Indicadors d'investigació de l'Institut de Recerca i Innovació Educativa. IRIE 2008-2012

El present informe recull la recerca educativa realitzada pels grups consolidats de l’Institut de Recerca i Innovació Educativa (IRIE) durant el període previ a la seva creació (2008-2012). Aquesta producció ha conformat la massa crítica que ha fet possible la creació de l’Institut i és el fruit del treball de cent cinquanta-vuit investigadors, integrats en onze grups de recerca. L’informe presenta les línies de recerca que desenvolupen i els principals productes de la seva tasca. Durant aquest període s’han dut a terme cent seixanta-sis projectes i contractes de recerca amb finançament estatal i quaranta-un projectes i contractes internacionals, i s’ha rebut un finançament total de 8.478.372,65 €. S’han publicat quatre-cents cinquanta-dos articles en revistes –cent seixanta-vuit dels quals indexats en bases d’impacte– i sis-cents seixanta-sis capítols o llibres científics. Al mateix temps s’han seguit formant nous investigadors en educació, ja que s’han llegit setanta-dues tesis doctorals. L’anàlisi d’aquests indicadors ens permet saber l’estat de la qüestió de la recerca educativa més especialitzada a les Illes Balears i tenir elements per a determinar el potencial investigador de l’IRIE per als propers anys.El presente informe recoge la investigación educativa realizada por los grupos consolidados del Institut de Recerca i Innovació Educativa (IRIE) durante el período previo a su creación (2008- 2012). Esta producción ha conformado la masa crítica que ha hecho posible la creación del instituto y es fruto del trabajo de 158 investigadores, integrados en once grupos de investigación. El informe presenta las líneas de investigación que desarrollan y los principales productos de su labor. Durante este período se han llevado a cabo 166 proyectos y contratos de investigación con financiación estatal y 41 proyectos y contratos internacionales; se ha recibido una financiación total de 8.478.372,65 €. Se han publicado 452 artículos en revistas –186 de los cuales indexados en bases de impacto– y 666 capítulos o libros científicos. Al mismo tiempo se ha seguido formando a nuevos investigadores en educación, ya que se han leído 72 tesis doctorales. El análisis de estos indicadores nos permite conocer el estado de la cuestión de la investigación educativa más especializada en las Illes Balears y tener elementos para determinar el potencial investigador del IRIE para los próximos años.This report contains the educational research provided by consolidated groups of the IRIE (Institute of Research and Educational Innovation) in the run-up to the Institute’s creation (2008-2012). This production has shaped the critical mass that has made possible the creation of the Institute and is the outcome of the work of 158 researchers consisting of 11 research groups. The report presents the lines of research and the main products of researchers task. During this time, 166 projects and research contracts with government funding and 41 projects and international contracts were achieved, with a total funding of 8.478.372,65 €. 452 articles in magazines –186 of them indexed in impact databases– and 666 chapters or scientific books have been published. At the same time, new educational researchers have been trained and 72 doctoral theses have been read. The analysis of these indicators allows us to know the state of play of the most specialized educational research in the Balearic Islands and to have items to determine the research potential of the IRIE for the coming years

Trnp1 organizes diverse nuclear membrane‐less compartments in neural stem cells

TMF1‐regulated nuclear protein 1 (Trnp1) has been shown to exert potent roles in neural development affecting neural stem cell self‐renewal and brain folding, but its molecular function in the nucleus is still unknown. Here, we show that Trnp1 is a low complexity protein with the capacity to phase separate. Trnp1 interacts with factors located in several nuclear membrane‐less organelles, the nucleolus, nuclear speckles, and condensed chromatin. Importantly, Trnp1 co‐regulates the architecture and function of these nuclear compartments in vitro and in the developing brain in vivo. Deletion of a highly conserved region in the N‐terminal intrinsic disordered region abolishes the capacity of Trnp1 to regulate nucleoli and heterochromatin size, proliferation, and M‐phase length; decreases the capacity to phase separate; and abrogates most of Trnp1 protein interactions. Thus, we identified Trnp1 as a novel regulator of several nuclear membrane‐less compartments, a function important to maintain cells in a self‐renewing proliferative state

GDF15 and ACE2 stratify COVID-19 patients according to severity while ACE2 mutations increase infection susceptibility

Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a persistent global pandemic with a very heterogeneous disease presentation ranging from a mild disease to dismal prognosis. Early detection of sensitivity and severity of COVID-19 is essential for the development of new treatments. In the present study, we measured the levels of circulating growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in plasma of severity-stratified COVID-19 patients and uninfected control patients and characterized the in vitro effects and cohort frequency of ACE2 SNPs. Our results show that while circulating GDF15 and ACE2 stratify COVID-19 patients according to disease severity, ACE2 missense SNPs constitute a risk factor linked to infection susceptibility

Do Physical Fitness and Executive Function Mediate the Relationship between Physical Activity and Academic Achievement? An Examination Using Structural Equation Modelling

Background: Physical activity health benefits are widely known. However, the association between physical activity, physical fitness, executive function, and academic performance need further investigation. Additionally, one of the literature gaps reveals scarce and mixed findings on what mediators of physical activity may affect academic achievement. Purpose: This investigation aims to provide knowledge about the mediation role of physical fitness and executive function in the association of physical activity with academic achievement in a cohort of Spanish schoolchildren using a structural equation modelling approach. Methods: The data for this cross-sectional study were collected from a convenience sample of children from Spain (Balearic Islands) aged between 9 and 13 years. Physical activity levels were self-reported with the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Children; physical fitness was assessed using the International Fitness Scale; executive function was assessed with the Trail Making Test, and children’s achievements were collected from the school records. Structural equation modelling was used to explore the relationship between physical activity, physical fitness, executive function, and academic achievement. Findings: Statistically significant positive direct associations were observed between physical activity and physical fitness (β = 0.46, 95% CI [0.29, 0.64]), physical fitness and executive function (β = 0.28, 95% CI [0.04, 0.52]), and executive function and academic achievement (β = 0.46, 95% CI [0.28, 0.65]), while adjusting for the confounding effects of sex and body mass index. Furthermore, indirect associations were observed between physical activity and executive function mediated by physical fitness (β = 0.13, bias-corrected 95% CI [0.02, 0.31]) and between physical fitness and academic achievement through executive function (β = 0.13, bias-corrected 95% CI [0.03, 0.32]). Conclusions: This investigation adds to the literature with evidence supporting the idea that regular PA leads to improvements in physical fitness and may support cognitive skills and academic performance in children

A comparative study on univariate time series based crude palm oil price prediction model using machine learning algorithms

Crude palm oil (CPO) price prediction plays an important role in the agricultural economic development. It requires an in-depth knowledge in both economics and agricultural domain. The aim of this paper is to propose a CPO price prediction model to help the plantation organizations in the palm oil sector to effectively anticipate CPO price fluctuations and managing the resources more effectively. The CPO price behavior are non-linear in nature, thus prediction is very difficult. In this paper, a recurrent network, Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) based CPO price prediction system is compared with artificial neural network (ANN) and Holt-Winter method. The findings of this study shows that the LSTM based forecasting model outperformed other models in forecasting the CPO price movement. This study recommends that a LSTM based forecasting could better help the farmer and planters in the agriculture sector in managing the demand of CPO and the operation processes for a better return on investment

The chromatin-associated lncREST ensures effective replication stress response by promoting the assembly of fork signaling factors

ABSTRACT Besides the well-characterized protein network involved in the replication stress response, several regulatory RNAs have been shown to play a role in this critical process. However, it has remained elusive whether they act locally at the stressed forks. Here, by investigating the RNAs localizing on chromatin upon replication stress induced by hydroxyurea, we identified a set of lncRNAs upregulated in S-phase and controlled by stress transcription factors. Among them, we demonstrate that the previously uncharacterized lncRNA lncREST (long non-coding RNA REplication STress) is transcriptionally controlled by p53 and localizes at stressed replication forks. LncREST-depleted cells experience sustained replication fork progression and accumulate un-signaled DNA damage. Under replication stress, lncREST interacts with the protein NCL and assists in engaging its interaction with RPA. The loss of lncREST is associated with a reduced NCL-RPA interaction and decreased RPA on chromatin, leading to defective replication stress signaling and accumulation of mitotic defects, resulting in apoptosis and a reduction in tumorigenic potential of cancer cells. These findings uncover the function of a lncRNA in favoring the recruitment of replication proteins to sites of DNA replication

E2F4DN Transgenic Mice: A Tool for the Evaluation of E2F4 as a Therapeutic Target in Neuropathology and Brain Aging

E2F4 was initially described as a transcription factor with a key function in the regulation of cell quiescence. Nevertheless, a number of recent studies have established that E2F4 can also play a relevant role in cell and tissue homeostasis, as well as tissue regeneration. For these non-canonical functions, E2F4 can also act in the cytoplasm, where it is able to interact with many homeostatic and synaptic regulators. Since E2F4 is expressed in the nervous system, it may fulfill a crucial role in brain function and homeostasis, being a promising multifactorial target for neurodegenerative diseases and brain aging. The regulation of E2F4 is complex, as it can be chemically modified through acetylation, from which we present evidence in the brain, as well as methylation, and phosphorylation. The phosphorylation of E2F4 within a conserved threonine motif induces cell cycle re-entry in neurons, while a dominant negative form of E2F4 (E2F4DN), in which the conserved threonines have been substituted by alanines, has been shown to act as a multifactorial therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease (AD). We generated transgenic mice neuronally expressing E2F4DN. We have recently shown using this mouse strain that expression of E2F4DN in 5xFAD mice, a known murine model of AD, improved cognitive function, reduced neuronal tetraploidization, and induced a transcriptional program consistent with modulation of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptide proteostasis and brain homeostasis recovery. 5xFAD/E2F4DN mice also showed reduced microgliosis and astrogliosis in both the cerebral cortex and hippocampus at 3-6 months of age. Here, we analyzed the immune response in 1 year-old 5xFAD/E2F4DN mice, concluding that reduced microgliosis and astrogliosis is maintained at this late stage. In addition, the expression of E2F4DN also reduced age-associated microgliosis in wild-type mice, thus stressing its role as a brain homeostatic agent. We conclude that E2F4DN transgenic mice represent a promising tool for the evaluation of E2F4 as a therapeutic target in neuropathology and brain aging.This research was funded by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, grant number RTI2018-095030-B-I00, and the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, grant number PID2021-128473OB-I00, both supported by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”, a R&D contract between CSIC and Tetraneuron, and PTI+ Neuroaging (CSIC). M.R.-L. holds an Industrial Doctorate grant from Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad. C.S.-P. holds a Torres Quevedo grant from Ministerio de Industria. A.M.L.-M. holds a FPI grant from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación

The human lncRNA LINC-PINT inhibits tumor cell invasion through a highly conserved sequence element

Abstract Background It is now obvious that the majority of cellular transcripts do not code for proteins, and a significant subset of them are long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Many lncRNAs show aberrant expression in cancer, and some of them have been linked to cell transformation. However, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood and it is unknown how the sequences of lncRNA dictate their function. Results Here we characterize the function of the p53-regulated human lncRNA LINC-PINT in cancer. We find that LINC-PINT is downregulated in multiple types of cancer and acts as a tumor suppressor lncRNA by reducing the invasive phenotype of cancer cells. A cross-species analysis identifies a highly conserved sequence element in LINC-PINT that is essential for its function. This sequence mediates a specific interaction with PRC2, necessary for the LINC-PINT-dependent repression of a pro-invasion signature of genes regulated by the transcription factor EGR1. Conclusions Our findings support a conserved functional co-dependence between LINC-PINT and PRC2 and lead us to propose a new mechanism where the lncRNA regulates the availability of free PRC2 at the proximity of co-regulated genomic loci