Search

INTRODUCTION: Smoking poses a serious threat to cardiovascular health. The aim of the study is to evaluate the global, regional, and national burden of smoking-attributable cardiovascular disease (CVD) and set priorities for future tobacco control. METHODS: Data on deaths and years lived with disability (YLDs) for smoking-related CVD from 1990 to 2021, including age-standardized rates (ASRs), were sourced from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. This study is a secondary descriptive analysis of the GBD 2021 data. We used the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) to reflect temporal trends in disease burden and conducted a sensitivity analysis using the average annual percentage change (AAPC) to corroborate the findings. We also analyzed the relationship between disease burden and the Sociodemographic Index (SDI). RESULTS: In 2021, smoking-related CVD caused 2.25 million deaths and 3.09 million YLDs globally, marking increases of 26.16% and 59.73% from 1990, respectively. However, from 1990 to 2021, the global age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized years lived with disability rate (ASYR) for smoking-related CVDs decreased, with EAPCs of -1.94 and -0.92, respectively. Between 1990 and 2021, Australasia and Tropical Latin America experienced the largest declines in ASMR and ASYR, with EAPCs of -5.54 and -2.63, respectively, while Lesotho and Mali had the largest increases, with EAPCs of 2.68 and 1.67, respectively. Throughout the period, the burden of smoking-related CVD was consistently higher in men. Moreover, the trend of decline in disease burden was slower in men compared to women (EAPC for ASMR: -1.78 for men vs -3.25 for women). In 2021, countries with higher SDI also had higher ASYR. CONCLUSIONS: Although the global burden of smoking-related CVD has declined over the past three decades, the challenge remains severe, particularly in less developed countries and regions. More proactive and effective tobacco control measures should be urgently implemented in countries where the burden of smoking-related CVD is severe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the surge in tasks for in-vehicle terminals, the resulting network congestion and time delay cannot meet the service needs of users. Offloading algorithms are introduced to handle vehicular tasks, which will greatly improve the above problems. In this paper, the dependencies of vehicular tasks are represented as directed acyclic graphs, and network slices are integrated within the edge server. The Dynamic Selection Slicing-based Offloading Algorithm for in-vehicle tasks in MEC (DSSO) is proposed. First, a computational offloading model for vehicular tasks is established based on available resources, wireless channel state, and vehicle loading level. Second, the solution of the model is transformed into a Markov decision process, and the combination of the DQN algorithm and Dueling Network from deep reinforcement learning is used to select the appropriate slices and dynamically update the optimal offloading strategy for in-vehicle tasks in the effective interval. Finally, an experimental environment is set up to compare the DSSO algorithm with LOCAL, MINCO, and DJROM, the results show that the system energy consumption of DSSO algorithm resources is reduced by 10.31%, the time latency is decreased by 22.75%, and the ratio of dropped tasks is decreased by 28.71%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fabrication of micro-holes in silicon substrates that have a proper taper, higher depth-to-diameter ratio, and better surface quality has been attracting intense interest for a long time due to its importance in the semiconductor and MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) industry. In this paper, an experimental investigation of the machining performance of the direct and chemical-assisted picosecond laser trepanning of single crystalline silicon is conducted, with a view to assess the two machining methods. The relevant parameters affecting the trepanning process are considered, employing the orthogonal experimental design scheme. It is found that the direct laser trepanning results are associated with evident thermal defects, while the chemical-assisted method is capable of machining micro-holes with negligible thermal damage. Range analysis is then carried out, and the effects of the processing parameters on the hole characteristics are amply discussed to obtain the recommended parameters. Finally, the material removal mechanisms that are involved in the two machining methods are adequately analyzed. For the chemical-assisted trepanning case, the enhanced material removal rate may be attributed to the serious mechanical effects caused by the liquid-confined plasma and cavitation bubbles, and the chemical etching effect provided by NaOH solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]