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This study was a two-armed parallel group design aimed at testing real world effectiveness of a music therapy (MT) intervention for children with severe neurological disorders. The control group received only the standard neurorestoration program and the experimental group received an additional MT “Auditory Attention plus Communication protocol” just before the usual occupational and speech therapy. Multivariate Item Response Theory (MIRT) identified a neuropsychological status-latent variable manifested in all children and which exhibited highly significant changes only in the experimental group. Changes in brain plasticity also occurred in the experimental group, as evidenced using a Mismatch Event Related paradigm which revealed significant post intervention positive responses in the latency range between 308 and 400 ms in frontal regions. LORETA EEG source analysis identified prefrontal and midcingulate regions as differentially activated by the MT in the experimental group. Taken together, our results showing improved attention and communication as well as changes in brain plasticity in children with severe neurological impairments, confirm the importance of MT for the rehabilitation of patients across a wide range of dysfunctions.

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A damage assessment survey of 169 low-rise reinforced concrete buildings was conducted following the 16 April 2016 Ecuador earthquake. Forty-four percent of the buildings surveyed sustained severe structural damage. Using the collected data, seismic vulnerability indices were calculated to examine their correlation with damage observations. It was found that 92% of the buildings with observed severe structural damage had calculated wall and column index pairs (WI, CI) that satisfied the relation WI+CI/2 < 0.2%. The frequency of damage was lower for higher-priority index values, defined as the sum of CI+WI. Furthermore, frequency of damage in buildings with captive columns was observed to decrease with window height-to-column height ratios of more than 20%.

Alternating conventional and unconventional reservoir layers in the Permian Basin challenge the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of water saturation (Sw) using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) log data. A new-generation NMR wireline tool addresses these challenges using a specially designed conventional-unconventional activation sequence to enable construction of optimized maps of Longitudinal–Transversal Relaxation times (T1-T2 maps) at regular depth intervals. T1-T2 maps are used to compute level-by-level Sw based on a multicomponent fluid model with appropriate statistical properties. Each spot in the T1-T2 space represents a fluid component from which a volume fraction is calculated. Integrating the volume fractions gives the total porosity. Because of the diverse relaxation mechanisms in the conventional and unconventional layers, oil spot positions with T1/T2 values greater than two reflect either viscosity (for bulk relaxation) or pore-size distribution (for surface/volume relaxation). Water tends to be close to the 1:1 T1/T2 diagonal line with T1/T2 values less than two. Low permeability means that mud-filtrate invasion does not appear on the T1-T2 maps. NMR porosity matched expected values based on core and density-neutron log analysis. NMR fluid-typing-derived Sw—including clay bound water (CBW), capillary bound water (BVI), and free water—matched values from tested intervals. Results are in good agreement with reference values from production and core data within an uncertainty of one standard deviation. The resolution of fluid components in intervals where the components overlap can be enhanced by changes in the inversion parameters and map-grid dimensions. This methodology for conventional-unconventional data acquisition followed by a multimodel approach for fluid typing will be applied to other wells. It enables a more accurate assessment of water saturation, especially when intercalated layers of conventional and unconventional reservoirs are present.

Formation evaluation in a gas condensate carbonates reservoir with high temperature and pressure is very challenging: low porosity and gas have an effect on reserve estimation and fluid typing identification. A complex of or state-of-the-art petrophysical studies were implemented for the first time in Europe in the Machukhske field in Ukraine, which helped to estimate the reservoir properties, rock quality, permeability and fluid typing of the main challenging productive carbonate reservoir of the Tournasian formation at a qualitatively new level. The 8.5" section was drilled through the Tournasian formation with oil-based mud and a composite logging suite with high pressure and temperature (P, T) ratings was deployed. Gamma Ray, Neutron, Resistivity, Density and Formation Testing tools were run along with latest generation of multifrequency, focused Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) wireline tool. Longitudinal (T1 ) and transversal relaxation time (T2) distributions were calculated from multifrequency echo trains of raw NMR data to evaluate hydrocarbon porosity and saturations. The evaluation of T2 spectra used blind source separation driven by statistical independent component analysis (BSS-ICA), a machine learning algorithm. These results were then compared against those obtained from traditional two-dimensional NMR (2D-NMR) maps, specifically the T1T2 maps, that rely on the simultaneous inversion for T1 and T2. An adequate data acquisition sequences or logging activations ensured a suitable magnitude of the borehole signal, which enabled tool to apply long polarization times needed to detect volatile fluids. Conventional logs and core data were integrated with NMR results to minimize uncertainties, mathematical artifacts, and different effects. Rock quality indicators based on NMR porosity fractions and acoustic velocities were calculated and revealed some rock heterogeneities or porosity-lithology facies. In challenging borehole condition with high P & T, high quality composite logging suite data was successfully obtained. An advanced reservoir characterization study was performed by integrating the NMR data with conventional logs which also helped to reduce the uncertainty in formation evaluation by clearly identifying pay and shale zones, deeper understanding of the storage and flow capacity of reservoir and the furthermore, providing necessary parameters for optimizing completion design. An innovative study was carried out which helped not only meet objective of the well, but also results became reference for detailing the geological and hydrodynamic models of Machukske gas condensate field. The geological and technological model of the field was updated, and further field development strategies were optimized.

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