Chitosan impregnated gutta-percha points: antimicrobial in vitro evaluation and mechanical properties

Chitosan-impregnated gutta-percha points (ChitGPP) were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth of microorganisms usually involved in root canal infections. Their mechanical properties were also studied and compared with the commonly used commercial points in endodontics. ChitGPP were more efficient in reducing the microbial load than those without chitosan. ChitGPP also possess better tensile and elastic properties than commercial ones. After six months of storage, ChitGPP’s were still able to reduce the bacterial load by 1 log, suggesting that impregnation of gutta-percha points with chitosan could be a good alternative to obtain gutta-percha points with improved antimicrobial properties.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Synthesis of Oligosaccharides Derived from Lactulose (OsLu) Using Soluble and Immobilized Aspergillus oryzae β-Galactosidase

β-Galactosidase from Aspergillus oryzae offers a high yield for the synthesis of oligosaccharides derived from lactulose (OsLu) by transgalactosylation. Oligosaccharides with degree of polymerization (DP) ≥ 3 have shown to possess higher in vitro bifidogenic effect than di- and tetrasaccharides. Thus, in this work, an optimization of reaction conditions affecting the specific selectivity of A. oryzae β-galactosidase for synthesis of OsLu has been carried out to enhance OsLu with DP ≥ 3 production. Assays with β-galactosidase immobilized onto a glutaraldehyde–agarose support were also carried out with the aim of making the process cost-effective and industrially viable. Optimal conditions with both soluble and immobilized enzyme for the synthesis of OsLu with DP ≥ 3 were 50 °C, pH 6.5, 450 g/L of lactulose, and 8 U/mL of enzyme, reaching yields of ca. 50% (w/v) of total OsLu and ca. 20% (w/v) of OsLu with DP 3, being 6′-galactosyl-lactulose the major one, after a short reaction time. Selective formation of disaccharides, however, was favored at 60 °C, pH 4.5, 450 g/L of lactulose and 8 U/mL of enzyme. Immobilization increased the enzymatic stability to temperature changes and allowed to reuse the enzyme. We can conclude that the use, under determined optimal conditions, of the A. oryzae β-galactosidase immobilized on a support of glutaraldehyde–agarose constitutes an efficient and cost-effective alternative to the use of soluble β-galactosidases for the synthesis of prebiotic OsLu mixturesThis work has been supported by projects AGL2014-53445-R from Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; ALIBIRD-CM S-2013/ABI-2728 from Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid and COOPB20099 from CSI

Estilo de Acción-Emoción, enfoque de aprendizaje y estrategias de afrontamiento en estudiante universitarios no graduados

Action-Emotion Style (AES) is an affective-motivational construct that describes the achievement motivation that is characteristic of students in their interaction with stressful situations. Using elements from the Type-A Behavior Pattern (TABP), characteristics of competitiveness and overwork occur in different combinations with emotions of impatience and hostility, leading to a classification containing five categories of action-emotion style (Type B, Impatient-hostile type, Medium type, Competitive-Overworking type and Type A). The objective of the present research is to establish how characteristics of action-emotion style relate to learning approach (deep and surface approaches) and to coping strategies (emotion-focused and problem-focused). The sample was composed of 225 students from the Psychology degree program. Pearson correlation analyses, ANOVAs and MANOVAs were used. Results showed that competitiveness-overwork characteristics have a significant positive association with the deep approach and with problem-focused strategies, while impatience-hostility is thus related to surface approach and emotion-focused strategies.  The level of action-emotion style had a significant main effect. The results verified our hypotheses with reference to the relationships between action-emotion style, learning approaches and coping strategies. El Estilo Acción-Emoción (EAE) es un constructo psicológico de tipo motivacional-afectivo referido a la motivación de logro, basado en el Patrón de Conducta tipo A (PCTA), característico de los alumnos, en interacción con situaciones de estrés. La combinación de la competitividad y la sobrecarga laboral, con las emociones de la impaciencia y hostilidad, conduce a una clasificación en cinco categorías de estilo de acción-emoción (Tipo B, tipo Impaciente-hostil, Tipo Medio, Tipo Competitivo-Sobrecarga Laboral y Tipo A). El objetivo de la presente investigación fue establecer la relación entre las características del EAE con los enfoques de aprendizaje (enfoque profundo y enfoque superficial) y las estrategias de afrontamiento (centradas en la emoción y centradas en el problema). La muestra estuvo compuesta por 225 estudiantes del Programa de Licenciatura en Psicología. Se realizaron análisis de correlaciones bivariados de Pearson y análisis multivariados. Los resultados mostraron una asociación positiva y significativa de las características de la competitividad-sobrecarga con el enfoque profundo y las estrategias centradas en el problema, así como de la impaciencia-hostilidad con el enfoque superficial y las estrategias centradas en la emoción. El nivel de estilo de acción-emoción tuvo un efecto principal significativo.  Los resultados obtenidos verifican las hipótesis planteadas referidas a la relación entre el estilo de acción-emoción, los enfoques de aprendizaje y las estrategias de afrontamiento

Students’ Factors Affecting Undergraduates’ Perceptions of their Teaching and Learning Process within ECTS Experience

Introduction: In the present study, we investigated the potential factors that influenced the level of students satisfaction with the teaching–learning process (TLP), from the perspective of students participating in the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) experience. Method: A total of 1490 students from the Universities of Almería and Granada (Spain) participated in an evaluation of their class discipline area. They completed the new revised protocol for evaluating the ECTS experience. Analyses of variance were carried out, taking the following factors as independent variables: student's grade average, year in school, study discipline, credit load in terms of ECTS credits assigned to a subject, the e-learning approach. Perception of the TLP was used as the dependent variable. Results: The data analyses showed variability of the degree of statistically significance among the factors that influenced students’ perceptions of the TLP. These factors included: Student's grade average (in favor of high performers), year in school (in favor of earlier years), ECTS load (in favor of subjects with a medium load of credits), and e-learning (in favor of its use). These research findings provided evidence to explore the delineation of a potential profile of factors that trigger a favorable perception of the TLP. Discussion and Conclusion: The present findings certainly have implications to deepen our understanding of the core beliefs, commitment, and the experience in shaping the implementation of the European Higher Education Area through the ECTS

The role of personal self-regulation and regulatory teaching to predict motivational-affective variables, achievement and satisfaction: A structural model

The present investigation examines how personal self-regulation (presage variable) and regulatory teaching (process variable of teaching) relate to learning approaches, strategies for coping with stress, and self-regulated learning (process variables of learning) and, finally, how they relate to performance and satisfaction with the learning process (product variables). The objective was to clarify the associative and predictive relations between these variables, as contextualized in two different models that use the presage-process-product paradigm (the Biggs and DEDEPRO models). A total of 1101 university students participated in the study. The design was cross-sectional and retrospective with attributional (or selection) variables, using correlations and structural analysis. The results provide consistent and significant empirical evidence for the relationships hypothesized, incorporating variables that are part of and influence the teaching¿learning process in Higher Education. Findings confirm the importance of interactive relationships within the teaching¿learning process, where personal selfregulation is assumed to take place in connection with regulatory teaching. Variables that are involved in the relationships validated here reinforce the idea that both personal factors and teaching and learning factors should be taken into consideration when dealing with a formal teaching¿learning context at university

Action-emotion Style, Learning Approach, and Coping Strategies, in undergraduated University Students

El Estilo Acción-Emoción (EAE) es un constructo psicológico de tipo motivacional-afectivo referido a la motivación de logro, basado en el Patrón de Conducta tipo A (PCTA), característico de los alumnos, en interacción con situaciones de estrés. La combinación de la competitividad y la sobrecarga laboral, con las emociones de la impaciencia y hostilidad, conduce a una clasificación en cinco categorías de estilo de acciónemoción (Tipo B, tipo Impaciente-hostil, Tipo Medio, Tipo CompetitivoSobrecarga Laboral y Tipo A). El objetivo de la presente investigación fue establecer la relación entre las características del EAE con los enfoques de aprendizaje (enfoque profundo y enfoque superficial) y las estrategias de afrontamiento (centradas en la emoción y centradas en el problema). La muestra estuvo compuesta por 225 estudiantes del Programa de Licenciatura en Psicología. Se realizaron análisis de correlaciones bivariados de Pearson y análisis multivariados. Los resultados mostraron una asociación positiva y significativa de las características de la competitividad-sobrecarga con el enfoque profundo y las estrategias centradas en el problema, así como de la impaciencia-hostilidad con el enfoque superficial y las estrategias centradas en la emoción. El nivel de estilo de acción-emoción tuvo un efecto principal significativo. Los resultados obtenidos verifican las hipótesis planteadas referidas a la relación entre el estilo de acción-emoción, los enfoques de aprendizaje y las estrategias de afrontamiento