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In this Sony Alpha A57 Review I'm going to go over everything you need to know! I also used several different A-Mount lenses for this which is really important for showing off what the SLT Camera can actually do in the Real World!! Often using the kit lens is very limiting in both optical quality and zoom range. Not necessary a bad thing depending on your photography needs, but when you want to see what the Sony A57 Sensor can actually produce, quality optics are critical!!
The Sony SLT-A57 is the latest semi-pro SLT Camera from Sony and will set you back ~$700 for the camera body only, or you can drop ~$800 and get the A57 w/ 18-55mm kit lens, or for ~$1000 you can get the A57 w/ the New 18-135mm kit lens. That is only available for pre-order though at the time of this article as the new lens is expected to start shipping in June. The A57 has a 16mp processor and is capable of taking HD video while simultaneously auto focusing thanks to the translucent mirror technology.
The Lenses I used for this review include the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Lens, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens, and the Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Lens. A pretty sweet lens line-up to say the least and I have a ton of sample photos, custom product shots, and HD real world sample footage for you to check out!!
For this review I opted for the Sony Alpha A57 camera body only and a few other lenses as the 18-55mm kit lens is not that impressive to me. Although a good deal for $100 dollars extra, it's still not the best optical quality, and I really want to show off what the A57 can do at it's best.
Here's a quick Intro movie I put together showing off the A57 and the 24-70mm lens.
Be sure to select the HD Quality option on the player once it starts playing so you have the best viewing experience and sharpest video possible.
Sony A57 Key Features
- From corner to corner, every detail of your scene is beautifully captured by Sony's proprietary Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor
- Create movies of amazing clarity that play extra smoothly by recording them at Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) in the AVCHD Ver. 2.0 (Progressive) format – at the extremely high frame rate of 60 -NTSC (50 PAL) fps
- P/A/S/M modes (Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Manual) let you flexibly adjust aperture and shutter speed to modify the depth of field and achieve effects like defocused backgrounds when shooting movies in the manual focusing mode
- Sound is captured clearly with minimal noise thanks to a high-performance stereo microphone on the mirror housing and advanced noise reduction that effectively suppresses AF lens drive noise via innovative NR algorithm
- With one press of the Movie button, the alpha 57 is ready to roll. The camera immediately enters movie recording mode even if you were shooting photographs continuously or in single-frame mode. It's the quick and easy way to capture every moviemaking opportunity
- Face Detection technology ensures that facial features are clearly focused and skin tones are accurately reproduced by fine-tuning parameters such as exposure, white balance, flash and D-Range Optimizer
- Smile Shutter captures smiles at just the right moment by automatically releasing the shutter when smiles reach the desired level. And Face Registration lets you register up to eight people for the camera to prioritize when detecting faces in groups
- Dramatically enhanced Clear Image Zoom utilizes proprietary By Pixel Super Resolution Technology to zoom the center of your image up to 2x with nearly imperceptible degradation
- Give your photos and movies a creative look with Creative Style settings. Depending on the scene and your creative intentions, select any of 6 customizable settings (Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, Black/White) and the camera will adjust color and other image parameters accordingly
- Ordinary scenes become extraordinary photos and movies with Picture Effect. Choose from 11 customizable modes and 15 effects that significantly increase visual impact by adjusting camera parameters and applying advanced processing techniques
- The Tru-finder electronic viewfinder delivers class-leading viewing ease thanks to sharp 1440k-dot (SVGA) resolution, a 23.1mm eye-point and a notably wide 31.9deg. viewing angle that leaves competing optical viewfinders behind
- The brightness and clarity of Sony's big Xtra Fine LCD monitor brings out every detail of your scene, setting you free to clearly shoot in challenging shooting environments
- You can preview the depth of field, motion blur and other effects of your camera settings by pressing the Preview button. The Tru-Finder and monitor display the scene almost exactly how it will appear in your photos and movies
- Two buttons can be customized to enhance shooting convenience. You can reassign the AEL or ISO button to activate any of 24 assignable functions, including Drive Mode and Flash Mode
- Two finder magnification ratios are selectable, allowing you to switch from the default (max.) mode to the standard (lower ratio) mode to support an extended eye-point. At the maximum 23.1mm eye-point, the entire frame is easy to see even when wearing glasses
- Essential shooting information can be displayed in the viewfinder and monitor at high SVGA resolution for confirmation at a glance. Simply press the DISP button to display the information you desire
- Simply sweep the camera to capture breathtaking vistas. The alpha 57 automatically records and seamlessly stitches a sequence of photos to create a spectacular image. 3D Sweep Panorama records separate right- and left-eye images to bring scenes alive when viewed on an HDMI-compliant 3D television
- With one press, the instant High Dynamic Range mode takes three exposures at different settings and composites the best details from each – in the highlights, mid-tones and shadows – to create a single image with wider dynamic range than any single exposure could possibly capture
- By suppressing noise, the Multi Frame NR mode lets you clearly capture scenes that would normally be challenging even for seasoned professionals
- DRO uses proprietary Sony technology to bring out details in the highlights and shadows and deliver naturally bright images. It can be used during continuous shooting and provides five user selectable levels of compensation
- Relax and enjoy the convenience of point-and-shoot operation. Superior Auto mode automatically detects and analyzes shooting conditions and adjusts camera settings accordingly to achieve optimal results
- Simply choose one of 8 Scene Selection modes (Portrait, Sports Action, Macro, Landscape, Sunset, Night Scene, Handheld Twilight or Night Portrait) & the camera will automatically optimize aperture, shutter speed, white balance & other settings to provide the best overall image quality for the scene
- Photos can be taken in your choice of four drive modes (single-shot, continuous, bracketed or self-timer shooting), which are selectable via user-friendly icons. You can shoot continuously at 8 or 3 fps, shoot with a 2 or 10-second delay, or bracket your choice of exposure, white balance or DRO
- The alpha 57 compensates for the shading and aberration characteristics of the lens you mount. This includes vignetting, lateral chromatic aberration and optical distortion, which can each be activated or deactivated through the MENU as desired
- The powerful built-in flash unit automatically pops up to illuminate dark scenes. It offers various modes, a guide number of 10 (ISO100 m), an irradiation angle that covers the angle of view of a wide 18mm lens and a maximum sync speed of 1/160 sec
Sony A57 Full Specs
|Camera type
|Interchangeable-lens digital camera with built-in flash
|Lens compatibility
|Sony A-mount lenses, operation with Minolta/Konica Minolta lenses confirmed
|Image sensor Type
|APS-C size (23.5 x 15.6 mm), Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor with primary color filters
|Number of pixels (effective)
|Approx. 16.1 megapixels
|Number of pixels (total)
|Approx. 16.7 megapixels
|Image sensor aspect ratio
|Anti-dust system
|Charge protection coating on Low-Pass Filter and Image Sensor-Shift mechanism
|Recording format: Still
|JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver. 2.3, MPF Baseline compliant), RAW (Sony ARW 2.3 format), 3D MPO (MPF Extended compliant)
|Image size: Still (3:2 aspect ratio)
|L: 4912 x 3264 (16M), M: 3568 x 2368 (8.4M), S: 2448 x 1624 (4.0M)
|Image size: Still (16:9 aspect ratio)
|L: 4912 x 2760 (14M), M: 3568 x 2000 (7.1M), S:2448 x 1376 (3.4M)
|Image size: Still (Sweep Panorama)
|Wide: horizontal 12,416 x 1,856 (23M), vertical 5,536 x 2,160 (12M), Standard: horizontal 8,192 x 1,856 (15M), vertical 3,872 x 2,160 (8.4M)
|Image size: Still (3D Sweep Panorama)
|Wide: 7152 x 1080 (7.7M), Standard: 4912 x 1080 (5.3M), 16:9: 1920 x 1080 (2.1M)
|Image quality modes
|RAW, RAW & JPEG, JPEG Fine, JPEG Standard
|Picture Effect
|11 modes (15 effects): Posterization (Color, B/W), Pop Color, Retro Photo, Partial Color (R,G,B,Y), High Contrast Monochrome, Toy Camera, Soft High-key, Soft Focus, HDR Painting, Rich-tone Monochrome, Miniature
|Creative Style
|Standard, Vivid, Portrait, Landscape, Sunset, B/W (Contrast -3 to +3 steps, Saturation -3 to +3 steps, Sharpness -3 to +3 steps)
|Dynamic range functions
|Off, Dynamic Range Optimizer (Auto/Level), Auto High Dynamic Range: Off, Auto Exposure Difference, Exposure Difference Level (1-6 EV, 1.0 EV step)
|Color space
|sRGB, Adobe RGB
|Recording format: Movie
|AVCHD 2.0 (Progressive) / MP4
|Video compression
|Audio recording format
|Dolby Digital (AC-3) / MPEG-4 AAC-LC
|Image size (movie): NTSC
|AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps/PS, 60i/24Mbps/FX, 60i/17Mbps/FH, 24p/24Mbps/FX, 24p/17Mbps/FH)
MP4: 1440 x 1080 (30fps/12Mbps), VGA: 640 x 480 (30fps/3Mbps)
|Image size (movie): PAL
|AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (50p/28Mbps/PS, 50i/24Mbps/FX, 50i/17Mbps/FH, 25p/24Mbps/FX, 25p/17Mbps/FH)
MP4: 1440 x 1080 (25fps/12Mbps), VGA: 640 x 480 (25fps/3Mbps)
|Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, SD memory card, SDHC memory card, SDXC memory card
|Memory Stick Duo/ SD memory card
|Noise reduction
|"Long exposure NR: On/Off, available at shutter speeds longer than 1 sec.
High ISO NR: High/Normal/Low
|Multi frame noise reduction
|Auto/ISO 100 to 25600
|White balance mode
|Auto WB, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent (Warm white/Cool white/Day white/Daylight), Flash, C. Temp 2500 to 9900K, C Filter G7 to M7, 15-step, Custom, AWB micro adjustment
|Two-axis fine adjustment
|Available in all modes
|3 frames, H/L selectable
|Focus Type
|TTL phase-detection AF
|Focus sensor
|CCD line sensors
|Focus point
|15 points (3 points cross type)
|Sensitivity range
|EV -1 to 18 (at ISO100 equivalent with F2.8 lens attached)
|Focus mode
|Autofocus, Manual Focus
|AF mode
|Single-shot AF (AF-S), Continuous AF (AF-C), Automatic AF (AF-A) selectable
|Focus area
|Wide (auto,15 points), Zone, Spot, Local
|Metering type
|1200-zone evaluative metering
|Metering sensor
|Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor
|Metering sensitivity
|EV -2 to EV 17 (at ISO 100 equivalent with F1.4 lens attached)
|Metering Modes
|Multi segment, Center weighted, Spot
|Exposure modes
|iAUTO, Flash Off, Superior Auto, Scene Selection, Sweep Panorama, 3D Sweep Panorama, Continuous Advance Priority AE, Movie, Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M)
|Scene Selection
|Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Sports Action, Sunset, Night Portrait, Night View, Hand-held Twilight
|Exposure compensation
|±3.0 EV (1/3 EV steps)
|AE bracketing
|Bracket: Cont., Bracket: Single, with 1/3 EV, 2/3 EV increments, 3 frames
|AE lock
|Available with AE lock button. AE is also locked when focus is locked in multi-segment metering mode
|ISO sensitivity (Exposure Index)
|ISO 100-16000 equivalent, AUTO (ISO 100-3200 )
|Viewfinder Type
|SVGA 1.2 cm (0.46 type) electronic viewfinder (color), Xtra Fine
|Viewfinder: Total number of dots
|1,440,000 dots equivalent
|Effective number of dots
|Maximum: 1,440,000 dots equivalent, Standard: 1,253,280 dots equivalent
|Viewfinder: Brightness control
|Auto / Manual (3 steps between -1 and +1)
|Viewfinder: Field coverage
|Maximum: Approx. 1.04x, Standard: Approx. 0.97x
|Diopter adjustment
|-4.0 to +3.0 m-1
|Eye point
|"Maximum: 23.1mm from the eyepiece, 18 mm from the eyepiece frame at -1 diopter (CIPA standard)
Standard: 25.2 mm from the eyepiece, 20.1mm from the eyepiece frame at -1 diopter (CIPA standard)
|Viewfinder Display
|Histogram Display, Graphic Display, Digital Level Gauge, Shooting Data Display, Simple Display, Grid Line
|Real-time image adjustment display
|Exposure Comp, White Balance, Creative Style
|LCD Type
|Xtra Fine, 7.5 cm (3.0 type) TFT drive with TruBlack technology
|LCD: Total number of dots
|921,600 dots
|LCD: Brightness control
|Auto/Manual (5 steps between -2 and +2)
|LCD: Field coverage
|Adjustable angle
|Tilt angle: Downward 180 degrees. Rotation angle: Leftward 270 degrees from the position in which the LCD monitor is facing forward
|Display Selector (finder/LCD)
|LCD Display
|Histogram Display, Graphic Display, Digital Level Gauge, Shooting Data Display, Simple Display, Shooting Information For Viewfinder, Grid Line
|LCD: Real-time image adjustment display
|Exposure Comp, White Balance, Creative Style
|Focus Magnifier
|4.8x, 9.5x
|Peaking MF
|Yes (Level: High/Mid/Low/Off, Color: White/Red/Yellow)
|Clear Image Zoom: Still images 2x
Smart Zoom (still images) M: 1.4x, S: 2x
Digital Zoom (still images) 4x
Digital Zoom (movie) 4x
|Shutter Type
|Electronically controlled, vertical-traverse, focal-plane type
|Shutter speed
|1/4000 second to 30 seconds, Bulb
|Flash sync. speed
|1/160 second
|Electronic front curtain shutter
|Yes, On/Off
|SteadyShot INSIDE: System
|For still images: Image Sensor-Shift mechanism, For movies: Electronic
|SteadyShot capability
|For still images: Approx. 2.5-4.5 EV decrease in shutter speed (varies according to shooting conditions and lens used)
|Flash Type
|Auto popup, built-in
|Guide No.
|10 (in meters at ISO 100)
|FOV coverage up to 18 mm (in the focal length)
|ADI flash / Pre-flash TTL
|±2.0 EV (1/3 EV steps)
|Flash Bracketing
|1/3 EV, 2/3 EV steps, 3 frames
|Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Rear sync., Slow Sync., Red-eye reduction (On/Off)
|Recycling time
|Approx. 3 sec
|External flash
|Sony alpha System Flash compatible with Auto-lock accessory shoe
|Wireless control
|Yes (wireless flash with lighting ratio control)
|Drive modes
|Single Shot, Continuous (Hi/Lo), Self-timer (10/2 sec. delay), Bracketing (Cont., Single, White Balance), Remote Control (with optional RM-DSLR1)
|Continuous shooting speed
|Hi: Maximum 8 frames per second, Lo: Maximum 3 frames per second
Tele-zoom Continuous Advance Priority AE: Maximum 12 images per second
Continuous Advance Priority AE: Maximum 10 images per second
|Max. continuous shots
|Tele-zoom Continuous Advance priority AE: Fine: 23 images, Standard: 25
Continuous Advance Priority AE mode: Fine: 23 images, Standard: 27 images, RAW & JPEG: 18 images, RAW: 21 images
Continuous shooting: Fine: 25 images, Standard: 29 images, RAW & JPEG: 19 images, RAW: 21 images
|Playback mode
|Single (with or without shooting information), RGB histogram and highlight/shadow warning, 4/9-frame index view, Enlarged display mode (L: 13.6x, M: 9.9x, S: 6.8x), Auto Review (10/5/2 sec, Off), Image orientation (On/Off), Slideshow, Panorama scrolling, Folder selection (still), Forward/Rewind (movie), Delete, Protect
|PC interface
|Hi-speed USB (USB 2.0): Mass-storage, MTP
|HD output
|HDMI mini connector (Type-C), BRAVIA Sync (link menu), PhotoTV HD
|Other interface
|Sync. Terminal, Auto-lock accessory shoe, Microphone jack, DC IN terminal, Remote terminal
|Compatible OS (USB connection)
|Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Mac OS X (10.3-10.6)
|Built-in stereo microphone or ECM-ALST1 / ECM-CG50 (sold separately)
|Built-in, monaural, volume settings in 8 steps
|Print Compatible standards
|Exif Print, Print Image Matching III, DPOF setting
|Rechargeable battery pack NP-FM500H
|Still images
|Approx. 550 shots with viewfinder and 590 shots with LCD monitor (CIPA standard)
|Approx. 180 min. with viewfinder and 180 min. with LCD monitor
|Operating temperature
|0deg.C to 40deg.C (32deg.F to 104deg.F)
|Approx. 132.1 x 97.5 x 80.7 mm (5-1/4 x 3-7/8 x 3-1/4 in.)
|With battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo: Approx. 618 g (1 lb 5.7 oz)
Body only: Approx. 539 g (1 lb 2.9 oz)
Price: ~$699 (body only) @ BHPhoto (Click Here)
Sony A57 (SLT-A57) and Lenses – Product Photos
To start this review I wanted to show off Sony A57 and Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Lens. I received the camera from BHPhoto with just the one lens, but quickly placed a call for more glass.
Be sure to click on the photos for the in page 1200px gallery style view!!!
Here's a few more pics of the Sony A57, Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens, and the Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Lens. I did some BW editing treatment in Lightroom on these to offer something a little different than the norm.
Be sure to Click on the photos for the in page 1200px gallery style view!!!
Sony Alpha A57 Build Quality and Ergonomics
The A57 has a much improved skin over the previous A55 model. Pretty much every part of the camera body has been improved drastically. It's much more solid feeling than the A55; which although decent build quality it felt more like plastic, and it had small amounts of flex. (Click Here) for my A55 Hands on Review and you can see what I mean.
The SLT-A57 Body
You can really feel the difference when you hold a solid camera in your hands, and the A57 is a gigantic improvement over the A55. It's not bullet proof rock solid like like Fuji X-Pro 1 I recently reviewed (Click Here), but it's still a solid Semi-Pro build quality in my opinion and can take on most Pro photography work. I would gladly use it as a back-up/ extra camera with no hesitation. Personally for wedding work I would still use my Canon 5D mark II as you cannot beat the Full Frame quality, but I would mount a really fast prime on the A57 for those specialty type wedding shots and killer video. Mind you if I didn't already have the Canon gear I would probably be using A77 for the megapixel advantage as my main camera at a wedding. I'm really looking forward to the A99 Full Frame though.
Weight wise the camera is significantly heavier than it's 15.27 oz / 433 g predecessor at 21.8 oz / 618 g. It's also physically larger than the A55 as Sony utilized it's resources, after the divesting floods, and used the A65 camera body for the A57. Nice move Sony!!
The Grip
The grip is the first thing I notice when I hold a camera, and the A57 grip has been deepened and ergonomically enhanced with slight finger grooves. I can also easily reach the adjustment wheel on the top of the grip with my pointer finger. On the back side of the A57 it has a slight bump out for your thumb to help leverage the camera better. It's very noticeable and easier to hold with one hand in particular at your side for example.
I have pretty large hands and the buttons are all reachable with ease on the back with my thumb. The only two buttons that are slightly awkward for me to reach is the ISO and Exp.comp buttons on the very top of the camera just behind the shutter re-lease and on/off switch. My pointer finger can reach them, but it feels a little odd for whatever reason. With use I'm sure I would get used to it, but I actually preferred to use the Fn (Function) button and changing my settings that way as it's often easier to see all the settings as a whole when making changes. I also usually make more than one change at once and the function screen is the way to go for that!!
The Screen
Moving on to the high resolution tilt/ swivel screen we have again a better built version than the A55. The A55 had an additional swivel feature which was nice, but it really made the whole screen assemble kinda flimsy feeling. The screen on the A57 has a large hinge for the initial mount point to the camera body, and then another rigid 270 degree rotating mount off the hing to the actual screen. What this ultimately means is you can tilt the screen downward up to 180 degrees, then you can swivel it completely around up to 270 degrees. This allows you to not only hold the camera over your head aiming the screen down or have it down on the ground aiming up, but it also allows you to close the screen inward towards the camera, in a sort of "Armored Mode". You might want to use this if your in really bright sun and the EVF is all your using, or in inclement weather for example. It's also never a bad idea to flip the screen around and have it protected when your not using it as it's easy to get scratched by accident. Even in your camera bag it can get scratched!! One time I accidentally left an interior zipper compartment open in my camera bag and an extra tri-pod quick release plate fell out. It ended up bouncing around the bag and scratching one of my Canon 5D Mark II Screens. Not really that big a deal in the end as it still works fine, but if I had the option to flip the screen around that would not have happened!
The EVF Viewfinder
The upgraded EVF viewfinder is the same model found in the A55 except it's apparently using twice the amount of pixels. I must say it's clearly better than the A55, but not as good as the OLED found on the A77, A65, and Nex-7. It's a satisfactory compromise though in my opinion as it keeps the cost down on the camera, and it looks great. It doesn't have that HDR Surreal look that the OLED has, which I must admit is incredible, but the dynamic range needed is their for every situation I encountered. I did not get to try it out in the studio unfortunately as I need to get another flash adapter for the A57 hot shoe, but that low light work will simple have a bit of noise on the viewfinder as it tries to simulate the brightness for viewing. Really not that big a deal as the A77 does the same thing and it didn't bother me that much, although in low light studio shooting I still prefer the Optical Viewfinder found on the A580 and my Canon gear. That is the only situation that the optical viewfinder has an advantage now though in my opinion. Sports are now totally doable as the viewfinder updates super fast allowing tracking even at 12fps!!
The viewfinder, being an EVF, also has the advantage of overlaying all sorts of information on the screen and simulating whatever setting you have on the camera. For example, white balance can dialed in perfectly before you take the photo. The EVF shows you the result before you take the shot Live!! This is not new feature for the Sony Alpha 57 SLT, just an advantage over the Optical Viewfinder I wanted to point out encase you are not aware.
Sony A57 Image Quality and Sample Photos
The A57 has an upgraded 16mp sensor that is basically the same physically as the one found in the A55 as far as I can tell, but Sony has figured out a way to get more of it using their incredible powerful Bionz processor and software.
A57 Sensor Specs
- Imaging Sensor : Exmor™ APS HD CMOS sensor (23.5 X 15.6mm)
- Processor : BIONZ™ image processor
- Anti Dust : Charge protection coating on Low-Pass Filter and Image Sensor-Shift mechanism
- Pixel Gross : Approx. 16.7 megapixels
- Effective Picture Resolution : Approx. 16.1 megapixels
- Focal Length Conversion Factor : 1.5x
- Color Filter System : RGB primary color filters
Sample Photos w/ 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* Lens
Michele, Layla, and I went to a friends B-Day part and I took a couple of snapshots with the A57 and 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss lens. A pretty hefty lens with the large constant f/2.8 aperture, but a real quality product as you will see below.
The B-Day boy himself, and be sure to click on the photos for the in page 1200px gallery style view!!!
Here's a few pics of Sandy and Chubs from the other day in the backyard.
Here's a few snaps in the harsh sunlight on my parents deck. The Sony handles the highlights really well in my opinion.
Sample Photos Continued…
A few Landscape Scenes.
Be sure to click on the photos for the in page 1200px gallery style view!!!
More of an Architecture shot I suppose, but a cool building nonetheless that I like to photograph as it has great detail and is interesting to look at in general. As you will see in the 100% Crop version, Sony still likes to sharpen their Jpeg images a little to much in my opinion, but to it's defense, the lens is razor blade sharp! Also note the shear dynamic range in this scene that the A57 was able to capture with one click.
Sample Photos w/ Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens
Here's a few pics using the Sigma f/1.4 lens and the Sony A57 loved it I must tell you. It fits great on the camera and looks stout and like it means business, but more importantly check out the image quality the A57 pumps out with this lens on it!!
I used the AutoHDR feature on this first image of my Brother's Screaming Eagle Harley Fat Boy and I was quite happy with the results all around.
Be sure to click on the photos for the in page 1200px gallery style view!!!
Sample Photos Continued…
This next image was taken at the bottom of my deck stairs were we have a large flower pot. I cropped this image to a square in Lightroom 4 and I also converted it to BW in Lightroom 4 using one of the new presets.
Be sure to click on the photos for the in page 1200px gallery style view!!!
This last sample image taken with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lens was a quick grab of the huge bucket at Sesame Street Place dumping some serious quantities of water!! I was using the New Superior Auto intelegent mode as well just to let you know.
Sample Photos w/ Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Lens
A few shots from our Sesame Place trip.
I took this image on the way to sesame place at the gas station with the Sony Alpha A57. A really nice rig pulled up and I was honestly impressed at the shape it was in considering the age. The Owner was really cool and told me it was almost at 1 million miles!!
Sony Alpha SLT-A57 – High ISO Sample Images
The A57 goes all the way to ISO 16000 and I'll let you take a look at theses High ISO images before I comment on them.
Be sure to click on the photos for the in page 1200px gallery style view!!!
This next two images are just snapshots on the deck of a flower, but their good sample photo for High ISO!
Be sure to click on the photos for the in page 1200px gallery style view!!!
Sony Alpha A57 and Video
One of the most powerful features of the Sony Alpha A57 is HD video! It has the ability to record HD Video and maintain accurate AF with object tracking and face recognition. This is not just hype either, because it actually works as you will see in the real world sample video below. Keep in mind I am not a cinematographer by any means, but I can hit the record button pretty good! I used Final Cut Pro for the video and used the .mp4 format for all the sample video.
Be sure to select the 720P HD Quality option on the player once it starts playing so you have the best viewing experience and sharpest video possible.
Note: it may take some time for the HD videos to download.
In this second video I put together a bunch of real world clips from our Sesame Place Vacation. I got low light video footage from the hotel pool, fast moving objects from the park itself, and all sorts of other stuff thrown in including photos and more.
Be sure to select the 1080P HD Quality option on the player once it starts playing so you have the best viewing experience and sharpest video possible.
Note: it may take some time for the HD videos to download.
Sony Alpha A57 Review – Conclusion
The A57 is the best out of the box Sony Camera that I have used to date, and I highly recommend it! In fact, this is the first Sony camera that I'm giving a full 5 Stars!!
The focus is fast and accurate, image quality as you can see is excellent across the board, even at extremely High ISO's of 16,000. The features work as advertised including the incredible Tell Zoom feature which delivers a 1.4x effective increase of focal length, allowing you to shoot up to 12fps at 8MP resolution with continuous auto focus and auto exposure. I was so impressed by this 12fps and the focus tracking abilities I created an entire article for it (Click Here). Be sure to check out the 100% crops!!
The Ergonomics and build quality of the A57 have officially entered Semi-Pro Category in my opinion and I can confidently recommend this camera to you Pros who want an awesome back up camera with killer HD Video abilities. You could use this camera as your main, but people at the event may be using the same camera and you may or may not have issue with that 😉
Think about this though; You can record the bride coming down the isle with sharp focus the entire time while she is walking toward you or away from you in crisp 1080 HD. Even on a tri-pod you can set the object tracking to the bride and then walk away to take pics with your other camera. The Sony A57 will track your object or bride in this case through the scene and maintain sharp Autofocus the entire time assuming your composition covers it all of course. You could in theory capture the entire ceremony from a tripod using a killer lens. How great would that be for a bonus item to your customers!! I know all our wedding customers for the most part ask if we offer video as well.
For ~$600 dollars you cannot get a better camera in my opinion as far as image quality, build quality, and features are concerned. Just compare it to anything!! I took this camera on vacation and had no issues using it instead of my Pro Canon gear and I'm totally satisfied with the results. I could absolutely use this camera as a back-up for my Pro work, assuming I have a few lenses for it of course 😉
That is it for this review of the Sony A57 SLT using the Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 Carl Zeiss Lens, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens, and the Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II LD Lens. I hope you all got something out of this and please, if you have any questions, concerns, or comments just fire away below.
I also have a bunch of other articles on the A57 that cover specific details and features in more detail than this review did. Check them out Below!
Price Currently: ~$498
Compare Sony Alpha slt-A57 prices @ BHPhotoVideo >> | Amazon >> | Adorama >> | Ebay Auctions >>
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>Four story wood frame construction on top of underground parking structure.
>42 senior living units.
Design Build
As title sponsor for the National Jewish Health Hoops & Hoopla fundraiser, Greiner Electric raised $50,000+ for the Morgridge Academy for chronically ill children.
Greiner Electric ranked 7th Largest Electrical Contractor | Greiner Electric ranked 25th Top Corporate Philanthropist | Greiner Electric ranked 11th Women- Owned Business | 2014 ABC Excellence in Construction Award

subset: commoncrawl


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This past weekend we went to the Nebraska State Genealogical Society (NSGS) conference in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Yes, we had lots of fun. Along the way we learned some things about genealogy and research. The best part was seeing genealogy friends and making new friends. Just being around people who speak our language was worth the trip!
You Go Girl #2 made sign boards for our vending table. They are eye-catching, so we had many people stopping by to visit. We also offered some scientific genealogy tip sheets. Out of our ten tips, I like this one best ... 6. Get off the computer occasionally and go to the library or courthouse. Just remember to change out of your pajamas and bunny slippers.
You Go Girl #1 brought jelly beans. We love our jelly beans and knew that the other genealogists would also love them. A bowl of beans was placed on our vending table. Those genealogists kept coming back to eat beans and visit and take our handouts. I bet when they got home they discovered they had duplicates and triplicates of our handouts because they kept coming back for beans.
Now both of us are getting ready for another trip to Salt Lake City on May 17th. If you are out on I-80 in Wyoming and Utah, honk if you see us. We will be in Lil' Red loaded from one end to the other. You Go Girl #1 will be driving and You Go Girl #2 will be dispensing jelly beans and juggling the maps.
You Go Girl #1 ... Ruby


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aAll patients entered the study while taking either cyclosporine or tacrolimus monotherapy. For cyclosporine, high dose is defined as 3 mg/kg/day or greater; low dose is less than 3 mg/kg/day. For tacrolimus, high dose is defined as 0.08 mg/kg/day or greater; low dose is less than 0.08 mg/kg/day.
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Feng S, Ekong UD, Lobritto SJ, et al. Complete Immunosuppression Withdrawal and Subsequent Allograft Function Among Pediatric Recipients of Parental Living Donor Liver Transplants. JAMA. 2012;307(3):283–293. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.2014
© 2019
Context Although life-saving, liver transplantation burdens children with lifelong immunosuppression and substantial potential for morbidity and mortality.
Objective To establish the feasibility of immunosuppression withdrawal in pediatric living donor liver transplant recipients.
Design, Setting, and Patients Prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-group pilot trial conducted in 20 stable pediatric recipients (11 male; 55%) of parental living donor liver transplants for diseases other than viral hepatitis or an autoimmune disease who underwent immunosuppression withdrawal. Their median age was 6.9 months (interquartile range [IQR], 5.5-9.1 months) at transplant and 8 years 6 months (IQR, 6 years 5 months to 10 years 9 months) at study enrollment. Additional entry requirements included stable allograft function while taking a single immunosuppressive drug and no evidence of acute or chronic rejection or significant fibrosis on liver biopsy. Gradual immunosuppression withdrawal over a minimum of 36 weeks was instituted at 1 of 3 transplant centers between June 5, 2006, and November 18, 2009. Recipients were followed up for a median of 32.9 months (IQR, 1.0-49.9 months).
Main Outcome Measures The primary end point was the proportion of operationally tolerant patients, defined as patients who remained off immunosuppression therapy for at least 1 year with normal graft function. Secondary clinical end points included the durability of operational tolerance, and the incidence, timing, severity, and reversibility of rejection.
Results Of 20 pediatric patients, 12 (60%; 95% CI, 36.1%-80.9%) met the primary end point, maintaining normal allograft function for a median of 35.7 months (IQR, 28.1-39.7 months) after discontinuing immunosuppression therapy. Follow-up biopsies obtained more than 2 years after completing withdrawal showed no significant change compared with baseline biopsies. Eight patients did not meet the primary end point secondary to an exclusion criteria violation (n = 1), acute rejection (n = 2), or indeterminate rejection (n = 5). Seven patients were treated with increased or reinitiation of immunosuppression therapy; all returned to baseline allograft function. Patients with operational tolerance compared with patients without operational tolerance initiated immunosuppression withdrawal later after transplantation (median of 100.6 months [IQR, 71.8-123.5] vs 73.0 months [IQR, 57.6-74.9], respectively; P = .03), had less portal inflammation (91.7% [95% CI, 61.5%-99.8%] vs 42.9% [95% CI, 9.9%-81.6%] with no inflammation; P = .04), and had lower total C4d scores on the screening liver biopsy (median of 6.1 [IQR, 5.1-9.3] vs 12.5 [IQR, 9.3-16.8]; P = .03).
Conclusion In this pilot study, 60% of pediatric recipients of parental living donor liver transplants remained off immunosuppression therapy for at least 1 year with normal graft function and stable allograft histology.
Solid organ transplantation generally incurs a lifelong burden of immunosuppression with many accompanying toxic effects, including renal dysfunction, metabolic perturbation, opportunistic infection, and malignancy.1-4 However, in liver transplantation, several single-center experiences suggest that a proportion of liver recipients can maintain normal allograft function without immunosuppression, termed operational tolerance.5-16 Based on these studies, the estimated frequency of operational tolerance has been proposed to be as high as 20%.17 Although withdrawal of immunosuppression therapy in liver allograft recipients can precipitate rejection, most episodes are reversible without long-term consequences, rendering this patient population appropriate for drug minimization, discontinuation, or both.
To determine the feasibility of withdrawal of immunosuppression therapy in children, we conducted a prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-group pilot trial of withdrawal of immunosuppression therapy in a selected subgroup of pediatric liver transplant recipients. The study's primary end point was the proportion of operationally tolerant patients, defined as those remaining off immunosuppression therapy for 1 year with normal graft function. Secondary clinical end points included the durability of operational tolerance, and the incidence, timing, severity, and reversibility of rejection.
The study was limited to pediatric (<18 years) recipients of parental living donor liver transplants 4 or more years prior to enrollment, who also had stable allograft function during the preceding 6 months while taking a single immunosuppressive drug. Eligible patients were required to undergo liver biopsy and permitted to undergo withdrawal of immunosuppression therapy if the biopsy did not show evidence of acute or chronic rejection or significant fibrosis (Ishak stage >1). Patients were excluded if they underwent transplantation for liver failure due to viral hepatitis or an autoimmune disease. Patients with serological evidence of autoimmunity defined as abnormal anti–nuclear, anti–smooth muscle, anti–mitochondrial, or anti–liver or anti–kidney microsomal antibody titers also were excluded. Similarly, patients with hepatitis B infection (defined by the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen or active treatment for hepatitis B) or those with hepatitis C infection (defined by the presence of antibody against hepatitis C) were not eligible for the study. Full study entry criteria appear in
the eAppendix and details regarding patient selection appear in Figure 1.
Age-appropriate written informed assent of all study patients and informed consent of all parents or legal guardians and all parental liver donors were obtained in person. The study was approved by the institutional review boards of all participating centers.
Patients underwent stepwise immunosuppression reduction over a minimum of 36 weeks at 1 of 3 transplant centers between June 5, 2006, and November 18, 2009 (Figure 2). Withdrawal was temporarily suspended for allograft dysfunction. Liver biopsy was required for any episode of allograft dysfunction unexplained by concurrent illness or other circumstance. Patients were considered to have failed immunosuppression withdrawal if the medication reduction was suspended for longer than 4 weeks or for any episode of rejection requiring treatment.
During immunosuppression withdrawal and for 3 months after the last dose, patients underwent liver tests, which included levels of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase, total and direct bilirubin, and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), every 2 weeks and at clinic visits every 3 months. Next, patients were transitioned to monthly liver tests and biannual clinic visits for 2 years followed by liver tests every 2 months and annual clinic visits for 2 additional years. Alloantibodies, autoantibodies, and quantitative immunoglobulin G (IgG) were monitored every 3 months during immunosuppression withdrawal and for 3 months after the last dose and every 6 months thereafter. Patients who did not complete immunosuppression withdrawal were managed according to the treatment center's standard of care and were followed up for 1 year.
Four protocol-specified liver biopsies were required at study entry, at 4 to 8 weeks, at 2 years, and at 4 years after the last immunosuppression dose after study entry. Patients who did not complete immunosuppression withdrawal were not required to undergo additional protocol biopsies. Patients were followed up for a median of 32.9 months (interquartile range [IQR], 1.0-49.9 months).
Allograft dysfunction was defined as elevation of ALT or both alkaline phosphatase and GGT compared with values at baseline. Baseline values were calculated as the mean of 3 separate assessments using values obtained prior to screening, at screening, and at the liver biopsy visit. If values were normal or below normal at baseline, dysfunction was considered to have occurred when values reached twice the upper limit of normal. If above normal at baseline, dysfunction was considered to have occurred when values reached twice the baseline value. Resolution was defined as values less than or equal to the upper limit of normal if baseline tests were normal or below normal and less than or equal to 1.2 × baseline if baseline tests were above normal.
Clinical diagnosis of acute rejection was based on the site pathologist's assessment of the liver biopsy according to the Banff criteria.18,19 Treatment was given according to the discretion of the principal investigator and not specified by the trial protocol. The central pathologist's blinded prospective readings were used for data analysis and reporting.
The primary end point was the proportion of patients who remained off immunosuppression therapy for at least 1 year and retained normal graft function. Secondary end points included rates and severity of acute rejection, graft loss, death, and adverse events.
HLA typing was performed by automated DNA sequencing (University of California, San Francisco). HLA antibody screening and specificity determination were performed at Emory University using the FlowPRA Screening (One Lambda Inc) and LabScreen Single Antigen (One Lambda Inc) assays. Flow cytometry crossmatches were performed and reported as previously described.20,21
High resolution 40 × whole slide images of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, and hematoxylin-eosin–stained 4-μm tissue sections were prospectively scored for 48 histopathologic criteria. C4d deposition was evaluated blindly on frozen preweaning biopsies using multiplex quantum dot immunostaining for C4d (rabbit polyclonal BI-RC4D, Alpco Diagnostics, 1:30) and CD31 (mouse monoclonal JC/70A, ThermoFisher, 1:25).22 Each vascular compartment and surrounding stroma (portal vein and capillary, portal stroma, hepatic artery, sinusoid, central vein and perivenular stroma) was separately scored (0 = none; 1 = minimal; 2 = focal; 3 = diffuse) and summed for a total C4d score.
Individual baseline characteristics were analyzed to identify those that differed between tolerant and nontolerant patients. Categorical variables were compared between the 2 groups using the Fisher exact test and the t test for continuous variables with a 2-tailed α level of .05. The 1-sample 95% confidence intervals were constructed using an exact binomial distribution. Analyses were conducted using SAS statistical software version 9.1 (SAS Institute Inc). Data were analyzed up to July 31, 2010.
Donor and recipient demographics showed a median recipient age of 6.9 months (IQR, 5.5-9.1 months) at transplantation and 8 years 6 months (IQR, 6 years 5 months to 10 years 9 months) at enrollment. Eleven patients (55%) were male and all were white (Table 1). Biliary atresia was the liver disease etiology for 16 patients (80%). The median donor age was 32.5 years (IQR, 30.8-37.3 years); 6 donors (30%) were fathers and all were white.
None of the patients received induction immunosuppression. After transplantation, all were discharged from the hospital while taking corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors (cyclosporine: n = 17 [85%]; tacrolimus: n = 3 [15%]). Fifteen patients (75%) also were discharged while taking a third immunosuppression drug (mycophenolate mofetil: n = 11 [55%]; azathioprine: n = 4 [20%]). Prior to enrollment, 9 patients (45%) had 1 episode, 2 patients (10%) had 2 episodes, and a single patient (5%) had 3 episodes of acute rejection. At study entry, 13 patients (65%) were taking tacrolimus and 7 patients (35%) were taking cyclosporine monotherapy.
Of the 20 patients, 12 (60%; 95% CI, 36.1%-80.9%) met the primary end point of remaining off immunosuppression therapy for at least 1 year with normal graft function and were termed tolerant. Of the 8 patients (40%) who did not meet the primary end point and who were termed nontolerant, 5 did not meet the primary end point during withdrawal of immunosuppression therapy and 3 did not meet the primary end point after immunosuppression withdrawal. The median time to not meeting the primary end point was 5.68 months (IQR, 3.15-9.91 months) after initiation of immunosuppression withdrawal. One patient was terminated from the study shortly after initiating immunosuppression withdrawal secondary to an exclusion criteria violation and was excluded from the subsequent analysis.
The 12 tolerant patients were off immunosuppression therapy for a median of 35.7 months (IQR, 28.1-39.7 months) and had a median follow-up of 44.7 months (IQR, 36.4-47.8 months). Levels of ALT and GGT before, during, and after immunosuppression withdrawal appear in Figure 3. Six of the 12 patients exhibited a stable profile throughout the study (Figure 3A). Three patients had discrete spikes in ALT and GGT, consistent with the diagnosis of biliary obstruction made during the study (Figure 3B).
The remaining 3 patients exhibited predominantly GGT abnormalities (Figure 3C). For patient No. 9, an indication for liver biopsy was nondiagnostic and liver tests subsequently normalized. For patient No. 16, the first postwithdrawal protocol biopsy was performed 55 days after the last immunosuppression dose and it showed central mild perivenulitis without rejection. An indication biopsy was performed 37 days later and it showed decreased inflammation. A subsequent protocol biopsy was performed 697 days later when liver tests were back at baseline levels and it showed an absence of inflammation but mild perivenular fibrosis. Patient No. 17 had 2 indication biopsies on days 355 and 364 after the last immunosuppression dose that were read as indeterminate and mild acute rejection, respectively, by the central pathologist; however, the site pathologist did not read acute rejection for either biopsy so the patient remained off immunosuppression therapy. Portal vein stenosis was diagnosed and treated by dilatation and stenting on day 606 and liver tests improved substantially. The follow-up biopsy was performed on day 969 (719 days after the last immunosuppression dose) and it showed indeterminate rejection with minimal inflammation but increased perivenular fibrosis per the central pathologist.
All 12 patients considered operationally tolerant had protocol biopsies at 4 to 8 weeks after the last dose of immunosuppression therapy; 11 of 12 patients had a second protocol biopsy 2 years after the last immunosuppression dose. Compared with baseline biopsies, follow-up biopsies did not exhibit increased inflammation (portal, lobular, or central venous; Table 2) or fibrosis (portal, Disse, or central venous; Table 3).
Seven of 19 evaluable patients did not meet the primary end point (Table 4) and had a median follow-up of 18.1 months (IQR, 14.8-21.7 months). Four patients developed allograft dysfunction 43 to 169 days (median, 121.5 days) after initiating immunosuppression withdrawal. Three patients were diagnosed by liver biopsy as having indeterminate or borderline acute rejection and 1 patient as having moderate acute rejection.
Three nontolerant patients did not meet the primary end point at 48, 51, or 69 days after discontinuation of immunosuppression (Table 4). For 2 patients (Nos. 18 and 19), protocol liver biopsy obtained 4 to 8 weeks after the last immunosuppression dose in the setting of normal ALT and GGT levels was read as mild acute rejection by the site pathologist. The third patient (No. 10) developed allograft dysfunction 69 days after the last immunosuppression dose. Local assessment of the liver biopsy was diagnosed as indeterminate acute rejection.
Treatment of allograft dysfunction or acute rejection was determined by the site principal investigator and not stipulated by the trial protocol. All 7 nontolerant patients were treated with increased calcineurin inhibitor dosing (Table 4). Three patients also received a short course of corticosteroids. No antibody treatment was administered. Study participation for nontolerant patients ended 1 year after resolution of allograft dysfunction. At the end of follow-up, all 7 nontolerant patients had normal liver tests (eFigure) while taking calcineurin inhibitor monotherapy. Three patients were receiving higher and 1 patient was receiving lower calcineurin inhibitor doses than at study entry, 2 patients were receiving the same dose as at study entry, and 1 patient had been switched from cyclosporine to tacrolimus (Table 4).
No incidences of death, graft loss, or opportunistic infections were observed. Four children (3 tolerant; 1 nontolerant) were diagnosed with and treated for biliary obstruction during the trial. A complete listing of all adverse events (including serious adverse events) related to immunosuppression withdrawal appears in eTable 1. Of the 10 serious adverse events, 7 corresponded to not completing immunosuppression withdrawal. The 3 others, 1 episode each of cholangitis (patient 1), elevated liver enzyme levels (patient 9), and abdominal pain accompanied by fever and vomiting (patient 12) resolved with either no treatment or concomitant medications.
HLA antibody profiles were available for all 12 tolerant patients and for 6 of the 7 nontolerant patients (eTable 2). Four of the 12 tolerant patients had donor-specific antibodies at study entry. A new donor-specific antibody was detected in 7 of the 12 tolerant patients either during or after withdrawal, although it was transient in 3 patients (eTable 2). Five of the 6 nontolerant patients had detectible donor-specific antibodies at study entry; 2 had new donor-specific antibodies at the time of not completing immunosuppression withdrawal (eTable 3). Autoantibody and quantitative IgG profiles fluctuated but without correlation with significant clinical events such as allograft dysfunction.
Demographic, clinical, histological, and alloantibody characteristics prior to attempted withdrawal were analyzed for association with tolerance (Table 5). Tolerant compared with nontolerant patients initiated immunosuppression withdrawal later after transplantation (median of 100.6 months [IQR, 71.8-123.5] vs 73.0 months [IQR, 57.6-74.9 months], respectively; P = .03), had less portal inflammation (91.7% [95% CI, 61.5%-99.8%] vs 42.9% [95% CI, 9.9%-81.6%] with no inflammation; P = .04), and had lower total C4d scores on the screening liver biopsies (median of 6.1 [IQR, 5.1-9.3] vs 12.5 [IQR, 9.3-16.8]; P = .03). HLA mismatch, sensitization status, and presence of donor-specific antibodies were not associated with operational tolerance. The small number of patients rendered statistical assessment of correlations between C4d score and alloantibody or donor-specific antibody unfeasible.
We completed a multicenter pilot trial designed to assess the feasibility of immunosuppression withdrawal for pediatric recipients of parental living donor liver transplants with stable liver tests. Of the 20 enrolled patients, 12 were operationally tolerant (60%), maintaining normal allograft function for more than 1 year after immunosuppression cessation. Follow-up biopsies from more than 2 years after immunosuppression discontinuation showed preservation of allograft histology. All 7 nontolerant patients were managed with immunosuppression that promptly returned liver tests to their baseline levels. Of these 7, only 3 patients met Banff criteria for acute rejection. We did not observe severe or steroid refractory acute rejection, chronic rejection, graft loss, or death. These outcomes demonstrate that immunosuppression withdrawal in this clinical trial setting appears to be feasible for both tolerant and nontolerant patients.
Our definition of operational tolerance is similar to that used in previous reports of immunosuppression withdrawal. The definition is functional and based on clinical allograft status rather than on immunological assessment of donor-specific vs third-party alloreactivity. The 60% rate that we observed was higher than previously reported.5-16 Reports of adult transplantation have demonstrated tolerance rates ranging from 8% to 33% for liver allograft recipients.5,7,9-12,15,16 There are few reported pediatric trials of immunosuppression withdrawal. The University of Pittsburgh's tolerant cohort included a significant number of children, but success rates were not specified.9,11,23 A Kyoto University Hospital study reported that 88 of 581 pediatric living donor liver recipients (15%) were operationally tolerant.8,14 At Kyoto, immunosuppression was withdrawn more than 2 years after transplant for all children who had not experienced rejection in the preceding year. Among the tolerant Kyoto children, 38% underwent immunosuppression withdrawal after developing a contraindication to ongoing immunosuppression. Our study differed by requiring a longer time from transplant (4 years vs 2 years) and a liver biopsy prior to study entry, while excluding those with an autoimmune or viral disease. Despite differences in how immunosuppression was withdrawn, our experience, combined with that of Pittsburgh and Kyoto, suggests that operational tolerance occurs more frequently in children than in adults.
Our longitudinal data showing the emergence and disappearance of donor-specific antibodies in tolerant patients suggests that functionally defined operational tolerance may be a dynamic state. This is consistent with emerging data from studies in humans and in animals that indicate a requisite role for active regulation of antidonor responses to maintain tolerance rather than thecomplete absence of antidonor responses.24 Importantly, our study offers protocol biopsies obtained 2 years after immunosuppression withdrawal. Central pathological assessment of these biopsies compared with baseline biopsies did not show increased inflammation or fibrosis. In contrast, the Kyoto group reported that grafts of tolerant compared with nontolerant children showed increased allograft fibrosis that regressed with reinstitution of immunosuppression therapy.8 However, our study cohort and the Kyoto cohort were not comparable because tolerant children received transplants at a younger age and immunosuppression therapy withdrawal occurred further out from the date of transplant. This issue can only be definitively resolved with well-designed controlled trials of adequate size and duration.
Although operational tolerance may be a dynamic condition, thus far it has been durable. Many of the 12 operationally tolerant children have weathered serious adverse events such as biliary obstruction or cholangitis, portal vein stenosis, and bacterial or viral infections associated with increased levels on liver tests. None required reinitiation of immunosuppression therapy. As a result, these 12 children were off all immunosuppression therapy for 36.0 to 56.7 months. For the 7 nontolerant patients, frequent biochemical and histological assessments ensured early diagnosis of allograft dysfunction, expeditious intervention, and prompt resolution. Perhaps the most notable and unexpected adverse event that occurred was the diagnosis of biliary obstruction in 4 children (3 tolerant and 1 nontolerant). Two patients experienced cholangitis immediately prior to and less than 3 months into immunosuppression withdrawal. A third patient was diagnosed with a diaphragmatic defect with herniation of the Roux en Y hepaticojejunostomy as the etiology of intermittent biliary obstruction. The final patient was not diagnosed until 22 months after immunosuppression discontinuation. The clinical details of these 4 cases argue strongly against a primary causative role for immunosuppression withdrawal in the development of biliary obstruction.
Our study, while limited in size, elucidated several factors that may be associated with operational tolerance. Although these associations are preliminary, they deserve careful assessment in future, larger trials. Increased time interval between transplantation and immunosuppression withdrawal, consistent with the adult experience,25 was the most important clinical factor associated with successful immunosuppression withdrawal. Histological factors such as portal inflammation, even in the absence of tissue damage, and increased total C4d score were associated with the absence of operational tolerance,26 suggesting that active and inadequately regulated anti–donor cellular and humoral responses interfered with tolerance. The negative association of overall C4d staining intensity with operational tolerance is a novel observation. Baseline sensitization and donor-specific antibody status were not associated with tolerance, perhaps reflecting the small size of our study. The clinical impact of both humoral rejection and C4d staining are less well understood in liver transplantation than in other solid organ transplantation.27 Because C4d staining has been explored almost exclusively in the setting of allograft dysfunction, its functional significance in long-term stable allografts such as those in our study is unknown.28-30 Future withdrawal trials should assess baseline and longitudinal patterns of donor-specific antibody and C4d staining to identify associations with tolerance, rejection, or both.
In conclusion, this pilot trial demonstrates that immunosuppression therapy can be completely withdrawn in 60% of highly selected pediatric recipients of parental living donor liver transplants with maintenance of normal allograft function and stable allograft histology. While there have been sporadic reports of immunosuppression discontinuation after liver transplantation over the past 2 decades, they have been limited to case series and isolated center experiences. Many featured atypical patients, such as those who had developed severe malignant, infectious, or metabolic complications that mandated immunosuppression cessation or those who were noncompliant with their prescribed medical regimen. While these reports have provided anecdotal evidence that liver allografts may continue to function in the absence of immunosuppression, they have not yielded generalizable knowledge. As a result, they neither changed perception nor practice.
Our preliminary study was based on a rigorous design, clearly defined entry criteria, a strict protocol for drug withdrawal, and histological follow-up. Our surprising finding that an unexpectedly high proportion of a well-defined pediatric cohort are operationally tolerant with stable allograft function and histology sets the agenda for larger studies with longer follow-up to define the frequency, assess the durability, and derive a predictive profile of operational tolerance for pediatric liver transplant recipients.
Corresponding Author: Sandy Feng, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, PO Box 0780, San Francisco, CA, 94143 (email@example.com).
Author Contributions: Dr Feng had full access to all of the data and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data integrity and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Study concept and design: Feng, Roberts, Bridges, Turka.
Data acquisition: Feng, Ekong, Lobritto, Demetris, Rosenthal, Alonso.
Data analysis and interpretation: Feng, Demetris, Philogene, Ikle, Poole, Bridges, Turka, Tchao.
Drafting of the manuscript: Feng.
Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Feng, Ekong, Lobritto, Demetris, Roberts, Rosenthal, Alonso, Philogene, Ikle, Poole, Bridges, Turka, Tchao.
Statistical analysis: Philogene, Ikle, Poole.
Obtained funding: Feng.
Study Supervision: Feng, Bridges, Tchao.
Conflicts of Interest Disclosure: All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Dr Demetris reported that he has received fees as a consultant for pathology services related to clinical trials of immunosuppression drugs in adult de novo liver transplant recipients from Novartis/DCL Laboratory and Bristol-Myers Squibb; and is a co-inventor of Omnyx Digital Pathology Solution, a joint venture between the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and General Electric to create a complete digital pathology solution. Dr Turka reported that he owns stock in and has a family member employed by Novartis. No other disclosures were reported.
Funding/Support: The Immune Tolerance Network, an international clinical research consortium founded by the National Institutes of Health, funded the study. This study also was supported by grant UL1 RR024131 from the National Institutes of Health/National Center for Research Resources awarded to the University of California, San Francisco, Clinical & Translational Science Institute.
Role of the Sponsors: The sponsors had a role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, and approval of the manuscript.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Friends: Woman found dead in Steamboat Springs hotel caught up in love triangle
March 16, 2013
Steamboat Springs — A former boyfriend of Gillian "Jill" Gentile, the Yampa woman whose body was found Friday in a Steamboat Springs hotel room, said he received a concerning phone call from her the previous night.
Alfred Valenti said Gentile and Sam Wisecup were drunk at a hotel, and that Gentile said she needed Valenti's help to mislead Wisecup's girlfriend about a relationship the two were having.
On Saturday morning, police in Amarillo, Texas, arrested Wisecup and his girlfriend, Kendra Parker, on behalf of the Steamboat Springs Police Department. The two South Routt County residents are considered persons of interest in the death of Gentile, 32, whose body was found by a maid at about 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Quality Inn & Suites, where she checked in Wednesday night.
Steamboat Police Chief Joel Rae said Saturday that officers have surveillance footage of Parker, 22, of Yampa, and Wisecup, 29, of Oak Creek, leaving the hotel at Walton Creek Road and South Lincoln Avenue at 10:47 a.m. Friday. Police used the footage as well as interviews with hotel employees and South Routt residents to identify Wisecup and Parker.
Valenti, Gentile's former boyfriend, said he agreed to help her when she called him from the hotel because he still considered her a good friend. Valenti said he was supposed to call Parker and tell her that he was Gentile's boyfriend so Parker would not suspect Wisecup and Gentile were having a relationship.
"His girlfriend probably was suspicious," Valenti said Saturday.
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Although Gentile's death is being investigated as a possible homicide, Rae said Saturday that Wisecup and Parker have not been accused of killing Gentile. They were arrested on suspicion of aggravated motor vehicle theft because police think the couple stole Gentile's 2005 Kia Sorento. The car was found in the parking lot of an Amarillo hotel where Wisecup and Parker were staying. Rae would not say how detectives tracked Wisecup and Parker to Amarillo.
Wisecup is being held without bond, and Parker's bond was set at $10,000. They will be transferred to Steamboat at some point.
According to arrest records, Wisecup has been arrested seven times since 2007 for mostly minor offenses related to two DUIs. Rae said Wisecup is considered a habitual traffic offender. He graduated from Soroco High School in 2002.
Parker does not have an arrest record. She was an honor roll student at Soroco High School, where she graduated in 2009.
Police said Saturday that they still were not sure how Gentile died. An autopsy is scheduled for noon Sunday. Rae said Gentile's body did not suffer any substantial trauma, and he would not say whether drugs or alcohol were found in her hotel room. If drugs or alcohol were involved, toxicology results likely will not be available for several weeks.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Josh Carrell at 970-879-4345. Callers also can remain anonymous by calling Routt County Crime Stoppers at 970-870-6226.
An unexpected loss
Gentile worked at the Royal Hotel & Bar in Yampa, about 30 miles south of Steamboat. Nicole McGrath, who owns the Royal Hotel with her fiance, Bill Ager, said she and Gentile grew up together in Framingham, Mass., and had been best friends since they were 13. Gentile moved to Yampa in October.
"She came out here to help us at the hotel and start a new life," McGrath said. "She was going to be my maid of honor in September."
At the Royal Hotel, Gentile did everything from tend bar to clean rooms, and the customers loved her, McGrath said.
"For the short amount of time she was here, she made a lot of new friends," McGrath said. "Everybody was really happy to have her here."
Before Gentile moved to the Rocky Mountains, McGrath said her friend was a personal care attendant and had spent the past 10 years caring for a quadriplegic.
"She always put others ahead of herself," McGrath said.
McGrath said Gentile did not work Thursday and Friday, and she thought her friend got the hotel room in Steamboat to get away from Yampa for a couple of days. McGrath said Gentile and Wisecup had been hanging out for the past couple of months and were romantically involved.
McGrath said Wisecup supposedly "was breaking it off" with Parker, his girlfriend.
McGrath said she last spoke with Gentile on Thursday and became concerned when she could not get in touch with her Friday.
She said Gentile's parents still live in Framingham.
"They're absolutely devastated," McGrath said. "They feel like it was too soon for their daughter to be gone."
To reach Matt Stensland, call 970-871-4247 or email firstname.lastname@example.com


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Hunter Industries provides a Handbook of Technical Irrigation Information which includes formulas that are extrememly helpful in determining efficient watering schedules. This article is based on the information provided in the Handbook.
The Run Time Formula allows you to calculate how long you need to run your sprinkler system to compensate for the water lost in evapotranspiration. The formula is designed to calculate for specific crops watered with a system running at specific precipitation rates.
If you wanted to determine the total monthy run time for a soccer field with a total monthly ETo of 2.0 inches, a crop coefficient for turf during the warm season of 0.70, and sprinkler precipitation rate of 0.50 inches per hour with an application efficiency of 75%, you would apply the formula as follows:
Thus if the system is programmed to water on 10 days during a month, the zone watering time would be 22.4 minutes (1/10th) of the total monthly requirement.
The Evapotranspiration rate, or ETo, refers to the rate at which plants lose water to evaporation. Humidity, temperature, and other factors are taken into account to determine the Eto rate at a particular time. Seasonal changes, such as humidity and temperature, cause ETo rates to change. Daily, and even hourly fluctuations in temperature and humidity will cause changes, but for most basic irrigation purposes, such as lawns and gardens, average seasonal ETo rates are sufficient for efficiently scheduling watering run times.
ETo rates for your area are provided by many reliable sources, such as the National Climatic Center. the following chart was provided by the NCC in Sheville, North Carolina, and reports the total monthly ETo rates for the Austin area.
Crop coefficient (abbreviated Kc) refers to ETo water loss for specific plants. This allows you to adjust for ETo variations between soft leafy plants, like ferns, which lose water faster than hard, waxy leafed plants, such as groundcovers. Warm season grass species, such a Bermuda, lose water differently than cool season grass species like rye.
Application efficiency, or EA, refers to how evenly your sprinkler system is watering- the uniformity of coverage. The only really accurate way of measuring EA is to run a sprinkler system audit. dThis can be done using catch cans, a rain gauge, or any non-tapered cup or can. See the links listed at the bottom of this article for a detailed article on performing an audit.
Other important factors are soil consistency and active root zone depth. All of these need to be considered when calculating a water efficient schedule for your sprinkler system.


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RachelF needed a new print or packaging design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 46 designs submitted by 16 freelance designers.
4x6 Info card needs revamp! Logo and colors stay the same, other than that, anything goes! AWARD JUST INCREASED TO $150
What: 4x6 Info card
Why: Needs a dope new design!
Who: International pet relocating company. Yes, pet relocating.
1) We want to keep the text the same.
2) add: Educational Training, to list of services
3) show me what you got
I can email old version, but do not want to taint any ideas. See website, http://www.petrelocation.com for colors and logo.
- Item 1...


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Creating Spaces: Performing Artists In Sacred Spaces
This study builds upon a successful pilot program of Partners for Sacred Places that facilitates long-term, mutually beneficial space-sharing relationships between arts organizations -- with inadequate or no home space -- and houses of worship with space to share.
Explore research about arts and culture produced by social sector organizations involved in programming, performance, policy, and advocacy. Topics include the humanities; visual, performing, and folk art; museums; arts education; audience development; community engagement through public art, and more.
This trend line represents foundation funding for research & publication in this specific issue area. Data are from grants awarded by the FC 1000, a national sample of 1,000 of the largest grantmakers by total giving
Graph represents all funding for this issue area; the highlighted arc represents the proportion awarded explicitly for research and publication.
Mapping the Chicago-area Dance Landscape
Feb 11, 2019
Publisher(s): Foundation Center ; Fractured Atlas ; Sustain Arts ; See Chicago Dance
Creative Placemaking and Expansion of Opportunity: Observations and Reflections
Jul 18, 2018
Publisher(s): Kresge Foundation
Racial Equity & Arts Funding in Greater Pittsburgh
May 7, 2018
Publisher(s): Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council
We Choose to Be Here: Spy Hop's 2016-2017 Evaluation Report
Mar 30, 2018
Publisher(s): Spy Hop Productions
Arts Funding Snapshot: GIA's Annual Research on Support for Arts and Culture
Mar 27, 2018
Publisher(s): Foundation Center ; Grantmakers In the Arts
Research & Evaluation at the LA County Arts Commission, 2016-17
Jan 22, 2018
Publisher(s): Los Angeles County Arts Commission
The Kresge Foundation Arts & Culture Program: The First Decade
Jan 11, 2018
Publisher(s): Kresge Foundation
Cultural Vitality in Communities: Interpretation and Indicators
Dec 1, 2006
Publisher(s): Urban Institute
Radio Deregulation: Has It Served Citizens and Musicians?
Nov 18, 2002
Publisher(s): Future of Music Coalition
Evaluation Report for Community-Based Youth Media Program
Jan 1, 2005
Publisher(s): Phillips Community Television
The Information Commons: A Public Policy Report
May 18, 2004
Publisher(s): National Coalition Against Censorship
Will Fair Use Survive? Free Expression in the Age of Copyright Control
Dec 5, 2005
Publisher(s): National Coalition Against Censorship
Free Expression in Arts Funding
Jun 26, 2003
Publisher(s): National Coalition Against Censorship
Museums & Society 2034: Trends and Potential Futures
Dec 19, 2008
Publisher(s): American Association of Museums ; Reach Advisors
Changing Church in the South: Religion and Politics in Elba, Alabama
Feb 16, 2007
Publisher(s): The Carsey Institute
Cultural Engagement in California's Inland Regions
Sep 1, 2008
Publisher(s): James Irvine Foundation


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THIS BEAUTIFUL new book from MBI Publishing Company will make a great Christmas gift for the Farmall tractor enthusiast. Farmall: Eight Decades of Innovation by Randy Leffingwell follows the IH Farmall line from the first model built in 1924 to the new tractors being manufactured today by Case IH/New Holland. Every page of the 352-page book contains photos, with most of them in color. The book includes many color photos of beautifully restored Farmall tractors, as well as photos from the early days of the tractor brand. The photos help depict the role Farmall played in the development of the tractor.
The book contains profiles and insights from engineers and designers who built the Farmall line from the very beginning. It takes the tractor through agriculture's booming decades of the 1950s, '60s and '70s and into the current years with the Case IH brand.
The hardcover coffee-table book retails for $50 and is available from MBI Publishing Co., 380 Jackson St., Suite 200, St. Paul MN 55101, 800/826-6600, www.motorbooks.com.


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- Inside Athletics
- Tickets
- Fan Zone
- Media Zone
- Social
- Shop
- Donate Now
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 12, 2009) - After three straight road matches the ETSU women's soccer team returned home with bang, as the Buccaneers routed Atlantic Sun Conference rival USC Upstate 5-0 Monday afternoon at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
With the win ETSU improved to 4-10-0 overall, with a even 3-3 (9 points) mark in A-Sun play, while USC Upstate dropped to 0-15-0, with a 0-6 conference record.
ETSU opened the scoring quickly as freshman forward Tori Head (Kingsport, Tenn.), tapped home the first goal of the match, after senior defender Kim Jones' (Springfield, Va.), shot bounced off of Upstate keeper Brittany Daughtry in the sixth minute.
The Bucs added to their tally 13 minutes later as junior midfielder Kelly Brinkman (Clearwater, Fla.), netted her second goal of the season, with a strong 25 yard blast through the Spartan defense.
"The biggest difference today was our ability to finish our scoring opportunities," said head coach Heather Henson. "Our offense attacked as a unit from start to finish. That was one of the keys today with us being victorious."
After taking its two goal lead into the intermission, senior forward Jordan Monty (Mesquite, Texas), opened the second half with her first points of the day, converting a pass, from Brinkman in the box, for her third goal of the season in the 53rd minute.
Fellow forward, junior Terri Miller (Cape Coral, Fla.), also netted her third goal of the season after the Cape Coral, Fla., native founded the back of the net off of a beautiful pass from Monty in the 78th minute.
Just when it looked like Monty was done on the day, the Buc captain crossed a pass from the right side of the offensive zone, where sophomore midfielder Genna Petersen (Loveland, Ohio), headed home her first score of 2009 for the final 5-0 tally.
"Our players did a great job keeping their poise after we scored early," Henson said. "Every one of our girls attacked and defended in numbers all over the field. Hopefully we can now take this energy and use it this weekend against two qualify opponents."
Offensively, Monty led the Bucs with five points on the day (1 goal, 2 assists), while sophomore keeper Megan Masch (Virginia Beach, Va.), posted her third shutout of the season with five saves, including a first half stop on Daphnee Caset's penalty kick.
With the win ETSU improved its all-time record against USC Upstate to 3-0-0. Also with the five goal advantage the Bucs posted their largest margin of victory since ETSU defeated South Carolina State 6-1 Oct. 19, 2005.
The Bucs return to action with its second straight home match, a 1:30 p.m., kickoff Friday against Mercer at Summers-Taylor Stadium.
For more information on the ETSU women's soccer team please visit www.ETSUBucs.com. Also you can follow daily post and updates on the official ETSU women's soccer team Twitter page at www.twitter.com/ETSUSoccer.


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Home - Visit
Welcome to California's beautiful deserts.
Many tourists have never experienced the other side of California, east of the Sierras.
Visitors will find activities for all interests, and attractions to fit any theme – geological landmarks, outdoor sports, museums, wildlife, ghost towns, California history, stargazing and more.
Increasingly popular among eco-tourists, the California high desert is home to exotic plant and animal life. The alien terrain is a hot spot for geo-caching, off-roading, and rock climbing. Hike the famous Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail, and Mount Whitney. Cosmic enthusiasts seek out our high elevation and protected horizon for the most incredible star-gazing in California year round.
We hope your visit is both exciting and comfortable. The city of Ridgecrest has 18 hotels and 65 restaurants to choose from.
Nestled at the crossroads of three major highways and only 3 hours away from
- Death ValleyNational Park
- Disneyland
- Yosemite National Park
- Paso Robles wine country
- MammothMountain ski resort
- Los Angeles
- Las Vegas
Ridgecrest is the perfect base camp for an all-inclusive California experience.


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Visit the LostWinds Website. Now available for iOS!
Use this control to limit the display of threads to those newer than the specified time frame.
Allows you to choose the data by which the thread list will be sorted.
Order threads in...
Note: when sorting by date, 'descending order' will show the newest results first.


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Mayor's Office
Mayor Chris Beutler today announced the selection of Kimberley Taylor-Riley, an Omaha attorney, as the new Director of Equity and Diversity, effective February 8. In this position, she will serve as Director of the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights (LCHR) and also will serve as the City's Equal Employment Opportunity Officer. Her annual salary will be $65,000.
"We are very excited to have Ms. Taylor-Riley on board," said Mayor Beutler. "She brings a demonstrated commitment and passion for human rights to this position, and I look forward to working with her."
Riley, a graduate of Omaha Benson High School, operates a private law practice in Omaha. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Nebraska - Omaha and her law degree at Creighton University.
"It is truly an honor to be selected by the Mayor to serve such an important role in his administration," Taylor-Riley said. "Having so recently celebrated the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I can think of no better way to honor his memory then to embark upon such an important and necessary function. I eagerly anticipate serving the Mayor and the residents of the City of Lincoln in this capacity."
The nine-member LCHR acts as an advisory body to the Mayor and City Council. It is charged with the responsibility of eliminating and preventing discrimination in places of public accommodation, housing and employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disability, national origin, familial status, ancestry, age or marital status. As the City's Equal Opportunity Officer, Taylor-Riley also will handle complaints from City employees alleging discrimination.
During the 2010-11 budget cycle, the City reorganized the Human Rights division when its director resigned. City Attorney Rod Confer and Senior Policy Aide to the Mayor Milo Mumgaard have served as the City's Interim Human Rights Director and Interim Equal Opportunity Officer respectively since that time.
Both the LCHR and the Mayor's Multicultural Advisory Committee (MAC) designated members to assist in the hiring process for the new Director of Equity and Diversity. "I want to thank both Gene Crump with the Commission and Amir Azimi with the MAC for their work throughout the last several months," Beutler said. "Their insights and experience were invaluable."
LCHR meetings are held at 4 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month in City Council Chambers, County-City Building, 555 S. 10th St. More information is available at lincoln.ne.gov (keyword: human rights). The MAC meets at 4 pm on the second Tuesday of each month (September through May) in the Mayor's Conference Room of the County-City Building. Meetings of both groups are open to the public.


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September 1998 Readers' RidesPosted in Features on September 1, 1998
Udovich's New York Blazer
John Udovich of Naples, New York, drives this '88 Chevy Blazer. His wife Niccole jokes, "If the garage were on fire, John would get his truck out and then check to see if I was all right." His Blazer sports 38-inch Swampers on steel wheels, a 14-bolt Corporate rear, a Dana 44 in front (both trussed and locked), an ACCEL ignition system, and a Warn Enforcer bumper with an 8,000-pound winch. A custom interior houses a built-in stereo system and increased storage.
Starbuck's Iowa Scout
Seventeen-year-old Aynsley Starbuck of Des Moines and her father restored this '67 International Scout 800 Series to as close to original as they could. They rebuilt almost everything from the transfer case to the cooling system and rewired the electrical system. It rides on steel rims with Cooper all-weather mud and snow tires at all four corners. Now the truck looks and performs as good as it did when it was new.
Kaylin's South Carolina Jeep
Kevin Kaylin of Gaffney, South Carolina, is a state trooper who often gets asked, "Is that thing legal?" He has proven to be unstoppable on the trails in his '78 Jeep CJ-7. Perhaps that's because of the 44-inch TSL Swampers and Boggers, the Chevy 454, the built TH350 tranny, the GM 14-bolt rear, and the Dana 60 front axle. So, is that thing legal? He never said, but who would issue the ticket if it weren't?
Copley's West Virginia Dodge
Brian Copely and his dad, Ken, of Culloden, West Virginia, race their '77 Dodge in mud bogs. Brian won his first event and has continued to do well. The truck has a 440 V-8 beefed up with a Mopar Performance cam, lifters, and valvespring combo, a Cloyes double-roller timing chain, a Holley 750, and more. It rides on 36-inch Buckshot mudders that provide plenty of winning traction on this mud-bog-only truck.
Towler's Michigan Ford
Tim Towler of Monroe, Michigan, wanted to keep his '95 Eddie Bauer F-150's appearance as stock as possible, even with a 6-inch lift and 36-inch Super Swampers under the fenderwells. The Swampers are mounted on the factory wheels. A K&N air filter and Hypertech control module juice up the 5.0L V-8, and a four-speed automatic slushbox takes care of the gear-shifting duties. Tim mounted PIAA driving lights up behind the special cutouts in the bumper
Castro's Texas Chevy
Eddie Castro of Harlingen, Texas, owns this '74 Chevy Stepside. It has a 4-inch lift and a 3-inch body lift, making room for 40-inch Ground Hawgs. The 454 big-block provides gobs of torque, and it gets some help from ACCEL ignition. Seven KC HiLiTES attached to a Grizzly lightbar brighten the darkest of dark trails. Tunes come from a Kenwood stereo with a 400-watt Jensen amp.
Snyder's West Virginia Bronco
Ryan Snyder of Parkersburg, West Virginia, bought his '75 302 Sport Bronco in its original factory condition-if you don't count the wasps' nests and rusted-off tailgate. The previous owner hadn't racked up a lot of miles, but he had used the Bronco to push snow every winter for 11 years. After removing the rusty plow bolts, Ryan took the Bronco home, where he did all the drilling, cutting, riveting, sanding, and painting himself to get it back into shape.
Lienhard's Wisconsin Cherokee
Donald Lienhard of New London, Wisconsin, has done a lot of work to his '82 Cherokee Chief. For starters, he installed a 3-inch Rancho suspension lift and a 3-inch Trail Master body lift. The 258 inline-six provides V-8-like power with help from an Offenhauser dual plane manifold, Clifford headers, a 390-cfm carb, and dual exhaust. This Cherokee rides on Keystone chrome wheels with 33-inch Super Swampers attached to Dana 44 axles. A Lock-Right locker is in the rear.
Eure's Virginia Ranger
Jason Eure of Suffolk, Virginia, went for the prerunner look with his '94 Ford Ranger XLT 4x4. He added a 4-inch Skyjacker lift, 15x10 Centerline Aluminum wheels, 32-inch BFGs, dual stablizer bars, dual exhaust, and of course, a prerunner lightbar holding two 6-inch KC HiLiTES. Inside there is an Alpine custom-built stereo system with a CD player, an amplifier, and two 10-inch subwoofers.
Carenza's Connecticut J-10
This somewhat rare find is owned by Michael Carenza Jr. of New Britain, Connecticut. His '82 J-10 Honcho Sportside pickup has a stock 258 inline-six attached to an automatic transmission, and the tires are 30-inch Trailhandler All-Terrains on American Racing wheels. The restoration involved spraying on new black clearcoat, fixing rust, installing a new gas tank, and reupholstering the interior.
Smith's California Bronco
Bret Smith of Van Nuys, California, has kept this '70 Bronco running despite its rough life. After he bought it in 1994, the 302 V-8 blew and had to be replaced with a rebuilt engine. It ran so well that he took it off-road-and rolled it. Fortunately, every time something bad happened, it emerged a better truck. He used each opportunity to fix pesky problems and to upgrade. He painted over the old, light-brown paint with emerald-green and added white Bushwacker flares.
Ugly Truck Of The Month
This aesthetically challenged vehicle is an '85 Jeep Laredo owned by Erich Pflanz of Frankfort, New York. He got it when he was 17 and has beaten it with an ugly stick ever since. Erich believes this beast has a mighty 2.8L V-6 and considers it to be a cheap ride. It appears that this '85 spent the last 13 years following a salt truck. A close examination of the lower body panels reveals a custom brushed-on paint job, highlighted with crusty pieces of rust.
Brown's U.K. Nissan
Rodney M. Brown of Upton, Wirral, Merseyside, England, drives this four-door, '96 Nissan 2+2 Crew Cab imported from Cyprus. In the U.K., it is regarded as fullsize and American. It cost $24,000 to import including freight, various taxes, and import duties. The engine is a stock 2.5L normally aspirated diesel that gets 38 mpg, sucking down petrol that costs $4.75 per gallon. The truck sees lots of action at construction sites and tows horse trailers to shows on the weekends.
Beckman's Tennessee Scout
What started out as a father and son project for Gary and Nicholas Beckman of Arlington, Tennessee, has become an almost-original-factory-condition '62 International Harvester Scout Model 80. Rather than add a whole bunch of modern trappings, Gary and Nicholas decided to restore the 'Binder to its original glory, from its four-cylinder Commanche engine and three-speed transmission to the sliding windows and fold-down windshield.
Warner's Wisconsin Ramcharger
Chris Warner of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, owns this '89 Dodge Ramcharger. The 4-inch suspension lift and 35-inch BFGs add plenty of height and traction to help this Ramcharger plow through whatever weather and terrain Wisconsin can throw at it. Plans include larger tires and engine mods. His wife picked out the sharp American Racing wheels.


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115 killed, 1,500 buildings razed in Nigerian town
BAMA, Nigeria (AP) — The latest attack by suspected Islamic extremists in Nigeria's northeast has left 115 people dead, more than 1,500 buildings razed and some 400 vehicles destroyed, witnesses said Thursday, as a traditional ruler accused the military of being scared to confront the militants.
Sitting amid the smoking ruins of his palace, the shehu, or king, of Bama, Kyari Ibn Elkanemi, charged that the government "is not serious" about halting the Islamic uprising in a region covering one-sixth of the country, far from oil fields that make Nigeria Africa's biggest petroleum producer.
Wednesday night's attack on Bama town, an agricultural and commercial center, came the day the leader of the Boko Haram terrorist network warned leading Nigerian Muslim politicians and religious and traditional leaders that his fighters will target them for pursuing democracy and Western-style education.
In the video message, punctuated by the crackle of automatic gunfire, Abubakar Shekau said: "The reason I will kill you is that you are infidels, you follow democracy. ... Whoever follows democracy is an infidel and my enemy." Shekau spoke in the local Hausa and Kanuri languages in the video, obtained by the AP Thursday through channels that have provided previous communications.
Many more Muslims than Christians have been among the thousands of people killed in the 4-year-old rebellion by his Boko Haram — the nickname means "Western education is forbidden — which aims to transform Nigeria into an Islamic state, even though half the more than 160 million citizens are Christians.
The shehu's attack on the government and the military came the week Nigeria's Defense Ministry has been defending itself after the governor of the state most affected by the uprising, Kashim Shettima of Borno, told President Goodluck Jonathan that Boko Haram are "better armed and better motivated" than security forces.
According to Shehu Ibn Elkanemi, "Boko Haram has established recognized camps which are known to many of our people but the security are afraid to approach them. Each time the civilian JTF (vigilante force) wants to go, the security will not allow them."
Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade, the Defense Ministry spokesman, said in a statement this week that recent attacks are being perpetrated by extremists who are fleeing the military's aerial bombardment and follow-up ground assaults on forest hideouts.
Olukolade said they have the militants on the run.
Attacks like the one on Bama would appear to contradict that.
Gov. Shettima said the attacks are becoming more frequent and deadly. At least 150 people were killed in weekend attacks on eight Borno villages; at least 11 killed in another village attack on Monday; one soldier and an unknown number of civilians killed when militants attacked the home of a retired general on Tuesday; 39 killed and more than 1,000 homes burned down on Feb. 11. The figures are conservative as victims often die in the hospital without any report being made.
Jonathan appeared to respond almost immediately to the Borno governor's request for more resources as an AP reporter watched a convoy of trucks transporting tanks and other armored vehicles and heavy weaponry into the war zone on Wednesday.
One truck overturned on a narrow bridge in Adamawa state, plunging into a river and injuring several soldiers.
In Bama on Thursday, the chief nursing officer at the general hospital, Muhammadu Shuwa, told The Associated Press that they admitted 200 patients wounded in the attack and 17 died of injuries.
Akura Satoma, leader of youth vigilantes in Bama, said they recovered and buried 98 bodies — some shot, some beheaded, others killed in fires that the militants set with homemade bombs.
Satoma said his group and the military killed many extremists, but that he could not give a figure because the militants quickly collect their dead. He appeared in awe of the militants' tactics.
"The way they operate is so amazing because as soon as their member is killed, they pick the corpse," he said. "They seemed to have specific people for designated duties: while some were shooting RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), others are planting bombs, others are breaking shops and houses and looting food items and other consumables which they haul into waiting trucks. Some others, like the teenagers, were seen helping to deliver ammunition while others were helping in picking corpses."
Associated Press reporters Michelle Faul in Lagos, Nigeria and Ibrahim Abdulaziz in Yola, Nigeria, contributed to this report.
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Director-General Joins UN Chief and Special Envoy for Global Education in Timor-Leste
© UNMIT/M. Perret - UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown, Timor-Leste.
The Parliament of Timor-Leste, Asia's youngest nation, broke into applause when UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asserted that he had chosen the country to show the value of education for sustainable development and peace.
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown joined Mr Ban in the capital city of Dili on 15 August to express their full support to advancing the educational development of the country, which recently celebrated the tenth anniversary of its independence.
"One of the best ways to empower a young, dynamic democracy is by empowering its young dynamic citizens. Education is a building block of every society. Education powers decent jobs, opportunities and hope for a nation," said Mr Ban."
"This is why I am travelling with UNESCO Director-General and Special Envoy Gordon Brown. With my political leadership and theirs, we can mobilize necessary political awareness and resources. We have taken Timor-Leste as the first country to raise education as a number one priority."
Education and rural development are priorities of the new government, sworn in following parliamentary elections in July, and presidential elections earlier in the year. The Speaker of the Parliament asserted that "our future development is completely dependent on education," indicating that one of the country's greatest challenges was to educate its youth.
"We would like to help you succeed," said Mr Ban. "Your success will be the success of the United Nations. We want to use your country as an example of what wise investment and good policies on a priority like education can give in terms of good results for your people."
Ms Bokova and Mr Brown joined the Secretary-General in a meeting with the President of Timor-Leste, Taur Matan Ruak. The President said that an adult literacy campaign launched in 2007 resulted in the eradication of illiteracy in five out of 13 districts. The government's priorities include also improving school conditions, teacher training, the quality of didactic materials, and better integration of young people through technical and vocational education and training.
The Director-General commended the government for increasing investment in education. Speaking also on behalf of the Steering Committee of the Secretary-General's new education initiative to be launched in September 2012, she affirmed that "we are mobilized to assist you in developing the right policies, the right indicators and the right human capacities to increase literacy rates, improve technical vocational education training and skills, teacher training and the overall quality of education. The development of human capital is the most important challenge you have, and we pledge to support you in the process of transition."
Special envoy Gordon Brown asserted that "we want to help you to ensure that every single child is in primary and secondary education and that standards of achievements are improved. We are going to look at what the international community can do so that in 2015 every child is in school."
The President noted that that the" international community has to keep working together to have education reach all households in every corner of our country."
In a separate meeting with Ms Bokova and Mr Brown, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao highlighted that a majority of Timor-Leste's population of just over one million were youth. He said the government's five-year plan would place emphasis on education and that efforts are being made to fight exclusion of different ethnic minorities, including through multilingual education.