Deep reinforcement learning approach for MPPT control of partially shaded PV systems in Smart Grids

Photovoltaic systems (PV) are having an increased importance in modern smart grids systems. Usually, in order to maximize the energy output of the PV arrays a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm is used. However, once deployed, weather conditions such as clouds can cause shades in the PV arrays affecting the dynamics of each panel differently. These conditions directly affect the available energy output of the arrays and in turn make the MPPT task extremely difficult. For these reasons, under partial shading conditions, it is necessary to have algorithms that are able to learn and adapt online to the changing state of the system. In this work we propose the use of deep reinforcement learning (DRL) techniques to address the MPPT problem of a PV array under partial shading conditions. We develop a model free RL algorithm to maximize the efficiency in MPPT control. The agent's policy is parameterized by neural networks, which take the sensory information as input and directly output the control signal. Furthermore, a PV environment under shading conditions was developed in the open source OpenAI Gym platform and is made available in an open repository. Several tests are performed, using the developed simulated environment, to test the robustness of the proposed control strategies to different climate conditions. The obtained results show the feasibility of our proposal with a successful performance with fast responses and stable behaviors. The best results for the presented methodology show that the maximum operating power point achieved has a deviation less than 1% compared to the theoretical maximum power point.Fil: Avila, Luis Omar. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ciencias Físico Matemáticas y Naturales. Departamento de Informática. Laboratorio Investigación y Desarrollo en Inteligencia Computacional; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: de Paula, Mariano. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. - Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Trimboli, Maximiliano Daniel. Universidad Nacional de San Luis. Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias Agropecuarias. Laboratorio de Control Automático; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Carlucho, Ignacio. State University of Louisiana; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Caracterizacion de una muestra de alumnos con sobrepeso u obesidad de octavo ano basico del liceo Abate Molina de Talca en los parametros de composicion corporal estimacion de consumo maximo de oxigeno y test de salto vertical ano 2008

78 p.En este estudio se realiza una caracterización de los alumnos de octavo año básico del liceo Abate Molina de Talca, con el fin de determinar según el estado nutricional, el porcentaje de estudiantes con sobrepeso u obesidad, para asociar este dato al sedentarismo y el riesgo de enfermedades cardiovasculares a futuro. El estudio comenzó con la selección de los alumnos participantes, los que posteriormente fueron evaluados y caracterizados según su estado nutricional. Una vez que los alumnos fueron caracterizados estuvieron sometidos a pruebas para estimar el consumo máximo de oxigeno, mediante el Test de Bruce y pruebas de capacidad física, mediante el Test de Salto Vertical.Los resultados obtenidos mostraron que un 79,3% de los alumnos presenta sobrepeso u obesidad, lo que se relaciona con un bajo redimiendo en las pruebas de estimación de consumo máximo de oxigeno y saltabilidad. Este estudio demuestra como un alto porcentaje de los alumnos presentan alteraciones en su estado nutricional sumado al desentrenamiento físico lo que sin duda determinara que estos jóvenes tengan un mayor riesgo de presentar enfermedades cardiovasculares. Es necesario instar más estudio en esta área con el fin de tener no sólo una visión de un lugar específico sino poder establecer comparaciones con otros niveles educacionales y por niveles socioeconómic

Reemplazo de la harina de pescado con gluten de maíz en dietas de juveniles de trucha arcoíris (Oncorhynchus mykiss): efectos en crecimiento y otros parámetros fisiológicos

Background: Plant-origin meals have been proposed as an alternative to fishmeal as a source of protein in diets for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and one suggested alternative is corn gluten. Goals: Determine the effects on the growth and other physiological parameters of rainbow trout juveniles fed diets made with corn gluten as substitute for fishmeal. Methods: Three diets that substituted corn gluten in ratios of 50, 75, and 100% (G50%, G75% and G100%, respectively) for fishmeal were fed during 90 days to juveniles initially weighing14.7 ± 0.2 g (mean ± standard error). We measured growth performance, oxygen consumption, P and N excretion, protein and lipid contents in muscle and liver, as well the number of lymphocytes and burst activity of the kidney macrophage. Results: Growth performance (weight gain and specific growth rate) decreased as corn gluten increased in the diet. The organisms fed with G75% and G100% diets had a significantly lower de­position of protein in the muscle with respect to the other groups, while lipid deposition increased in the same tissue. Increasing levels of the corn gluten in the diet caused increased oxygen consumption and N ammonium excretion but did not affect the number of lymphocyte and the macrophage activity. Conclusions: Corn gluten may be used at a substitution level up to 50% in diets for juvenile rainbow trout.Antecedentes: Las harinas de origen vegetal, como el gluten de maíz, se han propuesto en dietas para tru­cha arcoíris (Oncorhynchus mykiss) como fuente alternativa de proteína en lugar de las harinas de pescado. Objetivos: Determinar el efecto en el crecimiento y otros parámetros fisiológicos de juveniles de trucha arcoíris alimentadas con dietas elaboradas a base de gluten de maíz como sustituto de harina de pescado. Métodos: Durante un período de 90 días se administraron tres dietas con sustituciones de 50, 75 y 100% de gluten de maíz (G50%, G75% y G100%, respectivamente) utilizando gluten de maíz fueron administradas por un período de 90 días a juveniles con peso inicial de 14.7 ± 0.2 g (promedio ± error estándar). Se determinó el crecimiento, el consumo de oxígeno, la excreción de P y N, el contenido de proteína y lípidos en músculo e hígado, así como el número de linfocitos y la actividad explosiva de los macrófagos del riñón. Resultados: Se observó una disminución en el crecimiento (ganancia en peso y tasa de crecimiento específico) confor­me aumentó la inclusión del gluten de maíz en la dieta. Los organismos alimentados con G75% y G100% presentaron un contenido significativamente menor de proteína en el tejido muscular respecto al otro grupo, mientras que, de lo contrario, hubo un aumento en la deposición de lípidos del mismo tejido. El aumento de gluten de maíz incrementó el consumo de oxígeno y la excreción de nitrógeno amoniacal, pero no afectó al número de linfocitos ni la actividad de macrófagos. Conclusiones: Se puede incorporar hasta una 50% de gluten de maíz en dietas para juveniles de trucha arcoíris

Modelo prolab: 3S Parking, una solución para acceder y reservar estacionamientos en línea en la ciudad de Lima

El presente trabajo propone una solución para la escasez de lugares de estacionamiento para automóviles sobre la base de la tecnología y de la economía participativa. La identificación del problema, la propuesta de solución y su validación se ha logrado gracias a la aplicación de la metodología de Design Thinking y con el apoyo de otras herramientas como los lienzos de propuesta de valor, de modelo de negocio y modelo de negocio próspero. El proyecto se ha denominado 3S Parking y consta del desarrollo de un aplicativo móvil y de una plataforma web que permitirá vincular a los conductores que buscan estacionamiento en zonas de alta demanda con las personas que posean un inmueble con estacionamiento disponible en estas zonas para entablar una relación comercial de corto plazo. Las personas que han participado en los experimentos identifican rápidamente el modelo de solución pues ya están familiarizados con experiencias similares de soluciones para alojamientos. Con esta propuesta de solución se considera que, además de aliviar los problemas de los mismos partícipes de la relación comercial generando ingresos económicos en unos y ahorro en tiempo y combustible a los otros, se logrará mejorar los espacios públicos que muchas veces se ven invadidos por vehículos que perjudican a las personas que habitan o trabajan en estas zonas. De esta manera, se identifica que 3S Parking colabora con la consecución de los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible 8, 9 y 11. Además, puede alcanzar un VAN social estimado en S/397,600.54 al quinto año de funcionamiento. 3S Parking se presenta como un proyecto económicamente sostenible y viable, con el cual se estima en cinco años alcanzar un VAN de S/ 5,322,306.90 con una TIR de 67.85%. en un escenario de crecimiento moderado.This paper proposes a solution to the insufficient parking spots based on technology and participatory economics. The identification of the problem, the solution proposal, and its validation have been achieved thanks to the application of the Design Thinking methodology and with the support of other tools such as the value proposition canvas, the business model canvas, and the flourishing business model canvas. The project has been called 3S Parking and consists of developing a mobile application and a web platform that will allow drivers looking for parking spots in high-demand areas to connect with people who own a property with parking spots available in these areas to establish a short-term business relationship. People who have participated in the experiments quickly identify the solution model as they are already familiar with similar experiences of accommodation solutions. With this solution proposal, we consider that, in addition to lightening the problems of the same participants in the commercial relationship, generating economic income for some, and saving time and fuel for others, it will be possible to improve public spaces often invaded by vehicles that bother the people who live or work in these areas. In this way, we identified that 3S Parking contributes to achieving sustainable development objectives 8, 9 and 11. In addition, it can reach an estimated social NPV of S/397,600.54 by the fifth year of operation. 3S Parking is presented as an economically sustainable and viable project estimated that in five years, it will reach an NPV of S/ 5,322,306.90 with an IRR of 67.85% in a scenario of moderate growth

Energy Estimation of Cosmic Rays with the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory

The Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) is part of the Pierre Auger Observatory and is used to detect the radio emission of cosmic-ray air showers. These observations are compared to the data of the surface detector stations of the Observatory, which provide well-calibrated information on the cosmic-ray energies and arrival directions. The response of the radio stations in the 30 to 80 MHz regime has been thoroughly calibrated to enable the reconstruction of the incoming electric field. For the latter, the energy deposit per area is determined from the radio pulses at each observer position and is interpolated using a two-dimensional function that takes into account signal asymmetries due to interference between the geomagnetic and charge-excess emission components. The spatial integral over the signal distribution gives a direct measurement of the energy transferred from the primary cosmic ray into radio emission in the AERA frequency range. We measure 15.8 MeV of radiation energy for a 1 EeV air shower arriving perpendicularly to the geomagnetic field. This radiation energy -- corrected for geometrical effects -- is used as a cosmic-ray energy estimator. Performing an absolute energy calibration against the surface-detector information, we observe that this radio-energy estimator scales quadratically with the cosmic-ray energy as expected for coherent emission. We find an energy resolution of the radio reconstruction of 22% for the data set and 17% for a high-quality subset containing only events with at least five radio stations with signal.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO

Evolving trends in the management of acute appendicitis during COVID-19 waves. The ACIE appy II study

Background: In 2020, ACIE Appy study showed that COVID-19 pandemic heavily affected the management of patients with acute appendicitis (AA) worldwide, with an increased rate of non-operative management (NOM) strategies and a trend toward open surgery due to concern of virus transmission by laparoscopy and controversial recommendations on this issue. The aim of this study was to survey again the same group of surgeons to assess if any difference in management attitudes of AA had occurred in the later stages of the outbreak. Methods: From August 15 to September 30, 2021, an online questionnaire was sent to all 709 participants of the ACIE Appy study. The questionnaire included questions on personal protective equipment (PPE), local policies and screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection, NOM, surgical approach and disease presentations in 2021. The results were compared with the results from the previous study. Results: A total of 476 answers were collected (response rate 67.1%). Screening policies were significatively improved with most patients screened regardless of symptoms (89.5% vs. 37.4%) with PCR and antigenic test as the preferred test (74.1% vs. 26.3%). More patients tested positive before surgery and commercial systems were the preferred ones to filter smoke plumes during laparoscopy. Laparoscopic appendicectomy was the first option in the treatment of AA, with a declined use of NOM. Conclusion: Management of AA has improved in the last waves of pandemic. Increased evidence regarding SARS-COV-2 infection along with a timely healthcare systems response has been translated into tailored attitudes and a better care for patients with AA worldwide

Adolescent transport and unintentional injuries: a systematic analysis using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: Globally, transport and unintentional injuries persist as leading preventable causes of mortality and morbidity for adolescents. We sought to report comprehensive trends in injury-related mortality and morbidity for adolescents aged 10–24 years during the past three decades. Methods: Using the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factors 2019 Study, we analysed mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) attributed to transport and unintentional injuries for adolescents in 204 countries. Burden is reported in absolute numbers and age-standardised rates per 100 000 population by sex, age group (10–14, 15–19, and 20–24 years), and sociodemographic index (SDI) with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). We report percentage changes in deaths and DALYs between 1990 and 2019. Findings: In 2019, 369 061 deaths (of which 214 337 [58%] were transport related) and 31·1 million DALYs (of which 16·2 million [52%] were transport related) among adolescents aged 10–24 years were caused by transport and unintentional injuries combined. If compared with other causes, transport and unintentional injuries combined accounted for 25% of deaths and 14% of DALYs in 2019, and showed little improvement from 1990 when such injuries accounted for 26% of adolescent deaths and 17% of adolescent DALYs. Throughout adolescence, transport and unintentional injury fatality rates increased by age group. The unintentional injury burden was higher among males than females for all injury types, except for injuries related to fire, heat, and hot substances, or to adverse effects of medical treatment. From 1990 to 2019, global mortality rates declined by 34·4% (from 17·5 to 11·5 per 100 000) for transport injuries, and by 47·7% (from 15·9 to 8·3 per 100 000) for unintentional injuries. However, in low-SDI nations the absolute number of deaths increased (by 80·5% to 42 774 for transport injuries and by 39·4% to 31 961 for unintentional injuries). In the high-SDI quintile in 2010–19, the rate per 100 000 of transport injury DALYs was reduced by 16·7%, from 838 in 2010 to 699 in 2019. This was a substantially slower pace of reduction compared with the 48·5% reduction between 1990 and 2010, from 1626 per 100 000 in 1990 to 838 per 100 000 in 2010. Between 2010 and 2019, the rate of unintentional injury DALYs per 100 000 also remained largely unchanged in high-SDI countries (555 in 2010 vs 554 in 2019; 0·2% reduction). The number and rate of adolescent deaths and DALYs owing to environmental heat and cold exposure increased for the high-SDI quintile during 2010–19. Interpretation: As other causes of mortality are addressed, inadequate progress in reducing transport and unintentional injury mortality as a proportion of adolescent deaths becomes apparent. The relative shift in the burden of injury from high-SDI countries to low and low–middle-SDI countries necessitates focused action, including global donor, government, and industry investment in injury prevention. The persisting burden of DALYs related to transport and unintentional injuries indicates a need to prioritise innovative measures for the primary prevention of adolescent injury. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background: In an era of shifting global agendas and expanded emphasis on non-communicable diseases and injuries along with communicable diseases, sound evidence on trends by cause at the national level is essential. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) provides a systematic scientific assessment of published, publicly available, and contributed data on incidence, prevalence, and mortality for a mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive list of diseases and injuries. Methods: GBD estimates incidence, prevalence, mortality, years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to 369 diseases and injuries, for two sexes, and for 204 countries and territories. Input data were extracted from censuses, household surveys, civil registration and vital statistics, disease registries, health service use, air pollution monitors, satellite imaging, disease notifications, and other sources. Cause-specific death rates and cause fractions were calculated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model and spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression. Cause-specific deaths were adjusted to match the total all-cause deaths calculated as part of the GBD population, fertility, and mortality estimates. Deaths were multiplied by standard life expectancy at each age to calculate YLLs. A Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, was used to ensure consistency between incidence, prevalence, remission, excess mortality, and cause-specific mortality for most causes. Prevalence estimates were multiplied by disability weights for mutually exclusive sequelae of diseases and injuries to calculate YLDs. We considered results in the context of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income per capita, years of schooling, and fertility rate in females younger than 25 years. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered 1000 draw values of the posterior distribution. Findings: Global health has steadily improved over the past 30 years as measured by age-standardised DALY rates. After taking into account population growth and ageing, the absolute number of DALYs has remained stable. Since 2010, the pace of decline in global age-standardised DALY rates has accelerated in age groups younger than 50 years compared with the 1990–2010 time period, with the greatest annualised rate of decline occurring in the 0–9-year age group. Six infectious diseases were among the top ten causes of DALYs in children younger than 10 years in 2019: lower respiratory infections (ranked second), diarrhoeal diseases (third), malaria (fifth), meningitis (sixth), whooping cough (ninth), and sexually transmitted infections (which, in this age group, is fully accounted for by congenital syphilis; ranked tenth). In adolescents aged 10–24 years, three injury causes were among the top causes of DALYs: road injuries (ranked first), self-harm (third), and interpersonal violence (fifth). Five of the causes that were in the top ten for ages 10–24 years were also in the top ten in the 25–49-year age group: road injuries (ranked first), HIV/AIDS (second), low back pain (fourth), headache disorders (fifth), and depressive disorders (sixth). In 2019, ischaemic heart disease and stroke were the top-ranked causes of DALYs in both the 50–74-year and 75-years-and-older age groups. Since 1990, there has been a marked shift towards a greater proportion of burden due to YLDs from non-communicable diseases and injuries. In 2019, there were 11 countries where non-communicable disease and injury YLDs constituted more than half of all disease burden. Decreases in age-standardised DALY rates have accelerated over the past decade in countries at the lower end of the SDI range, while improvements have started to stagnate or even reverse in countries with higher SDI. Interpretation: As disability becomes an increasingly large component of disease burden and a larger component of health expenditure, greater research and developm nt investment is needed to identify new, more effective intervention strategies. With a rapidly ageing global population, the demands on health services to deal with disabling outcomes, which increase with age, will require policy makers to anticipate these changes. The mix of universal and more geographically specific influences on health reinforces the need for regular reporting on population health in detail and by underlying cause to help decision makers to identify success stories of disease control to emulate, as well as opportunities to improve. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens

Measuring universal health coverage based on an index of effective coverage of health services in 204 countries and territories, 1990–2019 : A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves all people receiving the health services they need, of high quality, without experiencing financial hardship. Making progress towards UHC is a policy priority for both countries and global institutions, as highlighted by the agenda of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13). Measuring effective coverage at the health-system level is important for understanding whether health services are aligned with countries' health profiles and are of sufficient quality to produce health gains for populations of all ages. Methods Based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019, we assessed UHC effective coverage for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Drawing from a measurement framework developed through WHO's GPW13 consultation, we mapped 23 effective coverage indicators to a matrix representing health service types (eg, promotion, prevention, and treatment) and five population-age groups spanning from reproductive and newborn to older adults (≥65 years). Effective coverage indicators were based on intervention coverage or outcome-based measures such as mortality-to-incidence ratios to approximate access to quality care; outcome-based measures were transformed to values on a scale of 0–100 based on the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile of location-year values. We constructed the UHC effective coverage index by weighting each effective coverage indicator relative to its associated potential health gains, as measured by disability-adjusted life-years for each location-year and population-age group. For three tests of validity (content, known-groups, and convergent), UHC effective coverage index performance was generally better than that of other UHC service coverage indices from WHO (ie, the current metric for SDG indicator 3.8.1 on UHC service coverage), the World Bank, and GBD 2017. We quantified frontiers of UHC effective coverage performance on the basis of pooled health spending per capita, representing UHC effective coverage index levels achieved in 2019 relative to country-level government health spending, prepaid private expenditures, and development assistance for health. To assess current trajectories towards the GPW13 UHC billion target—1 billion more people benefiting from UHC by 2023—we estimated additional population equivalents with UHC effective coverage from 2018 to 2023. Findings Globally, performance on the UHC effective coverage index improved from 45·8 (95% uncertainty interval 44·2–47·5) in 1990 to 60·3 (58·7–61·9) in 2019, yet country-level UHC effective coverage in 2019 still spanned from 95 or higher in Japan and Iceland to lower than 25 in Somalia and the Central African Republic. Since 2010, sub-Saharan Africa showed accelerated gains on the UHC effective coverage index (at an average increase of 2·6% [1·9–3·3] per year up to 2019); by contrast, most other GBD super-regions had slowed rates of progress in 2010–2019 relative to 1990–2010. Many countries showed lagging performance on effective coverage indicators for non-communicable diseases relative to those for communicable diseases and maternal and child health, despite non-communicable diseases accounting for a greater proportion of potential health gains in 2019, suggesting that many health systems are not keeping pace with the rising non-communicable disease burden and associated population health needs. In 2019, the UHC effective coverage index was associated with pooled health spending per capita (r=0·79), although countries across the development spectrum had much lower UHC effective coverage than is potentially achievable relative to their health spending. Under maximum efficiency of translating health spending into UHC effective coverage performance, countries would need to reach $1398 pooled health spending per capita (US$ adjusted for purchasing power parity) in order to achieve 80 on the UHC effective coverage index. From 2018 to 2023, an estimated 388·9 million (358·6–421·3) more population equivalents would have UHC effective coverage, falling well short of the GPW13 target of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC during this time. Current projections point to an estimated 3·1 billion (3·0–3·2) population equivalents still lacking UHC effective coverage in 2023, with nearly a third (968·1 million [903·5–1040·3]) residing in south Asia. Interpretation The present study demonstrates the utility of measuring effective coverage and its role in supporting improved health outcomes for all people—the ultimate goal of UHC and its achievement. Global ambitions to accelerate progress on UHC service coverage are increasingly unlikely unless concerted action on non-communicable diseases occurs and countries can better translate health spending into improved performance. Focusing on effective coverage and accounting for the world's evolving health needs lays the groundwork for better understanding how close—or how far—all populations are in benefiting from UHC

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Global development goals increasingly rely on country-specific estimates for benchmarking a nation's progress. To meet this need, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 estimated global, regional, national, and, for selected locations, subnational cause-specific mortality beginning in the year 1980. Here we report an update to that study, making use of newly available data and improved methods. GBD 2017 provides a comprehensive assessment of cause-specific mortality for 282 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2017. Methods The causes of death database is composed of vital registration (VR), verbal autopsy (VA), registry, survey, police, and surveillance data. GBD 2017 added ten VA studies, 127 country-years of VR data, 502 cancer-registry country-years, and an additional surveillance country-year. Expansions of the GBD cause of death hierarchy resulted in 18 additional causes estimated for GBD 2017. Newly available data led to subnational estimates for five additional countries Ethiopia, Iran, New Zealand, Norway, and Russia. Deaths assigned International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for non-specific, implausible, or intermediate causes of death were reassigned to underlying causes by redistribution algorithms that were incorporated into uncertainty estimation. We used statistical modelling tools developed for GBD, including the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODErn), to generate cause fractions and cause specific death rates for each location, year, age, and sex. Instead of using UN estimates as in previous versions, GBD 2017 independently estimated population size and fertility rate for all locations. Years of life lost (YLLs) were then calculated as the sum of each death multiplied by the standard life expectancy at each age. All rates reported here are age-standardised. Findings At the broadest grouping of causes of death (Level 1), non-communicable diseases (NC Ds) comprised the greatest fraction of deaths, contributing to 73.4% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 72.5-74.1) of total deaths in 2017, while communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional (CMNN) causes accounted for 186% (17.9-19.6), and injuries 8.0% (7.7-8.2). Total numbers of deaths from NCD causes increased from 2007 to 2017 by 22.7% (21.5-23.9), representing an additional 7.61 million (7. 20-8.01) deaths estimated in 2017 versus 2007. The death rate from NCDs decreased globally by 7.9% (7.08.8). The number of deaths for CMNN causes decreased by 222% (20.0-24.0) and the death rate by 31.8% (30.1-33.3). Total deaths from injuries increased by 2.3% (0-5-4-0) between 2007 and 2017, and the death rate from injuries decreased by 13.7% (12.2-15.1) to 57.9 deaths (55.9-59.2) per 100 000 in 2017. Deaths from substance use disorders also increased, rising from 284 000 deaths (268 000-289 000) globally in 2007 to 352 000 (334 000-363 000) in 2017. Between 2007 and 2017, total deaths from conflict and terrorism increased by 118.0% (88.8-148.6). A greater reduction in total deaths and death rates was observed for some CMNN causes among children younger than 5 years than for older adults, such as a 36.4% (32.2-40.6) reduction in deaths from lower respiratory infections for children younger than 5 years compared with a 33.6% (31.2-36.1) increase in adults older than 70 years. Globally, the number of deaths was greater for men than for women at most ages in 2017, except at ages older than 85 years. Trends in global YLLs reflect an epidemiological transition, with decreases in total YLLs from enteric infections, respirator}, infections and tuberculosis, and maternal and neonatal disorders between 1990 and 2017; these were generally greater in magnitude at the lowest levels of the Socio-demographic Index (SDI). At the same time, there were large increases in YLLs from neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases. YLL rates decreased across the five leading Level 2 causes in all SDI quintiles. The leading causes of YLLs in 1990 neonatal disorders, lower respiratory infections, and diarrhoeal diseases were ranked second, fourth, and fifth, in 2017. Meanwhile, estimated YLLs increased for ischaemic heart disease (ranked first in 2017) and stroke (ranked third), even though YLL rates decreased. Population growth contributed to increased total deaths across the 20 leading Level 2 causes of mortality between 2007 and 2017. Decreases in the cause-specific mortality rate reduced the effect of population growth for all but three causes: substance use disorders, neurological disorders, and skin and subcutaneous diseases. Interpretation Improvements in global health have been unevenly distributed among populations. Deaths due to injuries, substance use disorders, armed conflict and terrorism, neoplasms, and cardiovascular disease are expanding threats to global health. For causes of death such as lower respiratory and enteric infections, more rapid progress occurred for children than for the oldest adults, and there is continuing disparity in mortality rates by sex across age groups. Reductions in the death rate of some common diseases are themselves slowing or have ceased, primarily for NCDs, and the death rate for selected causes has increased in the past decade. Copyright (C) 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe