Reliability of the Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS) among radiation oncologists: an assessment of instability secondary to spinal metastases

BACKGROUND: The Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score (SINS) categorizes tumor related spinal instability. It has the potential to streamline the referral of patients with established or potential spinal instability to a spine surgeon. This study aims to define the inter- and intra-observer reliability and validity of SINS among radiation oncologists. METHODS: Thirty-three radiation oncologists, across ten international sites, rated 30 neoplastic spinal disease cases. For each case, the total SINS (0-18 points), three clinical categories (stable: 0-6 points, potentially unstable: 7-12 points, and unstable: 13-18 points), and a binary scale (‘stable’: 0-6 points and ‘current or possible instability’; surgical consultation recommended: 7-18 points) were recorded. Evaluation was repeated 6-8 weeks later. Inter-observer agreement and intra-observer reproducibility were calculated by means of the kappa statistic and translated into levels of agreement (slight, fair, moderate, substantial, and excellent). Validity was determined by comparing the ratings against a spinal surgeon’s consensus standard. RESULTS: Radiation oncologists demonstrated substantial (κ = 0.76) inter-observer and excellent (κ = 0.80) intra-observer reliability when using the SINS binary scale (‘stable’ versus ‘current or possible instability’). Validity of the binary scale was also excellent (κ = 0.85) compared with the gold standard. None of the unstable cases was rated as stable by the radiation oncologists ensuring all were appropriately recommended for surgical consultation. CONCLUSIONS: Among radiation oncologists SINS is a highly reliable, reproducible, and valid assessment tool to address a key question in tumor related spinal disease: Is the spine ‘stable’ or is there ‘current or possible instability’ that warrants surgical assessment

Antiferromagnetic Domains and Superconductivity in UPt3

We explore the response of an unconventional superconductor to spatially inhomogeneous antiferromagnetism (SIAFM). Symmetry allows the superconducting order parameter in the E-representation models for UPt3 to couple directly to the AFM order parameter. The Ginzburg-Landau equations for coupled superconductivity and SIAFM are solved numerically for two possible SIAFM configurations: (I) abutting antiferromagnetic domains of uniform size, and (II) quenched random disorder of `nanodomains' in a uniform AFM background. We discuss the contributions to the free energy, specific heat, and order parameter for these models. Neither model provides a satisfactory account of experiment, but results from the two models differ significantly. Our results demonstrate that the response of an E_{2u} superconductor to SIAFM is strongly dependent on the spatial dependence of AFM order; no conclusion can be drawn regarding the compatibility of E_{2u} superconductivity with UPt3 that is independent of assumptions on the spatial dependence of AFMComment: 12 pages, 13 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

EC85-219 1985 Nebraska Swine Report

This 1985 Nebraska Swine Report was prepared by the staff in Animal Science and cooperating departments for use in the Extension and Teaching programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Authors from the following areas contributed to this publication: Swine Nutrition, swine diseases, pathology, economics, engineering, swine breeding, meats, agronomy, and diagnostic laboratory. It covers the following areas: breeding, disease control, feeding, nutrition, economics, housing and meats

Determination of the number of light neutrino species from single photon production at LEP

A determination of the number of light neutrino families performed by measuring the cross section of single photon production in \ee\ collision near the \Zo\ resonance is reported. From an integrated luminosity of $100~\mathrm{pb^{-1}}$, collected during the years 1991--94, we have observed 2091 single photon candidates with an energy above 1~\GeV\ in the polar angular region $45^\circ < \theta_\gamma < 135^\circ$. From a maximum likelihood fit to the single photon cross section, the \Zo\ decay width into invisible particles is measured to be \Ginv = 498 \pm 12 \mathrm{(stat)} \pm 12 \mathrm{(sys)~MeV}. Using the Standard Model couplings of neutrinos to the \Zo, the number of light neutrino species is determined to be $N_\nu = 2.98 \pm 0.07 (\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.07 (\mathrm{sys}).

Local multiplicity fluctuations in hadronic Z decay

Local multiplicity fluctuations in hadronic Z decays are studied using the L3 detector at LEP. Bunching parameters are used for the first time in addition to the normalised factorial moment method. The bunching parameters directly demonstrate that the fluctuations in rapidity are multifractal. Monte Carlo models show overall agreement with the data, reproducing the trend, although not always the magnitude, of the factorial moments and bunching parameters

Angular multiplicity fluctuations in hadronic Z decays and comparison to QCD models and analytical calculations

Local multiplicity fluctuations in angular phase space intervals are studied using factorial moments measured in hadronic events at \sqrt{s}\simeq 91.2\GeV, which were collected by the L3 detector at LEP in 1994. Parton shower Monte Carlo programs agree well with the data. On the other hand, first-order QCD calculations in the Double Leading Log Approximation and the Modified Leading Log Approximation are found to deviate significantly from the data

Search for R-Parity Breaking Sneutrino Exchange at LEP

We report on a search for R--parity breaking effects due to supersymmetric tau--sneutrino exchange in the reactions e+e- to e+e- and e+e- to mu+mu- at centre--of--mass energies from 91~{\GeV} to 172~{\GeV}, using the L3 detector at LEP. No evidence for deviations from the Standard Model expectations of the measured cross sections and forward--backward asymmetries for these reactions is found. Upper limits for the couplings $\lambda_{131}$ and $\lambda_{232}$ for sneutrino masses up to m_{\SNT} \leq 190~\GeV are determined from an analysis of the expected effects due to tau sneutrino exchange

Measurement of η′(958)\eta '(958) formation in two-photon collisions at LEP1

The formation of the eta' in the reaction ee->ee eta'->ee pi pi gamma has been measured by the L3 detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 91 GeV. The radiative width of the eta' has been found to be 4.17 +/- 0.10(stat.) +/- 0.27(sys.) keV . The Q^2 dependence of the eta' formation cross section has been measured for Q^2 < 10 GeV^2 and the eta' electromagnetic transition form factor has been determined. The form factor can be parametrised by a pole form with Lambda = 0.900 +/- 0.046(stat) +/- 0.022(sys) GeV. It is also consistent with recent non-perturbative QCD calculations

Missing mass spectra in hadronic events from e+e−e^+ e^- collisions at s\sqrt{s}=161-172 GeV and limits on invisible Higgs decays

Events characterised by large hadronic energy and transverse momentum are selected from the data collected by the L3 detector at LEP at centre-of-mass energies between 161 and 172 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 21 $\rm pb^{-1}$. The visible mass and the missing mass distributions of the selected events are consistent with those expected from Standard Model processes. This result is combined with that from data taken at the Z resonance to set an upper limit on the production rate and decay into invisible final states of a non-minimal Higgs boson, as a function of the Higgs mass. Assuming the non-minimal Higgs production cross section to be the same as for the Standard Model Higgs boson and the decay branching fraction into invisible final states to be 100\%, a Higgs mass lower limit of 69.6 GeV is derived at 95\% confidence level