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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: 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 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 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: This book deals with sustainable agriculture at a time of climate change. It seeks to identify a number of solutions to deal with the agricultural stresses caused by climate change. These range from the identification and cultivation of appropriate crop varieties and the adoption of climate adaptive agricultural practices. Significant sustainable agricultural innovation is required to deal with these challenges. Intellectual property rights (IPRs) may be of crucial importance for modern agriculture. They serve to make R&D in agriculture attractive, by encouraging investment in new technologies and generating tradeable assets. A number of the chapters of this book refer to the principal IPRs relevant to agricultural innovation, namely: (i) patents, which protect inventions; (ii) plant variety rights, which protect the breeding of new and distinct plant varieties; and (iii) trademarks and geographical indications, which facilitate the marketing of products by providing protection for the symbols of their manufacturing or geographic origin. The United Nations Climate Change Panel has urged the consideration of the agricultural practices of traditional communities and some of these practices particularly involving rice, banana, and brassica cultivation are explored in the book. This book is essential reading for officials of governments and international organizations concerned with sustainability, as well as scholars and students concerned with these subjects

Summary: This Special Issue of the International Journal of Molecular Science comprises a comprehensive study on "Antimicrobial Materials with Medical Applications". The Special Issue has been inspired by the great progress made in the development of new antimicrobial materials that go beyond the resistance of microbes to modern antibiotics. It covers a selection of recent research and review articles in the field of antimicrobial materials and their medical applications. Moreover, it also provides an overview of this increasingly diverse field, presenting recent developments and the latest research, with particular emphasis on new antimicrobial surfaces, medical devices, contact lens, package materials, etc.

Summary: This reprint presents the published papers of a Special Issue titled Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils, of the journal Antioxidants, MDPI. Obviously, essential oils are a point of huge interest, due to them being rich in bioactive substances (with their recognised antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antibacterial, antiviral, etc., effects) and are also used extensively in the beauty/cosmetic industry, food products, etc. Considering the global trend of "return to nature", both in eating habits/nutrition, and in the adjuvant therapies (implying essential oils) addressed in the case of numerous diseases, and taking into account the interest of the authors who submitted their papers, the current topic can be considered to be of great interest and with increased and promising potential for future research.

Summary: During the last decade, software developments in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) provoked a notable increase of applications to the study of solid matter. The mineral liberation analysis (MLA) of processed metal ores was an important drive for innovations that led to QEMSCAN, MLA and other software platforms. These combine the assessment of the backscattered electron (BSE) image to the directed steering of the electron beam for energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) to automated mineralogy. However, despite a wide distribution of SEM instruments in material research and industry, the potential of SEM automated mineralogy is still under-utilised. The characterisation of primary ores, and the optimisation of comminution, flotation, mineral concentration and metallurgical processes in the mining industry by generating quantified data, is still the major application field of SEM automated mineralogy. However, there is interesting potential beyond these classical fields of geometallurgy and metal ore fingerprinting. Slags, pottery and artefacts can be studied in an archeological context for the recognition of provenance and trade pathways; soil, and solid particles of all kinds, are objects in forensic science. SEM automated mineralogy allows new insight in the fields of process chemistry and recycling technology.

Summary: The present reprint contains the 11 papers that were accepted and published in the Special Issue "Applied and Computational Mathematics for Digital Environments" of the MDPI Mathematics journal. The topics of interest include, among others, scientific research, applied tasks, and problems in the following areas: The construction of mathematical and information models of intelligent computer systems for monitoring and controlling the parameters of digital environments; The development of intelligent optimization algorithms that search for optimal parameter values of mathematical and information models in digital environments; Software and mathematical technologies in the implementation of intelligent monitoring and computer control of the parameters of digital environments; The development and application of mathematical and information models, machine learning methods, and artificial intelligence for the analysis and processing of big data in digital environments. I hope that this reprint will be useful to those who are interested in the real-world applications of applied and computational mathematics for digital environments in terms of solving actual, practical problems in all spheres of human life and activity.

Summary: This Special Issue had, as its main objective, the compilation of biomechanical studies on sports performance and its relationship with musculoskeletal injuries. It is a collection of research on eight different sports (soccer, volleyball, swimming, cycling, skiing, golf, athletics, and hockey) considering injuries in general and specific injuries such as hamstring muscle injury, anterior cruciate ligament of the knee, and pain of the pubic symphysis. Additionally, it is noteworthy that most of the studies considered both men and women. Classical biomechanical tools have been used, such as 2D and 3D motion analysis, force platforms, and electromyography.

Summary: This reprint is a compilation of more than 20 scientific publications, both original research papers and review papers, assembled for the Special Issue of Molecules journal, Aquaphotomics; this Special Issue explores water molecular systems in nature, and is the first of its kind organized on this topic. Now available in a reprint, this publication presents cutting-edge research work performed in the area of a young, but rapidly evolving scientific discipline, Aquaphotomics. The reprint includes topics that range from basic water science, material hydration, the water-material interaction and biocompatibility, novel scientific theories about the role of water in cell biology, the possibilities of using Aquaphotomics for monitoring food quality, estimating shelf-life, diagnosing stress in plants, determining diseases in animals and the outcomes of therapies in medicine. The reprint also provides the reader with an opportunity to improve their knowledge in the areas of spectral preprocessing, multivariate analysis and chemometrics, with focus on Aquaphotomics approach. For any reader already working in the field of Aquaphotomics, this will be a highly advantageous publication, in order to ascertain the latest research trends and discoveries; for novices, it offers a window into an exciting new world that is brimming with possibilities.

Summary: Wild animals under human care as well as domesticated farm production animals are often exposed to environmental changes (e.g., capture and transportation). Short-term or acute changes in physiological indices (e.g., heart rate, respiration, body temperatures, immune cells, and stress hormonal biomarkers) provide crucial information regarding the responses of animals to novel environments, and they could provide crucial determining factors for the long-term health and welfare of animals. This Special Issue includes experimental research papers that demonstrate the applications of physiological indices and welfare assessment methods (e.g., morphological and morphometric data, behavioural assessments, thermal profiles, and physiological markers) in any wildlife or production animal (e.g., rescued and rehabilitating animals, pets, competition animals, farm animals, and zoo animals), in response to environmental and management related factors. The goal is to provide examples of new research and techniques that can be used to monitor short- and long-term environmental adaptation of animals under human care.

Summary: Bayesian predictive inference is at the core of the mathematical theory of inductive reasoning. Nowadays, this field has become very attractive especially for its connections with algorithmic probability, machine learning and artificial intelligence. The complexity of both problems and algorithm represents a constant source of research of asymptotic techniques, which are necessary to handle vast datasets. The present book contains the 11 papers accepted and published in the Special Issue "Bayesian Predictive Inference and Related Asymptotics-Festschrift for Eugenio Regazzini's 75th Birthday" of the MDPI Mathematics journal. The topics of the paper focus, among others, on Bayesian nonparametrics, species sampling models, partial exchangeability and optimal stopping. Finally, as the title suggests, the Special Issue aims to celebrate the 75th birthday of Prof. Eugenio Regazzini, who has provided so many important contributions to the field of Bayesian inference.

Summary: This Special Issue, as a continuation of the previous Special Issue, "Bioactive Molecules from Extreme Environments" (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/marinedrugs/special_issues/Extreme_Environments accessed on 4 November 2021), includes 10 research articles and 2 reviews, providing a wide overview of the chemical biodiversity offered by different marine organisms inhabiting extreme environments to be used for biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. The six articles in this Special Issue are focused on the polar regions, which represent an untapped source of marine natural products and are still largely unexplored compared to more accessible sites. Many of these articles refer to Antarctica, which is the coldest and most inaccessible continent on the Earth, where extreme temperatures, light and ice have selected biological communities with a unique suite of bioactive metabolites. The marine organisms of Arctic and Antarctic environments are a reservoir of natural compounds, exhibiting huge structural diversity and significant bioactivities that could be used in human applications.

Summary: Medicinal plants and natural products have played a central role in therapeutics, being considered the origin of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. Plants are still a source in nature to obtain and isolate molecules with pharmacological applications (drug discovery), but can also be used as herbal medicinal products in traditional or complementary medicine.In addition, the WHO has launched a Traditional Medicine Strategy (2014-2023), including herbal medicines as medicinal therapies, with the aim to ensure the quality, safety, proper use, and effectiveness of traditional medicines, among other objectives.This is a reprint of articles from the Special Issue on "Bioactivity of Medicinal Plants and Extracts" published online in the open access journal Biology. This reprint includes a collection of original research and review articles on new advances in the development and application of bioactive compounds and extracts from plant matrices.

Summary: The concept of mechanism in biology has three distinct meanings. It may refer to a philosophical thesis about the nature of life and biology, to the internal workings of a machine-like structure, or to the causal explanation of a particular phenomenon. In this Special Issue, we try to discuss these possible biological mechanisms that underlie the beneficial effects of physical fitness and sports performance, as well their importance and role/influences on physical health.Despite the significant body of knowledge regarding the physiological and physical effects of different training methods (based on dimensions of load), some of the biological causes for those changes are still unknown. Additionally, few studies have focused on the natural biological variability in humans and how specific properties of humans may justify different effects for the same training intervention. Thus, more original research is needed to provide plausible biological mechanisms that may explain the physiological and physical effects of exercise and training in humans.In this Special Issue, we gather the contributions that describe and list the links between physical fitness, sports performance, and human biology.

Summary: Composites have increasingly been used in various structural components in the aerospace, marine, automotive, and wind energy sectors. The material characterization of composites is a vital part of the product development and production process. Physical, mechanical, and chemical characterization helps developers to further their understanding of products and materials, thus ensuring quality control. Achieving an in-depth understanding and consequent improvement of the general performance of these materials, however, still requires complex material modeling and simulation tools, which are often multiscale and encompass multiphysics. This Special Issue aims to solicit papers concerning promising, recent developments in composite modeling, simulation, and characterization, in both design and manufacturing areas, including experimental as well as industrial-scale case studies. All submitted manuscripts will undergo a rigorous review process and will only be considered for publication if they meet journal standards. Selected top articles may have their processing charges waived at the recommendation of reviewers and the Guest Editor.

Summary: Unravelling an intricate network of interatomic interactions and their relations to different behaviors of chemical compounds is key to the successful design of new materials for both existing and novel applications, from medicine to innovative concepts of molecular electronics and spintronics. X-ray crystallography has proven to be very helpful in addressing many important chemical problems in modern materials science and biosciences. Intertwined with computational techniques, it provides insights into the nature of chemical bonding and the physicochemical properties (including optical, magnetic, electrical, mechanical, and others) of crystalline materials, otherwise accessible by experimental techniques that are not so readily available to chemists. In addition to the advanced approaches in charge density analysis made possible by X-ray diffraction, the information collected over the years through this technique (which is easily mined from huge databases) has tremendous use in the design of new materials for medicine, gas storage, and separation applications as well as for electronic devices. This Special Issue contains two reviews and five articles that cover very different aspects of 'composition-structure' and 'structure-property' relations identified by X-ray diffraction and complementary techniques (from conventional IR and Raman spectroscopies to cutting-edge quantum chemical calculations) and their use in crystal engineering and materials science.

Summary: Caffeine is present in coffee and many other beverages and is the most widely used central nervous system stimulant. Coffee drinking or caffeine supplementation may have a role in preventing cardiometabolic and endocrine disease, neuroinflammation, cancer, and even all-cause mortality. Other aspects are either less known or controversial, including the effects on the brain-gut axis, neurodevelopment, behavior, pain, muscle-skeletal health, skin or sexual function. Studies focusing on special populations (neonates, children, adolescents, athletes, elderly, pregnant and nonpregnant women), or interactions with other drugs and foods, are relatively scarce but of obvious interest. Other compounds present in coffee and other caffeinated food stuffs may affect caffeine´s physiological effects with a tremendous impact on health. This Special Issue, which contains twenty-one manuscripts, has focused on some of these varied topics, providing further evidence of the multiple health benefits that coffee/caffeine intake may exert in humans, at least in specific populations (with a particular genetic profile or suffering from specific diseases). However, the specific effects in the different organs and systems, as well as the mechanisms involved are not yet clear. Furthermore, within the current context aiming to sustainable development, the coffee plant Coffee sp. and its so-far relatively neglected by-products are expected to become soon a source of ingredients for new functional foods whose properties will need to be precisely determined. We hope the readers of this Special Issue will find inspiration for new studies on the topic.

Summary: This book is a collection of original research articles in the field of computer-aided drug design. It reports the use of current and validated computational approaches applied to drug discovery as well as the development of new computational tools to identify new and more potent drugs.

Summary: This Special Issue of Nanomaterials collects a series of original research articles providing new insight into the application of computational quantum physics and chemistry in research on nanomaterials. It illustrates the extension and diversity of the field and indicates some future directions. It provides the reader with an overall view of the latest prospects in this fast evolving and cross-disciplinary field

Summary: Anaerobic digestion (AD) is one of the oldest biotechnological processes and originally referred to biomass degradation under anoxic conditions in both natural and engineered systems. It has been used for decades to treat various waste streams and to produce methane-rich biogas as an important energy carrier, and it has become a major player in electrical power production. AD is a popular, mature technology, and our knowledge about the influencing process parameters as well as about the diverse microbial communities involved in the process has increased dramatically over the last few decades. To avoid competition with food and feed production, the AD feedstock spectrum has constantly been extended to waste products either rich in recalcitrant lignocellulose or containing inhibitory substances such as ammonia, which requires application of various pre-treatments or specific management of the microbial resources. Extending the definition of AD, it can also convert gases rich in hydrogen and carbon dioxide into methane that can substitute natural gas, which opens new opportunities by a direct link to traditional petrochemistry. Furthermore, AD can be coupled with emerging biotechnological applications, such as microbial electrochemical technologies or the production of medium-chain fatty acids by anaerobic fermentation. Ultimately, because of the wide range of applications, AD is still a very vital field in science. This Special Issue highlights some key topics of this research field.

Summary: The sustainability of water resources worldwide is increasingly imperiled as climate change contributes to the human-induced problems of water supply scarcity and maldistribution. Environmental problems associated with water quality, such as aquifer depletion, land subsidence, the seasonal drying of river flows, waterlogging, the salinization of rivers and groundwater, and human health problems from the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides will require a radical re-thinking of resource-management policy and new tools to help analysts and regulators craft novel solutions. Over the past several decades, with the advent and rapid progress of computational technology, watershed models have increasingly become important and effective tools for tackling a wide range of water resource and environmental management issues and for supporting regulatory compliance. Statistical and machine-learning methods are being used to support and even supplant more traditional simulation models to improve the estimation of the temporal dynamics and patterns of variability in pollutant concentrations and loads. With the advancements in modeling approaches for water quality, there have also been developments in decision-support tools for water quality management. This reprint describes innovative decision-support approaches from around the world and across sectors that can be applied by stakeholders, government entities, and regulators to reduce environmental pollution and result in cost-effective and sustainable water management strategies.

Summary: Children today face significant challenges in response to living in a globalised world and the impact of environmental threats to the planet. As such, there is an increasing need for schools to have a global perspective and to cultivate a critical sense of environmental and social responsibility in students. Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in schools is frequently promoted as a route to achieving this, as it has the potential to empower learners to develop the necessary knowledge, understanding, skills, or competences to respond to the complex socio-environmental issues. However, there remains a general lack of pedagogical consensus as to how to teach either about or for ESE within school contexts.To develop effective ESE pedagogies, some educators look to transformative learning theory to encourage learners to move beyond the simple acquisition of knowledge to a change in worldview which not only affects their deeper level of understanding but, importantly for ESE, builds their capacity to think critically and plays an active role in providing a sustainable transformation of society. This book explores the pedagogy and practice of ESE, particularly focus on transformative pedagogies. Exploring themes including the attitudes of the teachers who are implementing transformative pedagogies, the tensions and emotional loads that teachers experience when seeking to develop their professional identity in the context of ESE, and how learning through ESE-informed practice involves and is intimately connected with emotions, this book will be of significant value for researchers and practitioners globally looking to develop transformative ESE practice.

Summary: Polyphenols are a heterogeneous group of bioactive compounds mainly found in plant-based foods. Numerous clinical and epidemiological studies have led to the result that polyphenol intake may protect against chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, or type 2 diabetes, to name some. Polyphenol intake estimation can be obtained through food frequency questionnaires and nutritional biomarkers, both having their own advantages and disadvantages. Although the association between these bioactive compounds and health seems irrefutable, many questions remain still unanswered. For instance, more studies are needed to identify possible interactions and effect-modulating variables, such as smoking habit, body mass index, sex, alcohol, hormones, other foods, etc. Moreover, intestinal microbiota seems to play an important role in the metabolism of polyphenols, but it is still unclear how.

Summary: The present book contains the articles published in the Special Issue "Differential Equation Models in Applied Mathematics: Theoretical and Numerical Challenges" of the MDPI journal Mathematics. The Special Issue aimed to highlight old and new challenges in the formulation, solution, understanding, and interpretation of models of differential equations (DEs) in different real world applications. The technical topics covered in the seven articles published in this book include: asymptotic properties of high order nonlinear DEs, analysis of backward bifurcation, and stability analysis of fractional-order differential systems. Models oriented to real applications consider the chemotactic between cell species, the mechanism of on-off intermittency in food chain models, and the occurrence of hysteresis in marketing. Numerical aspects deal with the preservation of mass and positivity and the efficient solution of Boundary Value Problems (BVPs) for optimal control problems. I hope that this collection will be useful for those working in the area of modelling real-word applications through differential equations and those who care about an accurate numerical approximation of their solutions. The reading is also addressed to those willing to become familiar with differential equations which, due to their predictive abilities, represent the main mathematical tool for applying scenario analysis to our changing world.

Summary: Discontinuous fiber-reinforced polymers have gained importance in transportation industries due to their outstanding material properties, lower manufacturing costs and superior lightweight characteristics. One of the most attractive attributes of discontinuous fiber-reinforced composites is the ease with which they can be manufactured in large numbers, using injection and compression molding processes. The main aim of this Special Issue is to collect various investigations focused on the processing of discontinuous fiber-reinforced composites and the effect that processing has on fiber orientation, fiber length and fiber density distributions throughout the final product. Papers presenting investigations on the effect that fiber configurations have on the mechanical properties of the final composite products and materials were welcome in the Special Issue. Researchers who model and simulate processes involving discontinuous fiber composites as well as those performing experimental studies involving these composites were welcomed to submit papers. The authors were encouraged to present new models, constitutive laws, and measuring and monitoring techniques to provide a complete framework on these groundbreaking materials and to facilitate their use in different engineering applications.

Summary: Forests are the richest and most complex ecosystems in the world. Due to the abundance of species and their intricate relationships, huge problems are faced when investigating and analyzing them, despite the fact that increasingly sophisticated research tools are currently available. This is also true in the case of the largest group of animals in the world, i.e., insects inhabiting the forest environment. We are currently living in times of dramatic environmental changes triggered by human activity. The effects of climate change are evident and lead to changes in forests. Growing numbers of insect species are being threatened, and it is our responsibility to protect them. This Special Issue of our journal aims to provide a platform for scientific discussions on an array of research problems, such as geographic or historic diversity of forest insects, their variability, habitat preferences, as well as their monitoring or use as bioindicators of environmental changes. We are convinced that this Special Issue will not only be a source of inspiration for further research but will also contribute to reaching a reasonable compromise between the necessary protection of forests and the need for economic benefits. It is our belief that entomological studies will be of considerable value in these efforts.

Summary: This reprint, as a continuation of a previous Special Issue entitled "Efficiency and Optimization of Buildings Energy Consumption", gives an up-to-date overview of new technologies based on Machine Learning (ML) and Internet of Things (IoT) procedures to improve the mathematical approach of algorithms that allow control systems to be improved with the aim of reducing housing sector energy consumption.

Summary: Electrical and electro-optical biosensing technologies are critical to the development of innovative POCT devices, which can be used by both professional and untrained personnel for the provision of necessary health information within a short time for medical decisions to be determined, being especially important in an era of global pandemics. This Special Issue includes a few pioneering works concerning biosensors utilizing electrochemical impedance, localized surface plasmon resonance, and the bioelectricity of sensing materials in which the amount of analyte is pertinent to the signal response. The presented results demonstrate the potential of these label-free biosensing approaches in the detection of disease-related small-molecule metabolites, proteins, and whole-cell entities.

Summary: Electron collision physics covers a broad range of processes in atoms and molecules. Understanding these processes can be achieved via experimental and theoretical investigations that support and challenge each other. The last few decades have been witness to tremendous progress in both the computational and experimental techniques applied to study and model electron-driven processes. Access to modern supercomputer facilities has allowed for the computational modelling of collision processes involving complex atoms and molecules; in turn, this allows for a sophisticated modelling and the diagnostic assessment of various plasmas. Applications of electron collision physics range from fusion, precision measurement and attoclocks to radiation damage and biomedical research. This volume collates diverse applications of collision physics, highlighting the importance and power of theoretical and computational techniques while also presenting new experiments which disclose exciting new developments in collision processes.

Summary: Energy and its economic implications have been in the spotlight of policymakers, academics, traders, speculators and the industry for decades now. It has been an active research topic for more than 150 years. From the 19th century, the problem of creating, processing, storing and transporting energy was well defined. The issues of efficiently producing, pricing, distributing, and forecasting the demand, supply and prices of energy-related products and services are central to most modern economies irrespective of their level of development. These issues are apparent in times of relative tranquility in the respective markets but become central for all stakeholders in times of turbulence. This volume focuses on emerging methodologies of analysis, description, modelling, and forecasting in the topical area of Energy Economics. Includes emerging and innovative methodological approaches from the areas of machine learning, artificial intelligence, econometrics, and statistics aimed to model, describe or forecast the energy markets at all levels. Additionally, the volume also presents a bibliographical review, summarizes and compares results of different studies in the energy-sustainable economic growth and development nexus. The practical importance of the results to all energy market stakeholders in terms of regulating, pricing, and distributing energy is evident. Theoretical robustness, methodological innovation, and possible direct applicability of the conclusions were the basic requirements for research work to be included in this publication.

Summary: This book focuses on the much-needed efforts to design sustainable, well-being-oriented economies, based on appropriate energy use in all sectors of a country´s development. Carbon neutrality, energy efficiency and effectiveness, renewable energies, circular economy strategies, environmental consequences of energy use, engagement and empowerment of local communities in decision making, energy and environmental impacts of consumer behavior, and finally science-based approaches towards sustainable production and consumption are the main focus of the research activities described within this book. An effort to go beyond energy scarcity, to promote energy communities, to explore new technologies, and overall, to understand and address the population-lifestyle-energy nexus towards increased and shared well-being is the final result jointly provided by the book authors. All in all, the aim is for the book to be the starting point of a deeper research and understanding of the importance of a radical improvement in energy use in society, beyond considering energy as just a resource in the world market. Circular economy aspects are also investigated, showing the energy saving potential associated with the appropriate design and recovery of material resources.

Summary: A Smart City is the perfect environment to study and exploit the interactions between actors because its architecture already integrates vaious elements to collect data and connect to its citizens. Furthermore, the proliferation of web platforms (e.g., social media and web fora) and the increased affordability of sensors and IoT devices (e.g., smart meters) make data related to a large and diverse set of users accessible, as their activities in the digital world reflect their real-life actions. These new technologies can be of great use for the stakeholders as, on the one hand, they provide them with semantically rich inputs and frequent updates at a relatively cheap cost and, on the other, form a direct channel of communication with the citizens. To fully exploit these new data sources, we need both novel computational methods (e.g., AI, data mining algorithms, knowledge representation) that are suitable for analyzing and understanding the dynamics behind energy consumption and also a deeper understanding of how these methods can be integrated into the existing design and decision processes (e.g., human-in-the-loop processes).Therefore, this Special Issue welcomed original multidisciplinary research works about AI, data science methods, and their integration in existing design/decision-making processes in the domain of energy consumption in Smart Cities.

Summary: Electric motors consume about 70% of industrial electricity and about 40%-45% of produced electricity in the world. This means that using high-efficiency electric motors will improve the level of energy consumption. In addition, it will reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Furthermore, it will significantly reduce the need for new power plants, thus reducing the invested resources to do so. Electric machines employing rare-earth magnets have higher efficiency and power density. However, rare-earth magnets are expensive, and their manufacturing process, as well as the process of mining rare-earth raw materials, is harmful to the environment. Thereby, the development of energy-efficient electric machines without rare-earth magnets is of great interest. The aim of this reprint was to gather new research publications in various topics related to improving the energy efficiency of electric machines without using rare-earth magnets. Ten articles have been published which cover various topics.

Summary: Energy and the environment are irrevocably interrelated, and they are critical factors that influence the development of societies. The pollution of the environment without considering various consequences has become one of the most important global issues today. This environmental pollution is mainly the result of increases in economic activities, population, transportation, electricity generation, agriculture, forestry, and land use. The exigency of energy for these activities, the rapidly rising price of petroleum oil, the harmful effect of greenhouse gases, and the quest for energy security have steered our attention towards sustainable sources of energy. It is fundamental to find innovative solutions that are sustainable from the perspective of energy management and environmental protection. This book includes three review articles which review the state-of-the-art of different sustainable energy resources. These articles include ammonia as a renewable energy carrier, integration of solar photovoltaic, and bio-oil from waste tires for automotive engine application. In addition, eight research studies reveal new knowledge about energy for a sustainable future. The topics covered span many diverse areas associated with sustainable energy, including various biofuels, photovoltaic, and other aspects of sustainability. These complementary contributions provide a substantial body of knowledge in the field of Renewable and Sustainable Energy.

Summary: This reprint collects works which stimulate and spread the latest knowledge on energy in construction and building materials, providing the basis for new ideas on various topics for young investigators as well as leading experts in the field of Materials Science and Engineering. The collection features fifteen research papers and one review study. The main research aim covers the topic of thermal energy storage in construction and building components.

Summary: This book looks at the increasing demand for energy of contemporary societies and economies from around the world. Energy is the driving force behind development. As such, the future challenge will be not only to meet the rising demand but also to implement less reliance on depleting fossil fuels, which cause damage to the environment. Moreover, the sustainability of supplied energy requires a reduction of emissions to control the absorption capacity vis-à-vis the environment. Globally, policymakers have largely recognized the significance of the relationship between energy and economic progress. Policymakers usually consider the social and economic aspects of energy security in terms of affordability and accessibility of service. The conditions of socioeconomic development depend on safe, secure, and sustainable energy at affordable prices. One of the prime concerns of policymakers should be to ensure energy security at the national level. These factors result in an increasing interest in undertaking activities in developing renewable resources. Energy efficiency is treated as the most cost-effective way to reduce energy demand while maintaining stable economic activity. Increasing energy efficiency is an important contributive aspect to solving issues in relation to climate change, energy security, and energy competitiveness. As a result, no country can afford to waste energy-giving rise to this Special Issue of "Energy Security as a Key Driving Factor for Socioeconomic Development: From Mitigation to Solution" in the journal Energies.

Summary: Energy transitions and environmental sustainability does not occur overnight as it may take years of policy debates both from within domestic jurisdictions and from international organisations. It often requires energy saving technology innovations to drive appropriate investment decisions that can then allow energy transition to occur. There is no one global solution. Countries progress in their energy transition goals by taking small steps as demonstrated in this special issue, "Energy Transition and Environmental Sustainability". This Special Issue provides thirteen interesting papers showing examples of projects undertaken or challenges encountered in various countries, such as: Legal reforms for energy transition in Taiwan and Japan; Transition towards solar PV in South Korea; Transition to electricity driven buses in Central Europe; Vehicle transition and the development of electric car production in the United States, the European Union and Japan; Cooling solutions for buildings in Pakistan; Projects in Ecuador to replace fossil fuel use with Hydropower; The Role of Electrification in the Decarbonization of Central-Western Europe; Energy technology innovation through the application of new technologies in oil resource development; Wastewater treatment challenges in Poland; Increased climate change litigation facing Australian Energy Companies; Renewable energy solution to a Childcare facility in Tokyo; and Canadian policies to support renewable gas production from organic waste. This Special Issue provides global perspectives and uncertainties on energy transition and will appeal to all levels of readers.

Summary: Quality of care in long-term care is a worldwide issue given the growing numbers of dependent older people. This book presents international research, 22 varied papers, exploring quality of care from several different angles. Important themes include: (1) workforce issues, such as staff training and support; job competencies, satisfaction, and intention to stay in work; staff burnout; effects of personal- and work-related factors on quality of care; (2) intervention studies: for depressive symptoms in nursing home residents; adjustment for new residents; social and psychological support; and loneliness and isolation; (3) methodology, including: developing and testing quality indicators; measuring residents' experience of quality; and assessing partnership between staff and families; and (4) older people's experiences, such as dry eyes and using ocular lubricants; associations between length of stay and end of life care; palliative care service use and comfort at end of of life; and causes of infection-related hospitalization. The book concludes with a systematic review of the current evidence base of care home research in Brazil.

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

Summary: Conflicts in forest management are unavoidable because of the large temporal and spatial scales characteristic of forests ecosystems and the large number of actors involved. Forests are multifunctional ecosystems par excellence, and it can be hypothesized that current public policies, and especially those labeled as societal transitions, can affect this widespread holistic management goal. In this Special Issue, the different contributions by the authors raise the questions of how different types of conflicts arise and what alternatives exist to solve those conflicts. The Issue contains examples from both temperate and tropical forests and addresses, for instance, conflicts arising from REDD+ programs, the declaration of new protected areas, the complexity of negotiating carbon offset targets, the loss of local knowledge because of demographic trends, and meeting biodiversity and biomass targets simultaneously, among others. We present a general typology of sources of conflicts because of two dimensions: a vertical dimension represented by bottom-up versus top-down approaches and a horizontal dimension arising by ecosystem extent and ownership boundaries. Awareness that new policies can be a source of unexpected conflicts calls for precaution while testing new 'transition' approaches.