Books published by Mdpi AG

The research field of smart textiles is currently witnessinga rapidly growing number of applicationsintegrating intelligent functions in textile substrates.With an increasing amount of new developed productprototypes, the number of materials used and that ofspecially designed production technologies are alsogrowing.This book is intended to provide an overview of materials,production technologies, and product conceptsto different groups concerned with smart textiles. Itwill help designers to understand the possibilities ofsmart textile production, so that they are enabled todesign this type of products. It will also help textileand electronics manufacturers to understand whichproduction technologies are suitable to meet certainproduct requirements.After an introduction to smart textiles and their marketrelevance, different material types for functionaltextiles are described along with their properties,application areas, and product examples. Specialattention is given to materials for the realization ofelectrical conductivity in textiles, as these are crucialfor the following overview on sensor and productiontechnologies. Next, textile-based sensors areintroduced. While numerous textile-based sensors,ranging from sensing fibers to coatings and three-dimensionalstructures, have been developed, theirspecific properties and usage are not clear. Bosowskiet al. have suggested a structure for a classified catalogueas knowledge basis to support the smart textileproduct development process. This chapter developsthe classification further and implements it in a catalogueto be used by practitioners from research andindustry when developing and designing textiles withsensing capabilities. The full catalogue is reported inthe appendix. The third part of the book starts by describingthe state of the art of research on productiontechnologies for the integration of conductive materialsinto textile substrates, which include weaving,knitting, embroidering, printing, without mentioningspecific products. Different variants of each technologyare presented. Additionally, associated technologiesto integrate electrical components in textile substratesare outlined. This part closes by reporting thecurrent state of research on automated productionsystems for electronics integration into textiles. In thelast part of the book, product and design conceptsfor smart textiles are evaluated along the example oftouchpads.

This book includes papers in cross-disciplinary applications of mathematical modelling: from medicine to linguistics, social problems, and more. Based on cutting-edge research, each chapter is focused on a different problem of modelling human behaviour or engineering problems at different levels. The reader would find this book to be a useful reference in identifying problems of interest in social, medicine and engineering sciences, and in developing mathematical models that could be used to successfully predict behaviours and obtain practical information for specialised practitioners. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the new developments of applied mathematics in connection with epidemics, medical modelling, social issues, random differential equations and numerical methods.

Carbonic anhydrases (CAs; EC 4.2.1.1) are metalloenzymes present in all kingdoms of life, as they equilibrate the reaction between three simple but essential chemical species: CO2, bicarbonate, and protons. Discovered more than 80 years ago, in 1933, these enzymes have been extensively investigated due to the biomedical application of their inhibitors, but also because they are an extraordinary example of convergent evolution, with seven genetically distinct CA families that evolved independently in Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. CAs are also among the most efficient enzymes known in nature, due to the fact that the uncatalyzed hydration of CO2 is a very slow process and the physiological demands for its conversion to ionic, soluble species is very high. Inhibition of the CAs has pharmacological applications in many fields, such as antiglaucoma, anticonvulsant, antiobesity, and anticancer agents/diagnostic tools, but is also emerging for designing anti-infectives, i.e., antifungal, antibacterial, and antiprotozoan agents with a novel mechanism of action. Mitochondrial CAs are implicated in de novo lipogenesis, and thus selective inhibitors of such enzymes may be useful for the development of new antiobesity drugs. As tumor metabolism is diverse compared to that of normal cells, ultimately, relevant contributions on the role of the tumor-associated isoforms CA IX and XII in these phenomena have been published and the two isoforms have been validated as novel antitumor/antimetastatic drug targets, with antibodies and small-molecule inhibitors in various stages of clinical development. CAs also play a crucial role in other metabolic processes connected with urea biosynthesis, gluconeogenesis, and so on, since many carboxylation reactions catalyzed by acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase or pyruvate carboxylase use bicarbonate, not CO2, as a substrate. In organisms other than mammals, e.g., plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, CAs are involved in photosynthesis, whereas in many parasites (fungi, protozoa), they are involved in the de novo synthesis of important metabolites (lipids, nucleic acids, etc.). The metabolic effects related to interference with CA activity, however, have been scarcely investigated. The present Special Issue of Metabolites aims to fill this gap by presenting the latest developments in the field of CAs and their role in metabolism.

In the last few years, an increasing number of individuals have adopted a gluten free diet (GFD). A significant proportion of that includes patients affected by celiac disease (CD), who have to follow a strict GFD for medical purposes. However, a high number of individuals are currently following a GFD without medical counseling and without a specific diagnosis needing a gluten withdrawal from the diet. This is due to the frequently incorrect information diffused on the Internet and mass media on the topic of GFD. For these reasons, research on the GFD and its clinical use and biological effects is urgently needed.

Human needs like food and clean water are directly related to good maintenance of healthy and productive soils. A good understanding of human impact on the natural environment is therefore necessary to preserve and manage soil and water resources. This knowledge is particularly important in semi-arid and arid regions, where the increasing demands on limited water supplies require urgent efforts to improve water quality and water use efficiency. It is important to keep in mind that both soil and water are limited resources. Thus, wise use of these natural resources is a fundamental prerequisite for the sustainability of human societies. This book collects 15 original scientific contributions addressing the state of the art of soil and water conservation research. Contributions cover a wide range of topics, including (1) recovery of soil hydraulic properties; (2) erosion risk; (3) novel modeling, monitoring and experimental approaches for soil hydraulic characterization; (4) improvement of crop yields; (5) water availability; and (6) soil salinity. This collection provides more insights into conservation strategies for effective and sustainable soil and water management.

Through reading this book, you will obtain information on: (1) the main problems in air separation and natural gas treatment by membrane separation and how to solve them; (2) processes involving membranes and new membrane materials for the more economical utilization of bio-resources; (3) energy selection and membrane development for more expedient and stable harnessing of the natural osmosis phenomenon; (4) many excellent contributions about catalytic membrane bioreactors; (5) how to fine-tune the arrangement of aquaporins (i.e., proteins identified in biological cells) to achieve superior water treatment efficiency.

Coeliac Disease (CD) affects at least 1% of the population. “Classical” CD refers to gastrointestinal presentations with anaemia and gastrointestinal symptoms. CD can, however, present with extraintestinal manifestations, the commonest of which are dermatitis herpetiformis and neurological presentations (e.g., ataxia, neuropathy, encephalopathy). Recognition and research into the pathophysiology of such manifestations is likely to enhance our understanding of this complex autoimmune disorder.

The interface of 440,000 km long coastline in the world is subject to global change, with an increasing human pressure (land use, buildings, sand mining, dredging) and increasing population. Improving our knowledge on involved mechanisms and sediment transport processes, monitoring the evolution of sedimentary stocks and anticipating changes in littoral and coastal zones is essential for this purpose. The special issue of Water on “Sediment transport in coastal waters” gathers thirteen papers which introduce the current revolution in the scientific research related to coastal and littoral hydrosedimentary dynamics, and reflect the diversity of concerns on which research in coastal sediment transport is based, and current trends — topics and preferred methods — to address them.

River catchments and reservoirs play a central role in water security, food supply, flood risk management, hydropower generation, and ecosystem services; however, they are now under increasing pressure from population growth, economic activities, and changing climate means and extremes in many parts of the world. Adaptive management of river catchments and reservoirs requires an in-depth understanding of the impacts of future uncertainties and thus the development of robust, sustainable solutions to meet the needs of various stakeholders and the environment. To tackle the huge challenges in moving towards adaptive catchment management, this book presents the latest developments in cutting-edge knowledge, novel methodologies, innovative management strategies, and case studies, focusing on the following themes: reservoir dynamics and impact analysis of dam construction, optimal reservoir operation, climate change impacts on hydrological processes and water management, and integrated catchment management.

We are very pleased to introduce the Book Version of our Special Issue in Molecules dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Dr. Charles D. Hufford. The issue has been a huge success, with 22 full-length peer-reviewed papers and a tribute by Professor Alice M. Clark. Authors, reviewers, and collaborators from many countries across the world have contributed to this endeavour, and we are truly grateful to all. This Special Issue is representative of the broad impact that “Charlie” had on the field of bioactive natural products.This Special Issue comprises papers from Professor Hufford’s former students, colleagues, and collaborators throughout the world who have utilized a wide array of state-of-the-art techniques to examine diverse natural sources to isolate and identify a variety of natural products with a wide spectrum of biological activities, including some new microbial transformations and insights into bioactive molecules. Many new bioactive compounds are described and reported here for the first time. Bioactivities reported include cytotoxicity, antimicrobial activity, anti-inflammatory activity, antileishmanial activity, antitrypanosomal activity, antimalarial activity, analgesic activity, and beneficial liver activities, just to name a few. This Special Issue will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on the field of bioactive natural products, as exemplified by the career of Dr. Hufford. Lastly, without the timely and outstanding contributions from all of you, this Special Issue would not have been possible. We thank you all very much for your contributions and your time devoted to this Special Issue in memory of a special person. Finally, we express our gratitude and thanks to the journal Molecules and their excellent team of expert reviewers for giving us the support and opportunity to make this Special Issue a huge success! Guest Editors:Dr. Muhammad IliasNational Center for Natural Products Research, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Thad Cochran Research Center, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USADr. Charles L. CantrellUnited States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Services, Thad Cochran Research Center, University, MS 38677, USA

Intensive agriculture has generally resulted in higher productivity, but also in a trend towards decreasing levels of agro-biodiversity, which represents a key point in ensuring the adaptability and resilience of agro-ecosystems in the global challenge to produce more and better food in a sustainable way. The biodiversity of vegetable crops includes genetic diversity—both as species diversity (interspecific diversity) and as a diversity of genes within a species (intraspecific diversity) with regard to the vegetable varieties grown—and the diversity of agro-ecosystems (agro-biodiversity). The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish high-quality research papers addressing recent progress and perspectives on different aspects related to the biodiversity of vegetable crops. Original, high-quality contributions that have not yet been published, or that are not currently under review by other journals have been sought. The papers in this Special Issue cover a broad range of aspects and report recent research results regarding agro-biodiversity, which continues to be of significant relevance for both genetic and agricultural applications. All contributions are of significant relevance and could stimulate further research in this area.

This Special Issue presents selected papers from the 8th Symposium on Micro–Nano Science and Technology on Micromachines, 31 October–2 November, 2017, in Hiroshima, Japan.We encouraged contributions of significant and original works in order to deeply understand physical, chemical, and biological phenomena at the micro/nano scale and to develop applied technologies. The conference covered the following main topics:1: Precision machinery lubrication design2: Material dynamics strength3: Hydrodynamics4: Thermal engineering5: Production processing mechanical materials6: Robotics mechatronics7: Medical biotechnology8: Micro/nano systemThe papers that attracted the most interest at the conference, or that provided novel contributions, were selected for publication in Micromachines. These papers were peer-reviewed for validation of the research results, developments and applications.

Satellite altimetry is a radar technique for measuring the topography of the Earth’s surface. It was initially designed for measuring the ocean’s topography, with reference to an ellipsoid, and for the determination of the marine geoid. Satellite altimetry has provided extremely valuable information on ocean science (e.g., circulation surface geostrophic currents, eddy structures, wave heights, and the propagation of oceanic Kelvin and Rossby waves). With more than 25 years of observations, it is also becoming vital to climate research, providing accurate measurements of sea level variations from regional to global scales. Altimetry has also demonstrated a strong potential for geophysical, cryospheric, and hydrological research and is now commonly used for the monitoring of Arctic and Antarctic ice sheet topography and of terrestrial surface water levels. This book aims to present reviews and recent advances of general interest in the use of radar altimetry in Earth sciences. Manuscripts are related to any aspect of radar altimetry technique or geophysical applications. We also encourage manuscripts resulting from the application of new altimetric technology (SAR, SARin, and Ka band) and improvements expected from missions to be launched in the near future (i.e., SWOT).

Throughout most of history, medicinal plants and their active metabolites have represented a valuable source of compounds used to prevent and to cure several diseases. Interest in natural compounds is still high as they represent a source of novel biologically/pharmacologically active compounds. Due to their high structural diversity and complexity, they are interesting structural scaffolds that can offer promising candidates for the study of new drugs, functional foods, and food additives.Plant extracts are a highly complex mixture of compounds and qualitative and quantitative analyses are necessary to ensure their quality. Furthermore, greener methods of extraction and analysis are needed today.This book is based on articles submitted for publication in the Special Issue entitled “Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Bioactive Natural Products” that collected original research and reviews on these topics.

This book covers the technological progress and developments of a large-scale wind energy conversion system along with its future trends, with each chapter constituting a contribution by a different leader in the wind energy arena. Recent developments in wind energy conversion systems, system optimization, stability augmentation, power smoothing, and many other fascinating topics are included in this book. Chapters are supported through modeling, control, and simulation analysis. This book contains both technical and review articles.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne member of the Flaviviridae family that historically has been associated with mild febrile illness. However, the recent outbreaks in Brazil in 2015 and its rapid spread throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean, together with its association with severe neurological disorders—including fetal microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome in adults—have changed the historic perspective of ZIKV. Currently, ZIKV is considered an important public health concern that has the potential to affect millions of people worldwide. The significance of ZIKV in human health and the lack of approved vaccines and/or antiviral drugs to combat ZIKV infection have triggered a global effort to develop effective countermeasures to prevent and/or treat ZIKV infection. In this Special Issue of Viruses, we have assembled a collection of 32 research and review articles that cover the more recent advances on ZIKV molecular biology, replication and transmission, virus–host interactions, pathogenesis, epidemiology, vaccine development, antivirals, and viral diagnosis.