Análise da prestação de contas do poder executivo do estado entre 2013 e 2018

Government accountability derives from the republican essence of the Brazilian political system. It is the mechanism for information on strategic issues of interest to the entire social community, falling within the context of accountability. The importance of transparency and accountability for institutions and the discussion on what would be the "good institutions" or "good practices" should be carried out to develop a society. Accountability is a modern term for an ongoing concern with institutional controls and constraints on the exercise of power. In general, it is an expression related to control and supervision, in a way that interconnects the delegating society of responsibility/power to manage resources and, on the other hand, the collection of accounts on the use of these resources according to the law. The objective of this work is to analyze the weaknesses of the appreciation of the government accounts of the Executive Branch by the Court of Auditors of the State of Tocantins in the years 2013 to 2018, to identify the potential of accountability in the technical reports that instruct the prior opinions, to analyze the procedure for the examination of the accounts and to describe and analyze the notes made by the TCE/TO, through documentary research, using a qualitative-quantitative approach, based on the analysis model of Rocha (2011). Os resultados demonstram que a dimensão formal da accountability foi plenamente atendida, enquanto que, a dimensão substantiva da accountability foi parcialmente contemplada nas análises. De igual efeito, verificou-se a ausência de parâmetro e padronização de análise das contas governamentais e de acompanhamento dos apontamentos. Assim, concluiu-se que o Tribunal de Contas do Estado do Tocantins não possui um padrão objetivo de análise e realiza parcialmente a accountability, em face da inexistência de componentes da dimensão substantiva, sobretudo, aqueles atinentes à avaliação dos resultados das políticas públicas sob a ótica da eficiência, efetividade e eficácia, bem assim, a identidade com os objetivos e metas traçadas no Plano Plurianual – PPAA prestação de contas governamentais deriva da essência republicana do sistema político brasileiro. É o mecanismo de informações de assuntos estratégicos de interesse de toda a comunidade social, inserindo-se dentro do contexto de accountability. A importância da transparência e da accountability para as instituições e a discussão sobre qual seriam as “boas instituições” ou “boas práticas” devem ser realizadas para desenvolver uma sociedade. Accountability é um termo moderno para uma preocupação constante com controles e limitações institucionais ao exercício do poder. De uma forma geral, de uma expressão relacionada a controle e fiscalização, de forma que interliga a sociedade delegante de responsabilidade/poder para administrar recursos e de outro a cobrança da prestação de contas sobre o uso desse s recursos conforme a lei. O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar as fragilidades da apreciação das contas governamentais do Poder Executivo pelo Tribunal de Contas do Estado do Tocantins nos exercícios de 2013 a 2018, identificar o potencial de accountability nos relatórios técnicos que instruem os pareceres prévios, analisar o procedimento para o exame das contas e descrever e analisar os apontamentos realizados pelo TCE/TO, por meio da pesquisa documental, utilizando-se uma abordagem quali-quantitativa, baseada no modelo de análise de Rocha (2011). Os resultados demonstram que a dimensão formal da accountability foi plenamente atendida, enquanto que, a dimensão substantiva da accountability foi parcialmente contemplada nas análises. De igual efeito, verificou-se a ausência de parâmetro e padronização de análise das contas governamentais e de acompanhamento dos apontamentos. Assim, concluiu-se que o Tribunal de Contas do Estado do Tocantins não possui um padrão objetivo de análise e realiza parcialmente a accountability, em face da inexistência de componentes da dimensão substantiva, sobretudo, aqueles atinentes à avaliação dos resultados das políticas públicas sob a ótica da eficiência, efetividade e eficácia, bem assim, a identidade com os objetivos e metas traçadas no Plano Plurianual – PPA

Semantic Segmentation with Labeling Uncertainty and Class Imbalance

Recently, methods based on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) achieved impressive success in semantic segmentation tasks. However, challenges such as the class imbalance and the uncertainty in the pixel-labeling process are not completely addressed. As such, we present a new approach that calculates a weight for each pixel considering its class and uncertainty during the labeling process. The pixel-wise weights are used during training to increase or decrease the importance of the pixels. Experimental results show that the proposed approach leads to significant improvements in three challenging segmentation tasks in comparison to baseline methods. It was also proved to be more invariant to noise. The approach presented here may be used within a wide range of semantic segmentation methods to improve their robustness.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, 3 table

Bitopertin, a selective oral GLYT1 inhibitor, improves anemia in a mouse model of \u3b2-thalassemia

Anemia of \u3b2-thalassemia is caused by ineffective erythropoiesis and reduced red cell survival. Several lines of evidence indicate that iron/heme restriction is a potential therapeutic strategy for the disease. Glycine is a key initial substrate for heme and globin synthesis. We provide evidence that bitopertin, a glycine transport inhibitor administered orally, improves anemia, reduces hemolysis, diminishes ineffective erythropoiesis, and increases red cell survival in a mouse model of \u3b2-thalassemia (Hbbth3/+ mice). Bitopertin ameliorates erythroid oxidant damage, as indicated by a reduction in membrane-associated free \u3b1-globin chain aggregates, in reactive oxygen species cellular content, in membrane-bound hemichromes, and in heme-regulated inhibitor activation and eIF2\u3b1 phosphorylation. The improvement of \u3b2-thalassemic ineffective erythropoiesis is associated with diminished mTOR activation and Rab5, Lamp1, and p62 accumulation, indicating an improved autophagy. Bitopertin also upregulates liver hepcidin and diminishes liver iron overload. The hematologic improvements achieved by bitopertin are blunted by the concomitant administration of the iron chelator deferiprone, suggesting that an excessive restriction of iron availability might negate the beneficial effects of bitopertin. These data provide important and clinically relevant insights into glycine restriction and reduced heme synthesis strategies for the treatment of \u3b2-thalassemia

Chern-Simons Modified General Relativity

Chern-Simons modified gravity is an effective extension of general relativity that captures leading-order, gravitational parity violation. Such an effective theory is motivated by anomaly cancelation in particle physics and string theory. In this review, we begin by providing a pedagogical derivation of the three distinct ways such an extension arises: (1) in particle physics, (2) from string theory and (3) geometrically. We then review many exact and approximate, vacuum solutions of the modified theory, and discuss possible matter couplings. Following this, we review the myriad astrophysical, solar system, gravitational wave and cosmological probes that bound Chern-Simons modified gravity, including discussions of cosmic baryon asymmetry and inflation. The review closes with a discussion of possible future directions in which to test and study gravitational parity violation.Comment: 104 pages, 2 figures, 186 references, Invited Review accepted for publication in Phys. Repts. This version corrects a minor typo in Eq. (174) of the published versio

Lead, Cadmium and Cobalt (Pb, Cd, and Co) Leaching of Glass-Clay Containers by pH Effect of Food

Recent studies have shown that handcrafted glass-clay containers are a health risk because they can be contaminated by heavy metals, which can be transferred to food, thus reaching the human body to potentially cause illness. Therefore, in the present work, we evaluate the leaching of lead, cadmium, and cobalt from glass-clay containers into two types of food: tomato sauce (salsa), and chickpea puree. The containers were obtained from four regions in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. Repetitive extractions from the containers were carried out to quantify the leaching of the heavy metals into the salsa, the chickpea puree, and acetic acid using the technique proposed by the USFDA. The results show that greater use of the containers leads to more leaching of heavy metals into both types of food and into the acetic acid, with the greatest metal extraction recorded for the Ixmiquilpan vessels. These results indicate that the metals present in the glass-clay containers leach into the food and that increased reuse increases the risk to the people who use them in food preparation

Mucopolysaccharidosis I, II, and VI: Brief review and guidelines for treatment

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are rare genetic diseases caused by the deficiency of one of the lysosomal enzymes involved in the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) breakdown pathway. This metabolic block leads to the accumulation of GAG in various organs and tissues of the affected patients, resulting in a multisystemic clinical picture, sometimes including cognitive impairment. Until the beginning of the XXI century, treatment was mainly supportive. Bone marrow transplantation improved the natural course of the disease in some types of MPS, but the morbidity and mortality restricted its use to selected cases. The identification of the genes involved, the new molecular biology tools and the availability of animal models made it possible to develop specific enzyme replacement therapies (ERT) for these diseases. At present, a great number of Brazilian medical centers from all regions of the country have experience with ERT for MPS I, II, and VI, acquired not only through patient treatment but also in clinical trials. Taking the three types of MPS together, over 200 patients have been treated with ERT in our country. This document summarizes the experience of the professionals involved, along with the data available in the international literature, bringing together and harmonizing the information available on the management of these severe and progressive diseases, thus disclosing new prospects for Brazilian patients affected by these conditions

Cardiac disease in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis: presentation, diagnosis and management

The mucopolysaccharidoses (MPSs) are inherited lysosomal storage disorders caused by the absence of functional enzymes that contribute to the degradation of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). The progressive systemic deposition of GAGs results in multi-organ system dysfunction that varies with the particular GAG deposited and the specific enzyme mutation(s) present. Cardiac involvement has been reported in all MPS syndromes and is a common and early feature, particularly for those with MPS I, II, and VI. Cardiac valve thickening, dysfunction (more severe for left-sided than for right-sided valves), and hypertrophy are commonly present; conduction abnormalities, coronary artery and other vascular involvement may also occur. Cardiac disease emerges silently and contributes significantly to early mortality