Farmscape composition and livelihood sustainability in deforested landscapes of Colombian Amazonia

In this article, we operationalized a sustainability framing based on the Sustainable Rural Livelihood Resources Framework (SLF), which consists of five capitals—human, physical, social, financial, and natural. We proposed a sustainability index (SI) for two landscapes dominated by two agricultural systems: cattle ranching and small-scale family agriculture. Farm variables within each capital were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. Key variables were identified and index values were calculated for each capital. These were combined through a set of simultaneous equations to estimate farm-specific capitals and SI from the observed farm variables. Principal component and cluster analyses were used to group the farms according to their index scores and to further compare their characteristics. Furthermore, with the purpose of comparing the index scoring with an independent metric, a landscape indicator, which comes from a continuous forest, was calculated. From the results, the capitals that contributed to a higher SI score the most were financial and physical. As cattle ranching was associated with higher economic returns and infrastructure investments, this livelihood was identified as the most sustainable. Yet, cattle ranching has been a deforestation driver in the region. These results are attributed to the current conceptual framework design, which gives greater weight to material and economic variables; therefore, it generates a weak sustainability measure. Although the framework allowed us to identify land-use alternatives that could improve SI scores (i.e., silvopastoral systems), corrections to the proposed framework and methodological approach will need to include additional environmental benefits currently unaccounted for. Farmers that use their farms for conservation purposes should be recognized and compensated. An improved environmentally focused SI operational framework could help to endorse and promote sustainable livelihoods and to generate a strong sustainability measure

Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy defects in LRRK2-R1441C Parkinson's disease models

Mutations in the Leucine-Rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene have been identified as one of the most common genetic causes of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The LRRK2 PD-associated mutations LRRK2G2019S and LRRK2R1441C, located in the kinase domain and in the ROC-COR domain, respectively, have been demonstrated to impair mitochondrial function. Here, we sought to further our understanding of mitochondrial health and mitophagy by integrating data from LRRK2R1441C rat primary cortical and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived dopamine (iPSC-DA) neuronal cultures as models of PD. We found that LRRK2R1441C neurons exhibit decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, impaired mitochondrial function and decreased basal mitophagy levels. Mitochondrial morphology was altered in LRRK2R1441C iPSC-DA but not in cortical neuronal cultures or aged striatal tissue, indicating a cell-type-specific phenotype. Additionally, LRRK2R1441C but not LRRK2G2019S neurons demonstrated decreased levels of the mitophagy marker pS65Ub in response to mitochondrial damage, which could disrupt degradation of damaged mitochondria. This impaired mitophagy activation and mitochondrial function were not corrected by the LRRK2 inhibitor MLi-2 in LRRK2R1441C iPSC-DA neuronal cultures. Furthermore, we demonstrate LRRK2 interaction with MIRO1, a protein necessary to stabilize and to anchor mitochondria for transport, occurs at mitochondria, in a genotype-independent manner. Despite this, we found that degradation of MIRO1 was impaired in LRRK2R1441C cultures upon induced mitochondrial damage, suggesting a divergent mechanism from the LRRK2G2019S mutation

Exploring the IEP/Transition Planning Experiences for students with disabilities and English learners with disabilities from NLTS 2012

The purpose of this study is to explore the data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study–2012 (NLTS 2012) on the IEP/transition planning meeting experiences for students with disabilities and English learners (ELs) with disabilities. This study used factor analysis to explore the constructs of IEP/transition planning meeting experience for these two groups separately. Furthermore, Chi-square analysis were used to explore the differences on the IEP/transition planning meeting experiences between ELs with disabilities and non-ELs with disabilities. Finally, the logistic regression analysis were used to explore the predictors for youth’s role and contribution in the IEP/transition planning meeting. Results identified four factors for students with disabilities—Youth/Parent Participation, Youth Contribution, Youth/Parent Invitation & Youth Output, and Outside Agency Involvement—and five factors for ELs with disabilities—Youth participation, Parent participation, Invitation & future discussion, Youth involvement, and Youth role. Results showed three out of four ELs with disabilities reported they contributed a little on coming up the goals in the transition planning meeting. The predictors for ELs with disabilities were different from non-ELs with disabilities. This implicates educators may explore different routes to get parents involvement at school to increase parents and youth’s excitation on living independently in the future.Grant R324A18017

Exploring Predictors of Transition Planning Participation and Future Goal Aspirations of Secondary Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

This poster is based on research that we have recently conducted based on an Institute for Education Science, U.S. Department of Education grant title “Exploring Predictors of IEP/Transition Planning Participation and Future Goal Aspirations of Students with Disabilities”. The studies were based on a secondary analyses of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012). NLTS is a sample of 13,000 students and 13,000 parents conducted by Mathematica Policy Research and the Institute on Community integration at the University of Minnesota. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities beginning by age 16 are invited to and actively participate in setting goals and making decisions regarding their school and postschool involvements. The results of this study document the challenges that youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities have in assuming an active role in the transition planning process.Funded by Grant R324A18017

Farmscape sustainability: a case study using an adaptation of the Sustainable Livelihood Framework in Caquetá, Colombia

A total of 341 households were interviewed, 176 (51.6%) in the Andean foothills (with cattle raising as a dominant activity), and 165 (48.4%) in the hillside area where crop farming is dominant. The sample is representative of the four municipalities, according to the Colombian Census carried out in 2005. We used a stratified optimal random sampling strategy across the number of rural households in the municipalities to account for the number of farms. The information was collected from March 2016 to October 2016. The primary purpose of the household-level survey was to understand and document the current socioeconomic conditions and farming practices and synthesize this information into a sustainability index. The data was collected through Android Devices using the software CsPro 6.2 and 6.3. (Reporte Interno: Linea Base Encuesta Socioeconomica Proyecto SAL, 2018) (2016

Long-term conditioning of soil by plantation eucalypts and pines does not affect growth of the native jarrah tree

Plant species can condition the physico-chemical and biological properties of soil in ways that modify plant growth via plant–soil feedback (PSF). Plant growth can be positively affected, negatively affected or neutrally affected by soil conditioning by the same or other plant species. Soil conditioning by other plant species has particular relevance to ecological restoration of historic ecosystems because sites set aside for restoration are often conditioned by other, potentially non-native, plant species. We investigated changes in properties of jarrah forest soils after long-term (35 years) conditioning by pines (Pinus radiata), Sydney blue gums (Eucalyptus saligna), both non-native, plantation trees, and jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata; dominant native tree). Then, we tested the influence of the conditioned soils on the growth of jarrah seedlings. Blue gums and pines similarly conditioned the physico-chemical properties of soils, which differed from soil conditioning caused by jarrah. Especially important were the differences in conditioning of the properties C:N ratio, pH, and available K. The two eucalypt species similarly conditioned the biological properties of soil (i.e. community level physiological profile, numbers of fungal-feeding nematodes, omnivorous nematodes, and nematode channel ratio), and these differed from conditioning caused by pines. Species-specific conditioning of soil did not translate into differences in the amounts of biomass produced by jarrah seedlings and a neutral PSF was observed. In summary, we found that decades of soil conditioning by non-native plantation trees did not influence the growth of jarrah seedlings and will therefore not limit restoration of jarrah following the removal of the plantation trees