Research questionWhat information do sperm donors and egg include in their personal descriptions goodwill messages?DesignA total of 131 (76 55 sperm) donor forms messages written to recipients gametes dating from 2011 2021 were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Categorical data then statistically examine differences between donors.ResultsGamete predominantly atheist (61.8% donors; 67...

For many years ‘Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)’ principles have been referred to in the scientific literature in respect of youth conditioning including the now famous Balyi model (2, 3) This suggests that there are ‘critical periods’ or ‘windows of opportunity’ in an athlete’s development. The premise is that certain fitness components can be developed at an accelerated rate during these...

PURPOSE In a number of small studies focused on one or two sports, exercise and competitive level has been observed to favor attainment of higher bone mineral density (BMD) in otherwise healthy athletes. We analyzed merged data from 10 studies to determine the effects of competitive level on upper extremity BMD in female athletes across multiple sports. METHODS This study is a meta-analysis o...

Background and purpose: Building on the proposition of the Sexual Strategies Theory that sex differences in mating strategies and intrasexual competition will be reflected in sexual signaling behavior towards possible mates, we sought to examine if such strategies would be observable on social networking sites. Materials and methods: For the purpose of the study, ten male and ten female public ...

The purpose of our research was to investigate the relative frequencies of different types of basketball shots (above head, hook shot, layup, dunk, tip-in), some details about their technical execution (one-legged, two-legged, drive, cut, …), and shot success in different levels of basketball competitions. We analysed video footage and categorized 5024 basketball shots from 40 basketball games ...

Baseball-specific athleticism, potential, and performance have been difficult to predict. Increased muscle strength and power can increase throwing velocity but the majority of research has focused on the upper body. The present study sought to determine if bilateral or unilateral lower-body field testing correlates with throwing velocity. Baseball throwing velocity scores were correlated to th...

The NFL Combine measures a variety of physical abilities. This research questions the overall usefulness of the event by focusing on both current and past players of QB, WR, and RB positions, who have performed at NFL Scouting Combine from 2000 to 2010. Statistical methods using the idea of multilinear regression, random forest and hypothesis testing on correlations between one’s Combine measur...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of adolescent and adult obesity in the United States is increasing at an alarming rate. This study examined the prevalence of obesity in adults aged 20 through 60 years, comparing established national norms with a selected population of former college rowers. METHODS Selected for study were 4,680 male and female former intercollegiate rowing athletes who graduated in...

Various theories have been posed to explain the fitness payoffs of hunting success among hunter-gatherers. 'Having' theories refer to the acquisition of resources, and include the direct provisioning hypothesis. In contrast, 'getting' theories concern the signalling of male resourcefulness and other desirable traits, such as athleticism and intelligence, via hunting prowess. We investigated the...

BACKGROUND The Olympic Games constitute a first-class opportunity to promote athleticism and health messages. Little is known, however on the impact of Olympic Games on the development of health-promotion programs for the general population. Our objective was to identify and describe the population-based health-promotion programs implemented in relation to the Athens 2004 Olympic and Para Olymp...