Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:13 PM on Friday, March 13th, 2020
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As videos faked using artificial intelligence grow increasingly
sophisticated, experts in Switzerland are re-evaluating the risks its
malicious use poses to society – and finding innovative ways to stop the
perpetrators.
In a computer lab on the vast campus of the Swiss Federal Institute
of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), a small team of engineers is
contemplating the image of a smiling, bespectacled man boasting a rosy
complexion and dark curls.
“Yes, that’s a good one,†says lead researcher Touradj Ebrahimi, who
bears a passing resemblance to the man on the screen. The team has
expertly manipulated Ebrahimi’s head shot with an online image of Tesla
founder Elon Musk to create a deepfake – a digital image or
video fabricated through artificial intelligence.
It’s one of many fake illustrations – some more realistic than others – that Ebrahimi’s teamexternal link has created as they develop software, together with cyber security firm Quantum Integrityexternal link (QI), which can detect doctored images, including deepfakes.
Using machine learning, the same process behind the creation of
deepfakes, the software is learning to tell the difference between the
genuine and the forged: a “creator†feeds it fake images, which a
“detector†then tries to find.
“With lots of training, machines can help to detect forgery the same
way a human would,†explains Ebrahimi. “The more it’s used, the better
it becomes.â€
Forged photos and videos have existed since the advent of multimedia.
But AI techniques have only recently allowed forgers to alter faces in a
video or make it appear the person is saying something they never did.
Over the last few years, deepfake technology has spread faster than most
experts anticipated.
The team at EPFL have created the image in the centre by using deep
learning techniques to alter the headshot of Ebrahimi (right) and a
low-resolution image of Elon Musk in profile found on the
Internet.​​​​​​​
(EPFL/MMSPG/swissinfo)
“Precisely because it is moving so fast, we need to map where this
could go – what sectors, groups and countries might be affected,†says
its deputy director, Aengus Collins.
Although much of the problem with malign deepfakes involves their use
in pornography, there is growing urgency to prepare for cases in which
the same techniques are used to manipulate public opinion.
A fast-moving field
When Ebrahimi first began working with QI on detection software three
years ago, deepfakes were not on the radar of most researchers. At the
time, QI’s clients were concerned about doctored pictures of accidents
used in fraudulent car and home insurance claims. By 2019, however,
deepfakes had developed a level of sophistication that the project
decided to dedicate much more time to the issue.
“I am surprised, as I didn’t think [the technology] would move so fast,†says Anthony Sahakian, QI chief executive.
Sahakian has seen firsthand just how far deepfake techniques have
come to achieve realistic results, most recently the swapping of faces
on a passport photo that manages to leave all the document seals intact.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 6:12 PM on Thursday, March 12th, 2020
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Coronavirus Scare Gives Telehealth an Opening to Redefine Healthcare
With the coronavirus threatening to become a pandemic, health
systems and telehealth vendors see this as an opportunity to bring
connected health to the forefront – and reshape the future of
healthcare.
Most see the exercise as an extension of their preparations for flu
season. Some see this as an opportunity to lobby for telehealth adoption
across the board, saying a possible epidemic offers ample evidence of
the value of telehealth and mHealth.
Defining Telehealth’s Value in a Changing Landscape
“COVID-19 is different because we do not know all the factors
surrounding transmission and its effects on patients,†Jason Hallock,
Chief Medical Officer for SOC Telemed, points out. “Because coronavirus
is new and there have been a significant number of deaths, the
uncertainty surrounding that is scaring both patients and the general
public. Our healthcare workers do not have all the answers
yet. Telehealth providers are challenged to make recommendations when
there are still many unknowns. Telemedicine can be useful to evaluate
and reassure patients in alternative settings, and also can be used to
help patients decide who needs to be seen in the hospital or an
alternative setting like an urgent care.â€
Hallock says telehealth can help by enabling healthcare providers to
treat isolated patients, thus preventing the spread of what has so far
been an extremely contagious virus.
In a Q&A with mHealthIntelligence, Peter Antall, MD,
President and Chief Medical Officer for American Well, offered an
in-depth take on how telehealth might be used.
Q. Telehealth has long been seen as an ideal means of
expediting care during flu outbreaks. How is the coronavirus scare
different? Does this pose any unique challenges that telehealth can
address?
A. The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is similar to
influenza in how it is transmitted (airborne), how symptoms manifest
themselves, and the fear it stirs among those individuals at risk. When
evaluating patients through telehealth, we use similar methodology as
that used for influenza, except that the current Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations call for risk
stratification based on known exposure or travel to endemic areas and
referral for testing for those at high risk or those who are sick enough
to need hospital care. Also, unlike with influenza, there are no
current specific treatments, like antivirals, for the coronavirus at
this time.
If local person-to-person spread expands to wide community spread, we
expect care will need to evolve to a method that is quite similar to
how we treat influenza today. Under those circumstances, we will likely
begin diagnosing coronavirus-like illness (CLI) on a clinical basis,
without testing. We would likely then only be expected to refer
inpatients with CLI who need hospital care clinically, while those with
milder symptoms will likely be treated and monitored at home so as to
limit the spread of this disease and not overwhelm our healthcare
facilities.
In this way, telehealth is an ideal venue for an outbreak like this.
We can increase access to care. We can offer care that is commensurate
with the acuity and nature of the symptoms and make referrals as needed.
This helps with infection prevention and control and also allows
patients to receive their care in the home without exposing themselves
to further illness.
One other notable point is the potential for telehealth to help in
providing routine care for other conditions and offset coronavirus fears
in the . Patients have other healthcare needs unrelated to coronavirus,
but many are afraid to go to healthcare settings for fear of catching
disease. This has begun to result in a migration of patients to
telehealth. For example, on February 25, we saw telehealth urgent care
patient volume that was 11 percent higher than expected. Many patients
are now sharing anecdotes indicating they were afraid to sit in a
waiting room, so they used telehealth instead.
Q. Are there new tools or technologies available that can be useful in dealing with the coronavirus?
A. Telehealth itself is a tool in this fight. Keep
in mind that there are many varieties of telehealth. It can be used to
connect a doctor or other provider with a patient in the home via
smartphones or tablets. It can also be used for provider
(specialist)-to-provider consultations in remote areas, for example.
Telehealth carts also exist in healthcare settings and can be used not
only to import care, but also to limit healthcare workers’ exposure to
the virus by using a cart in the isolation room. We see patients
primarily through live video interactions, but we also can fall back to
informed telephone calls, synchronous chatting for therapy and
asynchronous secure messaging for ongoing communications.
The use of symptom trackers and chatbots is another promising area
for coronavirus response. These technologies allow algorithms to be
created and adjusted as more is learned about the coronavirus. These
bots interact with patients and can perform assessments, triage and
ongoing support. The bots can even escalate an interaction to a
telehealth encounter or refer the patient for in-person care.
Finally, home monitoring and medical tricorders are another promising
approach to care. Traditional remote patient monitoring has established
value for managing certain chronic conditions, but the next wave of
home monitoring includes consumer devices like smartwatches (like
the Apple Heart Study), home TVs, and home medical tricorders
like Tytocare that can perform a remote examination. These tools aid
clinicians and patients and provide more robust health data conveniently
from the home setting. Providers can also use the data generated to
better care for the patient or regularly monitor certain conditions.
Q. What must care providers know about telehealth before using it to deal with the coronavirus?
A. Providers must know and understand their role in
this or any other healthcare crisis. They should be well informed and
trained to follow current CDC or World Health Organization guidelines.
They should also understand that telehealth is a powerful tool for
helping fight this outbreak. And they should know that telehealth is a
safe way to treat and/or triage these patients. Whether the provider is a
primary telehealth provider or is not using telehealth today, there is a
real opportunity to participate and play a role in the response.
Providers who have a brick-and-mortar practice should be encouraged
to use telehealth as a triage tool. Providers also need to understand
that during this time, patients with other non-respiratory conditions
also need care. These patients should be afforded a safe way to access
care without risk of infection. Telehealth is also a tool to aid in this
process, as some patients are fearful of going to healthcare facilities
right now. The office-based provider can likewise process other
patients by practicing this way.
Q. What are the barriers or challenges associated with using telehealth to deal with the coronavirus scare?
A. Telehealth visits are typically sufficient to
complete a robust initial assessment. This allow the provider to assign a
risk category, make other diagnoses, or deem the patient as “worried
well.†Some patients may require additional care, as most telehealth in
the home lacks certain medical peripherals that might be needed. Other
reasons for referral would include a high-risk patient who needs to be
tested or a patient who requires escalation of care due to the severity
of their illness. Telehealth visits are generally sufficient for
screening patients, assigning a risk category, answering questions and
recommending the next steps a patient should take.
The barriers to telehealth—such as instances when the patient and
provider do not yet have a relationship—are easily overcome providers
receive similar training around the use of telehealth and as
longitudinal patient records become more available to guide care.
Occasionally the lack of medical peripherals or the inability to touch
the patient during an exam is a barrier, as some patients need hands on
care (e.g., IV, procedures). We have policies that mitigate these
problems in most cases. However, on occasion, a telehealth patient must
be referred for in-person evaluation.
Q. Is there anything that the CDC or any other government
agency can do to support telehealth adoption to deal with the
coronavirus?
A. It is useful for the CDC (and the WHO) to
highlight the important role of telehealth in this outbreak because it
certifies our role within the broader medical community and raises
awareness about this tool.
It would be helpful if the CDC were to make specific recommendations
to telehealth providers that relate to telehealth evaluation of the
coronavirus and associated referrals, coding and monitoring. It would
also be helpful if the CDC were to play a role in advocacy efforts
focused on government reimbursement, particularly in this emergency
situation. Efforts to increase consumer awareness about telehealth as a
safe option for care also could prove essential. When this outbreak
settles down, we would encourage the CDC and HHS to collaborate around
coronavirus standards of care and preparedness so that patients can
expect telehealth providers to be ideally prepared and well-coordinated
for the next outbreak and so that we can offer high-quality care in this
manner to all Americans.
We also believe that our public health system would benefit greatly
from owning its own telehealth network infrastructure. This would allow
the CDC to better scale up, solve for geography and improve
surveillance. It would even allow its public health workers to use
technology to monitor patients under quarantine in the home, saving
themselves travel and limiting healthcare workers’ exposure.
Q. What more can be done with telehealth in the future to
plan for these types of outbreaks, or to perhaps address them before
they become serious?
A. Much needs to be done throughout our country to
better prepare. We need permanent leaders placed at the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes for Health, the US
Department of Homeland Security and other key areas, and we need to
reinstate a pandemic-preparedness role at the National Security Council.
We need to fund international efforts to improve screening and research
for emerging diseases, and we need surveillance programs and good
international coordination. We need to fund (not decrease funding) for
our frontline groups, like the CDC, HHS and local public health
services. These are our fighters, and we need them ready and funded
properly as an outbreak like this is a national security issue. We need
stockpiles of materials. Finally, we should be partnering with the
pharmaceutical industry on affordable medications and vaccine research.
Our national telehealth operation today acts like an emergency alert
system. We see cases or potential cases before they are reported. At
American Well, our influenza activity indicator map is more accurate and
more timely than that of the CDC. We already play a meaningful role in
many disease states, including outbreaks. There are still many adoption
and awareness challenges that exist when it comes to telehealth.
Hopefully this unfortunate event will help consumers, providers and
others start to more clearly see how they can and should use telehealth
for future healthcare needs.
Another barrier that we continue to work on is that of reimbursement.
Telehealth is a cost-effective way of receiving care, but it is still
not always a covered benefit by insurance. Most commercial plans are
reimbursing and there is increasing adoption in Medicare Advantage and
Medicaid managed care. But there are still gaps, including a big gap in
fee-for-service coverage for Medicare coverage in the home. Efforts at
reform are underway (see the CONNECT Act), but more work needs to be done so that all Americans can take advantage of this amazing service.
Additionally, with coordination being so important during outbreaks
like this, the simple step of integrating telehealth with other health
information systems, such as EHRs or clinical-decision support, can make
care more seamless and foster better care coordination. This would
speed up access to critical care. Case in point: Consider a scenario
where a patient consults with a physician over a telehealth network and
displays symptoms of COVID-19 while presenting one or more correlating
risk factors. The physician could easily document the experience,
dispatch an alert to a local ED, and ensure precautions are taken by
medical staff to usher this patient into a contained room or unit to
begin testing and treatment. We’re working to ensure this type of
communication is happening at all levels, but there’s still much room
for improvement on this front.
Health System Execs Respond to the Threat
In an op-ed prepared for the Alliance for Connected Care, Todd J.
Vento, MD, MPH, Intermountain Healthcare’s Medical Director of
Infectious Diseases Telehealth Service; Ethan Booker, MD, Medical
Director of MedStar’s Telehealth Innovation Center; and Lawrence “Rustyâ€
Hofmann, MD, Stanford Health’s Medical Director of Digital Health, made
their pitch for telehealth:
“Telehealth, which has proven to be a very useful tool in
addressing patient needs during flu season, will improve our collective
ability to address COVID-19 if it hits on a larger scale. Telehealth offers several advantages over in-person care in the event of a pandemic.
One key advantage of telehealth is speed,†the three wrote.
“Patients can access clinicians 24/7 without an appointment or physical
trip to the doctor. Using telehealth, our providers in the Stanford
Primary Care team, MedStar Health and Intermountain Healthcare have been
actively evaluating and treating patients with influenza. Current
providers at Stanford Health estimate that almost 50% of patients are
getting oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Because there is no current,
specific medication for Coronavirus, we must be able to advise patients
of reasonable self-directed treatment and surveillance to keep them
home.
Keeping patients at home is a significant advantage of
telehealth. In-home video visits limit community exposure by allowing
patients to avoid contact with other patients in waiting rooms and
direct contact with providers during the exam. Our health systems have
providers who are equipped to work from their own homes, significantly
increasing the safety of providers and bolstering the workforce to
respond to crisis. Workforce readiness in a crisis that may include
such dramatic measures as school and day care closures is a significant
concern for health systems which may be strained to respond. Health
systems are also using telehealth to continue surveillance of patients
already identified as at risk while keeping them at home.
Next, telehealth ensures that treatment in brick-and-mortar
settings is reserved for high-need patients. Moreover, with patients
being seen in their own homes, providers and health systems will be able
to triage and screen exponentially more patients with telehealth vs. an
in-person visit.
Finally, telehealth allows patients who do not have access to
infectious diseases (ID) specialists to access this specialized care
from the small number of experts across the country. When Intermountain
first offered ID telehealth consultation to rural systems throughout the
west, one provider fielded 1,000 consultation requests in the first
fifteen months. To date, the service has provided telehealth care to
over 4,700 patients, 50 percent of whom are over 65 years old.
Each of these advantages illustrate how telehealth can thwart the
spread of COVID-19 and stop it from overwhelming our already stretched
medical system.â€
The three health executive also urged lawmakers to take action to reduce barriers to telehealth that have kept adoption low:
“Congress must act to ensure that seniors – a particularly
vulnerable population generally and for this virus in particular – are
able to receive necessary triage and care through telehealth.
Today, there are restrictions in Medicare that prevent providers
outside of very rural areas from being paid for care provided through
telehealth. As a result, many providers do not offer telehealth services
to seniors. The lack of reimbursement creates a perverse incentive of
encouraging patients to come for in-person care, which will only
overwhelm our health system as well as augment the virus’s spread.
Congress must give the Secretary of Health and Human Services the
ability to waive these restrictions in times of public health
emergencies. As part of the bipartisan, bicameral CONNECT for Health
Act, telehealth champions in Congress foresaw this need and drafted a
provision that would give the Secretary the ability to waive telehealth
restrictions just as he/she would waive Conditions of Participation,
Stark Laws licensure, or other requirements when public health
emergencies are declared.â€
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 5:12 PM on Thursday, March 12th, 2020
SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp.
aims to provide access to quality education from around the world. The
company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job
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an integrated ecosystem. Click here for more information.
Edtech firms offer free access to colleges that is impacted by Coronavirus
Beginning Thursday, online learning giant Coursera said it is going
to provide every impacted university in the world free access to its
course catalogue through ‘Coursera for Campus’ until July 31
Beginning Thursday, online learning giant Coursera said it is going to provide every impacted university in the world free access to its course catalogue through ‘Coursera for Campus’ until July 31.
Online education companies in India and globally are offering their paid programmmes to students — whether in school or pursuing higher education — free of cost because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beginning Thursday, online learning giant Coursera said it is going to provide every impacted university in the world free access to its course catalogue through ‘Coursera for Campus’ until July 31.
“We’re going to make ‘Coursera for
Campus’ offering freely available to any college or university in the
world that is impacted by coronavirus, in the hope that they can rapidly
allow students to start learning and ensure we have minimal impact from
coronavirus on the student community,†said Leah Belsky, chief enterprise officer and senior vice-president, Coursera.
Coursera, founded by Stanford Professors Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller,
has 48 million registered learners worldwide and offers courses,
specialisations, degrees, and certificate programmes online.
The ‘Coursera for Campus’ offers job-relevant online education to
students, alumni, faculty, and employees of firms like Mindtree, Tata
Communications, Axis Bank, Infosys, Airtel, and Manipal Group.
Indian universities can continue teaching their students online
without creating new infrastructure. Coursera’s existing ‘Coursera for
Campus’ partners include Manipal Academy of Higher Education, UPES, Shiv
Nadar University, KL University, NMIMS, and Pearl Academy.
In India, it has 5 million registered learners, and is adding over 100,000 learners per month.
Universities can sign up to provide their enrolled students with
access to more than 3,800 courses and 400 specialisations from
Coursera’s top university and industry partners.
Similarly, Indian education technology firms are also offering free
classes and course material for students impacted by the novel coronavirus. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
Edtech firm Byju’s also said it will provide free access to its complete app to school students till the end of April.
Some Indian states like Kerala, Karnataka and New Delhi have already announced the closure of schools.
A UNESCO report
states that the education of over 290 million students across 13
countries will be interrupted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another edtech platform Unacademy said it will conduct close to
20,000 free live classes on its platform, across exam categories like
UPSC, banking, railways and so on.
Unacademy claims it has 10,000 educators, 13 million learners, and subscriptions for over 30 exam categories.
Educational Initiatives, a 20-year old edtech company based out of
Bengaluru is also offering 60 days free access of Mindspark to all
students, so that the school closure due to COVID-19 does not impact
their learning.
Mindspark is an artificial intelligence-powered specialised mathematics programme developed for children’s learning.
Similarly, edtech firm Toppr is going to provide free live classes to students in classes 5 to 12.
While it is yet to be seen how effective these measures will be,
Coursera’s Belsky said the US education system invested in digitising
after events like Hurricane Katrina, which forced school and college
students to miss studies for months.
According to some estimates, in New Orleans alone, 110 of the 126
public schools were completely destroyed and students had to be moved to
neighbouring states to complete their education.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 7:35 AM on Thursday, March 12th, 2020
Announce that Democracy Labs successfully used Nexalogy’s technology to monitor #covid19 and #coronavirus to identify misinformation campaigns and Fake News
Democracy Labs is a US based organization providing a hub for ongoing technology and creative innovation that serves progressive campaigns and organizations at the national, state, and local levels.
TORONTO, March 12, 2020 — Datametrex AI Limited (the “Company†or Datametrexâ€) (TSXV: DM) (FSE: D4G) is pleased to announce that Democracy Labs successfully used Nexalogy’s technology to monitor #covid19 and #coronavirus to identify misinformation campaigns and Fake News. Democracy Labs is a US based organization providing a hub for ongoing technology and creative innovation that serves progressive campaigns and organizations at the national, state, and local levels. In addition to misinformation about Covid-19 DemLabs has also used Nexalogy tech to examine Islamophobia against U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib.
Key takeaways:
450,000 tweets analyzed from March 1st through 4th using hashtag #covid19
Russia Today suggested that the U.S.A. primaries be cancelled and was promoted by BOTS
Results of these campaigns can be found by clicking the attached links:
Datametrex AI Limited is a technology focused company with exposure
to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning through its wholly owned
subsidiary, Nexalogy (www.nexalogy.com).
This news release contains “forward-looking information†within
the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained
herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute
forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information
can be identified by words or phrases such as “mayâ€, “willâ€, “expectâ€,
“likelyâ€, “shouldâ€, “wouldâ€, “planâ€, “anticipateâ€, “intendâ€,
“potentialâ€, “proposedâ€, “estimateâ€, “believe†or the negative of these
terms, or other similar words, expressions and grammatical variations
thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions “may†or “willâ€
happen, or by discussions of strategy.
Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors,
uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue
reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information
contained herein is made as of the date of this press release and is
based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations and opinions of management
on the date such forward-looking information is made. The Company
undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
information, whether as a result of new information, estimates or
opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any
material difference between subsequent actual events and such
forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 5:01 PM on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020
Until now, investor participation in Artificial Intelligence has
been the domain of mega companies and those funded by Silicon Valley.
Small cap investors can finally consider participating in the great
future of A.I. through Datametrex AI (DM: TSXV) (Soon To Be Nexaology)
who has achieved the following over the past few months:
Q3 Revenues Of $1.6 million, an increase of 186%
9 Month Revenues Of $2.56M an increase of 37%
Repeat Contracts Of $1M and $600,000 With Korean Giant LOTTEÂ Â
$954,000 Contract With Canadian Department of Defence To Fight Social Media Election Meddling
Participation In NATO Research Task Group On Social Media Threat DetectionÂ
When a small cap Artificial Intelligence company is successfully
deploying its technology with military and conglomerates, smart
investors have to take a closer look.
That look can begin with our latest interview of Datametrex CEO,
Marshall Gunter, who talks to us about the use of the Company’s
Artificial Intelligence to discover and eliminate US Presidential
election meddling. The fake news isn’t just targeting candidates
specifically, it also targets wedge issues such as abortion cases now
before the US Supreme Court and even the Coronavirus.
Watch this interview on one of your favourite screens or hit play and listen to the audio as you drive.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 5:00 PM on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020
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The most expensive metals and where they are mined
Palladium is the most expensive of the four major precious metals – gold, silver and platinum being the others.
It is rarer than platinum, and is used in larger quantities for catalytic converters.
In the near-term, the demand for metals used in catalytic converters is expected to be steady, buoyed by growing automotive sales in Asia.
Rhodium’s little brother palladium also did well out of the
Dieselgate scandal. After sales of diesel vehicles slumped and petrol
alternatives came back into fashion, platinum – used primarily in
catalytic converters for diesel vehicles – took a tumble, while
petrol-friendly palladium rose.
Palladium is the most expensive of the four major precious metals –
gold, silver and platinum being the others. It is rarer than platinum,
and is used in larger quantities for catalytic converters. In the
near-term, the demand for metals used in catalytic converters is
expected to be steady, buoyed by growing automotive sales in Asia.
However, the increased uptake of battery-electric vehicles – which do
not use catalytic converters – could see palladium demand take a hit.
Russia00n mining company Nornickel is the top global palladium producer, pulling up 86 metric tons of the metal in 2019.
Rhodium
Relatively unknown to the layperson, rhodium is quietly one of the
hottest trades right now, after a price surge of more than 30% this
year. Rhodium previously peaked – and quickly crashed – in 2008 at more
than $10,000 per troy ounce (ozt), but the metal is now trading above
that 2008 high on the back of a swell in demand from the automotive
industry.
Rhodium is used in catalytic converters, a part of vehicle exhaust
systems that reduce toxic gas emissions and pollutants. According to S&P Global Platts,
almost 80% of demand for rhodium and palladium comes from the global
automotive industry. Fortunately for South Africa at least, around 80%
of all rhodium is mined within its borders.
Part of the reason for the metal’s price leap is its rarity. Annual
rhodium production sits at around 30 tonnes – to place that in context,
gold miners annually dig up between 2,500 and 3,000 tonnes of the
precious metal. Rhodium also benefitted from the Volkswagen emissions
scandal, or Dieselgate,
the 2015 emissions scandal that rocked the automotive industry. With
major economies including China and India tightening emissions rules,
platinum group metals (PGM) miners are anticipating good times ahead for
rhodium.
Gold
Part durability, part tradition, gold is among the most versatile
commodities. Primarily used in jewellery, but also having significant
applications across electronics and aerospace due to its durability and
conductivity, gold is, to put it plainly, everywhere.
Tags: CSE, palladium, PGM, PGM Demand, stocks, tsx Posted in New Age Metals | Comments Off on The most expensive #metals and where they are mined #Palladium SPONSOR: New Age Metals $NAM.ca $WG.ca $XTM.ca $WM.ca $PDL.ca $GLEN
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 4:20 PM on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020
SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp.
aims to provide access to quality education from around the world. The
company plans to bridge the prevailing gap in the education and job
industry and enhance the lives of its prospective learners by developing
an integrated ecosystem. Click here for more information.
Digital Learning: Can it Solve the Access to Education Problem for Indian Students?
India is home to the largest youth population in the world.
As per recent government statistics, we have an estimated 430 million people under the age of 18.
Digital learning can help tackle existing problems in the education sector such as shortage of skilled teachers, lack of adequate teaching materials and so on.
India is home to the largest youth population in the world. As per
recent government statistics, we have an estimated 430 million people
under the age of 18. These young minds hold immense potential to build a
strong future for themselves and the country. A potential that is often
held to ransom by an education system marred by outmoded methods of
teaching, disproportionate student to teacher ratio, a shortage of
skilled teachers and lack of adequate teaching materials.
At a time when technology is transforming every
other aspect of our existence, it is only natural that we turn to tech
tools to disrupt the way we learn. A lack of access and resources
emerges as a constant stumbling block in our youth’s pursuit of
education – a problem that can be tackled by modernising the education
system through digital learning. Here’s how:
Education beyond Boundaries
Digital content and e-learning can bring entire
teaching modules to your doorstep through smart devices, making it
possible for students to continue working toward completing their
education even if they jump off the path of traditional learning. With a
boom in cheaper data and devices, this mode of learning proves
especially effective in pursuit of higher education or
career-oriented skills. Access to online learning opportunities through
remote classes, webinars and online academies can accord equal learning
opportunities to students in Tier II and III cities as well as rural
areas where skilled educators in one’s desired field of study may not be
available.
Personalised Learning
The advent of deep data analytics, Artificial Intelligence and
Machine Learning, personalised learning has become a tangible reality.
These tech tools allow enable an identification of student goals –
whether it is securing merit, landing jobs or simply amassing knowledge –
and create educational content to suit these goals. This promotes a
truly personalised approach toward learning. With the inclusion of edtech
networks and multimedia in education, learning and teaching methods
have evolved greatly in their methodology, style and content.
Learning on the Go
Gadgets are an integral part of the youth’s lifestyle today. From
shopping to entertainment and social interactions, they seek everything
on their finger tips and on the go. Their approach toward education and
learning is no exception to this tendency. Digital learning allows them
to consume educational content in a format they’re more comfortable in
and at a place and setting of their choosing.
Affordability
The cost of higher education in India is steep. By
comparison, specialised online course are far more affordable. If you
factor in the costs of moving to and living in a big city for students
from Tier II and III cities, small towns and rural areas, professional
online courses don’t cost a fraction of brick-and-mortar set ups. It is
for this reason that India is fast emerging as the second biggest market
for MOOCs or open online courses, after the US. This new educational
revolution presents great opportunity to help the youth access
high-quality education and training, at affordable price points, from
the comfort of their homes.
Job Readiness
The higher education in India essentially revolves around securing a
stable – ideally, well-paying – job. With easy access to e-learning
platforms and digital content, students can access the right kind of
content in a format fit for their preferred mode of consumption and be
better equipped to meet this goal. For instance, the same curriculum can
be easily tweaked to suit academic and competitive purposes in a
cost-effective manner in the e-book format.
Future-Ready Education
The world around us is changing at a lightning fast pace, thanks to the constant eruptions of the technology front.
Sadly, most of the traditional forums of learning – be it schools,
colleges or universities – find themselves lagging behind when it comes
to tailoring the course content as per the changing demands of the times
we live in. Besides, overhauling entire course curriculums can often a
slow, time-consuming process. In such a scenario, professionally
tailored online courses can be a bankable alternative in amassing skills
training that contributes to employability and is in line with the
learners’ interests.
It is undisputable that the future of education will be defined by digital content
and learning. Students in India can ride this wave to tide over the
inherent flaws in our education system and set themselves up for success
in their chosen profession.
Tags: online education, small cap stocks, tsx Posted in betterU Education Corp | Comments Off on Digital Learning #Edtech: Can it Solve the Access to Education Problem for Indian Students? – SPONSOR: BetterU Education Corp. $BTRU.ca $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 9:11 AM on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020
Announced the launch of its NORTHBUD branded products into select retailers in Nevada, USA.Â
The products are manufactured through NORTHBUD’s ownership and operating agreement with Nevada Botanical Sciences, Inc., who is licensed for cultivation, manufacturing and distribution
NORTHBUD products will be available in both dried flower and pre-roll formats under the NORTHBUD White, Black and Platinum brands.
TORONTO, March 11, 2020 – North Bud Farms Inc. (CSE: NBUD) (OTCQB: NOBDF) (“NORTHBUD” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce the launch of its NORTHBUD branded products into select retailers in Nevada, USA. The products are manufactured through NORTHBUD’s ownership and operating agreement with Nevada Botanical Sciences, Inc. (“NBSâ€), who is licensed for cultivation, manufacturing and distribution.
NORTHBUD Nevada Launch Strategy Update Prior
to its asset purchase transaction with NORTHBUD, previously announced
on November 19, 2019, NBS had been exclusively servicing white label
customers. Over the past 3.5 months, NBS and NORTHBUD have transitioned
the Nevada operations to focus on NORTHBUD branded flower products,
culminating with the recent launch of NORTHBUD Black 9 Lbs Hammer
(Jinxproof phenotype) in 1 gram, 3.5 gram and 7 gram formats to select
retailers in Reno, Nevada.
Over the coming weeks, the Company intends to expand distribution to
multiple retailers in Northern Nevada and Las Vegas. NORTHBUD products
will be available in both dried flower and pre-roll formats under the
NORTHBUD White, Black and Platinum brands.
With over 45 million visitors a year from all over the world, Nevada
is a key market for building an internationally recognized brand, and
the Company believes that it is the ideal market for the launch of its
NORTHBUD products. The Nevada market is considered one of the largest
and most profitable in North America with recreational sales of USD$580
million in the first full year of legalization (2017 Nevada Dept. of
Taxation).
“The NORTHBUD and Bonfire Brands USA team are extremely proud to have
launched our own branded products, making the state of Nevada our
strategic entry point into the U.S. legal cannabis market,†said Sean
Homuth, CEO of NORTHBUD. “We believe the NORTHBUD brand will offer a
unique variety of products curated for experienced consumers who demand
appropriately priced, high-quality cannabis flower.â€
About North Bud Farms Inc. NORTHBUD,
through its U.S. subsidiary Bonfire Brands USA, has acquired cannabis
production facilities in California and Nevada. The Salinas, California
11-acre farm is actively cultivating cannabis in its 60,000 sq. ft. of
licensed greenhouse production space, and also has active distribution
and processing licenses. The Reno, Nevada property contains a
world-class cannabis production, research and development facility with
5,000 sq. ft. of indoor cultivation, and holds medical and adult-use
licenses for cultivation, extraction and distribution. Through its
wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary, GrowPros MMP Inc., the Company is
pursuing a license under The Cannabis Act, to cultivate in its
state-of-the-art purpose-built cannabis production facility located on
135 acres of agricultural land in Low, Quebec, Canada.
Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is
defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Forward-looking statements Certain
statements and information included in this press release that, to the
extent they are not historical fact, constitute forward-looking
information or statements (collectively, “forward-looking statementsâ€)
within the meaning of applicable securities legislation.
Forward-looking statements, include but are not limited to those
identified by the expressions “anticipateâ€, “believeâ€, “planâ€,
“estimateâ€, “expectâ€, “intendâ€, “mayâ€, “should†and similar expressions
to the extent they relate to the Company or its management.
Forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, those
regarding the Company’s Nevada strategy, the success of the Company’s
licence application with Health Canada, the Company’s ability to execute
its strategic plan, conditions in the cannabis market, the Company
entering agreements in connection with the B2B supply of cannabis and
the Company’s transition into a revenue-generating operational phase of
development are based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis
and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its
perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as
well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and
reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are
made, but which may prove to be incorrect.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results,
performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any
future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the
forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include,
among others, the risk factors included in the Company’s final long form
prospectus dated August 21, 2018, which is available under the
Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such
forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement
speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors
emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company’s
management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the
impact of each such factor on the Company’s business or the extent to
which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking
statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements to reflect information, events, results,
circumstances or otherwise after the date hereof or to reflect the
occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law including
securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell
or a solicitation of any offer to buy any securities of the Company.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: North Bud Farms Inc. Edward Miller VP, IR & Communications Office: (855) 628-3420 ext. 3 [email protected]
Tags: Cannabis, CBD, CSE, Hemp, Marijuana Posted in All Recent Posts, Featured | Comments Off on North Bud Farms $NBUD.ca Launches its NORTHBUD Branded Products in Nevada, USA $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $OGI.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 7:02 AM on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020
Entered into a letter of intent on March 9th, 2020 to acquire Alphamind Brands
Company developing legal mushroom based natural health products and conducting R&D in conjunction with accredited universities to develop psilocybin based compounds for drug development
All stock purchase price is anticipated to be CDN$ 1,200,000 with such payment to be made in Hollister common stock
VANCOUVER, March 11, 2020 – Hollister Biosciences Inc.(CSE: HOLL, FRANKFURT: HOB, OTC: HSTRF) (the “Company” or “Hollister“) – a diversified cannabis branding company with products in 220 dispensaries throughout California, is pleased to announce that the Company has entered into a letter of intent (the “LOI“) on March 9th, 2020 to acquire Alphamind Brands ( “Alphamind“), a company developing legal mushroom based natural health products and conducting R&D in conjunction with accredited universities to develop psilocybin based compounds for drug development.
The all stock purchase price is anticipated to be CDN$ 1,200,000 with such payment to be made in Hollister
common stock. The stock price will be determined based on the greater
of the 14-day VWAP (Volume Weighted Average Price) subsequent to
announcing the transaction and $0.20. The acquisition is subject to normal course due diligence.
“We are very pleased to have entered into an LOI to complete this very exciting acquisition”, shared Carl Saling,
Founder and CEO of Hollister Biosciences Inc. “It is a fundamental
value of our company to improve the overall health and performance of
our customers through our high-quality products and the health benefits
associated with medicinal mushrooms are tremendous. Not to mention, it
is our continual objective to broaden our product scope and Alphamind,
with its experienced management team, is a perfect foothold for us in
the fast-growing market for medicinal mushrooms and complements our
existing cannabis and hemp-based product offering.”
“I think we have found a great partner in Hollister”, shared Robert Birmingham,
CEO of Alphamind Brands. “We have medicinal mushroom based product
SKU’s ready to ship and R&D is underway to develop an exciting IP
portfolio surrounding psilocybin based pharmaceutical treatments. Being
under the Hollister umbrella will allow us to access
additional markets and leverage their existing manufacturing and
distribution infrastructure and will be a fundamental part of the future
growth of our business.”
In association with the arm’s length transaction, Hollister will not be assuming any long-term debt and there is no change in Management, or the Board of Directors of Hollister being contemplated at this time.
About Hollister Biosciences Inc.
Hollister Biosciences Inc. is a diversified cannabis company with
multiple, high-quality products now carried in 220 of Indus Holdings
(CSE: INDS), Hollister’s exclusive
distribution partner’s 600 dispensaries. This level of penetration is
expected to grow as the Company accelerates its seed to shelf, high
margin business and product development model.
Capitalizing on this success, Hollister’s vision is to
become the sought-after premium brand portfolio of innovative, high
quality cannabis across multiple states and hemp products nationwide.
Our wholly owned California subsidiary, Hollister Cannabis Co, is the 1st state and locally licensed Cannabis Company in the City of Hollister, California,
the birthplace of the “American Biker” from which we embrace the outlaw
roots of Hollister to drive our Company fearlessly down the road of
success.
Products from Hollister Cannabis Co. include HashBone, the brand’s
premier artisanal hash-infused pre-roll ranked as California’s #1 hash
infused pre-roll, along with solvent-free bubble hash, pre-packaged
flower, pre-rolls, tinctures, vape products, and full-spectrum high CBD
pet tinctures.
Alphamind Brands is a Canada and US based growth stage
company developing a portfolio of legal mushroom based natural health
products as well as conducting R&D initiatives, led by Dr. Nikos Apostolopoulos,
to explore psilocybin based pharmaceutical treatments. The company’s
“ready to ship” product SKU’s include cordyceps, lion’s mane, chaga and
reishi mushroom based: liquid cordyceps, concentrated mushroom powder,
tea, chocolate. The company’s product SKU’s under development include
syrups, elixirs, cold beverages and nasal spray.
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator
(as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this
release.
Forward-Looking Information: This news release includes certain
statements that may be deemed “forward-looking statements”. The use of
any of the words “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “may”,
“will”, “would”, “project”, “should”, “believe” and similar expressions
are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although the
Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the
forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance
should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the
Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since
forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by
their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These
statements speak only as of the date of this News Release. Actual
results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a
number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in
the Company’s disclosure documents which can be found under the
Company’s profile on www.sedar.com
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:07 PM on Tuesday, March 10th, 2020
Completed a Spectral Analysis survey and a Synthetic Aperture Radar survey over the Sill Lake Lead-Silver Project, Vankoughnet Township, Ontario
The surveys covered all 22 single-cell mining claims as well as the four boundary-cell mining claims owned by the Company’s subsidiary, Canadian Arrow Mines Limited
TORONTO, ON / March 10, 2020 / Tartisan Nickel Corp. (CSE:TN)(OTC:TTSRF)(FSE:A2D) (“Tartisan”, or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has completed a Spectral Analysis survey and a Synthetic Aperture Radar survey over the Sill Lake Lead-Silver Project, Vankoughnet Township, Ontario. The surveys covered all 22 single-cell mining claims as well as the four boundary-cell mining claims owned by the Company’s subsidiary, Canadian Arrow Mines Limited.
The most abundant minerals on the Sill Lake mining claims were seen
to be saponite, a clay mineral from hydrothermal alteration as well as
orthoclase feldspar and kaolinite, the hydrothermal alteration product
of orthoclase. Principal minerals characteristic of the lead-silver vein
were determined to be galena and goethite. Galena is the principal ore
mineral of the low-alpha lead on the Sill Lake Project, which goethite
is the principal alteration product of sulphides like galena.
As the report notes, “In the centre of the Sill Lake Claims the
lead-silver deposit and underground workings are located. The spectral
analysis survey outlined a number of minerals spatially associated with
the deposit. Using the Target Vector Mineral (“TVM”) overlap technique
for the Sill lake Claims a number of areas of where three and four TVM’s
overlaps were outlined. One area on the claims outlined a general
north-south TVM lead-silver target zone from 65m to 190m wide and
approximately 650m in length.”
The anomaly covers the northern trace of the mineralization and is
centred on boundary cell mining claim 272137 and single-cell mining
claim 297898, with a minor response on claim 206180. Another minor
response on claim 204833, when plotted with the others, may suggest a
separate structure oriented perpendicular to the principal trend of the
Sill Lake lead-silver vein; and along the principal lithological contact
between ultramafic intrusive rocks on the north and mafic volcanic
rocks to the south, with conformable interbedded sedimentary rocks.
Tartisan CEO Mr. Mark Appleby said, “The survey showed us that there
may be much more to the Sill Lake Lead-Silver Project than anyone
previously thought. We plan to follow up the anomalies with detailed
geological mapping and sampling this summer.”
The Company is pleased with the results of the survey and has
requested Aster Funds Ltd to survey and report on the Kenbridge
Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project as well.
About Tartisan Nickel Corp.
Tartisan Nickel Corp. is a Canadian based mineral exploration and
development company which owns a 100% stake in the Kenbridge
Nickel-Copper Project in Ontario; a 100% interest in the Sill Lake
Lead-Silver project, Vankoughnet Township, Ontario; a 100% interest in
the Don Pancho Zinc-Lead-Silver Project in Peru just 9 km from Trevali’s
Santander mine. Tartisan also owns a 100% stake in the Ichuna
Copper-Silver Project, also in Peru, contiguous to Buenaventura’s San
Gabriel property. The Company also owns a significant equity stake in
Eloro Resources Ltd, which is exploring the low-sulphidation epithermal
La Victoria Gold/Silver Project in Ancash, Peru as well as its recently
acquired Iska Iska property in Bolivia.
Tartisan Nickel Corp. common shares are listed on the Canadian
Securities Exchange (CSE:TN; US-OTC:TTSRF; FSE:A2D). Currently, there
are 100,403,550 shares outstanding (103,103 ,550 fully diluted).
For further information, please contact Mr. D. Mark Appleby,
President & CEO and a Director of the Company, at 416-804-0280 ([email protected]). Additional information about Tartisan can be found at the Company’s website at www.tartisannickel.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Jim Steel MBA P.Geo. is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101 and has
read and approved the technical content of this News Release.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements
including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content
of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of
property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc.
Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and
therefore, involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may
differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
The Canadian Securities Exchange (operated by CNSX Markets Inc.)
has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press
release.
SOURCE: Tartisan Nickel Corp.
Tags: CSE, nickel, nickel demand, stocks, tsx Posted in Tartisan Nickel | Comments Off on Tartisan Nickel Corp. $TN.ca Completes Spectral Analysis and SAR Surveys over Sill Lake Lead-Silver Project and Files Assessment Report $ROX.ca $FF.ca $EDG.ca $AGL.ca $ANZ.ca
