The role of internationalisation in students’ cultural literacy and intercultural communication

[EN] The internationalisation of studies is one of the most current trends in higher education, aimed at improving the quality of higher education and preparing students for the global labour market. Student mobility is one of the most common forms of internationalisation. As part of the given study, an interview with the groups of exchange and local students at a regional university has been conducted in order to clarify their views on the role of internationalisation in the educational process, general cultural literacy, promoting intercultural cooperation and building a global world view. The study took place in a bachelor's degree-level programme at a regional university in Latvia, using the qualitative method. A thematic analysis of the interviews was undertaken using an iterative, inductive approach to the generation of codes and themes. Coding was established using NVivo 12. In general, the internationalisation of studies (particularly student mobility) has been evaluated very positively by both local and exchange students. The advantages of internationalisation are associated with the possibility of obtaining specific cultural expertise and learning life-friendly soft skills. In the future, the respondents see themselves employed in international teams taking as an advantage the experience gained in the internationalisation process. In addition, exchange students have pointed out that the mobility experience specified in Curricula vitae could be considered by an employer as added value thus enhancing the opportunities to get a better job.Romanovska, A.; Presnakova, I. (2020). The role of internationalisation in students’ cultural literacy and intercultural communication. En 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'20). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. (30-05-2020):1191-1199. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd20.2020.11233OCS1191119930-05-202

Gelatin/carboxymethyl cellulose mucoadhesive films with lysozyme: Development and characterization

The goal of our study is to develop and characterize mucoadhesive films with entrapped lysozyme based on gelatin/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose as perspective antimicrobial preparation. Lysozyme in mucoadhesive films retains more than 95 % of its initial activity for 3 years of storage. Different physical-chemical and biochemical characteristics of entrapped enzyme were evaluated, such as film thickness, weight, time of dissolution in water, bioadhesive force, in vitro lysozyme release, pH- and thermoprofiles of hydrolytic activity, effect of γ-sterilization, etc. We have shown that gelatin/sodium carboxymethyl cellulose films have adhesive force on the level of 4380 Pa. Scanning electron microscopy images shows the relative uniformity of the gelatin surface with entrapped lysozyme. Mucoadhesive films with lysozyme have 100% bactericidal effect on the test strain, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 F - 49 and thus could be considered as a perspective antimicrobial preparation