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cohorts of optometry student portfolios (n=34) were analysed by a researcher who had no prior knowledge of the student’s work using a marking rubric of 10 domains, each marked using a 0-4 scale. Each portfolio consisted of an average 5 entries per week across 2 semesters. The portfolios were marked randomly one week every 3 months and then using progressively shorter intervals until every week had been marked. The progression of marks over time for each domain was also investigated. Based on our student portfolio sample, the most time efficient marking interval that maintained acceptable levels of validity, reliability, fairness was 6 weeks every 3 months. This amounted to 35% of the total portfolio. Care however must be taken when assessing higher order skills with more weight given to the later part of the portfolio.

Portfolios are commonly used in healthcare education; they allow students to showcase their experience and learning journey whilst allowing them to demonstrate reflective practice, ethical principles and self-directed learning. The large volume of information contained within portfolios can, however, make them onerous and difficult to mark and present challenges in marking consistency. This study analysed several marking strategies to ascertain the optimal sampling interval to ensure validity, reliability and fairness whilst ensuring time efficient marking. Progression analysis also identified differences across domains: clinical experience, self-directed study and case study discussion plateaued early after 6 months, whereas higher order skills plateaued later at 8 months. The results found that Sampling a portfolio at regular intervals can maintain acceptable levels of validity & reliability (35% - 40%* of the total portfolio), care however must be taken when assessing higher order and “soft skills” skills with more weight given to the later part of the portfolio.

Microfluidic concentration gradient generators (µ-CGGs) have been utilized to identify optimal drug compositions through antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for the treatment of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections. Conventional µ-CGGs fabricated via photolithography-based micromachining processes, however, are fundamentally limited to two-dimensional fluidic routing, such that only two distinct antimicrobial drugs can be tested at once. This work addresses this limitation by employing Multijet-3D-printed microchannel networks capable of fluidic routing in three dimensions to generate symmetric multidrug concentration gradients. The three-fluid gradient generation characteristics of the fabricated 3D µ-CGG prototype were quantified through both theoretical simulations and experimental validations. Furthermore, the antimicrobial effects of three highly clinically relevant antibiotic drugs, tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, and amikacin, were evaluated via experimental single-antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and pairwise and three-way antibiotic combination drug screening (CDS) studies against model antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria. As such, this 3D µ-CGG platform has great potential to enable expedited combination AST screening for various biomedical and diagnostic applications.

This course outline suggests materials and learning activities on the interrelated causes and consequences of population growth and other population matters. The document describes 15 class sessions which integrate information for sociology, anthropology, psychology, biology, animal behavior, and education. Topics include the history of human population growth, evolution, political implications of scarce resources, immigration, world population growth, family size, urbanization, and practical and philosophical consideration of United States population policies. Learning activities involve students in role playing, group discussion, presentation of papers and reports to the class, community surveys, and values clarification games. For each topic, information is presented on reading and writing assignments, suggested lecture topics, discussion, learning activities, films, class visitors, special papers and projects, and behavioral objectives. Intended primarily for use on the college level, the curriculum can also be modified for use with advanced secondary school students. A bibliography and form requesting teacher feedback conclude the document. (Author/DB)

It is well established that all languages undergo change. Such changes have been seen in the Russian language in a relatively short period of time, particularly in the area of morphosyntax. In order to quantify and examine such changes data from the Russian language was used (the Barentsen Corpus). The aim of his thesis is to quantify change in Russian predicate adjective usage over a two hundred year period, 1801 - 2000, and improve upon the statistical analyses of corpora. A Russian predicate adjective may take one of three forms; the short form (SF), the long form nominative (LF-N) and the long form instrumental (LF-I). It is widely recognised that short form usage is declining In Russian. This study set out to determine how and where this decline was taking place over the two hundred year period. This was done through examination of examples taken from the Barentsen Corpus, which were then divided according to pre-decided criteria and analysed statistically. The results were divided according to the specific grammatical element examined; verbs, nouns and adjectives. Overall, it was found, as expected, that the short form is in decline. Statistical analysis enabled the nature and time of the change, including its statistical significance, to be identified within the time period examined. Through the statistical analysis used in this study it was shown that specific areas of change were identified. For example, the increasing occurrence of the LF-I with semi-copula verbs was observed, and that different rates of change were observed in the time period examined depending on grammatical features and some lexical items (a group of adjectives favouring the SF). Therefore, the methods used in this study allowed the quantification of changes in choice of predicate adjective form, building upon previous work by Benson, Gustavsson and Bazenova.