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The 31-year-old Ross made 10 starts and 25 total appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA. Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 6-foot-4 Ross has pitched in 123 career games across seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and Brewers. In his career, he has combined for a 4.19 ERA with 469 strikeouts to 170 walks. He's 29-34 with a 4.19 career ERA. Ross is the latest in an offseason of minor moves for the NL East champs. The Phillies acquired left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins and signed free-agent outfielder Max Kepler to a $10 million, one-year deal. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game with 21 seconds left after Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin connected on an 86-yard touchdown, Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas returned the ensuing onside kick attempt for a touchdown, and the Cowboys pulled out a 34-26 victory Sunday that extended the Commanders’ skid to three games. Seibert, who missed the previous two games with a right hip injury, was wide left on the point-after attempt following a low snap. Thomas then took the kick back 43 yards as the Cowboys (4-7) ended their losing streak at five in improbable fashion. Part of that was the play of backup Cooper Rush, who threw for 247 yards and two TDs in his third start in place of starter Dak Prescott. Part was also the defense forcing two turnovers, as Chauncey Golston ripped the ball out of Brian Robinson Jr.’s hands for what was called an interception of Daniels in the second quarter, and Donovan Wilson stripped John Bates midway through the fourth. KaVonte Turpin provided the fireworks with a spinning, 99-yard kickoff return TD seconds after Daniels found Zach Ertz in the end zone and scored on a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to three with 3:02 left. In the final three minutes alone, the Commanders (7-5) scored 10 points and allowed Thomas' TD. All that after the score was 10-9 through three quarters before madness ensued. Washington's playoff hopes that looked solid not long ago are now in serious jeopardy after losing to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Dallas. Before the scoring outburst late, much of this defeat had to do with Daniels and the offense not being able to find any kind of a rhythm. The Cowboys did, despite playing without their two best offensive linemen, top cornerback and starting tight end. Rush's 6-yard pass to Jalen Tolbert was Dallas' first third-quarter TD of the season, and his 22-yarder to Luke Schoonmaker came after Wilson's forced fumble. Daniels finished 25 of 38 for 274 yards, including his second interception of the game on a failed Hail Mary as the clock expired. Rico Dowdle ran 19 times for 86 yards to spring the upset for the Cowboys, who were 10 1/2-point underdogs on BetMGM Sportsbook. Cowboys: LG Tyler Smith was inactive with ankle and knee injuries. ... RG Zack Martin (ankle), CB Trevon Diggs (groin/knee) and TE Jake Ferguson (concussion) were ruled out prior to game day and did not travel for the game. Commanders: RB Austin Ekeler was injured on a kickoff return in the final seconds. ... Robinson left with an ankle injury in the first half, returned and then left again. ... RT Andrew Wylie was concussed in the third quarter and did not return. ... C Tyler Biadasz was evaluated for a concussion in the fourth. ... (hamstring) missed a third consecutive game at the trade deadline from New Orleans. Cowboys: Host the New York Giants on Thursday in the traditional Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas. Commanders: Host the Tennessee Titans next Sunday in Washington’s final game before its late bye week. AP NFL:

Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. American consumers feeling less confident in December, Conference Board says American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda's U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market. The internet is rife with fake reviews. Will AI make it worse? Researchers and watchdog groups say the emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce detailed and novel online reviews has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory. Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. But AI-infused text generation tools enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts. The deceptive practice is illegal in the U.S. and becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season, when many people rely on reviews to buy gifts. A tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews says AI-generated reviews have multiplied. Romanian lawmakers narrowly approve new pro-European coalition during period of political turmoil BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian lawmakers have voted narrowly in favor of a new pro-European coalition government led by incumbent Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The move on Monday could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in the 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party, the center-right National Liberal Party, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government on Monday night. Government regulators close investigation into Ford Focus recalls Government safety regulators are closing an investigation into two previous recalls of the Ford Focus after determining that Ford Motor Co. has satisfied its concerns. Ford recalled around 1.5 million Ford Focus sedans from the 2012-2018 model years in 2018 because they could lose power. The issue was a malfunctioning canister purge valve and software that didn’t adequately detect when it was stuck open. Ford fixed the software in two separate recalls, but after cars continued to stall, the government opened an inquiry last year. Earlier this fall, Ford offered to replace the canister purge valve on all of the vehicles, satisfying regulators' concerns. AI will eavesdrop on world's wildest places to track and help protect endangered wildlife PUERTO JIMÉNEZ, Costa Rica (AP) — A biologist hid 350 audio monitors across Costa Rica’s tropical rainforests to spy on endangered spider monkeys in order to help protect them. But she had to go back to collect the data and feed those sounds into artificial intelligence systems that can recognize monkey calls. Now tech giant Microsoft's philanthropic arm is hoping to supercharge AI-assisted wildlife research with new solar-powered devices that can capture sounds, images and other wilderness data for a year or more without human intervention. Researchers say more AI wildlife surveillance is urgently needed to monitor the health of species at risk of extinction.

Hurley scores 23, Vermont downs Northeastern 68-64‘Society has a right to safety’: SC on 3 new laws

Researchers develop an efficient way to train more reliable AI agentsDonald Trump Jr. joins e-commerce company, sending its shares up 270%Hello Kitty is famously the height of just five apples. But these days, the more striking statistic is that she’s worth more than ¥1 trillion — or $6.5 billion. Stock in Japan’s Sanrio Co. hit that milestone for the first time recently, just weeks before the company’s feline star turned 50. Kitty White was born on Nov. 1, 1974, when she first appeared on a vinyl coin purse that quickly helped her became a national sensation in Japan. Half a century later, she’s not just big business in Sanrio’s home country: Hello Kitty is the second highest-grossing media franchise in the world, according to TitleMax, earning more than the likes of Harry Potter or Star Wars. Sanrio was one of the pioneers of content licensing, placing Kitty on everything from Pez dispensers to computer mice, and tying up with brands from Nike to Gucci. You can find her everywhere: throwing out the first pitch at a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game earlier this year as part of a special Kitty-themed night, no doubt to piggyback off the achievements of superstar Shohei Ohtani; or appearing on official Japanese government videos explaining the country’s net zero carbon-reduction goals. Designed by Yuko Shimizu, a then-24-year-old illustrator who left Sanrio just two years later, Kitty was instantly a tremendous success. But her broader appeal is more recent. After a decline in the brand in the late 1980s, Sanrio shifted its strategy to appeal to a wider age group, including adults — helping her become the international face of kawaii, the Japanese concept of cuteness that has since become a global trend. Pop stars from Lady Gaga to Bruno Mars have embraced this movement, as well as Kitty herself. When I first came to Japan in the early 2000s, kawaii was omnipresent but still little understood overseas. The internet has since supercharged it, helping both kawaii and Kitty reach a far broader audience. Kitty’s appeal is often attributed to her expressionless, mouth-free face, which is said to allow fans to project their own feelings onto her. Dutch author and illustrator Dick Bruna thought it a rip-off of his similarly inscrutable bunny Miffy, and once sued Sanrio. Biographies describe her as having been born and raised in London, a glamorous location for Japanese people in the 1970s, where she lived with her family, including her often-overlooked twin sister, Mimmy, and her pet cat, Charmmy Kitty. (No, that’s not a typo.) And when she grows up, Kitty wants to become a poet or a pianist. How about a movie star? That’s next on Kitty’s lands to conquer, after Sanrio’s 2019 announcement of a partnership with Warner Bros. for a motion picture based on the brand, described as a “hybrid of live action and anime.” Sanrio confirmed earlier this month that the movie is still in its plans, though hasn't given a release date. That could be the key to diversifying Kitty’s revenue stream — and making her the most valuable media property in the world. Pokémon, the only franchise valued higher by TitleMax, has a far more varied stream of contributions, including games, live-action and animated movies as well as TV series. Kitty, by comparison, is limited almost exclusively to merchandise. A film to match the success of what the 2023 Barbie movie did for Mattel Inc., or The Super Mario Bros. Movie has for Nintendo Co., would change that. The movie deal also includes other Sanrio characters, such as My Melody and Gudetama, that remain less well-known outside Japan. Nonetheless, they are increasingly contributing, along with the likes of Aggretsuko, the long-suffering metal-music-enjoying red panda featured in a popular Netflix Inc. series, reducing Sanrio’s dependency on the half-centenarian icon. Nearly 15 years ago, the New York Times fretted Kitty “may be running out of product lives,” and while that prediction was wide of the mark, it’s true the company has long struggled with a succession of booms followed by busts. Just as Nintendo is seeking to escape the peaks and troughs of the console cycle, so too is Sanrio trying to smooth out its fortunes. Questions were asked when Sanrio appointed Tomokuni Tsuji, the grandson of founder Shintaro Tsuji, as chief executive officer at just 31 — some 14 years younger than Kitty herself, and then the youngest head of a major Japanese listed company. Tomokuni’s father, Kunihiko, had been groomed to take over but died unexpectedly in 2013. While Shintaro was a visionary, by the 2010s he was in his 80s, and the company was languishing with six successive years of declining sales. The younger Tsuji has turned around those fortunes in a remarkably brief time, importing dozens of new hires from outside the company, lowering the average age of Sanrio’s management, and embracing digitalization through video games and apps using its intellectual property. That has helped the company’s stock rise more than 10 times from the Covid-era low of March 2020. As much as the business is diversifying, none of that would be possible without its most famous asset. But it would be remiss of me to fail to address the most long-standing debate over Kitty, which crops up every few years: Is she a cat or, in fact, as executives sometimes say, a little girl? Fans seem to react badly to the suggestion Kitty’s not feline. The company now appears to be reaching for strategic ambivalence, with Tsuji recently telling the BBC that “Hello Kitty is Hello Kitty and she can be whoever you want her to be” — even your mother or yourself. Maybe then she simultaneously is and isn’t a feline — Schrödinger’s Kitty, perhaps? Regardless, she’s not only still pretty at 50 — she’s more vital than ever. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Gearoid Reidy is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Japan and the Koreas. He previously led the breaking news team in North Asia, and was the Tokyo deputy bureau chief. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com/opinion. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Harris Dickinson toys with ambiguity in ‘Babygirl’I’m A Celebrity fans furious over ‘new low’ on show during gruesome eating trial as Rev Richard Coles and Tulisa gag

Rosen Law Firm Encourages Joint Stock Company Kaspi.kz Investors to Inquire About Securities Class Action Investigation - KSPIBURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — TJ Hurley scored 23 points as Vermont beat Northeastern 68-64 on Saturday. Hurley shot 6 for 14 (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line for the Catamounts (5-4). Jace Roquemore scored 13 points and added five rebounds. Ileri Ayo-Faleye shot 3 of 5 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line to finish with 10 points. Rashad King led the way for the Huskies (5-3) with 27 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Northeastern also got nine points and 10 rebounds from Youri Fritz. Hurley put up 13 points in the first half for Vermont, who led 35-22 at halftime. Vermont used an 8-0 run in the second half to build a 16-point lead at 47-31 with 12:26 left. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Harris Dickinson was nervous to approach Nicole Kidman . This would not necessarily be notable under normal circumstances, but the English actor had already been cast to star opposite her in the erotic drama “Babygirl,” as the intern who initiates an affair with Kidman's buttoned-up CEO. They’d had a zoom with the writer-director Halina Reijn, who was excited by their playful banter and sure that Dickinson would hold his own. And yet when he found himself at the same event as Kidman, shyness took over. He admitted as much to Margaret Qualley, who took things into her own hands and introduced them. Recommended Videos “She helped me break the ice a bit,” Dickinson said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. On set would be an entirely different story. Dickinson might not be nearly as “puckishly audacious” as his character Samuel but in the making of “Babygirl,” he, Kidman and Reijn had no choice but to dive fearlessly into this exploration of sexual power dynamics, going to intimate, awkward, exhilarating and meme-able places. It’s made the film, in theaters Christmas Day, one of the year’s must-sees. “There was an unspoken thing that we adhered to,” Dickinson said. “We weren’t getting to know each other’s personal lives. When we were working and we were the characters, we didn’t veer away from the material. I never tried to attach all of the history of Nicole Kidman. Otherwise it probably would have been a bit of a mess.” His is a performance that reconfirms what many in the film world have suspected since his debut seven years ago as a Brooklyn tough questioning his sexuality in Eliza Hittman’s “Beach Rats” : Dickinson is one of the most exciting young talents around. Dickinson, 28, grew up in Leytonstone, in East London — the same neck of the woods as Alfred Hitchcock. Cinema was in his life, whether it was Christopher Nolan’s “Batman” films at the local multiplex or venturing into town to see the more social realist films of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach. “Working class cinema interested me,” he said. “People around me that represented my world.” Appropriately, his entry into making art started behind the camera, with a comedy web series he made as a kid, which he now describes as “really bad spoofs” of films and shows of the time. But things started to really click when he began acting in the local theater. “I remember feeling invigorated by it and accepted,” he said. “I felt myself for the first time and felt able to express myself in a way where I didn’t feel vulnerable and I felt alive and ignited by something.” At around 17, someone suggested that he should give acting a try professionally. He hadn’t even fully understood that it was a career possibility, but he started auditioning. At 20, he was cast in “Beach Rats” and, he said, just “kept going.” Since then, he’s gotten a wide range of opportunities in films both big, including “The King’s Man,” and small. He’s captivated as a male model in Ruben Östlund’s Cannes-winning “Triangle of Sadness,” an estranged father to a 12-year-old in Charlotte Regan’s “Scrapper,” an actor bringing an ex-boyfriend to life in Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir Part II,” the charismatic, tragic wrestler David Von Erich in Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw” and a soldier in Steve McQueen’s “Blitz.” But “Babygirl” would present new challenges and opportunities with a character who’s almost impossible to define. “He was confusing in a really interesting way. There wasn’t loads of specificity to it, which I enjoyed because it was a bit of a challenge to sort of pinpoint exactly what it was that drove him and made him tick,” Dickinson said. “There was a directness that unlocked a lot for me, like a fearlessness with the way he spoke, or a social unawareness in a way — like not fully realizing what he’s saying is affecting someone in a certain way. But I didn’t make too many rules for him.” Part of the allure of the film is the ever-shifting power dynamics between the two characters, which could change over the course of a scene. As Reijn said, “It’s a cautionary tale about what happens when you suppress your own desires.” She was especially in awe of Dickinson's ability to make everything feel improvised and the fact that he could look like a 12-year-old boy in one shot and a confident 45-year-old man in the next. Since its premiere at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year, the film has led to some surprisingly direct conversations with audiences spanning generations. But that, Dickinson understood, was what Reijn wanted. “She really wanted to show the ugliness and the awkwardness of these things, of these relationships and sex,” he said. “That sort of fumbly version and the performative version of it is way more interesting, to me at least, than the kind of fantasized, romanticized, sexy thing that we’ve seen a lot.” Dickinson recently stepped behind the camera again, directing his first feature film under the banner of his newly formed production company. Set against the backdrop of homelessness in London, “Dream Space” is about a drifter trying to assimilate and understand his cyclical behavior. The film, which wrapped earlier this year, has given him a heightened appreciation for just how many people are indispensable in the making of a film. He’s also started to understand that “acting is just being able to relax.” “When you’re relaxed, you can do stuff that is truthful,” he said. “That only happens if you’ve got good people around you: The director that creates the good environment. The intimacy coordinator facilitating a safe space. A coworker in Nicole encouraging that kind of bravery and performance with what she’s doing.” Dickinson did eventually get to the point where he managed to ask Kidman questions about working with Stanley Kubrick and Lars Von Trier. But he also kept one shattering possibility between himself and his director. “There is a world in which Samuel doesn’t even exist. He’s just a sort of a device or a figment for her own story. And I like that because it kind of means you can take the character into a very unrealistic realm at times and be almost like a deity in the story,” Dickinson said. “We didn’t talk about it with Nicole.”Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow record

49ers claim RB Israel Abanikanda off waivers from JetsThe alleged perpetrator of the deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market in Germany had been contacted by police just weeks before the incident. or signup to continue reading The attack in the central city of Magdeburg on Friday evening, which killed five people including a nine-year-old boy, is believed to have been carried out by a Saudi national identified only as Taleb A according to German privacy laws. The number of people injured in the rampage has climbed to 235. The suspect has been living in Germany since 2006 and was granted political refugee status in 2016. He was most recently working as a doctor in the town of Bernburg, south of Magdeburg. Taleb A was detained at the scene and is being held in police custody, with investigators searching for a motive amid suggestions that authorities failed to heed warnings about the man. Tamara Zieschang, the interior minister of the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, told MPs in Magdeburg on Monday that police met the man twice - in September 2023 and October 2024 - to warn him about his behaviour. Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry of the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern said that Taleb A became known to authorities as a potential suspect in 2015. Regional authorities had informed the Federal Criminal Police Office at the Joint Counter-Terrorism Centre, which is supported by Germany's federal and regional government, about the man's possible intention to carry out an attack on February 6, 2015, it said. The report concerned threats to carry out actions that would attract international attention against a medical association in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in April 2013 and one year later against a local authority in the northern German city of Stralsund. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern interior minister, Christian Pegel, said the 50-year-old suspect had lived in the state from 2011-16 and had completed parts of his specialist medical training in Stralsund. He said the man had been involved in a dispute with the medical association about the recognition of examination results and had later threatened the social services in Stralsund in an attempt to obtain assistance with living costs. A district court fined Taleb A for threatening the medical association, Pegel said. However, he added, the previous investigations had not revealed any evidence of real preparations for an attack or Islamist connections. The man was warned by the police and told that he would be monitored more closely but was not classified as a threat, Pegel said. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementRosen Law Firm Encourages Joint Stock Company Kaspi.kz Investors to Inquire About Securities Class Action Investigation - KSPI

Loneliness can occur when someone is feeling socially isolated, excluded, or misunderstood. It’s a serious public health concern and is something that many people experience daily, including healthcare workers, and their patients. Long-term loneliness can have an immense impact on physical and mental health, with some studies suggesting it can increase the likelihood of early death by as much as 26 percent . It is therefore important that healthcare workers and nurses across all settings can recognise the telltale signs of loneliness , both in their patients and co-workers, and that they are equipped with the knowledge and resources to offer the best support and treatment possible. To offer guidance, the patient safety and compliance experts at Radar Healthcare have compiled a list of effective ways healthcare professionals can combat loneliness within themselves and their peers. This information has been shared with Digital Journal . Larger break rooms for enhanced communication Offering healthcare workers a larger space for enhanced communication will allow those working unsociable and long hours together the space to communicate and unwind while having breaks from work. It is also beneficial if break rooms have access to windows that can be opened in order to let fresh air and sunlight in during long and overnight shifts. Supportive and comfortable spaces As well as providing larger break rooms, it is also important for healthcare workers to have additional spaces that contain access to comfortable furniture, relaxing lighting, or views of the outside world. These comfortable environments will provide more of a relaxing zone for healthcare workers to unwind and where healthcare professionals can provide emotional support to one another. Plants Studies have indicated that biophilic design (the presence of indoor plants) can improve concentration and productivity ( by up to 15 percent ), reduce stress levels, and boost your mood. This is why healthcare professionals should implement lots of greenery into their social spaces whilst at work in order to enhance their mood and reduce stress whilst taking a break from their busy and often long working hours. Outside eating areas It is important that healthcare professionals make the most of their breaks away from work in order to recharge and relax before continuing on in a stressful environment. One way healthcare workers can combat loneliness and improve their social interactions whilst in a working environment is to spend more time socialising outdoors. Eating a meal or having a picnic outside with co-workers is a beneficial way to take in the much-needed fresh air and also remove themselves from the normal work setting. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.Researchers launch “moonshot” to cure blindness through eye transplants

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