Also relevant: - "In 2018, Buckley and the other nine senior members of the editorial board resigned, claiming that MDPI "pressured them to accept manuscripts

Also relevant: - "In 2018, Buckley and the other nine senior members of the editorial board resigned, claiming that MDPI "pressured them to accept manuscripts of mediocre quality and importance." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrients_(journal) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrients_(journal) https://www.science.org/content/article/open-access-editors-resign-after-alleged-pressure-publish-mediocre-papers https://www.science.org/content/article/open-access-editors-... (This is the journal that accepted the OP study).