Efficiency assessment of the Brazilian industry regarding their revenue generation and performance in safety and health management programs through DEA method / Avaliação da eficiência da indústria brasileira em relação à geração de receita e desempenho em programas de gestão de segurança e saúde através do método DEA

After the financial crisis in the 2000’s that was dispersed by the global economy have been exposed weaknesses in the countries’ economies, which in an abundance stage were not as noticeable. This has led several governments, including from developed countries (EU and USA) to promote new economic reforms to avoid and reduce the recession impacts such as unemployment, export incomes falling and decline of the economy as a whole. The reindustrialization movements have been the main tool of most of these proposals to economy reactivation, but it is not simply reactivating obsolete and unsafe industrial plants, unlike the reindustrialization is based on the idea of creating a new industrial structure with higher productivity on the one hand, but without loss due to occupational accidents and diseases that marked the ancient and primitive industrialization cycle worldwide. Thus, in this article it is used a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model as a tool in order to identify Brazilian industry’s benchmarks that would share best practices in terms of revenue generation as well on health and safety performance, to assure finally more competitiveness to Brazilian industry. The benchmarks identified by DEA model should be deeply studied hereafter to characterize which of their practices would be compatible with the new and desirable reindustrialization cycle to dynamize the Brazilian economy

Efficiency assessment of the Brazilian industry regarding their revenue generation and performance in safety and health management programs through DEA method / Avaliação da eficiência da indústria brasileira em relação à geração de receita e desempenho em programas de gestão de segurança e saúde através do método DEA

After the financial crisis in the 2000’s that was dispersed by the global economy have been exposed weaknesses in the countries’ economies, which in an abundance stage were not as noticeable. This has led several governments, including from developed countries (EU and USA) to promote new economic reforms to avoid and reduce the recession impacts such as unemployment, export incomes falling and decline of the economy as a whole. The reindustrialization movements have been the main tool of most of these proposals to economy reactivation, but it is not simply reactivating obsolete and unsafe industrial plants, unlike the reindustrialization is based on the idea of creating a new industrial structure with higher productivity on the one hand, but without loss due to occupational accidents and diseases that marked the ancient and primitive industrialization cycle worldwide. Thus, in this article it is used a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model as a tool in order to identify Brazilian industry’s benchmarks that would share best practices in terms of revenue generation as well on health and safety performance, to assure finally more competitiveness to Brazilian industry. The benchmarks identified by DEA model should be deeply studied hereafter to characterize which of their practices would be compatible with the new and desirable reindustrialization cycle to dynamize the Brazilian economy

Modelo meritocrático de progressão salarial baseado em método multicritério para equipes de alto desempenho / Meritocratic model of salary progression based on multicriteria method for high performance teams

Neste artigo é feito o emprego do método multicritério ELECTRE TRI-B para auxílio a tomada de decisão em processos de classificação de empregados de alto desempenho em processos de administração de recursos humanos. É apresentado o processo instituído para reconhecimento e recompensa mediante avanço de nível salarial por alto desempenho com a aplicação do algoritmo ELECTRE TRI-B com o uso de planilhas eletrônicas especialmente desenvolvidas para esta aplicação. A aplicação do método ELECTRE TRI-B obteve-se resultados muito aderentes às melhores práticas de recompensa e revela o equilíbrio com que tal processo pode ser realizado de forma isenta e com foco na valorização da meritocracia

Estruturação de um programa de segurança de processo a partir da modelagem quantitativa de riscos em planta química de produção de cloro-álcali por tecnologia de membranas / Structuring of a process safety program from the quantitative modeling of risks in a chemical plant for the production of chlor-alkali by membrane technology

Este artigo trata da estruturação de um programa de segurança de processo na indústria química de cloro-álcali. A despeito de proporcionar uma visão geral de todo o processo, é dada uma maior ênfase ao estudo de identificação de perigos e riscos nas instalações da estocagem de cloro de uma planta química de produção de cloro por tecnologia de membranas. O estudo envolveu o método da pesquisa-ação e como estratégia de coleta de dados serviu-se de visitações para reconhecimento às instalações, entrevistas informais com os trabalhadores do local, registros fotográficos, levantamentos de requisitos técnico-legais. Como técnica de análise para a etapa qualitativa utilizou-se a Análise Preliminar de Perigos, classicamente também conhecida como Análise Preliminar de Riscos e para a etapa quantitativa foi feito o emprego do software PHAST, que se utiliza do modelo de dispersão unificado (UDM - Unified Dispersion Model), que é um modelo matemático de parâmetros concentrados usando relações semi empíricas. Através das simulações de cenários são verificadas as eficiências de cada medida mitigadora recomendada com vistas a se ter a maior redução possível de risco de liberações não intencionais de cloro

Chagasic Thymic Atrophy Does Not Affect Negative Selection but Results in the Export of Activated CD4+CD8+ T Cells in Severe Forms of Human Disease

Extrathymic CD4+CD8+ double-positive (DP) T cells are increased in some pathophysiological conditions, including infectious diseases. In the murine model of Chagas disease, it has been shown that the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is able to target the thymus and induce alterations of the thymic microenvironment and the lymphoid compartment. In the acute phase, this results in a severe atrophy of the organ and early release of DP cells into the periphery. To date, the effect of the changes promoted by the parasite infection on thymic central tolerance has remained elusive. Herein we show that the intrathymic key elements that are necessary to promote the negative selection of thymocytes undergoing maturation during the thymopoiesis remains functional during the acute chagasic thymic atrophy. Intrathymic expression of the autoimmune regulator factor (Aire) and tissue-restricted antigen (TRA) genes is normal. In addition, the expression of the proapoptotic Bim protein in thymocytes was not changed, revealing that the parasite infection-induced thymus atrophy has no effect on these marker genes necessary to promote clonal deletion of T cells. In a chicken egg ovalbumin (OVA)-specific T-cell receptor (TCR) transgenic system, the administration of OVA peptide into infected mice with thymic atrophy promoted OVA-specific thymocyte apoptosis, further indicating normal negative selection process during the infection. Yet, although the intrathymic checkpoints necessary for thymic negative selection are present in the acute phase of Chagas disease, we found that the DP cells released into the periphery acquire an activated phenotype similar to what is described for activated effector or memory single-positive T cells. Most interestingly, we also demonstrate that increased percentages of peripheral blood subset of DP cells exhibiting an activated HLA-DR+ phenotype are associated with severe cardiac forms of human chronic Chagas disease. These cells may contribute to the immunopathological events seen in the Chagas disease

Process risk analysis modeling by Bayesian approach in oil and gas production systems

A presente tese apresenta uma metodologia de abordagem por meio da técnica de redes bayesianas para avaliação da integridade de barreiras de poços produtores de petróleo e gás, considerando um contexto de condições construtivas e operacionais que se assemelham às que tipicamente vem sendo utilizadas nos desenvolvimentos de produção do polo pré-sal da Bacia de Santos. O escopo da pesquisa inclui o desenvolvimento de um modelo físico próprio para os componentes dos conjuntos solidários de barreiras dos poços, contemplando seus elementos ativos e passivos e também considera as diferentes trajetórias de vazamentos que podem se estabelecer. Como os conjuntos solidários de barreiras tem sua composição variável segundo as diferentes fases do ciclo de vida do poço, a modelagem empregada neste estudo foi na centrada na fase de produção, entre outros motivos por ser a fase que se espera ser mais longa do ciclo vida do poço. São identificados os variados modos de falha, que individualmente ou de forma combinada, degradam a integridade dos conjuntos solidários de barreiras (CSB) e, que pelas premissas consideradas no modelo físico, favoreçam a ocorrência de perdas de contenção de hidrocarbonetos, pelo estabelecimento de comunicações não intencionais desde o reservatório até o meio ambiente externo circunvizinho ao poço. Foram utilizadas diferentes bases de dados internacionais especializadas de confiabilidade que cobrem o escopo de equipamentos de completação de poço para se obter os registros das taxas de falhas correspondentes aos modos de falha de interesse do modelo. Para os casos de modos de falhas e equipamentos de completação não identificados nas bases de dados recorreu-se à opinião de especialistas com experiência reconhecida. Com as taxas de falhas obtidas para os componentes de barreira, que podem ser modelados como reparáveis, não-reparáveis, testados periodicamente ou falhando sob demanda, são estimadas as probabilidades de falha a priori, as quais são atribuídas aos nós pais do modelo de falhas por redes bayesianas. Para a operacionalização do modelo bayesiano discreto foi utilizado o código computacional NETICA® para estimar as probabilidades de falha a posteriori dos nós filhos estabelecidos na rede e assim, se estabelece uma forma de avaliar a indisponibilidade média do conjunto solidário de barreiras do poço. A partir da avaliação da indisponibilidade média do CSB do poço, feita nesta pesquisa, um elenco de propostas de diferentes medidas de caráter preventivo e mitigador, que a seu tempo possibilitam tomadas de decisões que favoreçam a segurança de processo do sistema estudado através de um processo abrangente de gerenciamento de riscosThis doctoral thesis presents a methodology of approach through the Bayesian networks technique to evaluate the integrity of barriers of oil and gas producing wells, considering a context of constructive and operational similar conditions those used in the development of the production at the pre-salt pole in the Santos Basin. The scope of this research includes the development of a proper physical model for the components of well barriers schematic, considering their active and passive elements and also the different paths of leaks that can be established. As the well barriers schematic (WBS) have their composition varying according to the different phases of the life cycle of the well, the model used in this study was focused on the production phase, among other reasons because it is the phase that is expected to be the longest in the life cycle well. The various failure modes, individually or in combination, degrade the integrity of well barriers schematic and, through the assumptions keeped in mind in the creation of physical model, favor the occurrence of hydrocarbon containment losses, by establishing communications from the reservoir to the external environment surrounding the well. Different specialized international reliability databases covering the scope of well completion equipment are used to obtain the failure rate records corresponding to the failure modes of interest of the model. For cases of failure modes and typology of completion equipment not identified in searched databases, the opinion of experts with recognized experience has been used. From the failure rates obtained for the barrier components, which can be modeled as repairable, nonrepairable, periodically tested or failing on demand, has been calculated the priori probabilities of a failure, which are assigned to the parent nodes in failure model by Bayesian networks. For operation of the discrete Bayesian model builded, the NETICA® computational code has been used to estimate the posteriori probabilities of failure to the child nodes established in the network, and thus, a way of assessing the unavailability of well barriers schematic is established. From assessment of average unavailability of the WBS, performed in this research, it is possible to make a list of proposals of different measures of preventive and mitigating purpose, that in their time make possible decisions that favor the process safety through a comprehensive process of risk management.222 p