Böcker utgivna av Mdpi AG

Hydrogen provides a promising technological solution for storing and delivering energy with minimal to no greenhouse gas emissions. It complements other energy storage options, such as batteries. Consequently, the global hydrogen industry is experiencing rapid growth to support the ambitious emission reduction targets set by countries worldwide. In tandem with this industry's growth, the research and innovation landscape in the hydrogen sector is evolving at a swift pace. These advancements are integral to fortifying the nascent hydrogen industry and its associated market. The hydrogen value chain encompasses multiple facets, including hydrogen production, transportation, storage, distribution, and utilization. Sustainability is paramount across all these dimensions, playing a pivotal role in seamlessly integrating hydrogen into our energy matrix as a viable and value-adding alternative. This reprint contains scientific papers that present recent studies covering various aspects of hydrogen technology, offering insights into different components of its value chain, touching on topics related to hydrogen economy, laws and policies, electrolysis, biohydrogen production, liquid hydrogen and solid-state hydrogen storage. Additionally, these studies explore various types of fuel cells, ranging from solid oxide and direct methanol cells to airborne fuel cells and PEM cells. These studies also touch upon catalysts, the utilization of waste heat from fuel cells, water recovery processes and the establishment of hydrogen fueling stations, among other critical topics.

Though the number of infants born with heart disease each year is relatively small (approximately 1% of the population), it is still a substantial issue worthy of investigation, which is why this Special Issue focuses on congenital heart disease in both children and adults. Advances in the treatment of such malformations have led to increased life spans for this population. Consequently, today, most patients treated for congenital heart disease are adults. The purpose of this Special Issue is to deal with the latest developments in the care of the fetus, infants and children, and how these patients should be treated, as well as to describe the results of follow-ups and the potential special needs of adults with congenital heart disease.

The present reprint presents information to update the state of the art in professional and recreational, male and female athletes of different sports (e.g., soccer, speed skating, triathlon, strength training, and pole dancing). Moreover, it addresses some gaps in the literature, such as immunological and hormonal responses, body composition effects, and well-being/wellness. Notwithstanding, this reprint contributes information to improve load monitoring practices (of training and competition) and quality of life through direct or indirect research.

Physical activity and exercise testing are two key points in sports medicine. Sports medicine is a field of medicine concerned with the prevention and treatment of injuries and disorders that are related to participation in sports. Clinical assessment in sports medicine can solve many questions about diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis related to health in sports. Physical activity could be defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that requires energy expenditure. Physical activity refers to all movement including during leisure time, for transport to get to and from places, or as part of a person's work. Both moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity improve health. Regular physical activity is proven to help prevent and manage noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and several cancers. It also helps prevent hypertension, maintain a healthy body weight, and can improve mental health, quality of life, and well-being. Exercise could be defined as a subset of physical activity that is planned, structured, and repetitive and has as a final or an intermediate objective, such as the improvement or maintenance of physical fitness. Gait and posture analysis, clinical assessment, biomechanical analysis, reliability and repeatability research, force platform and electromyography analysis are key in order to improve our knowledge in this area.

To take stock of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction in its 43rd year and to highlight several of the key issues discussed on the agenda of the Eighth Special Commission (10-17 October 2023), this Special Issue considers the convention's implementation and operation within and across the current 103 Contracting Parties. It addresses current global debates on important issues in the context of international child abduction, like habitual residence, the child's best interests, international refugee law, domestic violence, and the use of the 'grave risk'/'intolerable situation' exception to return as outlined in Article 13(1)(b) of the 1980 Hague Convention. Additionally, it explores the consideration of the child's perspective and the utilization of the child objection exception to return as outlined in Article 13(2) of the same convention. The interaction of the 1980 Hague Convention with other international conventions (e.g., the UNCRC 1989) and regional frameworks (e.g., the Brussels II-ter Regulation and the ECHR) is also explored. A central feature of this Special Issue is its focus on the need for, and how best, the 1980 Hague Convention can be nurtured to help meet the current operational and global expansion challenges.

The COVID-19 pandemic is considered to be a global public health emergency. Due to its route of transmission via contact with droplets and aerosols, dentists are at high risk of acquiring an infection while treating patients. The impact of the coronavirus on the dental community is eminent, and the greatest challenge is how we can offer dental treatment despite the outbreak. Dental education programs in both under- and postgraduate forms will also suffer from the ramifications of the pandemic. This topical collection offers many perspectives on the management of the COVID-19 crisis within the dental community.

Welding technologies of applying surface layers from innovative metal, ceramic, and cermet materials, called heat surfacing and spraying, are an important component of rational repair management and modern design of machine parts and devices with special operating properties. This reprint, which is a collection of current scientific works by international authors in the field of surface coating with welding technologies, presents the following:· Analysis of the causes of wear of working surfaces of machine parts and equipment;· Description of most materials used in world industry for surfacing and thermal spraying;· Extensive discussion of all modern technologies of applying surface layers (from gas cladding, through plasma spraying, to laser cladding);· Examples of technological conditions of surfacing and thermal spraying processes of parts of various types and shapes.The Editors of this Special Issue, titled "Innovative Technologies and Materials for the Production of Mechanical, Thermal and Corrosion Wear-Resistant Surface Layers and Coatings", recommend this reprint to students of materials engineering and welding engineers. Undoubtedly, its reprint should be in the handy library of everyone who professionally deals with welding, especially repair management.

The scope of the Special Issue Volume is to explore innovative aspects of intercultural theology in relation to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. The efforts made by scholars in their thirteen contributions can help overcome the confessional or sectarian view of intercultural theology and find its full significance and rightful place in close association with ecumenism, interreligiousity and interdisciplinarity. The contributions of the authors, in fact, bring into dialogue various religious traditions (Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, African religion, Confucianism), various Christian denominations (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal/Charismatic and Independent churches) and diverse socio-cultural linguistic contexts (Russian, Greek, South African, Asian, Indian, Chinese, post-colonial) and interdisciplinary perspectives (theological, philosophical, practical/pastoral, spiritual, catechetical and educational). In this way, the present volume adds to the existing literature on intercultural theology and seeks to enhance cosmotheandric communion and well-being.

Computer Vision (CV) have seen a massive rise in popularity in the remote sensing field over the last few years. This success is mostly due to the effectiveness of deep learning (DL) algorithms. However, remote sensing data acquisition and annotation, as well as information extraction from massive remote sensing data, are still challenging. This reprint collected novel developments in the field of deep learning and computer vision methods for remote sensing. Papers dealing with fundamental theoretical analyses, as well as those demonstrating their application to real-world problems, have been published. With practical examples and real-world case studies, this reprint provides a valuable resource for researchers, professionals, and students seeking to harness the power of deep learning in the field of remote sensing. Here are some major topics that are addressed in this reprint: Satellite image processing and analysis based on deep learning; Deep learning for object detection, image classification, and semantic and instance segmentation; Deep learning for remote sensing scene understanding and classification; Transfer learning, deep reinforcement learning for remote sensing; Supervised and unsupervised representation learning for remote sensing environments.

There are a variety of anesthetic management options during surgery, and these are constantly evolving. Both innovative and confirmatory research are important if the scientific community aims to develop and improve people's quality of care. This reprint introduces new avenues and covers questions regarding innovative anesthetic techniques and unmet needs after surgery, paving the way for future improvements. It can be useful for both clinicians and clinical researchers, especially in light of the expansion of concepts like personalized care.

Over recent decades, intense human activities, including urban expansion, industrial emissions, farming, deforestation, mining, tourism, and land reclamation, have significantly transformed the natural environment. These changes give rise to environmental challenges like arable land degradation, deforestation, air and water pollution. Effective environmental protection and governance are crucial, particularly in environmentally vulnerable areas like farming-pastoral transitional zones, wetlands, arid regions, coastlines, and alpine-cold regions. Remote sensing proves invaluable in assessing environmental parameters and monitoring regional or global environmental changes over long-term history. Geospatial methods, grounded in remotely sensed images and other datasets, help analyze the compounded effects of multiple factors influenced by human activities. This reprint focuses on new theories, datasets, methods, findings, and applications to address essential questions about environmental changes. It explores how to monitor changes resulting from human activities, quantify their environmental impact, and assess the combined influence of natural disturbances and human alterations. The goal is to uncover patterns and mechanisms of environmental evolution, fostering knowledge exchange and innovative research for effective environmental protection and governance.

With the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet, ship propulsion control systems are also gradually undergoing a transformation from the mode of automatic control to intelligent control. In particular, the smart ship concept has become a key factor in the maritime industry's ambition to achieve sustainable green development. Currently, the development of all-electric propulsion and innovative hybrid ship propulsion systems is a priority, so that the efficiency of ship propulsion systems might be improved. Therefore, the aim of this monograph is to describe the intelligent control of ship propulsion systems. In this regard, this monograph deals with new approaches to the design of ship power systems. Among them, in terms of intelligent control, and using simulation experiments for comparison, the learning ability relied on by artificial intelligence is utilized to handle the collected data and generate corresponding commands, thus ensuring the safety and stability of the ship's movement. The main objective of this Special Issue is to fill existing knowledge gaps and provide additional ideas on the intelligent control of marine propulsion systems. Finally, we would like to express our deepest gratitude to the staff of MDPI Books and the editorial team of Marine Science and Engineering, especially the assistant editors of this Special Issue, the gifted authors, and the diligent and expert reviewers.

This reprint presents recent developments in the field of biological liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS, also known as biomolecular condensation). LLPS and related biogenesis of various membraneless organelles (MLOs) and biomolecular condensates (BMCs) represent fundamental molecular mechanisms governing the spatio-temporal organization of the intracellular space. In fact, MLOs and BMCs, being liquid droplets, represent specific compartments within a cell that are not enclosed by a lipid membrane. Most biological LLPS processes are reversible, and many MLOs/BMCs exist transiently; they rapidly emerge when conditions are changed and rapidly disintegrate as soon as the original conditions are restored, thereby showing a characteristic "now you see me, now you don't" behavior. Numerous MLOs/BMCs are found inside eukaryotic cells, where they exist as liquid droplets (or cellular bodies, puncta, etc.) in the cytoplasm, nucleoplasm, mitochondrial matrix, and stroma of chloroplasts. Furthermore, MLOs/BMCs are commonly observed in Archaea, bacteria, and, likely, viruses. MLOs/BMCs have numerous crucial functions, and their biogenesis is known to be controlled by various external factors and environmental cues, such as changes in temperature, pH, and ionic strength of the solution. All of these have garnered the close attention of many researchers to biological LLPS, MLOs, and BMCs.

This reprint features 18 selected high-quality research articles spanning diverse domains in the field of energy-efficient wireless communication and networking. The contributions in this reprint collectively underscore the significance of energy optimization in wireless systems, illuminating innovative approaches, algorithms, and technologies that pave the way for sustainable and efficient wireless communication in various application scenarios. This reprint brings together a rich tapestry of research that illuminates the ongoing efforts to design, optimize, and implement energy-efficient wireless communication and networking solutions. This reprint also encourages researchers to explore finer areas in the energy-efficient wireless network domain and provides a significant contribution to the research community to help further extend their areas of research.

There has been an increased interest in renewable energy sources in the last few decades. Modern power systems rely mainly on power electronic-based generation and loads, leading to the adoption of smart grids that leverage digital communication infrastructure. Smart grids have several advantages, including the potential to provide consumers with a continuous power supply, reduced line losses, enhanced renewable output and storage, consumer participation in electricity markets, and demand-side responsiveness. Future power systems, also known as smart grids, will rely more on renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, as well as storage. Power electronic converters are used in renewable energy generation and storage. Each converter/inverter manufacturer has an algorithm for programming and optimizing hardware. Furthermore, these converters rely on communication protocols to respond to any signal from the system operator. As a result, cyber-attacks on these smart converters/inverters are a concern. Although numerous cyber-physical systems (CPS) have been presented, no universal CPS standard can be employed with various types of converters. This reprint is a collection of specialized work addressing cybersecurity challenges.

This reprint explores the latest developments and advancements in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for forecasting and optimization in the field of power engineering. In recent years, AI and ML methods have been gaining significant traction and are becoming two of the most important fields in computing. These methods have proven to be effective in solving forecasting and optimization problems in power engineering. The topics covered in the chapters fall into four categories: electricity demand forecasting, wind power forecasting, photovoltaic power forecasting, and optimization.

The development of renewable energy sources will help alleviate the twin problems of energy appetite and environmental pollution. Among such renewable sources, biofuels standout. Biodiesel is at the top of the list of biofuels that have the potential to substitute conventional fossil-based transportation fuels. The reprint comprises 11 chapters in total dealing with a variety of feedstock needed for the sustainable production of biodiesel, various catalysts that could be used for the accelerated production of biodiesel, and advances in reactor technology for the demand-based production of biodiesel. Indebtedness is due to various research groups, namely: Fahad Rehman and co-workers from Pakistan, Qatar, and the UK; Tao Lyu and co-workers from the UK, China, and Germany; Sandro L. Barbosa and co-workers from Brazil and the USA; Anita Salic and co-workers from Croatia; Fabrizio Roncaglia and co-workers from Italy; Jose C. S. dos Santos and co-workers from Brazil; Anoop Singh and co-workers from India and Brazil; Dhurba Neupane from the USA; Zhang and Wang and co-workers from China; and Awogbemi and Kallon from South Africa for their scholarly work that enabled the publication of this reprint on "Acceleration of biodiesel production".

Elderly frailty represents the poor resolution of homeostasis following stress and an increased risk of adverse outcomes, including falls, delirium and disability. This reprint is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of fractures and orthopedic diseases among elderly people. In particular, this concerns medical, orthopaedics and rehabilitative factors. This reprint includes original articles, narrative or systematic reviews and meta-analysis, aiming to provide readers with the correct approach to these pathologies.

As the world's highest and largest plateau, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is referred to as 'the Asian Water Tower' and 'the Third Pole of the World'. A better understanding of the water and energy cycles in the TP is not only critical for revealing the mechanisms of regional land-atmosphere interactions, but also essential for assessing the causes of changes in the cryosphere and hydrosphere in relation to changes in the plateau atmosphere in the Asian monsoon system. Since the TP is an ecologically fragile region that is sensitive to climate change, the systematic evaluation of land-atmosphere interactions in this region also contributes to the quantitative understanding of climate change. This Special Issue mainly presents up-to-date advances in the quantitative assessment of sensible heat flux, soil moisture, soil freeze-thaw processes, vegetation and drought indices, groundwater storage, runoff, condensation, and desublimation, as well as the distinct surface processes over lakes and glaciers in the TP. These selected papers are novel and timely in informing the knowledge on land-atmosphere interactions driven by climate warming. We trust that the collection of these papers will provide quantitative references for more effective assessment and prediction of land-atmosphere interactions in the "Third Pole".

Children with pulmonology issues have always introduced challenges for pediatricians. This Special Issue provides a platform for researchers and clinicians to discuss the novel methods of functional assessment, new insights into exercise physiology, the effect of maturation and puberty on pulmonary parameters, the translational aspects of overweight and obesity, the evaluation of active rehabilitation in pediatric pulmonology, long-term and post-COVID-19 illnesses, the pediatric origin of adult diseases, etc.

Renewable energy resources are used as distributed generation (DG) units and installed near to where the energy is converted and consumed. Further, the integration of renewable energy sources at home is very important. IoT helps smart grids to support various network functions throughout the generation, distribution, and consumption of energy by incorporating IoT devices (such as sensors, actuators, and smart meters), as well as by providing connectivity, automation, and tracking for such devices. For these applications, the use of low-power long-range wireless networks (LPWAN) is fundamental to facilitate all the necessary tasks in the smart grids in City 4.0 and Industry 4.0. The integration of renewable energies (photovoltaic solar, wind energy, biomass energy, hydroelectric energy, and other sources) in smart grids implies the monitoring of households, cities, industries, and electric vehicles at all times. In this sense, the development of monitoring and control applications using mobile devices is a fundamental tool in this type of system, which complements all the possibilities offered by the IoT. Smart energy meters are used to allow for communication between consumers and utility command centers to exchange messages about electrical consumption. Thus, it is essential to have access from any location and instant access to information using mobile devices or computers.

Energy storage and conversion are crucial research and industry topics, especially within the context of sustainable development. Scientific and technological progress in these fields have the potential to improve energy use efficiency across traditional, renewable and unconventional sources. Energy storage technologies, including batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors (ultracapacitors) and superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES), combined with decreasing costs, are creating new scenarios and opportunities in the development and market of energy generation, grids, industrial plants, complex systems and consumer electronics. This reprint collected some of the latest developments and applications in these interdisciplinary fields, offering a common framework for authors from different research areas.

The continuing trend toward greater electrification in consumer, commercial, industrial, and transportation applications promises a dynamic and increasingly important role for power electronics. The term 'power electronics' refers to electric and electronic circuits whose primary function is to process energy. The growing penetration of power electronics in energy systems requires attention, with its principal challenges being cost reduction and reliability. Power electronic systems are indispensable parts of modern engineering applications, covering a wide range of engineering branches. This Special Issue focuses on modern applications of electricity, power electronics converters, and electric motor drives.

In recent decades, crop breeding has greatly benefited from the knowledge of plant genomics and genetics, as well as the development of modern biotechnologies. Exploring the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms underlying various plant developmental and growth processes is imperative, as they underpin crop yield, grain quality, and stress adaptations. The goal of this Special Issue in IJMS, "Research on Plant Genomics and Breeding", is to present an overview of the latest fundamental discoveries in the field of plant genomics, as well as the potential utilization of biotechnologies in crop genetic improvement. We welcome all readers to this Reprint that covers several fields: the genetic and functional characterization of genes regulating important plant development processes or agronomic traits; the genetic improvement in crops using gene editing and other modern biotechnologies; and the discovery, characterization, and application of germplasm resources with elite traits.

Climate change and urban development threaten health, undermine coping and deepen existing social and environmental inequities. A changing global environment requires transformative social responses: new partnerships, deep engagement with local communities, and innovations to strengthen individual and collective assets.The chapters of this proposed edited volume will be contributed mainly by established and emerging scholars from individuals, representing social work, sociology, development studies, law, government, social anthropology, urbanism, The chapters of this proposed edited volume will be contributed mainly by established and emerging scholars from individuals representing social work, sociology, development studies, public policy, and other social sciencesThis book is to be used for academics, policy makers, social work students, lecturers and other stakeholders to promote advocacy for vulnerable client groups affected by Climate Change. It gives some measure of hope and make the invisible visible to change.

Pesticides persist as a prevailing tool in global agriculture for the management of pest populations and to increase crop yields. Their extensive application may lead to the dispersion of pesticide compounds into the environment, subsequently resulting in their persistence as residues within food products. Consequently, there exists the potential for adverse consequences for non-target organisms and human well-being.In response to this concern, diverse legal frameworks and surveillance programs have been instituted on an international scale, with the overarching objective of regulating pesticide usage by setting forth maximum admissible levels for pesticide residues. Consequently, there arises a pressing need to develop highly selective and sensitive multi-residue analytical methodologies, tailored to the quantification of these residues within complex matrices.This Special Issue is devoted to the analysis of pesticide residues within both environmental and food matrices via chromatographic techniques, including the development and validation of analytical methods, along with the completion of comprehensive monitoring studies.

Buildings consume about 40% of the global energy. Therefore, the building sector plays a key role in achieving the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Various energy-saving technologies for buildings, such as building envelops, mechanical systems, and energy resources, have been developed to help to achieve zero- or even net-energy buildings while maintaining comfort and a healthy indoor environment. This Special Issue on building energy-saving technology was open to all contributors in the field of building engineering. The original experimental studies, numerical simulations, and reviews in all aspects of building energy utilization, management, and optimization have been considered. For this event, all of these topics were covered in the extensive submissions which were accepted, but interesting papers on other aspects of building energy efficiency were also received. In this reprint, the main research findings of the accepted papers in the Special Issue, including the energy-saving technologies involved in building envelops, mechanical systems, are summarized, and occupant behaviors, and a number of research questions and research directions are identified.

This Reprint presents the latest progress in the theory and operation of oil and gas production, especially the advances in the development of unconventional reservoirs and harsh-condition reservoirs. It can be used as a reference for those work in related or relevant areas.

The green approach is no longer (and can no longer be) a goal of the future, but it is a concrete and practical necessity of the present. To take stock of new trends, this Special Issue lines up some recently developed green materials and remarkable progress and developments in manufacturing processes.

This Special Issue explores the fascinating topic of urban heat islands (UHIs), examining them from temporal and spatial perspectives. We embark on a journey that focuses on the essential impacts of UHI formations, including land use composition, city characteristics, and anthropogenic factors. Our objective is to raise awareness of the many facets of UHIs and their significant effects on urban environments and sustainability. This collective aim is to further strengthen urban sustainability through a deeper understanding of UHI dynamics. This volume includes a wide range of topics related to UHIs, including cutting-edge methods and datasets for capturing UHI phenomena. We investigate the spatial interactions between UHI intensity and land use/cover distribution within metropolitan areas, examine the geographic patterns and processes underlying UHIs in sprawling cities, and analyze the spatial differences in UHI intensity between developing and developed countries. Additionally, we focus on UHI catastrophe mitigation and adaptation measures, which are crucial for setting sail for a sustainable urban future. Finally, we engage in the critical work of prediction and scenario analysis, equipping policymakers and urban planners with the insights necessary for informed decision-making. We express our thanks to the researchers, academics, and contributors who have made this Special Issue possible as we begin this investigation into urban heat islands. We aim to foster a comprehensive understanding of UHIs and contribute to the broader discourse on urban sustainability.