Residual Levels and New Inputs of Chlorinated POPs in Agricultural Soils from Taihu Lake Region

Selected persistent organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), including 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and its principal metabolites 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)e- thane (DDD), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and its isomers (α-,β-, γ-, and δ-HCH), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), endo- sulfan, dieldrin, and endrin were quantified to determine current levels of organochlorine pesticides, to assess the eco- toxicological potential, and to distin…

Q-Learning-Based Pesticide Contamination Prediction in Vegetables and Fruits

Pesticides have become more necessary in modern agricultural production.However,these pesticides have an unforeseeable long-term impact on people's wellbeing as well as the ecosystem.Due to a shortage of basic pesticide exposure awareness,farmers typically utilize pesticides extremely close to harvesting.Pesticide residues within foods,particularly fruits as well as veggies,are a significant issue among farmers,merchants,and particularly consumers.The residual concentrations were far lower than these maximal allowable limits,with only a few surpassing the restrictions for such pesticides in food.There is an obligation to provide a warning about this amount of pesticide use in farming.Previous technologies failed to forecast the large number of pesticides that were dangerous to people,necessitating the development of improved detection and early warning systems.A novel methodology for verifying the status and evaluating the level of pesticides in regularly consumed veggies as well as fruits has been identified,named as the Hybrid Chronic Multi-Residual Framework(HCMF),in which the harmful level of used pesticide residues has been predicted for contamination in agro products using Q-Learning based Recurrent Neural Network and the predicted contamination levels have been analyzed using Complex Event Processing(CEP)by processing given spatial and sequential data.The analysis results are used to minimize and effectively use pesticides in the agricultural field and also ensure the safety of farmers and consumers.Overall,the technique is carried out in a Python environment,with the results showing that the proposed model has a 98.57%accuracy and a training loss of 0.30.

Relationships among Soil Properties, Nematode Densities, and Soybean Yield in a Long-Term, Double-Crop System in Eastern Arkansas

The economic damage to soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production in the United States attributed to nematodes has increased in recent years. Understanding how soil properties affect nematodes will help to properly manage agroecosystems to minimize potential nematode damage to soybean crop and the associated economic impact. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between near-surface soil properties and soybean yield and nematode densities across two years (2017 and 2018) in a long-term, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-soybean, double-crop production system on a silt-loam soil (Fragiudalfs) in eastern Arkansas. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN;Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) eggs and stage-2 juveniles (J2), lance (Hoplolaimus spp.), lesion (Pratylenchus spp.), spiral (Helicotylenchus spp.), stunt (Tylenchorhynchus spp.), total nematode numbers, and the total genera counts from early in the growing season (July), mid-season (August), and end of the season (October) were generally unrelated with soybean yield. Soybean cyst eggs population density in August was negatively correlated with soil pH (r = -0.92;P ≤ 0.05). Total nematode numbers in July was negatively correlated with silt content (r = -0.23;P ≤ 0.05), soil pH (r = -0.27;P r = -0.24;P ≤ 0.05). Results suggested that soil properties influenced nematode population densities, indicating that nematodes can be at least partially managed and minimized through greater understanding of the variation of select near-surface soil properties in a wheat-soybean, double-crop production system on a silt-loam soil.

Organochlorine pesticide and heavy metal residues in some edible biota collected from Quanzhou Bay and Xinghua Bay,Southeast China

In order to assess the contamination of edible marine organisms in Quanzhou and Xinghua Bays, Fujian Province, China, concentrations of organochlorine pesticides （hexachlorocyclohexane isomers or HCHs and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane isomers/derivatives or DDTs） and heavy metals （Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Cr, Cd, Ni and Hg） in 13 species collected from different sites in the hays were analyzed by GC-ECD and ICP-MS. The concentration of the sum of DDTs exceeded that the sum of HCHs in the samples. Most of the organisms showed higher levels of DDTs than the first level criterion （10 ng/g） for marine biological quality in China （GB 18421-2001） but conformed to the first level criterion （20 ng/g） for HCHs. The estimated mean daily uptake of pesticides was below the level for minimal risk to the consumers. The levels of Cd, As and Pb in most organisms from both bays were markedly elevated and above the recommended legal limits for human consumption. Our results showed the need for routine monitoring of marine species contamination to ensure public and environmental health.

Concentrations and distribution of organochlorine pesticides in shellfish from Changjiang estuary

To analyze and evaluate the status of organochlorine pollutants in the Changjiang （Yangtze River） estuary and adjacent waters, the concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexane （HCHs） and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane （DDTs） in shellfish collected in study area from 2006 to 2007 were determined with gas chromatography （GC）. The concentration range of HCHs was （ND-12.13）×10^-3 mg/kg wet weight and averaged at 0.54×10^-3 mg/kg while the concentration of DDTs was in the range of （4.06-281.73） ×10^-3 mg/kg with a mean of 57.52×10^-3 mg/kg in the survey areas. The concentrations of DDTs in the shellfish were higher than HCHs＇, so that DDTs could be considered as typical organochlorine pollutants in the areas. The concentrations of DDTs in the shellfish were higher than HCHs＇, so that DDTs could be considered as typical organochlorines pollutants. The HCHs in all the shellfish conformed to the first level of criterion （0.02 mg/kg） of the Marion Biology Quality （GB 18421-2001）, and that of DDTs in most samples were beyond the first level （0.01 mg/kg） but conformed to the second level （0.10 mg/kg）. On average, α-HCH and δ-HCH occupied the most part of HCHs, while O,P＇-DDT and P,P＇-DDT occupied the most part of DDTs. The concentrations of organocholorine pesticides in shellfish samples varied in site and in species. The highest level occurred at the Shengsi （SS）, followed by Yangkougang （YKG）, Lvsi （LS）, Dongyuan （DY） and Beibayao （BBY）, low concentrations were observed at Changsha （CS）, Beidaodi （BDD）, and Gouqi （GQ）. The concentration of HCHs and DDTs in most sites decreased clearly from 2006 to 2007 except for YKG, DY, BDD, LYS, and SS. All of above results suggested that the study area was slightly affected by organochlorine pesticide, special by DDTs.

Effect of Sea Level Variation on Calculation of Design Water Level

The long-term variation and seasonal variation of sea level have a notable effect on the calculation of engineering water level. Stich an effect is first analyzed in this paper. The maximal amplitude of inter-annual anomaly of monthly mean sea level along the China coast is larger than 60 cm. Both the storm surge disaster and cold wave disaster are seasonal disasters in various regions, so the water level corresponding to the 1% of the cumulative frequency in the cumulative frequency curve of hourly water level data for different seasons in various sea areas is different from design water level., for example, the difference between them reaches maximum in June, July and August for northern sea area, and maximum in September, October and November for Southern China Sea, The hourly water level data of 19 gauge stations along the China coast are analyzed. Firstly, the annual mean sea level for every station is obtained; secondly, linear changing rates of annual mean sea level are obtained with the stochastic dynamic method; thirdly, the astronomical tide and storm surge tide are obtained by subtracting the linear fitting part from the original hourly data, finally, two distributions corresponding to the astronomical tide and wind tide are obtain ed according to whether the astronomical tide and storm tide are correlative or not. So the two check water levels are obtained with the joint probability method, The maximal difference between the two water levels of 100 years' recurrence is more than 30 cm. Both of the two check water levels have disadvantages in the use of observation data, so the mean value is suggested to be taken as the final check water level. A comparison between the two check-water levels indicates that the effect of sea level variation upon design water level and check water level is larger than 80 cm at some stations.

Level of Contamination of Fishponds Water in Pesticide Residues and Metallic Trace Elements (Pb, Cd, As, Hg): Case of Fishponds of ZEPREGUHE (Daloa, Côte d’Ivoire)

Fishponds waters intended to satisfy the nutritional needs of the populations in terms of supply of fish resources are strongly and unfortunately exposed to the mobility and dispersion of metallic trace elements (TMEs) or to the persistence in the environment and in the form of pesticide residues from human activities. The objective of this work is to evaluate, on the one hand, the levels of identified pesticide residues and, on the other hand, those of researched TMEs (lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic) in the waters of ponds used for fish farming in Zépréguhé, a locality located 9 km from the town of Daloa in the centre-west of Côte d’Ivoire. The dosage of the samples carried out by means of a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC/MS) made it possible to detect nine (9) pesticide molecules, including eight (8) organochlorines and a single molecule from the pyrethroid family, obtained from the detection limit of 0.006 μg/L and the quantification limit of 0.018 μg/L. The maximum average concentration was obtained with α-endosulfan for a content reaching 0.8038 μg/L and well above the maximum admissible concentration of 0.1 μg/L. The TMEs were quantified using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Arsenic is the most abundant metal with an average concentration of 9.497 μg/L. With the exception of lead, these measured levels are above the acceptable limit values for freshwater. This study showed that human activities such as the use of fertilisers and plant protection products in plantations, sand extraction and road traffic have a negative impact on the quality of the water in ponds used for fish breeding.

Curvature and Residual Stress Analysis in Rotational Leveling of Bars

Leveling process plays an important role in delivering the desired material properties and product standards.An analytical method for the rotational leveling process of bars was presented.First,each cross section of the bar in the leveling area was discretized with the roller gap-curvature relations established in both planes XYand XZ.Second,a numerical procedure with two steps was developed to simulate both pressing and leveling processes.This approach can be easily implemented to produce simulation results of the curvature and trajectory distributions during the leveling process,as well as the bending and residual stresses.It is found that curvature and trajectory distributions follow a sine-shape due to the characteristic of rotational movement,which also results in a helical pattern of residual stress after leveling.Based on the results obtained,it is also observed that the rotational movement is beneficial for adding the number of bending cycle.This is the reason why there are only a few pairs of rollers on the bar leveler.

Determination of organophosphorus pesticide residues in vegetables by an enzyme inhibition method using α-naphthyl acetate esterase extracted from wheat flour

The widespread use of organophosphorus pesticides(OPs) poses a great threat to human health and has made the detection of OP residues in food an important task,especially in view of the fact that easy and rapid detection methods are needed.Because OPs have inhibitory effects on the activity of α-naphthyl acetate esterase(ANAE) in plants,in this work we evaluated the possibility of detecting OPs in vegetables with ANAE extracted from commercial flour.The limits of detection(LODs) obtained for methamidophos,dichlorvos,phoxim,dimethoate,and malathion in lettuce samples with crude ANAE were 0.17,0.11,0.11,0.96,and 1.70 mg/kg,respectively.Based on the maximum residue limits(MRLs) for OPs in food stipulated by Chinese laws which are 0.05,0.20,0.05,1.00,and 8.00 mg/kg for methamidophos,dichlorvos,phoxim,dimethoate,and malathion,respectively,the esterase inhibition method with crude ANAE had sufficient sensitivity to detect the residues of dichlorvos,dimethoate,and malathion in lettuce,but it could not be used to guarantee the safety of the same samples if methamidophos or phoxim residue was present.The sensitivity of the method was improved by the use of esterase purified by ammonium sulfate salting-out.The LODs obtained for methamidophos and phoxim with purified esterase were lower than the MRLs for these OPs in food.This is a very promising method for the detection of OP residues in vegetables using crude or purified esterase because of its cheapness,sensitivity,and convenience.

Tide- and wind-driven variability of water level in Sansha Bay, Fujian, China

This study analyzes water-level variability in Sansha Bay and its adjacent waters near Fujian, China, using water-level data observed from seven stations along the coast and wind data observed from a moored buoy near Mazu Island. At super-to near-inertial frequencies, tides dominated the water-level variations, mainly characterized by semi-diurnal （prmafily M2, S2, and N2） and diurnal tides （primarily Kb O1）. The correlation coefficients between residual （non-tidal） water-level time series and the observed wind-stress time series exceeded 0.78 at all stations, hinting that the wind acting on the study region was another factor modulating the water-level variability. A cross-wavelet and wavelet-coherence analysis further indicated that （i） the residual water level at each station was more coherent and out-of-phase with the alongshore winds mostly at sub-inertial time scales associated with synoptic weather changes; and （ii） the residual water-level difference between the outer and inner bay was more coherent with the cross-shore winds at discrete narrow frequency bands, with the wind leading by a certain phase. The analysis also implied that the monsoon relaxation period was more favorable for the formation of the land-sea breeze, modulating the residual water-level difference.

Assessment, Composition and Possible Source of Organochlorine Pesticides in Surface Soils from rmqi, China

Twenty-eight surface soil samples from 5 functional zones （park, traffic roadside, business/residential area, rural area, and industrial area） of Uruimqi, China were collected and analyzed for the concentrations of 14 organochlorine pesticides （OCPs）, such as 3 isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane （HCHs） （α-HCH, β-HCH, and γ-HCH）, 4 dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes （DDTs） （p,p′-DDT and its metabolites p, p′-DDD （1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis（p-chlorophenyl）ethane） and p,p′-DDE （1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis（4-chorophenyl）ethylene）, and o, p′-DDT）, and methoxychlor, aiming to survey the residue levels and compositions of these 14 OCPs, to identify possible sources of the OCPs, and to assess their potential risks to human health and the environment in surface soils of Ur/imqi. The concentrations ranged from non-detected to 30.86μg kg^-1 for HCHs （sum of α-, β-, and γ-HCH）, from non-detected to 40.03 μg kg^-1 for DDTs （sum of p, p′-DDT, p, p′-DDD, p, p′-DDE, and o, p′-DDT）, and from non-detected to 11.95 μg kg^-1 for methoxychlor. The total concentrations of the OCPs ranged from 16.40 to 84.86 μg kg^-1, with a mean of 41.89 ± 16.25 μg kg^-1. According to the measured concentrations and occurrence rates of the 14 OCPs, DDTs, HCHs, and methoxychlor were the most dominant compounds. Among the 5 functional zones, the total concentration of OCPs was in the order of rural area 〉 traffic roadside 〉 park 〉 business/residential area 〉 industrial area. The different compositions of DDTs and HCHs indicated that the residues of these compounds in most soil samples originated from historical application, besides slight recent introduction at some sampling sites. The results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that soil total organic carbon played an important role in the residue levels of HCHs, but such relationships were not found with DDTs or other OCPs. The soil quality of Uriimqi was classified as Class I based on the guidelines of the Chinese Environmental Quality Standard for Soil （GB15618-1995）, indicating that the residue levels of OCPs have little risks to the environment and human health in the study area.