Supply Chain Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Supply Chain Assignment - Essay Example These include a lean supply chain, an agile supply chain and lastly a hybrid supply chain. This study will seek to discuss the growing supply chain relationship in today’s supply chain management while analysing the various established relationship management models and exploring both the strategic and operational considerations that are extremely essential for enabling a relationship posture that is appropriate within the supplier (Christopher 2004). Additionally, the study explores the various emerging concepts of lean supply management while discussing the importance of both the efficiency and effectiveness brought about by a lean approach and consequently proposing a general approach an organization can initiate, develop and sustain. The growing importance of the supply chain relationship in today’s supply chain management Numerous studies have observed a highly interesting trend amongst the leading companies in the world. The companies are discovering a somehow ver y powerful new source of competitive advantage in the market (Christopher 2004). This is what is increasingly gaining popularity as the supply-chain management. Supply chain comprises of all the integrated activities responsible and that can be traced to the final product in the market and which determines customer satisfaction. Supply chain management by the nature of its existence heavily depends on relationships and connections. In the context of supply chain management, the term relationship implies a lot. This may include strategic relationship, internal relationship, and transactional relationship amongst many more others. What has made supply chain necessary is the benefit that is derived from supplier relationships, most notably the increasing value and supply chain cost minimization. Additionally, the need by most companies to gain competitive advantage has made maintaining supply chain relationship very serious (Robert, Ernest 2002). The programs related to supply chain ma nagement integrates topics from all the departments of the organization which include the manufacturing operations of the company, purchasing of the company’s products, and transportation of the sales, in addition to, physical distribution into a unified program (Robert, Ernest 1989). For supply chain management to be considered successful, it must coordinate and ensure there is integration of all the above stated activities into a process that is seamless (Robert, Ernest 2002). The supply management team should further, in addition to, embracing link all the partners in the chain. Consequently, in addition to, the various departments within the organization, the other partners include vendors, carriers, information system providers and third party companies. The most fundamental objective of the supply chain management has always been to add value. Supply Chain Management has been transformed into a tool that is essential for accomplishing corporate strategic objectives (Fin ancial Executive 2002). Amongst these would include reducing working capital, accelerating cash-cash cycles, taking assets off the balance sheet and increasing inventory turns amongst and most importantly monitoring average annual sales (Carlisle & Parker 1989). Supply chain management has in the recent past become top managements new main focus area. In light

Magnetic resonance imaging Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Magnetic resonance imaging - Assignment Example 2001). MRI is used to measure tissue perfusion through the use of different techniques such as arterial sin labelling (ASL) and dynamic susceptibility contrasting imaging (DSC-MRI). DSC is based on injected contrast agent use that changes the blood’s magnetic susceptibility, thus, producing a MR signal continually measured throughout the bolus passage (Petrella & Provenzale 2000). ASL, on the other hand, is whereby before the arterial blood enters into the tissue to be assessed, it is magnetically tagged, and consequently, the labelling amount is measured and compared to a blank recording achieved without spin labelling. Currently, MRI is a powerful tool in a clinical setting for evaluation of brain anatomy, which is achieved via a number of metabolic or functional assessments. MRI perfusion is a technique used to measure cerebral perfusion non-invasively via several hemodynamic measurements assessments including cerebral blood flow, cerebral blood, volume, and meant transit t ime. This technique plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment cerebrovascular disease patients, as well as patients with other brain disorders (Petrella & Provenzale 2000). ... Exogenous Tracers Exogenous is a model of MR perfusion, which assumes that the tracer does not diffuse into the outer cellular space because it is constrained in the intravascular compartment. In this model imaging can either be performed dynamically or in a steady state. Dynamic imaging utilizes transient fluctuations in local magnetic field of the tissues in the surrounding that are induced by paramagnetic tracer bolus passing through the capillary network of the organ. The local magnetic field changes can be measured as signal fluctuations on MR imaging. Accurate measurements are enabled by Ultrafast imaging methods such as spiral MR and echoplanar imaging, which measures differing signal changes that occur rapidly (Ostergaard, et al. 1996). Data from the signal-time course is then changed to relative tracer tissue data from the concentration-time course. This results in tracer concentration-time curve that can be evaluated to establish different parameters of hemodynamic tissues such as blood flow, transit time, tissue blood volume and bolus arrival time. The hemodynamic parameters mentioned above are influenced by features of the bolus injection such as the injection rate, contrast agent paramagnetic properties, the amount of injected contrast material among others. Furthermore, these parameters rely on variables inside the subject under imaging, which are cardiac output and vascular volume of total-body (Buxton, et al. 1996). Therefore, it is not possible to compare the parameters between varied subjects, and at different times they may even cause variation on examination of the same subject. Nevertheless, there is an internal standard of reference,