Sub-xyphoid pleural drain determined better functional capacity and exercise tolerance with a smaller pulmonary shunt fraction and improved clinical outcomes compared with intercostal pleural drainage after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

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401Rev Bras Cir Cardiovasc | Braz J Cardiovasc SurgRev Bras Cir Cardiovasc 2013;28(3):401-

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This study evaluates the risk assessment of a hypothetical scenario where an off-site radioactive release occurs at a nuclear power plant. By using the code ARGOS (PDC-ARGOS) a numerical simulation was performed to simulate exposure conditions in an atmospheric plume of contamination. Crews on a rescue mission traverse the plume through a pre-defined path to evaluate the risk from a hypothetical radiological exposure. Applying a sophisticated epidemiological assessment methodology, radiation doses and risks on the teams were evaluated. Core variables such as gender, age, and radiation dose were considered in relation to specific morbidities. It was possible to propose a methodology capable of contributing to the reduction of risks to the personnel involved by connecting the results from the computer simulation and the epidemiological risk assessment.

This article presents an overview of the advantages of using Systems Engineering techniques to a product or an organization development, from the moment of its conception to its disposal. The Section 1 describes the work of a Systems Engineer in a project description, in other words, the project objectives identification, the techniques and tools that should be used and how simple and clear the requirements should be. The Section 2 presents the project stakeholders, who are the actors or organizations that contribute actively or passively, positively or negatively to the project, and the responsibility of the Systems Engineer, who must identify the stakeholders needs and provide one or more engineering solutions to meet these needs during the project lifecycle. The Section 3 discusses the quality of the requirements. Once identified the needs of the stakeholders, each one generates one or more requirements which must be written so as to be clear, concise and complete. Section 4 shows several engineering models which can be used on the process, such as: V model, Evolutionary model and Spiral model. Section 5 presents techniques used to identify the essential functions of the project from the requirements of stakeholders, and implement it by different architectures. The Section 6 shows that we can obtain alternatives of hardware and software implementations from physical architectures, closing the Systems Engineering process. The conclusion will present the skills or prerequisites that a Systems Engineer must have in order to perform his role, including qualified technical knowledge, human relationships, balance in the division of objectives, and others.