Bücher veröffentlicht von Mdpi AG

It is widely accepted that antioxidants can help in disease prevention by effectively quenching free radicals or inhibiting damage caused by oxidative stress. However, the final fate of antioxidants in the gut, how antioxidant metabolites affect gut microbiota, and how gut microbiota affect the metabolism of antioxidants are not fully understood. This Special Issue collected the latest research findings and review articles, bringing together current research and critical thinking on the fate of phytochemical antioxidants in the gut and the role antioxidant gut metabolites play in reducing oxidative stress in various gut and metabolic diseases. Both in vitro and in vivo studies relating to any of the following topics will be considered: fate of antioxidants in the gut; antioxidative activities of phytochemicals in the digestive system; molecular mechanisms of phytochemical antioxidants in maintaining gut health; and interactions of antioxidant metabolites and gut microbiota.

In the context of the food industry, "Innovative Food Products and Processing" refers to the creation and application of cutting-edge techniques, technologies, and approaches. This vibrant industry covers a broad range of topics, with the aim of enhancing food quality, safety, sustainability, and the consumer experience.This Special Issue, entitled "Innovative Food Products and Processing" provides readers with a wide range of topics and applications in food science and technology, such as the use of food chemistry, biochemistry, fermentation, and microbiology, as well as new contemporary processing and preservation technologies and techniques for effective waste management and green technology for the food processing industry."Innovative Food Products and Processing" is an excellent resource for food science researchers, food scientists, biochemists, nutritionists, and students. This publication's wide range of topics provides a complete overview of the most recent breakthroughs, cutting-edge technologies, and emerging trends in the food industry.

This Proceedings reprint is focused on the latest developments in the topics of imaging technology, advanced manufacturing, and medical diagnosis. The evolving interdisciplinary research between the three topics is discussed.

This Special Issue aimed to collate recent works regarding the planning and control of energy systems. In particular, this Special Issue focuses on microgrids. This kind of system enables optimal integration of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles, energy storage, and demand-side management strategies, thus proposing a valuable framework through which to implement the decarbonization of the electricity sector.Special attention is given to those works devoted to systems with high penetration of renewables and advanced demand response strategies. Literature reviews are also included in this Special Issue, and some real-life experiences are described and analyzed.

The increasing concern regarding environmental issues has led to the adoption of stringent regulations worldwide to facilitate the urgent move towards green mobility and sustainable transportation. In this regard, electrified powertrains are bound to replace conventional thermal engines to reduce greenhouse gases and pollutant emissions. The synergy between the internal combustion engine and the electric unit in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions while maintaining high vehicle performance and driving comfort. Moreover, unlike pure electric vehicles, the hybrid electric powertrain fulfills even the most demanding energetic requirements, ranging from light- and heavy-duty vehicles to agricultural machinery, vessels, and aircraft, thus becoming the optimal sustainable solution in the short term. Nonetheless, the full potential of HEVs can only be exploited using a multidisciplinary approach to design the mechanical and electrical equipment and implement the optimal energy management strategy. This Special Issue, "Frontiers in Hybrid Vehicles Powertrain", provides a broad perspective on the current challenges and research trends of the hybrid electric powertrain collecting nine peer-reviewed papers dealing with the main mechanical, electrical, controls, and energetic issues of HEVs.

Gallium nitride and related semiconductor materials enable a wide range of novel devices, some of which already improve our everyday life. Driven by vast consumer markets, the research and development of nitride semiconductor devices underwent tremendous growth worldwide. The Special Issue on "Recent Advances in III-Nitride Semiconductors" provides a forum for research monographs and professional titles in this area. The Special Issue presents the joint effort of 16 leading research groups, covering subjects including: the growth of GaN-based materials and micro/nanostructures; characterization of the materials and heterostructures; GaN-based novel devices, including emission, detection and power devices; application and integration of other wide-bandgap materials and novel devices in novel electronics and photonics.

The boundaries of sports journalism continue to expand as non-traditional actors emerge and proliferate in the digital environment. This outstanding and vital specialist area within the news industry faces increasing pressure from adjacent fields. Amateur sports enthusiasts (bloggers, streamers or influencers) and team media for sports organizations adopt many of the roles and tasks historically attributed to sports journalism and engage in activities that may be perceived and regarded as journalistic by audiences.The arrival of new actors around the journalistic field, the heavy use of social media and its impact on sports consumption patterns, the search for new business models for news organizations, and the disrupting technology that is being explored and applied in sports coverage all require new conceptual approaches to better understand the sports news industry in the digital age.All of these considerations led eighteen authors from nine countries (Greece, Portugal, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Australia, Ireland, and Sweden) to publish their research contributions and broaden the discussion in this MDPI reprint about the current trends in the sports media landscape and the most pressing challenges that sports journalists need to face in the years to come.

In the construction sector, as in many others, the continuous development of materials, design concepts, and tools for numerical analysis offers new challenges and scenarios to the research and professional communities. For example, the application of building and infrastructure materials and load-bearing components that are particularly sensitive to severe environmental or operational conditions can require specific and even complex methods of analysis, as well as specific performance indicators for their structural verification and assessment. In this regard, especially in recent years, both the building and infrastructure fields have been able to take advantage of increasing technological and productive innovation, which generally takes the form of novel analysis techniques and tools in support of design.This Topical Collection includes original research contributions that are focused on the latest advancements in and development of innovative techniques and solutions for structural analysis, when applied to building and infrastructural constructions. The collection is thus of interest for a multitude of stakeholders, such as academics, structural and construction engineers, architects and other professionals that are involved in the building and infrastructure field.

This reprint includes 14 articles in Biomedical Data Science in honor of Professor Philip Bourne. Contributed by world-renowned experts, these articles cover a broad range of topics in machine learning, biophysics, bioinformatics, and systems biology.

Climate-change-induced extreme temperatures significantly impact crop production worldwide. Therefore, this Special Issue highlights several genetics, genomics, agronomic and physiological interventions in developing temperature-resilient plants.

"Advances in Transboundary Aquifer Assessment" features studies of transboundary aquifers, particularly at the border shared by Mexico and the United States, a semi-arid to arid region experiencing significant population growth and changing climate conditions. Aquifer assessment in a transboundary setting requires the cooperation of multiple jurisdictions, sometimes with different languages and cultures. The papers in this Special Issue represent a broad array of investigations of complex physical aquifer systems and related institutional settings, including identification and prioritization of needs and strategies for sustainable groundwater development and use; characterization of the physical framework of the aquifer, stressors on the aquifer system, and how those stressors influence the availability of groundwater in terms of its quantity and quality; and the incorporation of stakeholder input and prioritization directly into the process of aquifer assessment and model building.

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and deep learning have received widespread attention in recent years and have shown great potential for application in many industrial fields. In power systems, AI and related technologies are also being used as new powerful tools that are gradually replacing the traditional techniques of feature modeling, performance control, and fault diagnosis, with better results. This reprint consists of 10 articles, all of which are authored by experts in the related fields, reporting the results of the latest research on the application of AI techniques in power systems, focusing on several novel and fascinating approaches to power system modeling and control, state estimation, performance diagnosis and prognosis.

The extraction of active ingredients from vegetable matter is one of the most attractive research fields in the literature. A perspective that promotes this large interest is the possibility of identifying eco-friendly and innovative processes, active products, and materials. However, care must be taken in selecting process arrangements and extraction conditions to minimize the co-extraction of undesired compounds. The analysis of the composition of the extracted compounds by chromatography, mass spectrometry and related techniques, is a relevant step in determining the performance of the extraction process and the purity of the extracted compounds to be used for pharmaceutical applications.This reprint includes 10 Research papers, 1 Communication, and 1 Review, and reports innovative extraction techniques and advanced analytical methods used for the recovery and the identification of high-added value compounds from vegetable matter.

Machine learning and deep learning have made tremendous progress over the last decade and have become the de facto standard across a wide range of image, video, text, and sound processing domains, from object recognition to image generation. Recently, deep learning and deep reinforcement learning have begun to develop end-to-end training to solve more complex operation research and combinatorial optimization problems, such as covering problems, vehicle routing problems, traveling salesman problems, scheduling problems, and other complex problems requiring general simulations. These methods also sometimes include classic search and optimization algorithms for machine learning, such as Monte Carlo Tree Search in AlphaGO. The present reprint contains all of the articles accepted and published in the Special Issue of Mathematics entitled "Advances in Machine Learning and Mathematical Modeling for Optimization Problems". The articles presented in this Special Issue provide insights into related fields, including models, performance evaluation and improvements, and application developments. We hope that readers will benefit from the insights of these papers and contribute to these rapidly growing areas. We also hope that this Special Issue will shed light on major developments in the area of machine learning and mathematical modeling for optimization problems and that it will attract the attention of the scientific community to pursue further investigations, leading to the rapid implementation of these techniques.

As base metals, zinc and lead are widely developed in various types of deposits. Zinc and lead also form various types of independent deposits and are associated with a variety of critical metals. Zn-Pb deposits occupy an important position in the world, including volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS/VMS), magmatic-hydrothermal-associated skarn and/or epithermal types, sediment-hosted types (e.g., clastic-hosted sedimentary exhalative, SEDEX; carbonate-hosted Mississippi Valley type, MVT; sandstone-hosted type, SST; and shale-hosted type), and hydrothermal vein types. This Special Issue reprint aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of Zn-Pb deposits and associated critical metals, and promote global prospecting.

This reprint focuses on the position of sustainability in engineering and points to the multidimensionality of the issue. Architecture, civil and engineering issues are main themes of discussion, with special attention to research and design. Attention is focused on four thematic groups: energy (including energy harvesting), economy (including building circularity), pro-health activities, and design.

The aim of this Special Issue is to present the latest advances in new horticultural propagation and breeding methods. The Special Issue "The State-of-the-Art Propagation and Breeding Techniques for Horticulture Crops" brings together some of the latest research results of new techniques in this field. It presents twelve original papers, which deal with a wide range of research activities.

Digital and spatial studies of religions have developed rapidly as prominent research fields over the last two decades. This "spatial turn" has rippled through humanities and social sciences disciplines, and digital and spatial perspectives now occupy a central position in religious studies. However, various research efforts have led to disparate approaches to the digital and spatial study of religions without providing integrated and synergized connections between the digitalization and visualization of religious studies.This reprint aims to support and promote both digital and spatial studies of religions through interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspectives, including those of all historical periods, regions, and religions. Collectively, this reprint demonstrates that digital and spatial studies are unique and constructive ways of discovering, developing, and delivering religious studies that remain undiscovered or unaddressed through conventional research methodology. In an effort to supplement the current digital humanities in general, and the spatial study of religions in particular, the reprint presents theoretical or applied research papers on Chinese religious sites and mapping that are theory-driven, innovative, and data-based.

In this reprint, several original pieces of research and reviews are collected on the topic of "Polymorphism in Crystals," including the crystal structure determinations, the phase transformation studies, the thermodynamic and dissolution properties studies, the regulation of polymorph by additives and templates, the intensifications of the crystallization process, etc. This reprint aims to present and disseminate recent advancements in the design and use of polymorphism in crystals with desired qualities using crystal engineering. This reprint aims to enhance our understanding of polymorphism in crystals and their remarkably potential applications in pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, and photoelectric industries.

This reprint relating the Insurtech, Proptech, and Fintech environments tries to provide a wide range of perspectives about these sectors, focusing on fields such as financial technology, banking, insurance, real estate, digital implementation, and quantitative analysis, among others.It is beyond any doubt that this sector is probably one of the most relevant and disrupting new markets in recent years, with a great potential to generate collaborations with financial institutions and the insurance world, which jointly grow towards a more innovative business model.The lines between financial services and technology have blurred to the point that the previously distinct sectors are colliding. In effect, digital-only banks are offering redesigned client propositions and cost profiles, and consumers are ready for the digital shake-up.The Special Issue "Insurtech, Proptech, and Fintech Environment: Sustainability, Global Trends and Opportunities" has included original contributions demonstrating significant advancements, innovations, relevance, and potential growth in this sector in the forthcoming years. We have also focused on the main forms of interaction between banks and FinTech companies.

This Special Issue aimed to compile original and cutting-edge research works in the fields of plasma process, polymerization, synthesis, characterization, treatment, modification, manufacturing, and applications of functional plasma-processed polymers.

The presence of pollutants (i.e., emerging contaminants, radionuclides, potential toxic metals, dyes, etc.) in water has a negative impact on the environment and presents a potential health risk for inhabitants. Among the existing technologies (i.e., advanced oxidation process, membrane filtration, biodegradation, etc.) that are used to remove them from water, adsorption has garnered significant interest due to its low cost and fast removal. The development of advanced materials and their application for water treatments have recently caught the attention of researchers.This reprint aimed to establish updated information on adsorption technology for water and wastewater treatments. The submissions selected for this SI focus on (1) applying reality technology for water and wastewater treatments and (2) exploring detailed adsorption mechanisms using current data (i.e., comparing changes in the properties of adsorbents before and after adsorption using appropriate techniques).

The "Advance in Molecularly Imprinted Polymers" Special Issue establishes a connection between original research papers and reviews that showcase recent progress in the formulation, creation, and wide-ranging utilization of molecularly imprinted polymers. The content within this Special Issue encompasses a range of subjects pertaining to the chemistry of MIPs, encompassing aspects such as molecular modeling, the utilization of novel monomers and innovative synthesis methods for crafting MIPs, the synthesis and application of ion-imprinted materials, the selective extraction of organic compounds, the preparation of sensors, and the implementation of MIPs in the field of medicine. The compilation of scientific papers presented in this collection demonstrates the diverse landscape of research within MIPs chemistry, ultimately leading to the enhancement of desired traits and the exploration of fresh potential applications for these materials.

This collection of essays addresses a range of topics probing the interface between religious practice and the COVID-19 pandemic. Significant attention is given to religious and cultural debates over health care policy as well as vaccination policy development in the United States, but contributions from Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe are included as well. In addition to the North American perspectives (with an emphasis on the white evangelical Christian encounter with public health regulation), the volume highlights voices from Islamic Nigeria and southern Africa, traditional Confucian culture, Greek Orthodoxy, Catholic social teaching, as well as the insights of Häha yoga from the Hindu tradition.

Since the first release of a horticultural crop (grapevine) genome in 2007, hundreds of genome sequences from horticultural plants have been made available to the public. These sequences have facilitated the decoding of genes responsible for the horticultural traits of horticultural crops, including fruit crops, vegetable crops, ornamental crops, beverage crops, and medicinal crops, to an unprecedented degree. In order to promote the findings in this area, Horticulturae is launching a Special Issue entitled "Genomic Analyses and New Breeding Technologies for the Enhancement of Horticultural Plants". The focus of this Special Issue will be analysing the genes responsible for horticultural traits and investigating the use of breeding technologies for horticultural crops.

Crystallization is an important industrial process, a purification technique, a separation process and a branch of particle technology. It also encompasses the key areas of chemical and process engineering. industrial crystallization products include bulk chemicals such as sodium chloride and sucrose; fertilizer chemicals such as potassium chloride and urea; valuable products such as pharmaceuticals, platinum group metal salts, high grade materials for battery production and organic fine chemicals; engineered nanoparticles and crystals for the electronics industry as well as biotechnology products such as protein crystals. Industrial crystallization also encompasses the use of crystallization in water and effluent treatment. The overall theme of this Special Issue is how industrial crystallization is informed by the theoretical concepts of crystallization, and how practical understanding in the field is enhanced through applied research. The Special Issue is dedicated to Professor Gerda van Rosmalen who was a pioneer in this field. She developed the field of industrial crystallization research through her original approach and was regarded globally as a pre-eminent figure in the field. Additionally, this Special Issue provides a basis for the in-depth and comprehensive manuscripts of several oral poster contributions of ISIC 2021-held as an online event from August 30 to September 2, 2021.

This Special Issue contains 25 articles about mental health considering various cross-cultural perspectives. The findings and insights obtained from these articles will help researchers, practitioners, educators, students, and the general public to better understand mental health from different perspectives. We hope that such insights will help build a more compassionate world, instead of a stigmatised one.

Perennial woody plants usually face multifactorial adverse conditions during their long lifespan, which impairs their growth and productivity. To cope with these adverse conditions, trees deploy morphyological, physiological and molecular responses to adapt to the environmental constraints. By using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic approaches, many hub genes that are involved in stress response were identified. In recent years, with the advantages of transgenic technology in woody plants, many candidate genes participating in stress responses were functionally characterized and showed great potential for tree improvement under different stresses. On the other hand, cultivation strategies (including beneficial microorganism investigation, beneficial microorganism inoculation, mixed forest and so on) also play crucial roles in tree improvement under abiotic and biotic stress.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders are among the top five contributors to disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide. These disorders include a wide range of conditions, spanning from fractures, sports injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, and musculoskeletal pain syndromes to those mostly affecting older age groups like osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. MSK conditions often present diagnostic challenges due to overlapping symptoms, complex anatomical aspects, and the variety of potential causes. Imaging plays a pivotal role in diagnosing and guiding treatment for these disorders. In the past decade, the MSK radiology field has witnessed significant progress driven by breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI), the development of high-resolution equipment and novel imaging sequences, and the adoption of innovative multidisciplinary approaches. This Special Issue on skeletal radiology brings together a diverse collection of articles that showcase the latest advancements in this field. From evaluating flatfoot to exploring emerging targets for osteoarthritis treatment, the included studies provide valuable insights into diagnostic accuracy and the expanding applications of skeletal radiology techniques. This editorial aims to highlight the significance of these articles and their contributions to the field of skeletal radiology.

Nowadays, computational and mathematical methods provide effective tools for handling vast quantities of data and information in the fields of big data analytics, knowledge discovery and decision-making for solving complex problems in the world. The present reprint contains all of the articles accepted and published in the first edition of the Special Issue titled "Computational and Mathematical Methods in Information Science and Engineering". The objective of this Special Issue is to provide a channel through which members of the scientific community can exchange insights regarding recent advances in the theory and application of computational and mathematical methods in information science and engineering, with the long-term goal being to solve data-handling problems in practice. We hope that the papers published in this Special Issue will be considered impactful by the international scientific community and motivate further research into computational and mathematical methods that can solve complex problems in various fields and applications.