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The aim of the present exploratory study was to assess the changes in urinary oxytocin (OT) concentration during the period between five days before, and on the day of match, among rugby and handball players. Nine male rugby players with a mean age of 27.62 years (SD = 4.21) and 18 male handball players with a mean age of 17.03 years (SD = 0.57) participated. Urinary oxytocin level was measured by ELISA immunoassay as a ratio to the concentration of creatinine [mg/ml] measured through colorimetric detection. The relative level of OT to creatinine (OT/CRE) significantly differed between the type of player (rugby or handball) but not between times of measurements. Significant differences were only between OT/CRE level in a day of match in rugby players and in 5 days before match in handball players (p

Human females demonstrate higher religiosity than men in populations. Digit ratio (2D:4D), being a putative indicator of prenatal testosterone, is associated in varying degrees with characters that show sexual dimorphism. A small number of studies have indicated that religiosity may be associated with the biological basis of sex differences in humans. The objective of the present study was to ascertain whether 2D:4D in religiously oriented seminary students is different from individuals in other occupations. The study followed a cross-sectional design. Male participants of the study included 13 seminary students, 18 military chaplains and 91 control students from study courses relating to civil occupations. Lengths of second (2D) and fourth (4D) digits and their ratio (2D:4D) for each hand, height and weight were the variables and 2D:4D was the outcome measure. The results demonstrated that the seminary students had significantly higher 2D:4D than both the military chaplains and civil students. The military chaplains had the lowest 2D:4D. The study also revealed that the choice of religious occupation, and for that matter, religiosity, could be linked with the prenatal hormonal environment, particularly lower intrauterine testosterone compared to oestrogen.

W rozdziale tym przedstawiono tradycyjne metody kształtowania kompetencji matematycznych dzieci, takie jak metoda samodzielnych doświadczeń, kierowania aktywnością, zadań i ćwiczeń; metody oparte na pokazie, przykładzie, udostępnianiu sztuki, rozmowie, opowiadaniu, zagadce, objaśnieniu, instrukcji, wierszu i piosence, czy też metody żywego słowa. Omówiono także alternatywne strategie, takie jak: metody bazujące na koncepcji pedagogicznej Montessori, Froebla, Steinera, Domana czy Friedrich, de Galgóczy i Schindelhauer, a także Naglaka, Rokity i Rzepy. Pokazano również nowe, oparte na technologiach informacyjno-komunikacyjnych, przestrzenie aktywności matematycznych: środowisko rzeczywistości wirtualnej i cyberparków. Odniesiono się ponadto do uczniów ze specjalnymi potrzebami matematycznymi, którzy wymagają jeszcze innych metod pracy. W tym kontekście wyjaśniono różnice między takimi problemami z matematyką jak akalkulia, dyskalkulia czy specyficzne trudności matematyczne. Wreszcie ukazano to, jak rozpoznać w klasie uczniów uzdolnionych matematycznie, jak z nimi pracować oraz wyróżniono kompetencje zawodowe, które powinien posiadać nauczyciel takich uczniów. Rozdział kończy krótkie podsumowanie zachęcające do refleksji nad procesem nauczania matematyki.

The mastery of maximal and high-intensity physical activities is key for successful performance in football. The aim of this study was to compare respective sprinting skills of Polish and South African soccer players by conducting straight and zig-zag sprint tests. The study sample comprised a total of 40 college level soccer players, 20 from Poland and 20 from South Africa. The sprint tests included a 30m-straight sprint test and a 30m-Zig-zag sprint test. ANOVA, followed by Fisher’s LSD as a post-hoc test, were used for statistical analysis. The study found that the Polish players were significantly faster by a margin of 0.117 seconds (p≤0.001) than their South African counterparts, and developed a significantly higher running speed with a corresponding margin of 0.198m/s (p≤0.001) after 30 metres. In the 30m-Zig-zag sprint test, the Polish players also exhibited a significantly higher level of speed skills than the South African players, with a difference in a running time of 0.939 seconds (p≤0.001) and in a running speed of 0.307m/s (p≤0.001) that represented greater differences than those found in the 30m straight sprint test.Keywords: Sprinting skill; Soccer; 30m-Sprint test; 30m-Zig-zag-sprint test; Performance.

The aim of this study was to identify the relative age effect (RAE) in young Polish male (n = 3849) and female (n = 3419) basketball players aged 14 to 22 years competing in the elite games of the Polish Youth Championships. The distribution of birth dates, body height, players’ match statistics, and the results of teams participating in championships were identified. The RAE was observed in male and female group, regardless of players age. Nevertheless, the greatest disproportion in the distribution of dates of birth was found in U16 group of boys (V = 0.25, p < 0.0001). Significant differences in body height were identified in U14 and U16 groups of boys (p < 0.0001) and U14 group of girls (p < 0.01). The RAE was the most detrimental in the group of boys from teams ranked 9th or lower (p < 0.0001). The groups of male and female basketball players from the top 3 teams had the highest average body height (p < 0.001). In U14 boys, significantly higher match results and performance index ratings (PIR) were observed for players born in the first half of a calendar year. The research results show the impact of the RAE on the success of youth basketball teams in Poland. The month of birth, body height and sex may determine sporting achievements in youth basketball. Coaches should consider the chronological age and pubertal growth acceleration (APHV-age at peak height velocity) of players to optimize the process of identifying gifted basketball players, especially among boys of 14 years of age.