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This Special Issue addresses a topic that is of great relevance as, nowadays, in developed countries, individuals spend most of their time indoors and, depending on each person, the presence at home ranges between 60% and 90% of the day, with 30% of that time spent sleeping. Considering these data, indoor residential environments have a direct influence on human health, especially considering that, in developing countries, significant levels of indoor pollution make housing unsafe, having an impact on the health of inhabitants. Therefore, housing is a key health factor for people all over the world, and various parameters, such as air quality, ventilation, hygrothermal comfort, lighting, physical environment, and building efficiency, can contribute to healthy architecture, as well as to the conditions that can result from the poor application of these parameters. The articles in this Special Issue thus address issues concerning indoor environmental quality (IEQ), which is described, more simply, as the conditions inside a building. This includes air quality, but also access to daylight and views, pleasant acoustic conditions, and occupant control over lighting and thermal comfort. IEQ also includes the functional aspects of the space, such as whether the layout provides easy access to tools and people when needed and whether there is sufficient space for the occupants. Building managers and operators can increase building occupant satisfaction by considering all aspects of IEQ rather than focusing on temperature or air quality alone.

indoor air quality --- thermal comfort --- airtightness --- natural ventilation --- educational buildings --- thermal insulation --- sustainable materials --- fique --- thermal conductivity --- thermogravimetry --- green architecture --- urban heat island --- microclimate --- feed-forward neural networks --- air temperature measurements --- in-situ measurements --- urban models --- urban environment --- climate change --- COVID-19 --- MgO-based cement --- sustainability --- energy efficiency --- architecture --- building evaluation --- functional adequacy --- human-centered --- IEQ --- learning space --- place attachment --- social interaction --- social participation --- sustainable building --- quality air --- epidemiology --- data analysis --- statistics --- nursing homes --- geopolymer --- fly ash --- basalt fiber --- basalt waste aggregate --- mechanical properties --- lean manufacturing --- modular construction --- sustainability architecture --- efficient buildings --- lean construction

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Concrete is the most widely utilized construction material in the world. Thus, any action intended to enhance the sustainability of the construction industry must consider the supply chain, production, distribution demolition and eventual disposal, landfilling or recycling of this composite material. High-performance concrete may be one of the most effective options to make the construction sector more sustainable. Experience proves that the use of recycled concrete aggregates, as well as the partial replacement of ordinary Portland cement with other supplementary cementitious materials or alternative binders, are generally accepted as the most realistic solutions to reduce the environmental impacts, leading to sufficiently high mechanical performances. In structural applications such as those concerning the seismic and energy retrofitting of existing buildings, the use of high-performance cementitious composites often represents the more cost-effective solution, which allows us to minimize the costs of the intervention and the environmental impact. Eventually, the challenge of enhancing sustainability by raising durability of concrete structures is particularly relevant in those applications where maintenance is particularly expensive and impactful, in terms of both direct intervention costs and indirect costs deriving from downtime. The present Special Issue aims at providing readers with the most recent research results on the aforementioned subjects and further foster a collaboration between the scientific community and the industrial sector on a common commitment towards sustainable concrete constructions.

recycled concrete aggregate --- recycled aggregate concrete --- durability --- freeze-thaw cycles --- mechanical properties --- concrete --- recycled concrete --- recycled aggregate --- shrinkage --- slags --- cement replacement --- existing beams --- retrofitting method --- environmental assessment --- fly ash --- moment–curvature relationship --- precast elements --- basalt --- concrete properties --- recycled natural basalt --- recycled concrete powder --- seismic retrofitting --- multilayer coating --- Steel Fiber Reinforced Mortar --- energy performance of buildings --- point thermal bridges --- thermal behavior in summer --- case study --- prestressed concrete --- prestress losses --- bridges --- flexural strength --- shear strength --- drying and autogenous shrinkage --- creep --- sustainability --- shear bond --- UHPFRC --- push-off test --- tensile bond strength --- concrete overlay --- strengthening --- existing infrastructures --- digital microscopy --- surface roughness --- mortars --- MSWI bottom ash --- pozzolanic activity --- supplementary cementing materials --- water-retaining structures --- aggressive environment --- n/a --- moment-curvature relationship

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This book, a collection of 12 original contributions and 4 reviews, provides a selection of the most recent advances in the preparation, characterization, and applications of polymeric nanocomposites comprising nanoparticles. The concept of nanoparticle-reinforced polymers came about three decades ago, following the outstanding discovery of fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. One of the main ideas behind this approach is to improve the matrix mechanical performance. The nanoparticles exhibit higher specific surface area, surface energy, and density compared to microparticles and, hence, lower nanofiller concentrations are needed to attain properties comparable to, or even better than, those obtained by conventional microfiller loadings, which facilitates processing and minimizes the increase in composite weight. The addition of nanoparticles into different polymer matrices opens up an important research area in the field of composite materials. Moreover, many different types of inorganic nanoparticles, such as quantum dots, metal oxides, and ceramic and metallic nanoparticles, have been incorporated into polymers for their application in a wide range of fields, ranging from medicine to photovoltaics, packaging, and structural applications.

ceramizable silicone rubber --- halloysite --- encapsulant --- drug delivery --- fillers --- ultraviolet (UV) curable coatings --- PDMS etching --- nanoparticles --- roughness --- methacryl POSS --- composite --- chlorogenic acid --- hydrophilic --- surface free energy --- theranostics --- 29Si-NMR --- borate --- dental resin --- morphology --- surface --- fabrication --- polydimethylsiloxane --- recessed electrode --- swelling --- MAPOSS --- X-ray (Micro-CT) microtomography --- mechanical properties --- plateau-shaped electrode --- hybrid hydrogel --- hardness --- sugar templating process --- bioactivity --- amphiphilic --- high molecular weight --- low surface energy materials --- PDMS --- quartz microcrystal --- 3D porous network --- fluorinated siloxane resin --- mortar --- surface modification --- poly(dimethylsiloxanes) --- scratch resistance --- multielectrode array (MEA) --- non-releasable --- sol-gel --- topology of polysiloxane chains --- cross-linking --- FTIR --- diethyl carbonate --- poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) --- TG-FTIR --- organosilane --- anti-bioadhesion --- carbon content --- nanomedicine --- thermal stability --- hybrids --- underexposure --- nanosilica --- hyperbranched poly(methylhydrosiloxanes) --- spinal cord signal recording --- ceramizable mechanism --- coatings --- TG --- silicon --- polysiloxanes --- basalt fibre --- refractive index --- drug release --- thermal conductivity --- hydrolytic polycondensation --- shrinkage --- polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes

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In this era of technological progress and given the need for welfare and safety, everything that is manufactured and maintained must comply with such needs. We would all like to live in a safe house that will not collapse on us. We would all like to walk on a safe road and never see a chasm open in front of us. We would all like to cross a bridge and reach the other side safely. We all would like to feel safe and secure when taking a plane, ship, train, or using any equipment. All this may be possible with the adoption of adequate manufacturing processes, with non-destructive inspection of final parts and monitoring during the in-service life of components. Above all, maintenance should be imperative. This requires effective non-destructive testing techniques and procedures. This Special Issue is a collection of some of the latest research in these areas, aiming to highlight new ideas and ways to deal with challenging issues worldwide. Different types of materials and structures are considered, different non-destructive testing techniques are employed with new approaches for data treatment proposed as well as numerical simulations. This can serve as food for thought for the community involved in the inspection of materials and structures as well as condition monitoring.

reinforce concrete --- rebar --- defect --- self-magnetic behavior --- magnetic flux density --- probability paper method --- Passive Magnetic Inspection (PMI) --- aluminum alloy wheel --- X-ray --- nondestructive testing --- defect detection --- adaptive threshold --- morphological reconstruction --- non-destructive inspection --- laser ultrasonic imaging --- Lamb wave --- delamination --- composite laminate --- frescoed surfaces --- non-destructive test --- plaster detachment --- impact hammer test --- historical masonry building --- thick multilayer composites --- discrete defects --- ultrasonic pulse echo --- nondestructive testing (NDT) --- recurrence plot (RP) --- recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) --- statistical results --- chaotic behavior --- phased array ultrasonic --- composites --- signal sensitivity --- diffuse ultrasonic waves --- cross-ply fiber reinforced composite --- defect localization --- non-destructive tests --- damage assessment --- residual properties --- Finite Element Method --- Damage Index --- non-destructive damage detection --- steel wire ropes --- review --- electromagnetic detection --- optical detection --- ultrasonic guided wave --- basalt fibers --- polyamide --- polypropylene --- impact damage --- lock-in thermography --- ultrasonic testing --- debonding --- composite damage --- electromechanical impedance --- piezoelectric --- FEM simulation --- non-destructive testing evaluation --- infrared thermography testing --- image enhancement --- n/a

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Multifunctional hybrid materials based on polymers have already displayed excellent commitment in addressing and presenting solutions to existing demands in priority areas such as the environment, human health, and energy. These hybrid materials can lead to unique superior multifunction materials with a broad range of envisaged applications. However, their design, performance, and practical applications are still challenging. Thus, it is highly advantageous to provide a breakthrough in state-of-the-art manufacturing and scale-up technology to design and synthesize advanced multifunctional hybrid materials based on polymers with improved performance.The main objective of this interdisciplinary book is to bring together, at an international level, high-quality elegant collection of reviews and original research articles dealing with polymeric hybrid materials within different areas such as the following:- Biomaterials chemistry, physics, engineering, and processing;- Polymer chemistry, physics and engineering;- Organic chemistry;- Composites science;- Colloidal chemistry and physics;- Porous nanomaterials science;- Energy storage; and- Automotive and aerospace manufacturing.

HPMC --- galantamine hydrobromide (GH) --- pectin --- hydrogel --- methylene bisacrylamide --- dementia --- PLLA --- chitosan --- basil oil --- active packaging --- films --- barrier properties --- antioxidant properties --- nanodielectrics --- crosslinked polyethylene --- auxiliary crosslinker --- electrical tree --- dielectric breakdown strength --- ionic liquid --- nanofiller --- polymer nanocomposite --- thermal --- mechanical --- chemical --- concrete --- basalt fiber --- epoxy resin --- alginate --- raised temperature --- compressive strength --- self-compacting concrete --- self-consolidating concrete --- waste alumina --- nano alumina --- nanoparticles --- MWCNTs --- horizontal axis wind turbine --- finite element analysis --- Ansys --- lung cancer --- toxicity --- surface modification --- hybrid nanocarriers --- dissipative particle dynamics --- Nafion --- mesoscale morphology --- poly(1-vinyl-1,2,4-triazole) --- poly(vinylphosphonic acid) --- Friction Riveting --- metal-polymer hybrid joints --- friction-based multi-material connections --- anchoring FE modelling --- rivet failure modes --- carbon nanotube --- controlled residence time --- melt mixing --- polymer composites --- percolation network --- n/a --- silica nanoparticles --- Pickering emulsion polymerization --- microspheres --- hybrid monoliths