ALBERT

Description / Table of Contents: Induced seismic events are of high scientific and economic significance. They are the result of human activities interacting with regional and local tectonics, changing the local crustal stress state by mining, extraction of rock masses, injection of fluids into the rock massif, and by changing the surface loading and pore pressure state near large reservoirs. Within Europe the study of induced seismic events has a long tradition and international scientific organizations have actively stimulated the co-operation in this field. During its General Assembly in September 1994, the European Seismological Society organized the symposium "Induced Seismic Events". The focus of this symposium was concentrated on induced events in central and eastern Europe, as well as in the former Soviet Union. The major contributions to the symposium, and also some Chinese, Canadian, and South African results are presented here. Case studies as well as data analyses and methodological studies are included. Seismologists and specialists working in the field of geohazard prevention will find much information in this volume that is pertinent to their work.

Description / Table of Contents: The special issue contains contributions presented at the international workshop Seismic waves in laterally inhomogeneous media IV, which was held at the Castle of Trest, Czech Republic, May 22-27, 1995. The workshop, which was attended by about 100 seismologists from more than 10 countries, was devoted mainly to the current state of theoretical and computational means of study of seismic wave propagation in complex structures. The special issue can be of interest for theoretical, global and explorational seismologists. The first part contains papers dealing with the study and the use of various methods of solving forward and inverse problems in complicated structures. Among other methods, discrete-wave number method, the finite-difference method, the edge-wave supperposition method and the ray method are studied and used. Most papers contained in the second part are related to the ray method. The most important topics are two-point ray tracing, grid calculations of travel times and amplitudes and seismic wave propagation in anisotropic media.

Description / Table of Contents: Since the early design of activities to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the need to engage local communities and indigenous groups in monitoring and reporting has been recognized. REDD+ has advanced under the UNFCCC negotiations, but most countries still need to define formally what the role of communities in their national monitoring systems will be. Previous research and experiences have shown that local communities can effectively contribute in the monitoring of natural resources. This editorial introduces a Special Issue of Forests which discusses the implications of and potential for including community based monitoring (CBM) in monitoring and benefit-sharing systems in REDD+. It outlines the main points of the nine contributions to the Special Issue which cover a wide geographical area and report on projects and research which engages more than 150 communities from eight different countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The editorial summarizes how the articles and reports build further understanding of the potential of CBM to contribute to the implementation, monitoring and distribution of benefits in REDD+. It also discusses the results of an on-going opinion survey on issues related to CBM and its relation to benefit sharing, which indicates that there is still disagreement on a number of key elements.

Description / Table of Contents: CIRIAF (Inter-University Research Center on Pollution and Environment “Mauro Felli” is a research center, based at the University of Perugia, which promotes interdisciplinary research activities in the fields of environmental pollution and its health and socio-economic effects, sustainable development, renewable and alternative energy, energy planning, and sustainable mobility. One hundred professors from fourteen different Italian universities are involved in the activities of the center. The CIRIAF National Congress (e.g., the fourteenth one in 2014), has become, over time, an important event for researchers and experts (engineers, physicists, chemists, architects, doctors, and economists). These individuals are not simply academics; they also hail from ministries, environmental agencies, and local authorities. The annual meeting in Perugia is an opportunity to discuss the issues related to energy, environment and sustainable development. The Special Issue will include the best papers presented at the Congress. These were selected by the Scientific Committee with the help of the various Chairmen of the Sessions. The papers cover all the various aspects of sustainability, from an interdisciplinary point of view, with a strong emphasis on the link between energy production, use and conservation, and environmental impact.

Description / Table of Contents: Geothermal energy has been harnessed for recreational uses for millennia, but only for electricity generation for a little over a century. Although geothermal is unique amongst renewables for its baseload and renewable heat provision capabilities, uptake continues to lag far behind that of solar and wind. This is mainly attributable to (i) uncertainties over resource availability in poorly-explored reservoirs and (ii) the concentration of full-lifetime costs into early-stage capital expenditure (capex). Recent advances in reservoir characterization techniques are beginning to narrow the bounds of exploration uncertainty, both by improving estimates of reservoir geometry and properties, and by providing pre-drilling estimates of temperature at depth. Advances in drilling technologies and management have potential to significantly lower initial capex, while operating expenditure is being further reduced by more effective reservoir management—supported by robust models—and increasingly efficient energy conversion systems (flash, binary and combined-heat-and-power). Advances in characterization and modelling are also improving management of shallow low-enthalpy resources that can only be exploited using heat-pump technology. Taken together with increased public appreciation of the benefits of geothermal, the technology is finally ready to take its place as a mainstream renewable technology, exploited far beyond its traditional confines in the world’s volcanic regions.

Description / Table of Contents: The earth is experiencing the adverse effect of climate change. In response to growing global warming issues and the constant increase of energy prices, house-builders and housing manufacturers today are becoming more responsive to the delivery of net zero energy and carbon dioxide emission sustainable homes than ever. Within this context, the sustainability may embrace housing economy and adequacy beyond the legitimacy in which the quality barely coincides with individuals' dynamic various needs, desires and expectations. In this special issue, "mass customisation" is reviewed being considered as a paradoxical concept which has been recognised as a means to lessen production costs of end-user products whilst achieving the customisability through economies of scope rather than economies of scale. Nevertheless, the housing industry's business operation tends to follow routines and the close system mode of operation often hinders the enterprises from adopting unfamiliar inn ovations which may be inevitable in realising the delivery and operation of socially, economically and environmentally sustainable homes. In order to deliver a marketable and replicable zero energy/emission mass custom home, or ZEMCH, the strategic balance between the optional and standard features seems to be critical. The optional features may be provided with the aim to enhance design quality (or customizability) that helps contribute to satisfying desires and expectations of individual stakeholders. The standard equipment, on the other hand, needs to be installed in buildings as it aims to exceed product quality whose levels can be adjusted in conjunction with societal demands and requirements. This edition encompasses a wide spectrum of hopes and fears around the design, production and marketing approaches to the ZEMCH delivery and operation, and showcases some exemplars budding out in different climates around the globe.

Description / Table of Contents: This is the second volume of the topical issue “Mathematics and Geosciences: Global and Local Perspectives” which embraces 21 papers on different topics relating to Mathematics and Geosciences. They address different topics under both global and local perspectives, such as a method for calculating probabilities for large events in systems such as earthquakes, typhoons, etc.; the use of the Laplace–Fourier-domain full waveform inversion technique to deep-sea seismic data; discrete element modeling; step-edge detection filters, study of a transition zone of the Narmada-Son lineament; integral formulae for recovering the sub-crustal stress from terrestrial gravimetric data; numerical simulations of earthquake fault systems and their use to estimate gravity changes; application of Gaussian clustering to joint interpretation of seismic and magnetotelluric data; on the reliability and fidelity of archaeomagnetic and volcanic records to recover the past evolution of the Earth’s magnetic field; the study, for the first time, of variations in absolute surface geostrophic currents (SGC) using satellite data only; discussion of the inconsistency of IAU2000 non-rigid earth nutation model; the study of nonlinear anisotropic diffusive filtering applied to the ocean´s MDT; the numerical solution of a nonhydrostatic ocean model; Hydrological-Hydraulic models; Steiner rearrangement of a function to study the effectiveness of chemical reactors for the treatment of wastewaters; GNSS software; the study of the fractal dimensions for the identification of bedrock lithology; the study of the Uruk archaeological site (southern Iraq) by integrated geophysical methods; mathematical model for patchy landscapes; study of pore space soil structure; and the results of comparison between transverse electric-type fields and between transverse magnetic and transverse electromagnetic fields. As the previous one, volume II addresses the interest of scientists of many of the branches in Earth Sciences as well as postgraduate students, covering both approaches, applied and theoretical ones, to solve many different problems in Geosciences with the help of mathematical models and methods.

Description / Table of Contents: All living organisms are composed of major, minor, and trace elements, given by nature and supplied by geology. Medical geology is a rapidly growing discipline dealing with the influence of natural geological and environmental risk factors on the distribution of health problems in humans and animals. As a multi-disciplinary scientific field, medical geology has the potential of helping medical and public health communities all over the world in the pursuit of solutions to a wide range of environmental and naturally induced health issues. The natural environment can impact health in a variety of ways. The composition of rocks and minerals are imprinted on the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the food that we eat. For many people this transference of minerals and the trace elements they contain is beneficial as it is the primary source of nutrients (such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and about a dozen other elements) that are essential for a healthy life. However, sometimes the local geology can cause significant health problems because there is an insufficient amount of an essential element or an excess of a potentially toxic element (such as arsenic, mercury, lead, fluorine, etc.), or a harmful substance such as methane gas, dust-sized particles of asbestos, quartz or pyrite, or certain naturally occurring organic compounds. Current and future medical geology concerns include: dangerous levels of arsenic in drinking water in dozens of countries including the USA; mercury emissions from coal combustion and its bioaccumulation in the environment; the impacts of mercury and lead mobilizations in regions were artisanal gold mining is conducted; the residual health impacts of geologic processes such as volcanic emissions, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and geogenic dust; exposure to fibrous minerals such as asbestos and erionite; and the health impacts of global climate change. Billions of people, most in developing countries, are afflicted by these and other environmental health issues that can be avoided, prevented, mitigated or minimized through research and educational outreach. This Special Issue of Geosciences discusses recent advances in medical geology, providing examples from research conducted all over the world. Among the topics to be discussed are: - Health effects from trace elements, metals and metalloids - Regional and global impacts of natural dust (including the study of nanoparticles) - Chemical and environmental pathology of diseases associated with natural environment - Novel analytical approaches to the study of natural geochemical and environmental agents - Research on beneficial health aspects of natural geological materials - Risk management, risk communication and risk mitigation on medical geology - Remote sensing and GIS applications on medical geology - Epidemiology and public health studies on medical geology - Climate change and medical geology - Clinical and toxicological research on biomarkers of exposure - Veterinary medical geology - Biosurveillance and biomonitoring studies on medical geology

Description / Table of Contents: Over the last decades, the study of extremophiles has providing ground breaking discoveries that challenge the paradigms of modern biology and make us rethink intriguing questions such as “what is life?”, “what are the limits of life?”, and “what are the fundamental features of life?”. The mechanisms by which different microorganisms adapt to extreme environments provide a unique perspective on the fundamental characteristics of biological processes present in most species. Extremophiles are also critical for evolutionary studies related to the origins of life, since they form a cluster on the base of the tree of life. Furthermore, the application of extremophiles in industrial processes has opened a new era in biotechnology. The study of extreme environments has become a key area of research for astrobiology. Extremophiles may help us understand what form life takes on other planetary bodies in our own solar system and beyond. These findings and possibilities have made the study of life in extreme environments one of the most exciting areas of research in recent decades. However, despite the latest advances we are just in the beginning of exploring and characterizing the world of extremophiles. This special issue covers all aspects of life in extreme environments.

Description / Table of Contents: Water is not only an interesting object to be studied on its own, it also is an important component driving almost all ecological processes occurring in our landscapes. Plant growth depends on soil water content, as well is nutrient turnover by microbes. Water shapes the environment by erosion and sedimentation. Species occur or are lost depending on hydrological conditions, and many infectious diseases are water-borne. Modeling the complex interactions of water and ecosystem processes requires the prediction of hydrological fluxes and stages on the one side and the coupling of the ecosystem process model on the other. While much effort has been given to the development of the hydrological model theory in recent decades, we have just begun to explore the difficulties that occur when coupled model applications are being set up.

Description / Table of Contents: Water covers approximately 71% of the planet’s surface and human activities have been relying on it since remote times. Many traces of these exist under the “zero level” and will continue to exist in the future. Measuring, positioning, and mapping objects under water have experienced very significant modifications, brought about by advances in technology and also by changed requirements, demands for new products, introduction of new tools, and the modification of existing equipment. The exploration, documentation, and recording of underwater environments remains a difficult task, and is sometimes still unsolved. The research, design, and development of techniques and procedures for correctly validating underwater environments are more than ever important. This Special Issue originates from the ISPRS/CIPA Workshop "UNDERWATER 3D RECORDING & MODELING—Experiences in Data Acquisition, Calibration, Orientation, Modelling & Accuracy Assessment” (http://3dom.fbk.eu/files/underwater/index.html).

Description / Table of Contents: Chen, K.; Zamora, N.; Babeyko, A.; Li, X.; Ge, M. Precise Positioning of BDS, BDS/GPS: Implications for Tsunami Early Warning in South China Sea. Remote Sensing 2015, 7(12), 15955-15968; doi:10.3390/rs71215814 --- Cianflone, G.; Tolomei, C.; Brunori, C.; Dominici, R. InSAR Time Series Analysis of Natural and Anthropogenic Coastal Plain Subsidence: The Case of Sibari (Southern Italy). Remote Sensing 2015, 7(12), 16004-16023; doi:10.3390/rs71215812 --- Kropáček, J.; Vařilová, Z.; Baroň, I.; Bhattacharya, A.; Eberle, J.; Hochschild, V. Remote Sensing for Characterisation and Kinematic Analysis of Large Slope Failures: Debre Sina Landslide, Main Ethiopian Rift Escarpment. Remote Sensing 2015, 7(12), 16183-16203; doi:10.3390/rs71215821 --- Pacheco-Martínez, J.; Cabral-Cano, E.; Wdowinski, S.; Hernández-Marín, M.; Ortiz-Lozano, J.; Zermeño-de-León, M. Application of InSAR and Gravimetry for Land Subsidence Hazard Zoning in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Remote Sensing 2015, 7(12), 17035-17050; doi:10.3390/rs71215868 --- Al-Rawabdeh, A.; He, F.; Moussa, A.; El-Sheimy, N.; Habib, A. Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Digital Imaging System to Derive a 3D Point Cloud for Landslide Scarp Recognition. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(2), 95; doi:10.3390/rs8020095 --- Zhai, W.; Shen, H.; Huang, C.; Pei, W. Building Earthquake Damage Information Extraction from a Single Post-Earthquake PolSAR Image. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 171; doi:10.3390/rs8030171 --- Jiang, Y.; Liao, M.; Zhou, Z.; Shi, X.; Zhang, L.; Balz, T. Landslide Deformation Analysis by Coupling Deformation Time Series from SAR Data with Hydrological Factors through Data Assimilation. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 179; doi:10.3390/rs8030179 --- He, M.; Zhu, Q.; Du, Z.; Hu, H.; Ding, Y.; Chen, M. A 3D Shape Descriptor Based on Contour Clusters for Damaged Roof Detection Using Airborne LiDAR Point Clouds. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 189; doi:10.3390/rs8030189 --- Hu, J.; Wang, Q.; Li, Z.; Zhao, R.; Sun, Q. Investigating the Ground Deformation and Source Model of the Yangbajing Geothermal Field in Tibet, China with the WLS InSAR Technique. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 191; doi:10.3390/rs8030191 --- Hsieh, Y.; Chan, Y.; Hu, J. Digital Elevation Model Differencing and Error Estimation from Multiple Sources: A Case Study from the Meiyuan Shan Landslide in Taiwan. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 199; doi:10.3390/rs8030199 --- Zhu, S.; Xu, C.; Wen, Y.; Liu, Y. Interseismic Deformation of the Altyn Tagh Fault Determined by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Measurements. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 233; doi:10.3390/rs8030233 --- Vetrivel, A.; Gerke, M.; Kerle, N.; Vosselman, G. Identification of Structurally Damaged Areas in Airborne Oblique Images Using a Visual-Bag-of-Words Approach. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 231; doi:10.3390/rs8030231 --- Bardi, F.; Raspini, F.; Ciampalini, A.; Kristensen, L.; Rouyet, L.; Lauknes, T.; Frauenfelder, R.; Casagli, N. Space-Borne and Ground-Based InSAR Data Integration: The Åknes Test Site. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 237; doi:10.3390/rs8030237 --- Liu, P.; Li, Q.; Li, Z.; Hoey, T.; Liu, G.; Wang, C.; Hu, Z.; Zhou, Z.; Singleton, A. Anatomy of Subsidence in Tianjin from Time Series InSAR. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 266; doi:10.3390/rs8030266 --- Ma, Y.; Chen, F.; Liu, J.; He, Y.; Duan, J.; Li, X. An Automatic Procedure for Early Disaster Change Mapping Based on Optical Remote Sensing. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 272; doi:10.3390/rs8040272 --- Yang, C.; Zhang, Q.; Xu, Q.; Zhao, C.; Peng, J.; Ji, L. Complex Deformation Monitoring over the Linfen–Yuncheng Basin (China) with Time Series InSAR Technology. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 284; doi:10.3390/rs8040284 --- Watanabe, M.; Thapa, R.; Shimada, M. Pi-SAR-L2 Observation of the Landslide Caused by Typhoon Wipha on Izu Oshima Island. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 282; doi:10.3390/rs8040282 --- Plank, S.; Twele, A.; Martinis, S. Landslide Mapping in Vegetated Areas Using Change Detection Based on Optical and Polarimetric SAR Data. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 307; doi:10.3390/rs8040307 --- Solaro, G.; De Novellis, V.; Castaldo, R.; De Luca, C.; Lanari, R.; Manunta, M.; Casu, F. Coseismic Fault Model of Mw 8.3 2015 Illapel Earthquake (Chile) Retrieved from Multi-Orbit Sentinel1-A DInSAR Measurements. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 323; doi:10.3390/rs8040323 --- Bai, L.; Jiang, L.; Wang, H.; Sun, Q. Spatiotemporal Characterization of Land Subsidence and Uplift (2009–2010) over Wuhan in Central China Revealed by TerraSAR-X InSAR Analysis. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 350; doi:10.3390/rs8040350 --- Xu, B.; Li, Z.; Feng, G.; Zhang, Z.; Wang, Q.; Hu, J.; Chen, X. Continent-Wide 2-D Co-Seismic Deformation of the 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel, Chile Earthquake Derived from Sentinel-1A Data: Correction of Azimuth Co-Registration Error. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(5), 376; doi:10.3390/rs8050376 --- Chen, M.; Tomás, R.; Li, Z.; Motagh, M.; Li, T.; Hu, L.; Gong, H.; Li, X.; Yu, J.; Gong, X. Imaging Land Subsidence Induced by Groundwater Extraction in Beijing (China) Using Satellite Radar Interferometry. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(6), 468; doi:10.3390/rs8060468 --- Ji, L.; Xu, J.; Zhao, Q.; Yang, C. Source Parameters of the 2003–2004 Bange Earthquake Sequence, Central Tibet, China, Estimated from InSAR Data. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(6), 516; doi:10.3390/rs8060516 --- Li, Y.; Jiang, W.; Zhang, J.; Luo, Y. Space Geodetic Observations and Modeling of 2016 Mw 5.9 Menyuan Earthquake: Implications on Seismogenic Tectonic Motion. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(6), 519; doi:10.3390/rs8060519 --- Trasatti, E.; Tolomei, C.; Pezzo, G.; Atzori, S.; Salvi, S. Deformation and Related Slip Due to the 2011 Van Earthquake (Turkey) Sequence Imaged by SAR Data and Numerical Modeling. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(6), 532; doi:10.3390/rs8060532 --- Wang, C.; Mao, X.; Wang, Q. Landslide Displacement Monitoring by a Fully Polarimetric SAR Offset Tracking Method. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 624; doi:10.3390/rs8080624 --- Liu, Y.; Xu, C.; Li, Z.; Wen, Y.; Chen, J.; Li, Z. Time-Dependent Afterslip of the 2009 Mw 6.3 Dachaidan Earthquake (China) and Viscosity beneath the Qaidam Basin Inferred from Postseismic Deformation Observations. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 649; doi:10.3390/rs8080649 --- Xu, B.; Feng, G.; Li, Z.; Wang, Q.; Wang, C.; Xie, R. Coastal Subsidence Monitoring Associated with Land Reclamation Using the Point Target Based SBAS-InSAR Method: A Case Study of Shenzhen, China. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 652; doi:10.3390/rs8080652 --- Sun, L.; Muller, J. Evaluation of the Use of Sub-Pixel Offset Tracking Techniques to Monitor Landslides in Densely Vegetated Steeply Sloped Areas. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 659; doi:10.3390/rs8080659 --- De Novellis, V.; Castaldo, R.; Lollino, P.; Manunta, M.; Tizzani, P. Advanced Three-Dimensional Finite Element Modeling of a Slow Landslide through the Exploitation of DInSAR Measurements and in Situ Surveys. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 670; doi:10.3390/rs8080670 --- Zhang, Y.; Wu, H.; Kang, Y.; Zhu, C. Ground Subsidence in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region from 1992 to 2014 Revealed by Multiple SAR Stacks. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 675; doi:10.3390/rs8080675 --- Zhou, G.; Yue, T.; Shi, Y.; Zhang, R.; Huang, J. Second-Order Polynomial Equation-Based Block Adjustment for Orthorectification of DISP Imagery. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 680; doi:10.3390/rs8080680 --- Bonì, R.; Pilla, G.; Meisina, C. Methodology for Detection and Interpretation of Ground Motion Areas with the A-DInSAR Time Series Analysis. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 686; doi:10.3390/rs8080686 --- Xie, S.; Duan, J.; Liu, S.; Dai, Q.; Liu, W.; Ma, Y.; Guo, R.; Ma, C. Crowdsourcing Rapid Assessment of Collapsed Buildings Early after the Earthquake Based on Aerial Remote Sensing Image: A Case Study of Yushu Earthquake. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(9), 759; doi:10.3390/rs8090759 --- Fernández, T.; Pérez, J.; Cardenal, J.; Gómez, J.; Colomo, C.; Delgado, J. Analysis of Landslide Evolution Affecting Olive Groves Using UAV and Photogrammetric Techniques. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 837; doi:10.3390/rs8100837 --- Cignetti, M.; Manconi, A.; Manunta, M.; Giordan, D.; De Luca, C.; Allasia, P.; Ardizzone, F. Taking Advantage of the ESA G-POD Service to Study Ground Deformation Processes in High Mountain Areas: A Valle d’Aosta Case Study, Northern Italy. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 852; doi:10.3390/rs8100852 --- Cooner, A.; Shao, Y.; Campbell, J. Detection of Urban Damage Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning Algorithms: Revisiting the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 868; doi:10.3390/rs8100868 --- Zhou, W.; Li, S.; Zhou, Z.; Chang, X. InSAR Observation and Numerical Modeling of the Earth-Dam Displacement of Shuibuya Dam (China). Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 877; doi:10.3390/rs8100877 --- Qu, T.; Lu, P.; Liu, C.; Wu, H.; Shao, X.; Wan, H.; Li, N.; Li, R. Hybrid-SAR Technique: Joint Analysis Using Phase-Based and Amplitude-Based Methods for the Xishancun Giant Landslide Monitoring. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 874; doi:10.3390/rs8100874 --- Gong, L.; Wang, C.; Wu, F.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, H.; Li, Q. Earthquake-Induced Building Damage Detection with Post-Event Sub-Meter VHR TerraSAR-X Staring Spotlight Imagery. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(11), 887; doi:10.3390/rs8110887 --- Ding, C.; Feng, G.; Li, Z.; Shan, X.; Du, Y.; Wang, H. Spatio-Temporal Error Sources Analysis and Accuracy Improvement in Landsat 8 Image Ground Displacement Measurements. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(11), 937; doi:10.3390/rs8110937 --- Ma, C.; Cheng, X.; Yang, Y.; Zhang, X.; Guo, Z.; Zou, Y. Investigation on Mining Subsidence Based on Multi-Temporal InSAR and Time-Series Analysis of the Small Baseline Subset—Case Study of Working Faces 22201-1/2 in Bu’ertai Mine, Shendong Coalfield, China. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(11), 951; doi:10.3390/rs8110951 --- Caló, F.; Notti, D.; Galve, J.; Abdikan, S.; Görüm, T.; Pepe, A.; Balik Şanli, F. DInSAR-Based Detection of Land Subsidence and Correlation with Groundwater Depletion in Konya Plain, Turkey. Remote Sensing 2017, 9(1), 83; doi:10.3390/rs9010083 --- Tomás, R.; Li, Z. Earth Observations for Geohazards: Present and Future Challenges. Remote Sensing 2017, 9(3), 194; doi:10.3390/rs9030194

Description / Table of Contents: Chen, K.; Zamora, N.; Babeyko, A.; Li, X.; Ge, M. Precise Positioning of BDS, BDS/GPS: Implications for Tsunami Early Warning in South China Sea. Remote Sensing 2015, 7(12), 15955-15968; doi:10.3390/rs71215814 --- Cianflone, G.; Tolomei, C.; Brunori, C.; Dominici, R. InSAR Time Series Analysis of Natural and Anthropogenic Coastal Plain Subsidence: The Case of Sibari (Southern Italy). Remote Sensing 2015, 7(12), 16004-16023; doi:10.3390/rs71215812 --- Kropáček, J.; Vařilová, Z.; Baroň, I.; Bhattacharya, A.; Eberle, J.; Hochschild, V. Remote Sensing for Characterisation and Kinematic Analysis of Large Slope Failures: Debre Sina Landslide, Main Ethiopian Rift Escarpment. Remote Sensing 2015, 7(12), 16183-16203; doi:10.3390/rs71215821 --- Pacheco-Martínez, J.; Cabral-Cano, E.; Wdowinski, S.; Hernández-Marín, M.; Ortiz-Lozano, J.; Zermeño-de-León, M. Application of InSAR and Gravimetry for Land Subsidence Hazard Zoning in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Remote Sensing 2015, 7(12), 17035-17050; doi:10.3390/rs71215868 --- Al-Rawabdeh, A.; He, F.; Moussa, A.; El-Sheimy, N.; Habib, A. Using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle-Based Digital Imaging System to Derive a 3D Point Cloud for Landslide Scarp Recognition. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(2), 95; doi:10.3390/rs8020095 --- Zhai, W.; Shen, H.; Huang, C.; Pei, W. Building Earthquake Damage Information Extraction from a Single Post-Earthquake PolSAR Image. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 171; doi:10.3390/rs8030171 --- Jiang, Y.; Liao, M.; Zhou, Z.; Shi, X.; Zhang, L.; Balz, T. Landslide Deformation Analysis by Coupling Deformation Time Series from SAR Data with Hydrological Factors through Data Assimilation. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 179; doi:10.3390/rs8030179 --- He, M.; Zhu, Q.; Du, Z.; Hu, H.; Ding, Y.; Chen, M. A 3D Shape Descriptor Based on Contour Clusters for Damaged Roof Detection Using Airborne LiDAR Point Clouds. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 189; doi:10.3390/rs8030189 --- Hu, J.; Wang, Q.; Li, Z.; Zhao, R.; Sun, Q. Investigating the Ground Deformation and Source Model of the Yangbajing Geothermal Field in Tibet, China with the WLS InSAR Technique. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 191; doi:10.3390/rs8030191 --- Hsieh, Y.; Chan, Y.; Hu, J. Digital Elevation Model Differencing and Error Estimation from Multiple Sources: A Case Study from the Meiyuan Shan Landslide in Taiwan. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 199; doi:10.3390/rs8030199 --- Zhu, S.; Xu, C.; Wen, Y.; Liu, Y. Interseismic Deformation of the Altyn Tagh Fault Determined by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) Measurements. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 233; doi:10.3390/rs8030233 --- Vetrivel, A.; Gerke, M.; Kerle, N.; Vosselman, G. Identification of Structurally Damaged Areas in Airborne Oblique Images Using a Visual-Bag-of-Words Approach. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 231; doi:10.3390/rs8030231 --- Bardi, F.; Raspini, F.; Ciampalini, A.; Kristensen, L.; Rouyet, L.; Lauknes, T.; Frauenfelder, R.; Casagli, N. Space-Borne and Ground-Based InSAR Data Integration: The Åknes Test Site. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 237; doi:10.3390/rs8030237 --- Liu, P.; Li, Q.; Li, Z.; Hoey, T.; Liu, G.; Wang, C.; Hu, Z.; Zhou, Z.; Singleton, A. Anatomy of Subsidence in Tianjin from Time Series InSAR. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(3), 266; doi:10.3390/rs8030266 --- Ma, Y.; Chen, F.; Liu, J.; He, Y.; Duan, J.; Li, X. An Automatic Procedure for Early Disaster Change Mapping Based on Optical Remote Sensing. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 272; doi:10.3390/rs8040272 --- Yang, C.; Zhang, Q.; Xu, Q.; Zhao, C.; Peng, J.; Ji, L. Complex Deformation Monitoring over the Linfen–Yuncheng Basin (China) with Time Series InSAR Technology. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 284; doi:10.3390/rs8040284 --- Watanabe, M.; Thapa, R.; Shimada, M. Pi-SAR-L2 Observation of the Landslide Caused by Typhoon Wipha on Izu Oshima Island. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 282; doi:10.3390/rs8040282 --- Plank, S.; Twele, A.; Martinis, S. Landslide Mapping in Vegetated Areas Using Change Detection Based on Optical and Polarimetric SAR Data. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 307; doi:10.3390/rs8040307 --- Solaro, G.; De Novellis, V.; Castaldo, R.; De Luca, C.; Lanari, R.; Manunta, M.; Casu, F. Coseismic Fault Model of Mw 8.3 2015 Illapel Earthquake (Chile) Retrieved from Multi-Orbit Sentinel1-A DInSAR Measurements. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 323; doi:10.3390/rs8040323 --- Bai, L.; Jiang, L.; Wang, H.; Sun, Q. Spatiotemporal Characterization of Land Subsidence and Uplift (2009–2010) over Wuhan in Central China Revealed by TerraSAR-X InSAR Analysis. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(4), 350; doi:10.3390/rs8040350 --- Xu, B.; Li, Z.; Feng, G.; Zhang, Z.; Wang, Q.; Hu, J.; Chen, X. Continent-Wide 2-D Co-Seismic Deformation of the 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel, Chile Earthquake Derived from Sentinel-1A Data: Correction of Azimuth Co-Registration Error. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(5), 376; doi:10.3390/rs8050376 --- Chen, M.; Tomás, R.; Li, Z.; Motagh, M.; Li, T.; Hu, L.; Gong, H.; Li, X.; Yu, J.; Gong, X. Imaging Land Subsidence Induced by Groundwater Extraction in Beijing (China) Using Satellite Radar Interferometry. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(6), 468; doi:10.3390/rs8060468 --- Ji, L.; Xu, J.; Zhao, Q.; Yang, C. Source Parameters of the 2003–2004 Bange Earthquake Sequence, Central Tibet, China, Estimated from InSAR Data. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(6), 516; doi:10.3390/rs8060516 --- Li, Y.; Jiang, W.; Zhang, J.; Luo, Y. Space Geodetic Observations and Modeling of 2016 Mw 5.9 Menyuan Earthquake: Implications on Seismogenic Tectonic Motion. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(6), 519; doi:10.3390/rs8060519 --- Trasatti, E.; Tolomei, C.; Pezzo, G.; Atzori, S.; Salvi, S. Deformation and Related Slip Due to the 2011 Van Earthquake (Turkey) Sequence Imaged by SAR Data and Numerical Modeling. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(6), 532; doi:10.3390/rs8060532 --- Wang, C.; Mao, X.; Wang, Q. Landslide Displacement Monitoring by a Fully Polarimetric SAR Offset Tracking Method. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 624; doi:10.3390/rs8080624 --- Liu, Y.; Xu, C.; Li, Z.; Wen, Y.; Chen, J.; Li, Z. Time-Dependent Afterslip of the 2009 Mw 6.3 Dachaidan Earthquake (China) and Viscosity beneath the Qaidam Basin Inferred from Postseismic Deformation Observations. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 649; doi:10.3390/rs8080649 --- Xu, B.; Feng, G.; Li, Z.; Wang, Q.; Wang, C.; Xie, R. Coastal Subsidence Monitoring Associated with Land Reclamation Using the Point Target Based SBAS-InSAR Method: A Case Study of Shenzhen, China. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 652; doi:10.3390/rs8080652 --- Sun, L.; Muller, J. Evaluation of the Use of Sub-Pixel Offset Tracking Techniques to Monitor Landslides in Densely Vegetated Steeply Sloped Areas. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 659; doi:10.3390/rs8080659 --- De Novellis, V.; Castaldo, R.; Lollino, P.; Manunta, M.; Tizzani, P. Advanced Three-Dimensional Finite Element Modeling of a Slow Landslide through the Exploitation of DInSAR Measurements and in Situ Surveys. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 670; doi:10.3390/rs8080670 --- Zhang, Y.; Wu, H.; Kang, Y.; Zhu, C. Ground Subsidence in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region from 1992 to 2014 Revealed by Multiple SAR Stacks. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 675; doi:10.3390/rs8080675 --- Zhou, G.; Yue, T.; Shi, Y.; Zhang, R.; Huang, J. Second-Order Polynomial Equation-Based Block Adjustment for Orthorectification of DISP Imagery. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 680; doi:10.3390/rs8080680 --- Bonì, R.; Pilla, G.; Meisina, C. Methodology for Detection and Interpretation of Ground Motion Areas with the A-DInSAR Time Series Analysis. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(8), 686; doi:10.3390/rs8080686 --- Xie, S.; Duan, J.; Liu, S.; Dai, Q.; Liu, W.; Ma, Y.; Guo, R.; Ma, C. Crowdsourcing Rapid Assessment of Collapsed Buildings Early after the Earthquake Based on Aerial Remote Sensing Image: A Case Study of Yushu Earthquake. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(9), 759; doi:10.3390/rs8090759 --- Fernández, T.; Pérez, J.; Cardenal, J.; Gómez, J.; Colomo, C.; Delgado, J. Analysis of Landslide Evolution Affecting Olive Groves Using UAV and Photogrammetric Techniques. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 837; doi:10.3390/rs8100837 --- Cignetti, M.; Manconi, A.; Manunta, M.; Giordan, D.; De Luca, C.; Allasia, P.; Ardizzone, F. Taking Advantage of the ESA G-POD Service to Study Ground Deformation Processes in High Mountain Areas: A Valle d’Aosta Case Study, Northern Italy. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 852; doi:10.3390/rs8100852 --- Cooner, A.; Shao, Y.; Campbell, J. Detection of Urban Damage Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning Algorithms: Revisiting the 2010 Haiti Earthquake. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 868; doi:10.3390/rs8100868 --- Zhou, W.; Li, S.; Zhou, Z.; Chang, X. InSAR Observation and Numerical Modeling of the Earth-Dam Displacement of Shuibuya Dam (China). Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 877; doi:10.3390/rs8100877 --- Qu, T.; Lu, P.; Liu, C.; Wu, H.; Shao, X.; Wan, H.; Li, N.; Li, R. Hybrid-SAR Technique: Joint Analysis Using Phase-Based and Amplitude-Based Methods for the Xishancun Giant Landslide Monitoring. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(10), 874; doi:10.3390/rs8100874 --- Gong, L.; Wang, C.; Wu, F.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, H.; Li, Q. Earthquake-Induced Building Damage Detection with Post-Event Sub-Meter VHR TerraSAR-X Staring Spotlight Imagery. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(11), 887; doi:10.3390/rs8110887 --- Ding, C.; Feng, G.; Li, Z.; Shan, X.; Du, Y.; Wang, H. Spatio-Temporal Error Sources Analysis and Accuracy Improvement in Landsat 8 Image Ground Displacement Measurements. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(11), 937; doi:10.3390/rs8110937 --- Ma, C.; Cheng, X.; Yang, Y.; Zhang, X.; Guo, Z.; Zou, Y. Investigation on Mining Subsidence Based on Multi-Temporal InSAR and Time-Series Analysis of the Small Baseline Subset—Case Study of Working Faces 22201-1/2 in Bu’ertai Mine, Shendong Coalfield, China. Remote Sensing 2016, 8(11), 951; doi:10.3390/rs8110951 --- Caló, F.; Notti, D.; Galve, J.; Abdikan, S.; Görüm, T.; Pepe, A.; Balik Şanli, F. DInSAR-Based Detection of Land Subsidence and Correlation with Groundwater Depletion in Konya Plain, Turkey. Remote Sensing 2017, 9(1), 83; doi:10.3390/rs9010083 --- Tomás, R.; Li, Z. Earth Observations for Geohazards: Present and Future Challenges. Remote Sensing 2017, 9(3), 194; doi:10.3390/rs9030194

Description / Table of Contents: Forecasting is a vital tool for local health and air quality managers to make informed short-term decisions on remedial and mitigation measures to reduce exposure risks for their residents. Forecasting tools enable them to issue air quality advisories to curb pollution by limiting vehicular traffic by encouraging car-pooling and offering free public transportation. Air quality monitoring from the perspective of air managers serves a dual purpose of evaluating the skill of their forecasting tools and deriving long-term trends of major air pollutants that impact their constituents. Epidemiologists also use long term monitored data to understand air pollution related diseases and mortality rates to support public health policy decisions. This Special Issue reinforces the importance of these tools by leveraging their collective strengths. Public health is under a constant threat by air pollution across the world in various degrees and manifestations. In some countries with rapid economic growth the abrupt increased occurrences of poor air quality over cities and their downwind regions are attracting worldwide attention. The adverse health effects suffered by the public are reflected in billions of dollars in lost productivity, hospital admissions due to contraction and exacerbation of respiratory, asthmatic and cardiovascular diseases, and increases in mortality rates. This is especially true in rapidly developing countries. On the other hand, many cities in developed countries are seeing changes in their atmospheric chemical regimes from nitrogen oxide (NOx) saturated regimes towards NOx limiting regimes. Furthermore, ozone and ozone precursors transported from areas upwind become important source of “background ozone” as local generation of ozone plays a lesser role due to reduced NOx emissions in the developed countries. It is now clear that air pollution is a global problem and that air quality monitoring, forecasting and mitigation should be a local effort conducted in concert with global partners.

Description / Table of Contents: Barr, B. “An ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure”: Adopting Landscape-Level Precautionary Approaches to Preserve Arctic Coastal Heritage Resources. Resources 2017, 6(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6020018 --- Bickford, N.; Smith, L.; Bickford, S.; Bice, M.; Ranglack, D.H. Evaluating the Role of CSR and SLO in Ecotourism: Collaboration for Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Arctic Resources. Resources 2017, 6(2), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6020021 --- Manley, B.; Elliot, S.; Jacobs, S. Expedition Cruising in the Canadian Arctic: Visitor Motives and the Influence of Education Programming on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviours. Resources 2017, 6(3), 23; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030023 --- Johnston, M.; Dawson, J.; Maher, P. Strategic Development Challenges in Marine Tourism in Nunavut. Resources 2017, 6(3), 25; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030025 --- Bystrowska, M.; Wigger, K.; Liggett, D. The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Managing High Arctic Tourism Sites: A Collective Action Perspective. Resources 2017, 6(3), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030033 --- Aase, J. The Ortelius Incident in the Hinlopen Strait—A Case Study on How Satellite-Based AIS Can Support Search and Rescue Operations in Remote Waters. Resources 2017, 6(3), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030035 --- Stewart, E.; Espiner, S.; Liggett, D.; Taylor, Z. The Forgotten Islands: Monitoring Tourist Numbers and Managing Tourism Impacts on New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands. Resources 2017, 6(3), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030038 --- Huijbens, E.; Lamers, M. Sustainable Tourism and Natural Resource Conservation in the Polar Regions: An Editorial. Resources 2017, 6(3), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030045

Description / Table of Contents: Dostal, J. Rare Earth Element Deposits of Alkaline Igneous Rocks. Resources 2017, 6(3), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030034 --- Catlos, E.; Miller, N. Speculations Linking Monazite Compositions to Origin: Llallagua Tin Ore Deposit (Bolivia). Resources 2017, 6(3), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030036 --- Smith, Y.; Kumar, P.; McLennan, J. On the Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Geothermal Brines. Resources 2017, 6(3), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030039 --- McLeod, C.; Krekeler, M. Sources of Extraterrestrial Rare Earth Elements: To the Moon and Beyond. Resources 2017, 6(3), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6030040 --- Chen, W.; Honghui, H.; Bai, T.; Jiang, S. Geochemistry of Monazite within Carbonatite Related REE Deposits. Resources 2017, 6(4), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6040051 --- Machacek, E.; Richter, J.; Lane, R. Governance and Risk–Value Constructions in Closing Loops of Rare Earth Elements in Global Value Chains. Resources 2017, 6(4), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources6040059 --- McLemore, V. Rare Earth Elements (REE) Deposits Associated with Great Plain Margin Deposits (Alkaline-Related), Southwestern United States and Eastern Mexico. Resources 2018, 7(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources7010008 --- Jowitt, S. Introduction to a Resources Special Issue on Criticality of the Rare Earth Elements: Current and Future Sources and Recycling. Resources 2018, 7(2), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources7020035

Description / Table of Contents: Perea-Moreno, A.; Aguilera-Ureña, M.; Meroño-De Larriva, J.; Manzano-Agugliaro, F. Assessment of the Potential of UAV Video Image Analysis for Planning Irrigation Needs of Golf Courses. Water 2016, 8(12), 584; https://doi.org/10.3390/w8120584 --- Frappart, F.; Bourrel, L.; Brodu, N.; Riofrío Salazar, X.; Baup, F.; Darrozes, J.; Pombosa, R. Monitoring of the Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of the Floods in the Guayas Watershed (Ecuadorian Pacific Coast) Using Global Monitoring ENVISAT ASAR Images and Rainfall Data. Water 2017, 9(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9010012 --- Li, Y.; Gong, H.; Zhu, L.; Li, X. Measuring Spatiotemporal Features of Land Subsidence, Groundwater Drawdown, and Compressible Layer Thickness in Beijing Plain, China. Water 2017, 9(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9010064 --- Yang, F.; Guo, J.; Tan, H.; Wang, J. Automated Extraction of Urban Water Bodies from ZY‐3 Multi‐Spectral Imagery. Water 2017, 9(2), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9020144 --- Lee, J.; Choi, H. Improvements to Runoff Predictions from a Land Surface Model with a Lateral Flow Scheme Using Remote Sensing and In Situ Observations. Water 2017, 9(2), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9020148 --- Sharif, H.; Al-Zahrani, M.; Hassan, A. Physically, Fully-Distributed Hydrologic Simulations Driven by GPM Satellite Rainfall over an Urbanizing Arid Catchment in Saudi Arabia. Water 2017, 9(3), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9030163 --- Wang, X.; Chen, H.; Chen, Y. Large Differences between Glaciers 3D Surface Extents and 2D Planar Areas in Central Tianshan. Water 2017, 9(4), 282; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9040282 --- Wang, R.; Chen, J.; Wang, X. Comparison of IMERG Level-3 and TMPA 3B42V7 in Estimating Typhoon-Related Heavy Rain. Water 2017, 9(4), 276; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9040276 --- Pan, C.; Wang, X.; Liu, L.; Huang, H.; Wang, D. Improvement to the Huff Curve for Design Storms and Urban Flooding Simulations in Guangzhou, China. Water 2017, 9(6), 411; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9060411 --- Ouyang, H.; Shih, S.; Wu, C. Optimal Combinations of Non-Sequential Regressors for ARX-Based Typhoon Inundation Forecast Models Considering Multiple Objectives. Water 2017, 9(7), 519; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9070519 --- Lu, Y.; Song, W.; Lu, J.; Wang, X.; Tan, Y. An Examination of Soil Moisture Estimation Using Ground Penetrating Radar in Desert Steppe. Water 2017, 9(7), 521; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9070521 --- Tekeli, A. Exploring Jeddah Floods by Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Analysis. Water 2017, 9(8), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/w9080612 --- Wang, X.; Xie, H. A Review on Applications of Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Water Resources and Flood Risk Management. Water 2018, 10(5), 608; https://doi.org/10.3390/w10050608

Description / Table of Contents: Ou, X.; Yuan, Z.; Peng, T.; Sun, Z.; Zhou, S. The Low-Carbon Transition toward Sustainability of Regional Coal-Dominated Energy Consumption Structure: A Case of Hebei Province in China. Sustainability 2017, 9(7), 1184; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9071184 --- Ahmed, K. Designing Sustainable Urban Social Housing in the United Arab Emirates. Sustainability 2017, 9(8), 1413; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9081413 --- Bhikhoo, N.; Hashemi, A.; Cruickshank, H. Improving Thermal Comfort of Low-Income Housing in Thailand through Passive Design Strategies. Sustainability 2017, 9(8), 1440; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9081440 --- Pianella, A.; Aye, L.; Chen, Z.; Williams, N. Substrate Depth, Vegetation and Irrigation Affect Green Roof Thermal Performance in a Mediterranean Type Climate. Sustainability 2017, 9(8), 1451; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9081451 --- Ozarisoy, B.; Altan, H. Adoption of Energy Design Strategies for Retrofitting Mass Housing Estates in Northern Cyprus. Sustainability 2017, 9(8), 1477; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9081477 --- Nebia, B.; Tabet Aoul, K. Overheating and Daylighting; Assessment Tool in Early Design of London’s High-Rise Residential Buildings. Sustainability 2017, 9(9), 1544; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091544 --- Haggag, M.; Hassan, A.; Qadir, G. Energy and Economic Performance of Plant-Shaded Building Façade in Hot Arid Climate. Sustainability 2017, 9(11), 2026; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9112026 --- Mushtaha, E.; Ayssar Nahlé, R.; Bin Saifan, M.; Altan, H. The impact of Lighting on Vandalism in Hot Climates: The Case of the Abu Shagara Vandalised Corridor in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Sustainability 2017, 9(11), 2040; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9112040 --- Ma, N.; Chau, H.; Zhou, J.; Noguchi, M. Structuring the Environmental Experience Design Research Framework through Selected Aged Care Facility Data Analyses in Victoria. Sustainability 2017, 9(12), 2172; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122172 --- Attoye, D.; Tabet Aoul, K.; Hassan, A. A Review on Building Integrated Photovoltaic Façade Customization Potentials. Sustainability 2017, 9(12), 2287; https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122287

Description / Table of Contents: Kuwahara, Y.; Liu, W.; Makio, M.; Otsuka, K. In Situ AFM Study of Crystal Growth on a Barite (001) Surface in BaSO4 Solutions at 30 °C. Minerals 2016, 6(4), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/min6040117 --- Evans, J. Polymorphs, Proteins, and Nucleation Theory: A Critical Analysis. Minerals 2017, 7(4), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7040062 --- Ochiai, A.; Utsunomiya, S. Crystal Chemistry and Stability of Hydrated Rare-Earth Phosphates Formed at Room Temperature. Minerals 2017, 7(5), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7050084 --- Jones, F. Crystallization of Jarosite with Variable Al3+ Content: The Transition to Alunite. Minerals 2017, 7(6), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7060090 --- Bacsik, Z.; Zhang, P.; Hedin, N. Ammonium-Carbamate-Rich Organogels for the Preparation of Amorphous Calcium Carbonates. Minerals 2017, 7(7), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7070110 --- Harris, J.; Wolf, S. Desiccator Volume: A Vital Yet Ignored Parameter in CaCO3 Crystallization by the Ammonium Carbonate Diffusion Method. Minerals 2017, 7(7), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7070122 --- Burgos-Cara, A.; Putnis, C.; Rodriguez-Navarro, C.; Ruiz-Agudo, E. Hydration Effects on the Stability of Calcium Carbonate Pre-Nucleation Species. Minerals 2017, 7(7), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7070126 --- Ross, J.; Gao, L.; Meouch, O.; Anthony, E.; Sutarwala, D.; Mamo, H.; Omelon, S. Carbonate Apatite Precipitation from Synthetic Municipal Wastewater. Minerals 2017, 7(8), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7080129 --- Kezuka, Y.; Kawai, K.; Eguchi, K.; Tajika, M. Fabrication of Single-Crystalline Calcite Needle-Like Particles Using the Aragonite–Calcite Phase Transition. Minerals 2017, 7(8), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7080133 --- Pastero, L.; Bruno, M.; Aquilano, D. About the Genetic Mechanisms of Apatites: A Survey on the Methodological Approaches. Minerals 2017, 7(8), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7080139 --- Ossorio, M.; Stawski, T.; Rodríguez-Blanco, J.; Sleutel, M.; García-Ruiz, J.; Benning, L.; Van Driessche, A. Physicochemical and Additive Controls on the Multistep Precipitation Pathway of Gypsum. Minerals 2017, 7(8), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7080140 --- Zeng, C.; Vitale-Sullivan, C.; Ma, X. In Situ Atomic Force Microscopy Studies on Nucleation and Self-Assembly of Biogenic and Bio-Inspired Materials. Minerals 2017, 7(9), 158; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7090158 --- Gruber, D.; Wolf, S.; Hoyt, A.; Konsek, J.; Cölfen, H. A Micro-Comb Test System for In Situ Investigation of Infiltration and Crystallization Processes. Minerals 2017, 7(10), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/min7100187 --- Kröger, R.; Verch, A. Liquid Cell Transmission Electron Microscopy and the Impact of Confinement on the Precipitation from Supersaturated Solutions. Minerals 2018, 8(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8010021 --- Ibsen, C.; Birkedal, H. Pyrophosphate-Inhibition of Apatite Formation Studied by In Situ X-Ray Diffraction. Minerals 2018, 8(2), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8020065 --- Opel, J.; Kellermeier, M.; Sickinger, A.; Morales, J.; Cölfen, H.; García-Ruiz, J. Structural Transition of Inorganic Silica–Carbonate Composites Towards Curved Lifelike Morphologies. Minerals 2018, 8(2), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8020075 --- Gebauer, D.; Jansson, K.; Oliveberg, M.; Hedin, N. Indications that Amorphous Calcium Carbonates Occur in Pathological Mineralisation—A Urinary Stone from a Guinea Pig. Minerals 2018, 8(3), 84; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8030084 --- Gebauer, D. Editorial for Special Issue “Nucleation of Minerals: Precursors, Intermediates and Their Use in Materials Chemistry”. Minerals 2018, 8(6), 239; https://doi.org/10.3390/min8060239

Description / Table of Contents: The Role of Respiration in Estimation of Net Carbon Cycle: Coupling Soil Carbon Dynamics and Canopy Turnover in a Novel Version of 3D-CMCC Forest Ecosystem Model / Forests 2017, 8(6), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/f8060220 --- Climate Impacts on Soil Carbon Processes along an Elevation Gradient in the Tropical Luquillo Experimental Forest / Forests 2017, 8(3), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/f8030090 --- Partitioning Forest‐Floor Respiration into Source Based Emissions in a Boreal Forested Bog: Responses to Experimental Drought / Forests 2017, 8(3), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/f8030075 --- Elevated CO2 and Tree Species Affect Microbial Activity and Associated Aggregate Stability in Soil Amended with Litter / Forests 2017, 8(3), 70; https://doi.org/10.3390/f8030070 --- Effect of Soil Moisture on the Response of Soil Respiration to Open-Field Experimental Warming and Precipitation Manipulation / Forests 2017, 8(3), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/f8030056 --- Temporal Variability of Soil Respiration in Experimental Tree Plantations in Lowland Costa Rica / Forests 2017, 8(2), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/f8020040 --- Spatial Upscaling of Soil Respiration under a Complex Canopy Structure in an Old‐Growth Deciduous Forest, Central Japan / Forests 2017, 8(2), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/f8020036 --- Heterotrophic Soil Respiration Affected by Compound Fertilizer Types in Red Pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) Stands of Korea / Forests 2016, 7(12), 309; https://doi.org/10.3390/f7120309 --- Optimization Forest Thinning Measures for Carbon Budget in a Mixed Pine-Oak Stand of the Qingling Mountains, China: A Case Study / Forests 2016, 7(11), 272; https://doi.org/10.3390/f7110272 --- Mitigating the Stress of Drought on Soil Respiration by Selective Thinning: Contrasting Effects of Drought on Soil Respiration of Two Oak Species in a Mediterranean Forest / Forests 2016, 7(11), 263; https://doi.org/10.3390/f7110263 --- Seasonal Variation in Soil Greenhouse Gas Emissions at Three Age-Stages of Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) Stands in an Alluvial Island, Eastern China / Forests 2016, 7(11), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/f7110256 --- Erratum: Spatial Upscaling of Soil Respiration under a Complex Canopy Structure in an Old-Growth Deciduous Forest, Central Japan; Forests 2017, 8, 36 / Forests 2017, 8(3), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/f8030071

Description / Table of Contents: Editorial - Remote Sensing and Geospatial Technologies in Public Health / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2018, 7(8), 303; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi7080303 --- CALPUFF and CAFOs: Air Pollution Modeling and Environmental Justice Analysis in the North Carolina Hog Industry / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2015, 4(1), 150-171; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010150 --- Analyzing the Correlation between Deer Habitat and the Component of the Risk for Lyme Disease in Eastern Ontario, Canada: A GIS-Based Approach / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2015, 4(1), 105-123; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010105 --- Geospatial Technology: A Tool to Aid in the Elimination of Malaria in Bangladesh / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2015, 4(1), 47-58; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010047 --- Examining Personal Air Pollution Exposure, Intake, and Health Danger Zone Using Time Geography and 3D Geovisualization / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2015, 4(1), 32-46; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010032 --- Use of the NASA Giovanni Data System for Geospatial Public Health Research: Example of Weather-Influenza Connection / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(4), 1372-1386; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3041372 --- Mapping Entomological Dengue Risk Levels in Martinique Using High-Resolution Remote-Sensing Environmental Data / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(4), 1352-1371; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3041352 --- Improving Inland Water Quality Monitoring through Remote Sensing Techniques / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(4), 1234-1255; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3041234 --- Impacts of Scale on Geographic Analysis of Health Data: An Example of Obesity Prevalence / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(4), 1198-1210; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3041198 --- Geographical Variation of Incidence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Manitoba, Canada / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(3), 1039-1057; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3031039 --- Holistics 3.0 for Health / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(3), 1023-1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3031023 --- Dasymetric Mapping and Spatial Modeling of Mosquito Vector Exposure, Chesapeake, Virginia, USA / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(3), 891-913; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3030891 --- Modeling Properties of Influenza-Like Illness Peak Events with Crossing Theory / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(2), 764-780; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3020764 --- Correlating Remote Sensing Data with the Abundance of Pupae of the Dengue Virus Mosquito Vector, Aedes aegypti, in Central Mexico / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(2), 732-749; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3020732 --- Canadian Forest Fires and the Effects of Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution on Hospitalizations among the Elderly / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(2), 713-731; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3020713 --- Nexus of Health and Development: Modelling Crude Birth Rate and Maternal Mortality Ratio Using Nighttime Satellite Images / ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(2), 693-712; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3020693

Description / Table of Contents: Plate tectonics has significantly broadened our view of the dynamics of continental evolution, involving both the processes currently active at the surface and those extending deep into the interior of the Earth. Seismic anisotropy provides some of the most diagnostic evidence for mapping past and present deformation of the entire crustmantle system. This volume contains papers presented originally at an international workshop at the Chateau of Trest in the Czech Republic in 1996. This workshop brought together geophysicists and geologists who work in the field of observational and theoretical seismology, mineral and rock physics, gravity studies and geodynamic modelling. Topics include large-scale anisotropy of the Earth's mantle, mantle heterogeneity vs. anisotropy 3-D velocity and density structures and inferences on mantle dynamics, mineral and rock physics studies, and mathematical aspects of complex wave propagation.

Description / Table of Contents: Earthquakes in shallow subduction zones account for the greatest part of seismic energy release in the Earth and often cause significant damage; in some cases they are accompanied by devastating tsunamis. Understanding the physics of seismogenic and tsunamigenic processes in such zones continues to be a challenging focus of ongoing research. The seismologic and geodetic work reported in this volume highlights the recent advances made toward quantifying and understandig the role of shallow plate coupling in the earthquake generation process. The relation between regional seismotectonics, features in the downgoing plate, and the slip distribution in earthquakes are examined for recent and great historical events. In addition to papers reporting new results, review articles on tsunami and tsunamigenic earthquakes and depth dependent plate interface properties are presented. These observational results, along with complementary laboratory and theoretical studies, can assist in assessing the seismic potential of a given region.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume contains twenty-five research papers on seismicity patterns, their interpretation and their possible relevance to learning how to predict earthquakes. The interpretation of seismicity patterns has become somewhat controversial. Some researchers present case histories suggesting that earthquakes may be predicted by increased seismic moment release or seismic quiescence and, in general, by understanding the processes of self-organized criticality. Others deny these hypotheses. Although the problem of recognizing foreshocks in real time remains unsolved, new properties of microearthquakes as a function of time are coming to light. Computer modeling of seismicity also is advancing in sophistication and relevance. Surprisingly, b-values seem to hold substantial information about varying local conditions of earthquake generation.

Description / Table of Contents: A workshop on Induced Seismicity was organized during the 27th General Assembly of the International Association of Seismology and Physics of Earth's Interior (IASPEI) in Wellington, New Zealand during January 10-21, 1994. This volume presents a collection of 16 papers accepted for publication which accrued from this workshop. The first three papers address mining activity related to induced seismicity. The fourth paper deals with water injection induced seismic activity, while the remaining 12 papers treat several aspects of water reservoir induced earthquakes. Globally, the Koyna dam creating Shivajisagar Lake in Maharashtra, India, continues to be the most significant site of reservoir-induced earthquakes. With the increase in the number of cases of induced seismicity, there is a growing concern among planners, engineers, geophysicists and geologists to understand the environment conducive to this phenomenon. While the changes in pore-fluid pressure have been identified as the key factor in inducing earthquakes, the phenomenon itself is still poorly understood. This reality thus makes the study of the induced seismicity very important and this volume timely.

Description / Table of Contents: These notes originate from lectures given at the University of Maryland and at the Scuola normale superiore, Pisa, in the past two years

Description / Table of Contents: Symposium on 'Combinatorial Structures and their Applications' was held at Villa Madruzzo (Cognola di Trento), on October 20-25, 1980 ... and sponsored by the Centro interuniversitario per la ricerca matematica (C.I.R.C.M.) of the 'Università di Trento'

Description / Table of Contents: Mathematical models and methods are required for diverse studies in Geosciences and simultaneously, new problems are posing new needs where Mathematics is needed. At the initiative of American and Canadian research mathematical institutes and societies, year 2013 was declared a thematic year in Mathematics and the Planet Earth, under the patronage of UNESCO. To mark the MPE2013, and highlight the two-way street between Mathematics and Earth Sciences, the workshop “Mathematics and Geosciences: Global and Local Perspectives” was hold in Madrid at ICMAT from 4-8 November, 2013. This is the first volume of the Topical Issue on “Mathematics and Geosciences: Global and Local Perspectives” and contains 13 papers, most of which were presented at the congress. They address different topics under both global and local perspectives such as the percolation theory to observe micro seismicity in fracking, fractional differential analysis to model complex dynamics, climate change, earthquake statistics, earth rotation, geomagnetic field, fire models, Mars exploration, numerical methods in meteorology and environmental conservation, probabilistic models in study of soils and fluid mechanics. This volume addresses the interest of scientists of many of the branches in Earth Sciences as well as postgraduate students, covering both approaches, applied and theoretical ones, to solve different problems in Geosciences with the help of mathematical models and methods.

Description / Table of Contents: Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) have been conventionally used in industry for 3D-dimensional and form-error measurements of macro parts for many years. Ever since the first CMM, developed by Ferranti Co. in late 1950s, they have been regarded as versatile measuring equipment, yet many CMMs on the market still have inherent systematic errors due to the violation of the Abbe Principle in the design aspect. Current CMMs are suitable only for part tolerance above 10 μm. With the rapid advent of ultraprecision technology, multi-axis machining, and micro/nanotechnology in the past twenty years, new types of ultraprecision and micro/nao-CMMs are urgently needed in all aspects of society.

Description / Table of Contents: Mercury is a serious environmental toxin that is distributed globally by large-scale atmospheric circulations. Atmospheric chemists have only been studying mercury in earnest for approximately the past 10 years. In the troposphere elemental mercury (Hgo) is observed ubiquitously with contemporary mixing ratios at the parts per quadrillion by volume (ppqv; 1 ng m−3 = 112 ppqv) level. The distributions of gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM) and particulate mercury (HgP) are not well documented at this time. In fact, the chemical composition of GOM is presently highly uncertain. At most mid-latitude locations, Hgo exhibits seasonality with the lowest mixing ratios in the fall and the greatest in late winter/early spring. It is highly desirable to conduct measurements of a variety of trace gases along with atmospheric mercury to facilitate source identification, but few studies have done so to date. A serious drawback in modeling atmospheric mercury is a lack of reliable rigorous emission inventories. Consequently, much work is needed to identify mercury sources and to quantify emission strengths. There are few published papers on measurements of atmospheric mercury from aircraft. Initial work has shown that there is little to no Hgo above the tropopause and that HgP is elevated there. The chemical cycling and transformations in the tropopause region are essentially unstudied. Both measurements and modeling are required to ascertain the important processes affecting atmospheric mercury in the tropopause region.

Description / Table of Contents: The reversible elimination of hydrogen from metal hydrides serves as the basis for unique methods of energy transformation. This technology has found widespread practical utilization in applications such as hydrogen compressors, storage, and sensors, as well as batteries. Moreover, it is plausible that metal hydride technology could be utilized to provide practically viable solutions to the challenges of energy storage. For nearly two decades, an extensive, worldwide research effort has been devoted to complex metal hydrides possessing high volumetric and/or gravimetric hydrogen densities with the goal of their practical utilization as onboard hydrogen storage materials. Additionally, a significant and growing number of efforts have been devoted to developing metal hydrides as advanced sensors and ionic conductors, and for electrochemical and stationary energy storage. This Special Issue will provide a sampling of on-going, state-of-art research on metal hydrides, ranging from fundamental investigations to practical applications with a concentration on topics which are currently of high interest.

Description / Table of Contents: As the fields of organometallic and coordination chemistry of the transition metals has grown more mature, the under-explored chemistry of the rare-earths and actinides has drawn the attention of research groups from across the globe looking for new fundamental discoveries and access to compounds with unique properties. The rare earths – the group 3 metals and the 4f lanthanide series – have long shown many interesting properties in the solid state which exploit their unique electronic configurations. However, it is the molecular chemistry of these metals that has expanded dramatically in recent years as researchers identify the differences between – and unique features of – their molecular compounds. Recent highlights include the identification of new oxidation states and patterns of reactivity as well as applications in medical imaging and health care which represent new and exciting areas of research. The actinides show a wide range of different properties as a consequence of their radioactivity and radiochemistry, but this has not stopped recent rapid progress into the exploration of their unique chemistry. Uranium, in particular, shows huge potential with its transition metal like range of oxidation states (+2 to +6), and in specialised laboratories, the heavier actinides are also beginning to show their unique chemistry as well. This Special Issue aims to bring together these strands of research in an openly-accessible way to allow better communication of these advances to a wider audience. This is necessary as despite these exciting advances, the rare earths and actinides are still much neglected topics in both school and undergraduate curriculums.

Description / Table of Contents: The present Special Issue intends to explore new directions in the field of acoustics and ultrasonics. The interest includes, but is not limited to, the use of acoustic technology for condition monitoring of materials and structures. (The basis of this issue comes from selected papers of the 6th International Conference on Emerging Technologies in Non-destructive Testing, ETNDT6 held in Brussels May 27-29th, 2015).

Description / Table of Contents: The success of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) brings us into a new era of global daily Earth observations, ranging from the faintest light of human settlements and air glows to the dramatic events of hurricanes and forest fires, as well as the subtle changes in the planet Earth which we call home. At the heart of all satellite applications, calibration/validation of the measurements and derived products is the key. Satellite product calibration and validation have become increasingly more important and challenging in order to meet the stringent requirements for accurate quantitative data for climate change detection, numerical weather prediction, and environmental intelligence. Validation is required not only for the satellite measurements, but also for all geophysical retrievals, including aerosols, cloud properties, radiation budget, sea surface temperature, ocean color, active fire, albedo, snow and ice, vegetation, as well as nightlights from human settlements. Active validation research includes but not limited to, comparisons with similar products from other satellites, with in situ, aircraft measurements, or observations from other platforms. Validation results not only help users and decision makers but also serve as feedback to calibration, which in turn improves the products. This Special Issue of Remote Sensing aims at exploring recent results in the calibration and validation of the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite (Suomi NPP)/JPSS radiometers.

Description / Table of Contents: The pulse width of an electromagnetic wave is determined by the frequency band width of the wave used. Therefore, one femtosecond is the ultimate in pulse width for an “optical” wave. For this reason, several methods have been proposed for the generation of an ultrashort optical pulse. For example, resonance/non-resonance four-wave mixing would be one of the candidates for generating multi-color laser emission in an extremely wide spectral region, thus breaking the 1-fs barrier. To date, numerous emission lines have been generated from the deep-ultraviolet to the near-infrared region (〈45,000 cm−1). Such generations use a variety of techniques, such as four-wave Raman mixing in molecular hydrogen. This type of technique is promising for the generation of 1-fs optical pulses via phase locking and the Fourier synthesis of the emission lines. For verification, it would be necessary to develop a new method for measuring the pulse width, since the spectral band width approaches or is beyond one octave. Ultrashort optical pulses can be utilized in a variety of applications in science and technology. For example, an ultrashort optical pulse can be used in the studies of ultrafast phenomena. More practically, a laser pulse shorter than 100 fs is reported to be useful in mass spectrometry for observing a molecular ion of triacetone triperoxide, an explosive used in terrorist attacks. A train of ultrashort optical pulses in the terahertz region, which has been generated in the optical cavity to enhance the nonlinear optical effect, would be employed as a clock pulse in optical computation/communication in future advanced industries.

Description / Table of Contents: Atmospheric particulate matter (PM) is known to have far-ranging impacts, from human health to climate forcing. The characterization of emission sources and the quantification of specific source impacts to PM concentrations significantly enhance our understanding of and our ability to eventually predict the fate and transport of atmospheric PM and its associated impacts on humans and the environment. The source apportionment of PM has been realized through combinations of chemical analysis (of elemental tracers, particle size, isotopic composition, and organic composition via unique tracers and molecular fingerprints) and numerical modeling (e.g., diagnostic source ratios, chemical mass balance modeling, positive matrix factorization, and Monte Carlo simulations). Recent advances in source apportionment applications have contributed unique combinations of chemical and numerical techniques for determining the contributions of specific sources, including diesel exhaust and biomass burning. These advances also identify and help characterize the contributions of previously uncharacterized sources. Numerical modeling has also enabled estimations of contributions of emission sources to atmospherically processed PM in urban and rural regions.

Description / Table of Contents: Nishimura, T. Rust Formation Mechanism on Low Alloy Steels after Exposure Test in High Cl− and High SOx Environmen. Materials 2017, 10(2), 199; doi:10.3390/ma10020199. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/2/199 --- Chang, T.; Odnevall Wallinder, I.; de la Fuente, D.; Chico, B.; Morcillo, M.; Welter, J.; Leygraf, C. Analysis of Historic Copper Patinas. Influence of Inclusions on Patina Uniformity. Materials 2017, 10(3), 298; doi:10.3390/ma10030298. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/3/298 --- Na, O.; Cai, X.; Xi, Y. Corrosion Prediction with Parallel Finite Element Modeling for Coupled Hygro-Chemo Transport into Concrete under Chloride-Rich Environment. Materials 2017, 10(4), 350; doi:10.3390/ma10040350. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/350 --- Kreislova, K.; Knotkova, D. The Results of 45 Years of Atmospheric Corrosion Study in the Czech Republic. Materials 2017, 10(4), 394; doi:10.3390/ma10040394. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/394 --- Alcántara, J.; Fuente, D.; Chico, B.; Simancas, J.; Díaz, I.; Morcillo, M. Marine Atmospheric Corrosion of Carbon Steel: A Review. Materials 2017, 10(4), 406; doi:10.3390/ma10040406. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/406 --- Hosseinpour, S.; Johnson, M. Vibrational Spectroscopy in Studies of Atmospheric Corrosion. Materials 2017, 10(4), 413; doi:10.3390/ma10040413. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/413 --- Panchenko, Y.; Marshakov, A. Prediction of First-Year Corrosion Losses of Carbon Steel and Zinc in Continental Regions. Materials 2017, 10(4), 422; doi:10.3390/ma10040422. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/4/422 --- Chico, B.; de la Fuente, D.; Díaz, I.; Simancas, J.; Morcillo, M. Annual Atmospheric Corrosion of Carbon Steel Worldwide. An Integration of ISOCORRAG, ICP/UNECE and MICAT Databases. Materials 2017, 10(6), 601; doi:10.3390/ma10060601. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/6/601 --- Bouchar, M.; Dillmann, P.; Neff, D. New Insights in the Long-Term Atmospheric Corrosion Mechanisms of Low Alloy Steel Reinforcements of Cultural Heritage Buildings. Materials 2017, 10(6), 670; doi:10.3390/ma10060670. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/6/670 --- Tidblad, J.; Kreislová, K.; Faller, M.; de la Fuente, D.; Yates, T.; Verney-Carron, A.; Grøntoft, T.; Gordon, A.; Hans, U. ICP Materials Trends in Corrosion, Soiling and Air Pollution (1987–2014). Materials 2017, 10(8), 969; doi:10.3390/ma10080969. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/8/969 --- Cole, I. Recent Progress and Required Developments in Atmospheric Corrosion of Galvanised Steel and Zinc. Materials 2017, 10(11), 1288; doi:10.3390/ma10111288. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/11/1288

Description / Table of Contents: Wang, X.; Wang, R.; Wei, Q.; Wang, P.; Wei, J. Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of Late Permian Coals from the Mahe Mine, Zhaotong Coalfield, Northeastern Yunnan, China. Minerals 2015, 5(3), 380-396; doi:10.3390/min5030380. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/3/380 --- Hower, J.; Eble, C.; O'Keefe, J.; Dai, S.; Wang, P.; Xie, P.; Liu, J.; Ward, C.; French, D. Petrology, Palynology, and Geochemistry of Gray Hawk Coal (Early Pennsylvanian, Langsettian) in Eastern Kentucky, USA. Minerals 2015, 5(3), 592-622; doi:10.3390/min5030511. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/3/0511 --- Devasahayam, S.; Ameen, M.; Verheyen, T.; Bandyopadhyay, S. Brown Coal Dewatering Using Poly (Acrylamide-Co-Potassium Acrylic) Based Super Absorbent Polymers. Minerals 2015, 5(4), 623-636; doi:10.3390/min5040512. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/4/0512 --- Wang, X.; Feng, Q.; Sun, R.; Liu, G. Radioactivity of Natural Nuclides (40K, 238U, 232Th, 226Ra) in Coals from Eastern Yunnan, China. Minerals 2015, 5(4), 637-646; doi:10.3390/min5040513. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/4/0513 --- Yang, N.; Tang, S.; Zhang, S.; Chen, Y. Mineralogical and Geochemical Compositions of the No. 5 Coal in Chuancaogedan Mine, Junger Coalfield, China. Minerals 2015, 5(4), 788-800; doi:10.3390/min5040525. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/4/0525 --- Jia, J.; Li, X.; Wu, P.; Liu, Y.; Han, C.; Zhou, L.; Yang, L. Human Health Risk Assessment and Safety Threshold of Harmful Trace Elements in the Soil Environment of the Wulantuga Open-Cast Coal Mine. Minerals 2015, 5(4), 837-848; doi:10.3390/min5040528. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/4/0528 --- Wang, G.; Luo, Z.; Zhang, J.; Zhao, Y. Modes of Occurrence of Fluorine by Extraction and SEM Method in a Coal-Fired Power Plant from Inner Mongolia, China. Minerals 2015, 5(4), 863-869; doi:10.3390/min5040530. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/4/0530 --- Zhao, L.; Ward, C.; French, D.; Graham, I. Major and Trace Element Geochemistry of Coals and Intra-Seam Claystones from the Songzao Coalfield, SW China. Minerals 2015, 5(4), 870-893; doi:10.3390/min5040531. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/4/0531 --- Johnston, M.; Hower, J.; Dai, S.; Wang, P.; Xie, P.; Liu, J. Petrology and Geochemistry of the Harlan, Kellioka, and Darby Coals from the Louellen 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Harlan County, Kentucky. Minerals 2015, 5(4), 894-918; doi:10.3390/min5040532. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/5/4/0532 --- Liu, S.; Qi, C.; Zhang, S.; Deng, Y. Minerals in the Ash and Slag from Oxygen-Enriched Underground Coal Gasification. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 27; doi:10.3390/min6020027. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/27 --- Xiao, L.; Zhao, B.; Duan, P.; Shi, Z.; Ma, J.; Lin, M. Geochemical Characteristics of Trace Elements in the No. 6 Coal Seam from the Chuancaogedan Mine, Jungar Coalfield, Inner Mongolia, China. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 28; doi:10.3390/min6020028. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/28 --- Xie, P.; Song, H.; Wei, J.; Li, Q. Mineralogical Characteristics of Late Permian Coals from the Yueliangtian Coal Mine, Guizhou, Southwestern China. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 29; doi:10.3390/min6020029. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/29 --- Hower, J.; Granite, E.; Mayfield, D.; Lewis, A.; Finkelman, R. Notes on Contributions to the Science of Rare Earth Element Enrichment in Coal and Coal Combustion Byproducts. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 32; doi:10.3390/min6020032. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/32 --- Liu, H.; Sun, Q.; Wang, B.; Wang, P.; Zou, J. Morphology and Composition of Microspheres in Fly Ash from the Luohuang Power Plant, Chongqing, Southwestern China. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 30; doi:10.3390/min6020030. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/30 --- Dang, J.; Xie, Q.; Liang, D.; Wang, X.; Dong, H.; Cao, J. The Fate of Trace Elements in Yanshan Coal during Fast Pyrolysis. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 35; doi:10.3390/min6020035. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/35 --- Yang, N.; Tang, S.; Zhang, S.; Chen, Y. Modes of Occurrence and Abundance of Trace Elements in Pennsylvanian Coals from the Pingshuo Mine, Ningwu Coalfield, Shanxi Province, China. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 40; doi:10.3390/min6020040. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/40 --- Zhao, L.; Dai, S.; Graham, I.; Wang, P. Clay Mineralogy of Coal-Hosted Nb-Zr-REE-Ga Mineralized Beds from Late Permian Strata, Eastern Yunnan, SW China: Implications for Paleotemperature and Origin of the Micro-Quartz. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 45; doi:10.3390/min6020045. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/45 --- Zou, J.; Tian, H.; Li, T. Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Tuff in Zhongliangshan Mine, Chongqing, Southwestern China. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 47; doi:10.3390/min6020047. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/47 --- Yang, L.; Song, J.; Bai, X.; Song, B.; Wang, R.; Zhou, T.; Jia, J.; Pu, H. Leaching Behavior and Potential Environmental Effects of Trace Elements in Coal Gangue of an Open-Cast Coal Mine Area, Inner Mongolia, China. Minerals 2016, 6(2), 50; doi:10.3390/min6020050. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/2/50 --- Wang, X.; Zhang, L.; Jiang, Y.; Wei, J.; Chen, Z. Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics of the Early Permian Upper No. 3 Coal from Southwestern Shandong, China. Minerals 2016, 6(3), 58; doi:10.3390/min6030058. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/3/58 --- Giménez-García, R.; Vigil de la Villa Mencía, R.; Rubio, V.; Frías, M. The Transformation of Coal-Mining Waste Minerals in the Pozzolanic Reactions of Cements. Minerals 2016, 6(3), 64; doi:10.3390/min6030064. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/3/64 --- Wang, R. Geological Controls on Mineralogy and Geochemistry of an Early Permian Coal from the Songshao Mine, Yunnan Province, Southwestern China. Minerals 2016, 6(3), 66; doi:10.3390/min6030066. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/3/66 --- Luo, Y.; Zheng, M. Origin of Minerals and Elements in the Late Permian Coal Seams of the Shiping Mine, Sichuan, Southwestern China. Minerals 2016, 6(3), 74; doi:10.3390/min6030074. http://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/6/3/74

Description / Table of Contents: Zambon, I.; Colosimo, F.; Monarca, D.; Cecchini, M.; Gallucci, F.; Proto, A.; Lord, R.; Colantoni, A. An Innovative Agro-Forestry Supply Chain for Residual Biomass: Physicochemical Characterisation of Biochar from Olive and Hazelnut Pellets. Energies 2016, 9(7), 526; doi:10.3390/en9070526. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/7/526 --- Liu, P.; Wang, Q.; Yan, D.; Fang, W.; Mao, L.; Wang, D.; Li, Y.; Ouyang, C.; Guo, M.; Cao, A. Effects of Biochar Amendment on Chloropicrin Adsorption and Degradation in Soil. Energies 2016, 9(11), 869; doi:10.3390/en9110869. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/11/869 --- Fang, W.; Cao, A.; Yan, D.; Han, D.; Huang, B.; Li, J.; Liu, X.; Guo, M.; Wang, Q. The Effect of Two Types of Biochars on the Efficacy, Emission, Degradation, and Adsorption of the Fumigant Methyl Isothiocyanate. Energies 2017, 10(1), 16; doi:10.3390/en10010016. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/1/16 --- Long, J.; Boyette, M. Analysis of Micronized Charcoal for Use in a Liquid Fuel Slurry. Energies 2017, 10(1), 25; doi:10.3390/en10010025. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/1/25 --- Fuente-Hernández, A.; Lee, R.; Béland, N.; Zamboni, I.; Lavoie, J. Reduction of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol in Liquid Phase over a Biochar-Supported Platinum Catalyst. Energies 2017, 10(3), 286; doi:10.3390/en10030286. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/3/286 --- Brassard, P.; Godbout, S.; Raghavan, V.; Palacios, J.; Grenier, M.; Zegan, D. The Production of Engineered Biochars in a Vertical Auger Pyrolysis Reactor for Carbon Sequestration. Energies 2017, 10(3), 288; doi:10.3390/en10030288. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/3/288 --- González-Vázquez, M.; García, R.; Pevida, C.; Rubiera, F. Optimization of a Bubbling Fluidized Bed Plant for Low-Temperature Gasification of Biomass. Energies 2017, 10(3), 306; doi:10.3390/en10030306. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/3/306 --- Yang, X.; Wang, H.; Strong, P.; Xu, S.; Liu, S.; Lu, K.; Sheng, K.; Guo, J.; Che, L.; He, L.; Ok, Y.; Yuan, G.; Shen, Y.; Chen, X. Thermal Properties of Biochars Derived from Waste Biomass Generated by Agricultural and Forestry Sectors. Energies 2017, 10(4), 469; doi:10.3390/en10040469. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/4/469 --- Ellison, C.; McKeown, M.; Trabelsi, S.; Boldor, D. Dielectric Properties of Biomass/Biochar Mixtures at Microwave Frequencies. Energies 2017, 10(4), 502; doi:10.3390/en10040502. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/4/502 --- Kang, S.; Sim, B.; Kim, J. Volume and Mass Measurement of a Burning Wood Pellet by Image Processing. Energies 2017, 10(5), 603; doi:10.3390/en10050603. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/5/603 --- Tamošiūnas, A.; Chouchène, A.; Valatkevičius, P.; Gimžauskaitė, D.; Aikas, M.; Uscila, R.; Ghorbel, M.; Jeguirim, M. The Potential of Thermal Plasma Gasification of Olive Pomace Charcoal. Energies 2017, 10(5), 710; doi:10.3390/en10050710. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/5/710 --- Guizani, C.; Jeguirim, M.; Valin, S.; Limousy, L.; Salvador, S. Biomass Chars: The Effects of Pyrolysis Conditions on Their Morphology, Structure, Chemical Properties and Reactivity. Energies 2017, 10(6), 796; doi:10.3390/en10060796. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/6/796 --- Zhao, S.; Ta, N.; Wang, X. Effect of Temperature on the Structural and Physicochemical Properties of Biochar with Apple Tree Branches as Feedstock Material. Energies 2017, 10(9), 1293; doi:10.3390/en10091293. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/9/1293 --- Wanassi, B.; Hariz, I.; Ghimbeu, C.; Vaulot, C.; Jeguirim, M. Green Carbon Composite-Derived Polymer Resin and Waste Cotton Fibers for the Removal of Alizarin Red S Dye. Energies 2017, 10(9), 1321; doi:10.3390/en10091321. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/9/1321 --- Ghouma, I.; Jeguirim, M.; Sager, U.; Limousy, L.; Bennici, S.; Däuber, E.; Asbach, C.; Ligotski, R.; Schmidt, F.; Ouederni, A. The Potential of Activated Carbon Made of Agro-Industrial Residues in NOx Immissions Abatement. Energies 2017, 10(10), 1508; doi:10.3390/en10101508. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/10/1508 --- Jeguirim, M.; Limousy, L. Biomass Chars: Elaboration, Characterization and Applications. Energies 2017, 10(12), 2040; doi:10.3390/en10122040. http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/10/12/2040

Description / Table of Contents: Mechanisms of SAR Imaging of Shallow Water Topography of the Subei Bank / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(11), 1203; doi:10.3390/rs9111203 --- Detection of Bivalve Beds on Exposed Intertidal Flats Using Polarimetric SAR Indicators / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(10), 1047; doi:10.3390/rs9101047 --- Exploring the Potential of Active Learning for Automatic Identification of Marine Oil Spills Using 10-Year (2004–2013) RADARSAT Data / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(10), 1041; doi:10.3390/rs9101041 --- Assimilation of Typhoon Wind Field Retrieved from Scatterometer and SAR Based on the Huber Norm Quality Control / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(10), 987; doi:10.3390/rs9100987 --- Performance Analysis of Ocean Surface Topography Altimetry by Ku-Band Near-Nadir Interferometric SAR / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(9), 933; doi:10.3390/rs9090933 --- Satellite Survey of Internal Waves in the Black and Caspian Seas / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(9), 892; doi:10.3390/rs9090892 --- Contextual Region-Based Convolutional Neural Network with Multilayer Fusion for SAR Ship Detection / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(8), 860; doi:10.3390/rs9080860 --- Refocusing of Moving Targets in SAR Images via Parametric Sparse Representation / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(8), 795; doi:10.3390/rs9080795 --- Modulation Model of High Frequency Band Radar Backscatter by the Internal Wave Based on the Third-Order Statistics / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(5), 501; doi:10.3390/rs9050501 --- Ku-Band Sea Surface Radar Backscatter at Low Incidence Angles under Extreme Wind Conditions / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(5), 474; doi:10.3390/rs9050474 --- Doppler Spectrum-Based NRCS Estimation Method for Low-Scattering Areas in Ocean SAR Images / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(3), 219; doi:10.3390/rs9030219 --- An Improved Shape Contexts Based Ship Classification in SAR Images / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(2), 145; doi:10.3390/rs9020145 --- GF-3 SAR Ocean Wind Retrieval: The First View and Preliminary Assessment / Remote Sens. 2017, 9(7), 694; doi:10.3390/rs9070694

Description / Table of Contents: Over the last few decades, artificial neural networks, such as in data mining and machine learning technology, are being successfully applied across a wide range of science and engineering areas. In addition, according to the development of computer and space technologies, geoinformatics, as science and technology dealing with spatial information, are growing rapidly. Thus, recently, artificial neural networks have been widely applied in geoinformatics and have produced valuable results in geoscience, environment, natural hazards, and natural resources areas. This Special Issue of the journal Applied Sciences, “Application of Artificial Neural Networks in Geoinformatics”, aims to attract novel contributions covering a wide range of applications in artificial neural networks in geoinformatics.

Description / Table of Contents: The goal of this Special Issue of Geosciences is to gather high-quality original research articles and reviews on the use of Earth Observation (EO) data and technologies to image and monitor geohazards from space. Geohazards, such as landslides, volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, ground subsidence and heave, pose significant risks to human life and property. Even when not with catastrophic consequences, or when characterised by relatively slow onset and evolution, these processes may be damaging over long time periods. Human interaction with the environment may also combine with natural processes, and thus trigger, induce acceleration or exacerbate the impacts of geohazards on built environment. With a wide spectrum of imaging capabilities—from optical to radar sensors, low to very high resolution, continental to local scale, single-image to multi-temporal approaches, yearly to sub-daily acquisition repeat cycles—nowadays, EO offers several opportunities for the geoscience community to map and monitor geohazards from space. Topics of interest of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to: development, validation and implementation of satellite EO data processing methods and applications for geohazards mapping and monitoring; radar interferometry (InSAR), object-based image analysis (OBIA), multi-spectral data analysis, feature extraction, time series analysis, photo-interpretation, and digital fieldwork.

Description / Table of Contents: Environmental quality is crucial to our health, our economy and our living. However, it faces several serious challenges, not least those of climate change, unsustainable consumption and production, as well as various forms of pollution. This Special Issue invites research papers aimed at a wide range of environmental issues: Water and wastewater management, water and sediment pollution control and remediation, soil degradation, conservation and remediation, waste management, landscape management, air quality and indoor environment, environmental impacts of buildings and materials, and LCA (Life-cycle assessment).

Description / Table of Contents: Experimental Tests on a Dowel-Type Timber Connection and Validation of Numerical Models. Buildings 2017, 7(4), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7040116 --- Multi-Directional Seismic Assessment of Historical Masonry Buildings by Means of Macro-Element Modelling: Application to a Building Damaged during the L’Aquila Earthquake (Italy). Buildings 2017, 7(4), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7040106 --- Nonlinear Modelling of Curved Masonry Structures after Seismic Retrofit through FRP Reinforcing. Buildings 2017, 7(3), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7030079 --- Assessment Method for Combined Structural and Energy Retrofitting in Masonry Buildings. Buildings 2017, 7(3), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7030071 --- Rocking and Kinematic Approaches for Rigid Block Analysis of Masonry Walls: State of the Art and Recent Developments. Buildings 2017, 7(3), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7030069 --- Effect of Material Variability and Mechanical Eccentricity on the Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Reinforced Concrete Buildings. Buildings 2017, 7(3), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7030066 --- Analysis of Cylindrical Granular Material Silos under Seismic Excitation. Buildings 2017, 7(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7030061 --- Seismic Reinforcement of a R.C. School Structure with Strength Irregularities throughout External Bracing Walls. Buildings 2017, 7(3), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7030058 --- The TVT Glass Pavilion: Theoretical Study on a Highly Transparent Building Made with Long-Spanned TVT Portals Braced with Hybrid Glass-Steel Panels. Buildings 2017, 7(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7020050 --- Strengthening Masonry Arches with Lime-Based Mortar Composite. Buildings 2017, 7(2), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings7020049

Description / Table of Contents: Biopolymers, as natural polysaccharides, are considered benign polymers for what concerns the environment. This is not a new invention, but at best a renaissance: the first type of polymers used by human kind were animal hides, cellulose, silk, wool. Among benefits of natural occurring biopolymers there are potential biocompatibility, renewable resources, low processing costs, tailoring of structure by genetic manipulation, and, as said, environmentally compatibility. Limits are, sometimes, premature degradation and high production costs due to the very high purity required for medical uses. Polysaccharides are not drugs by themselves, but their use in pharmaceutical field, for example as drug carriers or antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory or anticoagulant agents, is increasingly promising. Marine polysaccharides include chitin, chitosan, alginate, agar and carrageenans. Chitosan is a cationic carbohydrate biopolymer derived from chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharides present in nature after cellulose. The main sources of chitin are the shell wastes of shrimps, lobsters and crabs. For its characteristics, chitosan founds particular application as non viral vector in gene delivery. Films from chitosan are very tough and long lasting. Alginates derive from seaweed extraction (pheophyceae), and are mainly used in drug delivery and as hydrogels for immobilizing cells and enzymes, due to the mild conditions of cross-linking through bivalent cations (Ca2+). Agar (or agar-agar) and carrageenans are linear polysaccharides from red seaweeds. They are highly reactive chemically and are peculiar for thermoreversible gel formation. Exopolysaccharides (EPS), substantial components of the extracellular matrix of many cells of marine origin, also have to be mentioned for their potential interest in pharmaceuticals, and new EPS producing bacteria, particularly from extreme marine environments, are being isolated. The possibility of chemical modification, blending and addition of biodegradable additives allows to tailor the final properties of polysaccharides and opens the doors to wider applications, particularly in pharmaceutical area. This issue is intended to explore any new potentiality of marine polysaccharides, as those above mentioned, deriving from chemical or chemical-physical modifications, and the scaling-up of their pharmaceutical applications.

Description / Table of Contents: Biopolymers, as natural polysaccharides, are considered benign polymers for what concerns the environment. This is not a new invention, but at best a renaissance: the first type of polymers used by human kind were animal hides, cellulose, silk, wool. Among benefits of natural occurring biopolymers there are potential biocompatibility, renewable resources, low processing costs, tailoring of structure by genetic manipulation, and, as said, environmentally compatibility. Limits are, sometimes, premature degradation and high production costs due to the very high purity required for medical uses. Polysaccharides are not drugs by themselves, but their use in pharmaceutical field, for example as drug carriers or antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory or anticoagulant agents, is increasingly promising. Marine polysaccharides include chitin, chitosan, alginate, agar and carrageenans. Chitosan is a cationic carbohydrate biopolymer derived from chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharides present in nature after cellulose. The main sources of chitin are the shell wastes of shrimps, lobsters and crabs. For its characteristics, chitosan founds particular application as non viral vector in gene delivery. Films from chitosan are very tough and long lasting. Alginates derive from seaweed extraction (pheophyceae), and are mainly used in drug delivery and as hydrogels for immobilizing cells and enzymes, due to the mild conditions of cross-linking through bivalent cations (Ca2 ). Agar (or agar-agar) and carrageenans are linear polysaccharides from red seaweeds. They are highly reactive chemically and are peculiar for thermoreversible gel formation. Exopolysaccharides (EPS), substantial components of the extracellular matrix of many cells of marine origin, also have to be mentioned for their potential interest in pharmaceuticals, and new EPS producing bacteria, particularly from extreme marine environments, are being isolated.The possibility of chemical modification, blending and addition of biodegradable additives allows to tailor the final properties of polysaccharides and opens the doors to wider applications, particularly in pharmaceutical area. This issue is intended to explore any new potentiality of marine polysaccharides, as those above mentioned, deriving from chemical or chemical-physical modifications, and the scaling-up of their pharmaceutical applications.

Description / Table of Contents: Biopolymers, as natural polysaccharides, are considered benign polymers for what concerns the environment. This is not a new invention, but at best a renaissance: the first type of polymers used by human kind were animal hides, cellulose, silk, wool. Among benefits of natural occurring biopolymers there are potential biocompatibility, renewable resources, low processing costs, tailoring of structure by genetic manipulation, and, as said, environmentally compatibility. Limits are, sometimes, premature degradation and high production costs due to the very high purity required for medical uses. Polysaccharides are not drugs by themselves, but their use in pharmaceutical field, for example as drug carriers or antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory or anticoagulant agents, is increasingly promising. Marine polysaccharides include chitin, chitosan, alginate, agar and carrageenans. Chitosan is a cationic carbohydrate biopolymer derived from chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharides present in nature after cellulose. The main sources of chitin are the shell wastes of shrimps, lobsters and crabs. For its characteristics, chitosan founds particular application as non viral vector in gene delivery. Films from chitosan are very tough and long lasting. Alginates derive from seaweed extraction (pheophyceae), and are mainly used in drug delivery and as hydrogels for immobilizing cells and enzymes, due to the mild conditions of cross-linking through bivalent cations (Ca2 ). Agar (or agar-agar) and carrageenans are linear polysaccharides from red seaweeds. They are highly reactive chemically and are peculiar for thermoreversible gel formation. Exopolysaccharides (EPS), substantial components of the extracellular matrix of many cells of marine origin, also have to be mentioned for their potential interest in pharmaceuticals, and new EPS producing bacteria, particularly from extreme marine environments, are being isolated.The possibility of chemical modification, blending and addition of biodegradable additives allows to tailor the final properties of polysaccharides and opens the doors to wider applications, particularly in pharmaceutical area. This issue is intended to explore any new potentiality of marine polysaccharides, as those above mentioned, deriving from chemical or chemical-physical modifications, and the scaling-up of their pharmaceutical applications.

Description / Table of Contents: The special issue contains contributions presented at the international workshop Seismic waves in laterally inhomo- geneous media IV, which was held at the Castle of Trest, Czech Republic, May 22-27, 1995. The workshop, which was attended by about 100 seismologists from more than 10 countries, was devoted mainly to the current state of theoretical and computational means of study of seismic wave propagation in complex structures. The special issue can be of interest for theoretical, global and explorational seismologists. The first part contains papers dealing with the study and the use of various methods of solving forward and inverse problems in complicated structures. Among other methods, discrete-wave number method, the finite-difference method, the edge-wave supperposition method and the ray method are studied and used. Most papers contained in the second part are related to the ray method. The most important topics are two-point ray tracing, grid calculations of travel times and amplitudes and seismic wave propagation in anisotropic media.

Description / Table of Contents: This volume contains 18 papers from 8 countries dealing with different aspects of triggered and induced seismicity. In situ observations of the phenomenon include examples of seismicity due to reservoirs, hard-rock mines, coal mines, mine collapses, brine production caverns, fluid injections, and geothermal hot-dry-rock projects. High-frequency acoustic emission studies from laboratory experiments and hard-rock mines have also been reported. Besides providing case studies of previously unavailable observations of seismicity, the present volume contains investigations of the causes and source mechanism of seismic events, determination of source parameters, seismic hazard as related to the design of support systems for underground openings and procedures for closure of brine production caverns, and the use of seismic and non-destructive techniques in assessing rock damage, measuring dynamic elastic moduli and detecting discontinuities. This collection of papers provides an excellent indication of the state of the art, recent developments and outstanding challenges facing scientists and engineers in understanding the causes and alleviating the effects of induced seismicity.

Description / Table of Contents: The perturbation of the earth by mankind causes earthquakes in a variety of situations. This phenomenon continues to be a major concern to engineers and scientists concerned with the mitigation of the consequences of this seismicity, as well as better understanding the processes at its origin. The present volume contains twelve papers from six countries, dealing with observations of triggered and induced seismicity in four continents. The reported cases include seismicity due to hard-rock mines, coal mines, underground research facilities for nuclear waste disposal, water injections, reservoirs, acquifers and oil fields. This volume provides case studies of previously unavailable observations of this phenomenon, investigations of the cause and source mechanism of seismic events, studies of source location distributions, determinations of seismic source parameters, cases of the use of such parameters in assessing rockburst hazard in mines, and measurements of velocity an attenuation properties of rock masses. The present collection of papers provides an excellent indication of the current state of the art and new developments in this area of research.

Description / Table of Contents: DEKORP, the German continental reflection seismic program, was the major focus of deep seismic research in Germany in the 1980s and 1990s. The seismic sections provided fundamental new insight into deep geological structure of the European continent and the dynamics of continental formation. They formed the basis for worldwide comparative studies of orogenic structure. The complicated signature of the reflections from the deep crust indicated that new processing and interpretation techniques must be considered to better image the crystalline crust. Results of these efforts, including pre-stack migration, 3-D imaging, shear waves and seismic anisotropy, are presented in this special volume. In part, the articles open the perspective to new and future research. In part, they document research activity triggered by technical and interpretational questions raised by DEKORP field work and profiling results. Many of the presented methods can find immediate application in industrial seismic prospecting.

Description / Table of Contents: Jointly organized by the Singapore Mathematical Society and the Department of Mathematics of the National University of Singapore