RAFT Dispersion Polymerization of 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate in Non-polar Media.

We report the reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) dispersion polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in -dodecane using a poly(lauryl methacrylate) (PLMA) precursor at 90 °C. This formulation is an example of polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA), which leads to the formation of a colloidal dispersion of spherical PLMA-PHEMA nanoparticles at 10-20% w/w solids. PISA syntheses involving polar monomers in non-polar media have been previously reported but this particular system offers some unexpected and interesting challenges in terms of both synthesis and characterization.

Development of the Student Nurse Subjective Evaluation of Completed Clinical Practice Placement Instrument.

Background: Instruments that measure clinical learning environments have lacked rigorous methodological approaches in their development and validity.

Method: Development research using a survey design approach was conducted for an instrument to evaluate the quality of nursing students' clinical practice placement.

Results: The development and validity of the Student Nurse Subjective Evaluation of Completed Clinical Practice Placement (SNEP) resulted in a 40-item instrument to evaluate nursing students' experience of their completed clinical practice placement.

Longitudinal Associations Between Athletes' Psychological Needs and Burnout Across a Competitive Season: A Latent Difference Score Analysis.

Participation in sport can paradoxically be a source of psychological needs satisfaction and psychological needs frustration. Self-determination theory was applied to explain temporal relationships of athletes' psychological needs satisfactions and psychological needs frustrations with burnout through a two-wave longitudinal study. Participants included 184 athletes (Mage = 24.

Complete splenic infarction in association with COVID-19.

COVID-19 predominantly affects the respiratory system. As a novel disease, understanding of its management and complications continues to grow. Herein, we present a case of almost complete splenic infarction in a patient with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Segmentation of intentions towards COVID-19 vaccine acceptance through political and health behaviour explanatory models.

Background: Management of the COVID-19 pandemic has been plagued by an online 'infodemic', not least on the topic of vaccine safety. Failure to vaccinate is often addressed with corrective, factually based information. However, this may be overly simplistic.