exploring their consequential impacts on plant growth and physiology. Additionally, these studies meticulously scrutinize the accumulation of secondary metabolites. The compositions of nutrient solutions and the physical attributes of substrates and mixtures are illuminated through rigorous analyses. Furthermore, a spotlight is placed on the dynamic interactions between microorganisms and plant-growing media. In the near future, climate change and environmental and ecological issues will steer the trajectory of soilless culture systems and the choice of growing media constituents.

Oral cancer is a commonly occurring head and neck cancer, with 90% of cases diagnosed as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Histologically, OSCC is derived from a multistep mechanism known as oral carcinogenesis, which progresses from normal epithelium to hyperplasia, followed by dysplasia and carcinoma in situ, and precedes the development of invasive squamous cell carcinoma. This multistep mechanism is characterized by mutations related to copy number alteration and epigenetic modifications. Precision medicine based on genomic profiling is also becoming more prevalent. It relies on the genetic information of individual patients or specific cancer cells and how their genes interact with each other and the environment. This method can potentially provide more effective treatment strategies as approaches can be customized for the specific genetic profiles of patients. Completing the TCGA HNSCC database has led to the development of new therapeutic approaches and targeted therapies. Lately, immune checkpoint inhibitors have been recognized as one of the standards of care in HNSCC. However, although treating invasive SCC is crucial, implementing prevention strategies to preclude malignant transformation has been useful in clinical management. Topics of interest for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to: Precision medicine, i.e., targeted therapies that inhibit oral carcinogenesis and tumorigenesis mechanisms; Combination of novel therapeutic approaches with standard-of-care regimens in OSCC; Biomarkers, i.e., predictive and prognostic markers for therapeutic approaches.

I am very happy to have this Special Issue of the journal Energies on the topic of Design and Control of Electrical Motor Drives published. Electrical motor drives are widely used in the industry, automation, transportation, and home appliances. Indeed, rolling mills, machine tools, high-speed trains, subway systems, elevators, electric vehicles, air conditioners, all depend on electrical motor drives.However, the production of effective and practical motors and drives requires flexibility in the regulation of current, torque, flux, acceleration, position, and speed. Without proper modeling, drive, and control, these motor drive systems cannot function effectively.To address these issues, we need to focus on the design, modeling, drive, and control of different types of motors, such as induction motors, permanent magnet synchronous motors, brushless DC motors, DC motors, synchronous reluctance motors, switched reluctance motors, flux-switching motors, linear motors, and step motors.Therefore, relevant research topics in this field of study include modeling electrical motor drives, both in transient and in steady-state, and designing control methods based on novel control strategies (e.g., PI controllers, fuzzy logic controllers, neural network controllers, predictive controllers, adaptive controllers, nonlinear controllers, etc.), with particular attention to transient responses, load disturbances, fault tolerance, and multi-motor drive techniques. This SI include original contributions regarding recent developments and ideas in motor design, motor drive, and motor control. The topics include motor design, field-oriented control, torque control, reliability improvement, advanced controllers for motor drive systems, DSP-based sensorless motor drive systems, high-performance motor drive systems, high-efficiency motor drive systems, and practical applications of motor drive systems. I want to sincerely thank authors, reviewers, and staff members for their time and efforts.

This volume consists of fifteen multidisciplinary papers written by prehistoric, classical, and postclassical archaeologists from different institutions worldwide. They provide quite an open view of different aspects of underway landscape archaeology research in many countries, from Europe to Asia and the Americas. The papers cover a wide variety of territories that, in one way or another, have been crossed, exploited, and changed by the impact of Neanderthals and Modern humans throughout different periods of the Pleistocene and the Holocene. Extreme environments have also been considered, among which are central Asia's desert landscapes and western Europe's northernmost territories. The result consists of an interesting mosaic of papers discussing Medieval, subrecent periods, and archaeometric approaches.

In the current context of global change and global interconnectedness, our role in connecting the dots and finding solutions to current and future problems is very important. When talking specifically about the management of forests, we can see its continuous evolution and, more importantly, its adaptation to contemporary challenges. As is well known, forest ecosystems play an essential role in our economy, human wellbeing and global wellbeing. More specifically, one of the main challenges in forest management is represented by the sustainability of resources and need to conserve biological diversity. The best way is to think globally, to find patterns that repeat themselves and to investigate solutions that can help us to prepare a better future. In this regard, we think that it is essential to review papers that present interesting findings that could guide us. The first step was to select 18 articles from a wide range of countries located on three continents, including Brazil, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Germany, Malaysia, Peru, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Our main goal was to analyse the regionally specific aspects, as well as general aspects that can be applied worldwide. Using this approach, we narrowed our research to eight sub-domains: natural and human disturbances, genetics, site conditions, tropical forest, peri-urban forest, forest soils, forest reserves, and mountain ecosystems. These articles tackle themes such as peri-urban forests and their impact on urban agglomerations, ecoturism, cultural heritages and practices from local communities, human interventions and best practices.

The complexity of production processes is on the rise due to evolving technology and changing lifestyles. This complexity can stem from factors within the production system or be influenced by characteristics or events external to the system. This reprint aims to conduct rigorous research focused on the application of data-driven decision-making algorithms to address diverse challenges within complex production systems.

This Special Issue delves into the strides made, challenges encountered, and research imperatives within the realm of Industrie 4.0 from both a scientific and practical standpoint. This publication features the voices of Industrie 4.0 pioneers Henning Kagermann and Wolfgang Wahlster, as well as leaders in research and industrial application of smart manufacturing concepts.

Innovation in chemical plant design is driving improvements in efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability. This progress is influenced by factors such as safety standards, environmental regulations, market dynamics, and technological advancements. Innovations encompass process intensification, modular design, automation, data analytics, and sustainability solutions, addressing modern challenges. These innovations have diverse applications, spanning drug delivery systems, textile technologies, spray drying, extraction, and active packaging. Notably, supercritical fluid-assisted production of liposomes in pharmaceuticals promises improved therapeutic outcomes through meticulous optimization and sustainability. The textile industry sees advancements in natural dyeing and antibacterial properties, while spray-drying and extraction processes enhance product development and sustainability. Integration of remote sensing and microelectronics aids land surface temperature understanding for applications like agriculture and climate change studies. Convolutional Neural Networks benefit material science, facilitating material identification for energy storage and lubrication applications. Techno-economics for gas-to-liquid processes in natural gas are vital for energy and environmental sustainability. The industry's ongoing evolution prioritizes safety, sustainability, and efficiency, relying on innovative approaches and technologies to create safer, more sustainable, and economically viable chemical processes with reduced environmental impact, contributing to a prosperous and sustainable future.

This reprint serves as an introduction to the groundbreaking research work that explores the remarkable advancements in biosensor technology and its profound impact on the fields of biomedicine and environmental research. It aims to elucidate the subject's scope, provide future research directions, and highlight potential applications. This reprint is dedicated to the scientific community, researchers, and professionals seeking to expand their knowledge of biosensing. We express our gratitude to all those who have supported and contributed to this scientific endeavor.

This reprint, entitled "Management of Acute and Chronic Complications of Lysosomal Storage Diseases in Children and Adults: Current Practice and Future Opportunities", covers broad aspects of this group of rare diseases. The first theme includes articles on the management of pain, corneal clouding, gastrointestinal and airway diseases in Mucopolysaccharidoses and Mucolipidoses, and the evaluation of dysphonia in Pompe disease. Additionally, attention deficit and ADHD and the management of atherosclerosis in Fabry disease are considered here. The second theme includes diagnostic conundrums in lysosomal storage diseases, e.g., the prenatal diagnosis of Gaucher disease during pregnancy, the diagnosis of secondary hyperparathyroidism in Mucolipidoses, and the application of the new biomarker "plasma neurofilament light" in Niemann Pick C disease, as well as the correlation of enzyme activity with molecular diagnosis in Pompe disease. The articles in the third theme describe the impact of therapies on clinical outcomes. For example, a systematic review of the impact of enzyme replacement therapy on late-onset Pompe disease and trehalose use on Niemann Pick A and B is included. The remaining articles describe the NHS processes for overcoming challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the differences in the transition from paediatric to adult services between different countries.

The integration of information technologies with industry has marked the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution and promoted the development of industrial engineering. However, the depletion of resources and industrial waste caused by increasing amounts of industrial production pose a huge threat to nature. The application of sustainable supply chains in industrial engineering and management is one of the ways to balance the economy, society and environment. Therefore, it is a key concern for us to explore the construction of sustainable supply chains in industrial engineering and management. Moreover, to understand the impact of low-carbon, sustainable and recycled supply chains on industrial engineering, we need more in-depth investigations.This Special Issue aims to solicit original research and review articles discussing sustainable supply chain decision-making in industrial engineering and management to improve the sustainability of enterprise operations. Moreover, this Special Issue also shows mixed methods (e.g., modeling plus a case study) and rigorous quantitative/qualitative empirical studies of sustainable supply chains.

The present reprint encompasses all the articles that have been accepted and published in the Special Issue entitled "Probability, Stochastic Processes and Optimization". In applied research, Probability Theory is usually regarded as a distant, often-neglected relative of Statistics. This Special Issue attempted to rectify this misconception by publishing papers presenting novel applications and original models from the natural, computer, or social sciences, based on Probability and Stochastic Processes.

The topics covered in this Special Issue range from breastfeeding and early-life nutrition to effects on microbiota, infection, allergy, asthma, and the mechanisms of immunomodulation via (the early introduction of) nutrition on infections and the development of (food) allergies.

From a biological perspective, the subterranean realm is one of the less studied, but at the same time, one of the most promising, theatres for new findings and research. Compared to those on the surface, the ecological conditions occurring in subterranean habitats are relatively simple, and this may be an optimal scenario for understanding the mechanisms allowing the colonization, adaptation, and evolution of species, as well as their interactions within local communities. Diversity in subterranean habitats is often overlooked, and few studies embrace whole communities or try to assess functional relationships between species.This Special Issue reprint comprises papers covering a wide range of aspects related to the distribution, composition, and roles of subterranean communities occurring in different typologies of subterranean habitats.

In the face of mounting challenges such as food insecurity and environmental degradation, the significance of sustainable agriculture has become increasingly apparent as a beacon for our collective future. Central to this transformative movement is the profound importance of soil health, which serves as the bedrock for both crop productivity and ecological resilience. The Special Issue "Advancements in Soil and Sustainable Agriculture" boldly ventures into this pivotal realm, unveiling a rich tapestry of groundbreaking research dedicated to preserving soil health and cultivating a more environmentally conscious agricultural landscape. Within the pages of this reprint, a wealth of experimental studies and insightful reviews converge to address a broad spectrum of soil sustainability issues. From innovative nutrient management strategies to the remediation of contaminated soils, the contributors to this Special Issue illuminate the nuanced interplay between agricultural practices and the intricate web of soil health. This comprehensive collection stands as a guiding compass for researchers, shedding light on the complexities of sustainable agriculture and paving the way for a future that harmonizes food security with environmental stewardship. The invaluable insights encapsulated within these pages are poised to propel the frontiers of sustainable agriculture, ensuring a trajectory where the principles of environmental consciousness and resilient food production intertwine seamlessly for generations to come.

The aim of this Special Issue is to specify relevant principles of mathematics and mechanics in order to explore and understand biological problems. We summarize the most important parameters that influence human performance and that are related to the health sciences for all age groups, throughout their lives. We present papers that aim to introduce the latest research in the fields of health, quality-of-life improvement, and sport rehabilitation and that summarize their recommendations for best practice. The aim for this Special Issue is, therefore, to effectively combine and coordinate research and results in order to understand and improve human movement in medicine, sports, and at work.

Metronomic chemotherapy is now, finally, in clinical use. After 20 years of preclinical development and clinical trials, the emerging data will be of paramount importance in allowing us to assess the impact of metronomic chemotherapy on different tumor types. Indeed, it is likely that the next decade will see a major reassessment of the possible applications of metronomic chemotherapy, both alone and in combination with new therapeutic approaches such as immunotherapies, for the management of cancer. Moreover, the results of clinical trials will likely profoundly affect the direction of the laboratory efforts that are going on in parallel and aiming to improve the personalization of this therapeutic strategy. This Special Issue is our attempt to cover the past and present clinical results that have brought us to this pivotal moment and will form the basis of future clinical developments. Scientists and clinicians caring for cancer patients are well aware of the challenges in dealing with this particular therapeutic approach; one such challenge is obtaining improvements in patient survival without significant toxicity. This edition includes clinical research on chemotherapy and ongoing controversies related to metronomic chemotherapy.

This collection of articles provides insight into the mental health and nursing care of individuals who are confronting a life-threatening illness. As individuals face a cancer diagnosis, there will be many challenges and changes in their lives. Emotional distress can emerge to greater and lesser degrees. Frequently, these individuals will require additional assistance to cope with the emotional distress they experience. Nurses have an important role in assessing this emotional distress and providing relevant interventions.

Three-dimensional printing is among the emerging technologies of our time. While it was previously primarily employed for rapid prototyping, this technology has entered a phase of accelerated production, especially for complicated or small objects. Most recently, novel 3D printing technologies have enabled objects with features at the micro- or even nano-scale to be fabricated. Meanwhile, well-known problems such as the waviness of fused deposition modeling (FDM)-printed parts, the missing long-term stability of some typical printing materials or the reduced mechanical properties of 3D-printed objects persist.This Special Issue focusses on all topics related to the 3D printing of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), such as novel or advanced features enabled by 3D printing compared to conventional technologies, but also the challenges that continue to exist regarding the application of 3D printing technologies for MEMS and new approaches to overcoming them.

This comprehensive reprint explores the remarkable advancements in energy-related systems driven by the utilization of nanomaterials. It covers a wide range of topics, from material-level investigations to device-level applications, incorporating molecular dynamic simulations and measurements of electrical, thermal, dielectric, and electrochemical properties. The chapters delve into optimizing heat transfer processes, enhancing HVAC systems, improving Li-ion battery performance, developing high-performance carbon nanofiber anodes, and exploring the potential of flexible porous silicon/carbon fiber anodes. The reprint also discusses formic acid microfluidic fuel cells, 2D MXenes, electrical breakdown models, nanocomposite capacitors, and the dielectric behavior of nanofluids. It addresses topics such as radical scavenger fillers, the thermal properties of ternary nitrate, distributed Bragg reflectors, Pd-Pt bimetallic dendrites, and the oil-water interface behavior of modified graphene oxide. With its multidisciplinary approach and comprehensive coverage, this reprint serves as a valuable resource for researchers, scientists, and engineers working in the field of energy-related systems and nanotechnology.