Determination of pesticide residues in IPM and non-IPM samples of mango (Mangifera indica)

Studies were conducted to analyze the residue of commonly used pesticides viz. methyl parathion, chloropyrifos, endosulfan, cypermethrin, fenvalerate, carbendazim, imidacloprid and carbaryl in mango, Dashehari variety, integrated pest management (IPM) and non-IPM samples were collected from the IPM and non-IPM orchards, Lucknow, India. We also present a method for the simultaneous determination of these pesticides in mango samples. Residues of methyl parathion, chloropyriphos, endosulfan, cypermethrin, fenvalerate were extracted from the samples with acetone: cyclohexane: ethyl acetate in the ratio 2:1:1 followed by cleanup using neutral alumina. Analysis was performed by gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) with a megabore column (OV-1). Residues of carbendazim, imidacloprid and carbaryl were extracted with acetone and after cleanup, analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using photo diode array (PDA) detector. Recoveries of all the pesticides ranged between 72.7 – 110.6%, at 0.1 and 1.0 μg g^{? 1} level of fortification. The residues detected in non-IPM samples of mango were found to be below the prescribed limits of maximum residue limit (MRL) while IPM samples were free from pesticide residues.     

Hydrothermal carbonization of food waste and associated packaging materials for energy source generation

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a thermal conversion technique that converts food wastes and associated packaging materials to a valuable, energy-rich resource. Food waste collected from local restaurants was carbonized over time at different temperatures (225, 250 and 275 °C) and solids concentrations to determine how process conditions influence carbonization product properties and composition. Experiments were also conducted to determine the influence of packaging material on food waste carbonization. Results indicate the majority of initial carbon remains integrated within the solid-phase at the solids concentrations and reaction temperatures evaluated. Initial solids concentration influences carbon distribution because of increased compound solubilization, while changes in reaction temperature imparted little change on carbon distribution. The presence of packaging materials significantly influences the energy content of the recovered solids. As the proportion of packaging materials increase, the energy content of recovered solids decreases because of the low energetic retention associated with the packaging materials. HTC results in net positive energy balances at all conditions, except at a 5% (dry wt.) solids concentration. Carbonization of food waste and associated packaging materials also results in net positive balances, but energy needs for solids post-processing are significant. Advantages associated with carbonization are not fully realized when only evaluating process energetics. A more detailed life cycle assessment is needed for a more complete comparison of processes.     

Competition and group size in Thomas’s langurs (Presbytis thomasi): the folivore paradox revisited

Among primates, group size is highly variable. The standard ecological model assumes that better predation avoidance as group size increases favours living in larger groups, whereas increased travel costs and reduced net food intake due to within-group competition for resources set the upper limit. Folivorous primates, however, tend to defy this generalisation in that some live in small groups despite low costs of feeding competition. To resolve this ’folivore paradox’, it has been suggested that folivore group size is limited by social factors such as male harassment or infanticide, or that females can disperse more easily and thus maintain group size near optimum levels. In this paper, we examine the effects of group size on home range size, day-journey length, activity budget and diet in wild Thomas’s langurs (Presbytis thomasi), which live in one-male multi-female groups with a limited life cycle. We examined only data from the stable middle tenure phase when factors such as the strength of the breeding male or the way in which groups were formed did not influence ranging and activities. During this phase, group size affected day-journey length and home range size, and had a minor effect on diet, but did not influence time spent feeding or resting, allogrooming or birth rates. Hence the upper limit to group size during the middle tenure phase in Thomas’s langurs is not set by feeding competition. The folivore paradox is not due to frequent female dispersal in Thomas’s langurs. The timing of female dispersal is not as expected if it serves to keep group sizes near the ecological optimum, and groups seem to be below this optimum. Instead, female reproductive success is presumably maximised in small to mid-sized groups because larger groups show a clear trend to experience higher risk of take-over, often accompanied by infanticide. Because females can redistribute themselves among nearby groups when groups reorganise each time a new male starts up a new group, females can keep the group small. Thus, a social factor, risk of infanticide, seems to provide the selective advantage to small group size in Thomas’s langurs. Received: 29 July 1999 / Revised: 17 November 1999 / Accepted: 15 October 2000     

Trace element partitioning in ashes from boilers firing pure wood or mixtures of solid waste with respect to fuel composition,chlorine content and temperature

Trace element partitioning in solid waste (household waste, industrial waste, waste wood chips and waste mixtures) incineration residues was investigated. Samples of fly ash and bottom ash were collected from six incineration facilities across Sweden including two grate fired and four fluidized bed incinerators, to have a variation in the input fuel composition (from pure biofuel to mixture of waste) and different temperature boiler conditions. As trace element concentrations in the input waste at the same facilities have already been analyzed, the present study focuses on the concentration of trace elements in the waste fuel, their distribution in the incineration residues with respect to chlorine content of waste and combustion temperature.Results indicate that Zn, Cu and Pb are dominating trace elements in the waste fuel. Highly volatile elements mercury and cadmium are mainly found in fly ash in all cases; 2/3 of lead also end up in fly ash while Zn, As and Sb show a large variation in distribution with most of them residing in the fly ash. Lithophilic elements such as copper and chromium are mainly found in bottom ash from grate fired facilities while partition mostly into fly ash from fluidized bed incinerators, especially for plants fuelled by waste wood or ordinary wood chips. There is no specific correlation between input concentration of an element in the waste fuel and fraction partitioned to fly ash. Temperature and chlorine content have significant effects on partitioning characteristics by increasing the formation and vaporization of highly volatile metal chlorides. Zinc and cadmium concentrations in fly ash increase with the incineration temperature.     

Metals in edible fish from Vistula River and Dead Vistula River channel,Baltic Sea

Metals including Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn were determined in muscle tissue of 12 fish species by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) and cold vapour-atomic absorption spectroscopy (CV-AAS). Fish were collected from Vistula River at lower course and Dead Vistula River channel in south of Baltic Sea in Poland. The fish species examined include Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus), Crucian Carp (Carassius carassius), Bull-rout (Myoxocephalus scorpius), Tench (Tinca tinca), Bream (Abramis brama), Burbot (Lota lot), Perch (Perca perca), Roach (Rutilus rutilus), Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), Pikeperch (Stizostediun lucioperca), Brown salmon (Salmo trutta m. Trutta) and Eel (Anguilla anguilla). The median values of metal concentrations in fresh muscle tissue of 11 fish species varied as follows: Al < 0.5–60; Ba < 0.05–0.31; Ca 120–1800; Cd < 0.05–0.096; Co < 0.10; Cr < 0.10–0.50; Cu < 0.15–0.77; Fe 1.5–21; Hg 0.0058–0.65; K 1800–4200; Mg 130–560; Mn 0.12–0.59; Na 350–840; Ni < 0.2–0.31; Pb < 0.75; Sr 0.079–2.9; Zn 3.3–23 μg/g fresh weight. The Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) values calculated in this study for Cd and Hg from muscles of fish species collected from Vistula River were low in the range of 0.4 for Hg and 0.8 for Cd. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part B to view the free supplemental file.     

Weight comparisons and litter size manipulation in Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) show evidence of costs of reproduction

I studied reproductive costs in the female Columbian ground squirrel (Spermophilus columbianus) using individually marked animals. I compared weight changes during the active season and over winter, and mortality for females that did and did not wean young. Females raising young were heavier at emergence in that spring than unsuccessful ones. Females that did not raise young gained more weight during summer, were heavier than successful females at the time of entry into hibernation, and were heavier emerging from hibernation the following spring. Over-winter mortality was higher for females that reared young compared to reproductively unsuccessful females. A food supplementation experiment showed that energy-rich food can accelerate individuals’ weight gain. Interactions between litter size, birth weight, weight at emergence from the natal burrow, survival of young to yearling age, and maternal fitness were also studied. Litter sizes were experimentally manipulated to evaluate how females cope with costs of rearing one additional young. Birth weight of juveniles was positively correlated with survival to emergence from the natal burrow and with survival to yearling age. Partial litter loss was higher in experimentally enlarged litters than in either experimentally decreased or control litters. Total litter loss, survival of adult females or the probability of weaning young the following year were not affected by the litter size manipulation. Females appear to adjust the size of their litter before birth, and to some extent during lactation, to their ability to wean young. Received: 20 January 2000 / Received in revised form: 12 March 2000 / Accepted: 18 March 2000     

A new gas chromatographic determination of ethylenethiourea residues without derivatization

Abstract

A new gas chromatographic method reliable in the microgram range, was developed to measure ETU residues in various crops. Contrary to previously published procedures, this new method does not require prior derivatization of the ETU. The limit of sensitivity was shown to be 0.01 ppm using the flame photometric detector, FPD (sulfur mode, 394 nm).     

毒死蜱在香蕉、土壤中的残留动态及安全性评价

为了监测香蕉中毒死蜱的残留量,科学、安全地使用毒死蜱防治香蕉上的害虫,确保产品质量,采用气相色谱法及田间试验方法,研究了毒死蜱在香蕉及其土壤中的残留降解动态.结果表明:在香蕉中,毒死蜱的原始沉积量较高,残留降解规律符合一级动力学关系,推荐剂量和加倍剂量处理的降解动态方程分别为y=1.0724e-014149t和y=1.7840e-0.1468t,半衰期(T1/2)为4.8 d,降解99％所需要的时间(T0.99)为31.4～31.8d;在土壤中,毒死蜱的残留降解动态方程为y=6.4365e-1412t,T1/2为4.9d,T0.99为32.7 d.距第2次施药后60～68d,最终在香蕉与土壤中均未检出毒死蜱残留量(检出限为0.005mg/kg).研究表明,漳州蕉区在香蕉生产上科学、合理地施用毒死蜱,其最终残留符合NY/T 750-2011规定的MRL要求,不会对蕉园土壤环境造成污染.     

Biomass explosion testing: Accounting for the post-test residue and implications on the results

This work uses the ISO 1 m³ dust explosion equipment to study the explosion properties and combustion characteristics of pulverized biomass dust clouds. An unreported feature of this apparatus is that in rich concentrations only about half the dust injected is burned in the explosion, while the overpressures remain high. This work was undertaken to try to understand the mechanisms of these phenomena, through the accounting of the debris at the end of the explosion, some of which was found in the form of impacted “cake” against the vessel wall. One possible explanation is that the residue material was biomass dust blown ahead of the flame by the explosion induced wind, impacted on the walls where then the flame side underwent flame impingement pyrolysis and the metal (wall) side material was compacted but largely chemically unchanged. The results also show that the heat transfer insulation provided by the powder wall layer contributes to the higher observed pressures. The risk of explosion with significant overpressures remains at 100% in very rich environments (equivalence ratios of up to 6) although these environments are leaner than thought due to material sequestration within the “cake”. There was little indication that a rich combustion limit was approached, this was determined in standard testing equipment that has been modified and calibrated to handle larger quantities of powder than normal.     

DDTs对水生哺乳动物的组织残留基准初步研究

作为一种曾经广泛使用的氯化烃杀虫剂,DDT及其主要代谢产物DDE和DDD(合称为DDTs)是一类典型的具有持久性和生物累积性的有毒污染物。亲脂性和持久性使得DDTs可以通过食物链进行生物放大,从而对处于高营养级的水生哺乳动物造成严重的毒害作用。在综述DDTs对哺乳动物的毒性研究基础上,采用物种敏感度分布(species sensitivity distribution,SSD)和毒性百分数排序法(toxicity percentile rank method,TPRM)推导DDTs保护水生哺乳动物的组织残留基准(Tissue Residue Guideline,TRG)。使用SSD和TPRM得到的TRG分别为23.9和22.7 ng·g-1食物(湿重)。相应的,DDTs保护水生哺乳动物的水质基准分别为188.2和178.7 pg·L-1。依据研究得到的DDTs的组织残留基准及其在鱼类体内的含量评估对水生哺乳动物的风险。研究结果可用于评估DDTs对水生哺乳动物的生态风险,并为DDTs的风险管理提供理论依据。