AgRISTARS: Foreign commodity production forecasting. Corn/soybean decision logic development and testing

The development and testing of an analysis procedure which was developed to improve the consistency and objectively of crop identification using Landsat data is described. The procedure was developed to identify corn and soybean crops in the U.S. corn belt region. The procedure consists of a series of decision points arranged in a tree-like structure, the branches of which lead an analyst to crop labels. The specific decision logic is designed to maximize the objectively of the identification process and to promote the possibility of future automation. Significant results are summarized

Corn/soybean decision logic: Improvements and new crops

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Guidelines for the performance of fusion procedures for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. Part 12: pedicle screw fixation as an adjunct to posterolateral fusion for low-back pain

Journal ArticleStandard. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a treatment standard. Guidelines. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a treatment guideline. Options. 1) Pedicle screw fixation is recommended as a treatment option for patients with low-back pain treated with PLF who are at high risk for fusion failure because the use of pedicle screw fixation improves fusion success rates. 2) Pedicle screw fixation as a routine adjunct to PLF in the treatment of patients with chronic low-back pain due to DDD is not recommended because there is conflicting evidence regarding a beneficial effect of pedicle screw fixation on functional outcome, and there is consistent evidence that the use of pedicle screw fixation is associated with higher costs and complications

Guidelines for the performance of fusion procedures for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. Part 2: assessment of functional outcome

Journal ArticleStandards. It is recommended that functional outcome be measured in patients treated for low-back pain due to degenerative disease of the lumbar spine by using reliable, valid, and responsive scales. Examples of these scales in the low-back pain population include the following: The Spinal Stenosis Survey of Stucki, Waddell-Main Questionnaire, RMDQ, DPQ, QPDS, SIP, Million Scale, LBPR Scale, ODI, the Short Form-12, the JOA system, the CBSQ, and the North American Spine Society Lumbar Spine Outcome Assessment Instrument. Guidelines. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a guideline for assessment of functional outcome following fusion for lumbar degenerative disease. Options. Patient satisfaction scales are recommended for use as outcome measures in retrospective case series, where better alternatives are not available. Patient satisfaction scales are not reliable for the assessment of outcome following intervention for low-back pain

Guidelines for the performance of fusion procedures for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. Part 1: introduction and methodology

Journal ArticleAs scientific understanding of the pathophysiology of degenerative disease of the lumbar spine has increased, the possibilities for correcting the underlying problem and the resulting improvement in clinical function have expanded exponentially. Fueled by advances in material technology and surgical technique, treatment of greater numbers of individuals suffering from lumbar spinal disease has proliferated. Using data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey, Deyo and colleagues4 described a 200% increase in the frequency of lumbar fusion procedures in the 1980s. Davis3 observed that the age-adjusted rate of hospitalization for lumbar surgery and lumbar fusion increased greater than 33% and greater than 60%, respectively, from 1979 to 1990. Lumbar fusion has been described as a treatment of symptomatic degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, and degenerative scoliosis. Lumbar fusion has been performed to treat acute and chronic lowback pain, radiculopathy, and spinal instability

Guidelines for the performance of fusion procedures for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. Part 6: magnetic resonance imaging and discography for patient selection for lumbar fusion

Journal ArticleStandards. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a treatment standard. Guidelines. 1) It is recommended that MR imaging be used as a diagnostic test instead of discography for the initial evaluation of patients with chronic low-back pain. 2) It is recommended that MR imaging-documented disc spaces that appear to be normal not be considered for treatment as a source of low-back pain. 3) It is recommended that lumbar discography not be used as a stand-alone test on which treatment decisions are based for patients with low-back pain. 4) If discography is performed as a diagnostic tool to identify the source of a patient's low-back pain, it is recommended that both a concordant pain response and morphological abnormalities be present at the pathological level prior to initiating any treatment directed at that level. Options. 1) It is recommended that discography be reserved for use in patients with equivocal MR imaging findings, especially at levels adjacent to clearly pathological levels. 2) It is recommended that patients in whom discography is positive but in whom MR imaging evidence of disc degeneration is absent not be considered candidates for operative intervention

Guidelines for the performance of fusion procedures for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. Part 5: correlation between radiographic and functional outcome

Journal ArticleStandards. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a treatment standard. Guidelines. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a treatment guideline. Options. It is recommended that when performing lumbar arthrodesis for degenerative lumbar disease, strategies to achieve successful radiographic fusion should be considered. There appears to be a correlation between successful fusion and improved clinical outcomes; however, it should be noted that the correlation between fusion status and clinical outcome is not strong, and in a given patient fusion status may be unrelated to clinical outcome. between fusion status and clinical outcome after lumbar arthrodesis procedures performed in the treatment of lumbar spinal degenerative disease

Guidelines for the performance of fusion procedures for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. Part 3: assessment of economic outcome

Journal ArticleStandards. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a standard for assessment of economic outcome following lumbar fusion for degenerative disease. Guidelines. There is insufficient evidence to recommend a guideline for assessment of economic outcome following lumbar fusion for degenerative disease. Options. It is recommended that valid and responsive economic outcome measures be included in the assessment of outcomes following lumbar fusion surgery for degenerative disease. Return-to-work rates and termination of disability compensation are two such measures. It is recommended that cost analyses related to lumbar spinal fusion include perioperative expenses as well as expenses associated with long-term care, including those incurred in both the operative and nonoperative settings

Parasite Fauna Of 3 Species Of Antarctic Whales With Reference To Their Use As Potential Stock Indicators

Seventeen species of parasites representing the Cestoda, Nematoda, Acanthocephala, and Crustacea are reported from three species of Antarctic whales. Thirty-five sei whales Balaenoptera borealis, 106 minke whales B. acutorostrata, and 35 sperm whales Physeter catodon were examined from latitudes 30-degrees to 64-degrees-S, and between longitudes 106-degrees-E to 108-degrees-W, during the months of November to March 1976-77. Collection localities and regional helminth fauna diversity are plotted on distribution maps. Antarctic host-parasite records from B. borealis, B. acutorostrata, and P. catodon are updated and tabulated by commercial whaling sectors. The use of acanthocephalan parasites of the genus Corynosoma as potential Antarctic sperm whale stock indicators is discussed

Guideline update for the performance of fusion procedures for degenerative disease of the lumbar spine. Part 9: Lumbar fusion for stenosis with spondylolisthesis

pre-printPatients presenting with stenosis associated with a spondylolisthesis will often describe signs and symptoms consistent with neurogenic claudication, radiculopathy, and/or low-back pain. The primary objective of surgery, when deemed appropriate, is to decompress the neural elements. As a result of the decompression, the inherent instability associated with the spondylolisthesis may progress and lead to further misalignment that results in pain or recurrence of neurological complaints. Under these circumstances, lumbar fusion is considered appropriate to stabilize the spine and prevent delayed deterioration. Since publication of the original guidelines there have been a significant number of studies published that continue to support the utility of lumbar fusion for patients presenting with stenosis and spondylolisthesis. Several recently published trials, including the Spine Patient Outcomes Research Trial, are among the largest prospective randomized investigations of this issue. Despite limitations of study design or execution, these trials have consistently demonstrated superior outcomes when patients undergo surgery, with the majority undergoing some type of lumbar fusion procedure. There is insufficient evidence, however, to recommend a standard approach to achieve a solid arthrodesis. When formulating the most appropriate surgical strategy, it is recommended that an individualized approach be adopted, one that takes into consideration the patient's unique anatomical constraints and desires, as well as surgeon's experience