Intrarater and Interrater Reliability of the Soong Classification for Distal Radius Volar Locking Plate Placement

Background: The purpose of this study was to analyze the intrarater and interrater reliability of the Soong classification for volar locking plate placement on a randomly selected, consecutive series of radiographs. Our hypothesis was that the classification would be reliable. Methods: Six physicians of differing levels of training (orthopedic surgery intern to fellowship-trained upper extremity staff) were asked to review 40 radiographs in a random order on 2 separate occasions, 4 weeks apart. All observers graded each image (0, 1, or 2) based on the corresponding Soong grade. A weighted κ was used to determine the intrarater agreement. The interrater agreement was determined using an intraclass coefficient: Results: The intrarater reliability using a weighted κ ranged from 0.229 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.048-0.411) to 0.946 (95% CI: 0.840-1.051). The interrater intraclass coefficient for Randomization 1 was 0.944 (95% 0.912-0.967) and Randomization 2 was 0.877 (95% CI: 0.797-0.930). Conclusion: The Soong classification is a reliable tool, both interrater and intrarater, for assessing distal radius volar locking plate placement. The classification system remained reliable despite a randomly selected, consecutive series of images and physician observers of varying levels of training

Resolving the Large-N Nuclear Potential Puzzle

The large $N_c$ nuclear potential puzzle arose because three- and higher-meson exchange contributions to the nucleon-nucleon potential did not automatically yield cancellations that make these contributions consistent with the general large $N_c$ scaling rules for the potential. Here it is proposed that the resolution to this puzzle is that the scaling rules only apply for energy-independent potentials while all of the cases with apparent inconsistencies were for energy-dependent potentials. It is shown explicitly how energy-dependent potentials can have radically different large N behavior than an equivalent energy-independent one. One class of three-meson graphs is computed in which the contribution to the energy-independent potential is consistent with the general large N rules even though the energy-dependent potential is not.Comment: Corrections to the toy mode

Renormalization of the Three-Body System with Short-Range Interactions

We discuss renormalization of the non-relativistic three-body problem with short-range forces. The problem becomes non-perturbative at momenta of the order of the inverse of the two-body scattering length, and an infinite number of graphs must be summed. This summation leads to a cutoff dependence that does not appear in any order in perturbation theory. We argue that this cutoff dependence can be absorbed in a single three-body counterterm and compute the running of the three-body force with the cutoff. We comment on relevance of this result for the effective field theory program in nuclear and molecular physics.Comment: 5 pages, RevTex, 4 PS figures included with epsf.sty, some clarifying comments added, version to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

Low Energy Theorems For Nucleon-Nucleon Scattering

Low energy theorems are derived for the coefficients of the effective range expansion in s-wave nucleon-nucleon scattering valid to leading order in an expansion in which both $m_\pi$ and $1/a$ (where $a$ is the scattering length) are treated as small mass scales. Comparisons with phase shift data, however, reveal a pattern of gross violations of the theorems for all coefficients in both the $^1S_0$ and $^3S_1$ channels. Analogous theorems are developed for the energy dependence $\epsilon$ parameter which describes $^3S_1 - ^3D_1$ mixing. These theorems are also violated. These failures strongly suggest that the physical value of $m_\pi$ is too large for the chiral expansion to be valid in this context. Comparisons of $m_\pi$ with phenomenological scales known to arise in the two-nucleon problem support this conjecture.Comment: 12 pages, 1 figure, 1 table; appendix added to discuss behavior in chiral limit; minor revisions including revised figure reference to recent work adde

Bremsstrahlung in Alpha-Decay

We present the first fully quantum mechanical calculation of photon radiation accompanying charged particle decay from a barrier resonance. The soft-photon limit agrees with the classical results, but differences appear at next-to-leading-order. Under the conditions of alpha-decay of heavy nuclei, the main contribution to the photon emission stems from Coulomb acceleration and may be computed analytically. We find only a small contribution from the tunneling wave function under the barrier.Comment: 12 pages, 2 Postscript figure

Trial of Ultrasound guided carpal tunnel release versus Traditional Open Release (TUTOR)

BACKGROUND: Carpal tunnel release (CTR) is a surgical treatment option for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) symptoms that are unresponsive to conservative treatment. Most patients experience symptomatic relief after CTR regardless of the surgical technique. However, direct comparisons of the safety and effectiveness between CTR surgical techniques are limited. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to compare the safety and effectiveness of CTR with ultrasound guidance (CTR-US) versus mini-open CTR (mOCTR) in subjects with symptomatic CTS. DESIGN AND METHODS: TUTOR (Trial of Ultrasound guided CTR versus Traditional Open Release) is a randomized controlled trial in which 120 subjects at up to 12 sites in the United States will be randomized (2:1) to receive CTR-US or mOCTR. The primary endpoint of the study is the percentage of patients who return to normal daily activities within 3 days of the procedure. Secondary endpoints of the study are median time to return to normal daily activities, percentage of patients who return to work within 3 days of the procedure, median time to return to work, Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire Symptom Severity Scale (BCTQ-SSS) change score at 3 months, BCTQ Functional Status Scale (BCTQ-FSS) change score at 3 months, Numeric Pain Scale change score at 3 months, EuroQoL-5 Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) change score at 3 months, and the incidence of device- or procedure-related adverse events at 3 months. Patient follow-up in this trial will continue for 1 year. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study was approved by a central institutional review board and ongoing trial oversight will be provided by a data safety monitoring board (DSMB). The authors intend to report the results of this trial at medical conferences and peer-reviewed journals. The outcomes of TUTOR will have important clinical and economic implications for all stakeholders involved in treating patients with CTS. STUDY REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov): NCT05405218. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1

Yrast line for weakly interacting trapped bosons

We compute numerically the yrast line for harmonically trapped boson systems with a weak repulsive contact interaction, studying the transition to a vortex state as the angular momentum L increases and approaches N, the number of bosons. The L=N eigenstate is indeed dominated by particles with unit angular momentum, but the state has other significant components beyond the pure vortex configuration. There is a smooth crossover between low and high L with no indication of a quantum phase transition. Most strikingly, the energy and wave function appear to be analytical functions of L over the entire range 2 < L < N. We confirm the structure of low-L states proposed by Mottelson, as mainly single-particle excitations with two or three units of angular momentum.Comment: 9 pages, 3 EPS-figures, uses psfig.st

Nucleon Charge Symmetry Breaking and Parity Violating Electron-Proton Scattering

The consequences of the charge symmetry breaking effects of the mass difference between the up and down quarks and electromagnetic effects for searches for strangeness form factors in parity violating electron scattering from the proton are investigated. The formalism necessary to identify and compute the relevant observables is developed by separating the Hamiltonian into charge symmetry conserving and breaking terms. Using a set of SU(6) non-relativistic quark models, the effects of the charge symmetry breaking Hamiltonian are considered for experimentally relevant alues of the momentum transfer and found to be less than about 1 percent. The charge symmetry breaking corrections to the Bjorken sum rule are also studied and shown to vanish in first-order perturbation theory.Comment: 35 pages, 9 figure

Second-price auctions with private entry costs

We study asymmetric second-price auctions under incomplete information. The bidders have potentially different, commonly-known, valuations for the object and private information about their entry costs. The seller, however, does not benefit from these entry costs. We calculate the equilibrium strategies of the bidders and analyze the optimal design for the seller in this environment

Multicenter randomized trial of carpal tunnel release with ultrasound guidance versus mini-open technique

BACKGROUND: Comparative studies of carpal tunnel release with ultrasound guidance (CTR-US) vs. mini-open CTR (mOCTR) are limited, prompting development of this randomized trial to compare efficacy and safety of these techniques. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients were randomized (2:1) to CTR-US or mOCTR, treated by experienced hand surgeons (median previous cases: 12 CTR-US; 1000 mOCTR), and followed for 3 months. RESULTS: Among 149 randomized patients, 122 received CTR-US ( CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy and safety of CTR-US were comparable to mOCTR despite less previous surgical experience with CTR-US. The choice of CTR technique should be determined by shared decision-making between patient and physician. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier is NCT05405218