Upper airway diseases are one of the most frequent ailments in and outside of hospitals, as the region is exposed to environmental stressors and essential for life. Some diseases, such as subglottic stenosis and laryngeal cancer, cause the constriction of the airway necessitating stenting. One concern with medical airway stent usage is the attachment of bacterial biofilms on stent surfaces. After stent implantation, biofilm communities trigger inflammatory responses and other complications such as tissue granulation within patients. Researchers have developed drug-eluting stents either coated with anti-biofilm chemicals or incorporated within the stent for sustained release, to alleviate infection. This review examines published literature on the recent development of drug-eluting biomaterials to disrupt biofilm formation in upper airway applications, by assessing outcomes in both in vitro and in vivo models. Promising results have been shown in nanoparticle-mediated drug-delivery pathways; specifically, inorganic metallic nanoparticles such as silver nanoparticles that display both intrinsic and bio-responsive anti-biofilm properties after applying them to drug-eluting stents. The review also discusses the effectiveness of synthetic polymers such as PLGA, small molecules such as Sirolimus, and natural polymers such as chitosan in the biofabrication of stents to reduce biofilms. These molecules can act as potential therapeutic strategies and improve the efficiency of these necessary medical devices. Overall, drug-eluting airway stents are advancing rapidly in efficacy, complexity, and success to prevent bacterial infection, reduce associated comorbidities, and improve patient outcomes.

Looking up into the night sky, we see thousands of stars, with billions more in our galaxy and an untold amount more in our universe. But while they may seem to be static unchanging points of light, scientists know that they are not. We know that stars change, they are born, they mature, they grow old, and they eventually die. This Journey, from the birth to the death of a star is called stellar evolution and it is a very important part of astronomy. Understanding the process helps to give us the ability to answer important questions, such as understanding the synthesis of heavy elements through star death, and the creation of new stars, and galaxies.

The true nature of dark matter is an extremely important and fundamental problem in the study of astrophysics, particle physics, cosmology and many other areas within the study of physics. This paper presents experimental evidence for the existence of dark matter through discussing the experimental results of mass profiling a galaxy and gravitational lensing. The fundamental properties of dark matter are then discussed, and evidence for these properties is presented. This allows further discussion of one of the most promising models of dark matter - the axion. The purpose of this paper is to present the evidence for the axion model, describe the nature of the theoretical axion particle, and to highlight the effects this model would have on other theories in physics such as solving the Strong CP Problem in the theory of quantum chromodynamics.

The term artist can be defined as ‘a person who creates paintings or drawings as a profession or hobby’ (Oxford Languages, 2022). I argue that that the Japanese contemporary artist, Takashi Murakami, redefines what it means to be an artist as his artistic practice successfully permeates all areas of the spectrum from “high” to “low” culture - from academic painting and the fine art industry to fashion, food, and even the Pop entertainment industry; essentially pushing the limits of what one artist may achieve during his lifetime, a success exemplified in his creation of the complex Superflat movement.He also maintains the core value of reflecting the complexities of the globalised world, as his Superflat style is famously influenced by his identity as a Japanese artist who moved to America, reacting to the cultural shock. In this essay I will explore significant factors in his life which have contributed to his artistic career, in order to discuss Murakami’s evolution of what it means to be an artist in the 21st Century.

This review article focuses on the field of epigenetics. Since its inception in the 20th century, there have been several major developments which induced the change in what the word “epigenetics” actually meant. In this review, the discoveries made so far are summarised and the potential applications of these new discoveries are discussed. Some things to keep in mind are that the field of epigenetics is relatively young compared to many other fields of research, so there are bound to be areas in which the understanding of the topic is lacking. Despite this, and partly due to recent advances in technology, several epigenetic therapeutics, some of which have already been approved for use, have been developed.

Wastewater treatment plants play an important role in maintaining the health of ecosystems and ensuring the economic, social, and political soundness of communities. However, current wastewater treatment methods are economically and environmentally unsustainable. Aquatic plant restoration has been receiving attention because of its high efficiency and eco-friendliness compared to previous methods. Three types of aquatic plants: duckweed and hornworts were tested for their effects in removing constitutes and reducing the number of bacteria colonies in a wastewater source, over the course of 7 days. The results show that all three aquatic plants were capable of recovering and removing bacteria in water. Duckweed, however, was the most effective of all three plants. A 3D digital model of a duckweed based wastewater treatment plant was devised to showcase how duckweed could be incorporated into full-scale water treatment systems. The uptake of aquatic-plant based wastewater treatment systems has been slow. The conducted research adds to the advantages and the feasibility of full-scale aquatic-plant based wastewater systems.