Announcements

In 2020, Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607) established a collaboration with the Spanish Society for Nitrogen Fixation (SEFIN). As part of this collaboration, all affiliated SEFIN members will enjoy a discount on the Article Processing Charges (APC) when submitting articles to Microorganisms.

The Spanish Society of Nitrogen Fixation (SEFIN) has the following two major objectives: (1) to gain deeper insight into the process of biological nitrogen fixation and the beneficial interactions between plants and microorganisms, thus contributing to the improvement of sustainable agriculture and environmental protection; and (2) to promote the organization of scientific meetings, to facilitate the exchange of ideas between professionals interested in agricultural development and between other national or international organizations with similar or complementary goals. Currently, SEFIN has more than 100 members with expertise in the fields of microbiology, plant physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, and agronomy. The members belong to more than thirty research groups from universities and private and public research institutions. Since 2004, SEFIN has belonged to the Confederation of Spanish Scientific Societies (COSCE), which includes over 80 societies and 40,000 scientists.

Microorganisms provides an advanced forum for studies related to prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, viruses, and prions. The journal publishes original scientific research articles, comprehensive reviews, comments, commentaries, perspectives, etc. The journal is covered by leading indexing services, including the Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), Scopus, PubMed, PMC and many other databases.

Microorganisms is looking forward to a very fruitful collaboration with SEFIN.

In 2021, Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607) established a new collaboration with the Hellenic Society Mikrobiokosmos (MBK). As part of this collaboration, all affiliated MBK members will enjoy a discount on the Article Processing Charges (APC) when submitting articles to Microorganisms.

Mikrobiokosmos (microbial world in Greek) is a Hellenic Scientific Society that was established in 2007 with the mission to research, explore, and exploit national microbial resources. Microorganisms have endured and thrived from the beginning of life on our planet, and this makes them the most resourceful biology “story-tellers” of all living beings. They play key roles in biogeochemical cycling in different environmental compartments, with reciprocal and cascading effects in agriculture and animal, human, and plant health. They are important for sustainable agriculture, as microbial pesticides, biofertilizers, or bioremediating agents, and mediate in environmental cleanup and biodepuration. They support life in lakes and oceans, affecting all aquatic organism yields, and have an overall impact on the climate; they, indeed, regulate climate change. They contribute to food production, preservation, and safety, and thus to animal and human health and nutrition. They constitute an invaluable source of cellular and molecular material for exploitation in biotechnology and bioenergy production. Last but not least, they constitute an important and integral part of all other living organisms: the microbiome. Thus, the role of the microbial world—“mikrobiokosmos” in Greek—is considered more crucial than ever in the “One Health” and “One Planet” schools of thought—i.e., the emerging concepts advocating the intertwining of healthy global ecosystems with healthy living beings.

The Hellenic Society Mikrobiokosmos has more than 100 members and associated members from universities and public research centers with diverse expertise in the above-mentioned microbiology fields covering agriculture/fisheries/aquaculture, food/nutrition, environment, bioengineering, and biotechnology/bioenergy.

The Hellenic Society Microbiokosmos is a member of the Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) and the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS).

Microorganisms provides an advanced forum for studies related to prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, viruses, and prions. The journal publishes original scientific research articles, comprehensive reviews, comments, commentaries, perspectives, etc. The journal is covered by leading indexing services, including the Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), Scopus, PubMed, PMC, and many other databases.

Microorganisms is looking forward to a very fruitful collaboration with MBK.

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. Shuangjiang Liu has been appointed Associate Editor of Microorganisms (ISSN: 2076-2607).

Name: Prof. Dr. Shuangjiang Liu
Affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources and Environmental Microbiology Research Center, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Research Keywords: microbial degradation and interaction; microbiome; microbial cultivation

Prof. Dr. Shuangjiang Liu is a Professor at the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished professor at Shandong University. He is engaged in the research on microbial degradation of organic pollutants and microbial resources and has made outstanding achievements in the biodegradation of aromatic compounds, microbial chemotaxis mechanism, microbial isolation and culture. He has discovered a new mechanism of aromatic-compound chemotaxis and thiol-dependent aromatic hydrocarbon degradation pathway. He has published more than 200 research papers, and many strains and patented technologies have been transformed. In 2007, he was supported by the Outstanding Youth Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China.

We warmly welcome Prof. Dr. Shuangjiang Liu in his role as Associate Editor, and we look forward to his contributions to the continued success of the journal.

1. “The Use of Antimalarial Drugs against Viral Infection”
Sarah D’Alessandro et al.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(1), 85; 10.3390/microorganisms8010085
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/1/85

2. “Zoonotic Diseases: Etiology, Impact, and Control”
Md. Tanvir Rahman et al.
Microorganisms 2019, 7(1), 14;10.3390/microorganisms8091405
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/9/1405

3. “The Human Oral Microbiome in Health and Disease: From Sequences to Ecosystems”
Jesse R. Willis and Toni Gabaldón.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(2), 308;10.3390/microorganisms8020308
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/2/308

4. “The Influence of Probiotics on the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio in the Treatment of Obesity and Inflammatory Bowel disease”
Spase Stojanov et al.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(11), 1715; 10.3390/microorganisms8111715
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/11/1715

5. “Microbial Safety of Milk Production and Fermented Dairy Products in Africa”
James Owusu-Kwarteng et al.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(5), 752; 10.3390/microorganisms8050752
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/5/752

6. “Tocilizumab for Treatment of Severe COVID-19 Patients: Preliminary Results from Smatteo COVID-19 Registry (SMACORE)”
Marta Colaneri et al.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(5), 695; 10.3390/microorganisms8050695
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/5/695

7. “The Controversial Role of Human Gut Lachnospiraceae”
Mirco Vacca et al.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(4), 573; 10.3390/microorganisms8040573
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/4/573

8. “Isolation and Identification of Soil Bacteria from Extreme Environments of Chile and Their Plant Beneficial Characteristics”
Alexis Gaete et al.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(8), 1213; 10.3390/microorganisms8081213
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/8/1213

9. “COVID-19 Is a Multifaceted Challenging Pandemic Which Needs Urgent Public Health Interventions”
Carlo Contini et al.
Microorganisms 2020, 8(8), 1228; 10.3390/microorganisms8081228
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/8/1228

10. “An Update on the Genus Aeromonas: Taxonomy, Epidemiology, and Pathogenicity”
Ana Fernández-Bravo and Maria José Figueras
Microorganisms 2020, 8(1), 129; 10.3390/microorganisms8010129
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/1/129

We are pleased to announce that the following 13 Editorial Board Members have recently joined Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607).

Name: Prof. Dr. Satish Raina
Affiliation: Unit of Bacterial Genetics, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
Interests: protein folding; heat shock response; peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerases; disulfide bond formation; RpoE sigma factor, two-component systems; envelope stress; transcription factors; lipopolysaccharide assembly and modifications; non-coding regulatory RNAs

Name: Prof. Dr. Franco H. Falcone
Affiliation: Division of Molecular Therapeutics and Formulation, School of Pharmacy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Interests: mechanisms of Helicobacter pylori adhesion to the human gastric epithelium; development of new reporter systems for detection of sensitisation with allergen-specific IgE; molecular immunology

Name: Dr. Alain Doglio
Affiliation: Micoralis, UFR Odontologie, Université Côte d'Azur, Nice, France
Interests: virology; oral diseases; virus-associated immune defect; periodontitis; gingival inflammatory condition; Epstein–Barr virus; herpesviruses

Name: Dr. Andrea Cortegiani
Affiliation: 1. Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Science (Di.Chir.On.S.), University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
2. Department of Anaesthesia Intensive Care and Emergency, Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, 90127 Palermo, Italy
Interests: sepsis; infections in the critically ill; fungal infection; respiratory infection

Name: Dr. Marco Maria D'Andrea
Affiliation: Department of Biology, University of “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy
Interests: antibiotic resistance mechanisms; genetic bases for the diffusion of antibiotic resistance genes; microbial bioinformatics; new antimicrobial drugs; bacteriophages; bacteriophages as tools for phage therapy

Name: Dr. Eva Pericolini
Affiliation: Department of Surgery, Medicine, Dentistry and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
Interests: innate immunity to fungal infections; Candida; mucosal candidiasis; microbiota and mycobiota; fungal and bacterial biofilm; antifungal strategies

Name: Prof. Dr. José Ma. Alunda
Affiliation: Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Interests: Leishmania; Trypanosoma; chemotherapy; immunology; pathophysiology; pharmacology; parasites; vaccination; dog; ruminants; translational therapeutics; new drugs; drug delivery systems

Name: Prof. Dr. Edward R.B. Moore
Affiliation: 1. Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute for Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
2. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Guldhedsgatan 10a, Gothenburg, Sweden
Interests: microbial evolution and phylogeny; bacterial systematics and taxonomy; bacterial identification; molecular bacterial diagnostics; diagnostics of infectious diseases; anti-microbial resistance

Name: Dr. Martin Filion
Affiliation: Science and Technology Branch, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Government of Canada, 430 Gouin Boul., Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC J3B 3E6, Canada
Interests: pseudomonas; rhizosphere; plant-microbe interactions; biocontrol; plant-growth promotion; rhizocompetence

Name: Dr. Sangyong Lim
Affiliation: Radiation Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup 56212, Korea
Interests: molecular microbiology; gene regulatory networks; radiation resistant microorganisms; stress response proteins; deinococcus

Name: Prof. Dr. Lorenzo Zammarchi
Affiliation: Department of Experimental & Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Infectious and Tropical Diseases Unit, Careggi University and Hospital, 50134 Florence, Italy
Interests: epidemiology and clinical management of neglected tropical diseases； emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases; infectious diseases in pregnancy

Name: Dr. Seong-Tshool Hong
Affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Institute for Medical Science, School of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea
Interests: gut microbiome; trait; disease; nutrient; gene; composition of the gut microbiome

Name: Dr. James Garnett
Affiliation: Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London SE1 9RT, UK
Interests: biofilm formation; adhesion; secretion systems; structural biology; host–pathogen interactions; virulence factors; effectors; glycan

We wish them every success in their new positions and we look forward to their contributions to the journal.

Further details about the Microorganisms Editorial Board can be found at the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/microorganisms/editors.

It is our great honor to congratulate the Editorial Board Members and Editors in MDPI's journals who have been distinguished as 2021 Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate, according to Web of Science data. We herewith express our gratitude for the immense impact the named researchers continue to make on scientific progress and on our journals' development.

Clarivate's annual list of Highly Cited Researchers^TM identifies the most highly cited scientists for the past decade. Their impactful papers are among the top 1 per cent in the citation distribution of one or more of 22 fields analyzed in the "Essential Science Indicators", distinguishing them as hugely influential among their peers.

The full list of 2021 Highly Cited Researchers  can be accessed at the following webpage in the Web of Science^TM https://recognition.webofscience.com/awards/highly-cited/2021/.

--- Highly Cited Researchers (HCR) is a Clarivate product.

Academic editors play a crucial role in leading our journals and ensuring that each article undergoes a robust and timely peer-review. With the launch of Topics this year and addition of Topic Editors to our family of academic editors, we decided it would be a good time to restructure our academic boards, thus providing more clarity and support for each role. MDPI is pleased to announce the launch of a new position—Topical Advisory Panel Member, that will replace the previous position of Topics Board Member. The Topical Advisory Panel will be comprised of early career researchers eager to gain experience in editorial work.

The main responsibility of the new members of the Topical Advisory Panel is to regularly provide support to Guest Editors, Topic Editors, and Section Board Members. The responsibilities of the Topical Advisory Panel are available here: https://www.mdpi.com/editors.

Each year, the members’ performances are evaluated, and outstanding members are promoted to the Editorial Board by the Editor-in-Chief.

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

• Have expertise and experience in the field related to the journal;
• Have received a Ph.D. in the last 10 years, approximately;
• Have at least 6-8 published papers in the last 5 years as first author or corresponding author;
• Currently hold an independent research position in academia or a government institute.

If you are interested in this role, please contact the editorial office by email.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Founded in 1996, MDPI was one of the first fully Open Access publisher. Over 25 years MDPI has grown to become the largest Open Access publisher globally, publishing over 160,000 articles across more than 350 journals in 2020. At the core, MDPI was founded in response to a pressing need of fast publication and inclusion. The scholar was set at the centre of the publication process for the first time. Acting as a service provider, rather than a product provider, MDPI exists to help scientists achive their objective to disseminate research results. At MDPI, we believe scientists deserve a better service from the publishing world.

The International Open Access Week (Open Access Week), founded by the SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) Alliance and student partners in 2008, has been successfully running for 13 years. As an advocate and pioneer of open access publishing, MDPI actively responds to the call of International Open Access Week. This year’s theme of “It Matters How We Open Knowledge: Building Structural Equity” highlights the Recommendation’s call for equitable participation from all authors and readers.

For the last 25 years, MDPI has been committed to disseminating open research. Here is a video showing MDPI’s Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Diversity for More than 25 Years.

International Open Access Week is an important opportunity to catalyze new conversations, create connections across and between communities that can facilitate this co-design, and advance progress in the building of more equitable foundations for opening knowledge—discussions and actions that need to be continued, year in and year out. MDPI has always aimed to provide professional and efficient publishing services to scholars around the world.

Our mission is to make scientific research accessible to everyone; this year, we interview and hold discussions with open science ambassadors on how to build an equal and inclusive environment for open science. Academic editors help us collaborate with more institutions to advocate for open access ideas.

Read our anniversary blog post: "Sharing 'Collective Human Knowledge': The Benefits of Open Access Publication"

Besides this, our scientific community is a key driver of our success and MDPI’s remarkable growth. Despite the pandemic, we have prepared online conferences and workshops to gather scholars from different communities.

The Basel Sustainable Publishing online forum provides an equal opportunity for stakeholders and researchers from multi-cultural environments to exchange ideas and eliminate barriers to participation.

Conference date: 25 October 2021, online
Conference website: https://bspf2021.sciforum.net/
Main topics: MDPI discusses the current dilemma of open access science from various perspectives such as governments, libraries, and publishers, and related measures on how to change the status quo of discrimination from a global perspective.

We aim to support equality, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility in scholarly communications. We collaborate with universities and key laboratories and have scholarly communications with researchers, teachers, and students on open access workshops.

• 25 October 2021
  Energies journal and Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

• 28 October 2021
  Machines journal and State Key Laboratory of Traction Power, Southwest Jiaotong University

• 29 October 2021
  Processes journal and Beijing Institute of Technology

• 29 October 2021
  Coatings journal and Wuhan University of Technology

MDPI is committed to providing open access and high-quality publishing services for scholars and promoting rapid dissemination of academic achievements. We hope to promote the practices and policies of open access publishing and diversify the dissemination of academic achievements.

Rigorous peer-review is the cornerstone of high-quality academic publishing. Over 369,916 scholars served as reviewers for MDPI journals in 2020. We are extremely appreciative of all those who made a contribution to the editorial process in this capacity. At the beginning of every year, journal editorial offices publish a list of all reviewers’ names to express our gratitude. In addition, this year, the MDPI Top Reviewer Award was announced, to recognize the very best reviewers for their expertise and dedication, and their high-quality, and timely review reports. We are pleased to announce the following winners of the 2020 MDPI Top Reviewer Award:

• Adriana Burlea-Schiopoiu;
• Alban Kuriqi;
• Álvaro González-Vila;
• Alessandro Alaimo;
• Alexey Beskopylny;
• Alexander Yu Churyumov;
• Alberto Fernández-Isabel;
• Andrea Mastinu;
• Antonios N. Papadopoulos;
• Anton Rassõlkin;
• Antonio Humberto Hamad Minervino;
• Arkadiusz Matwijczuk;
• Artur Słomka;
• Baojie He;
• Bartłomiej Potaniec;
• Bojan Đurin;
• Camilo Arturo Rodriguez Diaz;
• Carmelo Maria Musarella;
• Chiachung Chen;
• Chiman Kwan;
• Cristian Busu;
• Danil Pimenov;
• Dan-Cristian Dabija;
• Delfín Ortega-Sánchez;
• Demetrio Antonio Zema;
• Denis Butusov;
• Elena Lucchi;
• Gaurab Dutta;
• Livia Anastasiu;
• M. R. Safaei.

For more information about how to become a reviewer of MDPI journals, please see: www.mdpi.com/reviewers.

UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. In 2020 the SDG Publishers Compact was launched, aimed to inspire publishers and accelerate progress to achieve the 17 goals by 2030. Members of the programme are committed to support the publication of materials that will promote and inspire actions towards SDGs.

MDPI is an eager advocate of SDGs and has already been supporting the programme by creating Special Issues and publishing a series of books on SDGs prior to joining the Compact in 2021. MDPI's Sustainability Foundation initiated the World Sustainability Awards in 2016. We fully support UN's goals to promote sustainable actions that make the world a better place for all and, as part of its commitment, we will focus our actions on SDG10: Reduced Inequalities whilst promoting all 17 SDGs. For more details, please visit the programme’s website: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdg-publishers-compact/.

Joining this initiative was a unanimous decision. MDPI has in its core values the dissemination of science for all, breaking the wall between research access and under-represented members of the scientific community and the general population. To support this initiative further and continue to support under-represented scientists, MDPI will take a series of actions that will be announced once ready.

The first action MDPI takes is to nominate Dr. Liliane Auwerter as the coordinator of the programme. Dr. Auwerter studied Environmental Process Technology (UTFPR, Brazil), obtained her MSc degree in Water and Environmental Engineering (University of Surrey, UK) and in 2020 completed her PhD in self-healing low-friction materials for water transport (Imperial College London, UK), always focusing on diverse scientific projects that would potentially bring sustainability to industrial processes. As a student in Brazil, she engaged in volunteering activities focused on environmental education and took part in the Millennial Development Goals meetings held at the university.

For more information, please contact:
Dr. Liliane Auwerter
Scientific Officer
liliane.auwerter@mdpi.com