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The document is a letter from the editor of the journal Dress, introducing the 50.2 issue. The editor expresses their excitement about assuming the role of Principal Editor and their commitment to maintaining the journal's high-quality scholarship. They aim to increase the readership of Dress and bring in new voices and diverse perspectives. The editor also announces the addition of new scholars to the Editorial Board and the streamlining of the submission and peer review process. The current issue focuses on the theme of reframing fashion in museums, with articles and exhibition reviews exploring innovative approaches to displaying fashion in museum settings. The editor encourages readers to engage with the articles and consider submitting their own work to future issues of Dress. [Extracted from the article]

High-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) requires costly 200- to 300-keV cryo-transmission electron microscopes (cryo-TEMs) with field emission gun (FEG) sources, stable columns, constant-powered lenses, autoloader, and direct electron detectors (DED). Recent advances in 100-keV imaging with the emergence of sub-200-keV optimized DED technology promises the development of more affordable cryo-TEMs. So far, 100-keV imaging has required microscopes with FEG sources. We here explored whether a standard 120-keV TEMs with thermionic lanthanum hexaboride (LaB 6 ) source can be upgraded with a sub-200-keV DED for high-resolution cryo-EM. Using this imaging configuration, we successfully obtained a 2.65 Å reconstruction for apoferritin, 4.33 Å for 64-kDa hemoglobin, and 4.4 Å for an asymmetric 153kDa membrane protein GPCR. All results were achieved using standard automated data collection with SerialEM, demonstrating the feasibility to collect large cryo-EM datasets with a side-entry cryo-holder. These results showcase a widely accessible solution to obtaining interpretable cryo-EM structures at low cost and contribute to the "democratization" of cryo-EM.

Introduction: In this study, we reviewed proximal humeral fractures surgically treated with open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) to test the null hypothesis that there is no association between fracture characteristics and surgeon characteristics in outcomes after surgical management of displaced proximal humeral fractures with ORIF., Methods: A retrospective review of surgically treated proximal humeral fractures was done at a tertiary-level hospital. The data were organized into two categories: fracture characteristics and surgeon characteristics., Results: There were 314 proximal humeral fractures treated with ORIF. In total, there were 112 failures (36%). Bivariate Pearson correlations demonstrated that the number of proximal humerus fixation surgeries performed by an individual surgeon was associated with adequate calcar reduction (r = 0.995, P < 0.001) and greater tuberosity reduction (r = 0.994, P < 0.001). Years of experience was positively associated with adequate calcar reduction (r = 0.594, P = 0.012) and greater tuberosity reduction (r = 0.589, P = 0.013). Regression analysis of two surgeons versus the rest of the cohort demonstrated significantly lower failure rates (P = 0.001)., Discussion: Complex proximal humeral fractures (3-part and 4-part) have better calcar reduction and tuberosity reduction when treated by surgeons with greater volume of proximal humeral fracture surgery. Among surgeons with high volume, there may be individuals who have the unique ability to provide markedly better results., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.)

Haemoglobin (Hb) is a vital oxygen carrier in vertebrates. Low blood Hb levels may indicate anaemia or genetic disorders, while its presence in the lower digestive system suggests colon cancer. Detecting and quantifying human Hb is essential for medical diagnostics. A nanobody-based sandwich-ELISA test was recently developed utilising llama-derived nanobodies NbE11 and NbB9. These nanobodies specifically bind to human Hb without cross-reacting with Hb from other vertebrates. Here, we determine the crystal structure of NbE11 in complex with human Hb. NbE11 binds Hb with high affinity, predominantly binding the β-Hb subunit. Structural differences between human Hb and other vertebrates at the NbE11 binding interface likely explain the assay's lack of cross-reactivity, providing insights for developing Hb binding diagnostics., (© 2024 The Author(s). FEBS Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.)

This publisher's note contains a correction to Opt. Express31(4), 6827 (2023)10.1364/OE.479258.

A range of new statistical approaches is being developed and/or adopted in ecotoxicology that, when combined, can greatly improve the estimation of no-effect toxicity values from concentration-response (CR) experimental data. In particular, we compare the existing no-effect-concentration (NEC) threshold-based toxicity metric with an alternative no-significant-effect-concentration (NSEC) metric suitable for when CR data do not show evidence of a threshold effect. Using a model-averaging approach, these metrics can be combined to yield estimates of N(S)EC and of their uncertainty within a single analysis framework. The outcome is a framework for CR analysis that is robust to uncertainty in the model formulation, and for which resulting estimates can be confidently integrated into risk assessment frameworks, such as the species sensitivity distribution (SSD). Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;20:279-293. © 2023 Commonwealth of Australia and The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)., (© 2023 Commonwealth of Australia and The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).)

The no-effect concentration (NEC) is the preferred threshold metric for single-species toxicity tests applied to derive safe concentration thresholds for contaminants in the environment for use in species sensitivity distributions. However, the NEC is only suitable when concentration-response (C-R) data exhibit a threshold response. We describe an alternative toxicity estimate, the no-significant-effect concentration (NSEC), which is better suited to C-R data for which the response is a monotonically decreasing function of concentration and no threshold effects are evident. We use a flexible, three-parameter sigmoidal function to describe the C-R relationship and detail both Bayesian and frequentist approaches to estimation and inference for the NSEC. While the NSEC is conceptually linked to the traditional no-observed-effect concentration (NOEC), it is a substantial improvement over the NOEC because it decouples the estimate from being directly dependent on the placement of treatment concentrations as well as admitting statements of precision of the resulting toxicity estimate. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2019-2028. © 2023 Commonwealth of Australia and The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC., (© 2023 Commonwealth of Australia and The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.)

Efficient hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA accumulation is dependent upon interactions with the human liver-specific microRNA, miR-122. MiR-122 has at least three roles in the HCV life cycle: it acts as an RNA chaperone, or 'riboswitch', allowing formation of the viral internal ribosomal entry site; it provides genome stability; and promotes viral translation. However, the relative contribution of each role in HCV RNA accumulation remains unclear. Herein, we used point mutations, mutant miRNAs, and HCV luciferase reporter RNAs to isolate each of the roles and evaluate their contribution to the overall impact of miR-122 in the HCV life cycle. Our results suggest that the riboswitch has a minimal contribution in isolation, while genome stability and translational promotion have similar contributions in the establishment phase of infection. However, in the maintenance phase, translational promotion becomes the dominant role. Additionally, we found that an alternative conformation of the 5' untranslated region, termed SLIIalt, is important for efficient virion assembly. Taken together, we have clarified the overall importance of each of the established roles of miR-122 in the HCV life cycle and provided insight into the regulation of the balance between viral RNAs in the translating/replicating pool and those engaged in virion assembly., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.)

Detecting and avoiding obstacles while navigating can pose a challenge for people with low vision, but augmented reality (AR) has the potential to assist by enhancing obstacle visibility. Perceptual and user experience research is needed to understand how to craft effective AR visuals for this purpose. We developed a prototype AR application capable of displaying multiple kinds of visual cues for obstacles on an optical see-through head-mounted display. We assessed the usability of these cues via a study in which participants with low vision navigated an obstacle course. The results suggest that 3D world-locked AR cues were superior to directional heads-up cues for most participants during this activity.

We develop a polarization characterization platform for optical devices in free-space quantum communications. We demonstrate an imaging polarimeter, which analyzes both incident polarization states and the angle of incidence, attached to a six-axis collaborative robot arm, enabling polarization characterization at any position and direction with consistent precision. We present a detailed description of each subsystem, including the calibration and polarization-test procedure, and analyze polarization measurement errors caused by imperfect orientations of the robot arm using a Mueller-matrix model of polarimeters at tilt incidence. We perform a proof-of-principle experiment for an angle-dependent polarization test for a commercial silver-coated mirror for which the polarization states of the reflected light can be accurately calculated. Quantitative agreement between the theory and experiment validates our methodology. We demonstrate the polarization test for a 20.3 cm lens designed for a quantum optical transmitter in Canada's Quantum Encryption and Science Satellite mission.

An individual merino sheep's output of wool production is influenced by synergistic interactions of sheep genetics, climate, farm management, and nutrition available to the whole flock. The price paid to the producer for this wool commodity is determined via numerous tested parameters and /or subjective appraisal of the raw greasy wool. This research investigated the level of variation in wool cortisol (a physiological stress biomarker) and wool micron (MIC) in Merino ewes ( Ovis aries ), pre-partum and post-lambing (lactation/lambs at foot), using maiden ewe ( n  = 38) managed in an outdoor paddock in a commercial farm. The key findings of this study are; (1) wool quality indicators showed a significant variation between pre- and post- parturition including significant reduction in MIC and (2) there was a negative correlation between wool cortisol levels and wool micron pre-parturition (rs = - 0.179, p  < 0.05). This relationship between wool cortisol and wool micron was positive (rs = + 0.29, p  < 0.05) during post-parturition suggesting that ewes with lambs at foot ended up with finer wool (reduction in fibre diameter) but they also maintained high levels of wool cortisol. Furthermore, the comfort factor, curvature, standard deviation and spin fineness of the wool were also significantly reduced post-parturition. The results of this study show that metabolic resources partitioning in ewe associated with pregnancy and lambing can result in a reduction in wool quality indices. The activity of the HPA-axis is attenuated during late gestation and parturition as a maternal adaptation; however, the results of our study show that wool cortisol remained similar between pre- and post- lambing. This result indicates that environmental stressors that may have been operating on farm (e.g., cold winter period) could influence on maternal physiological stress response however the exact level of influence of environment conditions on ewe stress levels and productivity traits (e.g., lambing success and wool quality) warrants further investigation. In conclusion, the use of top-knot wool sampling in combination with wool cortisol analysis provides researchers with a convenient method to quantify wool quality and physiological stress simultaneously under commercial sheep production., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2021 Sawyer et al.)

The species sensitivity distribution (SSD) is a statistical approach that is used to estimate either the concentration of a chemical that is hazardous to no more than x% of all species (the HCx) or the proportion of species potentially affected by a given concentration of a chemical. Despite a significant body of published research and critical reviews over the past 20 yr aimed at improving the methodology, the fundamentals remain unchanged. Although there have been some recent suggestions for improvements to SSD methods in the literature, in general, few of these suggestions have been formally adopted. Furthermore, critics of the approach can rightly point to the fact that differences in technical implementation can lead to marked differences in results, thereby undermining confidence in SSD approaches. Despite the limitations, SSDs remain a practical tool and, until a demonstrably better inferential framework is available, developments and enhancements to conventional SSD practice will and should continue. We therefore believe the time has come for the scientific community to decide how it wants SSD methods to evolve. The present study summarizes the current status of, and elaborates on several recent developments for, SSD methods, specifically, model averaging, multimodality, and software development. We also consider future directions with respect to the use of SSDs, with the ultimate aim of helping to facilitate greater international collaboration and, potentially, greater harmonization of SSD methods. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:293-308. © 2020 SETAC., (© 2020 SETAC.)

Micro-/nanoelectromechanical (MEM/NEM) switches have been extensively studied to address the limitations of transistors, such as the increased standby power consumption and performance dependence on temperature and radiation. However, their lifetimes are limited owing to the degradation of the contact surfaces. Even though several materials and structural designs have been recently developed to improve the lifetime, the production of a microswitch that is compatible with a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) with a long lifetime remains a significant challenge. We demonstrate a vertically actuated MEM switch with extremely high reliability by integrating a carbon nanotube (CNT) network on a gold electrode as the contact material using a low-temperature, CMOS-compatible solution process. In addition to their outstanding mechanical and electrical properties of CNTs, their deformability dramatically increases the effective contact area of the switch, thus resulting in the extension of the lifetime. The CNT-coated MEM switch exhibits a lifetime that is more than 7 × 10 8 cycles when operated in hot-switching conditions, which is 1.9 × 10 4 times longer than that of a control device without CNTs. The switch also shows an excellent switching performance, including a low electrical resistance, high on/off ratio, and an extremely small off-state current.

Single-photon detectors in space must retain useful performance characteristics despite being bombarded with sub-atomic particles. Mitigating the effects of this space radiation is vital to enabling new space applications which require high-fidelity single-photon detection. To this end, we conducted proton radiation tests of various models of avalanche photodiodes (APDs) and one model of photomultiplier tube potentially suitable for satellite-based quantum communications. The samples were irradiated with 106 MeV protons at doses approximately equivalent to lifetimes of 0.6 , 6, 12 and 24 months in a low-Earth polar orbit. Although most detection properties were preserved, including efficiency, timing jitter and afterpulsing probability, all APD samples demonstrated significant increases in dark count rate (DCR) due to radiation-induced damage, many orders of magnitude higher than the 200 counts per second (cps) required for ground-to-satellite quantum communications. We then successfully demonstrated the mitigation of this DCR degradation through the use of deep cooling, to as low as - 86 ∘ C . This achieved DCR below the required 200 cps over the 24 months orbit duration. DCR was further reduced by thermal annealing at temperatures of +50 to + 100 ∘ C .

Renowned mathematician and science historian Jacob Bronowski once defined science as "the acceptance of what works and the rejection of what does not" and noted "that needs more courage than we might think." Such would also seem to be the case with no-observed-effect concentrations (NOECs) and no-observed-effect levels in ecotoxicology. Compelling arguments were advanced more than a quarter of a century ago as to why the use of a model to describe the concentration-response relationship was preferable to an isolated metric, with the NOEC singled out as a particularly poor toxicity measure. In the ensuing years numerous articles critical of the NOEC have been written, with some calling for an outright ban on its use. More recently, arguments have been made for the retention of NOECs, with supporters suggesting that this metric is particularly useful in situations where the concentration-response relationship is weak or nonexistent. In addition, it has been claimed that there are situations in ecotoxicology where suitable models are simply not available. These arguments are not correct, and they also have impeded the decades-overdue incorporation of numerous recommendations based on research that NOECs should no longer be used. In the present study the authors counter some of the most recent claims in support of NOECs and provide new insights for 1 class of problem claimed not to be amenable to such modeling. They are confident that similar insights will be developed as further original research in this area is undertaken. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:2141-2148. © 2016 SETAC., (© 2016 SETAC.)

In response to a recent collection of perspectives published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, the authors argue that there is little value in revisiting and rehashing the well-documented issues around toxicity metrics, competing statistical paradigms, legitimacy of theoretical constructs for species sensitivity distributions, and a number of other unresolved (and perhaps unresolvable) attendant statistical issues that have occupied journal space for more than 30 yr. This is not to say that these matters are unimportant-they are; however, the discussion on these topics is mature, with very few new insights being offered. To move forward on some of these seemingly intractable issues, the authors suggest the ecotoxicological community would be better served by the formation of a subdiscipline of "statistical ecotoxicology," where professional statisticians and ecotoxicologists work in unison. As it currently stands, statistical developments in ecotoxicology are not necessarily undertaken or peer-reviewed by professional statisticians, a situation that has no doubt contributed to the lack of real progress on important recommendations such as the phasing out of no-observed-effect concentrations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1337-1339. © 2016 SETAC., (© 2016 SETAC.)

The species sensitivity distribution (SSD) has been an important development in ecotoxicology, and despite numerous concerns having been raised over many years, it remains the preferred (and often mandated) technique for establishing "safe" concentrations of contaminants in receiving water bodies by jurisdictions around the world. Although universally recognized as a crucial prerequisite for the statistical validity of the procedure, the assumption of random selection of species for SSD modeling is invariably violated. It is shown in the present study that, under very minimal assumptions, nonrandom species selection can result in hazardous concentration estimation errors of a factor of 20 or more. Importantly, if the toxicity data are biased toward the more sensitive species, then the conventional practice of using the lower confidence interval limit for the estimated hazardous concentration may be compensating in the wrong direction., (© 2015 SETAC.)

This paper provides a critical review of recently published work that suggests that the precision of hazardous concentration estimates from Species Sensitivity Distributions (SSDs) is improved when the uncertainty in the input data is taken into account. Our review confirms that this counter-intuitive result is indeed incorrect., (2015 FRAME.)

Purpose: The purpose of this translation study was to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an adapted Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB) intervention for weight management implemented through an existing diabetes education program within a large health care delivery system for overweight/obese individuals with diabetes, prediabetes, or neither condition., Methods: Adults with BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 participated in an adapted GLB intervention designed to be appropriate regardless of diabetes status. Effectiveness was based on changes in weight and minutes of physical activity between baseline and completion of the 12-week core. Differences between subjects based on diabetes status were also examined., Results: A total of 111 subjects with diabetes, prediabetes, and no diabetes completed baseline survey data and attended at least 9 of the 12 core sessions from April 2010 through December 2011. All achieved significant weight loss, and the proportion of subjects who reported exercising at least 150 minutes/week increased., Conclusions: The adapted GLB intervention for weight management implemented through an existing diabetes education program in a large health care system was feasible and effective in the population, regardless of participants' diabetes status., (© 2014 The Author(s).)

The Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality are a key document in the Australian National Water Quality Management Strategy. These guidelines released in 2000 are currently being reviewed and updated. The revision is being co-ordinated by the Australian Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, while technical matters are dealt with by a series of Working Groups. The revision will be evolutionary in nature reflecting the latest scientific developments and a range of stakeholder desires. Key changes will be: increasing the types and sources of data that can be used; working collaboratively with industry to permit the use of commercial-in-confidence data; increasing the minimum data requirements; including a measure of the uncertainty of the trigger value; improving the software used to calculate trigger values; increasing the rigour of site-specific trigger values; improving the method for assessing the reliability of the trigger values; and providing guidance of measures of toxicity and toxicological endpoints that may, in the near future, be appropriate for trigger value derivation. These changes will markedly improve the number and quality of the trigger values that can be derived and will increase end-users’ ability to understand and implement the guidelines in a scientifically rigorous manner.

Time is a central component of toxicity assessments. However, current ecotoxicological practice marginalizes time in concentration-response (C-R) modeling and species sensitivity distribution (SSD) analyses. For C-R models, time is invariably fixed, and toxicity measures are estimated from a function fitted to the data at that time. The estimated toxicity measures are used as inputs to the SSD modeling phase, which similarly avoids explicit recognition of the temporal component. The present study extends some commonly employed probability models for SSDs to derive theoretical results that characterize the time-dependent nature of hazardous concentration (HCx) values. The authors' results show that even from very simple assumptions, more complex patterns in the SSD time dependency can be revealed., (Copyright © 2012 SETAC.)

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of incorporating certified diabetes educator trainees into medical practices on patient diabetes outcomes., Methods: This was a mixed methods practice-based evaluation study undertaken in 2 primary care practices in high-poverty neighborhoods in Buffalo, New York. The evaluation entailed a physician-referred patient cohort with pre- and postanalysis of chart review data corresponding to the American Diabetes Association's diabetes indicators. Patient charts were reviewed at baseline and 12 months. A brief survey was administered to the providers and staff to ascertain the extent to which the certified diabetes educator trainees were perceived as useful as part of the medical practice team., Results: Among 74 patients enrolled in diabetes classes, A1C levels decreased from a mean of 8.8% to 8.3%. Among a subset of patients (35%) with poorly controlled diabetes at baseline (A1C ≥ 9), there was a 15% decrease in A1C levels. Overall improvement in A1C was observed among 219 patients seen by a diabetes educator, in either a diabetes education class or a one-on-one visit., Conclusions: Results suggest that having a certified diabetes educator trainee as part of the primary care practice team may advance diabetes care, as evidenced by improvements in glucose control. Responses from providers and staff suggest that the certified diabetes educator trainees were well integrated into the practices and were perceived as instrumental in educating patients to better manage their diabetes.