Metabolic dysfunction and excess accumulation of adipose tissue are detrimental side effects from breast cancer treatment. Diet and physical activity are important treatments for metabolic abnormalities, yet patient compliance can be challenging during chemotherapy treatment. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a feasible dietary pattern where eating is restricted to 8 h/d with water-only fasting for the remaining 16 h. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of a multimodal intervention consisting of TRE, healthy eating, and reduced sedentary time during chemotherapy treatment for early-stage (I–III) breast cancer on accumulation of visceral fat (primary outcome), other fat deposition locations, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease risk (secondary outcomes) compared with usual care. The study will be a two-site, two-arm, parallel-group superiority randomised control trial enrolling 130 women scheduled for chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. The intervention will be delivered by telephone, including 30–60-minute calls with a registered dietitian who will provide instructions on TRE, education and counselling on healthy eating, and goal setting for reducing sedentary time. The comparison group will receive usual cancer and supportive care including a single group-based nutrition class and healthy eating and physical activity guidelines. MRI, blood draws and assessment of blood pressure will be performed at baseline, after chemotherapy (primary end point), and 2-year follow-up. If our intervention is successful in attenuating the effect of chemotherapy on visceral fat accumulation and cardiometabolic dysfunction, it has the potential to reduce risk of cardiometabolic disease and related mortality among breast cancer survivors.

We aimed to provide comprehensive estimates of laboratory-confirmed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated hospitalisations. Between 2012 and 2015, active surveillance of acute respiratory infection (ARI) hospitalisations during winter seasons was used to estimate the seasonal incidence of laboratory-confirmed RSV hospitalisations in children aged <5 years in Auckland, New Zealand (NZ). Incidence rates were estimated by fine age group, ethnicity and socio-economic status (SES) strata. Additionally, RSV disease estimates determined through active surveillance were compared to rates estimated from hospital discharge codes. There were 5309 ARI hospitalisations among children during the study period, of which 3923 (73.9%) were tested for RSV and 1597 (40.7%) were RSV-positive. The seasonal incidence of RSV-associated ARI hospitalisations, once corrected for non-testing, was 6.1 (95% confidence intervals 5.8–6.4) per 1000 children <5 years old. The highest incidence was among children aged <3 months. Being of indigenous Māori or Pacific ethnicity or living in a neighbourhood with low SES independently increased the risk of an RSV-associated hospitalisation. RSV hospital discharge codes had a sensitivity of 71% for identifying laboratory-confirmed RSV cases. RSV infection is a leading cause of hospitalisation among children in NZ, with significant disparities by ethnicity and SES. Our findings highlight the need for effective RSV vaccines and therapies.

The use of underground geological repositories, such as in radioactive waste disposal (RWD) and in carbon capture (widely known as Carbon Capture and Storage; CCS), constitutes a key environmental priority for the 21st century. Based on the identification of key scientific questions relating to the geophysics, geochemistry and geobiology of geodisposal of wastes, this paper describes the possibility of technology transfer from high-technology areas of the space exploration sector, including astrobiology, planetary sciences, astronomy, and also particle and nuclear physics, into geodisposal. Synergies exist between high technology used in the space sector and in the characterization of underground environments such as repositories, because of common objectives with respect to instrument miniaturization, low power requirements, durability under extreme conditions (in temperature and mechanical loads) and operation in remote or otherwise difficult to access environments.

We present an overview of the survey for radio emission from active stars that has been in progress for the last six years using the observatories at Fleurs, Molonglo, Parkes and Tidbinbilla. The role of complementary optical observations at the Anglo-Australian Observatory, Mount Burnett, Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories and Mount Tamborine are also outlined. We describe the different types of star that have been included in our survey and discuss some of the problems in making the radio observations.

Demonstrating the equivalence of constructs is a key requirement for cross-cultural empirical research. The major purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how to assess measurement and functional equivalence or invariance using the 9-item, 3-factor Love of Money Scale (LOMS, a second-order factor model) and the 4-item, 1-factor Pay Level Satisfaction Scale (PLSS, a first-order factor model) across 29 samples in six continents (N = 5973). In step 1, we tested the configural, metric and scalar invariance of the LOMS and 17 samples achieved measurement invariance. In step 2, we applied the same procedures to the PLSS and nine samples achieved measurement invariance. Five samples (Brazil, China, South Africa, Spain and the USA) passed the measurement invariance criteria for both measures. In step 3, we found that for these two measures, common method variance was non-significant. In step 4, we tested the functional equivalence between the Love of Money Scale and Pay Level Satisfaction Scale. We achieved functional equivalence for these two scales in all five samples. The results of this study suggest the critical importance of evaluating and establishing measurement equivalence in cross-cultural studies. Suggestions for remedying measurement non-equivalence are offered.

A variable frequency ferroelectric polarisation measurement system has been designed and built at the UK's Diamond Light Source. The electric field induced phase transitions in Pb(Zr1−xTix)O3 (PZT) have been used to test the facility via in-situ measurements of electric polarisation and XRD. Stroboscopic and real time data collection methods on polycrystalline samples were employed as a function of frequency to determine the dynamic ferroelectric response. The system has been shown to deliver XRD patterns of good statistical quality measured over 40 points of a ferroelectric PE loop. The system is now available on station I11 as a user facility at the Diamond Light Source.