The BioSample Database (BioSD) at the European Bioinformatics Institute.

ABSTRACT The BioSample Databas

Strategic cultures of philanthropy: English universities and the changing geographies of giving

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Geoforum. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.06.006UK universities are receiving record amounts of funding from private philanthropists. In 2013, it was reported that, for the first time, UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) obtained more major donations from philanthropic sources than any other cause. Three decades of increased neoliberalism and internationalisation of the Higher Education (HE) sector, together with a decline in state funding, have heightened the imperative for English universities in particular to intensify engagement with potential private donors. The UK government, via its Matched Funding Scheme (MFS) 2008-2011, sought to incentivise giving to HEIs in England. Universities have thus been encouraged to grow a 'culture' of philanthropy. Yet, there has been limited investigation by geographers into the impact of private donations on UK HEIs.In this paper, we undertake a critical examination of the official publications of 17 diverse English HEIs which participated in the MFS 2008-2011. Particular attention is paid to the differentiated levels of participation by universities with the MFS and the ways in which donations were represented in their public documents. We argue that diverse cultures of HEI engagement with philanthropic giving are critically linked to their: location in conventional institutional hierarchies; integration in professional knowledge networks; and ability to mobilise strategic connections across geographical scales. In doing so, we advance theoretical work on the role of philanthropic giving in reconfiguring contemporary geographies of HE. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd

Common genetic variation drives molecular heterogeneity in human iPSCs.

Technology utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) has enormous potential to provide improved cellular models of human disease. However, variable genetic and phenotypic characterization of many existing iPS cell lines limits their potential use for research and therapy. Here we describe the systematic generation, genotyping and phenotyping of 711 iPS cell lines derived from 301 healthy individuals by the Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Initiative. Our study outlines the major sources of genetic and phenotypic variation in iPS cells and establishes their suitability as models of complex human traits and cancer. Through genome-wide profiling we find that 5-46% of the variation in different iPS cell phenotypes, including differentiation capacity and cellular morphology, arises from differences between individuals. Additionally, we assess the phenotypic consequences of genomic copy-number alterations that are repeatedly observed in iPS cells. In addition, we present a comprehensive map of common regulatory variants affecting the transcriptome of human pluripotent cells

Rapid establishment of the European Bank for induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC):The Hot Start experience

A fast track “Hot Start” process was implemented to launch the European Bank for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (EBiSC) to provide early release of a range of established control and disease linked human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines. Established practice amongst consortium members was surveyed to arrive at harmonised and publically accessible Standard Operations Procedures (SOPs) for tissue procurement, bio-sample tracking, iPSC expansion, cryopreservation, qualification and distribution to the research community. These were implemented to create a quality managed foundational collection of lines and associated data made available for distribution. Here we report on the successful outcome of this experience and work flow for banking and facilitating access to an otherwise disparate European resource, with lessons to benefit the international research community. eTOC: The report focuses on the EBiSC experience of rapidly establishing an operational capacity to procure, bank and distribute a foundational collection of established hiPSC lines. It validates the feasibility and defines the challenges of harnessing and integrating the capability and productivity of centres across Europe using commonly available resources currently in the field

RBN-World: Sub-Symbolic Artificial Chemistry for Artificial Life

Artificial Chemistry seeks to explore how life-like systems can emerge from a pre-biotic environment. This thesis begins with the background of this research area and a re-implementation of an existing Artificial Chemistry as a case study. From this basis, ingredients and properties of Artificial Chemistries are identified. This leads to a novel form of molecular representation -- sub-symbolic. A group of novel Artificial Chemistries called RBN-World is developed using Random Boolean Networks as a sub-symbolic molecular representation. It is shown that RBN-World has several properties of interest, and variants of RBN-World and elemental subsets with those properties are identified from many alternatives. This thesis concludes by comparing RBNWorld to the case study and properties discussed earlier, and identifies avenues for future work

RBN-World: A Sub-Symbolic Artificial Chemistry

Abstract. We describe a composable dynamical system that uses the emergent properties of coupled random Boolean networks (RBNs) as a basis for a sub-symbolic artificial chemistry. The approach shows potential for open-ended emergent properties and may lead to a foundation for artificial life.

Globalising sustainable urbanism: the role of international masterplanners

How do you design a sustainable urban area from scratch? A growing number of urban development projects, marketing themselves as sustainable or ‘eco’ cities, claim to have the answer. This paper focuses on the companies who create the masterplans that guide the development of such sustainable urban projects. While these projects are appearing in a diverse array of locations around the world, they are largely conceived and designed by a small, elite group of international architecture, engineering and planning firms based in North America and Europe sometimes referred to as the global intelligence corps (GIC). Drawing on research into these firms, the paper examines the contemporary drivers of internationalisation in sustainable urban planning and design. These include enhanced professional reputations and satisfaction for designers and branding benefits for clients with a desire to be seen as modern and ‘global’. The paper then considers the role of international masterplanners in the global dissemination of ideas in this area, concluding that the GIC and the plans they develop are playing a significant role in the development of an international model of sustainable urbanism. However, the way in which this model is actually expressed in material form is strongly influenced by the demands and priorities of the GIC's international clients. The paper concludes by reflecting on what this research demonstrates about what it means for a planning model to be both relational and territorial