Bücher veröffentlicht von Mdpi AG

Microalgae are photosynthetic unicellular microorganisms that represent an extremely important component of the aquatic ecosystem productivity, diversity, and functioning. Moreover, these microorganisms, using a network of signals, interact with all the other organisms present in their environment. Signals are often secondary metabolites that play an important role in competition, defense, attraction, and signaling. These molecules are recognized for having bioactive properties, but some of them are still largely underexplored and underexploited. This Special Issue focuses on studies aimed to improve knowledge on microalgal ecology (diversity and dynamics) in aquatic ecosystems, as well as on their capacity to produce bioactive compounds with potential biotechnological applications.

We thank all contributors of this Special Issue and the editorial staff of Crystals for helping this Special Issue achieve success; we are especially gratefully to the expert reviewers who agreed to review the papers submitted to this Special Issue for their diligence and timely effort. Under joint efforts, finally, this Special Issue published 15 papers, including 1 review paper and 14 original research papers. These published papers are mainly related to the mechanical properties of superelastic alloys, titanium alloys, shape memory alloys, various kinds of steels, medium-entropy alloys, high-temperature alloys, etc. Under the success of this Special Issue, the published papers will promote the development and progress of advanced metallic materials. We sincerely hope these papers can cause the readers to be informative and inspire them to obtain new ideas.

The objective of this reprint is to present the main evidence-based data on new developments and knowledge in diagnostic and treatment technologies in the orofacial field used in both children and adults. The published content has been met with great success in interdisciplinary fields, stimulating international authors to submit their original articles, reviews, or case reports based on various aspects of orthodontics as well as on the diagnosis and management of temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain. Among the current highly debated topics, this reprint focuses on multiple disciplines as follows: gingival recessions and periodontal status after orthodontic treatment; a rare case of impacted central incisors; predictors of analgesic consumption in orthodontic patients; a systematic review about different dentoskeletal class III treatment approaches; evaluation of upper airway volumes; and cephalometric values in JIA patients.

Ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs) are rRNA N-glycosylases isolated mainly from plants that catalyze the hydrolysis of the N-glycosidic bond of a specific adenosine in the sarcin-ricin loop (SRL) of the major ribosomal RNA. Because the SRL is crucial for anchoring translation elongation factors, RIPs cause inactivation of ribosomes. They have been classified into two types based on the presence (type 2 RIPs) or absence (type 1 RIPs) of a lectin chain that can turn type 2 RIPs into potent toxins, such as ricin or abrin. The biological role of these proteins is unknown, but they are thought to be a defense mechanism of some plants against pathogens and predators. Because of their enzymatic action, RIPs show several biological activities, among which antiviral, antifungal and antiproliferative activities stand out. The most promising application of RIPs is their use as a component of immunotoxins, in which RIPs are linked to antibodies that mediate their binding and internalization by malignant cells. In agriculture, RIPs have been shown to increase resistance against viruses, fungi and insects in transgenic plants. The studies collected in this book provide the reader with an overview of the most current and interesting lines of research in the field of RIPs and their applications in medicine and agriculture. Thus, the reprint includes the isolation and biological properties of some new RIPs, both type 1 and type 2, the mechanisms of toxicity of previously described RIPs and two extensive reviews, one on the antiviral activity of RIPs and the other on the strategies used to improve their pharmacological properties.

The field of radiopharmaceuticals is constantly evolving thanks to the great contributions of specialists coming from different disciplines such as inorganic chemistry, radiochemistry, organic and biochemistry, pharmacology, nuclear medicine, physics, etc. In particular, the use of radiometals has experienced a great increase as a result of the development of radionuclides production technologies. In this particular area, inorganic chemistry skills are mainly involved in developing target-specific radiopharmaceuticals based on radiometals for non-invasive disease detection and cancer radiotherapy.The Special Issue "Metal-Based Radiopharmaceuticals in Inorganic Chemistry" includes eleven research articles and one review. The production and applications of conventional and newly emerging research radiometals for diagnosis, therapy, and theranostics are the main focus of this Special Issue.

This reprint is based on "Antimicrobial resistance and anti-biofilms" in the journal Antibiotics since November of 2020. This reprint has one editorial article, eight research articles, one review article, and one case report article, covering a time period of 15 months from December of 2021 to February of 2023. Containing three major sub-topics in this reprint, four manuscripts regarding the prevalence of resistant microbes, the emergence and evolution of resistance, and the molecular investigation of resistance mechanisms fall into the first sub-topic as "Antimicrobial resistance in microorganisms: epidemiology and molecular mechanism"; three manuscripts fall into the second sub-topic as "New antibiofilm strategy against fungal and/or bacterial biofilms"; and three manuscripts regarding the production and characteristics of these functional material encapsulated/ delivered natural compounds, in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial and antivirulent effects, and their potential applications, such as in food and medicine, fall into the third sub-topic as "Influence of Functional Material-Based Encapsulation/Delivery on the Antimicrobial and Antivirulent Effects of Natural Compounds". Articles contained in this reprint have provided comprehensive knowledge and insight in understanding of antimicrobial resistance epidemiology and molecular mechanism and new antibiofilm strategies.

In this Special Issue, we have a great collection of 11 outstanding articles that have been published. This Special Issue presents the recent progress on emerging low-dimensional materials and could encourage their future investigations. We hope that both researchers and the community in general can benefit from the outcomes of this Special Issue reprint.

Soil erosion caused by wind is significant to Earth systems and human health. There is a strong interest in understanding the factors and processes of soil erosion caused by wind as well as in developing and applying methods to control dust emission from soils and to stabilize active sands. The Special Issue contains information on applications of natural and synthetic materials to reduce soil erosion, development of materials and methods, experimental methods and modeling, impacts on the soil quality and the environments, and quantification of the efficiency in dust control and sand stabilization applications.

The Special Issue "Elastomers: From Theory to Applications" focuses on the current state of the art of elastomers, both in modern developments of rubber-like compositions and applications and from a theoretical perspective. The series of 13 publications offer the latest results in several specific sub-areas of elastomer research or review selected fields and concepts. Of particular interest are new structures and functionalities incorporated into elastomers, leading to the enhanced properties of crosslinked elastomeric materials for several applications, and/or to a better understanding of the structure¿property relationships and practical behaviour.

This Special Issue of the journal Axioms collects submissions in which the authors report their perceptions and results in the field of mathematical physics and/or physical mathematics without any preconditions of the specific research topic. The papers are intended to provide the reader with a broad window into the status of the research field showing our understanding of how a known concept changes our thinking in that area of science. The papers in the Special Issue highlight the current two issues in physics and mathematics under hot debate: fractional calculus and entropy.

Plasma technology has arisen as a novel approach in the processing and manufacturing of novel materials in recent years. Due to its benefits, such as its superior sterilizing performance, low cost, and environmental friendliness, atmospheric pressure plasma has drawn the attention of researchers. As a result, atmospheric pressure plasma manufacturing in different configurations (plan parallel and jet plasma) is becoming more popular. The necessity to characterize these types of plasmas has greatly expanded as a result of its wide range of applications. Due to these factors, "Recent Advances in Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Technology" Issue in the journal Applied Physics that brings together experts in all areas of experimental, computational, and theoretical research on atmospheric pressure plasmas. This Special Issue brings together cutting-edge new research on the fundamental characteristics of these plasmas as well as their applications in the fields of medicine, the food industry, agriculture, 3D printing, materials processing science, and even the automotive and aerospace industries.Despite the fact that we were only able to touch on a small percentage of the potential applications for plasma discharge, we nevertheless hope that readers will find this reprint to be interesting and that they will discover new angles for their own future research on plasma.

The ongoing deployment of 5G networks is a key enabler for realizing upcoming services at scale, including the massive deployment of the Internet of Things, providing communications to support autonomous vehicles, and supporting the realization of smart cities. However, as the limitations of existing approaches become apparent, the need for next-generation technologies is growing, in terms of improving spectral efficiency, increasing network data rates and densification, supporting local/wide area wireless coordination, and more. In this Special Issue, we present some technologies to meet these demanding requirements and facilitate coordinating wireless networks to support future Beyond 5G networks.

This volume gathers papers from the fields of philosophy, theology, and empirical psychology on the topic of gratitude to God. Central themes include the difference between gratitude to God and gratitude to human benefactors and correlations between gratitude to God and important life outcomes.

This Special Issue aims to highlight how plant breeding could contribute to strengthening sustainability in field crop production by integrating the application of modern technologies and tools. This Reprint contains eleven articles focusing on the most recent topic of plant breeding.

Ageing is a diverse and multifaceted experience that is unique to each person. The process of ageing is lived differently according to each individual's socio-cultural, historical, religious, and political context, among other factors. However, the stereotype of homogeneity is still one of the strongest aspects related to later life. This Special Issue covers manuscripts of original research that critically explore the experience of old age and the process of growing older from the social sciences and humanities perspectives. It also explores the topics pertaining to social gerontology, cultural and literary gerontology, environmental gerontology, gerotechnological studies, social anthropology, gender studies, body politics, sexuality, active and healthy ageing, space and place, age-friendly politics and other themes. The published articles collect arguments that show the variables and uniqueness of later life, and expand on the current theoretical frameworks in the field of age studies and beyond. The overall aim of this Special Issue was to broaden the gerontological scholarship and develop critical thought of old age and the life course beyond the merely biological processes of growing older and their sociocultural constructs. This Special Issue can be of interest to scholars, practitioners, stakeholders, care workers and individuals who are concerned with the dynamics of ageing as well as current and future dialogues on the unique experiences of ageing.

Many cancer diagnosis and treatment modalities have been developed over time, among which radioisotopes have been widely used. Recently, with the application of magnetic nanoparticles, a wide range of non-invasive diagnosis and treatment methods using magnetic techniques have attracted attention.This Special Issue introduces a lymph node biopsy method with a magnetic probe for the treatment of cancer, rapid immunostaining using magnetic nanoparticles in pathological diagnosis, cancer imaging with MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)/MPI (magnetic particle imaging), magnetic hyperthermia for cancer treatment, and the development of magnetic nanoparticles.

International experts contribute to Fractional- and Integer-Order System: Control Theory and Applications, providing an authoritative overview of the most recent developments in control theory as well as practical examples of fractional- and integer-order systems. Generously referenced and illustrated, the reprint highlights the growing interest in control science and is an invaluable resource for applied and industrial mathematicians, biological, control, electrical and electronics engineers and scientists.

This reprint presents proceedings resulting from the IX Iberian Congress of Ichthyology held in Porto, Portugal from 20th to 23rd June 2022. Published conference abstracts, presented as oral or poster communications, have been previously approved by the scientific conference committee and the original research content was double peer-reviewed. Overall, the reprint focuses on fundamental and applied ichthyological research developed mainly in the Iberian Peninsula.

Environmental quality is crucial to our health, economy, lives, and for future generations. However, during the last few years, we have faced several serious challenges, which include, but are not limited to, climate change, unsustainable consumption and production, as well as various forms of pollution. These challenges are of global concerns for the sustainable development of human beings. This reprint has collected review and research papers aimed at a wide range of environmental topics: water and wastewater treatment and management, soil degradation and conservation, pollution control, the environmental impact of technologies, air quality and the indoor environment, and advanced environmental materials. Analytical methods developed for the determination of environmental pollutants were also welcomed. Papers dealing in the synthesis of adsorbents for the solid-phase extraction of environmental pollutants also fell within the scope of this Special Issue. Contributions describing novel and significant knowledge, scientific results, and advanced applications in the field of environmental sciences and technology were also welcomed. This reprint provides an integrated view of the trends in solving the problems associated with the achievement of sustainability in environmental technology.

With increasing awareness about environmental sustainability issues, the geotechnical engineering community is in search of sustainable materials, innovative applications and ground improvement technologies which are resilient to climate change, involve low carbon emissions, are ecologically friendly and affordable, yet effective. As such, this reprint brings together 18 novel contributions providing the state-of-the-art in "Sustainable Geotechnics" with special focus on the reuse and recycling of waste materials in geotechnical applications as well as sustainable design, construction, and monitoring of the performance of geostructures. This reprint may be of particular interest to geotechnical professional engineers and researchers who are facing the challenging task of increasing the sustainability and resiliency of geotechnical assets and infrastructures.

This reprint includes impactful chapters related to document-image related visual sensing, which do present and comprehensively discuss selected scientific concepts, frameworks, architectures and ideas on sensing technologies and machine-learning techniques. Indeed, document imaging/scanning approaches are essential techniques for digitalizing documents in various real-world contexts. This reprint emerging from the Special Issue "Document-Image Related Visual Sensors and Machine Learning Techniques" can be viewed as a result of the crucial need for document management systems. Such technologies are being applied in various fields or different domains and parts of the world to address relevant challenges that could not be addressed without the advances made in these technologies. The reprint includes impactful chapters that present scientific concepts, frameworks, architectures and innovative ideas on sensing technologies and machine-learning techniques to overcome a series of key challenges related to document imaging/scanning, text detection, text recognition, and documents clustering.

This reprint focuses on studies dealing with bio-based materials and its contribution to a circular economy. Research dealing with recycling, waste conversion to bio-based products, the development of bio-based composites, and surface treatments on cellulose fibres have been included in this reprint.

Micro/Nano Structures and Systems: Analysis, Design, Manufacturing, and Reliability is a comprehensive guide that explores the various aspects of micro- and nanostructures and systems. From analysis and design to manufacturing and reliability, this reprint provides a thorough understanding of the latest methods and techniques used in the field. With an emphasis on modern computational and analytical methods and their integration with experimental techniques, this reprint is an invaluable resource for researchers and engineers working in the field of micro- and nanosystems, including micromachines, additive manufacturing at the microscale, micro/nano-electromechanical systems, and more. Written by leading experts in the field, this reprint offers a complete understanding of the physical and mechanical behavior of micro- and nanostructures, making it an essential reference for professionals in this field.

Membrane proteins are essential for the diverse biological functions of the cells and intercellular communication in living organisms. With the recent developments in the methodologies, the research on membrane proteins has been undergoing a major transformation. In this informative book, the biological and dynamic behaviour of membrane proteins are introduced, discussed, and reviewed by some of the leading researchers in the field. The main objective of this compendium is to present the recent research in the fundamental and advanced concepts and methodologies used for studying membrane proteins. Membrane protein purification and reconstitution, protein-lipid interaction, ion/substrate transport, conformational and functional dynamics, the interaction of infectious agents, cell death, and organelle morphology are among the topics that are covered. This reprint is intended for a broad range of novice and experienced scientists with different levels of experience, from biophysicists and biochemists to microbiologists, cell biologists, and physiologists.

Arts therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses artistic media, the creative process, and artwork as its primary forms of communication. The arts therapies cover six areas of specialization: visual arts, music, dance and movement, drama, psychodrama, and bibliotherapy. Several studies and reviews have demonstrated its effectiveness for adult populations (e.g., Regev and Cohen-Yatziv, 2018), as well as for children and adolescents (e.g., Cohen-Yatziv and Regev, 2019). Academic writing and research, which have evolved extensively in recent decades, have underscored the considerable significance of arts therapies especially for children and adolescents.This Special Issue, "Arts Therapies with Children and Adolescents", is dedicated to presenting research and clinical writing in the field of the Arts Therapies with Children and Adolescents in a variety of settings, including hospitals, the education system, mental health clinics, and others. I hope that this Special Issue will serve as a repository of knowledge for arts therapists and as a fertile terrain for further research in the field. It should also pave the way for more professionals working with children and adolescents to better understand the meaning and uniqueness of the therapeutic work in arts therapies and the dedicated ways in which arts therapists use assessment tools and arts-based interventions to better understand the world of children and adolescents.

Plant bioactive compounds are essential for human health due to their multiple biological effects, such as antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antiallergenic, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, and antimicrobial activities leading to beneficial effects on various non-communicable diseases, such as autoimmune, inflammatory, cardiovascular, cancer, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases. Identifying these components, as well as establishing their beneficial health effects, will contribute to the discovery of therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of various disorders. Additionally, the screening of natural sources for novel biologically active metabolites is an essential part of several drug discovery programs.This Special Issue aims to present recent developments in high-throughput and efficient analytical approaches enabling the identification of plant-based compounds, the establishment of new protocols for the evaluation of bioactivities, and methods for the extraction, isolation, and structural characterization of new bioactive components with nutraceutical and therapeutic potential.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with 1.9 million incidence cases and 0.9 million deaths worldwide. The global number of new CRC cases is predicted to reach 3.2 million in 2040, based on the projection of aging, population growth, and human development.In clinics, despite advances of diagnosis and surgical procedures, 20% of the patients with CRC present with metastasis at the time of diagnosis, caused by residual tumor cells that have spread to distant organs prior to surgery, affecting the patient survival rate. Standard systemic chemotherapy, alternative therapies that target mechanisms involved in cancer progression and metastasis, immunotherapy, and combination therapies are the major CRC-treatment strategies. In the advanced stage of CRC the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-¿) plays an oncogenic role by promoting cancer cell proliferation, cancer cell self-renewal, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, invasion, tumor progression, metastatic spread, and immune escape. Furthermore, high levels of TGF-¿1 confers poor prognosis and is associated with early recurrence after surgery, resistance to chemo- or immunotherapy, and shorter survival. Based on the body of experimental evidence indicating that TGF-¿ signaling has the potential to be a good therapeutic target in CRC, several anti-TGF-¿ drugs have been investigated in cancer clinical trials. Here, we presented a comprehensive collection of manuscripts regarding studies on targeting the TGF-¿ signaling in CRC to improve patient's prognosis and personalized treatments.

Organic carbon (OC), nutrients and trace metals are key aquatic components of freshwater systems, including groundwater, soil water, lakes, rivers, and their estuaries. Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest regarding the rising in organic carbon and iron concentrations in freshwaters in relation to the so-called "browning" effect, caused by climate warming and changes in anthropogenic pressure. As for phosphorus, it is a vital element for all aquatic ecosystems and its aquatic biogeochemical cycle now undergoes sizable changes linked to eutrophication, invasive species development, and transformations between organic and inorganic forms. This book combines the articles dedicated to various aspects of the behavior of organic carbon, phosphorus, iron (and other related metals) in a broad range of freshwater environments, from soil solutions and groundwaters to ponds, lakes, rivers, and their riparian zones and estuaries.

Special Issue of Arts: "Slavic and Eastern-European Visuality: Modernity and Tradition" is focused on researching interactions of art and literature, of philosophy and visual poetry, and generally on theoretical aspects of cultural analysis.

The Special Issue "Marine Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidants Agents 2.0" collects in vitro and/or in vivo experimental investigations highlighting the role of marine-derived bioactive compounds as modulators of inflammation and/or oxidative stress, papers describing the mechanisms of action and molecular interactions of compounds isolated from marine organisms, and comprehensive review articles summarizing knowledge on marine anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidant agents in support of human health.