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3 takeaways from Iowa State basketball's blowout win against ColoradoOn June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible, carrying five passengers, lost communication with its support ship about an hour and a half into its two-hour descent towards the Titanic wreck, located nearly two miles beneath the Atlantic Ocean. This loss of contact triggered an extensive search operation, highlighting the challenges faced in deep-sea rescue missions. The search for the Titan, which took place 420 nautical miles from the nearest port and spanned an area of 13,000 square kilometers—roughly double the size of Connecticut—illustrates the difficulties of underwater searches. Such operations often require weeks, particularly in remote areas. Fortunately, a Canadian vessel with a remotely operated underwater vehicle located the Titan debris field just four days later. High-resolution sonar tech In response to these challenges, a research team from MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Ocean Science and Engineering lab is developing a groundbreaking sonar system to revolutionize deep-sea search missions. Named the Autonomous Sparse-Aperture Multibeam Echo Sounder, this new technology could significantly shorten search times from weeks to days. The innovative echo sounder operates from the surface, using a small fleet of autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) that can be deployed via aircraft. This approach allows for vast-area scanning at surface-ship speeds while delivering the high-resolution imagery typically associated with underwater vehicles. According to co-principal investigator Andrew March, “Our array combines high resolution with extensive coverage, enabling us to map the ocean floor much more efficiently.” Traditional sonar systems generally face resolution issues due to the limitations of low-frequency sound waves, which are necessary for deep-sea explorations since water absorbs high-frequency waves quickly. Current methods utilizing large sonar arrays from ships can return low-resolution images, where each pixel could represent an area the size of a football field. In contrast, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that operate at higher frequencies produce much sharper images but are expensive and time-consuming to deploy, limiting mapping capabilities. This new sonar technology promises to combine the benefits of both methods—maintaining high resolution while covering larger areas quickly. The sonar array is anticipated to map the seabed at significantly enhanced resolution and faster coverage rates than currently possible. Deep-sea mapping Understanding our oceans is critical. Oceans remain insufficiently explored, covering about 71 percent of the Earth’s surface, with more than 80 percent of the underwater terrain still largely unknown. We have better knowledge of other planets’ surfaces than the depths of our oceans. High-resolution seafloor maps are essential for various applications: they could help locate missing vessels, bolster our understanding of geology, improve ocean current and weather forecasting, reveal archaeological sites, and monitor marine ecosystems. Globally, scientists and governments recognize the critical need for high-resolution seafloor mapping, yet existing technologies need help to achieve the necessary accuracy from the surface. The average ocean depth stands at around 3,700 meters, but most scanning technologies are limited to less than 1,000 meters in range. The current technologies include sonar, lidar, cameras, and gravitational field mapping, all of which have limitations based on depth and resolution. The advancements the new MIT sonar system promised could transform our approach to deep-sea exploration and rescue operations. As we stand on the brink of a new era in ocean science, the potential for improved mapping and understanding of deep-sea environments could lead to significant breakthroughs in many fields. The work illustrates how technological innovation can better prepare us for future maritime challenges and deepen our understanding of the mysteries beneath the ocean’s surface.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian ruled in a five-page order following a bail hearing last week. At the hearing, lawyers for the hip-hop mogul argued that a $50 million bail package they proposed would be sufficient to ensure Combs doesn’t flee and doesn’t try to intimidate prospective trial witnesses. Two other judges previously had agreed with prosecutors that the Bad Boy Records founder was a danger to the community if he is not behind bars. Subramanian concurred. “There is compelling evidence of Combs's propensity for violence,” Subramanian wrote. Lawyers for Combs did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the decision. Nicholas Biase, a spokesperson for prosecutors, declined comment. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years, aided by associates and employees. An indictment alleges that he silenced victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings. A federal appeals court judge last month denied Combs’ immediate release while a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan considers his bail request. That appeal was put on hold while Subramanian, newly appointed to the case after an earlier judge stepped aside, considered the bail request for the first time. Subramanian said he took a fresh look at all the bail arguments and the evidence supporting them to make his decision. Prosecutors have insisted that no bail conditions would be sufficient to protect the public and prevent the “I'll Be Missing You” singer from fleeing. They say that even in a federal lockup in Brooklyn, Combs has orchestrated social media campaigns designed to influence prospective jurors and tried to publicly leak materials he thinks can help his case. They say he also has contacted potential witnesses through third parties. Lawyers for Combs say any alleged sexual abuse described in the indictment occurred during consensual relations between adults and that new evidence refutes allegations that Combs used his “power and prestige” to induce female victims into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances with male sex workers known as “Freak Offs.” Subramanian said evidence shows Combs to be a “serious risk of witness tampering,” particularly after he communicated over the summer with a grand jury witness and deleted some of his texts with the witness. The judge also cited evidence showing that Combs violated Bureau of Prisons regulations during pretrial detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn when he paid other inmates to use their phone code numbers so he could make calls to individuals who were not on his approved contact list. He said there was also evidence that he told family members and defense counsel to add other people to three-way calls so their communications would be more difficult to trace and that he made efforts to influence his trial's jury pool or to reach potential witnesses. Subramanian said his “willingness to skirt” jailhouse rules to conceal communications was “strong evidence” that any conditions of release would not prevent similar behavior. The judge said defense claims that Combs stopped using one particular phone technique criticized by prosecutors was belied by the fact that Combs apparently used it again on Sunday, two days after his bail hearing last week. Even a bail proposal that would include the strictest form of home confinement seemed insufficient, the judge said. “Given the nature of the allegations in this case and the information provided by the government, the Court doubts the sufficiency of any conditions that place trust in Combs and individuals in his employ — like a private security detail — to follow those conditions,” Subramanian wrote.Following the recent election of Donald Trump as the next president of the U.S., the Biden administration is racing to approve huge quantities of green funding to ensure the U.S. gets the best chance possible at a green transition. The Biden government’s far-reaching climate policy, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), is under threat as President-elect Trump has repeatedly threatened to cut spending on renewable energy and clean tech in favour of greater fossil fuel production. The government is, therefore, racing to advance clean energy before Trump’s inauguration in January. The Loan Programs Office at the Department of Energy (DoE) is working to finalise as many loans as possible before the change of government in January, as its future looks uncertain. During Biden’s leadership, the office announced around $54 billion in loans or loan guarantees, which is just a small portion of its total lending power, for projects such as the and . However, the office has closed just $13.5 billion of the deals to date. Kennedy Nickerson, a former policy adviser to the loan programs office, , “They see the writing on the wall... They want to get out as much money as possible just to safeguard as much progress as they can.” Companies expecting a payout from the Loan Office are now worried that loans could be delayed or stopped under the new Trump administration. In addition to losing out on critical funds and threats to the advancement of the U.S. green transition, some company leaders believe that if their projects are delayed it leaves space for China to move ahead, which could be detrimental to U.S. geopolitical aims . Following the passing of the IRA in 2022, the Loan Programs Office was made responsible for the distribution of up to $400 million in funding. The office, which was established in 2009, has input from thousands of experts at the DoE, making it better prepared to assess green energy and clean tech projects than most commercial banks. Since Biden’s inauguration in January 2021, the office has approved $34 billion in loans for the electric vehicle (EV) and battery industries, aiming to counter China’s dominance in the global market. Funds have been awarded to battery manufacturers and automakers, to strengthen domestic EV and battery supply chains. It has also provided financing for several novel technologies to drive innovation that could help advance the U.S. green transition. The office is now racing to finalise various funding decisions for fear that Trump may attempt to halt green spending once in office. In his July Party , Trump stated his intention to DRILL, BABY, DRILL.” He said, “We will become Energy Independent, and even Dominant again. The United States has more liquid gold under our feet than any other Nation, and it’s not even close. The Republican Party will harness that potential to power our future.” During his first term in office, Trump and withdrew the U.S. from the , which it had joined in 2015. He also sought to establish more opportunities for new drilling on federal land and offshore drilling. Trump has been adamant about his intention to halt programmes and funding from the IRA. “My plan will terminate the Green New Deal, which I call the Green New Scam. Greatest scam in history, probably,” Trump in a September speech. He also plans to overturn on vehicles, , and household appliances. The rush to approve funds has been criticised by the opposition in recent weeks. A from three House Republicans addressed to the head of the Loan Programs Office, Jigar Shah, stated, “The last-minute drive to expedite loans exposes the federal government — and American taxpayers — to tremendous risk.” Shah responded by , “Our process remains the same... We continue to do everything with a fine-toothed comb. But right now, borrowers are sufficiently motivated to move more quickly.” The rush to finalise funding decisions started even before the November presidential election when the office recognised the potential shift in policy approach. In October, Katie Harris with BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of union and environmental groups, , “The Biden-Harris administration is trying to get this money out the door and get it fully obligated.” Harris added, “It’s quite the undertaking.” By early September, $61 billion in climate funding had been awarded across several government departments, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, with much of it allocated this year. This figure does not include the significant that have been awarded. While it will be impossible to complete all the pending loans under the Loan Programs Office and other government agencies, the Biden administration is making a clear effort to distribute the funding as quickly as the bureaucratic process will allow to ensure that the U.S. is given the best possible chance at a green transition. By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.comFreeman grand slam ball to be auctioned
It's not often that you hear a game developer promoting a particular mod, but that's exactly what's happening in the case of The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition mod, and it's frankly kind of refreshing. The list of upcoming CDPR games includes hotly anticipated titles like The Witcher 4 ( which just entered full production ), a remake of The Witcher 1, and a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel , and so I can say with some degree of confidence that we're unlikely to get a full-blown The Witcher 3 remake any time soon — especially given its next-gen update is only a couple of years old at this point. Even though I think the original 2015 release still holds up to this day, if you want it to look a little more modern and aren't satisfied with the next-gen update, CDPR itself has endorsed this mod you can download now through Nexus Mods . "The long-awaited final version of the project appreciated by the amazing Witcher community and CD Project RED, which now raises the game's visuals to the highest level yet and enchance it to a truly next-gen masterpiece," reads the description from the mod author, Halk Hogan. In a tweet, CDPR said the mod reworks various game assets (textures, models, materials and more)" and "aims to make the game more detailed and realistic while still being faithful to the original vision and atmosphere." It's hard to think of a more ringing endorsement than that. In the comparison video up top, you can see some pretty dramatic improvements to textures, colors, reflections, shadows, and level of detail. Among the long list of improvements detailed on NexusMods are "ultra quality" textures, many of which have been reworked to 4K, more realistic and 3D-looking surfaces due to relief mapping, "smooth and more detailed models," better draw distance for "many models," and "specially customized materials and shaders for all reworked assets." Halk Hogan also said the reworked visuals were designed to stay "consistent with the original CDPR artistic vision of The Witcher 3." And with CDPR itself doing some promotional work for the mod, it's safe to say that's a true statement. It's worth noting that the mod works with both the plain ol' base game and the next-gen update, and Halk Hogan said "the game should run similar as before mod installation." Naturally, higher graphics settings will be more demanding of your GPU, but the mod should have "little impact on performance." There's a reason The Witcher 3 earned itself a spot on our list of the best RPGs .COLLEGE PARK – Thanksgiving break arrived a day early for Maryland men’s basketball. Offered the chance to feast on an outmatched opponent, the Terps did not turn down the invitation as they sprinted to a 23-point advantage at halftime and waltzed to a 91-67 thumping of visiting Bucknell on Wednesday evening. Maryland rained down a season-high 12 3-pointers in 31 attempts – a .387 percentage that is the offense’s second-best rate so far. Graduate student small forward Selton Miguel and junior small forward Tafara Gapare set the pace with three 3-pointers each. Gapare, a 6-foot-9, 215-pound Georgia Tech transfer, came off the bench to lead the team with 19 points (12 in the second half) on 7 of 9 shooting, including 3 of 4 behind the 3-point line, and grabbed six rebounds. Freshman center Derik Queen, a Baltimore resident, accumulated 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists, senior power forward Julian Reese, a Randallstown native and St. Frances graduate, dropped 10 of his 14 points in the first half, and Miguel, a South Florida transfer, scored all 13 of his points in the first 20 minutes and collected two rebounds and two assists to propel the Terps (6-1) to their third consecutive win and good vibes heading into the Thanksgiving holiday. Gapare’s showing might have been the most startling. Through the team’s first six games, he had scored a total of 16 points on 4 of 9 shooting, including 1 of 3 from 3-point range, and finished just one point shy of his career high set against Penn State on Dec. 16, 2023. In addition to its 3-point prowess, Maryland pounced on the Bison’s poor ball security. Bucknell turned the ball over 20 times, and the Terps converted those miscues into 22 points. Unlike Sunday’s comeback 76-75 victory over Villanova, Maryland made sure it avoided any dramatics with the Bison (4-4). The former raced to a 15-2 lead in the first 5:05 and a 25-7 advantage in the first 9:22. Bucknell didn’t help its cause by diving into droughts of 3:43 and 2:58 during the Terps’ runs. The Bison also committed 12 turnovers in the first half that Maryland converted into 16 points. The Terps’ offensive eruption in the first half was aided by remarkable efficiency from behind the 3-point line. They made 52.9% of their long-distance shots (9 of 17), and the nine 3-pointers were the most it had scored in a first half this season. Related Articles Maryland’s biggest lead of the first half occurred when Reese nailed a short jumper to lift them into a 51-26 advantage with 44 seconds left. A layup by Bucknell senior point guard Josh Bascoe trimmed the deficit to 51-28 heading into halftime. A layup by senior small forward Pip Ajayi and a 3-pointer by junior power forward Ruot Bijiek helped the Bison narrow the gap to 16 at 58-42 with 15:28 left in the second half. But Gapare scored 10 consecutive points and Reese added a pair of free throws to inflate the Terps’ advantage to 28 and cruise to the victory. Bijiek led Bucknell with 20 points, four rebounds and two assists, and Bascoe accrued 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. But the Bison missed senior Ian Motta – a starting small forward who entered the game averaging 11.8 points and 4.3 rebounds but left after appearing to suffer a right ankle injury just three minutes into the game – and lost for the second game in a row and the fourth time in their last six.Tax cuts aimed at relieving the burden on businesses and individuals have boosted consumption and investment, driving up economic activity. At the same time, monetary easing measures, such as interest rate cuts and liquidity injections, have supported liquidity in the financial system, ensuring the smooth operation of credit flows and reducing financing costs for enterprises.
In conclusion, the controversy surrounding the criticism of President Zelensky's attire by a Trump advisor serves as a cautionary tale about the power of words and the importance of showing respect to leaders, regardless of personal preferences. It also underscores the complexities of diplomatic relations and the need for thoughtful and measured discourse in the public sphere. As the world watches how this incident unfolds, it is a reminder that every word spoken in the public domain has the potential to shape perceptions and influence outcomes on the global stage.
In the world of gaming, having a reliable NPC companion can greatly enhance the overall gameplay experience. These non-playable characters are often tasked with assisting players in various quests, battles, and tasks, providing valuable support and companionship along the way. However, there is one common issue that plagues many NPC companions: incessant chatter. Kmart worker who suffered black eyes in shocking attack issues a message to Aussies as violence towards retail workers ramps up just before Christmas