International Distribution and Supply Chain Management Essay

International Distribution and Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Two key technological developments that have enabled customers to transfer and vendors to process consumption data are Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and high-speed, batch-processing forecasting software. Coincident with the advent of these innovations was the evolution of cooperative customer-vendor business programs including Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), Continuous Replenishment Planning (CRP), and Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFAR) which became the hallmarks of 1990s supply chain management. The combination of new information technology and cooperative supply chain partnerships has made possible the sharing of consumption-based forecasting information in near real time. The results of these developments have been dramatic: improvements in product-forecast accuracy, reductions in supply chain inventories, and efficiencies in product distribution. Instead of monthly factory shipment information, vendors have begun to use four other types of demand data to drive demand planning systems. These alternative data streams are (1) customer forecasts, (2) consumer purchases, (3) customer warehouse withdrawals, and (4) customer orders. Collectively, these customer-supplied data can be used to form the basis for bottom-up product forecasts which, when aggregated and rolled back up the supply chain, more accurately predict independent demand than do factory shipment-based forecasts. Independent demand is the requirement for items that is influenced by factors that are external to the firms that comprise the supply chain. These external factors bring about random variation in demand for such items. Consequently, independent demand forecasts are typically projections of historical demand patterns. As such, it is assumed here that independent demand is derived from point-of-sale (POS) based consumption data, since consumption is outside of the control of suppliers, vendors, and retail customers. The primary reason for using

A study of acetylcholinesterase and its inhibition Essay

A study of acetylcholinesterase and its inhibition - Essay Example The purpose of this study was to explore the enzyme acetylcholinesterase and the physiology of this complex system, and the various disorders associated with the cholinergic system by a review of literature. The central nervous system (CNS) gets a variety of internal and external stimuli. These are integrated and expressed subconsciously through the autonomic nervous system, which modulates the involuntary functions of the body. The autonomic nervous system is divided into the sympathetic (thoracolumbar) outflow, and the parasympathetic (craniosacral) outflow (Robertson D, 2005.) Neurotransmitters are chemical substances that help neurons to communicate with other neurons through a chemical synapse. They are categorized into four groups: monoamines, amino acids, peptides and acetylcholine. After synthesis, they are packaged and transported, if required, to the presynaptic cell terminal. The release of the neurotransmitter into the synaptic cleft is triggered by the arrival of an action potential at the presynaptic cell terminal. The neurotransmitter then diffuses across the synapse, and activates receptors on the postsynaptic cell resulting in either excitation or inhibition of that cell. The final step in this process is the inactivation of the neurotransmitter by enzymatic breakdown, re-uptake or by neurotransmitter diffusion. (PKAL conference, 1997.) Acetylcholine (ACh) is the primary neuromediator of both sympathetic and parasympathetic preganglionic neurons. It is also the mediator of parasympathetic postganglionic fibres. ACh has mostly an excitatory effect but it is known to have inhibitory effects at some of the peripheral parasympathetic nerve endings, like inhibition of the heart by the vagus nerve (Guyton AC, 1986.) Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease due to the lack of cholinergic receptors in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Although the function of ACh in the brain is not as