TRANSCRANIAL DOPPLER CHARACTERISTICS IN PERSISTENT VEGETATIVE STATUS,LOCKED-IN SYNDROME AND BRAIN DEATH

Aim. Comparison of the trascranial Doppler (TCD) characteristics of cerebral circulation in persistent vegetative status (PVS), locked in syndrome and brain death patients. Methods. Using TCD ultrasound to detect the flow velocity and waveform patterns of middle cerebral artery (MCA) and basilar artery (BA) in patients with PVS, locked in syndrome and brain death. Results. The mean velocities of middle cerebral artery (Vmca) and basilar artery (Vba) were 30.0cm/s and 24.3cm/s in PVS patients respectively, which decreased 45.0% and 14.4% in comparing with normal value. For patients with locked in syndrome, Vmca and Vba were 49.7cm/s and 9.8cm/s, which decreased 5.0% and 61.7% than the normal value respectively. These results showed that the decrease of anterior circulation was predominant in PVS, and the decrease of posterior circulation was predominant in locked in syndrome. A unique diastolic reverse flow, short peak systolic wave or undetectable flow signal in middle cerebral artery were predominant in brain death patients, which was completely different from that of either PVS or locked in syndrome. Conclusion. TCD was a valuable tool in distinguishing PVS, locked in syndrome and brain death patients according to the differences in velocities and patterns of anterior and posterior cerebral arteries.

Feature extraction and analysis of reclaimed vegetation in ecological restoration area of abandoned mines based on hyperspectral remote sensing images

The vegetation growth status largely represents the ecosystem function and environmental quality.Hyperspectral remote sensing data can effectively eliminate the effects of surface spectral reflectance and atmospheric scattering and directly reflect the vegetation parameter information.In this study,the abandoned mining area in the Helan Mountains,China was taken as the study area.Based on hyperspectral remote sensing images of Zhuhai No.1 hyperspectral satellite,we used the pixel dichotomy model,which was constructed using the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI),to estimate the vegetation coverage of the study area,and evaluated the vegetation growth status by five vegetation indices(NDVI,ratio vegetation index(RVI),photochemical vegetation index(PVI),red-green ratio index(RGI),and anthocyanin reflectance index 1(ARI1)).According to the results,the reclaimed vegetation growth status in the study area can be divided into four levels(unhealthy,low healthy,healthy,and very healthy).The overall vegetation growth status in the study area was generally at low healthy level,indicating that the vegetation growth status in the study area was not good due to short-time period restoration and harsh damaged environment such as high and steep rock slopes.Furthermore,the unhealthy areas were mainly located in Dawukougou where abandoned mines were concentrated,indicating that the original mining activities have had a large effect on vegetation ecology.After ecological restoration of abandoned mines,the vegetation coverage in the study area has increased to a certain extent,but the amplitude was not large.The situation of vegetation coverage in the northern part of the study area was worse than that in the southern part,due to abandoned mines mainly concentrating in the northern part of the Helan Mountains.The combination of hyperspectral remote sensing data and vegetation indices can comprehensively extract the characteristics of vegetation,accurately analyze the plant growth status,and provide technical support for vegetation health evaluation.

Appraisal of arid land status:a holistic assessment pertains to bio-physical indicators and ecosystem values

Background:Appraisal of arid land status is very crucial one to know the extent and factors associated with their degradation.Previous studies from arid regions are mostly qualitative in nature(indicator assessment like good,moderate,severe,and very severe)and generally overlooked the significance of temporal fluctuation.Methods:In this study,the temporal status of 12 Indian arid lands was accessed by using a new integrated approach that includes attributes like relative converge score(RCS),herbaceous component score(HCS),soil quality indexModified(SQI),ecosystem monitoring value(EMV),and a modified bare patch index.From each land,data were collected during three seasonal events(pulse,inter-pulse,and non-pulse),and thus,status was evaluated with 36 observations.Data were analyzed by using frequency distribution,principal component analysis(PCA),student t test,and regression technique.Results:RCS and HCS were recorded minimum(0.005,0.65)during non-pulse event and maximum(0.36,1.79)during pulse event respectively.With this approach,multi-directional temporal status of lands identified that were grouped into lower(7),moderate(14),high(12),and very high(3)quality lands.Conclusion:This integrated study suggested that in arid regions,although rainfall triggers plant community composition,however,sole utilization of this parameter is unable to portray the true status of lands,and other physical(soil)and biotic(livestock and other anthropogenic)parameters are equally important and influential during other events.

An Improved Model for Evaluating Ecosystem Service Values Using Land Use/Cover and Vegetation Parameters

It is crucial to maintain the balance of economic development and ecosystem protection. The value of ecosystem services is an indicator to help people understand the importance of ecosystem protection. Traditional models estimate ecosystem service values only according to land use/cover data while ignoring vegetation status differences in the same land use/cover. This study uses the normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI), the leaf area index(LAI),and net primary productivity(NPP) as vegetation status data to describe the differences in the same land use/cover type. The principal component analysis(PCA) approach is used to reduce the correlations among the three types of vegetation status data. Then, the calculated vegetation status index after PCA is input into the estimation model. The case study in China shows that the improved model has two major advantages. First, it can clearly distinguish the differences in ecosystem service values even for the same land use/cover type. Second, it can clearly describe the transitional zones between different land use/cover types through continuous changes in ecosystem service values. This improved model can provide a more detailed description of the distribution characteristics of ecosystem service values in China and help policymakers balance economic development and ecosystem protection.

Derivative vegetation indices as a new approach in remote sensing of vegetation

This paper focuses on the advantages of derivative vegetation indices over simple reflectance- based indices that are traditionally used for remote sensing of vegetation. The idea of using reflectance derivatives instead of simple reflectance spectra was proposed several decades ago. Despite this, it has not been widely used in monitoring systems because the derivatives lack reliable parameters. In addition, most satellite monitoring systems are not equipped with hyperspectral sensors, which are considered necessary for operating with the reflectance derivatives. Here, we present original data indicating that the chlorophyll-related derivative index D725/D702 we derived can be accurately estimated from a reflectance spectrum of 10 nm resolution that would be suitable for most satellite-based sensors. Furthermore, the index is not sensitive to soil reflectance and can therefore be used for testing of open crops. Presence of blanc reflectance is also unnecessary. Preliminary results of index testing are presented. Perspectives on using this and other derivative indices are discussed.