The book is the reprint of the Special Issue 'Advances in Sustainable and Digitalized Factories: Manufacturing, Measuring Technologies and Systems' published in the journal Applied Science (MDPI). It contains 17 articles, including 1 Editorial, 14 Research Papers, and 2 Reviews.

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This reprint contains a Special Issue of the MDPI journal Machines on Italian advances in mechanism and machines science through a collection of selected papers from the Fourth International Conference of IFToMM Italy, IFIT 2022. The included papers belong to a broad range of disciplines in MMS, with research and design results that can be of interest not only to scholars in the field of MMS and mechanical engineering but also to professionals and even students, broadening their understanding of the problems and solutions under development, mainly, but not only, from the Italian community.

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The prevalence of obesity and its comorbidities, particularly type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and hepatic disease and certain cancers, continues to rise worldwide. Paradoxically, despite an increasingly obesogenic environment, particularly in Western societies, undernutrition is also extremely common. The application of novel, sophisticated techniques, particularly related to imaging and molecular biology, has substantially advanced our understanding of the mechanisms controlling appetite and energy intake. This has led to a redefinition of many concepts, including the relative importance of central versus peripheral mechanisms, recognising that the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, particularly gut hormones, plays a critical role. Given the major advance in knowledge in the field, this Special Issue provides a comprehensive overview of the GI mechanisms underlying the regulation of appetite and energy intake, as a series of definitive reviews by international authorities. The reviews address gut-related mechanisms, including nutrient sensing, gut hormones and GI motility, gut-brain communication, including the roles of the vagus and the modulation of reward perception, the roles of diet and the microbiota, as well as the abnormalities associated with eating disorders, specifically obesity and anorexia of ageing, and the beneficial effects of bariatric surgery. The reviews cover both preclinical research and studies in humans, and are complemented by a number of important original papers.

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Human lactation has evolved to produce a milk composition that is uniquely-designed for the human infant. Not only does human milk optimize infant growth and development, it also provides protection from infection and disease. More recently, the importance of human milk and breastfeeding in the programming of infant health has risen to the fore. Anchoring of infant feeding in the developmental origins of health and disease has led to a resurgence of research focused in this area. Milk composition is highly variable both between and within mothers. Indeed the distinct maternal human milk signature, including its own microbiome, is influenced by environmental factors, such as diet, health, body composition and geographic residence. An understanding of these changes will lead to unravelling the adaptation of milk to the environment and its impact on the infant. In terms of the promotion of breastfeeding, health economics and epidemiology is instrumental in shaping public health policy and identifying barriers to breastfeeding. Further, basic research is imperative in order to design evidence-based interventions to improve both breastfeeding duration and women’s breastfeeding experience.

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One of the major breakthroughs of the last decade in the understanding of energy homeostasis is the identification of a reciprocal control between circadian rhythmicity and cellular metabolism. Circadian rhythmicity is a fundamental endogenous process of almost every organism living on Earth. For instance, the alternation of hunger and satiety is not continuous over 24 h, but is instead structured in time along the light/dark cycle. In mammals, the temporal organization of metabolism, physiology and behavior around 24 h is controlled by a network of multiple cellular clocks, synchronized via neuronal and hormonal signals by a master clock located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus. This central circadian conductor in the brain is mainly reset by ambient light perceived by the retina, while secondary circadian clocks in other brain areas and peripheral organs can be reset by meal timing. Chronic disruption of circadian rhythms, as seen in human shift-workers (up to 20% of the active population), has been associated with the development of a number of adverse mental and metabolic conditions. Understanding of the functional links between circadian desynchronization and overall health in animal models and humans, however, is still scarce. Interactions between circadian clocks and metabolism can occur at different levels: the molecular clockwork, internal synchronization via neuro-hormonal signals, or external synchronization via photic or feeding cues. This Research Topic comprises a number of reviews as well as research and methods articles that feature recent advancements in the mechanisms linking circadian clocks with energy metabolism, and the pathophysiological implications of these interactions for metabolic health.

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Malnutrition has been a persistent problem throughout history, despite advances in agriculture, the food industry and medical technology. Even today, millions of people around the world continue to suffer from hunger and malnutrition. This book aims to explore various issues related to undernutrition, including its causes, such as lack of access to nutritious food, poverty, food insecurity, lack of nutrition education and other social and economic factors that are directly related to undernutrition. In addition, the consequences of malnutrition, such as stunting, muscle weakness, decreased immunity, chronic diseases and infant mortality, will be examined.****In essence, this book on malnutrition serves as a call to action for all members of global society to take responsibility and contribute to the fight against malnutrition. It is not a situation that can be addressed by governments or international organizations alone, but requires the collective commitment of society to ensure that everyone has access to adequate food and can enjoy a healthy and fulfilling life.****This book, which outlines the main advances in programmes, care, tactics and elements related to undernutrition and malnutrition, not only in our nation but also globally, seeks to provide a theoretical and scientific basis for generating knowledge and, potentially, spearheading tactics that will lead to diminishing this dilemma in our environment.****Rosa Gabriela Espadero

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The contributors to Eating beside Ourselves examine eating as a site of transfer and transformation that create thresholds for human and nonhuman relations.

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The goat is one of the earliest domesticated species and has great significance for the world economy. This book provides a comprehensive overview of goat husbandry. It includes thirteen chapters that address such topics as breeding, genetics, reproduction, health, nutrition, and more.

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Horses perform variety of roles in our society, serving people in several ways. Proper nutrition and feeding management are some of the main objectives to ensure the well-being and performance of horses. Thus, the link between equine health and good dietary treatment must be recognized to increase our understanding of the needs of the horse. It is important to ensure science-based knowledge is available to all stakeholders and people working in the horse industry. This book presents research papers published in the Special Issue of Animals entitled ‘Horse Nutrition and Management’.

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In this thematic series, engineers and scientists come together to address two interesting interdisciplinary questions in functional morphology and biomechanics: How do the structure and material determine the function of insect body parts? How can insects inspire engineering innovations?

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Meat composition and quality are not independent of the effects of animal production systems. This is important—especially as we transition into a future where meat production, quality, and value are considered within the context of sustainable feed and supplementation selection, the enhanced management of animal genetics and husbandry practices, and the improved processing and packaging of meat products. In this book, we have presented a curated collection of research investigating animal production systems and strategies for meat processing with innovative applications to the delivery of meat products that match consumer demands (i.e., from farm to fork). This book is a valuable resource to animal and food scientists, students of agricultural science, livestock producers and farmers, as well as readers with an interest in the efficient and ethical conversion of animals into meat products for human consumption.

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Metabolomics has been a useful method for various study fields. However, its application in animal science does not seem to be sufficient. Metabolomics will be useful for various studies in animal science: Animal genetics and breeding, animal physiology, animal nutrition, animal products (milk, meat, eggs, and their by-products) and their processing, livestock environment, animal biotechnology, animal behavior, and animal welfare. More application examples and protocols for animal science will promote more motivation to use metabolomics effectively in the study field. Therefore, in this Special Issue, we introduced some research and review articles for “Metabolomic Applications in Anmal Science”. The main methods used were mass spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Not only a non-targeted, but also a targeted, analysis of metabolites is shown. The topics include dietary and pharmacological interventions and protocols for metabolomic experiments.

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This Nutrients Special Issue focuses on neonatal nutritional advances for inflammatory disorders affecting infants such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Nutrition can significantly impact the development of certain diseases that afflict infants. This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest research on the role of nutrition in preventing or impacting neonatal disorders. Specifically, this Special Issue focuses on the role of breast milk or donor breast milk and the various components in milk that have been demonstrated to protect against NEC and other inflammatory diseases. This issue provides a comprehensive composite of the advances in nutritional strategies that can modulate or prevent neonatal intestinal disorders.

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Research during the past decade highlights the strong link between appetitive feeding behavior, reward and motivation. Interestingly, stress levels can affect feeding behavior by manipulating hypothalamic circuits and brain dopaminergic reward pathways. Indeed, animals and people will increase or decrease their feeding responses when stressed. In many cases acute stress leads to a decrease in food intake, yet chronic social stressors are associated to increases in caloric intake and adiposity. Interestingly, mood disorders and the treatments used to manage these disorders are also associated with changes in appetite and body weight. These data suggest a strong interaction between the systems that regulate feeding and metabolism and those that regulate mood. This Research Topic aims to illustrate how hormonal mechanisms regulate the nexus between feeding behavior and stress. It focuses on the hormonal regulation of hypothalamic circuits and/or brain dopaminergic systems, as the potential sites controlling the converging pathways between feeding behavior and stress.

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The aim of this Special Issue was to publish high-quality papers on poultry nutrition and the inter-relations between nutrition, metabolism, gut microflora, and poultry performance. Therefore, we present here original research articles in the following topics:- the nutrient requirements of poultry;- the impact of dietary fibre on poultry health and performance;- the use of feed additives to improve gut microflora and performance;- the effect of feeding on poultry meat and egg quality;- factors that cause variation in feed ingredients used in poultry diets;- alternative feed ingredients for use in poultry feed formulations;- the impact of gastrointestinal pH on nutrient bioavailability and the intestinal microbiota in poultry;- phytate and xylan ‘susceptibility’ in relation to the effects of enzymes;- factors that influence reactivity and enzyme efficacy;- in vitro models to determine the digestibility of poultry diets.

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Both aroma and taste are important quality criteria for food products, and they have a great influence on our consumption behaviours. In recent years, a significant increase in the number of studies related to the identification of the characteristic odor- and taste-active compounds of particular foods has been observed.In this book, you can find nine valuable scientific contributions, which deal with the more recent analytical developments for the identification of some compounds responsible for odor and taste in foods such as ham, beer, strawberry, Amontillado sherry wine and others, in order to authenticate them or evaluate the effect of different techniques or making stages on their aroma and taste.

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This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact

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