By means of laser light scattering, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) chains were found to form complex aggregates of very narrow size distribution even at dilute concentrations of good solvents such as propylene carbonate (PC) and γ-butyrolactone (BL). Almost the same radii of gyration for aggregates in both solvents were obtained as RG ∼ 220 ( 10 nm. Their static sizes appeared to be concentration-independent as well as temperature-independent at a wide temperature range of 25-160°C in each solvent. As for solvent effects, the static scattering intensities had different scattering patterns especially at high-q regimes and also different hydrodynamic radii were observed as RH ) 380 ( 10 nm in propylene carbonate and RH ) 320 ( 10 nm in γ-butyrolactone, respectively. By the introduction of both core-shell structure and core size distribution, the intensity patterns of scattered light and large ratios of RH/RG could be explained. The attractive inter-/intramolecular force between four consecutive sequences of head-to-tail CF2 groups was proposed as a driving force, and the amount of head-to-head configuration in PVDF chain seemed to have strong relation with the size of the aggregate.

Pressure injuries (PIs) are one of the most important and frequent complications in patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) or those with traumatic brain injury (TBI). The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and risk factors of PIs in patients with TBI admitted to the ICU. In this retrospective study, the medical records of 237 patients with TBI admitted to the trauma ICU of a university hospital were examined. Demographic, trauma-related, and treatment-related characteristics of all the patients were evaluated from their records. The incidence of PIs was 13.9%, while the main risk factors were a higher injury severity score, use of mechanical ventilation, vasopressor infusion, lower Braden Scale score, fever, and period of enteral feeding. This study advances the nursing practice in the ICU by predicting the development of PIs and their characteristics in patients with TBI.

BACKGROUND: Specialist trauma nurses contribute to shortening hospital stay, lowering intensive care unit readmission rates, and improving treatment outcomes through early detection and management of health problems in trauma patients. However, Korean specialist trauma nurses have a higher turnover rate than other nurses due to negative factors like unclear job descriptions and inconsistent job activities. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the levels of and relationships among role conflict, occupational stress, perceived organizational support, and intent to stay in Korean specialist trauma nurses. METHODS: We enrolled 53 specialist trauma nurses from eight regional trauma centers in Korea. Data on role conflict, occupational stress, perceived organizational support, and intent to stay were collected using a structured questionnaire. Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Bonferroni post hoc tests were conducted to examine differences in intent to stay. Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to examine correlations between the key variables. RESULTS: High intent to stay was associated with periodic job training, job satisfaction, and perceived high workload. Role conflict was positively correlated with occupational stress, whereas both were negatively correlated with perceived organizational support. Intent to stay was negatively correlated with occupational stress and positively correlated with perceived organizational support. CONCLUSIONS: Effective improvement measures that lower occupational stress and increase perceived organizational support will help maintain the positions of specialist trauma nurses. These results highlight the need to specify the scope of practice and implement practical measures like career development programs that enhance professional nursing competencies to retain specialist trauma nurses.

Objective This study investigated the effects of occupational stress, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbance on the level of fatigue among public health nurses (PHNs). Design The study had a cross‐sectional, correlational survey design. Measures A total of 198 PHNs were enrolled from 30 public healthcare centers/offices. Data were collected between May and July 2021 using a structured questionnaire to investigate the general characteristics, occupational stress, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and fatigue of the participants. Descriptive statistics and multiple regressions were used to determine fatigue and its influencing factors among PHNs. Results The participants showed high fatigue and occupational stress levels due to a lack of rewards. The percentage of participants with mild‐to‐severe anxiety and mild‐to‐severe depression, and those who identified themselves as poor sleepers were 44.9%, 50.5%, and 70.2%, respectively. High levels of sleep disturbance ( β = .23, p < .001), occupational stress ( β = .21, p < .001), anxiety ( β = .20, p = .016), depression ( β = .17, p = .043), being younger ( β = –.15, p = .004), and being a regular worker ( β = .13, p = .017) were influencing factors of fatigue. Conclusions Individual efforts and organizational interventions to enhance sleep quality are needed to relieve fatigue among PHNs. Further, organizational support can be considerate of young nurses and regular workers, and alleviate their occupational stress. Moreover, anxiety and depression should be managed efficiently to reduce fatigue.