La evaluación del abuso sexual en personas con discapacidad intelectual: proceso de construcción y validación de un instrumento de autoinforme

People with functional diversity have certain limitations in the functioning of their daily life, which makes them dependent on their primary caregivers, leaving their bodies exposed to them. In addition, they have fewer resources to detect and defend themselves against abuse. These factors, among others, make them a group vulnerable to sexual abuse. But in the detection of potential victims, we find limitations in comprehension and literacy, which makes questioning the reliability of the information obtained. The objective of this study is the development of a reliable and valid instrument adapted to the characteristics of people with functional diversity and allows the detection of cases of sexual abuse. In order to do so, the construction-validation process of the scale has been carried out in two phases, generating, in each of them, different versions that have been applied to two groups of participants. It details the analysis that the group of experts has made from the two pilot applications and the consequent modifications derived from these analyzes. In the first phase the version applies to 20 participants and in the second to 150. The final version has a reliability of .91. The study has shown the complexity of developing an instrument for assessing sexual abuse for people with intellectual disabilities because of the limitations of understanding inherent in the collective, stressing the importance of having the contributions of professionals who work daily with them.Las personas con diversidad funcional presentan ciertas limitaciones en el funcionamiento desu día a día, lo que les convierten en dependientes de sus cuidadores principales, quedando su cuerpo expuesto a ellos. Además, presentan menos recursos para detectar y defenderse ante situaciones de abuso. Estos factores, entre otros, hacen que se conviertan en un colectivo vulnerable al abuso sexual. Pero en la detección de las víctimas potenciales, nos encontramos con limitaciones en comprensión y lectoescritura, lo que hace cuestionar la fiabilidad de la información obtenida. El objetivo de este estudio, es la elaboración de un instrumento fiable y válido que se adapte a las características de las personas con diversidad funcional, y posibilite la detección de casos de abuso sexual. Para ello, el proceso de construcción-validación de la escala se ha realizado en dos fases generándose, en cada una de ellas, diferentes versiones que se han aplicado a dos grupos de participantes.Se detalla el análisis que el grupo de expertos ha realizado a partir de las dos aplicacionespiloto y las consecuentes modificaciones derivadas de dichos análisis. En la primera fase la versión se aplica a 20 participantes y en la segunda a 150. La versión final cuenta con una fiabilidad de .91.El estudio ha mostrado la complejidad que supone elaborar un instrumento de evaluación del abuso sexual para personas con discapacidad intelectual por las limitaciones de comprensión inherentes al colectivo, remarcando la importancia de contar con las aportaciones de profesionales que trabajan diariamente con ellos

Congruencia en conocimientos y educación afectivo-sexual en personas con DI

En la educación de las personas con diversidad funcional intelectual (DFI) es importante que los principales agentes implicados (usuarios/as, padres y profesionales que trabajan con ellos) posean criterios comunes acerca de los objetivos educativos en general, y especialmente, en el área de la sexualidad. Sin embargo, las tres perspectivas no siempre son coincidentes con las consecuencias que se derivan de ello. Teniendo en cuenta la importancia de la identificación de necesidades y metas comunes, planteamos este trabajo con el objetivo de conocer el grado de concordancia entre: 1) los conocimientos que los usuarios tienen sobre sexualidad y la que los padres y profesionales les atribuyen y 2) la opinión de padres, profesionales y usuarios/as sobre la necesidad de proveer/recibir educación afectivo-sexual. Para ello, 92 adultos con DI (45.6% mujeres, 54.4% hombres) con edades entre los 19 y 67 años (M=37.5) y sus padres y profesionales, completaron un instrumento donde se les preguntaba acerca del conocimiento sobre sexualidad y sobre el interés de recibir formación en educación afectivo-sexual. Los resultados señalan una concordancia respecto a los conocimientos sobre sexualidad del 36.7% entre padres y usuarios/as y del 58.4% entre profesionales y usuarios. En cuanto a la concordancia respecto a la necesidad de recibir formación en educación afectivo-sexual, ésta fue 75.5% entre padres y usuarios/as y del 88.5% entre profesionales y usuarios. La concordancia entre los tres respecto a esta cuestión resultó alta (74.7%). A partir de estos resultados podemos concluir que los profesionales son mejores conocedores de las necesidad, capacidades y conocimientos de los/as usuarios/as de lo que lo son sus propios padres pero que todos tienen en común el identificar la necesidad de introducir de forma normalizada la educación afectivo-sexual en este colectivo.In education of people with intellectual disability (ID) it is important that the main agents involved (users, parents and professionals working with them) have common criteria about educational objectives in general, and especially, in sexuality. However, the three perspectives do not always coincide with the consequences of it. Taking into account the importance of identifying common needs and goals, we propose this work with the objective of knowing the degree of agreement between: 1) the knowledge that users have about sexuality and the attribution their parents and professionals made about them and 2) the opinion of parents, professionals and users on the need to provide/receive affective-sexual education. For this, 92 adults with ID (45.6% women, 54.4% men) with ages between 19 and 67 year old (M=37.5) and their parents and professionals, completed an instrument where they were asked about knowledge about sexuality and the interest of receiving training in affective-sexual education. Results indicate agreement respect to sexuality knowledge of 36.7% between parents and users and 58.4% between professionals and users. Regarding the agreement of the need to receive training in affective-sexual education, this was 75.5% between parents and users and 88.5% between professionals and users. The agreement between the three regarding this issue was high (74.7%). From these results we can conclude that professionals are better aware of the needs, skills and knowledge of the users than their own parents are but, all have in common the identification of the need to introduce in a standardized way affective-sexual education in this group

SARS-CoV-2 viral load in nasopharyngeal swabs is not an independent predictor of unfavorable outcome

The aim was to assess the ability of nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load at first patient’s hospital evaluation to predict unfavorable outcomes. We conducted a prospective cohort study including 321 adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 through RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs. Quantitative Synthetic SARS-CoV-2 RNA cycle threshold values were used to calculate the viral load in log10 copies/mL. Disease severity at the end of follow up was categorized into mild, moderate, and severe. Primary endpoint was a composite of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and/or death (n = 85, 26.4%). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load over the second quartile (≥ 7.35 log10 copies/mL, p = 0.003) and second tertile (≥ 8.27 log10 copies/mL, p = 0.01) were associated to unfavorable outcome in the unadjusted logistic regression analysis. However, in the final multivariable analysis, viral load was not independently associated with an unfavorable outcome. Five predictors were independently associated with increased odds of ICU admission and/or death: age ≥ 70 years, SpO2, neutrophils > 7.5 × 103/µL, lactate dehydrogenase ≥ 300 U/L, and C-reactive protein ≥ 100 mg/L. In summary, nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 viral load on admission is generally high in patients with COVID-19, regardless of illness severity, but it cannot be used as an independent predictor of unfavorable clinical outcome

Dendritic cell deficiencies persist seven months after SARS-CoV-2 infection

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 infection induces an exacerbated inflammation driven by innate immunity components. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a key role in the defense against viral infections, for instance plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), have the capacity to produce vast amounts of interferon-alpha (IFN-α). In COVID-19 there is a deficit in DC numbers and IFN-α production, which has been associated with disease severity. In this work, we described that in addition to the DC deficiency, several DC activation and homing markers were altered in acute COVID-19 patients, which were associated with multiple inflammatory markers. Remarkably, previously hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients remained with decreased numbers of CD1c+ myeloid DCs and pDCs seven months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Moreover, the expression of DC markers such as CD86 and CD4 were only restored in previously nonhospitalized patients, while no restoration of integrin β7 and indoleamine 2,3-dyoxigenase (IDO) levels were observed. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the immunological sequelae of COVID-19

EUSO-SPB1 mission and science

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon 1 (EUSO-SPB1) was launched in 2017 April from Wanaka, New Zealand. The plan of this mission of opportunity on a NASA super pressure balloon test flight was to circle the southern hemisphere. The primary scientific goal was to make the first observations of ultra-high-energy cosmic-ray extensive air showers (EASs) by looking down on the atmosphere with an ultraviolet (UV) fluorescence telescope from suborbital altitude (33 km). After 12 days and 4 h aloft, the flight was terminated prematurely in the Pacific Ocean. Before the flight, the instrument was tested extensively in the West Desert of Utah, USA, with UV point sources and lasers. The test results indicated that the instrument had sensitivity to EASs of ⪆ 3 EeV. Simulations of the telescope system, telescope on time, and realized flight trajectory predicted an observation of about 1 event assuming clear sky conditions. The effects of high clouds were estimated to reduce this value by approximately a factor of 2. A manual search and a machine-learning-based search did not find any EAS signals in these data. Here we review the EUSO-SPB1 instrument and flight and the EAS search

Neutrino Target-of-Opportunity Observations with Space-based and Suborbital Optical Cherenkov Detectors

Cosmic-ray accelerators capable of reaching ultra-high energies are expected to also produce very-high energy neutrinos via hadronic interactions within the source or its surrounding environment. Many of the candidate astrophysical source classes are either transient in nature or exhibit flaring activity. Using the Earth as a neutrino converter, suborbital and space-based optical Cherenkov detectors, such as EUSO-SPB2 and POEMMA, will be able to detect upward-moving extensive air showers induced by decay tau-leptons generated from cosmic tau neutrinos with energies ∼10 PeV and above. Both EUSO-SPB2 and POEMMA will be able to quickly repoint, enabling rapid response to astrophysical transient events. we calculate the transient sensitivity and sky coverage for both EUSO-SPB2 and POEMMA, accounting for constraints imposed by the Sun and the Moon on the observation time. We also calculate both detectors\u27 neutrino horizons for a variety of modeled astrophysical neutrino fluences. We find that both EUSO-SPB2 and POEMMA will achieve transient sensitivities at the level of modeled neutrino fluences for nearby sources. We conclude with a discussion of the prospects of each mission detecting at least one transient event for various modeled astrophysical neutrino sources

EUSO-SPB2 Telescope Optics and Testing

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory - Super Pressure Balloon (EUSO-SPB2) mission will fly two custom telescopes that feature Schmidt optics to measure Cherenkov- and fluorescence emission of extensive air showers from cosmic rays at the PeV and EeV-scale, and search for τ-neutrinos. Both telescopes have 1-meter diameter apertures and UV/UV-visible sensitivity. The Cherenkov telescope uses a bifocal mirror segment alignment, to distinguish between a direct cosmic ray that hits the camera versus the Cherenkov light from outside the telescope. Telescope integration and laboratory calibration will be performed in Colorado. To estimate the point spread function and efficiency of the integrated telescopes, a test beam system that delivers a 1-meter diameter parallel beam of light is being fabricated. End-to-end tests of the fully integrated instruments will be carried out in a field campaign at dark sites in the Utah desert using cosmic rays, stars, and artificial light sources. Laser tracks have long been used to characterize the performance of fluorescence detectors in the field. For EUSO-SPB2 an improvement in the method that includes a correction for aerosol attenuation is anticipated by using a bi-dynamic Lidar configuration in which both the laser and the telescope are steerable. We plan to conduct these field tests in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 to accommodate the scheduled launch of EUSO-SPB2 in 2023 from Wanaka, New Zealand

The Mini-EUSO telescope on board the International Space Station: Launch and first results

Mini-EUSO is a telescope launched on board the International Space Station in 2019 and currently located in the Russian section of the station. Main scientific objectives of the mission are the search for nuclearites and Strange Quark Matter, the study of atmospheric phenomena such as Transient Luminous Events, meteors and meteoroids, the observation of sea bioluminescence and of artificial satellites and man-made space debris. It is also capable of observing Extensive Air Showers generated by Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays with an energy above 10$^{21}$ eV and detect artificial showers generated with lasers from the ground. Mini-EUSO can map the night-time Earth in the UV range (290 - 430 nm), with a spatial resolution of about 6.3 km and a temporal resolution of 2.5 μs, observing our planet through a nadir-facing UV-transparent window in the Russian Zvezda module. The instrument, launched on 2019/08/22 from the Baikonur cosmodrome is based on an optical system employing two Fresnel lenses and a focal surface composed of 36 Multi-Anode Photomultiplier tubes, 64 channels each, for a total of 2304 channels with single photon counting sensitivity and an overall field of view of 44°. Mini-EUSO also contains two ancillary cameras to complement measurements in the near infrared and visible ranges. In this paper we describe the detector and present the various phenomena observed in the first year of operation

Neutrino Target-of-Opportunity Observations with Space-based and Suborbital Optical Cherenkov Detectors

Cosmic-ray accelerators capable of reaching ultra-high energies are expected to also produce very-high energy neutrinos via hadronic interactions within the source or its surrounding environment. Many of the candidate astrophysical source classes are either transient in nature or exhibit flaring activity. Using the Earth as a neutrino converter, suborbital and space-based optical Cherenkov detectors, such as POEMMA and EUSO-SPB2, will be able to detect upward-moving extensive air showers induced by decaying tau-leptons generated from cosmic tau neutrinos with energies ∼10 PeV and above. Both EUSO-SPB2 and POEMMA will be able to quickly repoint, enabling rapid response to astrophysical transient events. We calculate the transient sensitivity and sky coverage for both EUSO-SPB2 and POEMMA, accounting for constraints imposed by the Sun and the Moon on the observation time. We also calculate both detectors\u27 neutrino horizons for a variety of modeled astrophysical neutrino fluences. We find that both EUSO-SPB2 and POEMMA will achieve transient sensitivities at the level of modeled neutrino fluences for nearby sources. We conclude with a discussion of the prospects of each mission detecting at least one transient event for various modeled astrophysical neutrino sources

Science and mission status of EUSO-SPB2

The Extreme Universe Space Observatory on a Super Pressure Balloon II (EUSO-SPB2) is a second generation stratospheric balloon instrument for the detection of Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECRs, E > 1 EeV) via the fluorescence technique and of Very High Energy (VHE, E > 10 PeV) neutrinos via Cherenkov emission. EUSO-SPB2 is a pathfinder mission for instruments like the proposed Probe Of Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (POEMMA). The purpose of such a space-based observatory is to measure UHECRs and UHE neutrinos with high statistics and uniform exposure. EUSO-SPB2 is designed with two Schmidt telescopes, each optimized for their respective observa- tional goals. The Fluorescence Telescope looks at the nadir to measure the fluorescence emission from UHECR-induced extensive air shower (EAS), while the Cherenkov Telescope is optimized for fast signals (∼10 ns) and points near the Earth’s limb. This allows for the measurement of Cherenkov light from EAS caused by Earth skimming VHE neutrinos if pointed slightly below the limb or from UHECRs if observing slightly above. The expected launch date of EUSO-SPB2 is Spring 2023 from Wanaka, NZ with target duration of up to 100 days. Such a flight would provide thousands of VHECR Cherenkov signals in addition to tens of UHECR fluorescence tracks. Neither of these kinds of events have been observed from either orbital or suborbital altitudes before, making EUSO-SPB2 crucial to move forward towards a space-based instrument. It will also enhance the understanding of potential background signals for both detection techniques. This contribution will provide a short overview of the detector and the current status of the mission as well as its scientific goals