Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Patients toward Dental Implants in Need of Prosthodontic Rehabilitation.

Background: Our goal in conducting this study was to see how well-informed patients are about dental implants as a method of prosthodontic rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: "In this cross-sectional study, 500 new dental students were asked questions using a pre-made, self-administered questionnaire. A pilot study was carried out to verify the reliability of the survey instrument. Analysis of the data was performed in SPSS 16 (SPSS). We used the P 0.05 thresholds for the Student's T-test and the ANOVA to determine statistical significance." Results: In all, there were 500 people involved: 320 men and 180 women. The media and dentists were the two most common places to learn about implants, and as patients received more information, they became more informed consumers. Many people put off getting therapy because of how expensive it is. Conclusion: Only a small percentage of individuals had implants, and more than half knew nothing about them. This finding also highlighted the need of educating patients more thoroughly on this therapy option. As a result, the public has to be educated about oral health and implants in order to adopt a more favorable perspective.

Development and Validation of the Adaptive Schema Questionnaire.

Background: Schemas help with the organization and interpretation of information. Adaptive schemas indicate positive predisposing thinking patterns in an individual. This study aimed to develop a psychometrically robust tool to assess adaptive schema in a nonclinical sample. Method: This research comprises two independent studies. Study I was multiphased. In Phase I (n = 70), 36 open-ended items were generated following the Young schema therapy model and qualitatively analyzed. This facilitated the generation of 144 items in Phase II (n = 152) which were evaluated for content validity and subjected to rigorous item analysis. Exploratory factor analysis was performed in Phase III (n = 751). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in Study II (n = 244). Results: Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a six-factor solution comprising 25 items. These factors correspond to the six adaptive themes, namely, adequate, secured, self-reliant/autonomous, resistant, successful, and self-assured. The newly developed Adaptive Schema Questionnaire demonstrated adequate reliability (α = 0.86). Significant correlations between the obtained factors and Early Maladaptive Schemas, depression, big five personality factors, and positive and negative effects established the concurrent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated acceptable goodness of fit for the obtained model. Conclusion: The developed Adaptive Schema Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument with promising utility in psychotherapy and research context.

Successful Aging in the Indian Socio-cultural Milieu.

There is a growing recognition of the importance of subjective definitions of successful aging from a clinical and policy perspective, and for their social and cultural relevance. However, the voices of older Indians remain largely underrepresented in the emerging body of qualitative literature on successful aging. Given this gap, and India's burgeoning older population, the present study set out to examine their subjective perception of successful aging. Using convenience sampling, data was collected from older men and women (N = 63, M Age = 71.21) living in the community, and in old age homes in Delhi NCR, through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions. Reflexive thematic analysis resulted in four primary themes and eight sub-themes - Successful Aging as Personal Well-being, Tensions between Agency and Fatalism, comprising three sub-themes viz. the person as an active agent, co-existence of agency and fatalism, and negotiating with the invisible powers; Linked Lives comprising two sub-themes viz. the aging parent and the adult child, and spousal interrelationship; and The Social and Built Environment comprising three sub-themes, viz. complexity of social life: the health interface, social life in the neighborhood, and the good house. These findings provide a culture-specific view of successful aging in the Indian context, and reveals the multifaceted conceptualization of successful aging of older Indians - one that encompasses various biopsychosocial components.

Evaluation of machine learning approaches for prediction of pigeon pea yield based on weather parameters in India.

Pigeon pea is the second most important grain legume in India, primarily grown under rainfed conditions. Any changes in agro-climatic conditions will have a profound influence on the productivity of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) yield and, as a result, the total pulse production of the country. In this context, weather-based crop yield prediction will enable farmers, decision-makers, and administrators in dealing with hardships. The current study examines the application of the stepwise linear regression method, supervised machine learning algorithms (support vector machines (SVM) and random forest (RF)), shrinkage regression approaches (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) or elastic net (ENET)), and artificial neural network (ANN) model for pigeon pea yield prediction using long-term weather data. Among the approaches, ANN resulted in a higher coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.88-0.99), model efficiency (0.88-1.00) with subsequent lower normalised root mean square error (nRMSE) during calibration (1.13-12.55%), and validation (0.33-21.20%) over others. The temperature alone or its interaction with other weather parameters was identified as the most influencing variables in the study area. The Pearson correlation coefficients were also determined for the observed and predicted yield. Those values also showed ANN as the best model with correlation values ranging from 0.939 to 0.999 followed by RF (0.955-0.982) and LASSO (0.880-0.982). However, all the approaches adopted in the study were outperformed the statistical method, i.e. stepwise linear regression with lower error values and higher model efficiency. Thus, these approaches can be effectively used for precise yield prediction of pigeon pea over different districts of Karnataka in India.

Personal wellbeing among adolescents and youth in India.

This study sought to explore the level of personal wellbeing and identified the determinants of happiness among Indian adolescents and youth. Data were collected from a sample of 495 participants (aged 11-23 years) residing in the National Capital Region of Delhi (Delhi-NCR), using the bilingual version (Hindi and English) of the Personal Wellbeing Index (PWI). Their PWI score was 80.06, indicating high happiness levels in the nonwestern normative PWI range. Domains of personal relationships, community connectedness, and safety represented high overall wellbeing with the highest mean scores. Multivariate analysis showed that the least happy group on life as a whole domain was students aged 19-23 years as compared with the 11-14 and 15-18 years age group. Furthermore, men had higher happiness levels on personal safety, while women had higher scores on life achievement. The qualitative analysis illustrated the socio-cultural basis of these wellbeing determinants as rooted in the hierarchical social structures and collectivistic cultural orientation.

Effect of dimensions on function: A 2-dimensional sonographic assessment to correlate facial muscle and smile type.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to measure the dimensions of the select facial muscles and correlate them with different types of smiles. METHODS: The study group included 30 South Asian adults (17 men and 13 women) aged between 24 and 30 years divided into 3 groups of 10 subjects each according to Rubin's classification of smile. The zygomaticus major, levator labii superioris, depressor anguli oris, and mentalis muscles were ultrasonographically evaluated. The length and thickness of the muscles were measured bilaterally. The data obtained were analyzed statistically. RESULTS: The maximum mean value thickness of the zygomaticus major was found in the canine smile group. The maximum mean value thickness of the depressor anguli oris and mentalis was seen in the full denture smile group. However, the thickness of the levator labii superioris muscle was similar between the different smile groups. There was no significant difference in the measurements of the length of the muscles between the right and the left sides. CONCLUSIONS: This study did not find any statistically significant correlation between the type of smiles described in Rubin's classification and the dimensions of the associated facial muscle.

An Exploratory Study on Subjective Perceptions of Happiness From India.

The present study aimed at understanding the subjective perception of happiness in a sample of Indian participants from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Using convenience sampling, individual interviews were conducted with 60 participants aged between 19 to 73 years (M Age = 40 years). This study employed reflexive thematic analysis to analyse the written transcripts. Nine themes were generated which captured the essence of happiness for Indians-Feelings and Expressions of Happiness; Human Ties and Happiness which encompassed four sub-themes-family bond, the company one keeps, the pandemic and social disengagement, and the nation, society and happiness; Satisfaction with Material Needs and Resources; Lifestyle and Health; Work and Play; Accomplishment and Appreciation; Nature Connectedness; Religious and Spiritual beliefs; and Happiness as a Personal responsibility-Role of Positive Personality Traits. These findings revealed our respondent's multidimensional conceptualization of happiness, and adds to the growing body of happiness literature from the South Asian context.

Measurement Invariance of the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience Across 13 Countries.

The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) is widely used to measure emotional experiences, but not much is known about its cross-cultural utility. The present study evaluated the measurement invariance of the SPANE across adult samples (N = 12,635; age range = 18-85 years; 58.2% female) from 13 countries (China, Colombia, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, and the United States). Configural and partial scalar invariance of the SPANE were supported. Three items capturing specific negative emotions (sad, afraid, and angry) were found to be culturally noninvariant. Our findings suggest that the SPANE's positive emotion terms and general negative emotion terms (e.g., negative and unpleasant) might be more suitable for cross-cultural studies on emotions and well-being, whereas caution is needed when comparing countries using the SPANE's specific negative emotion items.

Multi-Level Optimization of an Ultra-Low Power BrainWave System for Non-Convulsive Seizure Detection.

We present a systematic evaluation and optimization of a complex bio-medical signal processing application on the BrainWave prototype system, targeted towards ambulatory EEG monitoring within a tiny power budget of 1 mW. The considered BrainWave processor is completely programmable, while maintaining energy-efficiency by means of a Coarse-Grained Reconfigurable Array (CGRA). This is demonstrated through the mapping and evaluation of a state-of-the-art non-convulsive epileptic seizure detection algorithm, while ensuring real-time operation and seizure detection accuracy. Exploiting the CGRA leads to an energy reduction of 73.1%, compared to a highly tuned software implementation (SW-only). A total of 9 complex kernels were benchmarked on the CGRA, resulting in an average 4.7 × speedup and average 4.4 × energy savings over highly tuned SW-only implementations. The BrainWave processor is implemented in 28-nm FDSOI technology with 80 kB of Foundry-provided SRAM. By exploiting near-threshold computing for the logic and voltage-stacking to minimize on-chip voltage-conversion overhead, additional 15.2% and 19.5% energy savings are obtained, respectively. At the Minimum-Energy-Point (MEP) (223 µW, 8 MHz) we report a measured state-of-the-art 90.6% system conversion efficiency, while executing the epileptic seizure detection in real-time.

Stress management training and gratitude journaling in the classroom: an initial investigation in Indian context.

Stress and allied difficulties are pervasive among school students in present times. This concern is further magnified in the Indian context with the large represention of young people in the population and limited resources to match. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of a classroom based stress management training and gratitude journaling intervention (Flinchbaugh et al., 2012) among Indian adolescents. The intervention curriculum was adapted to suit the study context. A total of 238 students (57% males) from Grades 7-9 participated in this study. Participants were recruited from two schools, and their age ranged from 11 to 14 years. In each participating school, students were randomised at the classroom level into three intervention groups (Stress Management Training, Gratitude Journaling, combination of both), and one control group. Using a pre-test - post-test design, intervention impact on measures of well-being, life satisfaction, perceived stress, meaning, and engagement in the classroom was evaluated. Results suggested limited effectiveness of stress management training and gratitude journaling among participants in the present context. Plausible explanations for these findings are discussed. The study emphasizes the need for customised interventions to obtain optimal outcomes among diverse populations.

Yoga an effective strategy for self-management of stress-related problems and wellbeing during COVID19 lockdown: A cross-sectional study.

This cross-sectional research aims to study the effect of yoga practice on the illness perception, and wellbeing of healthy adults during 4-10 weeks of lockdown due to COVID19 outbreak. A total of 668 adults (64.7% males, M = 28.12 years, SD = 9.09 years) participated in the online survey. The participants were grouped as; yoga practitioners, other spiritual practitioners, and non-practitioners based on their responses to daily practices that they follow. Yoga practitioners were further examined based on the duration of practice as; long-term, mid-term and beginners. Multivariate analysis indicates that yoga practitioners had significantly lower depression, anxiety, & stress (DASS), and higher general wellbeing (SWGB) as well as higher peace of mind (POMS) than the other two groups. The results further revealed that the yoga practitioners significantly differed in the perception of personal control, illness concern and emotional impact of COVID19. However, there was no significant difference found for the measure of resilience (BRS) in this study. Yoga practitioners also significantly differed in the cognitive reappraisal strategy for regulating their emotions than the other two groups. Interestingly, it was found that beginners -those who had started practicing yoga only during the lockdown period reported no significant difference for general wellbeing and peace of mind when compared to the mid- term practitioner. Evidence supports that yoga was found as an effective self- management strategy to cope with stress, anxiety and depression, and maintain wellbeing during COVID19 lockdown.

Active versus passive case finding for tuberculosis in marginalised and vulnerable populations in India: comparison of treatment outcomes.

Background: Community-based active case finding (ACF) for tuberculosis (TB) implemented among marginalised and vulnerable populations in 285 districts of India resulted in reduction of diagnosis delay and prevalence of catastrophic costs due to TB diagnosis. We were interested to know whether this translated into improved treatment outcomes. Globally, there is limited published literature from marginalised and vulnerable populations on the independent effect of community-based ACF on treatment outcomes when compared to passive case finding (PCF). Objectives: To determine the relative differences in unfavourable treatment outcomes (death, loss-to-follow-up, failure, not evaluated) of ACF and PCF-diagnosed people. Methods: Cohort study involving record reviews and interviews in 18 randomly selected districts. We enrolled all ACF-diagnosed people with new smear-positive pulmonary TB, registered under the national TB programme between March 2016 and February 2017, and an equal number of randomly selected PCF-diagnosed people in the same settings. We used log binomial models to adjust for confounders. Results: Of 572 enrolled, 275 belonged to the ACF and 297 to the PCF group. The proportion of unfavourable outcomes were 10.2% (95% CI: 7.1%, 14.3%) in the ACF and 12.5% (95% CI: 9.2%, 16.7%) in the PCF group (p = 0.468). The association between ACF and unfavourable outcomes remained non-significant after adjusting for confounders available from records [aRR: 0.83 (95% CI: 0.56, 1.21)]. Due to patient non-availability at their residence, interviews were conducted for 465 (81.3%). In the 465 cohort too, there was no association after adjusting for confounders from records and interviews [aRR: 1.05 (95% CI: 0.62, 1.77)]. Conclusion: We did not find significant differences in the treatment outcomes. Due to the wide CIs, studies with larger sample sizes are urgently required. Studies are required to understand how to translate the benefits of ACF to improved treatment outcomes.

Are we missing 'previously treated' smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis under programme settings in India? A cross-sectional study.

Background: In 2007, a field observation from India reported 11% misclassification among 'new' patients registered under the revised national tuberculosis (TB) control programme. Ten years down the line, it is important to know what proportion of newly registered patients has a past history of TB treatment for at least one month (henceforth called 'misclassification'). Methods: A study was conducted among new smear-positive pulmonary TB patients registered between March 2016 and February 2017 in 18 randomly selected districts to determine the effectiveness of an active case-finding strategy in marginalised and vulnerable populations. We included all patients detected through active case-finding. An equal number of randomly selected patients registered through passive case-finding from marginalised and vulnerable populations in the same districts were included. Before enrolment, we enquired about any history of previous TB treatment through interviews. Results: Of 629 patients, we interviewed 521, of whom, 11% (n=56) had past history of TB treatment (public or private) for at least a month: 13% (34/268) among the active case-finding group and 9% (22/253) among the passive case-finding group (p=0.18). No factors were found to be significantly associated with misclassification. Conclusion: Around one in every ten patients registered as 'new' had previous history of TB treatment. Corrective measures need to be implemented, followed by monitoring of any change in the proportion of 'previously treated' patients among all registered patients treated under the programme at national level.

Patient characteristics, health seeking and delays among new sputum smear positive TB patients identified through active case finding when compared to passive case finding in India.

BACKGROUND: Axshya SAMVAD is an active tuberculosis (TB) case finding (ACF) strategy under project Axshya (Axshya meaning 'free of TB' and SAMVAD meaning 'conversation') among marginalized and vulnerable populations in 285 districts of India. OBJECTIVES: To compare patient characteristics, health seeking, delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation among new sputum smear positive TB patients detected through ACF and passive case finding (PCF) under the national TB programme in marginalized and vulnerable populations between March 2016 and February 2017. METHODS: This observational analytic study was conducted in 18 randomly sampled Axshya districts. We enrolled all TB patients detected through ACF and an equal number of randomly selected patients detected through PCF in the same settings. Data on patient characteristics, health seeking and delays were collected through record review and patient interviews (at their residence). Delays included patient level delay (from eligibility for sputum examination to first contact with any health care provider (HCP)), health system level diagnosis delay (from contact with first HCP to TB diagnosis) and treatment initiation delays (from diagnosis to treatment initiation). Total delay was the sum of patient level, health system level diagnosis delay and treatment initiation delays. RESULTS: We included 234 ACF-diagnosed and 231 PCF-diagnosed patients. When compared to PCF, ACF patients were relatively older (≥65 years, 14% versus 8%, p = 0.041), had no formal education (57% versus 36%, p<0.001), had lower monthly income per capita (median 13.1 versus 15.7 USD, p = 0.014), were more likely from rural areas (92% versus 81%, p<0.002) and residing far away from the sputum microscopy centres (more than 15 km, 24% versus 18%, p = 0.126). Fewer patients had history of significant loss of weight (68% versus 78%, p = 0.011) and sputum grade of 3+ (15% versus 21%, p = 0.060). Compared to PCF, HCP visits among ACF patients was significantly lower (median one versus two HCPs, p<0.001). ACF patients had significantly lower health system level diagnosis delay (median five versus 19 days, p = 0.008) and the association remained significant after adjusting for potential confounders. Patient level and total delays were not significantly different. CONCLUSION: Axshya SAMVAD linked the most impoverished communities to TB care and resulted in reduction of health system level diagnosis delay.

Religion and Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Positive Virtues.

Researchers have consistently advocated positive associations between religion and well-being. The present research takes a step forward and explores potential mechanisms behind the same. The mediating role of a surprisingly neglected mechanism, positive virtues, specifically gratitude, forgiveness and altruism, is studied through a quantitative study on a sample of 220 adult respondents residing in Delhi NCR. The participants adhered to one of the six major religions present in India. Mediational analysis revealed that gratitude mediated the relationship between religiosity, spirituality and well-being via two pathways of forgiveness and altruism. The implications for researchers and practitioners working in the field of mental health are discussed.

Active case finding among marginalised and vulnerable populations reduces catastrophic costs due to tuberculosis diagnosis.

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence on whether active case finding (ACF) among marginalised and vulnerable populations mitigates the financial burden during tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of ACF among marginalised and vulnerable populations on prevalence and inequity of catastrophic costs due to TB diagnosis among TB-affected households when compared with passive case finding (PCF). METHODS: In 18 randomly sampled ACF districts in India, during March 2016 to February 2017, we enrolled all new sputum-smear-positive TB patients detected through ACF and an equal number of randomly selected patients detected through PCF. Direct (medical and non-medical) and indirect costs due to TB diagnosis were collected through patient interviews at their residence. We defined costs due to TB diagnosis as 'catastrophic' if the total costs (direct and indirect) due to TB diagnosis exceeded 20% of annual pre-TB household income. We used concentration curves and indices to assess the extent of inequity. RESULTS: When compared with patients detected through PCF (n = 231), ACF patients (n = 234) incurred lower median total costs (US$ 4.6 and 20.4, p < 0.001). The prevalence of catastrophic costs in ACF and PCF was 10.3 and 11.5% respectively. Adjusted analysis showed that patients detected through ACF had a 32% lower prevalence of catastrophic costs relative to PCF [adjusted prevalence ratio (95% CI): 0.68 (0.69, 0.97)]. The concentration indices (95% CI) for total costs in both ACF [-0.15 (-0.32, 0.11)] and PCF [-0.06 (-0.20, 0.08)] were not significantly different from the line of equality and each other. The concentration indices (95% CI) for catastrophic costs in both ACF [-0.60 (-0.81, -0.39)] and PCF [-0.58 (-0.78, -0.38)] were not significantly different from each other: however, both the curves had a significant distribution among the poorest quintiles. CONCLUSION: ACF among marginalised and vulnerable populations reduced total costs and prevalence of catastrophic costs due to TB diagnosis, but could not address inequity.

Psychometric Comparisons of Benevolent and Corrective Humor across 22 Countries: The Virtue Gap in Humor Goes International.

Recently, two forms of virtue-related humor, benevolent and corrective, have been introduced. Benevolent humor treats human weaknesses and wrongdoings benevolently, while corrective humor aims at correcting and bettering them. Twelve marker items for benevolent and corrective humor (the BenCor) were developed, and it was demonstrated that they fill the gap between humor as temperament and virtue. The present study investigates responses to the BenCor from 25 samples in 22 countries (overall N = 7,226). The psychometric properties of the BenCor were found to be sufficient in most of the samples, including internal consistency, unidimensionality, and factorial validity. Importantly, benevolent and corrective humor were clearly established as two positively related, yet distinct dimensions of virtue-related humor. Metric measurement invariance was supported across the 25 samples, and scalar invariance was supported across six age groups (from 18 to 50+ years) and across gender. Comparisons of samples within and between four countries (Malaysia, Switzerland, Turkey, and the UK) showed that the item profiles were more similar within than between countries, though some evidence for regional differences was also found. This study thus supported, for the first time, the suitability of the 12 marker items of benevolent and corrective humor in different countries, enabling a cumulative cross-cultural research and eventually applications of humor aiming at the good.

Effect of Heartfulness cleaning and meditation on heart rate variability.

BACKGROUND: Meditation has been a key component of eastern spiritual practices. Heartfulness meditation is a unique heart based system with key practices like cleaning and meditation aided by yogic transmission. OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of Heartfulness cleaning and meditation (guided by Heartfulness trainer) on heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). METHODS: A total of 30 participants (21 males, 9 females; age range 19-70 years, M = 45.1 years and SD = 12.7 years) participated in the study. HRV, BP and HR were studied before, during and after the three stages of rest, cleaning and meditation. RESULTS: There was significant effect of cleaning and meditation on normalized unit of power in low-frequency band (LFnu) for the three conditions [F (2, 87) = 9.98, p < 0.01] with mean values for baseline being 70.82 ±â€¯14.55, cleaning being 55.62 ±â€¯15.06 and meditation being 55.17 ±â€¯16.63. There was also a significant effect of cleaning and meditation on normalized unit of power in high-frequency band (HFnu) [F (2, 87) = 7.31, p < 0.01] with mean values for baseline being 30.86 ±â€¯16.51, cleaning being 44.37 ±â€¯15.06 and meditation being 44.83 ±â€¯16.63. Significant effect of cleaning and meditation was also seen for LF/HF [F (2, 87) = 4.98, p < 0.01] with mean values for baseline being 3.45 ±â€¯3.40, cleaning being 1.63 ±â€¯1.30 and meditation being 1.82 ±â€¯2.19. CONCLUSION: Heartfulness cleaning and meditation had a positive effect on sympathovagal balance.

The Ashtanga Yoga Hindi Scale: An Assessment Tool Based on Eastern Philosophy of Yoga.

The study imports the concept of Ashtanga Yoga from the eastern philosophy of Yoga. There is a major disconnect between theory and data in Indian Psychology. Indian Psychology provides a rich theoretical base for understanding optimal human functioning. However, the theories have not been tested due to paucity of tools. A test developed on Ashtanga Yoga is reported. Data were collected in two phases from 550 participants. The data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis. Seven factors were extracted as the theory indicates. Overall reliability of the scale was found to be excellent (α = 0.88), and the criterion-related validity was satisfactory as correlations were found to be 0.46 and 0.48 (p < 0.01) for Flourishing and SPANE-P, respectively, and -0.22 (p < 0.01) for SPANE-N.