Excess tuberculosis risk during and following incarceration in Paraguay : a retrospective cohort study

Corresponding author. Cátedra de Salud Pública, Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA), Paraguay. E-mail address: [email protected] (G. Sequera).Background. The increased risk of tuberculosis (TB) among people deprived of liberty (PDL) is due to individual and institution-level factors. We followed a cohort of PDL from 5 prisons in Paraguay to describe the risk of TB during incarceration and after they were released. Methods. We linked a 2013 national census of prisons with TB records from the TB Program from 2010 to 2021 to identify TB notifications among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. We used multivariable Cox regression models to quantify the risk of TB during and following incarceration and to identify risk factors associated with TB. Findings. Among 2996 individuals incarcerated, 451 (15.1%) were diagnosed with TB. Of these, 262 (58.1%) cases occurred during incarceration and 189 (41.9%) occurred in the community after release. In prison, the hazard ratio of developing TB was 1.97 (95% CI: 1.52–2.61) after six months of incarceration and increased to 2.78 (95% CI: 1.82–4.24) after 36 months compared with the first six months. The overall TB notification rate was 2940 per 100,000 person-years. This rate increased with the duration of incarceration from 1335 per 100,000 person-years in the first year to 8455 per 100,000 person-years after 8 years. Among former prisoners, the rate of TB decreased from 1717 in the first year after release to 593 per 100 000 person-years after 8 years of follow up. Interpretation. Our study shows the alarming risk of TB associated with prison environments in Paraguay, and how this risk persists for years following incarceration. Effective TB control measures to protect the health of people during and following incarceration are urgently needed.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarroll

Field-weakening strategy with modulated predictive current control applied to six-phase induction machines

Correspondence: [email protected] (M.A.); [email protected] (J.D.-G.)This article belongs to the Section Electrical Machines and Drives.The predictive current controller has arisen as a practicable technique for operating multiphase machines due to its fast dynamic response, control flexibility, and overall good performance. However, this type of controller has limitations, e.g., it tends to suffer from steady-state tracking errors in (−) currents; high computational burden; and high (−) currents, which become more pronounced at higher speeds, thereby worsening its sustainability. While some proposals have addressed these limitations by incorporating modulation stages and new cost functions, there is still room for improvement, particularly at higher speeds. In line with the pursuit of sustainable advancements, this article explores the integration of a field-weakening strategy with a modulated predictive current controller applied to a six-phase induction machine to improve its performance at current tracking for higher speed ranges. Experimental tests were conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed controller, assessing stator current tracking, reduction in the (−) currents, and the total harmonic distortion.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarrolloPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa Nacional de Incentivo a los Investigadore

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection and risk behavior in vaccinated and non-vaccinated paraguayan young women

Correspondence: [email protected] article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Advances in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Research.Cervical cancer is a global health concern and ranks fourth among the most prevalent cancers in women worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a known precursor of cervical cancer and preventive measures include prophylactic vaccines. This study focused on sexually active Paraguayan women aged 18–25 years, exploring the intersection of HPV vaccination and sexual behavior. Among 254 participants, 40.9% received the Gardasil-4 vaccine, with no significant differences in sexual behavior between the vaccinated and unvaccinated sexually active groups. However, a notable decrease in the prevalence of HPV among the vaccinated women highlights the efficacy of this vaccine in reducing infections. The prevalence of any HPV type was 37.5% in vaccinated participants compared to 56.7% in unvaccinated participants (p = 0.0026). High-risk HPV types showed a significant difference, with a prevalence of 26.0% in vaccinated women compared with 52.7% in unvaccinated women (p < 0.001). Although a potential decline in genital warts was observed among the vaccinated individuals, statistical significance (p = 0.0564) was not reached. Despite the challenges in achieving high vaccination coverage, the observed reduction in HPV prevalence underscores the importance of ongoing monitoring, healthcare professional recommendations, and comprehensive risk management. These findings contribute to dispelling concerns about HPV vaccination influencing sexual behavior, advocating further large-scale research to explore the impact of vaccines on various HPV types and potential cross-protection.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarroll

Altas capacidades : estrategias prácticas para las clases que fomentan la creatividad

Presentación sobre los resultados de la estancia de investigación de la Dra. Alexandra Vuyk y su equipo de Aikumby Centro de Altas Capacidades y Creatividad en la Universidad Estatal de Emporia, Kansas, y en la Asociación Nacional para Niños Superdotados de Estados Unidos.Presentación expositiva sobre estrategias prácticas para el aula que fomentan la creatividad, una iniciativa pionera destinada a impulsar la creatividad en la educación paraguaya. Las estrategias presentan un enfoque interdisciplinario en la resolución de problemas y la promoción del pensamiento crítico a través de actividades como simulacros de juicios y debates sobre temas actuales, destacando la importancia de la adaptabilidad y flexibilidad docente, así como la reflexión continua por parte de los estudiantes. El objetivo de las estrategias es transformar las clases en espacios donde la creatividad y el pensamiento crítico sean herramientas fundamentales para un aprendizaje significativo y más profundo.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Financiamiento de estancias de investigació

Mapa de Talentos : un procedimiento piloto de detección universal del talento en estudiantes del Paraguay

Este proyecto piloto tuvo como objetivo la detección de talentos intelectuales en estudiantes de Educación Escolar Básica y Educación Media de instituciones educativas del sector público, privado y subvencionado, buscando determinar procedimientos que puedan ser escalables a todo el país. Para ello, se realizó un estudio descriptivo-exploratorio. La muestra fue no probabilística y dirigida según criterios relevantes a la investigación, y estuvo conformada por 1.220 estudiantes de cinco ciudades del departamento Central y de la capital, Asunción, del Paraguay. Los participantes fueron evaluados con instrumentos que miden razonamiento abstracto: el Test de Matrices Progresivas Escala Avanzada de Raven, Matrices Test Adaptativo Informatizado (Matrices TAI) y Test de Inteligencia Breve de Reynolds, teniendo mayor facilidad de aplicación la Escala Avanzada de Raven. Además de su facilidad, esta escala es no verbal y tiene menor sesgo cultural, reduciendo posibles barreras lingüísticas y culturales para una evaluación más justa y precisa. Usando puntos de corte desde el percentil 90, se detectaron 68 estudiantes con potencial de altas capacidades que representan al 5,6% de la muestra. Este hallazgo apoya el uso de normas locales para detectar a estudiantes en el extremo superior de la distribución al realizar detección universal del talento.This pilot project aimed to detect intellectual ability in students from 7th to 12th grade in public, private and subsidized schools, to determine procedures that could be scalable throughout the country in a descriptive-exploratory study. The sample was non-probabilistic and purposeful according to criteria relevant to the study; it included 1220 students from five cities of the Central Department and the Capital, Asuncion, in Paraguay. Participants completed tests that measure abstract reasoning: the Raven Advanced Progressive Matrices Test, the Computerized Adaptive Matrices Test and the Reynolds Intelligence Screening Test, with the Raven Advanced Scale being easiest to implement. Besides its ease of utilization, this test is non-verbal and with less cultural bias, reducing possible linguistic and cultural barriers for fair and precise assessment. Using cut-off points in the 90th percentile, 68 students with High Ability were detected, representing 5.6% of the sample. This finding supports the use of local norms to detect students at the upper end of the distribution when conducting universal screening for giftedness and talent.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaAcuerdo Específico 02/2021 Mapa de Talentos 1.

Informe de prácticas creativas : (resultado de visitas a escuelas con programas de altas capacidades en Kansas)

Informe sobre métodos de enseñanza elaborado en el marco de la estancia de investigación de la Dra. Alexandra Vuyk y su equipo de Aikumby Centro de Altas Capacidades y Creatividad en la Universidad Estatal de Emporia, Kansas, y en la Asociación Nacional para Niños Superdotados de Estados Unidos.Informe sobre los resultados de las visitas a escuelas con programas de altas capacidades de Kansas, Estados Unidos. El informe presenta planes de clases creativas e interdisciplinarias que incluyen desde investigar escenas de crimen en una clase denominada “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” hasta desviarse de un plan de clase establecido para perseguir una oportunidad espontánea de pensamiento creativo, basándose en los intereses de los estudiantes, para capitalizar momentos inesperados que fomentan el aprendizaje creativo, en el programa “Riesgos Bellos para Flexibilidad Docente”. Estas prácticas educativas, que se encuentran respaldadas por una variedad de referencias bibliográficas disponibles en el informe, son: 1. La clase "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" 2. La competencia entre colegios "Ciudad del Futuro" 3. Las prácticas de "Pensamiento Crítico" 4. La clase de Teoría del Conocimiento (TdC) del Bachillerato Internacional (IB): Big Data vs Small Data 5. El Aprendizaje Basado en Problemas para Diseño de Exposición (Problem-Based Learning o PBL) 6. La práctica “Riesgos Bellos para Flexibilidad Docente”Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Financiamiento de estancias de investigació

Characterization of dengue virus 4 cases in Paraguay, 2019–2020

Correspondence: [email protected] (A.R.); [email protected] (J.J.W.)In 2019–2020, dengue virus (DENV) type 4 emerged to cause the largest DENV outbreak in Paraguay’s history. This study sought to characterize dengue relative to other acute illness cases and use phylogenetic analysis to understand the outbreak’s origin. Individuals with an acute illness (≤7 days) were enrolled and tested for DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) and viral RNA by real-time RT-PCR. Near-complete genome sequences were obtained from 62 DENV-4 positive samples. From January 2019 to March 2020, 799 participants were enrolled: 253 dengue (14 severe dengue, 5.5%) and 546 other acute illness cases. DENV-4 was detected in 238 dengue cases (94.1%). NS1 detection by rapid test was 52.5% sensitive (53/101) and 96.5% specific (387/401) for dengue compared to rRT-PCR. DENV-4 sequences were grouped into two clades within genotype II. No clustering was observed based on dengue severity, location, or date. Sequences obtained here were most closely related to 2018 DENV-4 sequences from Paraguay, followed by a 2013 sequence from southern Brazil. DENV-4 can result in large outbreaks, including severe cases, and is poorly detected with available rapid diagnostics. Outbreak strains seem to have been circulating in Paraguay and Brazil prior to 2018, highlighting the importance of sustained DENV genomic surveillance.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarroll

Genomic epidemiology of the primary methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clones causing invasive infections in Paraguayan children

Address correspondence to Fátima Rodríguez, [email protected] Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the major human pathogens. It could carry numerous resistance genes and virulence factors in its genome, some of which are related to the severity of the infection. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was designed to molecularly analyze MRSA isolates that cause invasive infections in Paraguayan children from 2009 to 2013. Ten representative MRSA isolates of the main clonal complex identified were analyzed with short-read paired-end sequencing and assessed for the virulome, resistome, and phylogenetic relationships. All the genetically linked MRSA isolates were recovered from diverse clinical sources, patients, and hospitals at broad gap periods. The pan-genomic analysis of these clones revealed three major and different clonal complexes (CC30, CC5, and CC8), each composed of clones closely related to each other. The CC30 genomes prove to be a successful clone, strongly installed and disseminated throughout our country, and closely related to other CC30 public genomes from the region and the world. The CC5 shows the highest genetic variability, and the CC8 carried the complete arginine catabolic mobile element (ACME), closely related to the USA300-NAE-ACME+, identified as the major cause of CA-MRSA infections in North America. Multiple virulence and resistance genes were identified for the first time in this study, highlighting the complex virulence profiles of MRSA circulating in the country. This study opens a wide range of new possibilities for future projects and trials to improve the existing knowledge on the epidemiology of MRSA circulating in Paraguay.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Financiamiento para la vinculación de científicos y tecnólogo

Improving steady state accuracy in field-weakened six-phase induction machines with integrator and modulated predictive control

Correspondence: [email protected] (M.A.); [email protected] (J.D.-G.)Finite-control-set model predictive control techniques are considered an exciting option for high-performance control multiphase drives due to their fast dynamic response, ability to handle multiple targets and constraints, and adaptability to different power converters or machine models. However, these techniques have some drawbacks, such as poor current reduction (−) and steady-state error (−), especially in the field weakening zone. Although some proposals have addressed these issues by adding modulation stages or designing new cost functions, there is still room for improvement, especially in steady-state error reduction. Therefore, this article proposes to include an integrator attached to a modulated predictive current controller applied to a six-phase induction machine to improve its performance throughout the entire speed range regarding steady-state error mitigation. Experimental tests were carried out to validate the effectiveness of the proposed controller. Tests were carried out evaluating the reduction of the steady-state error (−), the current tracking, the (−) currents reduction and the total harmonic distortion.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarrolloPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa Nacional de Incentivo a los Investigadore

Discipline and punishment in panoptical public goods games

Corresponding author. Correspondence to Rocio Botta. Email: [email protected] Public Goods Games (PGG), the temptation to free-ride on others’ contributions poses a significant threat to the sustainability of cooperative societies. Therefore, societies strive to mitigate this through incentive systems, employing rewards and punishments to foster cooperative behavior. Thus, peer punishment, in which cooperators sanction defectors, as well as pool punishment, where a centralized punishment institution executes the punishment, is deeply analyzed in previous works. Although the literature indicates that these methods may enhance cooperation on social dilemmas under particular contexts, there are still open questions, for instance, the structural connection between graduated punishment and the monitoring of public goods games. Our investigation proposes a compulsory PGG framework under Panoptical surveillance. Inspired by Foucault’s theories on disciplinary mechanisms and biopower, we present a novel mathematical model that scrutinizes the balance between the severity and scope of punishment to catalyze cooperative behavior. By integrating perspectives from evolutionary game theory and Foucault’s theories of power and discipline, this research uncovers the theoretical foundations of mathematical frameworks involved in punishment and discipline structures. We show that well-calibrated punishment and discipline schemes, leveraging the panoptical effect for universal oversight, can effectively mitigate the free-rider dilemma, fostering enhanced cooperation. This interdisciplinary approach not only elucidates the dynamics of cooperation in societal constructs but also underscores the importance of integrating diverse methodologies to address the complexities of fostering cooperative evolution.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarrolloPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa Nacional de Incentivo a los Investigadore