Latest news with #GOLD
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Barrick (Gold) Seeing Healthy Investor Interest on Higher Gold Prices
Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:GOLD) is one of the 10 most undervalued gold stocks to buy, according to analysts. On June 29, analysts at RBC Capital reiterated it is one of the stocks seeing healthy investor interest as investors' interest in gold stocks soars. A close-up of a technician using advanced geological-surveying equipment, evaluating a gold deposit. The remarks come as gold prices power and find support above the $3,200 an ounce level. According to RBC Capital Markets analysts, Barrick Gold stands out in balancing deep value with lower near-term cash flow. Likewise, the company is on course to achieve significant milestones. Gold prices have rallied by more than 25% year to date, paving the way for Barrick Gold to generate significant returns from its operations. In addition, RBC Capital Markets notes that a trade agreement between the US and China to expedite the supply of rare earth metals, as well as the enduring ceasefire between Israel and Iran, bolsters demand for riskier assets. Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE:GOLD) is a leading global mining company primarily focused on the exploration, development, and production of gold and copper. Beyond gold, Barrick also engages in copper mining and exploration. While we acknowledge the potential of GOLD as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Health Line
02-07-2025
- Health
- Health Line
The Four Stages of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Key takeaways COPD is a progressive lung disease with mild symptoms in the early stages that gradually worsen. Early diagnosis and treatment can help preserve lung function. The GOLD system previously classified COPD from stages 1 to 4 based on lung capacity as measured by a spirometry test. New guidelines now combine spirometry results with symptom severity to assess risk and determine staging. Quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke after receiving a diagnosis of COPD can improve your life expectancy and outlook. People with COPD often have trouble breathing, a persistent cough, and shortness of breath. COPD can be subdivided into stages or grades, depending on how far it has progressed. It is most common in smokers and people over the age of 40. Keep reading to learn about the four stages of COPD. We'll discuss the symptoms you can expect at each stage and potential treatment options. What is the GOLD system for categorizing COPD severity? The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) is a program started by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Countries around the world use its guidelines and recommendations for diagnosing and treating COPD. The GOLD system previously classified COPD from stages 1 to 4 solely based on your lung capacity measured by a spirometry test. But the newest GOLD guidelines combine your spirometry results with subjective measures of your symptom severity to determine your level of risk based on their ABCD rubric. A spirometer test involves exhaling into a machine called a spirometer. The machine measures how hard and quickly you can exhale. Your doctor examines two numbers in your results: your force vital capacity (FVC) and your force expiratory volume in one second (FEV1). Your FVC is the total amount of air you can breathe out and FEV1 is the amount you breathe out in one second. A ratio of your FEV1/FVC needs to be less than 0.7 for a diagnosis of COPD. Doctors grade your spirometry results from grade 1 (least severe) to grade 4 (most severe). In the old system, these grades correlate with stage 1 to stage 4 COPD. Doctors determine the severity of your symptoms using either the British Medical Research Council (mMRC) questionnaire or the COPD Assessment Test (CAT). Stage 1: Early Stage 1 COPD is considered mild. At this stage, you may not be aware that you have anything wrong with your lung function. A doctor assigns you with grade 1 COPD if your FEV1 is between 80 and 100% of your predicted value. Symptoms If you score grade 1 on your spirometry test, you may not have any noticeable symptoms. If you do have symptoms, you may develop a cough and increased mucus production. You may mistake the early stages of COPD for the flu. Treatment With stage 1 COPD, your doctor may recommend a bronchodilator medication to open up the airways in your lungs. These medications are usually taken through an inhaler or nebulizer. Your doctor may also recommend getting flu, COVID-19, and pneumonia vaccines to prevent illnesses that may worsen your respiratory symptoms. Changing lifestyle habits that led to the development of COPD can potentially help slow the progression of your COPD. Most people with COPD have a history of smoking. Quitting smoking and avoiding secondhand smoke are two of the most important things you can do to improve your outlook with COPD. Stage 2: Mild Your COPD is considered to be stage 2 when your FEV1 drops to 50 to 79% of your predicted value. Symptoms During stage 2, your symptoms worsen from stage 1. Your coughing and mucus production may become more severe, and you may experience shortness of breath when walking or exercising. Typically, it's in this stage that people realize that something is wrong and seek medical attention from a doctor. Treatment You may be given bronchodilator medication to increase airflow to your lungs. Your doctor may recommend pulmonary rehabilitation, a program designed to increase your awareness about your condition. It's usually offered as a group class where you learn how to manage your condition better. If you have a flare-up of symptoms, you may need to take steroids or oxygen. Stage 3: Severe By the time you reach stage 3, COPD is considered severe, and your forced expiratory volume is between 30 to 50 percent of your predicted value. You may have trouble catching your breath doing household chores and may not be able to leave your house. Symptoms By stage 3, you may get more frequent flare-ups, and your shortness of breath and coughing typically get worse. You will likely find you get tired easier than before. Other potential symptoms can include: Treatment The treatment options for stage 3 COPD are similar to stage 2. You're more likely to need oxygen therapy at this stage. Stage 4: Very severe Stage 4 is considered very severe. Your forced expiratory volume is less than 30% of your normal value, and your blood oxygen levels are also low. You're at risk of developing COPD complications like heart or lung failure. Symptoms By stage 4, you'll likely have frequent flare-ups that can be potentially fatal. You may have trouble breathing even when you're resting. Treatment Treatment options during stage 4 are similar to the previous stages. Your doctor may also recommend lung surgery to improve breathing. Surgical options include: lung transplant lung volume reduction surgery bullectomy Is there an end stage to COPD? A grade 4 score on your spirometry test is the highest grade you can receive. This category is also sometimes referred to as end stage COPD. For many people at this stage, quality of life is usually fairly low, and symptom flare-ups can be fatal. What is the life expectancy of someone with COPD? Having COPD lowers your life expectancy. However, the amount that it affects your life expectancy depends on many factors, such as how far your COPD has progressed and whether you quit smoking or change the other lifestyle habits that lead to COPD. An older 2009 study found that COPD led to a small reduction in life span for people who have never smoked, but a larger life span decrease for people who currently smoke or smoked in the past. According to the researchers, a 65-year-old man who smokes would lose 3.5 years from their life expectancy for smoking, plus the following values for having COPD: Stage 1: 0.3 years Stage 2: 2.2 years Stage 3 or 4: 5.8 years For former smokers, the reductions are: Stage 1: 1.4 years Stage 2, 3, or 4: 5.6 years For somebody who never smoked, the reductions are: Stage 2: 0.7 years Stage 3 or 4: 1.3 years In a 2017 study, researchers followed a group of long-term smokers with COPD for 5 years. They found that participants who had died before a 5-year follow-up had a longer average smoking time and a lower prevalence of quitting smoking. The researchers concluded that smoking time may be related to COPD mortality rate, and quitting smoking has the largest potential to influence COPD outlook. A 2020 study of 532 people with COPD at a hospital in Taiwan suggests that loss of life years can vary based on a person's GOLD stage: GOLD stage 1: no reduction GOLD stage 2: 6.2 years GOLD stage 3: 9.3 years GOLD stage 4: 9.4 years This study did not distinguish by smoking history. Can you prevent COPD from progressing? COPD can't be reversed, and it's currently not possible to stop the progression of your COPD completely. You can help slow the progression of COPD as much as possible by working with your doctor and following a proper treatment program. Living with COPD No matter how far your COPD has progressed, it's important to change the lifestyle habits that caused your COPD in the first place. The most important thing you can do is quit smoking. If you don't quit, you'll continue to damage your lungs, and your COPD will progress quicker than it would otherwise. Eating a nutrient-rich eating plan filled with plenty of vegetables, healthy fats, protein, and unprocessed foods may help you manage your symptoms and maintain a healthy weight. Eating foods that cause bloating, like apricots or peaches, may worsen breathing problems in some people. Regular exercise may help decrease symptoms of COPD by strengthening your respiratory muscles and improving your cardiovascular health. Your doctor may be able to suggest exercise that is safe for you.
TimesLIVE
30-06-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Cultivating future leaders: the Wits postgraduate advantage
The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) offers a range of postgraduate programmes in five faculties, all of which have a strong emphasis on research and interdisciplinary learning. Its programmes are designed to equip students with skills relevant to the global job market, fostering critical thinking, creativity and adaptability. Students are drawn to Wits because it is synonymous with teaching, research and scientific excellence, alongside its long-standing commitment to social justice and building an inclusive society. Given Wits's consistently high rankings and recognition by top employers and universities from across the world, we believe that our approaches are effective in producing world-class intellectuals, innovators and entrepreneurs. Professor Brett Bowman, head of Postgraduate Strategy at Wits Professor Brett Bowman, head of Postgraduate Strategy at Wits, says: 'Given our consistently high rankings and recognition by top employers and universities from across the world, we believe that our approaches are effective in producing world-class intellectuals, innovators and entrepreneurs. 'It's important to nurture globally competitive postgraduate students in a knowledge-based economy. Well-trained postgraduates are essential for forming the next generation of researchers, creating new knowledge, directing evidence-based policy, fostering entrepreneurship and driving industry innovation.' Global partnerships The university currently offers several joint degree programmes in collaboration with top institutions around the world. Two exemplars include the Wits-Edinburgh Sustainable African Futures Doctoral Programme and the School of Oriental and African Studies-Wits joint PhD in Applied Development Economics. The former is a joint doctoral programme offered by the University of Edinburgh and Wits in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to equip fellows (primarily academics already holding tenured positions) to complete interdisciplinary doctoral research in areas related to sustainability in Africa. The latter programme explicitly anchors economic analysis in African realities. Other leading courses respond directly to global challenges, including master's degrees in Inequality Studies, e-Science, Science Communication and Urban Studies. Wits's postgraduate programmes have all been designed considering the latest global developments. The leading Wits Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery Institute, for example, was established to advance the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning capacity from our vantage point in the Global South. Student support In addition to providing postgraduate students, many of whom are international, with world-class research training, Wits also provides strong academic and wellbeing support. 'The university offers a comprehensive support structure for PhD students,' says Bowman. For example, Wits has developed the Wits Graduate Online Learning and Development (GOLD) programme, an online, AI-driven platform that tailors research support courses to each student's specific needs; the Wits Doctoral Academy, which fosters interdisciplinary engagement and provides a structured pathway for PhD progression; the Graduate Research Management System, which allows staff and students to track project progress in real time; and the Wits Postgraduate Merit Award, which provides funding to high-achieving students. Donor funding is available for talented students in bespoke programmes. The numerous student support services, such as residence life and a disability rights unit, among others, are complemented by the Counselling and Careers Unit, which provides support and guidance for postgraduate students. A campus health and wellness service supports health and wellbeing. Incubating innovation Wits's supportive environment enables students to conduct groundbreaking research that addresses society's most pressing challenges. Some of these students include: Caitlin Wheeler (PhD, Human Genetics) is conducting research using single-cell mRNA sequencing to uncover the causes of autoimmune liver disease. Kruti Naik (PhD, Pharmacy and Pharmacology) is developing painless, dissolvable microneedles to deliver vaccines for diseases like TB and HPV through the eye. Molefe Molefe (PhD, Computer Science) is studying how to use generative AI and computer vision to drive innovation in virtual fashion try-ons and medical AI. Thabiso Katlego Teffo (PhD) is researching the potential impact of climate change on vital medicinal plants.
7NEWS
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
HYROX may be the future of fitness — but is it ready for the Olympics?
The World Championships of HYROX just wrapped up in Chicago, and boy, what an amazing spectacle it was to witness. Feats of athleticism were witnessed across all age groups and abilities. Septuagenarians and adaptive divisions representing physical, neurological, and impaired visual and hearing abilities were present as well. Say what you will about it - HYROX is here to stay. These are amazing feats of athleticism which certainly make for a spectacular show. However, this event was not without controversy. All of sports is a stage, and every athlete plays a part In every great sport, you have various characters playing different parts. Intentional or not, it adds to the drama of sport. The heroes, the sweethearts, the battler, the villain ... And HYROX certainly has theirs. Who takes on what role depends on who you support, just like in footy, some people love Brisbane Broncos Reece Walsh, touting his supreme athleticism, while others may describe him as a trumped-up, spoilt brat. Allegiance and perspective are important. In HYROX, sportsmanship, scandal, perspective, and personalities are well and truly present. Characters A new sport but with the same characters forming and in play. You have the cheeky one (or arrogant ... depending on perspective) who thrives off setting up mind games pre-event, guaranteed to give you a great soundbite. The quiet achiever, who doesn't really say anything vocally, but for sure lets the race result speak for itself. The one all about the community, giving back, speaking accolades about the team, and not themselves. The rookie where all eyes are focused on some epic athletic feats and major upsets. The one to watch who earnestly shares every experience, not quite believing the life they are now living. Engaging, entertaining, and lots to talk about ... even scandal. Costly competition Big brands are paying attention. The athleticism and the personalities. GOLD's gym has announced a collaboration to open purpose-built HYROX performance centres within their juggernaut of a gym chain. PUMA has a collaboration, elites competed adorned in the brand, and the company held a 'shake out' run before the world champs, with all able to try their purpose-built branded shoes. All the individual elite athletes have their own brand collaborations they are repping, gyms, food companies, supplements … ca-ching, ca-ching. And the athletes need sponsorship as this sport is expensive. For a 'regular Joe' taking part, there's the training and nutrition for the event, and then the hardest task: securing a ticket to compete. There is so much demand to take part, events around the world in a season sell out. For a regional or world champs event, all travel, accommodation, and costs are self-funded, hence many a 'givealittle' popping up for crowd sourcing of money. Some of the elite athletes who fly around the world, entering in their respective divisions, do all the training, nutrition, and recovery required as well as holding down full-time jobs. It was astounding to hear from the incredible women in the elites presser how they calibrated their bodies to be at their very peak as well as manage full-time work, families (kids for some of them), and fund this sport they excel at. They love it - but not the cost. Controversy It's bound to happen in sport, and this growing one is no different. Expanding so quickly, you get a feel the rules are being refined as the experiences happen. What lines can be crossed and what can't. It's evolving. These world champs certainly proved that. There was a controversial push in the invitational team relay. Team USA (Hunter McIntyre) shoved team Ireland (Jeremy McConnell) during one of the runs, early. The result saw America scratched from the race, losing their first-place finish, hours after the finish line and podium presentations had been made. And this occurred only after the event had finished and a challenge had been lodged. The result, all of Team USA losing their first place for unsportsmanlike conduct. As the challenge was being deliberated by judges, organisers communicated the update over social media. Team USA was disqualified. Team Australia was declared the winner. But there was more: Second place was deemed a tie because the judges were unable to determine who crossed first between Belgium and England. Everyone's place was rejiggered. A new medal ceremony was scheduled. And a social media apology post-event from organizers was issued. New tools at the world champs The most scandalous athletic issue seemed to be new turf, ironically introduced to improve consistency in every race. New turf — which had been 'rigorously' tested — was introduced at the World Championships this year. It came as a surprise to everyone, to say the least. HYROX was confident the World Championships were the perfect timing for introducing an anomaly into the arduous event to iron out any inconsistencies in races around the world. The elite athletes seemed on board. Like it or lump it, if they wanted to race, they didn't have a choice. There seemed to be issues with the adherence of this new turf on the stadium ground, meaning some lanes slipped while others held strong. A problem no athlete had encountered before. This meant a lane with a slip felt slow and heavy, like pushing an immovable truck, while a non-slip lane felt faster and freer, like the truck was on ice. Which lane you got depended on how fast and in what order you entered. So random, inconsistent and unfair. And another social media apology post event from organizers was issued. All the gear, no idea In a few of the races, there seemed to be confusion amongst race officials about the equipment needed to be ready and waiting for each fitness spot, as well as where to direct competitors running in and out of the station. There was gear not ready for athletes with the right weight, hindering their time and messing with their heads, in a time-based competition. There was a lack of clarity on where an athlete was to run to in a station or run out from (and in which direction). Confusing — causing costly seconds. Likewise, there seemed to be judging inconsistency in reps — or what was accepted as a HYROX standard repetition, and what was not. It depended on who was watching, and if someone was in fact watching. Some dodgy depths were allowed to pass on things like wall balls with some judges, while considered a 'no re'' by others. There seemed to be the same inconsistency with burpees … Where are your feet supposed to finish? Are you allowed to creep forward to your hand placement? I have questions. Each individual instance may seem trivial, but as a whole, it's important. This matters to athletes who have spent time … and money to compete. And especially given the Olympic ambitions of this exploding competition, it's important to get it right. And another social media apology post-event from organizers was issued. Put into perspective you have people all over the world, spending a fortune. They've trained for weeks to improve their times. They don't care about a medal, they just care they were there at the start line … and able to see it through to the end. They were left crushed when their legs blew out and uncertain if they would even make the finish line. With sweaty, shaking hands on sled poles, they for the darndest couldn't understand not being able to push a sled one metre when only last week they had been flying 100m. Inconsistent. That matters if you want the Olympics, and HYROX does. Founders Christian Toetzke and Moritz Fürste made a very unexpected announcement in the press event before the World Champs stating the Olympics were very much in their sights. It was a mic-drop moment when Fürste said plans were in place to lobby for as early as Brisbane 2032. There was an audible intake of breath from every elite athlete in the room. Any meetings with Olympic officials? No. Queensland Premier David Crisafull i or government reps? No. Sources close to the founders said the discussion with the IOC has happened, and HYROX as an Olympic sport is nearly there. What is unclear whether it will be a medal-winning event or a demonstration sport held during the Games. But with the Olympics, there can be no 'social media apology post event form organizers issued'. As much as there was controversy, the sport is exploding on social media and in cities around the world. It's taking on its own life, rapidly in this modern social media era. HYROX knows the digital space is where their foundation lives … and their fan base started. Is this the way sports develop for the future? Will we be talking about the birth of this new Olympic event in a decade … time will tell.
West Australian
20-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
ADX gears up for multi-well gas push in Upper Austria
ADX Energy is poised to spark a new energy chapter in gas-hungry Europe after the company locked and loaded seven shallow gas drill targets with a combined mean prospective net resource of 29 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas in Upper Austria's Molasse Basin. The play has been planned as a low-risk, low-cost exploration program. The total net resource estimate for all targets ranges from 12.1Bcf as a low-ball guesstimate and to 49.4Bcf at the upper end. The company expects to kick off a multi-well campaign across its fully owned Austrian exploration ADX-AT-I and ADX-AT-II licences as early as the fourth quarter of this year. Permitting, rig contracting, and land access negotiations have begun. Land for two wells is already secured. ADX has identified seven drill-ready prospects and is actively maturing a further four. Of the seven, five sit within the proven Hall Formation, which is a prolific Miocene-age sandstone reservoir that has already delivered more than 230Bcf of cumulative production across 83 fields in the region. ADX's shallow gas initiative was first announced to the market two years ago and has been developed using local know-how combined with the sharp eyes of world-class stratigraphic trap specialists. It sits close to existing pipeline infrastructure. Armed with cutting-edge seismic technology, ADX deployed advanced 3D imaging techniques to pinpoint gas-charged sweet spots hiding in permeable reservoirs. The targets also bear striking similarities to the seismic signatures of proven gas fields already producing across the basin. ADX sees the GOLD cluster targets as the crown jewels in its exploration portfolio. The company's 100 per cent-owned AT-II licence includes three shallow Hall Formation prospects – dubbed GOLD, GRAB and ZAUN – and holds a combined mean resource estimate of 13Bcf, with geological chances of success ranging from 55 per cent to a massive 81 per cent. The GOLD-1 well will be the first cab off the rank and will target two high-confidence gas sands, GOLD A and C, which the company thinks have the highest chances of success at 77 per cent and 81 per cent, respectively. The GOLD wells will be drilled to depths of just 700 metres to 850m using slim-hole designs and mobile carrier rigs, which should enable cost-effective drilling and an uber quick turnaround of as little as nine days per well. ADX says it plans to link any discoveries into cluster developments, tying multiple wells into centralised production hubs to cut capital and running costs and boost output. A dedicated processing facility has already been mapped out, drawing on an initial design capacity of 140,000 cubic metres per day, expandable to 280,000 cubic metres/day for the full cluster development. Beyond the GOLD cluster, the company is targeting two additional prospects, PIC and STEY, also in the ADX-AT-II licence area, which have a mean prospective estimated gas resource of 8.1Bcf and paydirt probabilities of 75 per cent and 68 per cent, respectively. The final two prospects, HOCH and SCHOE, sit in the ADX-AT-1 licence area 50 kilometres to the west of the GOLD cluster and are held in a 50:50 joint venture with industrial giant MND Austria. Although these targets are estimated to hold the biggest combined net mean resource of all the prospects at 14.4Bcf, their probability of coming in is lower at 62 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively. ADX, meanwhile, has opened its data room to farm-in partners, promoting the prospects as a fast-track pathway to gas production in a first-world jurisdiction with existing infrastructure and an underexplored resource base. The company says several groups have already expressed interest, with deals potentially timed to line up with the company's forecast drilling dates. As the company finalises its permits and hones its drill plans, ADX looks well-positioned to convert its shallow gas play into a significant revenue stream exactly when Europe needs it most. Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact:
