An assessment on resveratrol and its cellular protective properties

Abstract only availableResveratrol is a polyphenolic compound found abundantly in plants such as knotweed or grapes. Under normal circumstances, it is in plants as a phytoalexin - an antibiotic produced by plants for defense under insults. Based on previous studies, it it also has properties that protect cells from damage caused by free radicals or reactive oxygen species In order to test the effectiveness of resveratrol as a protective agent, an experiment was designed using an immortalized astrocyte cell line, DiTNC. These cells were divided into control, resveratrol and non-resveratrol groups. They were cultured in a standard six well plate, with two wells per group. Menadione (25 and 50 micromolar), a compound that generates reactive oxygen species in cells, was added to four wells, two of which contained pre-incubated resveratrol (50 micromolar). The cells were left to incubate in an incubating oven at 37 Celsius. Photos are taken at intervals of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 120 minutes. Menadione caused cells to project processes and then causes them to become shrunken and rounded within 30 min. When the pictures from the resveratrol group was compared to the non-resveratrol group, a significantly less amount of cells from the resveratrol group were found to be either free floating or shrunken, suggesting that these cells survived for a longer period. An MTT test will also be performed in order to quantify the data. The results show that resveratrol has a fair effect on protecting cells from reactive oxygen species and that this chemical warrants further investigations.Alzheimer's disease program project grant 2P01AGO18357 to G. Su

Optically-controlled long-term storage and release of thermal energy in phase-change materials

Thermal energy storage offers enormous potential for a wide range of energy technologies. Phase-change materials offer state-of-the-art thermal storage due to high latent heat. However, spontaneous heat loss from thermally charged phase-change materials to cooler surroundings occurs due to the absence of a significant energy barrier for the liquid-solid transition. This prevents control over the thermal storage, and developing effective methods to address this problem has remained an elusive goal. Herein, we report a combination of photo-switching dopants and organic phase-change materials as a way to introduce an activation energy barrier for phase-change materials solidification and to conserve thermal energy in the materials, allowing them to be triggered optically to release their stored latent heat. This approach enables the retention of thermal energy (about 200 J g⁻¹) in the materials for at least 10 h at temperatures lower than the original crystallization point, unlocking opportunities for portable thermal energy storage systems

Experience across disciplines: Exploring panel-to-panel narrative series with the Scrovegni Chapel and Little Nemo in Slumberland

I draw from two veins of interpretive literature - of art historical and comic theoretical - to engage in a cross-disciplinary, experiential analysis of panel-to-panel narrative series. To make my case, I use two unrelated samples, the Scrovegni Chapel fresco cycles (c. 1305-1310) and the New York Herald's Little Nemo in Slumberland series (c. 1905-1906), and explore how the fresco and comic-strip may be mediated and serialized.Bachelor of Art

Development of stigma-related support for autistic adults:Insights from the autism community.

Many autistic adults experience public stigma and some internalise this stigma with negative effects on their mental health. While efforts to reduce public stigma are paramount, change can be slow, and interventions to prevent internalised stigma may also be needed. Using a mixed methods online survey, we gathered the views of 144 autistic adults and parents/caregivers of autistic people in the United Kingdom on whether a stigma-related support programme for autistic adults is needed and, if so, what it should ‘look’ like. Quantitative data (summarised descriptively) showed that most participants felt it was important for autistic adults to have support in managing stigma and revealed diverse preferences in terms of programme delivery, underscoring the need for flexibility. Using reflexive thematic analysis, four main themes were identified from the qualitative data: (1) ‘We need to change society not autistic people’, (2) ‘Stigma is difficult to manage alone’, (3) ‘Focus on positive, practical support’, and (4) ‘There is no one size fits all approach’. We discuss the important implications our findings have for how future interventions in this area are framed and delivered