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Current production of metallurgical-grade Si relies on an energy-intensive process based on complex solid-liquid-gas reactions in an electric submerged arc furnace using graphite electrodes. This is followed by a slow Siemens process to grow ultra-high purity solar-grade silicon. Due to increasing decarbonization and environmental pressures that the metal industry is facing, new sustainable process technologies are required. This study is part of a broader investigation on pyrometallurgical electrorefining of silicon in the presence of slag and provides the basis for impurity behaviour in Si-slag system without an imposed electromotive force. For the first time, experimental technique of drop-quenching followed by direct phase analysis techniques of electron microprobe analyzer (EPMA) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) were employed in silicon processing environment. The experiments were carried out to define the distribution coefficients of minor elements (B, P) between Si and SiO2-CaO-Al2O3 at silica and alumina crucibles under inert Ar gas at 1500 °C. The results presented are highly novel and show the influence of slag composition and process conditions on the element properties. The experimental results were compared to the computational simulation results by FactSage© using its FToxid and FSupsi databases. The results can be utilized to design Si–slag process for primary ore resources and for secondary silicon-rich scraps in pyrometallurgical smelting environment, as well as to potentially improve the thermochemical databases of computational simulation programs.

This paper examines the institutionalisation of psychiatric treatment in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Taking up the work of Michel Foucault, the paper examines how those suffering from mental illness were classified as disruptive and unfit for society, subsequently labelled mad and institutionalised in facilities more akin to semi-judicial structures than medical facilities. McMurphy, having manipulated a transfer for himself from a state work farm to what he perceives will be the less rigorous confines of a mental institution, epitomises the disruptive presence of the madmen, bringing a world of disorder and chaos to the staff and patients of the mental ward. Self-proclaimed as the head “bull goose looney”, McMurphy reflects the counter-culture movements of the 1960s in the United States in his rejection of the rules and regulations imposed upon him by what amounts to a totalitarian system of control. A wild indomitable force of nature, McMurphy becomes a totem for Chief and the other patients, an embodiment of the human spirit the patients have forfeited inside the institutional system.

Cascade predictive genetic testing is available for many families as a means to identify individuals at risk of long QT syndrome (LQTS), catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC). The general issue of offering predictive genetic testing to minors has been an area of ethical debate among genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals for many years. An online questionnaire was circulated to four international genetic counseling associations to assess the views of cardiac genetic counselors regarding when to offer predictive genetic testing to children at risk of LQTS, CPVT, HCM, and ARVC. Analysis was both quantitative and qualitative. The study sample comprised 98 respondents. The majority reported that they offer predictive genetic testing before 5 years of age to children at risk of LQTS (83%) and CVPT (75%) and before 10 years of age to children at risk of HCM (66%) or ARVC (70%). Influencing factors included country of practice, clinical setting, and years of experience. The rationale provided for when to offer predictive genetic testing is encompassed by the ethical principles of beneficence, non‐maleficence, autonomy, and informed consent. In conclusion, significant practice variation exists among cardiac genetic counselors regarding predictive genetic testing for children at risk of an inherited cardiomyopathy. These variations call for more research in the area to assist with the development of evidence‐based guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Communication between professionals, patients and families about palliative and end-of-life care after stroke is complex and there is a need for educational resources in this area. Methods To explore the key learning needs of healthcare professionals, a multidisciplinary, expert group developed a short electronic survey with open and closed questions, and then distributed it to six UK multiprofessional networks and two groups of local clinicians. Results A total of 599 healthcare professionals responded. Educational topics that were either definitely or probably needed were: ensuring consistent messages to families and patients (88%); resolving confiicts among family members (83%); handling unrealistic expectations (88%); involving families in discussions without them feeling responsible for decisions (82%); discussion of prognostic uncertainties (79%); likely mode of death (72%); and oral feeding for 'comfort' in patients at risk of aspiration (71%). The free-text responses (n = 489) and 82 'memorable' cases identified similar themes. Conclusion Key topics of unmet need for education in end-of-life care in stroke have been identified and these have infiuenced the content of an open access, web-based educational resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]