The plasma model used in a recent paper by Kamalam et al. (J. Plasma Phys., vol. 84, 2018, 905840406) assumes a Boltzmann description for two hot ion species, in the presence of two adiabatic (fluid) electron species, for the study of obliquely propagating acoustic-type nonlinear solitary waves with respect to a static magnetic field. We argue that the assumption of Boltzmann distributions for the hot ions is incorrect, thus invalidating their conclusions, in particular about the possible occurrence of supersolitons in magnetized plasmas.

Quercetin has been described as having a wide range of beneficial effects in humans, ranging from anti-carcinogenic properties to reducing the risk of CVD. Nevertheless, underlying molecular mechanisms have been mostly investigated in vitro. Here, we tested whether a daily supplementation of quercetin leads to reproducible changes in human monocyte gene expression profiles. In study I, quercetin in varying dosages was given to healthy subjects for 2 weeks. RNA from monocytes isolated at the beginning and end of the study from subjects receiving 150 mg quercetin per d was subjected to transcriptome-wide microarray analysis. In study II, a double-blind cross-over study, twenty subjects exhibiting a ‘cardiovascular risk phenotype’ received 150 mg quercetin or placebo daily for 6 weeks each and served as the verification group. Microarray analysis revealed a number of differentially expressed genes. The most significantly represented functional groups were those of the immune system, nucleic acid metabolism, apoptosis and O-glycan biosynthesis. Twenty-four genes were chosen for technical replication and independent verification by quantitative real-time PCR. When comparing placebo and quercetin treatment, four genes showed significantly different expression changes (C1GALT1, O-glycan biosynthesis; GM2A, glycolipid catabolism; HDGF, cell proliferation; SERPINB9, apoptosis). However, these were minimal in respect to magnitude of fold change. In conclusion, although microarray analysis revealed extensive effects of quercetin on gene expression, the employment of a placebo-controlled study design showed no comparable results for twenty-four verification targets. This emphasises the need for stringent designs in nutritional intervention studies with the aim to identify relevant changes in gene expression.

Large amplitude ion-acoustic solitons are treated by a Sagdeev pseudopotential analysis, in a plasma with two adiabatic constituents, with the full inclusion of inertial and pressure effects for both. The sign of the supersonic species determines the polarity of the solitons, which are compressive in both constituents. Emphasis is placed on the determination of the soliton existence domains in compositional parameter space, allowing correct Sagdeev pseudopotential graphs to be easily generated, and offering insight into why limitations occur. Soliton velocities are bounded from below by the true acoustic velocity in the plasma model, and from above by the breakdown of the description when the supersonic ions reach their sonic point. Increases in the mass density ratio and the soliton velocity or decreases in the temperature ratio lead to increases in soliton amplitudes and decreases of the widths. Applications include hydrogen and electron–positron plasmas, and various kinds of dusty plasmas.

Regular consumption of flavonoids may reduce the risk for CVD. However, the effects of individual flavonoids, for example, quercetin, remain unclear. The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of quercetin supplementation on blood pressure, lipid metabolism, markers of oxidative stress, inflammation, and body composition in an at-risk population of ninety-three overweight or obese subjects aged 25–65 years with metabolic syndrome traits. Subjects were randomised to receive 150 mg quercetin/d in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled cross-over trial with 6-week treatment periods separated by a 5-week washout period. Mean fasting plasma quercetin concentrations increased from 71 to 269 nmol/l (P < 0·001) during quercetin treatment. In contrast to placebo, quercetin decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 2·6 mmHg (P < 0·01) in the entire study group, by 2·9 mmHg (P < 0·01) in the subgroup of hypertensive subjects and by 3·7 mmHg (P < 0·001) in the subgroup of younger adults aged 25–50 years. Quercetin decreased serum HDL-cholesterol concentrations (P < 0·001), while total cholesterol, TAG and the LDL:HDL-cholesterol and TAG:HDL-cholesterol ratios were unaltered. Quercetin significantly decreased plasma concentrations of atherogenic oxidised LDL, but did not affect TNF-α and C-reactive protein when compared with placebo. Quercetin supplementation had no effects on nutritional status. Blood parameters of liver and kidney function, haematology and serum electrolytes did not reveal any adverse effects of quercetin. In conclusion, quercetin reduced SBP and plasma oxidised LDL concentrations in overweight subjects with a high-CVD risk phenotype. Our findings provide further evidence that quercetin may provide protection against CVD.

We investigated the effects of zuclopenthixol on aggressive behaviour in patients with intellectual disabilities by randomly withdrawing it after a 6-week period of open treatment. Of the 49 patients responding to the treatment, 39 took part in a randomised withdrawal trial. The placebo subgroup (n=20) showed more aggressive behaviour as indicated by outcomes observed by external raters on the Modified Overt Aggression Scale than did the continuing subgroup (n=19). The results indicate that discontinuation of zuclopenthixol in this population leads to an increase in aggressive behaviour.

Let A and B be (not necessarily bounded) linear operators on a Banach lattice E such that |(s – B)-1x|≤ (s – A)-1|x| for all x in E and sufficiently large s ∈ R. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the relation between the spectra σ(B) and σ(A) of B and A, respectively. We apply our results to study asymptotic properties of dominated C0-semigroups.

Bi-layered ferroelectric strontium bismuth tantalate (SBT) thin films of various film compositions were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and crystallized at 700°C in oxygen ambient. Phase transition, orientation, second phases and remanent polarization were investigated with respect to film stoichiometry. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed that excess Bi lowers the transition temperature from fluorite-type to ferroelectric phase. However, SBT films with Bi-excess of 15% or higher exhibit pronounced Bi-loss during crystallization and a decrease in the relative intensity of the (200) peak. Highly Sr-deficient films are not fully crystallized but support pyrochlore formation. The maximum remanent polarization is obtained at a Sr-deficiency of 15–25% and a Bi-excess of 10% (0.85/2.20/2.00).

We investigate the relationship between the peripheral spectrum of a positive operator T on a Banach lattice E and the peripheral spectrum of the operators S dominated by T, that is, ]Sx] ≤ T]x] for all x ε E. This can be applied to obtain inheritance results for asymptotic properties of dominated operators.

Bohm sheath criteria and double layers are investigated in general multispecies plasmas containing a number of lighter, thermal species, described by Boltzmann distributions, in the presence of a number of heavier species described by cold fluid theory. A nonlinear description for one-dimensional stationary self-similar electrostatic modes is given using the Sagdeev potential. We generalize the classic Bohm sheath criteria by giving appropriate multispecies definitions of drift and ion-acoustic velocities, leading to a global supersonic condition. We also discuss plasmas with only one Boltzmann species, to show that double layers cannot be supported at all, no matter how many cold fluid species are present, and do so by analytical rather than numerical means, based on the full Sagdeev potential. Series expansions for weak double layers occurring in the literature can only claim to find double layers, erroneously as we indicate, by not confirming whether the necessary consistency relations are obeyed, and also by not checking that ‘neglected’ terms in the expansion overwhelm those retained.