Pompeu Fabra University

About: Pompeu Fabra University is a education organization based out in Barcelona, Spain. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 8093 authors who have published 23570 publications receiving 858431 citations. The organization is also known as: Universitat Pompeu Fabra & UPF.

LncATLAS database for subcellular localization of long noncoding RNAs.

Abstract: The subcellular localization of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) holds valuable clues to their molecular function. However, measuring localization of newly discovered lncRNAs involves time-consuming and costly experimental methods. We have created "lncATLAS," a comprehensive resource of lncRNA localization in human cells based on RNA-sequencing data sets. Altogether, 6768 GENCODE-annotated lncRNAs are represented across various compartments of 15 cell lines. We introduce relative concentration index (RCI) as a useful measure of localization derived from ensemble RNA-seq measurements. LncATLAS is accessible through an intuitive and informative webserver, from which lncRNAs of interest are accessed using identifiers or names. Localization is presented across cell types and organelles, and may be compared to the distribution of all other genes. Publication-quality figures and raw data tables are automatically generated with each query, and the entire data set is also available to download. LncATLAS makes lncRNA subcellular localization data available to the widest possible number of researchers. It is available at lncatlas.crg.eu.

Language networks: Their structure, function, and evolution

Abstract: Human language is the key evolutionary innovation that makes humans different from other species. And yet, the fabric of language is tangled and all levels of description (from semantics to syntax) involve multiple layers of complexity. Recent work indicates that the global traits displayed by such levels can be analyzed in terms of networks of connected words. Here, we review the state of the art on language webs and their potential relevance to cognitive science. The emergence of syntax through language acquisition is used as a case study to illustrate how the approach can shed light into relevant questions concerning language organization and its evolution. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity, 2010

Branching and pruning: an optimal temporal POCL planner based on constraint programming

Abstract: A key feature of modern optimal planners such as Graphplan and Blackbox is their ability to prune large parts of the search space. Previous Partial Order Causal Link (POCL) planners provide an alternative branching scheme but lacking comparable pruning mechanisms do not perform as well. In this paper, a domain-independent formulation of temporal planning based on Constraint Programming is introduced that successfully combines a POCL branching scheme with powerful and sound pruning rules. The key novelty in the formulation is the ability to reason about supports, precedences, and causal links involving actions that are not in the plan. Experiments over a wide range of benchmarks show that the resulting optimal temporal planner is much faster than current ones and is competitive with the best parallel planners in the special case in which actions have all the same duration.

Targeting the endocannabinoid system in the treatment of fragile X syndrome

Abstract: Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common monogenic cause of inherited intellectual disability and autism, is caused by the silencing of the FMR1 gene, leading to the loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), a synaptically expressed RNA-binding protein regulating translation. The Fmr1 knockout model recapitulates the main traits of the disease. Uncontrolled activity of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling seem crucial in the pathology of this disease. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a key modulator of synaptic plasticity, cognitive performance, anxiety, nociception and seizure susceptibility, all of which are affected in FXS. The cannabinoid receptors CB1 (CB1R) and CB2 (CB2R) are activated by phospholipid-derived endocannabinoids, and CB1R-driven long-term regulation of synaptic strength, as a consequence of mGluR5 activation, is altered in several brain areas of Fmr1 knockout mice. We found that CB1R blockade in male Fmr1 knockout (Fmr1(-/y)) mice through pharmacological and genetic approaches normalized cognitive impairment, nociceptive desensitization, susceptibility to audiogenic seizures, overactivated mTOR signaling and altered spine morphology, whereas pharmacological blockade of CB2R normalized anxiolytic-like behavior. Some of these traits were also reversed by pharmacological inhibition of mTOR or mGluR5. Thus, blockade of ECS is a potential therapeutic approach to normalize specific alterations in FXS.