Effect of process parameters on mechanical properties of AA5052 joints using underwater friction stir welding

Underwater Friction Stir Welding (UFSW) is a solid-state joining technique which uses a non-consumable tool to weld metals. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate the mechanical properties of the AA5052 Aluminium alloy joints prepared by UFSW. The effect of different type of welding tools and welding parameters on the weld joint properties are studied. Square, tapered cylindrical and taper threaded cylindrical type of welding tools have been used to produce the joints with the tool rotational speed varying from 500 rpm to 2000 rpm while the welding speed varying from 50 mm/min to 150 mm/min. Tensile strength, micro-hardness distribution, fracture features, micro-and macrostructure of the fabricated weld joints have been evaluated. The effect of welding process parameters that influences the mechanical properties and fracture characterization of the joints are explained in detail. A maximum Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) value of 222.07 MPa is attained with a gauge elongation of 14.78%. Microstructural evaluation revealed that most of the fracture are found on the thermal mechanically affected zone (TMAZ)adjacent to the weld nugget zone (WNZ) due to bigger grain sizes. It is found that most of the joints exhibit ductile characteristics in failure. Fractography analysis has been used to find the behavior of weld joints in failure

Oral Health of Drug Abusers: A Review of Health Effects and Care

Peer reviewe

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI <18·5 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). For schoolaged children and adolescents, we report thinness (BMI <2 SD below the median of the WHO growth reference) and obesity (BMI >2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining underweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesit

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

The Properties of Cast Iron and Their Relevance to the Condition Assessment of Water Mains.

This portfolio of work presents an investigation of some of the factors influencing the service life and performance of cast iron potable water pipes (trunk mains) in order to inform the management of such important assets. A literature review was carried out in order to clarify the direction of the investigation. This covered the metallurgy of cast irons, mechanical properties and corrosion behaviour, as these are all important parameters to consider in the context of the performance of cast iron pipes in service. From the review, it was concluded that a better understanding of microstructure property relationships was required, in particular with regard to fracture and fatigue behaviour and the performance in a corrosive environment. Hence lines of research were developed to investigate these phenomena, using cast iron material sourced from nine, ex-service, trunk mains all of which had experienced some degree of in-service corrosion. The nine pipes were considered to represent reasonable samples of the types and ages of trunk main that are still in service in the Thames Water region. In the course of the microstructural work, the composition and metallurgy of the nine cast irons (proportions of ferrite, pearlite, graphite and eutectic present) were examined using a range of techniques and the graphite morphologies were characterised in accordance with ASTM standards. The sample set showed a wide range of microstructures, in particular the pearlite content ranged from 13% to 80%. A variety of flake and rosette graphite morphologies was revealed. With regard to the mechanical properties, a detailed investigation of the fracture and fatigue behaviour has been carried out using a Single-Edge-Notch Bend geometry. Fracture toughness values in the range of 15 to 25 MN/m3/2 were measured, with the higher values corresponding to higher pearlite content. Fatigue crack growth was investigated using crack propagation gauges and the Paris relation parameters were determined for a representative set of materials. Calculations of fatigue life based on the integration of the Paris law were then carried out and compared with previously published data for samples from cast iron distribution mains. Based on the results, it is suggested that fatigue crack growth in isolation may not be a major contributory factor to the failure of pipes in service. The corrosion behaviour of a number of cast irons in environments (aerated water, static water and a salt solution) representative of a range of service conditions was also investigated. The corrosion rates and associated mechanisms were influenced by environment and cast iron microstructure. The measured corrosion rates were in the range 0.07 to 0.7 mm/year. It is suggested that pipes with pearlitic microstructure and rosette graphite morphology are more susceptible to corrosion. Over decades in service these corrosion rates will lead to significant loss of section and have implications for mechanical performance and, as a consequence, asset management