M.bovis Genetic Diversity

M.bovis Genetic Diversity Mycoplasmabovis pneumonia is an epidemic worldwide. To understand M.bovis genetic diversity would help develop novel measures to control this disease. Therefore this study was aimed to determine genotype distribution of Chinese strains and the potential global evolution. Firstly three available methods including two M. bovis multilocus sequence typing (MLST) schemes MLST-1 and MLST-2 and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were comparatively used for 44 Chinese strains and M. bovis type strain PG45 originated fromUSA. The results showed a high genetic homogeneity of Chinese isolates. By MLST-1, 43 of 44 (97.7%) Chinese isolate being ST-10, while 1 of 44 ST-34. The MLST-2 scheme clustered 44 Chinese isolates into two sequence types, ST-10 43 of 44 (97.7%) and 1 of 44 ST-32. PFGE clustered 42 of 44 (95.5%) into PT-I. The discrimination index was highest for PFGE (D = 0.160), while both MLST schemes have similar discrimination power (D = 0.110). The agreement rate among three typing methods is 95.4%à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 95% CIà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã… ¡84.2%, 99.4%à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. The type strain PG45 gave a unique type by all three methods. Additionally, MLST-2 scheme was used to analyze 8 Australia and 8 Israeli isolates. The results showed 8 Israeli strains represent three STs with ST-10 as the most dominant type comprising 50% of the strains, ST-20 (n=2) and ST-28 (n=2). The 8 Australian isolates showed two sequence types ST-10 (n=7) and another sequence type ST-41 (n=1) identified firstly here. The assay of evolutionary relationship by geoBURST Minimum spanning tree (MST) of 60 isolates typed in this study and 207 isolates of 11 countries from the MLST-2 database. It was revealed that similar dominant clone (ST-10 in CC 3) exists in China, Israel, Australia and United States. This may be related to global livestock movements. In conclusion, we firstly demonstrated the remarkable clonality of M. bovis in China and the dominant ST-10 might originate from a common global source. Key words: Mycoplasma bovis; molecular epidemiology; multilocus sequence typing (MLST); pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE); cattle; evolution. Mycoplasma bovis (M.bovis) is the main causative pathogen of bovine mycoplasmosis worldwide such as in North America, Europe (Nicholas and Ayling, 2003), China (Shi et al., 2008), Australia (Morton et al., 2014) and Israel (Lysnyansky et al., 2016). It results in substantial economic losses to producers by causing M.bovispneumonia and mastitis in beef and dairy cattle. M. bovis was first isolated in 1961 in USA from cattle mastitis milk (Hale et al 1962) and has long been considered a player in bovine respiratory diseases (BRD) since 1976 (Thomas et al., 1986). It then appears to have spread via animal movements to, amongst many countries (Nicholas 2002). Today, infection occurs in most European countries and throughout the world. It was estimated that the economic loss caused by M.bovisin United States was up to $108 million per year. In Europe, M.bovis pneumonia constitutes about 30% of calf respiratory diseases (Nicolas and Ayling, 2003; Maunsell et al., 2011). As the prevalence o f M. bovis associated diseases varies widely across the world, there are important trade implications and a pressing need to monitor cattle for M. bovis. However, to date, there are large gaps in our understanding evolutionary relationships of this pathogen isolates between different countries and globally. In China the first M. bovis mastitis was described in 1983 (Chen et al., 1983) and first M. bovis pneumonia in 2008. Since then reports of M. bovis pneumonia and mastitis outbreaks have been frequently described (Shi et al., 2008; Peng et al., 2011). M. bovis pneumonia is characterized by severe respiratory distress, high fever and at postmortem lung lesions including carnification, extensive caseo-necrotic or suppurative foci in the lungs. M.bovis pneumonia caused over 80% morbidity and between 10% to 60% mortality in calves and stockers newly introduced into beef feedlots (Shi et al., 2008). A major contributing factor to this disease is the stress caused by the long distance transportation of calves and stockers between the feedlots and farms (Shi et al., 2008). The disease is difficult to control with chemotherapy, and vaccination would be an ideal alternative approach. An insight of the genetic diversity and population structure of M. bovis would assist in the development of novel vaccines, as well as gaining an insight into evolutionary trends. A variety of molecular typing methods have been used for epidemiological characterization of M. bovis strains including random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis (Butler et al., 2001), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis (Kusiluka et al., 2000; Soehnlen et al., 2012), pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) (Pinho et al., 2012; Arcangioli et al., 2012), insertion sequence (IS) typing (Miles et al., 2005; Aebi et al., 2012) and multilocus variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) analysis (Pinho et al., 2012; Spergser et al., 2013). In addition, three multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) schemes were recently developed to study population structure, evolution and spread of this pathogen (Manso-Silvan et al., 2012;Register et al., 2015; Rosales et al., 2015). The MLST scheme developed by Manso-Silvan et al. (2012) is based on four housekeeping genes fusA, gyrB, lepAand rpoB and showed a discrimination index of 0.833, while improved MLST scheme have been developed by Rosales et al.2015) here after referred as MLST-1 scheme; and by Register et al. (2015) here after referred as MLST-2 scheme. Both schemes use seven housekeeping genes but they only have one gene in common and therefore theire discrimination power higher than the Manso-Silvan scheme. In the present study, it was aimed to firstly evaluate the three methods MLST-1 and MLST-2 schemes and conventional PFGE by comparing the results in typing 44 Chinese M.bovis isolates, secondly assess the genetic diversity and population structure of M. bovis strains isolated in period of 2007 2014 by using the type strain PG45 as the control., and thirdly explore the evolutionary relationship of Chinese M.bovis isolates with globally diverse isolates. Material and Methods Mycoplasma bovis isolates M. bovis Chinese isolates (n=44) were obtained during 2008 to 2014 from nine Chinese provinces: Hubei (n=25), Anhui (n=1), Fujian (n=2), Hunan (n=1), Jiangxi (n=3), Henan (n=8), Inner Mongolia (n=1), Guangzhou (n= 2) and Shandong (n=1). These M. bovis isolates were mostly from lungs in cases of pneumonia (n=41); together with other sources such as milk with mastitis (n=2); throat swab in case of pneumonia (n=1) and fluid of joint with arthritis (n=1). The M. bovis type strain PG45 was purchased from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC 25523) and also used in this study. DNA samples from 8 Israeli M. bovis isolates were kindly offered by Prof. Dr. Inna Lysnyansky from Kimron Veterinary Institute, Israel, collected during 2013-2014 from pneumonia (n=6), stillbirth (n=1) and arthritis (n =1) in seven regions namely Gilboa (n=1), Beer Tuvia (n=3), Hevel Eilot (n=1), Eshkol (n=1), Jerusalem (n=1), Mateh Yehuda (n=1) and EmekYizrael (n=1). In addition, eight whole genome sequences of Australian M.bovis isolates were retrieved from GenBank representing mastitis, (n=4), lungs (n=1), nose swab (n=1), joint fluid (n=1) and semen culture (n=1) in five regions namely New south Wales (n=2), Queensland (n=1), Tasmania (n=3), South Australia (n=1) and Victoria (n=1) with accession no. SAMN05444185, SAMN05444199, SAMN05444228, SAMN05444239, SAMN05444243, SAMN05444247, SAMN05444250, SAMN05444261) included in this study (Table 1). Growth conditions, species identification and DNA extraction M.bovis isolates were confirmed by species-specific PCR as previously described (Subramaniam et al., 1998). The M.bovis samples were grown in PPLO broth (Difco) supplemented with 0.5% (w/v) sodium pyruvate (Biosharp, China), 0.09% (w/v) yeast extract (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA)à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’0.004% (w/v) phenol red, 1% (v/v) 10- minimum essential medium (MEM) (Sigma-Aldrich, Saint Louis, MO, USA), 20% (v/v) Hyclone donor horse serum (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) and penicillin G 80,000 IU/100 mL and the final pH was adjusted to 7.6(Khan et al., 2016). DNA from each isolate was extracted using the genomic DNA extraction kit (Tiangen, Beijing, China). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) MLST-1 scheme is based on a partial sequencing of dnaA, metS, recA, tufA, atpA, rpoD and tkt genes (Rosales et al., 2015); For MLST-1 scheme, 44 Chinese isolates and American type strain PG45. The PCR amplification conditions for MLST-1 were used as previously described (Rosales et al., 2015); after amplification, PCR products were further purified and sequenced using PCR Products Extraction Kit (Magnetic Beads) (Enriching Biotechnology, LTD, Wuhan, China) and sequenced. Sequencing reactions were performed by the commercial company (Tianyi Hui Yuan Biological Technology Pvt. Ltd. Wuhan, China).The quality of chromatograms was checked visually and sequence data were assembled and edited using SeqMan software (DNASTAR Inc., Wisconsin, USA). The assembled MLST-1 sequences were compared using non-redundant database (NRDB) comparison tool available in http://pubmlst.org/analysis/ with our previously analyzed 10 strains used as a control to assign allele and Sequence type number (Rosales e t al., 2015). MLST-2 scheme is based on a partial sequencing of adh-1, gltX, gpsA, gyrB, pta-2, tdk and tkt (Register et al., 2015). For MLST-2 scheme, the 44 Chinese strain and PG45 were subjected to PCR, and PCR products were sequenced as above mentioned method. The assembled sequences of all isolates were uploaded to http://pubmlst.org/mbovis/database to identify allele numbers and sequence types (STs). In addition, for the evolutionary assay, 8 Israel strains were typed with the method as described above. Meanwhile, 8 Australian isolates whole genome were annotated using prokka 1.11rapid prokaryotic genome annotation software (Seemann; 2014) at http://www.vicbioinformatics.com. Each locus sequence was extracted from the annotated genome. Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis PFGE of 44 Chinese M.bovis field strains and type strain PG45 was performed as previously described (McAuliffe et al., 2004, Arcangioli et al., 2012) with some modifications for agarose block preparation. Briefly, macro-restriction analysis was performed with the restriction enzyme SmaI as follows: Each M.bovis isolate 15 ml culture aliquot was centrifuged at 15000 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ´g for 20 min at 40C, the pellet was washed three times with Tris-EDTA buffer and resuspended in 400 à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­l of cold Tris-EDTA buffer (pH 8.0). Agarose plugs were prepared from a 1:1 mixture of the above cell suspension and 2% low-melting-boiling agarose (Bio-Rad). They were then incubated in a lysis buffer containing 10mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA, 1% lauroyl sarcosine, 1mg of proteinase K per ml for 48 h at 560C. These plugs were washed for 6h with several changes of Tris-EDTA buffer at 40C. The plugs were then cut aseptically into 2 mm sections and equilibrated in 120 à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­l restriction buffer (Prom ega) for 30 min at 40C. Subsequently, plugs were digested with 30U of SmaI (Promega, Shanghai, China) at 240C for 4 h. After digestion loaded in 1% pulsed-field-certified agarose gel (Bio-Rad), and run in a CHEF-DRIII system (Bio-Rad) at 6V/cm, in 0.5à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ´ TBE buffer at 140C, at 6V/cm with angle of 1200. The initial pulse time was 5s, with a final pulse time of 40s with a running time of 24 h. The lambda DNA ladder PFGE marker (Bio-Rad) was used as a reference. PFGE fragments in the gel were stained with ethidium bromide (EB) (1mg/ml) for 20 min, and destained in distilled water for 1.5 h and visualized under UV transilluminator. Pulsotypes (PT) were assigned numbers consecutively based on differences of more than one band in PFGE patterns upon visual inspection. The banding patterns were analyzed using Dice coefficients with 1% band position tolerance. The clustering of patterns was performed using unweighted pair group matching algorithm (UPGMA) as previously described ( Arcangioliet al., 2012; Timsit et al., 2012). Allelic sequence variance analysis The Sequence Type Analysis and Recombinational Test Version 2 (START2) (Jolley et al., 2001) were used to analyze polymorphic sites, construct UPGM dendrograms and calculate non-synonymous to synonymous ratios (dN/dS). Genetic diversity (H) of each locus and Index of Association (IA) were calculated by using LIAN 3.5 (Haubold and Hudson, 2000) hosted on http://guanine.evolbio.mpg.de/cgi-bin/lian/lian.cgi.pl/query. Global evolution and minimum spanning tree (MST) analysis The evolutionary relationship between isolates and M.bovis population structure was determined using PHYLOViZ (Fransciso et al., 2012) and evaluated by minimum spanning tree (MST) created using eBURST (geoBURST) algorithm (Francisco et al., 2009). MST for MLST-2 was performed for 257 isolates from 11 countries including 60 strains (44 China, 8 Israeli and 8 Australia isolates)   typed in this study and 207 isolates   retrieved January, 2017 (Supplementary Table 3) from the M.bovis MLST-2 database www.pubmlst.org/mbovis. Statistical analysis The discriminatory ability of both MLST methods and PFGE was calculated using Simpsons index of diversity as previously described (Hunter and Gaston, 1998). Congruence between both typing techniques was measured using the adjusted Rand Coefficient and Wallace Coefficient (Severiano et al., 2011). All statistical analyses were performed using the freely available online tool (http://darwin.phyloviz.net/ComparingPartitions/) Results The comparison of M.bovis typing with three methods MLST-1 analysis A total of 44, out of 10 were previously typed (Rosales et al., 2015) were also used for control and typed by MLST-1. The mean GC contents of seven gene fragments ranged from 29.15% (dnaA) to 37.23% (tufA) while it was 37.4 % in the whole M. bovis HB0801 genome (Qi et al., 2012). For each of seven loci, allelic variation was analyzed including polymorphic sites, guanine-cytosine(GC) content, synonymous and non-synonymousratios (dN/dS)(Table 2).The number of polymorphic sites per locus ranged from 4 (6.2%) in recA to 19 (29.6 %) in dnaA, and a total of 64 polymorphic sites for all seven genes were identified. The number of alleles observed ranged from 2 (metS, recA, tufA, atpA, and tkt) to 3 (dnaA and rpoD). The genetic diversity (H) for each locus was 0.0879 for dnaA and 0.0444 for metS, recA, tufa atpA and tkt. The dN and dS substitutions ranged from 0.0000 to 0.0623. In summary, all 44 Chinese M.bovis isolates typed by MLST-1 were divided into two STs namely ST-10 and ST-34 (Table 1).The ST-10 (with allelic profile of 2,6,2,2,2,5,3) was most numerically dominant, comprising 97.7%à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã‹â€ 43/44à ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °of Chinese M.bovis isolates including the Chinese strain HB0801 (Fig.1). In addition, ST-34 (allelic profile of 11,6,2,2,2,5,3) contains only one strain SZ; while ST-1(allelic profile of 1,1,1,1,1,1,1) represented by strain PG45 was identified (Table 1). Genetic relatedness amongst the 44 Chinese M.bovis strains showed two clades A and B. Clade A contained the majority (97.7%) of isolates (43/44) including the Chinese strain HB0801, while clade B contained one Chinese strain SZ (ST-34). M.bovis PG45 type strain was an outlier of these two clades (Fig.1). The geoBURST and MST analysis clustered 44 Chinese in the clonal complex CC2, whereas reference strain PG45 (ST-1) in CC1 (Table 1) as previously described (Rosales et al., 2015) MLST-2 analysis All 44 M.bovis isolates were examined by MLST-2. The mean GC contents of seven gene fragments ranged from 28.76% (tdk) to 35.61% (gyrB).The number of polymorphic sites per locus ranged from 8 in gyrB (8.66%) to 22(23.91%) in gpsA and a total of 92 polymorphic sites were identified (Table 2). The numbers of alleles identified were 2 for adh-1, gpsA, gyrB, pta2 and tkt and, 3 for gltX. The genetic diversity obtained 0.328 for adh-1 to 0.962 for gpsA (Table 2).   The Chinese strains were distributed into two different sequence types. ST-10 with allelic profile 4,3,3,3,5,3,4 was the most numerically dominant type, comprising 97.7% (43/44) of Chinese isolates; and ST-32 had only one isolate, SZ respectively. All M.bovis isolates tested in this study were clustered into two major clades A and B based on genetic relatedness by UPGMA. Clade A was comprised of 97.7% (43/44) of Chinese isolates including the Chinese strain HB0801. Whereas Clade-B contains one Chinese isolate. Same as above, M.bovis PG45 type strain was an outlier of these two clades (Fig. 2) PFGE typing The 44 Chinese M.bovis strains, and type strain PG45 were subjected to PFGE following the use of restriction enzyme SmaI. All isolates were typeable and the banding profile of the isolates ranged from 6 to 10 bands (from

Importance of Sports Essay

Sports such as football or baseball involve lots of physical activities. Sports and exercises help in strengthening and toning the muscles and bones in the body. In short, the importance of sports for kids is that it keeps them in an excellent shape. When children or adults plays team sports, be it cricket or hockey, they learn to work in groups. They learn that if the team wins, they win and if the team loses, they lose. This way they learn how to work in groups. Thus, the importance of sports for kids is that they understand what is team spirit and thus, when they grow and actually start working, it will help them immensely in building relationships with their co-workers, and also to work in harmony with others. Sports makes people mentally strong. Success and failure are both parts of sports as well as life. A sportsman knows that there will be times when he will win matches, there will also be times when he will lose them. A sportsperson knows how to handle defeat and thus, treats success and failure equally. This is an important life lesson too, which sports can teach a person. Besides this, another importance of sports for children or for adults is that it teaches them how to handle competition, and be fearless when facing the adversaries. Children and adolescents ooze with physical energy. When they are involved in sports, their physical energies are used up in a constructive way. Teenage is such an impressionable age, if adolescents are given free time they might get involved in wrong activities or may fall in bad company or may also display anti-social behavior. Thus, the importance of sports in society is that it keeps adolescents from becoming anti-social elements, who might otherwise disturb the delicate fabric of society. Here’s hoping that now you know what is the importance of sports. Besides being important for kids, taking up a sports career in adult life, has its own benefits. A sportsperson often travels to other countries to play matches and in the process, learns a great deal about the cultures of these countries. Even the spectators or TV viewers are thoroughly entertained while watching professional sports, making it an excellent recreational activity.

A Proposed Computerized Payroll System Essay

Chapter I INTRODUCTION Electricity is a naturally occurring force that exists everywhere and it is used to power many things that are used in our everyday life. Without electricity, people’s lives would be very different and in many cases more difficult. There are many ways to generate electricity; one way in producing electricity is the use of solar cells. Solar cells or photovoltaic cells are made of semiconductor materials such as silicon and designed to convert light energy into electrical energy by the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic effect is the basic physical process through which a solar cell converts light into electricity. Light is one of the most abundant forms of energies and by using this energy in a proper way an eco-friendly form of energy can be produced. When light energy strikes, it absorbs photons of light and releases electrons these free electrons then forms an electric current that can be used to power a load. According to The World Factbook, the world has over 5 billion mob ile phone users. In the Philippines alone, there are 92,227,000 mobile cellular telephone subscribers, placing the country in the 11th position of most number of mobile phone users in the year 2010. This fact shows that mobile phones are essential therefore the batteries are needed to be charged and one way to charge it, is through solar energy. For its commercial purpose, the solar powered mobile phone charger is designed to have a coin timer that will recognize the coin to activate the timer and the mobile phone charger. The time that it will take for the mobile phone to charge depends on the amount of money that will be inserted in the device. Through this, the materials used for the machine, like the solar calls, will be recovered. The convenience of the machine lies in its capability to be installed either indoor or outdoor locations as long as there is light that can be absorbed by the photovoltaic cells. Background of the Study From the survey given randomly to some students and employee’s most of them frequently use†¦. try dn to.. From the survey that was gathered, most people frequently usetheir mobile phones and sometimes forget to charge their phones at home; such causes them to run out of battery charge when they need  to use it outside, especially in emergency purposes. The places where they need to charge their phones the most in case of emergency are schools, hospital, mall, offices, bus stations and other terminals. For the past years, a mobile phone charger coin-operated machine already exists in the Philippines and this was stated from the article of Rey Gamboa from Philippine Star. However, this machine is usually available on public and indoor places like Ministop and 7-eleven and are powered by power grids. Therefore, the proposed design is a mobile phone charger vending machine that uses solar cells to produce electricity that will power the device without the need for outlet plugging(the power in the outlet†¦ try to†¦ ). It can be used on both indoors and outdoors as long as light is available.It may also payback the expense of the material used and the good thing is that the time span of a solar cell is about 30 years according to the studies done in 2007 by International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management. It may also payback the expenses for the materials used in having solar cells and it has a time span of more than thirty years according to the studies of the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management in the year of 2007. trydn†¦ Statement of the Problem This project study dealt in the development of using free energy caused by light that produces electricity for the mobile phone charger. This form of transforming energy will help lessen the environmental problem such as pollution, global warming, acid rain or smog.At the same time, it paybacks the causeof the solar cells itself by using it as a solar powered mobile phone chargervending machine. The study specifically aims to answer the following questions: 1. What type and how many solar cells are needed to produce electricity that is enough to power the mobile phone charger vending machine? 2. How to design the power supply circuit necessary to power the mobile phone charger vending machine? 3. What is the position and alignment of the solar cells and also the time in which it can produce electricity efficiently? 4. How to design and develop the mobile phone charger circuit that can accommodate 2 units of mobile phones? 5. Howlong is the payback time in using solar cells to power t he mobile phone charger vending machine? Objectives of the Study The researchers’ main objective is to design and develop a solar powered mobile phone charger vending machinethat can maximize the profit of the investors that operates it. This means that this device can be installed in any areas as long as the solar cells can be exposed to sunlight which will eliminate the need of an outlet.In order to address the main objective, the following also need to be achieved: 1. To determine the type and number of solar cells needed to produce electricity that is enough to power the mobile phone charger vending machine. 2. To design the power supply circuit necessary to power the mobile phone charger vending machine. 3. To determine the position and alignment of the solar cells and also the time in which it can produce electricity efficiently. 4. To design and develop the mobile phone charger circuit that can accommodate 2 units of mobile phone. 5. To determine thepayback time in using solar cells to power the mobile phone charger vending machine. Significance of the Study People who are using mobile phones frequently are the main recipients of the benefits in this study. The need of people to charge their mobile phone because of work, emergency, or any other condition will lead them to find a mobile phone charging station. Hence, a mobile phone charging station that is powered by light energy will be a good way to harness energy from light efficiently and productively. For the environment, the device uses only the photons of light to produce electricity which means that it doesn’t need to be plugged into a power source. It can also be used inside anenclosed area where there is artificial light like bulbs or fluorescent light. However, for higher gain of electricity and efficiency it is recommended to harness sunlight’s energy because it is brighter than any other artificial light that is common in commercial and public areas. For the investors, after the device is produced, it in itself will produce electricity for it to work. Consequently,the device doesn’t need intensive maintenance, and the cost of maintenance will be less. For the future researchers, energy sources has so many forms; the way of harnessing it to its’ full potential is the only difference. This device is an example of harnessing light energy in a way that will help the producer, consumer and environment. This will help future researchers to think of topics that will not only benefit one party, but all  those who are going be involved or affected by their proposed project. For the researcher, this device is another innovation in the field of harnessing solar energy. This simply shows that solar energy can be used as an alternative source of energy in many ways. Scope and Limitations of the Study The researchers’ main concern is to design a solar powered mobile phone charger vending machine that is efficient on harnessing solar energy and can convert it to electrical energy to charge mobile phones. The device must be economically sound in a way that when it has achieved its payback period, the only thing that must be put into concern is the cost of maintenance. Since solar cells are easy to maintain, the maintenance cost is not high. The devices’ main part is the power supply that will act as the source of electricity for the device. Solar cells effective life span is 25-30 years, which makes it a very good alternative source of energy for the device to work. To design the devices’ main part, the position and slope of the solar cells must be considered depending on the location where it will be installed so that the solar cells can produce the maximum amount of electricity. This is because the amount of electricity that a solar cell can produce depends on the intensity of sunlight that is being absorbed within the semiconductor material. The number of solar cells must also be enough to produce electricity that is needed to power the device. The rated total power output of all the solar cells must also be sufficient for the mobile phone vending machine. It must also be placed on top of a roof or any high position so that shadowing, vandalism and stealing can be prevented. A battery will serve as a storage device so that the electricity that will be generated by the solar cells will be stored whenever it is not in use and the electricity that will charge the mobile phones will be constant and not fluctuate. The power supply circuit will regulate the voltage and current to its rated value that the mobile phone charger vending machine needs. The devices’ second main part is the mobile phone charger vending machine. This is composed of a mechanism that recognizes the coin that is inserted and starts the process of charging the mobile phone and also the timer. It recognizes the diameter, thickness and weight of the coin so that it can distinguish the value of the coin. The timer is programmed to start whenever a coin is inserted and it depends on the value of the coin that is inserted  on how many minutes the timer will countdown. At the same time, the charger will start charging the mobile phone until the timer ends the countdown. The devices’ third main part is the mobile phone charger circuit. This charger can charge multiple mobile phones at the same time. It is composed of different plug-ins that is commonly used for the user to choose of the plug-in that fits in his/her mobile phone. It is operated by the timer so when the timer starts to countdown, it starts to get electricity from the power supply. Theamount of voltage and current output that is needed to charge the mobile phones is suitable for nearly all brands of mobile phones. Limitations of the study The device is subjected to the following limitations: 1. In outdoors, the device only operates during daytime, approximately 6:30am – 5:30pm depending on the location as long as sunlight is available. 2. It can also be used inside a mall or commercial area that has artificial lighting system,however the amount of electricity that the solar cell can produce is not as high compared to what sunlightcan produce. 3. The plug-in that will be used to charge the mobile phones are those of Nokia. 4. Since the device only recognizes 1Php and 5Php, it can only be used in the Philippines. 5. It cannot be used outdoors when sunlight is not present specifically during rainy days or in cases when the clouds are very gloomy. 6. It cannot be used outdoors when there is a natural catastrophe or disaster. 7. The researchers will not consider the charging time of the Deep cycle battery. 8. The researcher will not consider if the mobile phone user doesn’t ends the countdown of charging his/her mobile phone.

Addiction A Serious Problem Essay - 1559 Words

Addiction is a very serious problem in today’s society. It is the goal of counselors to help those who suffer from addictions. There are many different models that attempt to explain what addiction is, and how someone gets addicted. There many different views about addiction. â€Å"Historically addiction has been understood in various ways- a sin, a disease, a bad habit-each a reflection of a variety of social, cultural and scientific conceptions(Hammer et al., 2012 p. 713). While there are many different models of addiction three of the most common models are The Disease model, The Genetic Model, and the Family model. All of these models view addictions differently and have a different perspective on how to treat the addiction. The disease model of addiction is one of the best known model of addiction. The disease model views addiction as an illness that the addicts has. â€Å"The disease concepts follows the medical model and posits addiction as an inherited disease that c hemically alters the body in such a way that the individual is permanently ill at a genetic level† (Lee et a., 2013, p 4).This is the model that groups this Alcoholics Anonymous adopts to help its clients. This is a good model to explain why someone is addicted. It shows that the addiction is an illness that the person needs to fight. The way that a person fights this disease is to get help and to abstain from the substance. However there are some issues with this model. The first being that this model viewsShow MoreRelatedDrug Addiction Is A Serious Problem1032 Words   |  5 Pages Drug addiction is a serious problem in today’s society. Drug addiction is a complex disease and once addicted, it is nearly impossible to quit. 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There has also been a correlationRead MoreHow Smartphones Affect The Growth Of Bad Habits1167 Words   |  5 Pagesare addicted to their smartphones, while more than half of parents feeling that their kids’ addiction (TeenSafe). Smartphone has already been an inseparable part of many people’s daily life. Just like everyone around them, teens and kids are using and becoming more and more dependent on the smartphones. Problems are different among the different audience. When it comes to teenagers, this could be a serious one. Overall, teenagers are at an important growing stage in their life. The main characteristicsRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Game Addiction On Human Body And Mind1151 Words   |  5 PagesVideo game addiction â€Å"generally refers to an excessive, unhealthy amount of playing of games. Rather than engaging in the real world, an addicted user devotes the majority of his or her time to gaming. The addicted gamer often isolates him/herself from others, ignores more important responsibilities, and is often obsessed with obtaining higher status / ranking / achievements in his/her favorite game.† (Conrad, page 1, par.1) This is an uprising problem between teens and adults that is forming intoRead MoreHow Addictions Destroy Family Unit990 Words   |  4 PagesHOW ADDICTIONS DESTROY THE FAMILY UNIT In our modern life, there are certain things that can destroy the family unit queitly such as addictions. An addiction is anything that one must have in order to avoid a negative feeling or syptoms. Addictions can include almost anything, not just foods, drinks or other physical substances. Some addiction are mend to make one calm, but it easily becomes an emotional crutch that unfortunately usually worsen physical aspects of addiction. However, the point

Wildlife Conservation Essay - 2126 Words

They are responsible for cleaning the air most living creatures breath, they give humans and animals material to build homes and buildings with, they help keep the dirt in place, and, among many other uses, they gave humans the material that people use every day, paper. They do all this for humans, and all they need in return is for their young to be planted. If you have not guessed by now, this is describing trees. It is vital for humans to maintain not only the trees population, but also the population of all wildlife. Wildlife conservation is important because regulates wildlife population, helps balance the ecosystem, and maintains the natural beauty for future generations. People mostly assume that maintaining wildlife population†¦show more content†¦Also, when the deer population is too high, farmers crops become damaged by the deer, as well as there are more deer killings by car (â€Å"Deer† par. 1-10). It is important to keep track of an animals population in order to make sure that the negative side affects do not occur. Sometimes it means keeping one species in its own habitat and preventing it from expanding into habitats that are not its own. Species who manage to do this are called invasive species. Species such as the Lionfish. Lionfish are not a native species to the Atlantic Ocean. They are a venomous, fast reproducing fish that are aggressive eaters and will eat almost anything in copious amounts. They eat so much that they will actual become obese and contract liver diseases. They have no know predators, besides humans. Because they have no predators, once introduced to a reef, they can wipe out 90% of it. â€Å"The lionfish invasion is probably the worst environmental disaster the Atlantic will ever face† said Graham Maddocks, president and founder of Ocean Support Foundation (â€Å"Lionfish† Par. 3). Lionfish are especially dangerous to ecosystems, because the native aquatic life-forms do not have a natural ins tinct to be wary of the lionfish. Some may wonder, â€Å"how did the lionfish become introduced to the Atlantic ocean?†. Well, Florida pet owners are to blame. Lionfish are most known for their beauty, which makes them valuable as pets. However, they are violent fish and tend to attack and kill other fish in theShow MoreRelatedThe Conservation Of Wildlife Conservation1077 Words   |  5 Pagesand deforestation, many animal and plant species have been decreasing significantly. Wildlife conservation, management plans, and acts have been passed in order to help preserve the diverse wildlife habitat An example of wildlife conservation is the Cosumnes River Preserve which is the largest river in central California with natural and unregulated stream flows. It consists of approximately 45,859 acres of wildlife habitat and agricultural lands such as rivers, wetlands, floodplains, savannah, farmlandRead MoreHunting Benefits Wildlife Conservation2777 Words   |  11 Pagesdifferent big-game and small-game species of wildlife. The list ranges from the elusive racoon to the prosperous white-tailed deer, and even to the beastly grizzly bear. Since the United States government adopted the concept of conservation, due partly to the great acts of President Theodore Roosevelt, its has been our moral responsibility to protect the game species of America (Belanger). Our country provides a professional and sufficient way to guide conservation and to develop, regulate, and manageRead MoreWildlife Conservation in India1394 Words   |  6 Pages1. Meaning Of Wildlife Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems. Deserts, rain forests, plains, and other areas including the most developed urban sites, all have distinct forms of wildlife. While the term in popular culture usually refers to animalsRead MoreThe Conservation Of Wildlife Animals925 Words   |  4 Pagessave and conserve threatened and endangered species.† She ends her introduction by points out the highlight of the stories she is about to recount next. The stories show problems and difficulties people faces as they work on the conservation of wildlife. One of the wildlife animals being discusses is the California condors. Goodall starts the story with a humorous description about the condors; she describes the redness of condors bare head and their strong wings. She continued by informs the readersRead MoreThe Importance of Wildlife Conservation1634 Words   |  7 Pagesunderstand the importance of wildlife conservation. Why is wildlife so important? What steps need to be taken to preserve wildlife? How can one become involved in wildlife conservation? These are all important questions that need to be explored in order to help maintain the delicate ecosystem on Earth. Wildlife plays a vital role in this fragile ecosystem and without wildlife the human race would not survive. The initial step in wildlife conservation is understanding why wildlife is vital to the ecosystemRead MoreWildlife and Conservation Efforts in Africa Essay2220 Words   |  9 Pages The dynamic natural environment and abundant wildlife are the most prominent features of the African continent. Due to its wide variety of biomes ranging from tropical forests to arid deserts, Africa consists of bountiful wildlife diversity. However, because of environmentally harmful human interactions, the variety of biomes is shrinking to all-time lows, which causes wildlife to die out. These detrimental human interactions, particularly livestock overgrazing and desertification, occur partlyRead MoreWildlife-Conservation and Importance(India)1883 Words   |  8 PagesMeaning of Conservation Conservation is the act of using and protecting resources properly. Catching animals, throwing garbage, and using and harnessing the different resources should all adhere to the proper way of conservation.\ Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative. Wildlife can beRead MoreNeed for Wildlife Conservation2770 Words   |  12 PagesWildlife Conservation Efforts in India Introduction The Indian subcontinent boasts of serving as the natural habitat of a large and varied wildlife. The sub-continent with its varied geographical spread from the Himalayas in the north to the Cauvery basin in the south and the Kutch region in the west to the plains of Assam in East present a diverse range of environmental conditions for some of the most magnificent as well as the rarest wildlife species of the world in India to exist. The beautyRead MoreHunting Conservation : Wildlife Management Tool875 Words   |  4 Pages On the other hand is Conservation, which is the action of conserving something, in particular. Preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife are just some of the examples in which conservation is exercised. If you were ask anyone, usually you would view Hunting and Conservation as two opposites. But, some people actually view the two as hand in hand. How is hunting conservation? It’s viewe d as a wildlife management tool. HuntingRead MoreWildlife Conservation and Biology Essay1571 Words   |  7 Pagesland mammals. Wildlife biologists get the privilege of studying and spending time with these animals as their everyday life. I should be a wildlife biologist so I can study land mammals. Wildlife biology is a field of biology in which land animals are studied. It deals with all animals with backbones and studies individual species of wildlife, their habitats, and surrounding ecosystems (Fitzgerald). It also studies how animals may interact with their ecosystem. Without wildlife biology we would

Accuracy in Epic of Gilgamesh and The Hebrew Bible Essay

There is much debate over the historical accuracy of the Hebrew Bible and The Epic of Gilgamesh. Some claim that to understand a work of literature requires extensive knowledge of the background of this work. The contrary position is that a work of literature can be interpreted solely on it’s content. The meaning of the term classical literature is that it can be applied during any period of time, it is eternal. Yet the conditions surrounding the author might still be of interest to the reader, and of importance to the work. As with many cases, the truth is somewhere in between the two extremes. Both sides have valid arguments about the importance of historicity. To say that historicity is of the utmost importance may seem extreme.†¦show more content†¦As a real person, the fact that He lived and dies for their sins takes on a great significance. Many devote their lives to serving others the way Jesus did in the New Testament. In this case, it is easy to see how it would be greatly important that Jesus be an accurate historical figure. As a fictional character, His life and death have meaning within the story, but would not be likely to inspire the great actions that people take trying to follow His example. This is only one extreme instance in which the historical accuracy of a work would have great importance. The stories of many human beings, including those in Gilgamesh and The Bible may inspire people to have similar courage. Even if these characters are mortal human beings, that human beings could act out of such courage and love may give readers faith that they too may be able to be as courageous. Depending on the reader, the historical accuracy may seem of no importance at all. If a work of literature is good enough, one gets quite involved in the story line, and the characters become real. Regardless of the time or place, ones involvement in the work may supersede all history surrounding it. The question of the importance of historicity aside, there can be little harm done in pondering the accuracy of a work. The Hebrew Bible and the Epic of Gilgamesh have come under close scrutinyShow MoreRelatedSimilarities Between Gilgamesh And Noah818 Words   |  4 Pagesancient texts so similar to each other? It appears as if each text corresponds to the Bible. There is the Enuma Elish compared to the creation story, the Laws of Hammurapi compared to the last four books of the Pentateuch, and the Confusion of Tongues compared to the Tower of Babel. However, I will focus on the Epic of Gilgamesh, comparing and contrasting it to the Biblical narrative of Noah. While both the Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical narrative of Noah explore a global flood, there are key differencesRead MoreAp World History Midterm Review2054 Words   |  9 Pagessuccesses lent material weight to the idea that Homers Iliad and Virgils Aeneid reflect actual historical events. Gilgamesh the fourth king of Uruk (Early Dynastic II, first dynasty of Uruk), ruling 126 years, according to the Sumerian king list. He was said to be contemporary with some of the earliest archaeologically-known figures, placing his reign ca. 2500 BC. Iliad an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set in the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of Ilium by

Managing Technology Essay Example For Students

Managing Technology Essay We define information technology (IT) to include not only computer technology (hardware and software) for processing and storing information, but also communications technology for transmitting information. Advances in computer and communications technologies have enabled firms to pursue IT investments. This will help them to gain maximum advantage from their knowledge assets-to leverage the knowledge of individual employees to the benefit of other employees and the organization as a whole. Businesses have strived to achieve a competitive advantage in the past by competing in one of two ways:1. By Cost- by being a low-cost producer of a good and service2. By Differentiation of a product or service- by competing on customer perceptions of product quality and customer support services. Information technology is an integral part of many companies day to day operations. By the 1990s, applications of IT were widespread and sophisticated enough to enable firms to compete in other innovative ways. Whereas in the past firms had to choose between a low-cost and a differentiation strategy, today IT enables firms in some industries to compete on both low cost and product differentiation simultaneously. Further, some firms are attempting to compete not only on both low cost and high quality, but also on the ability to make highly varied customized products. Referred to as mass customization, IT is used to rapidly link processes and work groups in order to produce customized products that are exactly what a customer wants. Evans Consoles, a Calgary based manufacturing firm, is a prime example of how, and where information technology is implemented and utilized in terms of strategic advantage and strategic plans. Founded in 1980, Evans is recognized worldwide for its expertise in the design and manufacture of technical furniture, desks and computer consoles for specialized environments such as data and control centers, trading floors, command centers, computer floors and other technology-intensive work centers. Over the years, Evans has built an international reputation for reliable project management, innovative product design and superior quality through more than 2,000 high-profile installations. Such high profile installations include customers as NASA, FedEx, EDS, ATT, IBM, Dow Chemical, Shell, United Airlines, FAA, and Deutsche Telekom. (See photo exhibits for examples of products and installs)Evans overall corporate strategy is to provide high quality customized products at a competitive price to customers all around the world. As a part of this, IT has been implemented in order to facilitate the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. With Evans corporate divisions and processing plants being dispersed over 4 locations around Calgary, IT has become a necessity. Information technology can be aligned with Evans corporate strategic plans from the first to the final step/process. To begin with, the majority of Evans existing or new clients are on a global scale and communication is vital since the products being built are on a custom basis. Evans need to stay in constant contact in order to build a rapport and ensure that what they are building is satisfactory for the customers needs. This is where the use of e-mail and video conferencing comes into play. Evans has the ability to communicate globally with little effort or cost. This can also help increase global sales and help Evans become the global leader. Being able to reduce travel costs saves Evans and its customer a great deal of time and money, and in turn enables them to produce the desired product within less time. When the projects are ordered, either FAX or e-mail depending on the size of the project receives them. This saves both the client and Evans money and time for shipping of blueprints. Plus, if there are any discrepancies or misunderstanding, it is a simple and painless procedure to rectify the situation because of the fast means in communicating and sending documents electronically. Communication is a large part of Evans IT strategic advantage. Most customers demands are on a time basis and Evans needs to fulfill these wishes to their best fashion. In doing so, Evans as a company needs to be able to communicate at high speeds so no process is held up. This would be the purpose of the Evans office automation. There are five steps involved with automation; the first is making sure that everything is coordinated. The various islands of automation must be made compatible. The second step puts emphasis on the on the information requirements- as in the problems being solved. Using an Intranet and a Local Area Network (LAN) connected to several hubs for each corporate location, Evans is well equipped to internally pass information along at high speeds. Applications such as electronic mail, video conferencing, word processing, spreadsheet documents, voice mail, along with document preparation, storage, and sharing are all available to employees over these systems. Electronic data interchange has been implemented in the IT structure to allow Evans with quick and easy transfer of business documentation electronically, without manual intervention. Such paper documents as purchase orders, order acknowledgements, requests for quotations, quotes, shipping notices are now done over the computer to alleviate both time and distance. Evans incorporated such a system into their IT strategic advantage for the following reasons. 1. For faster speed of doing business. Business data is sent, received, evaluated, and processed in a fraction of the time normally associated with business processes. 2. Reduction in required working capital. Reductions in resource commitments for both inventory and accounts receivable yield improvements in working capital. 3. Cost savings. Purchase order processing costs are one key source of cost savings. Some of these costs savings are due to the elimination of data entry errors that result from the re keying of data as they pass from organization to organization. 4. Improved customer/supplier relationships. Firms are increasingly dependent on each other to achieve competitive advantage, and EDI creates partnerships between customers and suppliers and other strategic partners. EDI is often the first IT link between business partners and can form the beginning of a new kind of buyer/customer relationship. 5. Enables international trade. The primary benefits for Evans here are related to international communications networks eliminating delays in paper flows and the transit of goods and information due to geographic and national boundaries. The third step to automation is the training and education of employees. Evans offers on site training or the possibility to take courses at their expense. Since technology is so widely used in the organization, it is imperative that each employee be able to function at the same level, so not to slow any process down. In looking at the last two steps, evolution and redefinition, this can only take place as time goes on for Evans. It is inevitable that new ways of communicating and sharing date will be available, and it is up to the IS division to see whether or not it will fit within their IS and corporate strategy. Processing, designing, and building also play a major role in IS strategic plan and advantage for Evans. With technology, Evans has found ways to improve the quality, performance, and look of their products. In doing so, they have attracted new clientele that has resulted in some major contracts such as NASA!! Evans engineering departments, depending on the style of produ ct that the client desires, plays a significant role in the planning and designing of the product. Engineers use both Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs along with visual imaging software in order to meet desired designs of the customers. The use of CAD programs at Evans enables them to analyze and investigate a wider range of design alternatives. CADs also help to produce top quality specs with a minimal amount of time or money spent. These are the purposes of Evans strategic plan and advantage. By using the visual imaging software, the client also has the opportunity to view the final product without having invested all of its time and capital. This is part of Evans strategic advantage in that they try to keep a high profile with their customers. Since all of Evans engineering and designing departments are not in the same building, the use of LANs is a viable way to ensure speedy communication and confirmation of the clients orders. Yet another part of the Evans strategic advant age with the use of IT is their production machinery that rely on CAD blueprints. These machines, that cut and mold the products according to the specs of the design, use blueprint data as a guide or a map of what to do. This ensures flawless precision that is important in developing a high quality product, gaining a favorable reputation, and keeping customers happy. Their machines also fit within the strategy as they reduce the amount of waste and time necessary for each product. This creates faster turnover time that in turn generates greater sales and revenue because of the ability of Evans to handle more clientele. These machines are tied into the Manufacturing resource planning (MRP) system that Evans has installed. Comprised of three major components; the master production schedule, material requirements planning, and shop floor control, this system enables Evans to increase efficiency and overall effectiveness. The master production schedule component sets overall production goals based on due dates and size of project. The MRP component then develops a detailed production schedule to accomplish the master schedule, using production capacity, inventory, and lead-time data. The shop floor control component releases orders to the shop floor based on the detailed production schedule and the actual production accomplished thus far. It is at this point that the blueprinted information of the business is passed along to the employees who enter it into the machines for production purposes. Each unit is then put together by hand but can be checked according to data specs and read outs. Data warehous ing is another part of the Evans IT strategic plan. Within this system, Evans enters and records information concerning all areas of each individual project. Such things as materials used, processing time, time allocated for each step, employee time allocated, and which division of the production was being used are all monitored. All this is done and entered in IBMs Oracle software. Within this system, the user can produce customized reports from the data warehouse to fit what managers need. At Evans, this is done on a weekly basis in order to verify the time and money invested in each project and to ensure that they are not over budget or running behind. This is a key component to the IT advantage in that it helps managers manage each project individually without loosing track of any specific detail. Executive information systems are systems that deliver on-line current information about business conditions in an aggregate form easily accessible to senior executives and other manag ers. It is designed to be used directly by these managers without the assistance of intermediaries. EIS functions as a hands-on tool which focuses, filters, and organizes an executives information so they can make more effective use of it. At Evans, this information is accessible depending on the organizational position in which you sit because of password blocks. It is part of their IT strategy because it allows users to examine data without having to ask for it, therefore alleviating time waste, and promoting management to act in the best of their division. Such things as performance analysis and management reporting are looked at and assessed from current to previous years. Other things that are brought into play are an alert to important news items, and on-screen calculation of trends, ratios, and new versions of data. With the use of charts, maps, or queries, the information can be viewed according to the preference of the user. The final element to Evans IT strategic plans and advantage would be their systems testing and security for the organization. Security controls related to the technology infrastructure-such as backup supplies, network access control, and firewall protection- are the most relevant area that Evans has to deal with. Managers must be careful in identifying what is valid data, what errors might be made while handling data, and what potential business losses could result form inaccurate or lost data. Decision making EssayElectronic data interchange has been implemented in the IT structure to allow Evans with quick and easy transfer of business documentation electronically, without manual intervention. Such paper documents as purchase orders, order acknowledgements, requests for quotations, quotes, shipping notices are now done over the computer to alleviate both time and distance. Evans incorporated such a system into their IT strategic advantage for the following reasons. 1. For faster speed of doing business. Business data is sent, received, evaluated, and processed in a fraction of the time normally associated with business processes. 2. Reduction in required working capital. Reductions in resource commitments for both inventory and accounts receivable yield improvements in working capital. 3. Cost savings. Purchase order processing costs are one key source of cost savings. Some of these costs savings are due to the elimination of data entry errors that result from the re keying of data as they pass from organization to organization. 4. Improved customer/supplier relationships. Firms are increasingly dependent on each other to achieve competitive advantage, and EDI creates partnerships between customers and suppliers and other strategic partners. EDI is often the first IT link between business partners and can form the beginning of a new kind of buyer/customer relationship. 5. Enables international trade. The primary benefits for Evans here are related to international communications networks eliminating delays in paper flows and the transit of goods and information due to geographic and national boundaries. The third step to automation is the training and education of employees. Evans offers on site training or the possibility to take courses at their expense. Since technology is so widely used in the organization, it is imperative that each employee be able to function at the same level, so not to slow any process down. In looking at the last two steps, evolution and redefinition, this can only take place as time goes on for Evans. It is inevitable that new ways of communicating and sharing date will be available, and it is up to the IS division to see whether or not it will fit within their IS and corporate strategy. Processing, designing, and building also play a major role in IS strategic plan and advantage for Evans. With technology, Evans has found ways to improve the quality, performance, and look of their products. In doing so, they have attracted new clientele that has resulted in some major contracts such as NASA!! Evans engineering departments, depending on the style of produ ct that the client desires, plays a significant role in the planning and designing of the product. Engineers use both Computer Aided Design (CAD) programs along with visual imaging software in order to meet desired designs of the customers. The use of CAD programs at Evans enables them to analyze and investigate a wider range of design alternatives. CADs also help to produce top quality specs with a minimal amount of time or money spent. These are the purposes of Evans strategic plan and advantage. By using the visual imaging software, the client also has the opportunity to view the final product without having invested all of its time and capital. This is part of Evans strategic advantage in that they try to keep a high profile with their customers. Since all of Evans engineering and designing departments are not in the same building, the use of LANs is a viable way to ensure speedy communication and confirmation of the clients orders. Yet another part of the Evans strategic advant age with the use of IT is their production machinery that rely on CAD blueprints. These machines, that cut and mold the products according to the specs of the design, use blueprint data as a guide or a map of what to do. This ensures flawless precision that is important in developing a high quality product, gaining a favorable reputation, and keeping customers happy. Their machines also fit within the strategy as they reduce the amount of waste and time necessary for each product. This creates faster turnover time that in turn generates greater sales and revenue because of the ability of Evans to handle more clientele. These machines are tied into the Manufacturing resource planning (MRP) system that Evans has installed. Comprised of three major components; the master production schedule, material requirements planning, and shop floor control, this system enables Evans to increase efficiency and overall effectiveness. The master production schedule component sets overall production goals based on due dates and size of project. The MRP component then develops a detailed production schedule to accomplish the master schedule, using production capacity, inventory, and lead-time data. The shop floor control component releases orders to the shop floor based on the detailed production schedule and the actual production accomplished thus far. It is at this point that the blueprinted information of the business is passed along to the employees who enter it into the machines for production purposes. Each unit is then put together by hand but can be checked according to data specs and read outs. Data warehous ing is another part of the Evans IT strategic plan. Within this system, Evans enters and records information concerning all areas of each individual project. Such things as materials used, processing time, time allocated for each step, employee time allocated, and which division of the production was being used are all monitored. All this is done and entered in IBMs Oracle software. Within this system, the user can produce customized reports from the data warehouse to fit what managers need. At Evans, this is done on a weekly basis in order to verify the time and money invested in each project and to ensure that they are not over budget or running behind. This is a key component to the IT advantage in that it helps managers manage each project individually without loosing track of any specific detail. Executive information systems are systems that deliver on-line current information about business conditions in an aggregate form easily accessible to senior executives and other manag ers. It is designed to be used directly by these managers without the assistance of intermediaries. EIS functions as a hands-on tool which focuses, filters, and organizes an executives information so they can make more effective use of it. At Evans, this information is accessible depending on the organizational position in which you sit because of password blocks. It is part of their IT strategy because it allows users to examine data without having to ask for it, therefore alleviating time waste, and promoting management to act in the best of their division. Such things as performance analysis and management reporting are looked at and assessed from current to previous years. Other things that are brought into play are an alert to important news items, and on-screen calculation of trends, ratios, and new versions of data. With the use of charts, maps, or queries, the information can be viewed according to the preference of the user. The final element to Evans IT strategic plans and advantage would be their systems testing and security for the organization. Security controls related to the technology infrastructure-such as backup supplies, network access control, and firewall protection- are the most relevant area that Evans has to deal with. Managers must be careful in identifying what is valid data, what errors might be made while handling data, and what potential business losses could result form inaccurate or lost data. At Evans, each individual is given a user name in which they have to log on to the system with. This will enable the IT organization to limit and monitor what systems and software the user is using and has access to. Without the proper authority granted by the IT organization, the user is withheld from accessing any information that should not be seen. The unauthorized use of data can result in a material loss, such as embezzlement of funds, or in harder to measure losses, such as disclosure of sensitive data. The ultimate protection against system failures is to have a backup copy. When a file becomes contaminated or destroyed, the most recent version can be restored. This is what Evans has come to realize and control. In any case, the security of data, and computers is necessary for Evans so that employees, customers, and others can be confident that their interactions with the organization are confident and the assets of the business are safe. Physical security also is an important part of the IT organization at Evans. Each employee is given a Chubb security card that has their thumb print scanned on to it. This gives access to the different buildings, and once inside, access to the divisions. Such areas as imaging require special access because of the amount of equipment that the room houses. Storage facilities called the Vault, for back-ups and important documentation, also require added accessibility. All of these precautions Evans does is according to their IT strategy. Looking at Evans at a whole, it is a obvious that there are many aspects in which information technology is used. Each element serves its own purpose and it part of their strategic plan and advantage. From communication to security measures, Evans has installed and maintained a high level of IT that has enabled it to succeed and grow into the market leader we see before us. By constantly upgradinTechnology