This study aimed to investigate the risk of laryngopharyngeal reflux in Hubble Bubble smokers in comparison to non-smokers. The medical records of patients who presented with hoarseness were reviewed. Patients with a history of Hubble Bubble smoking and a control group of non-smokers were included in the study. The risk of laryngopharyngeal reflux was assessed using the Reflux Symptom Index and the Reflux Finding Score. Eighty-six Hubble Bubble smokers and 86 controls were included in the study. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean RSI between the two subgroups (10.05 ± 8.27 vs. 5.05 ± 6.58; p < 0.001). Hubble Bubble smokers were 4.24 times more likely to have a Reflux Symptom Index score greater than 13 in comparison to non-smokers (odds ratio = 4.24; 95 per cent confidence interval: 1.97-9.14). Hubble Bubble smoking increases the risk of laryngopharyngeal reflux by two-fold. A larger prospective study is needed to substantiate the association between Hubble Bubble smoking and laryngopharyngeal reflux.
Fractals are complex geometric patterns whose structure look similar at different scales of magnification. Examples of fractals in astrophysics are diverse: the cosmic microwave background (CMB) or the distribution of matter in the universe show patterns consistent with fractals. A major outstanding challenge in cosmology is the discrepancy between the Hubble constant obtained from early and late universe measurements — the Hubble tension. By examining cosmological evolution through the lens of information growth within a black hole, we demonstrate the emergence of two distinct fractal growth processes characterizing the early and late universe epochs. These fractal patterns induce space expansion rates of (62.79 ± 4.56) Km/s/Mpc and (70.07 ± 0.39) Km/s/Mpc, remarkably close to current values of the Hubble constants involved in the tension. Such a result suggest that the Hubble tension arises not from unexpected large-scale structures or multiple unrelated measurement errors, but rather from innate properties underlying the universe dynamics.
A maximum entropy (ME) methodology was used to infer the Hubble constant from the temperature anisotropies in cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurements, as measured by the Planck satellite. A simple cosmological model provided physical insight and afforded robust statistical sampling of a parameter space. The parameter space included the spectral tilt and amplitude of adiabatic density fluctuations of the early universe and the present-day ratios of dark energy, matter, and baryonic matter density. A statistical temperature was estimated by applying the equipartition theorem, which uniquely specifies a posterior probability distribution. The ME analysis inferred the mean value of the Hubble constant to be about 67 km/sec/Mpc with a conservative standard deviation of approximately 4.4 km/sec/Mpc. Unlike standard Bayesian analyses that incorporate specific noise models, the ME approach treats the model error generically, thereby producing broader, but less assumption-dependent, uncertainty bounds. The inferred ME value lies within 1σ of both early-universe estimates (Planck, Dark Energy Signal Instrument (DESI)) and late-universe measurements (e.g., the Chicago Carnegie Hubble Program (CCHP)) using redshift data collected from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Thus, the ME analysis does not appear to support the existence of the Hubble tension.
We report the first measurement of the Hubble constant H_{0} using the stochastic gravitational-wave background arising from binary black hole mergers. This astrophysical background is sensitive to the expansion history of the Universe and, thus, can be used for cosmological parameter inference independently of not only electromagnetic methods, but also gravitational-wave standard siren approaches. We describe the background's cosmological dependence and show how it can be used as a "stochastic siren" to measure H_{0}. By analyzing existing resolved binary black hole mergers and the current nondetection of the background, we find that H_{0} can be measured more accurately relative to using resolved mergers alone. We also note that the stochastic siren may serve a unique role in the Hubble tension in that the lower bound of the H_{0} measurement would progressively increase with continued nondetection of the background.
Schmidt Sciences invests in orbiting observatory and three ground-based instruments.
To describe the self-reported voice handicap and type of voice disorders in waterpipe smokers presenting with hoarseness, and to compare these outcome measures with those of cigarette smokers and nonsmokers. The medical records of all patients who presented with a history of hoarseness between June 2022 and June 2025 were reviewed. Patients with a history of waterpipe smoking (WPS) were included in this study. Two groups, cigarette smokers and nonsmokers, frequency matched by age and gender, were also included. Two voice outcome measures were used, The voice handicap index-10 (VHI-10) and voice diagnosis, which was categorized as structural, neurologic, or functional. Fifty-one waterpipe smokers, 51 cigarette smokers, and 51 nonsmokers were included. The most commonly reported symptoms in the whole study population were hoarseness, vocal fatigue, and loss of range. There was no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of these vocal symptoms among the three subgroups. The mean VHI-10 score in waterpipe smokers was 8.27 ± 8.58 compared to 7.59 ± 8.11 in nonsmokers, and 8.35 ± 9.69 in cigarette smokers (P = 0.911). Waterpipe smokers had the largest percentage of abnormal VHI-10 score compared to cigarette smokers and nonsmokers (33.3% vs. 29.4% vs. 27.5%, respectively), but the difference was not statistically significant. Regression analysis accounting for age, gender, reflux, and allergy showed no association between type of smoking and abnormal VHI-10 scores (VHI ≥ 11). The most common voice diagnosis in all subgroups was structural voice disorders, followed by functional voice disorders. Analysis of vocal fold pathologies showed a significant difference in the prevalence of Reinke's edema (RE), leukoplakia, and granuloma across the three subgroups (P = 0.039, P = 0.043, P = 0.026, respectively). The prevalence of RE and leukoplakia was highest in cigarette smokers compared to WPS and nonsmokers. The most common vocal fold pathology in waterpipe smokers was vocal fold polyp, accounting for 19.4% of structural voice disorders, followed by RE and leukoplakia in 13.9%. Waterpipe smokers were 2.6 times more likely to have RE (odds ratio [OR] = 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.49-14.4]), and 1.27 times more likely to have leukoplakia compared to nonsmokers (OR = 1.27; 95% CI [0.32-5.05]). Regression analysis revealed no significant association between the type of smoking, VHI-10 score, and type of voice disorder. There was no significant difference in self-perceived voice handicap nor in the type of voice disorder between waterpipe smokers, cigarette smokers, and nonsmokers presenting with hoarseness. A future study on a larger cohort of waterpipe smokers is warranted.
We test the isotropy of Hubble expansion by combining several probes for the first time, constructing full-sky maps of expansion rate variation using Type Ia supernovae, fundamental plane galaxies, and cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature fluctuations. We find no hint of anisotropy or correlation between early- and late-Universe expansion across all systematic models. The 99% confidence upper limits on expansion rate anisotropy are 0.39% for low-redshift supernovae, 0.95% for high-redshift CMB, and 0.37% when combined at a 60-degree smoothing scale. A significant anomaly in the fundamental plane residual map may reflect systematics in the current dark energy spectroscopic instrument dataset, as evidenced by the absence of cross-correlation with other tracers and its correlation with spatial density variations.
We introduce a new method for measuring the Hubble parameter from low-redshift large-scale observations that is independent of the comoving sound horizon. The method uses the baryon-to-photon ratio determined by the primordial deuterium abundance, together with big bang nucleosynthesis calculations and the present-day cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature, to determine the physical baryon density Ω_{b}h^{2}. The baryon fraction Ω_{b}/Ω_{m} is measured using the relative amplitude of the baryonic signature in galaxy clustering measured by the Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey, scaling the physical baryon density to the physical matter density. The physical density Ω_{m}h^{2} is then compared with the geometrical density Ω_{m} from Alcock-Paczynski measurements from baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) and voids to give H_{0}. Including type Ia supernovae and uncalibrated BAO, we measure H_{0}=67.1_{-5.3}^{+6.3}  km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}. We find similar results when varying analysis choices, such as measuring the baryon signature from the reconstructed correlation function or excluding supernovae or voids. This measurement is currently consistent with both the distance-ladder and CMB H_{0} determinations, but near-future large-scale structure surveys will obtain 3× to 4× tighter constraints.
Periductal mastitis (PM) is a form of nonlactational mastitis. The clinical picture varies from mild periareolar inflammation to frank retroareolar abscess formation. A huge amount of literature is incriminating cigarette smoking as a major contributing factor to the etiology of PM, and cessation of smoking is essential for a successful treatment. However, a search in PubMed and Scopus did not reveal any reports regarding the occurrence of PM among hubble-bubble smokers. Herein, we report two cases of PM in relation to hubble-bubble smoking (HBS) and review the related literature. In addition to antibiotic and surgical treatment, cessation of HBS was essential for sustained remission of PM.
Entropic cosmology with the Rényi entropy of the apparent horizon SR=(1/α)ln(1+αSBH), where SBH is the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy, is studied. By virtue of the thermodynamics-gravity correspondence, a model of dark energy is investigated. The generalized Friedmann equations for the Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker spatially flat universe with barotropic matter fluid are obtained. We compute the dark energy density ρD, pressure pD, and the deceleration parameter q of the universe. At some model parameters, the normalized density parameter of the matter Ωm0≈0.315 and the deceleration parameter q0≈-0.535 for the current epoch, which are in the agreement with the Planck data, are found. Making use of the thermodynamics-gravity correspondence, we describe the late-time acceleration of the universe. The entropic cosmology considered here is equivalent to cosmology based on the teleparallel gravity with the definite function F(T). The Hubble parameters are in approximate agreement (within 5 percents) with the observational Hubble data for redshifts 0.07≤z≤1.75 at the entropy parameter α≈0.305GH02.
The nearby star Fomalhaut is orbited by a compact source, Fomalhaut b, which has previously been interpreted as either a dust-enshrouded exoplanet or a dust cloud generated by the collision of two planetesimals. Such collisions are rarely observed, but their debris can appear in direct imaging. We report Hubble Space Telescope observations that show the appearance in 2023 of a second point source around Fomalhaut, resembling the appearance of Fomalhaut b 20 years earlier. We interpret this additional source as a dust cloud produced by a recent impact between two planetesimals. The positions and motion of two impact-generated dust clouds over 20 years provide constraints on the collisional dynamics in the debris belt.
We study the formation of stellar bars using 145 simulations of disc galaxies embedded in live and static dark matter haloes. We use the exponential bar growth time-scale, [Formula: see text], to quantify how disc structure and kinematics regulate the onset and rate of secular bar formation. We extend previous work to thicker and more turbulent discs, motivated by those observed at high redshift ([Formula: see text]). By revisiting several commonly used disc stability criteria - the Efstathiou-Lake-Negroponte parameter ([Formula: see text]), the Ostriker-Peebles ratio ([Formula: see text]), and the disc stellar mass fraction within 2.2 disc scale radii ([Formula: see text]) - we find that [Formula: see text], when expressed in terms of the disc's orbital period, follows a tight power law with each criteria. In Milky Way-like discs embedded in live haloes, bars form within a Hubble time if [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]. We show discs with higher velocity dispersion experience delayed bar growth and introduce an empirical relation that correctly describes the bar formation time-scales of all our live halo models. Bars in static haloes grow at roughly half the rate of those in live haloes and require substantially greater disc instability to do so.
Nature's fractal patterns should, in theory, exhibit some common characteristics as revealed by a number of space missions carried out in the neighborhood of Earth's space environment. Here, we show that the overall shape of the multifractal spectrum of galaxies resembles that of NASA's Voyager mission observed at the heliospheric boundaries. We have, therefore, employed the same method-grounded on well-known results from up to one million galaxies in the updated redshift database-to identify a reliable multifractal spectrum of the distribution of galaxies on cosmological scales. We show that the observed spectrum fits the weighted Cantor set, which serves as a template for the turbulence observed in the heliosphere. In the universe, this would be indicative of the galaxy distribution's nonlinear multifractal scaling. For galaxies receding from the Sun at different distances, the degree of multifractality somewhat varies but is smaller than that inside the heliosphere. This could be connected to the presence of voids in the large-scale distribution of matter. Some variations from the Hubble law for the ideal uniform expansion might explain a possible asymmetry of the spectrum. We anticipate that finding nonlinear fractal scaling laws of galaxies will be a major step toward the ultimate explanation of the matter distribution in the Universe, especially fitting on the hundredth anniversary of discovery of the first galaxy beyond the Milky Way.
This study develops a nonlinear analytical model of a spacecraft with flexible solar arrays to investigate complex vibration phenomena occurring within the thermal flutter regime, particularly during the satellite's transition through the penumbra phase. The model captures dynamic behaviors driven by transient thermal gradients and structural flexibility key contributors to self-excited oscillations in orbit. Two major nonlinear phenomena are examined: limit cycle oscillations (LCOs) self-sustained periodic motions arising under subcritical thermal conditions, and internal resonance, which emerges within the flutter velocity range and strongly influences modal interactions. Special attention is given to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), where nonlinearities stem from large elastic deformations and thermally induced loads and torques. A combined analytical-numerical approach is adopted, incorporating nonlinear dynamic modeling and time-domain simulations. The focus is on the penumbra phase, where the solar radiation rate undergoes significant variations. The system's coupled bending-bending-twisting motion equations include quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. Through model reduction, a tractable set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is derived. Using the method of multiple scales (MMS), internal resonance conditions are analytically identified to characterize energy exchanges among modes. To further assess the system's dynamic behavior, phase portraits, Poincaré sections, and bifurcation diagrams are employed. These analyses elucidate the onset and evolution of LCOs, offering critical insights into the coupled thermomechanical instabilities of flexible space structures and contributing to the design of more robust spacecraft systems under dynamic thermal environments.
We have recently argued that the expansion of the Universe is compatible not only with standard homogeneity, but also with fractal homogeneity in a hierarchical fractal cosmology. In this work we further test this paradigm using the galactic distances obtained from the Updated CfA Redshift Catalogs. We confirm that the observed multifractal spectrum is consistent with the weighted Cantor set models characteristic of turbulence in space magnetized plasmas such as the solar wind in heliosphere, the very local interstellar medium and even in laboratory experiments. The degree of multifractality is smaller than that found inside the heliosphere and shows some variations between nearby and more distant galaxies, which may be related to the presence of voids in the large-scale matter distribution. A possible asymmetry in the spectrum may be attributed to some deviations from the Hubble’s law for an ideal uniform expansion. Overall, the deviations from homogeneity revealed by multifractal analysis should be broadly consistent with ΛCDM large-scale structure formation.
We analyze two different scenarios for the late universe dynamics, resulting in Hubble parameters deviating from the ΛCDM, mainly for the presence of an additional free parameter, which is the dark energy parameter. The first model consists of a pure evolutionary dark energy paradigm as a result of its creation by the gravitational field of the expanding universe. The second model also considers an interaction of the evolutionary dark energy with the matter component, postulated via the conservation of the sum of their ideal energy-momentum tensors. These two models are then compared via the diagnostic tool of the effective running Hubble constant, with the binned data of the so-called "Master sample" for the Type Ia Supernovae. The comparison procedures, based on a standard MCMC analysis, lead to a clear preference of data for the dark energy-matter interaction model, which is associated with a phantom matter equation of state parameter (very close to -1) when, being left free by data (it has a flat posterior), it is fixed in order to reproduce the decreasing power-law behavior of the effective running Hubble constant, already discussed in the literature.
The current cosmological paradigm, ΛCDM, is characterized by its expansive description of the history of the Universe, its deep connections to particle physics and the large quantities of data that support it. Nonetheless, ΛCDM's critics argue that it has been falsified or must be discarded for various reasons. Critics and boosters alike do agree on one thing: It is not the final cosmological theory and they are anxious to see it replaced by something better! I review the status of ΛCDM, provide my views on what "better" might look like, and discuss the role that the "Hubble tension" might play in moving beyond ΛCDM.
We present the tightest cosmic microwave background (CMB) lensing constraints to date on the growth of structure by combining CMB lensing measurements from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT), the South Pole Telescope (SPT), and Planck. Each of these surveys individually provides lensing measurements with similarly high statistical power, achieving signal-to-noise ratios of approximately 40. The combined lensing band powers represent the most precise CMB lensing power spectrum measurement to date with a signal-to-noise ratio of 61 and an amplitude of A_{lens}^{recon}=1.025±0.017 with respect to the theory prediction from the best-fit CMB Planck-ACT cosmology. The band powers from all three lensing datasets, analyzed jointly, yield a 1.6% measurement of the parameter combination S_{8}^{CMBL}≡σ_{8}(Ω_{m}/0.3)^{0.25}=0.825_{-0.013}^{+0.015}. Including dark energy spectroscopic instrument baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) data improves the constraint on the amplitude of matter fluctuations to σ_{8}=0.829±0.009 (a 1.1% determination). When combining with uncalibrated supernovae from Pantheon+, we present a 4% sound-horizon-independent estimate of H_{0}=66.4±2.5  km s^{-1} Mpc^{-1}. The joint lensing constraints on structure growth and present-day Hubble rate are fully consistent with a ΛCDM model fit to the primary CMB data from Planck and ACT. While the precise upper limit is sensitive to the choice of data and underlying model assumptions, when varying the neutrino mass sum within the ΛCDM cosmological model, the combination of primary CMB, BAO, and CMB lensing drives the probable upper limit for the mass sum towards lower values, comparable to the minimum mass prior required by neutrino oscillation experiments.
Two-dimensional ferromagnets are highly attractive for spintronic applications and chromium-telluride compounds form one of the most diverse families in this field. While the layered 1T-CrTe2 has been studied extensively for its high Curie temperature, strong anisotropy, and large magnetic moments, its parent compound KCrTe2 has received almost no systematic attention. Large crystals of KCrTe2 were grown by solid-state methods. Large 1T-CrTe2 crystals were obtained via deintercalation of K from KCrTe2. KCrTe2 exhibited an antiferromagnetic transition around 87 K, which resides between LiCrTe2 and NaCrTe2. The chemical process from KCrTe2 to 1T-CrTe2 was studied by static studies. The complete removal of K within KCrTe2 helps make 1T-CrTe2 easy fabrication of large thin flakes (the easy-peel 1T-CrTe2), which were studied using ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy (FMR). FMR was employed to study the magnetization dynamics of 1T-CrTe2 crystals, which verified that 1T-CrTe2 crystals exhibited ferromagnetic response at room temperature.