Hugo de Almeida

Improved extraction of fluoroquinolones with recyclable ionic-liquid-based aqueous biphasic systems

In the past few years, the improvement of advanced analytical tools allowed to confirm the presence of trace amounts of metabolized and unchanged active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) as well as in freshwater surfaces. It is known that the continuous contact with APIs, even at very low concentrations (ng L-1-μg L-1), leads to serious human health problems. In this context, this work shows the feasibility of using ionic-liquid-based aqueous biphasic systems (IL-based ABS) in the extraction of quinolones present in aqueous media. In particular, ABS composed of imidazolium- and phosphonium-based ILs and aluminium-based salts (already used in water treatment plants) were evaluated in one-step extractions of six fluoroquinolones (FQs), namely ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin and sarafloxacin, and extraction efficiencies up to 98% were obtained. Despite the large interest devoted to IL-based ABS as extractive systems of outstanding performance, their recyclability/reusability has seldomly been studied. An efficient extraction/cleaning process of the IL-rich phase is here proposed by FQs induced precipitation. The recycling of the IL and its further reuse without losses in the ABS extractive performance for FQs were established, as confirmed by the four consecutive removal/extraction cycles evaluated. This novel recycling strategy supports IL-based ABS as sustainable and cost-efficient extraction platforms.

Effect of the Methylation and N-H Acidic Group on the Physicochemical Properties of Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids.

This work presents and highlights the differentiation of the physicochemical properties of the [C1Him][NTf2], [C2Him][NTf2], [(1)C1(2)C1Him][NTf2], and [(1)C4(2)C1(3)C1im][NTf2] that is related with the strong bulk interaction potential, which highlights the differentiation on the physicochemical arising from the presence of the acidic group (N-H) as well as the methylation in position 2, C(2), of the imidazolium ring. Densities, viscosities, refractive indices, and surface tensions in a wide range of temperatures, as well as isobaric heat capacities at 298.15 K, for this IL series are presented and discussed. It was found that the volumetric properties are barely affected by the geometric and structural isomerization, following a quite regular trend. A linear correlation between the glass transition temperature, Tg, and the alkyl chain size was found; however, ILs with the acidic N-H group present a significant higher Tg than the [(1)CN-1(3)C1im][NTf2] and [(1)CN(3)CNim][NTf2] series. It was found that the most viscous ILs, ([(1)C1Him][NTf2], [(1)C2Him][NTf2], and [(1)C1(2)C1Him][NTf2]) have an acidic N-H group in the imidazolium ring in agreement with the observed increase of energy barrier of flow. The methylation in position 2, C(2), as well as the N-H acidic group in the imidazolium ring contribute to a significant variation in the cation-anion interactions and their dynamics, which is reflected in their charge distribution and polarizability leading to a significant differentiation of the refractive indices, surface tension, and heat capacities. The observed differentiation of the physicochemical properties of the [(1)C1Him][NTf2], [(1)C2Him][NTf2], [(1)C1(2)C1Him][NTf2], and [(1)C4(2)C1(3)C1im][NTf2] are an indication of the stronger bulk interaction potential, which highlights the effect that arises from the presence of the acidic group (N-H) as well as the methylation in position 2 of the imidazolium ring.

Improved monitoring of aqueous samples by the preconcentration of active pharmaceutical ingredients using ionic-liquid-based systems

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) and Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) are two classes of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), widespreadly used in human healthcare and as veterinary drugs, and that have been found throughout the water cycle in the past years. These two classes of APIs are commonly present in aqueous streams in concentrations ranging from ng.L-1 to µg.L-1. Despite such low concentrations, these contaminants tend to bioaccumulate, leading to serious environmental and health issues after chronic exposure. The low concentrations of FQs and NSAIDs in aqueous media also render their difficult identification and quantification, wich may result in an unefficient evaluation of their environmental impact and persistence. Therefore, the development of alternative pre-treatment techniques for their extraction and concentration from aqueous samples is a crucial requirement. In this work, liquid-liquid systems, namely ionic-liquid-based aqueous biphasic systems (IL-based ABS), were tested as simultaneous extraction and concentration platforms of FQs and NSAIDs. ABS composed of imidazolium-, ammonium- and phosphonium-based ILs and a citrate-based salt (C6H5K3O7) were evaluated for the single-step extraction and concentration of three FQs (ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and norfloxacin) and three NSAIDs (diclofenac, naproxen and ketoprofen) from aqueous samples. Outstanding one-step extraction efficiencies of APIs close to 100% were obtained. Furthermore, concentration factors of both FQs and NSAIDs were optimized by an appropriate manipulation of the phase-forming components compositions to tailor the volumes of the coexisting phases. Concentration factors of 1000-fold of both FQS and NSAIDs were obtained in a single-step, without reaching the saturation of the IL-rich phase. The concentration of APIs up to the mg.L-1 allowed their easy and straightforward identification and quantification by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled to an UV detector, as shown either with model aqueous samples or real wastewater effluent samples.

Inteligência emocional percebida em atletas de futebol

Inteligência emocional percebida em atletas de futebol This study sought to determine the Perceived Emotional Intelligence, based on the theoretical model of emotional intelligence proposed by Mayer and Salovey (1993) in 170 male athletes of soccer sport. Were used as measures of self-report the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS24), Queiroz et al. (2005) portuguese version. Statistical analysis was performed by the Statistical Software International Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology INFAD Revista de Psicología, No1-Vol.2, 2016. ISSN: 0214-9877. pp:455-464 455 PSICOLOGÍA, CIENCIA Y PROFESIÓN: MIRANDO AL FUTURO PERCEIVED EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN SOCCER ATHLETES Sónia Brito-Costa Universidade de Aveiro, sonya.b.costa@gmail.com Florêncio Vicente Castro Universidade da Extremadura, fvicentec@gmail.com Ana Moisão Universidade de Aveiro, ana.karina.teodosio@gmail.com Ester Nascimento Universidade Tiradentes, ester_fraga@unit.br Hugo de Almeida ISCA-Universidade de Aveiro, hugodealmeida@ua.pt Ma Isabel Ruiz Fernández University of Extremadura, miruiz@gmial.com Fecha de Recepción: 29 Enero 2016 Fecha de Admisión: 15 Febrero 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.17060/ijodaep.2016.n1.v2.310 Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) in its 19 version for Windows. The TMMS24 showed a high internal consistency (α =0.890). There were statistically significant differences in “emotional repair dimension” of Emotional Intelligence, with a low average in the “goalkeeper” position, and a high average in the “midfielder” position, compared to other positions of game.

Challenges in Digital Data Backhaul networks for Square Kilometre Array radio telescope

The Square Kilometre Array will be the worlds largest and most sensitive radio telescope. To meet the technical requirements demanded by the science goals, thousands of linked radio wave receptors will be located in separate arrays in Southern Africa and in Western Australia. Combining the signals from the antennas in each region will create a telescope with a collecting area equivalent to a dish with an area of about one square kilometre. A large component of the SKA will be the communications infrastructure required to interconnect a high number of antennas and other elements of the system. The design of the Digital Data Backhaul (DDBH) Networks, for Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope, presents several technical challenges that have never been addressed before, such as a wide range of transmission rates that can exceed an aggregated transmission rate of several Tb/s in extreme environments in Southern Africa and Australia. We will present possible transport solutions for different DDBH networks in the first phase of deployment, SKA-1, to start in 2018.