Turismo experiencial: el potencial de Cuenca (España) como ciudad creativa de la gastronomía

Recently, studies on gastronomic tourism as a generator of experiences have been booming. Concurrently, the potential of the creative industries – e.g., Creative Cities – as tourism resources is gaining momentum. For this reason, this paper jointly addresses the experientiality of gastronomy and the impacts of the UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designations and analyses the case of the city of Cuenca as a potential gastronomic destination through a theoretical and descriptive approach. Then, the established similarities allow an analytical discourse about the city’s current situation and the possibilities for rapid development as a benchmark city in the gastronomic field. As a result of the previous analyses, some steps are suggested to consolidate the city as a culinary pole: improving the accommodation capacity, reinforcing its culinary heritage, and better governance measures to involve the community, among others.Recientemente, los estudios acerca del turismo gastronómico como generador de experiencias se encuentran en auge. Asimismo, el potencial de las industrias creativas y – e.j., Ciudades Creativas, – como recursos turísticos está ganando impulso. Por ello, este trabajo aborda conjuntamente la experiencialidad de la gastronomía y los impactos de las denominaciones de Ciudad Creativa de la Gastronomía de la UNESCO, y analiza el caso de la ciudad de Cuenca como potencial destino gastronómico a través de un enfoque teórico y descriptivo. Tras ello se establecen paralelismos que permiten elaborar un discurso analítico de la situación actual de la ciudad y sus posibilidades para un rápido desarrollo como ciudad referente en el ámbito gastronómico. Asimismo, fruto de los análisis previos se sugieren los próximos pasos a seguir para consolidar la urbe como polo culinario: mejorar la capacidad de alojamiento, reforzar el patrimonio gastronómico y mejorar las medidas de gobernanza para involucrar a la comunidad, entre otros

Evaluación del desajuste educativo en la industria hostelera española

For decades, academics have studied the human resources of many different sectors with a wide range of approaches and methodologies. However, there is still room for analysis on educational mismatch, even more so in the hospitality industry after the COVID-19 pandemic standstill as it is a topic that has been somewhat relegated in recent times. Thus, this study seeks to analyze this phenomenon based on a multinomial logistic regression, which is underused in the human capital-related literature, especially on educational mismatch. The results confirm the influence of several factors such as tenure, experience or skills and quantify their effects on the chances of being educationally mismatched. Moreover, special attention is given to the remarkable influence of the required skills for a specific job position on vertical mismatch. Therefore, this paper updates previous research on the issue but also sheds new light on identifying the main aspects in which employees may focus in order to have better career prospects. The main limitation of this study is the availability of the data, which corresponds to 2018.Durante décadas, los académicos han estudiado los recursos humanos de muchos sectores diferentes con una amplia gama de enfoques y metodologías. Sin embargo, todavía hay espacio para el análisis del desajuste educativo, más aún en la industria de la hostelería tras el parón de la pandemia COVID-19, ya que es un tema que ha quedado ligeramente relegado en los últimos tiempos. Así pues, este estudio pretende analizar este fenómeno a través de una regresión logística multinomial, una metodología que se encuentra infrautilizada en la literatura relacionada con el capital humano, especialmente en el desajuste educativo. Los resultados confirman la influencia de varios factores, como la antigüedad en el puesto, la experiencia o las competencias, y cuantifican sus efectos sobre las posibilidades de sufrir desajuste educativo. Además, se presta especial atención a la gran influencia de las competencias requeridas para un puesto de trabajo específico sobre el desajuste vertical. Así pues, este trabajo actualiza las investigaciones anteriores sobre la cuestión, pero también arroja nueva luz sobre la identificación de los principales aspectos en los que los empleados podrían prestar atención para tener mejores perspectivas de carrera. La principal limitación de este trabajo es la disponibilidad de los datos, que corresponden a 2018.Sánchez-Cubo, F. benefits from a predoctoral contract for training researcher staff within the frame of the Formación de Profesorado Universitario (FPU) Fellowship Programme of the Ministry of Universities of Spain

CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOUR: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

The circular economy is a top priority issue on the European green agenda. However, despite this topic having been studied for decades, there seem to be no clear ideas about how to carry out the strategies and actions that allow achieving the presupposed objectives. For this reason, this paper aims to offer a systematic literature review that might provide researchers with a synthesis paper on what has been studied so far. To achieve that, descriptive and bibliometric analyses were performed on the bibliographic data obtained from the Web of Science. That, together with the study of the most prominent extant pieces of work in the field, both historical and present, allow offering a comprehensive picture of the state of arts. Thus, the main conclusions are that there is no clear study trend and, consequently, efforts are dissipating. In addition, the problem of the budget limitation is acknowledged since it might prevent researchers from carrying out solid experiments that may allow finding general solutions to the problems derived from the implementation of circular economy strategies or actions

RNA-seq analysis of the Rhizobium tropici CIAT 899 transcriptome shows similarities in the activation patterns of symbiotic genes in the presence of apigenin and salt

Background Rhizobium tropici strain CIAT 899 establishes effective symbioses with several legume species, including Phaseolus vulgaris and Leucaena leucocephala. This bacterium synthesizes a large variety of nodulation factors in response to nod-gene inducing flavonoids and, surprisingly, also under salt stress conditions. The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed genes in the presence of both inducer molecules, and analyze the promoter regions located upstream of these genes. Results Results obtained by RNA-seq analyses of CIAT 899 induced with apigenin, a nod gene-inducing flavonoid for this strain, or salt allowed the identification of 19 and 790 differentially expressed genes, respectively. Fifteen of these genes were up-regulated in both conditions and were involved in the synthesis of both Nod factors and indole-3-acetic acid. Transcription of these genes was presumably activated through binding of at least one of the five NodD proteins present in this strain to specific nod box promoter sequences when the bacterium was induced by both apigenin and salt. Finally, under saline conditions, many other transcriptional responses were detected, including an increase in the transcription of genes involved in trehalose catabolism, chemotaxis and protein secretion, as well as ribosomal genes, and a decrease in the transcription of genes involved in transmembrane transport. Conclusions To our knowledge this is the first time that a transcriptomic study shows that salt stress induces the expression of nodulation genes in the absence of flavonoids. Thus, in the presence of both nodulation inducer molecules, apigenin and salt, R. tropici CIAT 899 up-regulated the same set of symbiotic genes. It could be possible that the increases in the transcription levels of several genes related to nodulation under saline conditions could represent a strategy to establish symbiosis under abiotic stressing conditions.España, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2012-1España, Junta de Andalucía P11-CVI-705

Sinorhizobium fredii HH103 RirA is required for oxidative stress resistance and efficient symbiosis with Soybean

Members of Rhizobiaceae contain a homologue of the iron-responsive regulatory protein RirA. In different bacteria, RirA acts as a repressor of iron uptake systems under iron-replete conditions and contributes to ameliorate cell damage during oxidative stress. In Rhizobium leguminosarum and Sinorhizobium meliloti, mutations in rirA do not impair symbiotic nitrogen fixation. In this study, a rirA mutant of broad host range S. fredii HH103 has been constructed (SVQ780) and its free-living and symbiotic phenotypes evaluated. No production of siderophores could be detected in either the wild-type or SVQ780. The rirA mutant exhibited a growth advantage under iron-deficient conditions and hypersensitivity to hydrogen peroxide in iron-rich medium. Transcription of rirA in HH103 is subject to autoregulation and inactivation of the gene upregulates fbpA, a gene putatively involved in iron transport. The S. fredii rirA mutant was able to nodulate soybean plants, but symbiotic nitrogen fixation was impaired. Nodules induced by the mutant were poorly infected compared to those induced by the wild-type. Genetic complementation reversed the mutant’s hypersensitivity to H2O2, expression of fbpA, and symbiotic deficiency in soybean plants. This is the first report that demonstrates a role for RirA in the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis.Andalucian Government Grant No. P11-CVI-7500Spanish Government Grant Nos. BIO2013-42801-P and BIO2016-78409-REuropean Regional Development Funds (ERDF)VPPI (V Plan Propio de Investigación) of University of Seville

Plant growth promotion in cereal and leguminous agricultural important plants: From microorganism capacities to crop production

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are free-living bacteria which actively colonize plant roots, exerting beneficial effects on plant development. The PGPR may (i) promote the plant growth either by using their own metabolism (solubilizing phosphates, producing hormones or fixing nitrogen) or directly affecting the plant metabolism (increasing the uptake of water and minerals), enhancing root development, increasing the enzymatic activity of the plant or “helping” other beneficial microorganisms to enhance their action on the plants; (ii) or may promote the plant growth by suppressing plant pathogens. These abilities are of great agriculture importance in terms of improving soil fertility and crop yield, thus reducing the negative impact of chemical fertilizers on the environment. The progress in the last decade in using PGPR in a variety of plants (maize, rice, wheat, soybean and bean) along with their mechanism of action are summarized and discussed here

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'

Predictors of Global Non-Motor Symptoms Burden Progression in Parkinson’s Disease. Results from the COPPADIS Cohort at 2-Year Follow-Up

Background and Objective: Non-motor symptoms (NMS) progress in different ways between Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The aim of the present study was to (1) analyze the change in global NMS burden in a PD cohort after a 2-year follow-up, (2) to compare the changes with a control group, and (3) to identify predictors of global NMS burden progression in the PD group. Material and Methods: PD patients and controls, recruited from 35 centers of Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017, were followed-up with after 2 years. The Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) was administered at baseline (V0) and at 24 months ± 1 month (V2). Linear regression models were used for determining predictive factors of global NMS burden progression (NMSS total score change from V0 to V2 as dependent variable). Results: After the 2-year follow-up, the mean NMS burden (NMSS total score) significantly increased in PD patients by 18.8% (from 45.08 ± 37.62 to 53.55 ± 42.28; p < 0.0001; N = 501; 60.2% males, mean age 62.59 ± 8.91) compared to no change observed in controls (from 14.74 ± 18.72 to 14.65 ± 21.82; p = 0.428; N = 122; 49.5% males, mean age 60.99 ± 8.32) (p < 0.0001). NMSS total score at baseline (β = -0.52), change from V0 to V2 in PDSS (Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale) (β = -0.34), and change from V0 to V2 in NPI (Neuropsychiatric Inventory) (β = 0.25) provided the highest contributions to the model (adjusted R-squared 0.41; Durbin-Watson test = 1.865). Conclusions: Global NMS burden demonstrates short-term progression in PD patients but not in controls and identifies worsening sleep problems and neuropsychiatric symptoms as significant independent predictors of this NMS progression

Staging Parkinson’s Disease According to the MNCD (Motor/Non-motor/Cognition/Dependency) Classification Correlates with Disease Severity and Quality of Life

Background: Recently, a novel simple classification called MNCD, based on 4 axes (Motor; Non-motor; Cognition; Dependency) and 5 stages, has been proposed to classify Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: Our aim was to apply the MNCD classification in a cohort of PD patients for the first time and also to analyze the correlation with quality of life (QoL) and disease severity. Methods: Data from the baseline visit of PD patients recruited from 35 centers in Spain from the COPPADIS cohort from January 2016 to November 2017 were used to apply the MNCD classification. Three instruments were used to assess QoL: 1) the 39-item Parkinson's disease Questionnaire [PDQ-39]); PQ-10; the EUROHIS-QOL 8-item index (EUROHIS-QOL8). Results: Four hundred and thirty-nine PD patients (62.05 +/- 7.84 years old; 59% males) were included. MNCD stage was: stage 1, 8.4% (N = 37); stage 2, 62% (N = 272); stage 3, 28.2% (N = 124); stage 4-5, 1.4% (N = 6). A more advanced MNCD stage was associated with a higher score on the PDQ39SI (p < 0.0001) and a lower score on the PQ-10 (p < 0.0001) and EUROHIS-QOL8 (p < 0.0001). In many other aspects of the disease, such as disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily dose, motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms, and autonomy for activities of daily living, an association between the stage and severity was observed, with data indicating a progressive worsening related to disease progression throughout the proposed stages. Conclusion: Staging PD according to the MNCD classification correlated with QoL and disease severity. The MNCD could be a proper tool to monitor the progression of PD