Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
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How mHealth apps are providing solutions to the healthcare market’s problems
Mobile health is the monitoring and sharing of health information via mobile technology – such as wearables and health tracking apps
The use of mobile devices and wireless technology to monitor symptoms and deliver care allows physicians to make diagnoses quicker and with fewer errors
Today’s consumers don’t want to solely rely on yearly physicals or
scattered drop-in appointments to monitor their health – they are
seeking more individualized control over the way healthcare is accessed
so that they can analyze personal health data and talk to healthcare
professionals at all times.
By embracing mobile health, or mHealth, patients are able to keep
track of their own health data in real time and inform healthcare
providers of any abnormalities at the push of a button.
What is mHealth (mobile health)?
Mobile health is the monitoring and sharing of health information via mobile technology – such as wearables
and health tracking apps. The use of mobile devices and wireless
technology to monitor symptoms and deliver care allows physicians to
make diagnoses quicker and with fewer errors.
And as tech giants like Apple and Google continue pushing their way into healthcare, mHealth will likely grow in popularity.
mHealth vs telehealth
Telehealth
uses technology to extend the reach of healthcare professionals beyond
traditional clinical settings. It’s a broad term describing how the
healthcare market is taking advantage of digital development to enable
remote care.
Samsung Health is a platform where individuals can view activity trends, health insights and access telehealth services.
Steve Kovach/Business Insider
Comparatively, mHealth is a subset of telehealth, referring
specifically to the use of mobile technology to inform and educate
consumers on healthcare. It uses mobile devices to monitor patients’
exercise, heart rate, and medication adherence.
Examples of different types of mHealth apps
Mobile health is gaining steam among consumers as Apple and Google
continue to offer an array of mHealth applications on their app stores;
there were more than 318,000 mHealth apps available for download
worldwide as of November 2017. Some of the most common categories of
mHealth apps include:
Diabetes
Pregnancy
Weight loss
Chronic illness
Top mHealth apps on the market
With increasing consumer demand to monitor their own health comes the
opportunity for healthcare companies and tech giants to develop mHealth
applications. Here are some of the top mobile health apps on the
market:
AliveCor’s KardiaMobile allows users to take an EKG and have data stored directly onto their smartphone.
Alivecor
Fitbit
Apple Heart Study
GoogleFit
Samsung Health
AliveCor’s KardiaMobile
BlueStar
Benefits of mHealth app solutions
Stakeholders across the healthcare industry are looking to tap into
the mHealth opportunity as Mobile health applications are beginning to
integrate electronic health records (EHRs) and other wearable tech devices.
According to Business Insider Intelligence, nearly half of all
mHealth app publishers integrate with EHRs in order to provide a
detailed representation of a patient’s health or medical history.
Stakeholders across the healthcare industry are looking to tap into the mHealth opportunity.
Business Insider Intelligence
Healthcare providers could reduce appointment costs by taking
advantage of mHealth applications – which lowers the risk of patient
rehabilitation. Instead of staying in a healthcare facility post
surgical discharge, patients could utilize mHealth apps for recovery
instructions and medication reminders.
Payers – which handle the financial aspects of healthcare – can also
capitalize on mHealth cost benefits. According to a 2018 Leavitt
Partners report, clinical care only accounts for 20% of health, and
social determinants account for the remainder.
Health insurance providers could develop mobile apps that provide
consumers with health education and send reminders to purchase healthy
food – keeping patients largely responsible for their own healthcare.
mHealth industry trends & technologies
One concern consumers have regarding mHealth solutions has to do with
data-sharing practices among multiple technologies and applications.
According to Business Insider Intelligence, 79% of 24 top-rated mHealth
apps shared user data with 55 entities, like app developers and third
parties.
Despite privacy concerns however, Business Insider Intelligence
predicts that as big tech companies like Apple and Samsung continue to
generate their own health features in smartphones, the adoption of
mHealth apps will continue to grow.
In fact, Apple grew wearable revenue 42% year-over-year in 2018 and has the potential to hit $15 billion in healthcare-related revenue by 2021.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:34 PM on Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
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Resources and 2 percent NSR in their La Victoria property. Click her for more information
Understanding Nickel Usage in Lithium Batteries
CRU calculates that around 5% of nickel demand came from the battery sector in 2019
However, we forecast that growth will be rapid and the battery sectors use of primary nickel will reach 870,000 tonnes by 2030 and 1.5 Mt by 2040
LONDON, Jan. 29, 2020 — This Insight focuses on current nickel use in the battery sector, how it has changed in recent years, what is driving these changes and what our base case demand forecasts for nickel are.
Understanding nickel usage in lithium batteries (PRNewsfoto/CRU)
CRU calculates that around 5% of nickel demand came from the battery
sector in 2019. However, we forecast that growth will be rapid and the
battery sectors use of primary nickel will reach 870,000 tonnes by 2030
and 1.5 Mt by 2040. The evolution of the electric vehicle sector and the
differing battery technologies within it, will increasingly shape the
nickel market and represent a third of total demand by 2040.
There has been fierce debate surrounding the outlook for nickel usage
in lithium batteries over the past few years. CRU has invested a large
amount of time and resources into developing in-house long-term
modelling capabilities for the automotive sector. This work has been
undertaken not only to support our analysis of traditional automotive
commodities like steel and aluminium, but also to shed light on the
development and growth of the nascent electric vehicle (EV) sector and
to better understand the resultant long-term impact for a wide range of
commodities including cobalt, lithium, nickel, graphite and PGMs.
Of the various battery chemistries in widespread production four use
nickel: nickel metal hydride (NiMH), nickel cadmium (NiCd),
nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and nickel-cobalt-aluminium oxide (NCA).
Here, we will focus on NMC and NCA, which amount to more than 95% of
nickel contained in batteries. NMC and NCA are lithium-ion batteries
(LIBs), but NiMH and NiCd are not and we believe more applications will
move towards using LIBs in the future.
Sourcing of nickel units for cathode markets shows high degree of flexibility
CRU’s in-house nickel sulphate supply model covers nine separate key
processing routes. These can be classified into four categories, based
on the raw materials used; sulphide ore, nickel briquettes, laterite ore
and recycled nickel. Currently, sulphide ore, nickel briquettes are the
dominate routes, but laterite ore and recycled nickel are growing.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 10:58 AM on Wednesday, January 29th, 2020
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The market is buzzing with
speculation about Barrick Gold Corp. CEO Mark Bristow’s next move, with
Freeport-McMoRan, owner of the giant Grasberg copper and gold mine in
Indonesia, regarded as a potential takeover target.
A tough-talking South African on a mission to shake up the mining
industry. For years the name that would have sprung to mind was Glencore
boss Ivan Glasenberg, but not any more. The sector has another
swashbuckling executive to watch: Mark Bristow, head of Barrick Gold.
Since the geologist took control of the world’s second-biggest gold
miner just over a year ago he has been a whirlwind of activity.
Highlights of the past 12 months include a hostile bid for its arch
rival — now a partner in a joint venture — a buyout of struggling
subsidiary Acacia Mining and more than US$1 billion of asset sales.
But this is just the beginning for 61-year-old Bristow, an adrenalin
junkie who enjoys big game hunting and flying planes. “It has been an
amazing year,†he said during a wide-ranging interview. “We now have a
solid foundation to build on and probably the strongest balance sheet in
the gold industry.â€
The market is buzzing with speculation about Bristow’s next move,
with Freeport-McMoRan, owner of the giant Grasberg copper and gold mine
in Indonesia, regarded as a potential takeover target.
Bristow recently described copper as a “strategic metal†because of
the role it would play in the shift to a greener economy. “The new, big
gold mines are going to come out of the young geologies of the world,â€
he said. “And in young rocks, gold comes in association with copper or
vice versa.â€
Asked if he had discussed the merits of a deal with Freeport chief
executive Richard Adkerson, Bristow said there had been “conversationsâ€
but these had been more theoretical.
“As the leader of the most valuable gold company in the world, I
should be looking at the world’s best gold mines,†he said. “It makes
sense for us to be interested in looking at Grasberg and asking
ourselves whether Freeport is going to remain an independent company or
not.â€
A workaholic who maintains a punishing travel schedule, Bristow
became chief of Barrick in early 2019 after the Toronto-listed company
consummated a nil-premium merger with Randgold Resources, the
Africa-focused miner he built into one of the world’s largest gold
producers.
The idea behind the deal was to create a gold company focused around
five “tier one assets,†mines capable producing more than 500,000oz of
gold annually for at least a decade. The merged entity would be run the
“Randgold Way†— the decentralised, hands-on management philosophy
espoused by Bristow.
When the Randgold merger was announced in September 2018 there were
worries about how Bristow would work alongside Barrick’s executive
chairman John Thornton, a no-nonsense ex-Goldman Sachs banker.
However, Bristow and his close-knit team of executives have been
given their head to run the company. One of his first moves on taking
the helm was to cut almost 100 jobs at Barrick’s head office in Toronto
in an effort to shape what he calls a “lean, mean machine at the top.â€
He has also changed the management teams across nearly all of the
Barrick assets.
Analysts and investors say Bristow has delivered on the big promises
he made at the time of the merger: balance sheet deleveraging, reducing
head office costs and asset sales.
“If the gold price stays around US$1,500 an ounce and we generate the
same sort of free cash flow as [2019 and] deliver on the rest of our
promises as far as realizing the sale of non-core assets we will have
zero net debt [by the end of 2020],†Bristow said.
Barrick and arch rival Newmont Corporation’s deal to combine their
mines in Nevada into a joint venture, after Barrick dropped its hostile
bid for the latter, has also won plaudits. This has been reflected
in Barrick’s share price, which has risen 76 per cent since the Randgold
merger was announced — outperforming Newmont (46 per cent) and the gold
price (31 per cent).
Barrick Gold Corp’s stock chart since the merger with Rangold was announced Sept. 24, 2018. Bloomberg
Still, some investors lament the passing of Randgold. One top-20
shareholder said it would have delivered a better share price
performance had it remained independent — a view backed up by recent
results, which show the Randgold side of the portfolio continuing to
sparkle while the Barrick portion struggles.
Randgold also boasted a generous dividend policy, something Barrick
has yet to match. Analysts estimate Barrick’s dividend would need to
rise two to three times from where it is today to be comparable to
Randgold’s payout. Bristow said Barrick would look at a long-term
dividend policy once its 10-year strategic plan is put in place early
this year. Barrick also remains a very complex business with assets
in the Americas, Africa and Asia, leaving Bristow and his management
team stretched.
“There is a core of 10 Randgold executives who run the business. They
used to fly around all the assets once a quarter,†said one analyst who
used to follow Randgold but does not cover Barrick. “That is more
difficult to do now given the size and scale of the business.â€
A photo of Rangold’s open-pit gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2014. Rangold Resources
James Bell, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, also said the
integration of the two companies had become more complicated because
some of the assets flagged as potentially noncore at the time of the
Barrick deal were now seen as less disposable.
“A good example is Porgera [a mine in Papua New Guinea]. This was an
asset initially flagged as noncore but that’s an asset the company is
now very excited about because management have seen the geological
potential,†he added.
Bristow said Barrick would continue to divest assets where it makes
“good, commercial senseâ€, citing the recent sale of its stake in the
Massawa gold project in Senegal for an upfront payment of US$380
million.
Bristow, who had open heart surgery in 2017 after a doctor spotted a
problem during a routine medical to renew his pilot’s licence, said he
did not know when he would step down.
“I don’t have a particular timeframe but I gave the market a [promise
of at least a] full five years. I am certainly committed to that,†he
said, adding that there was already a pool of executives that are
qualified to lead the organization. “And you can imagine how much better
they are going to be with a bit of coaching in the next couple of
years.â€
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 5:08 PM on Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
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The company owns one of North America’s largest primary platinum
group metals deposit in Sudbury, Canada. Updated NI 43-101 Mineral
Resource Estimate 2,867,000 PdEq Measured and Indicated Ounces, with an
additional 1,059,000 PdEq Ounces Inferred. Learn More.
Why Palladium Is on a Tear
Story behind palladium’s move is that a physical shortage has developed in London
Traders sold metal they didn’t physically possess
Now they are being asked to deliver the bars and they are scrambling to secure the metal needed, bidding prices higher
Physical palladium and rhodium markets are buzzing. Reported prices for both metals leapt higher in recent days.
The story behind palladium’s move is that a physical shortage has
developed in London. Traders sold metal they didn’t physically possess.
Now they are being asked to deliver the bars and they are scrambling to
secure the metal needed, bidding prices higher.
It looks like bullion bankers selling paper metal are finally getting
called for selling way more than they can actually deliver!
People have complained about this practice in precious metals markets for decades.
More and more contracts have been sold, but inventories of actual
physical metal have not kept pace. Price discovery is broken when the
paper price of metal is detached from physical supply-and-demand
fundamentals.
Today, there are hundreds of paper ounces floating around for every ounce of physical metal eligible for actual delivery.
As soon as a few contract holders lose confidence in their ability to
redeem the paper for actual metal, the jig is up. The rush for physical
bars will drain exchange vaults quickly and anyone still holding paper
when the music stops will be out of luck.
That may be happening now in the market for palladium.
Sellers with an obligation to deliver physical metal can lease bars,
rather than purchase them. But that is now a very expensive proposition.
Lease rates spiked to near 30% last week in London.
Lessees must promise to return the quantity leased plus 30% in additional palladium ounces.
New Cautions on Rhodium
Rhodium prices have surged along with palladium. Price discovery in
rhodium works differently than for other precious metals, so investors
need to be especially careful.
The “spot†price for rhodium surged to $9,985 last week. However,
that price does not come from a market where regular trading produces
live, real-time prices.
Rather, the rhodium ask price is simply declared by major refiners. Johnson Matthey is one of the firms which publishes a price.
The price is generally updated twice per day during the trading week.
Lately the published ask prices jumped dramatically higher. Bid prices, on the other hand, have not kept up.
The bid/ask spread in the thinly traded rhodium market has always
been wider than in other precious metals, but it’s wider now than ever.
Current bids are roughly $2,000 below the published ask price.
If there really are industrial users paying the refiners’ $10,000 ask
price for physical rhodium, it is quite an opportunity for arbitrage.
Traders could theoretically purchase bars at the bid price and sell them
at a very healthy profit to anyone paying the ask price.
That isn’t happening, at least as far as we can determine. Someone
may have published a $10,000 ask price, but we can’t locate anyone
actually paying that sum for rhodium bars. Despite what the surging “spot†price for rhodium may imply, the bid for physical rhodium remains weak.
Money Metals has taken dozens of calls per day from sellers trying to
cash in on spot prices near $10,000/oz. Many are disappointed to find
actual prices are far lower which is a result of wholesalers dropping
their bids. We believe one major rhodium buyer will cease further buying
soon.
The rhodium market is tiny and illiquid. Price discrepancies like the
one we are seeing are common. Our advice to clients would be not to put
much credence in the “spot†price they see published until the spread
is much tighter than it currently is.
The true price of rhodium, like all assets, is based on what real
buyers are actually paying. That is currently closer to $8,000/oz, not
$10,000/oz.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 2:45 PM on Tuesday, January 28th, 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.
Edtech startup InterviewBit secures $20m from Sequoia India, others
Indian edtech startup InterviewBit has raised US$20 million in a series A round led by Sequoia India and Tiger Global, along with other investors.
Founded in 2015 by Abhimanyu Saxena and Anshuman Singh, the Bengaluru-based startup offers computer science courses through live online classes. Students are mentored and taught by tech leaders and experts working with companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Netflix, among others.
Founded in 2015 by Abhimanyu Saxena and Anshuman Singh, the
Bengaluru-based startup offers computer science courses through live
online classes. Students are mentored and taught by tech leaders and
experts working with companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Netflix,
among others.
The company plans to use the new funds to scale up its enrollment
efforts, launch in new markets, and invest in their curriculum and
live-teaching products, according to a statement.
In April last year, InterviewBit launched an advanced online computer
science program for college graduates and young professionals called
Scaler Academy (rebranded from InterviewBit Academy).
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The first batch from the program comprises of 200 students. Since
then, six more cycles of the program have been initiated, with one being
conducted in the US. The startup said it received a total of over
200,000 applications in nine months after the program’s debut.
According to a recent National Employability Report for Engineers,
the employability of Indian engineers continues to be as low as 20%.
With that in mind, InterviewBit said it designed the Scaler Academy to
effectively enhance the coding skills of professionals through a modern
curriculum that exposes them to the latest technologies.
“Within a short period of time, it has made a huge impact on the
capabilities of our students who spend, on average, four to five hours
per day on our online and live-learning platform,†said InterviewBit
co-founder Abhimanyu Saxena.
InterviewBit was one of the 17 startups that formed the first batch
of Surge, Sequoia India’s startup accelerator program. Surge invested US$1.5 million in seed money in each of the participating companies.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 2:07 PM on Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
SPONSOR: American Creek owns a 20% Carried Interest to Production at the Treaty Creek Project in the Golden Triangle. 2019’s first hole averaged of 0.683 g/t Au over 780m in a vertical intercept. The Treaty Creek property is located in the same hydrothermal system as the Pretivm and Seabridge’s KSM deposits. Click Here For More Info
Excerpts from Crescat Capital November Newsletter:
Precious Metals
Precious metals are poised to benefit from what we consider to be the
best macro set up we’ve seen in our careers. The stars are all
aligning. We believe strongly that this time monetary policy will come
at a cost. Look in the chart below at how the new wave of global money
printing just initiated by the Fed in response to the Treasury market
funding crisis is highly likely to pull depressed gold prices up with
it.
The imbalance between historically depressed commodity prices
relative to record overvalued US stocks remains at the core of our macro
views. On the long side, we believe strongly commodities offer
tremendous upside potential on many fronts. Precious metals remain our
favorite. We view gold as the ultimate haven asset to likely outperform
in an environment of either a downturn in the business cycle, rising
global currency wars, implosion of fiat currencies backed by record
indebted government, or even a full-blown inflationary set up. These
scenarios are all possible. Our base case is that governments and
central banks will keep their pedals to the metal to attempt to fend off
credit implosion or to mop up after one has already occurred until
inflation becomes a persistent problem.
The gold and silver mining industry is precisely where we see one of
the greatest ways to express this investment thesis. These stocks have
been in a severe bear market from 2011 to 2015 and have been formed a
strong base over the last four years. They are offer and incredibly
attractive deep-value opportunity and appear to be just starting to
break out this year. We have done a deep dive in this sector and met
with over 40 different management teams this year. Combining that work
with our proprietary equity models, we are finding some of the greatest
free-cash-flow growth and value opportunities in the market today
unrivaled by any other industry. We have also found undervalued
high-quality exploration assets that will make excellent buyout
candidates.
We recently point out this 12-year breakout in mining stocks relative
to gold now looks as solid as a rock. In our view, this is just the
beginning of a major bull market for this entire industry. We encourage
investors to consider our new Crescat Precious Metals SMA strategy which
is performing extremely well this year.
Zero Discounting for Inflation Risk Today
With historic Federal debt relative to GDP and large deficits into
the future as far as the eye can see, if the global financial markets
cannot absorb the increase in Treasury debt, the Fed will be forced to
monetize it even more. The problem is that the Fed’s panic money
printing at this point in the economic cycle may hasten the unwinding of
the imbalances it is so desperate to maintain because it has perversely
fed the last-gasp melt up of speculation in already record over-valued
and extended equity and corporate credit markets. It is reminiscent of
when the Fed injected emergency cash into the repo market at the peak of
the tech bubble at the end of 1999 to fend off a potential Y2K computer
glitch that led to that market and business cycle top. After 40
years of declining inflation expectations in the US, there is a major
disconnect today between portfolio positioning, valuation, and economic
reality. Too much of the investment world is long the “risk parityâ€
trade to one degree or another, long stocks paired with leveraged long
bonds, a strategy that has back-tested great over the last 40 years, but
one that would be a disaster in a secular rising inflation environment.
With historic Federal debt relative to GDP and large deficits into
the future as far as the eye can see, rising long-term inflation, and
the hidden tax thereon, is the default, bi-partisan plan for the US
government’s future funding regardless of who is in the White House and
Congress after the 2020 elections. The market could start discounting
this sooner rather than later. The Fed’s excessive money printing
may only reinforce the unraveling of financial asset imbalances today as
it leads to rising inflation expectations and thereby a sell-off in
today’s highly over-valued long duration assets including Treasury bonds
and US equities, particularly insanely overvalued growth stocks. We
believe we are in the vicinity of a major US stock market and business
cycle peak.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 1:57 PM on Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
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According
to research by BloombergNEF, European automakers and governments will
move toward helping curb global warming with stricter carbon emissions
regulations, which could force an electric-vehicle revolution.
In the United States, electric vehicles are primarily being purchased
by consumers that want to take action on their own. Fuel is cheap, the
country doesn’t have a real climate change plan, and large vehicles like
pickups are king. All of this means that there’s little incentive,
beyond the $7,500 federal tax credit, to purchase an EV. That, though,
isn’t the case in other countries like China and, soon to be Europe.
EV Revolution Coming This Year
According
to a report by Bloomberg and a forecast from BloombergNEF, Europe will
see an electric revolution in 2020. The outlet states that the country’s
government will soon look to cut carbon emissions from vehicles as part
of a plan to curb global warming. This, in turn, will force automakers
to introduce electric vehicles.
Bloomberg claims that sales of
electric cars are set to increase to 2.5 million units in 2020. That
figure represents an increase of 20 percent from 2019.
Just like this year, China will continue to lead the way forward for sales. But the country recently decided to reduce subsidies for EV owners,
which could help Europe gain a larger piece of the market. The outlet’s
forecasting claims that Volkswagen’s push to become an electric-vehicle
force will boost the number of electrified vehicles in Europe. In
total, the outlet expects 800,000 electric cars to be sold in Europe in
2020.
“The long-term future is really bright, but in the short
term we’re expecting growth to be relatively slow,” said Colin
McKerracher, an analyst at BloombergNEF. “You’re still in the middle of
this transition, from a market driven by direct subsidies toward one
driven by a combination of real consumer demand and other big policy
mechanisms.”
Better Prices, More Infrastructure Coming
Another
important aspect of electric vehicles that will help sales increase in
Europe are decreasing lithium-ion battery prices. The outlet states that
prices per kilowatt-hour will hit roughly $135 – approximately 13
percent lower than in 2019. With the increase of battery production,
better battery designs, and more sales, battery prices are expected to
tumble.
All of these things mean that more chargers will be
needed. Luckily, public chargers are expected to rise to 1.2 million, up
from 880,000 last year. The increase in chargers will come in part from
governments and energy companies looking to expand infrastructure to
support the increase in demand for electric cars.
Another
interesting trend to look at in 2020 include other forms of electrified
transportation. A few companies, even automakers, showcased flying electric cars at CES.
While it’s unlikely that one would come out in 2020, it’s likely
something that more companies will pursue this year. Other forms of
transportation, including boats could go electric in 2020, too.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 12:39 PM on Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
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In the weeks since the Physics World team kicked off the new year by testing a pair of graphene headphones, we’ve received a steady stream of comments about our review and a related segment on our weekly podcast. A few people have asked our opinion of other graphene headphones, and one man went so far as to question whether the “graphene†label he found on an inexpensive pair of headphones was anything more than “misleading click-baitâ€.
I can’t judge any product I haven’t tried, and I also can’t judge a product’s graphene content without taking it apart and getting experts to analyse it. However, with those two caveats firmly in place, here are two facts to consider should you happen to be in the market for graphene headphones (and, by extension, graphene anything).
First, a lot of things contribute to how a pair of headphones will sound. The physical composition of the headphone drivers (graphene, PET, cellulose, or whatever) is only one factor. Others include the method by which those drivers create sound (this blog post explains a few of the possibilities, and their trade-offs); the quality of the other electronics; and simple things like how well the headphones fit over/in your ears. Some of these things are more expensive to optimize than others. The graphene headphones I tested are a high-end product with, it appears, a high-end price, so I suspect they are pretty good at the non-graphene-related aspects of headphone design – and that much of their cost comes from that, not from the graphene.
Second, graphene exists in many forms, with many price points. A lot of physicists are interested in ultra-pure, single-layer graphene, which has amazing electronic properties. This “physicists’ graphene†is difficult (and expensive) to make in macroscopic quantities. However, others are more interested in graphene’s mechanical properties, such as strength and rigidity. To get these properties, you don’t need ultra-pure single-layer graphene. You can get by with a cheaper type, which for argument’s sake I will term “materials scientists’ graphene†(this is an oversimplification, but it conveys the right feel). The proprietary graphene-based material in the headphones I tested was most likely in this category.
But even this type of graphene is expensive relative to a third type
of graphene, which is cheap enough to be added in bulk to substances
like paint
or resin to improve their heat transport and/or electrical
conductivity. As I understand it, this “engineers’ graphene†functions
like a superior version of graphite, and manufacturers are selling it by
the kilo (and maybe, soon, by the tonne).
I’m not trying to start a three-way brawl between physicists,
materials scientists and engineers about which type of graphene is
better. They all have their uses,
and they all qualify as graphene. But here’s the problem: a product can
advertise itself, accurately, as containing graphene even if the
graphene it contains is not of a type or quantity that’s going to make a
difference to its performance. What’s more, if an unscrupulous
manufacturer wants to put graphite in its product and call it
“grapheneâ€, it’s hard for ordinary consumers to know the difference. To
the naked eye, graphene and graphite both look like gritty black
powders. You need more sophisticated testing equipment to distinguish
between them, and between the various grades of graphene.
Certification is a huge issue
for the graphene industry, and a lot of people are working on it.
However, until there’s a strong framework for regulation, the next best
thing is probably to look for independent endorsements by people and
organizations who know what they’re talking about. The headphones I
tried were endorsed by the co-discoverer of graphene, Kostya Novoselov,
as making good use of the material. Since then, I’ve learned of a different make of graphene headphones that has been endorsed by an industry body called the Graphene Council. However, until someone gives Physics World
its own product-testing lab and qualified technicians to run it, that’s
about all I can say – except to add that there are some graphene
products I definitely won’t be testing with my colleagues.
Posted by AGORACOM
at 8:30 AM on Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
Significant upside potential identified at 1,675,000 oz (20.78 Mt @ 2.5 g/t Au) Imbo Concession since 2014 resource estimate
TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2020 — Loncor Resources Inc. (“Loncor” or the “Company“) (TSX: “LN”; OTCQB: “LONCF”) is pleased to provide an update on its activities within the Ngayu Greenstone Belt, where the Company has a dominant foot-print through its joint venture with Barrick Gold (Congo) SARL (“Barrickâ€) and on its own majority-owned prospecting licences and exploitation concessions.
The Ngayu Archean Greenstone Belt of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (the “DRCâ€)
is geologically similar to the belts which host the world class gold
mines of AngloGold Ashanti/Barrick’s Kibali mine in the DRC and
AngloGold Ashanti’s Geita mine in Tanzania. Gold mineralization at Ngayu
is spatially related to Banded Ironstone Formation (“BIFâ€),
which is the case at both Kibali and Geita and is highlighted in
Figures 1 and 2 below. The Ngayu belt is significantly larger in extent
than the Geita belt.
Adumbi Deposit Since the Company’s acquisition of
71.25% of the KGL-Somituri gold project from Kilo Goldmines Ltd. in
September 2019, Loncor has focussed on the Imbo exploitation concession
in the east of the Ngayu belt where an Inferred Mineral Resource of
1.675 million ounces of gold (20.78 million tonnes grading 2.5 g/t Au,
with 71.25% of this Inferred Mineral Resource being attributable to
Loncor via its 71.25% interest) was outlined in January 2014 by
independent consultants Roscoe Postle Associates Inc (“RPAâ€)
on three separate deposits, Adumbi, Kitenge and Manzako (see Figures 3
and 4 below). In this study, RPA made a number of recommendations on
Adumbi, which were subsequently undertaken during the period 2014-18.
The Company’s geological consultants Minecon Resources and Services
Limited (“Mineconâ€) has been assessing the implications of this additional exploration data on Adumbi, which are summarised below.
Additional Drilling RPA recommended additional
drilling at Adumbi to test the down dip/plunge extent of the
mineralization. In 2017, four deeper core holes were drilled below the
previously outlined RPA inferred resource over a strike length of 400
metres and to a maximum depth of 450 metres below surface. All four
holes intersected significant gold mineralization in terms of widths and
grade and are summarised below:
Borehole
From(m)
To(m)
Intercept Width(m)
True Width(m)
Grade (g/t) Au
SADD50
434.73
447.42
12.69
10.67
5.51
SADD51
393.43
402.72
9.29
6.54
4.09
SADD52
389.72
401.87
12.15
7.01
3.24
419.15
428.75
9.60
5.54
5.04
SADD53
346.36
355.63
9.27
5.70
3.71
391.72
415.17
23.45
14.43
6.08
The above drilling results which are shown on the longtitudinal
section (see Figure 5 below), indicate that the gold mineralization is
open along strike and at depth. The drilling of an additional 12 core
holes has the potential to significantly increase the Adumbi mineral
resource as highlighted on the longitudinal section.
Survey and Georeferencing The Adumbi drill hole
collars, trenches, and accessible adits/portals have now been accurately
surveyed and the data appropriately georeferenced. In addition, all
accessible underground excavations and workings have been accurately
surveyed. The new and improved quality of the exploration data will have
positive implications on potential future classification of the mineral
resources.
Re-logging of All Drill Holes The re-logging of
drill holes after the RPA study has defined the presence of five
distinct geological domains in the central part of the Adumbi deposit
where the BIF unit attains a thickness of up to 130 metres (see Figure 4
below). From northeast to southwest:
Upper BIF Sequence: an interbedded sequence of BIF and chlorite schist, 45 to 130 metres in thickness.
Carbonaceous Marker: a distinctive 3 to 17 metre thick unit of black carbonaceous schist with pale argillaceous bands.
Lower BIF Sequence: BIF interbedded with quartz carbonate, carbonaceous and/or chlorite schist in a zone 4 to 30 metres wide.
Footwall Schists: similar to the hanging wall schist sequence.
In the central part of Adumbi, three main zones of gold mineralization are present. These include mineralisation:
Within the Lower BIF Sequence.
In the lower part of the Upper BIF Sequence. Zones 1 and 2 are
separated by the Carbonaceous Marker, which is essentially
unmineralized.
A weaker zone in the upper part of the Upper BIF Sequence.
The lack of a detailed geological model in the previous resource
estimates resulted in wireframes being constructed using only assay
values with little regard to geological domains. This has resulted in
wireframes cross-cutting the geology which could have resulted in
underestimating the previous resource estimate.
Relative Density (“RDâ€) Measurements The increase
in the sample population coupled with the application of a more rigid
RD determination procedure based on recommendations from the RPA
resource study, indicates that the new RD measurements from both
mineralized and unmineralized material and from the various material
types and lithologic units have improved the confidence in the relative
RD determination to be applied to any future resource estimates.
Relative to the 6 oxide RD measurements used for tonnage estimation in
the RPA model, 297 oxide RD measurements within the mineralised domain
were undertaken during the review work. For the transition and fresh
material, equal number of determinations relative to the previous RD
sample volumes were undertaken with the review process employing more
rigid RD determination procedures.
Table 1 below indicates significate positive variance between the
previous model RD and the reviewed work for the oxide and transition
materials.
Table 1: Summary of Previous and Reviewed Mineralised Average RD Measurements
Material Type
RD used in Previous RPA Model
Additional RD Determinations
RD Variance (%)
Oxide
1.80
2.45
36.1
Transition
2.20
2.82
28.2
Fresh
3.00
3.05
1.7
Oxidation and Fresh Rock Surfaces The re-logging
of the core as per the RPA recommendations identified major differences
between the depths of Base of Complete Oxidation (BOCO) and Top of Fresh
Rock (TOFR), and the depths used by RPA in the 2014 model. In the RPA
model, the BOCO was negligible and the TOFR corresponded approximately
to the re-logged BOCO. The deeper levels of oxidation that were observed
during the re-logging exercise should have positive implications for
the Adumbi project with respect to ore type classification and
associated metallurgical recoveries and mining and processing cost
estimates.
Adit Sampling and Georeferencing Following the
accurate surveying of the 10 historical adits and appropriately
georeferencing, the 796 adit samples (1,121 metres in total) when
applied should have positive implications on the data spacing and
classification of any future mineral resources.
In summary, most of the previous recommendations from the 2014 RPA
mineral resource study on Adumbi have been undertaken. In addition, the
previously recommended LIDAR survey by RPA was completed this month over
Adumbi by Southern Mapping of South Africa.
The results of all the above tasks coupled with the higher current
gold price compared with the previous study in 2014 indicate significant
upside at Adumbi. Minecon is undertaking further studies to better
quantify this significant upside. At present and subject to the Company
securing the necessary financing, the Company is planning to drill the
additional 12 deeper holes at Adumbi and then commence a preliminary
economic assessment when an updated mineral resource study will be
undertaken.
Ongoing studies are also continuing by Minecon on further assessing
the data elsewhere on the Imbo exploitation concession including Kitenge
and Manzako.
As announced in November 2019, joint venture partner and operator
Barrick has identified a number of priority drill targets within the
1,894 square kilometre joint venture land package (the “JV Areasâ€)
at Ngayu and that are planned to be drilled during the current dry
season. Drill targets include Bakpau, Lybie-Salisa and Itali in the Imva
area as well as Anguluku in the southwest of the Ngayu belt and
Yambenda in the north. As per the joint venture agreement signed in
January 2016, Barrick manages and funds exploration on the JV Areas at
the Ngayu project until the completion of a pre-feasibility study on any
gold discovery meeting the investment criteria of Barrick. Subject to
the DRC’s free carried interest requirements, Barrick would earn 65% of
any discovery with Loncor holding the balance of 35%. Loncor will be
required, from that point forward, to fund its pro-rata share in respect
of the discovery in order to maintain its 35% interest or be diluted.
About Loncor Resources Inc. Loncor
is a Canadian gold exploration company focused on two projects in the
DRC – the Ngayu and North Kivu projects. Both projects have historic
gold production. Exploration at the Ngayu project is currently being
undertaken by Loncor’s joint venture partner Barrick Gold Corporation
through its DRC subsidiary Barrick Gold (Congo) SARL (“Barrickâ€).
The Ngayu project is 200 kilometres southwest of the Kibali gold mine,
which is operated by Barrick and in 2018 produced approximately 800,000
ounces of gold. As per the joint venture agreement signed in January
2016, Barrick manages and funds exploration at the Ngayu project until
the completion of a pre-feasibility study on any gold discovery meeting
the investment criteria of Barrick. Subject to the DRC’s free carried
interest requirements, Barrick would earn 65% of any discovery with
Loncor holding the balance of 35%. Loncor will be required, from that
point forward, to fund its pro-rata share in respect of the discovery in
order to maintain its 35% interest or be diluted.
Certain parcels of land within the Ngayu project surrounding and
including the Makapela and Yindi prospects have been retained by Loncor
and do not form part of the joint venture with Barrick. Barrick has
certain pre-emptive rights over these two areas. Loncor’s Makapela
prospect has an Indicated Mineral Resource of 614,200 ounces of gold
(2.20 million tonnes grading 8.66 g/t Au) and an Inferred Mineral
Resource of 549,600 ounces of gold (3.22 million tonnes grading 5.30 g/t
Au). Loncor also recently acquired a 71.25% interest in the
KGL-Somituri gold project in the Ngayu gold belt which has an Inferred
Mineral Resource of 1.675 million ounces of gold (20.78 million tonnes
grading 2.5 g/t Au), with 71.25% of this resource being attributable to
Loncor via its 71.25% interest.
Resolute Mining Limited (ASX/LSE: “RSG”) owns 27% of the outstanding
shares of Loncor and holds a pre-emptive right to maintain its pro rata
equity ownership interest in Loncor following the completion by Loncor
of any proposed equity offering. Newmont Goldcorp Corporation (NYSE:
“NEM”; TSX: “NGT”) owns 7.8% of Loncor’s outstanding shares
Additional information with respect to Loncor and its projects can be found on Loncor’s website at www.loncor.com.
Qualified Person Peter N. Cowley, who is President of
Loncor and a “qualified person” as such term is defined in National
Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information
in this press release.
Technical Reports Certain additional information with
respect to the Company’s Ngayu project is contained in the technical
report of Venmyn Rand (Pty) Ltd dated May 29, 2012 and entitled “Updated
National Instrument 43-101 Independent Technical Report on the Ngayu
Gold Project, Orientale Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo”. A
copy of the said report can be obtained from SEDAR at www.sedar.com and
EDGAR at www.sec.gov.
Certain additional information with respect to the Company’s recently
acquired KGL-Somituri project is contained in the technical report of
Roscoe Postle Associates Inc. dated February 28, 2014 and entitled
“Technical Report on the Somituri Project Imbo Licence, Democratic
Republic of the Congo”. A copy of the said report, which was prepared
for, and filed on SEDAR by, Kilo Goldmines Ltd., can be obtained from
SEDAR at www.sedar.com. To the best of the Company’s knowledge,
information and belief, there is no new material scientific or technical
information that would make the disclosure of the KGL-Somituri mineral
resource set out in this press release inaccurate or misleading.
Cautionary Note to U.S. Investors The
United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) permits
U.S. mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only
those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally
extract or produce. Certain terms are used by the Company, such as
“Indicated” and “Inferred” “Resources”, that the SEC guidelines strictly
prohibit U.S. registered companies from including in their filings with
the SEC. U.S. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in
the Company’s Form 20-F annual report, File No. 001- 35124, which may
be secured from the Company, or from the SEC’s website at
http://www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.
For further information, please visit our website at www.loncor.com,
or contact: Arnold Kondrat, CEO, Toronto, Ontario, Tel: + 1 (416) 366
7300.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 6:11 PM on Monday, January 27th, 2020
First tranche of the Offering closed on November 6, 2019, at which time the Company issued an aggregate of 1,264 Units for gross proceeds of $1,264,000
Accordingly, the Company can issue up to an additional $2,736,000 of Units under the Second Tranche
In the context of a regular follow-up communication with Health Canada, representatives of the Company received verbal feedback that the application review is complete and the reviewers do not have any more questions.
TORONTO, Jan. 27, 2020 – North Bud Farms Inc. (CSE: NBUD) (OTCQB: NOBDF) (“NORTHBUD” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce that it is arranging a closing for the second tranche (the “Second Tranche“) of its non-brokered private placement of 10% secured convertible debenture units (the “Units“) of the Company at a price of C$1,000 for gross proceeds of up to C$4,000,000, originally announced on November 6, 2019 (the “Offering“). The first tranche of the Offering closed on November 6, 2019, at which time the Company issued an aggregate of 1,264 Units for gross proceeds of $1,264,000. Accordingly, the Company can issue up to an additional $2,736,000 of Units under the Second Tranche.
Each Unit issued in connection with the Second Tranche of the
Offering is comprised of one C$1,000 principal amount of secured
convertible debenture (a “Convertible Debenture“)
accruing interest at 10.0% per annum, payable semi-annually in arrears
until maturity, and 5,556 common share purchase warrants of the Company
(each, a “Warrant“). The Convertible Debentures will
have a maturity date of 36 months from the date of issuance. In
addition, under the Second Tranche, the Company has the right to prepay
an amount equal to the 1st year of interest to be earned by issuing
common shares at a deemed price of $0.25 per common share (the “Prepaid Interest Sharesâ€)
on the 15th day following the Closing Date should the holders of the
Convertible Debentures not elect to receive their 1st year interest paid
in cash.
Each Convertible Debenture shall be convertible into common shares in the capital of the Company (each, a “Conversion Share“) at a price of $0.18 (the “Conversion Price“) per Conversion Share.
Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a “Warrant Share“) for an exercise price of $0.30 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months following the closing date.
The Convertible Debentures are direct secured obligations of the Company and rank pari passu in right of payment of principal and interest with all other Convertible Debentures issued under the Offering.
Certain directors of the Company have indicated that they may
participate in the private placement. Any such purchase would constitute
a “related party transaction†within the meaning of Multilateral
Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions
(“MI 61-101â€). The proposed issuance to directors of the Company would
be exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval
requirements of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of any Units issued
to or the consideration paid by such insiders would not exceed 25% of
the Company’s market capitalization.
The Company may pay registered dealers (the “Finders“)
a cash commission equal to up to 8% of the aggregate gross proceeds
from the sale of the Units sold pursuant to the Offering to eligible
investors introduced to the Company by such Finders. In addition, the
Company will grant warrants (the “Compensation Warrantsâ€)
exercisable at the Conversion Price for a period of 24 months from the
Closing Date to acquire in aggregate the number of Common Shares equal
to 8% of the gross proceeds under the Offering divided by the Conversion
Price.
The proceeds of the Second Tranche will be used by the Company for
expansion of the Company’s facilities and for general corporate and
working capital purposes.
The Convertible Debentures, Warrants, Prepaid Interest Shares (if
any), and any Compensation Warrants issued pursuant to the Second
Tranche of the Offering and any common shares in the capital of the
Company issued on conversion of the Convertible Debentures or exercise
of the Warrants or Compensation Warrants will be subject to a statutory
hold period in Canada of four months and one day following the closing
date in accordance with applicable securities laws. Additional resale
restrictions may be applicable under the laws of other jurisdictions, if
any.
The securities of the Company have not been and will not be
registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “U.S. Securities Act“) or any state securities
laws. Accordingly, the securities of the Company may not be offered or
sold within the United States unless registered under the U.S.
Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or pursuant to an
exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act
and applicable state securities laws. This news release does not
constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of
the securities of the Company in any jurisdiction in which such offer,
solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
Amendment to Securities Issued in First Tranche of the Offering
The Company further announces that, in order to ensure equitable
treatment of holders, it has decided to amend the terms of the
debentures (the “First Tranche Debentures“) and warrants (the “First Tranche Warrants“)
issued under the first tranche of the Offering, which closed on
November 6, 2019. The Company has amended the First Tranche Debentures
to reduce the conversion price to $0.18 per common share and has amended
the terms of the First Tranche Warrants to: (a) increase the number of
warrants issued per $1000 of principal amount of debenture from 2,000 to
5,556; (b) increase the exercise price from $0.25 to $0.30 per warrant;
and (c) extend the expiry date of the warrants from 18 months following
the closing date to 36 months following the closing date. The
amendments are subject to the final approval of the Canadian Securities
Exchange (CSE).
Corporate Update
The Company would also like to provide an update regarding the status
of its standard cultivation licence application with Health Canada
under the Cannabis Act. In the context of a regular follow-up
communication with Health Canada, representatives of the Company
received verbal feedback that the application review is complete and the
reviewers do not have any more questions. Subject to the re-submission
of a required foreign police certificate related to one of the foreign
directors of the Company, the Company will be in the final queue for
receiving its licence. The Company is confident that it will be able to
file the certificate promptly; however, there can be no assurance as to
the exact timing of the issuance of the licence by Health Canada or
whether the Company will receive any final request from Health Canada.
Further to the Company’s announcement regarding its acquisition of
certain California-based businesses on November 22, 2019, the Company
has proceeded with the issuance of 1,716,000 common shares, at an issue
price of $0.25 per share, to an arm’s length advisor to the Company. The
shares, which are subject to a statutory hold period as required by
applicable securities laws, are based upon the $429,000 cash value of
the 3% M&A fee payable to such advisor in respect of the foregoing
California acquisitions.
About North Bud Farms Inc. North Bud Farms Inc.,
through its U.S. subsidiary Bonfire Brands USA, has acquired cannabis
production facilities in California and in Nevada. The Salinas,
California 11-acre farm is actively cultivating cannabis in its 60,000
sq. ft. of licensed greenhouse production space. The Reno, Nevada
property is located on 3.2-acres of land which was acquired through the
acquisition of Nevada Botanical Science, Inc. a world class cannabis
production, research and development facility with 5,000 sq. ft. of
indoor cultivation which 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
licence 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 Canadian Securities Exchange (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
included in this press release constitute forward-looking information or
statements (collectively, “forward-looking statements”), including
those identified by the expressions “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”,
“estimate”, “expect”, “intend”, “may”, “should” and similar expressions
to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The
forward-looking statements are not historical facts but reflect current
expectations regarding future results or events. This press release
contains forward- looking statements that include, but are not limited
to, statements related to the intended use of proceeds from the
Offering, and the status of the Company’s licence application with
Health Canada under the Cannabis Act. These forward-looking statements
are based on current expectations and various estimates, factors and
assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the risk
factors included in North Bud Farms Inc.’s final long form prospectus
dated August 21, 2018, which is available under the issuer’s SEDAR
profile at www.sedar.com.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: North Bud Farms Inc. Edward Miller VP, IR & Communications Office: (855) 628-3420 ext. 3 [email protected]
