Social work and advanced marginality

This chapter explores the impact of broader social and economic policies on social work practice. It argues that the increasing inequality and polarisation of modern urban societies that is outlined in the other chapters of this book has had a direct impact on the role of social workers. The chapter begins with a brief outline of the reaction of British Governments to the banking and Eurozone crises of 2008. It then goes on to argue that the introduction of “austerity” the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government in 2010 involved not only significant reductions in welfare spending but was a political project aimed at recasting and reducing the welfare state. The chapter then examines social work practice in the context of advanced marginality. It argues that the changes and processes examined in the other contributions have resulted in an environment where social work has an increasingly disciplinary role. The impact of neoliberal welfare retrenchment compounded by austerity is that social work practice is increasingly experienced by service users as negative or punitive interventions in their lives. This is, despite the profession clear ethical stance being one that is committed to empowermen

Emergency Neurological Life Support: Intracranial Hypertension and Herniation

Sustained intracranial hypertension and acute brain herniation are “brain codes,” signifying catastrophic neurological events that require immediate recognition and treatment to prevent irreversible injury and death. As in cardiac arrest, a brain code mandates the organized implementation of a stepwise management algorithm. The goal of this emergency neurological life support protocol is to implement an evidence-based, standardized approach to the evaluation and management of patients with intracranial hypertension and/or herniation

Electrohydrodynamic phenomena

This work is a review article focused on exploring the interactions between external and induced electric fields and fluid motion, in the presence of embedded charges. Such interactions are generally termed electrohydrodynamics (EHD), which encompasses a vast range of flows stemming from multiscale physical effects. In this review article we shall mainly emphasize on two mechanisms of particular interest to fluid dynamists and engineers, namely electrokinetic flows and the leaky dielectric model. We shed light on the underlying physics behind the above mentioned phenomena and subsequently demonstrate the presence of a common underpinning pattern which governs any general electrohydrodynamic motion. Hence we go on to show that the seemingly unrelated fields of electrokinetics and the leaky dielectric models are indeed closely related to each other through the much celebrated Maxwell stresses, which have long been known as stresses caused in fluids in presence of electric and magnetic fields. Interactions between Maxwell Stresses and charges (for instance, in the form of ions) present in the fluid generates a body force on the same and eventually leads to flow actuation. We show that the manifestation of the Maxwell stresses itself depends on the charge densities, which in turn is dictated by the underlying motion of the fluid. We demonstrate how such inter-related dynamics may give rise intricately coupled and non-linear system of equations governing the dynamical state of the system. This article is mainly divided into two parts. First, we explore the realms of electrokinetics, wherein the formation and the structure of the so-called electrical double layer (EDL) is delineated. Subsequently, we review EDL’s relevance to electroosmosis and streaming potential with the key being the presence and absence of an applied pressure gradient. We thereafter focus on the leaky dielectric model, wherein the fundamental governing equations and its main difference with electrokinetics are described. We limit our attentions to the leaky dielectric motion around droplets and flat surfaces and subsequent interface deformation. To this end, through a rigorous review of a number of previous articles, we establish that the interface shapes can be finely tailored to achieve the desired geometrical characteristics by tuning the fluid properties. We further discuss previous studies, which have shown migration of droplets in the presence of strong electric fields. Finally, we describe the effects of external agents such as surface impurities on leaky dielectric motion and attempt to establish a qualitative connection between the leaky dielectric model and EDLs. We finish off with some pointers for further research activities and open questions in this field.by Aditya Bandopadhyay and Uddipta Ghos