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This paper describes the design, calibration and testing processes of a new device named Automated Laboratory Infiltrometer (ALI). It allows to determinate in laboratory, under controlled conditions the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) of altered or unaltered soil samples which is a key parameter to understand the movement of water through a porous medium. The ALI combines the advantages of three different approaches: measures vertical infiltration rates in a soil column, measures the actual volumes of vertically drained water through the soil column, and finally, uses heat as a natural tracer to determinate water flux rates through the porous medium; all those parameters are used to determinate Ks. The ALI was developed using the popular Arduino microcontroller board and commercially available sensors that give the whole system a low cost. Data from the ALI are recorded in a microSD memory so they can be easily read from any spreadsheet software helping to reduce time consuming and avoiding reading errors. The performance of this device was evaluated by comparing the water flow rates determined by the three approaches for which is designed; an excellent correlation among them was observed (worst correlation: R2 = 0.9826 and r-RSME = 0.94%).

Abstract The objective of this study was to extract personality prototypes from general population of Mexico and to compare subjective health indicators between these prototypes. Participants were 994 individuals (aged 14 to 63 years). Five personality traits (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness) were assessed with the NEO-FFI. Subjective indicators of health (self-rated health and psychological distress) were assessed with a question regarding health status and the GHQ-12. To verify the consistency of the prototypes, the sample was divided into two age groups, young (14 to 25 years) and mature (26 to 63 years.). Three stable prototypes were recovered from both groups. Resilient individuals (low neuroticism and high in other traits) had the best subjective health; the Non-Resilient individuals (high neuroticism and low in other traits) had the worst subjective health; and Self-Disciplined individuals (high conscientiousness and medium scores in other traits) were in the middle of these extremes in subjective health. Self-discipline and resilience were most discriminative in terms of subjective health. Findings are discussed in terms of the generalization of prototypes across cultures.

Introducción: El distanciamiento social y la cuarentena han probado tener efectos negativos en la salud mental de las poblaciones, a saber: miedo, ansiedad, depresión y sintomatología de estrés postraumático. La resiliencia emerge como variable amortiguadora del impacto. El objetivo del estudio fue comparar el impacto psicológico del COVID-19 en varios países latinoamericanos. Método: se obtuvo una muestra de 1184 participantes de México, Cuba, Chile, Colombia y Guatemala; cuya edad osciló entre 18 y 83 años (M = 38.78, DT = 13.81). Se aplicó una encuesta sobre síntomas médicos asociados al COVID-19 con tres instrumentos para evaluar: (1) síntomas de depresión, ansiedad y estrés, (2) impacto del evento y (3) resiliencia. Resultados: Las personas más jóvenes, con mayor cantidad de síntomas médicos y con mayores puntajes de impacto del evento tienden a presentar mayor sintomatología depresiva, ansiosa y estrés, siendo el impacto del evento el predictor más determinante. La resiliencia fue el predictor protector contra la depresión, ansiedad y estrés. Conclusiones: Los resultados muestran las diferencias en la respuesta psicológica ante la pandemia del COVID-19 en cada país, y sugieren la necesidad del desarrollo de políticas públicas enfocadas en la prevención y la promoción de la salud integral ante emergencias sanitarias.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adolescents reflects their perception of physical, psychological, and social well-being within a specific cultural context, considering developmental stage and individual differences. The KIDSCREEN-27 is a self-report instrument designed to assess HRQoL in children and adolescents, with demonstrated validity and reliability in international samples. Objective: To examine the psychometric properties (i.e., reliability, construct validity, convergent and discriminant validity, and measurement invariance) of the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire in a sample of Mexican adolescents. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 1124 Mexican adolescents aged 10–17 years (M = 13.37, SD = 1.08; 53.5% female; 83.6% secondary education) obtained through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. Reliability (Cronbach’s α, McDonald’s ω), structural validity through exploratory (AFE) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), measurement invariance by gender, and convergent and discriminant validity via correlations with self-esteem, well-being, stress, and anxiety–depressive symptoms were evaluated. Results: Analyses showed strong internal consistency (α = 0.912, ω = 0.914). EFA supported a five-dimensional structure. CFA showed an optimal fit after including specific covariances (χ2/df = 3.62, RMSEA = 0.048, CFI = 0.929, TLI = 0.919, SRMR = 0.043). Metric and scalar gender invariance were supported. Positive correlations emerged with well-being (r = 0.76, p < 0.01), self-esteem (r = 0.64, p < 0.01), and satisfaction with life (r = 0.52, p < 0.01), and negative correlations with stress (r = −0.61, p < 0.01), academic stress (r = −0.32, p < 0.01) and anxiety–depressive symptomatology (r = −0.53, p < 0.01), providing evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Conclusions: The KIDSCREEN-27 demonstrated adequate psychometric properties, supporting its use among Mexican adolescents, enabling the identification of well-being needs, monitoring of interventions, informed decision-making in health and educational practice and supporting cross-cultural comparisons of adolescent well-being.

Background and aim Despite extensive research in European and North American contexts, studies on positivity in Latin America remain limited. The sociocultural dynamics of the region present unique challenges that may shape the expression and relevance of positivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Positivity Scale, a self-report measure that assesses the tendency to view and approach life and experiences from a positive perspective, in Latin American population. Methods This was a cross-sectional instrumental study. The research included 1,017 adults from Mexico, Colombia, and Peru who were recruited through online platforms. The participants completed a survey including a sociodemographic questionnaire, the P-Scale, and measures of self-esteem (RSES), satisfaction with life (SWLS), optimism (LOT-R), depressive symptoms (PHQ-2), and negative affect (PANAS). Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the scale’s unidimensional structure. Measurement invariance across countries and sex was assessed. Convergent and divergent validity was evaluated through correlation analyses. Reliability was examined via Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Results Confirmatory factor analysis of the P-scale revealed that the removal of item 6, which had a low factor loading, and the inclusion of a covariance between items 1 and 4 significantly improved the model fit. The final model demonstrated acceptable fit indices, with standardized factor loadings ranging from .45 to .85. Invariance testing by country and sex remained within acceptable thresholds, supporting the scale´s configural, metric and scalar invariance. Reliability analyses demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = .86, ω = .86). Correlation analyses revealed significant positive relationships of positivity with self-esteem, life satisfaction and negative correlations with depressive symptomatology and negative affect. Conclusions The findings support the generality of the positivity construct while also highlighting the importance of cultural adaptations to ensure measurement precision. By having a validated P-Scale, researchers and practitioners can better understand and promote well-being in populations facing unique sociocultural challenges.

Maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy is one of the main causes of Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) produces several adverse manifestations. Even low or moderate intake has been associated with long-lasting behavioral and cognitive impairment in offspring. In this study we examined the gene expression profile in the rat nucleus accumbens using microarrays, comparing animals exposed prenatally to ethanol and controls. Microarray gene expression showed an overall downward regulatory effect of PAE. Gene cluster analysis reveals that the gene groups most affected are related to transcription regulation, transcription factors and homeobox genes. We focus on the expression of the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16 (Cxcl16) which was differentially expressed. There is a significant reduction in the expression of this chemokine throughout the brain under PAE conditions, evidenced here by quantitative polymerase chain reaction qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Chemokines are involved in neuroprotection and implicated in alcohol-induced brain damage and neuroinflammation in the developing central nervous system (CNS), therefore, the significance of the overall decrease in Cxcl16 expression in the brain as a consequence of PAE may reflect a reduced ability in neuroprotection against subsequent conditions, such as excitotoxic damage, inflammatory processes or even hypoxic-ischemic insult.

Introduction: Social distancing and quarantine have proven to have negative effects on the mental health of populations, namely fear, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms. Resilience emerges as a buffering variable for such impact. The objective of this study was to compare the psychological impact of COVID-19 in several Latin American countries. Method: A sample of 1184 participants from Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Colombia and Guatemala was obtained; whose age ranged from 18 to 83 years old (M = 38.78, SD = 13.81). A survey on medical symptoms associated with COVID-19 and three instruments to evaluate: (1) depression, anxiety and stress, (2) impact of the event and (3) resilience were administered. Results: Younger people, with more symptoms associated with COVID-19 and those who reported higher scores of impact of event tended to present greater depressive, anxious and stress symptomatology. The impact of the event was the most determinant predictor. Resilience was protective against the impact of event, depression, anxiety and stress. Conclusions: The results show the differences in the psychological response to COVID-19 in each country and suggesting the need to develop public policies focused on prevention and promotion of integral health when facing sanitary emergencies.

The objective of this study was to extract personality prototypes from general population of Mexico and to compare subjective health indicators between these prototypes. Participants were 994 individuals (aged 14 to 63 years). Five personality traits (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness) were assessed with the NEO-FFI. Subjective indicators of health (self-rated health and psychological distress) were assessed with a question regarding health status and the GHQ-12. To verify the consistency of the prototypes, the sample was divided into two age groups, young (14 to 25 years) and mature (26 to 63 years.). Three stable prototypes were recovered from both groups. Resilient individuals (low neuroticism and high in other traits) had the best subjective health; the Non-Resilient individuals (high neuroticism and low in other traits) had the worst subjective health; and Self-Disciplined individuals (high conscientiousness and medium scores in other traits) were in the middle of these extremes in subjective health. Self-discipline and resilience were most discriminative in terms of subjective health. Findings are discussed in terms of the generalization of prototypes across cultures.

The population’s behavioral responses to containment and precautionary measures during the COVID-19 pandemic have played a fundamental role in controlling the contagion. A comparative analysis of precautionary behaviors in the region was carried out. A total of 1184 people from Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, and Guatemala participated through an online survey containing a questionnaire on sociodemographic factors, precautionary behaviors, information about COVID-19, concerns, maintenance of confinement, and medical symptoms associated with COVID-19. Cubans reported the highest scores for information about COVID-19. Colombians reported less frequent usage of precautionary measures (e.g., use of masks), but greater adherence to confinement recommendations in general, in contrast to the low levels of these behaviors in Guatemalans. Chileans reported greater pandemic-related concerns and the highest number of medical symptoms associated with COVID-19. These findings allow a partial characterization of the Latin American population’s responses during the second and third phases of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the importance of designing and managing public health policies according to the circumstances of each population when facing pandemics.