Ideation is still done with traditional analog manual tools because current computer interfaces a... more Ideation is still done with traditional analog manual tools because current computer interfaces are inconsistent with the needs of designers. The Hybrid Ideation Space (HIS) was developed to respond to this lack by augmenting analog tools with digital capabilities respecting the designer's needs for uninterrupted reflective conversation with the representation that should, in turn, enrich ideation. To assess ideation, we have developed the notion of Design Flow, which considers the pattern of multiple dimensions involved in ideation. Design practitioners testing the HIS showed that ideation was well supported in synchronous, individual or team settings.
Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This st... more Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This study systematizes ethnobotanical information about the interactions between people and plants, ethnofloristic richness, the relative importance of useful species richness in relation to general species richness, and plant management in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley of central Mexico. The study recorded a total of 1,605 useful vascular plant species (61.2% of the total species richness of the regional vascular flora), this being the region with the highest absolute richness of useful plant species in Mexico. The null hypothesis that plant families with a higher number of useful species would be those having a higher general species richness was analyzed through residuals method. The plant families richest in useful species were Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, and Solanaceae, most of which also have the highest general floristic richness. However, analyses of use categories did not generally corroborate our hypothesis. About 1,335 of the useful species are wild, more than 500 species are submitted to some type of management (62 species are tolerated, 34 protected, 50 enhanced, and 358 cultivated), but only a few have been studied to document their process of domestication. This information can be useful for developing regional strategies of sustainable management of plant resources. Conocimiento tradicional y riqueza de plantas útiles en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, México. Este trabajo sistematiza información etnobotánica sobre las interacciones entre la gente y las plantas, la riqueza etnoflorística, la importancia relativa de las especies útiles con respecto a la riqueza florística general, y sobre el manejo de plantas en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, en el centro de México. Se registró un total de 1,605 especies de plantas vasculares útiles (61.2% de la riqueza total de la flora vascular de la región), lo que identifica a la región como la de mayor riqueza de plantas útiles de México en términos absolutos. Mediante el método de residuales se analizó la hipótesis nula de que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles serían las de mayor riqueza florística. Se encontró que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles fueron Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, y Solanaceae, las cuales en su mayoría son las de mayor riqueza florística en la región. No obstante, al efectuar el análisis por categorías de uso no siempre se confirmó nuestra hipótesis. Casi 1,335 de las plantas útiles son silvestres, pero alrededor de 500 están sometidas a algún tipo de manejo (62 especies son toleradas, 34 protegidas, 50 fomentadas y 358 cultivadas), pero sólo para algunas de ellas se ha estudiado cómo operan los proceso de domesticación. La información generada en el trabajo puede ser útil para el desarrollo de estrategias regionales de manejo sustentable de los recursos vegetales.
Background: Metabolic syndrome contributes to the development of albuminuria and to the decrease ... more Background: Metabolic syndrome contributes to the development of albuminuria and to the decrease of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in type 2 diabetes patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of MS treatment on the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods: This was a retrospective and comparative cohort study. Baseline and follow-up data related to the presence of metabolic syndrome, microalbuminuria (mA), and GFR were obtained in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Subjects were classified in two groups: (1) With correction of metabolic syndrome and (2) without correction of metabolic syndrome at follow-up. Furthermore, they were stratified in four subgroups: (A) Without metabolic syndrome at baseline and at follow-up, (B) with metabolic syndrome and correction of metabolic syndrome, (C) without metabolic syndrome and development of metabolic syndrome, and (D) with metabolic syndrome and persistence of metabolic syndrome. Results: Final GFR and mA were lower and higher, respectively, in group 2 versus 1 [89.8-3 2.3 vs. 98.3-32.0 mL/min, P = 0.010, and 51.0 (13.5-195) vs. 7.9 (4-31) mg/day, P < 0.001, respectively]. Lack of metabolic syndrome correction [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-4.2, P < 0.001], being in subgroups C (HR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.03-4.1, P = 0.04) and D (HR = 3.3, 95% CI 2.0-5.3, P < 0.001), and the presence of two (HR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.9-6.1, P < 0.001), three (HR = 5.0, 95% CI 2.5-9.9, P < 0.001), and four (HR = 4.2, 95% CI 1.5-12.1, P = 0.006) metabolic syndrome components were independent factors associated with development of mA in Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, baseline mA and GFR, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), hypertension, and obesity. Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome treatment and control are independently associated with a lesser progression of DN.
Ideation is still done with traditional analog manual tools because current computer interfaces a... more Ideation is still done with traditional analog manual tools because current computer interfaces are inconsistent with the needs of designers. The Hybrid Ideation Space (HIS) was developed to respond to this lack by augmenting analog tools with digital capabilities respecting the designer's needs for uninterrupted reflective conversation with the representation that should, in turn, enrich ideation. To assess ideation, we have developed the notion of Design Flow, which considers the pattern of multiple dimensions involved in ideation. Design practitioners testing the HIS showed that ideation was well supported in synchronous, individual or team settings.
Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This st... more Traditional Knowledge and Useful Plant Richness in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. This study systematizes ethnobotanical information about the interactions between people and plants, ethnofloristic richness, the relative importance of useful species richness in relation to general species richness, and plant management in the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley of central Mexico. The study recorded a total of 1,605 useful vascular plant species (61.2% of the total species richness of the regional vascular flora), this being the region with the highest absolute richness of useful plant species in Mexico. The null hypothesis that plant families with a higher number of useful species would be those having a higher general species richness was analyzed through residuals method. The plant families richest in useful species were Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, and Solanaceae, most of which also have the highest general floristic richness. However, analyses of use categories did not generally corroborate our hypothesis. About 1,335 of the useful species are wild, more than 500 species are submitted to some type of management (62 species are tolerated, 34 protected, 50 enhanced, and 358 cultivated), but only a few have been studied to document their process of domestication. This information can be useful for developing regional strategies of sustainable management of plant resources. Conocimiento tradicional y riqueza de plantas útiles en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, México. Este trabajo sistematiza información etnobotánica sobre las interacciones entre la gente y las plantas, la riqueza etnoflorística, la importancia relativa de las especies útiles con respecto a la riqueza florística general, y sobre el manejo de plantas en el Valle de Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, en el centro de México. Se registró un total de 1,605 especies de plantas vasculares útiles (61.2% de la riqueza total de la flora vascular de la región), lo que identifica a la región como la de mayor riqueza de plantas útiles de México en términos absolutos. Mediante el método de residuales se analizó la hipótesis nula de que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles serían las de mayor riqueza florística. Se encontró que las familias con mayor número de especies útiles fueron Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cactaceae, Cyperaceae, Mimosaceae, y Solanaceae, las cuales en su mayoría son las de mayor riqueza florística en la región. No obstante, al efectuar el análisis por categorías de uso no siempre se confirmó nuestra hipótesis. Casi 1,335 de las plantas útiles son silvestres, pero alrededor de 500 están sometidas a algún tipo de manejo (62 especies son toleradas, 34 protegidas, 50 fomentadas y 358 cultivadas), pero sólo para algunas de ellas se ha estudiado cómo operan los proceso de domesticación. La información generada en el trabajo puede ser útil para el desarrollo de estrategias regionales de manejo sustentable de los recursos vegetales.
Background: Metabolic syndrome contributes to the development of albuminuria and to the decrease ... more Background: Metabolic syndrome contributes to the development of albuminuria and to the decrease of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in type 2 diabetes patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of MS treatment on the progression of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Methods: This was a retrospective and comparative cohort study. Baseline and follow-up data related to the presence of metabolic syndrome, microalbuminuria (mA), and GFR were obtained in individuals with type 2 diabetes. Subjects were classified in two groups: (1) With correction of metabolic syndrome and (2) without correction of metabolic syndrome at follow-up. Furthermore, they were stratified in four subgroups: (A) Without metabolic syndrome at baseline and at follow-up, (B) with metabolic syndrome and correction of metabolic syndrome, (C) without metabolic syndrome and development of metabolic syndrome, and (D) with metabolic syndrome and persistence of metabolic syndrome. Results: Final GFR and mA were lower and higher, respectively, in group 2 versus 1 [89.8-3 2.3 vs. 98.3-32.0 mL/min, P = 0.010, and 51.0 (13.5-195) vs. 7.9 (4-31) mg/day, P < 0.001, respectively]. Lack of metabolic syndrome correction [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.9-4.2, P < 0.001], being in subgroups C (HR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.03-4.1, P = 0.04) and D (HR = 3.3, 95% CI 2.0-5.3, P < 0.001), and the presence of two (HR = 3.4, 95% CI 1.9-6.1, P < 0.001), three (HR = 5.0, 95% CI 2.5-9.9, P < 0.001), and four (HR = 4.2, 95% CI 1.5-12.1, P = 0.006) metabolic syndrome components were independent factors associated with development of mA in Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, baseline mA and GFR, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), hypertension, and obesity. Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome treatment and control are independently associated with a lesser progression of DN.
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