Bücher veröffentlicht von Mdpi AG

Knowledge and awareness of the risks generated by natural hazards are essential requirements for the enhancement of communities' resilience to disasters. United Nations directives have recently pointed out the necessity of undertaking actions aimed at anticipating, managing, and mitigating disaster risks to reduce their economic and social impact and protect the health, socioeconomic assets, cultural heritage, and ecosystems of communities and countries. While the increasing occurrence of disasters caused by meteorological events, such as floods, storms, and droughts, can be directly ascribed to the consequence of climate change, disasters induced by earthquakes and tsunamis are increasing even if their frequency of occurrence is historically unchanged. This Special Issue addresses concepts, methods, and predictive methodologies for assessing natural hazard risks. It presents fifteen articles focusing on the single-risk assessment of a broad range of natural hazards, such as earthquakes, river/sea floods, meteotsunamis, tornados, hydrological and meteorological drought, liquefaction, as well as on multirisk assessment in the presence of multiple hazards. The adopted methodologies rely on (a) quantitative, semi-quantitative, and qualitative methods for the assessment of the risks related to natural hazards; (b) risk analysis at different scales; (c) multi-hazard risk assessment techniques; (d) real-time hazard monitoring and warning systems; (e) disaster mitigation strategies; and (f) risk management and emergency planning on multiple scales.

he is a reprint of the Special Issue 'Emerging Micro Manufacturing Technologies and Applications' published in the journal Micromachines (MDPI). It contains eleven articles, including one Editorial, nine research papers, and one review.

The availability of fresh water of good or high quality is essential for the health of people, animals and the environment. The monitoring and modelling of water resources are therefore strategic for achieving a sustainable and inclusive society. This reprint hosts research and review papers featuring different approaches ranging from engineering and environmental sciences (hydrology, ecotoxicology and remote sensing) to economic disciplines (environmental and circular economy). Contributions may be of interest to both researchers and environmental managers.

The impressive progress in commercially available computers nowadays allows the solving of complicated mathematical problems in many scientific and technical fields. This revolution has created a surge in chemical engineering science. More sophisticated approaches to catalysis, kinetics, reactor design and simulation have been developed thanks to the powerful new calculation methods available. It is well known that many chemical reactions of great interest for industrial processes and conducted on a large scale need information ranging from thermodynamics to kinetics and transport phenomena related to mass, energy and momentum. For a reliable industrial-scale reactor design, all of this information must be employed into appropriate equations and mathematical models that allow for accurate and reliable simulations for scale-up purposes. A challenge is to collect, in a measurable volume, the main advances and trends in the field of industrial chemistry thanks to the contributions of some pioneers of scientific and technological progress. We can achieve this by reviewing their past activity in the field, or providing, through original manuscripts, examples of the modern approach to the investigation of industrial chemistry reactions.

This Special Issue (SI), entitled "Application of (Big) Data Analysis in A/E/C (architecture, engineering, and construction)", in Buildings has published quality papers outlining novel contributions of the application of big data theory, modeling techniques, and methodologies as a tool for leveraging data analytics in the building industry. Contributions have covered related topics from various application domains of the global A/E/C industry, including structures/structural engineering, materials/geotechnical engineering, construction design/measure, IS/BIM, transport/energy planning and building management, etc. As can be seen in the editorial essay, some domains have been addressed with more emphasis, but some are not. In addition to the editorial essay, the published research works have also touched almost all phases of (big) data analytics, including data collection and curation, data pre-processing, data analysis, prediction, (data-driven) decision making and decision supports, etc., except that related topics about forecasting are still missing. This allows for identifying 'hot zones' of research, in which follow-up research and extended studies should be performed, and 'cold zones', awaiting the utilization and novel application of data and theories/models.

Rural development is an essential constituent of the global economy. However, within agriculture, a decrease in the quantity and quality of crop harvest and livestock productivity is observed due to a deterioration in soil fertility, environment, and irrational use of natural resources. At the same time, agricultural areas are under pressure from population growth, requiring more food production. As a result, it encourages people to move into intact primary areas in order to increase the area of crops, pastures, etc., which leads to the destruction of natural diversity. The solution to avoid disaster is increasing agricultural production efficiency to expand crop harvest and livestock productivity without deteriorating quality. It requires introducing innovative engineering technologies to agriculture. Fortunately, technology is developing rapidly nowadays, and new driving scientific forces are emerging.The Special Issue collected high-quality research and review articles from academics and industry-related researchers in the areas of Agricultural Engineering covering the following topics: harvesting and planting crops, livestock production, livestock and agrofood waste utilization, seed treatment and transportation, water treatment, agricultural robotic applications, solutions for digital and precision agriculture, hardware and software support for pest and weed control, machine learning, energy efficiency and conservation in agriculture.

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 is a well-known, cytoprotective enzyme, responsible for the enzymatic conversion of heme into the anti-apoptotic and antioxidant by-products, biliverdin, bilirubin and carbon monoxide. However, HO-1 also regulates responses via mechanisms that are independent of the generation of heme degradation products. The current Special Issue contains research and review articles on the effect of heme oxygenase on immune-related cellular and physiological cascades and functions including effects on innate immunity, adaptive immunity, inflammation and complement activation. A description of the role of HO-1 in immune regulation directly or via its by-products is depicted on various forms of infection, viral and bacterial, immune-mediated injury such as renal injury, allergic airway inflammation, cancer and metabolism. Thus, the current Special Issue aims to serve as a detailed, analytical and up-to-date guide of the recent advances on the immunomodulatory properties of HO-1.

This reprint highlights the importance of Deep Learning (DL), which has garnered significant attention in science, industry, and academia. It draws inspiration from the functioning of the human brain and the concept of learning. Unlike traditional and machine learning methods, deep learning techniques emulate the human brain's neural networks at a lower scale, allowing them to process and analyze substantial quantities of unstructured data. The remarkable proficiency of deep learning in unveiling intricate structures within extensive datasets genuinely resembles the extraordinary aptitude of the brain to recognize patterns and form complex connections. This unique characteristic allows DL to excel in modeling and solving complex problems across various scientific and technological fields. Just as the brain learns from experience, DL architectures learn through algorithms from data by adjusting numerous parameters during training to optimize their performance and accuracy. This concept of learning and adaptation is fundamental to DL's success.This reprint serves as an excellent opportunity to disseminate current knowledge beyond academic boundaries, reaching a diverse audience encompassing academics, professionals, and the general public. This wide readership fosters the potential for meaningful connections to established projects and the cultivation of collaboration for future research endeavors.

This Special Issue contains 12 articles evidencing the state of the art of research on the evolution and genetics of reptiles. One of the main lines of research concerns the advancements in phylogenetic studies based on the more recent molecular methods and the developments in whole genome sequencing. Among the papers, topics related to the analysis of genome composition with special reference to the presence and evolution of repetitive DNA and the control of gene activity are of interest. Examples of the different roles played by chromosome variability in various evolutionary models are reported. Some of the papers regard certain peculiarities of reptiles, such as meiotic mechanisms in parthenogenetic species and the transition between genetic and environmental sex determination. Besides studies on chromosomes and the nuclear genome, two papers also investigate mitochondrial genome evolution. Particularly promising for future studies is the potentiality gained by the results obtained so far from research into the evolution and genetics of reptiles that has also been used for an intriguing tentative motion to reconstruct dinosaurs' karyotypes. The papers from this Special Issue highlight that reptiles are a good model for studying the genetic and molecular basis of certain key moments in vertebrate evolution.

Robust stress from the external environment does not only induce severe oxidative stress for aquatic animals, but also restricts the health and sustainable development of aquaculture. Oxidative stress is ubiquitous in aquatic animals, and excessive oxidative stress could induce cell and tissue damage. These phenomena manifest primarily as DNA hydroxylation, protein denaturation, lipid peroxidation and cell apoptosis. In general, endogenous and exogenous factors are the main elements that induce oxidative stress, including temperature, oxygen, life history, nutrition, food deprivation, industrial and agricultural pollutants.This Special Issue highlights and discusses the causes of oxidative stress, elucidates the underlying physiological mechanisms, and develops antioxidant resistance strategies that are of great importance for the development of aquaculture. More importantly, this Special Issue offers fresh perspectives on the expanding knowledge related to and research possibilities in the creation of antioxidant resistance in aquaculture

The purpose of this Special Issue, "The Role of Nutrition in Cardiometabolic Health: Experimental, Clinical, and Community-Based Evidence", is to publish a focused, coherent, impactful, and well-cited volume on how nutrition influences diverse cardiometabolic risk factors. Cardiometabolic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity are the leading causes of death worldwide. In recent years, dietary habits have shifted all over the globe. At the same time, a constantly growing body of evidence demonstrates the role of caloric intake and dietary composition as determinants of cardiometabolic health. A suboptimal diet predisposes to a myriad of cardiometabolic risk factors such as impaired glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure. The goal of this Special Issue is to provide rigorous evidence from novel experimental and observational studies that support the association between dietary factors and cardiometabolic risk and evaluate the diverse diet-related risk pathways.

Around 20%-30% of nonmetastatic prostate cancer patients have high-risk localized disease. The best treatment for high-risk localized disease is still unclear, and the reliability of the definition of "high-risk" may need to be validated first. Although recent advances in radiotherapy for prostate cancer have yielded excellent long-term results, even in high-risk localized disease, there are no studies directly comparing it with local treatment options, such as prostatectomy. To address current challenges in high-risk localized and locally advanced prostate cancer, 12 original and 3 review articles covering aspects from basic research to clinical trials are published in this Special Issue.

This reprint focuses on applying remote sensing techniques in watersheds in terms of hydrology, ecology, environment, and human activities. It aims to contribute to the current understanding of integrating research scopes and developing advanced methods in the field of remote sensing of watershed.The development of the multiscalar, multidimensional, and interdisciplinary nature of the application of remote sensing in watershed studies is of particular interest. Special attention is given to watershed mapping, monitoring of underlying surface elements in the watershed, inversion of water cycle parameters, water resource assessment, acquisition of watershed ecological environment parameters, monitoring natural disasters, analyzing upstream and downstream, supporting water governance priorities, water resource development, and irrigation water management. The studies propose a series of advanced data, models, and strategies to serve watershed research better.

In the last couple of years, the awareness of climate change and high pollution levels have raised our sense of ecological responsibility. Pharmaceutical industries play a major role in these issues; as such, alternatives must be found. New environmentally friendly approaches to deal with the growing concern associated with antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are also in great demand. The excessive consumption and misuse of these agents have accelerated the rise of such pathogens responsible for compromising global health-not only the health of humans, but also the health of all living systems. Considering that our natural resources are in great danger, finding green and less environmentally impactful alternatives for fighting these resistant microbials is imperative. From green chemistries, natural extracts and waste products, the sources of these alternate antimicrobial agents can be immense, and their implications are of great impact for future generations.

In recent years, applied marine sciences and engineering has attracted worldwide attention, which includes basic theoretical research and applied research on marine hydrology, meteorology, physics and geology. Besides, new viewpoints, new developments, new theories, new methods, new applications and new experiences of investigation, research and management in the marine environment and big data, ocean and coastal engineering, marine/coastal disaster and risk assessment, river dynamics, marine ecological environment, marine instruments and equipment, etc. are also included. This Special Issue aims to address the recent advances in marine environmental information and the application of marine environmental information.

Chapter 1. Theoretical Principles of a New Media and Technology Education. Description: Theoretical approach to the problems addressed in the book. Chapter 2. Outside Training of Spanish University Students of Education for the Didactic Application of Cinema: Formal, Non-Formal, and Informal Perspectives.Description: Study on the effect of training on perceptions of the educational potential of cinema in universities as a teaching instrument.Chapter 3. The Development of the Competency of "Cultural Awareness and Expressions" Using Movie-Induced Tourism as a Didactic Resource. Description: Analysis of the role of film tourism in the development of skills in the cultural sphere.Chapter 4. Assessment of Digital Competencies of University Faculty and Their Conditioning Factors: Case Study in a Technological Adoption Context.Description: Ex post facto methodology for the study of the development of digital competences among university teaching staff. Chapter 5. Tourism and ICT. Bibliometric Study on Digital Literacy in Higher Education.Description: Literature review on digital literacy and tourism in universities. Chapter 6. Portuguese Primary and Secondary Education in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic: An Exploratory Study on Teacher Training and Challenges.Description: Exploratory analysis of ICT teacher training in Portuguese primary and secondary education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The book provides a comprehensive exploration of cutting-edge developments in aluminum alloy casting and forming processes. Comprising a collection of articles, it delves into the diverse processing techniques, metallurgical complexities, and mechanical characteristics of these extraordinary materials. Each contribution serves as a catalyst for progress in advanced aluminum alloy applications, meticulously addressing challenges and offering innovative solutions.

The sustainable development of agriculture is not only dependent on economics and policy but also relies on decisions to increase sustainability through either (1) specialization (e.g., sustainable intensification) or (2) diversification (e.g., ecological intensification). Understanding the historical context of the region being evaluated is critical to selecting ideal development strategies. Depending on the emphasis on either specialization or diversification, sustainable development can follow different pathways. Specialization during agricultural development is typically concentrated in specific geographic areas with comparative advantages in terms of agricultural production. However, tradeoffs to agricultural specialization include greater reliance on purchased external inputs, greater dependence on government support, and international and interregional interdependence. Addressing the economic and environmental challenges of specialized agricultural production requires a focus on detailed models and field experiments to help balance productivity with reduced environmental impacts. Diversification can incorporate both enterprise diversification as well as ecological intensification strategies, such as integrating livestock and agroforestry with crops. Despite the promises of maintaining the diversity of small shareholders in the developing world, challenges remain. Regional case studies can be used to inspire and implement diversified agricultural systems for the creation of more sustainable future food systems around the world.

This book presents two reviews and thirteen research articles dealing with a broad range of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships. Each article provides in-depth discussion of the various aspects of BEF relationships in naturally and experimentally assembled communities. This book will help to substantially deepen our understanding of BEF interactions and elaborate biodiversity conservation in a changing world. Thus, this publication is not only of interest to scientists in the field, but also for students, university teachers, policymakers, and those who are interested in BEF in general.

The following reprint is based on the discussions initiated at the 28th International Conference on Coordination and Bioinorganic Chemistry (ICCBIC), which was held between 5 and 10 June 2022 at Smolenice Castle, Slovakia. As is apparent, this year's ICCBIC established a partnership with the MDPI publishing house. Therefore, we invite you to form a picture of the spirit of the conference by reading this reprint version of Special Issue of Inorganics, which is devoted to this conference. In total, ten contributions were submitted, of which eight are original papers and two are perspectives.

One of the most important aspects of the engineering assessment of the technical condition of structures and materials is the ability to assess the fatigue behavior of materials and structures. In addition, another important topic is the design of materials or structures that can resist fatigue and fracture. Modern science provides us with an increasing number of new materials, from superalloys of metals manufactured conventionally as well as via additive manufacturing to functionally advanced composites. Against this background, fundamental knowledge of the fatigue behavior and fracture mechanics of different material groups provides a convenient platform for communication between different interested groups and fields: from material science, numerical engineering and mathematical modeling to hybrid methods for fatigue life prediction. This Special Issue facilitates such an exchange of ideas on recent developments in the field of fatigue and fracture and is especially focused on fatigue crack growth analysis, the description of fatigue damage in metals and composites, probabilistic approaches and fracture mechanics analysis, as well as fatigue failure analysis and lifetime prediction.

This book delves into the realm of efficient intelligence, encompassing fundamental and applied research. It explores the applications of embedded sensing in a variety of embedded devices, including industrial robots, unmanned vehicles, elevator traction machines, fuel cells, and more. Special attention is given to collaborative autonomous navigation, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), target object tracking, LiDAR point cloud analysis, prognostic methods for fuel cells, fabric defect detection in manufacturing, elevator traction machine recognition, object detection, vision-based autonomous forklifts, among others.

This Special Issue of Cancers contains research and review articles on "PARPs, PAR and NAD metabolism and their inhibitors in Cancer". It focuses on selected papers from the PARP2019 conference on "New Avenues in Basic and Translational PARP research", that took place in Budapest (Hungary), on 20-23 May 2019.

This Special Issue, "Sustainability in Maritime Transport: Advances, Solutions and Pending Tasks", provides an up-to-date overview of the use of new technologies to develop more sustainable maritime transport based on new combustibles, working procedures and related industries, all of which are in agreement with the technical limitations indicated by safety on board.

Regarding the increasing use of nanomaterials in almost every area of our daily life, toxicological risk assessment is one of the major requirements for their safe handling. Especially at workplaces, inhalation is the major route of exposure and potential toxicity, and effects on the lung need to be considered. Furthermore, neurotoxicity associated with exposure to nanomaterials is a growing field of scientific investigation. However, not every single nanomaterial can be assessed in long-term animal inhalation studies, due to limited resources as well as political and societal efforts to reduce animal experiments according to the 3R principles. Thus, during the last few years, significant efforts have been dedicated to grouping nanomaterials, mainly based on advanced in vitro models. These new approach methodologies (NAMs) include detailed characterization of the respective materials in physiologically relevant media, but also more realistic exposure systems, such as co-cultures, also at the air-liquid interface, combined with comprehensive cellular investigations that provide quite detailed toxicological profiles. Thus, nanoparticles show differences in toxicity depending on their size, surface reactivity, and dissolution kinetics. Adverse cellular effects include inflammation, genotoxicity, oxidative stress, and epigenetic alterations.This Special Issue aims to highlight the recent advances in the mechanisms of nanomaterial toxicity, as well as the approaches for risk assessment, linking nanoparticle characteristics as well as in vitro toxicity to in vivo observations for advanced risk assessment.

Fibrous composites are one type of high-performance composite material featuring the presence of fiber-like reinforcement impregnated with different matrix bases, which have taken a prominent position in diverse engineering applications because of their unique mechanical/physical properties and outstanding structural functions. Manufacturing is a critical procedure to ensure the target dimensions and desired quality of fibrous composites. This involves technical issues frequently encountered in the fabrication, processing, and machining of these composite materials. To date, great endeavors have been made in the past few decades to address manufacturing issues associated with the engineering applications of fibrous composites. Precision manufacturing of these advanced composites has thus become a hot research topic in both academia and industry. Recent advances have been achieved covering both experimental and numerical investigations of manufacturing science and technology of fibrous composites.This Special Issue seeks to report the latest research findings achieved by scholars worldwide focusing on the manufacturing science of fibrous composites for engineering applications. Well-organized papers covering both experimental and numerical studies of fabricating, processing, and machining fibrous composites are all welcome. It is our hope that this Special Issue will provide a platform for academic and industrial researchers to share and disseminate their original research results on all manufacturing aspects of fibrous composites.

Obesity represents the most prevalent metabolic disease in the world, posing a significant public health threat. Obesity shortens life expectancy by increasing the risk of developing comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. A better understanding of the ethiopathology of excess adiposity represents the pillar on which to base the effective management of obesity. In this sense, this book expands our knowledge about the wide array of drivers that can facilitate or contribute to the development of obesity. Moreover, some of the latest progress made in lifestyle, pharmacological and surgical approaches in the treatment of obesity are summarised. Novel concepts regarding the different obesity phenotypes, the use of telemedicine for the treatment of overweight and obesity, or the use of personalised avatars in the management of obesity are also reviewed. This book will be of interest for specialists in Endocrinology and Nutrition, but also for any individual interested in health issues related to nutrition.

Seventy-one percent of the Earth is covered by oceans, which plays an important role in human life (ecological regulation, living resources, mineral resources, etc.). Underwater equipment including sonar and radar can help us to better understand the ocean. Using these technologies, topography, underwater communication, target detection, localization, imaging, and ocean monitoring can be easily carried out. Signal processing and electronics techniques have achieved great progress in recent years. Thanks to these developments, the novel theories, mechanisms, and processing techniques of underwater equipment have also been pushed into a new era.This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advancements, developments, and applications in underwater signal processing methodologies including characterization, simulation, real data processing, as well as applications to underwater engineering. In general, any contributions related to underwater signal processing or ocean signal processing will be considered.

This book focuses on the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on STEM education and measures (teaching tools and research practices) taken to combat the learning gaps in STEM education in the post-pandemic era. Contributions were collected from researchers engaged in STEM education research, including the methods, pedagogical approaches, and environments they utilize in the post-pandemic era.

Thrombosis is a pathophysiological phenomenon observed in acute and chronic coronary syndrome, stroke, and peripheral artery disease. Exposure of the Tissue Factor (TF) to flowing blood is followed to its binding to other coagulation factors leading to thrombin formation. Together with platelet activation, TF ultimately promotes thrombus formation. Recent advances in platelet pathophysiology have shown that these cells are able to regulate their gene/protein expression, engage in de novo protein synthesis, and release different mediators that may interfere with different cell functions. Several clinical trials have clearly shown the efficacy of anticoagulation and/or anti-platelet aggregation in different thrombotic disorders. Real-world practice clearly indicates that antithrombotic strategies need to be personalized according to patient characteristics. The combination of multiple antithrombotic drugs represents a challenging scenario and was the focus of multiple recent randomized controlled trials, with more still to come. As knowledge about platelets and the coagulation system has substantially evolved within the last few years, so should our approach to antithrombotic treatment; focused on current hurdles of antithrombotic treatments in patients with cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases, starting from the molecular mechanisms involved, proposing practical solutions to compelling clinical scenarios using a pathophysiology-oriented approach on the basis of current clinical evidence.