A modular and interactive OLED-based lighting system

The concept of a flexible, large-area, organic light emitting diode (OLED)-based lighting system with a modular structure and built-in intelligent light management is introduced. Such a flexible, thin, portable lighting system with discreetly integrated electronics is important in order to allow the implementation of the lighting system into a variety of places, such as cars and temporary expedition areas. A modular construction of an OLED lighting panel makes it possible to control each OLED cell individually. This not only enables us to counteract aging or degradation effects in the OLED cells but it also allows individual OLED module brightness control to support human or ambient interaction based on integrated or centralized sensors. Moreover, integrating the driving electronics in the backplane of an OLED module improves the energy efficiency of operating large OLED panels. The thin, modular construction and individual, dynamic control are successfully demonstrated

An inexpensive and versatile technique for wide frequency range surface pressure measurements: an application for the study of turbulent buffeting of a square cylinder

This work presents the development of an inexpensive measurement technique based on miniature microphones for the measurement of pressure fluctuations in a wide frequency range, starting from infrasound up to several kilohertz. Special emphasis has been put on achieving accurate calibration of the system at very low frequencies and good agreement with reference measurements have been achieved at frequencies as low as 1Hz, therefore opening new low-budget research possibilities in many fields of fluid mechanics. The measurement technique proposed is specially indicated when the number of simultaneous pressure measurements is high since the sensors used are inexpensive, contrarily to common research equipment. One particular area in which this technique results useful is bluff-body aerodynamics. As an example of the potential of the technique, the structural response of a finite-square cylinder immersed in a turbulent flow is studied

Socioeconomic Position and Type 2 Diabetes: The Mediating Role of Psychosocial Work Environment- the Maastricht Study

Objective: We examined the association between low socioeconomic position (SEP) and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), and the mediating role of psychosocial work environment by using counterfactual mediation analysis.Methods: Data from 8,090 participants of The Maastricht Study were analysed. SEP indicators (education, income, occupation), self-reported psychosocial work stressors, (pre)diabetes by oral glucose tolerance test were measured at baseline. Incident T2DM was self-reported per annum up to 9 years. Cox regression and causal mediation analyses were performed.Results: 2.8% (N = 172) of the participants without T2DM at baseline reported incident T2DM. People with lower SEP more often had prevalent T2DM (e.g., education OR = 2.49, 95% CI: 2.16–2.87) and incident T2DM (e.g., education HR = 2.21, 95% CI: 1.53–3.20) than higher SEP. Low job control was associated with prevalent T2DM (OR = 1.44 95% CI: 1.25–1.67). Job control partially explained the association between income and prevalent T2DM (7.23%). Job demand suppressed the associations of education and occupation with prevalent T2DM. The mediation models with incident T2DM and social support were not significant.Conclusion: Socioeconomic inequalities in T2DM were present, but only a small part of it was explained by the psychosocial work environment

Estimated GFR, Albuminuria, and Cognitive Performance:The Maastricht Study

BACKGROUND: Reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and albuminuria have been associated with worse cognitive performance. However, few studies have examined whether these associations are confined to older individuals or may be extended to the middle-aged population. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses of a prospective population-based cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: 2,987 individuals aged 40 to 75 years from the general population (The Maastricht Study). PREDICTOR: eGFR and urinary albumin excretion (UAE). OUTCOMES: Memory function, information processing speed, and executive function. MEASUREMENTS: Analyses were adjusted for demographic variables (age, sex, and educational level), lifestyle factors (smoking behavior and alcohol consumption), depression, and cardiovascular disease risk factors (glucose metabolism status, waist circumference, total to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, triglyceride level, use of lipid-modifying medication, systolic blood pressure, use of antihypertensive medication, and prevalent cardiovascular disease). RESULTS: UAE was <15mg/24 h in 2,439 (81.7%) participants, 15 to <30 mg/24 h in 309 (10.3%), and ≥30mg/24 h in 239 (8.0%). In the entire study population, UAE≥30mg/24 h was associated with lower information processing speed as compared to UAE<15mg/24 h (β [SD difference] = -0.148; 95% CI, -0.263 to -0.033) after full adjustment, whereas continuous albuminuria was not. However, significant interaction terms (P for interaction < 0.05) suggested that albuminuria was most strongly and extensively associated with cognitive performance in older individuals. Mean (±SD) eGFR, estimated by the CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration) creatinine-cystatin C equation (eGFRcr-cys), was 88.4±14.6 mL/min/1.73m(2). eGFRcr-cys was not associated with any of the domains of cognitive performance after full adjustment. However, significant interaction terms (P for interaction < 0.05) suggested that eGFRcr-cys was associated with cognitive performance in older individuals. LIMITATIONS: Cross-sectional design, which limited causal inferences. CONCLUSIONS: In the entire study population, albuminuria was independently associated with lower information processing speed, whereas eGFRcr-cys was not associated with cognitive performance. However, both were more strongly and extensively associated with cognitive performance in older individuals