Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:42 PM on Thursday, December 5th, 2019
SPONSOR: New Age Metals Inc.
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 in the Inferred. Learn More.
Palladium zooms past $1,860/oz
Palladium was up 0.3% at $1,845.80 an ounce, after hitting a new high of $1,861.71 earlier in the session.
The metal has been breaking records daily since Nov. 25.
“Palladium positioning is slightly counter-intuitive to the price
action, implicitly confirming heavy OTC interest from the long side,â€
INTL FCStone analyst Rhona O’Connell said in a note. “After weak longs
were shaken out in early November another push to the upside is now
approaching resistance from the uptrend.â€
Concerns that supply of the metal used in car exhaust systems could
run out has helped to lift prices by more than 47% this year alone,
despite a weakening auto sector.
Silver shed 0.4% to $16.95 an ounce and platinum gained 0.4% to $903.51.
Proprietary technology platforms including Electronic Health Records portal and e-Commerce for CBD product distribution
Recently launched CBD extraction facility
First extraction system capacity = 6,000 Kg per year.
CBD based products are poised to be a $20B global industry by 2022
Medical cannabis is poised to be a $100B global industry by 2025
——————
Researchers Leverage CBD’s Medical Properties to Fight a Plethora of Ailments
Over the past year, demand for cannabidiol, or CBD, has been increasing at an exponential pace.
In particular, the U.S. experienced massive growth in CBD sales after it passed the Farm Bill in late 2018, legalizing the commercialization of hemp, which CBD is derived from.
CBD is the active chemical found within the hemp plant, which falls under the cannabis family
NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2019 — Over the past year, demand for cannabidiol, or CBD, has been increasing at an exponential pace. In particular, the U.S. experienced massive growth in CBD sales after it passed the Farm Bill in late 2018, legalizing the commercialization of hemp, which CBD is derived from. CBD is the active chemical found within the hemp plant, which falls under the cannabis family.
Similarly, marijuana also falls under the cannabis family, but
marijuana and hemp are widely different in their biological makeup, as
marijuana’s active chemical is THC, which is generally known to induce
psychoactive effects. Meanwhile, CBD does not cause mind-altering
effects but instead stimulates relaxation. Moreover, extensive clinical
trials have also concluded that CBD can be effectively used in
healthcare to treat a variety of medical conditions.
Consequently, many countries began to move towards legalizing CBD
because of its versatile uses. For instance, researchers have boasted
that CBD can treat symptoms associated with cancer, chronic pain,
Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy. However, in the U.S.,
there is currently only one CBD-based drug approved: Epidiolex.
Epidiolex is used to treat Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, which
are two rare epileptic disorders that occur early in adolescence. And
while the U.S. has only approved CBD for epilepsy-related conditions,
other countries have legalized CBD-based drugs to treat other serious
conditions such as HIV/AIDS, depression, and even withdrawal from opioid
drugs.
Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the CBD industry is
still in its infancy stage due to the lack of research authenticating
the benefits of the compound. But researchers around the world are
engaged in clinical trials to rectify this and prove the efficacy of CBD
while promoting it as a next-generation medical treatment. According to
data compiled by Grand View Research, the global cannabidiol market was
valued at USD 1.34 Billion in 2018 and is expected to expand at a CAGR
of 32.6% over the forecast period from 2019 to 2025.
Overall, there are hundreds of studies being conducted to evaluate
the efficacy of CBD. Notably, researchers are advancing studies to
further promote the use of the CBD for Parkinson’s treatment. Currently,
the research on CBD for Parkinson’s is very limited and most studies
are likely small-scale trials. However, the handful of studies that have
been conducted suggest that CBD can have positive effects when dealing
with nonmotor symptoms. According to Healthline, several studies have
hinted that CBD can be used to treat tremors, psychosis, and improve the
overall quality of life for some patients. For example, a small scale
study suggested that CBD may help ease muscle movements, while another
study discovered that CBD reduced the severity of individuals’ suffering
from psychotic symptoms.
Meanwhile, another study suggested that CBD can help suppress sleep
disturbances such as vivid dreams, nightmares, or movement.
Additionally, several researchers even believe that CBD can ultimately
be used to prevent Parkinson’s disease, even as there is currently
insufficient data on the use of CBD on humans to prevent Parkinson’s.
Nevertheless, researchers are actively evaluating the effects of CBD on
protecting the human brain. And while research on CBD is limited, the
small-scale results are highly promising.
As such, CBD clinical trials are anticipated to accelerate in the
shortcoming future. “The work to date on marijuana and cannabinoids has
given promising but conflicting signals,” said Rachel Dolhun, MD, Vice
President, Medical Communications at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for
Parkinson’s Research. “This therapy may represent a future treatment
option for PD, but the correct dose and formulation are not clear, full
side effects and drug interactions are unknown, and benefits have not
been rigorously determined. Future studies should be large and well
designed to provide clear data on the safety and efficacy of marijuana
and cannabinoids in Parkinson’s.”
Tags: CSE, Hemp, Marijuana, stocks, tsx, tsx-v, weed Posted in Empower Clinics Inc. | Comments Off on Empower Clinics $CBDT.ca – Researchers Leverage #CBD Medical Properties to Fight a Plethora of Ailments $WEED.ca $CGC $ACB $APH $CRON.ca $HEXO.ca $OGI.ca
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 12:21 PM on Wednesday, December 4th, 2019
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 Digital Gurukul Rolls Out #Blockchain – Powered Diplomas
The startup has partnered with Germany-based Certif-ID
Receivers would not need additional devices to view the diploma
The company was in talks to raise $5 Mn for 10% stake
Indore-based Edtech startup, Digital Gurukul, has partnered with German tech networking company Certif-ID to roll out blockchain-powered certificates and Will allow employers to access the diplomas of applicants from any geographical locations.
By integrating blockchain
with certificates and diplomas, Digital Gurukul is eliminating the need
to send or physically present degrees. The people receiving these
diplomas would not require any additional software or special equipment.
The parties can simply view the diploma by scanning the QR code which
is printed on the certificate.
All the students graduating from Digital Gurukul will not be provided
with the blockchain-powered diploma to make the job and college hunting
much simpler and seamless. The diploma will include information like
educational qualifications, portfolio, projects and attendance.
Dr. Raj Padhiyar,
director of Digital Gurukul, said the adoption of Blockchain Technology
is still in its infancy in the education industry. “But we believe it
can help make the Indian education system more dependable and
trustworthy,†he added.
Founded in 2014 by Padhiyar, Digital Gurukul has been awarded the
“Asia’s Best Digital Marketing Instituteâ€â€‹. The company educates
students regarding digital marketing and its various aspects. Digital
Gurukul aims to have trained over 6K students by March 2020, which also
includes some prominent names like Wittyfeed cofounder Parveen Singhal
and Renaissance Indira Group of Institute’s founder chairman Swapnil
Kothari.
In August 2019, Digital Gurukul announced that it was in talks with
some investors to raise $5 Mn for a 10% stake. The company planned to
use the funding to expand its operations to over 40 offline learning
centres, invest in content and programmes and aid its international
expansion.
The company’s official statement also added that it is planning to
venture into the Middle East and Southeast Asian markets. The company,
in its previous press release, also claimed that it has received over
120 franchisee requests across Asia. Digital Gurukul also has
associations with reputed Indian institutes like IIM Indore, IIT Indore,
NMIMS and Welingkar Institute, among others.
According to DataLabs by Inc42, Indian edtech startups received a funding of
approximately $700 Mn in 2018, noting an 85% hike from the $375 Mn
funding raised in 2017. Interestingly, of the $375 Mn raised, BYJU’s had
raised $230 Mn in 2017.
The report also notes that only 7% of the 3,500 startups operating in the edtech space are funded, as of 2018. The Datalabs by Inc42
also highlights that 182 edtech startups generated funding of $1.34 Bn
between 2014 to 2018. Of these, only 52 startups, making up for 28.5%,
received more than $1 Mn in funding which amounts to $1.3 Bn. Meaning
that the 52 startups comprised 99% of the total funding in the period.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:46 AM on Wednesday, December 4th, 2019
SPONSOR:ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE)
Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a
Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed
small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More
than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest
small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.
5 Crypto Projects That Crushed It in 2019
Crypto startups that shrugged off bearish market conditions, community apathy and industry in-fighting, and focused on shipping clean code and great products.
There’s a lot of noise in the cryptosphere, but the following projects cut through it like a knife, delivering original solutions with genuine utility.
As 2019 nears its apex, it’s time to take a look back at the projects that crushed it this year. Crypto startups that shrugged off bearish market conditions, community apathy and industry in-fighting, and focused on shipping clean code and great products. There’s a lot of noise in the cryptosphere, but the following projects cut through it like a knife, delivering original solutions with genuine utility. Having killed it all year, you wouldn’t bet against this quintet doing it all over again in 2020.
LiquidApps
EOS scaling project LiquidApps
emerged out of nowhere to garner industry-wide plaudits as 2019 reached
its crescendo. A lot of this was due to the success of its DAPP Network,
which demonstrated that it’s possible to provision off-chain/sidechain
scaling without compromising on decentralization. The DAPP Network’s
vRAM enables EOS dApp developers to access cheap virtual storage, giving
them the ability to scale their decentralized applications without
being stung by prohibitive resource costs. That alone would be enough to
sustain most crypto projects for a year, but LiquidApps accompanied
this breakthrough with a tool for seamlessly onboarding new dApp users, another for linking blockchains into a single dApp, and an oracle service. Impressive stuff.
Remme
Distributed Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) project Remme
boasts one of the hardest working teams in crypto. After realizing that
its PKI-enabled blockchain simply wouldn’t cut it on Hyperledger
Sawtooth, the Remme team made the difficult decision to switch chains
deep into the project, transitioning to the EOSIO codebase and rolling
out its testnet.
Rather than letting this throw them off their stride, Remme has charged
ahead with its mainnet launch, taking time out to propose improvements
to EOSIO where errors were encountered in the codebase, and fine-tuning
the workings of its custom Block Producer program.
This year, Remme also succeeded in onboarding hundreds of enterprises to Keyhub,
its all-in-one platform for managing SSL/TLS certificates. With its
mainnet just weeks away, 2020 is shaping up to be a big year for the
Ukrainian blockchain startup.
Matic Network
It would be impossible to review 2019’s biggest breakout successes without including Matic.
While the meteoric rise of its token in recent weeks, following its
April IEO on Binance, has kept investors happy, that’s merely a symptom
of its success in becoming the industry’s blockchain scaling solution of
choice.
While Ethereum remains mired in ETH problems, Matic has emerged as a
genuinely scalable and production-ready chain that can take the strain.
Its adaptation of Plasma enables instant on-chain payments and
transactions, making it suitable for everything from dApps to DEXs.
Dozens of crypto projects have announced their migration to Matic
Network including a number specializing in NFTs such as Battle Racers.
In 2020, expect this trickle to transform into a torrent as crypto
projects migrate en masse.
Chainlink
If there’s any token, outside of exchange tokens, that investors wish they’d stacked up on in January, it’s LINK.
Up 570% in 12 months, LINK will go down as one of 2019’s best buys. As
with Matic, however, focusing on price misses out on the broader story.
Much of Chainlink’s success comes down to mastering the other P –
partnerships. This year, crypto and non-crypto businesses alike rushed
to team up with Chainlink, utilizing
the smart contract and oracle network for connecting off-chain data
feeds and enabling tamper-proof inputs and outputs.
With names such as SWIFT, Google, Gartner, and IC3 all working with
Chainlink, the project founded by Sergey Nazarov has become the first
crypto startup to transcend the industry and embed itself in the broader
business world.
Synthetix
Warranting the accolade of most innovative defi project of 2019, Synthetix
is a smart solution whose best is yet to come. Decentralized synthetic
assets have long been the holy grail of many decentralized finance
advocates, unlocking the ability to permissionlessly trade commodities,
forex and cryptocurrency on DEXs. Synthetix is the first project to
realize this goal through its pioneering use of ‘synths,’ tokens that
provide exposure to assets such as gold, TESLA stock, and AAPL, without
liquidity limitations. Up an incredible 1,715% to date, despite being
absent from tier one exchanges, the SNX token looks like it has more
room to grow – as does the Synthetix Network it powers.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:33 AM on Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019
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.
Indian Edtech stands to unlock immense growth
Recent research suggests that the global Edtech market is expected to grow to USD 341 bn by 2025.
Armed with massive opportunities and ideas, global leaders in the Edtech sector recently came together at the 2019 Global Education Summit (GES) in Beijing.
Hans News Service
New
Delhi: As the global education ecosystem continues to grow and evolve
at a rapid pace, the space has witnessed an increase in the number of
Ed-tech players. Recent research suggests that the global Edtech market
is expected to grow to USD 341 bn by 2025. Armed with massive
opportunities and ideas, global leaders in the Edtech sector recently
came together at the 2019 Global Education Summit (GES) in Beijing. The
summit revolved around exploring effective solutions from diverse
perspectives, centered on the theme “Education for All”.
Representing
India were top Edtech players, Gradeup, Toppr and Vedantu, who shared
key insights on the test preparation and tutoring markets for
competitive exams in the country. Also Read – Rajya Sabha passes bill to
amend SPG Act, Amit Shah rejects charge of political vendetta, Congress
stages walkout China, which is the leader in the Edtech space, has made
significant strides by specifically focusing on student success and
effective tools for measuring learning outcomes.
Chinese
Edtech companies witness tremendous growth every year due to
improvements in sales and recruitment process, teacher’s training and
technological upgrades relevant to their offerings. By the end of 2019,
the Chinese Edtech market is expected to reach 41 billion, growing at a
rate of 20% annually. Also Read – Rajnath warns BJP MPs of Modi’s
dissatisfaction with absenteeism in Parliament.
India,
the Edtech market is expected to reach 1.96 billion by 2021, with test
preparation being the fastest growing category with a CAGR of 64%. The
current numbers are an indication that there is a lot to do and learn
for Indian Edtech players from the Chinese. Sharing his insights, on the
gap in Edtech markets in both countries, Shobhit Bhatnagar,
Co-founder–CEO, Gradeup said, “With a focus on student outcomes, Chinese
Live tutoring players have successfully been able to scale and innovate
over the last 3 years. There is a lot that the Indian Edtech landscape
can learn from this. This exchange has only reinforced Gradeup’s
commitment towards further driving live online classes and strengthening
our technology and product. We also plan to intensify our focus on
Student Success in order to ensure greater efficacy of learning
outcomes.”
The
2019 Global Education Summit saw the participation of over 200
representatives from the education, political and business sectors
sharing their insights on the future-oriented development of education.
The key focus was on facilitating greater inclusivity and equal access
to education.
The
development of the Edtech market in India and the success of existing
players will be largely driven by their focus on Live tutoring, with
student success and learning outcomes at the very core. Shaping and
realigning their delivery of Edtech content in a manner that is
tailor-made and suited to the country’s continuously evolving
educational landscape is the need of the hour. It will propel the growth
of the sector in the future, and further boost the goal of democratized
access to quality education for students pan-India. Gradeup is India’s
largest exam preparation destination. It helps more than 15 million
students prepare for various exams & score better. Established in
2015, it recently received $7 million in Series A funding from Times
Internet and total funding amounts to $10 million.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:25 AM on Monday, December 2nd, 2019
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.
Indian EdTech startup Credenc scores $2.5 million led by Omidyar Network to grow its education loans platform
Commenting on the funding, Mayank Batheja, Co-founder, Credenc, said, “Currently only 5% of the ~$50 billion annual spend on college tuition fee is financed by organised lenders.
We believe this penetration should be at least 15%,†to which Avinash Kumar, Co-founder added, “Our target segment consists of the top 10,000 colleges in India, and we would like to ensure that we are available for the top 10% of students from these colleges.â€
Getting student loans for higher education in developing countries is a daunting task. According to India-based EdTech startup Credenc, 30% of Indian students’ families sell assets to fund their education. 20% borrow from local money lenders at rates as high as 3% a month. Another 30% give up on a college education. Credenc is a new education technology startup on a mission to provide higher education loans to students in India.
The start-up has mapped 70,000 job roles across 50,000 companies in
India and developed a deep understanding of employability in India, to
change the status quo. After providing financial support, Credenc works
with students and helps them with employability services, handholding
applicants as they transition from student to professional life.
Today, Credenc announced it has raised $2.5 million(INR 17.8 crore)
in seed funding to expand operations to 1,000 colleges across 50 cities
over the next 2 years. Credenc also plans to hire across technology,
credit and banking partnerships. The round was led by Omidyar Network
India with participation from EMVC , Better Capital, and IIMK Alumni
Fund. Over the next 5 years, the startup plans to loan up to $0.5
billion.
Founded in 2017 by Avinash Kumar and Mayank Batheja, the Delhi,
India-based Credenc, works as the digital finance desk of 200+
management colleges across 17 Indian cities. To date, the startup has
approved loans of about $15 million (INR 100+ crore). With more than 200
loan requests a day, Credenc undertakes a rigorous evaluation process
using a proprietary AI model which tracks 15 million data points to
predict the future income of students applying for loans. Industry-wide,
approval for education loans can take up to 2 months, vis-a-vis Credenc
which qualifies applications within a fraction of that time.
Commenting on the funding, Mayank Batheja, Co-founder, Credenc, said,
“Currently only 5% of the ~$50 billion annual spend on college tuition
fee is financed by organised lenders. We believe this penetration should
be at least 15%,†to which Avinash Kumar, Co-founder added, “Our target
segment consists of the top 10,000 colleges in India, and we would like
to ensure that we are available for the top 10% of students from these
colleges.â€
The annual spend on college fees in India is US $50 billion or INR
3.5+ lakh crore, of which only 5% is financed by organised lenders. For
the USA, this figure stands at more than 60%. Credenc intends to change
the segment perception and reduce underwriting risk basis its future
employability score, which will help this percentage go up to 15%, as it
partners with more than 3,000 colleges in 100+ cities to build an INR
3,500+ crore loan book in the next 5 years.
“Credenc’ differentiated lending model provides financing to
deserving students, which helps them access post-secondary education and
get meaningful employment. Avinash and Mayank’s solution will help in
creating a level playing field for students from the Next Half Billion
population by making quality education more accessible. We see this
partnership as an opportunity to demonstrate that a highly impactful and
profitable business can be built in the large and untapped higher
education financing space,†said Sarvesh Kanodia, Associate, Omidyar
Network India.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 10:46 AM on Monday, December 2nd, 2019
SPONSOR:ThreeD Capital Inc. (IDK:CSE)
Led by legendary financier, Sheldon Inwentash, ThreeD is a
Canadian-based venture capital firm that only invests in best of breed
small-cap companies which are both defensible and mass scalable. More
than just lip service, Inwentash has financed many of Canada’s biggest
small-cap exits. Click Here For More Information.
Why Germany’s Friendly Crypto Bill Is a Big Deal
In November, Germany became the leader of the free world where government acceptance of cryptocurrency is concerned.
In November, Germany became the leader of the free world where government acceptance of cryptocurrency is concerned.
That’s because last week, a bill was pushed forward by the Bundesrat,
the upper house of Germany’s legislature, that would allow German banks
to directly sell and custody cryptocurrencies for their clients as of
January 1st, 2020.
Next up the country’s 16 states will make a final decision on the
bill, though domestic analysts don’t expect resistance to the
legislation at the national level.
That means the way is paved for the bill to officially come into law,
a development that would mark a watershed moment not only for Germany
but also for cryptocurrencies in general.
Crypto Goes Mainstream in Heart of Europe
Germany is one of the largest economies in the world and the EU’s
most influential state. To that end, the country often sets the tone
economically and politically for many nations in Europe.
With its new crypto bill, Germany’s legislators are signaling to
their constituents and to the international stage that cryptocurrencies
are to be embraced, not rejected. This dynamic will make Germany
attractive to crypto projects around the globe who are interested in
having a base in a very pro-crypto country.
“Germany is well on its way to becoming a crypto heaven,†Sven
Hildebrandt, the lead consultant at major consulting firm DLC, said last
week.
In
extension, other European countries and beyond may follow in Germany’s
stead in passing ensuing waves of pro-crypto legislation. If in one
decade’s time more banks than not directly deal with cryptocurrencies,
German banks will have been the trailblazers.
Moreover, it cannot be overstated just how much Germany’s new
friendly crypto bill does to move in the direction of normalizing and
legitimizing cryptocurrencies as another avenue of mainstream finance.
If digital currencies do go on to become widely adopted global financial
tools, one could look back on Germany’s legislation as one of the
important dominoes that dropped along that way.
The passing of the crypto bill comes on the heels of the German government publishing a national blockchain strategy for the first time back in September. The strategy put the country on course toward becoming a hub for blockchain enterprises.
“Germany should be an attractive location for the development of
blockchain applications and investments in their scaling,†two
government ministries said in a joint announcement at the time.
Germany Is Epicenter for “Digital Euro†Movement
Just like the U.S. Federal Reserve and China’s central bank, Europe’s
top financial officials have taken serious notice of the
Facebook-backed Libra stablecoin project.
In response, some European leaders have called for tougher
restrictions on cryptocurrencies in general, though others yet have
argued the European Union should become a hub for crypto innovation.
In that latter camp is the Association of German Banks, a group of
200 private German banks that serve as finance industry lobbyists in the
EU’s biggest economy. Weeks ago, the association argued that Europe’s
major stakeholders to back the development of a digital euro that had smart contract capabilities, saying they would commit to supporting the effort:
“The German private banks will play their part in establishing a
sustainable and innovative monetary system. For this purpose, a
programmable account and crypto-based digital euro should be created and
its interoperability with book money ensured. The condition for this is
establishing a common pan-European payments platform for the
programmable digital euro.â€
The association’s plea for a digital euro came one month after German
Finance Minister Olaf Scholz should create its own public
cryptocurrency.
“We should not leave the field to China, Russia, the US or any private providers,†Scholz said.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 8:18 AM on Monday, December 2nd, 2019
Named as the Education Partner for the 17th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit taking place in New Delhi, India December 6-7.
betterU will be announcing the launch of its new B2B software-as-a-service (SaaS) Enterprise Skills Platform to an audience of over 800 senior politicians, bureaucrats, diplomats, business executives, thinkers, commentators and analysts
OTTAWA, Dec. 02, 2019 — betterU Education Corp. (TSX VENTURE: BTRU, Frankfurt: 5OGA) (the “Company” or “betterU“) is pleased to announce that it has been named as the Education Partner for the 17th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit taking place in New Delhi, India December 6-7. betterU will be announcing the launch of its new B2B software-as-a-service (SaaS) Enterprise Skills Platform to an audience of over 800 senior politicians, bureaucrats, diplomats, business executives, thinkers, commentators and analysts coming together to hold ‘Conversations for a Better Tomorrow’, which is a foundational theme of this year’s event.
Mr. Loiselle has been asked to share his thoughts on the challenges
and opportunities of continual reskilling and upskilling in corporate
competitiveness, and what emerging technology companies like betterU are
doing to address continual change and disruption. Mr. Loiselle will
demonstrate betterU’s breakthrough B2B SaaS Enterprise Skill Platform, which will be showcased throughout the event.
The Company is also pleased to announce that its B2B SaaS Enterprise Skill Platform
will be a global offering open to enterprise clients in both developed
and developing economies. betterU if offering special promotions to
companies with 50 to 50,000 employees who wish to immediately
participate as beta customers in advance of full commercial launch in
early 2020. betterU greatly appreciates the opportunity to contribute to
the 17th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit and to build awareness for
the Company’s breakthrough B2B SaaS Enterprise Skill Platform.
About betterU Education Corp.
betterU is an education-to-employment technology company offering an
end-to-end skilling solution using artificial intelligence and skill
automation designed for organizations who are seeking to skill, reskill
or upskill their talent.
betterU has curated and collaborated with over 100 global
organizations who has provided access to their content, technology and
support the developed of skills assessments/reassessments, learning
paths, and career development opportunities in betterU’s easy to use
integrated platform. betterU’s eco-system includes full job / skill /
employer / educational profile for essentially every country and every
city with detailed job profiles (automation, skills, employers, etc) for
3,000 standardized jobs. They have also added taxonomy for 30,000+
skills with clustering and hierarchy and 30,000+ educational
institutions and their individual programs mapped across Job / skill /
talent profiles for millions of companies globally. The collaboration
solution is the only way forward to solve mass skilling challenges for
employers and employees globally.
We are helping India build better companies by developing better employees.
CONTACT INFORMATION
On behalf of the Board of Directors, betterU Education Corp. Brad Loiselle, CEO
In one of the latest studies, published in the most recent issue of the journal Frontiers in Neurology, patients with autism receiving “CBD-enriched†cannabis oil showed vast improvements in social interaction and communication, as well as other neurological benefits.
The timing alone meant it was probably inevitable that weed
would be used to try and “treat†autism, which affects one out of every
68 children born in the country and has no known “cure,†but there’s
also the handy and salient fact that, according to a heap of anecdotal
evidence, CBD-rich cannabis oil seems to help.
A growing body of clinical research attesting to cannabis’s success in treating autism continues to expand. In one of the latest studies, published in the most recent issue of the journal Frontiers in Neurology,
patients with autism receiving “CBD-enriched†cannabis oil showed vast
improvements in social interaction and communication, as well as other
neurological benefits.
The first cannabis-based pharmaceutical drugs allowed in the United
States have been to treat children with severe epilepsy. The conditions
in the brain that lead to epileptic seizures
may also somehow be related to the conditions—the “etiological
mechanisms,†in researcher-speak—that lead to non-epileptic autism.
The cannabinoid that appears to treat these conditions is CBD, or cannabidiol,
which appears to have value as a “neuroprotectant,†an intervention
that allows the brain to function “better,†as well as an
anti-inflammatory agent. So there’s some logic, as well as science,
behind the approach.
In this most recent study, researchers in Brazil monitored the
progress of 18 patients with autism over a period of up to nine months.
Each of the patients received a CBD-rich cannabis sativa extract with a
CBD to THC ratio of 75 to 1. The patients received 4.6 milligrams of CBD
per kilogram of body weight to 0.06 milligrams of THC—a not
insignificant dose for someone weighing more than 100 pounds.
Three patients discontinued the treatment because of “adverse
effects†during the first month, but of the 15 who continued, 14 showed
“some level of improvement†in multiple categories of symptoms.
Nine of the patients—the ones who did not also have epilepsy as well
as autism—showed “improvement equal to or above 30%†in at least one of
the categories monitored, and four patients showed significant
improvement in at least four categories, including social interaction
and function, as well as the ability to sleep and stay focused.
It’s hard to say with certainty whether the CBD was doing the work or
was merely one tool in a box doing its share of the work. But as the
researchers noted, 10 of the 15 patients were on other medications prior
to starting the study—and nine of the 10 still showed improvement after
cutting out or reducing their other, non-cannabis medications.
“The results reported here are very promising,†the researchers
wrote, “and indicate that CBD-enriched [cannabis] may ameliorate
multiple [autism spectrum disorder] symptoms even in non-epileptic
patients, with substantial increase in life quality for both … patients
and caretakers.â€
As it happens, the pharmaceutical industry seems well aware of this
potential: GW Pharmaceuticals, which patented and markets Epidiolex, the
drug for epileptic children, is also working on developing a
cannabis-derived drug that would be used to treat autism, as CNN’s Sanjay Gupta reported in September.
But this enthusiasm is not yet shared by researchers and doctors whose job it is to treat the condition.
“To date, there is limited research, and no evidence, on the
potential short-term, long-term or neurodevelopmental risks and benefits
of medical marijuana or its related compounds in ASD,†the Autism Science Foundation says on its website.
They’re not entirely wrong—there does need to be more evidence and
successful clinical trials, including standardized dosing, before
experts can endorse such a treatment—but it also seems clear that many
parents and caretakers are unwilling to wait and happy to try cannabis.
That’s why a growing number of states where medical cannabis is legal,
including Texas, allow patients with autism to access cannabis oil.
Posted by AGORACOM-JC
at 11:45 AM on Thursday, November 28th, 2019
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The Digital Learning Revolution: How Classes are Moving Out Of The Classroom
Indian classrooms are growing in numbers every day, and the overburdened teachers are unable to bridge the learning gap experienced by individual students
Edtech tools are the best solution to ensure accessibility of quality education in our country, and its growing demand across the student community validates this stance
In fact, India has become the third-largest market for online education, with trends such as P2P collaborative learning systems becoming the latest rage in the domain of education and learning
By: Michał Borkowski
Every learning process has two principal stakeholders—students and
teachers, or as we like to call them learners and helps—and two
fundamental engagement tools, questions and answers. Learning processes
essentially can be centered on either the teacher or the student, but
the outcomes they result in are drastically different. The didactic
learning process wherein the teacher occupied the central role and the
student was merely a blank slate (Tabula Rasa) was a monotonous and regimented affair, relying solely on the transfer of knowledge from a teacher to a student.
Opposed to it, the new-age online learning method which has its roots
in the revolutionary teaching methods of Socrates, the ancient Greek
logician and thinker, has turned the very nature of learning inside out.
It proposes a student centered mode of learning wherein the visible
demarcations of master and disciple are essentially blurred and both
exist as equal stakeholders.
Onlinelearning—A solution tailor-made for the Indian academia
Indian classrooms are growing in numbers every day, and the
overburdened teachers are unable to bridge the learning gap experienced
by individual students. Edtech tools are the best solution to ensure
accessibility of quality education in our country, and its growing
demand across the student community validates this stance. In fact,
India has become the third-largest market for online education, with
trends such as P2P collaborative learning systems becoming the latest
rage in the domain of education and learning.
Technology and new-age tools have practically reformed the existing
learning framework. Now, teachers, students and parents simultaneously
interact in a cohesive union, relentlessly pursuing knowledge through an
active collaboration of ideas and critical faculties. This empowers the
students to be their own masters by equipping them with a customized
and practical form of education and allows them to exercise control over
their learning which would help them better in terms of practical and
real-time application. When learners get to assert better control over
their learning experience, they are likely to take a more proactive
stance towards the same, ultimately resulting in better outcomes.
The education system in India has long suffered from inherent flaws
and inadequacies owing to its direct and continued formal dependency on
the colonial education system which stresses on ineffective rote
learning and representing facts on paper without practical realization.
But things are fast changing. Online education has really picked up pace
as over 370 million Internet users and countless more localized and
global entrepreneurs are readily investing in the online education
market. By 2018, India had 3,500 edtech start-ups running operations
across the country.
Replacing standardization with personalization
Going beyond the conventional one-way process, digital platforms
allow users to overcome the limits of time and space, as a learner could
now access evaluate and assess information from anywhere at any time,
as long as one has an Internet connection and an inclination to learn.
Since every individual possesses a unique mental aptitude and grasping
level and one can learn at a pace that best suits them through such
platforms. These platforms empower every individual to grasp knowledge
at a personal customized pace which makes learning easy and desirable
rather than a sordid task at hand which one dreads and undertakes
unwillingly.
Edtech platforms also serve as a single platform for every
stakeholder in education to come together. They celebrate the uniqueness
and individuality of every student by bringing all the elements of the
classroom—the teachers, the students and the parents in an organic
unison. The spirit of doubt, curiosity and creativity are now encouraged
which has brought about massive changes in the hitherto predefined
dimensions of knowledge. These platforms further allow the learning
process to continue at home through uninterrupted assistance and
guidance. The teacher no longer has to be physically present to tutor
the child whenever they get stuck on a particular problem or a tricky
lesson.
Today, the e-learning market in India is approximated to be worth
more than three billion dollars. The National Draft Education Policy,
2019 also lays significant emphasis on increasing the penetration of
technology in all aspects of education. Although formal education
structure still holds the same relevance, the very manner of its
proliferation has undergone a monumental change owing to the rise of
digital learning. Digital edtech tools have reduced the workload on
teachers, who now thrive in their new role as a catalyst of change that
proactively engages and enables the students to acquire knowledge from
multiple sources.
When students are allowed to become their own masters and be
responsible for the supervision of their learning experience, it
initiates the formation of an informed and empowered society that prizes
questioning over obedience and intelligence over authority. Online
learning platforms have indeed done away with the space-time
restrictions of classrooms and empowered the primary stakeholder in
learning, i.e. the learner itself, in a manner that would surely have
made Socrates proud.
