Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

BACKGROUND: Assessments of age-specific mortality and life expectancy have been done by the UN Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNPOP), the United States Census Bureau, WHO, and as part of previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). Previous iterations of the GBD used population estimates from UNPOP, which were not derived in a way that was internally consistent with the estimates of the numbers of deaths in the GBD. The present iteration of the GBD, GBD 2017, improves on previous assessments and provides timely estimates of the mortality experience of populations globally. METHODS: The GBD uses all available data to produce estimates of mortality rates between 1950 and 2017 for 23 age groups, both sexes, and 918 locations, including 195 countries and territories and subnational locations for 16 countries. Data used include vital registration systems, sample registration systems, household surveys (complete birth histories, summary birth histories, sibling histories), censuses (summary birth histories, household deaths), and Demographic Surveillance Sites. In total, this analysis used 8259 data sources. Estimates of the probability of death between birth and the age of 5 years and between ages 15 and 60 years are generated and then input into a model life table system to produce complete life tables for all locations and years. Fatal discontinuities and mortality due to HIV/AIDS are analysed separately and then incorporated into the estimation. We analyse the relationship between age-specific mortality and development status using the Socio-demographic Index, a composite measure based on fertility under the age of 25 years, education, and income. There are four main methodological improvements in GBD 2017 compared with GBD 2016: 622 additional data sources have been incorporated; new estimates of population, generated by the GBD study, are used; statistical methods used in different components of the analysis have been further standardised and improved; and the analysis has been extended backwards in time by two decades to start in 1950. FINDINGS: Globally, 18·7% (95% uncertainty interval 18·4–19·0) of deaths were registered in 1950 and that proportion has been steadily increasing since, with 58·8% (58·2–59·3) of all deaths being registered in 2015. At the global level, between 1950 and 2017, life expectancy increased from 48·1 years (46·5–49·6) to 70·5 years (70·1–70·8) for men and from 52·9 years (51·7–54·0) to 75·6 years (75·3–75·9) for women. Despite this overall progress, there remains substantial variation in life expectancy at birth in 2017, which ranges from 49·1 years (46·5–51·7) for men in the Central African Republic to 87·6 years (86·9–88·1) among women in Singapore. The greatest progress across age groups was for children younger than 5 years; under-5 mortality dropped from 216·0 deaths (196·3–238·1) per 1000 livebirths in 1950 to 38·9 deaths (35·6–42·83) per 1000 livebirths in 2017, with huge reductions across countries. Nevertheless, there were still 5·4 million (5·2–5·6) deaths among children younger than 5 years in the world in 2017. Progress has been less pronounced and more variable for adults, especially for adult males, who had stagnant or increasing mortality rates in several countries. The gap between male and female life expectancy between 1950 and 2017, while relatively stable at the global level, shows distinctive patterns across super-regions and has consistently been the largest in central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia, and smallest in south Asia. Performance was also variable across countries and time in observed mortality rates compared with those expected on the basis of development. INTERPRETATION: This analysis of age-sex-specific mortality shows that there are remarkably complex patterns in population mortality across countries. The findings of this study highlight global successes, such as the large decline in under-5 mortality, which reflects significant local, national, and global commitment and investment over several decades. However, they also bring attention to mortality patterns that are a cause for concern, particularly among adult men and, to a lesser extent, women, whose mortality rates have stagnated in many countries over the time period of this study, and in some cases are increasing

Experimental Investigation of Jute Fabric / Nano-SiO2 Reinforced Epoxy Composite

The effect of Nano-SiO2 powder on the mechanical behavior of a jute fabric/epoxy composite has been investigated experimentally. Due to qualities like biodegradability, strength, light weight, and affordability, composites are preferred for static and dynamic applications. Nano – SiO2 powder size of 15 nm was used as a filler material. Hand lay-up techniques were used to develop the composites, which had filler contents of 2%, 3%, and 5% Nano – SiO2 by weight of the epoxy resin. Tensile, Impact, Wear, Moisture Absorption, and Thermo – Gravimetric Analysis were used to characterize the mechanical properties of the composites. The results reveal that the jute/epoxy composite is significantly improved by the hybridization process using fillers. The maximum improvement in the composite’s tensile (44.09 MPa), impact (4 joules), wear, moisture absorption (0.5–4%), and thermos-gravimetric (2.96%) properties is achieved when 2 wt.% of nano-SiO2 is added

Acute Coronary Syndrome

10.1002/9780470750858.ch1Management of Complex Cardiovascular Problems: The Evidence-based Medicine Approach1-1

Electrospun poly lactic acid (PLA) fibres: Effect of different solvent systems on fibre morphology and diameter

This paper was accepted for publication in the journal, Polymer [© Elsevier Ltd]. The definitive version is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2014.06.032The selection of an appropriate non-hazardous solvent or solvent system is essential to determine the rheological properties and electrospinnability of the solution, the productivity, and the morphology of nanofibres. In this study, poly lactic acid (PLA) solutions were prepared in various pure solvents and binary-solvent systems to investigate the effect of different solution properties on nanofibre morphology and diameter. Viscosity, conductivity and surface tension of each solution were measured. Nanofibre morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Of all the solvent systems used acetone/dimethylformamide gave the highest fibre productivity and finest defect-free nanofibres. Therefore this solvent system was studied in more detail, varying the solvent ratio. Also the polymer concentration in this solvent system was varied to investigate the effect on nanofibre morphology and solution properties. Morphological investigations were done in correlation with rheological measurements: beaded nanofibrous structures were collected from solutions with concentration around the critical chain entanglement concentration (Ce), while defect-free nanofibres were produced when the concentration was increased to about twice the entanglement concentration. Further investigation of the effect of the PLA concentration on the elastic (G′) and the plastic (G″) moduli showed a sudden increase of the elastic moduli (G′) at the critical chain entanglement concentration. The results showed that the solvent properties, boiling point, viscosity, conductivity and surface tension, have a significant effect on process productivity, morphology and diameter distribution of the PLA nanofibres