Stability of acoustic streaming jets confined in cylindrical cavities

We study the stability of a steady Eckart streaming jet flowing in a closed cylindrical cavity. This configuration is a generic representation of industrial processes where driving flows in a cavity by means of acoustic forcing offers a contactless way of stirring or controlling flows. Successfully doing so, however, requires sufficient insight into the topology induced by the acoustic beam. This, in turn, raises the more fundamental question of whether the basic jet topology is stable and, when it is not, of the alternative states that end up being acoustically forced. To answer these questions, we consider a flow forced by an axisymmetric diffracting beam of attenuated sound waves emitted by a plane circular transducer at one cavity end. At the opposite end, the jet impingement drives recirculating structures spanning nearly the entire cavity radius. We rely on linear stability analysis (LSA) together with three-dimensional nonlinear simulations to identify the flow destabilisation mechanisms and to determine the bifurcation criticalities. We show that flow destabilisation is closely related to the impingement-driven recirculating structures, and that the ratio between the cavity and the maximum beam radii plays a key role on the flow stability. In total, we identified four mode types destabilising the flow. For, a non-oscillatory perturbation rooted in the jet impingement triggers a supercritical bifurcation. For, the flow destabilises through a subcritical non-oscillatory bifurcation and we explain the topological change of the unstable perturbation by analysing its critical points. Further reducing increases the shear within the flow and gradually moves the instability origin to the shear layer between impingement-induced vortices: for, an unstable travelling wave grows out of a subcritical bifurcation, which becomes supercritical for. For each geometry, the nonlinear three-dimensional (3-D) simulations confirm both the topology and the growth rate of the unstable perturbation returned by LSA. This study offers fundamental insight into the stability of acoustically driven flows in general, but also opens possible pathways to either induce turbulence acoustically or to avoid it in realistic configurations.</p

Understanding the relationship between the sustainability of the Professional Nurse Advocate Role, Organisational Culture and Quality Improvement Strategies in Healthcare: An Integrative Review

Aim: To understand the relationship between organisational culture and quality improvement strategies (QI) in healthcare and how this applies to the sustainability of the Professional Nurse Advocate (PNA) role.Background: In response to nurse burn-out experienced throughout and following the coronavirus pandemic, NHS England launched the PNA role to support nurses through the Advocating and Educating for Quality ImProvement (A-EQUIP) model (NHS England, 2021). Uptake of the role has been disparate, and organisational culture may be one factor contributing to this. However, as the PNA role is relatively new, there is limited research in this field. Therefore, organisational culture was explored in relation to QI strategies more widely to understand if there are findings transferable to the PNA role and its sustainability.Method: Following ethical approval, The Toronto (2020) six-phase integrative review method was followed. CINAHL, Medline, Embase, Emcare, HMIC and grey literature databases were systematically searched. 799 articles were retrieved and screened, with 20 articles being included in the review, displayed via Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta Analysis (PRISMA) and critically appraised. Qualitative literature was analysed using thematic analysis, whilst mixed method and quantitative literature were synthesised narratively.Findings: 6 key themes were identified relating to organisational culture and implementation of QI strategies: 3 facilitators (Leadership, collective action and shared ideology) and 3 barriers (Leadership, disconnection and external influences). An association between collective action and the uptake of QI was identified that could link to PNA implementation and sustainability. However, discussion of sustainability in relation to implementation was lacking and warrants further research.Implications for practice: There is a clear link between cultures that allow collective action and successful implementation efforts. However, this review highlights the need for further research on the relationship between collective action and sustainability of initiatives such as the PNA role

The Association Couple Burnout and Sexual Function in Primiparous Women During One Year After Childbirth:A Cross-Sectional Study Using Structural Equation Model Analysis

Background:Identifying factors leading to couple burnout is crucial, especially considering the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction within the first year postpartum. This study addresses the relationship between couple burnout and sexual function.Objectives:The present study aimed to examine the association between couple burnout domains and female sexual function domains within one year after childbirth using structural equation model analysis.Methods:This cross-sectional study utilized a structural equation model for analysis. A total of 352 primiparous mothers, with infants aged two to twelve months, participated. Health centers affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran were listed, and 14 centers were randomly selected as recruitment sites. Sampling was conducted through convenience sampling. Data collection included a demographic characteristics form, the Pines Couple Burnout Measure (comprising physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion domains), and the Rosen Female Sexual Function Index (comprising desire, arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain domains). Descriptive analysis, including mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage, was performed using SPSS 16. Inferential statistics were conducted using Smart PLS version 8, employing confirmatory factor analysis with a significance level set at 0.05.Results:A significant inverse correlation was observed between arousal and physical (β = -2.13, P = 0.03) and emotional exhaustion (β = -0.16, P = 0.003), but no correlation was found with mental exhaustion. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between pain and emotional (β = 0.26, P &lt; 0.001), mental (β = 0.31, P &lt; 0.001), and physical exhaustion (β = 0.27, P &lt; 0.001). Desire, lubrication, satisfaction, and orgasm were not associated with any domains of couple burnout.Conclusions:Two sexual function domains, pain and arousal, emerged as predictors of couple burnout during the first two to twelve months postpartum in primiparous mothers. Pain during sexual intercourse was associated with emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion. Low arousal following sexual contact led to high physical and emotional exhaustion. Healthcare providers should prioritize assessing and addressing women’s sexual well-being postpartum

A systematic scoping review of multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical services:the need for bariatric surgery research

This review aims to identify and map the extent and nature of published research investigating multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical services and evaluate the relevance of the evidence base to bariatric surgery. A systematic search of CINAHL, Embase, and Scopus databases was conducted from inception to June 2022, focusing on observational studies that examined multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical services. Data were synthesized narratively. Of the 483 articles screened, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies focused on oncology teams (n = 4), were conducted in the context of multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings (n = 4), and employed quantitative methodologies (n = 5). Sample sizes for qualitative studies ranged from 11 to 88 participants, while quantitative studies involved 47 to 1,636 participants; where patient cases were the unit of analysis instead, sample sizes ranged from 50 to 298 cases. The composition of professional groups varied across studies, though all included nurses. Despite the widespread recommendation and adoption of multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical care, only eight relevant studies were identified, and none addressed bariatric surgery specifically. These findings highlight a significant gap and underscore the need for further research on multidisciplinary teamworking in surgical services, particularly in the field of bariatric surgery

Maps and Fabulations: On Transnationalism, Transformative Pedagogies, and Knowledge Production in Higher Education

Higher education has long been subject to feminist critique, contesting traditional practices, with calls for transformative pedagogies that empower marginalised students, address social injustices and promote gender equality. Despite this, most classrooms in Western European universities remain largely unchanged, with educators facing the difficulty of imagining and/or enacting decolonial futures within their curricula. However, some progress has been made, particularly the inclusion of transnational scholarship in syllabi and a turn to transformative pedagogies, which allow for alternative ways of interdisciplinary knowing to enter academia. In this paper, we examine this coming together of approaches which promote dialogue and personal reflection to restructure discussions on equality, gender and knowledge production in the ‘classroom’. Using a creative critical account of feminist ethnography conducted at a Western European university, we present and discuss two illustrative vignettes about cultural mapping and critical fabulation, considering how dissonant voices have challenged Western concepts, exemplifying transformative pedagogy working in tandem with transnational thought. Key insights from the study identify approaches for facilitation of more open and richer discussions to reshape staff and student perspectives of gender, equality and knowledge production

Rethinking environmental boundaries for contaminants of emerging concern

The global proliferation of synthetic chemicals has led to the widespread and continuous release of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) into the environment. CECs include pharmaceuticals, pesticides, personal care products and other industrial chemicals that pose a significant risk to both ecosystems and human health. Regulatory frameworks have predominantly targeted aquatic systems; however, mounting evidence reveals the capacity of many CECs to volatilise, aerosolise and undergo atmospheric transport. This perspective highlights the overlooked atmospheric dimension of CECs and analyses the key physicochemical parameters governing their transfer to the atmospheric domain. The results indicate that many CECs can mobilise from water or soil and undergo atmospheric transport in both the gas- and particle-phase, crossing between several environmental continua as a result. While intrinsic properties such as vapour pressure and partitioning coefficients are central to this analysis, environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and transformation reactions further modulate the environmental fate and impact of CECs. We emphasise the need for environmental monitoring and regulatory frameworks to incorporate air as a critical vector for CEC dispersion and exposure. Key research priorities identified measurements of CECs in the atmosphere, further development of predictive models, and toxicity evaluation of airborne CECs to better inform policy for protecting public and environmental health