Disruptions of the Human Connectome Associated With Hemispatial Neglect

Background and ObjectivesHemispatial neglect is a heterogeneous and complex disorder that can be classified by frame of reference for “left” vs “right,” including viewer-centered neglect (VCN, affecting the contralesional side of the view), stimulus-centered neglect (SCN, affecting the contralesional side of the stimulus, irrespective of its location with respect to the viewer), or both. We investigated the effect of acute stroke lesions on the connectivity of neural networks that underlie VCN or SCN.MethodsA total of 174 patients within 48 hours of acute right hemispheric infarct underwent a detailed hemispatial neglect assessment that included oral reading, scene copy, line cancellation, gap detection, horizontal line bisection tests, and MRI. Each patient's connectivity map was generated. We performed a linear association analysis between network connectivity strength and continuous measures of neglect to identify lesion-induced disconnections associated with the presence or severity of VCN and SCN. Results were corrected for multiple comparisons.ResultsAbout 42% of the participants with right hemisphere stroke had at least one type of neglect. The presence of any type of neglect was associated with lesions to tracts connecting the right inferior parietal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and right thalamus to other right-hemispheric structures. VCN only was strongly associated with tracts connecting the right putamen to other brain regions and tracts connecting right frontal regions with other brain regions. The presence of both types of neglect was most strongly associated with tracts connecting the right inferior and superior parietal cortex to other brain regions and those connecting left or right mesial temporal cortex to other brain regions.DiscussionOur study provides new evidence for the specific white matter tracts where disruption can cause hemispatial neglect in a relatively large number of participants and homogeneous time after onset. We obtained MRI and behavioral testing acutely, before the opportunity for rehabilitation or substantial recovery.Classification of EvidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that damage to specific white matter tracts identified on MRI are associated with the presence of neglect following right hemispheric stroke.

Inter-comparison of wind measurements in the atmospheric boundary layer and the lower troposphere with Aeolus and a ground-based coherent Doppler lidar network over China

After the successful launch of Aeolus, which is the first spaceborne wind lidar developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), on 22 August 2018, we deployed several ground-based coherent Doppler wind lidars (CDLs) to verify the wind observations from Aeolus. By the simultaneous wind measurements with CDLs at 17 stations over China, the Rayleigh-clear and Mie-cloudy horizontal-line-of-sight (HLOS) wind velocities from Aeolus in the atmospheric boundary layer and the lower troposphere are compared with those from CDLs. To ensure the quality of the measurement data from CDLs and Aeolus, strict quality controls are applied in this study. Overall, 52 simultaneous Mie-cloudy comparison pairs and 387 Rayleigh-clear comparison pairs from this campaign are acquired. All of the Aeolus-produced Level 2B (L2B) Mie-cloudy HLOS wind and Rayleigh-clear HLOS wind and CDL-produced HLOS wind are compared individually. For the inter-comparison result of Mie-cloudy HLOS wind and CDL-produced HLOS wind, the correlation coefficient, the standard deviation, the scaled mean absolute deviation (MAD) and the bias are 0.83, 3.15 m s−1, 2.64 m s−1 and −0.25 m s−1, respectively, while the y=ax slope, the y=ax+b slope and the y=ax+b intercept are 0.93, 0.92 and −0.33 m s−1. For the Rayleigh-clear HLOS wind, the correlation coefficient, the standard deviation, the scaled MAD and the bias are 0.62, 7.07 m s−1, 5.77 m s−1 and −1.15 m s−1, respectively, while the y=ax slope, the y=ax+b slope and the y=ax+b intercept are 1.00, 0.96 and −1.2 m s−1. It is found that the standard deviation, the scaled MAD and the bias on ascending tracks are lower than those on descending tracks. Moreover, to evaluate the accuracy of Aeolus HLOS wind measurements under different product baselines, the Aeolus L2B Mie-cloudy HLOS wind data and L2B Rayleigh-clear HLOS wind data under Baselines 07 and 08, Baselines 09 and 10, and Baseline 11 are compared against the CDL-retrieved HLOS wind data separately. From the comparison results, marked misfits between the wind data from Aeolus Baselines 07 and 08 and wind data from CDLs in the atmospheric boundary layer and the lower troposphere are found. With the continuous calibration and validation and product processor updates, the performances of Aeolus wind measurements under Baselines 09 and 10 and Baseline 11 are improved significantly. Considering the influence of turbulence and convection in the atmospheric boundary layers and the lower troposphere, higher values for the vertical velocity are common in this region. Hence, as a special note, the vertical velocity could impact the HLOS wind velocity retrieval from Aeolus.

Identification and research of factors affecting the optimal distribution of well flow rates in space

The paper discusses and research the factors affecting the filtration rate to reduce stagnant zones in the domain and spreading outside the block under consideration. The main hydrodynamic factors in production by In-Situ Leaching are the distribution of permeability in the reservoir and well flow rates. The study of the factors was carried out on the basis of mathematical models using Darcy Law and Law of Conservation of Mass. Calculation was accomplished on a two-dimensional area with an isotropic and non-uniform permeability distribution to determine the effect of permeability on the leached area. The permeability coefficient was distributed respectively over three zones, in the southern part the permeability was low, in the central transition from low to high, respectively, in the northern part there was a highly permeable zone. Three wells were located in the domain, with the production well in the center of the domain. Injection wells are located symmetrically with respect to a horizontal line passing through the center of the area under consideration. The calculation was carried out for three modes of well flow rates with the ratio of the flow rates of the injection wells 0.5 / 0.5, 0.2 / 0.8, 0.8 / 0.2 relative to the flow rate of the production well. On the basis of comparative analyzes of the obtained results, it is concluded that: at the same flow rates, regardless of the permeability of the zones, the results obtained show that the leaching area in the low-permeability zone is larger in comparison with the high-permeability zone; with an increase in permeability, the shape of the leaching zone tends from round to drop-shaped; with an increase in the flow rate of wells in the radius of the leaching zone, it increases if the flow rate of solutions is much higher than the filtration rate.

The Pressure Buildup Well Test Analysis considering Stress Sensitivity Effect for Deepwater Composite Gas Reservoir with High Temperature and Pressure

Some deepwater gas reservoirs with high temperature and pressure have obvious stress sensitivity effect resulting in difficulty in well test interpretations. The influence of stress sensitivity effect on the pressure drawdown well test is discussed in many papers. However, the influence on the pressure buildup well test is barely discussed. For practices in oilfields, the quality of pressure data from the drawdown stage of well test is poor due to the influence of production fluctuation. Thus, the pressure data from the buildup stage is used for well test interpretations in most cases. In order to analyze the influence of stress sensitivity effect on the pressure buildup well test, this paper establishes a composite gas reservoir pressure buildup well test model considering the stress sensitivity effect and the hysteresis effect. Numerical solutions to both pressure drawdown and buildup well test models are obtained by the numerical differentiation method. The numerical solutions are verified by comparing with analytical solutions and the homogeneous gas reservoir well test solution. Then, the differences between pressure drawdown and buildup well test curves considering the stress sensitivity effect are compared. The parameter sensitivity analysis is conducted. Compared with the conventional well test curve, the pressure derivative curve of pressure drawdown well test considering the stress sensitivity effect deviates upward from the 0.5 horizontal line at the inner zone radial flow stage, while it deviates upward from the M/2 (mobility ratio/2) horizontal line at the outer zone radial flow stage. However, for the pressure buildup well test curve considering the stress sensitivity effect, the pressure derivative curve gradually descends to the 0.5 horizontal line at the inner zone radial flow stage, while it descends to the M/2 (mobility ratio/2) horizontal line at the outer zone radial flow stage. The pressure derivative curve of pressure buildup well test considering the hysteresis effect is higher than the curve without considering the hysteresis effect, because the permeability cannot be recovered to its original value in the buildup stage after considering the hysteresis effect. Meanwhile, skin factor and mobility ratio have different effects on pressure drawdown and buildup well test curves. Based on the model, a well test interpretation case from a deepwater gas reservoir with high temperature and pressure is studied. The result indicates that the accuracy of the interpretation is improved after considering the stress sensitivity effect, and the skin factor will be exaggerated without considering the stress sensitivity effect.

KHAT NASKHI'S WRITING AND ARTISTIC TECHNIQUES IN CALLIGRAPHY LEARNING

The research examines the procedures for writing khat naskhi and the beauty of writing in calligraphy learning. This research is library research, the data collected is based on a critical and in-depth assessment of the relevant library materials. Primary data sources are Mushaf, calligraphy books, rasm, khat and imla. Data collection techniques are carried out by; read, recording, identifying, tabulating, analyze and conclude. The results of this study indicate that the technique of writing khat naskhi is very easy for beginners, because it has a simple cursive geometric shape, and does not highlight variations other than letters and diacritical marks. This type of khat is also very familiar to use in writing manuscripts so that it is in great demand by Arabs and non-Arabs because its shape can be distinguished by several signs, namely, the writing is easy to read, has a horizontal line reference, has simple punctuation marks and has four styles, namely: 1) Tarsif, 2) Ta'lif, 3) Tastir and 4) Tanshil.

On the derivation of zonal and meridional wind components from Aeolus horizontal line-of-sight wind

Since its launch in 2018, the European Space Agency’s Earth Explorer satellite Aeolus has provided global height resolved measurements of horizontal wind in the troposphere and lower stratosphere for the first time. Novel datasets such as these provide an unprecedented opportunity for the research of atmospheric dynamics and provide new insights into the dynamics of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region. Aeolus measures the wind component along its horizontal line-of-sight, but for the analysis and interpretation of atmospheric dynamics, zonal and/or meridional wind components are most useful. In this paper, we introduce and compare three different methods to derive zonal and meridional wind components from the Aeolus wind measurements. We find that the most promising method involves combining Aeolus measurements during ascending and descending orbits. Using this method, we derive global estimates of the zonal wind in the latitude range 79.7° S to 84.5° N with errors of less than 5 ms−1 (at the 2-sigma level). Due to the orbit geometry of Aeolus, the estimation of meridional wind in the tropics and at midlatitudes is more challenging and the quality is less reliable. However, we find that it is possible to derive meridional winds poleward of 70° latitude with absolute errors typically below ±5 ms−1 (at the 2-sigma level). This further demonstrate the value of Aeolus wind measurements for applications in weather and climate research, in addition to their important role in numerical weather prediction.

A CBCT Evaluation of Midpalatal Bone Density in Various Skeletal Patterns

The purpose of this study was to evaluate midpalatal bone density (BD) by using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) according to gender, age, and vertical and horizontal skeletal patterns. CBCT images from 126 subjects (64 females and 62 males) were reoriented and analyzed in order to attain BD values at the midpalatal suture. Four age groups were used for classification (adolescence, 10 ≤ early < 14 years, 14 ≤ middle ≤ 17 years, and 17 < late ≤ 21 years; adult > 21 years). Vertical skeletal pattern categories were differentiated by the Frankfort horizontal line to mandibular plane angle (hypodivergent < 22°, 22° ≤ normovergent ≤ 28°, and 28° < hyperdivergent). Horizontal skeletal pattern differentiation was defined by ANB angle (Class III < 0°, 0° ≤ Class I ≤ 4°, and 4° < Class II). Females showed significantly higher BD than males (p < 0.001). As age increased, BD increased significantly (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences between vertical skeletal patterns. Class II showed significantly less BD than Class III (p < 0.05). With this information, clinicians can better understand BD trends of the midpalatal suture and, thus, better understand our patient’s anatomy and potential hurdles in successful treatment.

Validation of Aeolus Level 2B wind products using wind profilers, ground-based Doppler wind lidars, and radiosondes in Japan

The first space-based Doppler wind lidar (DWL) on board the Aeolus satellite was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) on 22 August 2018 to obtain global profiles of horizontal line-of-sight (HLOS) wind speed. In this study, the Raleigh-clear and Mie-cloudy winds for periods of baseline 2B02 (from 1 October to 18 December 2018) and 2B10 (from 28 June to 31 December 2019 and from 20 April to 8 October 2020) were validated using 33 wind profilers (WPRs) installed all over Japan, two ground-based coherent Doppler wind lidars (CDWLs), and 18 GPS radiosondes (GPS-RSs). In particular, vertical and seasonal analyses were performed and discussed using WPR data. During the baseline 2B02 period, a positive bias was found to be in the ranges of 0.5 to 1.7 m s−1 for Rayleigh-clear winds and 1.6 to 2.4 m s−1 for Mie-cloudy winds using the three independent reference instruments. The statistical comparisons for the baseline 2B10 period showed smaller biases, −0.8 to 0.5 m s−1 for the Rayleigh-clear and −0.7 to 0.2 m s−1 for the Mie-cloudy winds. The vertical analysis using WPR data showed that the systematic error was slightly positive in all altitude ranges up to 11 km during the baseline 2B02 period. During the baseline 2B10 period, the systematic errors of Rayleigh-clear and Mie-cloudy winds were improved in all altitude ranges up to 11 km as compared with the baseline 2B02. Immediately after the launch of Aeolus, both Rayleigh-clear and Mie-cloudy biases were small. Within the baseline 2B02, the Rayleigh-clear and Mie-cloudy biases showed a positive trend. For the baseline 2B10, the Rayleigh-clear wind bias was generally negative for all months except August 2020, and Mie-cloudy wind bias gradually fluctuated. Both Rayleigh-clear and Mie-cloudy biases did not show a marked seasonal trend and approached zero towards September 2020. The dependence of the Rayleigh-clear wind bias on the scattering ratio was investigated, showing that there was no significant bias dependence on the scattering ratio during the baseline 2B02 and 2B10 periods. Without the estimated representativeness error associated with the comparisons using WPR observations, the Aeolus random error was determined to be 6.7 (5.1) and 6.4 (4.8) m s−1 for Rayleigh-clear (Mie-cloudy) winds during the baseline 2B02 and 2B10 periods, respectively. The main reason for the large Aeolus random errors is the lower laser energy compared to the anticipated 80 mJ. Additionally, the large representativeness error of the WPRs is probably related to the larger Aeolus random error. Using the CDWLs, the Aeolus random error estimates were in the range of 4.5 to 5.3 (2.9 to 3.2) and 4.8 to 5.2 (3.3 to 3.4) m s−1 for Rayleigh-clear (Mie-cloudy) winds during the baseline 2B02 and 2B10 periods, respectively. By taking the GPS-RS representativeness error into account, the Aeolus random error was determined to be 4.0 (3.2) and 3.0 (2.9) m s−1 for Rayleigh-clear (Mie-cloudy) winds during the baseline 2B02 and 2B10 periods, respectively.

Spectral performance analysis of the Aeolus Fabry-Pérot and Fizeau interferometers during the first years of operation

In August 2018, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the first Doppler wind lidar into space which has since then been providing continuous profiles of the horizontal line-of-sight wind component at a global scale. Aeolus data has been successfully assimilated into several NWP models and demonstrated a positive impact on the quality of the weather forecasts. In order to provide valuable input data for NWP models, a detailed characterization of the Aeolus instrumental performance as well as the realization and minimization of systematic error sources is crucial. In this paper, Aeolus interferometer spectral drifts and their potential as systematic error sources for the aerosol and wind product are investigated by means of instrument spectral registration (ISR) measurements that are performed on a weekly basis. During these measurements, the laser frequency is scanned over a range of 11 GHz in steps of 25 MHz and thus spectrally resolves the transmission curves of the Fizeau interferometer and the Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs) used in Aeolus. Mathematical model functions are derived in order to analyze the measured transmission curves by means of non-linear fit procedures. The obtained fit parameters are used to draw conclusions about the Aeolus instrumental alignment and potentially ongoing drifts. The introduced instrumental functions and analysis tools may also be applied for the upcoming missions using similar spectrometers as for instance EarthCARE (ESA) which is based on the Aeolus FPI design.

What is the most accurate substitute for an invisible T1 slope in cervical radiographs? A comparative study of a novel method with previously reported substitutes

OBJECTIVE The ability to utilize the T1 slope is often limited by poor visibility on cervical radiographs. The C7 slope has been proposed as a reliable substitute but may have similar limitations of visibility. Herein, the authors propose a novel method that takes advantage of the superior visibility on CT to accurately substitute for the radiographic T1 slope and compare the accuracy of this method with previously reported substitutes. METHODS Lateral neutral standing cervical radiographs and cervical CT scans were examined. When the T1 slope was clearly visible on radiographs, the C3–7 slopes and T1 slope were measured. In CT method 1, a direct method, the T1 slope was measured from the upper endplate of T1 to the bottom edge of the CT image, assuming the edge was parallel to the horizontal plane. In CT method 2, an overlaying method, the T1 slope was calculated by superimposing the C7 slope angle measured on a radiograph onto the CT scan and measuring the angle formed by the upper endplate of T1 and the superimposed horizontal line of the C7 slope. A Pearson correlation with linear regression modeling was performed for potential substitutes for the actual T1 slope. RESULTS Among 160 patients with available noninstrumented lateral neutral cervical radiographs, the T1 slope was visible in only 54 patients (33.8%). A total of 52 patients met the inclusion criteria for final analysis. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the T1 slope and the C3–7 slopes, CT method 1, and CT method 2 were 0.243 (p = 0.083), 0.292 (p = 0.035), 0.609 (p < 0.001), 0.806 (p < 0.001), 0.898 (p < 0.001), 0.426 (p = 0.002), and 0.942 (p < 0.001), respectively. Linear regression modeling showed R2 = 0.807 for the correlation between C7 slope and T1 slope and R2 = 0.888 for the correlation between T1 slope with the CT method 2 and actual T1 slope. CONCLUSIONS The C7 slope can be a reliable predictor of the T1 slope and is more accurate than more rostral cervical slopes. However, this study disclosed that the novel CT method 2, an overlaying method, was the most reliable estimate of true T1 slope with a greater positive correlation than C7 slope. When CT studies are available in patients with an invisible T1 slope on cervical radiographs, CT method 2 should be used as a substitute for the T1 slope.