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Abstract BackgroundAs an illustrative example of COVID-19 pandemic community-based participatory research (CBPR), we describe a community-academic partnership to prioritize future research most important to people experiencing high occupational exposure to COVID-19 – food service workers. Food service workers face key challenges surrounding (1) health and safety precautions, (2) stress and mental health, and (3) the long-term pandemic impact. MethodUsing CBPR methodologies, academic scientists partnered with community stakeholders to develop the research aims, methods, and measures, and interpret and disseminate results. We conducted a survey, three focus groups, and a rapid qualitative assessment to understand the three areas of concern and prioritize future research. ResultsThe survey showed that food service employers mainly supported basic droplet protections (soap, hand sanitizer, gloves), rather than comprehensive airborne protections (high-quality masks, air quality monitoring, air cleaning). Food service workers faced challenging decisions surrounding isolation, quarantine, testing, masking, vaccines, and in-home transmission, described anxiety, depression, and substance use as top mental health concerns, and described long-term physical and financial concerns. Focus groups provided qualitative examples of concerns experienced by food service workers and narrowed topic prioritization. The rapid qualitative assessment identified key needs and opportunities, with help reducing in-home COVID-19 transmission identified as a top priority. COVID-19 mitigation scientists offered recommendations for reducing in-home transmission. ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced food service workers to experience complex decisions about health and safety, stress and mental health concerns, and longer-term concerns. Challenging health decisions included attempting to avoid an airborne infectious illness when employers were mainly only concerned with droplet precautions and trying to decide protocols for testing and isolation without clear guidance, free tests, or paid sick leave. Key mental health concerns were anxiety, depression, and substance use. Longer-term challenges included Long COVID, lack of mental healthcare access, and financial instability. Food service workers suggest the need for more research aimed at reducing in-home COVID-19 transmission and supporting long-term mental health, physical health, and financial concerns. This research provides an illustrative example of how to cultivate community-based partnerships to respond to immediate and critical issues affecting populations most burdened by public health crises. 

Let N be the algebra of all n×n dominant block upper triangular matrices over a field. In this paper, we explicitly describe all Lie triple centralizers of N. We also describe Lie triple centralizers of the algebra B of block upper triangular matrices over a field. 

During our study of the synthesis of metal nanoparticles via chemical reduction methods, we found that some colloidal solutions of silver nanoparticles displayed dichroic effect. The dichroic effect is a phenomenon where a material displays two different colors in transmitted light and reflected light. In this study, dichroic silver nanoparticles were obtained via a simple chemical reduction method under ambient conditions. Ascorbic acid was used as the reducing agent and trisodium citrate was used as the stabilizing agent. A colloidal solution of synthesized silver nanoparticles showed an opaque gray color in reflected light and a translucent pink color in transmitted light. Another colloidal solution prepared in the presence of copper (II) sulphate displayed a new combination of dichroic colors: opaque blue and translucent green. To understand the formation of dichroic effect, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-Vis spectroscopy were used to characterize and study the silver nanoparticles in these colloids. TEM study showed that silver nanoparticles with different sizes and shapes were present in the solutions that displayed dichroic effect. By comparing the morphology of dichroic silver nanoparticles with that of the silver nanoparticles that exhibited no dichroic effect, we concluded that both the sizes and the shapes of nanoparticles play important roles in the formation of dichroic effect. The small particles are responsible for the absorbance of light, which results in the color in transmitted light. While large particles account for the scattering of light and lead to the color in reflected light. Different combinations of nanoparticles with different sizes and shapes lead to different colors for the dichroic effects. 

The traditional laboratory of synthesis of banana oil via Fisher esterification was modified to provide a practical integration of green chemistry concepts and principles into undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory at Southern University and A&M College-Baton Rouge campus (SUBR). Besides the traditional method described in our laboratory manual, two more modified methods for the synthesis of banana oil were added. Six out of the 12 principles of green chemistry were introduced. This laboratory offered students an opportunity to do a comparative study of the greenness and efficiency of different synthetic methods for the synthesis of banana oil and practice applying green chemistry principles into organic synthesis. The modified method II was found to be the greenest and most efficient synthetic method with least waste produced, highest atom economy and yield, environmentally benign chemicals, reduced hazardous risk, improved energy efficiency and enhanced accident prevention. Calculations of E-factor and percent atom economy were introduced. The comparison of experimental percent atom economy and percent yield was also included.