Böcker utgivna av Mdpi AG

The salinity of soil and water is a problem present in all continents, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Worldwide data indicate that 20% of the total cultivated area (upland and irrigated) and 33% of irrigated agricultural land are affected by excess salts in the soil. Furthermore, a significant number of the water sources in these regions, notably groundwater, have high concentrations of salts, which is a limiting factor for agricultural production. On the other hand, the growing demand for food because of population increases, the scarcity of water resources and land for the expansion of agriculture, and global climate change scenarios indicate the need to use these saline resources. In this context, biosaline and HALO agriculture appear to be some of the sustainable tools to increase food production and create job opportunities and sources of income for farmers. In this Special Issue, successful examples of biosaline agriculture in different parts of the world are presented, as well as studies on crop tolerance to salinity, strategies to mitigate salt stress, and the bio-remediation of salt-affected soils. Therefore, this Special Issue brings relevant contributions to sustainable agriculture using saline resources, and the published knowledge can be useful for students, professionals, and farmers.

Vestibular medicine relates to the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with dizziness and vertigo. In all these fields, there has been an enormous increase in research during recent years. This edition includes a discussion on the epidemiology of dizziness, the role of genetics in the development of vestibulopathy, diagnostic approaches, and interventions for patients with dizziness and vertigo: medical treatment, surgery, and vestibular rehabilitation.

Fatty acids (FAs) are considered very important biomolecules because they have been used as trophic biomarkers in the marine food chain analysis of several ecological niches. They are compounds universally present in all organisms and play very important biological roles, such as acting as building blocks in biological membranes and signaling molecules. A great number of different fatty acids (saturated, mono- and di-unsaturated, branched, halogenated, hydroxylated, and methoxylated), as well as the major polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids, occur in marine organisms. In addition, marine organisms are a rich source of metabolites with unusual structures that often exhibit interesting pharmacological properties. Moreover, it is worth emphasizing that the nutritional value of fish and marine invertebrates directly depends on their lipid composition and, in particular, their fatty acid profile, and this represents the basis of the trade of most international marine products. For this Special Issue, we invited academic and industry scientists to submit reviews and original research articles focusing on the chemistry, biological roles, and bioactivities of fatty acids from marine organisms.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) affects more than four million patients per year worldwide, and accounts for up to 50% of all cardiovascular deaths. Related to the improved treatment options for cardiovascular diseases during the past several decades (e.g., improved guideline adherence to pharmacotherapies, increasing supply with cardiac devices, and better revascularization strategies), the characteristics of patients presenting with SCD have significantly changed, making risk prediction for SCD even more complex. The present Special Issue reprint addresses the prognostic impact of patients' characteristics (such as body mass index), airway and ventilation management in patients needing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the prognostic value of a targeted ambulance treatment quality improvement programme. Furthermore, the prognostic value of blood-derived biomarkers and cardiac pharmacotherapies for the prevention of SCD was investigated.

The contaminants in food (e.g., heavy metals, foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, pesticides, veterinary drugs/antibiotics, toxins, prohibited additives, and allergens) can seriously threaten the 'health of human beings. In recent years, research on the source, detection, toxicity, and removal of food contaminant components has undergone rapid development and achieved tremendous progress through the painstaking efforts of researchers. Therefore, the aim of this Special Issue is to provide a broader perspective of the latest advances in the source, detection, toxicity, and removal of food contaminant components. In this Special Issue, we aim to address: 1) Where do these contaminant components come from? How can we detect these contaminant components? How toxic are these contaminant components? How can we remove these contaminant components? Methodological advances in all areas of food contaminant components, from fundamental research to applied research, can be covered. We welcomed both original research and review articles on topics including, but not limited to: food contaminants; sources; metabolism; biotransformation; toxicity; elimination; excretion; detection

The exposure of animals to environmental stresses (restraint, bad housing conditions, irradiation, pollution, diseases, and heat stress) and endogenous stresses (metabolic and physiological disorders) can seriously disrupt the redox homeostasis, leading to impairments in animals' health and overall performance. Under these circumstances, the self-antioxidant defense system may not be enough to neutralize ROS effects. In this context, the utilization of an exogenous source of antioxidants, mainly dietary sources, may present an effective and cost-effective solution. There are a plethora of substances, either naturally occurring or synthesized (organic acids, minerals, vitamins, hormones, and specific feed additives originating from plants such as essential oils and polyphenols), known for their antioxidant activity, that can be used to maintain adequate redox status in animals in order to preserve their well-being and/or productivity. This area of research still needs more investigations in order to clearly elucidate the effective antioxidant substances that could be used in practical applications, with an emphasis on their biological mechanisms during different physiological conditions and health statuses. We intend to bring together current research concerning the role of antioxidant substances either from natural sources or those synthesized for improving animal production, reproduction, health, and welfare.

Global climate changes, particularly extreme events, affect terrestrial carbon, water, and energy exchanges between the atmosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere, thus controlling freshwater availability, floods, and droughts. Therefore, it is urgent and necessary to develop advanced climate simulation and observation approaches and models related to extreme climate events. Advanced climate simulation and observation can improve the accurate prediction of climate change and long-term trends, which can mitigate climate events' impacts on human society. Under these conditions, this reprint aims to introduce advanced climate simulation and observation approaches to various practical studies related to climate variations, including the global climate models (GCMs) and regional climate models (RCMs), mitigation studies of high-impact climate events, predictions of climate variations, and some new artificial intelligence. Twenty-two papers have been collected in this reprint, with eight original research articles reporting on climate change and six papers reporting on climate change's impact on society and the economy. Meanwhile, three papers reported climate change's impact on agriculture, and climate change's impact on human health was studied in five articles.

Любовь - это центр, а привязанность - периферия. Стремитесь к центру. - АммаThis Book Is In Russian. Published By The Disciples Of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Affectionately Known As Mother, Or Amma The Hugging Saint.

Στο Δρόμο για την Ελευθερία - Ένα προσκύνημα στην Ινδία Tόμος 1Αυτό το βιβλίο αφηγείται την πορεία του πνευματικού ταξιδιού ενός νεαρού Δυτικού, τις δοκιμασίες που συνοδεύουν την προσωπική του μεταμόρφωση και τις συναντήσεις του με μερικούς από τους μεγαλύτερους πνευματικούς Δασκάλους της σύγχρονης Ινδίας, μεταξύ των οποίων η Μάτα Αμριτάνανταμαΐ, ο Νιζαργκαντάτα Μαχαράτζ και μαθητές του Ραμάνα Μαχάρσι. Αυτή η ιστορία θα διαφωτίσει και θα εμπνεύσει τους πνευματικούς αναζητητές να δυναμώσουν την προσήλωσή τους στις αρχές της αγάπης, της σοφίας και της ανιδιοτελούς υπηρεσίας στην ανθρωπότητα.Σχετικά με το συγγραφέα Ο σουάμι Παραματμανάντα είναι στενός μαθητής της μεγάλης αγίας από τη Κεράλα της νότιας Ινδίας, της Άμμα (Μάτα Αμριτάνανταμαΐ). Πήγε να μείνει μόνιμα στο άσραμ της το 1980, έχοντας ήδη ζήσει 12 χρόνια στο άσραμ του Σρι Ραμάνα Μαχάρσι στο Τιρουβαναμαλάι. Γεννημένος στην Αμερική και εξοικειωμένος με τον αναλυτικό Δυτικό νου, αλλά ταυτόχρονα έχοντας ζήσει και αφομοιώσει τις πνευματικές αλήθειες της Ανατολής, είναι σε θέση να παρουσιάζει αυτές τις αλήθειες με έναν πλήρη κατανοητό από όλους τρόπο.This Book Is In Greek. Published By The Disciples Of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, Affectionately Known As Mother, Or Amma The Hugging Saint.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to pay tribute to the significant contributions made by Professor Feng Qi in these fields and to provide some important recent advances in theory, methods, and applications.

The potential of global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) as an efficient tool in providing precise positioning has been widely recognized. In particular, the precise point positioning (PPP) technique is receiving increasing interest due to its cost-effectiveness, global coverage, and high accuracy. In addition, the emergence of multiple satellite navigation systems, including BDS, Galileo, modernized GPS, and GLONASS, brings great opportunities and challenges for PPP. For instance, the additional frequency as well as the new signal of BDS-3 and Galileo enables the fast convergence of PPP by efficient ambiguity resolution (AR). More recently, besides the standard point positioning, BDS, Galileo, as well as QZSS have also provided the satellite-based PPP service. Obviously, the development of multi-frequency multi-GNSS and their built-in PPP service has popularized the use of PPP as an efficiency technique in navigation, timing, as well as geoscience applications.

This reprint covers the latest developments in the field of eco-polymeric materials and natural polymer processing and utilization, highlighting cutting-edge research focusing on the processing of advanced polymers and their composites. It demonstrates that the field of eco-polymeric materials and natural polymers is still gaining increased attention. Innovative approaches as well as advanced applications of eco-polymeric materials and natural polymers in different fields, such as energy, environment, biomedical, biomaterial, and engineering, are reported in this reprint.

Physical activity and nutrition are two of the most important modifiable lifestyle factors affecting health status, both in healthy people and in special populations with metabolic disorders and non-communicable diseases (e.g., obesity and type 2 diabetes (DM2)). Moreover, assessing these aspects is mandatory to implement healthy lifestyle habits and modifications properly. The aim of this Special Issue is to expand the knowledge regarding physical activity and human nutrition, with an emphasis on the assessment and evaluation of public health, in healthy people, athletes, and both general and pathological populations, during the entire lifespan. We also present some papers that focus on the importance of evaluation through surveys, tests, or other forms of evaluation in different settings (i.e., sport and clinical practice) to better orient interventions for public health improvement.

Research in ophthalmic drug delivery has developed significant advances in the last few years, and efforts have been made to develop more effective topical formulations to increase drug bioavailability, efficiency, and safety. Drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye remains a great challenge in the pharmaceutical industry due to the complexity and particularity of the eye's anatomy and physiology. Some advances have been made with the purpose of maintaining constant drug levels in the site of action. The anatomical ocular barriers have a great impact on drug pharmacokinetics and, subsequently, on the pharmacological effect.Despite the increasing interest in efficiently reaching the posterior segment of the eye with reduced adverse effects, there is still a need to expand the knowledge of ocular pharmacokinetics that allow the development of safer and more innovative drug delivery systems. These novel approaches may greatly improve the lives of patients with ocular pathologies.

Hazardous artificial contaminants are molecules of inorganic and organic nature (pharmaceuticals, food sources, heavy metals, dyes, personal care products, detergents, flame retardants, cosmetics, and pesticides) with potential toxicological effects on human health and the environment (air, water, and soil) due to their ubiquity at trace levels. These products could be bio-persistent during conventional treatment processes; accordingly, the adoption of proper and innovative technologies is necessary for the removal of these hazardous, persistent chemicals before their release into the environment. The aim of this reprint, entitled "Innovative Materials and Processes for the Removal of Biopersistent Pollutants", was to collect studies devoted to the recent progress and new perspectives in the treatment and removal of hazardous artificial contaminants in the air, soil, and water supply.

This collection brings together basic and clinical research papers that cover different topics in audiology but have one thing in common: the translational approach. The research in this collection demonstrates how exciting and interesting translational audiology can be. This collection aims to stimulate interest and encourage more studies of this type.

Bioactive compounds, which are abundant in flora, fauna, and microorganisms, can potentially be used by various industries, including pharmaceuticals, functional foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. Their extraction and purification, however, pose significant challenges due to the presence of impurities, interference from other compounds, and the need to maintain their stability as well as activity. It delves into the complexities of these processes, presenting one review paper and eleven original research articles that explore the enrichment, identification, and various aspects of bioactive compounds. A comprehensive review of the current methodologies used for obtaining bioactive products from microalgae was presented. Conventional and green extraction techniques were compared for natural antioxidants from Saudi date fruit. The carotenoid extraction protocol using yeast fermentation technology was explored. The utilization of resins for the adsorption of bioactive compounds was addressed. The ion exchange strategy with Dowex® HCR-S resin was discussed for the isolation and purification of ectoine. The constituents of acidic compounds in the particulate and gaseous phases of mainstream cigarette smoke were analyzed. The composition of bioactive compounds in organically produced cereals, dried sea cucumber viscera, and the medicinal plant Clinacanthus nutans were also investigated. This Special Issue covers other aspects of bioactive compounds, such as optimizing the operating parameters of enzymatic transesterification for producing biodiesel from salmon oil. This Special Issue may inspire future research and innovation in this exciting field.

This Special Issue aimed to explore the cutting-edge advancements in vision science, optometry, and ocular surface research. In an era marked by rapid technological progress, there is an imperative to understand how innovations in diagnostic tools, treatment protocols, and computational models are reshaping our understanding of ocular health and vision care. We invited contributions that delved into novel methodologies, uncovered new aspects of ocular physiology, or offered fresh perspectives on the management of eye conditions.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a naturally occurring signaling molecule produced in vivo and plays a pivotal role in regulating a wide array of physiological processes. Additionally, emerging findings have illuminated that many of the biological effects initially attributed to H2S may actually stem from other reactive sulfur species (RSS), including hydropersulfides (RSSH) and various higher-order polysulfur species (RSSnH, RSSnR, and HSnH, where n > 1). These studies have underscored the contributions of these species to essential cellular processes, such as the efficient scavenging of reactive oxygen species and electrophiles, and their influence on mitochondrial function. Nonetheless, the chemistry of RSS remains challenging due to their inherently reactive nature, and their precise measurement within biological systems continues to pose a formidable challenge. This compilation of reprints focuses on recent advancements in the field of H2S/RSS chemical biology. It encompasses original research studies and comprehensive reviews, all geared towards exploring the therapeutic potential of H2S/RSS donors in the treatment of various conditions, including cancer, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, it delves into the molecular mechanisms and physiological roles played by RSS along with the development of methodologies for quantifying and measuring the distribution of RSS within biological systems.

The emergence of driverless vehicles has generated greater demands and complexities for the automotive radar industry. In the past half-decade, millimeter wave radar technology has made significant strides in large-scale virtual array technology, enabling the acquisition of highly accurate range, velocity, azimuth, and elevation information.This reprint is a comprehensive compilation of the latest cutting-edge methods in radar remote sensing, and their practical applications in intelligent transportation. The articles featured in this reprint delve into a broad spectrum of topics, ranging from fundamental theoretical analyses to pragmatic experiments aimed at solving real-world issues such as interference reduction, communication, and radar sensing specifically tailored for intelligent transportation systems.

Many food components (such as phytochemicals, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, etc.) have been found to have various biological activities. Based on dietary intake and the availability of nutrients in the intestine, human gut microbiota can produce harmful metabolites that cause human diseases or beneficial compounds that prevent host diseases. Abnormal gut microbiota can produce endotoxins, exacerbating chronic inflammation and metabolic disorders. Moreover, gut microbiota is crucial for maintaining metabolism and health, and dysbiosis plays a crucial role in the occurrence and development of various diseases. Therefore, a promising strategy to help manage colon and host health is to regulate the composition of the gut microbiota by eating biologically active food ingredients. Bioactive ingredients obtained from dietary sources can be designed and characterized to meet human nutritional and immune needs and balance gut microbiota. To maximize knowledge on the health effect of gut microbiota on improving human health, a Special Issue titled "Molecular Mechanisms of Bioactive Nutrients Promoting Health through Gut Microbiota" was published in the International Journal of Molecular Science, including nine papers: six research articles and three reviews. Among these six research articles, four are animal studies, one is an in vitro gut microbiota culture study, and one is a randomized clinical study.

Submarine hydrothermal activity has been a focus of research since its discovery in the 1970s. It is widely believed that submarine hydrothermal activity offers significant prospects for the development of mineral and biological resources, and also that it has a considerable impact on the immediate seawater environment. The study of submarine hydrothermal activity is a multi-disciplinary topic that includes tectonics, petrology, mineralogy, sedimentology, chemistry and oceanography. The development of hydrothermal circulation is controlled in tectonic and magmatic settings, including extensional tectonics where shallow magma reservoirs exist. The chemical compositions of hydrothermal fluids, which are affected by fluid-rock interactions beneath the seafloor and potentially by magma degassing are recorded in hydrothermal minerals, sediments, and seawater. Naturally, such a broad area of research cannot be advanced without the development of exploratory and analytical techniques. This Special Issue includes 13 research works, which cover the chemical and isotopic compositions of seafloor hydrothermal sulfides and fluids, the magmatic process in shallow magma reservoirs and its relations with hydrothermal system, subduction chemical recycling, and progress in exploratory and analytical technologies for seafloor hydrothermal activity.

The field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undergone enormous expansion since its inception in the mid-20th century, as demonstrated by its application across an array of engineering and scientific challenges. Particularly in the last decade, AI has witnessed a significant breakthrough with the advent of deep learning, which has facilitated the employment of various AI models across a multitude of domains. This reprint features ten papers accepted for publication in the Special Issue titled "Advanced Artificial Intelligence Models and Their Applications," published in the MDPI Mathematics journal. These papers explore numerous facets of advanced artificial intelligence models and their applications, covering areas such as cybersecurity, image classification, logistics optimization, automatic music generation, human capital investment, writer recognition, remote sensing image indexing, target tracking, and more. These diverse subjects highlight the extensive scope and capability of AI models in tackling intricate challenges across distinct fields, underlining the vast potential inherent in this cutting-edge technology.

This reprint is a collection of the peer-reviewed papers published in the Special Issue "Surface engineering & coatings technologies for corrosion and tribocorrosion resistance" in the Materials journal. The Special Issue reprint aims to bring together the latest developments in this technologically, economically, and environmentally important area. It provides a forum for researchers to share their original work or insight reviews in this field.

The Special Issue "Bioactive Secondary Metabolites of Marine Fungi" gathered ten publications, including two reviews and eight research articles, about marine fungi, ranging from the isolation and structure elucidation of new natural products to the biosynthetic pathways of marine fungal metabolites.

This reprint represents a collection of scientific papers belonging to a Special Issue of Antioxidants entitled "Advances in the Astonishing World of Phytochemicals: State-of-the-Art for Antioxidants". Several studies have revealed that plants are a source of a plethora of bioactive compounds, such as phytohormones, glycosides, terpenoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and essential oils, with a strong potential impact in the fields of pharmaceutics and agriculture. These phytochemicals represent a valuable weapon that plants use in self-defense in order to counteract the effects of abiotic stress disturbing the delicate equilibrium between the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defense systems. In recent years, interest in this area of research has been increasing due to the multifaceted properties of natural compounds with antioxidants having anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activity. Therefore, understanding the underlying mechanism of their action is crucial to establishing their real potential in applied sciences. This reprint focuses on the most recent advances in the study of antioxidant molecular mechanisms activated by phytochemicals, with potential pharmacological and agricultural applications. We thank all the authors for their contribution to the research topic of this reprint and all editorial staff for their valuable support.

This Special Issue is dedicated to Professor Reinhard Schlickeiser on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Reinhard Schlickeiser's internationally well-recognized work, comprising several hundred research articles and the comprehensive monograph "Cosmic Ray Astrophysics," has had a lasting influence in several areas of astrophysics. He has also inspired a large number of junior researchers, many of whom are now pursuing successful academic careers. Over the last few decades, he has motivated and established many fruitful collaborations that have triggered new ideas and provided new insights into various plasma and astrophysical topics. This Special Issue aims to present original papers by Reinhard Schlickeiser's collaborators that document the breadth of his scientific accomplishments and the subsequent studies that he has directly or indirectly influenced as a collaborator or as a teacher. This Special Issue may serve as inspiration for others to follow in his path and to accept the challenges awaiting them in the many areas of astrophysics that have been, for many years, Reinhard's turf.

The recognition of global climate change as an environmental issue has drawn attention to the climatic impact of human activities. Scientists and environmentalists have pointed out that human-induced climate change results from disturbances in all aspects of the environment. Among them, aquatic environments (including water, sediments, aquatic organisms, etc.,) are closely related to all kinds of human interference. However, they are under increasing stress due to climate change and human disturbances, such as an increased input of pollutants, a loss of biodiversity and a decrease in ecological functions. Fortunately, realizing the urgency and importance of the matter, researchers have started to work on coping strategies, including effective water treatment and energy recovery. This Special Issue focuses on revealing the effects of climate change and anthropogenic disturbances on water ecological environments, analyzing physical, chemical and biological aspects.

More than half of the land surface on Earth can burn, and thus, fires are one of the most significant disturbances worldwide. Fires affecting forests are of great interest owing to the impacts they have on multiple provisioning and regulating ecosystem services. In this context, in which large portions of the Earth are affected by forest fires, remote sensing tools are essential equipment in fire-related assessments at multiple stages, including (I) the characterization of fire drivers and the development of predictive models, (II) the assessment of burned area, (III) the impact of the fire on soil and vegetation, and (IV) the post-fire recovery monitoring. In this reprint, we have compiled 10 research articles addressing these four topics and employing a wide variety of methodologies and remote sensing platforms (MSG, MODIS, Landsat, Sentinel-2 or airborne LiDAR).

Thermal energy storage (TES), also known as heat storage systems, is a technology that accumulates energy when production exceeds demand so that the stored energy can be used later. The stored energy can be used at the user's request for heating and cooling applications or for power generation. TES systems are commonly seen in buildings and industrial processes. On the other hand, conversion and storage, such as solar and wind energy, help to further increase the share of renewables in the energy mix. TES is becoming crucial for electricity storage in combination with solar power, whereby solar heat can be stored for electricity production when sunlight is absent. This is a Special Issue dedicated to recent advances in thermal energy storage and energy conversion technologies. All types of research approaches are compiled in this Special Issue: experimental, theoretical, computational, and their mixtures; papers are both of fundamental and applied nature, including industrial case studies.