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Sci
Special Issues
Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection
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Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection

A special issue of Sci (ISSN 2413-4155).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2020) | Viewed by 63468

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Claus Jacob

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Bioorganic Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Saarland University, D-66123 Saarbruecken, Germany
Interests: bioorganic chemistry; catalytic sensor/effector agents; epistemology; intracellular diagnostics; nanotechnology; natural products; reactive sulfur and selenium species; redox regulation via the cellular thiolstat
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As Editor-in-Chief of Sci, I am pleased to announce our first Special Issue of the annual series of Feature Papers Editors Collection. This Special Issue publishes original articles and reviews on topics considered by our editors as being actual and highly significant in 2020. Each editor, as an authority in her or his field of research, is therefore invited and encouraged to contribute such keynote publication(s) in her or his respective field. These “Feature Papers” will be collected as the annual overview of activities in the areas relevant to Sci, and will be published in book format after the Special Issue has been closed.

As always, we welcome high-quality contributions falling within the scope of our journal and its various fields of scientific activity. Submitted manuscripts in these areas will be open to our innovative public postpublication peer review process and will feature prominently on the Sci website.

Prof. Dr. Claus Jacob
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sci is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 915 KiB  
Editorial
Sci: An Inclusive, Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal
by Ahmad Yaman Abdin and Claus Jacob
Sci 2022, 4(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci4010010 - 07 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2251
Abstract
Sci (ISSN 2413-4155) is an international, open-access journal that covers most fields of scientific research. It has set out to challenge the conventional single- and double-blind peer review processes by adopting a post-publication public peer review (P4R) model. The model faced some difficulties [...] Read more.
Sci (ISSN 2413-4155) is an international, open-access journal that covers most fields of scientific research. It has set out to challenge the conventional single- and double-blind peer review processes by adopting a post-publication public peer review (P4R) model. The model faced some difficulties with indexing and archiving services, prolongated the peer review process and its transparency received some opposition. It was therefore necessary to revisit the P4R model and modify it, resulting in the hybrid model (P4R hybrid) which is implemented in Sci today. Sci remains open to the whole scientific community as an inclusive and multidisciplinary scientific journal. In this context, we present you with six valuable contributions to the first Special Issue of Feature Papers Editors Collection 2020. The topics of the contributions address relevant and compelling issues ranging from data protection, material science, COVID-19 to the environment and climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection)
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Research

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21 pages, 6041 KiB  
Article
Urban Sprawl and Growth Prediction for Lagos Using GlobeLand30 Data and Cellular Automata Model
by Olalekan O. Onilude and Eric Vaz
Sci 2021, 3(2), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci3020023 - 05 May 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 5289
Abstract
Urban growth in various cities across the world, especially in developing countries, leads to land use change. Thus, predicting future urban growth in the most rapidly growing region of Nigeria becomes a significant endeavor. This study analyzes land use and land cover (LULC) [...] Read more.
Urban growth in various cities across the world, especially in developing countries, leads to land use change. Thus, predicting future urban growth in the most rapidly growing region of Nigeria becomes a significant endeavor. This study analyzes land use and land cover (LULC) change and predicts the future urban growth of the Lagos metropolitan region, using Cellular Automata (CA) model. To achieve this, the GlobeLand30 datasets from years 2000 and 2010 were used to obtain LULC maps, which were utilized for modeling and prediction. Change analysis and prediction for LULC scenario for 2030 were performed using LCM and CA Markov chain modeling. The results show a substantial growth of artificial surfaces, which will cause further reductions in cultivated land, grassland, shrubland, wetland, and waterbodies. There was no appreciable impact of change for bare land, as its initial extent of cover later disappeared completely. Additionally, artificial surfaces/urban growth in Lagos expanded to the neighboring towns and localities in Ogun State during the study period, and it is expected that such growth will be higher in 2030. Lastly, the study findings will be beneficial to urban planners and land use managers in making key decisions regarding urban growth and improved land use management in Nigeria. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection)
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10 pages, 1569 KiB  
Article
Co-Processing of [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2 and UHMWPE into Materials Combining Spin Crossover and High Mechanical Strength
by Manuel Baumgartner, Raphael Schaller, Paul Smith, Irene Weymuth and Walter Caseri
Sci 2021, 3(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci3010007 - 07 Jan 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3343
Abstract
The coordination polymer [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2 (NH2trz = 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole and 2ns− = counterion 2-naphthalene sulfonate) exhibits the rare phenomenon of spin crossover in an attractive temperature range, i.e., somewhat above room temperature. Spin crossover in [Fe(NH2 [...] Read more.
The coordination polymer [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2 (NH2trz = 4-amino-1,2,4-triazole and 2ns− = counterion 2-naphthalene sulfonate) exhibits the rare phenomenon of spin crossover in an attractive temperature range, i.e., somewhat above room temperature. Spin crossover in [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2 is manifested by thermochromism, which is accompanied by a magnetic transition from diamagnetism to paramagnetism. However, [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2 is brittle and difficult to process, which limits its use. In this study, we show that [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2 can be co-processed with ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), which possesses outstanding mechanical properties, particularly when tensile-drawn. Therefore, [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2–UHMWPE blends were gel-processed by extrusion, employing a relatively poor solvent, which has recently been shown to offer advantages compared to good solvents. Uniform and flexible films, ribbons and fibers with [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2 fractions as high as 33.3% m/m were obtained that could be readily drawn. Spin crossover in the coordination polymer is retained in these materials, as evident from their thermochromism. The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the blends exceed those of typical commodity polymers. Thus, the films, ribbons and fibers constitute a special class of multifunctional materials that combine the flexibility and excellent mechanical properties of drawn UHMWPE with the spin crossover behavior of [Fe(NH2trz)3](2ns)2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection)
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25 pages, 7424 KiB  
Article
How to Achieve Compliance with GDPR Article 17 in a Hybrid Cloud Environment
by Miriam Kelly, Eoghan Furey and Kevin Curran
Sci 2021, 3(1), 3; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci3010003 - 04 Jan 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5397
Abstract
On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Article 17, the Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”) came into force, making it vital for organisations to identify, locate and delete all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) where a valid request is [...] Read more.
On 25 May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Article 17, the Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”) came into force, making it vital for organisations to identify, locate and delete all Personally Identifiable Information (PII) where a valid request is received from a data subject to erase their PII and the contractual period has expired. This must be done without undue delay and the organisation must be able to demonstrate that reasonable measures were taken. Failure to comply may incur significant fines, not to mention impact to reputation. Many organisations do not understand their data, and the complexity of a hybrid cloud infrastructure means they do not have the resources to undertake this task. The variety of available tools are quite often unsuitable as they involve restructuring so there is one centralised data repository. This research aims to demonstrate that compliance with GDPR’s Article 17 Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”) is achievable in a hybrid cloud environment by following a list of recommendations. However, full retrieval, all of the time will not be possible, but we show that small organisations running an ad-hoc hybrid cloud environment can demonstrate that reasonable measures were taken to be Right to Erasure (“Right to be Forgotten”) compliant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection)
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33 pages, 5568 KiB  
Article
Atmospheric Temperature and CO2: Hen-Or-Egg Causality?
by Demetris Koutsoyiannis and Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz
Sci 2020, 2(4), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci2040083 - 25 Nov 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 23020
Abstract
It is common knowledge that increasing CO2 concentration plays a major role in enhancement of the greenhouse effect and contributes to global warming. The purpose of this study is to complement the conventional and established theory, that increased CO2 concentration due [...] Read more.
It is common knowledge that increasing CO2 concentration plays a major role in enhancement of the greenhouse effect and contributes to global warming. The purpose of this study is to complement the conventional and established theory, that increased CO2 concentration due to human emissions causes an increase in temperature, by considering the reverse causality. Since increased temperature causes an increase in CO2 concentration, the relationship of atmospheric CO2 and temperature may qualify as belonging to the category of “hen-or-egg” problems, where it is not always clear which of two interrelated events is the cause and which the effect. We examine the relationship of global temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration in monthly time steps, covering the time interval 1980–2019 during which reliable instrumental measurements are available. While both causality directions exist, the results of our study support the hypothesis that the dominant direction is T → CO2. Changes in CO2 follow changes in T by about six months on a monthly scale, or about one year on an annual scale. We attempt to interpret this mechanism by involving biochemical reactions as at higher temperatures, soil respiration and, hence, CO2 emissions, are increasing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection)
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Review

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20 pages, 283 KiB  
Review
Perspectives on Topical Medical Research in the COVID-19 Era
by Michael McAleer
Sci 2021, 3(4), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci3040038 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2442
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global community in terms of every imaginable parameter. The research output on COVID-19 has been nothing short of phenomenal, especially in the medical and biomedical sciences, where the search for a potential [...] Read more.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the global community in terms of every imaginable parameter. The research output on COVID-19 has been nothing short of phenomenal, especially in the medical and biomedical sciences, where the search for a potential vaccine has been conducted in earnest. Much of the advanced research has been distributed in leading medical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), where the latest research is distributed on a daily basis. The purpose of this paper is to provide some perspectives on 44 interesting and highly topical research papers that have been published in JAMA, at the time of writing, within the past two weeks. The diverse topics include public health, general medicine, internal medicine, oncology, pediatrics, geriatrics, and biostatistics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection)
14 pages, 677 KiB  
Review
The Increase of Soil Organic Matter Reduces Global Warming, Myth or Reality?
by Jose Navarro-Pedreño, María Belén Almendro-Candel and Antonis A. Zorpas
Sci 2021, 3(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/sci3010018 - 08 Mar 2021
Cited by 65 | Viewed by 8562
Abstract
The soil has lost organic matter in the past centuries. Adding organic matter to soils is one of the management practices applied to recover the levels of soil carbon of the past and to improve soil properties. Is it a good practice to [...] Read more.
The soil has lost organic matter in the past centuries. Adding organic matter to soils is one of the management practices applied to recover the levels of soil carbon of the past and to improve soil properties. Is it a good practice to reduce global warming? In fact, one of the practices promoted to combat climate change is increasing soil organic matter. However, the addition of organic residues to the soil could facilitate the liberation of CO2 and wastes could also have no positive effects on soil properties (i.e., pollution). In this sense, what it is important is: (a) to know which is the expected effect of the organic matter added to the soil; (b) how this application alters the soil processes; (c) which are the management practices that should be applied; (d) how much is the real amount of carbon sequester by the soil and; (e) the balance at short and long period after the application of the organic matter. The adequate strategy should be to favour the increment of biologically stabilized soil organic matter considering medium and long time. However, it is necessary to adapt the strategies to the local environmental conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers 2020 Editors' Collection)
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