Speech-to-text programs are becoming more popular for everyday tasks like hands-free dictation, helping people who are visually impaired, and transcribing speech for those who are hard of hearing. These tools have many uses, and researcher Bożena Kostek from Gdańsk University of Technology is exploring how STT can be better used in the medical field. By studying how clear speech affects STT accuracy, she hopes to improve its usefulness for health care professionals. "Automating note-taking for patient data is crucial for doctors and radiologists, as it gives the doctors more face-to- face time with patients and allows for better data collection," Kostek says. Kostek also explains the challenges they face in this work. "STT models often struggle with medical terms, especially in Polish, since many have been trained mainly on English. Also, most resources focus on simple language, not specialized medical vocabulary. Noisy hospital environments make it even harder, as health care providers may not speak clearly due to stress or distractions." To tackle these issues, a detailed audio dataset was created with Polish medical terms spoken by doctors and specialists in areas like cardiology and pulmonology. This dataset was analyzed using an Automatic Speech Recognition model, technology that converts speech into text, for transcription. Several metrics, such as Word Error Rate and Character Error Rate, were used to evaluate the quality of the speech recognition. This analysis helps understand how speech clarity and style affect the accuracy of STT. Kostek presented this as part of the virtual 187th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America . "Medical jargon can be tricky, especially with abbreviations that differ across specialties. This is an even more difficult task when we refer to realistic hospital situations in which the room is not acoustically prepared," Kostek said. Currently, the focus is on Polish, but there are plans to expand the research to other languages, like Czech. Collaborations are being established with the University Hospital in Brno to develop medical term resources, aiming to enhance the use of STT technology in health care. "Even though artificial intelligence is helpful in many situations, many problems should be investigated analytically rather than holistically, focusing on breaking a whole picture into individual parts."Ridgefield School District puts two levies February ballot; building third elementary school proposed

Sheletta: Why I X’d out Twitter even after it made my family famousI mpatient to get his feet underneath the oak-timbered Oval Office desk, Donald Trump is already launching a shadow foreign policy through his social media platform ambitiously called Truth. That’s where the first shots in the tariff war are being fired this week. From Day One of Trump 2.0, we have just been assured, there will be 25 per cent tariffs on all Mexican and Canadian goods until such time as they stop the movement of illegal immigrants and drugs, such as fentanyl, across the US border. China meanwhile has been promised a 10 per cent tariff on top of existing rates to punish it for not cracking down quickly enough on the sale of the chemical ingredients for fentanyl to Mexican cartels, who dispatch it

Byrna Technologies Inc. ( NASDAQ:BYRN – Get Free Report )’s stock price was up 3.7% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $30.00 and last traded at $29.89. Approximately 31,722 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 345,314 shares. The stock had previously closed at $28.82. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Separately, Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Byrna Technologies in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $17.75. View Our Latest Analysis on Byrna Technologies Byrna Technologies Stock Down 3.5 % Byrna Technologies ( NASDAQ:BYRN – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 9th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.01) by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $20.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.82 million. Byrna Technologies had a net margin of 3.12% and a return on equity of 5.58%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Byrna Technologies Inc. will post 0.19 EPS for the current year. Insider Buying and Selling at Byrna Technologies In other news, CFO Laurilee Kearnes acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.04 per share, with a total value of $28,080.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer now directly owns 2,500 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $35,100. This trade represents a 400.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Company insiders own 11.08% of the company’s stock. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Byrna Technologies Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Byrna Technologies by 47.9% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,694,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,758,000 after buying an additional 548,670 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Byrna Technologies by 53.5% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 321,915 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,213,000 after purchasing an additional 112,262 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in Byrna Technologies by 36.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 314,315 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,334,000 after purchasing an additional 84,723 shares in the last quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Byrna Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,693,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Byrna Technologies by 68.8% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 146,607 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,463,000 after buying an additional 59,738 shares in the last quarter. 25.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. About Byrna Technologies ( Get Free Report ) Byrna Technologies Inc, a non-lethal defense technology company, provides non-lethal alternative solutions for law enforcement and private security. The company offers handheld personal security devices and shoulder-fired launchers without the need for background check or firearm license; and projectiles including chemical irritant, kinetic, and inert rounds. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Byrna Technologies Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Byrna Technologies and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .United States President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that former United States ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson is his pick for ambassador to Mexico during his second term. “I am pleased to nominate Ronald (Ron) Johnson to serve as the United States Ambassador to Mexico. Ron will work closely with our great Secretary of State Nominee, Marco Rubio, to promote our Nation’s security and prosperity through strong America First Foreign Policies,” Trump said on social media . Johnson — an army veteran and former official with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) — served as ambassador to El Salvador during the final 16 months of Trump’s first term as president. The president-elect wrote on the social media platform that he owns, Truth Social, that as ambassador to El Salvador, Johnson “worked tirelessly with Salvadoran authorities and our team to reduce violent crime and illegal migration to the lowest levels in History.” “... Congratulations Ron. Together, we will put an end to migrant crime, stop the illegal flow of Fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our Country and, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!” Trump wrote. If his appointment is approved by the U.S. Senate, Johnson — who shares his name with a Republican Party senator from Wisconsin – will replace Ken Salazar as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. Salazar , a former U.S. senator and secretary of the interior during Barrack Obama’s first term as president, has been ambassador to Mexico since 2021. He succeeded Christopher Landau , who was ambassador to Mexico during Trump’s first term as president and was tapped by the president-elect this week to serve as deputy secretary of state under Rubio . Johnson will be tasked with a key role in the second Trump administration — helping to manage the United States’ relationship with its largest trading partner, a country with which it shares a 3,145-kilometer-long border that is currently far too porous for the president-elect’s liking. In late November, Trump pledged to impose a 25% tariff on all Mexican and Canadian exports to the United States on the first day of his second term as U.S. president due to what he called the “long-simmering problem” of migrants and drugs entering the U.S. via Mexico and Canada. He said that the tariffs would remain in effect “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Johnson could play a key role in the Trump administration’s negotiations with Mexico as it seeks to achieve those stated objectives. A 2019 U.S. Department of State report published after Johnson’s nomination as ambassador to El Salvador noted that Johnson had “served the United States government for over four decades, first as an officer in the U.S. Army, and then as a member of the intelligence community.” Prior to taking up the ambassador’s position in El Salvador, he served as the CIA’s Science and Technology Liaison to the U.S. Special Operations Command, in Tampa, Florida, according to the report. “Previously (2013-2107), he was Special Advisor to the U.S. Southern Command in Miami managing collaboration between the Command and the Intelligence Community, the State Department, the CDC, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, USAID and others,” the State Department said. The State Department report also noted that Johnson had had “substantive engagement on a wide range of regional issues including refugees, counternarcotics, counterterrorism, human rights and tropical virus disease control.” It said that he had lived in Latin America for more than five years and noted that he speaks Spanish. In his social media post on Tuesday, Trump highlighted that Johnson “served our Country for over twenty years with the Central Intelligence Agency after a distinguished career in the U.S. Army as a Green Beret.” “He graduated from the National Intelligence University with a Master of Strategic Intelligence,” he added. A statement published by the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador in January 2021 to announce the end of Johnson’s term as ambassador noted that he arrived in the Central American country in 2019 with his wife, Alina Johnson. Johnson has four children and five grandchildren, according to a short profile that appeared on the website of the U.S. Embassy in San Salvador. At her morning press conference on Wednesday, President Claudia Sheinbaum acknowledged that Trump had announced his pick for ambassador to Mexico. Speaking more broadly about the bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States, she stressed that she won’t allow Mexico to be subordinated in any “collaboration” or “coordination” that her government enters into with its U.S. counterpart. The bilateral relationship will “always” be a relationship of “equals,” she said. “We have to defend that,” she said before asserting that there was “a lot of subordination” during the 2006–2012 presidency of Felipe Calderón. “With us, there won’t be. We’re going to collaborate [with the United States] ... but without subordination,” Sheinbaum said. She said that Mexico will continue to collaborate with the United States on efforts to combat drug trafficking to the U.S. but emphasized that Mexico wants the U.S. to do its part to reduce the number of weapons flowing south. “It’s not just a matter of drug trafficking ... but also the violence generated in Mexico with the entry of weapons [from the U.S.] ,” Sheinbaum said. “... We want a reduction in violence and construction of peace,” she said. “We want homicides and other high-impact crimes to go down, many of which are linked to organized crime,” Sheinbaum said, adding that achieving the objective requires a reduction in the number of weapons coming into Mexico from the United States. “That’s why I say that with this ambassador or others, we’re going to defend our sovereignty, our condition of equality [with the United States], and we’re going to collaborate and cooperate on everything that is required, but always in the interest of the people of Mexico and the nation,” she said. Mexico News Daily

SATURDAY'S BOWL GAMESCommonwealth Bank of Australia (OTCMKTS:CBAUF) Stock Passes Above Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

NEW YORK (AP) — A shoplifting ring that stole nearly $2 million in clothes and beauty products from Macy’s and other well-known stores in the U.S. and then resold them in New York City and the Dominican Republic has been busted, law enforcement officials announced Tuesday. Five New Yorkers have been charged with felony possession of stolen property, conspiracy and other related crimes, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. The bust served as a reminder to shoppers as the holiday shopping season kicks off in earnest with Black Friday this week to make sure they are supporting legitimate establishments, she said. “When a deal seems too good to be true, I guarantee you, it’s too good to be true,” Katz said. Nationally, businesses lose roughly $100 billion and the average family pays $500 more a year because of the impact of organized retail theft, according to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who joined the district attorney and other law enforcement officials in Queens. The Democrat said the arrests also marked the first time anyone has been charged under a new criminal statute of fostering the sale of stolen goods that she recently signed into law to help crack down on retail theft. “This is real simple. We’ve had enough with criminals preying on our citizens,” Hochul said. “We are sick and tired of our citizens feeling they’re vulnerable to random crimes on the streets or these sophisticated organized crime rings. And we are coming after you.” Katz, the district attorney, said the group stole high-end makeup, perfume, beauty products, designer clothing and accessories from stores ranging from Macy’s to Victoria’s Secret, American Eagle, Sephora and Ulta Beauty over a roughly two-year period. The group’s leaders, married couple Cristopher Guzman and Yvelisse Guzman Batista, directed shoplifting crews to steal specific merchandise as they hit multiple stores in New York, New Jersey, Maryland and elsewhere along the East Coast, she said. They also paid truck drivers to divert products bound for retailers from manufacturer warehouses directly to locations under their control. The group, operating out of a home in Queens, then resold the merchandise online as well as at a brick-and-mortar boutique called Yvelisse Fashion in Santiago, a city in the Dominican Republic. Vince Scala, a lawyer for the couple and two of the other defendants, said his clients pleaded not guilty at their arraignment Saturday. They were released pending their next court date in January. “The charges are only a couple of days old, and I have not seen a single piece of evidence, discovery or police reports,” he said. “I look forward to reviewing the case at the appropriate time.” Tuesday’s announcement is part of a broader push from Hochul to counter Republican criticisms that Democrats in New York are soft on public safety issues, an issue that hurt her party in the 2022 midterm elections and has remained a consistent talking point for the GOP. Earlier this year, Hochul signed off on a handful of policies aimed at cracking down on retail theft, including increased criminal penalties for assaulting retail workers, new funding for law enforcement teams dedicated to retail theft and tax credits for businesses to install security cameras. She also approved policies that allow prosecutors to combine the value of stolen goods when filing larceny charges and made it easier to criminally charge third-party sellers of stolen goods. Retail theft has also been a concern elsewhere. Videos of brazen shoplifting crews rampaging through stores have been widely shared on social media, fueling widespread frustration that retail crime is rampant and unpunished. Earlier this month, California voters overwhelmingly passed a tough-on-crime ballot measure that makes shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders again. The measure partly rolled back a progressive law passed by voters a decade ago downgrading several nonviolent crimes to misdemeanors, including theft under $950 in value. Associated Press reporter Anthony Izaguirre in Albany contributed to this story. Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo .A motoring expert has offered advice on how to handle one of the most frustrating situations drivers often face - finding their driveway blocked by another vehicle. The Metropolitan Police , in a blog post, suggested that the first step should be to locate the owner of the obstructing vehicle and politely request them to move it. They stated: "If someone has blocked your driveway so you can't drive in, we appreciate this can be very frustrating. If you can find the owner of the vehicle, we'd first recommend asking them politely to move it. If you can't find them, try leaving a note on their windscreen. After all, they may not realise they have caused a problem." According to the Highway Code, parking over a dropped kerb, such as at the entrance to a driveway or footpath, is an offence. However, the police advise maintaining calm and politeness when dealing with the vehicle owner. If the owner cannot be located, a polite note on the windscreen could help resolve the issue. If these steps fail, drivers can approach their local council if it has adopted Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE). Residents in areas where the local council does not have Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) should contact their local police force by dialling 101, the non-emergency number. Online services like FixMyStreet can also be used to report illegal parking directly to local authorities, reports the Express . To prevent further instances of people parking in front of their driveways, drivers could consider installing small 'no parking' signs. While it's not permitted to put up a sign on a public road without council approval, signs can be placed on private property to deter potential parkers. Installing a security camera may also discourage motorists from blocking driveways, as they risk receiving a substantial Penalty Charge Notice (PCN).

Christina Milian defends Blue Ivy Carter after ‘Mufasa’ premiere backlash

Jacob Meyer and sharpshooting DePaul use a big 2nd half to defeat Wichita State 91-72Max Brooks scores 26 points and UMass-Lowell secures 92-83 victory over Dartmouth

VALPARAISO, Ind. (AP) — All Wright had 26 points in Valparaiso's 93-77 victory against Central Michigan on Saturday night. Wright shot 7 for 16 (4 for 8 from 3-point range) and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line for the Beacons (5-4). Tyler Schmidt scored 21 points and added six rebounds. Jefferson Monegro had 16 points and shot 3 for 5 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 8 of 8 from the free-throw line. The Chippewas (5-4) were led in scoring by Anthony Pritchard, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds. Ugnius Jarusevicius added 18 points and six rebounds for Central Michigan. Jakobi Heady had 13 points, six rebounds and three steals. Valparaiso led Central Michigan 36-31 at the half, with Wright (13 points) its high scorer before the break. Valparaiso took the lead for what would be the final time on Schmidt's 3-pointer with 10:13 remaining in the second half. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

The Manning Family Let NFL Fans Know Where It Stands PoliticallyNone

Should You Donate Your Points and Miles to Charity?Hillsboro, Oregon, has a new mayor-elect, Beach Pace. Elected this November for a term beginning on January 7, 2025, Pace brings a wealth of community service and military experience to the role. According to a city announcement , Mayor-elect Pace has been actively involved in the Hillsboro community since moving there in 2012. She has served on the Hillsboro Planning Commission and participated in various educational and environmental volunteer initiatives throughout the city. Before taking on the role of mayor, Pace served as a City Councilor, having first been elected in November 2018, re-elected in 2022, the dedication to her community shines through her extensive work which includes advocating for technology in classrooms and leading service days, her history of volunteerism also includes serving meals for Hillsboro’s Farm-to-Table fundraising event and supporting school district bonds. Pace's professional background is equally impressive. She is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a U.S. Army veteran who served across the U.S. and Europe. After her military service, she transitioned to corporate America before taking on leadership roles in social change organizations on the West Coast, as per Hillsboro announcement . As for her reasoning behind seeking public office, Pace said, "Hillsboro is my home. It’s the city where my wife and I chose to raise our children. It’s the community we sought out for its diversity, inclusion, and safety," showing her deep personal investment in the city she will soon govern, bringing those who have thrived in Hillsboro and those just beginning to forge their paths together, is a major pillar of her commitment to public service. Among her top concerns is the housing situation in Hillsboro, she reflects an urgent desire to tackle the city's housing issues head-on and create more affordable options for residents.