2007'10.31.Wed
Growth Trend for Gerresheimer Continues Unabated -- Debt Reduction
October 17, 2007
-- For the Nine Months (to 31 August) a 46% Sales
Increase to
EUR697m
-- For Nine Months Almost Six-Fold Growth in EBIT to
EUR34.8m
(EUR6.2m)
-- Marked Improvement in Adjusted EBITDA by 50% to
EUR124m
-- Substantial Debt Reduction and Fall in Interest
Charges Since the
IPO
-- CEO Dr. Axel Herberg: "The Gratifying Q3 Result
Confirms Our
Full-Year Forecast for 2007."
DUSSELDORF, Germany, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- In
the first nine months of its financial year (to 31 August),
Gerresheimer AG has continued its dynamic earnings and sales
trend unabated. Total sales including the consolidated
Gerresheimer Wilden Group increased by 46.3% to EUR697.4m
(9M 2006: EUR476.7m). Adjusted EBITDA actually improved by
50.1% to EUR124.4 (EUR82.9m), with a margin improvement by
0.4 percentage points to 17.8% (17.4%). In the result from
ordinary activities (EBIT) there was almost a six-fold
increase in the comparable period to EUR34.8m (EUR6.2m).
Cash net income(1) increased due to one-off expenses
(EUR21.0m before tax) for the IPO by EUR16.6m to EUR0.8
(EUR-15.8m).
"The gratifying operating development has
completely fulfilled our expectations," says Dr. Axel
Herberg, CEO of Gerresheimer AG. "Looking at our
target for the year to achieve organic growth of 8% to 9%
and an EBITDA margin of close to 19%, we are right on
track. We will continue to work to expand our position as a
globally active pharma and life-science company."
In the third quarter (June to August) total sales grew
strongly by 60.2% to EUR250.1m (third quarter of 2006:
EUR156.1m). The substantial sales growth was largely
attributable to the acquisition of the Wilden Group and the
positive turnover trend in the pharma and cosmetics
segments. In the comparable period, Adjusted EBITDA
improved by 55.3% to EUR44.1m (EUR28.4m). The development
in the result from ordinary activities (EBIT), which
improved to EUR11.0m (EUR-1.2m), was also gratifying. The
consolidated result increased by EUR7.4m to EUR-5.1
(EUR-12.5m) despite the negative one-off effects of
EUR21.0m in connection with the IPO and refinancing of the
Gerresheimer Group. In the comparative period, cash net
income(2) was EUR5.8m up at EUR-1.4 (EUR-7.2m) despite
these one-off charges.
Earnings development of the business divisions per 31
August 2007:
In the Tubular Glass Division sales in the first nine
months of the financial year 2006/2007 increased by 10.1%
to EUR199.0m (9M 2006: EUR180.8m) thanks in particular to
sales growth for RTF syringes and higher turnover of
ampoules and vials. The growth in Adjusted EBITDA was
slightly weaker, with an increase of 4.4% to EUR47.8m
(EUR45.8m), because of a routine general overhaul of
furnaces in the USA and Italy and one-off start-up costs
for the second RTF syringe line. The Adjusted EBITDA
margin, although still high, therefore fell slightly to
24.0% (25.3%) as expected.
The sales increase to EUR218.6m (EUR34.9m) in the
Plastic Systems Division largely reflects the acquisition
of the Wilden Group, which contributed sales of EUR180m,
but we also achieved strong growth in the segment of
pharmaceutical packaging. Adjusted EBITDA in the first nine
months totalled EUR38.2m (EUR7.9m). The transfer of
production to Poland in the segment of dropper-bottle
systems also contributed to the improvement in results.
Integration of the Wilden Group is progressing completely
to plan.
Sales in the Moulded Glass Division increased by 7.0%
to EUR234.3m (EUR219.0m) against the favourable background
of worldwide growth in sales of pharmaceutical bottles and
of perfume flacons and cream jars in the cosmetics segment
in Europe. Adjusted EBITDA increased substantially by 33.3%
to EUR45.2m (EUR33.9m). Continuous quality improvements and
higher productivity led to an improvement of 3.8 percentage
points in the Adjusted EBITDA margin to 19.3% (15.5%).
In the Life Science Research Division the life-science
business contributed by Thermo Fisher Scientific with sales
of EUR7.5m for two months was consolidated for the first
time as per 2 July 2007. Sales improved by 12.5% to
EUR47.7m (EUR42.4m) while Adjusted EBITDA increased by only
2.2% to EUR4.6m (EUR4.5m) because of the integration costs
for the new joint venture and delays in merchandise
deliveries until the fourth quarter as a result of problems
with the introduction of new IT systems, which have now been
resolved. The Adjusted EBITDA margin was therefore also down
slightly at 9.6% (10.6%). In the fourth quarter we expect
clear growth rates.
Gerresheimer on course with its full-year forecast for
2007
For the remaining three months of the financial year
2006/2007 ending on 30 November, Gerresheimer expects
business to continue on a positive trend with organic sales
growth of 8% to 9% and an Adjusted EBITDA margin close to
19%. The latest upsets in the capital markets and the
strength of the euro over recent weeks and months have had
little impact on Gerresheimer. Since almost all products
for the important US market are manufactured by
Gerresheimer in North America (including Mexico), the
strong euro exchange rate has hardly any effect on
results.
Gerresheimer has used the proceeds from the IPO to
reduce debt. While net financial debt at the end of the
second quarter of 2007, i.e. shortly before the IPO, still
totalled around EUR840m, it fell to around only EUR414m at
the end of the third quarter of 2007. The equity ratio is a
sound 34%. The substantially improved capital structure will
in the future continue to have a positive effect on earnings
and cash flow since interest expenses are significantly
reduced.
The new capital structure gives us the financial
flexibility to continue our strategy of growth through
selective acquisitions and investments in profitable
segments. Thus, for example, in the third quarter of 2007
-- earlier than originally planned -- the investment
decision was made to construct a third RTF syringe line
because of the high level of demand. In the field of
medical plastic packaging, investment is being channelled
into insulin pen production, a new growth segment for
Gerresheimer, on the basis of a newly won long-term
customer order.
The interim report as of 31 August 2007 can be
downloaded on our home page http://www.gerresheimer.com/ir
. An analysts' presentation can also be downloaded on the
Internet.
Cross reference: Key figures of the Gerresheimer Group
and Segment report are available at:
http://www.presseportal.de/pm/9072/gerresheimer_ag/?keygroup=dokument
About Gerresheimer
Gerresheimer today employs about 10,000 people in 34
locations across Europe, America and Asia. The firm's
product range stretches from glass and plastic medicine
bottles to complex drug delivery systems. Its product range
includes sterile syringes, inhalers and other solutions for
safer dosage and the administering of medication. The group
has a leading position in a market that is characterised by
high technical and regulatory barriers and where
Gerresheimer's products must satisfy the strictest quality
standards of the international pharmaceutical supervisory
bodies.
The group posted 2006 pro-forma sales of about EUR893m,
of which about EUR240m came from Wilden AG, a European
market and technology leader in plastic systems acquired at
the beginning of 2007. The pro-forma Adjusted EBITDA for the
group in 2006 was about EUR151m.
(1) Cash net income is defined as the consolidated
result after
minority interests and before non-cash fair-value
amortisation
and related income tax effects.
(2) Cash net income is defined as the consolidated
result after minority
interests and before non-cash fair-value
amortisation and related
income tax effects.
For more information, please contact:
Burkhard Lingenberg
Director Corporate PR & Marketing
Telephone: +49-211-6181-250
Telefax: +49-211-6181-241
Email: b.lingenberg@gerresheimer.com
PR
2007'10.31.Wed
SmartPay Wins Best Mobile Payment Golden Olive Award
October 17, 2007
BEIJING, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- SmartPay Jieyin
Ltd. ("SmartPay") today announced that it has
received the "Golden Olive Award" for the Best
Mobile Payment Application during the 2nd Annual China
Mobile Phone Application Conference, organized by Mobile
China Media in Beijing.
( Logo: http://www2.smartpay.com.cn/pr/logo.jpg )
The Mobile Phone Application Conference is an annual
competition in the field of mobile phone applications. This
year, over 1000 Chinese companies competed for the 2007
awards. Based on criteria such as technical innovation,
competitive business advantages and growth potential,
companies in the fields of mobile video, mobile music,
mobile games, mobile search engines, mobile advertising and
mobile payments were selected by online public voting and a
panel of 100 distinguished industry experts and venture
capitalists. SmartPay was the only award winner in the
mobile payment category.
SmartPay's CEO, Greg Shen, speaking at the Mobile China
Media conference, said, "Mobile Payment is a meaningful
way to help to make people's life easier and more efficient.
Building upon the mobile payment platform, SmartPay is
developing various service patterns to meet the merchants
and end users' demands. We expect to see more and more
customers using and trusting mobile payments in the very
near future as it becomes part of their daily lives."
About SmartPay
SmartPay provides remote payment services in China
under the brand name "Jieyin." Chinese consumers
and intermediaries utilize SmartPay Jieyin for the payment
of mobile, utility, travel-related and other payments.
SmartPay continues to launch additional payment services
under the "Jieyin" brand name. Investors in
SmartPay include RRE Ventures ( http://www.rre.com ) ,
Evolution Capital, Lunar Group Capital, Accel Partners and
others.
For more information, please contact:
Carol Xiao, Public Relations
SmartPay Jieyin Ltd.
East Ocean Plaza II, 9th Floor, 618 Yan'an East Road
Shanghai 200001 China
Tel: +86-21-5385-5299
Fax: +86-21-5385-2689
Email: carol.xiao@smartpay.com.cn
2007'10.31.Wed
`One Host In Asia' Overcomes Barriers in Asia with Single-SLA Dedicated Servers Throughout Region
October 17, 2007
Webvisions Offers Standardized Managed Hosting
Configurations with Single-Point Management in Diverse
Asia-Pacific Continent
SINGAPORE, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Webvisions
Pte Ltd, a leading Asia-Pacific hosting and managed
services provider, has announced the launch of "One
Host in Asia" a web hosting service range that offers
standardized co-location, dedicated server and managed
configurations in Asia-Pacific data centers with the
promise of "One NOC, One Bill, One Agreement."
"One Host in Asia" customers will enjoy
uniform hosting configurations, prices, service
commitments, Network Operations Center (NOC) monitoring
tools and a single call number throughout Singapore, India,
China, Australia, Malaysia and other major Asian cities.
Other advantages are single-point billing, service
agreement, and a global Account Manager.
This service addresses potential roadblocks caused by
disparate business cultures when international
organizations attempt to host and manage servers in the
Asia-Pacific. Apart from having hundreds of languages,
Asia comprises diverse economies with contrasting
telecommunications penetration rates that have resulted in
inconsistent bandwidth and hosting price models from
country to country. Now, organizations can leverage
ISO-certified Webvisions'
Asia-Pacific footprint and regional web hosting expertise
to extend their Internet presence overseas with
single-point management, with a wide range of managed
solutions, including dedicated firewalls, intrusion
prevention and load balancing.
"Our multi-national customers are experts at
negotiating Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and
infrastructure in their countries, but Asia is still
ambiguous new terrain. They find a certain comfort level
in having a consistent vendor through different time zones,
language and cultural environments," said Roger Lim,
CEO of Webvisions. "`One host in Asia' alleviates the
uncertainty and inconvenience of multiple hosts with
transparent, scalable and speedy server deployment,
maximizing time-to-market with central management,
whichever country you need a server up in."
One organization that agrees is WebSitePulse (
http://www.websitepulse.com ), a leading provider of
advanced, independent and remote monitoring services that
enable clients to increase the efficiency of their
mission-critical e-business operations, and to reduce their
risk of failed Internet transactions and loss of revenue.
"`Webvisions' comprehensive multi-city offering and
unified account management takes the potential worry and
inconvenience out of dealing with different parties across
the continent," said George Tudor, CTO of
WebSitePulse£¬ "Their professional support and
high-quality service offerings always make managing several
servers across Asia with various issues as simple as
communication with any Tier 1 US Data Center, and in many
cases, easier."
About Webvisions ( http://www.webvisions.com )
Founded in 1996, Webvisions offers an extensive range
of managed services include dedicated managed firewall,
disaster recovery, load balancing, advanced monitoring and
system administration services throughout major
Asia-Pacific countries, including India, China, Malaysia,
Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.
For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Wan
Webvisions Pte Ltd
Tel: +65-6773-9388
Email: marketing@webvisions.com
2007'10.31.Wed
SMIC Holds 2007 Technology Symposium in Beijing
October 17, 2007
BEIJING, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Semiconductor
Manufacturing International Corporation ("SMIC";
NYSE: SMI and HKSE: 981) held its technology symposium in
Beijing on October 17, 2007, attracting approximately 300
customers, design services providers, technology partners,
and vendors.
(Logo: http://www.xprn.com/xprn/sa/200611101605-min.jpg
)
"Mutual Success Through Collaboration and
Innovation" was the topic of the 2007 symposium. In
the opening speech, SMIC Vice President, Ms. Esther Liu
reviewed SMIC's accomplishments through the theme of
collaboration and innovation. She thanked all of the
customers, partners, and vendors for their continuous
support to SMIC and looked forward to further collaboration
and mutually beneficial relationships.
Dr. Liang Sheng, Vice President of Beijing
Semiconductor Industry Association, spoke at the symposium
emphasizing SMIC's critical role in Beijing's IC industry
and he hoped to see more cooperation in all areas to
develop the industry. Dr. Sun Yuning, President of IGRS
Engineering Lab Ltd and Mr. Liu Guangjun, Director of
Datang Mobile Communications Equipment CO., LTD, gave
keynote presentations at the symposium.
In addition, SMIC presented its latest developments in
advanced logic technologies, mixed-signal, RF, spice
modeling, memory, embedded memory technology, High Voltage,
sensor, and display technologies.
The symposium also featured an exhibition where design
services and assembly partners displayed their products and
services.
About SMIC
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation
("SMIC"; NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) is one of the top
semiconductor foundries in the world and the largest and
most advanced foundry in Mainland China. Headquartered in
Shanghai, SMIC provides integrated circuit manufacturing
service at 0.35um to 90nm and finer line technologies.
SMIC has a 300mm wafer fabrication facility (fab) under
start-up and three 200mm wafer fabs in its Shanghai
mega-fab, two 300mm wafer fabs in its Beijing mega-fab, a
200mm wafer fab in Tianjin, and an in-house assembly and
testing facility in Chengdu. SMIC also has customer
service and marketing offices in the U.S., Europe, and
Japan, and a representative office in Hong Kong. In
addition, SMIC manages and operates a 200mm wafer fab in
Chengdu owned by Cension Semiconductor Manufacturing
Corporation and a 300mm wafer fab under construction in
Wuhan owned by Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing
Corporation. For more information, please visit
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation
("SMIC"; NYSE: SMI; SEHK: 981) is one of the
leading semiconductor foundries in the world and the
largest and most advanced foundry in Mainland China,
providing integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing service at
0.35um to 90nm and finer line technologies. Headquartered
in Shanghai, China, SMIC has a 300mm wafer fabrication
facility (fab) under pilot production and three 200mm wafer
fabs in its Shanghai mega-fab, two 300mm wafer fabs in its
Beijing mega-fab, a 200mm wafer fab in Tianjin, and an
in-house assembly and testing facility in Chengdu. SMIC
also has customer service and marketing offices in the
U.S., Europe, and Japan, and a representative office in
Hong Kong. In addition, SMIC manages and operates a 200mm
wafer fab in Chengdu owned by Cension Semiconductor
Manufacturing Corporation and a 300mm wafer fab under
construction in Wuhan owned by Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor
Manufacturing Corporation. For more information, please
visit http://www.smics.com .
Safe Harbour Statement
Information provided in this press release may contain
statements relating to current expectations, estimates,
forecasts and projections about future events that are
"forward-looking statements" as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements, including (state specific
forward-looking statement, e.g. forecast, future plans
etc.) generally relate to the company's plans, objectives
and expectations for future operations and are based upon
management's current estimates and projections of future
results or trends. Actual future results may differ
materially from those projected as a result of certain
risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and
uncertainties, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's
Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on June 29, 2007 with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. These
forward-looking statements are made only as of the date
hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise
the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
For more information, please contact:
International Media:
Reiko Chang
Corporate Relations
Tel: +86-21-5080-2000 x10544
Email: Reiko_Chang@smics.com
Mainland China Media:
SMIC Shanghai
Angela Miao
SMIC Shanghai
Public Relations
Tel: +86-21-5080-2000 x10088
Email: Angela_Miao@smics.com
SMIC Beijing
Rena Xia
SMIC Beijing
Public Relations
Tel: +86-10-6785-5000 x20403
Email: Rena_Xia@smics.com
2007'10.31.Wed
AU Optronics to Exhibit a Wide Array of TFT-LCD Sizes at eMEX 2007
October 17, 2007
HSINCHU, Taiwan, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/
--
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the
"Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) will exhibit
its full lineup of TFT-LCDs for different applications at
eMEX 2007 (Electronic Manufacturer Exposition China),
scheduled to be held from Oct. 18 to Oct. 21 at the Suzhou
International Exhibition Center, China. AUO's exhibit
highlights include 37" to 46" Full HD LCD TV
panels, and 6.5" to 42" LCD panels for various
general industrial display applications.
Specifically to meet the fast-growing market demand for
general industrial display applications, AUO will exhibit
its full range of LCD panels ranging from 6.5" to
42" for the first time. The wide variety of product
applications include ATM, POS, Kiosk, IPC (Industrial PC),
marine/aviation electronics, lottery/gambling gaming
machines, medical equipment, factory automation (FA),
e-Signage, and Public Information Displays (PID). Currently
AUO is ranked No. 2 in terms of worldwide general industrial
display panel shipments (a), affirming AUO's dedication and
commitment to the market. "AUO's capability in a wide
range of different generation fabs enables us to provide
customized services in terms of product size, design, and
technology support to meet customers' different needs in
the general industrial display market. AUO will continue
its efforts to develop business in the important China
market," said Paul Peng, VP & GM of Information
Technology Display Business Group.
AUO provides a total solution to the general industrial
display market with a complete product line of
high-performance, high-reliability products, as well as
long-term product support. In order to meet strict
industrial standards and outdoor application requirements,
AUO has aggressively researched and developed related
technologies. In backlight module technology, AUO has
adopted long-life backlights and replaceable CCFL lamp
assembly designs. The simplified structure offers benefits
in easy-field maintenance, extended product usage, and cost
effectiveness. In addition, AUO's self-developed technology
-- "EcoTR" (Eco Transflective) is an economical
and affordable solution to increase sunlight readability
and power efficiency. The technology can be utilized in
outdoor applications such as ATM, POS, and Kiosk. As for
wide temperature operations, AUO has successfully expanded
the working temperature range of general industrial display
panels through continuous material and process improvement.
AUO has also developed Reverse Scan technology which can
support 180 degree display rotation to avoid the gray level
inversion problem occurring from lower viewing angles.
Among the lineup of exhibits, the 12.1" panel for
lottery machine, ATM, Kiosk, and POS applications features
high contrast ratio, high brightness, long-life lamps, and
wide temperature operations. The easily-replaceable
backlight design and the Reverse Scan technology are also
implemented. The 42" portrait LCD panel with AMVA
technology ensures wide viewing angle and low color
washout. The product is able to demonstrate good image
quality in various environments and is suitable for
e-Signage and Public Information Display (PID) applications
at airports, stations, exhibitions, conference centers,
shopping malls, department stores, amusement game centers,
movie theaters or restaurants.
AUO will also exhibit 37", 42" and 46"
LCD TV panels equipped with Full HD resolution and AMVA
(Advanced MVA) technology featuring wide viewing angle, low
color washout, and a high contrast ratio of 2000:1. For
Desktop Monitor applications, the 24" wide-format Full
HD panel is incorporated with ASPD (AUO Simulated Pulsed
Driving) motion blur reduction technology and HiColor
technology to produce high color saturation. The economic
entry-level TN-LCD design and high-performance display
technologies make this product the best choice for
"MoniTV" applications. It is also the ideal
display to meet consumers' requirements for both home
office and entertainment applications. In addition, AUO's
20.1" and 22" wide-format panels with resolutions
of 1680x1050 can fit two full-size A4 pages or two 800x600
resolution web pages on the screen. The display size and
resolution are perfect matches for the Windows Vista
operating system.
As for Notebook PC applications, AUO will be showcasing
light and power-saving LCDs equipped with LED backlights.
The 13.3" LCD panel features ultra thin (thickness of
2.7mm), extra light (22g), and a super high contrast ratio
(800:1). For small/medium sized products, the 7" and
8" panels for digital frame applications, and QVGA
high resolution panels for mobile device applications, will
also be on display.
Note: (a) Source: DisplaySearch 2Q2007 WW Large-Area
TFT-LCD Shipment Report dated Aug 7, 2007.
About AU Optronics
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO") is one of the top
three largest manufacturers* of large-size thin film
transistor liquid crystal display panels
("TFT-LCD"), with approximately 20.2%* of global
market share with revenues of NT$293.1billion (US$9.0bn)*
in 2006. TFT-LCD technology is currently the most widely
used flat panel display technology. Targeted for 40"+
sized LCD TV panels, AUO's new generation (7.5-generation)
fabrication facility production started mass production in
the fourth quarter of 2006. The Company currently operates
one 7.5-generation, two 6th-generation, four 5th-generation,
one 4th-generation, and four 3.5-generation TFT- LCD fabs,
in addition to eight module assembly facilities and the AUO
Technology Center specializes in new technology platform and
new product development. AUO is one of few top-tier TFT-LCD
manufacturers capable of offering a wide range of small- to
large- size (1.5"-65") TFT-LCD panels, which
enables it to offer a broad and diversified product
portfolio.
-- DisplaySearch 2Q2007 WW Large-Area TFT-LCD Shipment
Report dated
Aug 7, 2007. This data is used as reference only
and AUO does
not make any endorsement or representation in
connection
therewith. 2006 year end revenue converted by an
exchange rate of
NTD32.59:USD1.
Safe Harbour Notice
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the
"Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), the world's
third largest manufacturer of large-size TFT-LCD panels,
today announced the above news. Except for statements in
respect of historical matters, the statements contained in
this Release are "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities
Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements were based on
our management's expectations, projections and beliefs at
the time regarding matters including, among other things,
future revenues and costs, financial performance,
technology changes, capacity, utilization rates, yields,
process and geographical diversification, future expansion
plans and business strategy. Such forward looking
statements are subject to a number of known and unknown
risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
statements, including risks related to the flat panel
display industry, the TFT-LCD market, acceptance and demand
for our products, technological and development risks,
competitive factors, and other risks described in the
section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Form 20-F
filed with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission on June 1st, 2006.
For more information, please contact:
Rose Lee, Corporate Communications Dept
AU Optronics Corp
Tel: +886-3-5008899 x3204
Fax: +886-3-5772730
Email: rose.lee@auo.com
Yawen Hsiao, Corporate Communications Dept.
AU Optronics Corp.
Tel: +886-3-5008899 x3211
Fax: +886-3-5772730
Email: yawen.hsiao@auo.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Occlutech Obtains CE Mark for its 'Figulla N' ASD and PFO Occluders
October 17, 2007
JENA, Germany, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Occlutech
GmbH, the leading European developer and manufacturer of
cardiac occlusion devices such as ASD, PFO and LAA
occluders today announced that it has received CE mark
approval for its range of ASD and PFO occluder under the
Occlutech Figulla N brand.
The Occlutech ASD and PFO occluders are uniquely
designed and individually braided, improving performance
over existing technology. The fact that the occluders are
not clamped gives them distinct advantages such as
increased flexibility and a reduction of the amount of
material implanted.
Occlutech's technology is protected by several patents
and patents pending.
Starting in Germany, the products will be rolled out in
Europe and in International markets over the next few
months.
Occlusion devices are used to treat structural heart
disease, including structural heart defects and
abnormalities, such as Atrial Septal Defects (ASD), or
Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), in a minimally invasive,
non-surgical way. The market for these devices, and the PFO
occluders in particular, are expected to expand
significantly over the next few years.
For further information please contact:
Robert Moszner
Tel: +49-3641-67-51-20
Email: robert.moszner@occlutech.com
Susanne Goransson
Tel: +46-704-336521
Email: info@occlutech.info
2007'10.31.Wed
FDA Advisory Committee Votes in Favor of Earlier Use of Phosphate Binders in Stage 4 Kidney Disease Patients With Hyperphosphatemia
October 17, 2007
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- At the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Cardiovascular
and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee meeting today, the
majority of members voted to recommend the use of phosphate
binders, including Shire Pharmaceuticals' non-calcium
FOSRENOL(R) (lanthanum carbonate), to treat
hyperphosphatemia (elevated levels of phosphorus in the
blood) in chronic kidney disease (CKD) Stage 4 patients.
Currently, FOSRENOL is indicated to reduce serum phosphate
in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD).
The Committee did not reach consensus on which
additional studies may be required, and Shire will work
closely with the FDA to agree upon the pathway forward.
The FDA Advisory Committee's recommendation is not binding
on the FDA, and no time has been set by which the FDA will
decide whether to follow this recommendation.
CKD is divided into five stages based on the level of
kidney function, with higher stages of disease representing
lower kidney filtration rates. In the United States,
approximately 20 million adults have some form of CKD, of
whom 500,000 have developed ESRD (or CKD Stage 5). An
additional 400,000 individuals have significant loss of
kidney function and are classified as having CKD Stage 4.
Worldwide, almost 1.5 million people with CKD are on
dialysis.
"As the Committee heard today, CKD patients are at
an increased risk of death. In fact, a 30-year-old dialysis
patient has the same risk of death as that of a 90-year-old
with normal kidney function," said Keith Hruska, M.D.,
Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Cell Biology,
Director, Division of Pediatric Nephrology, Washington
University School of Medicine. "These patients that
progress to dialysis represent the 'survivors.' That's why
it's important to help kidney patients stay as healthy as
possible from the early stages of their disease."
As a result of ongoing dialogue with the FDA, Shire had
requested that an Advisory Committee Meeting be convened to
provide guidance on the studies needed to expand the use of
phosphate binders. Following these discussions, the FDA
formally invited all three sponsors who presented at
today's meeting to collaborate on demonstrating their case
for treating CKD Stage 4 and 5 patients who have
hyperphosphatemia with phosphate binders.
"Shire is committed to offering its effective
phosphate binder, FOSRENOL, to kidney patients who need
protection from the complications of elevated serum
phosphorus," said Joseph Schlitz, vice president, U.S.
Renal Business, Shire Pharmaceuticals. "The high
affinity of FOSRENOL for phosphate provides effective
monotherapy in a simple dosing regimen, which is one tablet
per meal for most patients. Along with its well-established
safety profile, FOSRENOL offers an attractive solution for
both patients and their healthcare providers. Shire is
therefore confident that FOSRENOL is well suited to be a
first-line, non-calcium treatment of choice for CKD Stage 4
patients."
While the normal adult range for serum phosphorus is
2.5 to 4.5 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), the serum
phosphorus levels of many patients on dialysis often exceed
6.5 mg/dL. The National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease
Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines recommend
that monitoring for hyperphosphatemia should begin in
patients with CKD Stage 3, and that serum phosphorus should
be maintained within the target range of 2.7 to 4.6 mg/dL in
patients with CKD Stages 3 and 4, or 3.5 to 5.5 mg/dL for
CKD Stage 5.
"Based on data in dialysis patients, it is
reasonable to expect that treating pre-dialysis patients
for secondary conditions, such as hyperphosphatemia, may
slow the progression of their bone and cardiovascular
disease," said Hartmut H. Malluche, M.D., chief,
Nephrology, Bone and Mineral Metabolism, Department of
Internal Medicine, University of Kentucky College of
Medicine. "Studies have shown that FOSRENOL also is
associated with a trend toward positive bone health -- a
treatment attribute that also may be of benefit to CKD
Stage 4 patients."
Most CKD Stage 4 and 5 patients will develop chronic
kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) -- a
systemic disorder of mineral and bone metabolism due to
CKD. CKD-MBD often manifests as hyperphosphatemia, which
causes bone disease characterized by bone pain, brittle
bones, skeletal deformities and fractures, and vascular or
other soft tissue calcification. Evidence also shows that
hyperphosphatemia contributes to cardiovascular disease,
which accounts for almost half of all deaths among dialysis
patients.
"Shire recently completed a multicenter,
placebo-controlled study in patients with CKD Stages 3 and
4 with hyperphosphatemia. The results showed that
FOSRENOL-treated patients had statistically significant
reductions in serum phosphate levels compared to placebo
after eight weeks of treatment. This study provided
valuable insights into controlling hyperphosphatemia in CKD
Stages 3 and 4 patients," said Ray Pratt, M.D., vice
president, scientific leader, Renal Business Unit, Research
and Development, Shire Pharmaceuticals. "We are
committed to offering all patients the most effective
phosphate binder therapy and will continue to invest in a
clinical program that includes the development of
additional FOSRENOL formulation options aimed at further
simplifying treatment for all CKD patients."
Managing Hyperphosphatemia
Phosphorus, an element found in nearly all foods, is
absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract into the
bloodstream. When the kidneys fail, they no longer
effectively remove phosphorus. While the normal adult
range for phosphorus is 2.5 to 4.5 mg/dL, the blood
phosphorus levels of many patients on dialysis often exceed
6.5 mg/dL. Such levels have been linked to a significantly
higher morbidity and mortality risk for patients who have
undergone at least one year of dialysis. Research has
shown that for each mg/dL increase in mean serum
phosphorus, the relative risk of death increases by six
percent.
Hyperphosphatemia is managed with a combination of
dialysis, diet restriction, and phosphorus-binding agents,
because diet and dialysis alone generally cannot adequately
control phosphorus levels. Such binders "soak up"
phosphorus in the gastrointestinal tract, before it can be
absorbed into the blood, and aid patients in maintaining
acceptable levels of mean serum phosphorus.
FOSRENOL
FOSRENOL is indicated to reduce serum phosphate in
patients with ESRD.
FOSRENOL is an effective, non-calcium, phosphate binder
that reduces high phosphorus levels in ESRD patients.
FOSRENOL is formulated as an easy-to-use, unflavored,
chewable tablet that can be taken without water, an
important consideration for ESRD patients who must restrict
their fluid intake.
FOSRENOL is available in a broad range of dosage
strengths comprised of 500-milligram (mg), 750-mg, and 1-g
tablets. Patients taking FOSRENOL can achieve serum
phosphorus target levels with as few as three tablets per
day. (Dosing based on three meals per day. Number of
meals per day may vary. To achieve certain doses,
additional tablets may be required.)
FOSRENOL has a high affinity for phosphate and works by
binding to dietary phosphorus in the gastrointestinal tract.
Once bound, the FOSRENOL/phosphorus complex cannot pass
into the bloodstream and is eliminated from the body,
thereby decreasing mean serum phosphorus levels.
To date, FOSRENOL has been clinically tested in more
than 5,200 patients globally, with nearly 1,000 of these
patients having been followed for more than one year. In
addition, more than 87,000 patients have been prescribed
FOSRENOL in the U.S. alone. FOSRENOL has the most
extensive long-term safety data package of any phosphate
binder and is generally well tolerated. Trials involving
patients treated with FOSRENOL showed sustained serum
phosphorus reduction in a majority of patients, with some
patients being followed over a six-year duration.
FOSRENOL is now available in 23 countries, including
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and the UK, and continues
to be launched in new markets around the world.
Important Safety Information
The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal,
such as nausea and vomiting, and generally abated over time
with continued dosing. The most common side effects leading
to discontinuation in clinical trials were gastrointestinal
events (nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea). Other side
effects reported in trials included dialysis graft
complications, headache, abdominal pain, and hypotension.
Although studies were not designed to detect differences in
risk of fracture and mortality, there were no differences
demonstrated in patients treated with FOSRENOL compared to
alternative therapy for up to three years. The duration of
treatment exposure and time of observation in the clinical
program were too short to conclude that FOSRENOL does not
affect the risk of fracture or mortality beyond three
years. While lanthanum has been shown to accumulate in the
GI tract, liver, and bone in animals, the clinical
significance in humans is unknown. Patients with acute
peptic ulcer, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or bowel
obstruction were not included in FOSRENOL clinical studies.
Caution should be used in patients with these conditions.
FOSRENOL should not be taken by patients who are nursing or
pregnant. FOSRENOL should not be taken by patients who are
under 18 years of age.
For Full Prescribing Information on FOSRENOL, please
visit http://www.fosrenol.com .
SHIRE PLC
Shire's strategic goal is to become the leading
specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting
the needs of the specialist physician. Shire focuses its
business on attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD), human genetic therapies (HGT), gastrointestinal
(GI) and renal diseases. The structure is sufficiently
flexible to allow Shire to target new therapeutic areas to
the extent opportunities arise through acquisitions.
Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are
focused on products in niche markets with strong
intellectual property protection either in the US or
Europe. Shire believes that a carefully selected portfolio
of products with strategically aligned and relatively
small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.
For further information on Shire, please visit the
Company's website: http://www.shire.com .
"SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE
SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995
Statements included herein that are not historical
facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking
statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties and
are subject to change at any time. In the event such risks
or uncertainties materialize, Shire's results could be
materially affected. The risks and uncertainties include,
but are not limited to, risks associated with: the inherent
uncertainty of pharmaceutical research, product development,
manufacturing and commercialization; the impact of
competitive products, including, but not limited to the
impact of those on Shire's Attention Deficit and
Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) franchise; patents, including
but not limited to, legal challenges relating to Shire's
ADHD franchise; government regulation and approval,
including but not limited to the expected product approval
date of SPD503 (guanfacine extended release) (ADHD);
Shire's ability to secure new products for
commercialization and/or development; Shire's ability to
benefit from its acquisition of New River Pharmaceuticals
Inc.; the successful development of JUVISTA and other risks
and uncertainties detailed from time to time in Shire plc's
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
particularly Shire plc's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2006.
For more information, please contact:
Carrie Fernandez
Porter Novelli (U.S.)
Tel: +1-212-601-8336
Mobile: +1-917-202-5553
Christine Gerstle
Porter Novelli (U.S.)
Tel: +1-212-601-8144
Mobile: +1-646-831-1275
Victoria Wright
Resolute
Tel: +44-207-357-8187
Mobile: +44-7977-139343
Con Franklin
Resolute
Mobile: +44-7974-434-151
2007'10.31.Wed
Madonna Joins Forces With Live Nation in Revolutionary Global Music Partnership
October 17, 2007
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Live Nation's President and Chief Executive Officer,
Michael Rapino officially confirmed today that Madonna has
entered into an unprecedented global partnership with Live
Nation and will become the founding artist in its Artist
Nation division.
(Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070220/LATU096LOGO )
(Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071016/LATU068 )
"The paradigm in the music business has shifted
and as an artist and a business woman, I have to move with
that shift," commented Madonna. "For the first
time in my career, the way that my music can reach my fans
is unlimited. I've never wanted to think in a limited way
and with this new partnership, the possibilities are
endless. Who knows how my albums will be distributed in the
future? That's what's exciting about this deal --
everything is possible. Live Nation has offered me a true
partnership and after 25 years in the business, I feel that
I deserve that."
"Madonna is a true icon and maverick as an artist
and in business," stated Mr. Rapino. "Our
partnership is a defining moment in music history. I am
thrilled that Madonna, who is also now a shareholder in our
company, has joined with us to create a new business model
for our industry. Bringing all the varied elements of
Madonna's stunning music career into the Artist Nation and
Live Nation family, moves her future and the future of our
company into a unique and extraordinary place."
The first-of-its-kind partnership between Madonna and
Live Nation encompasses all of Madonna's future music and
music-related businesses, including the exploitation of the
Madonna brand, new studio albums, touring, merchandising,
fan club/web site, DVD's, music-related television and film
projects and associated sponsorship agreements. This unique
new business model will address all of Madonna's music
ventures as a total entity for the first time in her
career.
Arthur Fogel, Chairman of Live Nation's Global Music
Division and Chief Executive Officer of Global Touring, who
has produced the artist's last three worldwide tours with
the company which generated close to $500 million in the
last six years commented, "Madonna is without a doubt
one of the most fiercely original artists in history. It
is a great opportunity for Live Nation and Artist Nation to
build upon our years of success with Madonna as a touring
artist."
Artist Nation was created to partner with artists to
manage their diverse rights, grow their fan bases and
provide a direct connection to fans through the global
distribution platform and marketing proficiencies that have
made Live Nation the world's largest live music company.
Headed by the division's Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Michael Cohl, Artist Nation has significant
infrastructure in place to execute additional revenue
streams including recorded music, merchandise, studios,
media rights, digital rights, fan club/website and
sponsorship divisions.
Joining with Artist Nation to work with Madonna will be
Live Nation's unmatched global distribution platform and
artist-to-fan-reach, including over 80 offices in l8
countries, over 200 national and local sponsorship
personnel, over l60 venues, access to over 35 million fans
that attend well over l0,000 shows that Live Nation
produces, promotes and/or hosts each year for over l,000
artists including fan access via Live Nation's growing
database of over 25 million fans.
"I've been fortunate enough to work with Madonna
for half my life. She has always encouraged me and set a
great example for me to push the boundaries to reach our
full potential. This partnership exemplifies just
that," commented Madonna's co-manager Guy Oseary.
Angela Becker, Madonna's co-manager added, "The
partnership and vision for the future that Artist Nation
along with Live Nation presented to us assured me that this
is the ideal home for Madonna. It is with great trust and
optimism that we collectively move ahead together."
In regard to Madonna's relationship with her current
label, the artist commented, "My time with Warner
Bros. Records has been great. I appreciate their hard work
and value the many relationships I have developed over the
years with the label in the U.S. and around the world. I
have an album coming out with them next year and I'm
excited about it. We still have work to do
together."
ABOUT MADONNA:
The multi-Grammy Award winning artist, songwriter,
children's book author, producer and video visionary with
an unrivaled reputation for astonishing stage spectacles,
has made music history many times over, logging an
incredible 12 number one pop singles and 35 number one
dance singles in the U.S. alone. Her 2006
"Confessions" tour generated almost $200 million,
making it the highest grossing concert tour of all time by a
female artist. Over the last 25 years, Madonna's collective
record sales number over 200 million albums worldwide. Her
last album, Confessions On A Dance Floor debuted at number
one in 29 countries and sold almost 8 million copies
worldwide. Her last concert DVD The Confessions Tour --
Live from London, sold more than 1.2 million copies
worldwide.
ABOUT LIVE NATION:
Live Nation is the future of the music business. With
the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the
world and the most comprehensive concert search engine on
the web, Live Nation is revolutionizing the music industry:
onstage and online.
Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation
is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the
symbol "LYV." Additional information about the
company can be found at http://www.livenation.com under the
"About Us" section.
For more information, please contact:
John Vlautin
Live Nation
Tel: +1-310-867-7127
Email: johnvlautin@livenation.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Thomson Scientific Salutes Nobel Laureate Prize Winners, Many of Whom Were Selected as Thomson Scientific Laureates in 2006
October 17, 2007
2007 Winners Demonstrate Strong Correlation Between
Citations and Professional Awards
PHILADELPHIA, and LONDON, Oct. 17 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/
-- Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation
(NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information
solutions to the worldwide research and business
communities, accurately predicted two out of four Nobel
Prize category winners this year -- in Physiology or
Medicine, and in Physics.
This year's Physiology or Medicine award winners Mario
R. Capecchi, Sir Martin J Evans, and Oliver Smithies, and
the Physics award winners Albert Fert and Peter Grunberg,
were accurately forecasted in 2006 as probable Nobel
Laureates, using Thomson Scientific's analysis of
citations. They were then admitted into the Thomson
Scientific Hall of Laureates.
The Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, although not
predicted, is a highly cited scientist and is listed in ISI
Highly Cited (http://www.isihighlycited.com/), a freely
accessible website that lists individuals that are the most
highly cited within various fields for the period 1981-1999.
"Our successful predictions demonstrate the power
of citation analysis to reveal important research
contributions and the scientists responsible for
them," said David Pendlebury, analyst with the
Research Services group at Thomson Scientific. "Our
prediction method, using citation counts as its fundamental
point of departure, has over the years proven to be an
accurate measure of research success and of Nobelists to
be."
Many studies conducted over the past three decades have
shown a strong correlation between citations in the
literature and peer esteem, often reflected in professional
awards such as the Nobel Prize. Each year, Thomson
Scientific adds three candidates per Nobel category to the
Thomson Scientific Hall of Laureates. Based on information
that includes their citation counts, the selected
candidates have a high probability of being awarded the
Nobel Prize that year or in future years. Using this
method, analysts at Thomson Scientific have successfully
predicted 27 Nobel Prize winners since 1989.
Methodology of Predictions
Using Thomson Scientific's Essential Science
Indicators, a database for quantitative analysis of
performance and trends in global research, and other data
from ISI Web of Science, analysts review scientists who
typically rank in the top 0.1% in their research areas
based on their citation counts and number of high-impact
papers.
"Clearly the choices of the Nobel Committees are
more complex than simply identifying highly cited or
most-cited scientists," said Pendlebury. "We
simply use citations as the primary indicator. This tells
us where to begin our prediction process."
Each candidate's record is then examined with a thought
to discoveries or themes that might be considered worthy of
special recognition by the Nobel Committee. In each of four
areas -- Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and
Economics -- three predictions are made each year and those
names added to the elite list of the Thomson Scientific Hall
of Laureates. "It's more luck than skill," said
Pendlebury. "But by focusing on the most-cited
scientists we hope to, as it were, better our luck."
For more information and a list of the Thomson
Scientific Laureates, or information on the selection
process, please go to:
http://scientific.thomson.com/nobel/.
About The Thomson Corporation
The Thomson Corporation (http://www.thomson.com) is a
global leader in providing essential electronic workflow
solutions to business and professional customers. With
operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson
provides value-added information, software tools and
applications to professionals in the fields of law, tax,
accounting, financial services, scientific research and
healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on
the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX:
TOC).
Thomson Scientific is a business of The Thomson
Corporation. Its information solutions assist professionals
at every stage of research and development-from discovery to
analysis to product development and distribution. Thomson
Scientific information solutions can be found at
http://scientific.thomson.com.
For more information, please contact£º
Sue Besaw
Thomson Scientific
Phone: +1-215-823-1840
Email: susan.besaw@thomson.com
2007'10.31.Wed
PartyPoker Late Night Poker Line-Up Confirmed Return of the Original Poker TV Show
October 16, 2007
GIBRALTAR, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
PartyPoker Late Night Poker makes its annual return to
screens on Channel 4 in the UK and Ireland early next year,
but filming gets underway in Cardiff on the 23rd October,
with the final on the 27th. After a number of different
formats over recent years the tournament goes back to the
format of 1999-2002, with an emphasis on player
personalities that have made the tournament so compelling
over the years.
Joining familiar Late Night Poker personalities and
champions, such as Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott,
the Hendon Mob, Padraig Parkinson, Donnacha O'Dea, Marcel
Luske and Simon Trumper, will be some of most talked about
players on the scene. Controversial 2006 WSOP Main Event
Champion Jamie Gold is flying in from the US to take part
and is the winner of the richest poker event ever, taking
home US$12 million. Also recently added to the line-up is
WSOP Europe Main Event winner Annette Obrestad, Roland De
Wolfe, Robert Williamson III, Jen Mason and Jon Kalmar.
Adding to an already international flavour, there are
also two wildcards who are recent converts to the game.
Holland's Maud Mulder is famous in her homeland for
finishing second in the original Pop Idol series, has had
hit chart records but also won the very first major poker
tournament she played in spectacular style. Joining Maud is
Agnieszka Rylik, a top television journalist from Poland who
has prepared for her battle with the pros by heading to Las
Vegas for coaching sessions with Mike Sexton.
A PartyPoker spokesman said: "We're happy so many
of the old faces are back and are pleased with the line-up.
There is also going to be a celebrity special table filmed
the same day as the final -- details of which will be
released in the near future."
With PartyPoker Late Night Poker harking back to its
original format, the way the action is actually going to be
filmed for television is going change this year and
flashbacks to previous series' will feature.
Rob Thomas, producer of Late Night Poker for production
company Presentable said: "The convention for every
poker show these days is to show all the player's cards as
soon as they enter a pot. When Late Night Poker started,
the style was very different. Player's cards were revealed
at appropriate moments during the hand to create more drama
as the hand progressed. Twice in each show we will see the
hand from one player's perspective. We'll only see their
particular hole cards, which give the viewer a different
perspective as the hand develops. TV poker is about
creating drama and tension and, in these instances, the
commentators will have great fun guessing what the opponent
might be holding, and then there's the excitement of the
"reveal" moment at the end of the hand. We
believe this will enhance the viewer's enjoyment."
Late Night Poker revolutionised people's perception of
poker when the tournament was first broadcast on Channel 4
in 1999 and was the first to use under the table cameras.
The total prize pool for 2007 is US$335,000 (US$90,000
added by PartyPoker) with US$125,000 going to the eventual
winner. There will be 49 players paying a US$5000 buy-in
with seven heats featuring seven players, followed by a
semi final and a final. The field will also feature ten
online qualifiers who won their seats in exclusive online
tournaments on PartyPoker.
Coverage of the tournament will be filmed by
Presentable and will be presented by Vicky Coren, with
Thomas Kremser the Tournament Director. Presentable also
produced the coverage of the successful PartyPoker Poker
Nations Cup earlier this year.
For more information, please contact:
Warren Lush
Tel: +35078700
Email: warrenl@partygaming.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Otis' Flagship Product Reaches 100,000 Order Milestone
October 16, 2007
FARMINGTON, Conn., Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Otis
Elevator Company, a unit of United Technologies Corp.
(NYSE: UTX), recently sold its 100,000th Gen2(R) elevator,
making the environmentally friendly system the fastest
selling product in company history.
"We are delighted that Otis continues to lead the
machine-roomless market with our environmentally
responsible, energy-efficient and space-optimizing Gen2
elevator system," said Otis President Ari Bousbib.
"Our award-winning Gen2 product line allows developers
and owners to lower building costs and increase rentable
space."
Since its launch in 2000, the Gen2 product line has
expanded to cover applications from low-rise residential to
high-rise office buildings. The Gen2 system features Otis'
patented flat, polyurethane-coated steel belts and an
energy-efficient permanent magnet gearless machine. The
system uses half the energy of conventional geared
machines. When used in conjunction with Otis' regenerative
drives, the Gen2 elevator's energy efficiency increases
even further, delivering a combined energy savings of up to
75 percent. The system is also cleaner for the environment
since its coated-steel belts and gearless machine do not
require any additional lubrication.
The Gen2 system continues to be acclaimed worldwide for
its environmental benefits. Among the many awards
recognizing this innovative system, Otis was the first
elevator company to receive the "Green Product
Award" from the China Environmental Protection
Foundation, a non-government group dedicated to protecting
the environment. The Gen2 system was named one of Spain's
"100 best ideas" in the social responsibility
category by the country's leading business magazine,
Actualidad Economica. The system was also recognized as one
of China's "Top 10 Architectural Science and Technology
Achievements," the most prestigious award in China's
construction industry, and has earned a "Korea Green
Management Excellence Award."
In addition to its environmental benefits, the Gen2
system's compact machine offers flexibility in building
design. The system also delivers superior ride quality and
smooth, quiet operation with outstanding leveling accuracy.
Its long-lasting coated steel belts, smooth crowned sheaves
and a reduction in the gearless machine's moving parts have
dramatically increased durability and lowered operational
noise.
Otis Elevator Company is the world's largest
manufacturer and maintainer of people-moving products
including elevators, escalators and moving walkways. With
headquarters in Farmington, Connecticut, Otis employs
61,000 people, offers products and services in more than
200 countries and territories and maintains 1.5 million
elevators and escalators worldwide. United Technologies
Corp., based in Hartford, Connecticut, is a diversified
company providing high technology products and services to
the building and aerospace industries. For more information
on the Gen2 product line, please visit
http://www.otisgen2.com .
For more information, please contact:
Tizz Weber, Director
Communications of Otis Elevator Company
Tel: +1-860-676-6127
Email: Tizz.Weber@Otis.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Stora Enso's Non-recurring Items in Third Quarter 2007 and New Segment Reporting
October 16, 2007
HELSINKI, Finland, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- As
already announced, Stora Enso will record two non-recurring
items (NRI) in its third quarter of 2007 results. These
non-recurring items will have a total negative net impact
of EUR 550 million on operating profit and a positive tax
impact of EUR 111 million in the third quarter, and will
reduce the depreciation charge by about EUR 50 million on
an annual basis.
The non-recurring items affecting operating profit
are:
-- a non-cash impairment charge of EUR 560 million;
-- a positive NRI of EUR 10 million from the sale of
Reisholz Mill site real estate.
The impairment charges by the new segments are as
follows:
EUR million Fixed Assets
Goodwill Total
Magazine Paper 118
110 228
Fine Paper 33
33
Consumer Board 187
187
Industrial Packaging 6
6
Wood Products 52
54 106
Group Total 396
164 560
The results of associated companies will be reported as
part of operating profit from the third quarter of 2007
onwards, as these companies are clearly part of the value
chain of operations. Previous quarters have been adjusted
accordingly. The five largest associated companies are:
Associated Company Business Area
Reporting Segment
Bergvik Wood Supply Other
Tornator Wood Supply Other
Veracel Fine Paper Fine
Paper
Sunila Magazine Paper
Magazine Paper
Thiele Kaolin Other Operations Other
As part of the reorganisation announced on 5 September
2007, the Speciality Paper Business Area was dissolved.
The speciality paper machine (PM 6) at Imatra Mills in
Finland was transferred to the Consumer Board Business Area
and the speciality paper machine (PM 1) at Utersen Mill in
Germany was transferred to the Fine Paper Business Area.
Before the reorganisation, the Speciality Paper Business
Area was part of the Packaging Board Division. Previous
quarters have also been adjusted accordingly for these
changes.
Commencing with the third quarter of 2007, the sales
and operating profit of Wood Supply will be included in
Segment Other and will not be reported separately because
the earnings of this cost centre are relatively
immaterial.
Stora Enso is an integrated paper, packaging and forest
products company producing publication and fine paper,
packaging board and wood products -- all areas in which the
Group is a global market leader. Stora Enso's sales totalled
EUR 14.6 billion in 2006. The Group has some 44 000
employees in more than 40 countries on five continents.
Stora Enso has an annual production capacity of 16.5
million tonnes of paper and board and 7.4 million cubic
metres of sawn wood products, including 3.2 million cubic
metres of value-added products. Stora Enso's shares are
listed in Helsinki, Stockholm and New York.
For further information, please contact:
Hannu Ryopponen, CFO
Tel: +44-207-016-3114
Keith B Russell, Senior Vice President,
Investor Relations
Tel: +44-777-578-8659
Ulla Paajanen-Sainio, VP,
Investor Relations and Financial Communications
Tel: +358-40-763-8767
2007'10.31.Wed
AU Optronics Unveils 5000:1 Ultra High Static Contrast Ratio LCD TV Technology
October 16, 2007
The Latest Commercialized LCD TV Technologies Meet the
Trends of Thinner, Lighter Designs; Power-saving; and
Environmental Protection
HSINCHU, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- AU Optronics
Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX:
2409; NYSE: AUO) today introduced its advanced
commercialized LCD TV technologies, strengthening its
pioneering role as the industry technology innovator. In
response to the current concerns regarding a greener
environment, AUO's newly launched TV technologies not only
demonstrate ultra-high contrast ratio, and thinner, lighter
and power-saving technologies, but also show AUO's
commitment to being a global corporate citizen.
AUO's advanced LCD TV technologies will be demonstrated
at FPD International 2007, from October 24 to October 26, in
Yokohama Japan.
The third generation of AMVA technology -- reaching
5000:1 ultra-high static contrast ratio to enhance dimmer
image performance
Following successful launches of the 1200:1 contrast
ratio AMVA technology in 2005, and the 2500:1 contrast
ratio AMVA technology in 2006, AUO today introduced its
5000:1 ultra-high static contrast ratio AMVA technology, by
implementing new bump-less pixel design, optimized color
resist, and integrated backlight structure and optical
film. This ultra high contrast ratio technology not only
can enhance dimmer image performance in large-sized panels,
but it can also maintain features of high transmittance, low
color washout and a wide viewing angle. Although LED-backlit
LCD TV panels have better dynamic contrast ratio
performance, LED-backlit LCD TV panels in reality have not
been widely popularized and started into major mass
production yet. Thus, AUO's newly-launched 5000:1 contrast
ratio AMVA technology with CCFL backlight is on the top of
the static contrast ratio ranking.
Soon-to-be-mass produced 20 mm TV module -- featuring
ultra-slim and extra-light designs and fulfilling simple
but stylish product trend
By means of new film combination design, AUO has
successfully developed ultra-slim and extra-light LCD TV
technology to fully meet the TV market trend. This new TV
technology is able to successfully prevent lamp-mura
issues, thus maintaining original brightness and
significantly reducing module thickness without changing
the amount of CCFL used for the backlight. Taking a 32-inch
LCD TV panel as an example, AUO is able to shrink the size
of the module from 32.5 mm thick to 20 mm and reduce the
total weight by 2 kilograms.
So far, AUO has successfully developed a serial of
ultra thin LCD TV panels, including the mainstream sizes of
32-, 37- and 42-inches. In addition, the newly launched
ultra-slim and extra-light TV technology is expected to
start mass production in Q1 2008 and can be applied to all
LCD TV panels.
The latest eco-LCD TV technology, saving up to 50% in
power consumption
Taking global warming seriously, AUO has developed its
latest eco-LCD TV technology with energy-saving and
environmental protection features by optimizing and
improving the CCFL backlight design. Taking a 32-inch LCD
TV panel as an example, AUO is able to reduce power
consumption by up to 50% and yet retain the 500 nits
brightness and 3000:1 high contrast ratio, even providing
better image quality performance than traditional LCD TV
panels. If every household watched television for six hours
per day, the electric power consumption would save 158
kilowatt hour per household per year, and save more than
109 kilograms of CO2 into the air. AUO's newly-introduced
eco-LCD TV technology is scheduled to start mass production
in Q1 2008.
"In terms of large-sized TFT-LCD technology
development, in addition to continuously enhancing our
current LCD TV technologies -- Advanced MVA (AMVA)
technology with low color washout and high contrast ratio;
AUO Simulated Pulsed Driving (ASPD) technology to solve
blurred motion problem; HiColor technology to achieve over
100% color saturation; and AUO Picture Enhancer (APE)
technology with clear depth of image, we have been aware of
the importance of energy-saving and environmental
protection," said Dr. BD Liu, Vice President of AUO
Technology Center. "AUO Technology Center has
implemented green concepts into the R&D process so as
to not only enhance product efficiency and practice
eco-design, but also to provide clientele high value-added
products."
Other AUO advanced technologies will also be
demonstrated at FPD International 2007 including AUO's new
generation of HiColor technology. By adding the Multi
Primary Color technology, the gamut of display covers more
yellow and cyan than conventional RGB displays, which
results in excellent color performance, particularly for
colors of sky, lake and metal.
Pictures for the above news release can be downloaded
from AUO corporate website URL:
http://auo.com/auoDEV/pressroom.php?sec=Photos&ls=en
Any use of photographs must cite the source thereof is
from AU Optronics Corporation
About AU Optronics
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO") is one of the top
three largest manufacturers* of large-size thin film
transistor liquid crystal display panels
("TFT-LCD"), with approximately 20.2%* of global
market share with revenues of NT$293.1billion (US$9.0bn)*
in 2006. TFT-LCD technology is currently the most widely
used flat panel display technology. Targeted for 40"+
sized LCD TV panels, AUO's new generation (7.5-generation)
fabrication facility production started mass production in
the fourth quarter of 2006. The Company currently operates
one 7.5-generation, two 6th-generation, four 5th-generation,
one 4th-generation, and four 3.5-generation TFT- LCD fabs,
in addition to eight module assembly facilities and the AUO
Technology Center specializes in new technology platform and
new product development. AUO is one of few top-tier TFT-LCD
manufacturers capable of offering a wide range of small- to
large- size (1.5"-65") TFT-LCD panels, which
enables it to offer a broad and diversified product
portfolio.
-- DisplaySearch 2Q2007 WW Large-Area TFT-LCD Shipment
Report dated Aug
7, 2007. This data is used as reference only and
AUO does not make any
endorsement or representation in connection
therewith. 2006 year end
revenue converted by an exchange rate of
NTD32.59:USD1.
Safe Harbour Notice
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the
"Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), the world's
third largest manufacturer of large-size TFT-LCD panels,
today announced the above news. Except for statements in
respect of historical matters, the statements contained in
this Release are "forward-looking statements"
within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities
Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements were based on
our management's expectations, projections and beliefs at
the time regarding matters including, among other things,
future revenues and costs, financial performance,
technology changes, capacity, utilization rates, yields,
process and geographical diversification, future expansion
plans and business strategy. Such forward-looking
statements are subject to a number of known and unknown
risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to
differ materially from those expressed or implied by such
statements, including risks related to the flat panel
display industry, the TFT-LCD market, acceptance and demand
for our products, technological and development risks,
competitive factors, and other risks described in the
section entitled "Risk Factors" in our Form 20-F
filed with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission on June 1st, 2006.
For more information, please contact:
Rose Lee
Corporate Communications Dept
AU Optronics Corp
Tel: +886-3-500-8899 x3204
Fax: +886-3-577-2730
Email: rose.lee@auo.com
Yawen Hsiao
Corporate Communications Dept.
AU Optronics Corp.
Tel: +886-3-500-8899 x3211
Fax: +886-3-577-2730
Email: yawen.hsiao@auo.com
2007'10.31.Wed
New TMS320C6452 Broadens TI's DSP Portfolio Delivering 2x the Channels Per Dollar for High Performance Applications
October 16, 2007
TI also Expands Roadmap with its C6455 1.2-GHz, Fastest
Single Core DSP for Telecom Infrastructure, Medical and
Emerging Applications
HOUSTON, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Designers of
telecom access infrastructure equipment can now double the
number of VoIP and conferencing channels per dollar,
lowering system cost and power while boosting overall
performance. Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE:
TXN) today announced the availability of the
high-performance, cost-effective TMS320C6452 digital signal
processor (DSP) designed to optimize price and performance
for today's process intensive multi-channel infrastructure
and medical imaging systems. Simultaneously, TI has
strengthened its performance leadership position by
announcing that the TMS320C6455 DSP at 1.2-GHz is the
world's fastest single core DSP. For more information on
the C6452 and C6455 DSPs, see http://www.ti.com/C6452and55
.
(Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107170439-20-min.jpg )
"Over the years, TI's C6000(TM) DSP platform has
proven to be reliable, cost effective and easy to
use," said Simon Chouldjian, VP of hardware
engineering, AltiGen. "TI continually improves its
C6000 DSPs with higher speeds and more efficient
instruction sets. With the high-performance products and
great support AltiGen has received during the product
development lifecycle, it is easy to see why we are
committed to leveraging TI's roadmap."
C6452 DSP Key Customer Benefits
With a more than 30 percent price reduction over TI's
popular TMS320C6415T DSPs, the new code compatible 900 MHz
C6452 DSP allows designers to quickly and easily migrate
their designs from the widely deployed C641x based
products. Therefore, this broad base of customers can
benefit from the advanced communications peripherals,
expanded memory, heightened performance and cost benefits
of the new C6452 device.
Based on TI's enhanced TMS320C64x+(TM) core, the C6452
DSP delivers double the L1 cache memory and 40 percent more
L2 cache than the C6415T, giving customers more headroom to
easily add differentiating features to their designs. The
C6452 DSP also includes two gigabit Ethernet MAC ports and
one gigabit switch, which greatly improves the efficiency
of multi-chip designs by automatically monitoring the data
stream to ensure that only the appropriate packets consume
DSP performance. Additionally, the device is equipped with
a Telecom Serial Interface Port (TSIP), providing a seamless
connection to common telecom serial data streams, ultimately
improving performance while increasing robustness and
flexibility.
-- Twice the channels per dollar -- Increasing channel
density is
critical for infrastructure designs since, in most
instances, rack
space is fixed. The C6452 DSP's 900 MHz clock rate,
expanded
memory, advanced peripherals and ability to be
easily daisy-chained
using the two SGMII (Serial Gigabit Media
Independent Interface)
ports gives system-level designers the building
blocks needed to
increase channel density. The C6452 DSP's lower
price compared
to the C6415T DSP, plus system software from third
parties such as
Adaptive Digital Technologies, enables twice the
channels per
dollar for echo cancellation, conferencing and
VoIP/G.PAK applications.
-- Reduced application bottlenecks -- The C6452 DSP has
two SGMII
Ethernet MAC ports and a gigabit switch to enable
each individual
DSP in the system to process only those packets
associated with
that DSP's function. The SGMII is a widely used
technology for
connecting high-speed Ethernet devices at the MAC
level. TI's
switch adds a decision gate that can, for example,
be used to
distinguish between voice and data traffic. If a
specific DSP on
the card is dedicated entirely to voice processing,
it blocks data
traffic from entering, which makes much more
effective use of its
processing bandwidth.
-- Enhanced IO peripherals and more on-chip memory than
the C6415T
DSP -- The C6452 DSP's 66-MHz PCI interface has
double the data
rate. Similarly, the DDR2 interface doubles the
external memory
bandwidth. L1 instruction and data caches are
doubled to 32 Kbytes.
There is a 40 percent increase in the L2 cache size.
Independent Verification: TI's C6455 DSP is World's
Fastest
TI is committed to investing in its high performance
roadmap and is expanding its DSP portfolio with the
introduction of its 1.2-GHz TMS320C6455 DSP. The C6455 at
1.2-GHz is available at the previous 1-GHz price, giving
developers a significant performance boost at no additional
cost. The results of Berkeley Design Technology, Inc.'s
(BDTI) benchmark analysis of the C6455 device placed it
atop all other single core programmable DSPs for speed with
a BDTImark2000TM score of 13170. Because BDTI
Benchmarks(TM) measure performance on a collection of
algorithms, they provide performance expectations for
real-world applications and are the most widely used
digital signal processing benchmarks in the world.
For the most processing-intensive applications
requiring the highest performance and
processor-to-processor communication, the C6455 DSP
combines high bandwidth peripheral integration (gigabit
Ethernet MAC), Serial RapidIO (sRIO) and increased memory
(2MB of L2 memory) into one single device.
Pricing and Availability
Customers can now place orders for the TMS320C6452 DSP,
starting at $94 at 720MHz in 10Ku quantities from TI. The
highly integrated device is packaged in a 19 ¡Á 19 mm,
361-lead BGA (ball grid array) packages. Order entry is
also open for the C6452 DSP evaluation module (EVM), priced
at $1,295. The 1.2-GHz C6455 DSP is now available for $245
in 10Ku from TI. Order entry is open for the 1.2-GHz C6455
DSP starter kit priced at $495. For more information,
please visit http://www.ti.com/C6452and55 .
For more information see:
TI DSP Third Party Network: http://www.ti.com/3P
Berkeley Design Technology, Inc.: http://www.bdti.com
Serial RapidIO Trade Association:
http://www.RapidIO.org
About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world
signal processing requirements. In addition to
Semiconductor, the company includes the Educational &
Productivity Solutions business. TI is headquartered in
Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales
operations in more than 25 countries.
Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located
on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com .
Trademarks
TMS320C64x+ and C6000 are trademarks of Texas
Instruments. All other trademarks and registered
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
For more information, please contact:
Stephan Beek
Tel: +1-281-274-2321
Email: sbeek@ti.com
Kellie Willman
Tel: +1-713-513-9576
Email: kwillman@golinharris.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Thomson Scientific Publishes 'Who Is Making The Biggest Splash?' -- A Quarterly Review of Scientific Literature on Drugs and Therapies From April -- June 2007
October 16, 2007
Novartis Takes Top Spot, Previously Held by GlaxoSmithKline
Since June 2006
PHILADELPHIA and LONDON, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Thomson Scientific, part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE:
TOC; TSX: TOC) and leading provider of information
solutions to the worldwide research and business
communities, today announced the availability of its most
recent quarterly review of scientific literature on drugs
and therapies. "Who is Making the Biggest
Splash?" was created to provide an objective
assessment of how this tremendous volume of research is
being received within the clinical community and to give
expert measured insight into organizations that helped to
shape professional opinions. In this quarterly review,
Thomson Scientific has assessed the quantity and quality of
the materials published by pharmaceutical companies,
research institutions and other non-commercial from April -
June 2007 to identify which organization has made the
biggest splash.
Novartis gained pole position in this quarter's
analysis, knocking GlaxoSmithKline out of the top spot for
the first time since June 2006. Researchers affiliated with
the firm issued 82 articles, abstracts or scientific posters
between April and June 2007, more than the 73 identified in
the previous quarter. The company maintained its solid
Thomson Source Score of 76. Three of the other
organizations at the top of the list (AstraZeneca,
GlaxoSmithKline, and Eli Lilly) this quarter also ranked in
the top five last quarter.
"The international pharmaceutical industry is
among the most active sponsors of scientific research, so
it is understandable that our findings confirm that
scientific articles affiliated with, or sponsored by,
pharmaceutical companies provide a robust level of
information for readers of scientific journals," said
Larry Liberti, VP, General Manager, Thomson Pharmaceutical
Services. "Our one-of-a-kind report finds that many
pharmaceutical companies have good grounds for saying what
they say - and judging by their source score, say it
well."
Other key findings include:
-- GlaxoSmithKline drops to fourth, with 18 less
sources than Novartis.
-- Big Pharma features prominently, representing all
entries except for
the two US National Institutes of Health.
-- There was a notable change from previous quarters
where at least one
discovery or biotechnology company was represented
in the top ten.
-- No companies in the top 15 exceed a Thomson Source
Score of 80%.
-- The top six entries are among the world's leading
pharmaceutical
companies.
Findings are based on information compiled from Thomson
Pharma(R) and the Thomson Message Mapping System(SM), which
provides data to the pharmaceutical industry in real-time,
evaluating specific drugs and therapies against competitors
as new studies are being published, helping pharmaceutical
companies to measure the overall impact of published
scientific information.
For a full copy of the report with analysis, please
visit:
http://www.thomsonpharma.com/media/pdfs/tpqr/making-a-splash-apr2007.pdf
About The Thomson Corporation
The Thomson Corporation ( http://www.thomson.com ) is a
global leader in providing essential electronic workflow
solutions to business and professional customers. With
operational headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Thomson
provides value-added information, software tools and
applications to professionals in the fields of law, tax,
accounting, financial services, scientific research and
healthcare. The Corporation's common shares are listed on
the New York and Toronto stock exchanges (NYSE: TOC; TSX:
TOC).
Thomson Scientific is a business of The Thomson
Corporation. Its information solutions assist professionals
at every stage of research and development-from discovery to
analysis to product development and distribution. Thomson
Scientific information solutions can be found at
scientific.thomson.com.
For more information, please contact:
Eoin Bedford
Thomson Scientific
Tel: +44-207-433-4691
Email: eoin.bedford@thomson.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Max Telecom Deploys first Nationwide European Mobile Broadband Network with Navini
October 16, 2007
Deployment sets stage for Mobile WiMAX
RICHARDSON, Texas, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- For
the first time in Bulgaria, Max Telecom will offer
nationwide commercial solutions for personal broadband
mobile communications using Mobile WiMAX technology from
Navini Networks. The service will be marketed under the
name 'MaxDSL' and 'MaxCard' for pure data services and
'MaxVox' for voice.
"Our goal is to develop a contemporary and highly
efficient network that will provide high speed mobile
internet access nationwide and offer a complete set of
fast, high quality, reliable, and cost effective
telecommunication products and services," said Krassi
Stoitcheff, Chief Executive Officer, Max Telecom. "We
are starting in 11 cities and expect to move aggressively to
cover 90% of the population in Bulgaria by the end of
2008."
The network covers more than 2, 200, 000 people with a
high-quality and fast Wireless Internet access and Voice
services anytime and anywhere -- in the office, at home, at
a meeting, in a cafe or in the park.
"The basic rules about Internet are changing --
clients don't need to be where there is Internet, Internet
is always there where our clients are. This is possible due
to our two services -- MaxDSL (portable modem) and MaxCard
(PCMCIA card) already available," said Kroum Manoilov,
Chief Operating Officer, Max Telecom. "In addition,
Max Telecom voice services will allow a complete set of
telecommunication services of excellent quality as well as
competitive prices."
"Navini is a leading provider of Mobile WiMAX
solutions being the first vendor to commercially
deploy," said Sai Subramanian, Navini's VP of Product
Management and Strategic Marketing. "We have the
right technology & expertise available to support Max
Telecom's business plans in the time frame required to
acquire subscribers quickly."
About Max Telecom
Max Telecom is a Bulgarian new generation
telecommunication company, deploying nationwide WiMAX
network. Max Telecom provides full range of fast, high
quality, reliable effective telecommunication products and
services, mobile or fixed -- Internet access, VOIP under
their own nationwide numbering plan +359 999, video and
IPTV.
For more details on Max Telecom, visit
http://www.maxtelecom.bg .
About Navini Networks
Navini is the only company that offers commercial
Mobile WiMAX products and has commercialized patented smart
beamforming technology, enabling personal broadband for the
mass market. Only Navini has the WiMAX solution that
enhances Mobile WiMAX with Smart Beamforming and beamformed
MIMO, providing operators with the power to deliver on the
promise of personal broadband, both indoors and outdoors.
Navini's Ripwave(R) MX solution offers a portable,
zero-install, non-line-of-sight (NLOS) product line
consists of customer modems, base stations, and element
management systems (EMS) that run in the full range of
spectrums.
Navini Networks is a principal member of the WiMAX
Forum and the IEEE 802.16e committee and is headquartered
in Richardson, Texas.
http://www.navini.com
For more information, please contact:
Maryvonne Tubb
Navini Networks
Tel: +1-972-852-4247
Email: mtubb@navini.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Photo Advisory -- LeBron V Shoe Launches In Shanghai
October 16, 2007
SHANGHAI, China, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
On Monday, LeBron James was at a consumer event in
Shanghai with Mark Parker, President and CEO of Nike, Inc.
to launch his LeBron V China colorway, which hits retail
stores on Tuesday across China. LeBron's newest ad campaign
launches this week in China. Nike is China's leading
athletic brand, representing about a third of the market
and significantly ahead of the nearest competitor. Nike
leads the market in basketball and football (soccer) -- the
two most popular sports among Chinese youth. Nike athletes
such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are extremely popular
in China, which is the most important basketball market in
the world outside of the United States.
Caption: Nike, Inc. President and CEO Mark Parker and
USA Basketball superstar LeBron James show the just
launched Zoom LeBron James V China Edition in Shanghai
Members of the media may download the photo at no
charge from the following online archives:
-- NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20071015/AQM163
-- AP Archive Topic Gallery:
http://photoarchive.ap.org
This photo is also available via the AP PhotoExpress
Network, as PRN16.
For more information on the photo, or on gaining access
to the archives, media may contact the PR Newswire Photo
Desk at photodesk@prnewswire.com .
For more information, please contact:
Derek Kent of Nike, Inc.
Tel: +1-503-532-1405
Email: Derek.Kent@nike.com
2007'10.31.Wed
24 Hours of Action Starting Today
October 16, 2007
Millions Expected to 'Stand Up And Speak Out' on the
International Day for Eradication of Poverty
Online Press Conference on 18th October at 13.00 GMT
NEW YORK, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On
Tuesday October 16th, at 9:00 p.m. GMT, millions of people
from all over the world are expected to begin mobilizing in
the largest ever call to action against poverty and
inequality and in support of the Millennium Development
Goals.
The mobilization will continue for 24 hours and
hundreds of events will mark International Day for the
Eradication of Poverty.
The actions are organised by the UN Millennium
Campaign, the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP)
alliance and a wide range of partners around the world.
"Stand Up and Speak Out" calls on ordinary people
to show courage and demand a more urgent political response
to the growing crisis of global poverty and to demand that
world leaders meet and exceed their commitments to the
Millennium Development Goals.
The events will be verified by Guinness World Records
to compare with the 23.5 million who took part last year.
Information available at
http://www.standagainstpoverty.org
Events include:
INDIA -- a march of 20,000 Dalits in Madhya Pradesh,
Indian's first female President Pratibha Patil holds a
poverty-focus meeting with women from 20 states, his
holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living
Foundation will mobilize millions globally and at his
ashram in Bangalore, and renowned yoga guru Swami Ramdev is
also leading millions of his followers.
KENYA -- 25,000 schools and 93 prisons will take a
stand and speak out against poverty. The People's
Parliament in Nairobi is hosting discussions about how
poverty and debt affect Kenyans.
PALESTINE -- 1 million Palestinian children in public
and private schools, as well as UNWRA schools throughout
the West Bank and Gaza, are calling for faster action to
end poverty. Also, the Poverty Requiem" will be
performed in Ramallah, free healthcare is being provided in
the West Bank all week and civil society delegations have
lined up high-level meetings with ministers.
AFGHANISTAN -- a youth kite-flying event will take
place in Kabul in the morning of the 17th, followed by
rallies in three cities calling for job creation policies
and an end to corruption.
LONDON & NEW YORK -- The UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon will lead UN staff and civil society in a stand up
moment at UN Headquarters in New York, while the Deputy
Secretary General Dr. Asha Rose Migiro will join Kumi
Naidoo of GCAP and others at a white band wrap of City Hall
in London.
OCTOBER 18th -- ONLINE PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE
GUINNESS RECORD
The number of people who take part will be verified by
Guinness Book of Records and announced at 14.00 GMT on
October 18th. An online press conference will be held with
UN Millennium Campaign and GCAP spokespersons.
When: 14.00 GMT (October 18th)
What: Join the online press conference by logging on
to:
http://standagainstpoverty.org/press/conference
The press conference will take the form of a live video
feed and journalists' questions will be submitted via a chat
interface on the web page. No password is necessary to join,
you will need Adobe Flash Player.
For more information, please contact:
Ciara O'Sullivan
GCAP Media Coordinator
Tel: +44-77672-46880 / +34-679-594-809
Email: ciara_os@hotmail.com
Anand Kantaria
Global Media Coordinator
United Nations Millennium Campaign
Tel: +1-212-906-6783
Website: http://www.whiteband.org
http://www.endpoverty2015.org
http://www.standagainstpoverty.org
http://standagainstpoverty.org/press/conference
2007'10.31.Wed
Smart Move Subsidiary, Rapid ID, has Formed a Marketing and Support Alliance with Trunkbow Technologies, Inc, of Shenzhen, China
October 16, 2007
DENVER, Oct. 16 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smart
Move, Inc., (Amex: MVE) a Denver based asset logistics
manager, announced today that its subsidiary, Rapid ID,
Inc., an asset tracking and location company using patented
mobile communications technology, has formed an alliance
with Trunkbow Technologies of China for marketing of the
Rapid ID technology solution in the Chinese marketplace.
Trunkbow may also assist or manage requirements between
Rapid ID and Chinese cellular companies. This relationship
would include Trunkbow's partner HelloAsia, a California
company.
The Rapid ID service offering includes a communications
technology component using camera cell phones to track and
locate assets. In addition, Rapid ID provides a customer
the ability of linking a two-dimension barcode to online
media and promotional information. The alliance
arrangements envision that Trunkbow would provide a
business foundation and established service network for
Rapid ID customers in China. Rick May, manager of Rapid
ID, states, "Trunkbow is a perfect technology fit to
provide Rapid ID services in China. Trunkbow personnel are
currently working with us in connection with our development
of key logistics and security projects." Trunkbow was
China's first Color Ring Back Tone (CRBT) provider,
introducing new consumer trends in China. When you dial a
cell phone number in China, for example, you often hear
interesting songs, personalized monologues or even jokes
and crosstalk, replacing the ordinary "ringing"
sound. Trunkbow launched the CRBT service in 2003 for
China Unicom in Shangdong province. The current
subscribers number over 2.6 million. Other CRBT reference
sites for China Unicon are located in Tianjing,
Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Henan, Jilin, Chongqing, Guangxi,
and Shenzhen.
About Rapid ID
Rapid ID, Inc. (http://www.rapidid.com) is a wholly
owned a subsidiary of Smart Move, Inc. and provides
patented Locate & Track services. Any person, anywhere
in the world, with a camera cell phone, can capture the
unique information of an asset. Those photos are
transmitted to Rapid ID using a localized cell phone
number. Rapid ID analyzes the photo, looks for characters,
barcodes, and company logos, or any other specific
identifying marks. Camera Cell Phone photos of a mobile
asset provide not only photographic detail but also
tracking information, to meet the requirements for
strategic commercial and security applications. This
identification information is recorded along with visual
information via the Rapid ID system and made available for
client online access. This asset information and the photo
are forwarded directly to the asset owner.
About Trunkbow Technologies, Inc
Trunkbow is a privately held company incorporated in
2001 in China and is a leader in providing Value Added
Services and network total solutions for mobile carriers.
The Trunkbow's current major customers include China
Unicom, China Mobile, China Netcom, and China Telecom.
Trunkbow is ISO9001 certified telecom manufacturer and is
leveraging its wide range of telecom networking
technologies and innovation patents to build up value added
services networking infrastructure on current 2.5G GSM/CDMA
and coming 3G WCDMA/CDMA2000/TD-SCDMA and beyond. Trunkbow
also holds a value added mobile phone Service Provide (SP)
license to partner with China Unicom and China Mobile to
provide a wide range of value added services in China.
About Smart Move, Inc.
Smart Move, Inc. (AMEX: MVE) provides a revolutionary
and increasingly popular method of transporting household
and commercial goods securely and on a time guaranteed
basis, using SmartVaults(TM), its proprietary and
innovative, GPS equipped shipping containers. Smart Move
operates in the 61 largest metropolitan areas in the United
States, with moving services available to more than 92% of
the U.S. population. Logistics are handled via the freight
division of the world's largest package delivery company
and a global leader in supply chain services. Smart Move's
competitive advantages include superior security, scheduling
flexibility, expedited service and automatic full coverage
insurance. For more information, visit
http://www.gosmartmove.com.
DISCLOSURE NOTICE: The information contained in this
release is as of October 16, 2007. Smart Move, Inc.
assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements contained in this release as a result of future
events or developments. To the extent that this release
discusses any expectations concerning future plans,
financial results or performance, such statements are
forward-looking within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are
subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Actual
results could differ materially from those anticipated in
the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not
to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date hereof and
reflect only management's belief and expectations based
upon presently available information. These statements, and
other forward-looking statements, are not guarantees of
future performance and involve risks and uncertainties.
For more information, please contact:
Smart Move, Inc.
Pete Bloomquist
Tel: +1-303-339-9558
Email: pete@gosmartmove.com
Rapid ID, Inc.
Rick May
Email: rmay@rapidid.com
Trunkbow Technologies, Inc.
25E Tower East, Guangye Manssion, Fuhua Road
Shenzhen 518033, China
Tel: +86-755-8398-3570
Fax: +86-755-8398-3576
Sales: sales@trunkbow.com
Customer Support: support@trunkbow.com
2007'10.31.Wed
ATERAS Partners with IBM Global Services for the 3rd Automated Conversion of CA-IDMS to IBM's DB2 for the Same State Government and Celebrates 7 Year Partnership
October 15, 2007
DALLAS, Oct. 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- ATERAS, a
leading provider of 100% automated solutions for legacy
migration and modernization, announced today that the
company has signed a new contract with IBM Global Services
for the conversion of certain CA-IDMS applications to COBOL
CICS DB2. ATERAS will perform the migration as a
sub-contractor to IBM for the benefit of an agency of a
state government. This is the third contract for the same
customer. IBM chose ATERAS for its proven conversion
technology and continued successes. The first conversion
was deployed successfully and has been running in
production for 2 years. The second conversion project for
this customer was completed ahead of schedule and is
planned to go live this year. This third migration will
include the conversion of 80 IDMS schema record types, more
than 150 LRF subschemas and more than 300 ADS/Online dialogs
to COBOL/CICS DB2.
( Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060511/DATH001LOGO )
ATERAS will provide a turn-key solution that will
include the conversion of the data, databases, and
application software. The conversion will include 100%
automated assessment and conversion with no required code
freeze. In addition, the applications and databases will be
100% functionally equivalent including the retention of all
business rules. No proprietary libraries, third party
libraries or other software is required to run, use or
maintain the applications after the conversion. Due to the
high level of automation, ATERAS' rules-based conversions
meet the technical and business requirements of the
customer with dramatically shorter conversion times. The
end result is a quality solution with an n-tier
architecture that is easy to maintain, SOA enablement and
high performance in the new applications.
ATERAS is an Advanced Partner Member with IBM and is
recognized for its automated conversion solutions from
IDMS, IMS and ADABAS to IBM's DB2. The company also
celebrates its seven year of partnering with IBM in
assessing, migrating and modernizing legacy databases and
applications and enabling Service Oriented Architecture
(SOA) in business-critical applications. ATERAS has
successfully demonstrated that the company's automated
solutions for legacy migration and modernization were
implemented at customer sites running on approved IBM
hardware with a significant commitment to IBM technologies.
Many of the migrations of mission critical systems included
customers in the following markets: state governments,
insurance, healthcare and universities.
"We are extremely pleased to partner with IBM
Global Services on this account and are very excited to
have the repeat business with this same customer, therefore
validating our technology and delivery methodology. Our
partnership with IBM has continued to strengthen over the
last 7 years. We look forward to many more joint successes.
Our versatile DB-Shuttle automation technology is not
limited to IDMS conversions. We are currently completing
migration projects converting Adabas and IMS to IBM's
DB2." Scott Miller, CEO President ATERAS.
About ATERAS
ATERAS has supported global enterprises for over 20
years, offering state of the art services to our clients by
modernizing and migrating legacy systems to the most current
IT environments. The patent-pending DB Shuttle(TM)
automation technology provides everything from
comprehensive assessments of existing IT environments to
fully automated conversions. DB-Shuttle provides automated
technology that protects legacy assets, reduces maintenance
costs, provides agility and flexibility, and enables
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) within
business-critical applications. For more information on
ATERAS' solutions visit http://www.ateras.com.
For more information, please contact:
Anna Stamatelatos, Vice President Sales &
Marketing
ATERAS
Tel: +1-469-385-7236
Email: annas@ateras.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Startech Environmental Corp Reports Strong Third Quarter Financials
October 15, 2007
WILTON, Conn., Oct. 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Startech
Environmental Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: STHK), a fully
reporting company and the internationally recognized,
award-winning environment and energy company announced
today that its Quarterly Report, filed with the SEC on
September 14, shows Shareholders' Equity in excess of $5
million with approximately $10 million in Cash on Hand,
along with Plasma Converter Systems Sales of approximately
$25 million.
The Company has also received additional cash
partial-payments of approximately $3.5 million for the
systems sold and in production.
Startech VP and CFO, Peter Scanlon, said, "With
production for the systems sold well underway, the fact is
that the Company has never before been as strong as it is
today, and getting stronger."
About Startech -- The Environment and Energy Company
Startech is the internationally recognized,
award-winning environment and energy industry company
engaged in the production and sale of its innovative,
proprietary plasma processing equipment known as the Plasma
Converter System(TM).
The Plasma Converter System safely and economically
destroys wastes, no matter how hazardous or lethal, and
turns most into useful and valuable products. In doing so,
the System protects the environment and helps to improve
the public health and safety. The System achieves
closed-loop elemental recycling to safely and irreversibly
destroy Municipal Solid Waste, organics and inorganics,
solids, liquids and gases, hazardous and non-hazardous
waste, industrial by-products and also items such as
"e-waste," medical waste, chemical industry waste
and other specialty wastes, while converting many of them
into useful commodity products that can include metals and
a synthesis-gas called Plasma Converted Gas (PCG) (TM).
Among the many commercial uses for PCG, is its use to
produce "green electrical power," Gas-To-Liquid
(GTL) fuels such as ethanol, synthetic diesel fuel and
other higher alcohol "alternative" fuels.
Hydrogen, for use and sale, can also be separated and
recovered from the PCG synthesis gas mixture.
The Startech Plasma Converter is essentially a
manufacturing system producing valuable commodity products
from feedstock-materials that were previously regarded as
wastes.
Startech regards all wastes, hazardous and
non-hazardous, as valuable renewable resources.
For further information, please visit
http://www.startech.net or contact Steve Landa at (888)
807-9443, (203) 762-2499 EXT 7 or sales@startech.net.
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements,
including statements regarding the Company's plans and
expectations regarding the development and
commercialization of its Plasma Converter(TM) technology.
All forward-looking statements are subject to risk and
uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected. Factors that could cause
such a difference include, without limitation, failure of
the customer to obtain appropriate financing for the
project, general risks associated with product development,
manufacturing, rapid technological change and competition as
well as other risks set forth in the Company's filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking
statements contained herein speak only as of the date of
this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any
obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates
or revisions to any such statement to reflect any change in
the Company's expectations or any change in events,
conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is
based.
For more information, please contact:
Steve Landa
Startech Environmental Corp.
Tel: +1-888-807-9443 or +1-203-762-2499 x7
Email: sales@startech.net
2007'10.31.Wed
Phoenix Technologies Launches FailSafe: Built-In Security and Remote Management for Laptops
October 15, 2007
- Advanced Theft-Loss Protection and Prevention, Including
Encryption, Tracking, Recovery and Remote Controlled
Security to be Embedded into Next-Generation Mobile PCs -
MILPITAS, Calif., Oct. 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ --
Phoenix Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTEC), today
announced Phoenix FailSafe(TM) for mobile PCs. With
FailSafe, Phoenix PC OEM partners can embed an innovative
command and control system into the PC core firmware to
track, control and recover lost or stolen mobile PCs. Users
can encrypt, lock and even destroy data on lost laptops to
protect sensitive or private information. Information on
the laptop can also be encrypted to prevent data theft
resulting from stolen laptops. As a result, consumers,
small business owners and IT managers can remotely manage
mobile PCs, much like mobile phones are managed, through an
intuitive Web interface.
( Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070410/SFTU048LOGO )
Demonstrations of Phoenix FailSafe will be available in
the Phoenix booth A16 at the 2007 Intel Developer Forum
(IDF) being held October 15-16, 2007 in Taipei, Taiwan.
"According to the FBI, fewer than five percent of
stolen laptops are ever recovered, which is why the
embedded protection of Phoenix FailSafe is so
critical," said Woody Hobbs, President & CEO of
Phoenix Technologies. "With more than 25 years of BIOS
and core firmware design experience, the Phoenix engineering
team is uniquely qualified to integrate this degree of
remote management and security functionality at the
firmware level on the PC. Backed by the Phoenix global
support infrastructure, FailSafe allows PC OEMs to offer a
premium service for their consumers and small business
customers, solving a critical business problem, while
gaining a recurring revenue stream that will last long
after the original sale of the mobile PC."
"Intel is very focused on making mobile computing
secure," said Mooly Eden, Corporate Vice President and
General Manager of Intel's Mobile Platforms Group. "We
have already enabled mobile data protection solutions with
leading data encryption software vendors today and will in
future further harden it with Danbury, a hardware-based
disk encryption. Phoenix FailSafe furthers our objectives
by adding laptop tracking and theft management features
that offer consumers a way to achieve increased asset
security and control. This will enable owners to remotely
locate, and control lost or stolen laptops."
Through an intuitive, easy-to-use Web interface,
Phoenix FailSafe delivers a comprehensive range of
theft-loss prevention and protection features. For
consumers and professionals alike, FailSafe prevents
identity theft through the ability to protect, locate and
potentially retrieve lost or stolen PCs, remotely retrieve
critical data, permanently erase sensitive personal or
business information and even lock or completely disable
the computer remotely. Because FailSafe is embedded into
the core firmware layer, it cannot be deleted or disabled
through the operating system, ensuring its data encryption
and remote management protection is constantly available
and functioning. FailSafe is able to offer a superior level
of protection due to its tight integration with the hardware
security mechanisms in a system.
Leading industry analyst and mobile PC futurist, Tim
Bajarin of Creative Strategies said, "By making it
easier to track, recover and remotely control portable PCs,
Phoenix FailSafe typifies the type of solution needed to
provide the peace of mind and protection to advance the
mobile PC category including UMPCs (ultra mobile portable
computers) and MIDs (mobile internet devices). This degree
of security ensures that the personal and private
information stored on these powerful but mobile and
convenient devices, remains protected, even in the event
that the device is lost or stolen."
About Phoenix Technologies
Phoenix Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: PTEC) is the global
market leader in system firmware that provides the most
secure foundation for today's computing environments. The
Company established industry leadership with its original
BIOS product in 1983, and today has 155 technology patents,
has shipped in over one billion systems, and continues to
ship in over 125 million new systems each year. The PC
industry's top builders and specifiers trust Phoenix to
pioneer open standards and deliver innovative solutions to
help them accelerate time to market, differentiate products
and increase profits. Phoenix is headquartered in Milpitas,
California with offices worldwide. For more information,
visit http://www.phoenix.com .
Phoenix, Phoenix Technologies, and the Phoenix
Technologies logo are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Safe Harbor
With the exception of historical information, the
statements in this release include forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, regarding, but
not limited to, the performance of the various aspects of
the FailSafe solution and the adoption of the solution by
Phoenix's OEM and ODM customers. These statements involve
risks and uncertainties, including: unexpected technical
challenges and delays; the product and service offerings of
competitors; price competition; our ability to successfully
market and sell FailSafe to our customers; the ability of
our customers to introduce and market products that
incorporate our solution; end-market demand for FailSafe;
and our ability to adequately protect our intellectual
property rights. For a further list and description of
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those contained in the
forward-looking statements in this release, we refer you to
the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including, but not limited to, its annual
report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
All forward-looking statements included in this release are
based upon assumptions, forecasts and information available
to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company
assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements.
For more information, please contact:
Media & Analyst Relations:
Shauli Chaudhuri
Head of Global Communications
Phoenix Technologies
Tel: +1-408-570-1060
Email: shauli_chaudhuri@phoenix.com
Scott Vansickle, Global Fluency
Tel: +1-650-433-4222
Email: svansickle@globalfluency.com
2007'10.31.Wed
BioVeda China Announced the First Closing of BioVeda China Fund II
October 15, 2007
SHANGHAI, China, Oct. 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- BioVeda
China today announced the first closing of its BioVeda China
Fund II. BioVeda China is the first international venture
capital fund focusing on life-sciences investments in
China; it has attracted high quality international
investors including Adveq, Eli Lilly and Company,
International Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson
Development Corporation, and Morgan Stanley.
BioVeda China Fund II will invest in promising local
Chinese life-sciences companies. Consistent with its
investment strategy in Fund I, BioVeda China will help to
create and build future industry leaders, and transform
Chinese companies into next generation multinationals.
"We are extremely pleased with the support and
participation of such high quality institutional investors
in BioVeda China Fund II. This strengthens our commitment
to the long-term growth of China's life-sciences industry,
and our belief that the sector's unique in its pace of
growth and transformation thus offers significant
investment opportunities," said Zhi Yang, Ph.D.,
Founder, Chairman & Managing Partner of BioVeda China.
In the last 15 months, BioVeda China has led over
US$120 Million financing for six local Chinese companies.
In addition, BioVeda China provides strategic assistance to
its portfolio companies to power their next stage growth.
BioVeda China is headquartered in Shanghai. Additional
information about BioVeda China is available at
http://www.biovedavc.com.cn .
For more information, please contact:
Ms. Moling Chen
Tel: +86-21-5137-0720
Email: moling@biovedachina.com
2007'10.31.Wed
Arrow Asia and Longsung Ink Distribution Agreement
October 15, 2007
HONG KONG, Oct. 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Arrow Asia
Pac Ltd., a business unit of Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE:
ARW), announced that it has signed a distribution agreement
for the Asia-Pacific region with Longsung, a subsidiary of
a leading mobile handset OEM, Longcheer.
(Logo: http://www.xprn.com/xprn/sa/200703021139.JPG )
"We are looking forward to a strong partnership
with Longsung and are very pleased to bring their
competitive GSM module solutions to our customers in China
and across the Asia-Pacific region, " said CC Lim,
vice president of marketing for Arrow Asia Pac. "Our
customers will benefit from this partnership through access
to Longsung's competitive solutions and Arrow's premier
technical support and supply chain tools."
"We are pleased to partner with Arrow. Longsung
offers cutting edge GSM module designs. Arrow's robust
demand creation capabilities, top-notch technical expertise
and strong distribution network will help accelerate our
market expansion in the region," said Tu Biqin,
general manager of Longsung.
About Arrow Asia Pac
A business unit of Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW),
Arrow Asia Pac is one of Asia-Pacific's leading electronic
component distributors. In addition to its regional
headquarters in Hong Kong, Arrow Asia Pac operates 51 sales
offices, four primary distribution centers and 12 local
warehousing facilities in 11 countries/territories across
Asia. Providing a full range of semiconductors, passive,
electromechanical and connector products from over 170
leading international and local suppliers, Arrow Asia Pac
serves more than 10,000 original equipment and contract
manufacturers and commercial customers in Asia-Pacific.
Visit us at http://www.arrowasia.com .
About Longcheer
Founded in July 2002 and listed three years later on
the Mainboard of the Singapore Stock Exchange in May 2005,
Longcheer is ranked among the Top 50 fastest growing
companies in China. Headquartered in Shanghai, China,
Longcheer now employs more than 1,000 people in China (more
than 750 engineers in R&D).
For more information, please contact:
Ray Leung
Marketing Communications Director
Arrow Asia Pac Ltd.
Tel: +852-2484-2484
Email: marcom.asia@arrowasia.com
Grace Kung
Marketing Communications Manager
Tel: +852-2484-2682
Email: grace.kung@arrowasia.com
2007'10.31.Wed
International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Declares the Global Year Against Pain in Women
October 15, 2007
'Real Women, Real Pain' Campaign Highlights the Suffering
Caused by Disparities in Pain Recognition and Treatment in
Women Around the World
SEATTLE, Wash., Oct. 15 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Today,
the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
has declared 2008 the Global Year Against Pain in Women to
draw attention to the significant impact of chronic pain on
women and the need for more effective care. Lack of
awareness of pain issues affecting women and gender
disparities in treatment and research contribute to the
suffering of millions of women.
"Chronic pain affects a higher proportion of women
than men, but unfortunately they are also less likely to
receive treatment compared to men due to various cultural,
economic and political barriers," said Troels S.
Jensen, MD, President of IASP, Professor of Experimental
and Clinical Pain Research, University of Aarhus, Aarhus,
Denmark. "IASP hopes to provide a voice to these
women by drawing attention to this global issue as a first
step towards reducing pain and suffering of women around
the world."
Real Women, Real Pain
Research has shown that women generally experience more
recurrent pain, more severe pain and longer lasting pain
than men. Chronic pain conditions which affect women more
than men include fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS), rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, chronic pelvic
pain, temporomandibular joint disorder (i.e., TMJ) and
migraine headache.
Women appear to experience pain differently than men,
although the reason is not entirely understood. It is
believed that this difference is due to numerous biological
reasons including genetic, hormonal and pharmacological
factors/influences. In addition, psychosocial and cultural
disease factors/influences play an important role in how
women experience pain.
Taking Action
Over the next year, the 'Real Women, Real Pain'
campaign will educate the public, healthcare providers and
government leaders/agencies about the lack of diagnosis and
adequate treatment of chronic pain in women. This will help
to:
-- Increase awareness of pain conditions predominantly
affecting
women and help women and healthcare providers
recognize signs
and symptoms
-- Raise awareness of disparities between female/male
pain issues
-- Empower women to become advocates for themselves and
others, by
encouraging them to affirm their pain is real and
seek proper
treatment
-- Increase female-specific research
-- Encourage the development of new female-specific
treatment
options
To further these objectives, IASP will initiate a
number of national and local activities in conjunction with
their 69 local chapters worldwide. A special issue of the
IASP journal Pain will be dedicated to pain in women in
November 2007. The IASP website will also feature campaign
information including local IASP chapter initiatives.
Gender Inequalities in Health Care
Certain pain conditions commonly affecting women often
do not receive adequate attention as historically medical
research has heavily relied on male populations and
conditions affecting them. The result of this male-centric
research approach is that women continue to be treated based
on studies in which they may not have been adequately
represented.
Access to healthcare services, particularly in poverty
stricken areas of the developing world, can act as a
barrier for women seeking help for pain conditions.
Cultural factors also influence a woman's likelihood of
seeking treatment for medical conditions, including pain.
For example, in many cultures, women believe that their
suffering is part of their role in society. Additionally
treatment by a male healthcare provider may also bring
shame to a woman's family, forcing her to go without
treatment. Women may also encounter situations where
physicians do not believe their pain is real.
"In order to promote change around the world, we
need to raise awareness of pain disorders predominantly
affecting women, increase research into these conditions
and effective treatment options, as well as improve access
to needed therapies," said Beverly Collett, MBBS,
FRCA, IASP Council member and Consultant in Pain Medicine
at Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK.
IASP would like to recognize Pfizer Inc as a sponsor of
the Global Year Against Pain in Women and thank them for
supporting efforts to promote education on this important
issue.
For more information on The Global Year Against Pain
and Women, upcoming initiatives around the world, please
visit www.iasp-pain.org.
About IASP
The International Association for the Study of Pain(R)
(IASP) is the leading professional forum for science,
practice, and education in the field of pain. IASP has
more than 6,900 members in 106 countries, 69 national
Chapters, and 14 Special Interest Groups (SIGs). IASP was
founded in 1973 and is governed by an international
Council, made up of Officers and Councilors elected by the
members of the association.
IASP sponsors research symposia on specific
pain-related topics and provides grants, awards and
fellowships to support international pain research.
Through its Developing Countries Project, IASP offers
grants to improve pain education for clinicians in
developing countries. Each year IASP launches the Global
Day and Global Year Against Pain to raise awareness of
different aspects of pain. The headquarters office of IASP
is in Seattle, Washington, USA.
For more information, please contact:
Sejal Sedani
Resolute Communications
Tel: +44-20-7397-7474
Email: Sejal.sedani@resolutecommunications.com
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