A Successful Case of Information Management Reengineeringin the Government Sector

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) provides organizations with a valuable tool to assess business processes. It can help to reduce costs and improve quality, customer satisfaction and productivity. Business ProcessReengineering is most successful when coupled with targeted use of Information Technology in designing new processes. This paper presents a case of BPR at the Environment Safety and Health Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory. The case illustrates the success and benefits of BPR in an organization of the federal government. The case demonstrates the need for developing strategic processes, a toolbox of solutions to attack corporate-wide information management and tactics to address organizational obstacle

DNA Analysis Indicates That Asian Elephants Are Native to Borneo and Are Therefore a High Priority for Conservation

The origin of Borneo's elephants is controversial. Two competing hypotheses argue that they are either indigenous, tracing back to the Pleistocene, or were introduced, descending from elephants imported in the 16th–18th centuries. Taxonomically, they have either been classified as a unique subspecies or placed under the Indian or Sumatran subspecies. If shown to be a unique indigenous population, this would extend the natural species range of the Asian elephant by 1300 km, and therefore Borneo elephants would have much greater conservation importance than if they were a feral population. We compared DNA of Borneo elephants to that of elephants from across the range of the Asian elephant, using a fragment of mitochondrial DNA, including part of the hypervariable d-loop, and five autosomal microsatellite loci. We find that Borneo's elephants are genetically distinct, with molecular divergence indicative of a Pleistocene colonisation of Borneo and subsequent isolation. We reject the hypothesis that Borneo's elephants were introduced. The genetic divergence of Borneo elephants warrants their recognition as a separate evolutionary significant unit. Thus, interbreeding Borneo elephants with those from other populations would be contraindicated in ex situ conservation, and their genetic distinctiveness makes them one of the highest priority populations for Asian elephant conservation

The influence of dietary lysine on carcass characteristics and subprimal cut distribution of high-lean growth gilts fed to 230 and 300 lb

Seventy-two high-lean growth gilts were used to determine the effects of dietary lysine on carcass characteristics and subprimal cut distribution of gilts fed to 230 or 300 lb. The gilts were fed one of six lysine treatments (digestible lysine of .44, .54, .64, .74, .84, and .94% corresponding to .55, .67, .79, .91, 1.03, and 1.15% total lysine, respectively). For gilts fed to 230 or 300 lb, effects on carcass characteristics or subprimal cut distribution were minimal. For gilts fed to 230 lb, only slight linear decreases in 402 ham and boneless 402C ham were observed as dietary lysine increased. Therefore, producers can utilize a level of lysine to maximize growth performance, without negatively affecting carcass characteristics or subprimal cut yields

The influence of genotype, sex, and dietary lysine on carcass quality characteristics of 230 and 280 lb finishing pigs

When pigs were fed to 230 Ib, high-lean genotype loin eyes had less visual marbling and a higher saturation index (more vivid or intense color) than medium-lean genotype loin eyes. Loin eye chops from high-lean gilts had greater cooking losses and WarnerBratzler shear values (mechanically tougher) than those from high-lean barrows and medium-lean barrows and gilts. When pigs were fed to 280 Ib, medium-lean genotype loin eyes had a lighter color visually and indicated by Hunter L* values, more marbling, less firmness, more moisture exudate, and a higher chop thaw loss than high-lean loin eyes. Barrow loin eyes had more marbling and less thaw loss than gilt loin eyes. Loin eye chops from high-lean barrows had higher Warner-Bratzler shear values than high-lean gilts and medium-lean barrows and gilts. Dietary lysine levels had minimal effects on carcass Quality for pigs fed to either 230 or 280 lb

Asian Elephant Range and Sampling Locations

<p>Central sampling locations denote the countries sampled and represent a number of actual sampling locations within each country. 1. Sri Lanka, 2. India, 3. Bhutan, 4. Bangladesh, 5. Thailand, 6. Laos, 7. Vietnam, 8. Cambodia, 9. Peninsular Malaysia, 10. Sumatra (Indonesia) 11. Borneo (Sabah–Malaysia).</p

Network of Asian Elephant Haplotypes Based on Statistical Parsimony

<p>Grey circles with letters denote haplotypes unique to the Sunda region (BD: Borneo; BQ, BV: peninsular Malaysia; BR, BS, BT, BU: Sumatra). White circles with letters denote haplotypes found in mainland Asia (excluding peninsular Malaysia) and Sri Lanka. The small open circles denote hypothetical haplotypes. Haplotypes beginning with the letters A and B belong to the two clades α and β, respectively.</p

Asian Elephant Range and Sampling Locations in Borneo

<p>Solid lines demarcate country borders and the dotted line the boundary between the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. Black dots indicate areas of sample collection.</p

A Neighbour-Joining Phylogram of Asian Elephant Haplotypes Rooted with an African Elephant Out-Group

<p>Sunda Region haplotypes are in bold.</p