Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol—which is a marker of cardiovascular risk—changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95% credible interval 3.7 million–4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world.</p

Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

High blood cholesterol is typically considered a feature of wealthy western countries1,2. However, dietary and behavioural determinants of blood cholesterol are changing rapidly throughout the world3 and countries are using lipid-lowering medications at varying rates. These changes can have distinct effects on the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol, which have different effects on human health4,5. However, the trends of HDL and non-HDL cholesterol levels over time have not been previously reported in a global analysis. Here we pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries. Globally, there was little change in total or non-HDL cholesterol from 1980 to 2018. This was a net effect of increases in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreases in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol�which is a marker of cardiovascular risk�changed from those in western Europe such as Belgium, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Malta in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific, such as Tokelau, Malaysia, The Philippines and Thailand. In 2017, high non-HDL cholesterol was responsible for an estimated 3.9 million (95 credible interval 3.7 million�4.2 million) worldwide deaths, half of which occurred in east, southeast and south Asia. The global repositioning of lipid-related risk, with non-optimal cholesterol shifting from a distinct feature of high-income countries in northwestern Europe, north America and Australasia to one that affects countries in east and southeast Asia and Oceania should motivate the use of population-based policies and personal interventions to improve nutrition and enhance access to treatment throughout the world. © 2020, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

Rising rural body-mass index is the main driver of the global obesity epidemic in adults

Body-mass index (BMI) has increased steadily in most countries in parallel with a rise in the proportion of the population who live in cities 1,2 . This has led to a widely reported view that urbanization is one of the most important drivers of the global rise in obesity 3�6 . Here we use 2,009 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in more than 112 million adults, to report national, regional and global trends in mean BMI segregated by place of residence (a rural or urban area) from 1985 to 2017. We show that, contrary to the dominant paradigm, more than 55 of the global rise in mean BMI from 1985 to 2017�and more than 80 in some low- and middle-income regions�was due to increases in BMI in rural areas. This large contribution stems from the fact that, with the exception of women in sub-Saharan Africa, BMI is increasing at the same rate or faster in rural areas than in cities in low- and middle-income regions. These trends have in turn resulted in a closing�and in some countries reversal�of the gap in BMI between urban and rural areas in low- and middle-income countries, especially for women. In high-income and industrialized countries, we noted a persistently higher rural BMI, especially for women. There is an urgent need for an integrated approach to rural nutrition that enhances financial and physical access to healthy foods, to avoid replacing the rural undernutrition disadvantage in poor countries with a more general malnutrition disadvantage that entails excessive consumption of low-quality calories. © 2019, The Author(s)

Numerical Simulation And Microstructural Investigation Of An Aluminum-copper Alloy Processed By Laser Surface Remelting

The aim of this work is to develop a mathematical model based on the finite difference method in order to simulate the remelting process. Good agreement between numerical and experimental results was obtained in the delimitation of the remelted zone. The work also concerns the analysis of the microstructural and hardness variations throughout samples of an aluminum-copper alloys (Al-15 wt pet Cu) submitted to a laser surface remelting treatment. The specimens were examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Microhardness measurements were carried out on the transverse section for the resolidified and unmolten regions.7155164Damborenea, J., Surface modification of metals by high power lasers (1998) Surface and Coatings Technology, 100-101, pp. 377-382Ion, J.C., Shercliff, H.R., Ashby, M.F., Diagrams for laser materials processing (1992) Acta Metallurgien et Materialia, 40 (7), pp. 1539-1551Monson, P.J.E., Steen, W.M., Comparison of laser hardfacing with conventional processes (1990) Surface Engineering, 6 (3), pp. 185-193Kurz, W., Fisher, D.J., (1992) Fundamentals of Solidification, , Trans Tech Publications, SwitzerlandDeMol van Otterloo, J.L., Bagnoli, D., De Hosson, J.TH.M., Enhanced mechanical properties of laser treated Al-Cu alloys: A microstructural analysis (1995) Acta Metallurgica, 43 (1), pp. 2649-2656Hoadley, A.F.A., Rappaz, M.A., Thermal model of laser cladding by powder injection (1992) Metallurgical Transactions B, 23, pp. 631-642Riabkina-Fushman, M., Zahavi, J., Laser alloying and cladding for improving surface properties (1996) Applied Surface Science, 106, pp. 263-267Watkins, K.G., McMahon, M.A., Steen, W.M., Microstructure and corrosion properties of laser processed aluminum alloys: A review (1997) Materials Science and Engineering A, 231, pp. 55-61Munitz, A., Microstructure of rapidly solidified laser-molten Al-4,5 Wt Pct Cu surfaces (1985) Metallurgical Transactions B, 16, pp. 149-161Zimmermann, M., Carrard, M., Kurz, W., Rapid solidification of Al-Cu eutetic alloy by laser remelting (1989) Acta Metallurgica, 37 (12), pp. 3305-3313Cheung, N., Ierardi, M.C.F., Garcia, A., Vilar, R., The use of artificial intelligence for the optimization of a laser transformation hardening process (2000) Lasers in Engineering, 10, pp. 275-291Osório, W.R.R., Garcia, A., Microstructure and mechanical properties of Zn-Al alloys as a function of solidification conditions (2002) Materials Science and Engineering A, 325, pp. 104-112Quaresma, J.M., Santos, C.A., Garcia, A., Correlation between unsteady-state solidification conditions, dendrite spacings, and mechanical properties of Al-Cu alloys (2000) Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 31, pp. 3167-3178Siqueira, C., Cheung, N., Garcia, A., Solidification thermal parameters affecting the columnar to equiaxed transition (2002) Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 33, pp. 2108-2118Callister Jr., W.D., (1994) Materials Science and Engineering - An Introduction, , John Wiley &ampSons, 3rd EditionIncropera, F.P., Dewitt, D.P., (1990) Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, , John Wiley & Sons: New YorkRuddle, R.W., (1957) The Solidification of Castings. 2. Ed., , Institute of Metals, Series No. 7Gill, S.C., Zimmermann, M., Kurz, W., Laser resolidification of the Al-Al2Cu eutetic the coupled zone (1992) Acta Metallurgica et Materialia, 40 (11), pp. 2895-290

Use Of Artificial Intelligence For The Optimization Of A Laser Transformation Hardening Process

This work proposes an interaction between a heat transfer model and an artificial intelligence (AI) heuristic search method which is linked to a Knowledge Basis for the optimization of a Laser Transformation Hardening (LTH) process. The developed computational program selects the best combinations of laser operational variables for the highest martensitic production and for laser energy saving. The mathematical model consists on an analytical part to describe the workpiece laser heating and a numerical part for the cooling process. The Knowledge Basis is a rule-based system constituted of heat treatment constraints. The use of the developed search method for determining optimized laser operational variables can be considered a very effective tool in the improvement of the LTH process performance.104275291Ashby, M.F., Easterling, K.E., (1984) Acta. Metall. Mater., 32Merling, J., Renard, C., Bignonnet, A., Junchang, L., (1992) Matériaux et Techniques Été 92, 80, pp. 6-8Putatunda, S.K., Nambiar, M., Clark, N., (1997) Surface Eng., 13, p. 5Shiue, R.K., Chen, C., (1991) Scripta. Metall. Mater., 25Shiue, R.K., Chen, C., (1992) Metall. Trans. A, 23Yang, L.J., Jana, S., Tam, S.C., (1990) J. Mater. Process. Tech., 23Yang, L.J., Jana, S., Tam, S.C., Lim, L.E.N., (1994) Mater. Manuf. Process, 9, p. 3Reti, T., Bagyinszki, G., Felde, I., Verö, B., Bell, T., (1999) Comp. Mater. Sci., 15Ruiz, J., Fernández, B.J., Belló, J.Ma., (1990) Key. Eng. Mat., 46-47Shang, H.M., (1990) J. Mater. Process. Tech., 23Davis, M., Kapadia, P., Dowden, J., Steen, W.M., Courtney, C.H.G., (1986) J. Appl. Phys. D, 19Zubair, S.M., Aslam Chaudhry, M., (1996) Int. J. of Heat and Mass Tran., 39, p. 14Incropera, F.P., Dewitt, D.P., (1990) Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, , John Wiley & Sons, New YorkChabrol, C., Merrien, P., (1989) La Revue de MétallurgieCarslaw, H.S., Jaeger, J.C., (1996) Conduction of Heat in Solids, 2 Edn., , Oxford Science Publications, New YorkChabris, C.F., (1987) Artificial Intelligence and Turbo Pascal, , Multiscience Press Inc., HomewoodLuger, G.F., Stubblefield, W.A., (1993) Artificial Intelligence - Structures and Strategies for Complex Problem Solving, , The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company Inc., RedwoodSteen, W.M., (1996) Laser Material Processing, , Springer-Verlag, LondonSpim Jr., J.A., Garcia, A., (2000) Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 27

Development And Experimental Validation Of A Numerical Thermal Model For The Evaluation Of The Depth Of Laser Treated Zone In The Laser Transformation Hardening Process

The aim of this work is to develop a mathematical model to predict the depth of laser treated zone in the LTH process. The Fourier equation of heat conduction was solved by using the Finite Difference Method in cylindrical coordinates in order to study the temperature distribution produced in a workpiece and hence to obtain the depth to which hardening occurs. The theoretical simulations were compared with results produced experimentally by a CO2 laser operating in continuous wave, showing good agreement.423-425707712Damborenea, J., (1998) Surface Coat. Tech., 100-101, pp. 377-382Ion, J.C., Shercliff, H.R., Ashby, M.F., (1992) Acta Metall. Mater., 40, pp. 1539-1551Monson, P.J.E., Steen, W.M., (1990) Surface Eng., 6, pp. 185-193Ashby, M.F., Easterling, K.E., (1984) Acta Metall. Mater., 32, pp. 1935-1948Woo, H.G., Cho, H.S., (1998) Surface Coat. Tech., 102, pp. 205-217Bokota, A., Iskierka, S., (1996) Acta Mater., 44, pp. 445-450Kumar, S., Meech, J.A., Samarasekera, I.V., Brimacombe, J.K., (1993) I&SM, pp. 29-36Filipic, B., Sarler, B., (1998) Proceedings os the 6th European Congress on Intelligent Techniques and Soft Computing, , (Aachen, Germany)Cheung, N., Ierardi, M.C.F., Garcia, A., Vilar, R., (2000) Lasers Eng., 10, pp. 275-291Cheung, N., Garcia, A., (2001) Eng. Appl. Artificial Intelligence, 14, pp. 229-238Merling, J., Renard, C., Bignonnet, A., Li, J., (1992) Matériaux et Techniques Été, 92, pp. 6-8Putatunda, S.K., Nambiar, M., Clark, N., (1997) Surface Eng., 13, pp. 407-414Shiue, R.K., Chen, C., (1991) Scripta Metall. Mater., 25, pp. 1889-1894Shiue, R.K., Chen, C., (1992) Metall. Trans. A, 23, pp. 163-170Yang, L.J., Jana, S., Tam, S.C., (1990) J. Mater. Process. Tech., 23, pp. 133-147Yang, L.J., Jana, S., Tam, S.C., Lim, L.E.N., (1994) Mater. Manuf. Process, 9, p. 475Reti, T., Bagyinski, G., Felde, I., Verö, B., Bell, T., (1999) Comp. Mater. Sci., 15, p. 101Ruiz, J., Fernández, B.J., Ma. Belló, J., (1990) Key Eng. Mat., 46-47, pp. 161-174Shang, H.M., (1990) J. Mater. Process. Tech., 23, pp. 65-72Davis, M., Kapadia, P., Dowden, J., Steen, W.M., Courtney, C.H.G., (1986) J. Appl. Phys. D, 19, pp. 1981-1996Zubair, S.M., Aslam Chaudhry, M., (1996) Int J Heat Mass. Tran., 39, pp. 3067-3074Incropera, F.P., Dewitt, D.P., (1990) Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, , (John Wiley & Sons, New York)Jansson, B., Rolfson, M., Thuvander, A., Melander, A., Wullimann, C., (1991) Materials Science and Technology, 7, pp. 118-127Ruddle, R.W., (1957) The Solidification of Castings, , (Institute of Metals, Series NO. 7)Atkins, M., (1980) Atlas of Continuous Cooling Transformation Diagrams for Engineering Steels, , (British Steel Corp., ASM, Metals Park)Dardel, Y., (1964) Edition de la Revue de Metalurgi

Numerical And Experimental Analysis Of Laser Surface Remelting Of Al- 15cu Alloy Samples

The aim of this work was to develop a heat transfer mathematical model based on the finite difference method in order to simulate temperature fields in the laser surface remelting process. Convective heat transfer in the remelted pool was taken into account by using the effective thermal conductivity approach. Theoretical predictions furnished by previous models from the literature and results of experiments of laser surface remelting of Al-15Cu samples, carried out in the present investigation, were used for validation of numerical simulations performed with the proposed model. The work also encompassed the analysis of microstructural parameters by scanning electron microscopy and microhardness variations throughout the resulting treated and unmolten zones. © 2005 Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.215-6473479Damborenea, J., (1998) Surf. Coat. Technol., 100-101, pp. 377-382Ion, J.C., Shercliff, H.R., Ashby, M.F., (1992) Acta Metall. Mater., 40, pp. 1539-1551Monson, P.J.E., Steen, W.M., (1990) Surf. Eng., 6, pp. 185-193Kurz, W., Fisher, D.J., (1992) Fundamentals of Solidification, , Aedermannsdorf, Trans Tech PublicationsVan Demol Otterloo, J.L., Bagnoli, D., De Hosson, J.Th.M., (1995) Acta Metall. Mater., 43, pp. 2649-2656Hoadley, A.F.A., Rappaz, M., (1992) Metall. Trans, 23 B, pp. 631-642Riabkina-Fishman, M., Zahavi, J., (1996) Appl. Surf. Sci., 106, pp. 263-267Watkins, K.G., Mcmahon, M.A., Steen, W.M., (1997) Mater. Sci Eng., A231, pp. 55-61Munitz, A., (1985) Metall. Trans, 16 B, pp. 149-161Zimmermann, M., Carrard, M., Kurz, W., (1989) Acta Metall. Mater., 37, pp. 3305-3313Cheung, N., Ierardi, M.C.F., Garcia, A., Vilar, R., (2000) Lasers Eng., 10, pp. 275-291Osório, W.R.R., Garcia, A., (2002) Mater. Sci. Eng., A325, pp. 104-112Quaresma, J.M., Santos, C.A., Garcia, A., (2000) Metall. Trans, 31 A, pp. 3167-3178Siqueira, C., Cheung, N., Garcia, A., (2002) Metall. Trans, 33 A, pp. 2108-2117Callister Jr., W.D., (1994) Materials Science and Engineering - An Introduction, , New York, John Wiley & SonsHsu, S.C., Kou, S., Mehrabian, R., (1980) Metall. Trans, 11 B (23), pp. 9-38Hsu, S.C., Kou, S., Mehrabian, R., (1981) Metall Trans, 12 B, pp. 33-45Sekhar, J.A., Kou, S., Mehrabian, R., (1984) Metall. Trans, 14 A, pp. 1169-1177Hoadley, A.F.A., Rappaz, M., Zimmerman, M., (1991) Metall. Trans, 22 B, pp. 101-109Chan, C., Mazumder, J., Chen, M.M., (1984) Metall. Trans, 15 A, pp. 2175-2184Kou, S., Wang, Y.H., (1986) Metall. Trans, 17 A, pp. 2265-2270Paul, A., Debroy, T., (1988) Metall. Trans, 19 B, pp. 851-858Basu, B., Srinivasan, J., (1988) Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 31, pp. 2331-2338Basu, B., Date, A.W., (1990) Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, 33, pp. 1149-1163Mizikar, E.A., (1967) Trans TMS-AIME, 238, pp. 1747-1753Davies, G.J., Laki, R.S., Saucedo, I.G., Shin, Y.K., (1984) Perspectives in Metallurgical Development, pp. 123-130. , Sheffield, University of SheffieldApps, R.L., Milner, D.R., (1963) Br Welding J., 10, pp. 348-350Incropera, F.P., Dewitt, D.P., (1990) Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, , New York, John Wiley & SonsBerjeza, N.A., Velikevitch, S.P., Mazhukin, V.I., Smurov, I., Flamant, G., (1995) Appl. Surf. Sci., 86, pp. 303-309Maier, C., Schaaf, P., Gonser, U., (1992) Mater. Sci. Eng., A150, pp. 271-280Ruddle, R.W., (1957) The Solidification of Castings, , London, Institute of MetalsMohanty, P.S., Mazumder, J., (1998) Metall. Trans, 29 B, pp. 1269-1279Duley, W.W., (1983) Laser Processing and Analysis of Materials, , New York, Plenum PressPehlke, R.D., Jeyarajan, A., Wada, H., (1980) Summary of Thermal Properties for Casting Alloys and Mold Materials, , Ann Arbor, University of MichiganBouchard, D., Kirkaldy, J.S., (1997) Metall. Trans, 28 B, pp. 651-663Rocha, O.L., Siqueira, C.A., Garcia, A., (2003) Metall. Trans, 34 A, pp. 995-1005Gill, S.C., Zimmermann, M., Kurz, W., (1992) Acta Metall. Mater., 40, pp. 2895-290