Black Pink Collar Workers: Arduous Journey from Field and Kitchen to Office

The black female workers\u27 journey from field to office was a long and arduous one. This paper examines the transition of black women from agricultural laborers to pink collar workers during the period 1900 to 1980. More black women than white women have had to work in paid employment in order to maintain their families economically. Discrimination against black pink collar workers in career advancement and the better-paying positions, is especially critical because so many black families are female-headed households in need of all the economic resources that the mother-breadwinner can obtain

Molecular Design of Potential Triple-Action Antibacterial Agents and Related Pro-Drugs

 บทคัดย่อ การเพิ่มขึ้นของเชื้อแบคทีเรียดื้อยาที่ก่อโรคในมนุษย์เป็นปัญหาด้านสุขภาพทั่วโลก ความท้าทายในการแก้ปัญหานี้ทำให้มีการเพิ่มความพยายามในการวิจัยแบบสหสาขาวิชามากขึ้น หนึ่งในความพยายามนั้นคือการพัฒนาโมเลกุลของสารยับยั้งเชื้อแบคทีเรียดื้อยาให้มีการออกฤทธิ์ยับยั้งเชื้อได้มากกว่าหนึ่งเป้าหมายในเซลล์ของแบคทีเรีย บทความนี้ได้กล่าวครอบคลุมถึงสิ่งที่ต้องพิจารณาในการออกแบบโมเลกุล   ความเป็นไปได้ในการสังเคราะห์สารยับยั้งเชื้อแบคทีเรียที่ในโมเลกุลเดียวกันสามารถเกิดอันตรกิริยากับเป้าหมายในเซลล์ของแบคทีเรียได้ถึงสามเป้าหมายและออกฤทธิ์ร่วมกันอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพในการยับยั้งเชื้อแบคทีเรีย และกล่าวถึงสารโปร-ดรักส์ของสารยับยั้งเชื้อแบคทีเรียดังกล่าว โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งการออกแบบและการสังเคราะห์สารยับยั้งเชื้อแบคทีเรียที่มีโครงสร้างของสารอัลคาลอยด์เบอร์เบอรีนเป็นองค์ประกอบ  - - - Molecular Design of Potential Triple-Action Antibacterial Agents and Related Pro-DrugsABSTRACT Increasing antibiotic resistance by human pathogenic bacteria is a global health concern.  This health challenge calls for increased multi-disciplinary research efforts to address the issue and one such effort is concerned with the development of novel single molecule agents with more than one bacterial target site for action or interaction. This review covers molecular design considerations and some possible synthetic molecular entities for potential triple-action antibacterial agents and related pro-drugs, particularly those based on the quaternary alkaloid berberine

Biosorption of lac dye by the red marine alga Gracilaria tenuistipitata: biosorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamic parameters

The hypothesis that the dried, ground biomass of the red marine alga Gracilaria tenuistipitata could be used for the efficient removal of lac dye from aqueous solution was assessed in this work. The effects of parameters such as initial pH, biosorbent dosage, contact time, initial dye concentration, and temperature on the biosorption capacity of the dye were investigated. Equilibrium data were analysed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin isotherm models, and the Freundlich model provided the highest coefficient of determination values. Biosorption kinetic data were successfully described with a pseudo-second-order model at initial dye concentrations of 50, 80, 100, and 120 mg l−1. The thermodynamic parameters of biosorption - enthalpy change (∆H° = −30.64 kJ mol−1), free energy change (∆G° = 4.32 kJ mol−1 at 303 K to 7.78 kJ mol−1 at 333 K), and entropy change (∆S° = −115.38 J mol−1 K−1) - were determined. The negative value of the enthalpy change and positive values of the free energy change indicate that the biosorption process is exothermic and non-spontaneous. The negative value of the entropy change is consistent with decreased randomness at the solid-liquid interface with dye biosorption. Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis confirmed the presence of lac dye on the G. tenuistipitata material. The efficiency of lac dye removal by this biomass material at 20 g l−1 and with an initial dye concentration of 50 mg l−1 in acidic solution was 71%, which indicated its potential usefulness as a new dye biosorbent

A patient preference study that evaluated fluticasone furoate and mometasone furoate nasal sprays for allergic rhinitis

Background: Corticosteroid nasal sprays are the mainstay of treatment for allergic rhinitis. These sprays have sensory attributes such as scent and/or odor, taste and aftertaste, and run down the throat and/or the nose, which, when unpleasant, can affect patient preference for, and compliance with, treatment. Objective: This study examined patient preference for fluticasone furoate nasal spray (FFNS) or mometasone furoate nasal spray (MFNS) based on their sensory attributes after administration in patients with allergic rhinitis. Methods: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, cross-over study. Patient preferences were determined by using three questionnaires (Overall Preference, Immediate Attributes, and Delayed Attributes). Results: Overall, 56% of patients stated a preference for FFNS versus 32% for MFNS (p _ 0.001); the remaining 12% stated no preference. More patients stated a preference for FFNS versus MFNS for the attributes of “less drip down the throat” (p _ 0.001), “less run out of the nose” (p _ 0.05), “more soothing” (p _ 0.05), and “less irritating” (p _ 0.001). More patients responded in favor of FFNS versus MFNS for the immediate attributes, “run down the throat” (p _ 0.001), and “run out of the nose” (p _ 0.001), and, in the delayed attributes, “run down the throat” (p _ 0.001), “run out of the nose” (p _ 0.01), “presence of aftertaste” (p _ 0.01), and “no nasal irritation” (p _ 0.001). Conclusion: Patients with allergic rhinitis preferred FFNS versus MFNS overall and based on a number of individual attributes, including “less drip down the throat,” “less run out of the nose,” and “less irritating.” Greater preference may improve patient adherence and thereby improve symptom management of the patient’s allergic rhinitis

Four types of special functions of G_2 and their discretization

Properties of four infinite families of special functions of two real variables, based on the compact simple Lie group G2, are compared and described. Two of the four families (called here C- and S-functions) are well known, whereas the other two (S^L- and S^S-functions) are not found elsewhere in the literature. It is shown explicitly that all four families have similar properties. In particular, they are orthogonal when integrated over a finite region F of the Euclidean space, and they are discretely orthogonal when their values, sampled at the lattice points F_M \subset F, are added up with a weight function appropriate for each family. Products of ten types among the four families of functions, namely CC, CS, SS, SS^L, CS^S, SS^L, SS^S, S^SS^S, S^LS^S and S^LS^L, are completely decomposable into the finite sum of the functions. Uncommon arithmetic properties of the functions are pointed out and questions about numerous other properties are brought forward.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, 4 table

The parameterized complexity of some geometric problems in unbounded dimension

We study the parameterized complexity of the following fundamental geometric problems with respect to the dimension $d$: i) Given $n$ points in \Rd, compute their minimum enclosing cylinder. ii) Given two $n$-point sets in \Rd, decide whether they can be separated by two hyperplanes. iii) Given a system of $n$ linear inequalities with $d$ variables, find a maximum-size feasible subsystem. We show that (the decision versions of) all these problems are W[1]-hard when parameterized by the dimension $d$. %and hence not solvable in ${O}(f(d)n^c)$ time, for any computable function $f$ and constant $c$ %(unless FPT=W[1]). Our reductions also give a $n^{\Omega(d)}$-time lower bound (under the Exponential Time Hypothesis)

The Flavonoids of Orophea polycarpa A. DC. (Annonaceae)

Investigation on the neutral fraction of the leaves of Oraphea polycarpa A. DC. led to the isolation of two flavonoids identified as 2'-hydroxy-4,4',6'trimethoxychalcone and 5,7,4'-trimethoxyflavanone

Centralizers of maximal regular subgroups in simple Lie groups and relative congruence classes of representations

In the paper we present a new, uniform and comprehensive description of centralizers of the maximal regular subgroups in compact simple Lie groups of all types and ranks. The centralizer is either a direct product of finite cyclic groups, a continuous group of rank 1, or a product, not necessarily direct, of a continuous group of rank 1 with a finite cyclic group. Explicit formulas for the action of such centralizers on irreducible representations of the simple Lie algebras are given.Comment: 27 page