Legal Complexities of Adolescent Relationships: A Study of Protection of Child Sexual Offense Cases in India.

Introduction The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in India prohibits sexual engagement among individuals under 18 years old. However, societal variables also affect many teenagers' consensual sexual activities. Little research has been conducted on the legal ramifications for consenting to sexual action under the POCSO Act. This study examined consensual sexual assault cases under the POCSO Act and their possible outcome. Methodology Five years of medicolegal records from a tertiary hospital were analyzed for sexual assault victims aged <18 years. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze victim demographics, literacy, sexual acts, reporting patterns, and accused-victim relationships. Result A total of 410 instances of sexual assault were recorded, and 29% involved victims between the ages of 16 and 18. Most victims (73.9%) in this age range were literate, and 85.7% provided consent for sexual relations. Parents or guardians reported all cases, and most of the accused were victims' friends. Discussion The POCSO Act offers legal safeguards for sexual abuse and exploitation. However, their use in adolescent sexual consent has raised concerns. The Law Commission of India's refusal to reassess the POCSO Act's age barrier for sexual consent emphasizes the need for a child-centric approach to negotiating complex teenage relationships. Conclusion Balancing legal obligations and developmental needs is essential to addressing consensual sexual acts under the POCSO Act. While sensitively implementing the law, stakeholders must focus on their children's best interests and healthy development. Child-friendly environments and support systems empower victims and reduce trauma in teenage relationships.

Effectiveness of life skills health education program: A quasi-experimental study among school students of South India.

BACKGROUND: Adolescence is a vital stage of growth and development; however, many adolescents do die prematurely due to accidents, suicide, violence, poor mental stability, depression, and other illnesses that are either preventable or treatable. Life skills are important for the promotion of well-being of adolescents and to develop positive attitude and values to lead a healthy life. OBJECTIVES: The study was conducted to assess the change in life skills postintervention and study the association between different variables and the postintervention life skills score. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 137 adolescents each in urban and rural schools. Life skills training module based on ten domains of life skills given by the World Health Organization was implemented using interactive teaching-learning methods. After 6 months of implementation of life skills training sessions, a postintervention assessment was done using the life skills assessment scale, and the differences in the scores were measured. RESULTS: Higher life skills score was observed postintervention, and this difference was statistically significant (P < 0.001). Higher postintervention mean score (above 15) was seen in critical thinking (19.58), self-awareness (18.03), creative thinking (15.78), and interpersonal thinking (15.15). CONCLUSION: Increase in the postintervention scores using an educational intervention module and interactive teaching-learning methods suggests effectiveness of the life skills education program. Implementing this health promotion module on life skills in the school curriculum will address the overall development of the personality of the school students.

Mechanical response at peri-implant mandibular bone for variation of pore characteristics of implants: A Finite Element Study.

PURPOSE: In this paper, the mechanical response of generic dental implants having calculated porosities with varying pore-sizes has been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to compare the developed stress-strain of designed porous implants (i.e., stress at the implant and strain at the peri-implant bone) with that of the non-porous implant. METHODS: 3D model of a mandible was prepared from CT scan data and nine generic dental implant models have been designed having 10%, 20%, and 30% porosity with 500, 700, and 900 micron pore size along with a non-porous model for carrying out FE analyses. First, failure analyses of implants, under a biting force of 250 N have been performed. Next, the remaining implants have been further evaluated under average compressive chewing load of 100 N, for mechanical responses at bone-implant interface. RESULTS: Von Mises strain at the peri-implant mandibular bone increases with the increase in percentage porosity of the implant material and maximum implant stress remained much below the yield stress level. CONCLUSION: Implant stiffness and compressive strength vary as a function of porosity and pore size. Strain obtained on the peri-implant bone is sufficient enough to facilitate better bone growth with the 700 micron pore size and 30% porosity, thus reducing the effect of stress shielding.

Investigation of modal-interference-induced fiber optic refractive index sensor: markedly enhanced sensitivity realized by shining an optical vortex beam.

A highly sensitive multimode-interference-based refractive index sensor is reported here by shining an optical vortex beam. The sensor probe is formed by splicing a length of no-core fiber in between two air-core vortex fibers. The coupling characteristics of various modes inside the sensor and their effect on sensing properties are numerically analyzed. Simulation results show that the sensing scheme proffers a maximum sensing resolution of 7.59×10-6 and 4.18×10-6 RIU for no-core fiber length of 29.40 and 44.60 mm, respectively. Because of its high sensitivity, the study has potential applications in the chemical and biological sensing fields.