Books published by Mdpi AG

Data available in today’s information society is ever growing in size and complexity—i.e., unstructured, multidimensional, uncertain, etc.—making it impossible to survey and understand this data. Traditionally, most of these datasets are stored and depicted as huge tables, hindering efficient retrieval of salient information—similarities, outliers, structures, origin, etc. Interactive visualization provides an interface to this data that can help gleaning valuable information from it, thus supporting better data understanding by significantly reducing cognitive load on the analyst. Two fundamental concepts, visualization and interaction, form the basis of the underlying scientific methods. Combining these concepts connects two key research areas in computer science: visualization and human-computer interaction (HCI) and brings together practitioners from many disciplines. The result is highly multi-disciplinary work with significant impact and virtually unlimited application areas. However, truly interactive visualizations are hard to design and implement, so researchers have to solve multiple problems. This Special Issue provides an overciew over the current state-of-the-art of “Interactive Visualization.” It shows recent work in the field, as well as trends for future development.

Vitamin E is the major lipid-soluble antioxidant in the cell antioxidant system and is exclusively obtained from the diet. In 1922, vitamin E was discovered as a dietary factor essential for reproduction in rats. Meanwhile, vitamin E has revealed many more important molecular properties, such as the scavenging of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species with consequent prevention of the oxidative damage associated with many diseases. In addition, the modulation of signal transduction and gene expression in antioxidant and non-antioxidant manners was shown for vitamin E.This Special Issue highlights some of the recent advances in vitamin E research, showing on the one hand the status quo and providing, on the other hand, new insights into functions and physiological relevance. Thus, the current knowledge of tocochromanol biosynthesis in plants and future challenges regarding the understanding of its regulation are presented. Another paper describes the fate of vitamin E in the human gastrointestinal lumen during digestion. During the metabolism of vitamin E, the long-chain metabolites 13’-hydroxychromanol and 13’-carboxychromanol are formed by oxidative modification of the side-chain. Their occurrence in human serum indicates a physiological relevance. Another paper describes the membrane distribution of α-tocopherol in brain regions of adult rhesus monkeys, also looking for associations between membrane α-tocopherol and the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. 

A comprehensive overview of sensors technology is provided in specific leading areas. Researchers, engineers and professionals on industries can find advanced technologies, devices, insights and solutions for a broad range of applications, including:• Piezoelectric power transducers• Multisensory for veins detection for robotic-based catheters insertion• Robot-sensor network cooperation for SLAM • Wind speed influences on RGB-D images in trees• Spectrophotometer for physiopathy detection in chickens• Radon gas and ionization detection• Vibrations measurements in robots • Architectures for multisensor intelligent robots• Ultrasound for tissue characterization• Active imaging model• Image-based for crack detection in tunnels• Wireless sensor nodes for energy harvesting, industrial monitoring, concrete cure• Vibroacoustic Impact on the Architectonic Heritage• Sensors motion capture in wearables• Torsional wave sensor• Model-based non-rigid tracking• Stair-Climbing Mobility• IoT-based people monitoring• Laser Speckle System• Odometric in an autonomous electric cart• New control paradigms• Concentric electrodes for ECG and intestinal exploration• Trusted virtual sensors• Thermo-Hygrometric measurements in archaeology• Intensive care unit• Multi-beam Lidar 3D scan• Hyperspectral Imaging in brain tumor• Crowdsensing in smart cities• Strain method to detect tires’ loss• Optical force sensor• Portable sensor for substance concentration measurements• High-Frequency content in Human QRS complexes• Fusion of proximity sensors data• Electro-magnetic acoustic system• Computer vision on aerial robots for surface inspection• Dual-reflectarray antennas  

This book collects more than 20 papers, written by renowned experts and scientists from across the globe, that showcase the state-of-the-art and forefront research in archaeological remote sensing and the use of geoscientific techniques to investigate archaeological records and cultural heritage.Very high resolution satellite images from optical and radar space-borne sensors, airborne multi-spectral images, ground penetrating radar, terrestrial laser scanning, 3D modelling, Geographyc Information Systems (GIS) are among the techniques used in the archaeological studies published in this book. The reader can learn how to use these instruments and sensors, also in combination, to investigate cultural landscapes, discover new sites, reconstruct paleo-landscapes, augment the knowledge of monuments, and assess the condition of heritage at risk. Case studies scattered across Europe, Asia and America are presented: from the World UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Palpa to heritage under threat in the Middle East and North Africa, from coastal heritage in the intertidal flats of the German North Sea to Early and Neolithic settlements in Thessaly.Beginners will learn robust research methodologies and take inspiration; mature scholars will for sure derive inputs for new research and applications.

The MYTOX association research platform, MYTOX "Mycotoxins and Toxigenic Moulds" was established in 2007 and consists of more than 50 researchers from 12 research laboratories in the Ghent University Association. MYTOX deals with mycotoxin research in a multi-disciplinary way, based on four main themes: (1) mycotoxins; (2) toxigenic fungi; (3) mycotoxins and animal health; and (4) mycotoxins and human health. In this way, MYTOX tackles the mycotoxin issue along the production chain from the field to the end consumer, within the ‘One Health’ concept.We welcomed over 100 scientists, researchers and representatives from industry, government as well as academia at the 5th edition of the MYTOX International Symposium, held in Ghent on May 11, 2016. The program included oral and poster presentations related to fungal-related disease monitoring and mycotoxin production; mycotoxin analysis in food and feed, as well as in animal and human biological samples; prevention on the field; management strategies during food and feed storage and processing. 

Hydrometallurgy, which involves the use of aqueous solutions for the recovery of metals from ores, concentrates, and recycled or residual material, plays an integral role in the multi-billion dollar minerals processing industry. There are numerous hydrometallurgical process technologies used for recovering metals, such as: agglomeration; leaching; solvent extraction/ion exchange; metal recovery; and remediation of tailings/waste.Modern hydrometallurgical routes to extract metals from their ores are faced with a number of issues related to both the chemistry and engineering aspects of the processes involved. These issues include declining ore grade, variations in mineralogy across the deposits and geo-metallurgical locations of the ore site; which would influence the hydrometallurgical route chosen. The development of technologies to improve energy efficiency, water/resources consumption and waste remediation across the circuit is also an important factor to be considered. Therefore, there is an increasing need to develop novel solutions to these existing problems, to implement environmentally sustainable practices in the recovery of these valuable metals.Papers on recent advances, and review articles, particularly in regard to fundamental chemistry and the development of novel techniques and technologies in commercial processing of mineral commodities from their ores, are included in this Special Monograph on "Hydrometallurgy".

Pig production is the fastest growing segment of the global livestock sector. Intensification of pig production has resulted in significant changes to traditional pig husbandry practices. Combined with urbanization and ease of travel and transport, these changes have led to an environment conducive to increased emergence and spread of viral diseases. The past decade alone has seen the global emergence and re-emergence of porcine viruses with devastating consequences: For example, in 2006, highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses (PRRSV) spread rapidly across Southeast Asia killing millions of animals; since its introduction into the Caucasus in 2007, the African swine fever virus has  steadily spread to Eastern Europe; and in 2013-14, over 8 million pigs died when virulent porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) swept North America. In this special issue we will explore our understanding of porcine viruses and how this may be exploited to improve the control of these pathogens of economic and agricultural significance.

Technological advances now allow the planning of deep space exploration missions with the aim to discover new habitats for humankind. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has spearheaded this effort and the research into the identification of risks to crew members associated with such lengthy missions. Exciting work from a multitude of investigators across the US, Europe and Japan have identified oxidative damage as a significant risk to major organs that could pose a threat to the health of the astronauts and the success of the mission. This Special Issue of IJMS is dedicated to providing a comprehensive overview of the identified risks and focus on how oxidative stress specifically could impact major organ systems when exposed to space-relevant conditions such as cosmic/galactic radiation, solar particle events, hypogravity, hyperoxia and hypoxia or a combination of stressors.

Alloy steels play a pivotal role in modern society. Their continued development improves the human condition for everyone on earth. Their broad use has resulted in a wide variety of continuing challenges to address economic, manufacturing, and industrial issues. This book contains twenty-three papers covering a wide cross-section of alloy steels and technical problems. Readers interested in solving current manufacturing and application problems will find this issue helpful. The papers contained within cover a wide range of topics by a broad set of authors from across the globe. There are papers covering structure–property relations on various alloys. Other papers discuss the proper processing of alloy steels through the welding, electroslag remelting, and rolling processes. A significant number of the papers cover optimizing the heat treatment of traditional alloys as well as new alloys. There are papers that concentrate on providing real-world performance data on alloy steels, an important but under-studied topic. Of particular interest is a review on the welding of austenitic and duplex stainless steels that gives neophytes and experienced researchers an excellent introduction to the state-of-the-art. This collection of work should be valuable to anyone interested in alloy steels. 

The use of sport as an empirical setting to study different organizational and economic phenomena is continuously increasing (Day et al., 2012; Kahn, 2000; Wolfe et al., 2005). Specifically, in the finance literature, sports have been used to examine market efficiency (e.g., Edmans et al., 2007; Golec & Tamarkin, 1991; Gray & Gray, 1997, Woodland & Woodland, 1997), the financing of sports facilities (Baade & Matheson, 2006; Coates & Humphreys, 2003; Rebeggiani, 2006), and mega events (Madden, 2006).In addition, sports have many unique qualities, which contribute to an industry generating revenues estimated between 44 and 60 billion dollars in the United States (Humphreys & Ruseski, 2009). The study of sports has emerged both as an academic major and as a field of research, with sports financing being one of the main areas of scholarship in the field of research. Thus, the primary goal of this Special Issue will highlight sports’ activities as an empirical setting for understanding financial phenomena and will highlight sports’ unique financial idiosyncratic characteristics. Topics in this Special Issue can include, but are not limited to, non-profit sports clubs, mega events, financial issues related to stadiums and arenas, amateur and professional sports leagues and teams, and gambling markets, including sports betting, lotteries, and other games of chance.

Venoms from marine and terrestrial animals (cone snails, scorpions, spiders, snakes, centipedes, cnidarian, etc.) can be seen as untapped cocktails of biologically active compounds that are being increasingly recognized as a new emerging source of peptide-based therapeutics. Venomous animals are considered to be specialized predators that have evolved the most sophisticated peptide chemistry and neuropharmacology for their own biological purposes by producing venoms that contain a structural and functional diversity of neurotoxins. These neurotoxins appear to be highly selective ligands for a wide range of ion channels and receptors. Therefore, they represent interesting lead compounds for the development of analgesics, anti-cancer drugs, drugs for neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson' s disease, Alzheimer' s disease, and other therapeutics.This Special Issue of Toxins aims to provide a comprehensive look at toxins and toxin-inspired leads and will focus on the mechanisms of action, structure–function relationships, and evolution of pharmacologically interesting venom components, including the most recent developments related to the emergence of venoms as an underutilized source of highly evolved bioactive peptides with clinical potential. 

MEMS mirrors can steer, modulate and switch light, as well as control the wavefront for focusing or phase modulation. MEMS mirrors have found enormous commercial success in projectors, displays and fiberoptic communications. Micro-spectrometers based on MEMS mirrors are starting to appear in the consumer market. There are also many breakthroughs in applying MEMS mirrors for endoscopic imaging. Equally excitingly, a new wave of opportunities for MEMS mirrors is coming up, for example, micro-LiDAR for autonomous driving and robotics, optical cross connect (OXC) for cloud data centers, and optical scanners for virtual reality/augumented reality, just to name a few. Of course, there are a number of big challenges that researchers and engineers must overcome to fully utiltize MEMS mirrors’ potential: modeling and control are inherently complex due to the multiphysics, multi-DOF and nonlinear nature of the microactuators for MEMS mirrors; reliability is always a huge hurdle for commercilization; and the tradeoffs among the speed, aperture, and scan range are often overwhelming. Accordingly, this Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers, short communications, and review articles that focus on: (1) novel designs, fabrication, control, and modeling of MEMS mirrors based on all kinds of actuation mechanisms; and (2) new developments of applying MEMS mirrors of any kind in consumer electronics, optical communications, industry, medicine, agriculture, space, or defense.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infections cause approximately 5% of all human cancers. While there are efficacious prophylactic vaccines that prevent infections with the most common cancer-associated HPVs, these vaccines are not widely available in low-resource settings and in many countries, including the US, HPV vaccination rates have remained disappointingly low. Moreover, vaccination does not modify existing HPV infections and the incidence of HPV-associated anal and oropharyngeal cancers has steadily increased and is projected to overtake the caseload of cervical cancer in the next two years. Hence, infections with cancer-associated HPVs will remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality, worldwide. This book provides state-of-the-art summaries and expert viewpoints on unresolved, controversial or emerging topics related to the natural history, evolution, biology, and disease association of papillomavirus infection. The individual chapters cover a wide range of thought provoking topics.

The essential trace element zinc plays indispensable roles in multiple cellular processes. It regulates a great number of protein functions, including transcription factors, enzymes, adapters, and growth factors as a structural and/or catalytic factor. Recent studies have highlighted another function of zinc as an intra- and intercellular signaling mediator, which became recognized as the “zinc signal”. Indeed, zinc regulates cellular signaling pathways, which enable conversion of extracellular stimuli to intracellular signals, and controls various intracellular and extracellular events, and thus zinc mediates communication between cells. The zinc signal is essential for physiology, and its dysregulation causes a variety of diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis, dermatitis, and dementia.This Special Issue focuses on crucial roles of zinc signaling in biological processes in molecular and physiological basis, addressing the future directions and questions underlying this unique phenomenon. Because there is growing interest and attention in physiopathological contribution of zinc signal, we believe this Special Issue will provide very timely information on it and thus should appeal to a wide range of readers.

The problem of accurate and reliable simulation of turbulent flows is a central and intractable challenge that crosses disciplinary boundaries. As the needs for accuracy increase and the applications expand beyond flows where extensive data is available for calibration, the importance of a sound mathematical foundation that addresses the needs of practical computing increases. This Special Issue is directed at this crossroads of rigorous numerical analysis, the physics of turbulence and the practical needs of turbulent flow simulations. It seeks papers providing a broad understanding of the status of the problem considered and open problems that comprise further steps.