University of La Rioja

BACKGROUND Applying organic amendments to vineyard soil improves soil properties and vine development by increasing soil water retention and nutrient content. However, little is known about how organic mulches modify grapevine phenolic composition. This study analysed the phenolic profile in the leaves, canes, and grape skins of Tempranillo over 3 years in two vineyard locations with three organic mulches: spent mushroom compost (SMC), grapevine pruning debris (GPD) and straw (STR), as well as two conventional soil practices: herbicide (HERB) and tillage (TILL). RESULTS Seventy phenolic compounds were identified and quantified in leaves, canes and grape skins. The phenolic biosynthetic accumulation differed among the soil management practices according to field conditions. In nutrient‐deficient soils, the nutrient‐rich SMC mulch enhanced plant nutrition resources for primary metabolism, reducing the phenolic accumulation in grapevine tissues. However, this behaviour was not described in a non‐limited soil nutritional content. The GPD and STR mulches, with slow decomposition rates, slightly differed from conventional practices and could have a long‐term effect on plant phenolic accumulation. Despite the variations observed between soil treatments, the grape phenolic profile did not change enough to affect the grape quality significantly. CONCLUSIONS This research represents the most detailed study on the impact of organic mulches on the phenolic profile of grapevine tissues. These findings suggest that organic mulches in vineyards constitute a viable alternative for soil management, benefiting both soil physical and chemical properties and plant development without altering the grape quality. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.

State-of-the-art climate models project a substantial decline in precipitation for the Mediterranean region in the future¹. Supporting this notion, several studies based on observed precipitation data spanning recent decades have suggested a decrease in Mediterranean precipitation2, 3–4, with some attributing a large fraction of this change to anthropogenic influences3,5. Conversely, certain researchers have underlined that Mediterranean precipitation exhibits considerable spatiotemporal variability driven by atmospheric circulation patterns6,7 maintaining stationarity over the long term8,9. These conflicting perspectives underscore the need for a comprehensive assessment of precipitation changes in this region, given the profound social, economic and environmental implications. Here we show that Mediterranean precipitation has largely remained stationary from 1871 to 2020, albeit with significant multi-decadal and interannual variability. This conclusion is based on the most comprehensive dataset available for the region, encompassing over 23,000 stations across 27 countries. While trends can be identified for some periods and subregions, our findings attribute these trends primarily to atmospheric dynamics, which would be mostly linked to internal variability. Furthermore, our assessment reconciles the observed precipitation trends with Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 model simulations, neither of which indicate a prevailing past precipitation trend in the region. The implications of our results extend to environmental, agricultural and water resources planning in one of the world’s prominent climate change hotspots¹⁰.

We give a complete description of the defining ideal $\mathcal {R}(I)$ of the Rees algebra of any monomial ideal I minimally generated by three monomials in two variables. We give a Gröbner basis and a complete explicit description of the minimal free resolution of $\mathcal {R}(I)$ based on arithmetical properties of the generators of the ideal I. We also present algorithms for the computation of $\mathcal {R}(I)$ and its minimal free resolution. These results extend and generalize previous work by Cox and by Cortadellas and D’Andrea on parametrizations of monomial plane curves.

Introduction LGBT + individuals in Poland frequently encounter significant barriers to receiving appropriate and respectful healthcare. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical competence of Polish healthcare professionals in providing care to LGBT + patients and to identify sociodemographic factors influencing these competencies. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 123 healthcare professionals from various healthcare settings in Poland. Participants completed a self-administered survey, including the LGBT + Development of Clinical Skills Scale (LGBT-DOCSS) to assess clinical preparedness, attitudes, and knowledge. We also collected data on sociodemographic characteristics, professional experience, and political views. Multivariate linear regression was used to identify predictors of LGBT-DOCSS scores. Results Experience working with LGBT + patients (β = 0.492, p < 0.05) and self-assessed knowledge (β = 0.385, p < 0.05) were significant predictors of higher LGBT-DOCSS scores. Healthcare professionals with greater experience and those who rated their knowledge as high or very high demonstrated better clinical preparedness. On the other hand, being in a relationship was associated with lower clinical preparedness (β = − 0.539, p < 0.05). Additionally, left-leaning political views were linked to more positive attitudes toward LGBT + patients (β = 0.542, p < 0.05). Conclusions These findings emphasize the importance of experience with LGBT + patients and self-assessed knowledge as key factors influencing clinical competence. Furthermore, political views significantly shape healthcare professionals’ attitudes toward LGBT + patients, suggesting the need for targeted educational interventions. Policy Implications To address gaps in clinical competence, healthcare policies in Poland should prioritize integrating LGBT + cultural competence training into medical education and ongoing professional development. Implementing mandatory workshops on bias reduction and fostering inclusive healthcare environments are necessary steps to improve the quality of care for LGBT + individuals. Public health campaigns promoting inclusive practices can help reduce barriers and improve access to care for marginalized populations.

Purpose of Review This review aims to present the current state of the art in measuring frailty in patients with heart failure (HF), covering the entire spectrum from diagnosis to advanced stages of the disease. Frailty is a critical factor that significantly impacts outcomes in heart failure, and accurate assessment is essential for guiding treatment and improving prognosis. Recent Findings Frailty is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of morbidity and mortality in HF patients. Various tools are available for assessing frailty, but there is no consensus on the optimal method. The assessment of frailty needs to be multidimensional, incorporating physical, cognitive, and social domains. Early detection of frailty, coupled with personalized interventions, has the potential to improve patient outcomes. Summary Integrating routine frailty assessments into the clinical care of heart failure patients is essential for optimizing treatment. Future research should focus on standardizing frailty assessment tools and integrating innovative technologies, such as artificial intelligence, to enhance the precision and applicability of these assessments in clinical practice.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a global threat to human, animal and environmental health. Among the multidisciplinary tasks aimed at collectively tackling the AMR crisis, surveillance, research and education stand as major priorities. Based on a crowdsourcing research strategy, the MicroMundo project, a partner of the Tiny Earth initiative in Spain and Portugal, has been developed and consolidated with success in the academic environment. The objectives are focused on promoting research and, especially, on bringing knowledge of One Health and microbiology concepts, as well as AMR awareness to the community. Following a service‐learning approach, MicroMundo integrates university and secondary/high school students in a citizen science‐based research project to collectively isolate microorganisms with the potential to produce new antibiotics from soil environments. Over the last 7 years, 32 MicroMundo hubs operating across 31 different Portuguese and Spanish universities have recruited thousands of teenagers in this quest. Here we review the outcome of this unprecedented effort from a scientific and an educational perspective.

Background: New theoretical and measurement models related to Bayesian networks can usefully be implemented to enrich our understanding of psychosis risk. The present study aims to explore, using a directed acyclic graph (DAG), the putative causal relationship within schizotypal facets, as well as between schizo-typal dimensions, psychopathology, and reflective functioning (RF) impairments, in a representative sample of non-clinical adolescents. Study Design: A sample of 1476 adolescents from the general population participated in a cross-sectional survey. The Oviedo Schizotypy Assessment Questionnaire-Revised, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ) were used. Study Results: Schizotypal traits were positively associated with psy-chopathology and hypomentalizing. Putative causal relationships are presented between Reality distortion, Social disorganization, and Anhedonia. In addition, estimated DAG suggests that schizotypal dimensions influence psy-chopathology and RF impairments. Conclusions: The findings suggest different pathways connecting schiz-otypal traits, mental health problems, and RF impairments during adolescence. The use of probabilistic DAG may allow us to make more robust conclusions about the direction of causation and to unravel potentially complex causal chains in the study of psychosis risk.

Background Alterations of white matter microstructure have been reported in the psychosis spectrum. However, the development of these alterations during preclinical stages remains poorly understood. The framework proposed by schizotypy research as the personality base for liability to develop psychosis spectrum disorders offers 3 interconnected dimensions thought to impact neurodevelopment, affording an opportunity to investigate premorbid risk. Design In this study, 102 typically developing individuals aged between 12 and 20 y.o. at baseline were scanned longitudinally between 1 and 4 times, and schizotypy was assessed at each visit. Ten white matter tracts were reconstructed using TRACULA, and mixed model regression was used to characterize age-related changes in main diffusion parameters (ie, fractional anisotropy [FA]). Estimated longitudinal trajectories of the 3 dimensions of schizotypy were tested for different trajectories of diffusion parameters as a function of age. Results Positive schizotypy trajectory was the most strongly decreased when FA in the anterior thalamic radiation (atr-FA) increased in young adults compared with a moderate decrease in younger participants. Furthermore, in adolescents, disorganized schizotypy followed a steep increase when atr-FA increased, while in the older participants, it decreased as a function of atr-FA. Independent of age, intraindividual positive schizotypy was further longitudinally negatively associated with FA in the cingulate gyrus, and disorganized schizotypy was positively associated with FA in the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Conclusions Given that abnormalities in fronto-thalamo-cingulate subcircuit are present in schizophrenia and converters to psychosis, our results support the hypothesis of schizotypy as a personality base risk to develop psychosis.

Introduction: The neurobiological potentiality of cognitive resources in High Intellectual Ability (HIA) involves complex cognition and representation of the world. This is related to language and figurative language. Competence in figurative language and its forms, such as verbal irony, is an understudied aspect of High Intellectual Ability that could provide a broader understanding of the abilities that constitute it, compared to the development of typical intelligence. The aim of this study was to investigate how children with HIA, aged 7-9 years, understand verbal irony and to compare their competence with typical children of the same age. Methods: A univariate analysis of variance was performed on responses to the VIrQ questionnaire from a sample of n=62 schoolchildren with HIA and an agematched control group of typical schoolchildren (n=62). Results: Show the complexity of verbal irony comprehension in participants with HIA at the age of 7-9 years compared to typical schoolchildren. Discussion: We conclude and discuss comparing the components of irony that were most easily understood in each group, as well as those that were most difficult, suggesting the relevance of this area of study for better understanding the functioning of high intellectual ability, the relationship of verbal irony to other higher-level cognitive processes, and its possible role as complementary information in differential cognitive assessment. Key words: high intellectual ability, figurative language, verbal irony, typical intelligence, cognition.

Arylethylamines are crucial elements in pharmaceutical molecules, making methods for their synthesis highly significant. The Truce‐Smiles rearrangement is a well‐developed strategy to synthesise arylethylamine motifs via aryl migration. However, most examples require amide substrates to activate the alkene to attack by a radical precursor. This strategy both limits the product scope to amide containing compounds as well as necessitating the incorporation of specific functional groups arising from the initial radical addition. In this work, we overcome these limitations, delivering a hydrogen‐atom‐transfer from a cobalt catalyst to unactivated alkenes to yield ß‐arylethylamines with simple alkyl chains. DFT studies reveal that increasing the steric hindrance in at least one of the ortho positions on the migrating aromatic group promotes ipso over ortho addition, selectivity that contrasts with previous methods.

Arylethylamines are crucial elements in pharmaceutical molecules, making methods for their synthesis highly significant. The Truce‐Smiles rearrangement is a well‐developed strategy to synthesise arylethylamine motifs via aryl migration. However, most examples require amide substrates to activate the alkene to attack by a radical precursor. This strategy both limits the product scope to amide containing compounds as well as necessitating the incorporation of specific functional groups arising from the initial radical addition. In this work, we overcome these limitations, delivering a hydrogen‐atom‐transfer from a cobalt catalyst to unactivated alkenes to yield ß‐arylethylamines with simple alkyl chains. DFT studies reveal that increasing the steric hindrance in at least one of the ortho positions on the migrating aromatic group promotes ipso over ortho addition, selectivity that contrasts with previous methods.

Objective: The analysis of risk of bias in systematic reviews (SR) and meta-analyses (MA) is a fundamental task to ensure the correct synthesis of results. To carry out this task, specific tools must be used for each research design of the studies analyzed. The choice of an appropriate tool is currently a challenge for researchers developing SR and MA in the area of symptom and performance validity because the research designs used have been created specifically for this field. Although these designs can be integrated within the classic classifications, they present a number of particular characteristics that are not reflected in any of the current risk of bias analysis tools. The aim of this study is to design a checklist specifically for systematic review/meta-analysis focused on validity tests. Methods: The checklist was developed through objective review of the existing evidence, development of checklist items, and refinement by external feedback and performance analysis. Results: The checklist is composed of four sections: Clinical comparison group selection, sources of bias in either simulation or criterion group designs, and overall assessment of the study. Interrater reliability was assessed with a sample of 20 studies, resulting in good to excellent intraclass correlation coefficients for most items. Conclusions: The checklist seeks to fill an important gap in the literature by serving as an assessment tool that improves the reliability of evidence synthesis in symptom and performance validity studies. This instrument facilitates the development of SR and MA that meet international standards, improving methodological rigor and reliability in the forensic setting.

Frailty is common among heart failure (HF) patients and linked to increased risk of adverse outcomes. Contributing factors include inflammation, sarcopenia and neurohormonal issues which diminish physiological reserves and accelerate the decline of health. Managing frailty in HF requires a multidisciplinary approach to address physical, nutritional and pharmacological needs. Structured exercise and dietary support can improve physical function, while careful medication management, especially with polypharmacy, reduces frailty-related risks. Telemedicine and wearable tech facilitate continuous monitoring and timely intervention, especially for those in remote areas. Future research should develop standardised frailty assessment tools specific to HF, enhancing risk stratification and personalised care. Studies on underlying mechanisms, such as inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction, could lead to new therapies. Addressing socioeconomic factors can also improve care equity. This review summarises the mechanisms, clinical characteristics and impact of frailty on HF, highlighting challenges in treatment and opportunities for improving patient outcomes.

Objectives: This study aimed to enhance the understanding of factors influencing changes in binge drinking (BD) behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on its impact on the health of individuals aged 12 to 25 years. Methods: A systematic review was conducted, encompassing studies published between January 2020 and September 2024. Articles were retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, following PRISMA guidelines and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) review protocols. Inclusion criteria targeted studies focusing on BD during the COVID-19 pandemic in adolescents or school-aged individuals without specific medical conditions. Exclusions included studies limited to a single gender, ethnicity, or profession, as well as doctoral theses and editorials. JBI tools were used to assess the quality of the selected studies. Results: From 33 studies (19 cross-sectional and 14 longitudinal), trends in BD during the pandemic varied: 2 studies reported an increase, while 21 indicated a decrease. Key factors linked to increased BD included pandemic stressors (e.g., isolation, social disconnection and non-compliance with restrictions), psychosocial issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, boredom, and low resilience), prior substance use, and sociodemographic variables (e.g., low education, economic extremes, living arrangements, and limited family support). Female gender and academic disengagement were also risk factors. Conversely, factors like stay-at-home orders, fear of contagion, family support, studying health sciences, and resilient coping strategies contributed to reduced BD. Other variables, such as pandemic stress and self-efficacy, had inconsistent effects. Conclusions: Factors contributing to increased BD included pandemic-related stress, mental health conditions, and unhealthy habits, while protective factors included stay-at-home orders, social support, and resilient coping. The study highlights the need for effective prevention and intervention strategies, emphasizing a holistic approach in healthcare, early detection, and tailored interventions, particularly for vulnerable groups such as adolescents.

Background Harmful work patterns have become a public health problem. These conditions are worrying since they can have an impact on mental health, social conflicts, and physical difficulties due to their normalization of pathological behaviors related to work addiction. Aims: (1) determine the psychometric properties and reliability of the DUWAS and (2) evaluate valid comparisons at the construct level. Methods: The Spanish version of DUWAS was used. For the evaluation of the psychometric model, 446 Peruvian workers responded to the Spanish version (60.5% women aged 18 to 65, M = 35.1 SD = 12.45). Results: The unidimensional version was confirmed (x² = 67.495(14); CFI = 0.96; TLI = 0.95; SRMR = 0.050 and RMSEA = 0.069). The reliability was acceptable (α = 0.735; 95% CI: 0.706 − 0.762; ω = 0.741; 95% CI: 0.712 − 0.767) and measurement invariance was confirmed for sex and age groups. Concurrent validity was mostly identified with mental health indicators. Conclusion: This study provides new information on dimensionality and the realization of valid comparisons that allow its use in Spanish-speaking workers.

Organizations use key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of their procedures and processes. In a world that is constantly evolving and hyperconnected via the internet, it is of great interest to analyze how changes (organizational, legal, technological or other) can lead to modifications in the KPIs involved. However, little attention has been paid to KPI evolution either in the scientific literature or in developed solutions. This paper presents A Flexible Framework for the Evolution, Consistency and Traceability of KPIs (AFFECTK) that aims at establishing the basis for suitable KPIs' evolution management. The feasibility of this proposal is demonstrated through a proof‐of‐concept developed using a reasoning tool based on Constraint Logic Programming. The framework is further evaluated, using real KPI case studies, to assess the functional suitability of our approach.

Background: The Mediterranean Diet is recognized as one of the healthiest dietary patterns; however, in recent years, a decline in adherence has been observed in Mediterranean countries. University students represent a particularly vulnerable population, as starting university introduces new influences and responsibilities that directly impact their lifestyle and health. Objective: Analyze adherence to the Mediterranean Diet among university students and its association with other lifestyle habits and mental and physical health indicators. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 1268 students (23.65 ± 7.84 years) from a university in northern Spain between November 2020 and March 2021. An online questionnaire was administered to assess Mediterranean Diet adherence along with variables such as perceived stress, self-esteem, life satisfaction, suicidal behavior, emotional and behavioral problems, emotional intelligence, physical activity, sedentary behavior, alcohol consumption, and compulsive internet use. Results: 29.26% of students had high adherence to the Mediterranean Diet. Regression analysis indicated that high adherence was associated with higher levels of emotional intelligence, as well as lower levels of suicidal ideation, emotional problems, and compulsive internet use. Conclusions: The associations found between Mediterranean Diet and other indicators and lifestyle habits highlight the need for interdisciplinary promotion strategies within the university ecosystem.

Anthocyanin-rich products (RFA and AI) decreased LDLc; ApoB; total, large, and small LDL-P; LDL size; TG/HDL ratio, large TRL, and GlycA and alanine versus WFA. Thus, anthocyanin-rich products provided greater protection against CVD risk than WFA.

The role of feelings of belonging at school in adolescents’ academic and psychological functioning is well established. This study aimed to validate the School Connectedness subscale from the Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools (MDS3) School Climate Survey for secondary school students in Spain. This subscale encompasses the three key dimensions traditionally associated with school belonging. The internal structure of the scale and its measurement invariance across sex and age groups were examined. Additionally, new sources of validity evidence related to psychological adjustment were analyzed. A total of 1774 students aged 14–18 years (M = 15.70; SD = 1.26; 53.7% females) participated in the study. The results confirmed the three-factor structure of the scale, consistent with the theoretical framework proposed. Furthermore, measurement invariance was supported across sex and age groups. School connectedness was positively correlated with personal well-being and self-esteem, and negatively correlated with suicidal behavior, depressive symptoms, and emotional and behavioral problems. The resulting School Connectedness Scale is a brief, easy, and reliable tool for assessing this construct in adolescents. The findings have practical implications for assessing and promoting belongingness in educational settings.