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Background: The term “stereognosis” comes from neurology and describes the capacity to distinguish objects solely by touch. Aim: The aim of this research study was to compare the neuromotor ability of the tongue in patients with malocclusion and tongue dysfunction with and without superficial anesthesia on the tip of the tongue and hard palate. Materials and Methods: The study included 132 patients aged 6–13 years. Using a spatula for speech therapy and a visual evaluation while swallowing saliva, all individuals were identified as having swallowing dysfunctions and divided into three groups: study group (children with malocclusions and tongue dysfunctions) – 44 patients, comparator group (children with malocclusions and without tongue dysfunctions) – 44 patients, and control group (children without malocclusions or tongue dysfunctions) – 44 patients. The Koczorowski methods were used for the stereognostic tests. Results: Age, sex, and malocclusion were taken into account during the differential analysis. The study and comparison groups, study and control groups, and the comparator and control groups all showed statistically significant differences from one another. According to the results, tongue dysfunction affects patients' ability to coordinate their movements with their senses at a developing stage. Conclusion: Patients with malocclusions that are made worse by tongue dysfunctions have poorer oral stereognostic sensibility. Speech therapy and interdisciplinary specialist orthodontic treatment are required for individuals with impaired oral perception who are still in the developmental stage and have abnormal tongue position and function.

The invasion of fall armyworm (FAW) to the Eastern hemisphere poses a major challenge to the food security efforts of several nations including India. Invasive FAW population is primarily composed of two predominant strains differentiated based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase (COI) gene, known as COI-RS (hybrid strain) and COI-CS (corn strain). COI-RS, in particular was found to be different from the ancestral rice strain in America and displayed characteristics of typical inter-strain hybrid population. Although the ancestral populations have been tested for their mating behaviour and response toward pheromones and biocontrol agents, similar studies have not been performed on the invasive populations. We report here the interstrain mating behaviour of COI-RS and COI-CS populations from India along with their susceptibilities towards different biocontrol agents. COI-RS larvae were more susceptible to SpfrNPV infection compared to COI-CS larvae. The response towards other biocontrol agents was similar in the two strains. Electroantennogram response study revealed that the two strains differed in their response towards FAW pheromone, where COICS males displayed higher mean antennal response towards Z-9-tetradecenyl acetate (87%), Z-11-hexadecenyl acetate (12.5%) and Z-7-dodecenyl acetate (0.5%) than COI-RS males. Similar to the ancestral population, we found unidirectional mating between COI-RS females and COI-CS males while the reverse cross did not yield viable offspring. However, further detailed studies are required to confirm this observation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Audiovisual Distraction (AVD), as a behaviour management technique, has gained significant importance in aiding patient cooperation during routine dental procedures. However, the scale at which it makes a difference needs to be evaluated. Objective approaches like measuring heart rate and pulse rates are unreliable methods. The quantification can be done using salivary Chromogranin A (CgA), a stress marker. Aim: To evaluate the use of AVD for reducing stress in children aged 4-7 years during dental treatment using salivary CgA. Materials and Methods: The present quasi-experimental study was conducted within the Department of Paediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Bharati Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University) Dental College and Hospital, Pune, Maharashtra, India, from January 2022 to March 2022 after obtaining ethical clearance from the Institute and consent from parents. Six uncooperative children who required two Class-I restorative treatments for occlusal caries involving enamel and dentin were included in the study. The sample size was estimated using G*Power software v3.1.9.2 and calculated using t-tests. The treatment plan was divided into two appointments. In the first appointment, the cavity was prepared without the use of AVD. In the second appointment, AVD was incorporated during the dental procedure using the patient’s favourite cartoon. Unstimulated salivary samples were collected during both appointments, before and immediately after the procedure, which were sent to the laboratory for evaluation of CgA levels to gauge the stress levels during each appointment and the effect AVD has on the same. Results: Within the group without AV aids used, the mean salivary CgA levels showed a significant increase from 0.23 pmol/mg pretreatment to 1.26 pmol/mg protein after treatment. Within the group with AV aids, salivary CgA levels showed a significant reduction (p≤0.05) from 1.08 pmol/mg before treatment to 0.43 pmol/mg protein after treatment. There was also a significant difference in the change in salivary CgA levels from pre- to post-treatment between the two study groups. Conclusion: The study shows quantitatively that AVD reduced stress levels during dental treatment and therefore can be used as an adjunct for behaviour management. It can also be seen that Salivary CgA is a reliable short-term stress marker and can be used objectively to evaluate and quantify stress levels in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

– Geopolymer concrete is an effective alternative to reduce adverse impacts of cement manufacturing on environment and achieving sustainable development. Road construction is a major sector, which utilizes concrete in large volume, having significant effect on environment. The present work is presented in two parts. In the first part, evaluation of CO2 emission for 1m3 of geopolymer and ordinary Portland cement concrete has been carried out and further compared. In the second part the results of first part are used to evaluate the CO2 emission for various types of road construction, National highway, State highway, Major District Road, Other District Road, Village Road for 1km of road. About 18 % of reduction in CO2 emission can be obtained by using geopolymer concrete instead of ordinary Portland cement concrete in road construction, just in 1km of stretch. Significant reduction in CO2 emission can be obtained in road sector by utilising geopolymer concrete leading to sustainability.

This article discusses a new method for synthesizing substituted pyrroles using silica supported catalysis. Pyrroles have various biological activities and properties such as anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antiviral. The authors present the results of their study, which show good yields for the synthesis of multisubstituted pyrroles with different substituent groups. They hope that this method will contribute to further investigation of complex pyrrole structures. The document also provides a series of chemical reactions and their corresponding products, including various pyrrole derivatives. The yields, physical properties, and spectroscopic data for each compound are provided. The authors acknowledge the institutions that provided laboratory facilities and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology for spectral data. [Extracted from the article]

Aim: This study aims to study the awareness of musculoskeletal changes in postmenopausal women in rural areas. Postmenopausal women experience many changes due to menopause and musculoskeletal changes are highly prevalent which adversely affects the health of women. Objectives: The objective was to determine the awareness of musculoskeletal changes among the postmenopausal women in rural areas, and to determine the awareness about adverse effects of these musculoskeletal changes. Methods: This was an observational study with 94 participants aged above 50 years. This study was done by using a standardized validated questionnaire. Results: Out of 94 participants in this study 8.51% of women were completely aware of menopause effects on the musculoskeletal system, 27.66% of women had good knowledge whereas 63.83% were unaware. Conclusion: According to the study awareness of musculoskeletal changes due to menopause in women in rural areas is poor. Few women were completely aware of musculoskeletal changes due to menopause whereas most women were unaware. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study on stress detection utilizing voice signals and two machine learning methods, Support Vector Machines (SVM) and K-Nearest Neighbours (KNN), is presented in this work. Speech-based stress detection has crucial implications in mental health support and stress management. As inputs for categorization, the system uses acoustic data collected from speech recordings. For evaluation, a dataset of voice recordings from individuals under various stress circumstances is used. The experimental results suggest that the SVM and KNN algorithms are successful at recognizing stress in voice signals. This study contributes to the field of stress detection by highlighting the potential of employing speech as a stress evaluation method. Finally, the system was evaluated on several parameters such as accuracy, precision, recall, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of direct pulp caping (DPC) is to support the formation of mineralized tissue and encourage pulp healing by placing a dental biomaterial directly over the exposed pulp. The era of vital pulp therapy has been influenced by the introduction of various pulp‑capping materials. Emphasis has shifted from the “doomed” organ concept of an exposed pulp to one of hope and recovery; this comprehensive review thus discusses the ability of different direct pulp‑capping materials to form a dentin bridge. Furthermore, this review will discuss the quality and quantity of dentinal bridge formation by different pulp‑capping agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]