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This qualitative study reports on the experiences of international students enrolled in a Health Professional Education program at a large Australia university. International students have long contributed to Australia's economy. However, the sustainability of international students' contributions to Australia's economy is questionable. Challenges for international students have been widely reported in Australia. Students enrolled in Health Professional Education having unique challenges of their own. In total, 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2020 and the data were thematically analysed. The findings uncovered numerous challenges for international students and those unique to international students enrolled in health- related degrees. Although all identified challenges may not be feasible to address, this study highlights recommendations for strategies that could be implemented by universities and policy makers to reduce challenges and to enhance graduate outcomes for this student population.

Abstract Background and purpose Recently, there has been significant discussion about artificial intelligence (AI) and Large-Language Models (LLMs) as they relate to teaching and learning. To date, literature exists about the role of AI in Physical Therapy treatment, but not Physical Therapy education. This review will identify the benefits of adapting AI into Physical Therapy education to better prepare the healthcare providers of tomorrow. Rationale Survey research shows that AI can improve access to information, increase productivity, and reduce errors. However, most also feel ill-informed on the topic. A majority agreed that AI concepts should be included in Physical Therapy education. While valid concerns exist about AI sources giving false information, as well as the potential to use these services to plagiarize work, tools are already in existence to mitigate these issues. Potential benefits of AI in Physical Therapy education include the ability to produce examples, provide different explanations, and assist in assessing student learning while providing immediate feedback on performance. Discussion and conclusion With the scope of AI rapidly expanding, we believe it is imperative for Physical Therapy educators to have access to current information about its potential benefits, uses, and limitations. While many professionals do not currently possess much knowledge on the topic, there is a growing consensus as to the role it will play in our profession in the future. While discussions of AI can raise more questions than answers, preparation now will reduce the need for urgent adaptations in the future.

BACKGROUND: Multiple System Atrophy is a rare neurodegenerative disease with alpha-synuclein aggregation in glial cytoplasmic inclusions and either predominant olivopontocerebellar atrophy or striatonigral degeneration, leading to dysautonomia, parkinsonism, and cerebellar ataxia. One prior genome-wide association study in mainly clinically diagnosed patients with Multiple System Atrophy failed to identify genetic variants predisposing for the disease. OBJECTIVE: Since the clinical diagnosis of Multiple System Atrophy yields a high rate of misdiagnosis when compared to the neuropathological gold standard, we studied only autopsy-confirmed cases. METHODS: We studied common genetic variations in Multiple System Atrophy cases (N = 731) and controls (N = 2898). RESULTS: The most strongly disease-associated markers were rs16859966 on chromosome 3, rs7013955 on chromosome 8, and rs116607983 on chromosome 4 with P-values below 5 × 10-6 , all of which were supported by at least one additional genotyped and several imputed single nucleotide polymorphisms. The genes closest to the chromosome 3 locus are ZIC1 and ZIC4 encoding the zinc finger proteins of cerebellum 1 and 4 (ZIC1 and ZIC4). INTERPRETATION: Since mutations of ZIC1 and ZIC4 and paraneoplastic autoantibodies directed against ZIC4 are associated with severe cerebellar dysfunction, we conducted immunohistochemical analyses in brain tissue of the frontal cortex and the cerebellum from 24 Multiple System Atrophy patients. Strong immunohistochemical expression of ZIC4 was detected in a subset of neurons of the dentate nucleus in all healthy controls and in patients with striatonigral degeneration, whereas ZIC4-immunoreactive neurons were significantly reduced inpatients with olivopontocerebellar atrophy. These findings point to a potential ZIC4-mediated vulnerability of neurons in Multiple System Atrophy. © 2022 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

BackgroundMetabolomics coupled with genome-scale metabolic modeling approaches have been employed recently to quantitatively analyze the physiological states of various organisms, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although yeast physiology in laboratory strains is well-studied, the metabolic states under industrially relevant scenarios such as winemaking are still not sufficiently understood, especially as there is considerable variation in metabolism between commercial strains. To study the potential causes of strain-dependent variation in the production of volatile compounds during enological conditions, random flux sampling and statistical methods were used, along with experimental extracellular metabolite flux data to characterize the differences in predicted intracellular metabolic states between strains.ResultsIt was observed that four selected commercial wine yeast strains (Elixir, Opale, R2, and Uvaferm) produced variable amounts of key volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Principal component analysis was performed on extracellular metabolite data from the strains at three time points of cell cultivation (24, 58, and 144 h). Separation of the strains was observed at all three time points. Furthermore, Uvaferm at 24 h, for instance, was most associated with propanol and ethyl hexanoate. R2 was found to be associated with ethyl acetate and Opale could be associated with isobutanol while Elixir was most associated with phenylethanol and phenylethyl acetate. Constraint-based modeling (CBM) was employed using the latest genome-scale metabolic model of yeast (Yeast8) and random flux sampling was performed with experimentally derived fluxes at various stages of growth as constraints for the model. The flux sampling simulations allowed us to characterize intracellular metabolic flux states and illustrate the key parts of metabolism that likely determine the observed strain differences. Flux sampling determined that Uvaferm and Elixir are similar while R2 and Opale exhibited the highest degree of differences in the Ehrlich pathway and carbon metabolism, thereby causing strain-specific variation in VOC production. The model predictions also established the top 20 fluxes that relate to phenotypic strain variation (e.g. at 24 h). These fluxes indicated that Opale had a higher median flux for pyruvate decarboxylase reactions compared with the other strains. Conversely, R2 which was lower in all VOCs, had higher median fluxes going toward central metabolism. For Elixir and Uvaferm, the differences in metabolism were most evident in fluxes pertaining to transaminase and hexokinase associated reactions. The applied analysis of metabolic divergence unveiled strain-specific differences in yeast metabolism linked to fusel alcohol and ester production.ConclusionsOverall, this approach proved useful in elucidating key reactions in amino acid, carbon, and glycerophospholipid metabolism which suggest genetic divergence in activity in metabolic subsystems among these wine strains related to the observed differences in VOC formation. The findings in this study could steer more focused research endeavors in developing or selecting optimal aroma-producing yeast stains for winemaking and other types of alcoholic fermentations.

Genetic background and environmental conditions affect the production of sensory impact compounds by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The relative importance of the strain-specific metabolic capabilities for the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) remains unclear. We investigated which amino acids contribute to VOC production and whether amino acid-VOC relations are conserved among yeast strains. Amino acid consumption and production of VOCs during grape juice fermentation was investigated using four commercial wine yeast strains: Elixir, Opale, R2, and Uvaferm. Principal component analysis of the VOC data demonstrated that Uvaferm correlated with ethyl acetate and ethyl hexanoate production, R2 negatively correlated with the acetate esters, and Opale positively correlated with fusel alcohols. Biomass formation was similar for all strains, pointing to metabolic differences in the utilization of nutrients to form VOCs. Partial least-squares linear regression showed that total aroma production is a function of nitrogen utilization (R2 = 0.87). We found that glycine, tyrosine, leucine, and lysine utilization were positively correlated with fusel alcohols and acetate esters. Mechanistic modeling of the yeast metabolic network via parsimonious flux balance analysis and flux enrichment analysis revealed enzymes with crucial roles, such as transaminases and decarboxylases. Our work provides insights in VOC production in wine yeasts. IMPORTANCE Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used in grape juice fermentation to produce wines. Along with the genetic background, the nitrogen in the environment in which S. cerevisiae grows impacts its regulation of metabolism. Also, commercial S. cerevisiae strains exhibit immense diversity in their formation of aromas, and a desirable aroma bouquet is an essential characteristic for wines. Since nitrogen affects aroma formation in wines, it is essential to know the extent of this connection and how it leads to strain-dependent aroma profiles in wines. We evaluated the differences in the production of key aroma compounds among four commercial wine strains. Moreover, we analyzed the role of nitrogen utilization on the formation of various aroma compounds. This work illustrates the unique aroma-producing differences among industrial yeast strains and suggests more intricate, nitrogen-associated routes influencing those aroma-producing differences.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to search for genes/variants that modify the effect of LRRK2 mutations in terms of penetrance and age-at-onset of Parkinson's disease.MethodsWe performed the first genomewide association study of penetrance and age-at-onset of Parkinson's disease in LRRK2 mutation carriers (776 cases and 1,103 non-cases at their last evaluation). Cox proportional hazard models and linear mixed models were used to identify modifiers of penetrance and age-at-onset of LRRK2 mutations, respectively. We also investigated whether a polygenic risk score derived from a published genomewide association study of Parkinson's disease was able to explain variability in penetrance and age-at-onset in LRRK2 mutation carriers.ResultsA variant located in the intronic region of CORO1C on chromosome 12 (rs77395454; p value = 2.5E-08, beta = 1.27, SE = 0.23, risk allele: C) met genomewide significance for the penetrance model. Co-immunoprecipitation analyses of LRRK2 and CORO1C supported an interaction between these 2 proteins. A region on chromosome 3, within a previously reported linkage peak for Parkinson's disease susceptibility, showed suggestive associations in both models (penetrance top variant: p value = 1.1E-07; age-at-onset top variant: p value = 9.3E-07). A polygenic risk score derived from publicly available Parkinson's disease summary statistics was a significant predictor of penetrance, but not of age-at-onset.InterpretationThis study suggests that variants within or near CORO1C may modify the penetrance of LRRK2 mutations. In addition, common Parkinson's disease associated variants collectively increase the penetrance of LRRK2 mutations. ANN NEUROL 2021;90:82-94.

RNA structural elements occur in numerous single-stranded positive-sense RNA viruses. The stem-loop 2 motif (s2m) is one such element with an unusually high degree of sequence conservation, being found in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) in the genomes of many astroviruses, some picornaviruses and noroviruses, and a variety of coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and SARS-CoV-2. The evolutionary conservation and its occurrence in all viral subgenomic transcripts imply a key role for s2m in the viral infection cycle. Our findings indicate that the element, while stably folded, can nonetheless be invaded and remodeled spontaneously by antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that initiate pairing in exposed loops and trigger efficient sequence-specific RNA cleavage in reporter assays. ASOs also act to inhibit replication in an astrovirus replicon model system in a sequence-specific, dose-dependent manner and inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication in cell culture. Our results thus permit us to suggest that the s2m element is readily targeted by ASOs, which show promise as antiviral agents. IMPORTANCE The highly conserved stem-loop 2 motif (s2m) is found in the genomes of many RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Our findings indicate that the s2m element can be targeted by antisense oligonucleotides. The antiviral potential of this element represents a promising start for further research into targeting conserved elements in RNA viruses.

A limitation of simulated space radiation studies is that radiation exposure is not the only environmental challenge astronauts face during missions. Therefore, we characterized behavioral and cognitive performance of male WAG/Rij rats 3 months after sham-irradiation or total body irradiation with a simplified 5-ion mixed beam exposure in the absence or presence of simulated weightlessness using hindlimb unloading (HU) alone. Six months following behavioral and cognitive testing or 9 months following sham-irradiation or total body irradiation, plasma and brain tissues (hippocampus and cortex) were processed to determine whether the behavioral and cognitive effects were associated with long-term alterations in metabolic pathways in plasma and brain. Sham HU, but not irradiated HU, rats were impaired in spatial habituation learning. Rats irradiated with 1.5 Gy showed increased depressive-like behaviors. This was seen in the absence but not presence of HU. Thus, HU has differential effects in sham-irradiated and irradiated animals and specific behavioral measures are associated with plasma levels of distinct metabolites 6 months later. The combined effects of HU and radiation on metabolic pathways in plasma and brain illustrate the complex interaction of environmental stressors and highlights the importance of assessing these interactions.

The pursuit of sustainable and productive agriculture demands the exploration of innovative approaches to improve plant productivity and soil health. The utilization of natural agricultural biostimulants, such as extracts from seaweed, fish, and humus, has gained prominence as an ecological strategy to achieve this goal. In this study we investigated the effectiveness of a fortified biostimulant extract (FBE), composed of extracts from seaweed, fish, and humus, on tomato plant physiology, productivity, and growing media properties, and estimated carbon emissions associated with tomato production. The FBE was applied to the growing media of tomato plants produced in a greenhouse, in experiments over two growing seasons. The productivity assessments demonstrated that the application of FBE significantly increased tomato fruit yield by 20% and relative marketable fruit yield by 27%, and reduced estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with production by 29%. FBE treatment improved plant shoot and root biomass, accelerated flower and fruit set initiation, and increased chlorophyll content in leaves, resulting in enhanced plant physiology and advanced development. FBE treatment positively influenced the availability of crucial nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron in the growing media. FBE promoted the growth of total active microbes in the growing media, particularly the fungal population, which plays an important role in nutrient cycling and health. These findings highlight the beneficial effects of the FBE due to enhanced plant productivity and growth, improved fertility, the promotion of beneficial plant and growing media interactions, and the reduction in estimated GHG emissions.