Article A workplan for business process reengineering and a challenge for information science and technology Share on Authors: Bill Schwartz Victina Systems International, Austin, Texas Victina Systems International, Austin, TexasView Profile , Betty W. Hwang Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, TexasView Profile , C. Jinshong Hwang View Profile Authors Info & Claims CSC '95: Proceedings of the 1995 ACM 23rd annual conference on Computer scienceFebruary 1995 Pages 178–194https://doi.org/10.1145/259526.259553Online:27 February 1995Publication History 0citation2,156DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations0Total Downloads2,156Last 12 Months4Last 6 weeks0 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my AlertsNew Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteGet Access

1. The origins, maturation sequence, and traffic patterns of azurocytes (AZ) were studied in vivo in the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus) with the aid of various biological response modifiers. 2. AZ originated from lymphocyte-like precursors in the bone marrow. These precursors entered into intense mitotic activity in the bone marrow following progestin treatment. 3. While still in the bone marrow, AZ precursors differentiated into granulated cells with some of the histochemical properties of AZ. 4. At this time, maturation could be blocked completely with cyclophosphamide. Hydroxyurea and cyclosporin A inhibited maturation significantly, but did not block it. 5. Estradiol, hydrocortisone, prostaglandin E2, and conditioned medium had no effect on the numbers of cells induced. 6. Transitional stages between a granulated bone marrow precursor and an AZ were rarely observed, suggesting rapid synthesis of AZ inclusions upon terminal differentiation. 7. After release from the bone marrow, AZ were common in the blood only. Modest numbers of cells were also found in the red pulp of the spleen, and the thymic cortex. 8. AZ in the thymus were sometimes found in clusters, and were often associated with septa. Very low numbers of mature AZ were detected in the bone marrow. 9. AZ were absent from lymph nodes and Peyers patches, and were never observed in the B-lymphocyte areas of the spleen. 10. Based on experiments with dextran sulphate, AZ and their precursors never entered the recirculating lymphocyte population. AZ in the blood or tissues were never observed in mitosis, and were never observed degranulating. 11. Cyclophosphamide or hydrocortisone had no effect on AZ numbers when administered at the peak of their occurrence in the blood. 12. Although no clear function of the AZ was elucidated, experiments confirmed a high degree of similarity between its properties and those of cytotoxic cells found in other mammals.

1. Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) were manipulated with various biological response modifiers to develop a protocol for artificial induction of azurocytes (AZ). Only progestin hormones, and interferon inducers such as polyinosinc polycytidilic acid or Reovirus-3, initiated AZ maturation. A synthetic progestin, medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) was the most effective agent.2. Following a single injection of 5 mg MPA, AZ appeared in the blood on day 3 or 4. Cells peaked at about 10(9) cells/1 on days 7 through 10. Numbers declined sharply afterwards, suggesting a lifespan for the cell of about 1-2 weeks.3. Splenectomy of MPA-treated voles had no effect on the number of AZ induced. Attempts at indirect induction through transfer of tissues from MPA-treated voles early in the induction process were unsuccessful.4. Induction of AZ with MPA was accompanied by severe lymphopaenia. Lymphopaenia was also observed when AZ were induced with polyinosinic polycytidilic acid, but it was not observed during natural pregnancy. Lymphopaenia was not observed in MPA-treated splenectomized voles, despite the induction of large numbers of AZ.

Cesium-137 and 40K concentrations were measured in vegetation and in red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi) in southeastern Manitoba, Canada, following the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Voles from wet coniferous habitats contained concentrations of 137Cs twenty- to fiftyfold higher than voles from deciduous habitats. Maximum 137Cs values were observed in autumn. Voles captured in a spruce bog at this time contained an average body burden of about 11 Bq. Concentrations in vegetation samples were similar to those found by other researchers. Overall, there was only minimal evidence of contamination attributable to Chernobyl in either vegetation or voles. The primary source of 137Cs in voles appeared to be dietary, particularly mushrooms that contained up to 74 Bq g-1 ash. Based on physiological constraints, mushrooms were the only plausible source of 137Cs in autumn diets. Elevated values at other times in coniferous areas may have been related to the consumption of epiphytic lichens. These findings suggest that fungi, or the animals that consume them, can serve as sensitive indicators of 137Cs contamination in the environment.

Habitat use and population density of five species of forest small mammals were monitored by annual spring snap-trap censuses at Pinawa, Manitoba, over 14 years. Population sizes were positively correlated among species and showed no evidence of density-dependent effects. Species were habitat selectors. Habitat use by species did not vary among years. Habitat separation between the dominant species was not correlated with environmental variables or with population size. We suggest that habitat selection and positive covariance among species abundances are the principal factors characterizing the dynamics of this community.

1.1. From 1981 to 1986, 6120 meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) were sampled for hematological indices in southeastern Manitoba, Canada. This survey revealed the sporadic occurrence of anemia in early winter at mean temperatures below about − 5°C.2.2. Anemia was associated with leukocytosis and circulating normoblasts, suggesting a sudden, large blood loss. Individuals became anemic quickly, with no obvious predisposing factors.3.3. Attempts were made to induce anemia by exposing voles in traps to various temperatures. Temperatures characteristic of most trapping sessions failed to induce anemia in both wild and laboratory-born voles.4.4. Short-term exposure to more extreme temperatures (− 20 to − 30°C) induced anemia. Voles lost blood through erosions of the epithelium of the glandular stomach, and developed other pathological lesions characteristic of hypothermia.5.5. Although there was a strong association between cold weather and anemia, we could find no clear relationship between winter survival and winter weather. However, in 1984, extraordinarily cold temperatures were associated with anemia and a subsequent population decline. These events suggest a threshold mean daily temperature of about − 15°C, below which vole survival is grossly affected.6.6. Deteriorating protein levels and energy reserves of small mammals in winter may make them particularly susceptible to cold stress. Hence, sporadic bouts of sustained cold may be responsible for some of the enigmatic winter declines seen in northern small mammals.

The movements of 24 meadow voles were monitored with radiotelemetry during summer 1985 near Pinawa, Manitoba, to ascertain fates following a severe winter population decline. Low breeding season survival of 22% per month resulted in the persistence of low numbers through spring 1986. Despite densities of only a few individuals per hectare, voles were captured in both meadows and forests. Some voles first caught in forests (mostly males) moved over large areas (up to 4 ha), including both meadow and forest habitat. In contrast, voles captured in meadows were sedentary, often confining their movements to small areas of 0.1–0.2 ha. Radiotransmitters were recovered from 18 of 19 voles that died during the study. Five voles (28%) appeared to have died in situ; six voles (33%) may have been taken by an unusually clean predator or scavenger. Fates of the remaining voles were uncertain. No direct evidence of predation by small mustelids was found to support the hypothesis that these predators account for the persistence of low density following population declines.

We have identified a new mammalian leukocyte from voles (Cricetidae, Microtus). This "azurocyte" is a large mononuclear cell with numerous cytoplasmic inclusions that stain purple with azure dyes. The cell resembles a young lymphocyte with numerous mitochondria, a prominent Golgi complex, and modest amounts of rough endoplasmic reticulum. The inclusions are homogeneous, membrane-bound, electron-dense bodies that contain a highly acidic, sulphated glycosaminoglycan, glycoprotein, nonspecific esterase, β-glucuronidase, and an aminopeptidase. Azurocytes are common in adult voles, particularly pregnant females, and can be induced artificially with progesterone. In humans (large granular lymphocyte) and in guinea pigs (Kurloff cell), morphologically distinct cells with azurophilic inclusions have been associated with natural killer activity. The vole azurocyte may therefore be a similar leukocyte with special functions during pregnancy.

Demographie d'une population de C. Gapperi entre 1967 et 1982 dans le voisinage du Centre de Recherche nucleaire de Whiteshell (Canada, Manitoba)

Microtus pennsylvanicus was livetrapped on demographic grids in Ontario and Manitoba to determine the efficiency of Longworth and one-way door multiple-capture traps. In paired-choice field trials, multiple-capture traps caught far fewer voles than did Longworth traps. Sand-tracking and a flagging system indicated that voles rarely lifted the one-way door of the multiple-capture trap, although they often approached the traps and began to enter the one-way door.