Monitoring Photo-Fenton and Photo-Electro-Fenton process of contaminants emerging concern by a gas diffusion electrode using Ca10-xFex-yWy(PO4)6(OH)2 nanoparticles as heterogeneous catalyst.

The catalytic performance of modified hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, Ca10-xFex-yWy(PO4)6(OH)2, was applied for the degradation of methylene blue (MB), fast green FCF (FG) and norfloxacin (NOR). XPS analysis pointed to the successful partial replacement of Ca by Fe. Under photo-electro-Fenton process, the catalyst Ca4FeII1·92W0·08FeIII4(PO4)6(OH)2 was combined with UVC radiation and electrogenerated H2O2 in a Printex L6 carbon-based gas diffusion electrode. The application of only 10 mA cm-2 resulted in 100% discoloration of MB and FG dyes in 50 min of treatment at pH 2.5, 7.0 and 9.0. The proposed treatment mechanism yielded maximum TOC removal of ∼80% and high mineralization current efficiency of ∼64%. Complete degradation of NOR was obtained in 40 min, and high mineralization of ∼86% was recorded after 240 min of treatment. Responses obtained from LC-ESI-MS/MS are in line with the theoretical Fukui indices and the ECOSAR data. The study enabled us to predict the main degradation route and the acute and chronic toxicity of the by-products formed during the contaminants degradation.

Degradation of ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (IR3535) during chlorination: Tentative identification and toxicity prediction of its disinfection by-products.

Studies have reported the presence of ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (IR3535) in waters, and the content of this repellent is expected to rise significantly in the future. There are extremely scarce data in the literature regarding the behavior of IR3535 and its derivatives in water. The present work reports the results obtained from experiments conducted under controlled conditions aiming at investigating the transformation of IR3535 in chlorinated water, in addition to an attempt to identify its disinfection by-products (DBPs). The work also reports the findings of analyses conducted in swimming pool water samples which sought to investigate the presence and content of IR3535 and its targeted DBPs in these samples. The results obtained in the controlled experiments show that IR3535 is not completely degraded under the chlorinated conditions evaluated and 9 DBPs were tentatively identified. The presence of IR3535 was detected in both adults and children's pool water samples at concentrations ranging from 62 ng L-1 to 114 ng L-1. Some of the DBPs identified in the controlled experiments were also detected in the pool water samples. The toxicity of the 9 DBPs identified was evaluated using the QSAR model, where some by-products presented mutagenic and carcinogenic properties.

Compreensão de leitura e vocabulário receptivo em escolares típicos do ensino fundamental I / Reading comprehension and receptive vocabulary in Elementary School students with typical development

RESUMO Objetivo Elaborar um instrumento para avalição de compreensão de leitura textual e verificar a influência do vocabulário receptivo na compreensão de leitura de escolares típicos de 3º, 4º e 5º anos do ensino fundamental. Método Todos os preceitos éticos foram realizados. Participaram do estudo 69 estudantes de 3º, 4º e 5º anos, com média de idade de 8,2, 9,2 e 10 anos, respectivamente, sendo 35 meninas, que tiveram classificação típica no Teste de Desempenho Escolar. Metade da amostra realizou a prova de compreensão de leitura pelo método de perguntas e respostas, e a outra metade fez a prova com a técnica de Cloze. Todos os escolares realizaram o Teste de Vocabulário de Figuras USP com 139 estímulos. Resultados Os escolares apresentaram bom desempenho em vocabulário receptivo, apesar do nível socioeconômico baixo. Os escolares tiveram melhor desempenho em perguntas explícitas do que em implícitas. Demonstraram desempenho mais homogêneo e semelhante entre os anos escolares na técnica de Cloze . Não foram observados resultados conclusivos quanto à correlação entre vocabulário receptivo e compreensão de leitura pelos dois métodos. Conclusão Há indícios da influência do vocabulário sobre a compreensão de leitura textual, principalmente no método de perguntas e respostas. O instrumento elaborado, incluindo dois métodos avaliativos da compreensão de leitura, é eficiente para investigação e caracterização da compreensão de leitura textual em escolares típicos do 3º, 4º e 5º anos, sendo que ambos os métodos diferenciaram de forma significativa os escolares de 3º e 5º anos.

ABSTRACT Purpose Prepare an instrument to evaluate reading comprehension and verify the influence of receptive vocabulary on the reading comprehension of 3rd to 5th-grade Elementary School students with typical development. Methods All ethical precepts were accomplished. Study participants were 69 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-grade students (35 girls) with mean ages of 8.2, 9.2, and 10 years, respectively, with typical development in the School Performance Test. Half of the sample underwent the reading comprehension test using the question-and-answer method and the other half took the test using the Cloze technique. All students completed the Teste de Vocabulário por Figuras USP (TVFUSP) with 139 stimuli. Results The schoolchildren presented good performance in receptive vocabulary despite their low socioeconomic level. Better performance was observed in explicit questions compared with that in implicit questions. Students demonstrated more homogeneous and similar performance between the school years in the Cloze technique. No conclusive results were found regarding the correlation between receptive vocabulary and reading comprehension by the two methods. Conclusion There is evidence of the influence of receptive vocabulary on the reading comprehension of texts, mainly in the question-and-answer method. The prepared instrument, including both assessment methods of reading comprehension, is efficient to investigate and characterize the reading comprehension of 3rd to 5th-grade Elementary School students, and both methods significantly differentiated students in the 3rd and 5th grades.

Development and validation of a HPLC method for standardization of herbal and commercial extracts of Myrcia uniflora

Myrcia uniflora Barb. Rodr., Myrtaceae, popularly known as "pedra-hume-caá" in Brazil, is sold as dry extracts in capsules or as tinctures for the treatment of diabetes mellitus. Previous phytochemical studies on this species described the occurrence of the flavonoids mearnsitrin and myricitrin. In the present study, the chromatographic profiles of M. uniflora leaves and commercial extracts were determined using HPLC-PAD. Myricitrin was used as an external standard in the development and validation of the HPLC method. The proposed method is simple, rapid and reliable and can be successfully applied in industry for standardization of herbs and phytomedicines commercialised in Brazil as "pedra-hume-caá".

Validated high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the standardisation of Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth., Olacaceae, commercial extracts / Validação de método de cromatografia líquida de alta performance para padronização de extratos comerciais de Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth., Olacaceae

Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth., Olacaceae, popularly known as marapuama or muirapuama or miriantã, is a species native to the Amazonian region of Brazil. Extracts of the bark of the plant have been used traditionally for its stimulating and aphrodisiac properties and currently commercialised by the herbal industry as constituents in a wide range of phytomedicines. Fractionation by open column chromatography followed by preparative HPLC-UV/PAD of the stem bark and of three commercial extracts of P. olacoides allowed the isolation of three components that were common to all extracts analysed, and these were identified by NMR to be vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid and theobromine. Vanillic acid, which has been proposed as a phytochemical marker for P. olacoides, was employed as an external standard in the development and validation of a rapid qualitative and quantitative HPLC assay for the analyte. The recoveries values of the developed method were 99.02 percent and the LOD and LOQ values were 0.033 and 0.11 mg.L-1, respectively. The described method may be applied to the standardisation of herbs, extracts or phytomedicines commercialised as marapuama.

Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth., Olacaceae, popularmente conhecida como marapuama, muirapuama ou miriantã, é uma espécie nativa da região da Amazônia do Brasil. Extratos das cascas da planta são tradicionalmente usados por suas propriedades estimulantes e afrodisíacas, e frequentemente comercializados como constituinte de uma grande variedade de formulações fitoterápicas. O fracionamento por coluna cromatográfica aberta seguida por CLAE-UV/PAD das cascas do caule de três extratos comerciais de P. olacoides permitiram o isolamento de três substâncias comuns em todos os extratos analisados. Os compostos foram identificados por RMN como ácido vanílico, ácido protocatecuíco e teobromina. O ácido vanílico foi utilizado como marcador fitoquímico para P. olacoides e empregado como padrão externo no desenvolvimento e validação de um método de análise qualitativo e quantitativo rápido por CLAE. O valor da recuperação do método desenvolvido foi de 99,02 por cento e os valores de LOD e LOQ foram 0,033 e 0,11 mg.L-1; respectivamente. O método descrito poderá ser empregado para a padronização de plantas, extratos ou fitoterápicos comercializados como marapuama.

Multivariate analysis of the effects of soil parameters and environmental factors on the flavonoid content of leaves of Passiflora incarnata L., Passifloraceae / Análise multivariada dos efeitos dos parâmetros do solo e fatores ambientais no teor de flavonoides das folhas de Passiflora incarnata L., Passifloraceae

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of soil characteristics (pH, macro- and micro-nutrients), environmental factors (temperature, humidity, period of the year and time of day of collection) and meteorological conditions (rain, sun, cloud and cloud/rain) on the flavonoid content of leaves of Passiflora incarnata L., Passifloraceae. The total flavonoid contents of leaf samples harvested from plants cultivated or collected under different conditions were quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC-UV/PAD). Chemometric treatment of the data by principal component (PCA) and hierarchic cluster analyses (HCA) showed that the samples did not present a specific classification in relation to the environmental and soil variables studied, and that the environmental variables were not significant in describing the data set. However, the levels of the elements Fe, B and Cu present in the soil showed an inverse correlation with the total flavonoid contents of the leaves of P. incarnata.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos do solo (pH, macro e micronutrientes), fatores ambientais (temperatura, umidade, época do ano e período da coleta) e condições meteorológicas (chuva, sol, nublado, nublado com chuva) no teor de flavonoides das folhas de Passiflora incarnata L. (Passifloraceae), através do tratamento quimiométrico dos dados por PCA (análise de componentes principais) e HCA (análise hierárquica de agrupamentos). Os flavonoides totais foram quantificados por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência-detecção por ultravioleta (CLAE-UV/DAD). As análises por PCA e HCA mostraram que as amostras de Passiflora não apresentam uma classificação específica em relação às variáveis estudadas e que as variáveis do meio ambiente não são relevantes para descrever o modelo estudado, porém os elementos do solo Fe, B e Cu demonstraram correlação inversa à concentração dos flavonoides totais.