BACKGROUND:Progressive apraxia of speech (PAOS) is a neurodegenerative disorder most commonly arising from a 4-repeat tauopathy that affects the programming or planning of speech, although many patients develop a Parkinson-plus syndrome. The role of neuroinflammation as a disease mechanism is unknown. We investigated the spatial pattern of neuroinflammation in PAOS using PET and evaluated whether it is associated with disease severity, presence of Parkinson-plus features, and tau PET uptake. PATIENTS AND METHODS:Twenty-five PAOS patients (13 with Parkinson-plus features) and 30 controls underwent inflammatory 11C-ER176 and tau 18F-flortaucipir PET scans as well as detailed clinical assessments. Multiple linear regression analyses compared the inflammatory standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) between PAOS and controls and assessed the relationship with clinical test scores. Pearson correlation analysis examined the relationship between inflammatory and tau SUVRs. RESULTS:PAOS had greater neuroinflammatory SUVR than controls in the precentral, supplementary motor area, frontal gyri, putamen, pallidum, subthalamic nucleus, and red nucleus (adjusted P < 0.05). Greater neuroinflammation was associated with worse parkinsonism, and patients who had developed Parkinson-plus features showed a broader pattern of neuroinflammation, extending to prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortices. Neuroinflammation correlated with tau uptake in most (96%) PAOS patients (r > 0.3, P < 0.05). The higher correlation was associated with worse parkinsonism (r = 0.61, P < 0.05) and disease severity (r = 0.54, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:11C-ER176 PET analysis demonstrates neuroinflammation in frontal and subcortical regions in PAOS which is particularly severe and widespread with the development of Parkinson-plus clinical features. The colocalization of neuroinflammation and tau may support a relationship between these disease mechanisms.

In the last decade, the importance of DNA methylation in the functioning of the central nervous system has been highlighted through associations between methylation changes and differential expression of key genes involved in aging and neurodegenerative diseases. In frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), aberrant methylation has been reported in causal disease genes including GRN and C9orf72; however, the genome-wide contribution of epigenetic changes to the development of FTLD remains largely unexplored. We performed reduced representation bisulfite sequencing of matched pairs of post-mortem tissue from frontal cortex (FCX) and cerebellum (CER) from pathologically confirmed FTLD patients with TDP-43 pathology (FTLD-TDP) further divided into five subtypes and including both sporadic and genetic forms (N = 25 pairs per group), and neuropathologically normal controls (N = 42 pairs). Case-control differential methylation analyses were performed, both at the individual CpG level, and in regions of grouped CpGs (differentially methylated regions; DMRs), either including all genomic locations or only gene promoters. Gene Ontology (GO) analyses were then performed using all differentially methylated genes in each group of sporadic patients. Finally, additional datasets were queried to prioritize candidate genes for follow-up. Using the largest FTLD-TDP DNA methylation dataset generated to date, we identified thousands of differentially methylated CpGs (FCX = 6,520; CER = 7,134) and several hundred DMRs in FTLD-TDP brains (FCX = 134; CER = 219). Of these, less than 10

Gene-editing technology provides promising opportunities for livestock industries by enabling precise genetic modifications that enhance desirable traits such as increased disease resistance, heat tolerance, and nutritional quality. With gene-edited beef products entering the market soon, understanding consumers’ acceptance is critical. Using structural equation modeling, the study aimed to determine how key psychological and social factors influence U.S. consumers’ attitudes toward gene editing and their behavioral intentions toward ground beef from gene-edited cattle. Results indicate that knowledge, subjective social norms, and perceived benefits positively influenced attitudes, while perceived risks and food technology neophobia negatively influenced attitudes. Subjective social norms, perceived benefits, and attitudes positively influenced behavioral intentions, while perceived risks and food technology neophobia negatively influenced intentions. Attitudes acted as a partial mediator, significantly mediating the effects of subjective social norms, perceived benefits, perceived risks, and food technology neophobia on behavioral intentions. Improving consumers’ behavioral intentions toward ground beef from gene-edited cattle hinges on cultivating more favorable attitudes toward the technology. Thus, collaborative efforts by scientists, producers, policymakers, extension agents, and agricultural communicators should seek to increase consumers’ perceived benefits and improve subjective social norms, as these factors were most influential.

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration with neuronal inclusions of the TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (FTLD-TDP) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder with only a limited number of risk loci identified. We report our comprehensive genome-wide association study as part of the International FTLD-TDP Whole-Genome Sequencing Consortium, including 985 patients and 3,153 controls compiled from 26 institutions/brain banks in North America, Europe and Australia, and meta-analysis with the Dementia-seq cohort. We confirm UNC13A as the strongest overall FTLD-TDP risk factor and identify TNIP1 as a novel FTLD-TDP risk factor. In subgroup analyzes, we further identify genome-wide significant loci specific to each of the three main FTLD-TDP pathological subtypes (A, B and C), as well as enrichment of risk loci in distinct tissues, brain regions, and neuronal subtypes, suggesting distinct disease aetiologies in each of the subtypes. Rare variant analysis confirmed TBK1 and identified C3AR1, SMG8, VIPR1, RBPJL, L3MBTL1 and ANO9, as novel subtype-specific FTLD-TDP risk genes, further highlighting the role of innate and adaptive immunity and notch signaling pathway in FTLD-TDP, with potential diagnostic and novel therapeutic implications.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the second most common cause of early-onset dementia after Alzheimer disease (AD). Efforts in the field mainly focus on familial forms of disease (fFTDs), while studies of the genetic etiology of sporadic FTD (sFTD) have been less common. In the current work, we analyzed 4,685 sFTD cases and 15,308 controls looking for common genetic determinants for sFTD. We found a cluster of variants at the MAPT (rs199443; p = 2.5 × 10-12, OR = 1.27) and APOE (rs6857; p = 1.31 × 10-12, OR = 1.27) loci and a candidate locus on chromosome 3 (rs1009966; p = 2.41 × 10-8, OR = 1.16) in the intergenic region between RPSA and MOBP, contributing to increased risk for sFTD through effects on expression and/or splicing in brain cortex of functionally relevant in-cis genes at the MAPT and RPSA-MOBP loci. The association with the MAPT (H1c clade) and RPSA-MOBP loci may suggest common genetic pleiotropy across FTD and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) (MAPT and RPSA-MOBP loci) and across FTD, AD, Parkinson disease (PD), and cortico-basal degeneration (CBD) (MAPT locus). Our data also suggest population specificity of the risk signals, with MAPT and APOE loci associations mainly driven by Central/Nordic and Mediterranean Europeans, respectively. This study lays the foundations for future work aimed at further characterizing population-specific features of potential FTD-discriminant APOE haplotype(s) and the functional involvement and contribution of the MAPT H1c haplotype and RPSA-MOBP loci to pathogenesis of sporadic forms of FTD in brain cortex.

Nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA) and primary progressive apraxia of speech (PPAOS) can be precursors to corticobasal syndrome (CBS). Details on their progression remain unclear. We aimed to examine the clinical and neuroimaging evolution of nfvPPA and PPAOS into CBS. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study in 140 nfvPPA or PPAOS patients and applied the consensus criteria for possible and probable CBS for every visit, evaluating limb rigidity, akinesia, limb dystonia, myoclonus, ideomotor apraxia, alien limb phenomenon, and nonverbal oral apraxia (NVOA). Given the association of NVOA with AOS, we also modified the CBS criteria by excluding NVOA and assigned every patient to either a progressors or non-progressors group. We evaluated the frequency of every CBS feature by year from disease onset, and assessed gray and white matter volume loss using SPM12. Asymmetric akinesia, NVOA, and limb apraxia were the most common CBS features that developed; while limb dystonia, myoclonus, and alien limb were rare. Eighty-two patients progressed to possible CBS; only four to probable CBS. nfvPPA and PPAOS had a similar proportion of progressors, although nfvPPA progressed to CBS earlier (p-value = 0.046), driven by an early appearance of limb apraxia (p-value = 0.0041). The non-progressors and progressors both showed premotor/motor cortex involvement at baseline, with spread into prefrontal cortex over time. An important proportion of patients with nfvPPA and PPAOS progress to possible CBS, while they rarely develop features of probable CBS even after long follow-up.

Objectives To highlight the worldwide presence of CSF1R-related disorder (CSF1R-RD), discuss its penetrance, and provide the first haplotype analysis. Methods Data on patients worldwide were collected, including demographics, genotype, family history, and clinical status. For haplotype analysis, polymorphisms of short tandem repeats in 3 distinct families with CSF1R p.Ile794Thr variant were examined. Results Nineteen new patients were included, at a mean age of 38.7 years (ranging from 11 to 74 years), from 14 families from the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe, including the first from Mexico, North Macedonia, and Ukraine. Fifteen CSF1R variants were found, including 8 novel. Three patients were compound heterozygotes with disease onset at 1, 4, and 22 years. Patients with heterozygous CSF1R variants developed symptoms at a mean of 39.0 years (range 8-71 years). Four patients died at a mean of 3.3 years from onset (range 2-5 years). Negative family history was noted in 7 patients. In haplotype analysis, 2 families exhibited shared haplotype encompassing similar to 6-Mb region downstream of the CSF1R while the third family displayed a different haplotype. Discussion CSF1R-RD has a global prevalence. The reasons for negative family history include de novo variants (as shown by the haplotype analysis), mosaicism, and incomplete penetrance, which are possibly modulated by environmental and genetic factors.

Novel applications of nanotechnology in food processing hold tremendous potential to revolutionize the food industry and address challenges in food security and public health. Understanding and addressing consumers' evolving attitudes toward the use of nanotechnology in food processing is important to promote the technology's adoption and inform the development of regulatory frameworks that align with societal values. We used a survey research design to explore U.S. consumers' attitudes toward such uses of nanotechnology. Through the literature, we identified various cognitive and affective factors that have influenced, or have the potential to influence, consumers' attitudes, and we used those factors to develop a comprehensive regression model. We collected data from a national sample of U.S. consumers (N = 1071). The regression model accounted for 64.22% of the variance in attitudes toward nanotechnology (adjusted R2 = 62.94%). Perceived benefits, subjective norms, institutional trust, and subjective knowledge significantly and positively influenced participants' attitudes toward the use of nanotechnology in food processing while perceived risks and food technology neophobia significantly and negatively influenced participants' attitudes. These results suggest that communication strategies should emphasize consumer-centric benefits of nanotechnology, mitigate perceived risks, leverage social influences, and prioritize food safety-related messaging from institutional bodies.

Background Pathogenic heterozygous mutations in the progranulin gene ( GRN ) are a key cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD), leading to significantly reduced biofluid concentrations of the progranulin protein (PGRN). This has led to a number of ongoing therapeutic trials aiming to treat this form of FTD by increasing PGRN levels in mutation carriers. However, we currently lack a complete understanding of factors that affect PGRN levels and potential variation in measurement methods. Here, we aimed to address this gap in knowledge by systematically reviewing published literature on biofluid PGRN concentrations. Methods Published data including biofluid PGRN concentration, age, sex, diagnosis and GRN mutation were collected for 7071 individuals from 75 publications. The majority of analyses (72%) had focused on plasma PGRN concentrations, with many of these (56%) measured with a single assay type (Adipogen) and so the influence of mutation type, age at onset, sex, and diagnosis were investigated in this subset of the data. Results We established a plasma PGRN concentration cut-off between pathogenic mutation carriers and non-carriers of 74.8 ng/mL using the Adipogen assay based on 3301 individuals, with a CSF concentration cut-off of 3.43 ng/mL. Plasma PGRN concentration varied by GRN mutation type as well as by clinical diagnosis in those without a GRN mutation. Plasma PGRN concentration was significantly higher in women than men in GRN mutation carriers ( p = 0.007) with a trend in non-carriers ( p = 0.062), and there was a significant but weak positive correlation with age in both GRN mutation carriers and non-carriers. No significant association was seen with weight or with TMEM106B rs1990622 genotype. However, higher plasma PGRN levels were seen in those with the GRN rs5848 CC genotype in both GRN mutation carriers and non-carriers. Conclusions These results further support the usefulness of PGRN concentration for the identification of the large majority of pathogenic mutations in the GRN gene. Furthermore, these results highlight the importance of considering additional factors, such as mutation type, sex and age when interpreting PGRN concentrations. This will be particularly important as we enter the era of trials for progranulin-associated FTD.

Although food irradiation is deemed safe and endorsed by health-related organizations worldwide, consumers are reluctant to accept the technology. Yet, consumer acceptance is critical as food irradiation has significant potential for increasing the safety and availability of food globally. To communicate about food irradiation, science communicators should understand the psychology behind consumers' decision making related to irradiated foods. Using empirical research, we developed a theoretical model and used structural equation modeling to determine how nine variables affect consumers' behavioral intentions toward irradiated ground beef. We purchased a national quota sample from Qualtrics and surveyed N = 1102 U.S. consumers. The model explained 60.3% of the variance in consumers' attitudes toward food irradiation and 55.4% of their behavioral intentions toward irradiated ground beef. Attitude had the largest positive, total effect on consumers' behavioral intentions, which was followed by subjective social norm and perceived benefit. Perceived risk had the largest negative, total effect on behavioral intentions. Attitude mediated the effect of subjective social norm, perceived benefit, perceived risk, objective knowledge, and food technology neophobia. Environmental concern and health consciousness did not significantly affect behavioral intention. Science communicators should develop messaging strategies that seek to improve consumer acceptance with these factors in mind.

We previously demonstrated that increased expression of the SERPINA5 gene is associated with hippocampal vulnerability in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. SERPINA5 was further demonstrated to be a novel tau-binding partner that colocalizes within neurofibrillary tangles. Our goal was to determine whether genetic variants in the SERPINA5 gene contributed to clinicopathologic phenotypes in AD. To screen for SERPINA5 variants, we sequenced 103 autopsy-confirmed young-onset AD cases with a positive family history of cognitive decline. To further assess the frequency of a rare missense variant, SERPINA5 p.E228Q, we screened an additional 1114 neuropathologically diagnosed AD cases. To provide neuropathologic context in AD, we immunohistochemically evaluated SERPINA5 and tau in a SERPINA5 p.E228Q variant carrier and a matched noncarrier. In the initial SERPINA5 screen, we observed 1 individual with a rare missense variant (rs140138746) that resulted in an amino acid change (p.E228Q). In our AD validation cohort, we identified an additional 5 carriers of this variant, resulting in an allelic frequency of 0.0021. There was no significant difference between SERPINA5 p.E228Q carriers and noncarriers in terms of demographic or clinicopathologic characteristics. Although not significant, on average SERPINA5 p.E228Q carriers were 5 years younger at age of disease onset than noncarriers (median: 66 [60-73] vs 71 [63-77] years, P = .351). In addition, SERPINA5 p.E228Q carriers exhibited a longer disease duration than noncarriers that approached significance (median: 12 [10-15]) vs 9 [6-12] years, P = .079). More severe neuronal loss was observed in the locus coeruleus, hippocampus, and amygdala of the SERPINA5 p.E228Q carrier compared to noncarrier, although no significant difference in SERPINA5-immunopositive lesions was observed. Throughout the AD brain in either carrier or noncarrier, areas with early pretangle pathology or burnt-out ghost tangle accumulation did not reveal SERPINA5-immunopositive neurons. Mature tangles and newly formed ghost tangles appeared to correspond well with SERPINA5-immunopositive tangle-bearing neurons. SERPINA5 gene expression was previously associated with disease phenotype; however, our findings suggest that SERPINA5 genetic variants may not be a contributing factor to clinicopathologic differences in AD. SERPINA5-immunopositive neurons appear to undergo a pathologic process that corresponded with specific levels of tangle maturity.

Abstract Transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B) is a tightly regulated glycoprotein predominantly localized to endosomes and lysosomes. Genetic studies have implicated TMEM106B haplotypes in the development of multiple neurodegenerative diseases with the strongest effect in frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 pathology (FTLD-TDP), especially in progranulin (GRN) mutation carriers. Recently, cryo-electron microscopy studies showed that a C-terminal fragment (CTF) of TMEM106B (amino acid residues 120–254) forms amyloid fibrils in the brain of patients with FTLD-TDP, but also in brains with other neurodegenerative conditions and normal ageing brain. The functional implication of these fibrils and their relationship to the disease-associated TMEM106B haplotype remain unknown. We performed immunoblotting using a newly developed antibody to detect TMEM106B CTFs in the sarkosyl-insoluble fraction of post-mortem human brain tissue from patients with different proteinopathies (n = 64) as well as neuropathologically normal individuals (n = 10) and correlated the results with age and TMEM106B haplotype. We further compared the immunoblot results with immunohistochemical analyses performed in the same study population. Immunoblot analysis showed the expected ∼30 kDa band in the sarkosyl-insoluble fraction of frontal cortex tissue in at least some individuals with each of the conditions evaluated. Most patients with GRN mutations showed an intense band representing TMEM106B CTF, whereas in most neurologically normal individuals it was absent or much weaker. In the overall cohort, the presence of TMEM106B CTFs correlated strongly with both age (rs = 0.539, P < 0.001) and the presence of the TMEM106B risk haplotype (rs = 0.469, P < 0.001). Although there was a strong overall correlation between the results of immunoblot and immunohistochemistry (rs = 0.662, P < 0.001), 27 cases (37%) were found to have higher amounts of TMEM106B CTFs detected by immunohistochemistry, including most of the older individuals who were neuropathologically normal and individuals who carried two protective TMEM106B haplotypes. Our findings suggest that the formation of sarkosyl-insoluble TMEM106B CTFs is an age-related feature which is modified by TMEM106B haplotype, potentially underlying its disease-modifying effect. The discrepancies between immunoblot and immunohistochemistry in detecting TMEM106B pathology suggests the existence of multiple species of TMEM106B CTFs with possible biological relevance and disease implications.

TAR DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology is a defining feature of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). In FTLD-TDP there is a moderate-to-high burden of morphologically distinctive TDP-43 immunoreactive inclusions distributed throughout the brain. In Alzheimer's disease (AD), similar TDP-43 immunoreactive inclusions are observed. In AD, however, there is a unique phenomenon of neurofibrillary tangle-associated TDP-43 (TATs) whereby TDP-43 intermingles with neurofibrillary tangles. Little is known about the characteristics and distribution of TATs, or how burden and distribution of TATs compares to burden and distribution of other FTLD-TDP-like lesions observed in AD. Here we characterize molecular fragment characteristics, burden and distribution of TATs and assess how these features compare to features of other TDP-43 lesions. We performed TDP-43 immunohistochemistry with anti-phosphorylated, C- and N-terminal TDP-43 antibodies in 20 high-probability AD cases and semi-quantitative burden of seven inclusion types within five brain regions (entorhinal cortex, subiculum, CA1 and dentate gyrus of hippocampus, occipitotemporal cortex). Hierarchical cluster analysis was used to analyze the dataset that consisted of 75 different combinations of neuropathological features. TATs were nonspherical with heterogeneous staining patterns and present in all regions except hippocampal dentate. All three antibodies detected TATs although N-terminal antibody sensitivity was low. Three clusters were identified: Cluster-1 had mild-moderate TATs, moderate-frequent neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions, dystrophic neurites, neuronal intranuclear inclusions and fine neurites, and perivascular and granular inclusions identified only with the N-terminal antibody throughout the brain; Cluster-2 had scant TATs in limbic regions and Cluster-3 mild-moderate TATs and mild-moderate neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions and dystrophic neurites throughout the brain and moderate fine neurites. Only 17% of cluster 1 cases had the TMEM106b GG (protective) haplotype and 83% had hippocampal sclerosis. Both features differed across clusters (p=0.03 & p=0.01). TATs have molecular characteristics, distribution and burden, and genetic and pathologic associations like FTLD-TDP lesions.

As the global demand for agricultural systems increases, agricultural education programs are implementing educational technologies to train industry professionals to meet 21st-century agricultural demands. No reviews have focused exclusively on the use of educational technologies in agricultural education. This scoping review presents a summary of 83 journal articles and conference papers published between 2000 and 2022 aimed at examining the impact of the use of educational technologies in agricultural education programs. Our results indicate: (1) most studies on this topic have been conducted in the United States in the context of agricultural sciences; (2) most of the studies implemented quantitative designs using researcher-designed instruments; (3) online/distance education technologies were the most widely used; and (4) there was a statistically significant increase in the use of simulation/digital games between 2000 and 2010 and 2011 and 2022. Based on our analysis, we discuss the methodological and reporting limitations that should be considered in future research, the pedagogical contributions of educational technologies in agricultural education, and the current and future research trends, highlighting gaps in the literature.

Youth agricultural entrepreneurship programs lack cohesiveness in their curriculum content. The purpose of this study is to investigate an agricultural entrepreneurship curriculum framework for youth in Latin America and the Caribbean. Two quantitative studies guided our investigation. First, a Delphi panel study was used to identify the core competencies of a youth agricultural entrepreneurship program. An expert panel identified 45 knowledge, skill, and ability (KSA) items in a three-round Delphi panel. The KSAs with the highest final rankings included evaluating business opportunities, agricultural value chain, successful enterprises, local markets, evaluating funding options, business planning, budgeting, market assessment, and problem-solving. Second, we conducted a needs assessment (in Spanish) with rural youth from the Dominican Republic to determine their agricultural entrepreneurial intent and program training needs. Fifty-four Dominican students completed the Entrepreneurial Intent Questionnaire, revealing strong entrepreneurial intent (i.e., positive entrepreneurial attitudes, subjective norms, perceptions, and perceived behavioral control). Next, participants completed the Competency Questionnaire, based on the Delphi panel results, which showed that gaps existed between the KSAs’ importance to agricultural entrepreneurship and students’ capability of demonstrating those KSAs. The Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Curriculum (YAEC) framework was developed from the findings. The YAEC framework should be used to create and implement youth agricultural entrepreneurship programs in LAC.

Metacognition is an important skill required for improving students’ reading comprehension ability. Studies have reported effectiveness of metacognitive reading strategies to increase reading comprehension and information retention. However, there is limited research utilizing eye-tracking technology to explore the effectiveness of metacognitive reading strategies. This experimental study utilized eye-tracking technology on 40 undergraduate students to investigate the effectiveness of a metacognitive strategy on reading comprehension outcomes. The Survey, Question, Read, Respond, Recite, Record, and Review (SQ5R) strategy was used as the metacognitive reading strategy intervention. Participants’ eye movements were recorded during the reading process. Reading comprehension was assessed before and after watching the SQ5R intervention. This study revealed that participants adopted the SQ5R when reading scientific text, which enabled the students to better comprehend and retain more information. Results suggests that agricultural educators should incorporate the SQ5R metacognitive reading strategy into the design of agriscience reading materials to improve students’ reading skills and their ability to comprehensively understand complex and controversial issues in agriculture.

Several studies using cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) techniques recently reported the isolation and characterization of novel protein filaments, composed of a C-terminal fragment (CTF) of the endolysosomal transmembrane protein 106B (TMEM106B), from human post-mortem brain tissue with various neurodegenerative conditions and normal aging. Genetic variation in TMEM106B is known to influence the risk and presentation of several neurodegenerative diseases, especially frontotemporal dementia (FTD) caused by mutations in the progranulin gene (GRN). To further elucidate the significance of TMEM106B CTF, we performed immunohistochemistry with antibodies directed against epitopes within the filament-forming C-terminal region of TMEM106B. Accumulation of TMEM106B C-terminal immunoreactive (TMEM-ir) material was a common finding in all the conditions evaluated, including frontotemporal lobar degeneration with TDP-43 pathology (FTLD-TDP), Alzheimer's disease, tauopathies, synucleinopathies and neurologically normal aging. TMEM-ir material was present in a wide range of brain cell types and in a broad neuroanatomical distribution; however, there was no co-localization of TMEM-ir material with other neurodegenerative proteins in cellular inclusions. In most conditions, the presence and abundance of TMEM-ir aggregates correlated strongly with patient age and showed only a weak correlation with the TMEM106B haplotype or the primary pathological diagnosis. However, all patients with FTD caused by GRN mutations were found to have high levels of TMEM-ir material, including several who were relatively young (< 60 years). These findings suggest that the accumulation of TMEM106B CTF is a common age-related phenomenon, which may reflect lysosomal dysfunction. Although its significance in most neurodegenerative conditions remains uncertain, the consistent finding of extensive TMEM-ir material in cases of FTLD-TDP with GRN mutations further supports a pathomechanistic role of TMEM106B and lysosomal dysfunction in this specific disease population.

The importance of assessing critical thinking has been emphasized extensively by numerous administrators and educators in higher education worldwide. In a contemporary agricultural sustainable development environment, agricultural students need to develop critical thinking to manage complex situations and to deal with controversial issues in international agriculture settings. From psychological points of view, thinking varies cross-culturally. In other words, people from different cultures think differently. With the increasing number of Chinese students studying in the U.S., educators need to be aware of the importance of supporting these Chinese students within the intercultural classroom environment. Thus, it is necessary to explore and understand the way Chinese students think to help them more easily adapt to a culturally diverse educational environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of a Chinese version of the University of Florida Critical Thinking Inventory (UFCTI). The UFCTI measures critical thinking styles using two constructs: engagement and seeking information. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was applied to examine the hypothesized measurement model based on the theoretical foundations of the original UFCTI (English version). The CFA findings indicated the UFCTI measurement model between the two versions is equivalent. Specifically, the results confirmed the two-factor measurement of critical thinking style: engagement and seeking information. The findings also indicated adequate validity and reliability for the UFCTI Chinese version

The complexities of food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) programs and projects require faculty to write and secure funding in addition to mastering skills such as evaluation competencies that integrate abilities in quantitative and qualitative research methods and evaluation theory and practice. The EVAL Framework was developed to advance skill development among FANH graduates to include these competencies and increase the pipeline of students who have the essential skills needed to advance FANH initiatives and priorities. The EVAL Framework includes four primary constructs: (a) Evaluation, (b) Value, (c) Active and Experiential Learning, and (d) Leadership. The purpose of EVAL is to build relationships with untapped FANH fields to develop a pipeline for graduates to become evaluation leaders for advancing food and agricultural sciences. This experiential learning and development model focuses on foundational and enrichment experiences, through formal coursework, project-based learning, and contextually rich environments. Mentoring, individualized development plans, scholarly learning communities, collaboration, transferable skills, and career planning and guidance activities are integrated into the EVAL framework to enhance skill development among EVAL scholars.