Displaying all 13 publications

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  1. Wan Nurhayati Wan Hanaf, Farida Zuraina Mohd Yusof, Rajinder Singh, Ahmad Kushairi Din, Rajanaidu Nookiah, Maizura Ithnin
    Scientific Research Journal, 2017;14(1):54-63.
    MyJurnal
    Elaeis oleifera serves as a source of genetic foundation in oil palm improvement programme, as it possess several interesting agronomic traits such as slow growth, higher oil unsaturation and disease resistance. Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has developed a collection of simple sequence repeats (SSRs) from Elaeis oleifera genome (E. oleifera-gSSRs). A total of 21 polymoprhic SSR markers were evaluated in the attempt to assess the population structure of E. oleifera populations. The appropriate common ancestry (K) value was determined to be seven from the likelihood scores. The profile from STRUCTURE analysis indicates considerable sharing of genetic components among E. oleifera population with an exception for Population 01 from Columbia and Population 02 from Costa Rica. The present study provides information on population structure of MPOB E. oleifera collection via model-based method for germplasm conservation and utilisation in breeding programmes.
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  2. Noorhariza Mohd Zaki, Rozana Rosli, Ting NC, Singh R, Ismanizan Ismail
    Ten Elaeis oleifera microsatellite markers were developed and characterised from 1500 sequences of the E. oleifera genomic library. The markers were utilised to assess the genetic diversity of E. oleifera germplasm collections from four South American countries (Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras). The number of alleles per-locus varied from 2 to 11 and the observed and expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.0685 to 0.9853 and 0.1393 to 0.8216 respectively. Majority of the markers showed transferability to Elaeis guineensis while two markers showed transferability across Arecaceae taxa. These E. oleifera microsatellite markers are expected to become useful tools to determine the population structure and conservation of E. oleifera populations.
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  3. Ithnin M, Vu WT, Shin MG, Suryawanshi V, Sherbina K, Zolkafli SH, et al.
    Plant Sci, 2021 Mar;304:110731.
    PMID: 33568284 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2020.110731
    Existing Elaeis guineensis cultivars lack sufficient genetic diversity due to extensive breeding. Harnessing variation in wild crop relatives is necessary to expand the breadth of agronomically valuable traits. Using RAD sequencing, we examine the natural diversity of wild American oil palm populations (Elaeis oleifera), a sister species of the cultivated Elaeis guineensis oil palm. We genotyped 192 wild E. oleifera palms collected from seven Latin American countries along with four cultivated E. guineensis palms. Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia palms are panmictic and genetically similar. Genomic patterns of diversity suggest that these populations likely originated from the Amazon Basin. Despite evidence of a genetic bottleneck and high inbreeding observed in these populations, there is considerable genetic and phenotypic variation for agronomically valuable traits. Genome-wide association revealed several candidate genes associated with fatty acid composition along with vegetative and yield-related traits. These observations provide valuable insight into the geographic distribution of diversity, phenotypic variation and its genetic architecture that will guide choices of wild genotypes for crop improvement.
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  4. Knowlton ED, Kamath A
    Neotrop. Entomol., 2018 Dec;47(6):780-785.
    PMID: 30191403 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-018-0631-6
    Many organisms use chemicals to deter enemies. Some spiders can modify the composition of their silk to deter predators from climbing onto their webs. The Malaysian golden orb-weaver Nephila antipodiana (Walckenaer) produces silk containing an alkaloid (2-pyrrolidinone) that functions as a defense against ant invasion-ants avoid silk containing this chemical. In the present study, we test the generality of ants' silk avoidance behavior in the field. We introduced three ant species to the orb webs of Nephila clavipes (Linnaeus) in the tropical rainforest of La Selva, Costa Rica. We found that predatory army ants (Eciton burchellii Westwood) as well as non-predatory leaf-cutting ants (Atta cephalotes Linnaeus and Acromyrmex volcanus Wheeler) avoided adult N. clavipes silk, suggesting that an additional species within genus Nephila may possess ant-deterring silk. Our field assay also suggests that silk avoidance behavior is found in multiple ant species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  5. Ng CF, Choong CK, Lau LS
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2020 May;27(15):18685-18698.
    PMID: 32207006 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-08351-w
    In this paper, we revisit the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis by using estimations that account for cross-sectional dependency (CSD) and asymmetry effect in 76 countries for the period 1971-2014. Our results lend moderate support to the EKC hypothesis. The country-specific results unfold that a total of 16 out of 76 countries support the EKC hypothesis using CCEMG estimator. Results from AMG reveal that the EKC hypothesis holds in 24 out of 76 countries. It is worth highlighting that 11 countries (Australia, China, Congo Dem. Rep., Costa Rica, Gabon, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Myanmar, Turkey, and Uruguay) exhibit an inverted U-shaped curve regardless of whether CCEMG or AMG is used. The asymmetry analysis using PMG is also able to support the EKC hypothesis. We conclude that the EKC hypothesis does not fit all countries. Policy implication and recommendation in designing appropriate energy and economic policies are provided.
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  6. Myzabella N, Fritschi L, Merdith N, El-Zaemey S, Chih H, Reid A
    Int J Occup Environ Med, 2019 10;10(4):159-173.
    PMID: 31586381 DOI: 10.15171/ijoem.2019.1576
    BACKGROUND: The palm oil industry is the largest contributor to global production of oils and fats. Indonesia and Malaysia are the largest producers of palm oil. More than a million workers are employed in this industry, yet there is a lack of information on their occupational health and safety.

    OBJECTIVE: To identify and summarize occupational hazards among oil palm plantation workers.

    METHODS: A search was carried out in June 2018 in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Ovid. Relevant publications were identified by a systematic search of four databases and relevant journals. Publications were included if they examined occupational hazards in oil palm plantation workers.

    RESULTS: 941 publications were identified; of these, 25 studies were found eligible to be included in the final review. Of the 25 studies examined, 19 were conducted in Malaysia, 2 in Costa Rica, and one each in Ghana, Indonesia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, and Cameroon. Oil palm plantation workers were found to be at risk of musculoskeletal conditions, injuries, psychosocial disorders, and infectious diseases such as malaria and leptospirosis. In addition, they have potential exposure to paraquat and other pesticides.

    CONCLUSION: In light of the potential of palm oil for use as a biofuel, this is an industry with strong growth potential. The workers are exposed to various occupational hazards. Further research and interventions are necessary to improve the working conditions of this already vast and growing workforce.

    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica/epidemiology
  7. Rodríguez G
    Fam Plann Perspect, 1979 Jan-Feb;11(1):51-70.
    PMID: 421882
    Analysis of World Fertility Survey data from five countries--Colombia, Costa Rica, Korea, Malaysia and Nepal--shows that the availability of contraceptive services and supplies is a major determinant of use. In Nepal, where few women know where to obtain supplies, only two percent are contracepting. In Costa Rica, where almost all married women know an outlet nearby, 53 percent use effective methods.
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  8. Eamsobhana P, Yong HS, Song SL, Gan XX, Prasartvit A, Tungtrongchitr A
    Parasitol Int, 2019 Feb;68(1):24-30.
    PMID: 30267903 DOI: 10.1016/j.parint.2018.09.006
    Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the main causative agent of human angiostrongyliasis. A sibling species, A. malaysiensis has not been unequivocally incriminated to be involved in human infections. To date, there is only a single report on the application of the partial 66-kDa protein gene sequence for molecular differentiation and phylogeny of Angiostrongylus species. Nucleotide sequences of the 66-kDa protein gene of A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis from Thailand, as well as those of the laboratory strains of A. cantonensis from Thailand and Hawaii, A. cantonensis from Japan and China, A. malaysiensis from Malaysia, and A. costaricensis from Costa Rica, were used for the reconstruction of phylogenetic tree by the maximum likelihood (ML) method and the haplotypes by the median joining (MJ) network. The ML phylogenetic tree contained two major clades with a full support bootstrap value - (1) A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis, and (2) A. costaricensis. A. costaricensis was basal to A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis. The genetic distance between A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis ranged from p = .82% to p = 3.27%, that between A. cantonensis and A. costaricensis from p = 4.90% to p = 5.31%, and that between A. malaysiensis and A. costaricensis was p = 4.49% to p = 5.71%. Both A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis possess high 66-kDa haplotype diversity. There was no clear separation of the conspecific taxa of A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis from different geographical regions. A more intensive and extensive sampling with larger sample size may reveal greater haplotype diversity and a better resolved phylogeographical structure of A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  9. Gordon JE, Scrimsha NS
    Arch. Environ. Health, 1969 Aug;19(2):199-216.
    PMID: 5817545
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  10. Yokogawa M
    Adv Parasitol, 1969;7:375-87.
    PMID: 4935271
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
  11. West KM, Kalbfleisch JM
    Diabetes, 1971 May;20(5):289-96.
    PMID: 5581317 DOI: 10.2337/diab.20.5.289
    The sensitivity and specificity of each of five screening tests were estimated in each of three to ten countries by testing subjects drawn from the general populations of adults over thirty-four years of age. This permitted comparisons among countries and among the different tests (fasting, postprandial, and postglucose urine tests, and fasting and postprandial blood glucose values). Sensitivity and specificity of each test varied widely among populations. For example, the sensitivity of the two-hour urine glucose ranged from 17 per cent in Nicaragua to 100 per cent in East Pakistan. Apparently specificity and sensitivity of such tests are influenced by many factors including both the circumstances under which the tests are performed and the characteristics of the population tested. It is, therefore, not possible to predict prevalence rates reliably by extrapolating from the results of screening tests. However, we believe the data for specific populations on the sensitivity and specificity of various tests will provide a rough guide in predicting the cost-effectiveness of alternative approaches to case detection in those particular countries. For instance, these results suggest that roughly 56 per cent of the occult diabetics in Costa Rica in this age group would be detected by a two-hour urine glucose, but only about 41 per cent of those in whom this test was positive would prove to have diabetes. Even modest changes of criteria in defining either "diabetes" or "abnormality" of the screening results produced marked changes in rates of sensitivity and specificity. With few exceptions, tests which were more sensitive were, comparably, less specific, and the reverse was also true. Rates of "diabetes" were markedly influenced by modest changes in diagnostic criteria.
    Matched MeSH terms: Costa Rica
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