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Urologic complications of renal transplant occur commonly and can have significant impact on graft function, survival, and patient morbidity. This review examines the prevalence of urologic complications, risk factors, diagnosis and options for management of the most common urologic complications.

Measures of biological or species diversity are central to ecology and conservation biology. Although there are several commonly used indices, each has shortcomings and all vary in the relative emphasis they place on the number of species and their relative abundance. We propose utilizing Fisher Information, not as a replacement for existing indices, but as a supplement to other indices because it is sensitive to community structure. We demonstrate how Shannon’s and Simpson’s diversity indices quantify the diversity of two different systems and how Fisher Information can enhance the analyses by comparing, as example, body size, and phylogenetic diversity of the different communities. Fisher Information is sensitive to the order in which species are entered into the analysis, and therefore, it can detect differences in community structure. Thus, the Fisher Information index can be useful in helping understand and analyze biodiversity of ecosystems and in comparing ecological communities.

Equipping teachers to use data is a critical piece of the school improvement puzzle. To help early career teachers (ECT) develop data-use acumen, some districts utilize mentoring supports. While research on mentoring in general is well-developed, research on how mentoring can or does support data-informed practice is not. To address this gap, we examined perceptions about data use in a small Texas district; anticipated differences among comparison groups (i.e., mentors and non-mentors; mentors and ECT) did not emerge. We conclude that without careful selection and supports, mentors may not be able to support data-informed practice to the degree assumed.

Between 27 June 1997 and 16 May 1999, 423 rodents were collected from North Texas (Collin, Denton, and Grayson counties) by using Sherman live-traps (trapping success rate ∼22%). Of the 423 rodents collected, 328 were tested for evidence of IgG antibodies to New World hantaviruses. Hantavirus antibodies were detected in 34 individuals (∼10%). This is the first record of hantavirus antibody—positive rodents from the highly urbanized area of North Texas.

The DØ experiment enjoyed a very successful data-collection run at the Fermilab Tevatron collider between 1992 and 1996. Since then, the detector has been upgraded to take advantage of improvements to the Tevatron and to enhance its physics capabilities. We describe the new elements of the detector, including the silicon microstrip tracker, central fiber tracker, solenoidal magnet, preshower detectors, forward muon detector, and forward proton detector. The uranium/liquid-argon calorimeters and central muon detector, remaining from Run I, are discussed briefly. We also present the associated electronics, triggering, and data acquisition systems, along with the design and implementation of software specific to DØ. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We examined diversity, density, and movements of small mammals in a subalpine coniferous forest in Colorado by comparing three sites in a 40-m-wide powerline right-of-way to three control sites in undisturbed forest. We captured 181 individuals of 10 species at powerline sites and 128 individuals of nine species at control sites. Density of southern red-backed voles (Myodes gapperi) was higher at control sites, whereas least chipmunks (Tamias minimus) had a greater density at powerline sites. At powerline sites, southern red-backed voles occupied forested habitats >30 m away from the right-of-way, whereas least chipmunks occupied habitats within the right-of-way. Following translocation across the right-of-way, North American deermice (Peromyscus maniculatus) readily crossed the right-of-way, while the right-of-way formed a barrier to southern red-backed voles. During their natural movements, southern red-backed voles exhibited significant directional movements parallel to the right-of-way, where...

Short-tailed shrews (genus Blarina Gray, 1838) are characterized by divergent karyotypes and are genetically dis- tinct. Blarina species are similar morphologically but, in most cases, can be distinguished morphometrically. Blarina distri- butions tend to be parapatric along well-defined contact zones; however, it has been suggested that the northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1823)) and Elliot's short-tailed shrew (Blarina hylophaga Elliot, 1899) occur sympatrically in Iowa and Missouri. To evaluate this possibility, 179 specimens were collected in southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri. Karyotypes and total length were used for field identification, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was used to verify field identifications and to investigate the extent of hybridization. One hundred seventy- eight of 179 specimens were identified to species. The one exception had a karyotype of B. brevicauda (2n = 50, FN = 48); however, AFLP analysis indicated that this individual was likely an F1 hybrid. No backcrosses were detected, so it ap- pears that introgression is minimal. The putative hybrid was trapped at a locality with B. brevicauda just north of a locality having only B. hylophaga. No locality contained both species. Therefore, these species are not broadly sympatric as has been suggested, but rather exhibit a distribution similar to the pattern of parapatry seen in most of the contact zones of Blar- ina. Resume : Les musaraignes a queue courte (du genre Blarina Gray, 1838) se caracterisent par des caryotypes divergents et sont genetiquement distinctes. Les especes de Blarina sont semblables morphologiquement, mais dans la plupart des cas, la morphometrie permet de les distinguer. Les repartitions des Blarina ont tendance a etre parapatriques le long de zones de contact bien definies; on croit neanmoins que la grande musaraigne a queue courte (Blarina brevicauda (Say, 1823)) et la musaraigne a queue courte d'Elliot (Blarina hylophaga Elliot, 1899) se retrouvent en sympatrie en Iowa et au Missouri. Afin de verifier cette possibilite, nous avons recolte 179 specimens dans le sud-ouest de l'Iowa et le nord-ouest du Missouri. Les caryotypes et la longueur totale nous ont servi pour les identifications de terrain et une analyse du polymorphisme des longueurs des segments amplifies (AFLP) a permis de confirmer les identifications de terrain et de determiner l'importance de l'hybridation. Des 179 specimens, 178 ont ete identifies a l'espece. La seule exception avait un caryotype de B. brevi- cauda (2n = 50, FN = 48); cependant l'analyse de ALFP indique que cet individu est vraisemblablement un hybride de F1. Comme il n'y a aucune indication de retrocroisement, l'introgression semble minimale. L'hybride putatif a ete piege dans une localite contenant B. brevicauda situee juste au nord d'une localite ou vit seulement B. hylophaga. Aucune localite ne contient les deux especes. Les deux especes ne possedent donc pas une importante zone de sympatrie, comme on le croyait; ils ont plutot une repartition parapatrique du type observe dans la plupart des zones de contact de Blarina. (Traduit par la Redaction)

Blarina hylophaga (Elliot, 1899) is a soricid commonly called Elliot's short-tailed shrew. A short-legged, robust shrew with a long, pointed snout and a short tail; it is 1 of 4 species in the genus Blarina. It occurs throughout most of the Great Plains of the United States, where it inhabits moist, well-drained grassland and riparian areas with deep leaf litter. It is listed as a species of greatest conservation need in Iowa and at possible risk in Texas, which might be due to the limited knowledge of the species throughout its geographic range.

We used the Iowa Gambling Test (IGT) to examine the relationship of reward learning to both neuropsychological functioning and symptom formation in 65 individuals with schizophrenia. Results indicated that compared to controls, participants with schizophrenia showed significantly reduced reward learning, which in turn correlated with reduced intelligence, memory and executive function, and increased negative symptoms. The current findings suggested that a disease-related disturbance in reward learning may underlie both cognitive and motivation deficits, as expressed by neuropsychological impairment and negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

For insectivorous bats in temperate regions, energetic stresses imposed by the thermal environment of a roost might cause bats to be more selective of prey consumed to compensate for increased energetic demands. We collected samples of guano from beneath maternity roosts of Myotis velifer in caves and barns in the Red Hills region of southern Kansas. Caves were cooler than barns and, thus, imposed greater energetic stress on roosting bats. We analyzed food habits to determine if diet was associated with the thermal environment of roosts in caves and barns. Food habits of adult female bats roosting in caves and barns did not differ, suggesting that females are using other methods, most likely a combination of methods, to cope with cooler temperatures in caves.

Previous research suggests that the yellow-faced pocket gopher (Cratogeomys castanops) occupies a restricted range in western Kansas that is surrounded by the range of the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius), which is regarded as a superior competitor. To determine whether the plains pocket gopher has encroached on the range of the yellow-faced pocket gopher in the past 35 years and to better understand the geographic relationships of these species, we trapped pocket gophers in western Kansas and collected soil texture and land cover data. We used ArcView 3.2 to map the distributions of these species in the study area, as well as the kinds of soil and land cover found in their potential home ranges. Although the distributions of the 2 species overlap, they are strictly parapatric. The apparent cause of this parapatric relationship is differential tolerance of soil textures. The distribution of the yellow-faced pocket gopher in Kansas is limited to just 7 counties divided into 2 populations, b...

Research on the distributions of 2 species of pocket gopher in Kansas, the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) and the yellow-faced pocket gopher (Cratogeomys castanops), revealed large tracts of land within their distributions that neither species occupies. We hypothesized that habitat and land-use practices in these tracts exclude pocket gophers. To test this hypothesis, we compared the relative frequencies of soil-texture and land-cover types within unoccupied tracts with those in surrounding tracts where pocket gophers occur. Our results indicated that the unoccupied tracts consisted largely of areas with fine-textured soils that are planted to crops. The crops, mainly corn, wheat, and grain sorghum, were harvested and disked annually, and even the roadside ditches adjacent to the cropland were plowed and planted. We concluded that pocket gophers are unable to inhabit these areas because land-use practices have destabilized the habitats, eliminating both refugia and dispersal corridors. RESUMEN—Investigaciones de la distribucion de 2 especies de tuza, Geomys bursarius y Cratogeomys castanops, en Kansas, USA, revelaron la existencia de grandes trechos de tierra dentro de sus rangos de distribucion que ninguna de las dos especies ocupa. Se hipotetizoque el habitat y el uso del suelo en esos trechos excluyen a las tuzas. Para probar esta hipotesis, comparamos las frecuencias relativas de tipos de textura de suelo y tipos de cobertura entre los trechos no ocupados, con areas cercanas en las que e si encontraban. Nuestros resultados indicaron que los trechos no ocupados consistieron en gran parte de a con suelos de textura fina que son sembradas. Los cultivos, principalmente mao ´z, trigo, y sorgo, fueron cosechados y los suelos fueron trabajados anualmente, incluso hasta las zanjas adyacentes que fueron aradas y sembradas. Concluimos que las tuzas son incapaces de habitar estas a debido a que dichas practicas han desestabilizado su habitat, eliminando tanto refugios como corredores de dispersion .

We examined large series of the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) and Baird's pocket gopher (G. breviceps) collected in every month of the year in 10 Texas counties. Based on lengths of testes, both species potentially reproduce in every month of the year, although the likelihood of reproduction decreases in summer and autumn. Data from females revealed that breeding actually begins in late December or early January and continues through October (in Baird's pocket gopher) or November (in the plains pocket gopher).

Behavioral inhibition, a temperament identifiable in infancy, is associated with heightened withdrawal from social encounters. Prior studies raise particular interest in the striatum, which responds uniquely to monetary gains in behaviorally inhibited children followed into adolescence. Although behavioral manifestations of inhibition are expressed primarily in the social domain, it remains unclear whether observed striatal alterations to monetary incentives also extend to social contexts. In the current study, imaging data were acquired from 39 participants (17 males, 22 females; ages 16–18 years) characterized since infancy on measures of behavioral inhibition. A social evaluation task was used to assess neural response to anticipation and receipt of positive and negative feedback from novel peers, classified by participants as being of high or low interest. As with monetary rewards, striatal response patterns differed during both anticipation and receipt of social reward between behaviorally inhibited and noninhibited adolescents. The current results, when combined with prior findings, suggest that early-life temperament predicts altered striatal response in both social and nonsocial contexts and provide support for continuity between temperament measured in early childhood and neural response to social signals measured in late adolescence and early adulthood.

On 11 June 2000, Dr. Elmer C. Birney unexpectedly passed away from cardiac arrest suffered while outside caring for his cattle at his home in Blaine, Minnesota. One of his former students, Robert Timm, probably best expressed the immediate reaction of his family and many friends: “He was too young and in too good of health to be gone so soon.” At the time of his death, Elmer was Professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, the Curator of Mammals at the Bell Museum of Natural History, and Director of Graduate Studies of the program in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. Dr. Birney was born 26 March 1940 in Satanta, Haskell County, Kansas, to Russell and Esther Birney. He had 2 sisters—Letty Gay and Lorna Ann. Elmer married Marcia F. McVey on 5 August 1961 in Culver City, California. They had 2 children, Amy and Clayton, and 2 grandchildren, Aaron and Danielle. Elmer's family described its feeling about him in the obituary that appeared in Minneapolis Star-Tribune: “He was a great husband, father, grandfather, friend, University of Minnesota Professor, and hobby farmer who loved his life.” Dr. Birney attended the public schools of Sublette and Satanta, Kansas, and he graduated from Satanta Rural High School in May 1958. Elmer enjoyed athletics and played both football and basketball throughout high school as well as participating in the junior class play. His high school graduation motto really did set the tone for the remainder of his life: “The men who roll up their sleeves never lose their shirts.” Although he was never truly passionate about professional sports, he still knowledgeably followed his favorite teams, and he and his wife played in an adult volleyball league. Elmer had a competitive streak that …

The taxonomic status of the Arizona myotis ( Myotis occultus ) is uncertain. Although the taxon was described as a distinct species and currently is regarded as such by some authors, others have noted what they interpreted as intergradation with the little brown bat ( M. lucifugus carissima ) near the Colorado-New Mexico state line. In this study, we used protein electrophoresis to compare bats of these nominal taxa. We examined 20 loci from 142 specimens referable to M. occultus and M. lucifugus from New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. Nine of the 20 loci were polymorphic. Results show that there were high similarities among samples, no fixed alleles, and minor divergence from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Our results suggest that the two nominal taxa represent only one species and that M. occultus should be regarded as a subspecies of M. lucifugus .

Poly(styrene-b-isobutylene-b-styrene) block copolymers made through controlled–living cationic polymerization using the t Bu -m-DCC–TiCl4 initiating system in 60/40 (v/v) hexane–methyl chloride cosolvents were analyzed using curve-resolution software in conjunction with high-resolution g.p.c. Fractional precipitation and selective solvent extraction were applied to a representative sample in order to confirm the identity of contaminating species. The block copolymers were found to consist of 70–75 wt% of the target molecule, and about 20 wt% of coupled (and higher linked) block copolymers formed by intermolecular electrophilic aromatic substitution linking reactions occurring during the styrene polymerization. Minor contaminants were identified as diblock copolymer and low molecular weight polystyrene homopolymer.

We assessed the utility of cranial measurements to discriminate between the western harvest mouse ( Reithrodontomys megalotis ) and plains harvest mouse ( R. montanus ). We tested four combinations of measurements using discriminant function analysis to determine if several measurements could be used together to identify individuals of the two species regardless of age. Individual cranial measurements could not be used to correctly identify all individuals of the two species when relative age was disregarded. When age was considered, adults and old adults, but not subadults, could be identified correctly based on univariate statistical data from cranial characters. All specimens of the two species, regardless of age, were identified correctly by discriminant function analysis using three of the four combinations of measurements.

A kinetic and mechanistic study of the living cationic polymerization of isobutylene was conducted using 5-tert-butyl-1,3-bis(2-chloro-2-propyl)benzene (t-Bu-m-DCC)/TiCl4 initiating system with 2,4...

Various tertiary amines including octyl-p-(dimethylamino)benzoate, N,N-dimethyl-m-toluidine, ethyl-p-(dimethylamino)benzoate, and quinoline were examined as external electron donors in the living cationic polymerization of isobutylene using a 1,3-bis(2-chloro-2-propyl)-5-tert-butylbenzene (t-Bu-m-DCC)/ED/TiCl4 initiating system in hexane/methyl chloride cosolvents. These aromatic amines were observed to retard the rate of polymerization and, when added to the polymerization reaction in excess of the concentration of protic impurities, were observed to form vividly colored complexes with TiCl4. Under these conditions, initiation by protic impurities was suppressed, and the polymerizations were living as demonstrated by linearity of first-order kinetic and M n vs conversion plots, and absence of unsaturation at the polyisobutylene chain ends. When the concentration of amine was below that of protic impurities, the polymerizations were colorless and nonliving; thus these amines yield a colorimetric ...

We assessed geographic and nongeographic variation among populations of the southern bog lemming ( Synaptomys cooperi ) in Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota based on morphological data. Univariate and multivariate analyses of 15 cranial characters revealed no consistent sexual dimorphism. Geographic variation in cranial morphology of adults varied clinally, with individuals increasing in size from north to south and east to west. The largest individuals overall were from southwestern Kansas ( S. c. paludis ) and southwestern Nebraska ( S. c. relictus ), and the smallest individuals were from populations in eastern Illinois ( S. c. gossii ). We found only minor steps in clinal variation of cranial morphology, which may be attributed to periodic or recent isolation. No individuals of S. c. paludis and S. c. relictus have been collected since 1946 and 1968, respectively, and these taxa may be extinct. Because of the paucity of specimens, taxonomic conclusions as to the intraspecific relationships of populations are speculative. We, therefore, recommend retention of the currently recognized subspecies S. c. gossii, S. c. paludis , and S. c. relictus until genetic characters can be analyzed.

In May 2012, Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy D. Baca took a bold step in leadership and created the Education-Based Incarceration (EBI) Bureau. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) essentially established a school district inside “… the nation’s largest jail system” (Baca, 2010, p. 58). With approximately 20,000 inmates, nearly 8,000 men and women now receive some form of rehabilitative education across seven county jail facilities. The new EBI Bureau, led by a captain, was established to fulfill Sheriff Baca’s vision to provide education to all incarcerated men and women in Los Angeles County. EBI is a system that “is focused on deterring and mitigating crime by investing in its offenders through education and rehabilitation. … By providing substantive and intellectual education in jails, and being supportive rather than punitive in efforts to reduce crime-related behavior, the likelihood to recidivate will be lowered while success and stability in the community occurs” (Baca, 2010, p. 54). The implementation of this new system has not come without resistance. Using a system’s thinking conceptual framework, this chapter examines the leadership impact of Sheriff executive staff, the custody staff, and the inmate, as it pertains to the blending of two distinct systems – jail and school. Furthermore, the chapter explains the roles of leadership in reducing jail violence and recidivism.

Kinetics of the living cationic polymerization of isobutylene, initiated by the system t-bu-m-DCC/TiCl4/2,4-dimethylpyridine (2,4-DMP), were studied as a function of concentration of the various components of the initiation system, solvent polarity, and presence of the protic acid scavenger, 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine (DTBP). Under a variety of conditions, the effective number of growing chains in a given polymerization remained constant and Mn increased linearly with monomer conversion. The system was found to yield an essentially homogeneous reaction mixture in hexanes/methyl chloride cosolvents, with only a small amount of precipitate, probably 2,4-dimethylpyridinium salts resulting from proton scavenging by the tertiary amine. It was found that increasing [TiCl4] strongly increased the rate while increasing [2,4-DMP] weakly decreased the rate. Evidence of a retardation of the polymerization rate by the soluble TiCl4:2,4-DMP complex was observed. The addition of DTBP as a protic acid scavenger, with or without 2,4-DMP, very weakly decreased the rate of polymerization. Increasing the fraction of methyl chloride in the solvent mixture caused an increase in the rate of polymerization. All of the results were consistent with a propagation mechanism in which an equilibrium exists between dormant and ionized, active chain ends.

R. W. Kays, D. E. Wilson. 2002. Mammals of North America. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, and Woodstock, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, 240 pp. ISBN 0-691-07012-1, price (paper), $19.95. ISBN 0-691-08890-X, price (cloth), $49.50. This addition to the Princeton Field Guide series makes all other field guides for mammals of the United States (exclusive of Hawaii) and Canada obsolete. It was designed to enable identification of the 442 species of mammals known from North America N of Mexico. This number includes all native mammal species (both marine and terrestrial) of that region, plus exotic mammal species known to survive there and reproduce in the wild, and a few supposedly extinct or extirpated mammal species that might be found there in the future. Intended for use by professional mammalogists and amateur naturalists alike, the book provides a wealth of information in a concise volume suitable for carrying in the field. It should be noted that one of the authors of this field guide (Don Wilson) and another of his colleagues (Sue Ruff) were the editors of The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals , which was published in 1999. That epic tome, which I reviewed earlier (Choate 2001), was a phenomenal undertaking by 229 authorities …

Poly(styrene-isobutylene-styrene) (PS-PIB-PS) block copolymers synthesized via living carbocationic polymerization using a di- or tricumyl chloride/TiCl4/pyridine initiating system in 60/40 (v/v) hexane/methyl chloride cosolvents. The kinetics of formation of the PIB block at − 80°C were found to be first order in isobutylene (IB) concentration, first order in the concentration of initiating sites, second order in TaiCl4 concentration, and a negative fractional order with respect to the pyridine concentration. The rate of polymerization was found to decrease with increasing temperature, indicating an equilibrium between dormant, covalent and active, ionized chain ends, and chain-end concentration studies suggested that there was no contribution by free ions to the rate of propagation. Diagnosis of the livingness of the IB polymerization indicated that at high (≥90%) monomer conversion, β-proton elimination becomes important, causing the timing of addition of styrene to be critical. Addition of st...

Peer feedback affects adolescents' behaviors, cognitions and emotions. We examined neural circuitry underlying adolescents' emotional response to peer feedback using a functional neuroimaging paradigm whereby, 36 adolescents (aged 9-17 years) believed they would interact with unknown peers postscan. Neural activity was expected to vary based on adolescents' perceptions of peers and feedback type. Ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) activity was found when adolescents indicated how they felt following feedback (acceptance or rejection) from peers of low vs high interest. Greater activation in both cortical (e.g. superior temporal gyrus, insula, anterior cingulate) and subcortical (e.g. striatum, thalamus) regions emerged in response to acceptance vs rejection feedback. Response to acceptance also varied by age and gender in similar regions (e.g. superior temporal gyrus, fusiform, insula), with greater age-related increases in activation to acceptance vs rejection for females than males. Affective response to rejection vs acceptance did not yield significantly greater neural activity in any region. vlPFC response suggests cognitive flexibility in reappraising initial perceptions of peers following feedback. Striatal response suggests that acceptance is a potent social reward for adolescents, an interpretation supported by more positive self-reported affective response to acceptance than rejection from high- but not low-interest peers.

Morphologic variation and age structure were studied in a large sample ( n = 196) of Scalopus aquaticus from a single locality in Kansas. Within each age class, males were larger than females. Age variation within sexes appeared linear, with morphological maturity achieved at ca. 1 year of age. However, age-specific morphological variation was not parallel in males and females; different suites of variables were important to the age variation in each sex, suggesting differences in resource allocation or developmental pathways. Sex ratio and survivorship for most age classes favored females. Maximum longevity was estimated to be >3.5 years.

Objective To examine the association between memory for previously encoded emotional faces and depression symptoms assessed over 4 years in adolescent girls. Investigating the interface between memory deficits and depression in adolescent girls may provide clues about depression pathophysiology. Method Participants were 213 girls recruited from a longitudinal, community-based study; the majority were African American. Scores on depressive screening measures at age 8 were used to increase the base rate of depression. Depression symptoms and diagnoses were assessed annually for 4 years. In year 4, when the girls were 12 to 13 years old, a face emotion encoding task was administered during which ratings were generated in response to sad, fearful, angry, and happy faces. A surprise memory task followed whereby participants identified which of two faces, displaying neutral expressions, they had seen previously. Results Girls with higher depression symptom levels from ages 9 to 12 years evidenced lower accuracy in identifying previously encoded emotional faces. Controlling for IQ, higher depression symptom level was associated with a memory deficit specific to previously encoded sad and happy faces. These effects were not moderated by race. Conclusions Individual differences in face memory deficits relate to individual differences in emerging, early adolescent depression, and may be vulnerability markers for depression.

To assess and describe postoperative complications of single dilator percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) and surgical tracheostomy (ST) in a large series of critically ill patients.A prospective observational study was conducted in 1163 critically ill patients in a university affiliated tertiary referral hospital between 2002 and 2007. PDT was the procedure of choice for all critically ill patients requiring tracheostomy except for those with an anatomic abnormality or refractory coagulopathy, who underwent ST. Demographic and postoperative complication data were collected in a web-based database.913 patients (79%) underwent PDT at the bedside in the ICU, and 250 (21%) underwent ST in the operating theatre. The tracheostomy tube was larger, and the duration of tracheostomy cannulation was shorter after PDT than after ST. The postoperative complication rate for PDT was 9.6% compared with 19.6% for ST (P0.001). Tracheal tube obstruction and displacement were significantly less frequent after PDT (obstruction 1.0% for PDT v 3.6% for ST, P = 0.007; displacement, 1.3% for PDT v 4.8% for ST, P = 0.002).In a large heterogeneous group of critically ill patients, single dilator PDT was safe and had few postoperative complications. Although ST was used in higher-risk patients, those who underwent PDT were more likely to receive a larger-sized tracheostomy tube; they were also less likely to experience obstruction or displacement of the postoperative tracheostomy tube. These differences are probably related to a combination of patient selection, smaller, shorter tracheostomy tubes, and larger tissue incision size with ST.

Relationships among nominal taxa of North American arid-land foxes were assessed by morphometric and protein-electrophoretic methods. Morphometric data distinguished between the kit fox ( Vulpes macrotis ) of the Southwest and the swift fox ( V. velox ) of the Great Plains but not among nominal subspecies of the two foxes. It was uncertain from the morphometric data whether the two foxes should be regarded as species or subspecies. Genic divergence was negligible, with two subspecies of the kit fox more similar genetically to the swift fox than to two other subspecies of the kit fox. We conclude, based on the genic data, that all arid-land foxes in North America pertain to one species, Vulpes velox . Based on the morphometric data, we conclude that two subspecies, V. v. velox and V. v. macrotis , should be recognized.

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We report the first results from a search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) in the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) experiment at the Soudan Underground Laboratory. Four Ge and two Si detectors were operated for 52.6 live days, providing 19.4 kg-d of Ge net exposure after cuts for recoil energies between 10--100 keV. A blind analysis was performed using only calibration data to define the energy threshold and selection criteria for nuclear-recoil candidates. Using the standard dark-matter halo and nuclear-physics WIMP model, these data set the world's lowest exclusion limits on the coherent WIMP-nucleon scalar cross-section for all WIMP masses above 15 GeV, ruling out a significant range of neutralino supersymmetric models. The minimum of this limit curve at the 90% C.L. is 4 x 10^{-43} cm^2 at a WIMP mass of 60 GeV., Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett; minor clarifications in response to referee's comments