Little is known about who would benefit from Internet-based personalised nutrition (PN) interventions. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of participants who achieved greatest improvements (i.e. benefit) in diet, adiposity and biomarkers following an Internet-based PN intervention. Adults (n 1607) from seven European countries were recruited into a 6-month, randomised controlled trial (Food4Me) and randomised to receive conventional dietary advice (control) or PN advice. Information on dietary intake, adiposity, physical activity (PA), blood biomarkers and participant characteristics was collected at baseline and month 6. Benefit from the intervention was defined as ≥5 % change in the primary outcome (Healthy Eating Index) and secondary outcomes (waist circumference and BMI, PA, sedentary time and plasma concentrations of cholesterol, carotenoids and omega-3 index) at month 6. For our primary outcome, benefit from the intervention was greater in older participants, women and participants with lower HEI scores at baseline. Benefit was greater for individuals reporting greater self-efficacy for ‘sticking to healthful foods’ and who ‘felt weird if [they] didn’t eat healthily’. Participants benefited more if they reported wanting to improve their health and well-being. The characteristics of individuals benefiting did not differ by other demographic, health-related, anthropometric or genotypic characteristics. Findings were similar for secondary outcomes. These findings have implications for the design of more effective future PN intervention studies and for tailored nutritional advice in public health and clinical settings.

The study discusses the mineralogical, geochemical and thermometric properties of rock-forming blue quartz from eight worldwide occurrences. Compared to non-blue quartz, blue quartz contains significant amounts of submicron-sized (1 μm—100 nm) and nanometre-sized (<100 nm) inclusions. Mica, ilmenite and rutile constitute the most abundant submicron-sized inclusions, and are formed probably by syngenetic precipitation in the boundary layer between quartz and melt (entrapment model). Nanometre-sized rutile possibly originated by epigenetic exsolution of Ti from the quartz structure (exsolution model). Rayleigh scattering of light by nano-particulate inclusions best explains the origin of the blue colour. Blue quartz is generally Ti-rich (∼100—300 ppm) and formed at high temperatures (∼700°C—900°C). The large number, and high spatial density, of tiny xenocrystic inclusions of Ti-bearing minerals make calculations of crystallization temperatures using the Ti-in-quartz thermometer unreliable. The geological significance of blue quartz remains obscure.

Traditionally, personalised nutrition was delivered at an individual level. However, the concept of delivering tailored dietary advice at a group level through the identification of metabotypes or groups of metabolically similar individuals has emerged. Although this approach to personalised nutrition looks promising, further work is needed to examine this concept across a wider population group. Therefore, the objectives of this study are to: (1) identify metabotypes in a European population and (2) develop targeted dietary advice solutions for these metabotypes. Using data from the Food4Me study (n 1607), k-means cluster analysis revealed the presence of three metabolically distinct clusters based on twenty-seven metabolic markers including cholesterol, individual fatty acids and carotenoids. Cluster 2 was identified as a metabolically healthy metabotype as these individuals had the highest Omega-3 Index (6·56 (sd 1·29) %), carotenoids (2·15 (sd 0·71) µm) and lowest total saturated fat levels. On the basis of its fatty acid profile, cluster 1 was characterised as a metabolically unhealthy cluster. Targeted dietary advice solutions were developed per cluster using a decision tree approach. Testing of the approach was performed by comparison with the personalised dietary advice, delivered by nutritionists to Food4Me study participants (n 180). Excellent agreement was observed between the targeted and individualised approaches with an average match of 82 % at the level of delivery of the same dietary message. Future work should ascertain whether this proposed method could be utilised in a healthcare setting, for the rapid and efficient delivery of tailored dietary advice solutions.

An X-band FM-CW radar was used to determine the feasibility of observing annual snow-accumulation layers in Antarctica with a high-resolution inexpensive radar system. The formation of layering boundaries, their resultant electromagnetic discontinuity and their detection by reflected energy are presented. Large returns from depths corresponding to reasonable positions for annual layers were found. The average accumulation rates calculated from the radar returns agree with those measured in a previous pit study done in the same area. The detection of the annual accumulation layers with this system implies a simple, inexpensive mobile radar could be used to profile large areas allowing the distorting effects of local topography to be removed.This type of system with a concurrent pit study could provide insight into the effect of sub-surface strata on spaceborne or airborne microwave remote sensing.

Individual response to dietary interventions can be highly variable. The phenotypic characteristics of those who will respond positively to personalised dietary advice are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to compare the phenotypic profiles of differential responders to personalised dietary intervention, with a focus on total circulating cholesterol. Subjects from the Food4Me multi-centre study were classified as responders or non-responders to dietary advice on the basis of the change in cholesterol level from baseline to month 6, with lower and upper quartiles defined as responder and non-responder groups, respectively. There were no significant differences between demographic and anthropometric profiles of the groups. Furthermore, with the exception of alcohol, there was no significant difference in reported dietary intake, at baseline. However, there were marked differences in baseline fatty acid profiles. The responder group had significantly higher levels of stearic acid (18 : 0, P=0·034) and lower levels of palmitic acid (16 : 0, P=0·009). Total MUFA (P=0·016) and total PUFA (P=0·008) also differed between the groups. In a step-wise logistic regression model, age, baseline total cholesterol, glucose, five fatty acids and alcohol intakes were selected as factors that successfully discriminated responders from non-responders, with sensitivity of 82 % and specificity of 83 %. The successful delivery of personalised dietary advice may depend on our ability to identify phenotypes that are responsive. The results demonstrate the potential use of metabolic profiles in identifying response to an intervention and could play an important role in the development of precision nutrition.

A spectral line survey for interstellar NH3 is being carried out using the 64-m telescopes at Parkes and Tidbinbilla. Both telescopes are equipped with K-band maser receivers yielding system temperatures below 100 K. The preliminary survey is being made with the Parkes antenna (beam = 1.35 arcmin), with follow-up mapping of the more interesting sources at Tidbinbilla (beam = 0.9 arcmin). The selected sources have in general been HII regions from the H2CO surveys made at Parkes. Statistical results from initial observations of the (1, 1), (2, 2), and (3, 3) lines in the preliminary survey are presented.

As part of an extensive southern survey of interstellar NH3 with the Parkes 64-m radio telescope (with a beamwidth of 81 arcsec), the (1, 1), (2, 2), and (3, 3) transitions have been observed towards the galactic centre molecular cloud G1.6-0.025. The cloud has an overall size of 10 arcmin, and contains several concentrations with differing velocities. It has several features also observed in other galactic centre clouds, e.g. high optical depths and kinetic temperatures above 50 K.

The Parkes 64-m antenna has been used to map ammonia emission in the (J,K = 1,1) and (J,K = 2,2) transitions toward molecular cloud complex NGC 6334. This complex contains a number of OH and H2O masers, HII regions and IR sources, and is a rich source of molecular line emission.

Distributions of observed and derived quantities are presented with a linear resolution of ∼ 1 pc. Velocity anomalies are present near the two OH masers NGC 6334A and B, and the source of ammonia emission located near the northernmost H2O maser is one of the most intense sources of NH3 emission in the Galaxy.

The interplay between the fat mass- and obesity-associated (FTO) gene variants and diet has been implicated in the development of obesity. The aim of the present analysis was to investigate associations between FTO genotype, dietary intakes and anthropometrics among European adults. Participants in the Food4Me randomised controlled trial were genotyped for FTO genotype (rs9939609) and their dietary intakes, and diet quality scores (Healthy Eating Index and PREDIMED-based Mediterranean diet score) were estimated from FFQ. Relationships between FTO genotype, diet and anthropometrics (weight, waist circumference (WC) and BMI) were evaluated at baseline. European adults with the FTO risk genotype had greater WC (AAv. TT: +1·4 cm; P=0·003) and BMI (+0·9 kg/m2; P=0·001) than individuals with no risk alleles. Subjects with the lowest fried food consumption and two copies of the FTO risk variant had on average 1·4 kg/m2 greater BMI (P trend=0·028) and 3·1 cm greater WC (P trend=0·045) compared with individuals with no copies of the risk allele and with the lowest fried food consumption. However, there was no evidence of interactions between FTO genotype and dietary intakes on BMI and WC, and thus further research is required to confirm or refute these findings.

An efficient and robust method to measure vitamin D (25-hydroxy vitamin D3 (25(OH)D3) and 25-hydroxy vitamin D2 in dried blood spots (DBS) has been developed and applied in the pan-European multi-centre, internet-based, personalised nutrition intervention study Food4Me. The method includes calibration with blood containing endogenous 25(OH)D3, spotted as DBS and corrected for haematocrit content. The methodology was validated following international standards. The performance characteristics did not reach those of the current gold standard liquid chromatography-MS/MS in plasma for all parameters, but were found to be very suitable for status-level determination under field conditions. DBS sample quality was very high, and 3778 measurements of 25(OH)D3 were obtained from 1465 participants. The study centre and the season within the study centre were very good predictors of 25(OH)D3 levels (P<0·001 for each case). Seasonal effects were modelled by fitting a sine function with a minimum 25(OH)D3 level on 20 January and a maximum on 21 July. The seasonal amplitude varied from centre to centre. The largest difference between winter and summer levels was found in Germany and the smallest in Poland. The model was cross-validated to determine the consistency of the predictions and the performance of the DBS method. The Pearson’s correlation between the measured values and the predicted values was r 0·65, and the sd of their differences was 21·2 nmol/l. This includes the analytical variation and the biological variation within subjects. Overall, DBS obtained by unsupervised sampling of the participants at home was a viable methodology for obtaining vitamin D status information in a large nutritional study.

Photoinhibition of photosynthesis in the red alga Chondrus crispus from different shore levels was investigated under laboratory and field conditions. The underwater light climate at Roscoff (French Atlantic coast), characterized by transmittance spectra, was shown to be intermediate between Jerlov coastal type 1 and oceanic type III. Chondrus crispus thalli were collected at four depths (3·5–8·5 m below high tide level) and exposed to daily courses of artificial and natural light. Filters were used to discriminate between the effects of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) under the photoinhibitory treatments. In the presence of natural UVR, photoinhibition at midday was increased by up to 60%. Recovery from photoinhibition was measured at different times throughout the light stress. Recovery kinetics differed between morning and early afternoon in all treatments, and were dependent on the light dose. Whereas biphasic kinetics were observed in all treatments in the morning, the recovery in early afternoon was significantly slower. The influence of UVR on recovery was apparent after exposure to higher light doses. In all investigations, sensitivity to photoinhibition corresponded to zonation of the algae, with deeper-growing algae showing a greater depression of fluorescence yield, and slower recovery (indicating acclimation to the growth irradiance). An increase in the phycoerythrin content and increasing photosynthetic efficiency with increasing growth depth were observed.

The present paper reports on positron lifetime measurements on Ceo/C 70 fullerite powder as a function of temperature and quasi-hydrostatic pressure in order to give an estimate of the positron annihilation site in the fullerite lattice. A single-component positron lifetime of 402 ps is observed which significantly decreases under quasi-hydrostatic pressure. From this and the soft intermolecular properties of the fullerites one can conclude that the positron is annihilated rather in the intermolecular space than inside the fullerene molecules. However, positron trapping at lattice defects, which are observed by high-resolution electron microscopy, cannot be ruled out.

Extremely low background count rates are a necessary condition for both the measurement of 39Ar concentrations in ground and ocean water and of 14C activities in small samples using gas proportional counting techniques. A systematic comparison of the performance of three different designs of shielding systems in four different installations has been made.

Background values of selected gas proportional counters were measured, compared and separated into their various components. Acceptably low backgrounds were obtained in all the systems tried. The performance of a NaI shield in a surface laboratory was found to be at least equal to the best obtained with a gas anticoincidence detector in a deep underground laboratory.