Effects of consecutive days of match play on technical performance in tennis

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Elite tennis is characterised by repeated bouts of up to 5-set match play, yet little is known about the technical requirements of shots played. This study therefore investigated technical performance changes over consecutive days of prolonged, simulated tennis match play. A total of 7 well-trained men tennis players performed 4 consecutive days of competitive 4-h match play. Matches were notated to determine between-day changes in groundstroke and serve performance, as well as point and match durations. Changes ≥75% likely to exceed the smallest important effect size (0.2) were considered meaningful and represented as effect size ± 90% confidence interval. Effective playing time reduced on days 3 and 4, alongside likely increases in “stretch” groundstrokes over the 4 days (mean effect size ± 90% confidence interval; 0.57 ± 0.38) and “stretch” backhand returns on days 2 and 3 (0.39 ± 0.54 and 0.67 ± 0.55). Relative unforced errors increased on day 4 (vs. day 2; 0.36 ± 0.22) and second-serve winning percentage reduced after day 1 (−0.47 ± 0.50). Further, a likely increase in emotional outbursts characterised day 3 (vs. day 2; 0.73 ± 0.57). Consecutive-day match play impairs hitting accuracy, stroke positioning and emotional responses; an understanding of which prepares players for elite-standard tennis tournament play

Hypercrosslinked materials

This chapter describes the chemistry of hypercrosslinked materials, and presents a description of their synthesis, defining physico-chemical features and their most important applications. The synthesis section will examine the different monomers, precursor polymers, reagents and synthetic strategies used to prepare hypercrosslinked materials. Each synthesis section also details the chemical and morphological properties of the hypercrosslinked materials and the main field of application

Hypercrosslinked materials : preparation, characterisation and applications

This review article provides an overview of hypercrosslinking technology. In particular, it covers the preparation and characterisation of hypercrosslinked materials and their applications. The synthesis section examines the different monomers, precursor polymers and reagents used to prepare hypercrosslinked materials, but also the different synthetic approaches disclosed in the literature. The various chemical modification reactions relevant to this area are also reviewed. Several examples of applications for hypercrosslinked materials are described; these applications are grouped into thematic areas such as chromatography, gas storage and the trapping of organic contaminants

Fermi Surface as the Driving Mechanism for Helical Antiferromagnetic Ordering in Gd-Y Alloys

The first direct experimental evidence for the Fermi surface (FS) driving the helical antiferromagnetic ordering in a gadolinium-yttrium alloy is reported. The presence of a FS sheet capable of nesting is revealed, and the nesting vector associated with the sheet is found to be in excellent agreement with the periodicity of the helical ordering.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Continuous macroscopic limit of a discrete stochastic model for interaction of living cells

In the development of multiscale biological models it is crucial to establish a connection between discrete microscopic or mesoscopic stochastic models and macroscopic continuous descriptions based on cellular density. In this paper a continuous limit of a two-dimensional Cellular Potts Model (CPM) with excluded volume is derived, describing cells moving in a medium and reacting to each other through both direct contact and long range chemotaxis. The continuous macroscopic model is obtained as a Fokker-Planck equation describing evolution of the cell probability density function. All coefficients of the general macroscopic model are derived from parameters of the CPM and a very good agreement is demonstrated between CPM Monte Carlo simulations and numerical solution of the macroscopic model. It is also shown that in the absence of contact cell-cell interactions, the obtained model reduces to the classical macroscopic Keller-Segel model. General multiscale approach is demonstrated by simulating spongy bone formation from loosely packed mesenchyme via the intramembranous route suggesting that self-organizing physical mechanisms can account for this developmental process.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Limits of the energy-momentum tensor in general relativity

A limiting diagram for the Segre classification of the energy-momentum tensor is obtained and discussed in connection with a Penrose specialization diagram for the Segre types. A generalization of the coordinate-free approach to limits of Paiva et al. to include non-vacuum space-times is made. Geroch's work on limits of space-times is also extended. The same argument also justifies part of the procedure for classification of a given spacetime using Cartan scalars.Comment: LaTeX, 21 page

The martyrdom effect : when pain and effort increase prosocial contributions

Most theories of motivation and behavior (and lay intuitions alike) consider pain and effort to be deterrents. In contrast to this widely held view, we provide evidence that the prospect of enduring pain and exerting effort for a prosocial cause can promote contributions to the cause. Specifically, we show that willingness to contribute to a charitable or collective cause increases when the contribution process is expected to be painful and effortful rather than easy and enjoyable. Across five experiments, we document this “martyrdom effect,” show that the observed patterns defy standard economic and psychological accounts, and identify a mediator and moderator of the effect. Experiment 1 showed that people are willing to donate more to charity when they anticipate having to suffer to raise money. Experiment 2 extended these findings to a non-charity laboratory context that involved real money and actual pain. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the martyrdom effect is not the result of an attribute substitution strategy (whereby people use the amount of pain and effort involved in fundraising to determine donation worthiness). Experiment 4 showed that perceptions of meaningfulness partially mediate the martyrdom effect. Finally, Experiment 5 demonstrated that the nature of the prosocial cause moderates the martyrdom effect: the effect is strongest for causes associated with human suffering. We propose that anticipated pain and effort lead people to ascribe greater meaning to their contributions and to the experience of contributing, thereby motivating higher prosocial contributions. We conclude by considering some implications of this puzzling phenomenon. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Improving memory performance using a wearable BCI

Human ability to encode and memorize information fluctuates from moment to moment. Several studies have reported differences in electroencephalography (EEG) signals recorded during memorization of items that were forgotten at a later point of time compared to those that were remembered. Given these observations the question then arises whether or not a wearable BCI system can be designed to identify poorly encoded items. Such a device could be used to provide feedback to the user so as to improve the memory encoding process. This paper reports on an experimental study designed to assess this possibility

Attention and fluctuating attention in patients with dementia with lewy bodies and alzheimer disease

Background: Attentional deficits are described in the consensus clinical criteria for the operationalized diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) as characteristic of the condition. In addition, preliminary studies have indicated that both attentional impairments and fluctuation of attentional impairments are more marked in patients with DLB than in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD), although neuropsychological function has not previously been examined in a large prospective cohort with confirmed diagnostic accuracy against postmortem diagnosis. Methods: A detailed evaluation of attention and fluctuating attention was undertaken in 155 patients with dementia (85 with DLB and 80 with AD) from a representative hospital dementia case register and 35 elderly controls using the Cognitive Drug Research Computerized Assessment System for Dementia Patients computerized neuropsychological battery. Operationalized clinical diagnosis was made using the consensus criteria for DLB and the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for AD. High levels of sensitivity and specificity have been achieved for the first 50 cases undergoing postmortem examination. Results: The groups were well matched for severity of cognitive impairments, bur the AD patients were older (mean age, 80 vs 78 years) and more likely to be female (55 vs 40). Patients with DLB were significantly more impaired than patients with AD on all measures of attention and fluctuating attention (for all comparisons, t � 2.5, P<.001), and patients from both dementia groups were significantly more impaired than elderly controls for all comparisons other than cognitive reaction time, which was significantly more impaired in DLB patients than controls but was comparable in controls and AD patients. There were, however, significant associations between the severity of cognitive impairment and the severity of both attentional deficits and fluctuations in attention. Conclusions: This large prospective study confirms that slowing of cognitive processing, attention, and fluctuations of attention are significantly more pronounced in DLB and AD patients, although fluctuating attention is common in patients with moderate-to-severe AD. Deficits of cognitive reaction rime appear to be specific to DLB, except in severe dementia. A detailed evaluation of attentional performance could make an important contribution to differential diagnosis, although the results need to be interpreted within the context of the overall severity of cognitive deficits

Segre Types of Symmetric Two-tensors in n-Dimensional Spacetimes

Three propositions about Jordan matrices are proved and applied to algebraically classify the Ricci tensor in n-dimensional Kaluza-Klein-type spacetimes. We show that the possible Segre types are [1,1...1], [21...1], [31\ldots 1], [z\bar{z}1...1] and degeneracies thereof. A set of canonical forms for the Segre types is obtained in terms of semi-null bases of vectors.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX, replaced due to a LaTex erro