Preliminary validation of the Italian version of the original sport motivation scale

Candela, F., Zucchetti, G., & Villosio, C. (2014). Preliminary validation of the Italian version of the original Sport Motivation Scale. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 9(1), pp.136-147. This study aims at develop and validate a preliminary Italian version of the original Sport Motivation Scale. The original scale was translated into Italian following transcultural procedures. The scale was administered to 228 athletes (55% females, n = 125, M age= 25, SD= 13) recruited in an Italian Sports Medicine Center. Confirmatory factor, internal consistency and correlation analysis among subscales were performed. Gender differences and associations between SMS subscales and psychological variables (coach leadership style, sport enjoyment, self-confidence in sport, attitude toward doping behaviors) were investigated. The analysis showed encouraging results about the validity and reliability of the Italian version of the SMS scale. Key words: MOTIVATION, SPORT MOTIVATION SCALE, ITALIAN VALIDATION

Paramagnon-Enhanced Spin Currents in a Lattice near the Curie Point

Spin transport phenomena have been shown to be highly enhanced when the temperature approaches the Curie point of the material sustaining a spin flow. Here we propose a simple - yet unifying - explanation for such enhancements, based on a random-phase model accounting for the spin fluctuations within a ferromagnetic material in the paramagnetic phase. We show that pure spin currents carried by conduction electrons injected into a paramagnetic lattice of mutually interacting localized magnetic moments can be enhanced close to the Curie temperature by the exchange interaction between the lattice sites and the non vanishing spin density associated with the spin current. The latter partially aligns the magnetic moments of the lattice, generating a flow of paramagnons that contribute to the total spin current, resulting in an enhancement that can be as large as tenfold

Pure spin currents in Ge probed by inverse spin-Hall effect

We perform photoinduced inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE) measurements on a Pt/Ge(001) junction at room temperature. The spin-oriented electrons are photogenerated at the Γ point of the Ge Brillouin zone using circularly-polarized light. After the ultrafast Γ−L scattering in the Ge conduction band, which partially preserves the spin polarization, electrons diffuse into the Pt layer where spin-dependent scattering with Pt nuclei yields a transverse electromotive field EISHE. The ISHE signal dependence as a function of the incident photon energy is investigated and interpreted in the frame of a one-dimensional spin drift-diffusion model. This allows estimating the electron spin lifetime at the L-valleys to be τs=1 ns

Optical generation of pure spin currents at the indirect gap of bulk Si

We report on the optical generation of a pure spin current at the indirect gap of bulk Si at room temperature in the photon energy range comprised between 1.2 and 1.8 eV. Spin-polarized electrons are promoted to the Δ-valleys of the Si Brillouin zone by circularly polarized light. The photo-generated spin current is then detected by exploiting a Schottky Pt/Si(001) junction: spin-polarized electrons diffuse toward the Pt/Si interface and enter the Pt layer where the spin current is converted into a transverse electromotive field through the inverse spin-Hall effect (ISHE). The photon energy dependence of the ISHE signal is interpreted in the frame of a one-dimensional spin drift-diffusion model, which allows estimating the electron spin lifetime to be τs=15±5 ns

Spin polarized surface resonance bands in single layer Bi on Ge(1 1 1)

The spin features of surface resonance bands in single layer Bi on Ge(1 1 1) are studied by means of spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and inverse photoemission spectroscopy. We characterize the occupied and empty surface states of Ge(1 1 1) and show that the deposition of one monolayer of Bi on Ge(1 1 1) leads to the appearance of spin-polarized surface resonance bands. In particular, the C 3v symmetry, which Bi adatoms adopt on Ge(1 1 1), allows for the presence of Rashba-like occupied and unoccupied electronic states around the [Formula: see text] point of the Bi surface Brillouin zone with a giant spin-orbit constant [Formula: see text] eV · Å

Role of α1 Acid Glycoprotein in the In Vivo Resistance of Human BCR-ABL+ Leukemic Cells to the Abl Inhibitor STI571

Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia is caused by a chromosomal translocation that results in an oncogenic fusion protein, Bcr-Abl. Bcr-Abl is a tyrosine kinase whose activity is inhibited by the antineoplastic drug STI571. This drug can cure mice given an injection of human leukemic cells, but treatment ultimately fails in animals that have large tumors when treatment is initiated. We created a mouse model to explore the mechanism of resistance in vivo. Methods: Nude mice were injected with KU812 Bcr-Abl+ human leukemic cells. After 1 day (no evident tumors), 8 days, or 15 days (tumors >1 g), mice were treated with STI571 (160 mg/kg every 8 hours). Cells recovered from relapsing animals were used for in vitro experiments. Statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Tumors regressed initially in all STI571-treated mice, but all mice treated 15 days after injection of tumor cells eventually relapsed. Relapsed animals did not respond to further STI571 treatment, and their Bcr-Abl kinase activity in vivo was not inhibited by STI571, despite high plasma concentrations of the drug. However, tumor cells from resistant animals were sensitive to STI571 in vitro, suggesting that a molecule in the plasma of relapsed animals may inactivate the drug. The plasma protein α1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) bound STI571 at physiologic concentrations in vitro and blocked the ability of STI571 to inhibit Bcr-Abl kinase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Plasma AGP concentrations were strongly associated with tumor load. Erythromycin competed with STI571 for AGP binding. When animals bearing large tumors were treated with STI571 alone or with a combination of STI571 and erythromycin, greater tumor reductions and better long-term tumor-free survival (10 of 12 versus one of 13 at day 180; P<.001) were observed after the combination treatment. Conclusion: AGP in the plasma of relapsed animals binds to STI571, preventing this compound from inhibiting the Bcr/Abl tyrosine kinase. Molecules such as erythromycin that compete with STI571 for binding to AGP may enhance the therapeutic potential of this dru