The problem of shot selection in basketball

In basketball, every time the offense produces a shot opportunity the player with the ball must decide whether the shot is worth taking. In this paper, I explore the question of when a team should shoot and when they should pass up the shot by considering a simple theoretical model of the shot selection process, in which the quality of shot opportunities generated by the offense is assumed to fall randomly within a uniform distribution. I derive an answer to the question "how likely must the shot be to go in before the player should take it?", and show that this "lower cutoff" for shot quality $f$ depends crucially on the number $n$ of shot opportunities remaining (say, before the shot clock expires), with larger $n$ demanding that only higher-quality shots should be taken. The function $f(n)$ is also derived in the presence of a finite turnover rate and used to predict the shooting rate of an optimal-shooting team as a function of time. This prediction is compared to observed shooting rates from the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the comparison suggests that NBA players tend to wait too long before shooting and undervalue the probability of committing a turnover.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures; comparison to NBA data adde

Spin-Peierls transition in an anisotropic two-dimensional XY model

The two-dimensional Jordan-Wigner transformation is used to investigate the zero temperature spin-Peierls transition for an anisotropic two-dimensional XY model in adiabatic limit. The phase diagram between the dimerized (D) state and uniform (U) state is shown in the parameter space of dimensionless interchain coupling $h$ $(=J_{\perp}/J)$ and spin-lattice coupling $\eta$. It is found that the spin-lattice coupling $\eta$ must exceed some critical value $\eta_c$ in order to reach the D phase for any finite $h$. The dependence of $\eta_c$ on $h$ is given by $-1/\ln h$ for $h\to 0$ and the transition between U and D phase is of first-order for at least $h>10^{-3}$.Comment: 2 eps figures, considerable revisions were mad

The opposites task: Using general rules to test cognitive flexibility in preschoolers

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. Executive functions play an important role in cognitive development, and during the preschool years especially, children's performance is limited in tasks that demand flexibility in their behavior. We asked whether preschoolers would exhibit limitations when they are required to apply a general rule in the context of novel stimuli on every trial (the "opposites" task). Two types of inhibitory processing were measured: response interference (resistance to interference from a competing response) and proactive interference (resistance to interference from a previously relevant rule). Group data show 3-year-olds have difficulty inhibiting prepotent tendencies under these conditions, whereas 5-year-olds' accuracy is near ceiling in the task. (Contains 4 footnotes and 1 table.

Anomalous Spin Dynamics observed by High Frequency ESR in Honeycomb Lattice Antiferromagnet InCu2/3V1/3O3

High-frequency ESR results on the S=1/2 Heisenberg hexagonal antiferromagnet InCu2/3V1/3O3 are reported. This compound appears to be a rare model substance for the honeycomb lattice antiferromagnet with very weak interlayer couplings. The high-temperature magnetic susceptibility can be interpreted by the S=1/2 honeycomb lattice antiferromagnet, and it shows a magnetic-order-like anomaly at TN=38 K. Although, the resonance field of our high-frequency ESR shows the typical behavior of the antiferromagnetic resonance, the linewidth of our high-frequency ESR continues to increase below TN, while it tends to decrease as the temperature in a conventional three-dimensional antiferromagnet decreases. In general, a honeycomb lattice antiferromagnet is expected to show a simple antiferromagnetic order similar to that of a square lattice antiferromagnet theoretically because both antiferromagnets are bipartite lattices. However, we suggest that the observed anomalous spin dynamics below TN is the peculiar feature of the honeycomb lattice antiferromagnet that is not observed in the square lattice antiferromagnet.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Immunoglobulin G; structure and functional implications of different subclass modifications in initiation and resolution of allergy.

IgE and not IgG is usually associated with allergy. IgE lodged on mast cells in skin or gut and basophils in the blood allows for the prolonged duration of allergy through the persistent expression of high affinity IgE receptors. However, many allergic reactions are not dependent on IgE and are generated in the absence of allergen specific and even total IgE. Instead, IgG plasma cells are involved in induction of, and for much of the pathogenesis of, allergic diseases. The pattern of IgG producing plasma cells in atopic children and the tendency for direct or further class switching to IgE are the principle factors responsible for long-lasting sensitization of mast cells in allergic children. Indirect class switching from IgG producing plasma cells has been shown to be the predominant pathway for production of IgE while a Th2 microenvironment, genetic predisposition, and the concentration and nature of allergens together act on IgG plasma cells in the atopic tendency to undergo further immunoglobulin gene recombination. The seminal involvement of IgG in allergy is further indicated by the principal role of IgG4 in the natural resolution of allergy and as the favourable immunological response to immunotherapy. This paper will look at allergy through the role of different antibodies than IgE and give current knowledge of the nature and role of IgG antibodies in the start, maintenance and resolution of allergy

Dynamics of Barred Galaxies

Some 30% of disc galaxies have a pronounced central bar feature in the disc plane and many more have weaker features of a similar kind. Kinematic data indicate that the bar constitutes a major non-axisymmetric component of the mass distribution and that the bar pattern tumbles rapidly about the axis normal to the disc plane. The observed motions are consistent with material within the bar streaming along highly elongated orbits aligned with the rotating major axis. A barred galaxy may also contain a spheroidal bulge at its centre, spirals in the outer disc and, less commonly, other features such as a ring or lens. Mild asymmetries in both the light and kinematics are quite common. We review the main problems presented by these complicated dynamical systems and summarize the effort so far made towards their solution, emphasizing results which appear secure. (Truncated)Comment: This old review appeared in 1993. Plain tex with macro file. 82 pages 18 figures. A pdf version with figures at full resolution (3.24MB) is available at http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~sellwood/bar_review.pd

Efectividad de una intervención motivacional breve para procesos de cambio en jóvenes colombianos consumidores de marihuana

Estudio de casoEste trabajo establece la efectividad de una intervención motivacional breve para procesos de cambio frente al consumo de marihuana en jóvenes colombianos. El programa de prevención selectiva fue implementado mediante la estrategia de taller y los parámetros del modelo transteórico. La intervención motivacional breve afectó los procesos de cambio asociados al consumo de marihuana, siendo efectiva para la muestra seleccionada.1. ANTECEDENTES TEÓRICOS Y EMPÍRICOS 2. JUSTIFICACIÓN Y PLANTEAMIENTO DEL PROBLEMA 3. OBJETIVOS 4. VARIABLES 5. HIPÓTESIS 6. MÉTODO 7. RESULTADOS 8. DISCUSIÓN REFERENCIAS APÉNDICESMaestríaMagister en Psicologí

Рідке мило на основі соапстоків після нейтралізації олій та жирів в нейтралізуючому розчині, що містить етанол

Development and application of statistical models for medical scientific researc