Announcements

MDPI will attend the 27th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (µTAS 2023). µTAS 2023 continues an international conference series that is the premier forum for reporting research results in microfluidics, microfabrication, nanotechnology, integration, materials and surfaces, analysis and synthesis, and detection technologies for the life sciences and chemistry. The conference offers plenary and invited talks, expansive poster sessions, networking forums, and an array of industry exhibitions, as well as numerous contributed oral and poster presentations selected from submitted abstracts.

The conference anticipates over 1000 scientists, trainees, and industry professionals from around the globe will once again share advances regarding integrated microsystems and nanotechnology for chemistry and life sciences in person.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Applied Sciences;
• Micromachines;
• Symmetry;
• Bioengineering.

If you plan on attending this conference, please feel free to stop by our booth #17 and start a conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit https://microtas2023.org/.

MDPI is committed to supporting the academic community, nurturing talent and advancing science. Awards are an important part of the research landscape and play a vital role in helping academics gain recognition, especially young researchers as they embark on new research avenues.

In 2022, our journals presented a total number of 394 Awards, including Travel Awards, Young Investigator Awards, Best PhD Thesis Awards, Best Paper Awards, and Outstanding Reviewer Awards, with several winners announced for some of the awards. The total prize sum amounted to just under 580,000 Swiss francs (CHF), or approximately 650,000 US dollars. Overall, more than 720 scholars were awarded.

The majority of the awards were dedicated to young researchers in relatively early stages of their careers. This encompassed 66 of the afore-mentioned Travel Awards, 60 Young Investigator Awards, supporting research projects and conference attendance, as well as 51 Best PhD Thesis Awards. Additionally, 113 Best Paper Awards were given by our journals. The selection committees were entrusted with identifying the most impactful and novel research and review articles published in their journal within a given year.

MDPI will continue its support and recognition for the academic community moving forward, sponsoring new awards across disciplines. To learn more about all the awardees and their research projects in your field of study, please visit the following pages:

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

1. “In-Target Proton–Boron Nuclear Fusion Using a PW-Class Laser”
by Daniele Margarone, Julien Bonvalet, Lorenzo Giuffrida, Alessio Morace, Vasiliki Kantarelou, Marco Tosca, Didier Raffestin, Philippe Nicolai, Antonino Picciotto, Yuki Abe et al.
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1444; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031444
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1444

2. “Recent Progress of the PAL-XFEL”
by Intae Eom, Sae Hwan Chun, Jae Hyuk Lee, Daewoong Nam, Rory Ma, Jaehyun Park, Sehan Park, Sang Han Park, Haeryong Yang, Inhyuk Nam et al.
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1010; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031010
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1010

3. “Making Sense of Light: The Use of Optical Spectroscopy Techniques in Plant Sciences and Agriculture”
by Ana M. Cavaco, Andrei B. Utkin, Jorge Marques da Silva and Rui Guerra
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 997; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12030997
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/997

4. “High-Efficiency Quantum Dot Lasers as Comb Sources for DWDM Applications”
by Mario Dumont, Songtao Liu, M. J. Kennedy and John Bowers
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 1836; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12041836
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/1836

5. “An Overview of Terahertz Imaging with Resonant Tunneling Diodes”
by Jue Wang, Mira Naftaly and Edward Wasige
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 3822; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12083822
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/8/3822

6. “Orthopedics-Related Applications of Ultrafast Laser and Its Recent Advances”
by Celina L. Li, Carl J. Fisher, Ray Burke and Stefan Andersson-Engels
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 3957; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12083957
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/8/3957

7. “A Comparison of PCA-LDA and PLS-DA Techniques for Classification of Vibrational Spectra”
by Maria Lasalvia, Vito Capozzi and Giuseppe Perna
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 5345; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12115345
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/11/5345

8. “Principle and Implementation of Stokes Vector Polarization Imaging Technology”
by Yong Wang, Yuqing Su, Xiangyu Sun, Xiaorui Hao, Yanping Liu, Xiaolong Zhao, Hongsheng Li, Xiushuo Zhang, Jing Xu, Jingjing Tian et al.
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(13), 6613; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12136613
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/13/6613

9. “Fast 3D Analytical Affine Transformation for Polygon-Based Computer-Generated Holograms”
by Houxin Fan, Bing Zhang, Yaping Zhang, Fan Wang, Wenlong Qin, Qingyang Fu and Ting-Chung Poon
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 6873; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12146873
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/14/6873

10. “Evaluating Tissue Mechanical Properties Using Quantitative Mueller Matrix Polarimetry and Neural Network”
by Changjiang Mi, Conghui Shao, Honghui He, Chao He and Hui Ma
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9774; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199774
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/19/9774

MDPI will be attending the 13th International Conference on Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation (IPIN 2023), held in Nuremberg, Germany, from 25 to 28 September 2023.

IPIN 2023 is organized by the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS with the support of researchers from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences. The conference will be held on-site at Fraunhofer IIS in Nuremberg. Join the 300 expected industrial and academic experts in computer science, electronics and surveying to address this challenge. Discuss, in person, scientific and industrial matters and witness state-of-the-art systems and methods, including the uniquely challenging IPIN competition. During this conference, MDPI will welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest views as well as research with us.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Sensors;
• Electronics;
• Drones;
• Remote Sensing;
• Applied Sciences;
• ASI.

If you are attending this conference, please stop by our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person to answer any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: http://www.ipin-conference.org/2023/index.html.

MDPI’s Young Investigator Awards recognize promising junior researchers, acknowledge their contributions, and enhance communication among scientists. We are proud to present the winners for the year 2022 in the engineering category. The winners were selected by the journals’ Award Evaluation Committee.

We warmly congratulate the following young investigators for their outstanding contributions. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Actuators:

• Yi Zhang, University of Electronic Science and Technology, China

Batteries:

• Lin Ma, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA

Biosensors:

• Stefano Cinti, University of Naples Federico II, Italy

Buildings:

• Umberto Berardi, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada
• Benedetto Nastasi, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy

JMSE:

• Do Kyun Kim, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea

Machines:

• Fernando Bento, University of Beira Interior, Portugal
• Goshtasp Cheraghian, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
• Roman Mykhailyshyn, The University of Texas at Austin, USA

Micromachines:

• Pingan Zhu, City University of Hong Kong, China

Processes:

• Viknesh Andiappan, the Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Malaysia

Sensors:

• Wenzhuo Wu, Purdue University, USA

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

We are proud to recognize the winners of MDPI’s 2022 Travel Awards in the engineering category for their outstanding presentations.

MDPI journals regularly offer travel awards to encourage junior scientists to present their latest research at academic conferences in specific fields, which helps to increase their influence.

The winners mentioned below were carefully selected by the journal editors based on an outline of their research and the work to be presented at an academic conference.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of the 2022 Travel Awards and wish them the greatest success with their future research endeavors. MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Biosensors:

• Dmitry Kireev, University of Texas at Austin, USA

Buildings:

• Danilo D’Angela, University of Naples Federico II, Italy

JMMP:

• Jungsub Kim, Texas A&M University, USA

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

In order to acknowledge our reviewers, who demonstrate diligence, professionalism, and timeliness when generously dedicating their time to reviewing papers, MDPI journals regularly offer outstanding reviewer awards to scholars who participate in the peer review process.

We are proud to recognize the winners for the year 2022 in the engineering category for their outstanding contributions by presenting them with an Outstanding Reviewer Award.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the winners on their achievements. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Actuators:

• Chongjing Cao, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT), China

Applied Sciences:

• Roman Mykhailyshyn, University of Texas at Austin, USA
• Chiranjibi Sitaula, Monash University, Australia
• Davide Forcellini, ¹University of Auckland, New Zealand; ²University of San Marino, San Marino
• Giuseppe Ciaburro, Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Italy
• Yang Song, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
• Xiaoming Liu, Beijing Institute of Technology, China

Biosensors:

• Carlos Torres-Torres, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Mexico

Buildings:

• Paolo Blecich, University of Rijeka, Croatia
• Łukasz Ścislo, Cracow University of Technology, Poland

Fluids:

• Giorgio Sonnino, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium
• Luiz Antonio Alcântara Pereira, Federal University of Itajubá (UNIFEI), Brazil

JMSE:

• Cagatay Iris, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
• Chiemela Victor Amaechi, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
• Denis Istrati, University of Nevada, USA
• Mai The Vu, Sejong University, Korea
• Mina Tadros, University of Lisbon, Portugal

Machines:

• Chao Fu, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China
• Eduardo Suárez, Universidade de Vigo, Spain
• Jordi-Roger Riba, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Spain

Processes:

• Catalin Ianasi, Institute of Chemistry “Coriolan Dragulescu”, Romania
• Daniel Ferrández, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain
• Kamil Krzysztof Roman, Institute of Technology and Life Sciences in Warsaw, Poland
• Marcin Dębowski, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland
• Mariusz Szymanek, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland

Sensors:

• Agustin L. Herrera-May, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico
• Chiachung Chen, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan
• Jae-Myung Ryu, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Republic of Korea
• Sebastian Głowiński, Koszalin Technical University, Poland
• Wei Zhou, University of Waterloo, Canada

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

MDPI’s Best PhD Thesis Awards are presented to recognize the young scholars who are judged to have completed the most outstanding PhD thesis in their field of research and to encourage them to continue their excellent work and further contributions to their field.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of the 2022 Best PhD Thesis Awards and wish them success with their future research endeavors. MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

JMSE:

• “Mathematical Modelling of Wave-Induced Motions and Loads on Moored Offshore Structures”
  by Changqing Jiang, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Machines:

• “Experimental Characterization of Frictional Hysteresis for Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Jointed Structures”
  by Alfredo Fantetti, Imperial College London, UK

Processes:

• “Sustainable Cultivation of Microalgae Biomass for Bioenergy Production”
  by Angela Paul Peter, Xiamen University Malaysia, Malaysia

Sensors:

• “Studying Protein Function with Fluorescent Nanoantennas”
  by Scott G. Harroun, Université de Montréal, Canada

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here.

The purpose of our Best Paper Awards is to promote and recognize the most impactful contributions published within MDPI journals.

The editors of each journal carefully selected reviews and research papers through a rigorous judging process based on criteria such as scientific merit, overall impact, and the quality of presentation of the papers published in the journal.

We are honored to present the winners announced for the year 2022 in the engineering category, who were selected from extensive competition, and congratulate the authors for their outstanding scientific publications. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Actuators:

• “Two-Way and Multiple-Way Shape Memory Polymers for Soft Robotics: An Overview”
  by Giulia Scalet
  Actuators 2020, 9(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/act9010010

• “Low-Cost, Open-Source Mechanical Ventilator with Pulmonary Monitoring for COVID-19 Patients”
  by Leonardo Acho, Alessandro N. Vargas and Gisela Pujol-Vázquez
  Actuators 2020, 9(3), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/act9030084

• “Styrenic-Rubber Dielectric Elastomer Actuator with Inherent Stiffness Compensation”
  by Giacomo Moretti, Luca Sarina, Lorenzo Agostini, Rocco Vertechy, Giovanni Berselli and Marco Fontana
  Actuators 2020, 9(2), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/act9020044

Applied Sciences:

• “Chromium(III) Removal from Wastewater by Chitosan Flakes”
  by Loris Pietrelli, Iolanda Francolini, Antonella Piozzi, Maria Sighicelli, Ilaria Silvestro and Marco Vocciante
  Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 1925; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10061925

• “Unravelling the Environmental Application of Biochar as Low-Cost Biosorbent: A Review”
  by Antía Fdez-Sanromán, Marta Pazos, Emilio Rosales and María Angeles Sanromán
  Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(21), 7810; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10217810

• “Observation of Potential Contaminants in Processed Biomass Using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy”
  by Jingshun Zhuang, Mi Li, Yunqiao Pu, Arthur Jonas Ragauskas and Chang Geun Yoo
  Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(12), 4345; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10124345

• “Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis 2020: Where We Stand”
  by Angelo Iacobino, Lanfranco Fattorini and Federico Giannoni
  Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(6), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10062153

• “Real-Time Remote Maintenance Support Based on Augmented Reality (AR)”
  by Dimitris Mourtzis, Vasileios Siatras and John Angelopoulos
  Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(5), 1855; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10051855

• “Dielectric Elastomer Actuator for Soft Robotics Applications and Challenges”
  by Jung-Hwan Youn, Seung Mo Jeong, Geonwoo Hwang, Hyunwoo Kim, Kyujin Hyeon, Jihwan Park and Ki-Uk Kyung
  Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(2), 640; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10020640

• “Low-Cost Biochar Adsorbents for Water Purification Including Microplastics Removal”
  by Virpi Siipola, Stephan Pflugmacher, Henrik Romar, Laura Wendling and Pertti Koukkari
  Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 788; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10030788

• “Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AISI 316L Produced by Directed Energy Deposition-Based Additive Manufacturing: A Review”
  by Abdollah Saboori, Alberta Aversa, Giulio Marchese, Sara Biamino, Mariangela Lombardi and Paolo Fino
  Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 3310; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10093310

Buildings:

• “Humans-as-a-Sensor for Buildings—Intensive Longitudinal Indoor Comfort Models”
  by Prageeth Jayathissa, Matias Quintana, Mahmoud Abdelrahman and Clayton Miller
  Buildings 2020, 10(10), 174; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10100174

• “Circular Building Design: An Analysis of Barriers and Drivers for a Circular Building Sector”
  by Jouri Kanters
  Buildings 2020, 10(4), 77; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10040077

• “Building Information Modelling (BIM) to Enhance Occupational Safety in Construction Activities: Research Trends Emerging from One Decade of Studies”
  by Mario Fargnoli and Mara Lombardi
  Buildings 2020, 10(6), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10060098

• “A SWOT Analysis of the Use of BIM Technology in the Polish Construction Industry”
  by Krzysztof Zima, Edyta Plebankiewicz and Damian Wieczorek
  Buildings 2020, 10(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10010016

• “Durability and Climate Change—Implications for Service Life Prediction and the Maintainability of Buildings”
  by Michael A. Lacasse, Abhishek Gaur and Travis V. Moore
  Buildings 2020, 10(3), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10030053

• “Worker 4.0: The Future of Sensored Construction Sites”
  by Diego Calvetti, Pedro Mêda, Miguel Chichorro Gonçalves and Hipólito Sousa
  Buildings 2020, 10(10), 169; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings10100169

Fluids:

• “A Review of Topology Optimisation for Fluid-Based Problems”
  by Joe Alexandersen and Casper Schousboe Andreasen
  Fluids 2020, 5(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids5010029

• “On the Deterministic Prediction of Water Waves”
  by Marco Klein, Matthias Dudek, Günther F. Clauss, Sören Ehlers, Jasper Behrendt, Norbert Hoffman and Miguel Onorato
  Fluids 2020, 5(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids5010009

• “On the Effect of Block Roughness in Ogee Spillways with Flip Buckets”
  by Rasoul Daneshfaraz, Amir Ghaderi, Aliakbar Akhtari, Silvia Di Francesco
  Fluids 2020, 5(4), 182; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids5040182

JMSE:

• “Marine Application of Fiber Reinforced Composites: A Review”
  by Felice Rubino, Antonio Nisticò, Fausto Tucci and Pierpaolo Carlone
  J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8010026

• “Numerical Simulation of Large Wave Heights from Super Typhoon Nepartak (2016) in the Eastern Waters of Taiwan”
  by Shih-Chun Hsiao, Hongey Chen, Han-Lun Wu, Wei-Bo Chen, Chih-Hsin Chang, Wen-Dar Guo, Yung-Ming Chen and Lee-Yaw Lin
  J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8(3), 217; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8030217

• “Development of Deterministic Artificial Intelligence for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV)”
  by Timothy Sands
  J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8(8), 578; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse8080578

Lubricants:

• “Effective Application of Solid Lubricants in Spacecraft Mechanisms”
  by Jeffrey R. Lince
  Lubricants 2020, 8(7), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants8070074

• “High-Rate Laser Surface Texturing for Advanced Tribological Functionality”
  by Jörg Schille, Lutz Schneider, Stefan Mauersberger, Sylvia Szokup, Sören Höhn, Johannes Pötschke, Friedemann Reiß, Erhard Leidich and Udo Löschner
  Lubricants 2020, 8(3), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants8030033

Micromachines:

• “Size Sorting of Exosomes by Tuning the Thicknesses of the Electric Double Layers on a Micro-Nanofluidic Device”
  by Satoko Fujiwara, Kyojiro Morikawa, Tatsuro Endo, Hideaki Hisamoto and Kenji Sueyoshi
  Micromachines 2020, 11(5), 458; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11050458

• “Additive Manufacturing of Sub-Micron to Sub-mm Metal Structures with Hollow AFM Cantilevers”
  by Giorgio Ercolano, Cathelijn van Nisselroy, Thibaut Merle, János Vörös, Dmitry Momotenko, Wabe W. Koelmans and Tomaso Zambelli
  Micromachines 2020, 11(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11010006

• “A Robotic Biopsy Endoscope with Magnetic 5-DOF Locomotion and a Retractable Biopsy Punch”
  by Manh Cuong Hoang, Viet Ha Le, Kim Tien Nguyen, Van Du Nguyen, Jayoung Kim, Eunpyo Choi, Seungmin Bang, Byungjeon Kang, Jong-Oh Park and Chang-Sei Kim
  Micromachines 2020, 11(1), 98; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11010098

• “Development of Fully Flexible Tactile Pressure Sensor with Bilayer Interlaced Bumps for Robotic Grasping Applications”
  by Lingfeng Zhu, Yancheng Wang, Deqing Mei and Chengpeng Jiang
  Micromachines 2020, 11(8), 770; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11080770

• “A mm-Sized Free-Floating Wireless Implantable Opto-Electro Stimulation Device”
  by Yaoyao Jia, Yan Gong, Arthur Weber, Wen Li and Maysam Ghovanloo
  Micromachines 2020, 11(6), 621; https://doi.org/10.3390/mi11060621

Processes:

• “Advanced Bioethanol Production: From Novel Raw Materials to Integrated Biorefineries”
  by Aleta Duque, Cristina Álvarez, Pablo Doménech, Paloma Manzanares and Antonio D. Moreno
  Processes 2021, 9(2), 206; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9020206

• “An Overview on Fault Diagnosis, Prognosis and Resilient Control for Wind Turbine Systems”
  by Zhiwei Gao and Xiaoxu Liu
  Processes 2021, 9(2), 300; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9020300

• “Role of Microalgae in the Recovery of Nutrients from Pig Manure”
  by Ana Sánchez-Zurano, Martina Ciardi, Tomás Lafarga, José María Fernández-Sevilla, Ruperto Bermejo and Emilio Molina-Grima
  Processes 2021, 9(2), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9020203

• “Applying Lean Six Sigma Methodology to a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Facility: A Case Study”
  by Brian Byrne, Olivia McDermott and John Noonan
  Processes 2021, 9(3), 550; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9030550

Sensors:

• “YOLO-Tomato: A Robust Algorithm for Tomato Detection Based on YOLOv3”
  by Guoxu Liu, Joseph Christian Nouaze, Philippe Lyonel Touko Mbouembe and Jae Ho Kim
  Sensors 2020, 20(7), 2145; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20072145

• “Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Solutions: A Review”
  by Corina Covaci and Aurel Gontean
  Sensors 2020, 20(12), 3512; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20123512

• “Applications of Graphene Quantum Dots in Biomedical Sensors”
  by Bhargav D. Mansuriya and Zeynep Altintas
  Sensors 2020, 20(4), 1072; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20041072

WEVJ:

• “Beyond the State of the Art of Electric Vehicles: A Fact-Based Paper of the Current and Prospective Electric Vehicle Technologies”
  by Joeri Van Mierlo, Maitane Berecibar, Mohamed El Baghdadi, Cedric De Cauwer, Maarten Messagie, Thierry Coosemans, Valéry Ann Jacobs and Omar Hegazy
  World Electr. Veh. J. 2021, 12(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj12010020

• “An Overview of Parameter and Cost for Battery Electric Vehicles”
  by Adrian König, Lorenzo Nicoletti, Daniel Schröder, Sebastian Wolff, Adam Waclaw and Markus Lienkamp
  World Electr. Veh. J. 2021, 12(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj12010021

About MDPI Awards:

In order to reward the academic community, especially young researchers and enhance communication among scientists, MDPI journals regularly offer various awards to researchers in specific fields. These awards, serving as a source of inspiration and recognition, help raise the influence of talented individuals who have been credited with outstanding achievements and are making a significant contribution to the advancement of their fields.

To explore more MDPI awards, please click here. 

MDPI will be attending the 2023 National University Students Innovation Contest on Plasma Science and Technology, organized by the China Electrotechnical Society and hosted by the Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the Wuhan University, which will be held from 12 to 14 August 2023, in Wuhan, China.

The National University Students Innovation Contest on Plasma Science and Technology is based on the principle of interdisciplinary integration and innovation-driven development. The contest revolves around national and industry needs, focusing on the forefront issues of high-voltage discharge and plasma. It aims to guide university students to carry out plasma science and technology innovation activities and cultivate their interdisciplinary innovation abilities. It also promotes the development of plasma in fields such as environmental protection, low-carbon energy, advanced manufacturing, eco-friendly agriculture, life and health, aerospace and ocean, advanced materials, high-voltage power transmission, pulse power and high-energy physics. The finals of the contest will be held in conjunction with the High-Voltage Discharge and Plasma Interdisciplinary Forum.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Coatings (leading);
• Applied Sciences;
• ASI;
• CMD;
• Actuators.

If you plan on attending this conference, please feel free to stop by our booth and speak with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

For more information about the conference, please visit https://ipst.mh.chaoxing.com/.

A range of MDPI journals will be attending the 10th International Conference on Experimental Vibration Analysis for Civil Engineering Structures. This meeting will be held in Milan, Italy, from 30 August to 1 September 2023.

The conference will be a forum where engineers, scientists, researchers, and practitioners will have the opportunity to disseminate and discuss the latest research, developments and applications in all major aspects of vibration-based monitoring and testing of civil engineering structures.

Existing and emerging challenges related to instrumentation, sources of excitation, data analysis, system identification, damage identification, condition assessment, in situ and laboratory experiments, codes and standards will be the key, but nonexclusive, topics of the conference.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Buildings;
• Infrastructures;
• Applied Sciences;
• Architecture;
• Computation;
• CivlEng.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth (#2.2). Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit https://www.evaces2023.polimi.it/, or contact the Buildings Editorial Office at [email protected].

Conference: 15th European Congress on Catalysis (EuropaCat 2023)
Date: 27 August–1 September 2023
Location: Prague, Czech Republic

MDPI will be attending EuropaCat 2023 as an exhibitor. We welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest ideas with us.

EuropaCat has become a traditional meeting place for scientists and researchers from academia and industry who are based all over Europe. Consequently, it has developed into a forum to discuss important challenges in the field of catalysis and the related industrial areas and beyond. The conference is jointly organized by the catalysis societies of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Molecules;
• Catalysts;
• Applied Sciences;
• Chemistry;
• Materials;
• Nanomaterials;
• Photochem;
• Separations;
• Symmetry.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please do not hesitate to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.europacat2023.cz/.

1. “A Comprehensive Review of Deep Learning-Based Crack Detection Approaches”
by Younes Hamishebahar, Hong Guan, Stephen So and Jun Jo
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1374; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031374
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1374

2. “Forecast of Airblast Vibrations Induced by Blasting Using Support Vector Regression Optimized by the Grasshopper Optimization (SVR-GO) Technique”
by Lihua Chen, Panagiotis G. Asteris, Markos Z. Tsoukalas, Danial Jahed Armaghani, Dmitrii Vladimirovich Ulrikh and Mojtaba Yari
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9805; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199805
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/19/9805

3. “A Good Practice for the Proof Testing of Cable-Stayed Bridges”
by Raoul Davide Innocenzi, Vanni Nicoletti, Davide Arezzo, Sandro Carbonari, Fabrizio Gara and Luigino Dezi
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3547; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073547
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/7/3547

4. “Project Risk in the Context of Construction Schedules—Combined Monte Carlo Simulation and Time at Risk (TaR) Approach: Insights from the Fort Bema Housing Estate Complex”
by Janusz Sobieraj and Dominik Metelski
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031044
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1044

5. “Low-Cost Sensors Accuracy Study and Enhancement Strategy”
by Seyedmilad Komarizadehasl, Behnam Mobaraki, Haiying Ma, Jose-Antonio Lozano-Galant and Jose Turmo
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 3186; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12063186
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/6/3186

6. “A FE-Based Macro-Element for the Assessment of Masonry Structures: Linear Static, Vibration, and Non-Linear Cyclic Analyses”
by Luis C. M. da Silva and Gabriele Milani
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1248; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031248
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1248

7. “Different Types of Continuous Track Irregularities as Sources of Train-Induced Ground Vibration and the Importance of the Random Variation of the Track Support”
by Lutz Auersch
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1463; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031463
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1463

8. “Numerical Analysis Exterior RC Beam-Column Joints with CFRP Bars as Beam’s Tensional Reinforcement under Cyclic Reversal Deformations”
by Violetta K. Kytinou, Parthena-Maria K. Kosmidou and Constantin E. Chalioris
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(15), 7419; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12157419
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/15/7419

9. “Waterproof Performance of Sealing Gasket in Shield Tunnel: A Review”
by Chenjie Gong, Yuanye Wang, Wenqi Ding, Mingfeng Lei and Chenghua Shi
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4556; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094556
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/9/4556

10. “Insights into Plugging of Pipe Piles Based on Pile Dimensions”
by Antonio Kodsy and Magued Iskander
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2711; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052711
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/5/2711

11. “A Rough Discrete Fracture Network Model for Geometrical Modeling of Jointed Rock Masses and the Anisotropic Behaviour”
by Peitao Wang, Cao Liu, Zhenwu Qi, Zhichao Liu and Meifeng Cai
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1720; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031720
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1720

12. “Review of Flexible Piezoresistive Strain Sensors in Civil Structural Health Monitoring”
by Ke Gao, Zhiyue Zhang, Shun Weng, Hongping Zhu, Hong Yu and Tingjun Peng
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9750; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199750
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/19/9750

13. “Viability of Using High Amounts of Steel Slag Aggregates to Improve the Circularity and Performance of Asphalt Mixtures”
by Caroline Moura, Lucas Nascimento, Carlos Loureiro, Mafalda Rodrigues, Joel Oliveira and Hugo Silva
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 490; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010490
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/1/490

14. “Lateral Capacity of URM Walls: A Parametric Study Using Macro and Micro Limit Analysis Predictions”
by Simon Szabó, Marco Francesco Funari, Bora Pulatsu and Paulo B. Lourenço
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(21), 10834; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122110834
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/21/10834

15. “Electrical Conductivity and Compressive Strength of Cement Paste with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Graphene Nanoplatelets”
by Kwang Mo Lim and Joo Ha Lee
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1160; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031160
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1160

16. “Auto-Detection of Hidden Corrosion in an Aircraft Structure by Electromagnetic Testing: A Machine-Learning Approach”
by Minhhuy Le, Van Su Luong, Dang Khoa Nguyen, Dang-Khanh Le and Jinyi Lee
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 5175; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12105175
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/10/5175

17. “Experimental and Empirical Study for Prediction of Blast Loads”
by Anselmo Filice, Miroslav Mynarz and Raffaele Zinno
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2691; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052691
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/5/2691

18. “Experimental Study and Modelling on the Structural Response of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams”
by Vitalijs Lusis, Krishna Kiran Annamaneni, Olga Kononova, Aleksandrs Korjakins, Inga Lasenko, Rengasamy Kannathasan Karunamoorthy and Andrejs Krasnikovs
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9492; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199492
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/19/9492

19. “Joint Stiffness Influence on the First-Order Seismic Capacity of Dry-Joint Masonry Structures: Numerical DEM Investigations”
by Nathanaël Savalle, Paulo B. Lourenço and Gabriele Milani
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2108; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12042108
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/2108

20. “Numerical Analysis of the Settlement Behavior of Soft Soil Improved with Stone Columns”
by Athina Grizi, Wisam Al-Ani and Dariusz Wanatowski
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(11), 5293; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12115293
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/11/5293

1. “The Application of Integration of EEG Signals for Authorial Classification Algorithms in Implementation for a Mobile Robot Control Using Movement Imagery—Pilot Study”
by Dawid Pawuś and Szczepan Paszkiel
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2161; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12042161
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/2161

2. “Black Fungi on Stone-Built Heritage: Current Knowledge and Future Outlook”
by Filomena De Leo, Alessia Marchetta and Clara Urzì
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(8), 3969; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12083969
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/8/3969

3. “TTCNN: A Breast Cancer Detection and Classification towards Computer-Aided Diagnosis Using Digital Mammography in Early Stages”
by Sarmad Maqsood, Robertas Damaševičius and Rytis Maskeliūnas
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3273; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073273
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/7/3273

4. “A Hybrid Deep Residual Network for Efficient Transitional Activity Recognition Based on Wearable Sensors”
by Sakorn Mekruksavanich, Narit Hnoohom and Anuchit Jitpattanakul
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 4988; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12104988
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/10/4988

5. “Fine-Tuning Fuzzy KNN Classifier Based on Uncertainty Membership for the Medical Diagnosis of Diabetes”
by Hanaa Salem, Mahmoud Y. Shams, Omar M. Elzeki, Mohamed Abd Elfattah, Jehad F. Al-Amri and Shaima Elnazer
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 950; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12030950
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/950

6. “Application of Botulinum Toxin in Temporomandibular Disorders: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)”
by Fabrizio Di Francesco, Alessandro Lanza, Marco Di Blasio, Benedetta Vaienti, Emilio A. Cafferata, Gabriele Cervino, Marco Cicciù and Giuseppe Minervini
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(23), 12409; https://doi.org/10.3390/app122312409
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/23/12409

7. “Oral Lesions in Pediatric Subjects: SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19 Vaccination”
by Federica Di Spirito, Mario Caggiano, Maria Pia Di Palo, Maria Contaldo, Francesco D’Ambrosio, Stefano Martina and Alessandra Amato
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 8995; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12188995
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/18/8995

8. “An Improved Stereo Matching Algorithm Based on Joint Similarity Measure and Adaptive Weights”
by Xiangjun Lai, Bo Yang, Botao Ma, Mingzhe Liu, Zhengtong Yin, Lirong Yin and Wenfeng Zheng
Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(1), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13010514
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/1/514

9. “Black Fungi and Stone Heritage Conservation: Ecological and Metabolic Assays for Evaluating Colonization Potential and Responses to Traditional Biocides”
by Daniela Isola, Flavia Bartoli, Paola Meloni, Giulia Caneva and Laura Zucconi
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2038; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12042038
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/2038

10. “A Review of Properties of Nanocellulose, Its Synthesis, and Potential in Biomedical Applications”
by Aayushi Randhawa, Sayan Deb Dutta, Keya Ganguly, Tejal V. Patil, Dinesh K. Patel and Ki-Taek Lim
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7090; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147090
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/14/7090

11. “Recognition of mRNA N4 Acetylcytidine (ac4C) by Using Non-Deep vs. Deep Learning”
by Muhammad Shahid Iqbal, Rashid Abbasi, Md Belal Bin Heyat, Faijan Akhtar, Asmaa Sayed Abdelgeliel, Sarah Albogami, Eman Fayad and Muhammad Atif Iqbal
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031344
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1344

12. “Fungi Affecting Wall Paintings of Historical Value: A Worldwide Meta-Analysis of Their Detected Diversity”
by Laura Zucconi, Fabiana Canini, Daniela Isola and Giulia Caneva
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2988; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062988
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/6/2988

13. “Effect of Cold Plasma Treatment on the Packaging Properties of Biopolymer-Based Films: A Review”
by Monjurul Hoque, Ciara McDonagh, Brijesh K. Tiwari, Joseph P. Kerry and Shivani Pathania
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1346; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031346
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1346

14. “Biological Effect of Gamma Rays According to Exposure Time on Germination and Plant Growth in Wheat”
by Min Jeong Hong, Dae Yeon Kim, Yeong Deuk Jo, Hong-Il Choi, Joon-Woo Ahn, Soon-Jae Kwon, Sang Hoon Kim, Yong Weon Seo and Jin-Baek Kim
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 3208; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12063208
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/6/3208

15. “Two-Phase Anaerobic Digestion of Corn Steep Liquor in Pilot Scale Biogas Plant with Automatic Control System with Simultaneous Hydrogen and Methane Production”
by Elena Chorukova, Venelin Hubenov, Yana Gocheva and Ivan Simeonov
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(12), 6274; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126274
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/12/6274

16. “Glucose Isomerase: Functions, Structures, and Applications”
by Ki Hyun Nam
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 428; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010428
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/1/428

17. “Salt Stress Tolerance-Promoting Proteins and Metabolites under Plant-Bacteria-Salt Stress Tripartite Interactions”
by Ramasamy Krishnamoorthy, Aritra Roy Choudhury, Denver I. Walitang, Rangasamy Anandham, Murugaiyan Senthilkumar and Tongmin Sa
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 3126; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12063126
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/6/3126

18. “Special Bioactivities of Phenolics from Acacia dealbata L. with Potential for Dementia, Diabetes and Antimicrobial Treatments”
by Vanessa Paula, Soraia I. Pedro, Maria G. Campos, Teresa Delgado, Letícia M. Estevinho and Ofélia Anjos
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1022; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031022
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1022

19. “MALDI-Based Mass Spectrometry in Clinical Testing: Focus on Bacterial Identification”
by Sachio Tsuchida Tomohiro Nakayama
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2814; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062814
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/6/2814

20. “Mass Cultivation of Microalgae: I. Experiences with Vertical Column Airlift Photobioreactors, Diatoms and CO₂ Sequestration”
by Hans Chr. Eilertsen, Gunilla K. Eriksen, John-Steinar Bergum, Jo Strømholt, Edel Elvevoll, Karl-Erik Eilertsen, Eldbjørg Sofie Heimstad, Ingeborg Hulda Giæver, Linn Israelsen, Jon Brage Svenning et al.
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 3082; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12063082
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/6/3082

With the first issue released in June 2023, five new MDPI journals disseminating multi-disciplinary science are due to launch, which will cover the subjects of medicine & pharmacology, biology and physical sciences.

The newly launched journals will be overseen by professional Editorial Board Members and Editors to ensure an accurate and rapid publication, rigorous peer review and broad visibility.

Please feel free to browse and discover more about the new journals below.

Journal	Founding Editor-in-Chief	Journal topics (selected)
	Prof. Dr. Jun Ma, Peking University, China| Editorial | view inaugural issue	growth and development; diet and nutrients; school health promotion policies and practices; child health and care; adolescent health and wellbeing | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Bernd Rehm, Griffith University, Australia | Editorial | view inaugural issue	DNA and gene synthesis; synthetic transcription factors; protein engineering; viral engineering; metabolic engineering | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Varsha Gandhi, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	lymphatics; cancers associated with lymphocytes and lymphoblasts; lymphatic tissues; lymphoma; lymphoid leukemia | view journal scope | submit an article
	Dr. Bradley Turner, University of Melbourne, Australia | Editorial | view inaugural issue	multiple sclerosis; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; primary lateral sclerosis; atherosclerosis; systemic sclerosis | view journal scope | submit an article
	Prof. Dr. Clemens Burda, Case Western Reserve University, USA | Editorial | view inaugural issue	Gamma ray, X-ray, and UV–Vis spectroscopies; NIR/mid-infrared/Raman spectroscopy; microwave and THz spectroscopy; high-resolution gas-phase atomic, molecular, and cluster spectroscopy; MS, NMR, and EPR spectroscopy | view journal scope | submit an article

We wish to thank everyone who has supported the development of open access publishing. You are welcome to submit an application to the New Journal Committee ([email protected]) if you would like to create more new journals.

Thank you for your interest in the Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417) webinar: Steel Health Monitoring and Rehabilitation. We are writing to inform you that the webinar’s date has been postponed to 29 September 2023. We would like to apologize for any inconvenience that this has caused you, and to thank you for your understanding. The registration link will remain the same, so that there is no need to register again. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions or concerns.

Welcome message by Prof. Dr. Evangelos Hristoforou, the webinar Chair:

A method and the corresponding instruments, able to provide surface and bulk residual stress, as well as plastic deformation distribution monitoring in ferromagnetic steels and their welds, has been developed. The method is based on the correlation of the classic reference methods of stress tensor distribution determination and monitoring on the surface and the bulk of steels, namely X-ray Bragg–Brentano diffraction (XRD-BB) and neutron diffraction (ND), respectively, with the corresponding surface or bulk magnetic permeability and magnetostriction, resulting in reference magnetic stress calibration curves (MASC) for each different type of steel. The normalization of all different MASCs with respect to the corresponding yield point and maximum permeability, respectively, resulted in a universal law of dependence of stresses on magnetic properties concerning residual stresses, thus facilitating in determining the MASC of an unknown type of steel, only by a stress–strain characterization together with in situ magnetic permeability measurement. The mentioned uncertainty and speed of measurement for surface and bulk stress measurements have been verified for 17 out of the 42 different types of steel involved in the most interesting steel applications. The stress monitoring methods are also accompanied by localized stress rehabilitation, using localized induction heating probes. The system is accompanied by the proper software code, advancing the stress monitoring and rehabilitation method into an automated stress testing and rehabilitation system, meeting the needs for modern and advanced steel production and manufacturing.

Date: 29 September 2023 at 10:00 a.m. CEST
Webinar ID: 845 2891 5723

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. Evangelos Hristoforou, Division of Communication Electronic and Information Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 9 Heroon Polytechniou Str., Athens, Greece;
• Prof. Aphrodite Ktena, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece;
• Dr. Spyridon Angelopoulos, Laboratory of Electronic Sensors, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Greece.

Relevant feature papers:

“Sensor to Monitor Localized Stresses on Steel Surfaces Using the Magnetostrictive Delay Line Technique”
by Kaiming Liang, Spyridon Angelopoulos, Georgios Lepipas, Panagiotis Tsarabaris, Aphrodite Ktena, Xiaofang Bi and Evangelos Hristoforou
Sensors 2019, 19(21), 4797; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19214797
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/19/21/4797

“Magnetic Residual Stress Monitoring Technique for Ferromagnetic Steels”
by Polyxeni Vourna, Aphrodite Ktena, Panagiotis Tsarabaris and Evangelos Hristoforou
Metals 2018, 8(8), 592; https://doi.org/10.3390/met8080592
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/8/8/592

“Residual Stress Distribution Monitoring and Rehabilitation in Ferromagnetic Steel Rods”
by Kaiming Liang, Spyridon Angelopoulos, Aphrodite Ktena, Xiaofang Bi and Evangelos Hristoforou
Sensors 2022, 22(4), 1491; https://doi.org/10.3390/s22041491
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/4/1491

“Smart Stress Annihilation in Steels Using Residual Stress Distribution Monitoring and Localized Induction Heating”
by Kaiming Liang, Panagiotis Tsarabaris, Aphrodite Ktena, Xiaofang Bi and Evangelos Hristoforou
Metals 2020, 10(6), 838; https://doi.org/10.3390/met10060838
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/10/6/838

We are pleased to share that Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417) received an updated Impact Factor of 2.7 in the 2022 Journal Citation Reports™ released by Clarivate in June 2023. Applied Sciences ranks in Q2 in the categories “Engineering, Multidisciplinary” (42 among 90 titles) and “Physics, Applied” (77 among 159 titles).

For further statistics, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/stats.

The support and dedication of all journal editors, reviewers, authors, and readers are essential to our excellent performance. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to and supported our journal.

The 2022 citation metrics have been released in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), and we’re pleased to announce the following results for MDPI journals:

We are thrilled to announce that 90% of our ranked MDPI journals, specifically 86 out of 96 (captured in the table below), are performing above average in Q1 or Q2. This year, Clarivate has expanded its Impact Factor (IF) awards to include journals in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) and the Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), providing greater transparency for the full set of journals indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. As a result, 111 of MDPI journals have received their first IF in 2023, with 37 journals surpassing an IF of 3.0. In total, 208 MDPI journals have been honored with an IF.

Clarivate explains that by "expanding the coverage but holding to highly selective standards, the [Impact Factor] is now a reliable indicator of trustworthiness, as well as a measure of scholarly impact, at the journal level."

Please visit our blog post where we discuss the release of the latest citation metrics with our Indexing Manager, Dr. Constanze Schelhorn, to find out what's different this time around and how to make use of different metrics available.

Note: The Journal of Personalized Medicine's Impact Factor was omitted in the original release and will be assigned separately. Please find the data on the journal webpage in due course.

Source: 2022 Journal Impact Factors, Journal Citation Reports ^TM (Clarivate, 2023)

The goal of the Editor’s Choice Articles project is to promote high-quality articles published in Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417). Please find below the list of articles carefully handpicked by the scientific editors of the journal, which we believe will be of interest to you.

1. “A Multiobjective Decision-Making Model for Risk-Based Maintenance Scheduling of Railway Earthworks”
by Irina Stipanovic, Zaharah Allah Bukhsh, Cormac Reale and Kenneth Gavin
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 965; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11030965
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/965

2. “An Integrated SWOT-PESTLE-AHP Model Assessing Sustainability in Adaptive Reuse Projects”
by Ioannis Vardopoulos, Evangelia Tsilika, Efthymia Sarantakou, Antonis Zorpas, Luca Salvati and Paris Tsartas
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(15), 7134; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11157134
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/15/7134

3. “Application of Spatial Time Domain Reflectometry for Investigating Moisture Content Dynamics in Unsaturated Loamy Sand for Gravitational Drainage”
by Guanxi Yan, Thierry Bore, Zi Li, Stefan Schlaeger, Alexander Scheuermann and Ling Li
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 2994; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11072994
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/2994

4. “Applications of Decision Tree and Random Forest as Tree-Based Machine Learning Techniques for Analyzing the Ultimate Strain of Spliced and Non-Spliced Reinforcement Bars”
by Hamed Dabiri, Visar Farhangi, Mohammad Javad Moradi, Mehdi Zadehmohamad and Moses Karakouzian
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(10), 4851; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12104851
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/10/4851

5. “Asphalt Pavement Temperature Prediction Models: A Review”
by Adwan Ibrahim, Abdalrhman Milad, Zubair Ahmed Memon, Iswandaru Widyatmoko, Nuryazmin Ahmat Zanuri, Naeem Aziz Memon and Nur Izzi Md Yusoff
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3794; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093794
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/3794

6. “BIM Visual Programming Tools Applications in Infrastructure Projects: A State-of-the-Art Review”
by Jorge Collao, Fidel Lozano-Galant, José Antonio Lozano-Galant and Jose Turmo
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(18), 8343; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11188343
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/18/8343

7. “BIM-Based Digital Twin and XR Devices to Improve Maintenance Procedures in Smart Buildings: A Literature Review”
by Corentin Coupry, Sylvain Noblecourt, Paul Richard, David Baudry and David Bigaud
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(15), 6810; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11156810
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/15/6810

8. “Experimental Investigation and Artificial Neural Network Based Prediction of Bond Strength in Self-Compacting Geopolymer Concrete Reinforced with Basalt FRP Bars”
by Sherin Khadeeja Rahman and Riyadh Al-Ameri
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4889; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114889
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/4889

9. “Experimental Validation of Non-Marker Simple Image Displacement Measurements for Railway Bridges”
by Kodai Matsuoka, Fumiaki Uehan, Hiroya Kusaka and Hikaru Tomonaga
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(15), 7032; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11157032
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/15/7032

10. “Exploring 3D Wave-Induced Scouring Patterns around Subsea Pipelines with Artificial Intelligence Techniques”
by Mohammad Najafzadeh and Giuseppe Oliveto
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3792; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093792
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/3792

11. “Forecast of Airblast Vibrations Induced by Blasting Using Support Vector Regression Optimized by the Grasshopper Optimization (SVR-GO) Technique”
by Lihua Chen, Panagiotis G. Asteris, Markos Z. Tsoukalas, Danial Jahed Armaghani, Dmitrii Vladimirovich Ulrikh and Mojtaba Yari
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9805; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199805
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/19/9805

12. “Geostatistical Analysis of the Spatial Correlation between Territorial Anthropization and Flooding Vulnerability: Application to the DANA Phenomenon in a Mediterranean Watershed”
by Salvador Garcia-Ayllon and John Radke
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 809; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020809
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/809

13. “Indoor Acoustic Requirements for Autism-Friendly Spaces”
by Federica Bettarello, Marco Caniato, Giuseppina Scavuzzo and Andrea Gasparella
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3942; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093942
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/3942

14. “Nonlinear Dynamic Response of a Precast Concrete Building to Sudden Column Removal”
by Simone Ravasini, Beatrice Belletti, Emanuele Brunesi, Roberto Nascimbene and Fulvio Parisi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 599; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020599
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/599

15. “Predicting Compressive Strength of Concrete Containing Recycled Aggregate Using Modified ANN with Different Optimization Algorithms”
by Amirreza Kandiri, Farid Sartipi and Mahdi Kioumarsi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 485; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020485
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/485

16. “Railway Vehicle Wheel Flat Detection with Multiple Records Using Spectral Kurtosis Analysis”
by Araliya Mosleh, Pedro Aires Montenegro, Pedro Alves Costa and Rui Calçada
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4002; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094002
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4002

17. “Tuning ANN Hyperparameters for Forecasting Drinking Water Demand”
by Andrea Menapace, Ariele Zanfei and Maurizio Righetti
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4290; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094290
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4290

18. “Uncertainties in the Seismic Assessment of Historical Masonry Buildings”
by Igor Tomić, Francesco Vanin and Katrin Beyer
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2280; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052280
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/5/2280

19. “Wind-Induced Phenomena in Long-Span Cable-Supported Bridges: A Comparative Review of Wind Tunnel Tests and Computational Fluid Dynamics Modelling”
by Yuxiang Zhang, Philip Cardiff and Jennifer Keenahan
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1642; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041642
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1642

We would like to thank all of the research groups that authored these exceptional papers for their contribution. We sincerely hope you find these articles of Applied Sciences as useful and insightful as we have found them.

1. “A Secured Industrial Internet-of-Things Architecture Based on Blockchain Technology and Machine Learning for Sensor Access Control Systems in Smart Manufacturing”
by Hichem Mrabet, Adeeb Alhomoud, Abderrazek Jemai and Damien Trentesaux
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(9), 4641; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094641
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/9/4641

2. “A Semi-Supervised Extreme Learning Machine Algorithm Based on the New Weighted Kernel for Machine Smell”
by Wei Dang, Jialiang Guo, Mingzhe Liu, Shan Liu, Bo Yang, Lirong Yin and Wenfeng Zheng
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(18), 9213; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12189213
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/18/9213

3. “A Survey on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and eXplainable AI in Air Traffic Management: Current Trends and Development with Future Research Trajectory”
by Augustin Degas, Mir Riyanul Islam, Christophe Hurter, Shaibal Barua, Hamidur Rahman, Minesh Poudel, Daniele Ruscio, Mobyen Uddin Ahmed, Shahina Begum, Md Aquif Rahman et al.
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1295; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031295
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1295

4. “A System for Standardizing and Combining U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Emissions and Waste Inventory Data”
by Ben Young, Wesley W. Ingwersen, Matthew Bergmann, Jose D. Hernandez-Betancur, Tapajyoti Ghosh, Eric Bell and Sarah Cashman
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3447; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073447
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/7/3447

5. “An Improved Algorithm of Drift Compensation for Olfactory Sensors”
by Siyu Lu, Jialiang Guo, Shan Liu, Bo Yang, Mingzhe Liu, Lirong Yin and Wenfeng Zheng
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(19), 9529; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12199529
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/19/9529

6. “An Overview of Variants and Advancements of PSO Algorithm”
by Meetu Jain, Vibha Saihjpal, Narinder Singh and Satya Bir Singh
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(17), 8392; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178392
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/17/8392

7. “Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality in Dentistry: A Narrative Review on the Existing Platforms and Future Challenges”
by Riccardo Monterubbianesi, Vincenzo Tosco, Flavia Vitiello, Giulia Orilisi, Franco Fraccastoro, Angelo Putignano and Giovanna Orsini
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 877; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020877
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/2/877

8. “BERT-Based Transfer-Learning Approach for Nested Named-Entity Recognition Using Joint Labeling”
by Ankit Agrawal, Sarsij Tripathi, Manu Vardhan, Vikas Sihag, Gaurav Choudhary and Nicola Dragoni
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 976; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12030976
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/976

9. “Comparative Study of Machine Learning Classifiers for Modelling Road Traffic Accidents”
by Tebogo Bokaba, Wesley Doorsamy and Babu Sena Paul
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 828; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020828
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/2/828

10. “Dist-YOLO: Fast Object Detection with Distance Estimation”
by Marek Vajgl, Petr Hurtik and Tomáš Nejezchleba
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1354; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031354
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1354

11. “Driver Drowsiness Detection by Applying Deep Learning Techniques to Sequences of Images”
by Elena Magán, M. Paz Sesmero, Juan Manuel Alonso-Weber and Araceli Sanchis
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1145; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031145
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1145

12. “Educational AI Chatbots for Content and Language Integrated Learning”
by Kleopatra Mageira, Dimitra Pittou, Andreas Papasalouros, Konstantinos Kotis, Paraskevi Zangogianni and Athanasios Daradoumis
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(7), 3239; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12073239
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/7/3239

13. “Ergonomic Design of a Workplace Using Virtual Reality and a Motion Capture Suit”
by Ilona Kačerová, Jan Kubr, Petr Hořejší and Jana Kleinová
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2150; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12042150
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/2150

14. “Fake News Classification Based on Content Level Features”
by Chun-Ming Lai, Mei-Hua Chen, Endah Kristiani, Vinod Kumar Verma and Chao-Tung Yang
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1116; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031116
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1116

15. “Fractional-Order Controller for Course-Keeping of Underactuated Surface Vessels Based on Frequency Domain Specification and Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm”
by Guangyu Li, Yanxin Li, Huayue Chen and Wu Deng
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 3139; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12063139
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/6/3139

16. “Improved YOLOv5: Efficient Object Detection Using Drone Images under Various Conditions”
by Hyun-Ki Jung and Gi-Sang Choi
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(14), 7255; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12147255
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/14/7255

17. “Options for and Challenges of Employing Digital Twins in Construction Management”
by Tareq Salem and Mihai Dragomir
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(6), 2928; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062928
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/6/2928

18. “Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning Using Homomorphic Encryption”
by Jaehyoung Park and Hyuk Lim
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 734; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020734
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/2/734

19. “Securing SCADA Energy Management System under DDos Attacks Using Token Verification Approach”
by Yu-Sheng Yang, Shih-Hsiung Lee, Wei-Che Chen, Chu-Sing Yang, Yuen-Min Huang and Ting-Wei Hou
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(1), 530; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12010530
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/1/530

20. “Virtual Reality Metaverse System Supplementing Remote Education Methods: Based on Aircraft Maintenance Simulation”
by Hyeonju Lee, Donghyun Woo and Sunjin Yu
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2667; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052667
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/5/2667

We are pleased to inform you that Applied Sciences‘ 2022 CiteScore is 4.5. Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417) now ranks Q1 in the “Category Engineering (General Engineering)” category. Our journal continues to build momentum in applied natural sciences. We would like to extend our congratulations to all concerned.

Applied Sciences’ CiteScore ranks as follows:

• Q1 (73 out of 302) in the "Engineering (General Engineering)" category;
• Q2 (42 out of 136) in the "Physics and Astronomy (Instrumentation)" category;
• Q2 (32 out of 92) in the "Chemical Engineering (Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes)" category;
• Q2 (287 out of 792) in the "Computer Science (Computer Science Applications)" category;
• Q2 (199 out of 453) in the "Materials Science (General Materials Science)" category;
• Q3 (35 out of 68) in the "Chemical Engineering (Process Chemistry and Technology)" category.

For more journal statistics, please visit https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/stats.

MDPI will be attending the 6th International Conference on Nanoenergy and Nanosystems (NENS 2023), held in Beijing, China, from 17 to 19 June 2023. Starting in 2014, NENS has been organized once every two years by the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences (BINN, CAS). The conference has attracted high-profile scholars from around the world to deliver plenary and invited talks. This conference will provide a platform for scientists to exchange scientific information, build relationships, and possibly establish collaborations. During this conference, MDPI will welcome researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share their latest views as well as research with us.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Energies;
• Applied Sciences;
• Nanoenergy Advances;
• Machines;
• ChemEngineering;
• Electronics;
• Technologies;
• Nanomaterials;
• Batteries.

If you are attending this conference, please stop by our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person to answer any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following link: http://www.nens.cn/.

Welcome message by Dr. Dimitris Mourtzis, the webinar chair:

We welcome you to our webinar Smart Manufacturing and Industry 5.0. We will explore how the integration of advanced technologies is reshaping the manufacturing sector. Industry 5.0 represents a paradigm shift, where humans and intelligent machines collaborate in a seamless ecosystem. Our expert speakers will discuss the principles, trends, and transformative potential of smart manufacturing. We will delve into automation, AI, big data, and IoT, optimizing production and enabling real-time decision making. We will also highlight the importance of human workers in Industry 5.0, where collaborative robots, augmented reality, and cognitive computing unlock new possibilities. Therefore, we invite you to join us on this interesting webinar to uncover the potential of smart manufacturing and Industry 5.0, gain valuable insights, participate in stimulating discussions, and envision the future of manufacturing.

Date: 15 June 2023 at 9:00 a.m. CEST | 15:00 p.m. CST Asia

Register now for free!

Program:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Webinar Chair and Keynote Speakers:

• Dimitris Mourtzis, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, Patras, Greece;
• Pai Zheng, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China;
• Ang Liu, The University of New South Wales, Kensington, Australia.

Relevant Topic:

“Smart Manufacturing and Industry 5.0”

Abstract submission deadline: 30 September 2023

Manuscript submission deadline: 30 November 2023

A range of MDPI journals will be attending the 9th National Conference on Luminescent Properties of Doped Nanomaterials (NMLP 2023) as exhibitors. This meeting will be held in Nanning, Guangxi, China, from 19 to 22 May 2023.

Guangxi University was established by the State Key Laboratory of Lifetime Safety of Special Metal Materials and Composite Structures and was jointly built by the province and the ministry. This is a grand meeting for scholars in the field of luminescence. It will comprehensively display the latest progress and achievements of basic research and applied research in the fields of doped nano-luminescent materials, optoelectronic materials, micro-nano devices, and related applications, and will discuss the latest developments related to disciplines. The topic of this conference is "Luminescent Properties of Doped Nanomaterials", and the topics covered include: perovskite materials and applications, rare earth luminescent materials and applications, quantum dot luminescent materials and devices, biomedical photonics and optical information processing, micro-/nanofiber optics, devices and sensors, energy materials, and micro-/nano-optoelectronic devices. These topics will be presented in the form of invited reports of the conference, invited reports of branch sessions, oral reports, and posters.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Applied Sciences;
• Physics;
• Optics;
• Inorganics.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

For more information about the conference, please visit https://www.bagevent.com/event/NMLP2023/p/510700, or contact the Applied Sciences Editorial Office at [email protected].

Proteins play a key role in every biological process that takes place in our body, from transporting molecules across our cells and providing mechanical strength to our tissues, to transmitting neurochemical signals between neurons and recognizing external pathogens. This extremely large variety of biological functions is encoded in the surprisingly small alphabet of only twenty amino acids. How is that possible? How can a simple sequence of amino acids lead to such well-defined biological tasks?

The answer lies in the fact that this sequence actually exists as a corporeal structure with an evolutionary-conserved shape and the specific ability to perform biologically relevant motions. This opens several fascinating research questions that the scientific community has been trying to answer in the last half century, such as the following: how exactly is an amino acid sequence translated into a specific protein structure? How does the structure change its conformation during the protein functional cycle or under external perturbations? Can we identify the relevant motions that enable a protein to perform its biological tasks? What are the causes of disease-associated protein malfunctions at both the sequence, structure, and dynamics level?

Advances in computational approaches in the last few decades have made it feasible to answer some of these questions, by exploiting methodologies such as Molecular Dynamics (MD), Normal Mode Analysis (NMA), and Elastic Network Models (ENMs). In this webinar, we will discuss some of the most recent applications of these computational approaches to unravel the mysteries of the biological function of specific protein systems.

Date: 27 April 2023 at 01:30 p.m. CEST | 7:30 a.m. EDT | 7:30 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 836 7194 4334

Register now for free!

Program

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Unable to attend? Register anyway and we will let you know when the recording is available to watch.

Webinar chair and keynote speakers:

Dr. Domenico Scaramozzino, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
Dr. Michal Cifra, Institute of Photonics and Electronics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czechia
Dr. Laura Orellana, Protein Dynamics and Mutation Lab, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Prof. Patrick Senet, Laboratoire ICB, UMR 6303 CNRS-Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France

Relevant Special Issue:
“Computational Approaches for Protein Dynamics and Function”
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Robert Jernigan and Dr. Domenico Scaramozzino
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2023

A range of MDPI journals will be attending the 40th Annual Conference of Chinese Society for Imaging Science and Technology (SCIST 2023) as exhibitors. This meeting will be held in Kunming, Yunnan, China, from 13 to 16 May 2023.

The theme of this conference is "Strengthening the Driven by Technological Innovation and Building the Future of Photosensitive Imaging". The conference will invite well-known experts and scholars in the field of photosensitive imaging and related fields to make special reports and keynote reports of the conference. It will also organize academic exchanges in 17 sub-sessions in conjunction with various professional committees. The scale of the meeting is expected to be 1000 people.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Applied Sciences;
• J. Imaging;
• Sensors;
• Chemosensors;
• Photonics.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth #1-12. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have.

For more information about the conference, please visit https://2021csist.scimeeting.cn/cn/web/index/, or contact the Applied Sciences Editorial Office at [email protected].

The International Day of Human Space Flight commemorates the first manned space flight by the Soviet citizen Yuri Gagarin on 12 April 1961. This day was declared the International Day of Human Space Flight in 2011 by the United Nations General Assembly resolution, to celebrate the beginning of the human space age. It reaffirms the important contribution of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and increasing the well-being of countries and people, as well as ensuring the realization of their aspiration to preserve outer space for peaceful purposes. 

In the course of human exploration of space, we have established many remarkable achievements and breakthrough milestones:

• In 1957, the first human-made Earth satellite, Sputnik I, was launched into outer space;
• In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit the Earth;
• In 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot upon the surface of the Moon;
• In 1996, the first spacecraft in human history successfully landed on Mars;
• In 1998, the International Space Station, a 16-nation international space program, launched for the first time;
• In 2009, the Kepler space telescope was launched, which has helped humans find thousands of exoplanets;
• In 2015, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket and recovered the first stage. 

To further explore the information about space on the 2023 International Day of Human Space Flight, we have gathered academic research from several journals on the topic of space flight, all of which are open access, enabling practitioners, policymakers and people around the world to access and share up-to-date scientific knowledge. 

Let us celebrate the International Day of Human Space Flight together.

The ORIGIN Space Instrument for Detecting Biosignatures and Habitability Indicators on a Venus Life Finder Mission Aerospace 2022, 9(6), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9060312
Venus Life Finder Missions Motivation and Summary Aerospace 2022, 9(7), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/aerospace9070385
Theoretical and Observational Constraints on Lunar Orbital Evolution in the Three-Body Earth-Moon-Sun System Astronomy 2022, 1(2), 58-83; https://doi.org/10.3390/astronomy1020007
Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) Imaging Simulation of the Distant Planetary Magnetosphere and ENA Emission Discussion of the Solar Wind Astronomy 2022, 1(3), 235-245; https://doi.org/10.3390/astronomy1030013
Revisiting Fractional Cosmology Fractal Fract. 2023, 7(2), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract7020149
Special Issue: Orbit Determination Methods for Space Missions and Applications to the Exploration of the Solar System	Special Issue: Feature Papers in the Astronomical Sciences

Whirl Tower Demonstration of an SMA Blade Twist System Actuators 2022, 11(6), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/act11060141
A Tutorial and Review on Flight Control Co-Simulation Using Matlab/Simulink and Flight Simulators Automation 2022, 3(3), 486-510; https://doi.org/10.3390/automation3030025
Reconfigurable Fault-Tolerant Control for Spacecraft Formation Flying Based on Iterative Learning Algorithms Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(5), 2485; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12052485
Wilderness Search for Lost Persons Using a Multimodal Aerial-Terrestrial Robot Team Robotics 2022, 11(3), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics11030064
Special Issue: Advances in CubeSat Sails and Tethers	Special Issue: Aerospace Mechanisms and Actuation
Special Issue: Advanced Fault Diagnosis and Fault-Tolerant Control Technology of Spacecraft	Special Issue: Smart Sensors and Devices: Recent Advances and Applications

Investigation of UAV Detection by Different Solid-State Marine Radars Electronics 2022, 11(16), 2502; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11162502
Edge Machine Learning for the Automated Decision and Visual Computing of the Robots, IoT Embedded Devices or UAV-Drones Electronics 2022, 11(21), 3507; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11213507
Autonomous Tracking of ShenZhou Reentry Capsules Based on Heterogeneous UAV Swarms Drones 2023, 7(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones7010020
A Human-Detection Method Based on YOLOv5 and Transfer Learning Using Thermal Image Data from UAV Perspective for Surveillance System Drones 2022, 6(10), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/drones6100290
Multi-UAV Conflict Resolution with Graph Convolutional Reinforcement Learning Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(2), 610; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12020610
Special Issue: Control and Applications of Intelligent Unmanned Aerial Vehicle	Special Issue: Navigation, Control and Mission Planning Advances for Safe, Efficient and Autonomous Drones

Acoustic emission (AE) is a known technique for obtaining information about the critical conditions of structural systems. This system could be a tectonic plate with a characteristic length of km or an electronic device with a length of millimeters. The excitation that produces the acoustic emission events can be induced by different sources, including forces or other mechanical excitation. Several global parameters can be computed using AE data, and it is known that the evolution of these parameters in particular circumstances defines when and how the structural damage process evolves to collapse. Generally, it is not possible to prove a bidirectional, unique link between the AE signals and the damage process. For this reason, the numerical simulation of these kinds of mechanisms could furnish useful information to aid in the interpretation of AE experimental tests. Several strategies can be used, from the classical finite element model approaches to discrete element procedures, such as peridynamics, or other similar strategies where the possibilities of simulating spontaneous fractures can be more naturally harnessed. We posit that achieving such results could be a useful contribution to the scientific community. Therefore, the aim of this webinar is to bring together researchers working in the field of AE and numerical simulation, both at the material and structure scale. With it, we expect to provide novel insights on the application of this synergic approach to a wide variety of materials (concrete, steel, masonry, composites, etc.) in the field of physics, the mechanics of materials, and civil engineering.

Webinar date and time: 13 April 2023 at 11:00 a.m. CEST | 5:00 a.m. EST | 5:00 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar ID: 872 8465 8746

Keynote Speakers:

• Prof. Alex Hansen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway;
• Prof. Florin Bobaru, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, USA;
• Prof. Ignacio Iturrioz, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Program:

 Relevant Special Issue:
“Advances in Acoustic Emission Technique: Tests Interpretation and Numerical Simulations”
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Lacidogna and Prof. Dr. Ignacio Iturrioz
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2023

This is a free webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.

Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.

Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.

The goal of “Editor’s Choice Articles” project is to promote high-quality articles published in Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417). Please find below the list of articles carefully handpicked by the scientific editors of the journal, which we believe will be of interest to you.

1. “Applications of Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Technology in Medicine, Agriculture and Food Industry”
by Mária Domonkos, Petra Tichá, Jan Trejbal and Pavel Demo
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4809; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114809
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/4809

2. “Hydrothermal and Entropy Investigation of Ag/MgO/H₂O Hybrid Nanofluid Natural Convection in a Novel Shape of Porous Cavity”
by Nidal Abu-Libdeh, Fares Redouane, Abderrahmane Aissa, Fateh Mebarek-Oudina, Ahmad Almuhtady, Wasim Jamshed and Wael Al-Kouz
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1722; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041722
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1722

3. “Extensive Benchmarking of DFT+U Calculations for Predicting Band Gaps”
by Nicole E. Kirchner-Hall, Wayne Zhao, Yihuang Xiong, Iurii Timrov and Ismaila Dabo
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2395; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052395
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/5/2395

4. “A Review on Recent Advancements of Graphene and Graphene-Related Materials in Biological Applications”
by Federica Catania, Elena Marras, Mauro Giorcelli, Pravin Jagdale, Luca Lavagna, Alberto Tagliaferro and Mattia Bartoli
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 614; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020614
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/614

5. “Fe₃O₄ Nanoparticles: Structures, Synthesis, Magnetic Properties, Surface Functionalization, and Emerging Applications”
by Minh Dang Nguyen, Hung-Vu Tran, Shoujun Xu and T. Randall Lee
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(23), 11301; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112311301
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/23/11301

6. “Hybrid Metal/Polymer Filaments for Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) to Print Metal Parts”
by Claudio Tosto, Jacopo Tirillò, Fabrizio Sarasini and Gianluca Cicala
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1444; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041444
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1444

7. “Biogenic Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Characterisation and Applications”
by Bilal Mughal, Syed Zohaib Javaid Zaidi, Xunli Zhang and Sammer Ul Hassan
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2598; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062598
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2598

8. “Polyphenols: A Promising Avenue in Therapeutic Solutions for Wound Care”
by Inês Guimarães, Sara Baptista-Silva, Manuela Pintado and Ana L. Oliveira
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1230; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031230
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1230

9. “Fundamentals of Building Deconstruction as a Circular Economy Strategy for the Reuse of Construction Materials”
by Gaetano Bertino, Johannes Kisser, Julia Zeilinger, Guenter Langergraber, Tatjana Fischer and Doris Österreicher
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 939; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11030939
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/939

10. “Non-Destructive Testing Applications for Steel Bridges”
by Seyed Saman Khedmatgozar Dolati, Nerma Caluk, Armin Mehrabi and Seyed Sasan Khedmatgozar Dolati
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(20), 9757; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11209757
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/20/9757

11. “The DEMO Water-Cooled Lead–Lithium Breeding Blanket: Design Status at the End of the Pre-Conceptual Design Phase”
by Pietro Arena, Alessandro Del Nevo, Fabio Moro, Simone Noce, Rocco Mozzillo, Vito Imbriani, Fabio Giannetti, Francesco Edemetti, Antonio Froio, Laura Savoldi et al.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(24), 11592; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112411592
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/24/11592

12. “Enhancement of Antimicrobial Activity of Alginate Films with a Low Amount of Carbon Nanofibers (0.1% w/w)”
by Isaías Sanmartín-Santos, Sofía Gandía-Llop, Beatriz Salesa, Miguel Martí, Finn Lillelund Aachmann and Ángel Serrano-Aroca
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2311; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052311
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/5/2311

13. “The Behavior of Hybrid Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Elements: A New Stress-Strain Model Using an Evolutionary Approach”
by Ali A. Abdulhameed, Alaa Hussein Al-Zuhairi, Salah R. Al Zaidee, Ammar N. Hanoon, Ahmed W. Al Zand, Mahir M. Hason and Haider A. Abdulhameed
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(4), 2245; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12042245
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/2245

14. “Effects of Adding Alkali Metals and Organic Cations to Cu-Based Perovskite Solar Cells”
by Riku Okumura, Takeo Oku, Atsushi Suzuki, Masanobu Okita, Sakiko Fukunishi, Tomoharu Tachikawa and Tomoya Hasegawa
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12(3), 1710; https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031710
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1710

15. “Geometry and Distortion Prediction of Multiple Layers for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing with Artificial Neural Networks”
by Christian Wacker, Markus Köhler, Martin David, Franziska Aschersleben, Felix Gabriel, Jonas Hensel, Klaus Dilger and Klaus Dröder
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(10), 4694; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11104694
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/10/4694

16. “Buckling Analysis of CNTRC Curved Sandwich Nanobeams in Thermal Environment”
by Ahmed Amine Daikh, Mohammed Sid Ahmed Houari, Behrouz Karami, Mohamed A. Eltaher, Rossana Dimitri and Francesco Tornabene
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3250; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073250
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3250

17. “Effect of Printing Layer Thickness on the Trueness and Margin Quality of 3D-Printed Interim Dental Crowns”
by Gülce Çakmak, Alfonso Rodriguez Cuellar, Mustafa Borga Donmez, Martin Schimmel, Samir Abou-Ayash, Wei-En Lu and Burak Yilmaz
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 9246; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11199246
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/19/9246

18. “Nanoparticles—Plant Interaction: What We Know, Where We Are?”
by Ewa Kurczyńska, Kamila Godel-Jędrychowska, Katarzyna Sala and Anna Milewska-Hendel
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5473; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125473
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5473

We would like to thank all of the research groups that authored these exceptional papers for their contribution. We sincerely hope you find these articles of Applied Sciences as useful and insightful.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Applied Sciences 2022 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Applied Sciences Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Applied Sciences. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround are maintained.

The Prize for Each Winner:

• CHF 500;
• An opportunity to publish a paper free of charge in Applied Sciences in 2023 after peer review;
• A certificate.

For more information about awards please visit: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/awards.

Applied Sciences Editorial Office

As a leading open access publisher, MDPI provides scholars with a high-quality and rich academic exchange platform by continuously expanding into new and exciting research areas.

In December 2022, MDPI launched five new journals, covering multiple subjects such as life sciences, biology, medicine and pharmacology, social sciences and humanities. These new journals are being edited by established scholars across the world.

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We believe this change will facilitate academic discussions and advance our cause of open science and research. The corresponding authors are responsible for communicating with their co-authors and indicating in our system (https://susy.mdpi.com/) if co-authors would prefer for their email addresses not to be displayed.

1. “The Use of Microalgae and Cyanobacteria in the Improvement of Agricultural Practices: A Review on Their Biofertilising, Biostimulating and Biopesticide Roles”
by Ana L. Gonçalves
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 871; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020871
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/871

2. “A Smart and Sustainable Future for Viticulture Is Rooted in Soil: How to Face Cu Toxicity”
by Stefano Cesco, Youry Pii, Luigimaria Borruso, Guido Orzes, Paolo Lugli, Fabrizio Mazzetto, Giulio Genova, Marco Signorini, Gustavo Brunetto, Roberto Terzano et al.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 907; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11030907
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/907

3. “Digestate as Sustainable Nutrient Source for Microalgae—Challenges and Prospects”
by Lisa Bauer, Karolína Ranglová, Jiří Masojídek, Bernhard Drosg and Katharina Meixner
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1056; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031056
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1056

4. “Recent Advancements of UF-Based Separation for Selective Enrichment of Proteins and Bioactive Peptides—A Review”
by Enny Ratnaningsih, Reynard Reynard, Khoiruddin Khoiruddin, I Gede Wenten and Ramaraj Boopathy
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1078; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031078
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1078

5. “Sources and Metal Pollution of Sediments from a Coastal Area of the Central Western Adriatic Sea (Southern Marche Region, Italy)”
by Federico Spagnoli, Rocco De Marco, Enrico Dinelli, Emanuela Frapiccini, Fabrizio Frontalini and Patrizia Giordano
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1118; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031118
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1118

6. “Phosphogypsum Recycling: A Review of Environmental Issues, Current Trends, and Prospects”
by Yelizaveta Chernysh, Olena Yakhnenko, Viktoriia Chubur and Hynek Roubík
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1575; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041575
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1575

7. “Paraben Compounds—Part I: An Overview of Their Characteristics, Detection, and Impacts”
by João Lincho, Rui C. Martins and João Gomes
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2307; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052307
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/5/2307

8. “Coupling Plant Biomass Derived from Phytoremediation of Potential Toxic-Metal-Polluted Soils to Bioenergy Production and High-Value by-Products—A Review”
by Vázquez-Núñez Edgar, Fernández-Luqueño Fabián, Peña-Castro Julián Mario and Vera-Reyes Ileana
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 2982; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11072982
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/2982

9. “The Influence of Polystyrene Microspheres Abundance on Development and Feeding Behavior of Artemia salina (Linnaeus, 1758)”
by Marco Albano, Giuseppe Panarello, Davide Di Paola, Fabiano Capparucci, Rosalia Crupi, Enrico Gugliandolo, Nunziacarla Spanò, Gioele Capillo and Serena Savoca
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3352; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083352
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/8/3352

10. “Indoor Acoustic Requirements for Autism-Friendly Spaces”
by Federica Bettarello, Marco Caniato, Giuseppina Scavuzzo and Andrea Gasparella
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3942; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093942
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/3942

11. “Antioxidant Production in Dunaliella”
by Uttam Kumer Roy, Birthe Vejby Nielsen and John James Milledge
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3959; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093959
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/3959

12. “Remediation of Metal/Metalloid-Polluted Soils: A Short Review”
by Carla Maria Raffa, Fulvia Chiampo and Subramanian Shanthakumar
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4134; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094134
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4134

13. “Recent Developments in Lignin- and Tannin-Based Non-Isocyanate Polyurethane Resins for Wood Adhesives—A Review”
by Manggar Arum Aristri, Muhammad Adly Rahandi Lubis, Sumit Manohar Yadav, Petar Antov, Antonios N. Papadopoulos, Antonio Pizzi , Widya Fatriasari, Maya Ismayati and Apri Heri Iswanto
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4242; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094242
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4242

14. “Influencing Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes for the Removal of Ismate Violet 2R Dye from Wastewater: Isotherm, Kinetics, and Thermodynamic Studies”
by Khamael M. Abualnaja, Ahmed E. Alprol, Mohamed Ashour and Abdallah Tageldein Mansour
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4786; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114786
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/4786

15. “Mycosporine-Like Amino Acids from Red Macroalgae: UV-Photoprotectors with Potential Cosmeceutical Applications”
by Julia Vega, Geniane Schneider, Bruna R. Moreira, Carolina Herrera, José Bonomi-Barufi and Félix L. Figueroa
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5112; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115112
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/5112

16. “Extraction of Pigments from Microalgae and Cyanobacteria—A Review on Current Methodologies”
by Fernando Pagels, Ricardo N. Pereira, António A. Vicente and A. Catarina Guedes
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5187; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115187
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/5187

17. “Impacts of E-Micromobility on the Sustainability of Urban Transportation—A Systematic Review”
by Buket Şengül and Hamid Mostofi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5851; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135851
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/13/5851

18. “Diversity of Synthetic Dyes from Textile Industries, Discharge Impacts and Treatment Methods”
by Houda Ben Slama, Ali Chenari Bouket, Zeinab Pourhassan, Faizah N. Alenezi, Allaoua Silini, Hafsa Cherif-Silini, Tomasz Oszako, Lenka Luptakova, Patrycja Golińska and Lassaad Belbahri
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6255; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146255
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/14/6255

19. “Removal of Pharmaceuticals from Water by Adsorption and Advanced Oxidation Processes: State of the Art and Trends”
by Fatma Mansouri, Khawla Chouchene, Nicolas Roche and Mohamed Ksibi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6659; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146659
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/14/6659

20. “Microplastics in Wastewater and Drinking Water Treatment Plants: Occurrence and Removal of Microfibres”
by Daniel Sol, Amanda Laca, Adriana Laca and Mario Díaz
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(21), 10109; https://doi.org/10.3390/app112110109
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/21/10109

On 9 February 2023, Clarivate, a global leader in providing trusted insights and analytics, added the Preprint Citation Index to the Web of Science platform, streamlining the research process by allowing researchers to locate and link to preprints alongside other trusted content in the database.

The Preprint Citation Index will act as a bridge to connect cutting-edge preprints with peer-reviewed journal articles published within the Web of Science Core Collection. Alerts can be easily set to monitor new research across several repositories and authors will also be able to include preprints on their Web of Science Research Profile to more accurately display their various research outputs.

As of its launch, the Preprint Citation Index will provide nearly two million preprints from various repositories, including MDPI’s own Preprints.org.

MDPI's Preprints Platform – Preprints.org

To advance Open Science and the fast dissemination of research, MDPI offers researchers a free multidisciplinary preprint platform. Preprints.org accepts submissions from all research areas and offers authors high visibility, permanent archiving, article-level Metrics and immediately citable content by assigning a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to all preprints.

During submission to any MDPI journal, authors have the option to share their research as a preprint. After an initial screening, the manuscript is available online in 48 hours or less. Once online, preprints can be downloaded, shared, commented on, and cited, providing authors maximum visibility.

We invite you to join the ranks of the over 100k researchers using Preprints.org and share your research.

For more information, please visit Preprints.org.

Date: 21 February 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m. CET | 4:00 a.m. EST | 5:00 p.m. CST Asia
Webinar website: https://applsci-10.sciforum.net/
Webinar ID: 826 5177 1009
Webinar Secretariat: [email protected]

In this webinar, we will give an overview of the basics of cold atmospheric plasma, an emerging multiagent technology and multi-modal therapy with several potential clinical applications at the interface between different research fields. Physicists, chemists, engineers, and life sciences researchers are welcome to participate to find out more about the promising field of plasma medicine, with a special focus on oral oncology.

Chairs:

Invited Speakers:

Sponsors and Partners:

The International Society for Porous Media (InterPore) will hold its 15th annual meeting, InterPore2023—the International Conference on Porous Media.

The conference will be organized in cooperation with Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and will be held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC).

Date: 22–25 May 2023
Satellite Short Courses: 21 and 26 May 2023

Please visit the InterPore2023 website for more details: https://events.interpore.org/event/41/.

The ATTD conference will host the latest innovative technologies, medicines, and treatments for diabetes. It gathers clinicians, scientists, industries, investors, reimbursement authorities, and people with diabetes from all around the world to share the most exciting advances in diabetes science. Join us from 22 to 25 February 2023 in Berlin or online.

Registration Savings Deadline: 7 February 2023.

Find out more about the conference at: https://attd.kenes.com/.

Conference: The Fourth International Conference on Energy Storage Materials
Date: 13–16 April 2023

MDPI will be attending the Fourth International Conference on Energy Storage Materials as the exhibitor. With the theme of advanced energy storage materials and energy storage devices, this seminar invites well-known scholars and industry professionals from around the world to discuss the latest research progress and industrial development status and trends in advanced energy storage materials and devices from academic and industrial perspectives in order to promote the application process of energy storage materials and energy storage devices. The conference is held annually.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Batteries;
• Energies;

• Coatings;

• Sustainability;
• Materials;
• Electronics;
• Nanomaterials;
• Inorganics;
• Crystals;
• AppliedChem;
• Membranes;
• Electrochem;
• Applied Sciences;
• Metals;
• Molecules.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth: #9. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit http://www.icensm.ac.cn/eindex.html.

Date: 7 February 2023
Time: 10:00 a.m. CET | 4:00 a.m. EST | 5:00 p.m. CST Asia | 11:00 a.m. EET
Webinar ID: 840 2871 8035
Webinar Secretariat: [email protected]
Webinar Website: https://applsci-9.sciforum.net/

Topology optimization is the modern approach to a flexible optimal design of structures and microstructures. Additive manufacturing, also known as rapid prototyping or 3D printing, makes the creation of structures of any shape and topology, including microstructures, feasible. Exchange of information between the two disciplines, state-of-the-art development, and expected steps for the near future are the topics of the present webinar.

Chairs:

Invited Speakers:

Relevant Special Issue:
“Additive Manufacturing: Topology Optimization and Cellular Microstructures”
Edited by Prof. Dr. Georgios E. Stavroulakis, Dr. Loucas Papadakis, and Dr. Ioannis Ntintakis
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/special_issues/cellular_microstructures

Sponsors and Partners:

Conference: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2023)

Date: 29 May–2 June 2023
Place: London, UK

Machines (ISSN: 2075-1702) will be attending ICRA 2023 as an exhibitor. This meeting will take place from 29 May to 2 June 2023 in London, UK.

The largest and most prestigious event of the year in the robotics and automation calendar, the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) will bring together the world's top academics, researchers, and industry representatives. With the conference taking place in the UK for the first time, London will provide the perfect backdrop to this world-class event.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Machines;
• Sensors;
• Actuators;
• Applied Sciences;
• Electronics;
• Robotics;
• Systems;
• JSAN;
• Technologies;
• Inventions;
• Designs;
• Drones;
• JMMP;
• Telecom;
• AI;
• Automation.

If you are planning to attend this conference, please do not hesitate to start an online conversation with us. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit the following website: https://www.icra2023.org/.

1. “Risk Assessment of Soil Contamination with Heavy Metals from Municipal Sewage Sludge”
by Jolanta Latosińska, Robert Kowalik and Jarosław Gawdzik
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 548; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020548
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/548

2. “Drilling Fluid and Cement Slurry Design for Naturally Fractured Reservoirs”
by Nediljka Gaurina-Međimurec, Borivoje Pašić, Petar Mijić and Igor Medved
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 767; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020767
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/767

3. “Arundo donax L. Biomass Production in a Polluted Area: Effects of Two Harvest Timings on Heavy Metals Uptake”
by Tommaso Danelli, Alessio Sepulcri, Giacomo Masetti, Federico Colombo, Stefano Sangiorgio, Elena Cassani, Simone Anelli, Fabrizio Adani and Roberto Pilu
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1147; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031147
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1147

4. “Optimization of Photogrammetric Flights with UAVs for the Metric Virtualization of Archaeological Sites. Application to Juliobriga (Cantabria, Spain)”
by Julio Manuel de Luis-Ruiz, Javier Sedano-Cibrián, Raúl Pereda-García, Rubén Pérez-Álvarez and Beatriz Malagón-Picón
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1204; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031204
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1204

5. “Earthen Jewish Architecture of Southern Morocco: Documentation of Unfired Brick Synagogues and Mellahs in the Drâa-Tafilalet Region”
by Eva Matoušková, Karel Pavelka, Tobiáš Smolík and Karel Pavelka, Jr.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1712; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041712
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1712

6. “Characterization of a Shallow Coastal Aquifer in the Framework of a Subsurface Storage and Soil Aquifer Treatment Project Using Electrical Resistivity Tomography (Port de la Selva, Spain)”
by Alex Sendrós, Aritz Urruela, Mahjoub Himi, Carlos Alonso, Raúl Lovera, Josefina C. Tapias, Luis Rivero, Ruben Garcia-Artigas and Albert Casas
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2448; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062448
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2448

7. “Fracturing Fluids and Their Application in the Republic of Croatia”
by Nediljka Gaurina-Međimurec, Vladislav Brkić, Matko Topolovec and Petar Mijić
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2807; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062807
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2807

8. “Primary and Secondary Environmental Effects Triggered by the 30 October 2020, Mw = 7.0, Samos (Eastern Aegean Sea, Greece) Earthquake Based on Post-Event Field Surveys and InSAR Analysis”
by Spyridon Mavroulis, Ioanna Triantafyllou, Andreas Karavias, Marilia Gogou, Katerina-Navsika Katsetsiadou, Efthymios Lekkas, Gerassimos A. Papadopoulos and Issaak Parcharidis
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3281; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073281
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3281

9. “Numerical Modelling of Flow-Debris Interaction during Extreme Hydrodynamic Events with DualSPHysics-CHRONO”
by Gioele Ruffini, Riccardo Briganti, Paolo De Girolamo, Jacob Stolle, Bahman Ghiassi and Myrta Castellino
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3618; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083618
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/8/3618

10. “Heavy Metals in Urban Street Dust: Health Risk Assessment (Lublin City, E Poland)”
by Wojciech Zgłobicki and Małgorzata Telecka
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4092; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094092
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4092

11. “Solar Potential in Saudi Arabia for Southward-Inclined Flat-Plate Surfaces”
by Ashraf Farahat, Harry D. Kambezidis, Mansour Almazroui and Emad Ramadan
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4101; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094101
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4101

12. “A Comprehensive Assessment of XGBoost Algorithm for Landslide Susceptibility Mapping in the Upper Basin of Ataturk Dam, Turkey”
by Recep Can, Sultan Kocaman and Candan Gokceoglu
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4993; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114993
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/4993

13. “From Field Archaeology to Virtual Reconstruction: A Five Steps Method Using the Extended Matrix”
by Emanuel Demetrescu and Daniele Ferdani
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5206; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115206
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/5206

14. “Increasing Resolution of Seismic Hazard Mapping on the Example of the North of Middle Russian Highland”
by Igor B. Movchan, Zilya I. Shaygallyamova, Alexandra A. Yakovleva and Alexander B. Movchan
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5298; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115298
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/5298

15. “How Will Rwandan Land Use/Land Cover Change under High Population Pressure and Changing Climate?”
by Chaodong Li, Mingyi Yang, Zhanbin Li and Baiqun Wang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5376; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125376
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5376

16. “Land Suitability Mapping Using Geochemical and Spatial Analysis Methods”
by Dimitrios E. Alexakis, George D. Bathrellos, Hariklia D. Skilodimou and Dimitra E. Gamvroula
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5404; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125404
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5404

17. “Virtual Geosite Communication through a WebGIS Platform: A Case Study from Santorini Island (Greece)”
by Federico Pasquaré Mariotto, Varvara Antoniou, Kyriaki Drymoni, Fabio Luca Bonali, Paraskevi Nomikou, Luca Fallati, Odysseas Karatzaferis and Othonas Vlasopoulos
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5466; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125466
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5466

18. “Integrating Convolutional Neural Network and Multiresolution Segmentation for Land Cover and Land Use Mapping Using Satellite Imagery”
by Saziye Ozge Atik and Cengizhan Ipbuker
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5551; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125551
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5551

19. “Linking Soil Erosion Modeling to Landscape Patterns and Geomorphometry: An Application in Crete, Greece”
by Imen Brini, Dimitrios D. Alexakis and Chariton Kalaitzidis
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5684; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125684
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5684

20. “Biodeterioration of Salón de Reinos, Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, Spain”
by Valme Jurado, José Luis Gonzalez-Pimentel, Bernardo Hermosin and Cesareo Saiz-Jimenez
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(19), 8858; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11198858
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/19/8858

The Applied Sciences Editorial Office is pleased to inform you that applications are open for the Topical Advisory Panel. Should you decide to serve on the Topical Advisory Panel, you would be responsible for some of the following tasks, depending on your availability:

• Providing regular reviews of manuscripts;
• Setting up at least one Special Issue (SI) in partnership with a senior researcher within two years of your appointment and proposing a detailed strategy plan for the SI. The topic of the proposal should be within the scope of Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417) but broad enough to attract a reasonable number of submissions while also narrow enough to provide a cohesive collection of articles. The Special Issue should cover a small part of the scope of Applied Sciences;
• Providing a detailed strategy plan for the SI, including assisting in preparing Special Issue/Topic titles, aim and scope, summary, and keywords, soliciting papers and promoting the SI;
• Providing support for the Special Issues/Topics related to your expertise when the Guest Editors are not available. This includes SI promotion via social media and advice on some scientific cases;
• Promoting our journal at conferences (adding 1–2 slides into your presentation, distributing flyers, recommending the journal to your colleagues, etc.), on social media and other relevant platforms;
• Working with Editorial Board Members or the Editorial Office to promote high-quality/featured papers (for example, writing summaries or highlights for editor-selected papers).

To qualify as a Topical Advisory Panel Member, applicants must:

• Have expertise and experience in the field related to Applied Sciences;
• Have completed their Ph.D. in the last approximately 10 years;
• Have published at least 6 papers in the last 5 years as a first author or corresponding author;
• Currently hold an independent research position in academia or government institute.

Each year, members’ performance is evaluated, and outstanding members are promoted to the Editorial Board by the Editor-in-Chief. Please click on the following link to submit your application: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci/topical_advisory_panel_application.

Please do not hesitate to contact the Applied Sciences Editorial Office ([email protected]) for further details and clarification.

Applied Sciences Editorial Office

1. “Advanced Control and Fault Detection Strategies for District Heating and Cooling Systems—A Review”
by Simone Buffa, Mohammad Hossein Fouladfar, Giuseppe Franchini, Ismael Lozano Gabarre and Manuel Andrés Chicote
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010455
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/1/455

2. “Wind Turbine Prognosis Models Based on SCADA Data and Extreme Learning Machines”
by Pere Marti-Puig, Alejandro Blanco-M., Moisès Serra-Serra and Jordi Solé-Casals
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 590; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020590
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/590

3. “Carbon from Bagasse Activated with Water Vapor and Its Adsorption Performance for Methylene Blue”
by Fitria Rahmawati, Arikasuci Fitonna Ridassepri, Chairunnisa, Agung Tri Wijayanta, Koji Nakabayashi, Jin Miyawaki and Takahiko Miyazaki
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020678
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/678

4. “Review of Dew Point Evaporative Cooling Technology for Air Conditioning Applications”
by Anna Pacak and William Worek
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 934; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11030934
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/934

5. “New Tendencies in Wind Energy Operation and Maintenance”
by Ángel M. Costa, José A. Orosa, Diego Vergara and Pablo Fernández-Arias
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1386; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041386
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1386

6. “Towards Phase Change Materials for Thermal Energy Storage: Classification, Improvements and Applications in the Building Sector”
by Christina V. Podara, Ioannis A. Kartsonakis and Costas A. Charitidis
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1490; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041490
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1490

7. “Estimation of the Optimum Energy Received by Solar Energy Flat-Plate Convertors in Greece Using Typical Meteorological Years. Part I: South-Oriented Tilt Angles”
by Harry D. Kambezidis and Basil E. Psiloglou
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1547; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041547
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1547

8. “PV-Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Stations: Preliminary Requirements and Feasibility Conditions”
by Saleh Cheikh-Mohamad,Manuela Sechilariu, Fabrice Locment and Youssef Krim
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1770; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041770
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1770

9. “Efficient Operative Cost Reduction in Distribution Grids Considering the Optimal Placement and Sizing of D-STATCOMs Using a Discrete-Continuous VSA”
by Oscar Danilo Montoya, Walter Gil-González and Jesus C. Hernández
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2175; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052175
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/5/2175

10. “Application of Long-Short-Term-Memory Recurrent Neural Networks to Forecast Wind Speed”
by Meftah Elsaraiti and Adel Merabet
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2387; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052387
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/5/2387

11. “A 0.3 V, Rail-to-Rail, Ultralow-Power, Non-Tailed, Body-Driven, Sub-Threshold Amplifier”
by Francesco Centurelli, Riccardo Della Sala, Giuseppe Scotti and Alessandro Trifiletti
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2528; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062528
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2528

12. “Building Information Modelling and Internet of Things Integration for Facility Management—Literature Review and Future Needs”
by Antonino Mannino, Mario Claudio Dejaco and Fulvio Re Cecconi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3062; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073062
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3062

13. “Towards an Occupancy-Oriented Digital Twin for Facility Management: Test Campaign and Sensors Assessment”
by Elena Seghezzi, Mirko Locatelli, Laura Pellegrini, Giulia Pattini, Giuseppe Martino Di Giuda, Lavinia Chiara Tagliabue and Guido Boella
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3108; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073108
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3108

14. “Optimal Multi-Operation Energy Management in Smart Microgrids in the Presence of RESs Based on Multi-Objective Improved DE Algorithm: Cost-Emission Based Optimization”
by Mohammad Ghiasi, Taher Niknam, Moslem Dehghani, Pierluigi Siano, Hassan Haes Alhelou and Amer Al-Hinai
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3661; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083661
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/8/3661

15. “Review of Renewable Energy-Based Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles”
by Gamal Alkawsi, Yahia Baashar, Dallatu Abbas U, Ammar Ahmed Alkahtani and Sieh Kiong Tiong
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3847; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093847
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/3847

16. “PV Benefits Assessment for PV-Powered Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles”
by Youssef Krim, Manuela Sechilariu and Fabrice Locment
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4127; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094127
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4127

17. “An Adapted Model of Cognitive Digital Twins for Building Lifecycle Management”
by Ibrahim Yitmen, Sepehr Alizadehsalehi, İlknur Akıner and Muhammed Ernur Akıner
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4276; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094276
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/4276

18. “Optimal Control for a Hydraulic Recuperation System Using Endoreversible Thermodynamics”
by Robin Masser and Karl Heinz Hoffmann
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5001; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115001
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/5001

19. “Perspectives on Cathodes for Protonic Ceramic Fuel Cells”
by Glenn C. Mather, Daniel Muñoz-Gil, Javier Zamudio-García, José M. Porras-Vázquez, David Marrero-López and Domingo Pérez-Coll
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(12), 5363; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11125363
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/12/5363

20. “A State-of-Art-Review on Machine-Learning Based Methods for PV”
by Giuseppe Marco Tina, Cristina Ventura, Sergio Ferlito and Saverio De Vito
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(16), 7550; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167550
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/16/7550

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative—the MDPI Special Issue Mentor Program.

This program will enable early career researchers (who must hold a Ph.D. in a related field) to experience editing a Special Issue in MDPI journals, under the mentorship of our experienced Editorial Board Members or other experienced scientists. The mentor program will provide an excellent opportunity for early career scientists to gain editorial experience, and to cultivate their ability to edit scientific research.

The mentee’s responsibilities include:

• Proposing a Special Issue title and assisting the mentor in preparing a summary (around 200–400 words) and 3–10 keywords describing the background, importance, and goal of the Issue;
• Writing a brief promotion plan for the Special Issue;
• Preparing a list of scholars who may be interested in the Issue and personally e-mailing invitations on behalf of Guest Editors;
• Writing an editorial for the online Special Issue together with the mentor.

The mentor’s responsibilities include:

• Conducting a final check before the Special Issue is published online;
• Performing editorial control of the Special Issue and quality control of the publications, both of which must be carried out in a timely manner;
• Providing suggestions to younger scholars if they have any doubts or concerns regarding submissions;
• Organizing video calls with young scholars and the Editorial Office regularly to discuss problems and improvement suggestions for the Special Issue;
• Making and submitting decisions regarding submissions with the assistance of mentees.

Certificates and awards:
After the Special Issue closes, the Editorial Office will provide official certificates for all the mentors and early career researchers.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please send your Special Issue proposal to the Editorial Office of a journal you choose, and we will discuss the process (i.e., mentor collaboration, Special Issue topic feasibility analysis, etc.) in further detail. The full list of MDPI journals is as follows: https://www.mdpi.com/about/journals.

In addition to the new Special Issue Mentor Program, we will continue to welcome all Special Issue proposals focusing on hot research topics.

The goal of the Editor’s Choice Articles project is to promote high-quality articles published in Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417). Please find below the list of articles carefully handpicked by the scientific editors of the journal, which we believe will be of interest to you.

1. “A Survey on Robotic Technologies for Forest Firefighting: Applying Drone Swarms to Improve Firefighters’ Efficiency and Safety”
by Juan Jesús Roldán-Gómez, Eduardo González-Gironda and Antonio Barrientos
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 363; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010363
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/1/363

2. “Deep Learning Method for Fault Detection of Wind Turbine Converter”
by Cheng Xiao, Zuojun Liu, Tieling Zhang and Xu Zhang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1280; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031280
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1280

3. “Multi-Resolution SPH Simulation of a Laser Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing Process”
by Mohamadreza Afrasiabi, Christof Lüthi, Markus Bambach and Konrad Wegener
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 2962; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11072962
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/2962

4. “Rail Diagnostics Based on Ultrasonic Guided Waves: An Overview”
by Davide Bombarda, Giorgio Matteo Vitetta and Giovanni Ferrante
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1071; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031071
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1071

5. “Security Vulnerabilities in LPWANs—An Attack Vector Analysis for the IoT Ecosystem”
by Nuno Torres, Pedro Pinto and Sérgio Ivan Lopes
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3176; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073176
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3176

6. “A Literature Review of Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Manufacturing Systems”
by Paolo Renna and Sergio Materi
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(16), 7366; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167366
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/16/7366

7. “An Improved VGG19 Transfer Learning Strip Steel Surface Defect Recognition Deep Neural Network Based on Few Samples and Imbalanced Datasets”
by Xiang Wan, Xiangyu Zhang and Lilan Liu
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2606; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062606
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2606

8. “Effect of Hydrogen Addition on the Energetic and Ecologic Parameters of an SI Engine Fueled by Biogas”
by Saugirdas Pukalskas, Donatas Kriaučiūnas, Alfredas Rimkus, Grzegorz Przybyła, Paweł Droździel and Dalibor Barta
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(2), 742; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020742
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/2/742

9. “A Five-Step Approach to Planning Data-Driven Digital Twins for Discrete Manufacturing Systems”
by Matevz Resman,Jernej Protner, Marko Simic and Niko Herakovic
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3639; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083639
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/8/3639

10. “Application of an Additive Manufactured Hybrid Metal/Composite Shock Absorber Panel to a Military Seat Ejection System”
by Valerio Acanfora, Chiara Corvino, Salvatore Saputo, Andrea Sellitto and Aniello Riccio
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(14), 6473; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11146473
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/14/6473

11. “Digital Twin and Reinforcement Learning-Based Resilient Production Control for Micro Smart Factory”
by Kyu Tae Park, Yoo Ho Son, Sang Wook Ko and Sang Do Noh
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 2977; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11072977
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/2977

12. “Impact Fracture and Fragmentation of Glass via the 3D Combined Finite-Discrete Element Method”
by Zhou Lei, Esteban Rougier, Earl E. Knight, Mengyan Zang and Antonio Munjiza
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2484; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062484
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2484

13. “Friction Stir Welding of 1Cr11Ni2W2MoV Martensitic Stainless Steel: Numerical Simulation Based on Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian Approach Supported with Experimental Work”
by Mohamed Ragab, Hong Liu, Guan-Jun Yang and Mohamed M. Z. Ahmed
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 3049; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073049
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/3049

14. “A Review on the Lifecycle Strategies Enhancing Remanufacturing”
by Raoul Fonkoua Fofou, Zhigang Jiang and Yan Wang
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5937; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135937
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/13/5937

15. “Nano-Elicitation as an Effective and Emerging Strategy for In Vitro Production of Industrially Important Flavonoids”
by Amna Komal Khan, Sidra Kousar, Duangjai Tungmunnithum, Christophe Hano, Bilal Haider Abbasi and Sumaira Anjum
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1694; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041694
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1694

We would like to thank all of the research groups that authored these exceptional papers for their contribution. We sincerely hope you find these articles of Applied Sciences as useful and insightful as we have found them.

MDPI has just become the first open access (OA) publisher to reach the milestone of one million articles published. That is one million articles freely available to all, to circulate and build upon! We are proud to share this special moment with the global scientific community.

This landmark has been reached thanks to the immeasurable support of more than 600,000 expert reviewers, 66,000 editorial board members and 6700 hard-working colleagues across MDPI’s global offices.

Within more than 25 years of publishing, our journals received 2.1 million manuscripts and generated 4.6 million peer review reports to get to one million papers published.

Reaching the milestone of one million articles published reinforces our mission to remove any existing barriers and to make scientific research accessible to all. Since its inception, MDPI’s goal has been to create reliable processes to make science open. This is a path towards facilitating the dissemination of novel insights in scientific communities.

Regular feedback from authors and reviewers shows that our service is greatly appreciated and needed. At the same time, the feedback helps us identify areas for further improvement.

As it stands, a significant share of published research findings remain closed access. More than half of the content published with the most well-known legacy publishers stays behind a paywall, and that is not including articles published in hybrid OA journals, or made available months or years after publication.

A new policy announced by the US administration in August 2022 requires that, as of January 2026, all US federally funded research be made freely and immediately available after publication. While the new policy does not mandate articles be published under an open access license, it is aligned with the open access movement in removing all barriers to research. Similarly, some of the most advanced research institutions in the world intend to have all funded research articles published in open access by 2025.

MDPI is proud to be the leading agent of the transition to open access.

"Thanks a Million" to all the contributors!

1. “Smartphone-Based NFC Potentiostat for Wireless Electrochemical Sensing”
by Karnpimon Krorakai, Supannika Klangphukhiew, Sirinan Kulchat and Rina Patramanon
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 392; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010392
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/1/392

2. “Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater and Its Implications for Drinking Water Quality and Human Health in Under-Developed Countries and Remote Communities—A Review”
by Samuel B. Adeloju, Shahnoor Khan and Antonio F. Patti
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1926; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041926
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1926

3. “Thermal Conductivity of Nanofluids: A Review on Prediction Models, Controversies and Challenges”
by Inês Gonçalves, Reinaldo Souza, Gonçalo Coutinho, João Miranda, Ana Moita, José Eduardo Pereira, António Moreira and Rui Lima
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2525; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062525
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2525

4. “Synthesis and Characterization of ZnBi2O4 Nanoparticles: Photocatalytic Performance for Antibiotic Removal under Different Light Sources”
by Oussama Baaloudj, Achraf Amir Assadi, Mohamed Azizi, Hamza Kenfoud, Mohamed Trari, Abdeltif Amrane, Aymen Amine Assadi and Noureddine Nasrallah
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 3975; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11093975
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/9/3975

5. “Deep Eutectic Solvents for the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Natural Sources and Agricultural By-Products”
by Bárbara Socas-Rodríguez, Monica Vanessa Torres-Cornejo, Gerardo Álvarez-Rivera and Jose A. Mendiola
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4897; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114897
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/4897

6. “Current View on Green Tea Catechins Formulations, Their Interactions with Selected Drugs, and Prospective Applications for Various Health Conditions”
by Magdalena Cerbin-Koczorowska, Magdalena Waszyk-Nowaczyk, Paweł Bakun, Tomasz Goslinski and Tomasz Koczorowski
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 4905; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11114905
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/4905

7. “Five-Membered Cyclic Carbonates: Versatility for Applications in Organic Synthesis, Pharmaceutical, and Materials Sciences”
by Patrick Rollin, Liane K. Soares, Angelita M. Barcellos, Daniela R. Araujo, Eder J. Lenardão, Raquel G. Jacob and Gelson Perin
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5024; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115024
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/5024

8. “Chemical Profiling, Antioxidant, and Antimicrobial Activity against Drug-Resistant Microbes of Essential Oil from Withania frutescens L”
by Abdelfattah EL Moussaoui, Mohammed Bourhia, Fatima Zahra Jawhari, Ahmad Mohammad Salamatullah, Riaz Ullah, Ahmed Bari, Hafiz Majid Mahmood, Muhammad Sohaib, Bohza Serhii, Alexander Rozhenko et al.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(11), 5168; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11115168
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/11/5168

9. “A Review on the Advancements in the Field of Metal Complexes with Schiff Bases as Antiproliferative Agents”
by Alessia Catalano, Maria Stefania Sinicropi, Domenico Iacopetta, Jessica Ceramella, Annaluisa Mariconda, Camillo Rosano, Elisabetta Scali, Carmela Saturnino and Pasquale Longo
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 6027; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11136027
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/13/6027