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The article discusses the key aspects of social network analysis (SNA) applicable to zoo-based researchers wishing to investigate the social lives of zoo animals. Topics include a review of how SNA can be used to assess social behavior and highlight directions for future research, how the dynamics of social zoo-housed species using SNA can directly impact on husbandry decisions, and applications of SNA in the zoo. It also describes determining resource use in enclosures.

The article discusses the benefits and harms of commercial killings of free-ranging kangaroos. It notes that the ethics of the kangaroo industry is being assessed in terms of whether the assumed benefits of commercial killing justify the welfare costs. It claims that the practice is beneficial during drought but demonstrable environment benefits are lacking. The author suggests more research especially at the point of kill to verify the extent of harms.

The body condition of live-caught male and female red kangaroos (Macropus rufusDesmarest 1842) was assessed in environmental conditions described by a period of high (two years) followed by low (one year) rainfall. Changes in pasture biomass and quality closely followed rainfall fluctuations in these years. Fluctuations in standardized body mass, in turn, lagged behind changes in pasture biomass with a delay of three months. Male and female body condition was best predicted by green grass biomass. Kangaroos caught during the high rainfall period reached an above average plane of condition. In the low rainfall period that followed, the condition of kangaroos declined, and was greater for small males (14–41 kg), large males (45–89 kg), and females (18–36 kg) with small or no pouch young than for female subadults (< 22 kg) and females with large pouch young (20–34 kg). Female subadults were also significantly older and the ratio of females:females with young-at-foot was higher in the low rainfall period. This suggests a mechanism for age/sex class differences in survivorship. The lagged synchrony of body condition with pasture biomass can be explained by body-size related digestive constraints, reflecting sex differences in adaptation to a stochastic environment.

Chronic otitis media with effusion is a serious widespread disease—the cause of which is unclear. We present evidence that IgE-mediated atopic disorders play a major role in the etiology of the disease and that when these disorders are treated concomitantly, the duration and severity of the disease is decreased significantly.

Accurate orientation control is essential for any communication satellite. One way of achieving this is to point a video camera down at the Earth, and compare the observed position of the Earth with its ideal position. If there are any errors, the satellite’s thrusters are activated to correct them. Although this idea is simple in theory, there are many problems in practice. This paper looks at one of those problems - finding the position of the Earth in the image obtained from the camera. This has been broken down into two subproblems: i) locating the Earth/space boundary and ii) using data gathered from i) in estimating an Earth centre position.

A computer model for the stress–strain behaviour of London Clay has been developed for use in a nonlinear finite element program. The behaviour of London Clay is divided into three ranges of strain: elastic, intermediate and plastic. In the elastic range strains are very small and the material is very stiff. The intermediate range represents the larger strain behaviour normally observed in laboratory tests; it is not truly elastic, but in many respects exhibits aniso-tropic elastic behaviour. As yield is approached, plastic behaviour can accompany the intermediate phase and is governed by a flow rule and a state boundary curve. In all phases the stiffnesses of the model increase with mean normal effective stress. It is shown that the model can be used to compute the results of both laboratory and in situ tests. The movements around two excavations in London Clay, including the New Palace Yard Underground Car Park, have also been computed retrospectively with considerable success. Un modèle informatique destiné à refléter le comportement contraintes-deformations de l'Argíle de Londres a été mis au point en vue de son emploi dans un programme non linéaire à éléments finis. Le comportement de l'Argile de Londres se divise en trois domaines de déformation: élastique, intermédiaire et plastique. Dans le domaine élastique, les déformations sont très faibles et le matériau est très rigide. Le domaine intermédiaire représente les déformations plus importantes que l'on observe normalement dans les essais en laboratoire; il n'est pas véritablement élastique mais présente à bien des égards un comportement élastique anisotrope. Lorsque l'on approche de la limite d'élasticité, on peut observer un comportement plastique dans la phase intermédaire, et ce comportement est régi par une loi de fluage et une courbe de limite entre états. Dans toutes-les phases, la rigidité du modèle augmente en fonction de la contrainte efficace moyenne normale. L'article montre que le modèle peut servir à déterminer les résultats obtenus aussi bien en laboratoire qu'in situ. Le calcul rétrospectif des mouvements enregistrés autour de deux excavations effectuées dans l'Argile de Londres, dont le Parking Souterrain du New Palace Yard, a également été effectué avec beaucoup de succès.

1. A method to correct for background in lung DTPA transfer has been developed for use with a large field of view gamma camera.

In order to measure regional lung ‘leakiness’ we have adapted a method developed by Jones et al.[1], to correct for background in the estimation of regional lung transfer of DTPA. It is clear from our study that the half time transfer values (T50) alter from the apex to the base of the lungs in both smokers and nonsmokers. The mean apical T50values are 56.0 and 56.7 min for the right and left lung respectively in nonsmokers and 12.5 and 12.6 min in smokers. The basal T50values are 77.5 and 76.9 min for the right and left lung respectively in nonsmokers and 24 and 24.2 min in smokers. These figures suggest that cigarette smoke affects all lung regions and that the transfer values in the apices are more rapid than in the bases in both smokers and nonsmokers.

The large amount of information from dynamic 99Tcm-DTPA lung can be simplified and rendered easily interpretable by the use of functional images. Eight such images have been devised: a maximum count image, a minimum count image, a time of maximum count image, a time of minimum count image, percentage maximum change image, a T50 image, a standard error image and a correlation coefficient image.

The majority of thyroid carcinomas are removed surgically. The appropriate surgical technique is still debated. After surgery the amount of residual thyroid or tumour and the presence of local or distant metastases is often in doubt, particularly if it is not detectable clinically. Therefore, methods for determining the presence of disease or the later recurrence of disease are needed. They commonly include serum thyroglobulin and imaging after diagnostic or therapeutic doses of 131I. Other techniques are used such as 131I whole body retention (using a whole body counter), 201TI and 99Tcm-sestamibi imaging. The place of these diagnostic methods in the management of thyroid cancer is reviewed in this article. Radioiodine would seem an ideal treatment for recurrence of functioning thyroid carcinoma as 131I targets the lesion and has minimal side effects. However, the indolent nature of well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas makes it difficult to assess the benefits of radioiodine therapy both in its ability to ablate the normal thyroid and to treat recurrent and metastatic disease. However, the addition of radioiodine therapy to local surgical removal reduces both the occurrence of metastases and the morbidity with prolonged follow-up. Unresolved issues that remain concern the activities of radioiodine needed to achieve adequate ablation of residual thyroid tissue and to treat residual and recurrent cancer. There is also debate as to exactly which patients require radioiodine therapy. This review also considers radiation protection and the side effects of 131I therapy.

Inflamed synovium is characterized by high concentrations of cytokines [interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α] and the abundant presence of infiltrated monocytes, many of which are found adjacent to the resident fibroblast-like synoviocytes. We have used a co-culture of fibroblast-like synoviocytes and differentiated U937 cells to study IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α release. After a 3 day co-culture, 35% of the U937 cells had adhered and were fully differentiated towards monocytes, as determined by expression of p47phox, CD14, MSE-1, Mac-1, collagenase and NADPH oxidase activity. IL-6 release from fibroblast like synoviocytes was induced 4-fold by co-culture with differentiated U937 cells. However, co-culture of differentiated U937 cells with fibroblast-like synoviocytes failed to release detectable levels of IL-1β and TNF-α from the U937 cells. Addition of synovial fluid further increased IL-6 release, but again had no effect on IL-1β or TNF-α, although U937 cells differentiated by phorbol ester were able to release these two cytokines and, in the case of the co-culture, mRNAs for both cytokines were highly expressed in the U937 cells. We postulate that the influx of monocyte into the synovium is instrumental in the elevation of IL-6 levels, but this is not sufficient to explain high levels of IL-1β or TNF-αKey words: Fibroblast-like synoviocyte, U937, Co-culture, Cytokines, Interleukin-6.