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Plant tissue culture is an important and continually emerging field applied to improve the production, propagation, and conservation of cultivated and wild plant species. This Special Issue of Horticulturae belongs to the section "Propagation and Seeds" and is dedicated to recent developments in in vitro tissue culture technologies and their use in micropropagation, in vitro plant regeneration, and the germplasm conservation of horticultural crops. The papers in this Reprint have been peer reviewed by experts and guest editors and published in Horticulturae in full open access. This Special Issue contains eleven publications, including nine research articles, one review, and one essay article, which provide a representative and valuable collection of the in vitro tissue culture technologies used for horticultural species. It also provides perspectives for future studies and offers a diverse learning experience appropriate for students, technicians, and scientists of plant sciences and plant/agricultural biotechnology.

Metallic implants have attracted a great deal of attention due to their importance in terms of enhancing the quality of human lives and treating human diseases. However, their instability in vivo, caused by corrosion, limited mechanical properties, and poor biocompatibility, remains a great challenge yet to be solved-which is important because the stability of metallic implants is closely associated with the clinical performance of medical implants. This topic has, therefore, attracted increasing levels of attention from researchers in recent decades and the great advances have been achieved. In order to provide a platform to communicate the latest findings of researchers, to broaden understanding and to deepen insights into "advances in the stability of metallic implants", we organized a Special Issue focused on this topic and ten articles have to date been published in the journal Metals. With the aim of facilitating reader access and ongoing research, we have compiled and published 10 articles from this Special Issue.

Dear colleagues, Given the success of the past year, I am happy to announce the release of a second edition of the Special Issue "The Impact of ENT Diseases in Social Life".In this edition, we want to underline how the otorhinolaryngology sector has a significant impact on social life. About 10% of cancers that affect the population annually involve the head and neck region, and each year, the guidelines evolve and change. Emergencies within the otolaryngology sector are among the most common, with numerous increases in hospitalizations in the ENT departments (bleeding, abscesses, dyspnea, etc.). The chosen interventions can significantly improve patient quality of life, and can help to avoid future complications. Given the importance of this medical and surgical branch, I invite you to read our reprint, with otorhinolaryngology as the main topic. Special thanks go to Professor Gay-Escoda, who will help us in the coordination for this Issue as Guest Editor.

The V International Conference la ValSe-Food and VIII Symposium Chia-Link: Feeding Biodiversity and Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change: the Role of Ancestral Crops in Creating Healthy Food, was organized by the International la ValSe-Food (Iberoamerican Valuable Seeds) Network-CYTED. The conference was held from 4 to 6 October 2023 in Valencia, Spain. Ancient grains refer to a category of grains that have been cultivated for thousands of years and have remained largely unchanged by modern plant breeding practices. These grains have a long history as staple foods in various cultures around the world. Ancient grains have gained popularity in recent years due to their nutritional benefits, unique flavours, and potential health benefits compared to modern grains. They are often sought after for their higher fibre, vitamins, and mineral content, as well as their suitability for at-risk or sensitive populations. In addition to promoting safe, sustainable, nutritious, and healthy food, la ValSe-Food Network also recognizes the importance of biodiversity and addressing climate change. The network acknowledges that ancient crops play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity and enhancing resilience in agricultural systems. In this sense, ancient crops possess unique, naturally selected genetic traits, making them valuable resources for future breeding programs and the development of climate-resilient crops, which can help to maintain biodiversity and protect against the loss of valuable genetic resources in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been gaining traction in smart agriculture. Machine learning (ML) can be used for environmental and production performance data analysis and prediction, and computer vision (CV) can monitor abnormal phenotypes in plants and animals. They have massive potential to enhance the overall functioning of smart farming and reduce manual labor. This Special Issue focuses on the novel application of ML and CV in smart farming. The content of this Special Issue encompasses the use of various AI models for the in-depth analysis of quantitative data, RGB images, remote sensing images, and 3D point cloud data, thereby completing tasks such as environmental and growth state prediction, target recognition, and early disease diagnosis, improving crop growth performance and animal welfare.

In this reprint of a Special Issue of Religions, forty contributors respond to James Sterba's argument that the God of traditional theism is logically incompatible with all the evil in the world, and he responds to them. While responding to contributors has led Sterba to change his argument in a number of ways, which he indicates, the main conclusion of his argument has remained unchanged. He still holds that the all-good, all-powerful God of traditional theism is logically incompatible with all the evil in the world.

The maritime shipping sector toward intelligent and safe navigation is intrinsically tied to the integration of cutting-edge technologies (i.e., AI and big data). These technologies are being harnessed across multiple facets of the maritime domain. It is evident that these methodologies have the potential to significantly enhance the intelligence and safety of ships. This SI stands as a compendium of research papers that not only enrich the academic dialogue but also support substantial practical implications for the maritime industry. The insights and innovations contained within this SI are imperative in furthering the frontiers of intelligent and safe navigation. The contributions encompass a spectrum of recent developments, encompassing topics such as big data fusion for ship detection, collision avoidance through deep reinforcement learning approaches, and ship system identification, route planning, etc. These methods draw from a confluence of expertise, merging insights from ship science, AI, and their interdisciplinary interactions. Collectively, the research presented in this SI constitutes a vital stride in the ongoing endeavor to fortify and refine intelligent navigation.

Dyslipidemia is an important risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, despite current traditional therapies (e.g., statins), significant residual risks for the onset of ASCVD remain, warranting the need to better understand newer therapeutic options for diminishing this prospect. This Special Issue will focus on state-of-the-art concepts in the evaluation and management of dyslipidemia, including the rationale for newly set goals in the lipid treatment of this disease given the recent international guidelines, global trends in the epidemiology of dyslipidemia, the latest concepts and therapies in the evaluation and management of familial hypercholesterolemia, novel therapies for lowering LDL-C beyond statin therapy, the status of lipoprotein(a) as a causal risk factor and newer therapeutic approaches to address it, the evaluation and management of dyslipidemia in children, current and emerging therapies for hypertriglyceridemia, and nutraceuticals to treat dyslipidemia in patients with COVID-19. This Special Issue will discuss state-of-the-art clinical trials and other research developments regarding newer and emerging therapies for the management of dyslipidemia to reduce the residual risks of ASCVD. The hope is to provide clinicians with the latest information on the key aspects of the evaluation and treatment of dyslipidemia, including newer non-statin approaches for decreasing the residual risks of ASCVD, such as the settings of elevated LDL-C, lipoprotein(a), and familial hypercholesterolemia.

This Special Issue compiles11 research papers published in the field of forestry and wood processing technology. In particular, this Special Issue highlights the research on timber saw, biomass and waste from resinous branches, forest by-products, log exploitation, the primary processing of round wood in timber with a band saw, the quality of exploited wood, and the role of the forest and forest ecosystem on the environment. Regarding wood science processes, this Special Issue presents works on cutting round wood in timber and veneers, technology 4.0, the manufacture of furniture and musical instruments, acoustical properties, wood biomass, including briquettes and pellets, thermochemical treatments of wood and pellets, finishing processes, and the restoration of cultural heritage objects using classical technologies and chemical materials. A lot of material waste was used to obtain better composites or chemical substances to obtain wood-based composites with better properties and low-level formaldehyde emission.

Iron deficiency (ID) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are global problems that affect more than 2 billion people, accounting for significant mortality annually worldwide. Children, girls, and women of reproductive age are particularly vulnerable to ID and IDA due to their high physiological iron demands. The consequences of IDA include deleterious effects on cognition, mental function, work performance, and pregnancy outcomes. The causes of IDA include low iron intake and poor iron bioavailability from ingested foods. Inflammation and human diseases that are associated with high levels of hepcidin (the hormone that regulates the iron efflux protein, ferroportin) due to mutation in a serine protease, TMPRSS6, can also cause iron deficiency. Practical strategies aimed at preventing anemia include iron supplementation and the fortification of foods. Novel iron compounds that are aimed at averting complications such as irritation and inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract are being synthesized. On the other hand, concerns about the mandatory iron fortification of foods in segments of the population that are predisposed to the consequences of excess tissue iron toxicity can be addressed through administration of iron chelators.

With the continuous improvement of artificial intelligence and sensing technologies, the marine field is ushering in unprecedented change. In this wave of change, the design and application of marine transportation have become significant tools for promoting the marine economy and environmental protection. Motion control and path planning have become key technologies to ensure that marine transportation vehicles operate efficiently and intelligently in complex marine environments. Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on motion control and path planning for marine vehicles and explores how autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), surface unmanned vehicles (USVs), and deep-sea landers (DSLVs) can play a key role in the oceans through optimization strategies and new approaches. We will delve into the application of intelligent and autonomous motion control systems on marine vehicles, and the innovation and optimization of path-planning techniques. In this Special Issue, we brought together the latest results from experts and researchers, aiming to share their cutting-edge research in motion control and path planning for marine vehicles. We expect that the presentation of these papers will provide new ideas and solutions to promote marine science and technology development and application. Finally, we would like to convey our most profound gratitude to the staff of MDPI Books and the editorial team of Marine Science and Engineering, in particular the assistant editors, talented authors, and diligent reviewers.

This reprint represented certain advances in the research on modern avian virology from expert research groups in Asia. All topics collected have included the basic virology, pathogenicity, epidemiology, antiviral strategies, and vaccination developments.

Poultry production has proven to be probably the most successful sector of animal production. With a wide variety of products, increased productivity, and a series of alternative production systems, poultry production has shown admirable skills of adjustability to the concerns and attitudes of the modern consumer. Nevertheless, there is still work to be done in terms of research and development, especially toward the modern challenges of climate change, welfare issues, and the overall sustainability of production.This Special Issue focuses on the recent advances in the production of broilers, laying hens, and other types of birds, mainly around the following subjects: a) structural characterization and clustering of production systems, b) housing and management practices, c) the application of innovative IT methods, d) trends in nutrition, e) the technical and economic efficiency of farms, and f) the quality of poultry meat and eggs.

In collisions of relativistic heavy ions, specific circumstances (energy density, temperature, and pressure) allow for the emergence of a matter that is similar to the one that filled the universe in the first few microseconds. At present, this matter is called the strongly interacting quark-gluon plasma (sQGP), and since it becomes locally thermalized quite early, equations of hydro- and thermodynamics can be utilized to describe its time evolution. Hydrodynamics is a theory that has no internal scale; hence, it can be applied to systems of vastly different sizes, and sQGP is one of them. Analytic solutions utilizing the speed of sound and transport properties shed light on special connections between the final and initial state properties of this matter. Zimányi and his collaborators were among the pioneers of this sub-field, and hence, it is one of the main topics of the annual Zimányi School Winter Workshops. In this reprint, we include papers that address the analytic aspects of hydrodynamics and utilize them to describe sQGP. Furthermore, we include papers that were presented at the Zimányi School 2018 on topics such as effective theories, diffraction, femtoscopy, heavy flavor physics, jets, lattice QCD, the search for the QCD critical point, or vorticity in heavy-ion collisions.

"Environmental Footprints of Drought: Focusing on Emerging Issues and Their Underlying Mechanisms" features studies on understanding the climate system's vulnerability, droughts relationships with large-scale climate patterns, underlying effects of droughts and land-atmosphere feedback using observations or modeling studies, targeted field campaigns, or long-term measurements ranging from local to regional spatial scales. The papers published in the Special Issue offer a comprehensive exploration, ranging from hydro-meteorological, atmospheric feedbacks and socio-economic implications. Notably, publications pivot around forecasting drought events using data-driven approaches and provide applications on how earth observation datasets can used for drought monitoring, comprehensive evaluations of drought characteristics and associated drivers, watershed warmings, drought vulnerability for agricultural systems, and groundwater droughts.

The interaction of the artificial living communities of cities and the examination of the interaction between plants, plants and microorganisms, and plants and animals is an essential part of sustainability. Creating vital urban areas and increasing their biodiversity is also necessary for sustainability. The monitoring and research of settlement communities as ecological systems serves to a large extent to the perception of the effects of climate change and helps to mitigate them. The sustainability and economic operation of established urban green space systems can be made effective by applying innovative technologies.This Special Issue aims to draw attention to this wide-ranging multidisciplinary research work and to offer solutions for modern urban green space management.

The purpose of this Special Issue was to host research and review papers on the past, present, and future of radiochemical synthesis. The Special Issue contains nine original research papers and two reviews within the area of radiochemistry. These address how and why a certain radioactive compound has been prepared, how a radioactive compound has taken our understanding of a biological system to a different level, how a radiopharmaceutical can be used for treatment, and/or how a radioactive compound has improved our understanding of a certain drug (binding pattern and/or metabolization of the drug).

The purpose of this Special Issue is to bring together research and review papers that use radiopharmaceuticals in drug development. Labeling a potential drug with a radionuclide for imaging and injecting radiopharmaceuticals into animals or humans can immediately provide information about the in vivo destiny of the compound through the application of PET or SPECT scanners. Radionuclides can be useful throughout the whole process of developing new drugs; in particular, if the results obtained are negative and the potential drug can be discarded early on in the process, considerable effort and money can be saved. An alternative way to obtain information about the in vivo destiny/effect of a potential drug is to imagine, for example, a target organ or a tumor with radiopharmaceuticals before and after treatment with a drug. Determining how a drug is metabolized is an integrated part of drug development. Labeling a drug with a radionuclide and providing it with a radioactive tag can help in subsequently determining its location and quantifying metabolites. If the metabolites can be extracted, the solutions can be examined through analytical measurements. Using ionizing radiation in the treatment of tumors is also an application for radiopharmaceuticals which is expected to expand greatly in the years to come. By labeling a specific compound with a radionuclide used for diagnostics we can establish whether it accumulates in the tumor. The same compound is thereafter combined with a radionuclide for treatment.This Special Issue contains seven original research papers, one communication, and two reviews.

The oceans play a pivotal role in regulating the Earth's climate, absorbing excess heat with far-reaching consequences such as rising sea levels and shifts in ocean circulation. To address these complex challenges, there is a growing interest in using advanced statistical, machine learning, and AI techniques to observe and model these ocean processes from space. This approach holds immense potential for identifying and predicting these intricate mechanisms, providing valuable insights into the impacts of climate change. This Special Issue reprint is dedicated to advancing climate science by integrating machine learning, remote sensing, and oceanography. It explores the application of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial neural networks and data-driven algorithms to skillfully analyze and forecast ocean-related processes. These cutting-edge techniques are essential for the challenges posed by ocean warming and its effects, emphasizing the urgent need for interdisciplinary research that combines expertise in AI, machine learning, and earth sciences. By fostering innovation and knowledge exchange, this Special Issue compiles recent advancements in ocean and climate sciences. It offers a wide array of methodological perspectives and tools to enhance our understanding of global and regional climate change monitoring, elevate forecasting capabilities, and clarify sources of uncertainty in predictive models. This effort signifies a crucial step in addressing the challenges arising from technological gaps and the impacts of climate change on our oceans and the planet.

The purpose of this Special Issue was to host research and review papers on Radiopharmaceuticals in line with the three previous Special Issues that I have Guest Edited for Molecules. This subject may vary from radioactive isotope production, the synthesis of precures, radioactive labeling reactions, to the purification of radiopharmaceuticals to quality control and regulatory efforts, which are required prior to using radiopharmaceuticals in humans. This Special Issue contains 17 original research papers, 1 communication, 5 reviews, and 1 editorial review all within the area of radiochemistry.

Remarkable applications of Carbon Nanotubes (CNT) are already uncountable, but their potential is undoubtedly yet to be fully developed. Therefore, this reprint gathers original (numerical and experimental) studies that embrace: Development and application of novel tailored CNT-based (nano)materials; Development and application of CNT-based building blocks in the design of sensors; Development and application of CNT and CNT-based (nano)materials in (electro)catalysis; Development and application of CNT in analytical chemistry; Development and application of CNT for environmental sustainability; Development and application of CNT and CNT-based (nano)materials in materials science; Development and application of CNT and CNT-based (nano)materials in drug delivery systems; Advances in CNT and CNT-based (nano)materials synthesis and characterization; Advances in CNT functionalization; Advances in tailoring CNT-based (nano)composites.

This textbook "Applied Mathematics in Ferroelectricity and Piezoelectricity" was authored to provide the reader solid mathematical background for studying "ferroelectricity and piezoelectricity", as a supplemental reference to my three course books; "Ferroelectric Devices 2nd Edition (2010)", "Micromechatronics 2nd Edition (2019)", and "FEM and Micromechatronics with ATILA Software (2008)", all published from CRC Press. "Physics" prefers "simplicity"; converting a complicated phenomenon expressed by a function.

This topic has tried to know the current state-of-the-art advanced oxidation technologies and the green technological solutions that can be offered at the industrial level for today's society. It is a multidisciplinary topic that has collaborated with several journals, including "Catalysts, Processes, Sci, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, and Water," to cover the broad areas of solutions/applications that the current state-of-the-art technology offers.

This reprint focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic management as well as potential genetic causes of syndromes belonging to the group of differences of sex development (DSD). Uterus and vaginal aplasia in MRKH syndrome as well as complex obstructive malformations, adrenogenital syndrome, and cloacal exstrophy are addressed, and the interdisciplinary approach and special needs of affected patients are emphasized. Long-term results after surgical therapies are given and new potential genetic causes are described. A standardized procedure in diagnostics and therapy is essential to avoid misdiagnoses and inappropriate and/or unnecessary surgery and complications that lead to prolonged suffering and negatively influence the individual's reproductive future.The objective of this Special Issue was to develop and evaluate the concepts, strategies, and outcomes necessary to improve access to quality care for women suffering from complex genital malformations by taking into account the impact of primary care and patient empowerment, as well as to optimize the interdisciplinary approach.

Optical methods are non-invasive tools, and their use in sensing applications is continuously increasing and reaching new heights. Novel optical technologies contribute to the development of state-of-the-art sensing schemes and devices characterized by outstanding working parameters (very low detection limit, high specificity and sensitivity) and innovative approaches for detecting the presence of analytes and for quantitatively determining their concentrations in many fields, including pharmaceutical research, medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, agriculture, industry, food safety, and security. In this Special Issue, original research papers and review articles are included to display an overview of the recent advances in the technology and applications of optical sensors, including source and detection technologies, sensor architectures, sensor performance, and processing approaches and applications. This collection of papers shows the diversity of the latest developments in these areas and their wide dissemination in numerous fields.

This Special Issue titled "Hot Topics in Reproductive Medicine Research" tries to cover some of the most debated topics in this field from a scientific and clinical point of view. In particular, the quality of embryos using compared tools such as incubator time-lapse and aneuploidy detection, the endometrioma impact on embryo quality, the influence of paternal age on obstetrical and perinatal outcome in IVF, and the possibility of performing assisted reproductive technology (ART) without discarding or freezing embryos. Other articles deal with PCOS and the patterns of patients who develop ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome with a granulosa cells transcriptional profile, PCOS and Vitamin D deficiency, new treatment of oligoasthenoteratozoospermia with antioxidants and natural hormones, general epigenetic risks in ART with special interest on gametes and embryos produced by cryopreservation, decision to treat or not and when varicocele, and the impact of a short abstinence period on sperm quality. Moreover, other interesting topics regard the placental volume and uterine artery doppler in pregnancy after IVF, the efficacy of autologous platelet intrauterine infusion in repeated embryo implantation failures, and DNA methylation in offspring after IVF.

With the rapid development of urbanization and social economy, the utilization and protection of land have become one of the great social problems globally. Unreasonable land-use planning and allocation are gradually reducing the efficiency and sustainability of urban land use, and also branching out the conversion scale of farmland to construction land. Farmland reduction and urbanization not only give rise to ecological environmental issues, such as land degradation, environmental pollution, carbon emission increases, and so on, but also induce many social problems around land interests. We hope that if sustainable development and a harmonious human-land relationship can be integrated into the land-use planning and management processes, it will be possible to fulfill the diversified requirements of urbanization and minimize adverse ecological and social impacts at the same time.This Special Issue gathers together studies regarding sustainable land use and management from different research perspectives, aiming to contribute to the global challenges of sustainable urban and rural development in a rapidly urbanizing world.

Cancer represents a major global challenge for medical practice in humans and companion animals. A plethora of basic and preclinical studies involving cell cultures and animal models have screened novel anti-cancer drugs and innovative treatments such as immunotherapy and gene-based therapy. In addition, emerging alternative translational models based on comparative oncology have shown promising results in anti-cancer drug discovery since companion animals develop spontaneous tumors and share the same environment as humans. Nonetheless, some gaps still exist in pre-clinical and clinical comparative animal models in terms of biological behavior, genetics, molecular pathways, as well as the immunological features of cancer that should be fulfilled to enhance their translational value. This Special Issue of Cancers contributes high-quality scientific evidence through novel data from preclinical and clinical studies performed in humans and/or animals. Thus, we hope that this set of articles will increase readers' knowledge within the scope of comparative and translational oncology and encourage further research into these innovative anti-cancer therapies.

This book collects articles published in a Special Issue of Molecules entitled "Organic Synthesis via Transition Metal-Catalysis". Transition metal catalysis is a powerful methodology for the direct synthesis of functionalized, high value-added molecules by the assembly of simple units in one step, and is acquiring increasing importance in modern organic synthesis. The book presents seven papers overall, two reviews and five original research articles, dealing with Pd-catalyzed arylation, Rh-catalyzed synthesis of organosulfur compounds, Rh-catalyzed reductive hydroformylation, V-catalyzed oxidation of hydrocarbons, and Zn-, Pd- and Rh-catalyzed cyclization processes, leading to heterocyclic derivatives.

In the last three decades, fractional calculus has broken into the field of mathematical analysis, both at the theoretical level and the level of its applications. In essence, the fractional calculus theory is a mathematical analysis tool applied to studying integrals and derivatives of arbitrary order, which unifies and generalizes the classical notions of differentiation and integration. These fractional and derivative integrals, which until a few years ago had been used in purely mathematical contexts, have been revealed as instruments with great potential to model problems in various scientific fields, such as fluid mechanics, viscoelasticity, physics, biology, chemistry, dynamical systems, signal processing, and entropy theory. Since fractional order's differential and integral operators are nonlinear operators, fractional calculus theory provides a tool for modeling physical processes, which in many cases is more useful than classical formulations; this is why applying fractional calculus theory has become a focus of international academic research. This Special Issue, "Applied Mathematics and Fractional Calculus II," has published excellent research studies in the field of applied mathematics and fractional calculus, authored by many well-known mathematicians and scientists from diverse countries worldwide, such as the USA, Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Türkiye, China, Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, India, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia.