Books published by Mdpi AG

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art sensors technology in France. It includes research articles that consolidate our understanding of the state-of-the-art in this area and also four reviews on hot fields in sensor technology (nanomaterials, electronic tongue and optical fibre networks).

Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that enables the removal of damaged, infected, or otherwise unwanted cells in a controlled manner. Apoptosis can be initiated by multiple independent pathways that ultimately converge at a point where proteolytic enzymes belonging to the caspase family are activated, which dismantle the apoptotic cell.Multicellular organism have employed apoptotic mechanisms during host defence in response to viral infection to limit or prevent viral spread and replication. Consequently, viruses have evolved sophisticated molecular countermeasures to disarm host apoptotic defences, and this series of reviews and primary research articles in this Special Issue explores the intricate molecular interplay between viruses and their hosts when they battle for control of host apoptotic check-points. 

Polyphenols are commonly found in fruits and vegetables, and have been suggested to have protective effects against chronic diseases, such as cancers. They are a diverse group of molecules, many of which possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, epigenetic, drug sensitization, and/or modulation of xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme properties. However, there is mixed evidence regarding their protective effects with respect to various cancers. Some of this controversy may be due to the combination of polyphenols administered, synergistic effects of accompanying compounds, bio-accessibility, bioavailability, effect of gut microbiota, and the type of cancer investigated. The purpose of this Special Issue is to present the recent evidence for the effect of polyphenol intake on cancer, as well as mechanisms of action. This Special Issue, entitled "Polyphenols for Cancer Treatment or Prevention", welcomes manuscript submissions of original research, meta-analyses, or reviews of the scientific literature. Authors should focus their manuscripts on polyphenol bioactives or dietary patterns naturally rich in polyphenols that have been identified and used for the prevention and or treatment of cancer.

Thermochemical conversion processes convert biomass into gaseous, liquid and solid products named, syngas, bio-oil and char, respectively. Syngas and bio-oil are considered as alternative biofuels to fossil fuels and wide investigations are implemented currently on their production, purification, modification, and applications. Biomass chars have receiving an increasing attention since they lead to carbon sequestration, reduction of the amount of carbon rejected into the atmosphere and represent an friendly carbon source for numerous applications. In particular, biomass chars could be an efficient materials for energy production, syngas production and upgrading, water and air pollutants removal, soil amendment, fuel cells and supercapacitors development, and gas storage. Improving the knowledge of biomass chars elaboration techniques such as pyrolysis, gasification and hydrothermal carbonization is essential to determine the optimal production strategies for their economic viability. Furthermore, the characterization of the physicochemical, textural, structural and surface chemistry properties of the derived chars guide the selection of the suitable recovery processes in order to maximize their utility and therefore the benefits for the environment as well as for industries and agriculture. 

Medicine is undergoing a sector-wide transformation thanks to the advances in computing and networking technologies. Healthcare is changing from reactive and hospital-centered to preventive and personalized, from disease focused to well-being centered. In essence, the healthcare systems, as well as fundamental medicine research, are becoming smarter. We anticipate significant improvements in areas ranging from molecular genomics and proteomics to decision support for healthcare professionals through big data analytics, to support behavior changes through technology-enabled self-management, and social and motivational support. Furthermore, with smart technologies, healthcare delivery could also be made more efficient, higher quality, and lower cost. In this special issue, we received a total 45 submissions and accepted 19 outstanding papers that roughly span across several interesting topics on smart healthcare, including public health, health information technology (Health IT), and smart medicine. 

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the Western world. Therefore, its early diagnosis in particular, which is mainly based on serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), has gained attention in several fields of research. New biomarkers in serum and urine have been described, for example, the prostate health index (PHI) or urinary Prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3), or others including several biomarker-based multivariate models. In addition to three studies and two reviews regarding PHI and other markers within this Special Issue “Diagnostic, Prognostic and Predictive Biomarkers in Prostate Cancer”, new immunoassays with the PCa-associated aberrant glycosylation of PSA (S2,3PSA) have been published. However, it is important to know not only the diagnosis, but also the prognosis or further prediction of this very common disease. Here, several new nucleic acid or protein-based tissue biomarkers have been described. Most studies in this Special Issue used tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry. As already described for other types of cancer, individualized medicine, such as theranostics, a combination of diagnostics and therapeutics, represents a new area of interest for prostate cancer. Here, a very comprehensive review presents and discusses various important and promising kinds of nanoparticles, as well as imaging and therapy options, suitable for theranostic applications.

This book edited by Drs. Yang Liu from Emory University, Jun Wang from the University of Iowa, and Omar Torres from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center recompiles the results of recently documented research work on Atmospheric Pollution published as a special issue of the MDPI Remote Sensing Journal. It includes twenty peer-reviewed scientific articles on Remote Sensing of Atmospheric Pollution by leading experts from research institutions and universities around the world.  The quality and scientific relevance of the published material was carefully monitored by the guest editor team. Both modeling and observational aspects of particulate matter and trace gas pollutants are treated in great detail by the contributing experts. Many of the published articles explore the use of satellite observations by sensors such as MODIS, VIIRS, and OMI as a valuable research tool. Authors use these observations in combination with models and ground-based observations to enhance the resources available to improve our understanding of the physical and chemical processes driving the observed pollution levels near the ground and in the free troposphere that ultimately determine the quality of the air we all breathe.  This is an important reference book for scientists, professors and students both graduate and undergraduate interested in up-to-date survey of remote sensing applications to Atmospheric Pollution.      

Metallic corrosion is an expensive problem in industrialised countries, creating annual costs that are equivalent to around 3.5% of GDP. More than half of this amount is attributable to atmospheric corrosion. A large amount of scientific and technical literature has been published in the field of atmospheric corrosion, and numerous books and many general treatises have focused on this topic. In the period between 1970-2000 ASTM-STP made great efforts to disseminate progress in this field through the periodic publication of monographies and organisation of symposia on atmospheric corrosion. This special issue of Materials (MDPI) brings together the state of the art in this field, highlighting the advances made in the last fifteen years and identifying the areas where future research will need to concentrate. This publication is intended not only for researchers in the field of atmospheric corrosion, but also for technicians in charge of the design and maintenance of metallic items or concerned with their integrity and duration in the atmosphere. 

Diet and lifestyle choices can substantially predispose an individual to, or protect against, many age- and obesity-related chronic diseases. According to the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, dietary bioactives arecompounds in foodsnot needed for basic human nutrition but responsible for changes in health status.1 These compounds are safe at normal food consumption levels (e.g., anthocyanins in berries) and their biological activities may come from a single compound (e.g., lutein in spinach) or a class of compounds (e.g., avenanthramides in oats) even if the exact identity and composition are unknown. Bioactive compounds of plants; can vary significantly in their ratios and relative concentrations depending onfactors such as cultivation, soil, altitude, and weather conditions. Substantial scientific evidence is available for some health promoting phytochemicals, such as dose-response relations, for performance and/or reduction in the risk of chronic disease. However, several limitations relating to absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion of many dietary bioactives still exist and must be better understood This Special Issue compiles recent discoveries that advance our understanding of how dietary bioactive, particularly from fruits and vegetables, influence long-term health maintenance and disease prevention.

Minerals are very significant components of coal from both academic and practical perspectives. Minerals may react when the coal is burned, either forming an ash residue, or, in many cases, releasing volatile components, or being needed to be removed as slag from the blast furnace during metallurgical processing. Minerals in coal can also be a source of unwanted abrasion, stickiness, corrosion, or pollution associated with coal handling and use. Minerals in coal, in some cases, are major carriers of valuable metals, such as Ga, Al, and rare earth elements, and these coals with highly-evaluated valuable metals have the potential to be raw sources for industry use. From the genetic point of view, the minerals in coal are products of the processes associated with peat accumulation and rank advance, as well as other aspects of epigenetic processes, and, thus, the minerals in coal can provide information on the depositional conditions and geologic history of individual coal beds, coal-bearing sequences, and regional tectonic evolution. This Special Issue, “Minerals in Coal”, focuses on providing an up-to-date series of papers, covering research and technological developments in the nature, origin, and significance of the minerals in coal, and productions derived from combustion and gasification.

Optimal nutrition is fundamental for enhancing training, recovery and performance in sport. Therefore, research has aimed to determine the efficacy of appropriate intake of nutrients, fluids, and supplements and their role in exercise performance. The purpose of this Special Issue entitled “Nutrition, Health and Athletic Performance” is to highlight recent research examining aspects of sports nutrition and exercise performance. Manuscript submissions of original research, meta-analyses, or reviews of the scientific literature, which targets nutritional strategies to benefit performance and health, are welcome. Studies performed in humans are preferred given the applied nature of this issue.

International research has confirmed that the built environment is the most promising sector for a rapid transition to sustainability. In this scenario, many examples of sustainable urban environments are showing the advantages of sustainability. Meanwhile, an increasing request for tools to assess their sustainability is recorded. The assessment of sustainability of the built environment is an essential step toward its promotion. However, large difficulties exist creating useful and measurable assessment indicators since sustainability is time- and location-dependent. Meanwhile, the need to assess both products and processes for sustainable buildings has been considered particularly important for a sector as inertial as that of the built environment. This books contains ten recently published papers in the Special Issue about "Sustainability assessments of buildings". The demand for this Special Issue raised from the floor, as more and more papers dealing with this topic were submitted to Sustainability in the last few months. The need to collect the recent research in this field became evident, and the respond to the call showed the high attention of the scientific community towards this topic. A selection of ten papers among those published in the special issue will guide the reader thorough the variety of approaches in sustainability assessments of buildings and their main challenges.

The research effort, publication rate and scientific community within the field of marine viruses have been growing rapidly over the past decade and viruses are now known to play key roles in microbial population dynamics, diversity and evolution as well as biogeochemical cycling.The compilation of papers included in the current Special Issue highlights the exploration of eukaryotic and prokaryotic viruses, from discovery to complex interplays between virus and host and virus–host interactions  with ecologically relevant environmental variables. The discovery of novel viruses and new mechanisms underlying virus distribution and diversity exemplify the fascinating world of marine viruses. The oceans greatly shape Earth’s climate, hold 1.37 billion km3 of seawater, produce half of the oxygen in the atmosphere, and are integral to all known life. In a time where life in the oceans is under increasing threat (global warming, pollution, economic use) it is pressing to understand how viruses affect host population dynamics, biodiversity, biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem efficiency. 

In October 2016, Samford University hosted Teaching the Reformations, aconference designed to help non-specialists teach the rich intellectual traditions ofthe Protestant and Catholic reformations more effectively in undergraduate core andgeneral education courses. This volume includes keynote addresses by R. WardHolder (St. Anselm College) and G. Sujin Pak (Duke Divinity School), as well as aselection of top papers from the conference.

The high demand and depletion of petroleum reserves and the associated impact on the environment, together with volatility in the energy market price over the past three decades, have led to tremendous efforts in bio-based research activities, especially in biofuels and biochemicals. Most people associate petroleum with gasoline, however, approximately 6000 petroleum-derived products are available on the market today. Ironically, these petroleum-derived products have not elicited a high level of interest among the populace and media due, in part, to little awareness of the origins of these important products. Given the finite nature of petroleum, it is critical to devote substantial amounts of energy and resources on the development of renewable chemicals, as is currently done for fuels. Theoretically, the bioproduction of gasoline-like fuels and the 6000 petroleum-derived products are within the realm of possibility since our aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems contain abundant and diverse microorganisms capable of catalyzing unlimited numbers of reactions. Moreover, the fields of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering have evolved to the point that a wide range of microorganisms can be enticed or manipulated to catalyze foreign, or improve indigenous, biosynthetic reactions. To increase the concentration of products of interest and to ensure consistent productivity and yield, compatible fermentation processes must be used. Greater agricultural and chemical production during the past three decades, due in part to population increase and industrialization, has generated increasing levels of waste, which must be treated prior to discharge into waterways or wastewater treatment plants. Thus, in addition to the need to understand the physiology and metabolism of microbial catalysts of biotechnological significance, development of cost-effective fermentation strategies to produce biofuels and chemicals of interests while generating minimal waste, or better yet, converting waste into value-added products, is crucial. In this Special Issue, we invite authors to submit original research and review articles that increase our understanding of fermentation technology vis-à-vis production of liquid biofuels and biochemicals, and fermentation strategies that alleviate product toxicity to the fermenting microorganism while enhancing productivity. Further, original research articles and reviews focused on anaerobic digestion, production of gaseous biofuels, fermentation optimization using modelling and simulations, metabolic engineering, or development of tailor-made fermentation processes are welcome.

Forage plant ecophysiology has been described, perhaps mischievously, as the selective application of useful information from pure plant physiology research to provide human benefit through improved agricultural output. The intention of creating this Special Issue was to create a volume that future researchers will find user friendly and want to consult, while ensuring it is rich in scientific quality. Contributions were sought that provide a broad geographic representation and a snapshot of present knowledge and research on a range of forage species in use around the world.

The educational system leading up to the pharmacy degree, student training, and the continuing personal development of pharmacists are being more and more mapped to the competences pharmacists require to provide the relevant safe and efficient pharmaceutical services to meet the health needs of patients. This book draws on the experience of experts involved in the develoment of competence training for pharmacy education and training in Europe, North America, and Australia. It discusses the philosophy and implications of such an approach, as well as the production and development of models, and their application to existing courses.

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by molds. Although the primary role of these toxins is thought to be related to the colonisation of the environment by the fungi—mycotoxins are able to kill other micro-organisms (antimicrobial effect) and/or plant cells (mycotoxin-producing fungi being necrophagic)—the exposure of animals and humans to mycotoxins through the consumption of mycotoxin-contaminated food and feeds leads to diseases and death. Among the different mycotoxins described (more than 350 mycotoxins have been identified), deoxynivalenol (DON or vomitoxin) produced by Fusarium species has attracted the most attention due to its prevalence and toxicity. DON is part of a family of mycotoxins called trichothecenes that are small sesquiterpenoids with an epoxide group at positions 12–13 allowing their binding to ribosomes causing the so-called ribosome stress response, characterized by the activation of various protein kinases that lead to alterations in gene expression and cellular toxicity in animals, humans and plants. Here, we compiled very recent findings regarding DON and its derivatives: i) their prevalence in human food; ii) the estimation of the exposure of humans to them using biological markers; iii) their roles during plant–fungi interaction; iv) the alteration caused by them in animals and humans, particularly at low doses that are close to those observed in farm animals and human consumers; v) possible strategies to decrease their presence in food and feeds. Overall, this book will give the reader a clear and global view on this important mycotoxin produced by Fusarium species which is responsible for huge economic loss and health issues.Dr. Marc MarescaGuest Editor

Due to their amorphous character and the concomitant lack of dislocations, metallic glasses exhibit physical and chemical properties that are quite different from those of other solid materials. For example, they can be twice as strong as steels, exhibit superior soft magnetic behavior and outstanding corrosion resistance and, sometimes, interesting catalytic properties, thus having potential for a widespread range of technological applications. The aim of this book is to address, from both experimental and theoretical points of view, some of the challenges to improve the glass forming ability of these materials, to optimize their overall mechanical performance, and to enhance their functional properties. Through the contributions from different renowned authors in the field, new prospects towards the development of innovative compositions and novel applications, particularly in devices with micrometer and submicrometer sizes, are provided, where the full potential of these glassy materials is being achieved.

The discovery of monolayer graphene led to a Nobel Prize in Physics being awarded in 2010. This has stimulated further research on a wide variety of two-dimensional (2D) layered materials. The coupling of metallic graphene, semiconducting 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) and black phosphorus have attracted a tremendous amount of interest in new electronic and optoelectronic applications. Together with other 2D materials, such as the wide band gap boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs), all these 2D materials have led towards an emerging field of van der Waal 2D heterostructures. The papers in this book were originally published by Electronics (MDPI) in a Special Issue on “Two-Dimensional Electronics and Optoelectronics”. The book consists of eight papers, including two review articles, covering various pertinent and fascinating issues concerning 2D materials and devices. Further, the potential and the challenges of 2D materials are discussed, which provide up to date guidance for future research and development.

Microfluidics has developed rapidly over the past three decades. Relentless diagnostic, medical and chemical applications have been demonstrated in various applications, plateforms and tools. Have microfluidics realized its full potential? Or is it only a leveraging academic tool? In this Special Issue, we focus on both insights and advancements in microfluidics. We invite emerging investigators and pioneers to contribute commentaries, perspectives and insightful reviews on related topics. The various insights from esteemed colleagues will be collated. We will also discuss technological breakthrough of original works in both short communications and full papers. The main idea is to stimulate the community and to provide an unique collection of insightful papers. We will also cover various topics ranging from 3D printing, paper-based microfludics to conventional polymer-based microfluidics which contributes to the technological advancements.

Major oil spills attract the attention of the public and the media. This was especially the case after the Deepwater Horizon spill. In recent years, this attention has created a global awareness of the risks of oil spills and the damage they do to the environment. Oil is a necessity in our industrial society, however, and a major component of our lifestyle. This means that the risk of major spills continues as does the interest in spills.The Deepwater Horizon spill began a new series of scientific studies that have greatly increased our understanding of oil spills. This book contains 10 such studies. These studies vary from toxicity studies to social studies of human reaction to spills and risk. Importantly, the book is a sampling of important new topics that have become important after the Deepwater Horizon spill. These new topics include new chemical and tracing techniques, new risk perception techniques, perspectives on human health and spills, and discussion on new fuels. This book makes a significant contribution to the understanding of facets of spills and explores 10 very different facets of oil spills. 

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are released from both static and mobile sources (e.g., industrial, transport, household, fossil fuels use, and many other sources). They are emitted into the atmosphere, taken up by plants, and ingested by animals to be bio accumulated along the food chain up to the apex predator. Many of these pollutants are classified as being toxic/carcinogenic by varying degrees and pose a worldwide risk to the environment and human health. Exposure (through different exposure pathways, i.e., inhalation, dermal absorption, ingestion, etc.) to those hazardous pollutants can damage the immune, neurological, reproductive (e.g., reduced fertility), developmental, and respiratory systems of humans and animals. More efforts are thus needed to improve the method of their detection and treatment. This Special Issue aims to present articles emphasizing more than one of all the available tools to monitor or treat VOCs: (1) measurement techniques for VOC; (2) treatment techniques for VOC; and (3) all important environmental issues associated with the management of VOCs.

Complex systems is a new approach to science, engineering, health and management that studies how relationships between parts give rise to the collective emergent behaviours of the entire system, and how the system interacts with its environment.A system can be thought of as complex if its dynamics cannot be easily predicted, or explained, as a linear summation of the individual dynamics of its components. In other words, the many constituent microscopic parts bring about macroscopic phenomena that cannot be understood by considering a single part alone (“the whole is more than the sum of the parts”). There is a growing awareness that complexity is strongly related to criticality: the behaviour of dynamical spatiotemporal systems at an order/disorder phase transition where scale invariance prevails.Complex systems can also be viewed as distributed information-processing systems. Consciousness emerging from neuronal activity and interactions, cell behaviour resultant from gene regulatory networks and swarming behaviour are all examples of global system behaviour emerging as a result of the local interactions of the individuals (neurons, genes, animals). Can these interactions be seen as a generic computational process? This question shapes the special issue, linking computation to complexity and criticality.