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Objective: The persistent symptoms arising from COVID-19 infection pose a substantial threat to patients' health, carrying significant implications. Amidst the evolving COVID-19 control strategies in China, healthcare workers (HCWs) endure considerable stress. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of long COVID infections and their influencing factors among primary HCWs after epidemic control policy adjustment in Jiangsu. Methods: A self-designed questionnaire was administered through on-site surveys among primary HCWs in five counties and districts within Jiangsu Province from July 4 to July 20, 2023. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with long COVID. Results: The prevalence of long COVID among primary HCWs stood at 12.61%, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 11.67-13.55%. Among those affected, the most common long COVID symptoms were hypomnesia (4.90%, 95%CI: 4.29-5.51%), sleep difficulties (2.73%, 95%CI: 2.27-3.19%), fatigue (2.35%, 95%CI: 1.92-2.78%), disturbances in the reproductive system (1.93%, 95%CI: 1.54-2.32%), hair loss (1.85%, 95%CI: 1.47-2.23%), and myalgia/arthralgia (1.51%, 95%CI: 1.16-1.86%). Multivariate logistic regression revealed that older age groups (30–45 years (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.44–2.58), 45–60 years (aOR = 2.82, 95%CI: 2.07–3.84)), females (aOR = 1.26, 95%CI: 1.03–1.55), and higher work stress (high stress (aOR = 1.52, 95%CI: 1.24–1.86), extremely high stress (aOR = 1.37, 95%CI: 1.03–1.82)) were more prone to long COVID. Conversely, individuals with educational attainment below the bachelor's degree (aOR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.55–0.82) and those who received four or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (aOR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.33–0.92) were at a reduced risk. Conclusion: This study investigates the prevalence of long COVID among primary HCWs and identifies key influencing factors. These findings are crucial for assisting in the early identification of COVID-19 patients at risk for long-term complications, developing targeted interventions aimed at optimizing healthcare resource allocation and enhancing the work conditions and quality of life of HCWs. To mitigate the prevalence of long COVID, healthcare providers and local authorities should implement effective measures, such as optimizing work-rest schedules and actively advocating for vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viscoelasticity and charge leakage are two typical dissipations of a dielectric elastomer (DE). During applied voltage loading, the electrodes tune the electromechanical deformation of DE, which results from the non-ideal insulator attribute of the DE. In this article, the influence of the electrodes is considered to establish a thorough electrodes-coupled dissipative model of DE. The effect that electrode thickness and conductivity has on the static and dynamic properties of the DE is investigated, including the electromechanical deformation of DE membrane and the voltage loaded across the thickness direction. It is found that the electromechanical deformation and voltage across the DE membrane gradually reduce with increasing electrode thickness and decreasing electrode conductivity. Resonance characteristics of the DE for varying electrode thickness and conductivity are also analyzed. The results demonstrate that electrodes with minimal thickness and high conductivity mitigate the resonant frequency and enhance the vibration intensity of the DE system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inspired by the sensing mechanism of an ionic polymer-metal composite (IPMC) strip, in which an electrical response is induced by an elastic stress gradient across the strip's thickness, we propose a new ionic polymer pressure sensor with a gradient shape that is based on ion migration. Under an applied pressure, an elastic stress gradient is generated across the top and bottom surfaces of the gradient, which then causes cations to migrate toward the lower pressure side. This cation redistribution then generates an electrical response. To verify this concept, a millimeter-scale ionic pressure sensor based on Nafion was fabricated by a casting method. The voltage responses of this sensor were measured using a self-made test setup. The maximum response approached tens of millivolts, which was much greater than that of an IPMC bending sensor. The sensing voltage was also investigated with respect to the various area ratios between the top and bottom surfaces and the various sensor heights. The sensitivity initially increases with increasing area ratio and then tends to reach a saturation state, whereas it rarely changed with variations in the height. Finally, the mechanical analysis showed that the size effects on the sensitivity could be explained qualitatively by the stress difference that occurs between the top and bottom surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a typical smart material, ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) has a sandwich structure, which consists of a base membrane and two thin metallic electrodes on both sides of the [...]