mdpi ag jan 2019 (32 Ergebnisse)

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - During the past four decades or so, various operators of fractional calculus, such as those named after Riemann-Liouville, Weyl, Hadamard, Grunwald-Letnikov, Riesz, Erdelyi-Kober, Liouville-Caputo, and so on, have been found to be remarkably popular and important due mainly to their demonstrated applications in numerous diverse and widespread fields of the mathematical, physical, chemical, engineering, and statistical sciences. Many of these fractional calculus operators provide several potentially useful tools for solving differential, integral, differintegral, and integro-differential equations, together with the fractional-calculus analogues and extensions of each of these equations, and various other problems involving special functions of mathematical physics, as well as their extensions and generalizations in one and more variables. In this Special Issue, we invite and welcome review, expository, and original research articles dealing with the recent advances in the theory of fractional calculus and its multidisciplinary applications.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book recognizes the career of Professor Emeritus Calvin H. Bartholomew, who celebrated his 75th birthday in 2018, and his contributions to the science and engineering of heterogeneous catalysis, a field which improves daily life in countless, but often unrecognized ways. Dr. Bartholomew is an eminent researcher, an outstanding educator, mentor, and friend. The nine chapters comprising the book were written by former students, collaborators, colleagues, and respected peers. Chapters cover supported iron Fischer--Tropsch catalysts, a spectroscopic study of iron-based water gas shift catalysts, nickel catalysts both for (dry) methane reforming with associated carbon deactivation and carbon dioxide methanation, a methanol steam reforming catalyst, cobalt oxide on niobia catalysts for environmental applications, palladium catalysts supported on titania for hydrogen peroxide synthesis, methane combustion catalyst stability, and chiral catalyst deactivation. In summary, this book covers much of the breadth and points to the depth of Professor Bartholomew's illustrious career. We thank him for his kind example and honor him for his lasting contributions.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The book contains a collection of articles dealing with how the extraction of mineral resources can be considered in environmental analyses such as Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The consumption of resources, e.g., metals, is increasing strongly worldwide. This is associated with more energy use; environmental pollution; and social, economic, and political consequences. An increase is also expected for the coming decades. At the same time, modern products and technologies, even in the field of renewable energies, require a large number of critical raw materials. A crucial question here is the exhaustibility of natural resources. What is the relevance of resource depletion today Must a geological shortage of metals be expected in the foreseeable future How could such a thing be considered in the LCA of products and weighed against other environmental aspects The articles in question have been written over the past three years by leading experts in both geology and environmental sciences and show the breadth of the controversial discussion.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In the future, wearable technology will revolutionize the way we live. The current trend is to augment ordinary wearable objects - e.g. watches, glasses, bracelets, and clothing - with advanced information and communication technologies such as sensors, electronics, software, connectivity, and power sources. These wearable devices can monitor and assist the user in the management of his/her daily life with applications that range from activity tracking, sport and wellness, mobile games, and environmental monitoring, up to e-health.This book explores recent advances in the multidisciplinary field of wearable technologies and the important remaining gaps that must be addressed in order to obtain a massive diffusion.Articles in this book address topics that include wearable sensing and bio-sensing technologies, smart textiles, smart materials, wearable microsystems, low-power and embedded circuits for data acquisition, and processing and data transmission.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Global forest communities cover only about 30% of land areas, but they provide important ecosystem services, such as watershed protection, carbon sequestration, and oxygen production, as well as renewable forest products for human subsistence and markets. Forests also support the majority of the world's terrestrial biodiversity. Although land conversion for agriculture and pastureland has historically resulted in fragmentation and declining forested areas, forests worldwide are now experiencing change at an unprecedented rate due to various anthropogenic activities and growing human populations. Global warming trends are altering snowpack and hydrology, fostering outbreaks of native forest pests, and accelerating the loss of older tree age classes. Modeling suggests that future fire regimes in temperate regions will have shorter return intervals, with more severe wildfires. In addition, a by-product of trade and travel globalization has been the accelerated transport of plants and animals, and plant and animal diseases, around the world. Exotic species have altered community composition, especially where foundation tree species are affected. Every forest community worldwide is challenged by some of these problems. In this Special Issue of the journal Forests we explore the unique biodiversity supported by forest communities, how forest communities are rapidly changing, and conservation approaches to preserving forest biodiversity.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Experimental and theoretical studies of Stark broadening of spectral lines in plasmas are the cornerstone of a large number of spectroscopic diagnostics of laboratory and astrophysical plasmas. As such, they are very important both fundamentally and practically, the latter being due to the numerous practical applications of plasmas. Examples are studies dealing with: controlled thermonuclear fusion (that would provide a virtually unlimited source of energy), plasma-based lasers for medical and other purposes, technological microwave discharges (especially those used for manufacturing microchips), a better understanding of solar activity, other astrophysical objects (white dwarfs, flare stars, and so on). The book reviews advances in this area achieved in recent years and presents new original papers building on these advances.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Starting from the most interesting papers presented at CUBANNI 2017, the First International Meeting of the Cuban Network of Neuroimmunology, this Elektronisches Buch covers the most up-to-date findings on neuroimmunology research. The topics of the selected papers range from clinical to pre-clinical models, as well as in vitro basic research. Scientific areas covered are autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and seizures, with emphasis on epigenetics and experimental models. Neuroinflammation, neuroplasticity, and neurodegenerative processes, biomarker discovery, and the molecular pathways involved are proposed. Additionally as one of the most current and relevant topics published, Tamara da Silva Vaccaro et al proved relevant results on 'Alterations in the MicroRNA and their effects on Epigenetic Regulation and Potential Biomarkers in ASD' and Lázaro Gómez et al also published interesting results on Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The history of science can teach modern men that our understanding of life is to a great extent based on the accuracy of the analytical methods that we use and, on our readiness to oppose dogmatic opinions, which are based on outdated methods and black/white approaches to the major questions raised by mankind in the past. The recent decades have brought a lot of new insights into the fundamentals of the active principles of reactive oxygen species that are necessary for living cells, but which also cause dangerous pathophysiological processes. Accordingly, although they were previously considered to be the most undesired toxic compounds generated as the final products of the oxidative degradation of lipids, reactive aldehydes are now considered to play important roles both in health and in major diseases. Represented mostly by 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE), a substance discovered only fifty years ago, reactive aldehydes are the focus of research not only because of their toxicity but also because of their positive effects regulating the most important metabolic processes such as growth of living cells or the death of cells. Better understanding the interactions between reactive aldehydes and natural or synthetic antioxidant substances might eventually help us to better monitor, prevent and control modern diseases, thus building pillars for the development of the modern, multidisciplinary life sciences and integrative medicine of the 21st century.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In parallel with a decrease/stabilization in the use of internationally controlled drugs, the market of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) continues increasing, year after year, with the Internet playing a pivotal role in contributing to this complex scenario. At times, although misleading, the terms 'legal highs' or 'research chemicals' have been used to describe these molecules. Overall, about 5% of 19-24-year-old European people have already experimented with them, because both NPS' intense psychoactive effects and their virtual non-detectability in routine drug screenings. Although 'novel' typically refers to molecules that have recently become a reason of current/potential public health concern, at times, the NPS scenario may indeed focus on pharmaceutical molecules. These may have either not entered the market, or are currently prescribed, with their potential for misuse resulting from the relating high dosages/idiosyncratic ways of self-administration. A concurrent use of a range of different NPS, and/or medications, is frequently being reported and this may be a reason of further clinical complications. Given their complex pharmacodynamics, there are increasing levels of concern about the onset of acute/chronic psychopathological associated with NPS intake. This Special Issue aims at providing an overview of a range of NPS-related issues, e.g., preclinical, epidemiological, and clinical pharmacological; the medical and psychopathological consequences associated with their intake; and, finally, the analytical chemistry and forensic analysis challenges associated with the NPS phenomenon.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - A topical research activity in statistical physics concerns the study of complex and disordered systems. Generally, these systems are characterized by an elevated level of interconnection and interaction between the parts so that they give rise to a rich structure in the phase space that self-organizes under the control of internal non-linear dynamics. These emergent collective dynamics confer new behaviours to the whole system that are no longer the direct consequence of the properties of the single parts, but rather characterize the whole system as a new entity with its own features, giving rise to the birth of new phenomenologies.As is highlighted in this collection of papers, the methodologies of statistical physics have become very promising in understanding these new phenomena. This volume groups together 12 research works showing the use of typical tools developed within the framework of statistical mechanics, in non-linear kinetic and information geometry, to investigate emerging features in complex physical and physical-like systems.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Mesothelioma is a rare aggressive cancer that develops from the mesothelium. Recent molecular analyses have defined four different types of mesothelioma based on gene expression and two major molecularly-defined groups based on prognosis. In this volume, potential mechanisms causing this heterogeneity are explored. The different chapters include heterogeneity learned from experimental animal models in NF2/Hippo pathway signaling, stem cell signaling pathways, the tumor microenvironment, and micro RNA secretome. Novel aspects deserving attention such as the implication of long, non-coding RNA in disease heterogeneity are described. The volume also includes the description of tools useful to address some specific questions such as an assessment of the copy number variations of two tumor suppressors frequently mutated in mesothelioma or an investigation of Macrophage Inhibition Factor signaling in mesothelioma.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The articles in this volume, all by leading scholars, examine the topic of rebirth, or reincarnation, from a wide range of perspectives. The main focus of most of the articles is the idea of rebirth as found in Hindu texts and traditions. There are also articles exploring Christian responses to the idea of rebirth as well as expressions of the idea of rebirth in the Western world (such as in the thought of poet William Butler Yeats and in an American context). There are also philosophical and theological articles arguing both for and against the idea of rebirth, as well as articles which take a more historical or literary approach to this topic. The shared thread unifying all of these articles is the idea that rebirth is an important idea that holds great fascination for many. While the primary focus is on Hindu and Christian expressions of or responses to this idea, there are also articles that engage with scientific thinking on this topic, and one which engages with Buddhism as well. In short, this volume is an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural, and cross-traditional exploration of the topic of reincarnation that should appeal to a wide array of readers.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - World Green Building Council suggests that health, well-being and productivity should be the next chapter for green building. There is an obvious shift of green building movement from technology-centric towards human-centric, which culminates in recent WELL Building Standard, focusing exclusively on human health and wellness. This special issue aims to push forward the research, discourse and practice of green building towards more human-oriented design solutions. Particularly, this special issue collects papers on: Post-occupancy evaluation of green buildings Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Thermal Comfort and Adaptive Behaviors Quality of Life and Housing Healthcare Design.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This special issue book includes 10 original research papers that discuss and solve some problems of ore-forming processes in magmatic and hydrothermal systems. Some of these papers in the issue deal with experimental and thermodynamical modeling, while the others are devoted to analytical geochemistry, geochronology and genesis of some ore occurrences.I hope that these papers will be useful for scientists who work on the fundamental problems of ore-forming processes and the genesis of ore deposits, and will provide new ideas for future research.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Investigations involving the theory and applications of mathematical analytic tools and techniques are remarkably wide-spread in many diverse areas of the mathematical, physical, chemical, engineering and statistical sciences. In this Special Issue, we invite and welcome review, expository and original research articles dealing with the recent advances in mathematical analysis and its multidisciplinary applications.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In recent years, metal halide perovskites have emerged as a rising star among semiconductor materials owing to their low cost, solution processability, and fascinating combination of material properties enabling a broad range of energy applications. Accompanied by the unprecedented success in the photovoltaic community, which has witnessed a certified power conversion efficiency of 23.7%, rapid advancement has also been achieved in the areas of light-emitting diodes, lasers, photodetectors, and solar-to-fuel energy conversion devices. Beyond the dominant format of polycrystalline perovskite thin films for solar cell applications, recent progress in metal halide perovskite crystals, ranging from nanocrystals to macroscopic single-crystals, has spurred a great deal of both scientific and industrial interest. Great research efforts have endeavored to develop new techniques for crystal growth and investigate the physical and chemical properties of the materials and explore their emerging applications. These exciting achievements call for a rationalization of the different forms of perovskite semiconductors beyond the widely used polycrystalline thin films. In the current Special Issue, 'Metal Halide Perovskite Crystals: Growth Techniques, Properties and Emerging Applications', we aim to provide a forum for the discussion and presentation of recent advances in the fields of research related to metal halide perovskite crystals.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This Special Issue presents a selection of current solutions for vehicle surroundings perception systems. This perception is essential for many advanced driver application systems and autonomous driving, and there are currently several challenges that need addressing. Perception can be obtained using on-board sensors, but, due to their limitations, the development of sensor fusion techniques or specific algorithms is needed. Vehicle positioning is also important, but further refined accuracy and specific requirements arise with each new application. Apart from on-board sensors, wireless communication can provide information from a larger electronic horizon that can be used for better decision making. Finally, all this information can be used to enhance development of autonomous driving.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Model predictive control (MPC) is an advanced control design used in many industries worldwide. An MPC selects control actions which are optimal with respect to a given performance metric as well as any physically-motivated constraints. MPC has therefore gained significant research attention over the past several decades. Advances in MPC continue to unlock its potential to solve a wide variety of practical issues. This book presents some of the state-of-the-art in MPC design from theoretical and applications perspectives. It covers a broad spectrum of MPC application areas, reviewing applications as diverse as air conditioning, pharmaceutical manufacturing, mineral column flotation, actuator faults, and hydraulic fracturing, while also highlighting recent theoretical advancements in control technology that integrate it with data-driven models, zone tracking, or process safety and cybersecurity. Both centralized and distributed MPC formulations are presented. The purpose of this book is to assemble a collection of current research in MPC that handles practically-motivated theoretical issues as well as recent MPC applications, with the aim of highlighting the significant potential benefits of new MPC theory and design.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The Special Issue Colloid Chemistry presents a comprehensive overview of what opportunities the colloidal scale, i.e., the nanoscale, offers to scientists from chemistry, physics, materials sciences, and biomedicine. Sophistically designed colloids are used for studying physical and physicochemical phenomena to gain a deeper understanding of interparticle interactions, not forgetting that such insights can be used to create tailored materials for a variety of applications. This Issue covers aspects from the synthesis to the analysis of colloidal properties and presents opportunities for their further application.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The Yang-Baxter equation first appeared in theoretical physics, in a paper by the Nobel laureate C.N. Yang and in the work of R.J. Baxter in the field of Statistical Mechanics. At the 1990 International Mathematics Congress, Vladimir Drinfeld, Vaughan F. R. Jones, and Edward Witten were awarded Fields Medals for their work related to the Yang-Baxter equation. It turned out that this equation is one of the basic equations in mathematical physics; more precisely, it is used for introducing the theory of quantum groups. It also plays a crucial role in: knot theory, braided categories, the analysis of integrable systems, non-commutative descent theory, quantum computing, non-commutative geometry, etc. Many scientists have used the axioms of various algebraic structures (quasi-triangular Hopf algebras, Yetter-Drinfeld categories, quandles, group actions, Lie (super)algebras, brace structures, (co)algebra structures, Jordan triples, Boolean algebras, relations on sets, etc.) or computer calculations (and Grobner bases) in order to produce solutions for the Yang-Baxter equation. However, the full classification of its solutions remains an open problem. At present, the study of solutions of the Yang-Baxter equation attracts the attention of a broad circle of scientists. The current volume highlights various aspects of the Yang-Baxter equation, related algebraic structures, and applications.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - While the demand for crop products continues to increase strongly, agricultural productivity is threatened by various stress factors, often associated with global warming. To sustain and improve yield, it is necessary to understand how plants respond to various stresses, and to use the generated knowledge in modern breeding programs. Most knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms associated with stress responses has been obtained from investigations using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Stress hormones, such as abscisic acid, jasmonic acid, and salicylic acid, have been shown to play key roles in defense responses against abiotic and biotic stresses. More recently, evidence that growth-regulating plant hormones are also involved in stress responses has been accumulating. Epigenetic regulation at the DNA and histone level, and gene regulation by small non-coding RNAs appear to be important as well. Many approaches have used mutant screens and next generation sequencing approaches to identify key players and mechanisms how plants respond to their environment. However, it is often unclear to which extent the elucidated mechanisms also operate in crops. This Special Issue Book, therefore, aims to close this gap and contains a number of contributions from labs that work both, on Arabidopsis and crops. The book includes contributions reporting how crop plant species respond to various abiotic stresses, such as drought, heat, cold, flooding, and salinity, as well as biotic stimuli during microbial infections. It contains reviews, opinions, perspectives, and original articles, and its focus is on our molecular understanding of biotic and abiotic stress responses in crops, highlighting, among other aspects, the role of stress hormones, secondary metabolites, signaling mechanisms, and changes in gene expression patterns and their regulation. Approaches and ideas to achieve stress tolerance and to maintain yield stability of agricultural crops during stress periods can be found in most chapters. These include also perspectives on how knowledge from model plants can be utilized to facilitate crop-plant breeding and biotechnology.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The recent advances in optical sources and detectors have opened up new opportunities for sensing and imaging techniques which can be successfully used in biomedical and healthcare applications. This book, entitled 'Optical Methods in Sensing and Imaging for Medical and Biological Applications', focuses on various aspects of the research and development related to these areas. The book will be a valuable source of information presenting the recent advances in optical methods and novel techniques, as well as their applications in the fields of biomedicine and healthcare, to anyone interested in this subject.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - This book looks at key research covering a wide range of aspects of environmental sustainability and the mitigation of environmental impacts of livestock production, including emissions of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide), nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, ammonia emissions, land use and land management, and use of energy and other resources. All the globally most important livestock species (beef and dairy cattle, pigs, broiler chicken and laying hens) are covered in the book. The mitigation methods assessed in the papers include general system changes, changes in feeding, improvement of animal health, and new technologies of manure management. The scope of the papers included in this book ranges from farm level mitigation methods to national level system changes. This book also addresses methodological development in assessing the environmental sustainability of the livestock production chains, including holistic methods, such as environmental and social life cycle assessment (LCA) and other modeling approaches.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Natural pine forests characterize many landscapes preserved over time, either as a result of a specific forest management practice or a disturbance. In the event of a lack of management over a long period of time, these formations could evolve with increasingly chaotic structures towards other formations. This process can lead to landscape change, the spread of insects and pathogens, and the risk of fires and watercourse obstruction. Pine forest plantations should be considered as transient tree populations, destined to evolve into more complex and stable formations. However, sometimes they should be preserved for their cultural value. Careful management of these forests also takes into account the close relationship between forest and human settlements. As a first step, ecological management assumes the definition of these two macro types. These approaches include the application of integrated methods for determining the reference conditions of the main functional and structural ecosystem components of forests. The reference conditions are the historical (or natural) variability range of ecological structures and processes, reflecting the recent evolution and dynamic interaction of biotic and abiotic conditions and patterns of disturbance. These conditions form the basis for comparison with contemporary ecosystem processes and structures and are a frame of reference for designing ecological restoration treatments and conservation plans. The productive aspects must not be overlooked; rather, they have to be considered, planned, and managed with a perspective of sustainability and ecosystem functionality. This should be considered for a common approach to forest management, for a forest rehabilitation, and for forest restoration activities.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Fluid transport in narrow pores is central to the design and optimization of nanoporous materials in industrial applications, such as catalysis, nanofluids, electrochemical batteries, and membrane separation. However, due to the strong potential field in nanopores, conventional models and methods have become inadequate for predicting the transport behavior of molecules confined in the pore space. In addition, the inherent complexity of the pore structure in nanomaterials requires consideration of local or nanoscale transport at the single pore level, and averaging over the macroscale, which further impedes the application and validation of the formulated mechanical models. To solve the problem of fluid transport in narrow nanopores beyond Knudsen limits, experimental characterizations should be combined to molecular simulations in order to probe the fluid movement under realistic conditions. This book provides comprehensive perspectives on the current research in the investigation of fluid transport processes in nanomaterials. The articles from leading scholars in this field are conveniently arranged according to three categories based on the approaches used in the papers: modeling and simulation, nanomaterial manipulation and characterization, and practical application. The 14 contributions not only demonstrate the importance of fluid behavior in different applications but also address the main theories and simulations to model the fluid transport behavior in nanoporous materials. This collection shows that 'fluid transport in nanomaterials' remains a versatile and vibrant topic in terms of both theories and applications.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - The combination of coastal climate change impacts and their effects on the ever-increasing human utilization of the coastal zone will invariably result in increasing coastal risk in the coming decades. However, while economic damage (potential consequence) caused by climate change-driven coastal inundation and erosion (potential hazard) is likely to increase, foregoing land-use opportunities in coastal regions and protecting or nourishing coasts is also costly. Managing the risk of coastline recession is therefore a balancing act.To avoid unacceptable future risks, it is imperative that risk-informed and sustainable coastal planning/management strategies are implemented sooner rather than later. This requires the development of methods for comprehensive coastal risk assessments which combine state-of-the-art consequence (or damage) modeling and coastal hazard modeling. This Special Issue contains 13 papers aimed at addressing this challenge.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) form a vast family of hundreds of toxins from plants, fungi, algae and bacteria. RIP activities have also been detected in animal tissues. They target a single adenine of a ribosomal RNA, thereby blocking protein synthesis and leading intoxicated cells to apoptosis. The role of plant RIPs may be related to plant defense against predators and viruses, plant senescence or bacterial pathogenesis. Most RIPs are no threat to human or animal health. However, several bacterial RIPs are major virulence factors involved in severe epidemic diseases such as dysentery or the hemolytic uremic syndrome that may occur in patients suffering from Shiga toxin-producing entero-hemorrhagic Escherichia coli infection. Several plant RIPs such as ricin toxin, abrin or sarcin have been, or may be involved in accidental or criminal poisonings, political intimidation or bio-suicides. Health crisis, biosafety and biosecurity issues became a major concern and many efforts are made to develop treatments. Finally, RIPs can be engineered into immunotoxins to destroy cancer cells or cells chronically infected by viruses. This book presents the most recent data on all aspects of RIPs including function, diversity and evolution, mechanism, pathophysiology, medical countermeasures and engineering into anticancer drugs.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - EU energy policy is more and more promoting a resilient, efficient and sustainable energy system. Several agreements have been signed in the last few months that set ambitious goals in terms of energy efficiency and emission reductions and to reduce the energy consumption in buildings. These actions are expected to fulfill the goals negotiated at the Paris Agreement in 2015. The successful development of this ambitious energy policy needs to be supported by scientific knowledge: a huge effort must be made in order to develop more efficient energy conversion technologies based both on renewables and fossil fuels. Similarly, researchers are also expected to work on the integration of conventional and novel systems, also taking into account the needs for the management of the novel energy systems in terms of energy storage and devices management. Therefore, a multi-disciplinary approach is required in order to achieve these goals. To ensure that the scientists belonging to the different disciplines are aware of the scientific progress in the other research areas, specific Conferences are periodically organized. One of the most popular conferences in this area is the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) Series Conference. The 12th Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Conference was recently held in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The present Special Issue of Energies, specifically dedicated to the 12th SDEWES Conference, is focused on five main fields: energy policy and energy efficiency in smart energy systems, polygeneration and district heating, advanced combustion techniques and fuels, biomass and building efficiency.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - Processes' is a commonly used term to describe engineered systems such as oil refineries, polymer production plants, and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes that serve a commercial and societal purpose. However, the term can also capture the underlying processes that drive the behavior of complex natural systems such as communities of different organisms in the environment and networked collections of neurons in the human brain. This book provides a representative overview of current challenges and recent advances in the broadly-defined 'processes' field. Contributions from leading researchers in the field are conveniently ordered according to five applications domains: chemical systems, biological systems, materials processes, computational methods, and other related topics. The 19 contributions demonstrate the broad range of application domains within the process field, including fluid flow systems, fuel gases, chemical production, polymer manufacturing, food processing, protein synthesis and separation, pharmaceutical production, and water systems. This collection shows that 'processes' remain a vibrant area of research, and continued advances in the field can be expected to have a positive impact on our economy, environment, and quality of life.

Taschenbuch. Zustand: Neu. Neuware - In last few decades, short-term load forecasting (STLF) has been one of the most important research issues for achieving higher efficiency and reliability in power system operation, to facilitate the minimization of its operation cost by providing accurate input to day-ahead scheduling, contingency analysis, load flow analysis, planning, and maintenance of power systems. There are lots of forecasting models proposed for STLF, including traditional statistical models (such as ARIMA, SARIMA, ARMAX, multi-variate regression, Kalman filter, exponential smoothing, and so on) and artificial-intelligence-based models (such as artificial neural networks (ANNs), knowledge-based expert systems, fuzzy theory and fuzzy inference systems, evolutionary computation models, support vector regression, and so on).Recently, due to the great development of evolutionary algorithms (EA) and novel computing concepts (e.g., quantum computing concepts, chaotic mapping functions, and cloud mapping process, and so on), many advanced hybrids with those artificial-intelligence-based models are also proposed to achieve satisfactory forecasting accuracy levels. In addition, combining some superior mechanisms with an existing model could empower that model to solve problems it could not deal with before; for example, the seasonal mechanism from the ARIMA model is a good component to be combined with any forecasting models to help them to deal with seasonal problems.