South Carolina Office of the State Treasurer Department of Internal Audit Policies and Procedures Manual

The purpose of this project is to develop a Policy and Procedures Manual as a written guidance for applicable and required procedures to identify processes which will improve the effectiveness of risk management, control, and governance process through the Department of Internal Audit of the South Carolina Office of the State Treasurer's Internal Audit functions.

Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual

The purpose of the Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual is to furnish guidance to all departments, divisions, sections, and offices of the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission in administering policies of the Commission and of the State of South Carolina. These policies and procedures are offered to provide a method of understanding administrative guidelines of the Commission and a structure for consistent application of rules and regulations to all employees. In addition, the contents of this manual are designed to serve as general guidelines for the proper and efficient conduct of administrative procedures.

South Carolina Motion Picture Incentive Act : Policies and Procedures

The purpose of South Carolina motion picture incentives is to bring economic benefit to the State of South Carolina by using South Carolina as a site for film and television production, promoting the hiring of South Carolina residents as staff, cast, and crew, and promoting the purchase of supplies and services from South Carolina companies.

Simplified Chinese lacquer techniques and Nanban style decoration on Luso-Asian objects from the late sixteenth or early seventeenth centuries

The meeting of multiple cultures and their mutual influence during the Portuguese expansion in Asia led to the emergence of different types of fusion styles in objects commissioned by the settlers, merchants, and religious orders present in Portuguese India. The east-Asian lacquer coatings of modestly sized wooden objects of various types dating from the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries have been analyzed as part of the research for a doctoral thesis that aims to establish their cultural and geographical attribution within the context of the Getty Conservation Institute’s lacquer research project. Among the objects were three seventeenthcentury lacquered trays from Portuguese museums and private collections that had previously been classified as Japanese Nanban, Chinese or Ryukyuan lacquers or even as Indo-Portuguese artifacts. The materials and techniques that were identified show close similarities with Chinese techniques mentioned in historic accounts — the only existing Ming Chinese Treatise on lacquering Xiushi lu and the eighteenth-century memoirs of the Jesuit priest d’Incarville. These nearly 400-year-old artifacts are among the first lacquered objects commissioned by Europeans and probably the first of Chinese origin. Their detailed technical study contributes to international lacquer research and complements existing knowledge and perceptions of the lacquering processes that were applied in response to an early European demand for exotic items.

ANALYSE THE VULNERABILITY IN THE MARANHÃO ILHA, BRAZIL, USING GIS TECHNIQUES AND GEOSPATIAL INFERENCE

Vulnerability and sustainability studies of an area help to assess both its level of exposure and capacity to support possible environmental impacts, and it is of primordial importance for proposals of the Legislation on Zoning, Allotment, Land Use/land cover, aiming to stimulate those areas indicated for urban growth, to discourage growth of overcrowded areas, to detect sections with restrictive use, as well as districts for permanent protection. This paper aims to analyze the vulnerability in the Maranhão Ilha, using GIS techniques, geospatial inference intersected with relevant social-environmental indicators.Estudos de vulnerabilidade e de sustentabilidade de uma área ajudam a avaliar o seu grau de exposição e sua capacidade de suporte a possíveis impactos ambientais, sendo fundamental para propostas de Lei de Zoneamento, Parcelamento, Uso e Ocupação do Solo, tendo por finalidade orientar as áreas onde deverá haver estímulo para o crescimento urbano; contenção da malha urbana; detecção de locais com possibilidade de uso restritivo, bem como locais de proteção permanente. Este trabalho propõe analisar o índice de vulnerabilidade a perda de solo da Ilha do Maranhão com base na metodologia proposta por (CREPANI, et al. 2001) e em técnicas de inferência espacial com apoio na AHP (Análise Hierárquica de Processo).

Calibration of the maximum carboxylation velocity (Vcmax) using data mining techniques and ecophysiological data from the Brazilian Semiarid region, for use in Dynamic Global Vegetation Models.

The semiarid region of northeastern Brazil, the Caatinga, is extremely important due to its biodiversity and endemism. Measurements of plant physiology are crucial to the calibration of Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) that are currently used to simulate the responses of vegetation in face of global changes. In a field work realized in an area of preserved Caatinga forest located in Petrolina, Pernambuco, measurements of carbon assimilation (in response to light and CO2) were performed on 11 individuals of Poincianella microphylla, a native species that is abundant in this region. These data were used to calibrate the maximum carboxylation velocity (Vcmax) used in the INLAND model. The calibration techniques used were Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), and data mining techniques as the Classification And Regression Tree (CART) and K-MEANS. The results were compared to the UNCALIBRATED model. It was found that simulated Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) reached 72% of observed GPP when using the calibrated Vcmax values, whereas the UNCALIBRATED approach accounted for 42% of observed GPP. Thus, this work shows the benefits of calibrating DGVMs using field ecophysiological measurements, especially in areas where field data is scarce or non-existent, such as in the Caatinga

Development and optimization of techniques and design parameters for the engineering of atmospheric pressure plasma devices for biomedical applications and plasma medicine

In the last decades, the possibility to generate plasma at atmospheric pressure gave rise to a new emerging field called plasma medicine; it deals with the application of cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPs) or plasma-activated solutions on or in the human body for therapeutic effects. Thanks to a blend of synergic biologically active agents and biocompatible temperatures, different CAP sources were successfully employed in many different biomedical applications such as dentistry, dermatology, wound healing, cancer treatment, blood coagulation, etc.… Despite their effectiveness has been verified in the above-mentioned biomedical applications, over the years, researchers throughout the world described numerous CAP sources which are still laboratory devices not optimized for the specific application. In this perspective, the aim of this dissertation was the development and the optimization of techniques and design parameters for the engineering of CAP sources for different biomedical applications and plasma medicine among which cancer treatment, dentistry and bioaerosol decontamination. In the first section, the discharge electrical parameters, the behavior of the plasma streamers and the liquid and the gas phase chemistry of a multiwire device for the treatment of liquids were performed. Moreover, two different plasma-activated liquids were used for the treatment of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer cells and fibroblasts to assess their selectivity. In the second section, in accordance with the most important standard regulations for medical devices, were reported the realization steps of a Plasma Gun device easy to handle and expected to be mounted on a tabletop device that could be used for dental clinical applications. In the third section, in relation to the current COVID-19 pandemic, were reported the first steps for the design, realization, and optimization of a dielectric barrier discharge source suitable for the treatment of different types of bioaerosol.

Impacts of trace element pollution on sewage sludge and soil-plant systems: developing remediation techniques and assessing plant uptake prevention measures

Trace Elements (TEs) pollution is a significant environmental concern due to its toxic effects on human and ecosystem health and its potential to bioaccumulate in the food chain and to threaten species survival, leading to a decline in biodiversity. Urban areas, industrial and mining activities, agricultural practices, all contribute to the release of TEs into the environment posing a significant risk to human health and ecosystems. Several techniques have been developed to control TEs into the environment. This work presents the findings of three-year PhD program that focused on research on TEs pollution. The study discusses three fundamental aspects related to this topic from the perspective of sustainable development, environmental and human health. (1) High levels of TEs contamination prevent the use of sewage sludge (SS) as a fertilizer in agriculture, despite its potential as a soil amendment. Developing effective techniques to manage TEs contamination in SS is critical to ensure its safe use in agriculture and promote resource efficiency through sludge reuse. Another purpose of the study was to evaluate different strategies to limit the TEs uptake by horticultural crops (specifically, Cucumis Melo L.). This study addressed the effect of seasonality, Trichoderma inoculation and clinoptilolite application on chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and lead (Pb) content of early- and late-ripening cultivars of Cucumis Melo L.. Finally, the accumulation of copper and the effect of its bioavailable fraction on bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere soil of two vineyards, featuring two different varieties of Vitis vinifera grown for varying lengths of time, were evaluated.

Analysis and development of interface components and procedures for the design and commissioning toolchains in automation systems

The objective of the thesis project, developed within the Line Control & Software Engineering team of G.D company, is to analyze and identify the appropriate tool to automate the HW configuration process using Beckhoff technologies by importing data from an ECAD tool. This would save a great deal of time, since the I/O topology created as part of the electrical planning is presently imported manually in the related SW project of the machine. Moreover, a manual import is more error-prone because of human mistake than an automatic configuration tool. First, an introduction about TwinCAT 3, EtherCAT and Automation Interface is provided; then, it is analyzed the official Beckhoff tool, XCAD Interface, and the requirements on the electrical planning to use it: the interface is realized by means of the AutomationML format. Finally, due to some limitations observed, the design and implementation of a company internal tool is performed. Tests and validation of the tool are performed on a sample production line of the company.

Axis control optimization: autotuning techniques and frequency response analysis of industrial mechatronic systems

In the field of industrial automation, there is an increasing need to use optimal control systems that have low tracking errors and low power and energy consumption. The motors we are dealing with are mainly Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSMs), controlled by 3 different types of controllers: a position controller, a speed controller, and a current controller. In this thesis, therefore, we are going to act on the gains of the first two controllers by going to find, through the TwinCAT 3 software, what might be the best set of parameters. To do this, starting with the default parameters recommended by TwinCAT, two main methods were used and then compared: the method of Ziegler and Nichols, which is a tabular method, and advanced tuning, an auto-tuning software method of TwinCAT. Therefore, in order to analyse which set of parameters was the best,several experiments were performed for each case, using the Motion Control Function Blocks. Moreover, some machines, such as large robotic arms, have vibration problems. To analyse them in detail, it was necessary to use the Bode Plot tool, which, through Bode plots, highlights in which frequencies there are resonance and anti-resonance peaks. This tool also makes it easier to figure out which and where to apply filters to improve control.

Inspeção e diagnóstico de edifícios recentes: estudo de um caso real

Trabalho de Projeto para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização em Edificações

Diagnosis of iron deficiency anemia in children of Northeast Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To diagnose iron deficiency anemia in children. METHODS: The study was conducted with a sample of 301 children aged six to 30 months attending public daycare centers in the city of Recife, Northeast Brazil, in 2004. The diagnoses of anemia were based on a combination of different hematological and biochemical parameters: hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, ferritin, C-reactive protein, transferrin saturation and transferrin receptor. The chi-square test and ANOVA were used in the statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of all children studied, 92.4% had anemia (Hb <110 g/L) and 28.9% had moderate/severe anemia (Hb <90 g/L). Lower levels of hemoglobin were found in children aged 6-17 months. Iron deficiency was found in 51.5% of children using ferritin (<12 μg/L) as parameter. Taking into consideration the combination of hemoglobin level, ferritin and transferrin receptor, 58.1% had anemia with iron deficiency, 34.2% had anemia without iron deficiency and 2.3% had iron deficiency without anemia. Mean ferritin concentration was significantly higher in children with high C-reactive protein when compared with those with normal levels (22.1 vs. 14.8 µg/L). CONCLUSIONS: The use of several biochemical and hematological parameters allowed to diagnosing iron deficiency anemia in two thirds of children, suggesting a need to identify other determinants of anemia without iron deficiency.

Contributions for best practices in social recruitment: pilot study in the Northern Region of Portugal

Recruitment is based on a conglomerate of techniques and procedures put in place to attract qualified. The recruitment process has suffered changes, becoming even more sophisticated, involving a whole organisation and a whole community. A new source of recruitment has emerged with the use of online social networks using facilitators in its development and usage, allowing the search for candidates to be fast, cheap and "global". In Portugal, the information available and studies conducted into this phenomenon are still irrelevant, with little reported on the importance of online social recruitment. The purpose of this article is to contribute to what is understood by the professional process of recruitment through online social media by recruitment companies in the Northern Region of Portugal, analysing the use of online media by recruitment professionals, facilitator support tools and the associated best practices.

A diabetes: principais parâmetros para o controlo da diabetes

RESUMO: A Diabetes Mellitus é uma doença metabólica crónica, com deficiência a nível do metabolismo dos hidratos de carbono, lípidos e proteínas, resultante de deficiências na secreção ou ação da insulina, ou de ambas, que quando não tratada antecipadamente e de modo conveniente, pode ter consequências muito graves. Dado a incidência a nível mundial da Diabetes Mellitus, torna-se de elevada importância avaliar toda a sua envolvência e estudar bem quais os critérios a ter em consideração. Este trabalho propõe-se estudar para além dos parâmetros bioquímicos relacionados com a doença - Glicose e Hemoglobina Glicada A1c (HbA1c), analisar os resultados dos últimos cinco anos (2008-2012) dos ensaios interlaboratoriais do PNAEQ, do Departamento de Epidemiologia, do Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge. Foram também analisadas as metodologias utilizadas e as variações interlaboratoriais, de forma a entender qual ou quais são os parâmetros mais adequados para o seu diagnóstico e controlo. Este estudo utilizou a população de laboratórios portugueses, públicos e privados, de Portugal Continental e Ilhas, um laboratório de Angola e outro de Macau que se inscreveram no PNAEQ nestes cinco anos, sendo a amostra composta pelo n.º de participações. No programa de Química Clinica foram distribuídas 38 amostras e no programa de HbA1c foram distribuídas 22 amostras. Para a glicose, o nível de desempenho nos ensaios é na globalidade das amostras de Excelente, no entanto verifica-se que sempre que a concentração da amostra é de nível patológico, que a maioria dos ensaios o desempenho foi inferior – Bom. O método de eleição e com CV% mais baixos foi o método da hexoquinase. Para a HbA1c, o nível de desempenho nos ensaios é na globalidade das amostras de Excelente. O método de eleição e com CV% mais baixos foi o método de HPLC. O CV% para a glicose ronda desde 2010 a 2012, os 3% e para a HbA1c foi de aproximadamente 4,0% em 2012. A HbA1c tem mostrado ser uma ferramenta muito útil, importante e robusta na monitorização da Diabetes, sendo hoje em dia quase sempre requisitada em análises de rotina a diabéticos de modo a prevenir complicações que possam vir a acorrer. No futuro poderá ser um importante, senão o parâmetro de futuro, para o diagnóstico da Diabetes, no entanto, mesmo já tendo sido muito trabalhada a sua padronização, ainda existem questões por responder como quais são na realidade todos os seus interferentes, qual a verdadeira relação da HbA1c com a glicose média estimada, em todas as populações e com estudos epidemiológicos. Também a própria educação do diabético e clínico deve ser aprimorada, pelo que neste momento as PTGO e os doseamentos de glicose em jejum devem ser utilizados e encontrando-se a Norma da DGS N.º 033/2011 de acordo com as necessidades e com o estado da arte deste parâmetro. A implementação da glicose média estimada será uma mais-valia na monitorização dos diabéticos pelo que deverá ser uma das prioridades a ter em conta no futuro desta padronização, uniformizando a decisão clinica baseada nela e minimizando a dificuldade de interpretação de resultados de laboratório para laboratório. --------------ABSTRACT: Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease, with a deficit in the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, resulting from deficiencies in insulin secretion or action, or both, which if, when not early treated in a proper way, may result in very serious consequences. Given the worldwide incidence of diabetes mellitus, it is highly important to evaluate all its background and study specifically all the criteria to take into consideration. The aim of this thesis is to study and evaluate beyond the biochemical parameters related to the disease - Glucose and Glycated Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), analyze the results of the last five years (2008-2012) of the PNAEQ interlaboratorial tests, in the Department of Epidemiology of National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge. It is also intended to analyze the methodologies used and the interlaboratorial variations, in order to understand the most suitable parameters for the diagnosis and control. This study was based in a population of Portuguese laboratories, public and private, of Portugal mainland and islands, a laboratory of Angola and other from Macau, who enrolled in PNAEQ in these five years, and the sample was composed by the n. º of holdings. In the Clinical Chemistry Program there were distributed 38 samples and in the program HbA1c were distributed 22 samples. For glucose, the level of performance in the total nº of the samples was Excellent; however, it was found that when the concentration level of the sample was pathological, in most of the tests the performance was Good. The most preferred method with the lowest CV% is the hexokinase method. For the HbA1c, as a whole, the samples’ tests were Excellent, at the level of performance. The method of election with the lower CV% was the HPLC. The CV% for glucose was around 3%, from 2010 to 2012 and the HbA1c was approximately 4.0% in 2012. The HbA1c method has demonstrated to be a very useful tool, important and robust for monitoring diabetes, being nowadays, almost always required in routine analysis to prevent future complications. In the future it may be an important parameter, if not the most important, for the diagnosis of diabetes. However, despite it has already been standardized, there are still some questions that need to be answered, such as, which are in fact all their interferences, which is the true connection of HbA1c, when compared with the estimated average glucose, in all populations and epidemiological studies. Moreover, the education of the patient and the doctor concerning diabetes should be improved. Nowadays, the Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) and fasting glucose determinations should be used and, the needs and the state of the art of this parameter, should be in accordance with the Standard DGS N. º 033/2011. The Implementation of the estimated average glucose will be an added value in monitoring diabetics and, therefore, should be a priority to consider in its future standardization and clinical decision based on it, will be uniform and the difficulty of interpreting results from laboratory to laboratory will be minimal.

Controlo de qualidade interno: elaboração de um programa de Controlo de Qualidade Interno segundo as boas práticas da Qualidade

RESUMO: Esta dissertação pretende apresentar uma proposta para um programa de Controlo de Qualidade interno das hormonas tiroideias, segundo as boas práticas da qualidade. Para que se comprove o rigor e fiabilidade dos seus resultados analíticos, condição indispensável para que estes possam servir de base às mais diversas tomadas de decisão, toda a filosofia que envolve a qualidade assume um papel preponderante. Neste contexto a elaboração de um programa de controlo de qualidade adequado é muito importante e imprescindível. A realização do controlo de qualidade permite monitorizar o desempenho de todos os materiais, equipamentos, instrumentos e métodos analíticos bem como criar sinais de alerta para prevenir a emissão de resultados não-conformes e indicar a necessidade de ações corretivas. Permite também indicar a necessidade de melhorias em processos e em atividades ligadas aos operadores e consciencializar o pessoal de que o controlo da qualidade é um dever para com o cliente e tem a função de gerar confiança nos resultados obtidos. O controlo de qualidade interno abrange todos os procedimentos assumidos por um laboratório para avaliação contínua do seu trabalho. A sua finalidade é assegurar a consistência dos resultados diários e a sua conformidade com critérios definidos, avaliando a precisão dos ensaios e dando indicação do momento para se promoverem ações corretivas quando surge uma não conformidade. Segundo as melhores práticas da qualidade, serão calculados os valores do controlo de qualidade interno para as hormonas tiroideias, os seus limites e critérios (regras) de aceitabilidade, com base na relação entre o desempenho analítico e o Erro Máximo Admissível. Pretende-se assim, otimizar o desempenho do Controlo de Qualidade Interno, aperfeiçoando a capacidade de identificação do erro.-------- ABSTRACT: This paper intends to submit a proposal for a thyroid hormones internal quality Control program, according to the best quality practices. The whole philosophy involving quality plays a central role in order to prove the accuracy and reliability of the analytical results, a basic prerequisite for decision making. In this context the elaboration of an appropriate quality control program is essential and very important. Quality control allows the motorization of the performance of all materials, equipment, instruments and analytical methods, as well as the creation of warning signals indicating the need for corrective actions, to prevent the release of non-compliant results. It also indicates the need for improvements in the processes and operating activities as well as making the staff aware that quality control is a duty to the client and promotes confidence in the results. The internal quality control covers all procedures undertaken by a laboratory for a continuous evaluation of its performance. Its purpose is to ensure the consistency of the daily results and compliance with defined criteria, assessing the accuracy of the tests and indicating the moment to promote corrective actions when nonconformity appears. According to the best quality practices, the values of the internal quality control for the thyroid hormones, their limits and criteria (rules) of acceptability will be calculated, based on the relationship between analytical performance and the maximum allowable error. Thus, the aim is to optimize the performance of the Internal Quality Control, improving the ability for error detection and identification.