Relevance Of Such Information Research Articles

Developing a national information policy—considerations for developing countries

Information and information technology developments are influencing the economies of many countries. Information needs to be made available and accessible in countries for industrial, educational and governmental purposes. Information is also an asset of unpredictable value. For these reasons, governments should acknowledge and value the relevance of such information, and therefore address it through national policies. Many countries have developed national information policies which reflect the values that governments attach to the access to and the availability of information in their countries. The most important influences on the development of a national information policy are based on the country's socio-political circumstances. Developing countries are advised to focus attention in their national information policies on aspects concerning socio-economic development, the application of information and access to information.

Developing a national information policy—considerations for developing countries

Information and information technology developments are influencing the economies of many countries. Information needs to be made available and accessible in countries for industrial, educational and governmental purposes. Information is also an asset of unpredictable value. For these reasons, governments should acknowledge and value the relevance of such information, and therefore address it through national policies. Many countries have developed national information policies which reflect the values that governments attach to the access to and the availability of information in their countries. The most important influences on the development of a national information policy are based on the country's socio-political circumstances. Developing countries are advised to focus attention in their national information policies on aspects concerning socio-economic development, the application of information and access to information.

Team situation awareness for process control safety and performance

AbstractThis paper defines situation awareness (SA) and discusses its importance to operator‐machine system safety and functioning in the context of process control activities. Specifically, identified are relationships of human detection of critical process cues converying the status of automated control systems and operator interpretation of the meaning and relevance of such information to the potential for negative incidents in chemical processing. Beyond individual operator SA in interacting with control systems, intra‐ and inter‐ work team SA are discussed for supporting individual attainment of process control responsibilities. Factors critical to team SA are discussed. “Road blocks” to team SA are also analytically examined. Lastly, methods for assessing individual and team SA are reviewed and vehicles for relating outcomes of these methods to changes in process control operator and team behavior to improve human‐machine system safety and performance are relayed.

Drug Metabolism in Drug Development: A DIA Tutorial for Regulatory Affairs Specialists

Many drug metabolism, drug-drug interaction, and pharmacogenetics meetings are held each year and are well attended by scientists from the pharmaceutical industry, academia, and worldwide regulatory agencies. Personal communication indicated that large amounts of drug metabolism information passed across the desks of the regulatory affairs specialists either as reports being submitted to or as information requests from regulatory agencies and that, unlike other preclinical or clinical data, there was little appreciation of the meaning or relevance of such information to the overall drug development campaign. The purpose of the tutorial described here was to allow regulatory affairs specialists to gain a working appreciation of the nomenclature, techniques, and usefulness of in vitro and in vivo drug metabolism studies.

Place du traitement substitutif en albumine dans le transport des médicaments, des hormones, des électrolytes et d'autres substances

Human serum albumin (HSA) is quantitatively the most important non specific transport protein. HSA binds a wide variety of both endogenous and exogenous ligands. Hypoalbuminaemia may lead to a decreased plasma binding capability of some compounds. Biological/pharmacological consequences depend on the ligand and the target tissue. Many experimental studies suggest that hypoalbuminaemia may influence the metabolism and toxicity of endogenous ligands (bilirubin, metallic ions, oxygen radicals) and the pharmacological effect of some drugs (among others: furosemide, phenytoin, warfarin). The relevance of such information for human surgical situations remains unclear. Clinical studies are scarce and inconclusive. There is a lack of pertinent data supporting the necessity of HSA infusions in order to maintain a minimal plasma concentration and a convenient plasma transport. However, experimental data indicate that major hypoalbuminaemia should be considered with caution.

Social Identity, Availability and the Perception of Risk

The present study investigated the social and relational bases of the availability bias. The availability heuristic refers to the tendency to judge events to be more likely or frequent when instances thereof come more easily to mind (Tversky & Kahneman, 1973). Tversky and Kahneman (1973) cite the example of a tendency to overestimate the risk of road accidents after witnessing an accident because of the availability of such vivid information during judgment. We argue that the availability of information can be a function of the relevance of such information to the perceiver. Following self-categorization theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher & Wetherell, 1987) we predicted that the self-relevance of target information would be enhanced where target and perceiver share a common group membership or social identity, providing a basis for assumed similarity. This led to the hypothesis that availability and judgments of risk would be greater when prior information about a road accident implicated an ingroup rat...

Anxiety Disorders in Adults with Diabetes Mellitus

Anxiety disorders are common among patients with diabetes and appear to recur in a substantial proportion of cases. The presence of generalized anxiety disorder is associated with both poorer glucose control and the increased report of clinical symptoms of diabetes. A complex interactive model best accommodates observations from psychiatric-diabetic research, one wherein diabetes may affect psychiatric status or vice versa in an independent or reciprocal fashion. No information from systematic studies is available currently to determine if treatment of the psychiatric disorder will have a beneficial impact on glucose regulation, despite the direct clinical relevance of such information to management of diabetes.

A survey of neuroendocrine phenomena in non-arthropod invertebrates.

SUMMARY Neurosecretory phenomena are apparently ubiquitous among Metazoa. In Hydra, neurosecretory products are probably involved in the control of growth and reproduction. Secretory elements in the central nervous system of turbellarians probably promote fission, regeneration and reproduction. The cerebral ganglia of nemertines are the source of a hormone which exercises an inhibitory influence on maturation of the gonads and the development of somatic sexual characteristics. A principle secreted by the ganglia and/or the associated cerebral organs controls weight regulation. A sex hormone controls sexual differentiation. Secretory neurons may influence the production of exsheathing fluid and ecdysis in nematodes. In nereid polychaetes, a single hormone which originates from the cerebral neuroendocrine system apparently promotes segment proliferation and inhibits maturation. However, in certain other polychaetes, contrasting endocrine mechanisms seem to operate. In lumbricid oligochaetes, a hormone secreted by the cerebral ganglion (and possibly by other nervous centres also) promotes gonadal activity and the differentiation of somatic sexual characters. In some species the ganglion exerts an inhibitory influence on the associated processes of ‘diapause’ and posterior regeneration. The cerebral and suboesophageal ganglia are implicated in the control of osmoregulation. Cerebral neurosecretory cells in limicolous oligochaetes may influence regenerative growth and osmoregulation. The cerebral ganglia of leeches secrete a gonadotrophic hormone. In gastropod molluscs, hormones secreted by the cerebral ganglia, glandular ‘dorsal bodies’ and/or optic tentacles are responsible for the control of the development of the reproductive tract, and the activity of the gonads. Contrasting mechanisms are thought to operate in the different gastropod groups and there is conflicting evidence particularly with respect to the endocrine functions of the optic tentacles and the gonads. The ‘bag cells’ of the abdominal ganglion of ApZysiu secrete a hormone which induces egg‐laying. Cells in the pleural and parietal ganglia probably control osmoregulation in Lymnaea. The optic glands of cephalopods secrete a gonadotrophic hormone, but sex hormones are apparently absent. The functional significance of the neurovenous tissues (presumptive neurosecretory complexes of unusual character) is obscure in most cases. The radial nerves of starfish are the source of a hormone which induces the production of I‐methyl adenine by the follicle cells of the gonad. This second principle stimulates oocyte maturation and the shedding of male and female gametes. The relevance of such information to the development of certain biological concepts and to various aspects of comparative physiology is briefly discussed.