Color-tailored polymer light emitting diodes including emissive colloidal particles and method of forming same

Color-tailored and white-light emitting polymer colloid-based OLEDs are disclosed. Devices include electroluminescent (EL) colloidal conductive polymer systems that can include EL dyes or other EL materials. Systems can sequester multiple EL components in different colloids in a single emissive layer of an EL device with little or no appreciable energy transfer between colloids. Devices can exhibit tailored emissions over a broad range of wavelengths through mixing of, e.g., red, green and blue PLED colloids. Disclosed methods including incorporation of one or more electroluminescent dyes into a semiconductive EL polymer colloid that can isolate the dyes and prevent energy transfer while retaining individual color emission

Description of Outcomes of Upper-Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders in Workers Highly Exposed to Repetitive Work

PurposeThe outcomes of workers with upper-extremity musculoskeletal (UEMS) symptoms or disorders were evaluated over a 3-year period in a population highly exposed to repetitive work. Methods Data were derived from a survey focused on the health effects of repetitive tasks, with a standardized physical examination by an occupational physician, in 1993 to 1994 and again in 1996 to 1997. All workers with UEMS symptoms or disorders in 1993 to 1994 were included. We classified 3-year outcomes into 3 categories in 1996 to 1997: neither UEMS disorder nor symptoms, UEMS symptoms only, and UEMS disorder. Results A total of 464 workers were included (125 men and 339 women). At baseline, most of them experienced a UEMS disorder (n = 421). The 3-year recovery rate differed according to the site of the disorders: high for elbow disorders only (10 of 21), moderate for neck or shoulder, or hand or wrist disorders only (17 of 74 and 22 of 119, respectively), and low for multiple sites of UEMS disorders (25 of 207). Conclusions In this population exposed to repetitive work, a large proportion of workers have persistent UEMS symptoms or disorders, with recovery rates differing according to the site involved and the presence of multiple disorders

Prevalence and incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome in US working populations: pooled analysis of six prospective studies

OBJECTIVES: Most studies of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) incidence and prevalence among workers have been limited by small sample sizes or restricted to a small subset of jobs. We established a common CTS case definition and then pooled CTS prevalence and incidence data across six prospective studies of musculoskeletal outcomes to measure CTS frequency and allow better studies of etiology. METHODS: Six research groups collected prospective data at >50 workplaces including symptoms characteristic of CTS and electrodiagnostic studies (EDS) of the median and ulnar nerves across the dominant wrist. While study designs and the timing of data collection varied across groups, we were able to create a common CTS case definition incorporating both symptoms and EDS results from data that were collected in all studies. RESULTS: At the time of enrollment, 7.8% of 4321 subjects met our case definition and were considered prevalent cases of CTS. During 8833 person-years of follow-up, an additional 204 subjects met the CTS case definition for an overall incidence rate of 2.3 CTS cases per 100 person-years. CONCLUSIONS: Both prevalent and incident CTS were common in data pooled across multiple studies and sites. The large number of incident cases in this prospective study provides adequate power for future exposure– response analyses to identify work- and non-work-related risk factors for CTS. The prospective nature allows determination of the temporal relations necessary for causal inference