Scientific Advances in STEM: From Professor to Students

Abstract

Universities should generate and relay knowledge and, therefore, placing it at the service of society. In this context, the Higher Polytechnic School (Escuela Polit´ecnica Superior, EPS) of the University of Seville (US), Spain, with a great tradition in the industrial work, aims to train the students both as professional and researcher, promoting knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas. STEM research has a noticeable impact on the industrial sector, where a multidisciplinary approach is required, involving teams formed by people from diverse fields and different level of experience, from full-professor to students at the last steps of their degrees or masters, including Ph.D. students, as well as lab-staff, which allows students to be closer to high-quality research. Advances in STEM education includes innovative approaches and perspectives in promoting and improving STEM-based education and the processes of STEM instructions and further application of knowledge. Thus, the continuous advances in technology not only change the way students learn but also the way they connect and interact every day. These changes have implications in the academia field. In this sense, the interdisciplinary skills developed through STEM provide a network where research can be applied in a fruitful collaboration. This book collects the articles published in special topic Scientific Advances in STEM: From Professor to Students, which includes publications at the MPDI Journals Metals, Polymers, Foods, Sustainability, and Sensors. It covers examples of cutting-edge research hosted at the EPS-US and presented at the 7th Symposium on Research, Development and Innovation of this academic centre, also in collaboration with other national and international institutions. Editors would like to disseminate this multidisciplinary research and contribute to establish new collaborations among groups. This book collects 20 works from academic researchers, reporting novel results in the STEM field. Material science covers 6 contributions, from protein-based materials exhibiting absorbent properties to titanium-based materials for the development of biomaterials. Thus, Alonso et al. [1] analyzed the effect of mould temperature on the mechanical and microstructural properties and water absorption capacity of rice bran-based bioplastics obtained by injection moulding. In this sense, Jim´enez-Rosado et al. [2] analyzed the effect of ZnO nanoparticles on soy protein-based bioplastics at three different mould temperature, improving their functional properties, Moreover, in this context, Alvarez-Castillo et al. [3] strengthened the superabsorbent properties of porcine plasma protein through a solubilization-freeze-drying process. These authors proposed the replacement of common acrylic derivatives by biodegradable materials. They analyzed the effect of freeze-drying carried out either directly on the protein flour or after its solubilization in deionized water. Li et al. [4] used test methods and finite element numerical analysis to study the flexural load-bearing performance. These authors concluded that the steel–wood composites had good load-bearing and deformation performance. In the field of biomedical applications, Fernandez-Ponce et al. [5] analyzed the use of hybrid gold-magnetic-iron-oxide nanoparticles synthetized by a novel method suitable for in-vitro biomedical applications. Additionally, Mesa-Restrepo et al. [6] employed titanium for the fabrication of implants superficially modified by direct irradiation synthesis with enhanced osseointegration as it is demonstrated by the cell adhesion, differentiation, and mineralization. On the other hand, the use of cutting edge-computing platforms would play important roles for medical image analysis to aid the detection of illnesses, as presented Duran-Lopez et al. [7] for a quick detection of prostate cancer. Additionally, thinking on healthcare, Luna-Perej ´on et al. [8] presented the AnkFALL dataset to detect falling risk and used this information to integrate a fall detector in the footwear. Material science is a broad field. Thus, Ancio et al. [9] analyzed the main aspects which affect bonding in stainless steel rebars embedded in a hydraulic medium. These authors based their findings in several finite element simulations for the identification of the relationships between pull-out forces in several situations. Finite elements simulations were also employed byWang et al. [10] among other tools, to confirm the physical, thermophysical properties, temperature-phase transition, and stress-strain curves of AlFeSi phase for Al6061. Moreover, Tagliabue et al. [11] generated magneto-rheological elastomers based on styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers. these authors found that the SiO2 and phosphate coating of the affected the saturation magnetization and the shear modulus of MRE composites. Thus, a combined silica phosphate coating resulted in a higher shear modulus, and, therefore, the magnetorheological effect decreased, As for food-based products, An et al. [12] evaluated the extraction of saponins isolated from Corni Fructus (CT) via ultrasonic microwave. These authors isolated saponins from CF (TSCF) using ultrasonic microwave-assisted extraction, using response surface methodology to optimize the study variables. Moreover, the food-based products in this book also covers the results from Linares et al. [13], where nano-emulsions stabilized by fennel oil and further microfluidization together with the addition of advanced performance xanthan gum were analyzed. Novel design engineering was applied to contribute to the development of children with autism, through a multifunctional smart toy to reinforce the multiple needs and adaptable to each patient, as proposed by Ca˜ nete et al. [14]. Regarding to learning, Garc´ıa-Villena et al. [15] evaluated the level of satisfaction of graduates in relation to different online postgraduate programs in the environmental area. It was found that there were significant values of low satisfaction in graduates from the Eurasian area, mainly in terms of organizational issues and academic expectations. On the other hand, two indices to control the stability of power systems were proposed by Borras-Talavera et al. [16] to quantify the effects of non-stationary disturbances with high resolution and precision and contributing to the power quality in electrical systems and equipment. Related to renewable generation systems and mobile load the existence of a good distribution network is required. The optimization of the energy use, balance between consumption and generation, is key for increasing their use. The study presented by Parejo et al. [17] analyzed the implementation and architecture of a demand response solution based on OpenADR standard and its potential integration with a building management system. It also verified compliance with the consumption reductions agreements. Related to the field of sensors, Zhao et al. [18] brought insights about curved text detectors. This field is complemented by the analysis of Ou et al. [19], where weakly supervised instance segmentation was used in region based convolutional neural networks (R-CNN). The use of an algorithm to optimize different procedures is key for the development. For example, chemical and pharmaceutical industries require high measurement accuracy and product selectivity, among other requirements. Choudhary et al. [20] applied their technology for the analyses of Raman spectrometer to demonstrate the enhanced accuracy of detection of their proposal which could be extended to other analytical techniques, in which continuous monitoring is required.