The Symbolic Dynamics Of Multidimensional Tiling Systems

We prove a multidimensional version of the theorem that every shift of finite type has a power that can be realized as the same power of a tiling system. We also show that the set of entropies of tiling systems equals the set of entropies of shifts of finite type

A New Generation Gap? Some thoughts on the consequences of increasingly early ICT first contact

One possible consequence of ICT’s rapid rise will be a new ‘generation gap’ arising from differing perceptions of the learning technologies. The nature, causes and consequences of this gap are of interest to educational practitioners and policymakers. This paper uses data from an ongoing project together with a synopsis of research to describe the ICT-based generation gap that currently exists between students and their teachers and parents. It is argued that this gap may exist between students differing in age by as little as five years. Results from a related project exploring Networked Information and Communication Literacy Skills (NICLS), are used to introduce a discussion on the nature of any skills gap that must be addressed in the light of this generation gap

Final evaluation of the saving gateway 2 pilot: main report

The Saving Gateway is a government initiative aimed at encouraging savings behaviour among people who do not usually save. Each pound placed into a Saving Gateway account is matched by the government at a certain rate and up to a monthly contribution limit. Matching provides a transparent and understandable incentive for eligible individuals to place funds in an account

The relationship between students' subject preferences and their information behaviour

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between preferred choice of school subject and student information behaviour (IB). Design/methodology/approach Mixed methods were employed. In all, 152 students, teachers and librarians participated in interviews or focus groups. In total, 1,375 students, key stage 3 (11-14 years) to postgraduate, responded to a questionnaire. The research population was drawn from eight schools, two further education colleges and three universities. Insights from the literature review and the qualitative research phase led to a hypothesis which was investigated using the questionnaire: that students studying hard subjects are less likely to engage in deep IB than students studying soft subjects. Findings Results support the hypothesis that preferences for subjects at school affect choice of university degree. The hypothesis that a preference for hard or soft subjects affects IB is supported by results of an analysis in which like or dislike of maths/ICT is correlated with responses to the survey. Interviewees’ comments led to the proposal that academic subjects can be classified according to whether a subject helps students to acquire a “tool of the Mind” or to apply such a tool. A model suggesting how IB may differ depending on whether intellectual tools are being acquired or applied is proposed. Practical implications The “inner logic” of certain subjects and their pedagogies appears closely linked to IB. This should be considered when developing teaching programmes. Originality/value The findings offer a new perspective on subject classification and its association with IB, and a new model of the association between IB and tool acquisition or application is proposed, incorporating the perspectives of both teacher and student

High-throughput fabrication of hepatic cell clusteroids with enhanced growth and functionality for tissue engineering applications

Culturing of cells as three-dimensional (3D) clusters can enhance in vitro tests for basic biological research as well as for therapeutics development. Such 3D culture models, however, are often more complicated, cumbersome and expensive than two-dimensional (2D) cultures. Current methods for the preparation of tissue spheroids require complex materials, involve tedious facilities and are generally not scalable. We report a novel inexpensive and up-scalable method for the preparation of large quantities of viable cell clusters (clusteroids) of hepatocytes (Hep-G2). The method has a high throughput potential and is based on an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) of stable water-in-water (w/w) Pickering emulsions, formed of dextran (DEX) drops and poly ethylene oxide (PEO) continuous phase stabilized with whey protein particles. This system enabled the rapid fabrication of cell clusteroids from Hep-G2 cells. Here, the interfacial tension of the aqueous phase in the emulsion droplets, where the cells partition preferentially, is used to wrap the cells in separate compartments, and then the droplets are shrank by changing the balance of ATPS, thus rapidly driving the cells from larger and loosely packed DEX drops to mostly spherical clusters. Cell-Cell adhesion was strongly promoted within the w/w Pickering emulsion droplets which helped the formation of the 3D clusteroids. These were collected after subsequent dilution of the emulsion with culture media. The collected hepatic clusteroids were incorporated into an alginate hydrogel in media to study their proliferation and the cell function compared with individual cells under the same conditions. Our results confirmed that urea and albumin production, which are both linked to hepatocyte cell function, was strongly reinforced in the clusteroid based tissues compared to the one formulated with individual cells. This methodology could potentially extend the w/w emulsion cell clustering platform in tissue generation and preparation of large quantities of organoids for drug tests and replacement of animal models

Advanced biomedical applications based on emerging 3D cell culturing platforms

It is of great value to develop reliable in vitro models for cell biology and toxicology. However, ethical issues and the decreasing number of donors restrict the further use of traditional animal models in various fields, including the emerging fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The huge gap created by the restrictions in animal models has pushed the development of the increasingly recognized three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, which enables cells to closely simulate authentic cellular behaviour such as close cell-to-cell interactions and can achieve higher functionality. Furthermore, 3D cell culturing is superior to the traditional 2D cell culture, which has obvious limitations and cannot closely mimic the structure and architecture of tissues. In this study, we review several methods used to form 3D multicellular spheroids. The extracellular microenvironment of 3D spheroids plays a role in many aspects of biological sciences, including cell signalling, cell growth, cancer cell generation, and anti-cancer drugs. More recently, they have been explored as basic construction units for tissue and organ engineering. We review this field with a focus on the previous research in different areas using spheroid models, emphasizing aqueous two-phase system (ATPS)-based techniques. Multi-cellular spheroids have great potential in the study of biological systems and can closely mimic the in vivo environment. New technologies to form and analyse spheroids such as the aqueous two-phase system and magnetic levitation are rapidly overcoming the technical limitations of spheroids and expanding their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine