Sunday, August 31, 2014

Making Science Fiction a Science Reality: Finalist Teams Selected for $10 Million Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE

10 Teams Advance in Global Competition to Develop Consumer-Focused Diagnostic Device

CHICAGO - Friday, August 29th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- XPRIZE, the global leader in incentivized prize competitions, today announced the 10 finalist teams competing for the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, a 3.5-year global competition sponsored by the Qualcomm Foundation for teams to develop a consumer-focused mobile device capable of diagnosing and interpreting a set of 15 medical conditions and capturing five vital health metrics. Launched in January 2012, the competition encourages the development of a device much like the medical Tricorder of Star Trek® fame, moving it from science fiction to science reality.

Announced during the opening ceremony of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society International Conference, the group of finalists competing for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE includes a wide range of expertise and backgrounds, representing non-profits and academia to start-ups and established device manufacturers from six countries. The 10 teams advancing to the Final Round are:

    Aezon (Rockville, Md.), led by Tatiana Rypinski, a team of student engineers from Johns Hopkins University partnering with the Center for Bioengineering Innovation & Design.
    CloudDX (Mississauga, Canada), a team from medical devices manufacturer Biosign and led by company chief medical officer, Dr. Sonny Kohli.
    Danvantri (Chennai, India), a team from technology manufacturer American Megatrends India and led by company Director and CEO, Sridharan Mani.
    DMI (Cambridge, Mass.), a team led by Dr. Eugene Y. Chan of the DNA Medicine Institute partnering with NASA, the National Institutes of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
    Dynamical Biomarkers Group (Zhongli City, Taiwan), a team of physicians, scientists and engineers led by Harvard Medical School professor Chung-Kang Peng.
    Final Frontier Medical Devices (Paoli, Pa.), a team led by the founders of Basil Leaf Technologies—brothers Dr. Basil Harris, an emergency room physician, and George Harris, a network engineer.
    MESI Simplifying diagnostics (Ljubljana, Slovenia), a team from diagnostic medical device manufacturer MESI and led by company CEO, Jakob Susteric.
    SCANADU (Moffett Field, Calif.), a team from Silicon Valley-based start-up SCANADU, led by technology entrepreneur and company co-founder and CEO, Walter De Brouwer.
    SCANurse (London, England), a team from diagnostic medical manufacturer SCANurse and led by biomedical engineer and company founder, Anil Vaidya.
    zensor (Belfast, Ireland), a team from clinical sensor and electrode company Intelesens and led by chief technology officer, Prof. Jim McLaughlin.

For more information about each team, visit http://www.qualcommtricorderxprize.org/teams.

“Our selected finalists represent the most promising and innovative submissions as determined by our expert judging panel,” said Grant Campany, senior director, Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE. “We want consumers to take a more proactive approach to managing their health and having convenient access to real-time medical data will do just that. As we move to the final stage of this process, we are one step closer to putting healthcare in the palm of your hand.”

During the Qualifying Round, each team was required to submit an entry that addressed safety, user experience and a health assessment evaluation. The judging panel, comprised of various digital health and medical industry experts, reviewed 21 team submissions from nine countries and selected the 10 most credible entries.

“The technologies being created for the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE can have an exponential, global impact, not only on remotely diagnosing diseases, but on a myriad of other medical areas, including continuous health monitoring, disease prevention and chronic disease management,” said Rick Valencia, Sr. Vice President & General Manager, Qualcomm Life. “It will certainly be exciting to see these devices materialize as we move closer to the competition’s end.”

As part of the Final Round, teams will compete in both diagnostic experience evaluations and consumer testing, slated for mid-to-late 2015. The final judging and awards ceremony will take place in early 2016.

Throughout the competition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is offering regulatory input to the competing teams to help them prepare for potential FDA review post-competition.

For more information about the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, visit http://www.qualcommtricorderxprize.org.

About XPRIZE

Founded in 1995, XPRIZE is the leading organization solving the world’s Grand Challenges by creating and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prizes in five areas: Learning; Exploration; Energy & Environment; Global Development; and Life Sciences. Active prizes include the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, the $2.25M Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE and the $2M Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE. For more information, visit www.xprize.org.

About the Qualcomm Foundation

Established in 2010 by Qualcomm Incorporated, the Qualcomm Foundation is dedicated to developing and strengthening communities worldwide. Specifically, the Qualcomm Foundation focuses its philanthropic efforts on helping create and sustain educated, healthy, culturally vibrant communities in regions around the globe. For more information about the Qualcomm Foundation and Qualcomm Incorporated’s global social responsibility programs, visit www.qualcomm.com/community.

Qualcomm is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. STAR TREK, TRICORDER and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. Used under license.

Contacts

XPRIZE

Eric Desatnik, 310-741-4892

eric@xprize.org









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11938/en

Toshiba's Mixed Signal IC Products Strategy

TOKYO - Thursday, August 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Toshiba (TOKYO:6502) develops products in three fields: automotive, communication and motor control. The characteristics of Toshiba mixed signal ICs are engineering power in the analog business (development, cost, quality and supply capacity) and proposal power that considers customer. In 2014, we are extending collaboration with other business units, utilizing strong in-house engineering (image recognition, motor control technology, etc.), improving integrated solution capacity and promoting new market development in collaboration with other in-house companies and Toshiba Group companies, so as to enhance our product competitiveness and line-up across our product range.

(1) Automotive field (Image recognition, Automotive analog)

The environment for automotive semiconductors is changing significantly and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV) are becoming increasingly popular. Since the importance of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) as a means to realize safer and more comfortable driving continues to grow, we are strengthening product development for HEV, EV and ADAS, alongside LSIs for vehicle control and driving safety.

Image recognition processors (TMPV75 Series)

The ADAS market is expected to expand rapidly following Euro NCAP expansion in 2016. Concurrent execution of multiple recognition software and high accuracy pedestrian and vehicle recognition are essential for supporting Euro NCAP, and as well as major requirements for LSI performance. Our TMPV75 series, which integrates original IP that achieves the world’s highest class of image recognition through high-speed processing, is taking the lead in integrated performance, over products from other companies. We also provide development tools and technical support. TMPV75 series, brought to market in 2014, is in the world highest class in terms of image processing performance against power consumed. We will expand the product line-up to drive sales, with the aim of securing a market share of over 30% in 2020. We will develop sensing modules (CMOS sensor, ApP PlusTM integrated module) in the future centering on the TMPV75 series.

Automotive analog

We will share engineering assets for consumer, industrial and automotive products to expand the ASSP line-up (double the number of products from 2014 to 2020) and increase sales. We will strengthen ASIC development design in Europe with the aim of gaining share in Europe in addition to Japan.

(2) Communication (sending and receiving IC for near field communication/ short range wireless)

The market for low power consumption sensor networks, M2M devices and wearable terminals is expected to expand with the continued penetration of smartphones and tablets. Our near field communication and short range wireless technologies offer products for various communication systems, based on excellent features such as Bluetooth® connection quality for mobile phones, protocol anomaly-based processing, low power consumption and high sensitivity reception characteristics, tamper-resistant characteristics, and we can provide solutions in hardware, modules and accessories. We also realize shorter equipment development times by providing development tools and technical support.

Near field communication (NFC, TransferJetTM)

We will accelerate global expansion and enlarge share, armed with high confidentiality security technology, and with communication quality and performance already strong enough to have secured domestic market leadership (70% market share) in NFC (FeliCa).

Short range wireless (Bluetooth®)

We already won high market shares in Bluetooth® ICs that bring high quality communication to automotive applications. We have developed Bluetooth® Low Energy ICs with the world's lowest low power consumption (6.1mA). We will also develop super low power consumption products (3mA) to expand market share in M2M and healthcare.

920 MHz Wireless module (USB dongle)

The integrated set of Toshiba's 920MHz wireless module and Toshiba Lighting & Technology Corporation's home gateway is first in the industry to receive the Wi-SUN Alliance Global Standard Certificatio, "Wi-SUN Profile for ECHONET Lite", as a HEMS controller. It enables data communication, such as integral power consumption between smart meters and HEMS.

(3) Motor control (Power management, Motor driver, Microcomputer for consumers/ industries)

In recent years, more applications have required a high voltage, high current drive or wireless communication function, as well as high level functions and high speed, all at the same time. We propose solutions that shorten development times and cut total costs, based on our early commercialization of strong motor control technologies (InPAC, vector engine, sine wave, etc.), and also offer combinations of microcomputers, analog and discrete products that meet market requirements in a proper and speedy way. Examples include power control ICs for wireless power supply, lens control motor ICs for single-lens reflex cameras, ICs for smart home appliances such as refrigerators and analog function embedded microcomputers for healthcare equipment.

Power management: Wireless power supply

The wireless power supply market is expected to expand, pulled by smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, automotive products, cordless tools. We will maintain superiority in thermal properties (high efficiency and low power consumption) with an original process adopting cutting-edge analog process (0.13 μm), launch new standard (PMA, A4WP) products to the market at an early stage, and aim for a 20% market share in 2016 by introducing 15W class products.

Motor driver

We aim to increase sales by specializing in three fields, home appliances, axial flow and industry, and by further expanding our general purpose line-up (1.5 times more products in 2016 than in 2013). In the home appliances field, we will expand collaborate with discretes to increase sales of SiP products to overseas manufacturers in addition to Japan, where we already won high market shares, and develop and expand new products using new sine wave technology (InPAC) and SiP 600V products. In the axial flow field, we have entered the market for servers, refrigerators and small fans, taking advantage of the superiority of CD0.13μm process. We will expand sales in the single-phase driver market through pseudo sine wave current drive technology. We will aim for the No.1 share in the 3-phase driver market. In the industrial field, we will expand market share by developing high value added, low cost motor drivers for unipolar motors with cutting edge BiCD0.13μm+80V analog process.

Consumer and industrial microcomputers

The microcomputer market is expected to expand, pulled by home appliance inverters, industrial inverters, robots, healthcare, etc. We are reinforcing system performance improvements and lower power consumption using the vector control processor, and sharpening proposal capabilities centered on advanced control technology and support tools. We also unify the roadmap with ApP LiteTM to expand coverage of growing markets.

Power/Energy

We will look beyond the market trend and develop and expand sales of differentiated products centering on smart meters. We will also enter into the PV micro inverter market in Japan and the United States.

* Bluetooth is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such mark by Toshiba is under license. * TransferJet is licensed by the TransferJet Consortium. * Wi-SUN is a trademark or registered trademark of the Wi-SUN Alliance. * ECHONET is a trademark of the ECHONET Consortium. * ApP Lite, App Plus are trademark of Toshiba Corporation.

About Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into five strategic business domains: Energy & Infrastructure, Community Solutions, Healthcare Systems & Services, Electronic Devices & Components, and Lifestyles Products & Services. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future”, Toshiba promotes global operations towards securing “Growth Through Creativity and Innovation”, and is contributing to the achievement of a world in which people everywhere live in safe, secure and comfortable society.

Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 6.5 trillion yen (US$63 billion).

To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm

Contacts

Toshiba Corporation

Semiconductor & Storage Products Company

Megumi Genchi / Kota Yamaji, +81-3-3457-3576

Communication IR Promotion Group

Business Planning Division

semicon-NR-mailbox@ml.toshiba.co.jp









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11937/en

COMPUTEX d&i awards on a World Tour

COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2014 IFA 2014 GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2014 2015 International CES Mobile World Congress 2015 CeBIT 2015

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Friday, August 29th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) The winning products of the COMPUTEX design & innovation (d&i) awards are going on a year-long global tour, stopping at major ICT shows that include IFA in Berlin, GITEX in Dubai, CES in Las Vegas, MWC in Barcelona and CeBIT in Hannover. This multi-continental tour aims to spur the ICT world to let loose the creative juices to shape the future.

    IFA / Sept. 5th to 10th, 2014 Hall 25 / Booth 122
    GITEX / October 12th to 16th, 2014 Hall 8 / Booth E8-20
    CES / January 6th to 9th, 2015 South Hall 1 / Booth 21642
    MWC / Mar. 2nd to 5th, 2015 Hall 5 / Booth 5J11
    CeBIT / March 16th to 20th, 2015

The 2014 winning products were unveiled at last June’s COMPUTEX TAIPEI, one of the top ICT events of the year, which hosted 1,710 exhibitors using 5,069 booths to link 38,662 international visitors from 166 countries. Top makers used the 5-day event to showcase a dazzling line-up of product launches. Innovations from key players like Asus, Microsoft, Intel, Ford, AMD, MediaTek and Corning captured the headlines in the trade press.

The independent jury panel, organized by the prestigious iF (International Forum Design), selected 74 products as winners. Among them were big names such as Acer, Asus, Philips, Qualcomm and SanDisk. In addition, five winning products listed below were crowned with Gold awards.

    X300A Wireless digital Hi-Fi speaker system by GP Acoustics (UK) Ltd.
    Philips Two-in-One Design, Dual 19-inch Display by Philips
    HTC Dot View case by HTC
    Cylinder, cell phone car holder by Taer Innovation Co., Ltd.
    Level 10 M Hybrid mouse by Thermaltake Technology Co., Ltd.

This year a record 288 items were entered by 123 companies vying for the honors, the largest number since the COMPUTEX d&i awards started in 2008.

While showcasing online is the common, only the COMPUTEX d&i awards sends its ICT champ products on a global tour. This gesture offers a real and tangible access to appreciate the quality, innovation and design of the outstanding ICT products.

COMPUTEX d&i awards Gold award winners

Company
                     

Winning products

GP Acoustics
                     

X300A Wireless

Digital Hi-Fi speaker system

Philips
                     

Philips Two-in-One Design

Monitor

HTC
                     

HTC Dot View

Accessory for HTC smartphone

Taer
                     

Cylinder

Cell phone car holder

Thermaltake
                     

Level 10 M Hybrid mouse

Mouse
                       

For more info on COMPUTEX d&i awards: www.ComputexTaipei.com.tw

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50933190&lang=en

Contacts

TAITRA

Shawn Lee, +886-2-2725-5200 ext. 2637

Exhibition Dept.

Fax: +886-2-2725-3501

2press@taitra.org.tw









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11943/en

The International Bio-Community Meets in Japan! Announcing Integrated Biotech Business Event - BioJapan 2014

Drug discovery, regenerative medicine, personalized medicine, functional foods, bio-energy and imaging --

TOKYO. - Friday, August 29th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

BioJapan 2014 World Business Forum

(BUSINESS WIRE) BioJapan 2014 – World Business Forum – will be held for three days from October 15th (Wed.) to 17th (Fri.), 2014 at Pacifico Yokohama (Exhibition Halls C & D, and Annex Hall).

Comprised of exhibition, seminars and business partnering, BioJapan is the largest biotechnology partnering event in Asia. The theme of 16th BioJapan is ‘Ever-Evolving Bio-Business’. As an integrated exhibition which includes regenerative medicine, personalized medicine, diagnostics, functional food, bio-energy and other biotechnology topics, top-level executives and persons responsible for R&D, business development, licensing and alliances gather under one roof at this event to share cutting-edge solutions, technology and information.

    6,000 business meetings! Approximately 700 global companies converge, including everyone from Big Pharma to bio-ventures In addition to the official sponsors, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Kyowa Hakko Kirin, MSD and Novartis Pharma, participants from over 30 foreign countries will take part in business meetings. Participants will include Big Pharma players such as Takeda Pharmaceutical, Astellas Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, AstraZeneca, Sanofi and Pfizer, as well as drug manufacturing SMEs, bio-ventures, research institutions and universities. Last year 204 companies attended from overseas – 2.3 times more than 2012! Do not miss BioJapan, an event that is rapidly increasing its presence in the global market. Check the URL below for a list of companies participating in the partnering. At the time of writing (Aug. 22nd), 443 companies have already registered! http://www.ics-expo.jp/biojapan/partnering_list.html

    Professor Shinya Yamanaka (Kyoto University) is also scheduled to take the podium! Over 200 sponsor seminars and presentations from exhibitors will be held. This marks the return of Nobel prize-winning professor Shinya Yamanaka, who will make an appearance on the podium after a two-year absence. In addition to Prof. Yamanaka's address on current research topics entitled 'New Era of Medicine with iPS Cells', there will be a wide array of seminars held regarding regenerative medicine.

[Keynote speakers] October 15th (Wed.) from 10:00 to 11:30

    Hiroto Izumi (Special Advisor to the Prime Minister) "Realization of Healthy and Longevity Society by the Healthcare Policy"
    Gladys H. Monroy (Senior Partner, Morrison & Foerster LLP), “Recent Supreme Court Decisions: The Effect on Obtaining and Enforcing Patents on Biological Products in the U.S.”
    Masatoshi Ito (Representative Director, President & CEO, Ajinomoto Co., Inc.) “Growth Strategy of Unique Food Company Driven by Technology”

*Click here for more information.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50929343&lang=en

Contacts

Secretariat of BioJapan:

c/o ICS Convention Design, Inc.

Maiko Uchiyama, +81-3-3219-3565

biojapan@ics-inc.co.jp









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11936/en

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Toshiba's Image Sensor Products Strategy

ME NewsWire/Business Wire

TOKYO. - Friday, August 29th 2014

Toshiba (TOKYO:6502) will focus on development and sales expansion of automotive and medical imaging sensor, in addition to sales expansion with Chinese smartphone manufacturers based on the BSI (backside illumination image sensor) technology and technologies that realize high sensitivity and speed. The current image sensor market is mainly for smart phones and digital cameras and has a scale of approximately 800 billion yen [1]. Future growth is expected on such factors as expansion to automotive applications and bringing higher performance levels to existing applications.

Smartphone sensors

The volume zones for image sensor used in the main cameras mounted on current smartphones are 8- to 13-million pixels. Toshiba supplies products mounting high-sensitivity image processing technology such as HDR[2] and Bright Mode[3]. We have already developed a 20-million pixels sensor for high-end market. We are meeting customer needs by developing more cost-competitive products.

Automotive sensors

Currently Toshiba sells sensor for view camera. We will use our original HDR to develop automotive image sensors, as demand for such products is expected to expand in the future. We will propose a system with TMPV75 Series, our automotive image recognition LSI, so as to expand sales to both domestic and overseas customers.

Medical sensors

We have formed an alliance with and invested in CapsoVision, Inc. (CV), maker of a capsule endoscope, as one aspect of promoting Toshiba’s healthcare business. We are now developing image sensor to mount in CV capsule endoscopes. We are also considering entering the market of sensors for catheters or endoscopes.

[1]: Toshiba survey.

[2]: HDR (High Dynamic Range) is a function that captures high contrast scenes naturally by widening the range of light and dark tones. Toshiba has developed HDR for video as well as still images in both high light and dark contrast settings. Our HDR synthesizing realizes smooth and vivid video recording by suppressing blurring and false colors.

[3]: Bright Mode is a technology to realize bright high speed movie recording. It can record movies that are up to 4 times brighter than those shot in normal mode. It can also record at frame rates as high as 240 frames a second in full HD equivalent by adopting an interlaced format. Toshiba provides high quality video technologies required for high speed video and for such features as smooth slow-motion playback, etc.

About Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into five strategic business domains: Energy & Infrastructure, Community Solutions, Healthcare Systems & Services, Electronic Devices & Components, and Lifestyles Products & Services. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future”, Toshiba promotes global operations towards securing “Growth Through Creativity and Innovation”, and is contributing to the achievement of a world in which people everywhere live in safe, secure and comfortable society.

Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 6.5 trillion yen (US$63 billion).

To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140829005089/en

Contacts

Toshiba Corporation

Semiconductor & Storage Products Company

Megumi Genchi / Kota Yamaji, +81-3-3457-3576

Communication IR Promotion Group

Business Planning Division

semicon-NR-mailbox@ml.toshiba.co.jp









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11942/en

DoubleTree by Hilton Opens 10th London Location

Upscale Brand Welcomes Guests to Refurbished Hotel in Fashionable Islington

LONDON & MCLEAN, Va. - Thursday, August 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) DoubleTree by Hilton today celebrated the opening of the latest addition to its growing London portfolio – the brand’s 10th hotel in the capital area. DoubleTree by Hilton London – Islington is located in the heart of fashionable Islington, offering an ideal base for exploring London’s many attractions. The stylish property, which marks the brand’s 10,000th room in Europe, joins Hilton Worldwide’s fastest growing full service brand after a multi-million pound refurbishment, and, alongside the recently opened DoubleTree by Hilton London – Chelsea, operates under a franchise agreement with Jurys Inn.

John Greenleaf, global head, DoubleTree by Hilton said, “Since 2007, the brand has grown from no presence in the UK to nearly 25 properties, with 10 of these in the London area. The DoubleTree brand resonates with the UK traveler by offering a friendly, approachable service experience, which starts with the presentation of our signature, freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie at check-in.”

John Brennan, CEO, Jurys Inn, said, "The DoubleTree by Hilton franchise provides Jurys Inn access to a broad international customer base. Our hotels’ prime locations as well as Hilton Worldwide’s renowned brand will put us in a strong position to grow revenue as well as continue to deliver stand-out customer service."

DoubleTree by Hilton London – Islington is located less than 300 metres from Angel tube station, and half a mile from Kings Cross station and St. Pancras International with connecting high-speed Eurostar services. Its location grants easy access to London’s major attractions including Buckingham Palace, the National Gallery, British Museum, West End theatre district and the city’s world-class shopping areas, including Oxford Street, Bond Street and department stores Harrods and Selfridges. The trendy district of Islington boasts a number of specialty boutiques, a vibrant arts scene and popular restaurants and bars, as well as the famous Emirates Stadium, home to Arsenal Football Club.

Thomas Doyle, general manager, DoubleTree by Hilton London – Islington, said, “The hotel has undergone a transformation, prior to converting under the DoubleTree by Hilton brand, including the addition of an executive lounge and fitness suite, not to mention a new London gin bar ‘Bar60’ which offers signature cocktails to suit a wide range of tastes. I am looking forward to greeting guests with DoubleTree by Hilton’s warm welcome.”

DoubleTree by Hilton London – Islington has recently undergone a renovation and features 229 modern guestrooms. From 1st October, this will increase to 372 bedrooms as the hotel will add a further 143 rooms including 66 Deluxe rooms and 43 Executive rooms following a substantial extension to the hotel. The refurbished ground floor, created by leading international design studio designsquared, includes a contemporary lobby and lounge area incorporating local design features.

At gin bar Bar60, guests can enjoy a range of drinks before dining at The Grill Restaurant, a full-service eatery which offers a wide menu of contemporary options, grill specialties and all day dining. The hotel also features more than 3,200 square feet of meeting space, a 24-hour complimentary business centre, concierge services through the reception team and complimentary, 24-hour on-site fitness centre and free WiFi throughout the hotel.

As with all DoubleTree by Hilton locations, the hotel will participate in the Hilton HHonors guest loyalty program, and members will be able to earn and redeem points with each stay.

DoubleTree by Hilton is defined by its unique Culture of CARE, which stands for ‘Create A Rewarding Experience’ for guests, team members and the community. Every guest at a DoubleTree by Hilton is welcomed with a warm chocolate chip cookie on check-in and the relaxed, friendly service continues throughout their stay.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel London-Islington is located at 60 Pentonville Road, Islington, London, UK, N1 9LA. For more information, or to make a reservation, travelers can visit www.londonislington.doubletree.com or call +44 (0)207 282 5500.

Media can access additional information about DoubleTree by Hilton London – Islington at the DoubleTree Global Media Centre at news.doubletree.com.

About DoubleTree by Hilton

With a fast-growing, global collection of more than 380 upscale hotels in gateway cities, metropolitan areas and vacation destinations across six continents, every little thing we do at DoubleTree by Hilton inspires us to create a rewarding experience for our hotel guests, our team members and the communities we proudly serve. Our hospitality begins with a warm chocolate chip cookie welcome upon arrival and continues with the award-winning Hilton HHonors guest loyalty program, an array of fine services and amenities and our longstanding CARE Culture tradition that empowers more than 45,000 team members to provide the special comforts and acts of kindness that make the traveler feel human again.

To make reservations at any DoubleTree by Hilton hotel, travelers may visit our brand website at www.doubletree.com. Social media users may connect with us at www.facebook.com/doubletree, www.twitter.com/doubletree and www.youtube.com/doubletreehotels. For the latest news, story starters and fact sheets about our brand, reporters and bloggers may visit our DoubleTree by Hilton Global Media Center at news.doubletree.com.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxury and full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and focused-service hotels. For 95 years, Hilton Worldwide has been dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences. The company's portfolio of eleven world-class global brands is comprised of more than 4,200 managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 690,000 rooms in 93 countries and territories, including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Curio - A Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton HHonors®. Visit news.hiltonworldwide.com more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.

Contacts

Kara Nelson

For DoubleTree by Hilton (UK)

+44 (0) 07730 435 530

kara.nelson@grayling.com



Nadia Hamed

For Jurys Inn

+44 (0) 20 3451 9417

nadia.hamed@citizenrelations.com







Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11928/en

City of Atlanta’s MARTA Selects BRS Labs as Provider of Artificial Intelligence Video Analytics to Enhance Public Safety

Artificial intelligence-based video analytics software company continues rapid growth in the mass transit industry with the addition of Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) to its list of customers

HOUSTON. - Thursday, August 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Behavioral Recognition Systems, Inc. (BRS Labs), creator of AISight®, the artificial intelligence-based analytics solution that teaches itself to recognize and alert on unexpected patterns within massive volumes of data, continues its rapid growth in the mass transit industry as more agencies choose to implement the award-winning behavioral recognition software as part of their public safety initiatives.

Public safety is a critical issue facing mass transit agencies, many of which serve hundreds of millions of customers every year. The potential for a major crisis to occur is always looming in the background and it is a concern that must be addressed. The ability to monitor rail rights of way, boarding platforms, sidewalks, streets, and thousands of passengers in transit at any given point in time can seem daunting, if not impossible.

BRS Labs is paving a new path for mass transit agencies to address public safety issues with AISight, an intelligent video analytics solution that teaches itself to recognize and alert on unexpected behavior across any camera’s field of view. Its patented, award-winning technology improves safety, security, and operational efficiency by helping organizations recognize and respond to threats in real time, as opposed to after they occur.

“Our goal is to provide a first class experience for our passengers by integrating a layered security design,” said MARTA’s Sargent Aston Green. “AISight gives us with the ability to more effectively monitor obscure areas for abnormal activities by directing security personnel with real time alerts, thus greatly reducing response times to incidents. Constant surveillance of secure areas is proven to minimize the potential for attacks and breaches; AISight gives us the ability to improve surveillance through artificial intelligence.”

MARTA, the principal rapid-transit system in the Atlanta metropolitan area, is one of many leading mass transit agencies that use BRS Labs AISight to improve security and operational efficiency. The eighth-largest rapid transit system in the United States by ridership and currently celebrating its 35th anniversary, MARTA operates a network of bus routes linked to a rapid transit system consisting of 48 miles (77 km) of rail track with 38 train stations. MARTA also operates a separate paratransit service for disabled customers. As of 2013, the average total daily ridership for the system (bus and rail) was 415,600 passengers.

“We are excited to announce that MARTA has selected AISight to enhance their public safety initiatives,” said Keith Drummond, Executive Vice President of Sales for BRS Labs. “AISight works with MARTA’s existing camera system to deliver real time alerts so that safety and operations personnel can work with greater precision by focusing on areas where potentially dangerous activity is taking place. We have experienced exponential success in the mass transit industry and are proud that six of the nine largest mass transit agencies in the United States trust BRS Labs to help keep their passengers safe.”

AISight is part of BRS Labs’ AISight Everywhere™ platform, a centralized system with modules for intelligent video analytics, intelligent alerting and operations assistance for SCADA, network security, Big Data analytics, building services and other core business functions. For more information about BRS Labs and the AISight Everywhere platform go to www.brslabs.com.

About BRS Labs

BRS Labs builds self-learning behavioral recognition software for enhanced safety, security, and operational efficiency. These highly automated solutions dramatically improve situational awareness and incident response across complex physical environments. Patented artificial intelligence technology accurately identifies threats in real time and deploys quickly as enterprise software, monthly lease, or Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). BRS Labs is headquartered in Houston, with offices in Washington DC, London, Sao Paulo, and Barcelona.


AISight® is a registered trademark, and Behavioral Recognition™ is a trademark of Behavioral Recognition Systems, Inc. Any other trademarks mentioned are the property of their owners.

About MARTA

Formed in 1971 strictly as a bus system with rail service commencing in 1979, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority operates primarily within the boundaries of Fulton and DeKalb counties. MARTA, the ninth largest transit agency in the country, provides $2.6 billion in economic activity every year and services key destinations including Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the Georgia World Congress Center, all metro area universities and the central business districts. Averaging about 420,000 daily passenger trips, the agency provides a meaningful mobility choice and attractive alternative to the automobile.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=xxxxxxxx&lang=en

Contacts

BRS Labs

Jennifer Harrington, 713-590-5194

Sr. Director of Marketing

jharrington@brslabs.com



MARTA

Alisa T. Jackson, 404-804-1717

Manager of Communications







Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11931/en

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Tata Appoints JWT as Creative Agency for Global Brand Campaign

NEW YORK. - Thursday, August 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Tata Sons Limited, the principal investment holding company of the Tata group, has appointed JWT as the creative agency for its global brand campaign. The campaign will seek to present three core messaging corridors about the Tata brand – Tata is global, Tata is trustworthy and Tata is a good corporate citizen.

"This is an extraordinary time for the Tata brand," said Gustavo Martinez, Global President, JWT (and 2015 incoming Chairman and CEO). "This is one of the great corporate stories that deserves to be better known and understood across the globe. We look forward to harnessing JWT's expertise to make sure that global markets recognize the extremely successful values-driven organization that the Tata brand represents."

Commenting on the appointment, Dr. Mukund Rajan, Brand Custodian and member of the Group Executive Council for Tata Sons Limited, said, "We are delighted to be entering into this partnership with JWT, which has a proud history spanning 15 decades of creative success. As Tata continues its journey toward becoming one of the most admired corporate and employer brands in the world, we look forward to the support of the most credible and globally respected partners.”

The account was awarded in a pitch process that attracted some of the best-known and largest agencies in the world. JWT's London, New York and Mumbai offices worked together to win the pitch.

ABOUT JWT

JWT is the world’s best-known marketing communications brand that has been inventing pioneering ideas for the past 150 years. Headquartered in New York, JWT is a true global network with more than 200 offices in over 90 countries, employing nearly 10,000 marketing professionals. JWT consistently ranks among the top agency networks in the world and continues a dominant presence in the industry by staying on the leading edge—from producing the first-ever TV commercial in 1939 to developing award-winning branded content today. For more information, please visit http://www.jwt.com and follow us @JWT_Worldwide.

Contacts
JWT
Erin Johnson, +1 917-400-9625
Chief Communications Officer
erin.johnson@jwt.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11930/en

CWT Inc. Releases New Free Version of Eidetiq- Innovative Secure Note-Taking App

Eidetiq, saves time and does the remembering for you

NASHUA, N.H. - Wednesday, August 27th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Are you forgetful? Do you have trouble keeping up when jotting down notes? Do you miss key opportunities to collaborate? Do you wish you could recall what was truly important in your meeting or class? Eidetiq has been helping successful people cut through the noise and focus on what is most important for years. Eidetiq is one of the most secure products in the industry and is unmatched in quality and speed. Check out the newly released version of the innovative note-taking app developed by Chubby Weasel Technologies, Inc. For people who truly care about making a difference, this is an indispensable tool that will change the way you work and learn. It is as simple as it sounds.

For Work- consultants and other smart business professionals use Eidetiq to record customer meetings and tag pictures of defining moments, documents, and collaborations.

For School- students and teachers use Eidetiq to recall classroom and seminar notes automatically so they can concentrate on listening, interacting, and getting the most out of their time in class.

For Home- parents use Eidetiq to record audio and photos of life’s most important events, whenever they happen.

“Never ask again- What did they just say?” said Jason Novak, CEO of CWT, Inc. “We redesigned Eidetiq to be secure enough for the Fortune 100, and easy to use for anyone who wants to record life’s most important events.”

For transcription services and note sharing, visit Eidetiq’s website (www.eidetiq.com). Look for Eidetiq on the iTunes app store and Android market.

CWT, Inc. (www.chubbyweasel.com) of Nashua, N.H. is a start-up company that focuses on making life easier for busy people.

Contacts

Chubby Weasel Technologies, Inc.

Jason Novak, 1-888-271-0544

info@chubbyweasel.com

http://www.chubbyweasel.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11927/en

IBC Recognises Innovation and Engagement with Awards for Vienna State Opera and the 2014 FIFA World Cup

IBC2014

LONDON - Wednesday, August 27th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dramatic advances in media technology bring new opportunities to engage with audiences and to extend the reach of an event around the world. At IBC2014, two very different projects will be recognised with prestigious awards. Innovations in coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup will receive the Judges’ Prize, and a Special Award will go the one of the world’s greatest opera houses, the Wiener Staatsoper – Vienna State Opera.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil was hailed as both a sporting and a media success, with close to a billion people worldwide watching the final between Argentina and Germany. They watched in on air and online, in formats from 4k and 8k Ultra HD to mobile phones and tablets.

The IBC2014 Judges’ Prize will be received on stage by Niclas Ericson, FIFA’s director of television. He said “The global football audience is always hungry for more – for more cameras, for more detail, for more replays and for more analysis. In Brazil this year we worked together with our partners to provide more engaging multi-platform content and to develop the language to cover football in high resolution formats. It was an exhilarating team effort, and I am proud to recognise all those who contributed.”

Ericson will be joined on stage by representatives of 14 partner organisations, led by HBS, the host broadcast organisation. Alongside them will be Sony (4k capture and production), NHK (4k and 8k), Telegenic (4k outside broadcast production), EVS (multimedia and 4k), Deltatre (multimedia and 4k), Eutelsat (4k), Globosat (4k), Eurovision (4k), Netco (multimedia), Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (360˚ ultra HD capture), Boxframe (4k), Dolby (4k) and Fujinon (4k lenses).

The Wiener Staatsoper has embraced multi-platform delivery, with as many as 45 broadcasts of operas and ballets a year. As well as HD origination, www.staatsoperlive.com offered a 4k Ultra-HD broadcast of Verdi’s ‘Nabucco’ on 10 May 2014, the first such broadcast to Samsung smart TVs worldwide.

Its regular broadcasts offer two streams of HD: a live cut and a static view of the stage. Additional content including a synchronised score as well as subtitles adds to the viewer’s understanding. Extra video and multimedia content, tailored to specialist audiences, include a discussion of the opera, live rehearsals and backstage views, and more.

“For us as an opera house with 150 years of tradition, presenting an art form that looks back on 500 years of history, to be rewarded with one of the most renowned awards in this highly innovative industry is a wonderful acknowledgement,” said Dominique Meyer, director of the Vienna State Opera. “It shows how vivid we are, looking from a glorious past into a promising future.”

Michael Lumley, Chair of the IBC Awards judging panel, said “At first glance there is little in common between the football World Cup and opera. Yet each engender huge passion in their fans, and those fan bases are far larger than can attend a live event. Both FIFA and the Vienna State Opera have built strong, innovative, creative in-house teams to take control of their content, and have worked with leaders in the industry to be on the leading edge of emerging technologies.

“IBC is the place where content, commerce and technology come together,” he added. “These two organisations are clear winners with their audiences, and we are delighted to be able to recognise them with these very special awards.”

The awards will be presented during the IBC Awards Ceremony, and clips from both the World Cup and recent productions in the Vienna Opera House will be shown on the state of the art digital cinema and audio installation in the RAI Auditorium – the IBC Big Screen. The Awards Ceremony takes place on Sunday 14 September at 18:30: all IBC attendees are welcome to attend this free event.

About IBC

IBC is the premier annual event for professionals engaged in the creation, management and delivery of entertainment and news content worldwide. Attracting 52,000+ attendees from more than 170 countries, IBC combines a highly respected and peer-reviewed conference with an exhibition that exhibits more than 1,500 leading suppliers of state of the art electronic media technology and provides unrivalled networking opportunities.

For more information visit http://www.ibc.org/awards

To register for IBC2014 visit www.ibc.org/register

Find out more about the IBC Conference – www.ibc.org/conference

Find out more about the IBC Exhibition – www.ibc.org/discovermore

Find out more about IBC Content Everywhere Europe – www.ibcCE.org/europe

IBC2014 Dates:

Conference: 11 - 15 September 2014

Exhibition: 12 - 16 September 2014

Contacts

IBC

Kelly Hyde

Head of Marketing

marketing@ibc.org

+44 (0) 207 832 4104









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11919/en

Regus Express Hub at Copenhagen Airport Offers Productive Place to Work, Meet and Freshen Up

New business and arrivals lounge concept will facilitate work on the move; showers and refreshments will restore tired passengers

COPENHAGEN, Denmark. - Thursday, August 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Regus, the global workplace provider, is to open a drop-in business centre at Copenhagen Airport. As well as helping business travellers to meet and work, it will enable arriving long-haul passengers to shower and grab breakfast before heading to meetings.

The Regus Express hub will be located pre-security in the Arrivals and Departures hall, maximising access for travellers. Facilities will include open-plan and private work areas, meeting spaces, office support, showers and refreshments. Time spent at the airport will become more productive.

In a second phase, Regus will add Meetingpods and Workpods at airside locations. These private workspaces will allow people to meet or deal with admin until the time they board their flight.

Demand for mobile workplaces is increasing as business people’s lives become more itinerant. Regus is leading the trend with similar facilities at Heathrow and deals signed with Gatwick and Birmingham airports. Regus also has centres at Amsterdam Schipol and Brussels airports.

Phil Kemp, Global Managing Director of Regus Third Space, commented: “Regus understands the needs of business people because we work with them in over 100 countries. They’re increasingly working on the move, so we are creating better ways and places for them to do this – including opening Regus Express facilities at airports and rail stations.”

Copenhagen Airport is a strong business destination as the gateway of Northern Europe with more than 24 million passengers a year, explains Thomas Woldbye, CEO Copenhagen Airport.

He added: “The opening of a Regus drop-in-business centre is in line with our World Class Hub Strategy to attract commercial development and further develop our hub as a business destination. The Regus centre will amplify existing products as well as adding innovative and new offers and services primarily to our business travelers.”

About Regus

Regus is the global provider of workplaces, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges. Over 1.8 million customers a day benefit from Regus facilities across 2,000 locations in 750 cities and 104 countries. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Contacts

Regus

Nathalie Renson, +33 (0)1 78 42 35 20

Group Head of Communications

nathalie.renson@regus.com

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

ZTE Exclusively Wins SWAN Slovakia Contract for Nationwide LTE Networks

SHENZHEN, China. - Thursday, August 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, has signed a contract with Slovak operator SWAN for a nationwide LTE network project.

ZTE will exclusively construct core CS/PS (circuit-switched/packet-switched) network, and a GSM/LTE mobile communications and VAS (value added services) network, involving over 1,100 dual-mode GSM/LTE base stations to SWAN.

SWAN was granted the fourth wireless operator license in Slovakia in January 2014, and plans to build more than 1,100 GSM and LTE base stations within three years.

ZTE and SWAN have established a strong partnership, with ZTE taking the lead in substantial network development projects. ZTE will be using its industry-leading SDR (software-defined radio) solutions to provide seamless dual-mode GSM/LTE communications across the country. To manage mobile communications across SWAN's spectrum structure, ZTE will use full-bandwidth, high-power RRUs (remote radio units) to avoid spectrum fragmentation and to deliver high bandwidth and LTE frequency adjustment. The ZTE network’s ability to simply evolve to LTE-A will protect SWAN's existing investment and help the operator to respond quickly to competitive challenges.

Mr. Xie Junshi, CTO of ZTE Europe and America, said, "ZTE is looking forward to helping develop SWAN’s presence in Slovakia and to providing the most advanced high-speed communications to support SWAN grow and succeed in this highly competitive market. Through this project, ZTE and SWAN will enter a closer long-term strategic partnership."

As a major global provider of integrated communications solutions, ZTE is building market-leading networks with operators all over the world that are customized to match their individual requirements. ZTE is the fastest-growing supplier of LTE products, and the company’s share of the global LTE equipment market increased by almost 20 percent in 2013.

ZTE has signed 146 LTE/EPC commercial contracts around the world, and has contracts in 70 percent of the countries that have invested in LTE. SWAN's nationwide LTE network project is the first large-scale commercial network built by ZTE in Slovakia, indicating an important step forward for ZTE's wireless products in the European operator market.

About ZTE

ZTE is a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions with the most comprehensive product range covering virtually every telecommunications sector, including wireless, access & bearer, VAS, terminals and professional services. The company delivers innovative, custom-made products and services to over 500 operators in more than 160 countries, helping them to meet the changing needs of their customers while growing revenue. ZTE commits 10 per cent of its annual revenue to research and development and has leadership roles in several international bodies devoted to developing telecommunications industry standards. ZTE is committed to corporate social responsibility and is a member of the UN Global Compact. The company is China’s only listed telecom manufacturer that is publicly traded on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ). For more information, please visit www.zte.com.cn.

About SWAN

SWAN, a.s., is a rapidly developing Slovak telecommunications service provider, which aims to provide customers with professional telecommunications solutions of the highest quality. Technological capacities, portfolio of services and rapid development of the company rank SWAN among innovators and leaders within the Slovak national market. SWAN aims to reach a stable place among leading companies of the Slovak telco market and acts as a responsive technological leader in the area of modern and cost-effective solutions. For more information, please visit www.swan.sk

Contacts
ZTE Corporation
Margrete Ma, +86 755 26775207
ma.gaili@zte.com.cn



AxiCom PR
William de la Bedoyere, +44 (0)20 8392 8074
william.delabedoyere@axicom.com







Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11929/en

Counting Down to Panasonic LIVE@IFA 2014!

IFA 2014

OSAKA, Japan - Wednesday, August 27th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Panasonic Corporation announced that it will exhibit in Hall 5.2 a/b at the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin 2014 (IFA), one of the largest consumer electronics fairs in the world, to be held at Messe Berlin, Germany, from September 5 to 10, 2014. Under the theme of "A Better Life, A Better World," the Panasonic booth will present new experiences and value-added products and services that make life better, from digital AV equipment and home appliances to solutions for businesses.

In addition, the online broadcast "Panasonic LIVE@IFA 2014" will bring the Panasonic IFA experience to people around the world. This includes Panasonic's press conference as well as the company's latest products, technologies and solutions on display and demonstrations from the Panasonic Booth.

What’s Panasonic LIVE@IFA 2014 http://youtu.be/M8P0knU_CXM?list=PLPud4j-hWIGLfvns1RRw1ml20ehnvbw8O

Panasonic LIVE@IFA Microsite http://www.panasonic.com/ifa

Main Exhibits

Concept Area: Better Living Tomorrow

Panasonic will take full advantage of the company's diverse range of products to present sophisticated lifestyles of the near future. In the center of the 3,300-square-meter booth will be a living space with a variety of home appliances blended well into the surroundings. Through demonstrations, Panasonic will propose new benefits that home electronics and household appliances will offer in daily living spaces, including kitchen and living room.

4K World

In addition to Panasonic's 4K product line for consumers, which is expanding to include devices that let them enjoy not only "watching" (TVs) but also "capturing" (digital still and video cameras), visitors will find the company's 4K solutions for professionals, in the form of camcorders, digital signage equipment, tablets, and more.

Digital AV

Home entertainment products on display will focus on 4K models of Panasonic's VIERA TVs delivering the highest picture quality. A wide range of services will also be presented including TV Anywhere, which allows you to enjoy TV and recorded content from Blu-ray Disc Recorders wherever you are, and features unique to Europe such as SAT>IP, which enables you to access satellite broadcasting without a tuner.

Panasonic will also exhibit audio products that offer a variety of ways to enjoy music at home and outdoors, including a series of AllPlay-compatible multi-room network audio products and high-resolution audio headphones.

Imaging products in this area will offer visitors new ways to enjoy photos and video through Panasonic's 4K line, such as the LUMIX FZ1000, and GH4 cameras, and the A500 wearable camcorder, all of which are capable of capturing 4K video.

Home Appliances

The cooking appliances area will feature Panasonic's high-quality built-in appliances, including its induction hob. The company's own temperature control technology in the induction hob will be introduced through live shows by Japanese cuisine instructor-chefs from the Tsuji Culinary Institute of Osaka on the cooking demo stage.

The beauty care and grooming products in this corner will focus on Panasonic's nanoe technology. Visitors can learn the benefits of such Panasonic nanoe products as hair dryers, hair irons and shavers through firsthand experience and demonstrations by professional hair stylists.

Washers and dryers on display will highlight Panasonic's unique steam technology and auto-care function, which will be introduced for the first time in Europe.

B2B Solutions

Panasonic will introduce examples of corporate solutions offered in Europe, including its cloud monitoring service, energy-related systems for homes, and batteries for electric vehicles.

In addition, Panasonic's "Future Craft" design philosophy and products designed based on the philosophy will also be introduced at the booth.

Press Conference

Panasonic's press conference will be held on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 from 3:00 to 3:45 p.m. (CEST) at the Panasonic Booth.

Press Kit Website: http://www.panasonic.eu/ifa2014/

*Press releases, photos and video will be available for download from 3:45 p.m. (CEST) on September 3, 2014.

Panasonic News Portal: http://news.panasonic.net

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140826006170/en/

Contacts

Panasonic Corporation

Global Communication Group

Public Relations Office

+81-3-3574-5729

presscontact@ml.jp.panasonic.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11918/en

Toshiba's Logic LSI Products Strategy

TOKYO - Wednesday, August 27th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Toshiba’s (TOKYO:6502) Logic LSI business solves the major problems custom LSIs face: development that takes over two years; costs that can become more expensive due to changes in application being developed or customer trends; and the expense of using cutting edge processes or devices. We propose FFSATM as a solution.

We have developed a solution for ApP Lite™ as a strategic product for controlling a series of movements of sensing, processing and uploading data to a cloud, and adding value to numerous data in the IOT, it’s market that has seen rapid growth in recent years. For example, we have launched products in such demand areas wearable devices that support healthy lifestyles and reduce risk of diseases, and set top box that receive video or audio services via the internet and wirelessly send them to PCs or smartphones.

We will provide solutions that help customers to overcome problems by extending these product lines.

FFSA™ (Fit Fast Structured Array)

We can realize highly functional, high performance SoC products offering low power consumption by using technologies licensed from Bay Sand Inc. in the US for customizing several metal mask layers. FFSA is compatible with FPGA, so we can offer prototype samples in only five weeks, 20% of the time required for traditional ASIC, using RTL design data verified by FPGA. It is also possible to provide prototype samples with the same pin out as FPGA. Reducing the number of customizing metal mask layers to just a few reduces development cost drastically, so it is no wonder that we are starting to receive orders from major network storage manufacturers in Japan and the US.

ApP Lite™ (Application Processor Lite)

By enhancing sensor technology and communications technology for transmitting sensor-collected data, we will achieve life-enriching IOT solutions. These will not simply upload sensed data to a cloud, but offer further value by adding signal processing, and image recognition, so as to reduce load for data communication. Our current line-up, including TZ1000, 2000, 3000, 5000 series targeting wearable devices, M2M wireless modules, IP-STB and more, are expected to see market growth. The key points of differentiation are lower power consumption, firm security functions and image/video sharpening technologies. We will make particular efforts to reinforce image/video sharpening technology with image recognition processors. We also utilize BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) as well as Wi-Fi as communication technologies in ApP Lite cores. For TZ1000 and TZ2000, we will promote sales with a roadmap unified with our microcomputers, positioned not only as value-added models (power-saving application such as security, healthcare) but as ARM MCU+ communication functions.

Project Ara

We have accepted orders for Switch IC and 2 types of Bridge IC for a new smartphone currently being developed by Google Inc. This was due to a high evaluation of the implementation of the Unipro protocol (MIPI-related) owned by Logic LSI Division.

We will expand line-up of above products, collaborate with partners inside and outside of the company, improve technologies for sensors, data transmission and lower power consumption, and propose solutions in order to meet the customers' requests, including customization.

* FFSA™ and ApP Lite™ are trademarks of Toshiba.

About Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into five strategic business domains: Energy & Infrastructure, Community Solutions, Healthcare Systems & Services, Electronic Devices & Components, and Lifestyles Products & Services. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future”, Toshiba promotes global operations towards securing “Growth Through Creativity and Innovation”, and is contributing to the achievement of a world in which people everywhere live in safe, secure and comfortable society.

Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 6.5 trillion yen (US$63 billion).

To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm

Contacts

Toshiba Corporation

Semiconductor & Storage Products Company

Megumi Genchi / Kota Yamaji, +81-3-3457-3576

Communication IR Promotion Group

Business Planning Division

semicon-NR-mailbox@ml.toshiba.co.jp









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11921/en

New HeartSine AED Provides Automatic Shock Delivery

BELFAST, Northern Ireland & NEWTOWN, Pa. - Wednesday, August 27th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- HeartSine® Technologies is pleased to announce the arrival of the samaritan® PAD 360P, a fully automatic AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) based on the company’s popular samaritan PAD 350P.

The HeartSine samaritan PAD 360P (SAM 360P) analyses the heart rhythm and delivers an electrical shock to a victim of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in order to restore the heart to normal rhythm. This user-friendly AED provides easy to follow visual and audio prompts, including CPR coaching which verbally guides the rescuer through the CPR process. Shock delivery, if required, is fully automatic which means there is no shock button to press.

The SAM 360P utilizes clinically advanced samaritan PAD technology, including proprietary electrode technology, advanced and stable firmware, and proprietary SCOPE™ (Self-Compensating Output Pulse Envelope) biphasic technology (an escalating and low-energy waveform that automatically adjusts for patient impedance differences) to assess rhythm and maximize effective shock delivery if necessary.

“We work closely with our customers to ensure that our products include the features they want most,” says Declan O’Mahoney, HeartSine CEO. “Because the auto-shock feature is required in some markets, we expanded our product offering to include the SAM 360P, which nicely complements our existing product line.”

With a rating of IP56, the samaritan PADs are the most robust AEDs available on the market, providing the highest level of moisture and dust ingress protection in the industry. This makes the HeartSine AEDs equally ideal for use in the corporate office or in the field where exposure to the elements is a challenge.

All HeartSine samaritan PAD models use the company’s innovative Pad-Pak™ cartridge that houses both the battery and electrodes for the device. One expiration date eliminates the need and reduces the costs to track and inventory two separate items, giving the samaritan PAD one of the lowest costs of ownership in the industry. And the Pad-Pak features a rapid replacement mechanism that enables both the pads and the battery, which is also available with EASA's latest ETSO-C142a certification, to be replaced within seconds.

The SAM 360P will complement the SAM 350P by providing users with a choice of either a fully-automatic device or a semi-automatic device.

Along with the SAM 360P, HeartSine will offer a new samaritan PAD Trainer TRN-360 that simplifies CPR and AED training. The new samaritan PAD Trainer guides users through simulated analysis, energy delivery and prompted Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) intervals with the look and feel of a live samaritan PAD 360P without the actual charge and discharge of an electrical shock.

The samaritan PAD 360P is immediately available in several countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America, and will roll out to additional countries as local regulatory approvals are received. The cost of the device will be comparable to that of the SAM 350P.

About SCA

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) is a condition in which the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, causing blood to stop flowing to the brain and other vital organs. SCA usually causes death if it's not treated within minutes. CPR alone will not restart the heart, so the American Heart Association recommends CPR combined with early defibrillation (within three to five minutes) for the best outcome.

SCA claims more than seven million lives annually. It occurs abruptly and without warning, with 84 percent of SCA events occurring outside of the healthcare setting.

About HeartSine Technologies

HeartSine Technologies, a world leader in personal and public access defibrillators, advances the deployment of life-saving defibrillation therapy for the treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest in non-traditional areas of care.

Designed for use in public areas, the company’s entire line of Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) products leverages its proprietary, clinically advanced SCOPE technology to optimize the administration of life-saving treatment.

The company’s flagship product line, the HeartSine samaritan® PAD (Public Access Defibrillator), is IP56 rated for durability and exceptional reliability to meet the unique environmental demands of public use. Its industry-leading warranty and innovative battery/electrode Pad-Pak combine to give the samaritan PAD the lowest total cost of ownership. HeartSine is active in over 70 countries worldwide in a wide range of environments, including commercial aircraft, military and shipping facilities, manufacturing plants, offices, schools and sports clubs.

HeartSine is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Newtown, Pennsylvania. To learn how a HeartSine AED can save lives, please visit www.heartsine.com/ or follow HeartSine at Facebook, and Twitter.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50931378&lang=en

Contacts

HeartSine Technologies

Rene’ Williams

Director of Global Marketing

P: 949-360-7770

M: 949-395-3383

Rene.williams@heartsine.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11920/en

KDDI to Build New TELEHOUSE Data Centers in Tokyo and Osaka

TELEHOUSE invests in expanding a further 20MW of high power density colocation space in Japan

TOKYO. - Tuesday, August 26th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) KDDI (TOKYO:9433), the global telecommunications provider, announced today that it will invest 270 million dollars (28 billion yen) in building two new TELEHOUSE data centers, “TELEHOUSE OSAKA 2” and “TELEHOUSE TOKYO Tama 3”, scheduled to open in August 2015 and February 2016 respectively. These additional facilities will take the total amount of global TELEHOUSE data center space to 371,000 sqm provided by 46 sites across 13 countries/territories and 24 major cities.

Both facilities will offer high-density colocation services enabling the hosting of heavy load IT infrastructure. The data centers will meet the growing demand for housing private enterprise clouds along with public cloud service providers, online and media content companies. The facilities are designed to Tier 3+ data center standards in redundancy and uptime. It will be insusceptible to earthquakes by a long-period absorption structure, reflecting the high quality Global TELEHOUSE specifications. In addition, KDDI can provide a combined solution by providing direct access to the KDDI global network along with the data center.

TELEHOUSE Osaka 2, in the center of Osaka city, will offer 700 racks of tenancy space with up to 30kVA (designed) per rack. The technical and operations room will be situated above second floor avoiding the risk of potential flooding. Osaka 2 can be used as a disaster recovery and back-up site for the Tokyo data centers.

TELEHOUSE Tokyo Tama 3 will be located on the existing Tama data center campus, 30km from the Tokyo city center in a highly guarded surrounding. The five storey building will offer 1,300 racks of tenancy space with up to 42kVA (designed) power supply to racks, the highest*1 in Japan and 5 times*2 industry average, with a designed PUE 1.31 making it one of the most energy efficient data centers in Japan.

This expansion reflects the growing demand for data center space in Japan’s metros and the ability of KDDI to accommodate leading multinationals expanding their portfolio in Japan. By securing their domestic market share in Japan, KDDI continues to be the leader in premium data center facilities.

About TELEHOUSE

TELEHOUSE is the pioneering data center colocation provider originally established in 1989. It manages and operates 46 carrier-neutral data centers globally, serving over 2000 companies and hosting some of the world's leading internet exchanges. Designed for mission-critical IT system housing and connectivity, TELEHOUSE supports the infrastructure of the world's leading network operators, cloud providers and financial institutions. http://www.telehouse.jp/en/

About KDDI

KDDI Corporation is a leading Japanese telecommunications and a Global Fortune 300 company. Serving 40 million domestic mobile subscribers, KDDI provides a diverse portfolio consisting of managed networks, data centers, cloud, security and system integration. http://global.kddi.com/

(*1) As of Aug 26. Research from KDDI based on public information. (*2) Compared with TELEHOUSE data centers in Japan.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50929956&lang=en

Contacts

KDDI

Public Relations Department

prdpt@kddi.com









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11912/en

Toshiba's Discrete Semiconductor Products Strategy

TOKYO. - Tuesday, August 26th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Toshiba (TOKYO:6502) aims for stable business expansion by providing discrete devices in growth markets.

The business environment is changing, and markets for smartphone, tablet PC, wireless base stations and data centers are expanding, automobile are becoming more intelligent, new energy sources, such as wind power, are expanding, primarily in emerging countries, and energy efficiency is emphasized more than ever in industry.

Small-signal device and OPTO device

Small-signal and OPTO devices, the foundation products of the business, have seen strong demand since last year. Every site, Toshiba Semiconductor (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (TST), which moved location after the Thai floods, is operating at full capacity. Our photo couplers, OPTO devices, have held the world No.1 share for four consecutive years. We aim for further productivity improvements from expanding TST, expanding the product line-up in high value-added areas, mainly in the industrial market, and to expand business by responding to market changes and expansions.

Power Devices

MOSFETs are a focus product, and we will support customers by exerting comprehensive strengths in respect of performance, quality and supply capacity to meet industrial market in China, which is expected to see market expansion, and market of strong Japanese automotive manufacturers. We have already won orders of next-generation automotive products. We will continue to advance the capacity of the 200mm line in Kaga Toshiba Electronics and to provide solutions to customers.

Furthermore, as next-generation products using new materials responding diverse market needs, we will launch up SiC devices for high voltage and high frequency field, GaN power devices for super high frequency filed, applied GaN on Si technology for white LED. We will also collaborate with the in-house system companies. We will lead expanding market in the future.

Toshiba Discrete Semiconductor Business will anticipate future demands to achieve business growth in the global market.

About Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into five strategic business domains: Energy & Infrastructure, Community Solutions, Healthcare Systems & Services, Electronic Devices & Components, and Lifestyles Products & Services. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future”, Toshiba promotes global operations towards securing “Growth Through Creativity and Innovation”, and is contributing to the achievement of a world in which people everywhere live in safe, secure and comfortable society.

Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 6.5 trillion yen (US$63 billion). To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm

Contacts

Toshiba Corporation

Semiconductor & Storage Products Company

Megumi Genchi / Kota Yamaji, +81-3-3457-3576

Communication IR Promotion Group

Business Planning Division

semicon-NR-mailbox@ml.toshiba.co.jp









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11911/en

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

ZTE Wins COSMOTE Romania LTE Contract

SHENZHEN, China. - Tuesday, August 26th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) ZTE Corporation (“ZTE”) (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ), a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment, network solutions and mobile devices, has won a wireless project contract from COSMOTE Romania, the largest multinational mobile operator in the Balkans, to transform its existing 2G/3G network and build a new LTE network in southern Romania.

The deal is expected to require construction of more than 3,000 base stations, reinforcing ZTE's leading place in the European LTE market.

Based in Greece, COSMOTE Group has its major operations in South Eastern European countries, including Greece, Albania and Romania. Deutsche Telekom is the largest of its shareholders, holding 40 percent of shares in Greece’s OTE Group. In 2012, COSMOTE Romania won the auction for the 25M 1800M and 10M 2600M LTE spectrums and planned to launch LTE services in the hope of better customer experience and competitiveness.

In 2010, ZTE successfully completed a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) project for COSMOTE Romania using ZTE’s industry-leading SDR (software defined radio) technologies and network delivery capabilities. The previous cooperation on UMTS networks has laid a solid foundation for further work on LTE projects between COSMOTE and ZTE.

Xiong Hui, SVP of ZTE, said, "ZTE is very grateful that COSMOTE Romania once again selected us as a strategic partner. With our series of innovative solutions, led by Cloud Radio, ZTE is taking the lead in the development of LTE technologies. The LTE network of COSMOTE Romania will use the world's most advanced products and solutions to enhance the customer experience. We will employ ZTE's best resources to make the project a successful one."

As of the end of July 2014, ZTE has won 146 commercial LTE/EPC contracts around the world, covering 70 percent of the countries that have invested in LTE. ZTE is the world's fastest growing LTE vendor and in 2013, the company’s share of the new LTE market was close to 20 percent. ZTE has successfully launched LTE networks for operators including China Mobile, China Telecom, Hutchison, Softbank, KPN, Telenor, TeliaSonera, Vodafone, VimpelCom, and Bharti.

About ZTE

ZTE is a publicly-listed global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions with the most comprehensive product range covering virtually every telecommunications sector, including wireless, access & bearer, VAS, terminals and professional services. The company delivers innovative, custom-made products and services to over 500 operators in more than 160 countries, helping them to meet the changing needs of their customers while growing revenue. ZTE commits 10 per cent of its annual revenue to research and development and has leadership roles in several international bodies devoted to developing telecommunications industry standards. ZTE is committed to corporate social responsibility and is a member of the UN Global Compact. The company is China’s only listed telecom manufacturer that is publicly traded on both the Hong Kong and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges (H share stock code: 0763.HK / A share stock code: 000063.SZ). For more information, please visit www.zte.com.cn.

Contacts

ZTE Corporation

Margrete Ma, +86 755 26775207

ma.gaili@zte.com.cn



AxiCom PR

William de la Bedoyere, +44 (0)20 8392 8074

william.delabedoyere@axicom.com







Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11909/en

CPI Card Group To Acquire EFT Source, Inc.

Acquisition strengthens existing EMV, personalization and fulfillment capabilities, delivering comprehensive, secure customized payment solutions for the burgeoning payments industry

LITTLETON, Colo. - Tuesday, August 26th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) CPI Card Group, a global leader in financial and EMV card production and related services, announced today that the company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire EFT Source, a provider of turnkey card programs and personalization services for the financial payments industry.

With the acquisition of EFT Source, CPI will be poised to continue to meet the increasing demand for innovative payment solutions in its global markets. The acquisition provides extended capacity and expertise in card personalization and fulfillment to support the U.S. market migration to EMV for small, medium and large financial card issuers. In addition, EFT’s patented Instant Issuance Solution, Card@Once®, will now be made available to CPI customers.

EFT Source will maintain its existing facilities located in Nashville, Tenn. and Colorado Springs, Colo.

“EFT Source’s partnership with CPI spans over 15 years and we share a common philosophy regarding the priority of client service delivery,” said Steve Montross, president and CEO of CPI Card Group. “This acquisition combines CPI’s expertise in card production technology and related services including personalization, with EFT Source’s advanced personalization and fulfillment capabilities, providing our mutual customers with unmatched products and services to meet their needs. We are very excited about this combination and the value it will bring to our customers.”

“Through our close work with CPI over the years, there is great familiarity between our organizations, including our management teams,” said Bill Dinker, president of EFT Source. “Our company is a natural fit with CPI. It allows us to better support our customers through a greater depth of resources and expertise and a more comprehensive product offering and to drive greater growth in the payments industry.”

EFT Source, Inc. was advised by Raymond James and CPI Card Group was advised by William Blair & Company, L.L.C.

About CPI Card Group

CPI, a global leader in financial card production and related services under the VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover payment brands, offers a single source for cards and other form factors, from financial and prepaid debit to EMV chip and mobile, and personalization and fulfillment services. CPI offers the largest secure and commercial production network in North America and the UK. CPI's production sites include: Denver, Colo.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Las Vegas, Nev.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Colchester, England; Liverpool, England; Petersfield, England and Toronto, Canada. CPI’s facilities in Colo., Nev., Ind., Canada and Liverpool are ISO 9001 certified. For more information, visit www.cpicardgroup.com.

About EFT Source

Established in 1977, EFT Source provides more than 3,000 U.S. financial institutions with turnkey card programs and secure personalization of debit, credit and ATM cards under the VISA, MasterCard and Discover payment brands from conceptual art to creative fulfillment services. Based in Nashville, Tenn., EFT Source also has a production facility in Colorado Springs, Colo. For more information, visit www.EFTsource.com.

Contacts

Scream Agency for CPI Card Group

Katie Knoch, 303-893-8608 ex 208

Katie@screamagency.com









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11907/en

Centaur Announces CFO Transition Plan


SAN ANTONIO. - Tuesday, August 26th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Centaur Guernsey L.P. Inc. (Centaur) today announced that Robert Hureau, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Centaur and each of its operating subsidiaries Kinetic Concepts, Inc., LifeCell Corporation and Systagenix Wound Management, Limited, has notified the Company that he will be resigning to pursue another career opportunity. Mr. Hureau will continue in his current role until September 23, 2014. Following Mr. Hureau’s departure, Brian Busenlehner, Vice President, Corporate Controller, will serve as interim Chief Financial Officer, working closely with President and CEO Joe Woody and the company’s senior leadership team on all financial matters. Mr. Busenlehner has served as Vice President, Controller since 2007 and in that role has been responsible for global accounting, financial consolidation and external reporting in addition to providing leadership in support of the Company’s Global Shared Service Center in Budapest, Hungary.

The Company has started a search to identify and select a new CFO and has retained executive search firm Crist|Kolder Associates to conduct the process.

“The Board and I thank Bob for his contributions to the Company and wish him and his family the best in the future,” said Woody. “Brian Busenlehner is a highly experienced finance professional, and I’m pleased to have him step into this role on an interim basis while the search for a new CFO is conducted.”

About Centaur

Centaur Guernsey L.P. Inc., through its subsidiaries KCI, LifeCell and Systagenix, is a leading global medical technology company devoted to understanding, developing and commercializing innovative, high-technology transformational healing solutions for customers and patients in more than 75 countries around the world. The three companies form one globally diversified wound care, biologics and regenerative medicine company, committed to advancing the science of medicine to reduce complications, speed healing and improve patient lives. Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, the company is a leader in the medical technology industry with the most comprehensive offering of best-in-class surgical and chronic wound therapies. Additional information about the company and its products is available at www.KCI1.com.

Contacts

KCI Corporate Communications

Mike Barger, +1-210-255-6824

mike.barger@kci1.com



KCI Investor Relations

Nathan Speicher, +1-210-255-6027

nathan.Speicher@kci1.com







Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11908/en

Clear Quality Vision and Values Key to Culture of Quality that Drives Results: ASQ, Forbes Research

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Monday, August 25th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Clearly stated quality vision and values, and unequivocal leadership are key components to a successful culture of quality that can help organizations drive results, according to new research from ASQ and Forbes Insights.

But only about 60 percent of all respondents say management unequivocally supports their organization’s quality vision and values, of which about 60 percent say are clearly stated. In Europe and Asia, about 50 percent of respondents say their organizations have clear quality visions and values, according to the research.

The research — “Culture of Quality: Accelerating Growth and Performance in the Enterprise” — explores organizations’ support of quality and the key components of a successful culture of quality. This study offers — from organizations like Samsung, FedEx, and Tata — actionable insight into how a quality-driven culture can accelerate business performance.

The research draws on the responses of 1,010 senior leaders and 1,281 quality professionals worldwide from a multitude of industries. The survey was conducted online in April.

“In order to be effective, a culture of quality must permeate an entire organization,” said ASQ Chair Stephen Hacker. “This research provides first-hand and real-world examples from industry leaders of how to strengthen and sustain a high-impact quality culture — which can have dramatic and positive effects on an organization’s bottom line.”

"Organizations range from those where quality is just a slogan to those where quality is a deep focus for everyone from the CEO on down," said Bruce Rogers, Chief Insights Officer at Forbes Media. "This study shows which elements are vital for a strong culture of quality."

The survey results also reveal gaps between senior leaders’ and quality professionals’ views on culture of quality.

According to the research, 72 percent of senior leaders rate their quality programs as world class — the strongest in the world — or advanced. In comparison, 40 percent of midlevel, quality-focused respondents view their programs as world class or advanced. Sixty percent of quality-focused respondents instead rank their quality program as average or below average.

The disparity is likely due to “filtered, big-picture material that has been ‘prettied up’ for management,” according to Elizabeth Keim, a managing partner at Integrated Quality Resources, and project advisor.

“I think the deeper you dive into an organization’s chart, the closer those people are to the detail of what is happening,” according to Dan Afseth, software development leader at Intuit and project advisor. “If you’re close to the challenge, you see the precise changes still needing to be made. Whereas from the top, you see great progress.”

Other findings include:

    59 percent of respondents say their organization has a comprehensive, groupwide culture of quality.
    48 percent say customer needs are the key driver of their quality programs.
    24 percent of respondents strongly agree that they actively involve customers in quality discussions.
    53 percent say their organization plans to increase investment in quality programs in the next 18 months.

To download the research paper, or for more information about the research, visit cultureofquality.org.

About ASQ

ASQ is a global community of people dedicated to quality who share the ideas and tools that make our world work better. With millions of individual and organizational members of the community in 150 countries, ASQ has the reputation and reach to bring together the diverse quality champions who are transforming the world’s corporations, organizations and communities to meet tomorrow’s critical challenges. Learn more about ASQ’s members, mission, technologies and training at asq.org.

Contacts

ASQ

Kevin Braley

414-272-8575 ext. 7587

800-248-1946

kbraley@asq.org









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11900/en

Monday, August 25, 2014

New Pradaxa® Data to be Presented at the ESC Congress 2014

INGELHEIM, Germany. - Monday, August 25th 2014

    HOT LINE: New results from RE-LY® compare the effect of warfarin and Pradaxa® on kidney function in patients requiring anticoagulation
    HOT LINE: GLORIA™-AF Registry Program benchmarks patient characteristics and antithrombotic use for stroke prevention in AF worldwide

For Non-US/Non-UK/Non-Canadian Media

New Pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate) data for the treatment of a broad range of thromboembolic diseases will be presented at the ESC Congress 2014, 30th August – 3rd September, 2014, Barcelona, Spain, organised by the European Society of Cardiology. Study results, including data being presented in two Hot Line sessions, will provide further clinical insights for Pradaxa® and help inform future anticoagulation treatment decisions.

    On August 31st, the Registry Hot Line session will reveal data from the first 10,000 patients included in the GLORIA™-AF Registry Program, which will provide insights into patterns of antithrombotic treatment use for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF).
    On September 2nd, a Clinical Trial Update Hot Line session will announce new data from a RE-LY® sub-analysis comparing the effects of warfarin and Pradaxa® on kidney function in AF patients requiring anticoagulation.
    Further new data sets from company-sponsored studies involving Pradaxa® in AF, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism will also feature as poster and oral presentations during the ESC Congress 2014.

Abstracts are available from the ESC website at: http://spo.escardio.org/default.aspx?eevtid=69

In Barcelona, five years ago, the landmark RE-LY® study results were presented at the ESC Congress 2009. Since then, the RE-LY® findings have been reconfirmed in numerous sub-analyses, supported by Regulatory Authorities worldwide and were most recently replicated outside of a clinical study setting by an independent FDA assessment involving more than 134,000 Medicare patients.1-4

Boehringer Ingelheim will be hosting a media briefing during the ESC congress to present the new data, discuss how Pradaxa® is impacting patients in everyday clinical practice and give an update on the ongoing R&D programme including the progress of the investigational antidote idarucizumab. Medical media who are interested in attending the Boehringer Ingelheim briefing ‘Setting the Record Straight - Pradaxa® Protection Today and Tomorrow’ on Monday 1st September, 14.00-15.00 in the Industry Press Conference Room, should contact pradaxa@ogilvy.com




Contacts

Boehringer Ingelheim

Corporate Communications

Media + PR

Friederike Middeke

Phone: +49 6132 – 77 141 575

Fax: +49 6132 – 77 6601

Email: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11903/en

Toshiba's Storage Products Strategy

TOKYO - Monday, August 25th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The storage business is one of Toshiba’s (TOKYO:6502) strategic focus businesses, alongside energy and healthcare. Our data storage products, such as HDD and SSD, are the key components of the storage business, along with NAND Flash, and we will make our business more competitive and larger by supporting cloud and social network service businesses that are expected to see rapid expansion.

HDD responsible for storing large amount of data and SSD responsible for high speed processing are seen as co-existing, complementing each other's characteristics. While offering a wide line-up of storage products, our main focus will be the enterprise market and the following products and targets.

·         Near line HDD: Expand market share by increasing the capacity.

·         Enterprise SSD: Gain market share by utilizing advantages of in-house NAND flash memory and expanding line-up for high speed processing storage at data centers.

Through these measures, we aim to expand HDD market share to more than 20% in 2016. We aim to gain more than a 30% share of market of SSD (SAS interface) for data centers in the same year.

We will expand into high value-added business area such as software for storage systems and solution (appliances), etc. as a way to further expand and improve the profitability of the storage products business.

Industry’s utilization of digital data will continue to grow. It is estimated that data generated worldwide will continue to expand, to reach 44 zettabytes in 2020 annually. Most notably, in a movement that can be called the big data revolution, a new market is being born that requires new computer architecture to save and analyze petabyte-class large scale data at a time, at a very high speed.

Trends in storage products business

    To September 2009: Expand HDD business, specializing in products for such applications as PCs, automotive and portable music players.
    October 2009: Enter enterprise HDD business by acquiring Fujitsu Limited’s HDD business
    July 2011: Integrate memory and SSD business for consumers and industry to establish "Semiconductor & Storage Company". Productize enterprise SSD by integrating the storage products business
    May 2012: Line up 3.5-inch HDD for both consumer and enterprise by taking over part of the 3.5-inch HDD business from WDC
    Toshiba is sole company able to deliver all storage products for clients and enterprises, such as NAND, SSD and HDD

About Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into five strategic business domains: Energy & Infrastructure, Community Solutions, Healthcare Systems & Services, Electronic Devices & Components, and Lifestyles Products & Services. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future”, Toshiba promotes global operations towards securing “Growth Through Creativity and Innovation”, and is contributing to the achievement of a world in which people everywhere live in safe, secure and comfortable society.

Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 6.5 trillion yen (US$63 billion). To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm

Contacts

Toshiba Corporation
Semiconductor & Storage Products Company
Megumi Genchi / Kota Yamaji, +81-3-3457-3576
Communication IR Promotion Group
Business Planning Division
semicon-NR-mailbox@ml.toshiba.co.jp









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11901/en