Community Detection: Statistical Inference Models

Community detection in large networks through the methods based on the statistical inference model can identify the node community as well as find the interaction between the communities. Statistical inference based methods try to fit a generative model to the network data. This paper discusses the statistical inference methods which groups the communities on vertices or nodes

Hollow Bulb Definitive Obturation of a Post-Covid Mucormycosis Maxillectomy Defect – A Case Report.

The novel Coronavirus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), causes COVID-19.In the wake of COVID-19, incidences of mucormycosis were rising alarmingly, especially rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis.Most cases required surgical intervention followed by the fabrication of obturators.A hollow obturator is the most practical, convenient, and cost-effective solution for prosthodontic rehabilitation. A patient with pain overthe maxillary region (left) reported to the department of Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge. His past medical history revealed that he tested and recovered from SARS-CoV-2. Clinical, radiographic, and smear tests confirmed rhino-cerebral mucormycosis with post covid pneumonia. Surgical left partial maxillectomy performed 4 months back. His intra-oral examination revealed a large maxillary defect extending from the left-sided alveolar bone, along with a missing base of the maxilla and palatal bone.The case report presents a hollow bulb definitive obturator fabrication for the treatment of acquired maxillary defects after COVID-19-caused mucormycosis

Nanoscale cuticle density variations correlate with pigmentation and color in butterfly wing scales

How pigment distribution correlates with cuticle density within a microscopic butterfly wing scale, and how both impact final reflected color remains unknown. We used ptychographic X-ray computed tomography to quantitatively determine, at nanoscale resolutions, the three-dimensional mass density of scales with pigmentation differences. By comparing cuticle densities with pigmentation and color within a scale, we determine that the lower lamina structure in all scales has the highest density and lowest pigmentation. Low pigment levels also correlate with sheet-like chitin structures as opposed to rod-like structures, and distinct density layers within the lower lamina help explain reflected color. We propose that pigments, in addition to absorbing specific wavelengths, can affect cuticle polymerization, density, and refractive index, thereby impacting reflected wavelengths that produce structural colors

A floristic study on herbs and climbing plants at Puducherry, South India: an approach to biodiversity conservation and regeneration through eco-restoration

A qualitative floristic exploration with life form classifications and monitoring of flowering and fruiting phenology has been carried out at a restored site near Puducherry, South India in 2009 and 2010. The species were classified into three categories based on their occurrence status, namely, Naturally Occurring, Naturally Regenerated and Introduced. The present study focuses only on two life forms, the Herbaceous and the Climbing plants. The site selected for eco-restoration originally comprised of an eroded and severely degraded landscape with scattered remnant species. However, active human intervention over a thirty year period included the introduction of appropriate plant species and other physical measures to enhance soil fertility and ground water level, and regenerate and conserve the deteriorating typical Tropical dry evergreen forest (TDEF) vegetation. A large number of naturally ccurring herbaceous, climbing species (172) and a consistent number of naturally regenerated species (44) are now observed as a result of eco-restoration. Lowland herbaceous species have also established themselves as a green cover at ground level. At present, parts of the area have fertile soils and rich floristic composition with the herbaceous life form represented by 165 species encompassed in 105 genera and 37 families, and the climbing plants represented by 68 species belonging to 54 genera and 25 families. ‘Genus to family’ and ‘species to genus’ ratios indicate the establishment of diverse vegetation in the study site. Nearly one third of the species have been observed flowering throughout the year and about half of the species were observed fruiting throughout the year. We emphasize that the two fold approach of land and vegetation reclamation has been very effective in helping restore the unique TDEF vegetation at the local level and the same may be extended to help regenerate and conserve the Coromandel Coastal vegetation at the regional scale

THE MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENT BASIS OF SURFACE- AND SEX- SPECIFIC DIMORPHISMS IN BUTTERFLY WING PATTERNS

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (FOS

Probe-based spectrophotometric quantification of petrol-ethanol fuel blends for field-able applications

Blending a cleaner, less expensive fuel like ethanol to petrol is a low-hanging fruit to address fuel crisis. However, blending bioethanol beyond the permissible limit can eventually corrode engine parts and cause fuel tank swelling. As a result, ensuring the quality of fuel blends is a critical step for consumers. We propose an inexpensive method for the precise quantification of fuel blend composition using a probing technique that exploits the structural switching and consequent change in transition probability of the probe molecule in polar and non-polar media. The UV-visible absorption spectrum of the probe is capable of exhibiting a hyperchromic shift with increasing ethanol composition in the blend. Two calibration models have been constructed based on the data - the hyperchromic shift-based model yielded excellent analytical figures of merit with LOD, LOQ and RMSEP values of 0.02,0.08 and 0.23%, respectively. Calibration using ratiometric analysis showed LOD, LOQ and RMSEP values of 0.01, 0.04 and 0.13%, respectively. The approach provided a simpler and sample-independent method that can be easily integrated into a LED-spectrophotometer for commercial and in-situ applications. A novel, biodegradable- hydrogel based probe delivery is illustrated and optimized. An analysis of real samples has been carried out using our method and the results discussed

Supplementary Materials from <i>apterous A</i> specifies dorsal wing patterns and sexual traits in butterflies

Butterflies have evolved different colour patterns on their dorsal and ventral wing surfaces to serve different signalling functions, yet the developmental mechanisms controlling surface-specific patterning are still unknown. Here, we mutate both copies of the transcription factor <i>apterous</i> in <i>Bicyclus anynana</i> butterflies using CRISPR/Cas9 and show that <i>apterous A,</i> expressed dorsally, functions both as a repressor and modifier of ventral wing colour patterns, as well as a promoter of dorsal sexual ornaments in males. We propose that the surface-specific diversification of wing patterns in butterflies proceeded via the co-option of <i>apterous A</i> or its downstream effectors into various gene regulatory networks involved in the differentiation of discrete wing traits. Further, interactions between <i>apterous</i> and sex-specific factors such as <i>doublesex</i> may have contributed to the origin of sexually dimorphic surface-specific patterns. Finally, we discuss the evolution of eyespot number diversity in the family Nymphalidae within the context of developmental constraints due to <i>apterous</i> regulation

Ptychographic X-ray computed tomography at a high-brilliance X-ray source

Ptychographic X-ray computed tomography is a phase-contrast imaging technique capable of retrieving three-dimensional maps of the index of refraction of the imaged volumes with nanometric resolution. Despite its unmatched reach, its application remains prerogative of a limited number of laboratories at synchrotron sources. We present a detailed description of an experimental procedure and a data analysis pipeline which can be both exploited for ptychographic X-ray computed tomography experiments at any high-brilliance X-ray source. These have been validated at the I13-1 Coherence Branchline within the first experiment of its kind to be successfully carried out on a biological sample at Diamond Light Source