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This article proposes the use of ruins and rubble as entry points to the study of agrarian change. Drawing from peasants' collective memories of the so-called "abandonment of the banana company" in Palmar Sur, Costa Rica and the observation of ruined spaces and objects, this article argues that ruins and rubble allow us to see the spatial simultaneity of different temporalities in processes of agrarian change, aspects often obscured in linear transition narratives. This approach uses ruins and ruination as a lens for asking a different type of agrarian question: What does agrarian change look like after capitalist destruction has already taken place? In ruined spaces and objects we find both the materiality of crisis and oblivion as well as places of reappropriation and autonomy that guide the political possibilities for making ruined spaces livable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Costa Rica (CR), only one report on head and neck cancer (HNC) incidence trends (1985‐2007) has been published and no investigations on the epidemiology of potentially human papillomavirus (HPV)‐related and HPV‐unrelated HNCs have been done. We examined the age‐standardized incidence rates (IRs) and trends of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) and compared incidence trends of potentially HPV‐related and HPV‐unrelated HNSCCs. We obtained all available HNC cases for the period 2006‐2015 from the Costa Rican National Cancer Registry of Tumors and the population estimates from the Costa Rican National Institute of Statistics and Census. The analysis was restricted to invasive HNSCCs (n = 1577). IRs and incidence rate ratios were calculated using SEER*Stat software and were age‐standardized for the 2010 Costa Rican population. Joinpoint regression analysis program was used to calculate trends and annual percent changes (APCs) in rates. For all HNSCCs, the age‐standardized IR was 34.0/million person‐years; 95% CI 32.4, 35.8. There was a significant decline in the incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer (APC: −5.9% per year; 95% CI −10.8, −0.7) and laryngeal cancer (APC: −5.4% per year; −9.2, 1.5). The incidence trends for hypopharyngeal, oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancers each remained stable over time. HNSCCs were categorized by their potential relatedness to HPV infection. Though the APCs were not statistically significant, IRs of potentially HPV‐related HNSCCs trended upward, while HPV‐unrelated HNSCCs trended downward. HNSCCs are uncommon in CR and decreased over time. We observed a divergent pattern of decreasing HPV‐unrelated with increasing HPV‐related HNSCCs that should be further informed by HPV genotyping tumor samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze the temporal trends of premature mortality from diabetes in Costa Rica in the period 2000–2020, at a national level and by province, and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on diabetes mortality during the year 2020 We studied the temporal trends of mortality from diabetes in Costa Rica in the period between 2000 and 2020. Age-standardized mortality rates and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated for each year, sex and province. We analyzed the data of 17,968 deceased persons. The mean age was 72.5 years (range 1 to 109 years), and 51.5% of the population (n = 9253) was younger than 75 years. In both men and women, we observed a significant decrease in mortality from 2000 to 2014, followed by the opposite trend from 2014 to 2020, with average yearly increases of 13.9% in men and 11.6% in women. Premature mortality from diabetes has been growing from 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the mortality pattern, increasing premature diabetes deaths in Costa Rica in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prokaryotic diversity in lakes has been studied for many years mainly focusing on community structure and how the bacterial assemblages are driven by physicochemical conditions such as temperature, oxygen, and nutrients. However, little is known about how the composition and function of the prokaryotic community changes upon lake stratification. To elucidate this, we studied Lake Cote in Costa Rica determining prokaryotic diversity and community structure in conjunction with physicochemistry along vertical gradients during stratification and mixing periods. Of the parameters measured, ammonium, oxygen, and temperature, in that order, were the main determinants driving the variability in the prokaryotic community structure of the lake. Distinct stratification of Lake Cote occurred (March 2018) and the community diversity was compared to a period of complete mixing (March 2019). The microbial community analysis indicated that stratification significantly altered the bacterial composition in the epi-meta- and hypolimnion. During stratification, the Deltaproteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Nitrospirae, and Euryarchaeota were dominant in the hypolimnion yet largely absent in surface layers. Among these taxa, strict or facultative anaerobic bacteria were likely contributing to the lake nitrogen biogeochemical cycling, consistent with measurements of inorganic nitrogen measurements and microbial functional abundance predictions. In general, during both sampling events, a higher abundance of Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Cyanobacteria was found in the oxygenated layers. Lake Cote had a unique bacterial diversity, with 80% of Amplicon Sequence Variant (ASV) recovered similar to unclassified/uncultured strains and exhibits archetypal shallow lake physicochemical but not microbial fluctuations worthy of further investigation. This study provides an example of lake hydrodynamics impacts to microbial community and their function in Central American lakes with implications for other shallow, upland, and oligotrophic lake systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We investigated the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on the performance of cytology-based and HPV-based screening for detection of cervical precancer among women vaccinated as young adults and reaching screening age.Methods: A total of 4632 women aged 25-36 years from the Costa Rica HPV Vaccine Trial were included (2418 HPV-vaccinated as young adults and 2214 unvaccinated). We assessed the performance of cytology- and HPV-based cervical screening modalities in vaccinated and unvaccinated women to detect high-grade cervical precancers diagnosed over 4 years and the absolute risk of cumulative cervical precancers by screening results at entry.Results: We detected 95 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (52 in unvaccinated and 43 in vaccinated women). HPV16/18/31/33/45 was predominant (69%) among unvaccinated participants, and HPV35/52/58/39/51/56/59/66/68 predominated (65%) among vaccinated participants. Sensitivity and specificity of cervical screening approaches were comparable between women vaccinated as young adults and unvaccinated women. Colposcopy referral rates were lower in the vaccinated group for HPV-based screening modalities, but the positive predictive value was comparable between the 2 groups.Conclusions: Among women approaching screening ages, vaccinated as young adults, and with a history of intensive screening, the expected reduction in the positive predictive value of HPV testing, associated with dropping prevalence of HPV-associated lesions, was not observed. This is likely due to the presence of high-grade lesions associated with nonvaccine HPV types, which may be less likely to progress to cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass generated from agricultural operations in Costa Rica represents an untapped renewable resource for bioenergy generation. This study investigated the effects of two temperatures and three mixture ratios of manures and food wastes on biogas production and microbial community structure. Increasing the amount of fruit and restaurant wastes in the feed mixture significantly enhanced the productivity of the systems (16% increase in the mesophilic systems and 41% in the thermophilic). The methane content of biogas was also favored at higher temperatures. Beta diversity analysis, based on high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene, showed that microbial communities of the thermophilic digestions were more similar to each other than the mesophilic digestions. Species richness of the thermophilic digestions was significantly greater than the corresponding mesophilic digestions (F = 40.08, p = 0.003). The mesophilic digesters were dominated by Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes while in thermophilic digesters, the phyla Firmicutes and Chloroflexi accounted for up to 90% of all sequences. Methanosarcina represented the key methanogen and was more abundant in thermophilic digestions. These results demonstrate that increasing digestion temperature and adding food wastes can alleviate the negative impact of low C:N ratios on anaerobic digestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central America is one of the most important biodiversity hot spots in the world, and Costa Rican microbial communities from thermal springs are the best characterized in the isthmus. Miravalles is an inactive quaternary stratovolcano, and the Rincón de la Vieja is a unique active volcano, in whose slopes diverse hydrothermal springs, such as Las Lilas, are located. These springs harbor extensive microbial mats, whose diversity has been studied. Based on their importance as primary producers, in this study we focused on cultured cyanobacterial diversity from two geothermal environments of northern Costa Rica. Several cultural, molecular and taxonomic techniques were employed to maximize the results of a polyphasic approach. Sample collection sites were physicochemically described, and strains were isolated and characterized by light and electron microscopy. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using 16S rRNA gene sequences and amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA). Fifty‐six phylotypes were isolated and classified into 21 morphotypes and identified in 14 genera, some of them might be new species within these genera. Furthermore, according to phylogenetic analysis, there are three possible new genera in our collection. Miravalles and Las Lilas thermal springs are reservoirs of novel phylogeographic lineages of phototrophic microorganisms. This study is the first report of strains that belong to the genera Gloeocapsa, Stanieria, Microseira, Klisinema and Oculatella isolated from thermal springs and growing at temperatures above 50°C. We also obtained isolates assigned to Synechococcus, Leptolyngbya spp., and Fischerella, which are considered typical strains in these environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents some of the results obtained in a social investigation aimed at exploring the daily life of call center workers in Costa Rica. Its purpose is to analyze their working conditions and experience, through interviews and surveys from the perspective of their body and emotions: what I call the corporeity of work. The study dwells on^ intimate experience, and links elements which are usually left out when work transformation processes are studied. It observes the conditions in which people work and are employed and how they subjectively experience these conditions, from within their bodies and emotions. After briefly putting in context the subject matter and establishing the development of subcontracting companies in the area of telecommunication services, it analyzes the conditions of employment and work, and then delves into the value of work, temporality, labor flexibility and health effects, as well as call center culture. This text allows us to examine the life experience of a group of workers not often studied in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along this paper I study two cases of land occupations at the banana enclave zone of Sarapiquí from 1980 to 2009, in order to know the state's role in political processes of agrarian conflict. The analysis of the peasant's narratives -on land occupation, public negotiation, collective action, discursive and organizational dispositions- problematizes the notions of state's "absence" and/or "abandonment", leading to the conclusion that the state can be absent in its institutional forms when it is understood within the welfare ideal, but selectively present when it comes to judicialization, criminalization and repression; also, is shown that state is found where is least looked for: in peasant's organizational practices and daily desire for legal recognition. Structural adjustment promoted state's institutional reduction, however, reduction wasn't absolute, and this study concludes that such withdrawal occurred in redistributive policies, not in the repressive ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay addresses the women and feminist social movements in Costa Rica during the last thirty years and analyses their internal changes, their impact in Costa Rican polity, and their successes and shortcomings. The essay presents the origins and developments of some of the groups arisen in the 1980s and 1990s and compares them with similar groups born in the last ten years. The essay concludes that women and feminist movements are cardinal for the advance of all women's fights for equity and equality in gender and sexual conditions. Critical reflection on women's life, differences and discriminations, and on the gaps in public policies for women requires an adequate political understanding and a sharp consciousness about the sources of gender inequality. This vital question disappears very often in the discourses of public institutions, political parties, ONGs and international organizations. Instead, these discourses put forward limited solutions for women's demands; they remain in the frame of non-controversial matters and promote traditional gender roles. On the contrary, feminist movements are in favor of socio-cultural breakthroughs that would bring fundamental changes for all women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on Spinactaletes, a genus of obligatory marine littoral springtails, from Costa Rica. It discusses the presence of species collected at three localities on the Caribbean coast, Spinactaletes campylorachis sp. nov. and Spinactaletes deltalus sp. nov. Descriptions of the new species are offered. The article explores the significance of the research in determining the extent of the distribution of the genus.

Background: The natural history of human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in older women is critical for preventive strategies, including vaccination and screening intervals, but is poorly understood. In a 7-year population-based cohort study in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, we examined whether women’s age and the duration of carcinogenic HPV infections influenced subsequent persistence of infection and risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 (CIN 2) or worse disease. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article analyzes conceptual aspects and fundamental changes that have been generated in the Latin American families. The case of Costa Rica is compared with the Latin American processes; later it deepens on Costa Rica's particular situation. An invitation is given to meditate about the necessity of not staying in the study of the structural changes, but rather to deepen in the study of the dynamics and the type of relationships that it is generated to the interior of family and among the members of the families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anastrepha ludens is a key pest of mangoes and citrus from Texas to Costa Rica but the mechanisms of odorant perception in this species are poorly understood. Detection of volatiles in insects occurs mainly in the antenna, where molecules penetrate sensillum pores and link to soluble proteins in the hemolymph until reaching specific odor receptors that trigger signal transduction and lead to behavioral responses. Scrutinizing the molecular foundation of odorant perception in A. ludens is necessary to improve biorational management strategies against this pest. After exposing adults of three maturity stages to a proteinaceous attractant, we studied antennal morphology and comparative proteomic profiles using nano-LC-MS/MS with tandem mass tags combined with synchronous precursor selection (SPS)-MS3. Antennas from newly emerged flies exhibited dense agglomerations of olfactory sensory neurons. We discovered 4618 unique proteins in the antennas of A. ludens and identified some associated with odor signaling, including odorant-binding and calcium signaling related proteins, the odorant receptor co-receptor (Orco), and putative odorant-degrading enzymes. Antennas of sexually immature flies exhibited the most upregulation of odor perception proteins compared to mature flies exposed to the attractant. This is the first report where critical molecular players are linked to the odor perception mechanism of A. ludens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributions and concentrations of carbon dioxide being emitted from active volcanoes elucidate the subsurface controls on gas ascent from the source and provide important information regarding the extent and state of the magmatic system. The main goal of this study was to determine if degassing followed open- or closed-system dynamics, and to define a baseline for eruption monitoring of degassing across the volcanic edifice through the CO 2 budget estimate from the combined results of two CO 2 gas emission surveys from 2021 and 2022 on Turrialba volcano, Costa Rica. This was accomplished by utilizing a new method for estimating total carbon flux on and around this persistently degassing and intermittently erupting volcano by integrating fine and coarse spatial scales of measurements; including an analysis of carbon isotopes to determine the source contributions to the gas emissions. Approximately 99% (2287 ± 1719 t CO 2 day−1) of magma-derived degassing activity is advective and concentrated at the summit crater, with a smaller, continuous component of ∼1% (23.73 ± 6.65 tonnes CO 2 day−1) flank diffuse soil degassing. As the majority of the gas emissions from Turrialba are concentrated in the summit plume, the system is likely experiencing open-system degassing dynamics through one dominant degassing pathway. Though at relatively low levels, the locations and distributions of diffuse degassing on the volcanic flanks allow us to delineate subsurface features that likely reveal the extent of the magmatic system of the volcano. Volcanic CO 2 outputs at Turrialba primarily concentrate along faults and fractures near the summit and across the flanks where permeable zones allow gas ascent, and with limited emissions elsewhere. The results of this study provide a baseline for monitoring future changes in the Turrialba magmatic system and demonstrate the potential for applying this method to other volcanic complexes, particularly those that are poorly monitored or where there is a greater prevalence of diffuse and distal degassing. • Baseline for monitoring future changes in the Turrialba volcano degassing system. • Implementation of method for total CO 2 budget estimation at complex stratovolcanoes in the tropics. • Evidence for open-system degassing with distal diffuse degassing emissions highly channelized along faults and fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oncogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infections cause most cases of cervical cancer. Here, we report long-term follow-up results for the Costa Rica Vaccine Trial (publicly funded and initiated before licensure of the HPV vaccines), with the aim of assessing the efficacy of the bivalent HPV vaccine for preventing HPV 16/18-associated cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+).Methods: Women aged 18-25 years were enrolled in a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial in Costa Rica, between June 28, 2004, and Dec 21, 2005, designed to assess the efficacy of a bivalent vaccine for the prevention of infection with HPV 16/18 and associated precancerous lesions at the cervix. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive an HPV 16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine or control hepatitis A vaccine. Vaccines were administered intramuscularly in three 0·5 mL doses at 0, 1, and 6 months and participants were followed up annually for 4 years. After the blinded phase, women in the HPV vaccine group were invited to enrol in the long-term follow-up study, which extended follow-up for 7 additional years. The control group received HPV vaccine and was replaced with a new unvaccinated control group. Women were followed up every 2 years until year 11. Investigators and patients were aware of treatment allocation for the follow-up phase. At each visit, clinicians collected cervical cells from sexually active women for cytology and HPV testing. Women with abnormal cytology were referred to colposcopy, biopsy, and treatment as needed. Women with negative results at the last screening visit (year 11) exited the long-term follow-up study. The analytical cohort for vaccine efficacy included women who were HPV 16/18 DNA-negative at vaccination. The primary outcome of this analysis was defined as histopathologically confirmed CIN2+ or cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse associated with HPV 16/18 cervical infection detected at colposcopy referral. We calculated vaccine efficacy by year and cumulatively. This long-term follow-up study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00867464.Findings: 7466 women were enrolled in the Costa Rica Vaccine Trial; 3727 received the HPV vaccine and 3739 received the control vaccine. Between March 30, 2009, and July 5, 2012, 2635 women in the HPV vaccine group and 2836 women in the new unvaccinated control group were enrolled in the long-term follow-up study. 2635 women in the HPV vaccine group and 2677 women in the control group were included in the analysis cohort for years 0-4, and 2073 women from the HPV vaccine group and 2530 women from the new unvaccinated control group were included in the analysis cohort for years 7-11. Median follow-up time for the HPV group was 11·1 years (IQR 9·1-11·7), 4·6 years (4·3-5·3) for the original control group, and 6·2 years (5·5-6·9) for the new unvaccinated control group. At year 11, vaccine efficacy against incident HPV 16/18-associated CIN2+ was 100% (95% CI 89·2-100·0); 34 (1·5%) of 2233 unvaccinated women had a CIN2+ outcome compared with none of 1913 women in the HPV group. Cumulative vaccine efficacy against HPV 16/18-associated CIN2+ over the 11-year period was 97·4% (95% CI 88·0-99·6). Similar protection was observed against HPV 16/18-associated CIN3-specifically at year 11, vaccine efficacy was 100% (95% CI 78·8-100·0) and cumulative vaccine efficacy was 94·9% (73·7-99·4). During the long-term follow-up, no serious adverse events occurred that were deemed related to the HPV vaccine. The most common grade 3 or worse serious adverse events were pregnancy, puerperium, and perinatal conditions (in 255 [10%] of 2530 women in the unvaccinated control group and 201 [10%] of 2073 women in the HPV vaccine group). Four women in the unvaccinated control group and three in the HPV vaccine group died; no deaths were deemed to be related to the HPV vaccine.Interpretation: The bivalent HPV vaccine has high efficacy against HPV 16/18-associated precancer for more than a decade after initial vaccination, supporting the notion that invasive cervical cancer is preventable.Funding: US National Cancer Institute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]