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Based on the evolutionary resilience approach and using Principal Component Analysis, this paper proposes a composite weighted index to measure levels of rural resilience and, in addition, to unravel why some rural areas are less resilient than others. Taking the region of Cantabria (northern Spain) at the municipal level as a sort of ‘laboratory’, the overall results unveil poor levels of resilience and suggest that the main factors limiting resilience are related to cultural interest, rural potential, natural endowment, and connectivity. Our findings also reveal considerable spatial heterogeneity across the different domains of resilience. As a specific contribution, the study brings together rural resilience levels and population growth (as population decline is the first direct consequence of a lack of resilience) in order to define different categories of rural territories, among which laggard rural areas are singled out as areas to be targeted for political intervention. When focusing on such areas, a crucial finding of the paper is that some municipalities that are lagging behind have not been included by the Regional Government as being at severe risk of depopulation, meaning that they cannot benefit from close public monitoring and fiscal support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumen El anhídrido sulfuroso (SO2) es el conservante más empleado en la industria agroalimentaria y enológica por sus propiedades antioxidantes y antimicrobianas. Sin embargo, también es un alérgeno que puede provocar problemas de salud en personas sensibles a él. Por otra parte, la madera de poda procedente de los viñedos es uno de los principales subproductos de la industria vitivinícola, con un volumen estimado entre 2 y 4 toneladas por hectárea y año. Este subproducto vitícola contiene polifenoles, entre otros estilbenos bioactivos con propiedades saludables. En el presente trabajo se ha elaborado y caracterizado un extracto puro de estilbenos obtenido a partir de madera de poda de la vid, para utilizarlo como alternativa sostenible al SO2 en la elaboración de vinos blancos y rosados. Se evaluó el impacto del extracto sobre la calidad de los vinos (parámetros enológicos, color, compuestos fenólicos y perfil sensorial) tanto en el embotellado y a los doce meses del embotellado. En paralelo se evaluó la posible toxicidad del extracto. Los resultados obtenidos concluyen que el extracto puro de estilbenos, obtenido a partir de madera de poda de la vid, puede proponerse como alternativa natural y sostenible al empleo de SO2 en la vinificación de vinos blancos y rosados. Además, el extracto no mostró toxicidad ni in vitro ni in vivo.

Physical exercise is a robust lifestyle intervention known for its enhancement of cognitive abilities. Nevertheless, the extent to which these benefits can be transmitted across generations (intergenerational inheritance to F1, and transgenerational to F2 and beyond) remains a topic of limited comprehension. We have already shown that cognitive improvements resulting from physical exercise can be inherited from parents to their offspring, proving intergenerational effects. So, we set out to explore whether these enhancements might extend transgenerationally, impacting the F2 generation. In this study, we initially examined the behavioral traits of second generation (F2) male mice, whose grandfathers (F0) had an exercise intervention. Our findings revealed that F2 mice with physically active grandpaternal F0 progenitors displayed significantly improved memory recall, encompassing both spatial and non-spatial information when compared to their counterparts from sedentary F0 progenitors, and proving for the first time the transgenerational inheritance of physical exercise induced cognitive enhancement. Surprisingly, while F2 memory improved (as was the case with F1), adult hippocampal neurogenesis remained unchanged between experimental and control groups (unlike in F1). Additionally, our analysis of small RNA sequences in the hippocampus identified 35 differentially expressed miRNAs linked to important brain function categories. Notably, two of these miRNAs, miRNA-144 and miRNA-298, displayed a robust negative correlation with cognitive performance. These findings highlight the enduring transgenerational transmission of cognitive benefits associated with exercise, even after two generations, suggesting that moderate exercise training can have lasting positive effects, possibly orchestrated by a specific set of miRNAs that exert their influence across multiple generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The refugee crisis evidenced a myriad of flaws in the EU common asylum policy, especially the lack of fairness in asylum burden-sharing. This paper reveals that, despite some progress in terms of inequality, a bi-polarised distribution gained ground. Moreover, two novel convergence approaches in this field reveal that the message of previous articles on disparity reduction is incomplete; there was no pure convergence, as it was achieved due to frontrunners, with no role for laggards. Consequently, urgent political action and greater leadership by European institutions are required to pave the way for distributive justice between states in asylum burdens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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BACKGROUND: The search for alternatives to sulfur dioxide (SO2) in white wine production is a tough challenge for the oenological industry. The current article investigates the effectiveness of several preservatives in protecting Verdejo white wines. The following wines were elaborated: without preservative (CT wines), with SO2 (SO2 wines), with stilbene-enriched extract (ST99 wines), with glutathione (GSH wines) and finally with the combination stilbene extract plus glutathione (ST99-GSH wines). RESULTS: ST99 extract preserved the wines from malolactic fermentation (MLF), maintained the quality parameters of the wines, but affected their color from the beginning of the process. Synergistic effects between ST99 and GSH were found for oxygen consumption rates, related to oxidation processes. The content of amino acids and biogenic amines was slightly affected by the treatments, but the quality or safety of the wines was not compromised. However, after 12 months of ageing in bottle, the SO2 wines showed the highest score in the sensory analysis. The reasons for the evolution of treated wines and the implications of this study for maintaining the quality of free SO2 white wines are discussed. CONCLUSION: ST99 may be proposed as an alternative to SO2 in wines to be consumed in the short term. Its combination with GSH does not prolong its shelf-life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyse the transmission factors shaping the spatial distribution of COVID‐19 infections during the distinct phases of the pandemic's first wave in Madrid, Spain, by fitting a spatial regression model capturing neighbourhood effects between municipalities. Our findings highlight that factors such as population, mobility, and tourism were instrumental in the days before the national lockdown. As a result, already in the early part of the lockdown phase, a geographical pattern emerged in the spread of the disease, along with the positive (negative) impact of age (wealth) on virus transmission. Thereafter, spatial links between municipalities weakened, as the influences of mobility and tourism were eroded by mass quarantine. However, in the de‐escalation phase, mobility reappeared, reinforcing the geographical pattern, an issue that policymakers must pay heed to. Indeed, a counterfactual analysis shows that the number of infections without the lockdown would have been around 170% higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the basis of a spatial wage-curve equation, this paper analyses the effect of immigration on average wages across Spanish provinces (NUTS-3) over the period 2004–15. To do so, a spatial panel Durbin model is estimated. The results reveal that there exists a small negative effect, which is mainly determined by the presence of spillovers. Moreover, they reveal that the average wage of a particular province depends positively on its productivity level and the share of the manufacturing industry, and negatively on its rate of unemployment and the share of the service sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]