Behavioral Barriers of Tuberculosis Notification in Private Health Sector: Policy implication and Practice

Under-reporting of new tuberculosis (TB) cases is one of the main problems in TB control, particularly in countries with high incidence and dominating role of a private sector in TB cases diagnosing. The purpose of this paper was to explore behavioral determinants of under-reporting of new TB cases among private sector physicians in Iran. We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study of physicians working in private clinics. The data collection tool was designed using the theory of planned behavior. We used structural equation models with maximum likelihood estimation to examine attitude towards the notification behavior. Of 519 physicians, 433 physicians completed the questionnaire. Attitude towards notification had the highest score (mean score=87.65; sd=6.79; range: 0-100). The effect of perceived behavioral controls on the notification behavior ((β ̂)= 0.13; CI: .01-.25) was stronger than the total effect of attitude ((β ̂)=0.06; CI: .00-.12) and subjective norms ((β ̂)=0.01; CI: -.00 -.03) on the behavior. However, the attitude was the main predictor of intention and justified 46% of the intention variance. Intention had a significant effect on the behavior ((β ̂)= 0.09; CI:.01- .16). Considering stronger effect of perceived behavioral control on the behavior, interventions aiming at facilitating notification process would be more effective than those aiming at changing the attitude or enhancing intention among physicians. To the best of our knowledge, no other study previously explored determinants of under-reporting from the behavioral and cognitive perspective. Specifically, we explored the role of the theory of planned behavior constructs in predicting intention to notify new TB cases

ALTERATION OF ACTIVE SUBSTANCE CONTENT IN "HEXACHLORAN DUST" PESTICIDE FORMULATION AT EXPOSURE TO ELECTRON BEAM

The most popular methods of organochlorinated pesticides (OCP) destruction, which are based on thermal dechlorination, are not ecologically safe. The other process – radiation-chemical degradation – has got some advantages. It does not involve high temperatures and expensive reagents. In this study, the effective OCP degradation was observed under irradiation of residuals of the active substance of ‘Hexachloran dust’ pesticide formulation, intended for utilization. Parameters for the preparation powder (dry form) exposure to electron beam are discussed. It is shown that at the exposure to electron beam at dose of 100 kGy, the degradation degree of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) isomers in a composition of active substance achieves 56.2–66.3%

The role of time management in the self-organisation of the individual within an effective self-marketing model

The study determines the role of time management in the self-organisation of a person oriented towards successful career development, identifies opportunities and ways of self-organisation within the effective self-marketing model. Two tests have been conducted among two hundred respondents of the following categories: non-working students, working students, freelancers, specialists, middle managers and top managers. The first testing allowed us to identify differences in the structure of timing during the day by categories of respondents. Based on the second test survey, six base effective time management factors have been analysed: consistency, purposefulness, perseverance, fixation (on structuring activities), self-organisation (through external means), orientation to the present. The results of the study confirm the need for time management, its competent distribution and budgeting, and effective use in the context of the self-organisation unit of the effective self-marketing model

Josephson Vortex States in Intermediate Fields

Motivated by recent resistance data in high $T_c$ superconductors in fields {\it parallel} to the CuO layers, we address two issues on the Josephson-vortex phase diagram, the appearances of structural transitions on the observed first order transition (FOT) curve in intermediate fields and of a lower critical point of the FOT line. It is found that some rotated pinned solids are more stable than the ordinary rhombic pinned solids with vacant interlayer spacings and that, due to the vertical portion in higher fields of the FOT line, the FOT tends to be destroyed by creating a lower critical point.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. To appear in J.Phys.Soc.Jpn. 71, No.2 (February, 2002

MODERN IDEA ON THE PATHOGENESIS OF SPONDYLOARTHRITIS: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS

As of now, impaired immune homeostasis of the intestinal mucosa in genetically predisposed individuals is considered to be one of the major components in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis (SpA), which leads to systemic chronic inflammation. The results of recent studies may suggest that the interleukin-23/interleukin-17 (IL-23/IL-17) axis plays a leading role in the development of these diseases. The multifactorial components of the pathogenesis of SpA are characterized by not only the hyperproduction of IL-23, but also by the change in cell target susceptibility to this cytokine with aconcurrent increase in their number, resulting in the chronic autoinflammatory process that occurs via a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations of different types of Sp