Sunday, June 1, 2014

CMMI Institute Unveils the Data Management Maturity Model

New Framework, Supported by a Portfolio of Services, Designed to Maximize the Value of Data While Strengthening the Collaboration between Business and IT


PITTSBURGH - Thursday, May 29th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

Data Governance and Information Quality Conference

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CMMI® Institute today unveiled the Data Management Maturity (DMM)™ model to enable organizations to improve data management practices across the full spectrum of their business. The DMM model, as the only reference model of its kind, provides organizations with a standard set of best practices to build a unique roadmap aligning data management strategy with individual business goals. The Data Management Maturity Portfolio, which will include the DMM model and a full complement of supporting services, will be available summer 2014.

The accelerating influx of information in today’s business landscape further challenges what is already a complex endeavor—building, optimizing and controlling an organization’s data assets to ensure timeliness, quality, shareability and fitness for business purposes. Achieving these goals is critical to agile business operations and fruitful data analytics, resulting in precisely targeted business decisions.

“The companies that are able to leverage their corporate data assets to the fullest are the companies that will dominate in the current era of global business where information and access reign supreme,” said Kirk Botula, CEO of CMMI Institute. “The DMM model is a powerful accelerator for aligning the interests of lines of business with IT to ensure that their critical data assets are strengthened, well-managed, and better utilized to achieve business goals. To date, over 150 individuals in early adopter organizations have employed the DMM model to evaluate their capabilities, practice by practice, work product by work product.”

The DMM model helps organizations build a common terminology and shared understanding of how their data assets need to be managed. Its successive capability levels provide a clear path for improvement in 25 process areas reflecting all the fundamental disciplines of data management. Throughout the development of the DMM model, over 70 organizations have evaluated their capabilities using the model. These early adopter organizations including Microsoft, Fannie Mae, the Federal Reserve System Statistics Function, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and Freddie Mac reported significant benefits from the use of the DMM model, including the ability to galvanize organizational change by identifying and implementing collaborative actionable initiatives.

Data Alignment to Business Processes The DMM model was developed based on the foundational principles of Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®)—a proven approach to performance improvement and the gold standard of excellence in software and systems development for more than 20 years. Developed by CMMI Institute, with sponsors including Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft Corporation and Kingland Systems, the DMM model was created with the contributions of data management experts across multiple industries over the span of three and a half years.

The DMM model is currently undergoing a peer review by over 140 data management and CMMI experts. The model and a full ecosystem of supporting services will be available to all organizations and professionals during summer 2014. Components will include:

    Training and Certification: A full suite of successive training classes, providing a certification path and licensing, will be available for data management professionals. This program provides data management experts the ability to facilitate assessments against the DMM model and assist in implementing data management best practices. Qualifications for certifications are equally achievable by those who have line of business backgrounds as well as those working in the IT/data management space.
    Assessment Method: A proven, facilitated evaluation method led by a DMM-certified professional, which involves gathering a broad range of key stakeholders to evaluate capabilities together. When used in conjunction with the DMM model, this method allows an organization to quickly evaluate its current state of data management maturity relative to key goals and achieve actionable improvements, both strategic and tactical, to its data management program.
    Partner Program: CMMI Institute is powered by a community of more than 400 partner organizations that are guiding businesses in the successful use of the CMMI models. The DMM model will be included as part of the CMMI Partner Program to help partners evaluate and implement data management practices for organizations around the world.

For those wishing to learn more about the benefits of the DMM model, CMMI Institute will present a case study with Fannie Mae highlighting the benefits realized by implementing DMM at the Data Governance and Information Quality Conference on June 23 -27, 2014 in San Diego, CA.

About CMMI Institute CMMI Institute, a subsidiary of Carnegie Mellon University, provides models, training and consulting services and appraisal methods developed through collaboration of industry, government, and academia. The company’s models are used by organizations around the world to develop products, to deliver services, and to manage data, people, and sourcing. To learn more about how the DMM model can help your organization improve your data management program, visit cmmiinstitute.com.

Contacts

Lois Paul and Partners

Brandi Ellerbee, 512-638-5327

Brandi_Ellerbee@lpp.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11125/en

Toshiba Expands Line-up of 650V SiC Schottky Barrier Diodes

ME NewsWire/Business Wire

TOKYO. - Saturday, May 31st 2014

Toshiba Corporation’s (TOKYO: 6502) Semiconductor & Storage Products Company today announced that it will expand its family of 650V silicon carbide (SiC) schottky barrier diodes (SBD) with the addition of insulated TO-220F-2L package products. The 4 new products expand the 6A, 8A, 10A and 12A line-up from the current TO-220-2L package products. Mass production shipment starts from today.

SBDs are suited for applications including server power supplies and power conditioners for photovoltaic power generation systems. SBDs can also act as replacements for silicon diodes in switching power supplies, where they are 50% more efficient (Toshiba survey).

SiC power devices offer more stable operation than current silicon devices - even at high voltages and currents - as they significantly reduce heat dissipation during operation. They meet diverse industry needs for smaller, more effective communications devices and suit industrial applications ranging from servers to inverters.
                                                           

Key Specifications of the New Products

Part Number
         

VRRM (V)
         

IF (A)
         

VF (V)
         

IRRM (µA)
         

Package
                 

typ./max
         

typ./max
   

TRS6A65C
         

650
         

6
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.3 / 90
         

TO-220F-2L

TRS8A65C
         

650
         

8
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.4 / 90
   

TRS10A65C
         

650
         

10
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.42 / 90
   

TRS12A65C
         

650
         

12
         

1.54 / 1.7
         

0.45 / 90
   


Current Line-up

Part Number
         

VRRM (V)
         

IF (A)
         

VF (V)
         

IRRM (µA)
         

Package
                 

typ./max.
         

typ./max.
   

TRS6E65C
         

650
         

6
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.3 / 90
         

TO-220-2L

TRS8E65C
         

650
         

8
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.4 / 90
   

TRS10E65C
         

650
         

10
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.42 / 90
   

TRS12E65C
         

650
         

12
         

1.54 / 1.7
         

0.45 / 90
   

TRS12N65C
         

650
         

12
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.3 / 90
         

TO-247

TRS16N65C
         

650
         

16
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.4 / 90
   

TRS20N65C
         

650
         

20
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.42 / 90
   

TRS24N65C
         

650
         

24
         

1.5 / 1.7
         

0.43 / 90
   
                                                           

Follow this link for more on Toshiba SiC schottky barrier diodes. http://www.semicon.toshiba.co.jp/eng/product/diode/sic/index.html

Customer Inquiries: Power Device Sales and Marketing Department Tel: +81-3-3457-3416

Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice.

About Toshiba

Toshiba is a world-leading diversified manufacturer, solutions provider and marketer of advanced electronic and electrical products and systems. Toshiba Group brings innovation and imagination to a wide range of businesses: digital products, including LCD TVs, notebook PCs, retail solutions and MFPs; electronic devices, including semiconductors, storage products and materials; industrial and social infrastructure systems, including power generation systems, smart community solutions, medical systems and escalators & elevators; and home appliances.

Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 590 consolidated companies, with 206,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing 5.8 trillion yen (US$61 billion). Visit Toshiba's web site at www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50876213&lang=en

Contacts

Media Inquiries:

Toshiba Corporation

Semiconductor & Storage Products Company

Koji Takahata, +81-3-3457-4963

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









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11148/en

Introducing M-Axis - Innovative Touch-Screen Systems

Developing Pre-Touch Off-Set Cursor and Pressure Controls


TORONTO - Thursday, May 29th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)-- LumiStream Tech has announced its completion of the design phase for three new patent-pending products made for touch-screen devices. As it makes its way into the development phase, the groundbreaking technology company is seeking investors to join the exciting venture.

“Our M-Axis system is designed to improve the function and precision of touch-screens on smart-phones, tablets, notebooks and other devices,” explains Andrew Jalali, Founder and CEO of LumiStream Tech. “These technologies can be used by the average consumer to browse the internet or make location selections on a map, but also implemented in more specialized applications such as technical, creative work, and data entry.”

The Pre-Touch Off-set Cursor System becomes visible as a finger approaches the touch-screen on devices with the M-Axis system. This cursor is what users see on the device and it’s what makes precise interaction possible. It comes in a number of designs, which can vary according to the application in use or even branded according to manufacturer.

The Pressure Simulation System uses the surface area of a finger on a touch-screen device to detect the level of pressure, and according to that precise input, manipulate digital objects or content, and navigate virtual 3D space.

All three systems are very user friendly and make touch-screen technology more enjoyable by preventing selection errors that are up to 20% on current devices, providing pre-touch feedback and greatly improving accuracy across a wide range of applications.

“Right now, LumiStream is looking to bring a few investors,” says Andrew Jalali. “As we enter the next phase, we are taking the M-Axis system to the mainstream manufacturing market and plan to develop our own touch-screen devices in the future.” LumiStream Tech has already generated significant interest from investors and the industry as a whole.

About LumiStream Tech

LumiStream Tech's primary goal is to enhance current standards in the technology industry. Comprising a creative team, inventive and boundary-pushing, engaging in various projects and collaborating with partners around the world.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50862645&lang=en

Contacts

LumiStream Tech

Andrew Jalali, 1-888-815-5983

LumiStreamTech.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11128/en

Market-Dynamics Research Wins 2014 AQR Insight Award

A Model of Current Market Structure and an Alternative Design Wins the Annual $100,000 Prize for Unpublished Papers    

GREENWICH, Conn. - Wednesday, May 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) AQR Capital Management, LLC today presented its third annual AQR Insight Award to Eric Budish, Ph.D., Peter Cramton, Ph.D., and John J. Shim for their path-breaking unpublished paper on market dynamics and market structure in a world of high-frequency trading.

In their paper, “The High-Frequency Trading Arms Race: Frequent Batch Auctions as a Market Design Response,” Budish, an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago; Cramton, a Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, College Park; and Shim, a Chicago Ph.D. student, show how arbitrage between exchanges keeps relative prices in check, but also imposes a cost on liquidity providers when their limit orders become stale and are “picked off” before they are canceled.

The paper highlights some important costs and benefits of both continuous trading and discrete auctions in a stylized setting. While the model leaves out several aspects of the real world such as information asymmetry and competition between exchanges, effects that will also strongly influence which design would be best for investors, it does analyze one alternative market structure that addresses the narrow class of issues studied.

“As the authors would agree, it's an early model that omits some important aspects of the real world, but it is vital that we better understand different market structure solutions,” said AQR Founding Principal, David G. Kabiller. “While AQR does not endorse the authors’ conclusions, we do believe this paper is an important step to formalizing the study of alternative designs.”

The AQR Insight Award was introduced in 2011 to acknowledge and encourage academic research and recognize important and novel work on real issues facing institutional investors. This year’s winning paper takes an intelligent approach toward the modeling of critical issues about market efficiency and transaction costs — topics of great interest to all investors.

The winning paper was among five finalists that the AQR Insight Award Committee selected out of submissions from 26 countries. All five finalists presented their research in person at the AQR Exchange in Greenwich, Conn., on April 24.

The other finalists, awarded honorable mentions, were:


“Comomentum: Inferring Arbitrage Activity From Return Correlations”

Dong Lou, Ph.D., London School of Economics

Christopher Polk, Ph.D., London School of Economics


“Structural GARCH: The Volatility-Leverage Connection”

Robert Engle, Ph.D., NYU Stern School of Business

Emil Siriwardane, NYU Stern School of Business


“The Risk Premia Embedded in Index Options”

Torben G. Andersen, Ph.D., Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Nicola Fusari, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Carey Business School

Viktor Todorov, Ph.D., Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University


“The Worst, the Best, Ignoring All the Rest: The Rank Effect and Trading Behavior”

Samuel M. Hartzmark, University of Southern California Marshall School of Business

To read the finalists papers or for more information about the AQR Insight Award, please visit www.aqr.com/insightaward.

About the AQR Insight Award

To honor and encourage applied innovation in academic research, the AQR Insight Award, sponsored by AQR Capital Management, LLC recognizes important, unpublished papers that provide the most significant new practical insights for tax-exempt institutional or taxable investor portfolios. As many as three papers share a $100,000 prize.

The deadline for submitting papers for consideration in the fourth annual AQR Insight Award competition is January 15, 2015.

About AQR

AQR is a global investment management firm built at the intersection of financial theory and practical application. We strive to deliver superior, long-term results for our clients by looking past market noise to identify and isolate what matters most, and by developing ideas that stand up to rigorous testing. Our focus on practical insights and analysis has made us leaders in alternative and traditional strategies since 1998.

As of April 1, 2014, AQR managed $105.1 billion*. The firm is based in Greenwich, Connecticut, with offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Sydney and Bermuda.

* Includes assets of CNH Partners, LLC, an AQR affiliate

This is being provided solely for information purposes and does not constitute an offer or solicitation of an offer, or any advice or recommendation, to purchase securities or financial instruments, and may not be construed as such or serve as the basis of any investment decision.

Contacts

AQR Capital Management, LLC

Marge Wyrwas, 203-742-3608

Marge.Wyrwas@aqr.com









Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/11116/en

Verifiable Electronic Vote Makes History in Belgium During the EU Parliamentary Elections

BRUSSELS, Belgium. - Wednesday, May 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)Smartmatic, the world’s leading voting technology and services provider, helped Belgian voters to use for the first time a 100% automated and fully-verifiable electronic voting solution to select their representatives to the European Parliament. Turnout in Belgium reached 90%, the highest among EU nations.

These elections were particularly complex as three different parliaments were being elected - Regional, Federal and European. The advanced automated voting platform provided by Smartmatic, which had been previously used in municipal and provincial elections in Belgium, was a key element in the success of the electoral process.

Smartmatic provided election technology and services in 3,365 polling stations across 153 communes, serving millions of voters.

Commenting on the elections, Antonio Mugica, CEO for Smartmatic said, “It was an honor for us to be part of this first-ever European parliament election using verifiable voting. Together with authorities, we managed to expedite the voting experience of Belgians while guaranteeing maximum transparency and accuracy.”

In November 2011, Smartmatic was selected by the Federal Public Service Interior of Belgium as voting technology provider for the next fifteen years. It then produced a tailor-made voting solution following Belgium's legal frame and the rigorous guidelines set forth by the Federal Public Service Interior, the Regions, leading Belgian universities, and the Council of Europe.

About Smartmatic

We focus on creating technology and offering services that have a profound social impact. In helping governments run better elections, we have processed over 2.3 billion auditable, secret and secure votes in more than 3,500 fraud-free elections. Our innovative approach to elections has made us the leader in the electronic voting industry worldwide in terms of revenue, profit, product offering, geographical presence and technological advancement.

We employ over 800 people in the US, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Mexico, Barbados, Haiti, Brazil, Panama, Venezuela, Philippines, India and Taiwan.

Contacts

Smartmatic

Mrs. Samira Saba, +1-561-862-0747

Marketing and Communications Director

Communications@smartmatic.com









Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11115/en

Chile Metro Selects Hytera TETRA Communications Solution

SANTIAGO, Chile. - Friday, May 30th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) Hytera Mobilfunk was awarded the contract for a TETRA radio system for secure radio communications in the metro system of the city of Santiago de Chile.

The contract was signed by the parties in Santiago de Chile. In close cooperation with the local partner SICE Chile, Hytera Mobilfunk GmbH will provide digital voice and data communications for secure and effective operation across the Metro de Santiago network.

In this significant deployment, Hytera will deliver 4 TETRA switching nodes and 77 TETRA base stations which will cover all lines of Metro Santiago de Chile.

The scope of the project will cover the existing lines 1, 2, 4, 4A and 5, as well as the two future lines 3 and 6, with Hytera's TETRA radio communications system ACCESSNET-T IP. To enhance operations further, Hytera will provide 42 dispatcher work stations and voice recording systems for the Metro control room.

Together with the radio system, Hytera will deliver over 2,000 TETRA radios - ranging from Hytera PT580H handheld radios and Hytera MT680 mobile radios to special on-board train radio solutions.

Metro de Santiago, Chile

Metro de Santiago is operated by Metro S.A. It opened in 1975 and serves the Santiago metropolitan region and its c. 6M inhabitants. With over 100 stations and over 100 Kilometers (c. 64 Miles) of route network Metro de Santiago is today South America's largest metro system.

Metro de Santiago serves over 2,200,000 passengers daily making it the fourth largest metropolitan commute system in the Americas measured by passenger rides and the aim is to grow this number even further over the coming years.

About Hytera

Founded in 1993 in Shenzhen, China, Hytera has become a key player in PMR communication industry with a large client base covering more than 80 countries and regions worldwide. Hytera is actively involved in developing global PMR standards, and is one of the few radio communication providers that masters in all the three main stream digital standards, namely TETRA, DMR and PDT.

Hytera has built up a strong global sales network, including 3 subsidiaries in the US, UK, and Germany, 14 branches and 8 offices. It responds to customers’ needs immediately through the cooperation with over 600 partners across the world.

Contacts

Hytera

Chloe Hong, +86-755-26972999

chloe.hong@hytera.com

www.hytera.com

Boehringer Ingelheim Announces Comprehensive Settlement of U.S. Pradaxa (Dabigatran Etexilate) Litigation

INGELHEIM, Germany. - Wednesday, May 28th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE) For media outside of the U.S., the UK & Canada only

Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that the company has reached a comprehensive settlement of state and federal cases in the U.S. litigation regarding Pradaxa® (dabigatran etexilate). The settlement enables Boehringer Ingelheim to focus solely on its mission of improving patients’ lives and allows the company to avoid the distraction and uncertainty of lengthy litigation. The settlement was closed at 650 million US Dollar (appr. 470 million €). It comes after a reaffirmation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the positive benefit-risk profile of Pradaxa®, when it published the results of a Medicare study of more than 134,000 patients.1

“Time and again the benefits and safety of Pradaxa® have been confirmed in many clinical trials and in real world data analyses. This settlement does not change the facts about Pradaxa® or its importance to patients,” said Andreas Neumann, Head of the Legal Department and General Counsel, Boehringer Ingelheim worldwide. “From the time Pradaxa® launched, Boehringer Ingelheim properly advised healthcare professionals and patients about its benefits and safety, working closely with US, European and many other regulators to ensure healthcare professionals and patients had the information they needed.”

Boehringer Ingelheim is proud of its employees who have worked for years to research, develop and offer to patients such an important medication as Pradaxa®. Pradaxa® was the first oral anticoagulant approved in more than 50 years to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF).

“We continue to stand resolutely behind Pradaxa® and believed from the outset that the plaintiffs’ claims lacked any merit. Notwithstanding our strong belief that we would prevail in these lawsuits, this settlement allows our company to avoid the distraction and uncertainty of protracted litigation over years and years,” said Andreas Neumann. “The US litigation system is described by some as a business where lawyers run advertising campaigns to find clients. Furthermore we have to consider that juries composed of lay people have to decide about very difficult scientific matters. All this does not allow reliable predictions for the outcome of a huge number of individual trials and that is why we came to the tough decision to settle,” Andreas Neumann added.

There are approximately 4,000 claims that the company seeks to resolve with this settlement. Boehringer Ingelheim expects most, if not all, of the plaintiffs to accept the terms of the settlement and Boehringer Ingelheim will vigorously defend against those who do not.

FDA has publicly stated that Pradaxa® 150 mg twice daily offers a positive benefit-risk profile and provides an important health benefit when used as directed to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in NVAF patients.2 On May 13, 2014, FDA once again reaffirmed the positive benefit-risk profile of Pradaxa®when used as directed when it issued a Drug Safety Communication1 that included results from a Medicare study comparing new users of Pradaxa® and warfarin who had received a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation. This included more than 134,000 Medicare patients, who were 65 years of age or older. The new study found that, among new users of blood-thinning drugs, Pradaxa® was associated with a lower risk of clot-related strokes, bleeding in the brain and death compared to warfarin.1 The study also found an increased risk of major gastrointestinal bleeding with use of Pradaxa® as compared to warfarin, but unlike in RE-LY®,3,4 no increased risk of MI compared to warfarin.1

Compared to the 50 year-old anticoagulant warfarin, Pradaxa® 150 mg dose taken twice daily is superior at reducing the risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes with a comparable rate of bleeding to the warfarin treatment.3,4 Pradaxa® 110 mg dose taken twice daily, which is indicated for certain patients, was as effective as warfarin at reducing risk of stroke with lower rates of bleeding.3,4 Moreover, Pradaxa® 150 mg is the only novel oral anticoagulant which in its pivotal study versus warfarin (RE-LY®*) showed a superior reduction of ischemic strokes (the most common stroke for NVAF patients5).3,4

As with any anticoagulant, there needs to be a balanced consideration of stroke risk reduction and bleeding risk. Patients should not stop taking their anticoagulant medication without first talking to their health care providers. Discontinuing anticoagulation therapy puts a patient at increased risk of stroke.

~ENDS~

Please click on the link below for ‘Notes to Editors’ and ‘References’:

http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/news/news_releases/press_releases/2014/28_may_2014_dabigatranetexilate.html

* RE-LY® was a global, phase III, PROBE (prospective, randomized, open-label with blinded endpoint evaluation) design trial comparing two fixed doses of the oral direct thrombin inhibitor Pradaxa® (110mg and 150mg twice daily) each administered in a blinded manner, with open label warfarin.3,4,6

Contacts

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH

Judith von Gordon

Phone: +49 6132 – 77 3582

Fax: +49 6132 – 77 6601

E-mail: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/Boehringer



More information

www.boehringer-ingelheim.com







Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/11124/en