Effect of acute exposure of acephate on hemocyte abundance in a non-target victim Drosophila melanogaster

Organophosphate insecticide acephate was tested to investigate effects on hemocyte abundance in a non-target dipteran insect Drosophila melanogaster. For this purpose, third-instar larvae were fed on four graded concentrations (2, 4, 6, or 8 μg/ml) acephate for a period of 12 and 24 hr (acute treatment). Control groups were simultaneously maintained for comparison. Relative proportions of plasmatocytes in hemolymph smear were found to fall with increasing concentrations of the test chemical. Similar decreasing trend in population of lamellocytes was also noted after 12 and 24 hr chemical exposure. In contrast to plasmatocytes and lamellocytes, crystal cell number was found to rise with increasing pesticide concentration. Several factors like oxidative stress, apoptosis induction, and mitotic failure might be the cause of reduced plasmatocyte and lamellocyte count. The elevated number of crystal cells in hemolymph smears is directly indicative of high melanin synthesis that assists larvae to combat chemical stress, since melanin is well known for its potential to minimize physical, chemical, and pathogenic stress.     

Light induced transformation of isoprothiolane on glass,soil, and plant surface

Photolysis of isoprothiolane (di-isopropyl 1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidenemalonate) was studied as a thin film on glass surface, soil surface, and plant surface. Three photoproducts, namely 1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidenepropane, 1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidenemalonic acid, and 1,3-dithiolan-2-ylidenemethane have been identified on the basis of GC-MS method. The major route of photodegradation of this compound is through the de-esterification process, followed by de-carboxylation and rearrangement. The rate of photodegradation in all cases followed first-order kinetics with a statistically significant correlation coefficient.     

Photodecomposition of Isofenphos (O‐ethyl‐O(2‐isopropoxycarbonyl)‐phenyl)‐Isopropylphos‐Phoramidothioate)

Photodecomposition of the organophosphorus insecticide isofenphos (O‐ethyl‐O‐(2‐isopropoxy‐carbonyl)‐phenyl)‐N‐isopropylphosphoremidothioate) has been studied in solution, on glass and soil surfaces. Isofenphos underwent oxidation from P = S to the P = O group and deesterification on irradiation in hexane and methanol. Photoproducts were isolated and identified by spectroscopic methods.     

Photolytic decomposition of uc‐54229, a Proinsecticide of the Carbamate group

Phototransformation of UC‐54229 (1) [2,3‐dihydro‐2,2‐dimethyl‐7‐benzofuranyl‐N‐(trimethylamino acetyl)‐N‐methyl carbamate chloride] was studied under UV and visible light conditions. Photoirradiation of 1 with UV‐light resulted in the formation of five degradation products which on the basis of their mass and ¹H Nmr spectral analysis were characterised as 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. It was observed that under the influence of light, UC‐54229 was degraded to acetyl‐carbofuran which under similar conditions underwent further transformation to the actual toxicant carbofuran. The degradation products or impurities present in 100% water soluble powder formulation were identified as carbofuran phenol and triethylamine hydrochloride.     

Geospatial strategy for sustainable management of municipal solid waste for growing urban environment

This paper presents the implementation of a Geospatial approach for improving the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) disposal suitability site assessment in growing urban environment. The increasing trend of population growth and the absolute amounts of waste disposed of worldwide have increased substantially reflecting changes in consumption patterns, consequently worldwide. MSW is now a bigger problem than ever. Despite an increase in alternative techniques for disposing of waste, land-filling remains the primary means. In this context, the pressures and requirements placed on decision makers dealing with land-filling by government and society have increased, as they now have to make decisions taking into considerations environmental safety and economic practicality. The waste disposed by the municipal corporation in the Bhagalpur City (India) is thought to be different from the landfill waste where clearly scientific criterion for locating suitable disposal sites does not seem to exist. The location of disposal sites of Bhagalpur City represents the unconsciousness about the environmental and public health hazards arising from disposing of waste in improper location. Concerning about urban environment and health aspects of people, a good method of waste management and appropriate technologies needed for urban area of Bhagalpur city to improve this trend using Multi Criteria Geographical Information System and Remote Sensing for selection of suitable disposal sites. The purpose of GIS was to perform process to part restricted to highly suitable land followed by using chosen criteria. GIS modeling with overlay operation has been used to find the suitability site for MSW.     

Harnessing database resources for understanding the profile of chemical process industry incidents

Analyzing historical databases can provide valuable information on the incident occurrences and their consequences for assessing the safety of the chemical process industry. In this study, the RMP and HSEES databases were utilized to understand the patterns and the factors influencing chemical process industry incidents. Frequency exceedance curves were generated by utilizing the different incident consequences from the databases to understand the profile of societal loss from reported incidents. Understanding the statistics and trends of the historical incidents could serve as important lagging indicators in order to assess the probable proximity to major consequences from the low-probability/high-consequence incidents. To this regard, the safety pyramids were also generated to better understand the relationship between the different consequences of the reported incidents. Furthermore, the safety pyramids were analyzed in comparison with the traditional safety pyramid proposed by Heinrich to understand the US process industry incident occurrence trends.     

Techno policy aspects and socio-economic impacts of eco-industrial networking in the fishery sector: experiences from An Giang Province,Vietnam

Eco-industrial networking is considered as a new approach for businesses to improve their competitiveness, economic viability and human and ecosystem health. A cyclic material flow with alternative usage of all materials in the loop is an essential feature of an eco-industrial network. While eco-industrial networking has been primarily applied on the high-tech sector, this paper attempts to apply the principles on the fishery sector of An Giang, a Vietnamese province in the Mekong River Delta. An Giang Province has its own market share in the trade of Tra and Basa fish. The industries in the value chain of Tra and Basa are in a situation that forces them to improve their competitiveness to retain the market share. It was found that forming an eco-industrial network and recruiting new businesses to utilize all materials in the process provides additional revenue apart from reducing waste disposal concerns. This paper details the current market situation, the issues faced and material flow patterns and presents a feasible eco-industrial network. The results of the study indicate that the eco-industrial network creates positive impacts in terms of increased competitiveness, improved socio-economic conditions and cleaner environment.     

Triethylamine induced photolysis of endosulphan

Photolysis of pure isomers of endosulphan in the presence of triethylamine gives products arising by the loss of a chlorine atom from the geminal bridge. The structures of these products have been established. The α‐isomer of endosulphan isomerised to ß‐isomer on a leaf surface.