Uso do Blue Rayon para extração/concentração de compostos policíclicos em amostras ambientais

This is a review about the use of Blue rayon in the extraction and concentration of environmental contaminants in the aquatic environment. Blue rayon is an adsorbent composed of fibers covalently linked with copper phthalocyanine trisulphonate that has the ability to selectively adsorb polycyclic compounds. Blue rayon can be used in situ, in columns or in flasks. This method showed to be efficient in the extraction of important classes of environmental contaminants like the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic amines and phenylbenzotriazoles (PBTAs) and can be an important tool in monitoring studies for the evaluation of water quality.

Plasmid DNA damage induced by singlet molecular oxygen released from the naphthalene endoperoxide DHPNO2 and photoactivated methylene blue

To investigate oxidative lesions and strand breaks induction by singlet molecular oxygen (¹O2), supercoiled-DNA plasmid was treated with thermo-dissociated DHPNO2 and photoactivated-methylene blue. DNA lesions were detected by Fpg that cleaves DNA at certain oxidized bases, and T4-endoV, which cleaves DNA at cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) sites. These cleavages form open relaxed-DNA structures, which are discriminated from supercoiled-DNA. DHPNO2 or photoactivated-MB treatments result in similar plasmid damage profile: low number of single-strand breaks or AP-sites and high frequency of Fpg-sensitive sites; confirming that base oxidation is the main product for both reactions and that ¹O2 might be the most likely intermediate that reacts with DNA.

Utilization of Sn/Nb2O5 composite for the removal of methylene blue

In this work, the oxidation of methylene blue textile dye in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, using niobium oxide impregnated with different proportions of tin (1, 5 and 10% in mass) as catalyst was studied. The materials were characterized by TPR, XPS, XRD and FTIR. The oxidation tests monitored by ESI-MS showed that the composite containing the higher amount of tin was the most efficient in the removal of the dye. The XRD, XPS, and TPR data presented evidence of the formation of the tin-niobium oxide composite containing Sn0 and supported SnO2.

Estimation of surface area and pore volume of activated carbons by methylene blue and iodine numbers

Data of methylene blue number and iodine number of activated carbons samples were calibrated against the respective surface area, micropore volume and total pore volume using multiple regression. The models obtained from the calibrations were used in predicting these physical properties of a test group of activated carbon samples produced from several raw materials. In all cases, the predicted values were in good agreement with the expected values. The method allows extracting more information from the methylene blue and iodine adsorption studies than normally obtained with this type of material.

Other compounds isolated from Simira glaziovii and the ¹H and 13C NMR chemical shift assignments of new 1-epi-castanopsol

A new triterpene, 1-epi-castanopsol, besides eleven known compounds: sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, lupeol, lupenone, simirane B, syringaresinol, scopoletin, isofraxidin, 6,7,8-trimethoxycoumarin and harman, were isolated from the wood of Simira glaziovii. The structures of the known compounds were defined by 1D, 2D ¹H, 13C NMR spectra data analyses and comparison with literature data. The detailed spectral data analyses allowed the definition of the structure of the new 1-epi isomer of castanopsol and performance of ¹H and 13C NMR chemical shift assignments.

Spectrophotometric determination of Sudan Blue II in environmental samples after dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction

A dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction procedure coupled to spectrophotometry is described for the determination of the trace levels of Sudan Blue II. Analytical parameters, such as pH, volume of extraction solvent (carbon tetrachloride), volume of dispersant (ethanol), volume of sample, and extraction time, were optimized. Matrix effects were also investigated. Preconcentration factor was found to be 200. Detection limit and relative standard deviation (RSD) were 0.55 µg L-1 and 3.9%, respectively. The procedure was successfully used for the determination of trace levels of Sudan Blue II in food, ink, antifreeze, and industrial waste-water samples.

THE APPLICATION OF AUTOMATED CORRELATION OPTIMIZED WARPING TO THE QUALITY EVALUATION OF Radix Puerariae thomsonii: CORRECTING RETENTION TIME SHIFT IN THE CHROMATOGRAPHIC FINGERPRINTS

The application of automated correlation optimized warping (ACOW) to the correction of retention time shift in the chromatographic fingerprints of Radix Puerariae thomsonii (RPT) was investigated. Twenty-seven samples were extracted from 9 batches of RPT products. The fingerprints of the 27 samples were established by the HPLC method. Because there is a retention time shift in the established fingerprints, the quality of these samples cannot be correctly evaluated by using similarity estimation and principal component analysis (PCA). Thus, the ACOW method was used to align these fingerprints. In the ACOW procedure, the warping parameters, which have a significant influence on the alignment result, were optimized by an automated algorithm. After correcting the retention time shift, the quality of these RPT samples was correctly evaluated by similarity estimation and PCA. It is demonstrated that ACOW is a practical method for aligning the chromatographic fingerprints of RPT. The combination of ACOW, similarity estimation, and PCA is shown to be a promising method for evaluating the quality of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Methylene blue adsorption onto modified lignin from sugar cane bagasse

The adsorption kinetics and equilibrium of methylene blue (MB) onto reticulated formic lignin (RFL) from sugar cane bagasse was studied. The adsorption process is pH, temperature and ionic strength (µ) dependent and obeys the Langmuir model. Conditions for higher adsorption rate and capacity were determined. The faster adsorption (12 hours) and higher adsorption capacity (34.20 mg.g-1) were observed at pH = 5.8 (acetic acid-sodium acetate aqueous buffer), 50 ºC and 0.1 ionic strength. Under temperature (50 ºC) control and occasional mechanical stirring it took from 1 to 10 days to reach the equilibrium.

A simple method for the spectrophotometric determination of cephalosporins in pharmaceuticals using variamine blue

A simple spectrophotometric method for the determination of cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, cefadroxil and cephalexin with variamine blue is presented. The determination is based on the hydrolysis of β-lactam ring of cephalosporins with sodium hydroxide which subsequently reacts with iodate to liberate iodine in acidic medium. The liberated iodine oxidizes variamine blue to violet colored species of maximum absorption at 556 nm. The absorbance is measured within the pH range of 4.0-4.2. Beer's law is obeyed in the range of 0.5-5.8 µg mL-1, 0.2-7.0 µg mL-1, 0.2-5.0 µg mL-1 and 0.5-8.5 µg mL-1 for cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, cefadroxil and cephalexin respectively. The analytical parameters were optimized and the method is successfully applied for the determination of cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, cefadroxil and cephalexin in pharmaceuticals.

Photoelectrocatalytical degradation of basic blue 41 dye using nanoporous semiconductor of Ti/TiO2

O presente trabalho investiga a degradação fotoeletrocatalítica do corante Azul Básico 41 (AB 41) amplamente utilizado na tintura de fibras sintéticas, utilizando um semicondutor Ti/TiO2 como fotoanodo. 100% de degradação foi obtida após 60 min de tratamento de 8,33x10-5 mol L-1 do corante em 0,1 mol L−1 Na2SO4, pH 2 sob densidade de corrente de 0,40 mA cm−2 e irradiação UV. Ainda foi obtido 80% de remoção de carbono orgânico total, cuja oxidação segue uma reação de pseudo-primeira ordem com constante de velocidade inicial de -0,040 mim-1 e uma eficiência de corrente de 51%. Os resultados são superiores á fotocatálise convencional nas mesmas condições sem a polarização do fotoanodo que leva a 65% de mineralização sob constante de velocidade de -0,024 mim-1.

A pH optode based on thymol blue: application to determination of CO2 using flow injection analysis system

An optode based on thymol blue (TB), an acid-based indicator, has been constructed and evaluated as a detector in FIA system for CO2 determination. The dye was chemically immobilised on the surface of a bifurcated glass optical fibre bundle, using silanisation in organic media. In FIA system, hydrogen carbonate or carbonate samples are injected in a buffer carrier solution, and then are mixed with phosphoric acid solution to generate CO2, which diffuses through a PTFE membrane, in order to be collected in an acceptor carrier fluid, pumped towards to detection cell, in which the optode was adapted. The proposed system presents two linear response ranges, from 1.0 x 10-3 to 1.0 x 10-2 mol l-1, and from 2.0 x 10-2 to 0.10 mol l-1. The sampling frequency was 11 sample h-1, with good repeatability (R.S.D < 4 %, n = 10). In flow conditions the optode lifetime was 170 h. The system was applied in the analysis of commercial mineral water and the results obtained in the hydrogen carbonate determination did not differ significantly from those obtained by potentiometry, at a confidence level of 95 %.

Genetic polymorphism of fifteen microsatellite loci in Brazilian (blue-egg Caipira) chickens

The purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic polymorphism of fifteen microsatellites loci in Brazilian (blue-egg Caipira) chickens. Samples were collected from 100 blue eggs of Caipira chickens from rural properties in the city of Dois Lajeados, RS. After DNA extraction, the fragments related to molecular markers LEI0248, LEI0221, LEI0214, LEI0192, LEI0217, LEI0254, LEI0194, LEI0212, MCW0371, ADL0278, LEI0234, MCW0183, MCW0216, MCW0330 and MCW0081 were obtained by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The statistical analysis were carried out with the softwares ARLEQUIN 3.5 version and CERVUS 3.0.3 version. The allelic and genotypic frequencies, deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, estimates of observed (HO) and expected (HE) heterozygosity and polymorphic information content (PIC) were obtained for each marker locus. A total of 186 alleles from 15 loci were obtained, with sizes ranging of 83 to 490 base pairs. The medium number of alleles was 12.4, the HE was 0.76±0.14 and HO was 0.49±0.21 and PIC was 0.706. The first conclusion is that the microsatellites used are polymorphic and can be used to genetic studies in chickens. The second is that the "Caipira" chicken (blue eggs) population investigated has a great genic variability, which makes than an important source of genetic resources for future animal breeding programs.

Adult education policy in the European Union during the Lisbon decade : the shift to vocational adult learning and work skills matching

This doctoral dissertation investigates the adult education policy of the European Union (EU) in the framework of the Lisbon agenda 2000–2010, with a particular focus on the changes of policy orientation that occurred during this reference decade. The year 2006 can be considered, in fact, a turning point for the EU policy-making in the adult learning sector: a radical shift from a wide--ranging and comprehensive conception of educating adults towards a vocationally oriented understanding of this field and policy area has been observed, in particular in the second half of the so--called ‘Lisbon decade’. In this light, one of the principal objectives of the mainstream policy set by the Lisbon Strategy, that of fostering all forms of participation of adults in lifelong learning paths, appears to have muted its political background and vision in a very short period of time, reflecting an underlying polarisation and progressive transformation of European policy orientations. Hence, by means of content analysis and process tracing, it is shown that the new target of the EU adult education policy, in this framework, has shifted from citizens to workers, and the competence development model, borrowed from the corporate sector, has been established as the reference for the new policy road maps. This study draws on the theory of governance architectures and applies a post-ontological perspective to discuss whether the above trends are intrinsically due to the nature of the Lisbon Strategy, which encompasses education policies, and to what extent supranational actors and phenomena such as globalisation influence the European governance and decision--making. Moreover, it is shown that the way in which the EU is shaping the upgrading of skills and competences of adult learners is modeled around the needs of the ‘knowledge economy’, thus according a great deal of importance to the ‘new skills for new jobs’ and perhaps not enough to life skills in its broader sense which include, for example, social and civic competences: these are actually often promoted but rarely implemented in depth in the EU policy documents. In this framework, it is conveyed how different EU policy areas are intertwined and interrelated with global phenomena, and it is emphasised how far the building of the EU education systems should play a crucial role in the formation of critical thinking, civic competences and skills for a sustainable democratic citizenship, from which a truly cohesive and inclusive society fundamentally depend, and a model of environmental and cosmopolitan adult education is proposed in order to address the challenges of the new millennium. In conclusion, an appraisal of the EU’s public policy, along with some personal thoughts on how progress might be pursued and actualised, is outlined.

Relationship between weight, age and hatching success and the concentration of heavy metals in nestling blue macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus Latham, 1790) in the Pantanal,Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract: The concentration of heavy metals (Cr, Fe, Al, As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Mo, Ni, Se and Zn) was evaluated in the blood of nestling blue macaws (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) captured in the Pantanal, Mato Grosso do Sul (n=26) in 2012; this was based on the hypothesis that these birds exhibit levels of these heavy metals in their organism and that these interfere in hatching success, weight and age of the chicks. Blood samples were digested with nitric acid and hydrochloric acid and the quantification of metals was performed by ICP-OES (Optical Emission Spectroscopy and Inductively Coupled Plasma). Blood samples of nestlings showed concentrations of Cr (0.10μg/g) Fe (3.06μg/g) Al (3.46μg/g), Cd (0.25μg/g) Cu (0.74μg/g), Mo (0.33μg/g), Ni (0.61μg/g), Se (0.98μg/g), and Zn (2.08μg/g). The levels of heavy metals found were not associated with weight, age and hatching success of the chicks.