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Summary: (Mass spectrometric) non-target screening is a preferably comprehensive and untargeted (predominantly organic molecules detecting) approach combining (robust) analytical measurements with adapted data evaluation concepts, systematic compound identification workflows, and statistical data interpretation. It is well suitable for the identification of new, unexpected and/or unknown organic compounds as well as monitoring 'molecular fingerprints' and profiling 'process-relevant' molecules via statistical methods. In recent years, 14 articles in various disciplines were published and presented in this Special Issue, whereby it contains 4 peer-reviewed review articles and 10 peer-reviewed research articles dealing with non-target screening strategies and solutions.

Summary: This is a reprint of the articles from the Special Issue entitled "10th Anniversary of Actuators", published in the open-access journal, Actuators. It consists of 18 representative works with four main topics: systematic reviews for specific types of actuators, performance evaluation, design and controls, and new actuators' applications. This reprint helps readers to understand the challenges and the trends of research and development in advancing the theories, methodologies, and design tools of actuators.

Summary: 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.

Summary: To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the prestigious journal Cells launched a series of Special Issues in 2021. The Special Issue entitled "10th Anniversary of Cells-Advances in Cell Cycle" was launched together with other sister Special Issues under the umbrella "10th Anniversary of Cells." The cell cycle is a series of events that drives cells to divide and produce two new daughter cells. The typical cell cycle in eukaryotes is composed of the following phases: G1, S, G2, and M phases. Cell cycle progression is mediated by cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and their regulatory cyclin subunits. CDKs, such as CDK4/6, CDK2, and CDK1 (also known as CDC2), are serine/threonine kinases with a wide variety of substrates. CDKs are activated mainly by binding to their cyclin partners, whose expressions rise and fall throughout the cell cycle to mediate the temporal activation of each CDKs. Various cell cycle checkpoints exist to ensure that critical processes are engaged prior to progression to the next phase. These cell cycle checkpoints are the G1 (restriction) checkpoint, the G2/M DNA damage checkpoint, and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC).This Special Issue attracted the attention of many scientists in the cell cycle field and consists of 10 high quality papers, including four research articles and six scientific reviews: a great success. The four research articles focus on various important topics of the cell cycle using a broad range of model organisms, including yeast, sea urchins, green algae, and human cancer cell lines.

Summary: This reprint contains contributions focusing on recent developments in the design, synthesis, and characterization of nanocatalysts intended for applications in environmental protection and low carbon footprint power generation processes thanks to the overall effort of scientists and researchers for a cleaner and more sustainable future. New synthetic approaches to the production and in-depth characterization of innovative nanostructured composites and hybrid materials with well-controlled textural and surface chemistry properties that give performance advantages in a variety of important environmental and energy applications such as CO2 utilization/recycling, hydrogen and syngas production, biosensing, and biocatalysis as well as in ways to obtain useful materials from waste are included, among others. This reprint is the result of one of the cutting-edge Special Issues in the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology organized by Nanomaterials to celebrate its 10th anniversary.

Summary: The annual scientific conference of the Nutrition Society of New Zealand was held virtually on the 2nd and 3rd December 2021. The aim of the annual conference is to foster discussion and disseminate the results of nutrition-related research. The conference also provides an opportunity for those working in practice to share their experiences and keep up to date with scientific advancements. The theme of the conference was 'Reconnecting - Tūhono'. One hundred and sixty-nine delegates attended over the two days. The programme comprised five plenary sessions, five concurrent oral sessions, and twenty-three short, prerecorded videos, with the latter serving as a replacement for the traditional poster format. Highlights of the five plenary sessions included presentations on food sovereignty by Dr Bevan Eruti and Christina McKerchar; women's health by Dr Megan Ogilvie and Dane Baker; sustainable diets by Dr Brent Clothier, Dr Nick Smith, and Dr Cristina Cleghorn; healthy environments for children by Jasmin Jackson; and the gut-brain axis and future foods by Dr Pramod Gopal, Tracey Bear, and Dr Jocelyn Eason. The Muriel Bell Lecture entitled 'Lick the plate clean: the intersection of food, nutrition, and waste' was presented by Professor Sheila Skeaff of the Department of Human Nutrition, University of Otago.

Summary: The advent of graphene and, more recently, two-dimensional materials has opened new perspectives in electronics, optoelectronics, energy harvesting, and sensing applications. This book, based on a Special Issue published in Nanomaterials - MDPI covers experimental, simulation, and theoretical research on 2D materials and their van der Waals heterojunctions. The emphasis is the physical properties and the applications of 2D materials in state-of-the-art sensors and electronic or optoelectronic devices.

Summary: Disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, floods, heat waves, nuclear accidents, and large-scale pollution incidents take lives and incur major health problems. The majority of large-scale disasters affect the most vulnerable populations, which often comprise extreme ages, remote living areas, and endemic poverty, as well as people with low literacy. Health emergency and disaster risk management (Health-EDRM) refers to the systematic analysis and management of health risks surrounding emergencies and disasters, and plays an important role in reducing the hazards and vulnerability along with extending preparedness, responses, and recovery measures. This concept encompasses risk analyses and interventions, such as accessible early warning systems, the timely deployment of relief workers, and the provision of suitable drugs and medical equipment to decrease the impact of disasters on people before, during, and after an event (or events). Currently, there is a major gap in the scientific literature regarding Health-EDRM to facilitate major global policies and initiatives for disaster risk reduction worldwide.

Summary: This Special Issue of the journal Applied Sciences presents recent advances and developments in the use of digital 3D technologies to protect and preserve cultural heritage. While most of the articles focus on aspects of 3D scanning, modeling, and presenting in VR of cultural heritage objects from buildings to small artifacts and clothing, part of the issue is devoted to 3D sound utilization in the cultural heritage field.

Summary: This Special Issue contains selected papers from works presented at the 8th EASN-CEAS (European Aeronautics Science Network-Council of European Aerospace Societies) Workshop on Manufacturing for Growth and Innovation, which was held in Glasgow, UK, 4-7 September 2018. About 150 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. ?ine interesting articles, which cover a wide range of topics including characterization, analysis and design, as well as numerical simulation, are contained in this Special Issue.

Summary: Burn injuries are still one of the most common and devastating injuries in human and the treatment of major burns remains a major challenge for physicians worldwide. Modern burn care involves many components from initial first aid, burn size and burn depth assessment, fluid resuscitation, wound care, excision and grafting/ coverage, infection control and nutritional support. Progress in each of these areas has contributed significantly to the overall enhanced survival of burn victims of the past decades. Most major advances in burn care occurred in the past 50 years, spurred on by wars and great fires. The use of systemic antibiotics and topical antiinfective agents greatly reduced sepsis related mortality. This along with the improvement of new surgical and skin grafting techniques allowed the earlier excision and coverage of deep burns which resulted in greatly improved survival rates and better functional and aesthetic outcome. In this book we look back at how the treatment of burns has evolved over the past decades and hundreds of years. The advancement of burn care has been closely associated with our deeper understanding of its pathophysiology; we have now come to understand the impact that burn injuries have in the multiple fields of current medical science i.e. in metabolism and circulation, electrolyte balance and nutrition, immunology and infection, inflammation, pulmonary function and wound healing.

Summary: Ninety percent of lives claimed by injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. This special issue, A Million Person Household Survey: Understanding the Burden of Injuries in Bangladesh, aims to assess these injuries-including falls, drowning, burns, road traffic injuries - to inform efforts to reduce the burden they cast on millions of people and families in a low income country. This issue offers a unique collection of research on the epidemiology of fatal and non-fatal injuries in Bangladesh. Based on a survey of more than one million people, this research-conducted by the International Injury Research Unit, Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and two Bangladesh partners, the Center for Injury Prevention and Research and the International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, was part of a large-scale, population-based, child-drowning prevention project called "Saving of Lives from Drowning in Bangladesh." The project tested the large-scale effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based interventions to reduce drowning related deaths for children less than five years of age (reported elsewhere). We hope this data will be useful to researchers, students, practitioners and national decision makers.

Summary: Road transportation is a basic need for mobility and daily life. Currently, there are a number of challenges in dealing with distressed pavement and seeking new materials with sustainability in mind in pavement systems. Therefore, it is important to conduct further research in the following areas: (1) pavement structure, materials, and design; (2) pavement models as better solutions for pavement constructions; (3) pavement mechanics for improved understanding and mechanism analyses; (4) utilization of recycled materials for environmentally friendly solutions; (5) maintenance and rehabilitation for an extended life span of pavement; (6) intelligent construction for project management, energy conservation, and future constructions; and (7) innovative approaches to test and evaluate the performance of pavement materials. The purpose of this Special Issue "Achievements and Prospects of Advanced Pavement Materials Technologies" is to explore new research ideas for pavement materials as described above.

Summary: Urbanisation and climate change are pushing cities to find novel pathways leading to a sustainable future. The urban context may be viewed as a new experimentation space to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Urban symbiosis and the circular economy are emerging concepts attracting more and more attention within the urban context. Moreover, new business models are emerging around sharing and peer-to-peer practices, which are challenging existing roles of actors in society. These developments are having an important impact on the flows of resources and the use of the city infrastructure, and each research area has taken a different perspective in the analysis of such impacts. This Special Issue aims to explore what a "circular city" could constitute and how and why cities engage in circularity. This Special Issue includes seven high-quality papers on the theories and practices of circular cities. Actors, concepts, methods, tools, the barriers to and enablers of circular cities are discussed and a solid base and inspiration for the future development of circular cities are provided.

Summary: The development of a closed-loop cycle is a necessary condition so as to develop a circular economy model as an alternative to the linear model, in order to maintain the value of products and materials for as long as possible. For this motive, the definition of the value must be demonstrated for both the environment and the economy. The presence of these analyses should be associated with the social dimension and the human component. A strong cooperation between social and technical profiles is a new challenge for all researchers. End of life of products attract a lot of attention, and the final output could be the production of technologies suitable for managing this waste.

Summary: Adsorption is a well-established operation used for water decontamination and the remediation of industrial effluents. It is also recognized as a key technology for recovering substances of economic interest or those at risk of scarcity. The new sustainability paradigm of the circular economy and the current context of promoting the efficient use of natural resources, water and energy have been motivating the search for eco-friendly adsorbents for water and wastewater treatment and resource recovery. This Special Issue compiles 21 papers (17 research articles and 4 reviews), addressing the removal of heavy metals, toxic metalloids, precious metals and organics from aqueous solution, using a wide variety of adsorbents derived from natural and waste materials.

Summary: In recent years, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been increasingly contributing to the development of novel engineering systems with energy storage requirements. LIBs are playing an essential role in our society, as they are being used in a wide variety of applications, ranging from consumer electronics, electric mobility, renewable energy storage, biomedical applications, or aerospace systems. Despite the remarkable achievements and applicability of LIBs, there are several features within this technology that require further research and improvements. In this book, a collection of 10 original research papers addresses some of those key features, including: battery testing methodologies, state of charge and state of health monitoring, and system-level power electronics applications. One key aspect to emphasize when it comes to this book is the multidisciplinary nature of the selected papers. The presented research was developed at university departments, institutes and organizations of different disciplines, including Electrical Engineering, Control Engineering, Computer Science or Material Science, to name a few examples. The overall result is a book that represents a coherent collection of multidisciplinary works within the prominent field of LIBs.

Summary: Based on five Special Issues in Coatings, this e-book contains a series of 15 articles demonstrating actual perspectives and new trends in advanced coatings in buildings. Innovative materials and multiperformance solutions provide a basis, contributing also to the better protection of buildings' surfaces during the service life, and the users' wellbeing.

Summary: Recent years have seen a vast development in various methodologies for object detection and feature extraction and recognition, both in theory and in practice. When processing images, videos, or other types of multimedia, one needs efficient solutions to perform fast and reliable processing. Computational intelligence is used for medical screening where the detection of disease symptoms is carried out, in prevention monitoring to detect suspicious behavior, in agriculture systems to help with growing plants and animal breeding, in transportation systems for the control of incoming and outgoing transportation, for unmanned vehicles to detect obstacles and avoid collisions, in optics and materials for the detection of surface damage, etc. In many cases, we use developed techniques which help us to recognize some special features. In the context of this innovative research on computational intelligence, the Special Issue "Advanced Computational Intelligence for Object Detection, Feature Extraction and Recognition in Smart Sensor Environments" present an excellent opportunity for the dissemination of recent results and achievements for further innovations and development. It is my pleasure to present this collection of excellent contributions to the research community. - Prof. Marcin Woźniak, Silesian University of Technology, Poland -

Summary: According to the National Research Council, the use of embedded systems throughout society could well overtake previous milestones in the information revolution. Mechatronics is the synergistic combination of electronic, mechanical engineering, controls, software and systems engineering in the design of processes and products. Mechatronic systems put "intelligence" into physical systems. Embedded sensors/actuators/processors are integral parts of mechatronic systems. The implementation of mechatronic systems is consistently on the rise. However, manufacturers are working hard to reduce the implementation cost of these systems while trying avoid compromising product quality. One way of addressing these conflicting objectives is through new automatic control methods, virtual sensing/estimation, and new innovative hardware topologies.

Summary: With the progress of nanoscience and biotechnology, advanced electrochemical biosensors have been widely investigated for various application fields. Such electrochemical sensors are well suited to miniaturization and integration for portable devices and parallel processing chips. Therefore, advanced electrochemical biosensors can open a new era in health care, drug discovery, and environmental monitoring. This Special Issue serves the need to promote exploratory research and development on emerging electrochemical biosensor technologies while aiming to reflect on the current state of research in this emerging field.

Summary: Fuel cells are expected to play a relevant role in the transition towards a sustainable-energy-driven world. Although this type of electrochemical system was discovered a long time ago, only in recent years has global energy awareness, together with newly developed materials and available technologies, made such key advances in relation to fuel cell potential and its deployment. It is now unquestionable that fuel cells are recognized, alongside their possibility to work in the reverse mode, as the hub of the new energy deal. Now the questions are, why are they not yet ready to be used, despite the strong economic support given from the society? What prevents them from being entered into the hydrogen energy scenario in which renewable sources will provide energy when it is not readily available? How much are researchers involved in this urgent step towards change? This book gives a clear answer, engaging with some of the open issues that explain the delay of fuel cell deployment and, at the same time, it opens a window that shows how wide and attractive the opportunities offered by this technology are. Papers collected here are not only specialist-oriented but also offer a clear landscape to curious readers and show how challenging the road to the future is.

Summary: This reprint discusses the various applications, new materials, and evolution in the field of nanogenerators. This lays the foundation for the popularization of their broad applications in energy science, environmental protection, wearable electronics, self-powered sensors, medical science, robotics, and artificial intelligence.

Summary: The book "Advanced Materials for Electrochemical Energy Conversion and Storage Devices" reports new, improved electrocatalytic materials for batteries, capacitors, and fuel cells. These advances are expected to significantly impact the performance of electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices and, consequently, their commercialisation. This book is intended to be a valuable tool for those from industry and academia interested in knowing more about the field.

Summary: This book focuses on advanced nanomaterials for energy conversion and storage, covering their design, synthesis, properties and applications in various fields. Developing advanced nanomaterials for high-performance and low-cost energy conversion and storage devices and technologies is of great significance in order to solve the issues of energy crisis and environmental pollution. In this book, various advanced nanomaterials for batteries, capacitors, electrocatalysis, nanogenerators, and magnetic nanomaterials are presented

Summary: Thermal energy storage using phase change materials (PCMs) is a research topic that has attracted much attention in recent decades. This is mainly due to the potential use of PCMs as latent storage media in a large variety of applications. Although many kinds of PCMs are already commercial products, advanced materials with improved properties and new latent storage concepts are required to better meet the specific requirements of different applications. Moreover, the development of common validation procedures for PCMs is an important issue that should be addressed in order to achieve commercial deployment and implementation of these kinds of materials in latent storage systems. The key subjects addressed on the five papers included in this Special Issue are related to methodologies for material selection, PCM validation and assessment procedures, innovative approaches of PCM applications together with simulation and testing of latent storage prototypes.

Summary: This reprint is the printed edition of the Special Issue published in Materials. The reprint provides an overview on current international research activities in the field of advanced pulse laser machining technology. It covers fundamental and applied aspects and collects contributions of renowned scientists from academics and industries working in the fields of laser processing, materials science, physics, chemistry, and engineering in order to foster the current knowledge and present new ideas for future applications and new technologies.

Summary: Smart, wearables devices on a miniature scale are becoming increasingly widely available, typically in the form of smart watches and other connected devices. Consequently, devices to assist in measurements such as electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyography (EMG), blood pressure (BP), photoplethysmography (PPG), heart rhythm, respiration rate, apnoea, and motion detection are becoming more available, and play a significant role in healthcare monitoring. The industry is placing great emphasis on making these devices and technologies available on smart devices such as phones and watches. Such measurements are clinically and scientifically useful for real-time monitoring, long-term care, and diagnosis and therapeutic techniques. However, a pertaining issue is that recorded data are usually noisy, contain many artefacts, and are affected by external factors such as movements and physical conditions. In order to obtain accurate and meaningful indicators, the signal has to be processed and conditioned such that the measurements are accurate and free from noise and disturbances. In this context, many researchers have utilized recent technological advances in wearable sensors and signal processing to develop smart and accurate wearable devices for clinical applications. The processing and analysis of physiological signals is a key issue for these smart wearable devices. Consequently, ongoing work in this field of study includes research on filtration, quality checking, signal transformation and decomposition, feature extraction and, most recently, machine learning-based methods.

Summary: The use of biomass and organic waste material as a primary resource for the production of fuels, chemicals, and electric power is of growing significance in light of the environmental issues associated with the use of fossil fuels. For this reason, it is vital that new and more efficient technologies for the conversion of biomass are investigated and developed. Today, various advanced methods can be used for the conversion of biomass. These methods are broadly classified into thermochemical conversion, biochemical conversion, and electrochemical conversion. This book collects papers that consider various aspects of sustainability in the conversion of biomass into valuable products, covering all the technical stages from biomass production to residue management. In particular, it focuses on experimental and simulation studies aiming to investigate new processes and technologies on the industrial, pilot, and bench scales.

Summary: This book presents valuable research results in the challenging field of systems (cyber)security. It is a reprint of the Information (MDPI, Basel) - Special Issue (SI) on Advanced Topics in Systems Safety and Security. The competitive review process of MDPI journals guarantees the quality of the presented concepts and results. The SI comprises high-quality papers focused on cutting-edge research topics in cybersecurity of computer networks and industrial control systems. The contributions presented in this book are mainly the extended versions of selected papers presented at the 7th and the 8th editions of the International Workshop on Systems Safety and Security-IWSSS. These two editions took place in Romania in 2019 and respectively in 2020. In addition to the selected papers from IWSSS, the special issue includes other valuable and relevant contributions. The papers included in this reprint discuss various subjects ranging from cyberattack or criminal activities detection, evaluation of the attacker skills, modeling of the cyber-attacks, and mobile application security evaluation. Given this diversity of topics and the scientific level of papers, we consider this book a valuable reference for researchers in the security and safety of systems.

Summary: Although methods to assess or self-monitor intake may be considered similar, the intended function of each is quite distinct. For the assessment of dietary intake, methods aim to measure food and nutrient intake and/or to derive dietary patterns for determining diet-disease relationships, population surveillance or the effectiveness of interventions. In comparison, dietary self-monitoring primarily aims to create awareness of and reinforce individual eating behaviours, in addition to tracking foods consumed. Advancements in the capabilities of technologies, such as smartphones and wearable devices, have enhanced the collection, analysis and interpretation of dietary intake data in both contexts. This Special Issue invites submissions on the use of novel technology-based approaches for the assessment of food and/or nutrient intake and for self-monitoring eating behaviours. Submissions may document any part of the development and evaluation of the technology-based approaches. Examples may include: web adaption of existing dietary assessment or self-monitoring tools (e.g., food frequency questionnaires, screeners) image-based or image-assisted methods mobile/smartphone applications for capturing intake for assessment or self-monitoring wearable cameras to record dietary intake or eating behaviours body sensors to measure eating behaviours and/or dietary intake use of technology-based methods to complement aspects of traditional dietary assessment or self-monitoring, such as portion size estimation.

Summary: The present reprint contains 33 articles accepted and published in the Special Issue entitled "Advancement of Mathematical Methods in Feature Representation Learning for Artificial Intelligence, Data Mining and Robotics, 2022" in the MDPI journal, Mathematics, which covers a wide range of topics connected to the theory and applications of feature representation learning for image processing, artificial intelligence, data mining and robotics. These topics include, among others, elements from image blurring, image aesthetic quality assessment, pedestrian detection, visual tracking, vehicle re-identification, face recognition, 3D reconstruction, the stability of switched systems, domain adaption, deep reinforcement, sentiment analysis, graph convolutional networks, knowledge graphs, geometric metric learning, etc. It is hoped that this reprint will be interesting and useful for those working in the area of image processing, computer vision, machine learning, natural language processing and robotics, as well as for those with backgrounds in machine learning who are willing to become familiar with recent advancements in artificial intelligence, which, today, is present in almost all aspects of human life and activities.

Summary: Modern power and energy systems are characterized by the wide integration of distributed generation, storage and electric vehicles, adoption of ICT solutions, and interconnection of different energy carriers and consumer engagement, posing new challenges and creating new opportunities. Advanced testing and validation methods are needed to efficiently validate power equipment and controls in the contemporary complex environment and support the transition to a cleaner and sustainable energy system. Real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation has proven to be an effective method for validating and de-risking power system equipment in highly realistic, flexible, and repeatable conditions. Controller hardware-in-the-loop (CHIL) and power hardware-in-the-loop (PHIL) are the two main HIL simulation methods used in industry and academia that contribute to system-level testing enhancement by exploiting the flexibility of digital simulations in testing actual controllers and power equipment. This book addresses recent advances in real-time HIL simulation in several domains (also in new and promising areas), including technique improvements to promote its wider use. It is composed of 14 papers dealing with advances in HIL testing of power electronic converters, power system protection, modeling for real-time digital simulation, co-simulation, geographically distributed HIL, and multiphysics HIL, among other topics.

Summary: The electrical demands in several countries around the world are increasing due to the huge energy requirements of prosperous economies and the human activities of modern life. In order to economically transfer electrical powers from the generation side to the demand side, these powers need to be transferred at high-voltage levels through suitable transmission systems and power substations. To this end, high-voltage transmission systems and power substations are in demand. Actually, they are at the heart of interconnected power systems, in which any faults might lead to unsuitable consequences, abnormal operation situations, security issues, and even power cuts and blackouts. In order to cope with the ever-increasing operation and control complexity and security in interconnected high-voltage power systems, new architectures, concepts, algorithms, and procedures are essential. This book aims to encourage researchers to address the technical issues and research gaps in high-voltage transmission systems and power substations in modern energy systems.

Summary: Antiferromagnetic spintronics is an emerging topic in spintronics that is attracting interest due to its wide range of advantages, including terahertz operation, memory without stray fields, and highly efficient spin generation. The discussion of this topic covers aspects ranging from the development of new antiferromagnetic materials to the applications of these materials in devices. Traditionally, antiferromagnets were treated as less common magnetic materials for fundamental studies and applications. However, recent miniaturisation and high-frequency operation have revealed that they are advantageous over conventional ferromagnets. This Special Issue reviews the current status and future perspectives of antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Summary: Ion-sensitive membrane-based sensors and ionic processes in bio-membranes are the focus of this book. The chapters are carefully chosen to characterize essential research trends, applications, and perspectives. They include solid contact ion-selective and reference electrodes and their electroanalytical behavior in zero and nonzero-current modes, planar and miniaturized multielectrode platforms, ion monitoring in extreme sports, and transmembrane transport through living endothelial cells to find the volume. This book is crowned by the consideration of a yet unexplored ion status in a mitochondrial matrix

Summary: The present reprint contains all of the articles accepted and published in the Special Issue " Advances in Artificial Intelligence and Statistical Techniques with Applications to Health and Education" from the MDPI journal Mathematics. This Special Issue aims to develop more efficient and effective approaches to healthcare and education, leveraging the increasing availability of big data and advancements in artificial intelligence. By sharing new methods, applications, and case studies, this reprint is dedicated to the development of innovative solutions that improve healthcare and education for all. The topics addressed in this Special Issue cover a wide range of areas, including data mining, machine learning, learning analytics, prediction methods, pattern recognition, decision analysis, probabilistic reasoning, fuzzy systems, student or patient modelling, adaptive systems, collaborative systems, recommendation systems, experimental design, and empirical study cases. We hope that this reprint will enable the scientific community in both medicine and education to leverage the techniques from statistics and artificial intelligence to drive significant advances in their respective fields. These approaches hold promise for improving patient outcomes and enhancing the quality of education for students around the world.

Summary: Unlike other construction materials, road materials have developed minimally over the past 100 years. However, since the 1970s, the focus has been on more sustainable road construction materials such as recycled asphalt pavements. Recycling asphalt involves removing old asphalt and mixing it with new (fresh) aggregates, binders, and/or rejuvenators. Similarly, there are various efforts to use alternative modifiers and technical solutions such as crumb rubber, plastics, or various types of fibres. For the past two decades, researchers have been developing novel materials and technologies, such as self-healing materials, in order to improve road design, construction, and maintenance efficiency and reduce the financial and environmental burden of road construction. This Special Issue on "Advances in Asphalt Pavement Technologies and Practices" curates advanced/novel work on asphalt pavement design, construction, and maintenance. The Special Issue comprises 19 papers describing unique works that address the current challenges that the asphalt industry and road owners face.

Summary: This book represents one of the most up-to-date collections of articles on clinical practice and research in the field of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The scholars who contributed to this book are experts in their field, carrying out cutting edge research in prestigious institutes worldwide (e.g., Harvard Medical School, University of California, MIND Institute, King's College, Karolinska Institute, and many others). The book addressed many topics, including (1) The COVID-19 pandemic; (2) Epidemiology and prevalence; (3) Screening and early behavioral markers; (4) Diagnostic and phenotypic profile; (5) Treatment and intervention; (6) Etiopathogenesis (biomarkers, biology, and genetic, epigenetic, and risk factors); (7) Comorbidity; (8) Adulthood; and (9) Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP). This book testifies to the complexity of performing research in the field of ASD. The published contributions underline areas of progress and ongoing challenges in which more certain data is expected in the coming years. It would be desirable that experts, clinicians, researchers, and trainees could have the opportunity to read this updated text describing the challenging heterogeneity of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Summary: Among the strategies for reducing the negative effects on the environment effected by the uncontrolled consumption and low potential for the recovery of conventional plastics, the synthesis of new biodegradable and recyclable plastics represents one of the most promising methods for minimizing the negative effects of conventional non-biodegradable plastics. The spectrum of existing biodegradable materials is still very narrow; thus, to achieve greater applicability, research is being carried out on biodegradable polymer mixtures, the synthesis of new polymers, and the incorporation of new stabilizers for thermal degradation, alongside the use of other additives such as antibacterials or new and more sustainable plasticizers. Some studies analyze direct applications, such as shape memory foams, new cartilage implants, drug release, etc.The reader can find several studies on the degradation of biodegradable polymers under composting conditions; however, novel bacteria that degrade polymers considered non-biodegradable in other, unusual conditions (such as conditions of high salinity) are also presented.

Summary: Among the strategies for reducing the negative effects on the environment effected by the uncontrolled consumption and low potential for the recovery of conventional plastics, the synthesis of new biodegradable and recyclable plastics represents one of the most promising methods for minimizing the negative effects of conventional non-biodegradable plastics. The spectrum of existing biodegradable materials is still very narrow; thus, to achieve greater applicability, research is being carried out on biodegradable polymer mixtures, the synthesis of new polymers, and the incorporation of new stabilizers for thermal degradation, alongside the use of other additives such as antibacterials or new and more sustainable plasticizers. Some studies analyze direct applications, such as shape memory foams, new cartilage implants, drug release, etc.The reader can find several studies on the degradation of biodegradable polymers under composting conditions; however, novel bacteria that degrade polymers considered non-biodegradable in other, unusual conditions (such as conditions of high salinity) are also presented.

Summary: This book reprints articles from the Special Issue "Advances in Computer-Aided Technology" published online in the open-access journal Machines (ISSN 2075-1702). This book consists of thirteen published articles. This Special Issue belongs to the "Mechatronic and Intelligent Machines" section. Industry 4.0 is characterized by the integration of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing, into traditional manufacturing and production processes. CAx (Computer-Aided Systems) systems are a set of computer software tools used in engineering and product design, covering various stages of the product development cycle. Advanced CAx tools combine many different aspects of product lifecycle management (PLM), including design, finite element analysis (FEA), manufacturing, production planning and product. In connection with the transition to Industry 4.0 concepts, the concept of the digital twin comes to the fore, and existing CAx systems must adapt to this trend. The Special Issue deals with a number of research areas, such as: - New trends in CAx systems; Digital manufacturing; Internet of Things in manufacturing; Simulation of production systems and processes; Systems for advanced finite element analysis; Material engineering; Digitization and 3D scanning.

Summary: Credit risk remains one of the major risks faced by most financial and credit institutions. It is deeply connected to the real economy due to the systemic nature of some banks, but also because well-managed lending facilities are key for wealth creation and technological innovation. This book is a collection of innovative papers in the field of credit risk management. Besides the probability of default (PD), the major driver of credit risk is the loss given default (LGD). In spite of its central importance, LGD modeling remains largely unexplored in the academic literature. This book proposes three contributions in the field. Ye & Bellotti exploit a large private dataset featuring non-performing loans to design a beta mixture model. Their model can be used to improve recovery rate forecasts and, therefore, to enhance capital requirement mechanisms. François uses instead the price of defaultable instruments to infer the determinants of market-implied recovery rates and finds that macroeconomic and long-term issuer specific factors are the main determinants of market-implied LGDs. Cheng & Cirillo address the problem of modeling the dependency between PD and LGD using an original, urn-based statistical model. Fadina & Schmidt propose an improvement of intensity-based default models by accounting for ambiguity around both the intensity process and the recovery rate. Another topic deserving more attention is trade credit, which consists of the supplier providing credit facilities to his customers. Whereas this is likely to stimulate exchanges in general, it also magnifies credit risk. This is a difficult problem that remains largely unexplored. Kanapickiene & Spicas propose a simple but yet practical model to assess trade credit risk associated with SMEs and microenterprises operating in Lithuania. Another topical area in credit risk is counterparty risk and all other adjustments (such as liquidity and capital adjustments), known as XVA. Chataignier & Crépey propose a genetic algorithm to compress CVA and to obtain affordable incremental figures. Anagnostou & Kandhai introduce a hidden Markov model to simulate exchange rate scenarios for counterparty risk. Eventually, Boursicot et al. analyzes CoCo bonds, and find that they reduce the total cost of debt, which is positive for shareholders. In a nutshell, all the featured papers contribute to shedding light on various aspects of credit risk management that have, so far, largely remained unexplored.

Summary: In recent research on natural processes, mathematical modeling has become a very useful tool. It is often the case that, in fields such as economics and biology, a temporal lag between cause and effect must often be taken into consideration. In modeling, a natural and practical implementation of this phenomenon is through the use of distributed delays. This is because they illustrate the situation where temporal lags arise in certain ranges of values for certain related probability distributions, taking into account the variables' entire history of behavior. Another mathematical tool that allows for the memory and inherited properties of systems to be encompassed in a model is the replacement of integer-order derivatives with fractional derivatives. To address realistic conditions, stochastic perturbation framed by a stochastic differential delay system can be used to explain the ambiguity about the context in which the system operates. The present book comprises all the 16 articles accepted and published in the Special Issue "Advances in Differential Dynamical Systems with Applications to Economics and Biology" of the MDPI journal Mathematics, with focuses on the dynamical analysis of mathematical models, arising from economy and biology, and innovative developments in mathematical techniques for their applications. We expect that the international scientific community will find this collection of research papers influential and that they will spur additional investigations on diverse applications with respect to dynamical systems in all scientific areas.

Summary: The present reprint contains twelve papers published in the Special Issue "Advances in Discrete Applied Mathematics and Graph Theory, 2021" of the MDPI Mathematics journal, which cover a wide range of topics connected to the theory and applications of Graph Theory and Discrete Applied Mathematics. The focus of the majority of papers is on recent advances in graph theory and applications in chemical graph theory. In particular, the topics studied include bipartite and multipartite Ramsey numbers, graph coloring and chromatic numbers, several varieties of domination (Double Roman, Quasi-Total Roman, Total 3-Roman) and two graph indices of interest in chemical graph theory (Sombor index, generalized ABC index), as well as hyperspaces of graphs and local inclusive distance vertex irregular graphs.

Summary: The main purpose of this Special Issue of "Advances in Fluid Power Systems" was to present new scientific work in the field of fluid power systems for hydraulic and pneumatic control of machines and devices used in various industries. Advances in fluid power systems are leading to the creation of new smart devices that can replace tried-and-true solutions from the past. The development work of authors from various research centres has been published. This Special Issue focuses on recent advances and smart solutions for fluid power systems in a wide range of topics, including: • Fluid power for IoT and Industry 4.0: smart fluid power technology, wireless 5G connectivity in fluid power, smart components, and sensors.• Fluid power in the renewable energy sector: hydraulic drivetrains for wind power and for wave and marine current power, and hydraulic systems for solar power. • Hybrid fluid power: hybrid transmissions, energy recovery and accumulation, and energy efficiency of hybrid drives.• Industrial and mobile fluid power: industrial fluid power solutions, mobile fluid power solutions, eand nergy efficiency solutions for fluid power systems.• Environmental aspects of fluid power: hydraulic water control technology, noise and vibration of fluid power components, safety, reliability, fault analysis, and diagnosis of fluid power systems.• Fluid power and mechatronic systems: servo-drive control systems, fluid power drives in manipulators and robots, and fluid power in autonomous solutions.

Summary: This e-book aims to compile advances in the area of food manufacturing including packaging to address issues of food safety, quality, fraud, and how these processes (new or old) could affect the organoleptic characteristics of foods, with the aim to promote consumers' satisfaction. Moreover, food supply issues are explored. New and improved technologies are employed in the area of food manufacturing to address consumer needs in terms of quality and safety. The issues of research and development should be taken into account seriously before launching a new product onto the market. Finally, food fraud and authenticity are very important issues, and the food industry should focus on addressing them.

Summary: This Special Issue celebrates the opening of a new section of the journal Foundation: Physical Sciences. Theoretical and experimental studies related to various areas of fundamental physics are presented in this Special Issue. The published papers are related to the following topics: dark matter, electron impact excitation, second flavor of hydrogen atoms, quantum antenna, molecular hydrogen, molecular hydrogen ion, wave pulses, Brans-Dicke theory, hydrogen Rydberg atom, high-frequency laser field, relativistic mean field formalism, nonlocal continuum field theories, parallel universe, charge exchange, van der Waals broadening, greenhouse effect, strange and unipolar electromagnetic pulses, quasicrystals, Wilhelm-Weber's electromagnetic force law, axions, photoluminescence, neutron stars, gravitational waves, diatomic molecular spectroscopy, information geometric measures of complexity. Among 21 papers published in this Special Issue, there are 5 reviews and 16 original research papers.

Summary: Nowadays, there is great pressure on energy conservation and emission reduction. In order to achieve these goals, weight reduction in manufacturing fields, such as the vehicle, marine, and aerospace industries, and microelectromechanical systems is the major trend. Although some structures and parts that require special properties and service conditions must use ferrous materials such as steels due to their superior thermal and wear resistance, there is a desperate need to replace these alloys with non-ferrous materials such as Al alloys, Mg alloys, Ti-based alloys, Cu alloys, and others in order to decrease the operational and maintenance costs. Recently, many new material processing techniques, i.e., irradiation, cryogenic rolling, wet chemical method, induction sintering, liquid/solid casting, heat treatment, electromagnetic hot forming, and five-axis flank milling, have been developed to enhance the performance of non-ferrous materials. Excellent work hardening, fracture toughness, mechanical properties, magnetic properties, and wear resistance could be realized depending on the appropriate application of these new technologies. This Special Issue covers these topics and focuses on the process-structure-properties relationships of high-performance non-ferrous materials.

Summary: This Special Issue reports on recent research trends in hydraulics, hydrodynamics, and hydroinformatics, and their novel applications in practical engineering. The Issue covers a wide range of topics, including open channel flows, sediment transport dynamics, two-phase flows, flow-induced vibration and water quality. The collected papers provide insight into new developments in physical, mathematical, and numerical modelling of important problems in hydraulics and hydroinformatics, and include demonstrations of the application of such models in water resources engineering.

Summary: This Special Issue is result of a call for papers of the Section Industrial Crystallization of MDPI's scientific journal Crystals. It addresses scientists and engineers active in research and process & product development in life-science industries (e.g. pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and biotechnology products) and bulk chemical applications (e.g. desalination) as well. The contributions comprise several fundamental and application-oriented facets of crystallization providing an overview of industrially relevant subjects in the field. Main issues cover phase equilibria and solid-state behavior of crystalline compounds, crystal shape and size and related measurement techniques. Melt and solution crystallization are considered specifically addressing contemporary aspects of continuous crystallization and process intensification.

Summary: This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Advances in Intelligent Vehicle Control that was published in the journal Sensors. It presents a collection of eleven papers that covers a range of topics, such as the development of intelligent control algorithms for active safety systems, smart sensors, and intelligent and efficient driving. The contributions presented in these papers can serve as useful tools for researchers who are interested in new vehicle technology and in the improvement of vehicle control systems.

Summary: In recent years, ironmaking and steelmaking have witnessed the incorporation of various new processes and technologies that can be operated and organized in different combinations depending on the properties of raw materials and the required quality of the final products. Indications from the steel industry and local and global government institutions suggest that the breakthrough technologies for decarbonization will be based on new fuels and energy vectors. For CO2-lean process routes, three major solutions have been identified: decarbonizing, whereby coal would be replaced by hydrogen or electricity in the hydrogen reduction or electrolysis of iron ore processes; the introduction of CCS technology; and the use of sustainable biomass. Today, hydrogen-based steelmaking is a potential low-carbon and economically attractive route, especially in countries where natural gas is cheap. By considering systems for increasing energy efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of steel production, CO2 emissions may be greatly reduced by hydrogen-based steel production if hydrogen is generated by means of carbon-free and renewable sources. Currently, the development of the hydrogen economy has received a great deal of attention in that H2 is considered a promising alternative to replace fossil fuels. Based on hydrogen, the "hydrogen economy" is a promising clean energy carrier for decarbonized energy systems if the hydrogen used is produced from renewable energy sources or coupled with carbon capture and storage (CCS) or nuclear energy.

Summary: Laser processing has become more relevant today due to its fast adaptation to the most critical technological tasks, its ability to provide processing in the most rarefied and aggressive mediums (vacuum conditions), its wide field of potential applications, and the green aspects related to the absence of industrial cutting chips and dust. With the development of 3D production, laser processing has received renewed interest associated with its ability to achieve pointed to high-precision powder melting or sintering. New technologies and equipment, which improve and modify optical laser parameters, contribute to better absorption of laser energy by metals or powder surfaces and allow for multiplying laser power that can positively influence the industrial spread of the laser in mass production and advance the existing manufacturing methods. The latest achievements in laser processing have become a relevant topic in the most authoritative scientific journals and conferences in the last half-century. Advances in laser processing have received multiple awards in the most prestigious competitions and exhibitions worldwide and at international scientific events. The Special Issue is devoted to the most recent achievements in the laser processing of various materials, such as cast irons, tool steels, high entropy alloys, hard-to-remelt materials, cement mortars, and post-processing and innovative manufacturing based on a laser.

Summary: This reprint features 12 research articles that contribute to the research on lubricated bearings. The articles focus on the latest steps in understanding bearing operating behavior, its interaction with lubricants, and its role as a component in the drive train. In addition to the description of novel modeling approaches, a variety of experimental data are presented to provide interesting identification results as well as validation data for the research and engineering community.

Summary: The fundamentals of mechanical system dynamics were established before the beginning of the industrial era. The 18th century was a very important time for science and was characterized by the development of classical mechanics. This development progressed in the 19th century, and new, important applications related to industrialization were found and studied. The development of computers in the 20th century revolutionized mechanical system dynamics owing to the development of numerical simulation. We are now in the presence of the fourth industrial revolution. Mechanical systems are increasingly integrated with electrical, fluidic, and electronic systems, and the industrial environment has become characterized by the cyber-physical systems of industry 4.0. Within this framework, the status-of-the-art has become represented by integrated mechanical systems and supported by accurate dynamic models able to predict their dynamic behavior. Therefore, mechanical systems dynamics will play a central role in forthcoming years. This Special Issue aims to disseminate the latest research findings and ideas in the field of mechanical systems dynamics, with particular emphasis on novel trends and applications.

Summary: In response to the demanding requirements of different sectors, such as construction, transportation, energy, manufacturing, and mining, new generations of microalloyed steels are being developed and brought to market. The addition of microalloying elements, such as niobium, vanadium, titanium, boron, and/or molybdenum, has become a key tool in the steel industry to reach economically-viable grades with increasingly higher mechanical strength, toughness, good formability, and weldable products. The challenges that microalloying steel production faces can be solved with a deeper understanding of the effects that these microalloying additions and combinations of them have during the different steps of the steelmaking process.

Summary: In the last twenty years, there has been a growing interest in middle infrared (mid-IR) laser crystals and their application to achieve mid-IR laser radiations, which has benefited from the development of novel mid-infrared crystals and the improving quality of traditional mid-IR crystals. Moreover, these works have promoted the development of related technical applications. This Special Issue of the journal Crystals focuses on the most recent advances in mid-IR laser crystals, from materials to laser sources and applications. It aims to bring together the latest developments in novel mid-IR crystals, improvements in the quality of mid-IR crystals, mid-IR non-linear crystals and mid-IR lasers, as well as the application of mid-IR technology in spectroscopy, trace gas detection and remote sensing, optical microscopy and biomedicine. Aspiring authors are encouraged to submit their latest original research, as well as forward-looking review papers, to this Special Issue.

Summary: Mobile mapping is applied widely in society, for example, in asset management, fleet management, construction planning, road safety, and maintenance optimization. Yet, further advances in these technologies are called for. Advances can be radical, such as changes to the prevailing paradigms in mobile mapping, or incremental, such as the state-of-the-art mobile mapping methods. With current multi-sensor systems in mobile mapping, laser-scanned data are often registered in point clouds with the aid of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) positioning or simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) techniques and then labeled and colored with the aid of machine learning methods and digital camera data. These multi-sensor platforms are beginning to undergo further advancements via the addition of multi-spectral and other sensors and via the development of machine learning techniques used in processing this multi-modal data. Embedded systems and minimalistic system designs are also attracting attention, from both academic and commercial perspectives.This book contains the accepted publications of the Special Issue 'Advances in Mobile Mapping Technologies' of the Remote Sensing journal. It consists of works introducing a new mobile mapping dataset ('Paris CARLA 3D'), system calibration studies, SLAM topics, and multiple deep learning works for asset detection. We, the Guest Editors, Ville Lehtola from University of Twente, Netherlands, Andreas Nüchter from University of Würzburg, Germany, and François Goulette from Mines Paris- PSL University, France, wish to thank all the authors who contributed to this collection.

Summary: Advances in Nanomaterials in Biomedicine" provided a platform for more than 110 researchers from different countries to present their latest investigations in various fields of nanotechnology, new methods and nanomaterials intended for medical applications. Modern achievements in the field of nanoparticle-based diagnostics, drug delivery and the use of various nanomaterials in the treatment of diseases are presented in 11 original articles. The published reviews provide a comprehensive analysis of the current information on the use of nanomedicine in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer and liver fibrosis, in the field of solid tissue engineering and in drug delivery systems.

Summary: The development of science has led to the emergence of many new modern materials, which also require more advanced tools for their characterization and analysis. NMR and MRI are certainly among such tools, also due to their continuous development, which has made them more powerful, versatile, and sensitive. With these advances, these two techniques have been able to address many open problems associated with the emergence of new materials.This reprint comprises a collection of advanced NMR and MRI techniques and methods, together with a demonstration of their application to the target materials for which they were designed and optimized. These are presented in 25 original, peer-reviewed articles for the Special Issue in the MDPI journal Molecules. The topics covered include MR methods in pharmaceutical research, NMR in cement research, MR methods in wood research, diffusion in materials, characterization of materials by NMR relaxometry, NMR spectroscopy of materials, and MRI of materials.

Summary: According to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), achieving safe and healthier foods was one of the top ten achievements of public health in the 20th century. However, considerable persisting challenges currently exist in developed nations and developing economies for further assuring the safety and security of the food supplies. According to CDC estimates, as many as 3000 American adults, as an example, and based on a recent epidemiological estimate of the World Health Organization, around 420,000 individuals around the globe, lose their lives annually due to foodborne diseases. This emphasizes the need for innovative and emerging interventions, for further prevention or mitigation of the risk of foodborne microbial pathogens during food processing and manufacturing. The current publication discusses recent advancements and progress in the elimination and decontamination of microbial pathogens during various stages of manufacturing and production. Special emphasis is placed on hurdle validation studies, investigating decontamination of non-typhoidal Salmonella enterica serovars, various serogroups of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, public health-significant serotypes of Listeria monocytogenes, and pathogenic species of Cronobacter.

Summary: Modern societies demand high and varied mobility, which in turn requires a complex transport system adapted to social needs that guarantees the movement of people and goods in an economically efficient and safe way, but all are subject to a new environmental rationality and the new logic of the paradigm of sustainability. From this perspective, an efficient and flexible transport system that provides intelligent and sustainable mobility patterns is essential to our economy and our quality of life. The current transport system poses growing and significant challenges for the environment, human health, and sustainability, while current mobility schemes have focused much more on the private vehicle that has conditioned both the lifestyles of citizens and cities, as well as urban and territorial sustainability. Transport has a very considerable weight in the framework of sustainable development due to environmental pressures, associated social and economic effects, and interrelations with other sectors. The continuous growth that this sector has experienced over the last few years and its foreseeable increase, even considering the change in trends due to the current situation of generalized crisis, make the challenge of sustainable transport a strategic priority at local, national, European, and global levels. This Special Issue will pay attention to all those research approaches focused on the relationship between evolution in the area of transport with a high incidence in the environment from the perspective of efficiency.

Summary: 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.

Summary: Understanding forest fire regimes involves characterizing spatial distribution, recurrence, intensity, seasonality, size, and severity. In recent years, knowledge of damage levels can be directly related to the environmental impact of fire and, at the same time, it is a valuable estimator of fire intensity, when the data about it are not available. Remote sensing may be seen as a tool to accurately assess burn severity and to predict the potential effects of forest fires on ecosystems, thus making the prediction of the regeneration of the plant community and the effects on ecosystems easier. This information is basic to facilitate decision-making in the post-fire management of fire-prone ecosystems. Nowadays, there has been intense research activity in relation to burned areas, burn severity, and vegetation regeneration because fires in many areas of the planet are becoming more severe and extensive, and their correct evaluation and follow-up is posing great challenges to current scientists. The current advances in remote sensing and related sciences will allow us to evaluate the damage with greater precision and to know with greater reliability the dynamics of recovery. This reprint contains studies on new remote sensing technologies, new sensors, data collections, and processing methodologies that can be successfully applied in burn severity mapping, vegetation recovery monitoring, and post-fire management of fire-prone ecosystems affected by large fires. We hope this book can help readers become more familiar with this knowledge and foster an increased interest in this field.

Summary: This is a reprint of articles from the Special Issue published online in the open access journal Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This book addresses the most recent developments in soil pollution and restoration, contaminant hydrology, and ground disturbance to stimulate fruitful technical and scientific interactions between professionals.

Summary: 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.

Summary: Energy storage is a key topic for research, industry, and business, which is gaining increasing interest. Any available energy-storage technology (batteries, fuel cells, flywheels, and so on) can cover a limited part of the power-energy plane and is characterized by some inherent drawback. Supercapacitors (also known as ultracapacitors, electrochemical capacitors, pseudocapacitors, or double-layer capacitors) feature exceptional capacitance values, creating new scenarios and opportunities in both research and industrial applications, partly because the related market is relatively recent. In practice, supercapacitors can offer a trade-off between the high specific energy of batteries and the high specific power of traditional capacitors. Developments in supercapacitor technology and supporting electronics, combined with reductions in costs, may revolutionize everything from large power systems to consumer electronics. The potential benefits of supercapacitors move from the progresses in the technological processes but can be effective by the availability of the proper tools for testing, modeling, diagnosis, sizing, management and technical-economic analyses. This book collects some of the latest developments in the field of supercapacitors, ranging from new materials to practical applications, such as energy storage, uninterruptible power supplies, smart grids, electrical vehicles, advanced transportation and renewable sources.

Summary: Energy storage is a key topic for research, industry, and business, which is gaining increasing interest. Any available energy-storage technology (batteries, fuel cells, flywheels, and so on) can cover a limited part of the power-energy plane and is characterized by some inherent drawback. Supercapacitors (also known as ultracapacitors, electrochemical capacitors, pseudocapacitors, or double-layer capacitors) feature exceptional capacitance values, creating new scenarios and opportunities in both research and industrial applications, partly because the related market is relatively recent. In practice, supercapacitors can offer a trade-off between the high specific energy of batteries and the high specific power of traditional capacitors. Developments in supercapacitor technology and supporting electronics, combined with reductions in costs, may revolutionize everything from large power systems to consumer electronics. The potential benefits of supercapacitors move from the progresses in the technological processes but can be effective by the availability of the proper tools for testing, modeling, diagnosis, sizing, management and technical-economic analyses. This book collects some of the latest developments in the field of supercapacitors, ranging from new materials to practical applications, such as energy storage, uninterruptible power supplies, smart grids, electrical vehicles, advanced transportation and renewable sources.

Summary: The book is the reprint of the Special Issue 'Advances in Sustainable and Digitalized Factories: Manufacturing, Measuring Technologies and Systems' published in the journal Applied Science (MDPI). It contains 17 articles, including 1 Editorial, 14 Research Papers, and 2 Reviews.

Summary: The application of genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses brings new dimensions to our understanding of the biology of phototrophic bacteria. Comparing gene sequences of photosynthetic reaction center proteins and a key enzyme of bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis from more than 150 genomes demonstrates the ancient roots of phototrophic bacteria. The presence and phylogeny of biosynthetic pathways of the compatible solutes ectoine and glycine betaine define groups of marine and halophilic phototrophic bacteria. The wide range of ecological niches conquered during evolution is demonstrated by the adaptation of cyanobacterial genera Scytonema, Tolypothrix, and Nostoc to different temperature ranges and the adaptation of Heliorestis species to alkaline habitats. Differences between phototrophic purple bacteria from marine and freshwater habitats are reflected in the preference for sulfidic and non-sulfidic niches. Also, a high proportion of siderophore producers was found among isolates from freshwater sources opposed to those from salty habitats . The primary colonization of carbonate rocks by a group of novel endolithic cyanobacteria and the following successions were studied over 9 months. The genomic characterization of the aerobic Dinoroseobacter strain AAP5, the strictly anaerobic and syntrophic Prosthecochloris ethylica, and the strictly anaerobic Heliorestis convoluta is reported. Significant differences in relation to oxygen are reflected in oxygen production by some species, oxygen tolerance over a wide range of concentrations, and the use of oxygen for energy generation or a strictly anaerobic lifestyle. Relations to oxygen are highlighted in papers on photooxidative stress, regulation of iron-sulfur cluster formation, and interactions of redox regulators. In situ metatranscriptomic and proteomic studies demonstrate the high metabolic flexibility of Chloroflexus aggregans in a hot spring microbial mat and show its adaptation to the changing conditions over day and night periods by a well-coordinated regulation of key metabolic processes for both phototrophic and chemotrophic growth.

Summary: Biomass has received significant attention as a sustainable feedstock that can replace diminishing fossil fuels in the production of value-added chemicals and energy. Many new catalytic technologies have been developed for the conversion of biomass feedstocks into valuable biofuels and bioproducts. However, many of these still suffer from several disadvantages, such as weak catalytic performance, harsh reaction conditions, a high processing cost, and questionable sustainability, which limit their further applicability/development in the immediate future. In this context, the esterification of carboxylic acids represents a very valuable solution to these problems, requiring mild reaction conditions and being advantageously integrable with many existing processes of biomass conversion. An emblematic example is the acid-catalyzed hydrothermal route for levulinic acid production, already upgraded to that of higher value alkyl levulinates, obtained by esterification or directly by biomass alcoholysis. Many other chemical processes benefit from esterification, such as the synthesis of biodiesel, which includes monoalkyl esters of long-chain fatty acids prepared from renewable vegetable oils and animal fats, or that of cellulose esters, mainly acetates, for textile uses. Even pyrolysis bio-oil should be stabilized by esterification to neutralize the acidity of carboxylic acids and moderate the reactivity of other typical biomass-derived compounds, such as sugars, furans, aldehydes, and phenolics. This Special Issue reports on the recent main advances in the homogeneous/heterogeneous catalytic conversion of model/real biomass components into ester derivatives that are extremely attractive for both the academic and industrial fields. Dr. Domenico Licursi Guest Editor

Summary: Electrical machines and drives dominate our everyday lives. This is due to their numerous applications in industry, power production, home appliances, and transportation systems such as electric and hybrid electric vehicles, ships, and aircrafts. Their development follows rapid advances in science, engineering, and technology. Researchers around the world are extensively investigating electrical machines and drives because of their reliability, efficiency, performance, and fault-tolerant structure. In particular, there is a focus on the importance of utilizing these new trends in technology for energy saving and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This Special Issue will provide the platform for researchers to present their recent work on advances in the field of electrical machines and drives, including special machines and their applications; new materials, including the insulation of electrical machines; new trends in diagnostics and condition monitoring; power electronics, control schemes, and algorithms for electrical drives; new topologies; and innovative applications.

Summary: This reprint, which was edited by Prof. Dr. Nazar R. Ikhsanov, Prof. Dr. Galina L. Klimchitskaya, and Prof. Dr. Vladimir M. Mostepanenko, contains research and review articles published in a Special Issue of the journal Universe in memory of outstanding astrophysicist Prof. Dr. Yuri N. Gnedin, who organized and led the Department of Astrophysics at the famous Pulkovo Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences for several decades. In these articles, the reader will find new and intriguing ideas in several topical problems of astrophysics as well as comprehensive and readily accessible sketches of a few recently performed investigations.

Summary: The paradigm in the design of all human activity that requires energy for its development must change from the past. We must change the processes of product manufacturing and functional services. This is necessary in order to mitigate the ecological footprint of man on the Earth, which cannot be considered as a resource with infinite capacities. To do this, every single process must be analyzed and modified, with the aim of decarbonising each production sector. This collection of articles has been assembled to provide ideas and new broad-spectrum contributions for these purposes.

Summary: The paradigm in the design of all human activity that requires energy for its development must change from the past. We must change the processes of product manufacturing and functional services. This is necessary in order to mitigate the ecological footprint of man on the Earth, which cannot be considered as a resource with infinite capacities. To do this, every single process must be analyzed and modified, with the aim of decarbonising each production sector. This collection of articles has been assembled to provide ideas and new broad-spectrum contributions for these purposes.

Summary: Energy storage currently plays an important role in the electricity systems. Innovative energy storage solutions will play an important role in ensuring the integration of renewable energy sources into the electrical grids in the European Union. Pumped storage hydropower systems are the most mature technology of energy storage and account for over 90% of installed energy storage capacity wordwide. However, PSH technology is constrained by topography and land availability in flat areas. In addition, PSH plants are controversial due to their impacts on landscape, land use and the environment. Conversely, underground energy storage systems may be an interesting alternative to increase the energy storage capacity with low envoronmental impacts.To help address and resolve these types of questions, this book is comprised of eleven chapters that explore new ways of energy stororage reducing the environmental impacts caused by the installation of conventional energy storage systems, as well as to increase the energy storage capacity and promote the use of disused underground space, such as abandoned mines and quiarries.The chapters included in this book cover a wide spectrum of issues related to underground energy storage systems. Advances in underground pumped storage hydropower, compressed air energy storage and hydrogen energy storage systems are presented. Finally, we would like to thank both the MDPI publishing and editorial staff for their excellent work and support, as well as the authors who collaborated with your interesting research works.

Summary: The subject of this reprint covers the latest research in the field of wind energy methods and technologies. The results of work on modeling and optimization of wind turbines, their location, methods of monitoring and diagnostics, and development prospects were presented. Contemporary problems, dangers and risks in the field of wind engineering were also pointed out.

Summary: This 2028 Special Issue presents recent developments and achievements in the field of Mechanism and Machine Science coming from the Italian community with international collaborations and ranging from theoretical contributions to experimental and practical applications. It contains selected contributions that were accepted for presentation at the Second International Conference of IFToMM Italy, IFIT2018, that has been held in Cassino on 29 and 30 November 2018. This IFIT conference is the second event of a series that was established in 2016 by IFToMM Italy in Vicenza. IFIT was established to bring together researchers, industry professionals and students, from the Italian and the international community in an intimate, collegial and stimulating environment.

Summary: This reprint contains a Special Issue of the MDPI journal Machines on Italian advances in mechanism and machines science through a collection of selected papers from the Fourth International Conference of IFToMM Italy, IFIT 2022. The included papers belong to a broad range of disciplines in MMS, with research and design results that can be of interest not only to scholars in the field of MMS and mechanical engineering but also to professionals and even students, broadening their understanding of the problems and solutions under development, mainly, but not only, from the Italian community.

Summary: This book contains research articles on the advances in the aetiology of idiopathic scoliosis (IS), the spinal growth related to the implementation of growth modulation for the surgical treatment of early-onset IS, the non-surgical treatment of IS using Physiotheraputic Scoliosis Specific Exercises, and braces. Additionally, it focuses on issues related to surgical treatment, issues related to body posture and the quality of life of this sensitive group of people. The high quality of published papers in this Special Issue of the JCM serve these objectives.

Summary: Modern cities are facing the challenge of combining competitiveness at the global city scale and sustainable urban development to become smart cities. A smart city is a high-tech, intensive and advanced city that connects people, information, and city elements using new technologies in order to create a sustainable, greener city; competitive and innovative commerce; and an increased quality of life. This Special Issue collects the recent advancements in smart cities and covers different topics and aspects.

Summary: This book presents collective works published in the recent Special Issue (SI) entitled "Aero/Hydrodynamics and Symmetry". These works address the existence of symmetry and its breakdown in aero-/hydro-dynamics and their related applications. The presented problems are complex nonlinear, non-Newtonian fluid flow problems that are (in some cases) coupled with heat transfer, phase change, nanofluidic, and magnetohydrodynamics phenomena. The applications vary and range from polymer chain transfer in micro-channel to the evaluation of vertical axis wind turbines, as well as autonomous underwater hovering vehicles. Recent advances in numerical, theoretical, and experimental methodologies, as well as finding new physics, new methodological developments, and their limitations are presented within the scope of the current book. Among others, in the presented works, special attention is paid to validation and improving the accuracy of the presented methodologies. This book brings together a collection of inter-/multi-disciplinary works applied to many engineering applications in a coherent manner.

Summary: This book discusses the geological time that will follow the human-dominated epoch and ways to move there. In addition to an editorial, a total of five articles are published in this volume. The articles engage with a variety of social science disciplines-ranging from economics and sociology to philosophy and political science-and connect to natural science's insights into the Anthropocene. The volume calls for going beyond anthropocentrism in sustainability theory and practice in order to exit the Anthropocene with applications and insights in the contexts of politics, energy, tourism, food and management. We hope that you will find this book interesting and helpful in contributing to sustainable change.