Factors affecting contrasting results between self-reported and performance-based levels of physical limitation

Molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) maps of certain 3-methoxy flavone derivatives having different anti-picornavirus activities have been studied. Geometries of the molecules were optimised and charge distributions computed using the AM1 molecular orbital method. Hybridization displacement charges (HDC) were combined with the L?wdin charge distributions to compute the MEP maps. Reliability of the method of computing MEP maps was tested by studying certain other molecules for which ab initio MEP results are available. The anti-picornavirus activities of the flavones have been shown to be related with negative MEP values in two regions, one near the 3-methoxy group and another in a diagonally opposite region near the substituent attached to the C7 atom of the molecules.     

The occurrence of multiple solutions for the TSD-Euler equation

Summary In a recent paper the TSD-Euler equation for transonic flow has been derived. This equation is similar in some respects to the TSD equation but has both entropy and vorticity terms retained. In this paper the existence of multiple solutions for the TSD-Euler equation is examined and it is found that such solutions exist for a small range of Mach numbers and airfoil thickness. It is found also that the addition of a vorticity flux on the airfoil surface can enhance the appearance of multiple solutions.With 4 Figures     

Improvement in the sociomedical support for the urban family under current conditions

Medico-demographic processes and socio-hygienic characteristics of the population of a large city, both at an individual and familial levels, as well as territorial characteristics of residence, should be taken into consideration when developing measures for medicosocial care of the population. Analysis of the attitude of 380 city families to the activities, personality, and professional skills of local therapists and pediatricians and to the idea of primary health care rendered by a physician of a general profile demonstrated an increased activity of the families in the "physician-patient" system and confirmed the necessity of improving medicosocial care of a city family, expansion of prophylactic work with the population with due consideration for factors which have an impact on population health.     

Strategic questions for consumer-based health communications

Using the consumer-oriented approach of social and commercial marketers, this article presents a process for crafting messages designed to improve people's health behaviors. The process, termed consumer-based health communications (CHC), transforms scientific recommendations into message strategies that are relevant to the consumer. The core of CHC is consumer research conducted to understand the consumer's reality, and thereby allowing six strategic questions to be answered. The immediate result of the CHC process is a strategy statement--a few pages that lay out who the target consumer is, what action should be taken, what to promise and how to make the promise credible, how and when to reach him or her, and what image to convey. The strategy statement then guides the execution of all communication efforts, be they public relations, mass media, direct marketing, media advocacy, or interpersonal influence. It identifies the most important "levers" for contact with the consumer. Everyone from creative specialists through management and program personnel can use the strategy statement as a touchstone to guide and judge the effectiveness of their efforts. The article provides a step by step illustration of the CHC process using the 5 A Day campaign as an example.     

A magnetic bead-based DNA extraction and purification microfluidic device

This article introduces a novel magnetic bead-based DNA extraction and purification device using active magnetic mixing approach. Mixing and separation steps are performed using functionalised superparamagnetic beads suspended in cell lysis buffer in a circular chamber that is sandwiched between two external magnetic coils. Non-uniform nature of magnetic field causes temporal and spatial distribution of beads within the chamber. This process efficiently mixes the lysis buffer and whole blood in order to extract DNA from target cells. Functionalized surface of the magnetic beads then attract the exposed DNA molecules. Finally, DNA-attached magnetic beads are attracted to the bottom of the chamber by activating the bottom magnetic coil. DNA molecules are extracted from magnetic beads by washing and re-suspension processes. In this study, a circular PMMA microchamber, 25 μL in volume, 500 μm in depth and 8 mm in diameter was fabricated to purify DNA from spiked bacterial cell cultures into the whole blood sample using Promega Magazorb DNA extraction kit. The lysis efficiency was evaluated using a panel of Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacterial cells cultures into the blood sample to achieve approximately 100,000 copy levels inside the chip. Manufacturer’s standard extraction protocol was modified to a more simplified process suitable for chip-based extraction. The lysis step was performed using 5 min incubation at 56 °C followed by 5 min incubation at room temperature for binding process. Temperature rise was generated and maintained by the same external magnetic coils used for active mixing. The yield/purity and recovery levels of the extracted DNA were evaluated using quantitative UV spectrophotometer and real-time PCR assay, respectively. Real-time PCR results indicated efficient chip-based bacterial DNA extraction using modified extraction protocol comparable to the standard bench-top extraction process.