Position paper: BE(Hons) data engineering

© 2016 IEEE. This paper describes the UTS view of Data Engineering, and the degree program that has been created to educate Data Engineers. The document describes the guiding philosophies and the key ideas used in designing the program. The design of the program takes advantage of the 3rd, 4th and 5th shifts in engineering education[1]. Namely the shift to emphasizing design (problem solving) (3), the shift to applying education, learning, and socialbehavioral sciences research, and the shift to integrating information, computational, and communications technology in education. Mills and Treagast[2] question the relative value of Problem Based or Project Based learning in the Australian context. They quote a comparison of problem-based and project-based learning at tertiary level by Perrenet et al[3]. They noted that the similarities between the two strategies are that they are both based on self-direction and collaboration, and that they both have a multidisciplinary orientation. The differences that they noted included: • Project tasks are closer to professional reality • Project work is more directed to the application of knowledge • Project-based learning is usually accompanied by subject courses (eg maths, physics etc. in engineering), whereas problem-based learning is not. • Management of time and resources by the students as well as task and role differentiation is very important in project-based learning • Self-direction is stronger in project work, compared with problem-based learning

Assessment Design for Studio-Based Learning

© 2019 Association for Computing Machinery. Studio-based learning is not new to computing education, however as the ecosystem of available Open Educational Resources (OERs) expands, the capacity and desire for student self-directed learning is growing. However increasing student autonomy in how and when learning takes place creates challenges around assessment. This paper introduces the design of assessment tasks to support studiobased learning at undergraduate level. It describes an example of using learning contracts and portfolio-based assessment for evaluating individual and team performance. The paper presents some initial observations of the approach taken, and its transferability to other areas of the curriculum

Getting it right: The case for supervisors assessing process in capstone projects

© 2015 TEMPUS Publications. Capstone projects represent the culmination of an undergraduate engineering degree and are typically the last checkpoint measure before students graduate and enter the engineering profession. In Australia there is a longstanding interest in and commitment to developing quality capstone experiences.Anational study into the supervision and assessment of capstone projects has determined that whilst there is relative consistency in terms of what project tasks are set and assessed, there is not comparable consistency in how these tasks or assignments are marked. Two interconnected areas of assessing process and the role of the supervisor in marking are identified as contentious. This paper presents some findings of a national case study and concludes that whilst further investigation is warranted, assessing process as well as project products is valuable as is the need for greater acceptance of project supervisors as capable of making informed, professional judgments when marking significant project work

Topical delivery of hexamidine

Hexamidine diisethionate (HEX D) has been used for its biocidal actions in topical preparations since the 1950s. Recent data also suggest that it plays a beneficial role in skin homeostasis. To date, the extent to which this compound penetrates the epidermis has not been reported nor how its topical delivery may be modulated. In the present work we set out to characterise the interaction of HEX D with the skin and to develop a range of simple formulations for topical targeting of the active. A further objective was to compare the skin penetration of HEX D with its corresponding dihydrochloride salt (HEX H) as the latter has more favourable physicochemical properties for skin uptake. Candidate vehicles were evaluated by in vitro Franz cell permeation studies using porcine skin. Initially, neat solvents were investigated and subsequently binary systems were examined. The solvents and chemical penetration enhancers investigated included glycerol, dimethyl isosorbide (DMI), isopropyl alcohol (IPA), 1,2-pentanol (1,2-PENT), polyethylene glycol (PEG) 200, propylene glycol (PG), propylene glycol monolaurate (PGML) and Transcutol®P (TC). Of a total of 30 binary solvent systems evaluated only 10 delivered higher amounts of active into the skin compared with the neat solvents. In terms of topical efficacy, formulations containing PGML far surpassed all other solvents or binary combinations. More than 70% of HEX H was extracted from the skin following application in PG:PGML (50:50). Interestingly, the same vehicle effectively promoted skin penetration of HEX D but demonstrated significantly lower uptake into and through the skin (30%). The findings confirm the unpredictable nature of excipients on delivery of actives with reference to skin even where there are minor differences in molecular structures. We also believe that they underline the ongoing necessity for fundamental studies on the interaction of topical excipients with the skin

Curriculum transformation with students as partners

8732142. That was my student ID as an undergraduate (now one of the authors). It was a number, not a name. It distinguished students from professors and all other teaching staff and, in a symbolic way, reminded us all of our firm place as students, as learners. There was a big power differential between students and teachers in the 1980s. What we learned was prescribed, transmitted and tested in implicit ways (no rubrics or marking criteria in those days) and rarely were our skills tested – just what we knew and could recall at a given time. Sometimes people say that teaching is an act. Indeed, sage on the stage suggests this precisely. But being a student is also an act. Students also assume roles and personas. If we want curriculum transformation, we seek to put a stop to acting – to engage students and staff in authentic learning. MIDAS is our curriculum transformation project in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology (FEIT) at UTS – More Innovative Design-Able Students. In MIDAS, we want students and teachers to be their authentic selves in a true teaching and learning partnership. MIDAS seeks mutual respect in people, not the fulfilment of roles. MIDAS doesn’t see students as numbers, but as partners, as people who can learn, contribute, inspire, teach and create … and it sees teachers as people who also learn, contribute, inspire, teach and creat

Dermal delivery of amitriptyline for topical analgesia

Amitriptyline, administered orally, is currently one of the treatment options for the management of neuropathic pain and migraine. Because of the physicochemical properties of the molecule, amitriptyline is also a promising candidate for delivery as a topical analgesic. Here we report the dermal delivery of amitriptyline from a range of simple formulations. The first stage of the work required the conversion of amitriptyline hydrochloride to the free base form as confirmed by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Distribution coefficient values were measured at pH 6, 6.5, 7, and 7.4. Solubility and stability of amitriptyline were assessed prior to conducting in vitro permeation and mass balance studies. The compound demonstrated instability in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) dependent on pH. Volatile formulations comprising of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and isopropyl myristate (IPM) or propylene glycol (PG) were evaluated in porcine skin under finite dose conditions. Compared with neat IPM, the IPM:IPA vehicles promoted 8-fold and 5-fold increases in the amount of amitriptyline that permeated at 24 h. Formulations containing PG also appear to be promising vehicles for dermal delivery of amitriptyline, typically delivering higher amounts of amitriptyline than the IPM:IPA vehicles. The results reported here suggest that further optimization of topical amitriptyline formulations should be pursued towards development of a product for clinical investigational studies

Solvent effects in permeation assessed in vivo by skin surface biopsy

BACKGROUND: Transdermal drug delivery has become an important means of drug administration. It presents numerous advantages but it is still limited by the small number of drugs with a suitable profile. The use of solvents that affect the skin barrier function is one of the classic strategies of penetration enhancement. Some of these solvents have well characterised actions on the stratum corneum, but the majority are still selected using empirical criteria. The objective of this work was to conduct a systematic study on the ability to affect skin permeation of solvents commonly used in transdermal formulations. An innovative methodology in this area was employed, consisting of the combination of skin surface biopsy with colorimetry. METHODS: The study compared in vivo differences in the permeation of a hydrophilic (methylene blue) and a lipophilic (Sudan III) dye, after treatment of the skin with different vehicles. Consecutive skin surface biopsies of each site were taken and the cumulative amounts of the dyes in the stripped stratum corneum were measured by reflectance colourimetry. RESULTS: Results indicate that the amount of methylene blue present in the stratum corneum varied significantly with different skin pre-treatments. Some solvents provided a 1.5 fold penetration enhancement but others decreased by almost half the permeation of the dye. The permeation of Sudan III was less significantly affected by solvent pre-treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study has only superficially explored the potential of the combination of skin surface biopsy and colourimetry, but the encouraging results obtained confirm that the methodology can be extended to the study of more complex formulations

Preparation and characterisation of hexamidine salts

Hexamidine diisethionate (HEX D) has been used in the personal care industry and in a number of over-the-counter (OTC) drug products as an antimicrobial agent since the 1950's. Recently, the compound has also been investigated for its beneficial effects on skin health. Surprisingly, there is only limited information describing the physicochemical properties of this compound in the literature. The objective of this work was therefore to conduct a comprehensive programme of characterisation of HEX D as well as its dihydrochloride salt (HEX H). HEX H was prepared from HEX D by a simple acid addition reaction. Both salts were characterised using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). A new high performance liquid chromatographic method was developed and validated for both compounds. The pH in aqueous solution as well as respective distribution coefficients between octanol and pH 7.4 buffer were also determined. Finally, solubility and short term stability studies were conducted in a range of solvents. NMR analysis confirmed the preparation of HEX H from HEX D. Thermal analysis indicated the melting points of HEX D and HEX H were 225°C and 266°C respectively. HPLC analysis confirmed the purity of both salts. LogD values at pH 7.4 were -0.74 for HEX D and -0.70 for HEX H respectively. The physicochemical properties of two HEX salts have been established using a range of analytical approaches. Detailed solubility and stability data have also been collated. This information will be useful in the design of novel formulations for targeted delivery of these compounds to the skin