Items

• Antioxidant Evaluation of Hydroxylated Benzimidazole and Curcumin Analogues Using DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP Assays

  "Oxidative stress significantly contributes to the development of multiple diseases, which emphasizes the importance of identifying effective antioxidant agents. In this study, antioxidant activity of eight structurally related compounds was assessed using three alternative in vitro assays, including DPPH radical scavenging, ABTS radical cation decolorization, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). These compounds were natural curcumin, the analogues of curcuminoids, and benzimidazole compounds. The experiments were carried out in 96-well plates which contained negative and positive controls. Serial dilutions were done to assess responses that were concentration dependent. Compounds with free phenolic hydroxyl groups by hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) mechanisms displayed strong radical-scavenging activity in DPPH and ABTS assays and the findings showed strong structure activity relationships. Electron-donating functional groups, like dimethylamino groups, in compounds containing neither phenolic groups, led to higher reducing power in the FRAP assay, indicating that one-electron transfer (SET) mechanism was the dominating one. Benzimidazole derivatives were found to be mostly dependent on the number and location of phenolic functionalities as opposed to the heterocyclic core itself. In general, the findings indicate that even a slight structural modification can significantly impact the antioxidant behaviour and the paper has highlighted the importance of applying a diversity of methods to determine antioxidant capacities."
• Add Glitter

  Add Glitter is a photographic adaptation inspired by the cabinet of curiosities, examining the biopolitical being of female athletes in aesthetic sports. The project interrogates how athlete bodies are degraded to machines to serve national reputation and power dynamics. It highlights the tension between the spectral manufactured, hyper-feminine ideal, and the biological realities of a female body, such as menstruation, injury and body fat. By archiving disciplinary artifacts used daily by female athletes, the work demonstrates how hyper-femininity creates an unhuman automaton state of being for female athletes. Ultimately, the project seeks to reclaim agency through memory, shifting the athlete form a docile machine back into its human form.
• Polis or Philos?

  My drawing encapsulates the political aesthetic that characterises the Theban play "Antigone". In a modern courtroom, filled with blinding cameras and people looking for answers, Antigone remains silent, not wanting to provide any explanation to the press of the crime she had committed (which was burying her brother, a traitor of their city). This artwork ultimately presents Antigone's resilience and pride.
• "Even I would rebel against the King"

  I created a poster/illustration that aims to highlight some of the female/non-male authors that have contributed to the analysis and discussions surrounding the ancient Greek tragedy “Antigone.” Women have faced, and still to this day face, a lot of discrimination when it comes to joining academic discussions. The field of philosophy especially, is extremely male dominated, so it is important for their voices to be heard and uplifted. The passage on the poster is directly taken from the text itself, specifically from Antigone’s ode to love.
• “I will never stop writing trans stories:” Identity construction through stance-taking on transphobia among fanfiction writers of Harry Potter on Archive of Our Own

  This paper investigates the construction of pro-transgender activist identities of Harry Potter fanfiction writer. Using the Corpus Linguistics software AntConc, collocates and concordances of the terms “trans,” “transphobia/transphobic” and references to J.K. Rowling were identified in their Notes Sections of their fanfiction stories. A stance-taking analysis showed that fanfiction writers evaluate (a) transgender retellings as affirming in gender identity, (b) transphobia as a triggering topic that is marked with Content Warnings, and (c) J.K. Rowling as a TERF. Ultimately, their positions towards transgender people and J.K. Rowling showcased that they construct activist identities that advocate for transgender rights.
• Beneath the Surface of Gender-Based Violence Against Trans Women

  Globally, almost one in three women (30%) aged 15-49 years have reported to experiencing violence in their lifetime (Sardinha et al., 2024). In an interview with George Yancy, Judith Butler emphasizes that gender-based violence (GBV) seeks to secure the class of women as dispensable, defining their very existence as something decided by men, as a masculine prerogative (2016). Considering that, compiled statistics of GBV against women often exclude trans women. In 2023, forty-six-year-old Anna Ivankova was murdered inside her apartment in Athens. As her body was identified by the authorities, news outlets reported that “a man of Cuban descent had been found murdered in St. Panteleimon” (Hansford, 2023). Anna’s murder is the only reported case of murder of a trans woman in Greece, in which hate was flagged as a motive by the media. This lack of reported cases of anti-trans violence in Greece shows that such incidents are either totally dismissed, or that the death of trans women led to their nonconsensual detransitioning. In 2024, two queer individuals were physically and verbally harassed in Thessaloniki, reporting that more than a hundred people attacked them. Working towards highlighting the factors that have been fueling GBV against trans women, this paper will utilize thematic classifications that revolve around the disciplines of gender, sociology, and legal studies. This interdisciplinary approach of understanding the basis of GBV against trans women is critical, in order to point out that GBV against trans women can only be studied through the lens of intersectionality, that bases discrimination on the intersection of different grounds of distinction.
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  Engaging Gen-Z: Study of Patagonia's Sustainability Initiatives and Consumer Behavior

  This study explores how Patagonia's sustainability initiatives influence Generation Z's consumer behavior. Using a mixed-methods approach combining surveys and interviews, the research examines Gen Z's environmental awareness, purchasing priorities, and perceptions of Patagonia's eco-friendly practices. Findings reveal a gap between Gen Z's sustainable values and actual purchasing decisions with affordability and quality outweighing environmental concerts. Females showed greater sensitivity to sustainability initiatives than males. The study concludes that while Gen Z appreciates Patagonia's efforts, greater transparency, affordability and tangible proof of impact are essential to strengthen engagement and loyalty among this key consumer group.
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  Towards a Relational and Existential Reimagining of Psychiatry

  This treatise confronts the foundations of modern psychiatry, arguing that its pursuit of normalization has severed suffering from its existential, relational, and ethical contexts. Drawing on existential philosophy (Heidegger, Levinas, Camus), psychiatric critique (Bracken, Cooper), and trauma studies (van der Kolk), it demands a re-founding of psychiatry not on optimization, but on tragic solidarity. Rejecting both pathological romanticism and mechanical symptom-management, the work envisions a psychiatry that sustains fracture without erasing it, honors relational wounding, and redefines healing as the courageous accompaniment of irreparable lives. Psychiatry must cease diagnosing malfunction and become a faithful witness to human brokenness.
• Talking Hands: The Role of Gestures in Language Comprehension and Classroom Anxiety

  Gestures are essential in communication, yet their role in comprehension is understudied. This study explores how gestures could aid understanding in English as a foreign language, as well as a potential link between gestures and anxiety when using a foreign language in class. Gesture perception and production and foreign language classroom anxiety were measured via an online questionnaire with a hundred ACG-Deree undergraduate students. The results showed that gestures aid comprehension, especially when communication is compromised. Although students lack confidence when speaking in class, they do not experience anxiety; therefore, no correlation was found between gesture use and classroom anxiety.
• Parenting Styles and Moral Disengagement: Unraveling Trolling in Greek Female College Students

  This Thesis examined the relationship between moral disengagement, parenting styles and trolling behavior in Greek female college students (N=154), testing whether parenting styles could predict trolling. Participants completed the GAIT, MDM, and (s)-EMBU scales. Trolling was positively correlated with moral disengagement, rejection, and overprotection and negatively correlated with warm parenting styles. Moral disengagement showed similar correlations, and parenting styles weakly predicted trolling. Findings suggest a link between trolling, moral disengagement and parenting styles, contributing to existing literature. Some limitations include time constraints and sample size. Future research can work on developing interventions and exploring moderators between trolling and parenting styles.