Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict thatmost of the world’s >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century

Canagliflozin and Cardiovascular and Renal Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Chronic Kidney Disease in Primary and Secondary Cardiovascular Prevention Groups

Background: Canagliflozin reduces the risk of kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, but effects on specific cardiovascular outcomes are uncertain, as are effects in people without previous cardiovascular disease (primary prevention). Methods: In CREDENCE (Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes With Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation), 4401 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease were randomly assigned to canagliflozin or placebo on a background of optimized standard of care. Results: Primary prevention participants (n=2181, 49.6%) were younger (61 versus 65 years), were more often female (37% versus 31%), and had shorter duration of diabetes mellitus (15 years versus 16 years) compared with secondary prevention participants (n=2220, 50.4%). Canagliflozin reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events overall (hazard ratio [HR], 0.80 [95% CI, 0.67-0.95]; P=0.01), with consistent reductions in both the primary (HR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.49-0.94]) and secondary (HR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.69-1.06]) prevention groups (P for interaction=0.25). Effects were also similar for the components of the composite including cardiovascular death (HR, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.61-1.00]), nonfatal myocardial infarction (HR, 0.81 [95% CI, 0.59-1.10]), and nonfatal stroke (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.56-1.15]). The risk of the primary composite renal outcome and the composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure were also consistently reduced in both the primary and secondary prevention groups (P for interaction >0.5 for each outcome). Conclusions: Canagliflozin significantly reduced major cardiovascular events and kidney failure in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease, including in participants who did not have previous cardiovascular disease

Canagliflozin and renal outcomes in type 2 diabetes and nephropathy

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes mellitus is the leading cause of kidney failure worldwide, but few effective long-term treatments are available. In cardiovascular trials of inhibitors of sodium–glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2), exploratory results have suggested that such drugs may improve renal outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and albuminuric chronic kidney disease to receive canagliflozin, an oral SGLT2 inhibitor, at a dose of 100 mg daily or placebo. All the patients had an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 30 to <90 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and albuminuria (ratio of albumin [mg] to creatinine [g], >300 to 5000) and were treated with renin–angiotensin system blockade. The primary outcome was a composite of end-stage kidney disease (dialysis, transplantation, or a sustained estimated GFR of <15 ml per minute per 1.73 m2), a doubling of the serum creatinine level, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. Prespecified secondary outcomes were tested hierarchically. RESULTS The trial was stopped early after a planned interim analysis on the recommendation of the data and safety monitoring committee. At that time, 4401 patients had undergone randomization, with a median follow-up of 2.62 years. The relative risk of the primary outcome was 30% lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group, with event rates of 43.2 and 61.2 per 1000 patient-years, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59 to 0.82; P=0.00001). The relative risk of the renal-specific composite of end-stage kidney disease, a doubling of the creatinine level, or death from renal causes was lower by 34% (hazard ratio, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.81; P<0.001), and the relative risk of end-stage kidney disease was lower by 32% (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.86; P=0.002). The canagliflozin group also had a lower risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 to 0.95; P=0.01) and hospitalization for heart failure (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.47 to 0.80; P<0.001). There were no significant differences in rates of amputation or fracture. CONCLUSIONS In patients with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure and cardiovascular events was lower in the canagliflozin group than in the placebo group at a median follow-up of 2.62 years

Rarity of monodominance in hyperdiverse Amazonian forests.

Tropical forests are known for their high diversity. Yet, forest patches do occur in the tropics where a single tree species is dominant. Such "monodominant" forests are known from all of the main tropical regions. For Amazonia, we sampled the occurrence of monodominance in a massive, basin-wide database of forest-inventory plots from the Amazon Tree Diversity Network (ATDN). Utilizing a simple defining metric of at least half of the trees ≥ 10 cm diameter belonging to one species, we found only a few occurrences of monodominance in Amazonia, and the phenomenon was not significantly linked to previously hypothesized life history traits such wood density, seed mass, ectomycorrhizal associations, or Rhizobium nodulation. In our analysis, coppicing (the formation of sprouts at the base of the tree or on roots) was the only trait significantly linked to monodominance. While at specific locales coppicing or ectomycorrhizal associations may confer a considerable advantage to a tree species and lead to its monodominance, very few species have these traits. Mining of the ATDN dataset suggests that monodominance is quite rare in Amazonia, and may be linked primarily to edaphic factors

El concepto de identidad como recurso para el estudio de transiciones

Relevant aspects of the theoretical concept Identity are treated in this paper, its origins, its possibilities in the postmodernism, and its actual situation. An integrative conceptual model, named Culture-Identity Framework is presented, which allow to incorporate dialectically both, the view of individuality and the view of collectivity. The model explains how culture reproduces itself, maintaining the structural stability, and how the factors related with the culture as well as the social structure do influence the transitions in the different life stages. Identity Capital and Identity Style concepts stem from the formulation made by James Marcia in the mid 60�s, is expanded by James Côté and extended by Michael Berzonsky as their efforts to explain the social-psychological and the psychosocial processes �their emphasis, respectively- involved in the self-definition or identity. Both concepts permit the construction of a categorization framework which allow for the analysis of these processes in transition scenarios.Neste artigo, abordam-se aspectos do conceito teórico Identidade, suas origens, suas possibilidades explicativas na pós-modernidade e sua situação atual. Apresenta-se um modelo conceitual integrador, nomeado genericamente Enfoque Cultural da Identidade, que permite incorporar a visão dialética do individual tanto como do coletivo. O modelo explica como se reproduz a cultura, mantendo a estabilidade estrutural, e como os fatores relacionados tanto com a cultura como com a estrutura social influem nas situações de transição nas diferentes etapas da vida. Os conceitos Capital de Identidade e Estilo de Identidade derivam-se da formulação feita por James Marcia pela metade dos anos sessenta, a mesma que é propagada por James Côté e por Michael Berzonsky para explicar os processos sociopsicológicos e psicossociais envoltos na definição de si mesmo ou identidade. A partir desses dois conceitos é construída uma categorização para a análise dos processos psicossociais em cenários de transição.Se aborda el concepto teórico Identidad, sus orígenes, las posibilidades explicativas en la pos-modernidad y su situación actual, se presenta un modelo conceptual integrador, denominado genéricamente Enfoque Cultural de Identidad, que incorpora tanto la visión de lo individual como de lo colectivo de manera dialéctica. El modelo explica cómo se reproduce la cultura, manteniendo la estabilidad estructural y como los factores relacionados tanto con la cultura como la estructura social influyen en situaciones de transición en las diferentes etapas de vida. Los conceptos de capital de identidad y estilo de identidad se derivan de la formulación hecha por James Marcia a mediados de los años sesentas, expandida por James Côté y extendida por Michael Berzonsky para explicar los procesos socio-psicológicos y psico-sociales involucrados en la auto-definición o identidad. A partir de ambos conceptos se construye una categorización que permite el análisis de procesos psico-sociales en escenarios de transición

CO-CRIANZA Y FAMILISMO PREDICTORES DE COMPAÑIA E INTIMIDAD DEL JOVEN HACIA SUS PADRES

En este estudio se prueba el valor predictivo de la Co-crianza en la niñez y el valor cultural familismo característico de los mexicanos sobre el reporte de Compañía e Intimidad del joven con su madre y padre, separadamente. Para ello, en una muestra de 118 jóvenes -provenientes de una familia nuclear- estudiantes de una universidad pública del noroeste de México, contestaron un conjunto de cuestionarios de opción de respuesta cerrada; posteriormente se realizaron análisis multivariados (i.e. path análisis). Los resultados arrojan una diferencia a favor de las mujeres quienes reportan más altos niveles de compañía e intimidad con sus madres; asi como un mayor reporte de co-crianza y familismo. Igualmente se encuentra evidencia de un efecto directo, positivo y significativo de co-crianza y familismo sobre el reporte de Compañía e Intimidad con la madre, no así con el padre. Los datos arrojan que solo la Co-crianza recibida en la niñez explica la compañía e intimidad con el padre que el joven experimenta ya en su vida adulta

Cambios esperados al uso del suelo en México, según escenario de cambio climático A1F1

Embedded in a robust scheme for spatial data analysis and using the climate change scenario A1F1year 2050 as a condition of border, were generated and interpreted the response surfaces of semivariograms of six indices of humidity (rain), the annual range of temperature, and the indices of salinity and soil compaction. Were obtained evidence of regional effects contrary to what is described by the global climate change with regard to the non-presence of extreme events of rain, but consistent in temperature increase. The influence on the expression of the climate with reference to the proximity of the coast line was outlined. It was found that the open arid and semi-arid ecosystems as the most vulnerable to stated conditions, with the consequent fragmentation of the same and a likely increase in the space frontier, disappearing some species with less capacity of adaptation and new to the biotic communities. Palabras clave: Covariables, food security, kriging, semivariogram.Embebidos en un esquema robusto de análisis de datos espaciales y utilizando el escenario de cambio climático A1F1año 2050 como condición de frontera, se generaron e interpretaron las superficies respuesta de semivariogramas de seis índices de humedad (lluvia), el rango anual de temperatura, y los índices de salinidad y compactación del suelo. Se obtuvieron evidencias de afectaciones regionales contrarias a lo descrito por el cambio climático global con relación a la no presencia de eventos extremos de lluvia, pero sí concordantes en aumento de temperatura. Se documentó la influencia en la expresión del clima con referencia a la proximidad de la línea de costa. Se encontró que los ecosistemas abiertos árido y semiárido son más vulnerables a las condiciones declaradas, con la consecuente fragmentación del mismo y un probable aumento en su frontera espacial, desapareciendo algunas especies con menor capacidad de adaptación e incorporándose nuevas a las comunidades bióticas. Palabras clave: Covariables, kriging, seguridad alimentaria, semivariograma