Hydal Aluminium Profiler (Norway)

To assess the effects of using post-consumer scrap in common wrought aluminium alloys, simulated recycled 6082 and 6005 alloys were produced with added common impurity elements Fe, Cu and Zn in amounts of 0.1 to 0.2 wt pct. They were investigated and compared to their primary alloy counterparts with respect to microstructure, mechanical properties and intergranular corrosion resistance. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography were used to measure grain structure, primary- and dispersoid particles, hardening precipitates and solute distribution in the microstructure. Through process modelling was conducted to rationalize the effects of the impurities on the microstructure constituents. In both alloy groups Fe was responsible for an increase in the density and volume fraction of primary particles. The increased Cu level in 6082 led to a finer microstructure of hardening precipitates in the peak hardness condition and to a small hardness increase. Low amounts of Cu and Zn incorporate into the hardening precipitate phases. However, most Zn remained in solid solution, including in the precipitation free zones close to grain boundaries. This has been associated with a deterioration of intergranular corrosion resistance due to the galvanic coupling with Cu segregated at the grain boundary planes.

A hybrid modeling framework for predicting the mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si alloys, that blends physics-based and machine-learning models, is developed and tested. Motivated by a demand for post-consumer material (PCM) content in wrought aluminium applications, this work proposes, analyses, and discusses a parallel framework that applies an adaptive weighting coefficient derived from local observation density. Based on existing datasets from a range of Al-Mg-Si alloys, such a model is trained and tested in an iterative manner to study its robustness, by emulating a shift in observed alloy composition. The results indicate that the hybrid model is able to combine the interpolative strength of machine learning for cases similar to previous observations with the explorative strength of physics-based (Kampmann–Wagner Numerical) modeling for previously unobserved parameter combinations, as the hybrid model shows higher or similar accuracy than the best of its constituents across the majority of the sequence. The observed model characteristics are promising for predicting the effect of increased compositional variation inherent in PCM. Finally, possible future research is discussed.

In this study, the effect of Cu addition on the structures of atomic clusters and Guinier-Preston zones in Al-Mg-Si alloys and their connection to age-hardenability were studied by atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Cu addition promoted the formation of 1β” zones consisting of single structural units (eyes) of the β”-phase, as well as extended ‘Disordered Frank-Kasper’ (DFK) atomic clusters, in both naturally- and 90 °C pre-aged conditions. During a subsequent artificial aging at 175 °C, the DFK clusters dissolved, while β”-based precipitates were formed having Cu enrichment at several atomic sites. A refined precipitate distribution was achieved by Cu addition, suggesting that enhanced formation and thermal stabilization of β” structural units by Cu incorporation contributed to the enhanced age-hardenability in Cu-added alloys. • Atomic-scale STEM characterizations were performed to investigate the atomic clusters and GP-zones formed in Al-Mg-Si alloys with and without Cu. • Cu addition promoted the formation of 1β”-zones as well as extended DFK atomic clusters in both naturally- and 90 °C pre-aged conditions. • During a subsequent artificial aging at 175 °C, the DFK clusters would act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for β” in the initial stage of AA, which would be simultaneously dissolved. • β”-based precipitates finely and densely distributed in the Cu-added alloys, having Cu enrichment at several atomic sites. • Enhanced formation and thermal stabilization of 1β”-zones by Cu incorporation would enhance age-hardenability.

<bold>Introduction.</bold> We aimed to identify people at high COPD-risk through a brief self-assessment on an anonymous freely accessible website. The assessment incorporated select demographics, COPD risk factors, and the questionnaires mMRC, CAT, and K-BILD. <bold>Methods.</bold> Respondents with complete datasets were included. COPD risk was algorithmically classified as “high-risk” or “low-risk” based on age (≥35 vs <35 years), smoking/dust exposure, exacerbation history, and mMRC score. The high-risk for COPD group received a prompt recommending consulting their general practitioner. Comparisons were performed using chi-squared or ANOVA. <bold>Results.</bold> Of the 8779 responses collected between Oct 2018 and Nov 2024 (63% females), 799 reported a COPD diagnosis (mean age 64.1 years). The high-risk COPD group (n=6569), and the low-risk group (n=1411) were younger (58.4 and 54.6 years, respectively). Self-reported COPD was associated with fewer never smokers (7.1% vs 15.0% and 22.0%) and greater breathlessness and impairment of HRQoL (Figure). The high risk for COPD group had a profile close to the self-reported COPD cohort. <bold>Conclusions.</bold> Breathlessness and respiratory HRQoL differed only slightly between the algorithmically identified high-risk group and the self-reported COPD group. This supports the webtool`s potential for identifying undiagnosed COPD. Further validation is needed. <fig><object-id>erj;66/suppl_69/OA2245/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig>

Background: High social support is easily assessed and associated with a healthier lifestyle, including vaccination adherence. Similarly, immunization is a widely available public health statistic associated with healthier behaviors. However, the link between the hepatitis immunization status and social support needs to be explored. Methods: We assessed the association between levels of social support and hepatitis immunization status using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a cross-sectional multidisciplinary database publicly available for researchers. With 2005–2006 data, 2997 participants were included. Statistical analyses were conducted using STATA18.5v software, including the odds ratio of both univariable logistic regression and multivariable logistic regression. After adjusting for clinically relevant confounders, two distinct models were designed: 1) full immunization, and 2) incomplete immunization. Results: Multivariable analysis revealed significantly greater odds of high social support for participants fully or partially immunized against both hepatitis A and B: 3.15 (95% CI 1.03–9.66,p=0.04) and 3.35 (95% CI 1.15–9.75,p=0.03), respectively. Conclusion: Our findings show an association between vaccination and social support in both adjusted models. Individuals not vaccinated at all may behave differently from those willing to be, at least partially, immunized. It seems that a similar behavior that may lead to vaccination may also lead to increased social support. Therefore, our study suggests that hepatitis vaccination could perhaps be a surrogate marker for public-health-related outcomes.

The crystal structure of the sodium aluminium difluorosulfate NaAl(SO4)F2 has been determined from laboratory powder diffraction data. Its characterization allows for improving the monitoring of aluminium industrial production starting from cryolite. It is characterized by a perovskite single layer formed by the fluorine corner-sharing of [AlF4O2] octahedra with SO4 groups, and sodium as the interlayer content. This could be the n= 1 member of a possible new family of 2D perovskite materials AMn(SO4)F3n-1 (A+= Na, Li; M3+= Al, Fe, V, Cr), which remains to be confirmed.