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Significant concern has been generated about the susceptibility of captive lemurs to iron storage disease, which has led some researchers to propose husbandry changes regarding dietary iron. In the current study we sought to determine the history, severity, and prevalence of iron storage disease within a large captive lemur population. Iron concentration and hemosiderin accumulation in a target organ, the liver, were assessed in necropsy specimens from 15 different species (n=153) of lemurs over a 12-yr period at the Duke University Primate Center. Banked liver tissue was used to quantify liver iron concentration (LIC) via neutron activation analysis (NAA). Prussian blue staining was used to accentuate the presence of liver iron for evaluation using an established scoring system. Of the 153 reports examined, 49 (32%) of the animals were considered positive for the presence of hemosiderin in the liver, lymph node, duodenum, and kidney, with 36 of the 49 (73%) showing deposition of iron in the liver. Total iron scores (TIS) ranged from 0.3 ± 0.3 in Lemur catta to 33.3±1.7 in Cheirogaleus medius. The mean LIC ranged from 209±1.4 µg/g wet weight in L. catta to 2957±414 µg/g in C. medius. Management practices may have contributed to some of the results observed in this study. Although evidence of excess iron deposition in the liver was present across several species studied, the levels were not as pervasive as previously reported in other captive lemur populations. Hemochromatosis was not observed, and excess iron was not related to the cause of death in any of the animals studied. The current findings suggest that iron overload in lemurs may be more complex than was previously believed. Am. J. Primatol. 68:369–381, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When assessing the recidivism risk of previously convicted sex offenders, the relevant ethical standards and practice guidelines obligate psychologists to acknowledge numerous limits related to their data and conclusions. For the actuarial instruments used in these assessments, the highest rates of classification accuracy are associated with greater specificity compared with sensitivity. Selecting cut-off scores to maximize sensitivity results in an inordinate frequency of false positive classifications. Attempts at maximizing specificity create an undesirable frequency of false negative classifications. Unfortunately, adjusted actuarial assessment cannot remedy these problems created by the sensitivity–specificity tradeoff. As an unstandardized procedure, the accuracy of adjusted actuarial assessment is severely limited. Consequently, civil proceedings for previously convicted sexual offenders rely on assessments of very limited accuracy. Undertaking these assessments, therefore, may be inconsistent with relevant ethical standards and practice guidelines. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this project was to better define the similarities and differences in gastrointestinal morphology present in lemur species. Measurements of the gastrointestinal tract of lemurs were obtained at necropsy from the captive population at Duke University Primate Center. Measurements of body length and weight, as well as gastrointestinal length, were recorded from five prosimian species: Propithecus tattersalli , Propithecus verreauxi , Varecia variegata , Hapalemur griseus , and Lemur catta . Photographs and measurements were used to obtain illustrations. Preliminary results suggest differences in gastrointestinal morphology among lemur species that coincide with differences in diet. Distinct sacculations in either the cecum or the colon were present for H. griseus , L. catta , P. verreauxi , and P. tattersalli , but not for V. variegata . The Propithecus specimens possessed a much greater ratio of gastrointestinal length to body length than the other three species. A short, blunt cecum and a shortened and sacculated colon were unique characteristics of the H. griseus specimens. These differences correlate well with a dietary shift from consumption of large amounts of structural plant cell wall (Propithecus sp.) to consumption of variable or moderate amounts (H. griseus , L. catta , and V . variegata ). They also suggest that captive groups would benefit from further diet refinement in captivity. Am. J. Primatol. 52:133–142, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]