Experimental Study on the Mechanical Behavior of Orthodontic Arches Exposed to the Environment in the Oral Cavity

Background. The arches used in orthodontic therapy are subject to increasing physical and chemical stresses. Purpose of the study: This in vitro experimental study aims to highlight and compare the main mechanical properties of orthodontic arches. Materials and Methods: We used 40 springs, 2 materials, 20 of Ni-Cr and 20 of Co-Cr, of different diameters, 0.7 mm 0.8 mm and 1.2 mm, subjected to the environment of artificial saliva and artificial saliva with cola for one month and two months, respectively. Five springs of each material were tested at different times: T0, before application in the oral cavity, then at time T1, T2, T3, T4. Three lengths of the lever arm were considered for bending forces acting on the springs (dental wires). These lengths were 15, 10 and 5 mm. The wires were tested under the action of bending forces on a Hans Schmidt HV 500N stand, obtaining the characteristics of the wires: deformation-force-time. Results: Graphical determinations show that the degree of deformation of the wires is influenced by the applied force, diameter and obviously by the immersion time, respectively by the type of solution in which the springs were immersed. Conclusions: The final degree of bending is higher for Co-Cr arcs than for Ni-Cr at all three dimensions.

The effect of separation of blocks on the crystallization kinetics and phase composition of poly(butylene adipate) in multi-block thermoplastic polyurethanes

Control of the phase separation process of soft and hard segments by selecting diisocyanates and by varying the thermal program allows defining the final degree of crystallinity and phase composition of TPUs.

Undergraduate Business Student’s Self-Assessment of Meta-Competencies in the Context of the Final Year Projects

While research on competence-based assessment has grown, scholars have conducted fewer studies on an integrative view of competence acquisition, in the context of the final year project, that have particularly addressed the meta-competence approach. This paper examines undergraduate business students’ perceived acquisition of competencies during the development of their final year project and tries to determine relevant differences among the set of competencies students’ value most. The study gathered quantitative data by using a questionnaire applied to students after their presentation of the final degree project at a Spanish Business School. The findings show the emergence of three profiles of students based on their competencies acquisition. The profiles display an interconnected relation and put forward some shortfalls in competence acquisition as well as propose an emerging profile of the meta-competent student.

Sustainable Civil Engineering: Incorporating Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education Curricula

In the current climate emergency context, many national and international organizations have adopted measures to integrate sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in all their fields of action. Within education, steps have been taken to incorporate the perspective of sustainability at all levels. This process has also started at the university since it plays a fundamental role in the strategy for the implementation of specific policies to promote sustainability. However, sometimes it is difficult to include this type of knowledge in the curriculum, due to the lack of flexibility of the university structure or the lack of time to cover the syllabus. In this scenario, civil engineering plays a main role as a fundamental activity in the creation of services and infrastructures with a high environmental impact. The objective of this study is to show a multidisciplinary approach to working on sustainability in a transversal way in the civil engineering degree and to analyze the impact that this type of initiative can have from the learning point of view. The study shows a curricular trajectory supported by problem-based learning and project-based learning designed to promote sustainability in the practice of civil engineering. The good results obtained in the evaluation of the project and the growing incorporation of the SDGs in the final degree projects suggest that this methodology can be implemented by other university degrees.

Optimization of TiO2-P25 photocatalyst dose and H2O2 concentration for advanced photooxidation using the smartphone-based colorimetry

Color images taken by a smartphone camera were used to estimate the rate of advanced photooxidation reaction of Direct Red 23 (DR23) azo dye as a model organic pollutant. The RGB color coordinates were tested to quantify the dye. Images of the reaction mixture were taken at specified intervals to obtain kinetic lines and reaction rate constants. Both the reaction rate constant and the final degree of degradation were plotted as functions of the photocatalyst dose and the concentration of H2O2. The smartphone measurements are fully consistent with the reference spectrophotometry data. The maximum degradation efficiency of the DR23 dye was recorded at C0(H2O2) = 2.5 mM and photocatalyst dose equal to 1.0 mg/L. Higher H2O2 concentrations reduce the degradation rate as a result of the side reaction of H2O2 with OH radicals. A two-factor experimental design was used to study the effects of photocatalyst dose and H2O2 concentration with 5 and 7 levels, respectively. The ANOVA results indicated that the concentration of H2O2 had the greater influence. The smartphone provides quick and easy measurement of the photodegradation rate directly in the solutions without sampling. The proposed approach can be applied under field conditions in wastewater treatment plants.

Leveraging Final Degree Projects for Open Source Software Contributions

(1) Background: final year students of computer science engineering degrees must carry out a final degree project (FDP) in order to graduate. Students’ contributions to improve open source software (OSS) through FDPs can offer multiple benefits and challenges, both for the students, the instructors and for the project itself. This work reports on a practical experience developed by four students contributing to mature OSS projects during their FDPs, detailing how they addressed the multiple challenges involved, both from the students and teachers perspective. (2) Methods: we followed the work of four students contributing to two established OSS projects for two academic years and analyzed their work on GitHub and their responses to a survey. (3) Results: we obtained a set of specific recommendations for future practitioners and detailed a list of benefits achieved by steering FDP towards OSS contributions, for students, teachers and the OSS projects. (4) Conclusion: we find out that FDPs oriented towards enhancing OSS projects can introduce students into real-world, practical examples of software engineering principles, give them a boost in their confidence about their technical and communication skills and help them build a portfolio of contributions to daily used worldwide open source applications.

The Impact of Nationality on the Psychophysiological Stress Response and Academic Fulfilment in the Final Degree Dissertation

The aims of this study were: i. to analyze the effect of nationality on the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in their final degree dissertations; and ii. to analyze the relationship between the stress response and academic results according to nationality. We evaluated the autonomic stress response, cortical arousal, distress subjective perception, and objective and subjective academic fulfilment in Spanish, Italian, and French physiotherapy students during their final degree dissertation. Results showed a large anticipatory anxiety response before the dissertation in the three student groups. Only the Spanish group showed an increased tendency in the habituation process, reducing the psychophysiological stress response during the dissertation, while the Italian and French groups maintained a large sympathetic activation until the end of the dissertation. Cortical arousal and subjective perception of distress were similar in the three nationalities. In addition, no correlation between academic fulfilment and autonomic modulation was found. We concluded that there was no nationality effect in the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in their final degree dissertation, all of them showing a large anticipatory anxiety response.