Active methods in electricity and magnetism courses: Influence of degree, academic level and gender on student performance.

The performance of first-year students in electromagnetism (E&M) courses of different engineering degrees at a Spanish public university was measured using the Brief Electricity and Magnetism Assessment (BEMA), a standard research-based instrument to assess students' understanding after attending introductory courses in electricity and magnetism. In all cases, Flipped classroom (FC) built on information and communications technology was used. The objective of this paper is to analyse if the gain in the BEMA pre and post-test results is influenced by several factors such as the degree, the students' academic grade, and gender.

Engineered Highly Porous Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogels with Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) and Graphene Nanosheets for Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering: Morphology, Water Sorption, Thermal, Mechanical, Electrical Properties, and Biocompatibility.

Electroactive composite materials are very promising for musculoskeletal tissue engineering because they can be applied in combination with electrostimulation. In this context, novel graphene-based poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/polyvinyl alcohol (PHBV/PVA) semi-interpenetrated networks (semi-IPN) hydrogels were engineered with low amounts of graphene (G) nanosheets dispersed within the polymer matrix to endow them with electroactive properties. The nanohybrid hydrogels, obtained by applying a hybrid solvent casting-freeze-drying method, show an interconnected porous structure and a high water-absorption capacity (swelling degree > 1200%).

Pro-Myogenic Environment Promoted by the Synergistic Effect of Conductive Polymer Nanocomposites Combined with Extracellular Zinc Ions.

A new strategy based on the combination of electrically conductive polymer nanocomposites and extracellular Zn ions as a myogenic factor was developed to assess its ability to synergically stimulate myogenic cell response. The conductive nanocomposite was prepared with a polymeric matrix and a small amount of graphene (G) nanosheets (0.7% /) as conductive filler to produce an electrically conductive surface.

Novel Semi-Interpenetrated Polymer Networks of Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyvalerate)/Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) with Incorporated Conductive Polypyrrole Nanoparticles.

This paper reports the preparation and characterization of semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPN) of poly(3-hydroxybutirate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate), PHBV, and poly (vinyl alcohol), PVA, with conductive polypirrole (PPy) nanoparticles. Stable hybrid semi-IPN (PHBV/PVA 30/70 ratio) hydrogels were produced by solvent casting, dissolving each polymer in chloroform and 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone respectively, and subsequent glutaraldehyde crosslinking of the PVA chains. The microstructure and physical properties of this novel polymeric system were analysed, including thermal behaviour and degradation, water sorption, wettability and electrical conductivity.

Non-Markovian Methods in Glass Transition.

A model for the heterogeneity of local dynamics in polymer and other glass-forming materials is provided here. The fundamental characteristics of the glass transition phenomenology emerge when simulating a condensed matter open cluster that has a strong interaction with its heterogeneous environment. General glass transition features, such as non-exponential structural relaxations, the slowing down of relaxation times with temperature and specific off-equilibrium glassy dynamics can be reproduced by non-Markovian dynamics simulations with the minimum computer resources.

Bio-Nanocomposite Hydrogel Based on Zinc Alginate/Graphene Oxide: Morphology, Structural Conformation, Thermal Behavior/Degradation, and Dielectric Properties.

Bio-nanocomposite hydrogels based on sodium alginate (SA) as polymer matrix and graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets with zinc as crosslinking agent were synthesized with the aim of incorporating the intrinsic properties of their constituents (bioactivity and antimicrobial activity). Thus, stable and highly interconnected networks were obtained from GO nanosheets dispersed in SA matrices through interactions with low amounts of zinc. The GO nanosheets were successfully incorporated into the alginate matrix in the form of a complex nano-network involving different interactions: Bonds between alginate chains induced by Zn ions (egg box structure), interactions between GO nanosheets through Zn ions and hydrogen bonds between alginate chains, and GO nanosheets.

Data set on the effectiveness of flip teaching on engineering students' performance in the physics lab compared to Traditional Methodology.

This paper shows the data of the Flip Teaching and Traditional Methodology on the laboratory practice in two subjects, Physics and Electricity, of a technical degree. The laboratory and final grades of these subjects were shown in four consecutive years. The characteristics of all four years were quite similar, except that the Traditional teaching Methodology (TM) was used in two, while Flip Teaching methodology (FT) was applied in the other two.

Visual analysis of automated segmentation in the diagnosis of focal cortical dysplasias with magnetic resonance imaging.

Focal cortical dysplasias (FCDs) are a frequent cause of epilepsy. It has been reported that up to 40% of them cannot be visualized with conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The main objective of this work was to evaluate by means of a retrospective descriptive observational study whether the automated brain segmentation is useful for detecting FCD.

Abnormal synchrony and effective connectivity in patients with schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations.

Auditory hallucinations (AH) are the most frequent positive symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. Hallucinations have been related to emotional processing disturbances, altered functional connectivity and effective connectivity deficits. Previously, we observed that, compared to healthy controls, the limbic network responses of patients with auditory hallucinations differed when the subjects were listening to emotionally charged words.