Measurement of the Spin Polarization of a Slow Positron Beam Using Circularly Polarized Microwave Radiation.

We have measured the spin polarization of a slow positron beam via state-selective depopulation of 2^{3}S_{1} positronium atoms, generated by passing the beam through a gas cell. Our method employs circularly polarized microwave radiation to drive 2^{3}S_{1}→2^{3}P_{1} transitions, for which either Δm_{J}=+1 or Δm_{J}=-1, and relies on the fact that asymmetries between the two cases yield the underlying positron beam polarization. Using this technique we show that the polarization of a positron beam derived from a solid neon moderator may be increased from 30% to 90% by increasing the moderator thickness, with an associated reduction in beam intensity of 60%.

Different effects of fatty acid oxidation on hematopoietic stem cells based on age and diet.

Fatty acid oxidation is of uncertain importance in most stem cells. We show by C-palmitate tracing and metabolomic analysis that hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) engage in long-chain fatty acid oxidation that depends upon carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a (CPT1a) and hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (HADHA) enzymes. CPT1a or HADHA deficiency had little or no effect on HSPCs or hematopoiesis in young adult mice.

Environmental fate and transport of PFAS in wastewater treatment plant effluent discharged to rapid infiltration basins.

Fate and transport of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent discharged to rapid infiltration basins (RIBs) is investigated using data from 26 WWTPs in Michigan, USA. PFAS were found to accumulate in groundwater downgradient from RIBs with median groundwater-effluent enrichment factors for ten commonly detected, terminal-form perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) ranging from 1.3 to 5.

Mitochondrial complex I promotes kidney cancer metastasis.

Most kidney cancers are metabolically dysfunctional, but how this dysfunction affects cancer progression in humans is unknown. We infused C-labelled nutrients in over 80 patients with kidney cancer during surgical tumour resection. Labelling from [U-C]glucose varies across subtypes, indicating that the kidney environment alone cannot account for all tumour metabolic reprogramming.