Effects on chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in different grape varieties (Vitis vinifera L.) after nitrogen and elicitor foliar applications to the vineyard

Photosynthetic pigments, including carotenoids are important secondary metabolites, which play a key role in photosynthesis. There is little information about the effects of nitrogen and elicitor applications on chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations in grapes. The aim of this work was therefore to study the effects of the foliar application of nitrogen sources and elicitors to Tempranillo, Garnacha and Graciano (Vitis vinifera L.) grapevines on chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. The results showed that β-carotene and lutein were the most abundant carotenoids in all the samples, ranging from 1336 and 227 to 7054 and 1382 μg/g, respectively. The applied treatments had greater impact on chlorophyll and carotenoid contents in Tempranillo grapes than in Graciano and Garnacha varieties. The content of chlorophyll was determined by the variety factor, while the concentration of carotenoids was influenced by the interaction of variety and treatment factors, depending on the type of foliar application.EEA MendozaFil: Gutiérrez Gamboa, Gastón. Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino. Grupo VIENAP; EspañaFil: Marín San Román, S. Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino. Grupo VIENAP; EspañaFil: Jofre, Viviana Patricia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Rubio Bretón, Pilar. Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino. Grupo VIENAP; EspañaFil: Pérez Alvarez, Eva Pilar. Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino. Grupo VIENAP; EspañaFil: Garde Cerdán, Teresa. Instituto de Ciencias de la Vid y del Vino. Grupo VIENAP; Españ

Multicentre, randomised, single-blind, parallel group trial to compare the effectiveness of a Holter for Parkinson's symptoms against other clinical monitoring methods: study protocol

Introduction In recent years, multiple studies have aimed to develop and validate portable technological devices capable of monitoring the motor complications of Parkinson's disease patients (Parkinson's Holter). The effectiveness of these monitoring devices for improving clinical control is not known. Methods and analysis This is a single-blind, cluster-randomised controlled clinical trial. Neurologists from Spanish health centres will be randomly assigned to one of three study arms (1:1:1): (a) therapeutic adjustment using information from a Parkinson?s Holter that will be worn by their patients for 7 days, (b) therapeutic adjustment using information from a diary of motor fluctuations that will be completed by their patients for 7 days and (c) therapeutic adjustment using clinical information collected during consultation. It is expected that 162 consecutive patients will be included over a period of 6 months. The primary outcome is the efficiency of the Parkinson?s Holter compared with traditional clinical practice in terms of Off time reduction with respect to the baseline (recorded through a diary of motor fluctuations, which will be completed by all patients). As secondary outcomes, changes in variables related to other motor complications (dyskinesia and freezing of gait), quality of life, autonomy in activities of daily living, adherence to the monitoring system and number of doctor?patient contacts will be analysed. The noninferiority of the Parkinson's Holter against the diary of motor fluctuations in terms of Off time reduction will be studied as the exploratory objective. Ethics and dissemination approval for this study has been obtained from the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge Ethics Committee. The results of this study will inform the practical utility of the objective information provided by a Parkinson's Holter and, therefore, the convenience of adopting this technology in clinical practice and in future clinical trials. We expect public dissemination of the results in 2022.Funding This work is supported by AbbVie S.L.U, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III [DTS17/00195] and the European Fund for Regional Development, 'A way to make Europe'

A facility and community-based assessment of scabies in rural Malawi.

Background Scabies is a neglected tropical disease of the skin, causing severe itching, stigmatizing skin lesions and systemic complications. Since 2015, the DerMalawi project provide an integrated skin diseases clinics and Tele-dermatology care in Malawi. Clinic based data suggested a progressive increase in scabies cases observed. To better identify and treat individuals with scabies in the region, we shifted from a clinic-based model to a community based outreach programme. Methodology/principal findings From May 2015, DerMalawi project provide integrated skin diseases and Tele-dermatological care in the Nkhotakota and Salima health districts in Malawi. Demographic and clinical data of all patients personally attended are recorded. Due to a progressive increase in the number of cases of scabies the project shifted to a community-based outreach programme. For the community outreach activities, we conducted three visits between 2018 to 2019 and undertook screening in schools and villages of Alinafe Hospital catchment area. Treatment was offered for all the cases and school or household contacts. Scabies increased from 2.9% to 39.2% of all cases seen by the DerMalawi project at clinics between 2015 to 2018. During the community-based activities approximately 50% of the population was assessed in each of three visits. The prevalence of scabies was similar in the first two rounds, 15.4% (2392) at the first visit and 17.2% at the second visit. The prevalence of scabies appeared to be lower (2.4%) at the third visit. The prevalence of impetigo appeared unchanged and was 6.7% at the first visit and 5.2% at the final visit. Conclusions/significance Prevalence of scabies in our setting was very high suggesting that scabies is a major public health problem in parts of Malawi. Further work is required to more accurately assess the burden of disease and develop appropriate public health strategies for its control

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

Influencia del uso de cubiertas vegetales sobre la fertilidad del suelo, la expresión vegetativa de la vid y la composición de la uva y del vino en un viñedo de Tempranillo (Vitis vinifera L.) de la D.O.C. Rioja

Tillage is the most commonly used soil management technique in vineyards with Mediterranean climate. In order to improve some of the properties of soils as well as the productive and qualitative characteristics of the vines, alternative techniques such as cover crops are employed. Therefore, the main objective of this Thesis was to study the effect of two cover crops, with different agronomic performance, on the soil nutrients availability, the productive and vegetative parameters of the vine and the grape and wine composition, comparing these results to tillage. In this context, an experiment with three different soil management treatments in the inter-row of the vineyard, was carried out for four years (2009-2012). Treatments were: tillage, a cereal cover crop (barley, Hordeum vulgare L.), and, a leguminous cover crop (clover, Trifolium resupinatum L.). The vineyard was a cv. Tempranillo (Vitis vinifera L.), planted in 1999 with a 2.70 x 1.30 m spacing and a VSP (double cordon Royat) trellis system. Soil was classified as Oxyaquic Xerorthent, its pH was basic and the organic matter content was low (< 1 %), texture was loamy for the topsoil and sandy loam in deeper horizons. Results showed differences in soil moisture between treatments for short periods of time from July until the end of August, especially in the clover cover crop treatment at 60 cm deep. The water consumption rate was higher for both cover crops treatments with respect to tillage, although rainfall recharged the soil profile similarly in the three treatments. Regarding soil nutrients availability, the nitrogen fixation capacity of the leguminous crop marked a difference and, in fact, the soil nitrogen availability, in its nitrate form, which is the one that the vine assimilates primarily, was higher in the clover crop treatment from the second year of the experiment with respect to tillage. However, the nitrate form from the soil N was lower for the barley cover crop. This reduction was linked to the nitrogen content of the cover crop aerial biomass. Furthermore, the reintroduction of the cover crop remains in the soil after withering favoured a greater availability of potassium, magnesium and sodium in the soil surface in the fourth year of trial and for the clover treatment when compared to the other two treatments. Cover crops did not affect the phosphorus and calcium soil availability. Although no significant differences were observed in the total biomass production of the two cover crops, from 2010 onwards the concentration of nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, calcium, copper, boron and sodium was higher for clover than for barley cover crop, which reversely had a higher concentration of iron and zinc. However, the different competition of the cover crops for nutrients only had a significant effect over the leaf nitrogen content in the barley treatment in 2011 and 2012. Regarding the vegetative development, the shoot longitudinal development in the barley treatment decreased at bloom in the third year of trial, and the total leaf weight was lower in both cover crops. Cover crops did not significantly change the vineyard production either; although the vine vigour was lower in the barley treatment during the last two years, with lower values of shoot and pruning weights with respect to the other two treatments. Thanks to the vigour reduction, a better balance between vigour and production was achieved with the barley treatment and, therefore, Ravaz index values were within the optimal range for cv. Tempranillo in the A.O.C. Rioja. Regarding the cover crops impact on the grape characteristics, only a berry weight reduction in 2010 and an increase of phenolic compounds in 2012 were observed for the barley cover crop. Levels of Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN) in the musts changed in the cover crop treatments with respect to tillage; in the clover treatment YAN values were higher in the fourth year of the trial whilst they were lower for barley. Similarly, the presence of cover crops modified the amino acid profile of musts. Total titratable acidity as well as the tartaric acid content and the total polyphenol index showed higher values in the barley than in the other two treatments; as well as the concentrations of biogenic amines and most of the amino acids studied showed lower content for barley treatment. Organoleptically, tasters did not appreciate significant differences between wines, although they showed a preference for those made from the tillage treatment grapes. With all these results in mind, it can be concluded that under the conditions of our experiment, cover crops can be an appropiate alternative to tillage as, in the long term, they can regulate both, the vine vegetative development and its yield, therefore improving the quality of grape and wine and, at the same time, their use does not imply an excessive competition with the vine for both water and nutrients.El laboreo es la técnica de manejo de suelo más utilizada en viñedos de regiones con clima mediterráneo. Sin embargo, para mejorar algunas de las propiedades de los suelos y las características productivas y cualitativas de las vides, una técnica alternativa es el uso de cubiertas vegetales. Por ello, el principal objetivo de esta Tesis Doctoral ha sido estudiar el efecto del uso de dos especies vegetales, con comportamiento agronómico distinto y como alternativa al laboreo, sobre la disponibilidad de nutrientes del suelo, los parámetros productivos y vegetativos de la vid y la composición de la uva y del vino. En este contexto, se llevó a cabo un ensayo con tres sistemas distintos de gestión del suelo (tratamientos) en las calles del viñedo: laboreo, cubierta vegetal en la que se sembró una gramínea (cebada, Hordeum vulgare L.) y otra cubierta con una leguminosa (trébol, Trifolium resupinatum L.), durante cuatro años (2009-2012). La parcela vitícola, de la variedad Tempranillo (Vitis vinifera L.), se plantó en 1999 con un marco de plantación de 2,70 x 1,30 m y sistema de conducción en espaldera (doble cordón Royat). El suelo de la parcela se clasificó como Xerorthent oxiácuico. Presentaba un pH básico, un contenido en materia orgánica bajo (< 1%) y una clase textural franca en los horizontes superficiales, y franco-arenosa en profundidad. Los resultados han mostrado diferencias de humedad en el suelo debidas a los tratamientos en períodos concretos a partir de julio hasta finales de agosto, especialmente a los 60 cm de profundidad con la utilización de cubierta de trébol. La velocidad de consumo de agua y secado del suelo fue más intensa en las dos cubiertas que en el laboreo; si bien las precipitaciones registradas recargaron el perfil del suelo de manera similar en los tres tratamientos. Por su parte, la disponibilidad nutricional del suelo estuvo marcada por la capacidad fijadora del nitrógeno atmosférico por parte de la leguminosa. Así, respecto al laboreo, con el trébol aumentó, desde el segundo año de ensayo, la disponibilidad en el suelo de nitrógeno en forma nítrica, la forma iónica que principalmente asimila la vid. Sin embargo, con la cubierta de cebada se redujo el nitrógeno nitríco en un rango similar al nitrógeno presente en la biomasa aérea de la cubierta gramínea. Asimismo, la reincorporación de los restos aéreos de las cubiertas tras su agostado favoreció, al cuarto año de ensayo, una mayor disponibilidad de potasio, magnesio y sodio en la superficie del suelo con cubierta de trébol respecto a los otros dos tratamientos. La presencia de las cubiertas no afectó a la disponibilidad de fósforo ni de calcio del suelo. A pesar de que no se observaron diferencias significativas en la producción de biomasa aérea de las dos cubiertas vegetales, a partir del 2010 la concentración de nitrógeno, potasio, magnesio, calcio, cobre, boro y sodio fue mayor en la biomasa del trébol que en la de la cebada, donde se produjo una mayor concentración de hierro y zinc. No obstante, la diferente competencia de las cubiertas vegetales por los nutrientes disponibles en el suelo, afectó de manera significativa al estado nutricional de las cepas, disminuyendo el contenido de N foliar con la cubierta de cebada en 2011 y 2012. Respecto al desarrollo vegetativo, el desarrollo longitudinal de los pámpanos con el tratamiento de cebada disminuyó en la floración del tercer año de ensayo, así como el peso de las hojas con ambas cubiertas. La presencia de las cubiertas vegetales no modificó significativamente la producción del viñedo. El vigor de las cepas disminuyó en los dos últimos años de ensayo con el tratamiento de cebada, alcanzando valores de peso medio del pámpano y de peso de madera de poda menores respecto a los otros dos tratamientos. Con esta reducción del vigor, se consiguió un mejor equilibrio en la relación vigor/producción de las cepas del tratamiento con cubierta de cebada, obteniendo valores del índice de Ravaz dentro del rango considerado óptimo para la variedad Tempranillo en el ámbito de la D.O.Ca. Rioja. En relación a la incidencia de las cubiertas sobre las características de la uva, se observó una disminución del peso de la baya en 2010, y un aumento de los compuestos fenólicos en 2012 con la cubierta de cebada frente a los otros dos tratamientos. Por su parte, los niveles de nitrógeno fácilmente asimilable (N.F.A.) de los mostos se vieron afectados por la especie de cubierta utilizada. Así, respecto al laboreo, el N.F.A. aumentó con la leguminosa al cuarto año de ensayo y disminuyó con la gramínea. De igual modo, la presencia de las cubiertas vegetales modificó el perfil aminoacídico de los mostos. El vino procedente del tratamiento de cubierta de cebada, presentó mayor acidez total, contenido de ácido tartárico e índice de polifenoles totales respecto a los de los otros dos tratamientos. Con la cubierta de cebada también se redujo la concentración de numerosos aminoácidos y la concentración total de aminas biógenas de los vinos. Organolépticamente, los catadores no apreciaron diferencias significativas entre los vinos, si bien mostraron cierta preferencia por los vinos elaborados a partir de uva procedente de parcelas mantenidas con laboreo. Por todo ello, se puede concluir que en las condiciones de nuestro ensayo, la técnica de cubiertas vegetales podría considerarse apropiada como alternativa al laboreo, ya que no supone competencia hídrica ni nutricional excesiva para las cepas e, incluso, a largo plazo, puede conseguir regular el desarrollo vegetativo del viñedo, su rendimiento productivo y mejorar la calidad de la uva y del vino

Use of different waste waters from the leachate of the mushroom production process as foliar fertilizers: effects on grape amino acids concentration

The production of edible mushrooms presents a serious problem for the environment, since about 5 kg of waste are produced for each kilogram of mushroom. These waste waters have nitrogenous matter. Thus, the aim was to investigate the effect of foliar applications of waste water from the mushroom production process on must amino acid composition during two seasons compared to other nitrogen sources. The treatments were applied to the vineyard at veraison and one week later at a total dose of 0.9 kg N/ha. Amino acids were analysed by HPLC. Results showed that treated mushroom water (Tmw) and mushroom water (Mw) improved the amino acid concentration in both seasons differentially. Tmw applied to the grapevines increased total amino acids concentration from 1479.58 to 1735.90 mg/L compared to untreated grapevines over the second study season. The effectiveness of the applications depends on grapevines nitrogen needs. Under moderate nitrogen conditions, Tmw and Mw applications seem to be more effective than urea and phenylalanine treatments. These results are important in relation to the sustainable management of the agri-food sector

The short term influence of aboveground biomass cover crops on C sequestration and �glucosidase in a vineyard ground under semiarid conditions

Tillage and semiarid Mediterranean climatic conditions accelerate soil organic matter losses in Spanish vineyards. Previous studies showed that cover crops can increase soil organic carbon (SOC) in Mediterranean vineyards. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of two different cover crops in the short term on soil C sequestration in a semiarid vineyard and to study the potential use of both â-glucosidase enzimatic activity (GLU) and the GLU/SOC ratio in order to assess the SOC increase. The experiment was carried out in a cv. Tempranillo (Vitis vinifera L.) vineyard on a Oxyaquic Xerorthent soil in Rioja winegrowing region (NE, Spain). The experimental design was established in 2009 with three treatments: conventional tillage; sown barley cover crop (Hordeum vulgare, L.); sown Persian clover cover crop (Trifolium resupinatum L.). Carbon in the aboveground biomass with each cover crop was monitored. Soil was sampled in June 2011 and June 2012, and SOC, GLU and the GLU/SOC ratio were determined. After 3 years both cover crops increased SOC at soil surface with C sequestration rates of 0.47 and 1.19 t C ha�1 yr�1 for BV and CV respectively. GLU and GLU/SOC ratio increased in both cover crops at 0-5 cm soil depth. The C sequestration rates and GLU were related to the cover crops aboveground biomass. In consequence, in semiarid vineyards under cover crops GLU could be an appropriate indicator to asses the increase of SOC and the soil quality improvement in the short-term (2-3 years)

Envejecimiento de vinos en barricas y alternativos de roble

El envejecimiento en barricas de roble es una de las etapas más importantes en el proceso de elaboración de vinos tintos de calidad. La composición de la madera está altamente influenciada por la especie de roble y por su origen geográfico, así como por el proceso de fabricación. Por ello, en esta revisión se recogen diferentes trabajos en los que se ha estudiado la composición de la madera, la incidencia del proceso de fabricación y el efecto de su empleo en el envejecimiento del vino. Debido a que la utilización de barricas es un método con alto coste económico, en los últimos años se han comenzado a utilizar sistemas alternativos que pretenden imitar el proceso de envejecimiento de los vinos en dicho recipiente.The aging in oak barrels is one of the main parts in red wine quality winemaking process. The composition of wood is greatly influenced by the oak species and also by its geographic origin and manufacturing process. Thus, in this review, it has been summarized different papers in which has been studied the wood composition, the incidence of production process and the effect of its use in wine aging. Due to the high price of oak barrels, in recent years have emerged alternative systems that try to mimic the same process that occurs in the traditional oak barrels