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It’d be one thing if the Philadelphia 76ers were merely average, but they’re not. With roughly a fifth of the season in the books, the Sixers have been bad. Some of it’s not their fault. The injury bug has been and continues to be a factor for them. However, it’s all starting to pile up for them. At 3-12, the pressure’s already on Philadelphia tenfold to get their act together. In fact, one alarming statistic should make them consider where to go with their season after all that’s happened. Basketball-Reference lists the Sixers with a 4.2% chance of making the playoffs. They can get it together with all that’s left this season, but stats like those do not inspire much hope. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if the Sixers owned their first-round pick this season, but they don’t. Because of the Al Horford trade from 2020, the Sixers owe the Thunder a top-six protected first-round pick in 2025. It's disturbing how the Horford misstep still haunts the franchise all these years later. If the Sixers’ initial plans were to keep that pick away from the Thunder, they’re on the right track. Everyone knows this wasn’t their plan, but it’s not too late to change route. No one will blame the Sixers if they rest Embiid indefinitely so he can recuperate, see what they have with Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain, and perhaps explore Paul George’s trade market. It may not lead to much winning, but winning many games may not be an option anymore. There’s another benefit to this. The Sixers don’t have much tanking competition this season There aren’t too many teams that have been on the same level in terms of inadequacy as the Sixers this season. The only teams around their level are the Wizards, Raptors, and Jazz. The Pelicans have also been bad, but like the Sixers, it’s just been injuries that have held them back. It is a shame when a season with title aspirations comes up short. In the Sixers’ case, their odds of getting the number one pick outweigh those of even making the playoffs. Tanking might not be the most desirable option for Philadelphia, but at least they’d feel right at home if they chose that route. MORE SIXERS NEWS: 76ers may acquire rising NBA champion wing via major trade with Warriors
MILLIONS of Americans will not receive their Social Security checks on the usual date this month. However the good news is that because of Christmas , they will come through a day earlier than expected. The payments , worth up to $4,873, will hit bank accounts on December 24 because of the way the holidays fall this year. This change affects people who usually receive their money on the fourth Wednesday of every month, which in December is Christmas Day. And with pretty much everything closed for business over the holiday, it means recipients will receive their checks or direct payment to their bank accounts on Christmas Eve. It won’t affect all beneficiaries though, as how Social Security payments are distributed across the US depends on birth dates. Read more on social security Those with birthdays from the 1st until 10th of the month receive their money on the second Wednesday of each month. Recipients born on the 11th until the 20th are paid on the third Wednesday every month. Finally, people with a birthday falling from the 21st until the 31st of the month receive their social security payment on the fourth Wednesday of each month. SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME Americans who receive supplemental security income (SSI) will face a second change at the end of the year. Most read in Money This benefit is paid to recipients on the first of the month – which of course in January is New Year’s Day . As this is a holiday, payments will be made the day before, meaning recipients will receive the first payment of 2025 on the last day of 2024. What’s more, the maximum monthly SSI payment on December 31 will be $967, rather than the $943 max seen so far this year. This is because the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025 kicks in from January. It represents a 2.5% increase to the monthly distribution and is based on inflation rates, as well as on what the government decides individuals need. Social Security provides a source of income when you retire or if you cannot work due to a disability. There are four main types of Social Security benefits: Retirement - a monthly check that replaces part of your income when you reduce your hours or stop working altogether. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or “disability” provides monthly payments to people who have a disability that stops or limits their ability to work. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) - provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources. Survivor benefits - monthly payments to eligible family members of people who worked and paid Social Security taxes before they died. Supplemental Security Income is paid to individuals and couples age 65 and older, people with disabilities and those with limited income and resources. To qualify you need to have less than $2,000 in assets ($3,000 for a couple). BANK AND POST OFFICE CLOSURES Along with many retailers, banks and post offices will be closed on Christmas Day. They will generally be open on Christmas Eve, but may be working to reduced opening times. The USPS is shutting all of its post offices for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, with services back to normal on December 26 and January 2. It confirms though that its offices will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, but advises customers to check with their local branch for holiday hours. Some banks will be open on Christmas Eve, including some branches of Bank of America , Citibank and Capital One , according to USA Today . Again check with your local branch for up-to-date opening times. The SSA has a helpful calendar that shows the schedule for social security payments. Read More on The US Sun Social Security and money expert Shalae Morgan spoke to the US Sun and shared how delaying your benefits could earn you $26,000 more annually . She also noted two common mistakes that could lose you $1,000s in social security and three tricks to plan ahead.
High school recruiting isn't the only way to build a winner in the transfer portal eraSelect Medical Holdings Stock Sees RS Rating Jump To 81
High school recruiting isn't the only way to build a winner in the transfer portal eraAP Sports SummaryBrief at 4:39 p.m. ESTCHICAGO (AP) — Cairo Santos had a field goal blocked — again. DeAndre Carter muffed a punt in the second half. And those were just the special teams mistakes for the struggling Chicago Bears. Santos' blocked field goal and Carter's turnover were part of another sloppy performance for Chicago in its fifth consecutive loss. The pair of miscues helped set up two of Minnesota's three touchdowns in a 30-27 overtime victory . The Bears (4-7) closed out a miserable three-game homestand after they won their first three games of the season at Soldier Field. They were in position to beat Green Bay last weekend before Santos' 46-yard field goal attempt was blocked on the final play of the Packers' 20-19 win . “It’s tough. ... When things just aren’t going your way, you gotta put your head down and just keep going to work,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “It’s not easy to do but that’s kind of where we’re at.” Chicago and Minnesota were tied at 7 when Caleb Williams threw incomplete on third-and-4 at the Vikings 30 early in the second quarter. Bears coach Matt Eberflus sent Santos out for a 48-yard attempt, but it was knocked down by defensive lineman Jerry Tillery. “I think it was the penetration with the trajectory of the ball,” Santos said. “Had the ball started 3 or 4 inches to the right of both those guys' hands, I think it still goes in through the uprights.” Brian Asamoah returned the blocked kick 22 yards to set the Vikings up with good field position. Sam Darnold then capped a six-play, 53-yard drive with a 5-yard TD pass to Jalen Nailor for a 14-7 lead with 6:29 left in the first half. It was the third blocked field goal for Santos this year, the most for Chicago in a single season since it also had three blocked in 2012. Santos also had a 43-yard try blocked in the fourth quarter of a 35-16 victory over Jacksonville on Oct. 13. The Bears became the first NFL team to allow three blocked field goals in a season since the Browns and Ravens each had three blocked in 2022. “Whenever that happens two games in a row we’ve got to make sure we take a hard look in terms of the protection, the technique and who we have in there,” Eberflus said. “So it's going to be a big thing to look at.” Chicago trailed 17-10 when it forced a Minnesota punt midway through the third quarter. Carter warned his teammates to get out of the way, but it hit the ground and bounced off the inside of his right leg before it was recovered by Bo Richter at the Bears 15. The Vikings turned the mental error into Aaron Jones' 2-yard touchdown run and a 24-10 lead. “Gotta get out of the way of the ball. That’s on me,” Carter said. “I let the team down today. Game shouldn’t have been in the situation it was in. I felt bad for the guys.” Santos and Carter both played a role in a late rally for Chicago. Carter had a 55-yard kickoff return, and Santos got an onside kick to work before making a tying 48-yarder on the final play of regulation. But the Bears stalled on the first possession of overtime, and Darnold drove the Vikings downfield to set up Parker Romo's winning 29-yard field goal. “We're losing in the most unreal situations,” Bears receiver DJ Moore said. “Now it's like the luck's got to go in our favor at some point.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
A team of scientists at UNSW Chemistry have successfully developed an organic material that is able to store protons—and they have used it to create a rechargeable proton battery in the lab. By leveraging hydrogen ions—protons—instead of traditional lithium, these batteries hold promise for addressing some of the critical challenges in modern energy storage, including resource scarcity, environmental impact, safety and cost. The latest findings, recently in the journal , highlight the battery's ability to store energy quickly, last longer, and perform well under sub-zero conditions. The material—tetraamino-benzoquinone (TABQ)—developed by Ph.D. candidate Sicheng Wu and Professor Chuan Zhao, in collaboration with UNSW Engineering and ANSTO, has been shown to support rapid proton movement using hydrogen-bond networks. "We have developed a novel, high-capacity small-molecule material for proton storage," says Prof. Zhao. "Using this material, we successfully built an all-organic proton battery that is effective at both room temperature and sub-zero freezing temperatures." Battery basics Batteries store and convert it to electrical energy through reactions between two electrodes—the anode and cathode. Charge-carrying particles, known as ions, are transferred via the middle component of the battery, known as an electrolyte. The most common type of batteries used in are . These batteries, which create an by transferring lithium ions between the anode and cathode, are the most widespread portable energy storage solutions. Lithium-ion batteries power everyday products such as mobile phones, laptops and smart wearables, as well as newer e-mobility products such as electric cars, e-bikes and e-scooters. However, they are very difficult to recycle and require huge amounts of water and energy to produce. "Lithium-ion batteries are already becoming a dominant product in energy storage applications, but they have a lot of limitations," says Mr. Sicheng Wu, a Ph.D. candidate from the School of Chemistry. "Lithium is a finite resource that is not evenly distributed on earth, so some countries may not have access to low cost lithium sources. Lithium batteries also have very big challenges regarding fast-charging applications, safety, and they have low efficiency in cold temperature." Alternatives to lithium-ion batteries Although we currently rely very heavily on lithium-ion batteries, a growing number of alternatives are emerging. Proton batteries are gaining attention as an innovative and sustainable alternative in the energy field, and have been hailed as one of the potential solutions to next-generation energy storage devices. Protons have the smallest ionic radius and mass of all elements, which allows them to diffuse quickly. Using protons results in batteries with high energy and power density, plus, protons are relatively inexpensive, produce zero carbon emissions and are fast charging. "There are many benefits to proton batteries," says Mr. Wu. "But the current electrode materials used for proton batteries, some of which are made from organic materials, and others from metals, are heavy and still very high cost." While a few organic electrode materials already exist, they also suffer from limited voltage range, and further research is required to make them viable batteries. Creating an anode material Redox potential is a fundamental parameter in electrochemistry. It's related to the flow of electricity, which is important for designing batteries. The range of redox potentials in a battery is important because it affects the battery's performance. Usually, the redox potentials of cathode materials need to locate in a high range and that of anodes needs to locate in a low range to ensure a desirable battery voltage output. To create their electrode material, the research team started with a small molecule, called Tetrachloro-benzoquinone (TCBQ), which includes four chlorine groups. Although TCBQ has been used previously to design electrode materials, the redox potential range of this compound is mediocre—neither low enough to be used as anode nor high enough as cathode. So, to start, the team set out to modify TCBQ to increase its performance as an anode material. After multiple rounds of modifications of the compound, the researchers settled on replacing the four chloro groups with four amino groups, making it a tetraamino-benzaquinone (TABQ) molecule. By adding amino groups, the researchers significantly improved the material's ability to store protons and lower its redox potential range. "If you just look at the TABQ material that we have designed, it's not necessarily cheap to produce at the moment," says Prof. Zhao. "But because it's made of abundant light elements, it will be easy and affordable to eventually scale up." Putting the prototype to the test When the researchers tested the proton battery, the results were extremely promising. Combined with a TCBQ cathode, the all-organic battery offers long cycle life (3,500 cycles of fully charging, and then fully draining the battery), high capacity, and good performance in cold conditions, making it a promising step for renewable energy storage. "The electrolyte in a lithium-ion battery is made of lithium salt, a solvent which is flammable and therefore is a big concern," says Prof. Zhao. "In our case, we have both electrodes made of organic molecules, and in between we have the water solution, making our prototype battery lightweight, safe and affordable." Future implications "At the moment, we don't have any suitable solutions to grid-scale energy storage, because we can't use tons of lithium batteries to do that job, due to the price and lack of safety," says Mr. Wu. Given the low cost, high safety and the fast charging performance of the proton battery designed through this collaboration, it has the potential to be used in a variety of situations, including grid-scale energy storage. "To enhance the usage of renewable energies, we have to develop some more efficient energy integration technologies and our proton battery design is a promising trial," says Mr. Wu. While the potential applications are vast, the researchers are determined to refine and perfect their proton battery. "We have designed a very good anode material, and future work will move to the cathode side. We will continue designing new organic materials that have higher redox potential range to increase the output voltage," says Mr. Wu. Prof. Zhao also notes that what he is most excited about is the unique mechanism of proton transport they have identified. "Proton transport is one of the most fundamental processes in nature, from the human body, to plants," he says. "We can actually study how this type of organic molecule can be used for a broad range of applications, such as for hydrogen storage. "Molecular hydrogen (H ) is very reactive and therefore difficult to store and transport. This is currently a bottleneck for the hydrogen industry. However, hydrogen also exits in a stable form: proton (H )." The development of materials to store protons, means hydrogen can easily be shipped around the world, and then extracted when and where it is needed. "Our discovery has made this concept a possible reality," he adds. This research was part of a collaboration with A/Prof Junming Ho's team at UNSW School of Chemistry, Dr. Chen Han, a former Ph.D. student at UNSW Engineering and Dr. Jitraporn Vongsvivut, from ASNTO.Quest Partners LLC lowered its stake in shares of Garrett Motion Inc. ( NYSE:GTX – Free Report ) by 50.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 56,946 shares of the company’s stock after selling 57,870 shares during the quarter. Quest Partners LLC’s holdings in Garrett Motion were worth $466,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Garrett Motion during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $58,000. Seizert Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Garrett Motion by 76.6% in the 3rd quarter. Seizert Capital Partners LLC now owns 659,132 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,392,000 after acquiring an additional 285,918 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP raised its stake in Garrett Motion by 7.1% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,649,218 shares of the company’s stock worth $13,491,000 after acquiring an additional 109,430 shares during the last quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP lifted its position in Garrett Motion by 49.1% during the 3rd quarter. Lummis Asset Management LP now owns 175,150 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,433,000 after acquiring an additional 57,702 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Garrett Motion by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,225,850 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,027,000 after purchasing an additional 38,852 shares during the last quarter. 86.27% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Insider Activity at Garrett Motion In other news, SVP Thierry Mabru sold 50,000 shares of Garrett Motion stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.47, for a total transaction of $373,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 140,509 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,049,602.23. The trade was a 26.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website . 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Garrett Motion Price Performance Garrett Motion ( NYSE:GTX – Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $826.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $854.00 million. Garrett Motion had a negative return on equity of 31.48% and a net margin of 6.54%. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.23 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Garrett Motion Inc. will post 1.08 EPS for the current fiscal year. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, BWS Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 target price on shares of Garrett Motion in a report on Friday, October 25th. Read Our Latest Research Report on GTX Garrett Motion Company Profile ( Free Report ) Garrett Motion Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and sells turbocharging, air and fluid compression, and high-speed electric motor technologies for original equipment manufacturers and distributors worldwide. The company offers cutting-edge technology for the mobility and industrial space, including light vehicles, commercial vehicles, and industrial applications. Read More Want to see what other hedge funds are holding GTX? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Garrett Motion Inc. ( NYSE:GTX – Free Report ). 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