The Initial-Value Problem of Spherically Symmetric Wyman Sector Nonsymmetric Gravitational Theory

We cast the four-dimensional field equations of the Nonsymmetric Gravitational Theory (NGT) into a form appropriate for numerical study. In doing so, we have restricted ourselves to spherically symmetric spacetimes, and we have kept only the Wyman sector of the theory. We investigate the well-posedness of the initial-value problem of NGT for a particular data set consisting of a pulse in the antisymmetric field on an asymptotically flat space background. We include some analytic results on the solvability of the initial-value problem which allow us to place limits on the regions of the parameter space where the initial-value problem is solvable. These results are confirmed by numerically solving the constraints.Comment: REVTeX 3.0 with epsf macros and AMS symbols, 18 pages, 9 figure

Preliminary results from the Caribbean Acoustic Tracking Network (CATn): a data sharing partnership for acoustic tracking and movement ecology of marine animals in the Caribbean Sea

We have recently exchanged and integrated into a single database tag detections for conch, teleost and elasmobranch fish from four separately maintained arrays in the U.S. Virgin Islands including the NMFS queen conch array (St. John nearshore), NOAA’s Biogeography Branch array (St. John nearshore & midshelf reef); UVI shelf edge arrays (Marine Conservation District, Grammanik & other shelf edge); NOAA NMFS Apex Predator array COASTSPAN (St. John nearshore). The integrated database has over 7.5 million hits. Data is shared only with consent of partners and full acknowledgements. Thus, the summary of integrated data here uses data from NOAA and UVI arrays under a cooperative agreement. The benefits of combining and sharing data have included increasing the total area of detection resulting in an understanding of broader scale connectivity than would have been possible with a single array. Partnering has also been cost-effectiveness through sharing of field work, staff time and equipment and exchanges of knowledge and experience across the network. Use of multiple arrays has also helped in optimizing the design of arrays when additional receivers are deployed. The combined arrays have made the USVI network one of the most extensive acoustic arrays in the world with a total of 150+ receivers available, although not necessarily all deployed at all times. Currently, two UVI graduate student projects are using acoustic array data

Brief of Education Law and Educational Measurement Professors as \u3cem\u3eAmici Curiae\u3c/em\u3e in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellants, \u3cem\u3eCook v. Stewart\u3c/em\u3e

This appeal, to be decided by the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, challenges two egregious misuses of value-added modeling, a controversial teacher evaluation method that attempts to isolate the affect of one teacher on the learning gains of that teacher\u27s students, as derived from annual standardized test scores. With the approval of the State Appellees, the School District Appellees used the test scores of students who took the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in reading and math to evaluate the teaching performance of teachers who either did not teach these students at all, or did not teach them the tested curriculum. Amici, who are experts in education, education law, and educational measurement, file this brief to assist the Court in understanding how irrational these uses of value-added modeling are. The uses challenged here contradict the very purpose of using value-added modeling in the first place. In addition, they completely lack scholarly support, and they undermine, rather than further, the state\u27s avowed purpose in evaluating its teachers -- to incentivize the evaluated teachers to improve their teaching, and thereby improve student achievement

Instabilities in the nonsymmetric theory of gravitation

We consider the linearized nonsymmetric theory of gravitation (NGT) within the background of an expanding universe and near a Schwarzschild metric. We show that the theory always develops instabilities unless the linearized nonsymmetric lagrangian reduces to a particular simple form. This theory contains a gauge invariant kinetic term, a mass term for the antisymmetric metric-field and a coupling with the Ricci curvature scalar. This form cannot be obtained within NGT. Next we discuss NGT beyond linearized level and conjecture that the instabilities are not a relic of the linearization, but are a general feature of the full theory. Finally we show that one cannot add ad-hoc constraints to remove the instabilities as is possible with the instabilities found in NGT by Clayton.Comment: 29 page

Assessing decision quality in patient-centred care requires a preference-sensitive measure.

A theory-based instrument for measuring the quality of decisions made using any form of decision technology, including both decision-aided and unaided clinical consultations is required to enable person- and patient-centred care and to respond positively to individual heterogeneity in the value aspects of decision making. Current instruments using the term 'decision quality' have adopted a decision- and thus condition-specific approach. We argue that patient-centred care requires decision quality to be regarded as both preference-sensitive across multiple relevant criteria and generic across all conditions and decisions. MyDecisionQuality is grounded in prescriptive multi criteria decision analysis and employs a simple expected value algorithm to calculate a score for the quality of a decision that combines, in the clinical case, the patient's individual preferences for eight quality criteria (expressed as importance weights) and their ratings of the decision just taken on each of these criteria (expressed as performance rates). It thus provides an index of decision quality that encompasses both these aspects. It also provides patients with help in prioritizing quality criteria for future decision making by calculating, for each criterion, the Incremental Value of Perfect Rating, that is, the increase in their decision quality score that would result if their performance rating on the criterion had been 100%, weightings unchanged. MyDecisionQuality, which is a web-based generic and preference-sensitive instrument, can constitute a key patient-reported measure of the quality of the decision-making process. It can provide the basis for future decision improvement, especially when the clinician (or other stakeholders) completes the equivalent instrument and the extent and nature of concordance and discordance can be established. Apart from its role in decision preparation and evaluation, it can also provide real time and relevant documentation for the patient's record