Yeah I can't say anything about MDPI, and this isn't in my domain. My domain is in ML and all I can say there is that the signal to noise ratio over conference publications and arxiv papers is within error. But research continues for the same reasons it always has, because people are communicating and niches know their niches. But I think it doesn't bode well for Academia or even industry, who are letting the metrics dictate how they evaluate people. Especially for industry, where things have to end up working. I think Gemini is doing a great job at showing how being great on benchmarks doesn't mean you're a great tool. It's because benchmarks are only guides. When they aren't, they will be hacked (if they already aren't). And that's a dangerous situation to be in.

here are some mdpi papers i have in my bookmarks file; all of these seemed pretty decent, if i recall correctly

http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/9/8/622/htm a 2016 #paper on #solar #energy payback times and EROEI (“EROI”) and life-cycle analysis (LCA) and net energy analysis (NEA). In particular fixed ground-mounted “multicrystalline” silicon #photovoltaic cells have EPBT of 0.9 to 2.1 years depending on irradiation (insolation), and an EROEI of 15 to 35. This is surprising because that’s pretty much what it was when NREL published an EPBT analysis around 2001 or so.

https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/2/1/1/htm “#Energy Inputs in #Food Crop Production in Developing and Developed Nations,” Pimentel’s #EROEI #paper where he found about four joules returned per joule spent on industrialized #agriculture, #CC-BY, Energies 2009, 2(1), 1-24; https://doi.org/10.3390/en20100001

https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/2/438 Elfring, Torta, and van de Molengraft’s more comprehensive #particle-filters #tutorial #paper (with #PDF) which supposedly has example code that I can’t find. This is recent (02021) and open-access (#CC BY, I think), and many pages long, and has an overview of a lot of the motivation, but in some sense not very approachable.

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/12/2/220 #CC #paper describes various excavation methods (plasma, foam injection, etc.) including #expanding-grout, which it says works by hydrating lime under confinement and also producing ettringite, but lists four different types: type K (4CaO·3Al₂O₃·SO₃ + 8CaSO₄⋅H₂O + 6Ca(OH)₂ + 74H₂0 → 3(3CaO⋅Al₂O₃⋅3 CaSO₄⋅32H₂O, can be enhanced with silica fume and plasticizer), type M (CaO⋅Al₂O₃ + 3CaSO₄⋅H₂O + 2Ca(OH)₂ + 24H₂O → 3CaO⋅Al₂O₃⋅3CaSO₄⋅32H₂O), type S (3CaO⋅Al₂O₃ + 3CaSO₄⋅H₂O + 26H₂O → 3CaO⋅Al₂O₃⋅3CaSO₄⋅32H₂O), and class [sic] G (CaO + H₂O → Ca(OH)₂). Calls it “SCDA” and mentions ASTM C 845 “Standard Specification for Expansive Hydraulic Cement”. It says they work too slowly (12h) to replace explosives in the usual mining cycle, but I suspect that’s not true of class G, where the main problem is keeping it from reacting to completion before you can pour it into the hole.