Original Article. Effect of cold plasma on degradation of organophosphorus pesticides used on some agricultural products

Abstract This study investigated the potential effect of cold plasma on reducing residues of pesticides diazinon and chlorpyrifos in apples and cucumbers and its effects on property of products. Two separate concentrations of each pesticide with 500 and 1,000 ppm were prepared and the samples were inoculated by dipping them into the solutions. All samples treated with pesticides were exposed to cold plasma in a monopole cold plasma apparatus (DBD) run at 10 and 13 kV voltages. Liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) was used to remove pesticide residues from the samples. Eventually, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the amount of pesticides in the samples. Also, to investigate generated metabolites, extracts were injected into a GC/MS apparatus. In addition, the effects of cold plasma on humidity, tissue hardness, color and the sugar percentage of products were analyzed. The results revealed that treatment of samples with cold plasma considerably reduced pesticide residues without leaving any traces of harmful or toxic substances. Furthermore, it did not have any undesirable effects on the color and texture of the samples. The efficiency of this method increased with higher voltage and longer exposure time. In general, the best results were obtained by the combination of 500 ppm concentration, 10 min exposure and 13 kV voltages. The residues of diazinon were reduced better than the residues of chlorpyrifos. Apples were detoxified much better than cucumbers. Also, cold plasma treatment transformed diazinon and chlorpyrifos pesticides into their less toxic metabolites. The results showed that with increased voltage and longer exposure time, cold plasma caused few changes in moisture and glucose content, texture hardness and color of products. Th ere were no significant difference between treated samples and control in all treatments.

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Organochlorine pesticide residues and other toxic substances in salted Tenualosa ilisha L.: Northeastern part of India

Foods and raw materials ◽

10.21603/2308-4057-2021-2-201-206 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 201-206

Author(s):

Sanchari Goswami ◽

Kuntal Manna

Keyword(s):

Mass Spectrometry ◽

Heavy Metals ◽

Organochlorine Pesticide ◽

Pesticide Residues ◽

Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽

High Performance ◽

Organochlorine Pesticide Residue ◽

Toxic Substances ◽

Organochlorine Pesticide Residues ◽

Tenualosa Ilisha

Introduction. Fish can sometimes be contaminated with several highly toxic substances at once, e.g. heavy metals, pesticides, and preservatives. In this regard, it is essential to determine the presence of these harmful chemicals in fish products. The research objective was to analyze the level of organochlorine pesticide residues and other toxic substances in Tenualosa ilisha L. Study objects and methods. The study featured organochlorine pesticide residues and other toxic substances in raw and cooked samples of fresh and salted T. ilisha, which is a popular dish in Northeast India, especially in the state of Tripura. The analysis involved tests for formaldehyde, pesticides, and heavy metals. Formaldehyde content was estimated using high-performance liquid chromatography, pesticides content – by low-pressure gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, and heavy metals – by inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry. Results and discussion. The salted samples had a high content of formaldehyde, though it remained within the normal range. Both fresh and salted samples demonstrated high concentrations of heavy metals such as zinc, copper, and selenium. The salted sample appeared to have a high content of toxic organochlorine pesticide residues. Frying and boiling of fresh and salted fish decreased formaldehyde and organochlorine pesticide residue contents but did not reduce heavy metal content. Conclusion. T. ilisha was found to be quite safe for human health.

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Flight of the Chinese white pine beetle (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in relation to sex, body weight and energy reserve

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485310000209 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 101 (1) ◽

pp. 53-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

H. Chen ◽

Z. Li ◽

S.H. Bu ◽

Z.Q. Tian

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Lipid Content ◽

Flight Time ◽

The Body ◽

Flight Distance ◽

Glucose Content ◽

Chinese White ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Males And Females ◽

Better Than

AbstractThe flight distance, flight time and individual flight activities of males and females of Dendroctonus armandi were recorded during 96-h flight trials using a flight mill system. The body weight, glucose, glycogen and lipid content of four treatments (naturally emerged, starved, phloem-fed and water-fed) were compared among pre-flight, post-flight and unflown controls. There was no significant difference between males and females in total flight distance and flight time in a given 24-h period. The flight distance and flight time of females showed a significant linear decline as the tethered flying continued, but the sustained flight ability of females was better than that of males. The females had higher glycogen and lipid content than the males; however, there was no significant difference between both sexes in glucose content. Water-feeding and phloem-feeding had significant effects on longevity, survival days and flight potential of D. armandi, which resulted in longer feeding days, poorer flight potential and lower energy substrate content. Our results demonstrate that flight distances in general do not differ between water-fed and starved individuals, whereas phloem-fed females and males fly better than water-fed and starved individuals.

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Occurrence of Aflatoxins in Edible Vegetable Seeds and Oil Samples Available in Pakistani Retail Markets and Estimation of Dietary Intake in Consumers

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18158015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (15) ◽

pp. 8015

Author(s):

Muhammad Waqas ◽

Shahzad Zafar Iqbal ◽

Ahmad Faizal Abdull Razis ◽

Wajeeha Pervaiz ◽

Touheed Ahmad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dietary Intake ◽

Vegetable Oil ◽

High Performance ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Edible Oil ◽

Toxic Substances ◽

The European Union ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Food And Feed ◽

Edible Seeds

Aflatoxins (AFs) are secondary metabolites toxic to humans as well as animals. The environmental conditions, conventional agricultural practices, and illiteracy are the main factors which favor the production of AFs in food and feed. In the current study 744 samples of vegetable seeds and oils (soybean, sunflower, canola, olive, corn, and mustard) were collected and tested for the presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and total AFs. Liquid-liquid extraction was employed for the extraction of AFs from seeds and oil samples. Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography equipped with fluorescence detection was used for the analysis. The results have shown that 92 (56.7%) samples of imported and 108 (57.0%) samples of local edible seeds were observed to be contaminated with AFs. All samples of edible seeds have AFB1 levels greater than the proposed limit set by the European Union (EU, 2 µg/kg) and 12 (7.40%) samples of imported seeds and 14 (7.40%) samples of local seeds were found in the range ≥ 50 µg/kg. About 78 (43.3%) samples of imported edible oil and 103 (48.3%) sample of local edible oil were observed to be positive for AFs. Furthermore, 16 (8.88%) and six (3.33%) samples of imported vegetable oil have levels of total AFs in a range (21–50 µg/kg) and greater than 50 µg/kg, respectively. The findings indicate significant differences in AFs levels between imported and local vegetable oil samples (t = 22.27 and p = 0.009) at α = 0.05 and a significant difference in AFs levels were found between vegetable seeds and oil samples (t = −17.75, p = 0.009) at α = 0.05. The highest dietary intake was found for a local sunflower oil sample (0.90 µg/kg/day) in female individuals (16–22 age group). The results have shown considerably high levels of AFB1 and total AFs in seeds and oil samples and emphasise the need to monitor carefully the levels of these toxic substances in food and feed on regular basis.

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Advances in imaging SIMS studies of stained and BrdU-labelled human metaphase chromosomes

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100141032 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 53 ◽

pp. 932-933

Author(s):

R. Levi-Setti ◽

J. M. Chabala ◽

R. Espinosa ◽

M. M. Le Beau

Keyword(s):

High Performance ◽

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry ◽

Analytical Sensitivity ◽

Metaphase Chromosomes ◽

Banding Patterns ◽

Sector Mass Spectrometer ◽

Staining Methods ◽

The University ◽

Secondary Ion ◽

Better Than

We have shown previously that isotope-labelled nucleotides in human metaphase chromosomes can be detected and mapped by imaging secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), using the University of Chicago high resolution scanning ion microprobe (UC SIM). These early studies, conducted with BrdU- and 14C-thymidine-labelled chromosomes via detection of the Br and 28CN- (14C14N-> labelcarrying signals, provided some evidence for the condensation of the label into banding patterns along the chromatids (SIMS bands) reminiscent of the well known Q- and G-bands obtained by conventional staining methods for optical microscopy. The potential of this technique has been greatly enhanced by the recent upgrade of the UC SIM, now coupled to a high performance magnetic sector mass spectrometer in lieu of the previous RF quadrupole mass filter. The high transmission of the new spectrometer improves the SIMS analytical sensitivity of the microprobe better than a hundredfold, overcoming most of the previous imaging limitations resulting from low count statistics.

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Transplantation of coral fragment, Acropora formosa (Scleractinia)

AQUATIC SCIENCE & MANAGEMENT ◽

10.35800/jasm.0.0.2014.7295 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 1

Author(s):

Hanny Tioho ◽

Maykel A.J Karauwan

Keyword(s):

Fragment Size ◽

Observation Time ◽

Minimum Size ◽

Average Growth Rate ◽

Average Growth ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Acropora Formosa ◽

Survival And Growth ◽

One Way Anova ◽

Better Than

The minimum size of coral transplants, Acropora formosa, was assessed to support their survival and growth. For this, 150 coral fragments of different sizes (5, 10, 15 cm) were transplanted close to the donor colony. Their survivorship and growth were observed for 12 months. At the end of the observation time, 90% of 15 cm-transplanted coral fragments survived, while the others (10cm and 5 cm) did 86% and 82% respectively. The average growth rate of 5 cm-coral fragments was 0.860 cm/month, while 10 and 15 cm-fragments were 0.984 cm/month and 1.108 cm/month respectively. One-way ANOVA showed that there was significant difference (p<0.05) among the three (5, 10, 15 cm) transplant initial sizes in which the longest fragment size tended to survive longer than the smaller one. However, the smaller transplants grew better than the bigger one, 10.318 cm/year (206%) for 5 cm-transplant, 11.803 cm/year (118%) for 10 cm-transplant, and 13.299 cm/year (89%) for 15 cm-transplant, respectively. Ukuran minimal fragmen karang Acropora formosa yang ditransplantasi diduga untuk mendukung ketahanan hidup dan pertumbuhannya. Untuk itu, 150 fragmen karang ditransplantasi ke lokasi yang berdekatan dengan koloni induknya. Ketahanan hidup dan pertumbuhan semua fragmen karang yang ditransplantasi diamati selama 12 bulan. Pada akhir pengamatan, 90% dari fragmen karang berukuran 15 cm yang ditransplantasi dapat bertahan hidup, sedangkan yang lainnya (ukuran 10 cm dan 5 cm) masing-masing sebesar 86% dan 82%. Rata-rata laju pertumbuhan fragmen karang dengan ukuran awal 5 cm adalah 0,860 cm/bulan, sedangkan ukuran fragmen 10 dan 15 cm masing-masing adalah 0,984 cm/bulan and 1,108 cm/bulan. ANOVA satu arah menunjukkan adanya perbedaan yang nyata (p<0.05) antara ketiga ukuran fragmen yang berbeda, di mana ukuran fragmen karang yang lebih panjang cenderung mempunyai ketahanan hidup yang lebih baik. Namun demikian, ukuran transplant yang lebih kecil memiliki pertumbuhan lebih baik dibandingkan dengan ukuran yang lebih besar, yakni10,318 cm/tahun (206%) untuk transplant berukuran 5 cm, 11,803 cm/tahun (118%) untuk 10 cm, dan 13,299 cm/tahun (89%) untuk ukuran 15 cm.

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Isolation of an Anti-fatigue Preparation from Cellulase-treated Maca by Hydroalcoholic Extraction

Current Topics in Nutraceutical Research ◽

10.37290/ctnr2641-452x.17:93-98 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 93-98

Author(s):

Zheng Yue ◽

Zhang Wen-Cheng ◽

Wu Ze-Yu ◽

Fu Chuan-Xiang ◽

Gao Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Positive Control ◽

Glycogen Storage ◽

Hepatic Glycogen ◽

Time To Exhaustion ◽

High Dose ◽

Hydroalcoholic Extract ◽

Swimming Time ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Pre Treatment ◽

Better Than

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the anti-fatigue activity of maca hydroalcoholic extract (ME), which mainly contains macamides and polysaccharides. ME was prepared by circumfluence extraction with enzymatic pre-treatment. Anti-fatigue activity of ME was investigated in weight-loaded forced swimming mice, with pure macamides and commercially available maca tablet as positive control. Compared with normal group, pure macamides treatment group could prolong the swimming time to exhaustion, but there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05); while ME (middle-dose and high-dose groups) could effectively prolong the swimming durations (P < 0.05). Supplementation with pure macamides significantly decreased blood lactic acid (BLA), whereas ME significantly increased hepatic glycogen (HG), decreased BLA, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) compared with those in normal control (P < 0.05). The results suggested that the anti-fatigue effect of ME was better than that of pure macamides, which can be explained by the increase of glycogen storage and the reduction of metabolites accumulation.

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EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF ADOLESCENTS WITH REFERENCE TO GENDER

Scholarly Research Journal for Humanity Science & English Language ◽

10.21922/srjhsel.v4i24.10419 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (24) ◽

Author(s):

Nisha Chandel ◽

Seema Chopra

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Emotional Intelligence ◽

Female Adolescents ◽

Intelligence Scale ◽

Male And Female ◽

Male Adolescents ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Understanding Emotions ◽

School Records ◽

Better Than

The present study was undertaken to find out emotional intelligence and academic achievement of male and female adolescents. The sample consists of 82 students( 41 male and 41 female adolescents) from different schools in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh. Emotional intelligence was assessed with the help of Emotional Intelligence Scale developed by Singh and Narain (2014) and academic achievement score were taken from the school records. The results revealed that there exists a significant difference in emotional intelligence of male and female adolescents. It was found that there existed significant difference in academic achievement of female adolescents and male adolescents. The mean emotional intelligence of female adolescents was better than of male adolescents. On the dimensions of emotional intelligence, it was found that there was no significant difference between male and female adolescents on understanding emotions, empathy and handling relations dimensions of emotional intelligence; while it was reported that there was significant difference between male and female adolescents on understanding motivation dimension of emotional intelligence On the other hand, it was found that there existed significant difference in academic achievement of female adolescents and male adolescents.

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Integrated Bimodal Fitting for Unilateral CI Users with Residual Contralateral Hearing

Audiology Research ◽

10.3390/audiolres11020018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 200-206

Author(s):

Gennaro Auletta ◽

Annamaria Franzè ◽

Carla Laria ◽

Carmine Piccolo ◽

Carmine Papa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cochlear Implants ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Speech Intelligibility ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Performance Difference ◽

Test Conditions ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Noisy Conditions ◽

New Formula ◽

Better Than

Background: The aim of this study was to compare, in users of bimodal cochlear implants, the performance obtained using their own hearing aids (adjusted with the standard NAL-NL1 fitting formula) with the performance using the Phonak Naìda Link Ultra Power hearing aid adjusted with both NAL-NL1 and a new bimodal system (Adaptive Phonak Digital Bimodal (APDB)) developed by Advanced Bionics and Phonak Corporations. Methods: Eleven bimodal users (Naìda CI Q70 + contralateral hearing aid) were enrolled in our study. The users’ own hearing aids were replaced with the Phonak Naìda Link Ultra Power and fitted following the new formula. Speech intelligibility was assessed in quiet and noisy conditions, and comparisons were made with the results obtained with the users’ previous hearing aids and with the Naída Link hearing aids fitted with the NAL-NL1 generic prescription formula. Results: Using Phonak Naìda Link Ultra Power hearing aids with the Adaptive Phonak Digital Bimodal fitting formula, performance was significantly better than that with the users’ own rehabilitation systems, especially in challenging hearing situations for all analyzed subjects. Conclusions: Speech intelligibility tests in quiet settings did not reveal a significant difference in performance between the new fitting formula and NAL-NL1 fittings (using the Naída Link hearing aids), whereas the performance difference between the two fittings was very significant in noisy test conditions.

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Performance of Seven Consumer Sleep-Tracking Devices Compared with Polysomnography

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsaa291 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Evan D Chinoy ◽

Joseph A Cuellar ◽

Kirbie E Huwa ◽

Jason T Jameson ◽

Catherine H Watson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Performance Measures ◽

Gold Standard ◽

High Performance ◽

Sleep Stage ◽

Sleep Laboratory ◽

Sleep Assessment ◽

Sleep Condition ◽

Different Populations ◽

Tracking Devices ◽

Better Than

Abstract Study Objectives Consumer sleep-tracking devices are widely used and becoming more technologically advanced, creating strong interest from researchers and clinicians for their possible use as alternatives to standard actigraphy. We therefore tested the performance of many of the latest consumer sleep-tracking devices, alongside actigraphy, versus the gold-standard sleep assessment technique, polysomnography (PSG). Methods In total, 34 healthy young adults (22 women; 28.1 ± 3.9 years, mean ± SD) were tested on three consecutive nights (including a disrupted sleep condition) in a sleep laboratory with PSG, along with actigraphy (Philips Respironics Actiwatch 2) and a subset of consumer sleep-tracking devices. Altogether, four wearable (Fatigue Science Readiband, Fitbit Alta HR, Garmin Fenix 5S, Garmin Vivosmart 3) and three non-wearable (EarlySense Live, ResMed S+, SleepScore Max) devices were tested. Sleep/wake summary and epoch-by-epoch agreement measures were compared with PSG. Results Most devices (Fatigue Science Readiband, Fitbit Alta HR, EarlySense Live, ResMed S+, SleepScore Max) performed as well as or better than actigraphy on sleep/wake performance measures, while the Garmin devices performed worse. Overall, epoch-by-epoch sensitivity was high (all ≥0.93), specificity was low-to-medium (0.18-0.54), sleep stage comparisons were mixed, and devices tended to perform worse on nights with poorer/disrupted sleep. Conclusions Consumer sleep-tracking devices exhibited high performance in detecting sleep, and most performed equivalent to (or better than) actigraphy in detecting wake. Device sleep stage assessments were inconsistent. Findings indicate that many newer sleep-tracking devices demonstrate promising performance for tracking sleep and wake. Devices should be tested in different populations and settings to further examine their wider validity and utility.

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Assessing Diazinon Pollution in the Three Major Rivers Flowing into the Caspian Sea (Iran)

Water ◽

10.3390/w13030335 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 335

Author(s):

Reza Dahmardeh Behrooz ◽

Abbas Esmaili-sari ◽

Magdalena Urbaniak ◽

Paromita Chakraborty

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Organophosphorus Pesticides ◽

Aquatic Organisms ◽

The United States ◽

The Caspian Sea ◽

Worst Case ◽

Pollution Levels ◽

Haraz River ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Medium Risk

The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonal and spatial variations in the concentrations of a widely used organophosphorous pesticide (OPP), diazinon, and the associated risk posed by this OPP in the surface water from the three largest rivers located in the northern province of Iran: the Haraz, the Talar and the Babolrood rivers. These rivers are located in the agriculture province of Mazandaran, and are exposed to high doses of organophosphorus pesticides, especially diazinon. The concentration of diazinon was determined using gas chromatography, while the potential risk posed by diazinon was elucidated using a Risk Quotient (RQ) calculated for general (RQm) and worst-case (RQex) scenarios. The obtained results demonstrated that the average diazinon concentrations ranged from 41 ± 76 ng/L in the Talar River and 57 ± 116 ng/L in the Haraz River, to 76.5 ± 145 ng/L in the Babolrood River, with a significant difference noted between summer and autumn seasons for all three rivers. For some stations, the concentration of diazinon is higher than the standard guidelines of Australian/New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (FMWQ) and the United States Criteria Maximum Concentration (CMC). The calculated RQs indicated a medium risk of diazinon, RQm = 0.73 and RQex = 2.27, in the Talar River; RQm = 1.02 and RQex = 2.49 in the Haraz River; and RQm = 1.35 and RQex = 4.54 in the Babolrood River. The overall exposure of diazinon was defined to have a high risk (RQm and RQex > 1); however, the summer sampling revealed a high risk (RQm and RQex > 1), while the autumn had a medium risk (RQm and RQex < 1). The obtained results revealed not only elevated concentrations of diazinon in the studied rivers but most importantly the high risk posed by this OPP for the aquatic organisms and the wellbeing of the whole river ecosystem. The current study showed that development and implementation of appropriate standards and regulations toward diazinon in countries such as Iran are required to reduce the pollution levels and risks related to elevated concentrations of the studied pesticide.

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