The application of three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures such as spheroids and organoids is growing in popularity both in academia and industry. However, morphology of the 3D architecture remains remarkably understudied. Here, we introduce an open-access Spheroid Light Microscopy Image Atlas (SLiMIA) that can serve as a training set for morphology studies of 3D cell cultures. We provide images with a variety of metadata: 9 microscopes, 47 cell lines, 8 culture media, 4 spheroid formation methods and multiple cell seeding densities; totalling approximately 8,000 images of spheroids. This comprehensive dataset can guide spheroid researchers and promote economizing of resources by advancing 3D cell culture optimization, standardization and implementation by the community at large. Considering the exponentially growing interest in spheroid morphometrical analyses and the emerging technological possibilities to do so, this atlas can be applied to train and develop image segmentation models to deepen our understanding of 3D spheroid morphometry in biomedical research.

Procrastination is a prevalent problem in higher education, leading to lower performance. Procrastination is often linked with low class attendance and little class preparation, which are two important foundations to process learning materials. Hence, interventions are recommended to overcome procrastination. One promising intervention is nudging. Based on the motivational Expectancy-Value Theory, the current study aims to (1) examine the change in procrastination throughout a semester and (2) investigate whether a nudging intervention can reduce procrastination, increase class attendance and class preparation, and, subsequently, improve performance. A random assignment to treatment experiment is executed in the exercise classes of a first-year undergraduate course (N = 211). The treatment group receives five different nudges throughout the semester, the control group receives no nudges. Nudging was implemented by including an additional sentence (with a link) in the announcements on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Procrastination is measured four times. Class attendance and class preparation are measured weekly. Results show increasing procrastination in the first part of the semester, followed by decreasing procrastination. Additionally, simply providing students with nudges does not yield beneficial effects. However, students clicking more intensively on the nudges report lower procrastination and higher class attendance and preparation. Moreover, the decreased procrastination and increased class preparation caused by intensively clicking on the nudges subsequently resulted in higher performance. This paper contributes to higher education practice by informing educators about the change in procrastination throughout a semester and by offering educators and policy-makers information about the effect of nudging on procrastination.

In a financial accounting course, it is important that students review the learning material multiple times throughout the semester. Nonetheless, procrastination behaviour is adopted by many accounting students. Procrastination behaviour, induced by low self-efficacy, is harmful as it leads to higher test anxiety. Hence, interventions are suggested to favourably influence procrastination. Based on Astin's (1984) theoretical Input-Environment-Output model, this study investigates the potential of voluntary online exercises - online formative assessments (OFAs) - to increase self-efficacy and decrease test anxiety. The setting involves a quasi-experiment in a financial accounting course. Quantitative OFA log data are used (N = 762), as well as survey data, measuring self-efficacy and test anxiety at the beginning and the end of the semester. Qualitative focus group data verifies if the quantitative results are in line with students' OFA perceptions. Findings show that (1) during the semester, students' self-efficacy decreases and test anxiety increases, (2) students using OFA experience an increase in self-efficacy, and (3) those students also tend to experience lower test anxiety. Students confirm these favourable effects based on their experiences with the OFAs. This paper contributes to accounting education by demonstrating how OFAs support accounting students to increase self-efficacy and decrease test anxiety.

Small- and medium-sized accounting practices (SMPs) offer clients - small and medium-sized entities - support to comply with statutory services (financial statements, tax file preparation) and provide customised business advice. This paper investigates differences in SMP's financial performance. A survey was sent to Belgian heads of SMPs, asking about personal characteristics regarding education and experience (representing human capital resources), firm size, service types provided, cooperation, and communication (representing organisational capital resources). The findings show that additional specialisation degrees, more experience, and more continuing professional development are linked with higher sales per employee. However, the advantage of additional specialisation degrees diminishes as experience increases. Cooperating with other service providers and using the phone as preferred communication method were also linked to higher financial performance. Finally, male-headed SMPs had higher sales per employee than female-headed ones. Female accountants focused more on their educational role, spending more time explaining the figures to clients.

Taxanes, such as paclitaxel (PTX), stabilize microtubules and are used as a first-line therapy in multiple cancer types. Disruption of microtubule equilibrium, which plays an essential role in mitosis and cell homeostasis, ultimately results in cell death. Even though PTX is a very potent chemotherapy, its use is associated with major side effects and therapy resistance. Pelophen B (PPH), a synthetic analog of peloruside A, stabilizes microtubules through interaction with a non-taxoid binding site of β-tubulin. We evaluated the anticancer effect of PPH in a variety of tumor types by using established cell lines, early-passage cultures and ex vivo tumor-derived cultures that preserve the 3D architecture of the tumor microenvironment. PPH significantly blocks colony formation capacity, reduces viability and exerts additivity with PTX. Interestingly, PPH overcomes resistance to PTX. Mechanistically, PPH induces a G2/M cell cycle arrest and increases the presence of tubulin polymerization promoting protein (TPPP), inducing lysine 40 acetylation of α-tubulin. Although, results induced by paclitaxel or PPH are concordant, PPH’s unique microtubule binding mechanism enables PTX additivity and ensures overcoming PTX-induced resistance. In conclusion, PPH results in remarkable anti-cancer activity in a range of preclinical models supporting further clinical investigation of PPH as a therapeutic anticancer agent.

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In vitro cell culture experiments are widely used to study cellular behavior in most biological research fields. Except for suspension cells, most human cell types are cultured as adherent monolayers on a plastic surface. While technically convenient, monolayer cultures can suffer from limitations in terms of physiological relevance, as their resemblance to complex in vivo tissue structures is limited. To address these limitations, three-dimensional (3D) cell culture systems have gained increased interest as they mimic key structural and functional properties of their in vivo tissue counterparts. Nevertheless, protocols established on monolayer cell cultures may require adjustments if they are to be applied to 3D cell cultures. As gene expression quantification is an essential part of many in vitro experiments, we evaluated and optimized a direct cell lysis, reverse transcription and qPCR protocol applicable for 3D cell cultures. The newly developed protocol wherein gene expression is determined directly from crude cell lysates showed improved cell lysis compared to the standard protocol, accurate gene expression quantification, hereby avoiding time-consuming cell harvesting and RNA extraction.

Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are promising therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases via the induction of sequence-specific gene silencing. To be functional, siRNAs require cytosolic delivery into target cells. However, state-of-the-art delivery systems mediate cellular entry through endocytosis and suffer from ineffective endosomal escape, routing a substantial fraction of the siRNA towards the lysosomal compartment. Cationic amphiphilic drugs (CADs) have been described to improve cytosolic siRNA delivery by the transient induction of lysosomal membrane permeabilization. In this work, we evaluated ebastine, an antihistamine CAD, for its ability to enhance cytosolic release of siRNA in a non-small cell lung cancer model. In particular, we demonstrated that ebastine can improve the siRNA-mediated gene silencing efficiency of a polymeric nanogel by 40-fold, outperforming other CAD compounds. Additionally, ebastine substantially enhanced gene knockdown of a cholesterol-conjugated siRNA, in two-dimensional (2D) cell culture as well as in three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids. Finally, ebastine could strongly promote siRNA delivery of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) composed of a pH-dependent switchable ionizable lipid and with stable PEGylation, in contrast to state-of-the-art LNP formulations. Altogether, we identified ebastine as a potent and versatile siRNA delivery enhancer in cancer cells, which offers opportunities for drug combination therapy in oncology.

Long-term drug evaluation heavily relies upon rodent models. Drug discovery methods to reduce animal models in oncology may include three-dimensional (3D) cellular systems that take into account tumor microenvironment (TME) cell types and biomechanical properties. In this study we reconstructed a 3D tumor using an elastic polymer (acrylate-endcapped urethane-based poly(ethylene glycol) (AUPPEG)) with clinical relevant stiffness. Single cell suspensions from low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) patient-derived early passage cultures of cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) embedded in a collagen gel were introduced to the AUPPEG scaffold. After self-organization in to a 3D tumor, this model was evaluated by a long-term (> 40 days) exposure to a drug combination of MEK and HSP90 inhibitors. The drug-response results from this long-term in vitro model are compared with drug responses in an orthotopic LGSOC xenograft mouse model. The in vitro 3D scaffold LGSOC model mimics the growth ratio and spatial organization of the LGSOC. The AUPPEG scaffold approach allows to test new targeted treatments and monitor long-term drug responses. The results correlate with those of the orthotopic LGSOC xenograft mouse model. The mechanically-tunable scaffolds colonized by a three-dimensional LGSOC allow long-term drug evaluation and can be considered as a valid alternative to reduce, replace and refine animal models in drug discovery.

ChatGPT, a language-learning model chatbot, has garnered considerable attention for its ability to respond to users' questions. Using data from 14 countries and 186 institutions, we compare ChatGPT and student performance for 28,085 questions from accounting assessments and textbook test banks. As of January 2023, ChatGPT provides correct answers for 56.5 percent of questions and partially correct answers for an additional 9.4 percent of questions. When considering point values for questions, students significantly outperform ChatGPT with a 76.7 percent average on assessments compared to 47.5 percent for ChatGPT if no partial credit is awarded and 56.5 percent if partial credit is awarded. Still, ChatGPT performs better than the student average for 15.8 percent of assessments when we include partial credit. We provide evidence of how ChatGPT performs on different question types, accounting topics, class levels, open/closed assessments, and test bank questions. We also discuss implications for accounting education and research.

In financial accounting classes, it is crucial for students to review learning materials multiple times throughout the semester. Despite this, many accounting students engage in procrastination, leading to lower performance. As procrastination varies over time, interventions should be tailored to meet students’ changing needs throughout the semester. To design an intervention which helps students combat procrastination and obtain higher grades, information is needed on the nature of procrastination. Hence, this study investigates (1) the underlying causes, or antecedents, of procrastination for an advanced accounting course and (2) how these antecedents evolve over the course of a semester. Semi-structured interviews with 36 students were conducted at three distinct time points during the semester to gather qualitative data. ChatGPT, a large language model facilitating easy user conversations, was employed as a second coder to assist in the qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts. Findings indicate that, in general, students primarily procrastinate due to personal factors, such as a lack of motivation or deficient self-regulatory skills. Interestingly, as the semester progresses, external factors (e.g., social activities with friends) and course-specific factors (e.g., difficulty of the assignments for the accounting course) increase in importance. This paper contributes to the field of accounting education by shedding light on the dynamics of procrastination among accounting students. Recommendations are offered for policy makers in accounting education to support students who struggle with procrastination.

Using additional learning materials positively influences student performance. The literature focuses mainly on learning outcomes, whereas the present study investigates whether two intermediate (take-home) tests are a successful tool to increase student use of online formative assessments (OFAs). This study is a between-subjects quasi-experiment, administered in an undergraduate accounting course. Measures are used to capture both the intensity and the timing of OFA use. Results show that more students begin using OFA when intermediate tests are introduced. In addition, students use OFA more intensively and indications are present that students also begin their OFA use earlier. This paper contributes to the higher education literature by illustrating how online take-home tests can prevent procrastination. Its advantage lies in stimulating the use of online formative assessment and providing students with immediate feedback. Results are discussed for both blended and online learning.

Spheroids are three-dimensional cellular models with widespread basic and translational application across academia and industry. However, methodological transparency and guidelines for spheroid research have not yet been established. The MISpheroID Consortium developed a crowdsourcing knowledgebase that assembles the experimental parameters of 3,058 published spheroid-related experiments. Interrogation of this knowledgebase identified heterogeneity in the methodological setup of spheroids. Empirical evaluation and interlaboratory validation of selected variations in spheroid methodology revealed diverse impacts on spheroid metrics. To facilitate interpretation, stimulate transparency and increase awareness, the Consortium defines the MISpheroID string, a minimum set of experimental parameters required to report spheroid research. Thus, MISpheroID combines a valuable resource and a tool for three-dimensional cellular models to mine experimental parameters and to improve reproducibility.

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic induced a rapid shift to online education. University instructors promptly reinvented their teaching methods and developed digital lessons. Cooperative learning has been demonstrated to surpass lecture-based learning (LBL) regarding students’ learning processes; therefore, the question arises as to whether the perks of cooperative learning still hold when switching to online education. This study examines whether the benefits of team-based learning (TBL) regarding good teaching (i.e., perceived teaching quality), satisfaction, and performance persist when switching from face-to-face to online education. A quasi-experiment in an undergraduate advanced accounting course compared a non-COVID-19-affected semester to a COVID-19-affected semester. In both semesters, students could choose between a TBL and a LBL path for tutorial sessions. Quantitative survey data (N = 455) indicate TBL outperforms LBL, even when switching to online tools. Good teaching was perceived as even better in the COVID-19-affected semester, and even more so by students in the team-based setting, compared to the lecture-based setting. Students’ course satisfaction and performance were unaffected by the switch to online education. This paper shows that TBL still benefits students, even in a blended environment.

Appears in: EDULEARN20 Proceedings Publication year: 2020Page: 7396ISBN: 978-84-09-17979-4ISSN: 2340-1117doi: 10.21125/edulearn.2020.1884Conference name: 12th International Conference on Education and New Learning TechnologiesDates: 6-7 July, 2020Location: Online Conference