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Tetra Bio-Pharma $TBP.ca Pilot Study to Investigate a Cannabinoid Derived Drug in Dogs $AERO $CBDS $CGRW $APH.ca $GBLX

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:55 AM on Thursday, November 15th, 2018

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Tetra Bio-Pharma and Panag Pharma Advance their Veterinary Drug Pipeline 

  • Announced the submission of a clinical research application to the Veterinary Drugs Directorate at Health Canada.
  • This first of a kind veterinary study will examine the use of a cannabinoid-based drug to treat ocular pain and inflammation in canines
  • The pilot study will be led by veterinary ocular care specialists

ORLEANS, Ontario, Nov. 15, 2018 — Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. (“Tetra” or “TBP”) (TSX VENTURE: TBP) (OTCQB: TBPMF) and Panag Pharma Inc. (“Panag”) today announced the submission of a clinical research application to the Veterinary Drugs Directorate at Health Canada. This first of a kind veterinary study will examine the use of a cannabinoid-based drug to treat ocular pain and inflammation in canines. The pilot study will be led by veterinary ocular care specialists.

“Several companies are marketing cannabis-based treatments for aliments in companion animals, but there is a major gap in understanding the safety and efficacy of these drugs,” said Dr. Guy Chamberland, CEO and CSO of Tetra Bio-Pharma. “This study demonstrates our commitment to becoming a world leader in the field of cannabinoid-based therapies for vision health. Tetra continues to adhere to an evidence-based drug development model, consistent with bringing novel, efficacious and safe drug products to market, including the veterinary market. We look forward to launching this trial to investigate the use of cannabinoids to treat eye pain and inflammation in dogs.”

In addition to the pharmaceutical and natural health products markets, Tetra will also launch trials in the companion animal market.  If approved, these products will be destined for global sales. At present, world-wide revenues derived from the companion animal market exceeded $30 billion in 2017, and this is expected to grow to $41 billion by 2024.

About Tetra Bio-Pharma
Tetra Bio-Pharma (TSX-V: TBP) (OTCQB: TBPMF) is a biopharmaceutical leader in cannabinoid-based drug discovery and development with a Health Canada approved, and FDA reviewed, clinical program aimed at bringing novel prescription drugs and treatments to patients and their healthcare providers. The Company has several subsidiaries engaged in the development of an advanced and growing pipeline of Bio Pharmaceuticals, Natural Health and Veterinary Products containing cannabis and other medicinal plant-based elements. With patients at the core of what we do, Tetra Bio-Pharma is focused on providing rigorous scientific validation and safety data required for inclusion into the existing bio pharma industry by regulators, physicians and insurance companies.

For more information visit: www.tetrabiopharma.com

Source: Tetra Bio-Pharma

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.

Forward-looking statements
Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words “may”, “will”, “should”, “continue”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “believe”, “intend”, “plan” or “project” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company’s business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, the success of the Company’s research and development strategies, including this trial, the ability to obtain orphan drug status, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion and uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the timing of clinical trials, the timing and outcomes of regulatory or intellectual property decisions and other risks disclosed in the Company’s public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. While no definitive documentation has yet been signed by the parties and there is no certainty that such documentation will be signed. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

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#Platinum 2020 ‘Supply Deficit’ on ‘Solid’ #Auto Demand #PGM $NAM.ca $LIC.ca $LIX.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 1:09 PM on Wednesday, November 14th, 2018
  • DEMAND for platinum-group metals from their No.1 use – autocatalysts to reduce harmful engine emissions
  • looks solid for the next 15 years even as sales of electric vehicles grow, the bullion market’s premier industry event was told last month.
Platinum mining supply, in contrast, is set to fall the London Bullion Market Association’s annual conference – held for 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts – also heard.
Speaking on Day 1 of the LBMA Boston 2018 event, Dr.Rahul Mital – technical specialist for diesel after-treatment at US auto giant General Motors (NYSE: GM) – forecast that more than 85% of new passenger cars sold in 2030 “are expected to have internal combustion engines with [catalytic] converters,” because all-electric cars won’t sell as strongly as hybrid vehicles using both technologies.
With environmental regulations growing tighter, hybrid electric vehicles are “typically be certified to lower emission levels,” Mital explained to the LBMA conference, so the quantity of platinum-group metals (PGM) loaded into the catalytic converter for their internal combustion engines “is not expected to decrease.”
Sales of Fuel Cell cars – a competitor green technology to electric vehicles, powered by energy made from mixing hydrogen and oxygen over a platinum catalyst – will meantime grow to perhaps 1 million units worldwide, Mital said.
That would prove enough to make a notable impact on auto-sector platinum demand, he said.
Noting there are “many different forecasts” analysts should consider, Mital said that on his assumptions global PGM usage by the auto sector “is expected to stay stable or decrease [only] marginally by 2030…with diesel sales [needing platinum catalysts] in the heavy-duty industry expected to stay steady with no change or [even a] slight increase in PGM usage as tougher regulations come into play.”
On the supply side meantime, 71% of global platinum-output comes from miners in South Africa, says a note from specialist consultants Metals Focus. So “with 90% of their costs in local currency terms, it is important to view prices in Rand terms,” and with the currency falling hard in 2018 “the Rand-denominated PGM basket price [for platinum, palladium, rhodium and gold] is up 11% for the year.”
That’s now “providing some relief to South African platinum producers,” Metals Focus says. More globally, and on an all-in sustaining costs basis for the first half of 2018, “24% of the industry is loss making, a marked improvement from 57% in H1 ’17.”
South Africa’s output of platinum-group metals rose in September, new data showed last week, beating a 1.8% total drop in all mineral production and a near one-fifth decline in gold output with 7.2% year-on-year growth.
Further ahead however, “Supply driven deficits [are] on the horizon” for platinum worldwide reckons Justin Froneman, chief financial officer for the US at gold and platinum-group miner Sibanye-Stillwater (JSE: SGL), also speaking at the LBMA event in Boston last month.
Since the global financial crisis of 2008 and the following drop in platinum prices, “Capital investment in South Africa has been insufficient to replace current production levels.”
“Without incentive-driven price growth, new supply coming on-stream seems unlikely or delayed,” Froneman went on, forecasting that South Africa’s primary platinum production will drop to 3.9 million ounces in 2025, down more than 25% from the 5.3moz produced in the peak year of 2006.
“The Western Limb [of South Africa’s giant Bushveld mineral complex] currently represents more than 70% of South African supply. No new production is expected from the Western Limb without a real basket price escalation exceeding 20-25%.”
All told, “Platinum is likely to remain in marginal surplus for the remainder of this decade,” Froneman concluded, “before reverting to increasing deficits as primary production from South Africa contracts.”
Platinum’s No.1 industrial use – greater than chemical, electrical, petroleum, medical and all other productive uses combined – autocatalyst demand  may slip 6% this year worldwide, buoyed by growing emerging-market usage but dented by the sharp fall in diesel passenger-vehicle sales seen in Europe since the emissions-test cheating scandal broke at VW and other leading manufacturers.

 

 

Adrian Ash is director of research at BullionVault, the physical gold and silver market for private investors online. Formerly head of editorial at London’s top publisher of private-investment advice, he was City correspondent for The Daily Reckoning from 2003 to 2008, and is now a regular contributor to many leading analysis sites including Forbes and a regular guest on BBC national and international radio and television news. Adrian’s views on the gold market have been sought by the Financial Times and Economist magazine in London; CNBC, Bloomberg and TheStreet.com in New York; Germany’s Der Stern; Italy’s Il Sole 24 Ore, and many other respected finance publications.

Source: https://www.bullionvault.com/gold-news/platinum-supply-demand-111420183

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Bougainville Ventures $BOG.ca arranges $1M private placement $CROP.ca $VP.ca NF.ca $MCOA

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 12:08 PM on Wednesday, November 14th, 2018

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  • Arranged a private placement of units at a price of 20 cents per unit for gross proceeds of up to $1-million.
  • Company has made an allowance for an oversubscription of up to 100 per cent of the expected gross proceeds of $1-million

Bougainville Ventures Inc. has arranged a private placement of units at a price of 20 cents per unit for gross proceeds of up to $1-million. The company has made an allowance for an oversubscription of up to 100 per cent of the expected gross proceeds of $1-million.

Each unit comprises one common share of the company and one common share purchase warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the company at an exercise price of 30 cents per warrant share for a term that is 24 months from the date of closing of the private placement.

The proceeds of the private placement will be used for general working capital.

The company wishes to correct a typo in its news release dated Oct. 31, 2018, in which it announced the closing of a previously announced private placement with gross proceeds of $308,000 and 1,232,000 units. The previously announced private placement closed with gross proceeds of $320,500 and 1,282,000 units.

About Bougainville Ventures Inc.

Bougainville provides cannabis infrastructure and seed-to-sale services to I-502 tenant-growers leasing greenhouse facilities space and providing fully built out, turnkey solutions and ancillary services including processing, cannabis expertise, and marketing and sales resources. Greenhouse canopies provide a 50-per-cent saving in cultivation cost.

We seek Safe Harbor.

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Revenues at #Cannabis Startups Surge as Demand Begins to Outstrip Supply $BOG.ca $NBUD.ca $MCOA $ACG.ca $ACB $WEED.ca $HIP.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:51 AM on Wednesday, November 14th, 2018

By Kevin Kelleher

7:30 PM EST

Three of the largest cannabis companies reported earnings this week, painting a portrait of a nascent industry enjoying surging demand as recreational pot becomes legalized in more places—but they’re also encountering some growing pains.

Aurora Cannabis said Monday its revenue rose 260% to $29.7 million Canadian dollars (US$22 million). Net income came in at C$105.5 million, up from C$3.56 million a year ago, largely because of unrealized gains on securities.

On Tuesday, Tilray said revenue rose 86% to C$10 million, while its net loss increased to C$19 million from C$1.8 million a year ago, driven largely by an increase in non-cash stock-based compensation charges.

Also on Tuesday, Cronos Group said revenue in the third quarter rose 186% to C$3.8 million, compared with C$1.3 million a year ago. Cronos lost 4 Canadian cents per share.

Both Tilray and Cronos said that the average price of weed per gram declined. Tilray attributed the decline to an increase in bulk sales as a percentage of total revenue.

However, the price of cannabis could increase in the future because demand is beginning to outstrip supply as Canada and many U.S. states have legalized marijuana. Much of the cannabis sales the three companies reported last quarter came from medicinal marijuana.

“Similar to other Canadian LPs, we are facing demand that outstrips supply,” Aurora’s chief corporate officer Cam Battley said during the company’s earnings conference call. “We anticipate this dynamic to continue for some time.”

Cannabis stocks surged through most of 2018 before encountering a selloff, once pot became legal in Canada, in a classic buy-on-rumor, sell-on-news scenario. Investors appear to be remaining cautious, despite the strong revenue growth last quarter. On Tuesday, Aurora’s stock on the NYSE fell 3.7%, while TIlray fell 1.9% and Cronos fell 1.7%.

Source: http://fortune.com/2018/11/13/revenue-cannabis-startups-surges-demand-outstrip-supply/

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#Solar ‘charging ahead’ but ‘unprecedented’ investment action required, IEA warns $HPQ.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 10:15 AM on Wednesday, November 14th, 2018
  • Solar PV is “charging ahead” across the world as it outpaces other renewables, but far more significant action is required if a climate crisis is to be averted, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned
  • This morning the IEA has released this year’s edition of its World Energy Outlook (WEO), including a mix of worldwide energy trends and forecasts under different models and scenarios.

By Liam Stoker

Solar PV, the IEA has said, is “charging ahead” of other renewables in numerous markets and, alongside gas, is “re-shaping” the power sector entirely. IEA forecasts that solar PV capacity will overtake wind by 2025 and coal in the mid-2030s to become the second largest generation technology, behind only gas.

Such a surge in installed capacity is likely to have significant impacts on global generation mixes and, in turn, the entire power sector, thrusting huge importance on flexibility which the IEA has labelled the “new cornerstone” of electricity security.

The IEA has gone so far as to state that changes to the power mix will need to be addressed with “growing urgency” across the global, which will, in turn, require market reforms, more significant investments in national grids and more prolific adoption of demand-side response, smart metering and energy storage technologies.

But of a far starker nature are the agency’s warnings surrounding the pace of clean energy adoption, specifically if the world remains committed to limiting global warming to within two degrees.

In charting projections for electricity generation capacities and demand, the IEA has suggested there remains a significant gap between its forecasts and staying within those climate targets, requiring what the IEA has termed as a “systematic preference” for investments in sustainable energy technologies.

In simple terms, both developing and advanced economies can no longer invest in carbon-emitting power stations if the effects of climate change are to be limited to limited within two degrees.

Fatih Birol, executive director at the IEA, noted that with more than 70% of global energy investments set to be government-driven, the “world’s energy destiny” is intertwined with global politics.

“Crafting the right policies and proper incentives will be critical to meeting our common goals of securing energy supplies, reducing carbon emissions, improving air quality in urban centres, and expanding basic access to energy in Africa and elsewhere,” he said.

While the IEA’s absolute figures for solar power deployment have proven far too conservative in the past, the body has the ear of OECD governments adding weight to its overall message..

Source: https://www.pv-tech.org/news/solar-charging-ahead-but-unprecedented-investment-action-required-iea-warns

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#Blockchain momentum is growing across Europe $HIVE.ca $BLOC.ca $CODE.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 9:16 AM on Wednesday, November 14th, 2018

Telefonica, Central Bank of Azerbaijan and others demonstrate that the blockchain momentum is growing across multiple industries in Europe

  • According to the IDC, “blockchain spending in Europe is now growing faster than anywhere else.”
  • Leading European companies are continuing to innovate with blockchain technology, progressing projects from proof of concept to production environments. And many, have selected IBM Blockchain as their partner of choice.

Blockchain in the enterprise

The attributes of blockchain technology are ideally suited to large networks of disparate partners. As such, it represents an attractive technology for large corporations and start-ups alike, with assets spread across the world in various forms.

The blockchain is a distributed ledger technology, which establishes a shared, immutable record of all the transactions that take place within a network. It then enables permissioned parties access to trusted data in real time.

‘By applying the technology to a variety of business processes, a new form of command and consent can be introduced into the flow of information, empowering multiple partners to collaborate and establishing a single shared view of a transaction without compromising details, privacy or confidentiality,’ according to an announcement released today by IBM.

IBM Blockchain

‘The hallmark of IBM’s blockchain business has been the ability to convene broad groups of network participants to embrace a collaborative platform approach to blockchain adoption,’ reads the announcement.

‘These clients are capitalising on the opportunity for greater trust and transparency using blockchain across a variety of industries, for example to better manage the reconciliation of international mobile phone roaming charges, securing digital identity for citizens, and complying with new European banking directives on customer communications.’

IBM has more than 500 blockchain projects globally, and is engaged across all industries. The company notes that European projects, in particular, are on the rise. According to the IDC, “blockchain spending in Europe is now growing faster than anywhere else”.

“From large enterprises to startups, across multiple industries, businesses across Europe are selecting IBM Blockchain,” said Andrew Darley, IBM Blockchain Platform Leader, Europe. “Clients are attracted by the production-readiness of the IBM Blockchain Platform, allowing them to run highly secure networks in any environment of their choosing, on premise, via IBM Cloud, or an increasing number of other industry cloud providers.”

Use cases

European clients are working with IBM to drive blockchain innovation in their industries:

Telefónica and IBM are collaborating in the development of a proof of concept based on IBM blockchain technology to help solve one of the major challenges of operators, the management of international mobile phone call traffic.

The project resolves in real time the veracity and traceability of the information generated by the different networks of the operators when they route an international call thanks to a decentralized platform to which all the operators that intervene in the process have access. As a consequence, fraudulent behaviors and discrepancies between the information recorded by each operator are significantly reduced.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan and IBM are developing a Digital Identification System based on Hyperledger Fabric for individuals and legal entities, to verify the reliability of the documents related to them, when individuals or legal entities turn to banks, credit providers and other organizations. The new system will simplify and automate the ‘Know Your Customer’ validation process, and will be used by both clients and credit organisations serving citizens of Azerbaijan.

Finnish retail cooperative S-Group is testing their Pike-perch radar solution, which is based on IBM Blockchain technology, as part of the retail group’s strategy to improve customer experience. Customers in Finland can trace a fillet of pike or perch freshwater fish back to its home waters using the QR Code on the package of “Kotimaista-kuhafile” fish, or by logging in to a tracking website.

PKO Bank Polski, together with KIR (Krajowa Izba Rozliczeniowa S.A. – Polish automated clearing house) and in partnership with IBM and Accenture, is using blockchain to help the bank achieve compliance with the European Union Payment Services Directive related to customer communication. Now the client documents and communications sent digitally to more than 5 million customers of the bank will be held in a highly secure blockchain-based repository.

The Central Securities Depository of Poland (Krajowy Depozyt Papierów Wartościowych, KDPW) has implemented their e-Voting solution in production, designed to encourage greater retail shareholder participation in company AGMs, and ensure transparency to regulators on the history of AGM agendas, and voting results.

Startup software developer Comgo.io, with support from IBM, is digitising the entire donation and spend process for NGOs using Hyperledger Fabric, a Linux Foundation project. NGO donors can see in real time what money has already been spent and the activities supported.

For example, when charity workers in India purchase hygiene products for the street children they support, the payment is tracked on a mobile phone, and written to the blockchain, allowing the approved people to see the transactions, and triggering the NGO responsible to verify that the children did actually receive the products.

The application enhances transparency to build a deeper connection between the donors and the charity, and helps donors to understand more about the work of the NGO. Comgo.io is implementing the application with 7 NGOs: Fundación Recover; Orden de Malta; Fundación Exit; Farmacéuticos sin Fronteras; KUBUKA; Itwillbe, and homelessentrepreneur.

Blockchain momentum

IBM attributes this blockchain momentum to the ease of use of the IBM Blockchain Platform and the open nature of the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger Fabric blockchain framework, coupled with the deep industry expertise of the organisation.

Another factor is the availability of services and developer resources on the ground in Europe, supporting clients, according to IBM: IBM Client Centres and Blockchain Garages in London and Böblingen; IBM Client Innovation Centres in Paris, Nice and Gronningen; an Industry Solution Centre in Montpellier; IBM Food Trust operational in Frankfurt; IBM Research centers in Zurich and Dublin, focused on cryptography, innovations in AI and optical imaging to help prove the identity and authenticity of objects, detect anomalies and support preventative maintenance in industrial environments; and at the Watson IoT Center in Munich, clients are engaged on projects to explore the convergence of IoT and blockchain, and how clients can automate business processes, gain competitive advantage, and create new business models, by embedding end point and sensor data into blockchain networks, to trigger smart contracts.

IBM’s Blockchain Starter Plan on IBM Cloud is also helping developers, startups and enterprises build blockchain proof-of-concepts quickly and affordably with an end-to-end blockchain development experience: a secure test environment, suite of education tools and modules and one-click network provisioning.

Source: https://www.information-age.com/blockchain-momentum-europe-123476474/

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#Programmatic advertising’s disruptive position $GOOD.ca $TTD $RUBI $AT.ca $TRMR $FUEL

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 6:10 PM on Tuesday, November 13th, 2018

Laura Bakopolus November 13, 2018

We live in an age where we regularly talk about things in person with our friends, then see ads for those same products online. People are growing increasingly accustomed to seeing digital ads for items that appeal to them, to the point where some people are even starting to feel frustrated if an ad doesn’t apply to them. That is evidence of the power — and value — of programmatic advertising.

Programmatic advertising is a disruptive technology that recently took the digital advertising world by storm. As more key players contribute to its growth and development, we move into the acceleration phase of the disruption cycle in which disruptors move closer to fulfilling their vision and early adopters thrive on the use of the innovation. Here, we see a culture form around programmatic advertising in which first movers become thought leaders and grow strong foundations and processes around the technology, second movers make tweaks to advance the technology and build it out further and consumers begin to accept and welcome the product into their daily lives. The next step involves maturation of the innovation, as it evolves into the dominant design that will likely remain relatively stable for some time. Later stages involve saturation, in which the innovation permeates many or all channels or industries, and commoditization, in which the innovation becomes a commonplace must-have.

I don’t think programmatic is at the maturation stage yet, since such a revolutionary technology is still being iterated and tweaked and is not yet utilized by the broadest customer base (think slow movers or laggards, according to the diffusion of innovations theory). Instead, I think we are perhaps at the most exciting place to be: I would argue that programmatic advertising is somewhere among the first two stages of the disruption cycle; it is still close to its original disruptive form, bleeding into the acceleration phase as it moves rapidly toward validation.

Programmatic started as a B2C tool, forced its way into B2B and grew to be a powerhouse among the advertising industry. But we are still moving forward. We are still iterating, adjusting and tweaking. Data and privacy laws are rightfully curbing the direction in which programmatic grows; while some may think these guidelines are impeding the growth of the innovation, I would instead posit that the innovation is still evolving and moving forward, which is a win. It is simply moving forward in a way that will sustain its success. If programmatic moved forward without heeding privacy laws, it would not last. Instead, paying attention to what people want, removing deficiencies and tweaking the design, structure or product makeup toward the customer base’s preferences are smart moves because they together mitigate risk involved in any disruptive innovation.

Programmatic’s growth could be hindered by its guidelines — or it could be strengthened by them. If we listen to what people are telling us — that they are okay with it if X, Y, Z — then we can transform “yes, but” into just “yes.” Showing consumers that we are valuing their input and adjusting based on their needs will strengthen our value proposition, proving that we are fulfilling a need for our customers rather than pushing an unwanted product onto an unknowing person. Consumers are smart and savvy, and we need to give credit where credit is due. If they want privacy but also want ads that apply to their needs, we need to find a way to do that. Those who do will survive, and those who don’t will fall by the wayside. Listening to customers will dictate a new direction for the market, differentiating the successful companies from those that are not able to respond to customer demand. Which of the two are you?

Source: https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2018/11/programmatic-advertisings-disruptive-position

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#Esports monetization is set to evolve in new, amazing ways $GMBL $ATVI $TTWO $GAME $EPY.ca $TCEHF $Game.ca $EPY.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 5:37 PM on Tuesday, November 13th, 2018
  • The esports industry relies on the legacy sports broadcast model for monetization, but there are new, advanced interactive technologies on the scene bringing amazing opportunities for the financial juggernaut that esports is.
VB Staff November 13, 2018 7:50 AM
“The people who wanted to make sure that esports happened looked at the business models of
traditional sports and said, let’s make that happen for us,” says Jonathan Singer, industry strategist
at Akamai.

That means advertising, sponsorship, merchandising, ticket sales, media rights, teams and leagues, formal coaching and mentoring, building up some stars, and having big events. What was a little different was putting it all online.

“That could not have made more sense,” Singer says. “It’s exactly what you needed to do. You took the prior business model and applied it. Check all the boxes and make sure you do it correctly. But if you’re looking at the future of esports, what are the new opportunities?”

The way esports is structured, a lot of it seems very similar to traditional sports, he adds. There are two or four guys (usually guys) with suits and headsets, and they’re calling the match, and sometimes you’ve got a commercial break. But within that paradigm there are ways to innovate, and there are ways to bust out. There are three key innovations that can take esports into the future, Singer says: relevance, value, and choice.

Relevance means that if you’re going to be advertising-based, the advertising needs to get better. It needs to get more targeted. How can you get viewers to consume your ads? What are they going to get in return?

“There’s room for innovation there, because this is almost a purely online audience,” he explains. “This is so different than what people think when they think about a sports audience. Obviously, a lot of people know a lot about digital advertising, but they need to take that learning, see where that industry is going, and apply it to esports.”

The next piece, he says, is value, particularly value to the viewers. It could look like a simple exchange: You give me an ad and I get to watch my content. But what does that experience look like and how does it interrupt my experience?

Right now companies are leaping in to take advantage of the opportunities this offers. Veracity is offering a blockchain system in which viewers make decisions around how many ads they’re willing to watch or listen to, in exchange for a certain amount of match viewing time. Advertisers put money into the blockchain system, and in the end, pay broadcasters solely based on viewership.

The last area ripe for innovation is the sport itself, or the difference in the way that audiences think about games versus the way they think about traditional sports.

“I hate to use the example of the Hunger Games, because it’s about sending children off to their deaths, which is terrible, but in that model, these viewers in the Capitol were able to engage with what they were watching by banding together, collecting some money, sending little air drops out for people,” Singer says. “Is that kind of engagement something that we can see in esports? How do the game-makers make that “fair” or reasonable? Is that something that audiences want? Is that something the players would tolerate?”

There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity around viewer interactivity for esports, in ways that would never fly in traditional sports.

“No one’s going to throw an extra basketball onto the court,” Singer says. “Or if you do, you’ll get kicked out of the stadium.”

Also part of the interactive piece is the opportunity to play with viewer perspective, as in how do viewers consume their matches. Do you follow one player? Where are the cameras, and why are they there? Companies are working hard now on innovating around how viewers watch and interact with the match, and how to translate that into engagement and new monetization opportunities.

In the end, there’s one very specific line of thought, Singer says, which is that esports doesn’t need traditional television, because it already has established itself. Esports is making money, and there are people making money in it. It’s respected by the people who watch it and enjoy it, and viewer numbers are skyrocketing.

“So don’t get me wrong — all of the traditional stuff is working,” he says. “The question is, where does it go from here?”

To learn more about how to merge the traditional esports model with the new, where the profit is coming from, and even more innovations coming down the pike, don’t miss this VB Live event!

Source: https://venturebeat.com/2018/11/13/esports-monetization-is-set-to-evolve-in-new-amazing-ways-vb-live/

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#India needs reforms in higher #education system to address #tech-induced challenges $BTRU.ca $ARCL $CPLA $BPI $FC.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 4:30 PM on Tuesday, November 13th, 2018

The institutes of higher learning should shun dated teaching methodologies and redesign the course curriculum by understanding key market transitions amidst the technological advancements.

Amit Kapoor

  • As the world stands on the brink of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by a wide range of new technology breakthroughs such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), advanced robotics, Internet of Things IoT), Cloud computing and 3D printing, major changes are expected in the labour market globally.
  • There will be reduced demand for middle-skilled workers doing repetitive tasks and increased demand for more highly-skilled workers — and also low-skilled workers doing non-routine work.
  • While many developed countries, such as the US and Japan, as also several European economies, are already experiencing this polarisation, the labour market is also hollowing out in many developing countries, although at a rate slower than the developed world.

In the case of India, this polarisation can be seen in the organised manufacturing sector, where the share of high-skilled occupations in total manufacturing employment increased by more than three percentage points, while the share of middle-skilled jobs decreased by 6.3 percentage points from 1993-94 to 2011-12. Looking at the impact of technological progress on various manufacturing industries, the capital-intensive industries, such as automobile manufacturers, have a greater probability of adopting advanced automation and robotic technologies, compared to labour-intensive manufacturing industries such as textile, apparel, leather and footwear, and paper manufacturers.

Further, in the services sector, particularly in the IT sector, e-commerce, banking and financial services and health care services, there is a huge potential for automation technologies, which would increase the demand for skilled workers and reduce the demand for middle-skilled workers.

However, in India, over 80 per cent of the working population is engaged in low-skilled jobs in the unorganised sector. These low-skilled workers aspire to join the middle-skilled workforce in the organised sector to raise themselves from poverty. However, the changing nature of work due to technology advancements in the organised sector prevents their upward labour mobility and any improvement in their incomes.

Addressing these challenges requires reforms in India’s higher education system. The institutes of higher learning should shun dated teaching methodologies and redesign the course curriculum by understanding key market transitions amidst the technological advancements. This would enable the country to create a workforce which could be placed in the positions demanded by the companies in the digital era and thus bridge the skill gap in the labour market.

However, looking at the current state of higher education in India, one can see that it is not just the quality of the system which needs to be improved. There is also much to be done in terms of the number of students enrolled in the institutes of higher learning.The Gross Enrollment Ratio (GER) in tertiary education in India is 26.9 per cent, which is lower than that of China (48.4 per cent), Indonesia (27.9 per cent) and the Philippines (35.3 per cent), among others.

Further, India’s GER for the male population is 26.3 per cent and 25.4 per cent for females. The GER also varies across different social groups — 21.8 per cent for the Scheduled Castes and 15.9 per cent for the Scheduled Tribes.

There are also wide variations in the number of colleges for higher education across different states in India, with the lowest number of seven colleges in Bihar for every 0.1 million of eligible population to 51 in Telangana and Karnataka. The top eight states in terms of highest number of colleges are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, which have 28 or more colleges per 0.1 million of the population. The disparity in the distribution of the colleges is also seen across different districts in these states, with the top 50 districts having about 32.6 per cent of the colleges.

In addition to the inequalities existing in the access to institutions for higher education, another issue is that a majority of the students are enrolled in undergraduate level programmes, compared to the Masters and the Doctoral programmes. Moreover, at the undergraduate level, there is a low pass-out rate — out of 2,90,16,350 students enrolled at undergraduate level, only 6,419,639 passed-out in 2017.

It is imperative for the country to address these issues given that the Indian system of higher education faces multiple challenges of low gross enrollment in its colleges and universities, with predominance of students settling on undergraduate studies, along with various socio-economic inequalities existing in access to higher learning. Further, emphasis must be placed on increasing the number of students who pass out of the colleges/universities, along with increasing enrollment numbers.

The technology-induced skill gap which the Indian economy is facing across different sectors is bound to widen with the current higher education system. Change has to be brought from outside the existing constructs. Improvement in the teaching methodology from the traditional lecture courses, accreditation of online courses, along with redesigning the course curriculum to be more industry relevant are some of the ways the technology-led changes in the labour market can be dealt with.

Source: https://www.devdiscourse.com/Article/education/251444–india-needs-reforms-in-higher-education-system-to-address-tech-induced-challenges

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Bougainville Ventures Inc. $BOG.ca Announces the Signing of a Definitive Agreement to Acquire 100% of the Shares of Gene Bank Research Inc. $CROP.ca $VP.ca NF.ca $MCOA

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 3:27 PM on Tuesday, November 13th, 2018

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  • Gene Bank Possesses over 110 lab-tested craft strains developed over 17 years’ from a team of breeders
  • Bougainville has signed a Definitive Agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Gene Bank Research Inc. Gene Bank places Bougainville in a strong position to capitalize on the market opportunities created by the Cannabis Act that came into force in Canada earlier in 2018
  • Gene Bank offers a solution to bridge the gap between craft growers and licensed producers.

VANCOUVER, Nov. 13, 2018  – Bougainville Venture Inc., (CSE-BOG) (“Bougainville” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a Definitive Agreement dated November 8, 2018 further to a news release on November 1st, 2018 detailing the terms of the binding Letter of Intent.

Bougainville has signed a Definitive Agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Gene Bank Research Inc. Gene Bank places Bougainville in a strong position to capitalize on the market opportunities created by the Cannabis Act that came into force in Canada earlier in 2018 (the “Cannabis Act”). Gene Bank offers a solution to bridge the gap between craft growers and licensed producers. Gene Bank has over 110 lab-tested craft strains developed by its team of knowledge breeders which collectively have over 17 years’ experience in the industry. Gene Bank has positioned itself to capitalize on the new market opportunities brought in by the Cannabis Act and aims to be the largest proprietary genetic strain bank in Canada.

CEO, Andy Jagpal Comments:
“The acquisition of Gene Bank greatly expands our reach into the Canadian cannabis market. Gene Bank offers a solution to bridge the gap between craft growers and licensed producers created by the new Cannabis Act. This places Bougainville in a strong position to capitalize on this new market opportunity.”

About Bougainville Ventures, Inc.  
Bougainville provides cannabis infrastructure and seed-to-sale services to I-502 tenant-growers leasing greenhouse facilities space and providing fully built-out, turnkey solutions and ancillary services including processing, cannabis expertise and marketing and sales resources. Greenhouse canopies provide a 50% saving in cultivation cost.

For more information please visit: http://bougainvilleinc.com/

On behalf of the Board of Directors
BOUGAINVILLE VENTURES INC.

Andy Jagpal, CEO and Director

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by BOG in light of its experience and perception of current and expected future developments, as well as other factors that BOG believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause BOG’s results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward looking statements, including: discrepancies between actual and estimated results from exploration and development and operating risks, dependence on early exploration stage concessions; uninsurable risks; competition; regulatory restrictions, including environmental regulatory restrictions and liability; currency fluctuations; defective title to mineral claims or property and dependence on key employees. Forward-looking statements are based on the expectations and opinions of the Company’s management on the date the statements are made. The assumptions used in the preparation of such statements, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

No regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained in this news release.

SOURCE Bougainville Ventures Inc.

View original content: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2018/13/c1844.html

Andy Jagpal at [email protected] or 1-877-517-7816/1-844-734-8420Copyright CNW Group 2018

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