Should psychiatrists be able to speculate in the press or social media about their theories? John Gartner argues the risk to warn the public of concerns about public figures overrides the duty of confidentiality; whereas Alex Langford suggests this is beyond the ethical remit of psychiatric practice.

The effects of (OH)/F substitutions on thermally induced reactions in the apophyllite group have been investigated using TGA and DTA methods, supplemented by X-ray diffraction, infra-red and other techniques to identify the products of reaction. The samples studied cover the range between fluorapophyllite and hydroxyapophyllite, and include some unusual ammonium varieties. The presence or absence of fluorine exerts a major control on thermally induced reactions, not only during low-temperature dehydration, but also on high temperature recrystallization reactions up to 900°C+. All apophyllites dehydrate in two stages, the first being loss of a proportion of the water with only minor distortion of the crystal lattice, whereas the second results in total collapse into an amorphous material. Higher fluorine concentrations stabilize the structure, shifting dehydration reactions to higher temperatures, and permitting more water molecules to be lost during the first stage without destruction of the structure. Fluorine is not lost during the second-stage dehydration, as previously believed, but most is retained and influences subsequent recrystallization reactions.

Dehydrated hydroxyapophyllites remain amorphous until ca. 900°C, when high-temperature wollastonite crystallizes. Fluorapophyllites initially form a metastable CaF2.SiO2 phase by 700°C, low-temperature wollastonite by 800°C, both disappearing above 900°C when fluorine loss occurs and high-temperature wollastonite is produced. TGA and DTA provide simple methods of distinguishing between hydroxy- and fluorapophyllites.

Ammonian apophyllites, with up to 25% of the stoichiometric K+ replaced by NH4+ (in the samples studied), can be recognized by their DTA patterns, the endothermic peak for the second stage reaction being significantly reduced, and that for the first, dehydration, stage being correspondingly enhanced. Such samples have weight losses well above the calculated water content, the excess being due to evolution of ammonia. Ammonian varieties also have an extra infra-red absorption band at 1460 cm−1.

Women of childbearing age are at risk of Fe deficiency if insufficient dietary Fe is available to replace menstrual and other Fe losses. Haem Fe represents 10–15 % of dietary Fe intake in meat-rich diets but may contribute 40 % of the total absorbed Fe. The aim of the present study was to determine the relative effects of type of diet and menstrual Fe loss on Fe status in women. Ninety healthy premenopausal women were recruited according to their habitual diet: red meat, poultry/fish or lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Intake of Fe was determined by analysing 7 d duplicate diets, and menstrual Fe loss was measured using the alkaline haematin method. A substantial proportion of women (60 % red meat, 40 % lacto-ovo-vegetarian, 20 % poultry/fish) had low Fe stores (serum ferritin <10 μg/l), but the median serum ferritin concentration was significantly lower in the red meat group (6·8 μg/l (interquartile range 3·3, 16·25)) than in the poultry/fish group (17·5 μg/l (interquartile range 11·3, 22·4) (P<0·01). The mean and standard deviation of dietary Fe intake were significantly different between the groups (P=0·025); the red meat group had a significantly lower intake (10·9 (sd 4·3) mg/d) than the lacto-ovo-vegetarians (14·5 (sd 5·5) mg/d), whereas that of the poultry/fish group (12·8 (sd 5·1) mg/d) was not significantly different from the other groups. There was no relationship between total Fe intake and Fe status, but menstrual Fe loss (P=0·001) and dietary group (P=0·040) were significant predictors of Fe status: poultry/fish diets were associated with higher Fe stores than lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets. Identifying individuals with high menstrual losses should be a key component of strategies to prevent Fe deficiency.

Nanoimprint and a number of other related techniques are a collection of surface patterning technologies that involve direct contact of a master template with the target surface. As such, they are governed by the laws of contacting bodies, and the mechanics involved can readily be investigated by existing indentation methods or close variants thereof. Among the many demonstrated applications of nanoimprint, lithographic resist processing has generated considerable interest due to its combination of high resolution with rapid throughput over wide areas. Pattern transfer can be achieved by the application of heat and pressure to the stamp (hot embossing), or solely by the generation of shear stress at the contact (cold forming.) In both cases we have found that elastic and viscoplastic strains are present during the forming process, the former of which can considerably alter the characteristics of the pattern transfer. The use of depth sensing instrumented indentation in conjunction with specially designed stamps and a variety of microscopy techniques has allowed us to isolate, control, and measure many of the stresses and strains directly during the imprint process. Further, in a more standard role, the indenter can be used to characterize the mechanical properties of imprinted structures. In this paper we summarize our experimental findings and conclusions on the role of important factors influencing the fidelity of the imprint process including elastic stresses, plastic deformation mechanisms, complexities in the confined deformation rheology, and choices in the form of applied stress. These are illustrated by a series of idealized experiments ranging from the squeeze flow of prepared coupons to the flat punch indentation of thin films and back extrusion into isolated cavities. A connection between these more localized experiments and the established findings and requirements of applications such as wide area lithography and functional polymer patterning will be made to establish the concept of “instrumented imprint”.

The study of Cu metabolism is hampered by a lack of sensitive and specific biomarkers of status and suitable isotopic labels, but limited information suggests that Cu homeostasis is maintained through changes in absorption and endogenous loss. The aim of the present study was to employ stable-isotope techniques to measure Cu absorption and endogenous losses in adult men adapted to low, moderate and high Cu-supplemented diets. Twelve healthy men, aged 20–59 years, were given diets containing 0·7, 1·6 and 6·0 mg Cu/d for 8 weeks, with at least 4 weeks intervening washout periods. After 6 weeks adaptation, apparent and true absorption of Cu were determined by measuring luminal loss and endogenous excretion of Cu following oral administration of 3 mg highly enriched 65Cu stable-isotope label. Apparent and true absorption (41 and 48% respectively) on the low-Cu diet were not significantly different from the high-Cu diet (45 and 48% respectively). Endogenous losses were significantly reduced on the low- (0·45mg/d; P<0·001) and medium- (0·81 mg/d; P=0·001) compared with the high-Cu diet (2·46mg/d). No biochemical changes resulting from the dietary intervention were observed. Cu homeostasis was maintained over a wide range of intake and more rapidly at the lower intake, mainly through changes in endogenous excretion.