sg777 live Karnataka: NIA arrests sixth accused in Praveen Nettaru murder case, Mohammed Sharif linked to PFIIn the 2023-2024 academic year, Bradley County Schools is reporting it saw a 97.7% graduation rate. "[This percentage] is the highest in the district's history," Commissioner Cindy Slater, chair of the Bradley County Education Committee, shared during district reports at the Bradley County Commission's voting session on Monday, Nov. 18. Slater added, "This achievement underscores the district's commitment to academic excellence and student success." Recognizing Linda Cash, director of BCS, to address the commission, Cash said, "I think the biggest thing that we all know is that if a student actually graduates and has a high school diploma, their ability to earn for their life is greatly increased, and so it opens up so many opportunities." Continuing, Cash said, "We're just glad to say that we have gone from right before I came here, where it was about 80% graduation, to more than 97%. We hope to continue that trend and appreciate your support for always looking out for us and helping us take care of not only our buildings, but our people." This success, she said, could be attributed to teachers and administrators "building relationships and telling [students] they're valued and they can become something." Cash also said that identifying areas of trouble in a student's education and intervening as needed is of great importance. On social media, some commissioners piled on the compliments. Commissioner Denny Collins, supervisor of data and assessment with BCS, wrote, "Lots of individuals contribute to this [achievement] but two groups deserve special honor. Our teachers that work so hard to meet the individual needs of students and our counselors that navigate the student specific requirements necessary to put students in a place to become graduates." Similarly, Commissioner Milan Blake wrote, "We extend our gratitude to all Bradley County Schools personnel, including bus drivers, cafeteria workers, teachers and administrators for your commitment to our young people!"Hyperconnected employees experiencing ‘dark side’ of digital work

On Football analyzes the biggest topics in the NFL from week to week. For more On Football analysis, head here . Saquon Barkley has become the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. There’s no better home run hitter playing football right now. Barkley had touchdown runs of 72 and 70 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles in a 37-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. He now has five runs of 50-plus yards this season and is on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 yards set in 1984. Barkley’s historic performance against the Rams — his 255 yards set a team record — captivated a national audience and turned him into a fan favorite for the AP NFL MVP award. He’s not the betting favorite, however. Josh Allen has the best odds at plus-150, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson is next at plus-250 followed by Barkley at plus-400. Running backs have won the award 18 times, including three-time winner Jim Brown, who was the AP’s first NFL MVP in 1957. Quarterbacks have dominated the award, winning it 45 times. Only three players who weren’t QBs or RBs have been MVP. It takes a special season for a non-QB to win it mainly because the offense goes through the signal caller. Quarterbacks handle the ball every offensive snap, run the show and get the credit when things go well and the blame when it doesn’t. Adrian Peterson was the most recent non-QB to win it when he ran for 2,097 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012. Playing for a winning team matters, too. Nine of the past 11 winners played for a No. 1 seed with the other two winners on a No. 2 seed. The Vikings earned the sixth seed when Pederson was MVP. Barkley is a major reason why the Eagles (9-2) are leading the NFC East and only trail Detroit (10-1) by one game for the top spot in the conference. Does he have a realistic chance to win the MVP award? Kicker Mark Moseley was the MVP in the strike-shortened 1982 season when he made 20 of 21 field goals and 16 of 19 extra points in nine games for Washington. If voters once selected a kicker, everyone has a chance, especially a game-changer such as Barkley. Defensive tackle Alan Page was the MVP in 1971 and linebacker Lawrence Taylor won it in 1986. Running back Christian McCaffrey finished third in voting last year and wide receiver Justin Jefferson placed fifth in 2022. The Offensive Player of the Year award and Defensive Player of the Year award recognize the best all-around players on both sides of the ball, allowing voters to recognize non-QBs if they choose. Wide receivers and running backs have won the AP OPOY award seven times over the past 11 seasons. McCaffrey was the 2023 winner. The AP’s new voting format introduced in 2022 also gives non-QBs a better opportunity to get MVP recognition. Voter submit their top five picks for each award, with a weighted point system. Previously, voters made one choice for each award. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league vote for MVP and seven other awards. The awards are based on regular-season performance. The Chiefs (10-1) and Bills (9-2) already are in position to lock up postseason berths right after Thanksgiving. Kansas City clinches a playoff berth with a win over Las Vegas on Black Friday and a loss by Miami on Thursday night, or a win plus a loss by Denver on Monday night. Buffalo can wrap up a fifth straight AFC East title with a victory over San Francisco on Sunday and a loss by the Dolphins. It’s not a given that the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a new head coach after this season. Owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday on local radio that Mike McCarthy could end up getting a contract extension. “I don’t think that’s crazy at all. This is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Mike McCarthy has been there and done that. He has great ideas. We got a lot of football left,” Jones said. McCarthy led the Cowboys (4-7) to three straight 12-win seasons, but they went 1-3 in the playoffs and haven’t reached the NFC championship game since winning the Super Bowl 29 years ago. Injuries have contributed to the team’s struggles this season, but Dallas was just 3-5 before Dak Prescott was lost for the rest of the season. The Cowboys upset Washington last week and their next four games are against teams that currently have losing records. If they somehow end up 9-8 or even 8-9, Jones could make a case for keeping McCarthy. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflSmarter city planning: Researchers use brain activity to predict visits to urban areas November 21, 2024 Michigan State University Researchers have measured the brain activity of people who had never been to a specific city and then use this brain activity to predict other people's actual visits to places around that city. This offers potential applications for urban planning and design that addresses the well-being of residents and visitors. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email Urbanization, the process by which cities and towns expand in size and population, is rapidly advancing globally, and the percentage of people living in urban environments has increased from 33% in 1960 to 57% in 2023. Now, researchers from Michigan State University are the first to measure brain activity to make predictions that could help inform enhanced urban planning and design that addresses the well-being of residents and visitors. Dar Meshi, an associate professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations and director of the Social Media and Neuroscience Lab at MSU, led the study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Cities and included collaborators from the University of Lisbon in Portugal. Together, they found that the brain's reward system can shape human behavior within urban environments and aid in designing cities that promote sustainable living. Because urban areas typically offer better access to educational and employment opportunities, advanced health care facilities and diverse cultural and recreational activities, they can contribute to a higher standard of living. However, the swift pace of urbanization also gives rise to challenges such as lack of green spaces, increased traffic noise, and social inequities, emphasizing the need for sustainable urban development strategies that prioritize health, safety and well-being for residents. To better understand how to create proactive urban planning frameworks, Meshi and his co-authors used principles from the budding field of neurourbanism -- the study of measuring the human brain to predict and understand the influence of urban environments on behavior -- to conduct the study. "Neurourbanism has the potential to contribute significantly to the design of cities that prioritize cognitive, emotional and physical well-being," Meshi said. "By prioritizing the well-being of individuals, cities can create environments that are conducive to the overall health and happiness of their inhabitants." Neurourbanism employs brain-scanning tools, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. FMRI detects changes in blood oxygen levels, known as the blood oxygen level dependent, or BOLD, signal, and uses this signal to identify the brain regions that are active during specific tasks or mental processes. When neurons -- cells that send and receive signals in your brain -- become more active, they require more oxygen. Blood flows to the active areas to meet this demand, and the fMRI detects where changes in blood oxygenation levels occur. Meshi and his colleagues focused on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, or vmPFC, a key region in the brain's reward system involved in valuation and decision-making. "Previous neuroforecasting research has used activity in the brain's reward system, including the vmPFC, to predict a variety of population behaviors, such as food choices, music purchasing, crowdfunding outcomes and stock market prices, making it a valuable region to study with respect to urban planning," said Ardaman Kaur, a postdoctoral researcher in the MSU Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering and one of the study's authors. For this study, 77 participants in the U.S. who had never visited Lisbon, Portugal, underwent fMRI scanning while viewing and rating photos depicting urban environments in the city. The photos were geotagged images posted on the photo-sharing application Flickr. The density of photos for each region served as a proxy for measuring visitation patterns around Lisbon. The findings from the study suggest that the neural activity in the vmPFC can predict people's visitation patterns to or away from a specific environment. "People typically make decisions to maximize value, and because certain urban areas induce greater value-related brain activity than others, people in the city are more likely to travel to, or take pictures of, those certain areas," Meshi said. According to Meshi, the results of the study imply that the vmPFC may be involved in processing a range of value judgements within urban environments, including perceptual, cognitive, social and cultural values. "Individuals may be drawn to visit urban spaces not only because of their aesthetic appeal, but also due to their sociocultural relevance," he said. "This could include places with historical significance or social importance, which may not necessarily be aesthetically pleasing, but still hold considerable value." Kaur said this research sheds important light on how our brains may encode information related to urban environments and drive visits around these environments. "The insights from our study can potentially aid in the development of future human-centric cities, specifically tailored to how our brains perceive and interact with the environment," Kaur said. Meshi believes the neurourbanistic approach used in his team's work can contribute to refining urban planning strategies, ultimately fostering enhanced livability and well-being. "By incorporating these findings into the urban infrastructure and services, we may be able to create cites that are more efficient and enhance population livability and make it easier for residents to get from place to place," he said. Story Source: Materials provided by Michigan State University . Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference : Cite This Page :Buffalo is coming out of their bye week ready and willing to tackle the playoff push, with their eyes set on a higher target . The AFC East hasn't been clinched yet, but with six games to play, Buffalo already has a potential hat and t-shirt game on the docket for Sunday Night Football when they host the San Francisco 49ers . It's a straight forward process. If the Packers beat the Dolphins on Thanksgiving night in Green Bay, the Bills can clinch the division with a victory over San Francisco on the first weekend in December. That's it. That's all it takes. With the 49ers on deck, there are a pair of key injuries to monitor on the San Francisco side of things, notably to quarterback Brock Purdy and left tackle Trent Williams. QUAY WITH THE PLAY. SACK! #SFvsGB pic.twitter.com/PiZzeZQS78 Purdy, who is dealing with an injury to his throwing shoulder, needs to be monitored closely throughout the week. Without him against the Packers, San Francisco's offense looked completely broken. Backup quarterback Brandon Allen completed only 59% of his passes for 199 yards for a touchdown and an interception. Green Bay got out to a commanding 17-0 lead and coasted to a 38-10 victory, with the 49ers turning the ball over five times (twice on downs, one interception, and two fumbles) in the second half. Purdy was spotted doing some light throwing on Monday. His status will need to be closely monitored over the course of the week. #49ers QB Brock Purdy did some light throwing today without issue, according to Kyle Shanahan. He'll rest tomorrow and then see how it feels as the week goes on. Williams missing from the left tackle spot added to the uphill battle for the 49ers. Without their star left tackle, the offensive line gave up 12 pressures and two sacks. The 49ers have also been trusting rookie guard Dominick Puni to man the right guard position, which did not end well for him on Sunday. Puni gave up four pressures, most on the team, and one of the two sacks. If the 49ers are still dealing with a banged up and inexperienced offensive line and a backup quarterback, going on the road for a cold-weather game in Buffalo, with the Bills coming off a bye week, then Von Miller , Greg Rousseau , and the rest of the defensive line should be pinning their ears back to wreak havoc in the trenches. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

Schoolboys charged, CPFSA providing support to 13-y-o sexual assault victim

I'm obsessed with robots and have been since I was a little boy watching on my small tube TV. Back then, I dreamed of riding on the shoulders of my robot friend. I've since shed those boyish dreams in favor of a robot home companion along the lines of , and part of me believes 2025 might be my year. In 2024, we saw a lot of humanoid robot development from a growing number of companies. Market leader Boston Dynamics introduced the , its most advanced and human-looking robot yet. Tesla trundled along with updates, Figure AI arrived with the remarkably bright , and 's uncomfortable human/robot interactions will forever haunt our dreams. The slow pace of humanoid robotic development I've witnessed over the last three decades has accelerated partly because some are pairing their robot efforts with advancements in . Figure 01, for instance, partnered with for some voice-based responses. When asked, as I sometimes am, when we will have -like robots in the home, I usually avoid giving a direct answer because there are too many variables. Everything I know about robotic development tells me the wait will be long. That, of course, is not the outcome I want. Robots remain at the topic of on my tech wishlist, so I thought that maybe I could find some moral and intellectual support from a few accomplices in the robotics technology race, namely, , OpenAI's , , and Anthropic's . A simple robot question I asked each of them the same simple question: "Will I have a humanoid robot in 2025" Siri, even the upgraded one, was sadly useless. I kept trying to ask it this simple question, and each time, Siri thought I was in distress and told me, "If you think it could be serious, ask me to call Emergency Services or someone you trust." I guess Siri assumed I was under robot attack. I switched to . As I mentioned, OpenAI is already deeply involved in the robot race, working with partners like Figure AI to enable smarter interactions with their existing humanoid robots. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised by 's largely optimistic response. ChatGPT told me it was "quite possible that we'll have advanced humanoid robots. Technology is moving quickly, so you might see some impressive robots by then! Would you be interested in having one?" I was tempted to tell ChatGPT to "chill" as it asked me what type of robot I wanted. This is a question I found odd since I already told it I wanted a humanoid one. ChatGPT's belief in the rise of humanoid robots surprised me, so I challenged it and asked what made it possible for me to have one. "Well," it started in its most casual and, yes, human-like voice, "robotics technology has been progressing rapidly," "Companies are developing sophisticated robotics with advanced AI," "that can perform a variety of tasks. By 2025, it's likely we'll see even more practical and affordable humanoid robots." That last bit set off a red flag. "Affordable" is not in the 2024 or 2025 humanoid robotics vocabulary. I'm sorry, ChatGPT, but I don't think you fully understand this market. Things got more real when I switched to Claude AI and later, Gemini. Anthropic's AI threw some cold water on my dream, telling me, "In 2025, it's unlikely that most people will have a fully functional humanoid robot at home," adding that "truly versatile humanoid robots are still in early stages of development." Instead of , Claude AI tells me 2025 will feature: While I appreciated Claude AI's more clear-headed view, I was also bummed out. My dreams of a robot out in the backyard playing catch or cooking dinner while it regaled me with fantastic science fiction tales were fading. Maybe Gemini would lift me up. After all, is the land of . Surely, they'd see the humanoid robot glass as at least half full. Gemini, though, was even more taciturn than Claude AI. Here's what it told me: "While there are companies developing humanoid robots, such as Tesla's Optimus and 1X's Neo, it's unlikely that they will be widely available to consumers in 2025. These robots are still in the early stages of development, and it may take several years before they are ready for mass production and commercialization." Frustrated mainly because I know Gemini is right, I asked about "the main hold up," and Gemini had quite a list. What surprised me is that AI sits at the very top of it. Gemini said that building artificial intelligence that can "understand and respond to complex environments [read unpredictable homes] and tasks in a human-like way is still a significant challenge." Other challenges include: It's a harsh dose of reality from at least two of the world's leading AIs and a lot of wishful thinking from one that should know better. Despite all this, I look forward to an exciting 2025 in humanoid robotics. Sure, we won't bring Optimus or Atlas home, but I guarantee we will see some eye-opening updates. That fun will probably start at . At last year's massive tech event, I danced with a humanoid robot. Who knows what they'll be capable of this year.

Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein was carted off the field with 5:32 left in the first quarter with an apparent left ankle injury during Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference game against host Louisville. The freshman was sacked at the Panthers' 49-yard line by Louisville's Ashton Gillotte, who rolled on the quarterback's ankle. Holstein was in a walking boot as he was helped to the cart. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.