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TAR DNA-binding protein (TDP-43) is a ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein, which participates in a number of cellular processes and has been identified as the major pathological factor in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Here we constructed a conditional TDP-43 mouse with depletion of TDP-43 in the mouse forebrain and find that the mice exhibit a whole spectrum of age-dependent frontotemporal dementia-like behaviour abnormalities including perturbation of social behaviour, development of dementia-like behaviour, changes of activities of daily living, and memory loss at a later stage of life. These variations are accompanied with inflammation, neurodegeneration, and abnormal synaptic plasticity of the mouse CA1 neurons. Importantly, analysis of the cortical RNA transcripts of the conditional knockout mice at the pre-/post-symptomatic stages and the corresponding wild type mice reveals age-dependent alterations in the expression levels and RNA processing patterns of a set of genes closely associated with inflammation, social behaviour, synaptic plasticity, and neuron survival. This study not only supports the scenario that loss-of-function of TDP-43 in mice may recapitulate key behaviour features of the FTLD diseases, but also provides a list of TDP-43 target genes/transcript isoforms useful for future therapeutic research.

This study examined the effects of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) approach compared to that of a problem-based learning (PBL) approach on learner performance, attitude toward science and inquiry ability. Ninety-six students from three 7th-grade classes at a public school were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. All groups received the same web-based curriculum on the scientific topic of the greenhouse effect. These IBL groups, though, were asked to actively participate in the processes of predicting, hypothesizing, and testing, while the PBL groups were instructed to follow a specific problem-solving process. The results revealed that all students performed equally in science performance despite of the treatment groups. In terms of attitude toward science, the findings indicated that students participated in IBL or PBL groups reported more positive attitudes toward learning science and resulted in higher inquiry abilities than those who were in the control group. This study concerns itself with the features of the experimental treatment that may have contributed to these results, the implications of which are also considered. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)

This correction notice is for an article titled "A longer time to relapse is associated with a larger increase in differences between paired primary and recurrent IDH wild-type glioblastomas at both the transcriptomic and genomic levels." The notice states that there was an error in Figure 7 of the original article, and provides the correct version of the figure. The correction has been made to the original article. The notice also includes a note from the publisher stating their neutrality regarding jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. The authors of the article are Wei-Min Ho, Chia-Ying Chen, Tai-Wei Chiang, and Trees-Juen Chuang. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, CuCrO2–CeO2 nanofibers were prepared by the electrospinning method and the influences of different concentrations on the properties of CuCrO2–CeO2 nanofibers were studied. The electrospun fibers were heated at 700 °C for 1 h in a decompression environment of 1.1 Torr to generate the CuCrO2–CeO2 nanofibers. The crystalline phase of the nanofibers was analyzed by X-ray diffractometer, and both main diffraction peaks corresponded to the CuCrO2 and CeO2 planes. Furthermore, the morphology of the fiber surface was identified by field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. For this study, the diameter of the CuCrO2–CeO2 nanofibers was approximately 70 nm to 90 nm. The optical properties were analyzed by ultraviolet/visible spectrometer, and the surface area was determined by Brunauer Emmett Teller method. The CuCrO2–CeO2 nanofibers had a high specific surface area of 14.28 m2/g. The energy bandgap of the CuCrO2–CeO2 nanofibers was estimated at 2.95 eV to 2.97 eV with various concentrations. The prepared CuCrO2–CeO2 nanofibers are a potential material for photocatalyst studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]