Effect of Textures and Microstructures on the Occurrence of Delamination during and after Fracture Toughness Tests of API X80 Steel Plates

The API 5 L X80 is a high strength microalloyed steel, widely used in the gas and oil industry to fabricate pipelines. This steel presents a combination of elevated strength and toughness. In the present investigation, the microstructural features, fracture toughness and delamination occurrence of two X80 grade steel plates with different processing routes and chemical composition were studied. The first steel depicted a homogenous bainitic matrix and the second steel exhibited a banded microstructure composed of elongated ferrite grains, with macrosegregation in the mid-plane of the plates. Fracture toughness tests were conducted for both steels on 7-mm and 15-mm thick samples. The orientation distribution functions analysis revealed crystallographic intensity distribution of the austenite to ferrite transformation texture, especially the alpha-fiber ( || rolling direction) which explained the anisotropy and delamination occurrences. Both processed plates of steel presented the alpha-fiber due to hot-rolling of plates. Delaminations occurrences were further investigated and attributed to a strong {100} orientation presence despite microstructure homogeneity. A schematic model was proposed, showing the source of delamination and the reason for the lowest toughness for 45° to the rolling direction

Pulsed FCAW of Martensitic Stainless Clads onto Mild Steel: Microstructure, Hardness, and Residual Stresses

The low carbon martensitic stainless AWS 410NiMo steel has in its chemical composition 13% chromium, 4% nickel, and 0.4% molybdenum (wt.%) and is used in turbine recovery, rotors, and high-pressure steam pump housings due to its resistance to impact at low temperatures, as well as to corrosion and cavitation. Those applications of the AWS 410NiMo steel frequently demand repair, which is performed by welding or cladding. Arc welding is a well-established technique for joining materials and presents several parameters that influence the mechanical performance of the weld bead. Although numerous welding processes exist, optimizing welding parameters for specific applications and materials is always challenging. The present work deals with a systematic study to verify the correlation between the pulsed fluxed core arc welding (FCAW) parameters, namely pulse current and frequency, welding speed, and contact tip work distance (CTWD), and the bead morphology, microstructure formation, residual stress, and hardness of the martensitic clad. The substrate used was the AISI 1020 steel, and the AWS 410NiMo steel was the filler metal for clad deposition. From the initial nine (9) samples, three (3) were selected for in-depth characterization. Lower heat input resulted in lower dilution, more elevated hardness, and lower compressive residual stresses. Therefore, the results highlight the need for selecting the proper heat input, even when using a pulsed FCAW procedure, to achieve the desired performance of the clad. In the present case, a higher heat input appears to be more advantageous owing to the lower convexity index, smooth hardness transition between fusion and heat-affected zones in addition to more elevated compressive stresses.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Nb-API X70 low carbon steel

The oil and gas production has grown steadily, and the care with its transportation grid needs to be maintained and expanded. The pipeline used in the transport of gas and oil by-product requires materials with high mechanical strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance. The chemical composition and distribution, amount, and morphology of the final microconstituents of the steel are of paramount importance once it will directly influence the mechanical properties. The fracture toughness is one of the most important mechanical properties for the suitability of the steel for pipeline usage, and is most of the literature with pipelines study does not present tests such as crack tip opening displacement (CTOD), with a steady and controlled crack growth behavior, to evaluate its fracture toughness. This study compares the fracture toughness of the API 5L X70 steel between two plates of steel with different Nb content, 0.06 and 0.09 Nb wt.% by CTOD tests. The mechanical response was correlated to the grain size and distribution. The CTOD parameter was used to assess the fracture toughness at 25 °C and - 60 °C. The microstructures and microconstituents of the two plates of steel were similar. The matrices were composed of ferrite, with bands of secondary products, including degenerated pearlite. Results showed a prone to the formation of a bimodal microstructure, coarse and fine grains, due to the addition of Nb. High-Nb steel presented better fracture toughness than normal-Nb steel at low-temperature.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

EBSD-data analysis of an additive manufactured maraging 300 steel submitted to different tempering and aging treatments

Maraging is a high alloy steel sensitive to the precipitation of intermetallics from a supersaturated solid solution during aging heat treatments. The precipitation phenomenon is well described in the literature, which gave rise to the alloy name regarding a martensite matrix with precipitates formed by aging treatment. Many studies have been performed to characterize this material, usually subjected to many sample preparations for transmission microscopy, which is very laborious, and few EBSD analyses.This research was funded by FAPESP grants (2017/17697-5, 2019/00691-0, and 2020/09079- 2) and was supported by LNNano – Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (CNPEM/MCTI) during the use of the electron microscopy open access facility. F. Conde acknowledges the Ph.D. scholarship CNPq 142440/2019-1. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) -Finance Code 001. In addition, JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling, and Nanofabrication – i3N. Finally, Julian A. Avila is a Serra Hunter Fellow and a CNPq fellow.Postprint (published version

Make EU trade with Brazil sustainable

Brazil, home to one of the planet's last great forests, is currently in trade negotiations with its second largest trading partner, the European Union (EU). We urge the EU to seize this critical opportunity to ensure that Brazil protects human rights and the environment

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally