Bücher veröffentlicht von Mdpi AG

The lifestyle associated with good quality of food is well known for its widely recognized health benefits, especially when rich in bioactive compounds. Reduced risks of some types of cancer and other diseases have been associated with the adoption of such a diet, as have increased antioxidants, inhibitors of lipid peroxidation, decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokine production, etc. The focus of this Special Issue of Toxins was to gather advances related to the cytotoxicity of natural toxins and the potential for the cytoprotection of natural compounds present in food or plants. In this context, this Special Issue of Toxins comprises eight original contributions. Special attention is given to Fridericia chica (Bignoniaceae) leaves grown in Colombia, extract from Polygonum cuspidatum, Artemisia annua and coffee extracts against mycotoxins¿ effects. Studies of mycotoxins in different animal and human cell lines are also presented for zearalenone, beauvericin, ¿-zearalenol and ¿-zearalenol, among others.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism had permeated all spaces of experience, reaching every country, region, settlement, and corner of the globe. In recent decades, the meanings, implications, and roles of tourism have also significantly expanded. This Special Issue focuses on unconventional tourism mobilities and same-day visits, which are an important but often neglected part of the tourism system, constantly challenging both scholars and tourism industry stakeholders. Unconventional tourism is an umbrella term that covers most kinds of unregistered or unaccounted tourist mobilities (e.g., second homes, same-day visits, illegal home rentals, visiting friends and relatives, etc.), some of which might not appear to be 'tourism' but are in certain localities and under certain conditions. Given the growth of unregistered tourist flows and unaccounted leisure mobilities, there is a need in tourism studies to apply innovative research methods and to reconceptualize the meanings of tourism in different geographical and social contexts. It is expected that people's cravings for travel in the post-pandemic era will educe new spatial and temporal tourism experiences and behaviors in which unconventional tourism will play an important role. This Special Issue helps to explore unconventional tourism mobilities as described in all their forms, focusing on the geographical patterns, processes, and hidden aspects of it.

There has been a rapid development in the academic literature over the last ten years on papers relating to individualization, personalization, patient-, client-, consumer- and person-centredness, with work on conceptual, instrumental, observational, and experimental levels. This Special Issue presents papers that can further establish the current state of science on these topics relating to personalized nursing and health care. We collected papers that highlight and further the knowledge base conceptually, instrumentally, observationally, and experimentally with sound theoretical and methodological underpinnings and implications for research, theory, and clinical work in the disciplines of nursing, medicine, allied health, and beyond.

This reprint contains the articles accepted for publication in the Special Issue of Micromachines (MDPI) on 'Micro/Nanophotonic Devices in Europe'. It aims at presenting an overview, limited but still representative, of the research in the field of photonics being carried out by European groups (often in collaboration with colleagues abroad). The reprint includes, among others, a review paper on photonic devices fabricated by Germanium implantation and two review articles illustrating the fundamentals of non-linear photonic phenomena and devices, and their main applications.

The papers collected in this Special Issue deal with the effects of ionizing radiation at molecular and cellular levels, as well as possible applications in medicine and radiation protection. In particular, some works analysed the early stages of the interaction between ionizing radiation and DNA focusing on DNA cluster damage, which is widely considered as an important step towards subsequent endpoints. Other studies investigated the consequences of hypoxia on the evolution of the initial DNA damage, and one work analysed genome-wide DNA alterations in irradiated human cells. Concerning radiation therapy, the response of cancer cells to different radiation types was characterized both in vitro and in vivo, and possible strategies to enhance such response were investigated; furthermore, FLASH radiotherapy was reviewed. In the framework of cancer therapy side effects, the consequences of high doses on gene expression in healthy cells were analyzed, and the RBE (Relative Biological Effectiveness) for late effects in the central nervous system was predicted by the BIANCA biophysical model. Finally, the protective role of melatonin and Vitamin D, as well as hypothermia, was reviewed, valine radiolysis was investigated, the changes in radio-sensitivity of embrios during the early developmental stages of the preimplantation were analyzed, and epigenetic modifications induced by ionizing radiation were reviewed.

This book focuses on advanced techniques to reduce the impact of the transport sector and, more specifically, of Spark-Ignition (SI) Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs) on atmospheric air pollution and climate change. Hybrid vehicles represent the most suitable option for addressing these issues in the medium term, since hybridization allows us to overcome the major disadvantages of ICEs, electric units, and energy storage devices and merge their respective benefits. In this scenario, ICEs will remain the core component of automotive propulsion systems in the years to come. Of course, further efforts to improve the efficiency and reduce the pollutant and CO2 emissions of ICEs are necessary.

This book focuses on the application of ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ) in different settings, and is centred around different indoor environments and policymaking issues. It also explores how issues around health, IAQ and ventilation have evolved through the COVID-19 crisis.In connection with the growing need to determine and assess IAQ, new research seeks to test and investigate new methodologies based on research topics which include an increasing number of harmful substances and test methods. Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality ultimately aims to provide the reader with a comprehensive range of case studies, seeking to solve ventilation and IAQ issues from different perspectives. It presents 19 chapters related to regulations, homes, modelling, field studies, and technology related to ventilation and IAQ.Overall, this book provides state-of-the-art analysis and reviews so that readers with any level of prior knowledge of ventilation and IAQ are introduced to the latest research on these issues. This book was written to inspire and stimulate the development of further multidisciplinary research on IAQ issues.

In this Special Issue "2D Nanostructures for Optoelectronic and Green Energy Devices", we have collected nine high-quality, original research papers and one comprehensive review paper by outstanding scientists and engineers from relevant fields, covering the topics in optical properties and couplings in 2D nanostructures, spectroscopic analysis in atomic scale, 2D transistors, 2D optoelectronics, and 2D energy storage applications. This Special Issue is expected to attract and enrich readers by providing innovative research articles and a review paper in the field of 2D nanostructures.

Dear Colleagues,Many structural metal materials work under the coupling condition of the load and corrosion environment. Therefore, it is very necessary to study the corrosion and mechanical behavior of metal structural materials. The corrosion behaviors of metals under the coupling condition of the mechanics and corrosion environment mainly include stress corrosion cracking, hydrogen-induced cracking, corrosion fatigue, erosion corrosion, wear corrosion, etc. From the macroscopic or microscopic point of view, these corrosion damages all involve the fracture process, and fractures are caused by environmental factors, also known as environmental fractures. Thus, this Special Issue, "Corrosion and Mechanical Behavior of Metal Materials", will focus on the environmental fracture behavior of metal materials, including but not limited to experimental, computational, or theoretical studies on environmental corrosion fracture of high-strength metal materials.

Subsistence smallholder agriculture in East Asia was highly recognized by Dr. Franklin Hiram King in his book Farmers of Forty Centuries or Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea and Japan though it has been abandoned due to industrialization and urbanization since the end of the 20th century. This reprint consists of research on the transformation of agricultural systems and the mechanism behind these phenomena in China and Japan. We believe that this reprint is practically important, and we appreciate your understanding of the imperfections and hope you enjoy this reprint.

This reprint is devoted to studying RE-doped bulk and nanocrystalline materials from a scientific point of view and to presenting their possible applications in any field.This reprint is intended to serve as a unique multidisciplinary forum covering all aspects of science, technology and applications of rare-earth-doped crystals, starting from the growth techniques with specific attention to the optical and spectroscopic properties of these materials and their applications.

This is a reprint of the Special Issue The Rule of Law and Human Mobility in the Age of the Global Compacts: Relativising the Risks and Gains of Soft Normativity?, which hosts nine contributions that critically dive in the normative, administrative, and judicial obstacles and potential standing of the legal framework and implementation setting of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM) and the Global Compact for Refugees (GCR). The following four thematic clusters are proposed: 1. The justiciability of the actionable commitments under the Global Compacts before domestic courts as a threshold for the degree of judicial protection for migrants and refugees; 2. How human rights treaties and the Global Compacts are connected might matter for the level of rights protection; 3. Externalized migration policies and border management as a threat for the regional scope of human rights and as a risk factor for the rule of law; and 4. Data-driven and evidence-based migration policies, including digital technology as facilitators for standardizing migration and asylum decisions. By inquiring into human rights protection at the boundaries of the political commitments under the Global Compacts, this reprint engages in a conversation about the confinements that migrants and refugees encounter when accessing their substantive and procedural rights and encourages legal science/scholars to map an emerging field of study within global migration governance.

This reprint presents a collection of twelve scientific articles that delve into the complex relationship between climate change and food security in various regions of the world. The articles examine the impact of climate change on crop production, water resources, and livestock farming, and they explore potential adaptive measures to mitigate the effects of climate change on food security. The articles cover a wide range of geographic locations, from Southeastern Poland to Central Ethiopia, Algeria, Egypt, South Africa, Afghanistan, and Canada. Each article provides valuable insight into the impact of climate change on food security, including the potential link between drought and wild blueberry production in Maine, the use of geospatial assessments to guide climate adaptation strategies for flood-tolerant rice varieties in India, and the impact of non-conventional agricultural spaces on mitigating the effects of climate change on food security in Quebec, Canada. The authors also explore the impact of climate-smart agriculture interventions on food security and dietary diversity in Myanmar, as well as the determinants of smallholder livestock farmers' household resilience to food insecurity in South Africa. Additionally, the reprint includes a case study on water profitability analysis to improve food security and climate resilience in the Egyptian Nile Delta. Taken together, these articles provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of climate change on food security and highlight the need for innovative solutions to ensure sustainable food systems in the face of climate change.

Pathogenic microorganisms, including fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, and viroids, constitute a serious threat to agriculture worldwide. In Spain, one of the countries with the highest proportion of agricultural gross domestic product in Europe, the agri-food industry is the main manufacturing activity. Consequently, the presence and emergence of microorganisms causing serious plant diseases to economically important crops is especially relevant. In line with this, Spain has an important number of research groups interested in plant pathology, with scientists working on many aspects of pathogenic microorganism-plant interactions, from the basic aspects to more applied studies. In recent years, numerous important advancements have been achieved by scientists working in Spain in terms of the biological and molecular characterization of plant pathogenic microorganisms, in elucidating mechanisms of microbe pathogenesis, plant resistance to microbe infection, and plant-microbe-vector interactions. All these new achievements have provided essential knowledge for agricultural researchers worldwide.The aim of this Special Issue was to provide a platform for Spanish researchers interested in plant pathogenic microorganisms to share their recent results related to microbe-plant host interactions, microbe-vector interactions, microbe-microbe interactions, evolution, ecology, and control strategies.

Milk and meat products originating from small ruminants contain biologically active compounds, such as high-quality proteins, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids that have been proven to have beneficial effects on human nutrition, metabolism and health. However, the raising consumer demands for safe animal products of high nutritional value has reshaped the direction of livestock production and food industry. Currently, research efforts are focused on the development of niche functional products that fortify human health and are in harmony with the concept of sustainable production, green economy, environmental protection, and proper health and welfare status of farm animals. Innovative feeding strategies are therefore evaluated that could promote ruminal function, enhance animal health and welfare status, increase production yield, improve quality of milk and meat products and prolong their shelf life by minimizing environmental burden and production costs.

The reliability of high-voltage equipment is critical to the safe operation of the power grid. This reprint focuses on the new developments and advances in both fundamental and applied research on the testing, monitoring, and diagnostics of high-voltage equipment, including insulators, transformers, etc.

Fluvial hydraulics deals with the flow of water, the motion of sediment, and the erosion of channel beds in rivers. Fluvial hydraulics is complex because velocity, slope, depth, and channel roughness are all subject to changes resulting from erodible beds and sediment transport due to the presence of in-stream infrastructure, vegetation in channel beds/banks, and ice cover on water surfaces.The aim of this reprint is to present research that improves our knowledge of sediment transport, local scour around in-stream infrastructures, and fluvial processes in the presence of either vegetation in channel beds or ice cover on water surfaces. It aims to include not only the latest advancements in the mechanics of sediment transport and local scour around in-stream infrastructures but also the impacts of vegetation in channel beds on bed deformation and flow structures. Research regarding the interaction between river ice, riverbed deformation, and in-stream infrastructures.In total, twelve original contributions are presented in this reprint. Among the topics of interest for this Special Issue are: 1) turbulent flow structure, Reynolds stress, and local scour around in-stream infrastructures under an ice-covered flow condition; 2) interactions among ice jam accumulation, channel bed deformation, and in-stream infrastructures; and 3) turbulent flow structures in the presence of vegetation in a channel bed or under a shallow flow condition.We hope that the results of the presented research will benefit river engineers and hydrologists.

The recycling of asphalt mixtures has significant contributions towards the reduction in greenhouse gases, pollution, natural resources, and energy consumption. Sustainable road materials and technologies can provide a powerful boost to "carbon-neutral strategies", and so it is crucial to continue moving towards improving these technologies and theories.This Special Issue includes new findings in the field of regenerated asphalt mixtures, including the high-content regeneration of RAP, cold recycling technologies, regenerated mechanisms, eco-regenerating agents, and anti-aged materials. Additionally, novel materials, fast maintenance technologies, and functional materials are also addressed in this Special Issue, such as bio-asphalt materials, intelligent transportation, self-healing technologies, solid waste resource applications, numerical simulations, smart road materials and technologies, etc.

This reprint emphasizes the perspectives and challenges surrounding COVID-19 and obesity-related cancers, including but not limited to the risk factors of severe COVID-19 in cancer patients; the complications of COVID-19 in cancer patients; the challenges in cancer treatment and surgery; guidelines for cancer care during COVID-19; delayed diagnosis and suboptimal cancer management; the impact of COVID-19 on cancer screening, early diagnosis and cancer presentation; immune response after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in cancer patients; psychological distress among cancer survivors; telehealth in cancer care; the role of diet and nutraceuticals in the prevention of severe COVID-19 and cancer; and the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on cancer research.

Fire-induced smoke influences the safe evacuation of occupants and firefighters' ability to extinguish a fire. About 80% of deaths in fires were caused by toxic smoke, according to statistics. Hence, how to control smoke is of great importance in order to reduce fire hazards. In this Special Issue, the scope was to gather original, fundamental and applied research concerning experimental, theoretical, computational and case studies that contribute towards the understanding of fire-induced smoke.

Global change induced extreme climate events are becoming more common than ever. Soil carbon and nitrogen pools correlated significantly with changes in atmospheric greenhouse gas. Large increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases, majorly carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane, can enhance the heating of atmosphere, which will be generally followed by global warming. Mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions including various strategies, such as the sequestrations of carbon and nitrogen in soil, plant or ecosystems, efficient management of agricultural and forestry ecosystems, mitigation of ecosystem carbon and nitrogen leaching, etc. The mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from all kinds of sources will be therefore crucial in mitigation of global climate change.This reprint gathered latest case studies and methodologies, including, but not limited to measurement and mitigation strategies of carbon and nitrogen pools in soil, plant, or ecosystems, and greenhouse gas emissions, will substantially improve our understanding of the potential, ability, and capacity of ecosystems in mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and hence global climate change. This reprint can be used by colleagues working on global climate change, ecology, agriculture, forestry and policy makers associated with global change. Chapters included in this reprint were contributed by colleagues from China, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, etc. It can be used in most countries in the world.

This reprint is a collection of the research papers published in the "Advances in Friction, Lubrication, Wear and Oxidation in Metals Manufacturing" Special Issue. It acts as an update on the state of the art concerning studies on friction, wear and oxidation properties of materials; the development and performance of novel lubricants; and advanced simulation strategies for friction contacts.

This Special Issue of Atmosphere, "Atmospheric Aqueous-Phase Chemistry", comprises ten original articles dealing with different aspects of chemistry in atmospheric liquid water. Liquid water in cloud and fog droplets and in moist aerosol particles is ubiquitous in the atmosphere. Dissolved species from the soluble aerosol fraction, as well as soluble trace gases, undergo chemical reactions in the aqueous phase via different mechanisms, usually yielding different products from those in the gas phase. In addition to their different reactivity, the chemical species solubility determines their fate in the atmosphere, i.e., their involvement in gas-phase or aqueous-phase chemistry.The articles of this Special Issue can be divided into three groups: (i) the first is mostly based on field measurements and/or combined field and modeling studies giving insights into the chemical characterization of different atmospheric liquid water samples from various environments; (ii) the second group is focused on studies of aqueous-phase reactivity of some important atmospheric organic compounds; and (iii) the final group comprises articles based on predictive modeling and/or combined modeling and laboratory studies providing insight into aqueous secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation.

Pathogenic fungi and mycotoxins threaten plant and animal health and cause economic losses. This book focuses on the recent research progress into pathogenic fungi and mycotoxins in China. The molecular mechanisms of mycotoxin biosynthesis and pathogenic fungi growth and development are reported from the perspectives of transcription regulation, histone modification and enzymes, providing a theoretical basis for discovering new control targets. This Special Issue not only includes a review about the microbial degradation of mycotoxins, but also discusses several new chemical and biological methods which inhibit the biosynthesis of mycotoxin. Special attention is also given to the effect of nutrition on the production of mycotoxins. Some papers have also been collected about detection assays and the risk assessments of mycotoxins. The fundamental and applied research into mycotoxins is not only of particular interest but is also important for reducing economic losses.

Our reprint consists of 13 papers. In the first five papers, the influencing factors of biodiversity and community composition are addressed. In the sixth and seventh papers, the spatial distribution patterns and drivers of arid plants under the background of global climate change are examined. The eighth paper describes leaf stoichiometry in arid zones. The ninth studies the change in carbon allocation depending on plant growth stage and the tenth deals with the use of condensed water by plants. Papers 11-13 look at the relationship between plants and soil.

The first international Precision Agriculture Pakistan Conference (PAPC), in 2022, was held in person at PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR), Pakistan. The PAPC provided opportunities to local researchers to collaborate with national and international researchers in the field of Digital and Precision Agriculture through oral and poster presentations, exhibits, field demonstrations, as well as discussions and the exchange of information. The world's leading Precision and Digital Agriculture researchers from Canada, China, the USA, Australia and Turkey gave keynote addresses during the PAPC 2022. The conference introduced new ideas, solutions and research in the agricultural sector, especially considering global climate change.

This Special Issue collects research on and applications of the relationship between food, nutrition, and databases. The development of databases of nutrients, bioactive compounds, and metabolites are key tools for human health and public nutrition and represent resources for a wide range of applications in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, epidemiology, and medicinal areas. The current research trends are highlighted.

This Special Issue contains selected papers from works presented at the 11th EASN (European Aeronautics Science Network) International Conference on Innovation in Aviation & Space, which was held from the 1st until the 3rd of September 2021. About 420 remote participants contributed to a high-level scientific gathering providing some of the latest research results on the topic, as well as some of the latest relevant technological advancements. Nineteen interesting papers, which cover a wide range of topics including characterization, analysis and design, as well as numerical simulation, are contained in this Special Issue.

This Special Issue collates seven papers regarding the assessment or monitoring of hydrological disasters such as droughts and flood using remote sensing and geography information system (GIS) techniques.. The new published research focused on evaluations and models of various hydrological hazards such as droughts and floods. Furthermore, we include two original scientific articles addressing the subject of water quality. This Special Issue received investigations based on different techniques such as remote sensing, GIS, machine learning and monitoring. All papers present findings characterized as unconventional, provocative, innovative and methodologically new. Scientific findings presented in this Special Issue highlight how a combination of various modern analysis techniques (e.g., remote sensing, GIS) can improve our understanding of complex hydrological hazards such as droughts and floods. We hope that the research contained within this Special Issue is useful to the scientific community, policymakers and stakeholders at large in the field of hydrological hazards.

We are facing a complicated public health issue in the form of global drug shortages, including antibiotics. Synthetic biology empowers the next generation of antibiotics development, bringing us into a new era.