2011年7月30日星期六
工会副主席将去土耳其 与武贾西奇做队友 - NBA新闻
北京时间7月30日，据美国媒体报道，密尔沃基雄鹿队后卫肯扬-杜林将极有可能与前不久刚刚签下新泽西网队后卫萨沙-武贾西奇的土耳其球队艾菲斯签约。据杜林的经纪人肯格-斯蒂文森表示，目前双方的谈判进展顺利，预计在未来几天内就能达成协议。
别看杜林牌不大，他在NBA球员工会可是担任第一副主席的职位。在最近一个月的劳资谈判的过程中，他一直表现得非常积极。
据悉，即便NBA在新赛季中结束停摆，杜林也希望能去土耳其联赛打球。上赛季他代表雄鹿队出战80场，首发22次，场均得到7.1分和3次助攻。这位老将与雄鹿队的合同还剩最后一年，价值200万美元。即便如此，杜林的经纪人也正想方设法让他在停摆问题解决之后依然能去欧洲打球。
早在停摆开始之前，雄鹿队已经对后场进行了调整，通过一桩三方交易，他们从国王队和山猫队分别引进了两个不同类型的控卫——贝诺-尤德里和肖恩-利文斯顿。新赛季中，尤德里极有可能成为布兰顿-詹宁斯身后的首席替补，而且他还可以客串二号位；至于利文斯顿，他也是一名双能卫，而且身高上更有优势。
这样一来，杜林在雄鹿队的发展空间无疑将受到限制。在本月早些时候接受采访时，杜林已经透露自己将不会出现在雄鹿队的未来发展计划中，因此希望自己能改变目前的处境。
今年31岁的杜林，已经在NBA摸爬滚打了11个赛季，期间分别效力过洛杉矶快船队、迈阿密热火队、奥兰多魔术队、新泽西网队和密尔沃基雄鹿队。"他(杜林)非常热爱篮球，一直以来都很关注世界各地的篮球联赛。如果时机成熟的话，他当然愿意出去尝试一下。"杜林的经纪人史蒂文森最后说道。
工会副主席将去土耳其 与武贾西奇做队友 - NBA新闻
沃特森：公牛自办训练营 如何过热火那关 - NBA新闻
北京时间7月30日消息，据ESPN报道，NBA已经正式停摆，不少观察家都认为新赛季必然会被削减一些比赛。虽然在停摆期间球队的硬件设施不对球员开放，但球员们却没有放松，芝加哥公牛的球员们已经开始讨论寻找一个训练馆来代替原本的训练营了。
"我认为我们应该会在洛杉矶或者拉斯维加斯找到一个训练馆。因为我可以在拉斯维加斯找到一个球馆训练，而德里克-罗斯能在洛杉矶找到一家球馆，"公牛后卫，德里克-罗斯的替补C.J.-沃特森说，"我认为大部分球员都会在西海岸训练吧，所以我们不妨都去一个地方训练。"
沃特森表示，自从球队在季后赛中输给迈阿密热火，他已经与几乎所有队友都取得了联系。"我已经和很多人取得了联系，我和洛尔-邓、乔金-诺阿、约翰-卢卡斯三世都已经谈过了，我和罗尼-布鲁尔、塔基-吉布森也谈过，他们时不时也会来。我几乎和每个人都谈过了，"沃特森说，"我觉得，如果停摆会持续到9月或者10月，那么我们完全可以一起训练，一起做点什么。"
除了训练，沃特森也表示自己不排除去海外打球的可能。"我只是想打篮球而已，不管是在国内还是在国外，"沃特森说，"如果没有了NBA，仅有的一个选择就是海外，那么这就是最佳的选择了。"
不过沃特森表示他已经与自己的经纪人谈过这个问题，但没有确定具体的球队。沃特森表示他依然认为停摆即将结束，就像NFL的停摆一样。沃特森对海外联赛的情况也十分了解："比赛的速度不一样，而且球迷也有很大差距。外国球迷能为他们的比赛出生入死，他们非常有激情，如果你没有帮助他们赢得比赛，那他们会把你赶回家。"
至于自己的生活，沃特森表示并无大碍，他在停摆之前与主帅汤姆-希伯杜见过一面，教练了给了他一些简单的信息。"他只是告诉我，要为新赛季做好准备，"沃特森说，"要保持饥饿感，要集中精力。他想让我发挥出更大的作用，特别是作为替补席的领袖。他甚至认为我有可能与罗斯更多的搭档起来。"
"我们需要更多的进攻，我认为我们的防守在整个系列赛中都做得不错，"沃特森在谈起如何对抗热火时说，"我们需要试着为罗斯减轻一些压力，尤其是他被包夹的时候。我们需要给他制造一些选择，我们需要更多的控球和得分，帮助他摆脱困境。"
沃特森：公牛自办训练营 如何过热火那关 - NBA新闻
专家反对热火追韦斯特 他和皇帝啥关系？ - NBA新闻
北京时间7月30日，《佛罗里达太阳哨兵报》专栏作家埃勒-温德曼回答了球迷的提问，在谈到关于引进德隆蒂-韦斯特的问题时，温德曼表示虽然不清楚韦斯特和詹姆斯的具体关系，但是他并不具备解决热火后场不足的能力，而他是否对热火有兴趣则是另外的问题——
球迷：谁能告诉我，为什么没人讨论韦斯特成为我们的控球后卫？他可以防守，他的投篮非常好，最重要的是他很有信心。
温德曼：因为在停摆期间球队和球员不允许有接触。。虽然至今尚未完全明确韦斯特和詹姆斯在骑士队时的关系，但是他不具备解决热火后场的不足的能力，至于热火是否能满足他的要价或者他是否有兴趣则是另外的事情。
球迷：我想看到下赛季热火签下安东尼-帕克，他非常便宜、也可以投篮，而且很专注于防守。帕克还具有多项能力，我记得两年前在何塞-卡尔德隆受伤的时候，他就在猛龙队打控球后卫。
温德曼：这是另一个有趣的名字，但问题这样的廉价球员是否能帮助热火争夺总冠军。热火的关键是应该吸引一些更高水准的球员，能够帮助球队解决在上赛季总决赛中暴露出的一些问题。
球迷：看来埃里克-斯波尔斯特拉和热火需要搞清楚什么是季后赛的区域防守，这是否会成为下赛季其他球队对付热火的方法呢？
温德曼：正如斯波尔斯特拉在参加一项活动期间所说，他已经花了相当多的时间来解决各种问题。考虑到时间，人们通常会在训练营中来解决这些问题。请记住，在上赛季总决赛中，斯波尔斯特拉在面对小牛队的区域防守时的坚持是被夸大了的。虽然这可能是真实的，但射手们将球投进就能解决问题。
球迷：坦白地说，你认为史蒂夫-纳什会以非常低的薪水签约热火吗？纳什虽然老了，但是他仍然能做出贡献，而且这对他来说也是一个夺得总冠军的巨大机会。
温德曼：我认为尼克斯的机会更大，因为德安东尼的关系。但是热火也有机会，如果太阳的表现直线下降，开局就打得非常糟糕，那么纳什就可能买断，去其他能打进季后赛的球队。
专家反对热火追韦斯特 他和皇帝啥关系？ - NBA新闻
公牛主帅做膝盖手术 此伤困扰他长达30年 - NBA新闻
北京时间7月30日，据《芝加哥论坛报》消息，芝加哥公牛队主教练锡伯杜最近已经完成了右膝盖局部替换手术，这位2010-11赛季的联盟最佳主教练，终于消除了困扰了他长达30年之久的病痛。
公牛主帅汤姆-锡伯杜的右膝伤势，是他在大学时期所受的伤，当时他的右膝盖半月板在手术中被完成摘除。在之后的30年时候里，锡伯杜一直受到右膝盖病痛的折磨，而上赛季伤病突然变得严重，球队的同事称锡伯杜甚至连睡觉都受到了影响，不过坚强的锡伯杜一直没有对外透露此事，他依然努力工作并带领公牛队取得了62胜的常规赛最佳战绩，并且在季后赛中打进了东部的决赛。
直到本周四锡伯杜完成了膝盖的手术后，这个53岁的倔强的男人才首次公开谈论他的腿伤。当记者问为何，在比赛中他要整场比赛都站着指挥时，锡伯杜幽默的表示"那是因为（一旦坐下）我的腿会疼得一直踢"。
"我以前在波士顿时，每天都会进行健身锻炼，但是上个赛季不得不停下了。"锡伯杜继续说到，他希望这次手术能够让他恢复健康，能够继续每天打球每天参加锻炼，"因为膝伤我无法进行活动，现在能够再次恢复健康真的非常好。"
锡伯杜称他实际上现在已经感觉不到膝盖的伤痛了，能够去练力量和进行器械的训练，如果没有停摆的话，他甚至可以和球员一起开始训练了。不过停摆使得锡伯杜无法与球员接触，不允许与球员进行谈话，但是目前锡伯杜表示自己并没有感到什么特别之处，"我依然在照常一样做任何事情，依然在按照计划准备新赛季，当然也许我将要调整一下备战新赛季的时间表。"
公牛主帅做膝盖手术 此伤困扰他长达30年 - NBA新闻
Andy Bryant, Intel, Chairman, Otellini Former CFO to become Intel's next chairman
SAN FRANCISCO—Intel Corp. said Tuesday (July 26) that Andy Bryant, Intel's chief administrative officer, was elected to the new position of vice chairman of the board of directors in preparation for him to be elected the company's next chairman following Intel's annual stockholder meeting in May 2012.
Bryant will serve alongside Intel's current chairman, Jane Shaw, until she retires from the board in May, Intel said. Intel's board was temporarily expanded to 11 members from 10 members until Shaw's retirement, Intel said.
Bryant joined Intel in 1981 and served as the company's chief financial officer from 1994 to 2007. Bryant becomes the second Intel executive to serve on the company's current board, joining Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini.
When Bryant becomes executive chairman, the board will re-establish the position of lead director to be held by an independent, non-employee director, Intel said. Bryant will transition out of his role as chief administrative officer next May as he takes on the full-time chairman responsibilities, Intel said.
"The board welcomes the addition of Andy Bryant to its ranks and looks forward to his service as the next chairman," Shaw said through a statement. "His deep knowledge of Intel and his unmatched wisdom will serve the company well."
Intel said the election of Bryant follows a long corporate practice of senior officer and board succession planning in which the board seeks to identify a person with the particular skills and experience considered most appropriate at the time.
"I am excited about this new position for Andy and look forward to continuing to work closely with him as he assumes his new responsibilities," Otellini said.
Andy Bryant is currently a member of the board of McKesson Corp., the leading healthcare distributor in the U.S., and is also a director at Columbia Sportswear Co. and Kryptiq Inc.
Andy Bryant, Intel, Chairman, Otellini Former CFO to become Intel's next chairman
Bryant will serve alongside Intel's current chairman, Jane Shaw, until she retires from the board in May, Intel said. Intel's board was temporarily expanded to 11 members from 10 members until Shaw's retirement, Intel said.
Bryant joined Intel in 1981 and served as the company's chief financial officer from 1994 to 2007. Bryant becomes the second Intel executive to serve on the company's current board, joining Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. When Bryant becomes executive chairman, the board will re-establish the position of lead director to be held by an independent, non-employee director, Intel said. Bryant will transition out of his role as chief administrative officer next May as he takes on the full-time chairman responsibilities, Intel said.
"The board welcomes the addition of Andy Bryant to its ranks and looks forward to his service as the next chairman," Shaw said through a statement. "His deep knowledge of Intel and his unmatched wisdom will serve the company well."
Intel said the election of Bryant follows a long corporate practice of senior officer and board succession planning in which the board seeks to identify a person with the particular skills and experience considered most appropriate at the time.
"I am excited about this new position for Andy and look forward to continuing to work closely with him as he assumes his new responsibilities," Otellini said.
Andy Bryant is currently a member of the board of McKesson Corp., the leading healthcare distributor in the U.S., and is also a director at Columbia Sportswear Co. and Kryptiq Inc.
Andy Bryant, Intel, Chairman, Otellini Former CFO to become Intel's next chairman
TI, PowerStack, 3-D, Packaging TI touts 3-D packaging technology
SAN FRANCISCO—Texas Instruments Inc. said Wednesday it has shipped more than 30 million power management devices featuring its PowerStack 3-D packaging technology, which the company says offers performance, thermal, power consumption and board space advantages compared with conventional packaging technologies.
Matt Romig, analog packaging product manager at TI, said the PowerStack technology is the first 3-D packaging technology to stack high-side vertical mosfets. PowerStack combines both high-side and low-side mosfets held in place by copper clips and uses a ground potential exposed pad to provide thermal optimization, Romig said.
TI has been shipping power management devices with PowerStack for about a year, Romig said. So far, most of the adoption has been in applications that require very high performance such as telecomm equipment and servers. "This isn't something you are going to see in a cellphone or a tablet," Romig said.
PowerStack's combination of stacking and clipping techniques provide significant benefits over traditional side-by-side discrete mosfets, according to Texas Instruments.
TI, PowerStack, 3-D, Packaging TI touts 3-D packaging technology
Matt Romig, analog packaging product manager at TI, said the PowerStack technology is the first 3-D packaging technology to stack high-side vertical mosfets. PowerStack combines both high-side and low-side mosfets held in place by copper clips and uses a ground potential exposed pad to provide thermal optimization, Romig said.
TI has been shipping power management devices with PowerStack for about a year, Romig said. So far, most of the adoption has been in applications that require very high performance such as telecomm equipment and servers. "This isn't something you are going to see in a cellphone or a tablet," Romig said.
PowerStack's combination of stacking and clipping techniques provide significant benefits over traditional side-by-side discrete mosfets, according to Texas Instruments.
TI, PowerStack, 3-D, Packaging TI touts 3-D packaging technology
IEEE, white, space, WRAN, standard, radio, cellular, broadband IEEE publishes 'white space' WRAN standard
LONDON – The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has published the 802.22 standard for Wireless Regional Area Networks (WRANs). The standard covers broadband wireless access at up to 22-Mbps per channel over distances up to 100 kilometers from a transmitter without interfering with terrestrial television broadcasts that use the same part of the spectrum.
The standard covers much the same ground as the Weightless standard being developed by Neul Ltd. (Cambridge, England) in that it is intended to provide a framework for "white space" reuse of UHF and VHF spectrum.
However, while Neul's Weightless standard is intended to open up access for relatively small data payloads that are part of an internet-of-things IEEE 802.22 is trying to provide secure high-speed broadband communications that are not served by other forms of wired and wireless communications.
Under 802.22 each WRAN will deliver up to 22 Mbps per channel without interfering with reception of existing TV broadcast stations, using the so-called white spaces between the occupied TV channels. The technology is useful for serving less densely populated areas, such as rural areas, and developing countries, the IEEE (Piscataway, New Jersey) said.
As well as channel specifications, 802.22 covers the required cognitive radio capabilities including dynamic spectrum access, incumbent database access, accurate geo-location techniques, spectrum sensing, spectrum etiquette, and coexistence for optimal use of the available spectrum.
Related links and articles:
http://www.ieee802.org/
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IEEE, white, space, WRAN, standard, radio, cellular, broadband IEEE publishes 'white space' WRAN standard
Brain-Controlled Prosthetics, Brain Interfaces, Artificial Limbs, Prosthetics, Research Researchers to link brain, artificial limbs
Four universities won a $1.2 million grant to develop prosthetics that deliver sensory information to patients and can be controlled by their thoughts. Rice University, the University of Michigan, Drexel University and the University of Maryland will work on the four-year project with funds from the National Science Foundation's Human-Centered Computing program.
Researchers at Rice will build a prosthetic arm that can be controlled by a cap of electrodes that read electrical activity on the scalp using electroencephalography. The EEG information will be combined with real-time data about blood-oxygen levels in the user's frontal lobe using functional near-infrared technology developed by Drexel's brain imaging lab.
The prosthetic will include sensors that gather tactile data from its artificial fingertips and information from the hand about the amount of force it uses in grasping. The data will be fed back to the user via touch pads that vibrate, stretch and squeeze the skin where the prosthesis attaches to the body.
The approach is seen as a more capable alternative to today's interfaces that use muscle contractions on the chest or arm to control a prosthetic. "Long term, we hope prosthetics have the same capabilities as natural limbs," said Marcia O'Malley, a co-principal investigator at Rice, speaking in an online video.
The group previously demonstrated a prosthetic gripper that allowed amputees to correctly perceive and manipulate objects based upon sensory feedback. University of Maryland researchers have demonstrated a technique using EEG signals that allowed test subjects to move a cursor on a computer screen simply by thinking about it.
"What remains is to bring all of it--noninvasive neural decoding, direct brain control and tactile sensory feedback--together into one device," said O'Malley, speaking in a press statement.
"Ideally, [our] tactile or haptic feedback will make it easier for patients to get their prosthetic arms to do exactly what they want them to do," said Patricia Shewokis, a researcher at Drexel.
O'Malley said the new technology is a big leap over existing prosthetic devices which don't allow amputees to feel what they touch. Some prostheses today use force-feedback systems that vibrate--like the vibrate mode on a mobile phone--to provide limited information about objects a prosthetic hand is gripping.
"Often, these vibro-tactile cues aren't very helpful," O'Malley said. "Many times individuals simply rely on visual feedback--watching their prosthesis grasp an object--to infer whether the object is soft or hard, [or] how tightly they are grasping it, [so] there's a lot of room for improvement," she said.
A year ago the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Johns Hopkins a $34.5 million grant to create an interface using neural sensors implanted in the brain to control a prosthetic. The four-year project will use an artificial arm with 22-degrees of motion developed at the university.
Better prosthetics has been a focus for DARPA since the start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars where bombs have maimed many soldiers. The agency's Human-Assisted Neural Devices program aims to let an amputee's thoughts control a mechanical hand. A follow on program on prosthetic arms includes the latest work with Johns Hopkins.
Brain-Controlled Prosthetics, Brain Interfaces, Artificial Limbs, Prosthetics, Research Researchers to link brain, artificial limbs
Researchers at Rice will build a prosthetic arm that can be controlled by a cap of electrodes that read electrical activity on the scalp using electroencephalography. The EEG information will be combined with real-time data about blood-oxygen levels in the user's frontal lobe using functional near-infrared technology developed by Drexel's brain imaging lab.
The prosthetic will include sensors that gather tactile data from its artificial fingertips and information from the hand about the amount of force it uses in grasping. The data will be fed back to the user via touch pads that vibrate, stretch and squeeze the skin where the prosthesis attaches to the body.
The approach is seen as a more capable alternative to today's interfaces that use muscle contractions on the chest or arm to control a prosthetic. "Long term, we hope prosthetics have the same capabilities as natural limbs," said Marcia O'Malley, a co-principal investigator at Rice, speaking in an online video.
The group previously demonstrated a prosthetic gripper that allowed amputees to correctly perceive and manipulate objects based upon sensory feedback. University of Maryland researchers have demonstrated a technique using EEG signals that allowed test subjects to move a cursor on a computer screen simply by thinking about it.
"What remains is to bring all of it--noninvasive neural decoding, direct brain control and tactile sensory feedback--together into one device," said O'Malley, speaking in a press statement.
"Ideally, [our] tactile or haptic feedback will make it easier for patients to get their prosthetic arms to do exactly what they want them to do," said Patricia Shewokis, a researcher at Drexel.
O'Malley said the new technology is a big leap over existing prosthetic devices which don't allow amputees to feel what they touch. Some prostheses today use force-feedback systems that vibrate--like the vibrate mode on a mobile phone--to provide limited information about objects a prosthetic hand is gripping.
"Often, these vibro-tactile cues aren't very helpful," O'Malley said. "Many times individuals simply rely on visual feedback--watching their prosthesis grasp an object--to infer whether the object is soft or hard, [or] how tightly they are grasping it, [so] there's a lot of room for improvement," she said.
A year ago the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Johns Hopkins a $34.5 million grant to create an interface using neural sensors implanted in the brain to control a prosthetic. The four-year project will use an artificial arm with 22-degrees of motion developed at the university.
Better prosthetics has been a focus for DARPA since the start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars where bombs have maimed many soldiers. The agency's Human-Assisted Neural Devices program aims to let an amputee's thoughts control a mechanical hand. A follow on program on prosthetic arms includes the latest work with Johns Hopkins.
Brain-Controlled Prosthetics, Brain Interfaces, Artificial Limbs, Prosthetics, Research Researchers to link brain, artificial limbs
Zigbee Network Devices, ZigBee Gateway, ZigBee, Wireless, ZigBee gets gateway specification
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The ZigBee Alliance has released ZigBee Gateway, its tenth standard and the first in a new family of planned ZigBee Network Device standards.
ZigBee Gateway defines a low cost ZigBee Pro device that lets service providers, businesses and consumers link to the Internet. Future ZigBee Network Device standards will define bridges and range extenders.
ZigBee Gateway supports existing ZigBee standards in areas such as building and home automation, health care, retail, smart energy and telecom. The spec also will be covered under the existing ZigBee certification program.
"ZigBee networks today routinely access the Internet and ZigBee Gateway makes the job of integrating Internet connectivity simple, especially for developers with little networking experience," said Bob Heile, chairman of the ZigBee Alliance, speaking in a press statement.
Zigbee Network Devices, ZigBee Gateway, ZigBee, Wireless, ZigBee gets gateway specification
Analog Devices, Raheen, Limerick, Ireland, semiconductor, R&D, analog, R&D ADI invests $70 million in Irish R&D
LONDON – The Industrial Development Agency of Ireland (IDA Ireland) has announced that chip company Analog Devices Inc. is embarking on a 50 million euro (about $70 million) R&D investment program at its Raheen campus near Limerick.
The program is expected to create approximately 100 jobs in areas such as IC design and applications engineering over the next five years, the IDA said. The plan includes the construction of a 140,000-square-foot R&D center.
IDA Ireland is supporting the expansion plan but the level of support was not disclosed.
The announcement builds on a 23 million euro (about $30 million) investment in Ireland made by ADI in June 2010 as part of a manufacturing expansion program (see ADI to spend $28 million on Irish R&D).
ADI has been operating in Ireland for 35 years and currently employs over 1,000 people in Limerick, where it a wafer fab and conducts R&D on data converters, mixed-signal and RF ICs.
"The contributions of our Limerick-based team over the past 35 years guided our decision to build a dedicated R&D facility here in Ireland," said Jerald Fishman, president and CEO of Analog Devices, in a statement issued by IDA Ireland. "I would like to thank the Irish Government and its agencies — specifically IDA Ireland — for its continued commitment and support for our growth and expansion plans."
Related links and articles:
Silicon Labs buys Irish sensor startup
ADI to spend $28 million on Irish R&D
Analog Devices' CEO:'Our enemy is us'
Analog Devices, Raheen, Limerick, Ireland, semiconductor, R&D, analog, R&D ADI invests $70 million in Irish R&D
ST-Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, ST, Ericsson, Basingstoke, Bristol, Daventry, semiconductor, mobile ST-Ericsson to close R&D sites
LONDON – Mobile chip company ST-Ericsson is set to close R&D sites as part of the latest round of restructuring, according to CEO Gilles Delfassy. A site in Basingstoke, England, has already been earmarked for closure with a loss of up to 139 jobs, according to a local report.
ST-Ericsson announced a net loss of $221 million on sales revenue of $385 million in the second quarter of 2011 and on telephone conference with analysts to discuss the results Delfassy was asked whether closure of R&D sites would happen.
"Yes, we have a lot of R&D sites; not always easy to handle; not the most inexpensive solution," said Delfassy on the conference call and webcast. "Yes, you can assume our direction is to concentrate on fewer, bigger R&D sites. That's a safe assumption," he concluded.
ST-Ericsson is 50:50 joint venture between STMicroelectronics NV and Ericsson AB and also includes employees from NXP's wireless business that were wrapped up into ST-NXP prior to the formation of ST-Ericsson in February 2009. As such, it has numerous legacy sites in France, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and China and the far-east.
ST-Ericsson sites listed at the company's website include: Lund in Sweden; Nurnberg in Germany; Crolles, Le Mans, Rennes and Sophia Antipolis in France; Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong in China; Taipei in Taiwan; and Tokyo and Yokohama in Japan.
ST-Ericsson also has development staff in Bristol, Basingstoke and in Daventry, England.
In June, shortly after ST-Ericsson announced a restructuring plan that would affect 500 jobs, it was reported by the Basingstoke Gazette that the company had decided to close its base in Basingstoke with a loss of up to 139 jobs.
ST-Ericsson's two other U.K. offices, in Bristol and Daventry, will not be affected by the restructuring, the Basingstoke Gazette said. The decision to close Basingstoke was based on the projects being worked on at the various sites, the Basingstoke Gazette quoted an ST-Ericsson spokesman as saying.
Related links and articles:
http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/news/local/9108992.139_jobs_may_go_at_telecoms_firm/
How long has ST-Ericsson got?
Losses swell, outlook flat at ST-Ericsson
ST-Ericsson restructures, break-even recedes
ST-Ericsson, STMicroelectronics, ST, Ericsson, Basingstoke, Bristol, Daventry, semiconductor, mobile ST-Ericsson to close R&D sites
Lam Research, Equipment, Semiconductor Lam sees steep decline in tool spending
SAN FRANCISCO—Shares of semiconductor equipment vendor Lam Research Corp. halted trading Wednesday (July 27), before the company reported quarterly results that beat analysts' expectations but warned of a significant decline equipment spending that would cause its revenue to contract in the previous quarter.
"We are seeing significant near term declines in wafer fab equipment spending, and as result our September quarter shipments, revenues and earnings per share will be well below our June quarter results," said Steve Newberry, Lam's CEO, in a statement.
In a conference call with analysts following the quarterly report, Newberry said investment by foundries and in DRAM capacity has slowed in recent months, although NAND capacity and conversion investments remain strong.
Newberry said Lam now expects total wafer fab equipment spending to be between $29 billion and $32 billion in 2011, an increase of as much as 10 percent over 2010, but down from Lam's previous 2011 forecast for the equipment market of $32 billion to $34 billion. Lam projects that total equipment spending in the first half of 2011 was tracking at roughly $32 billion on an annualized basis, meaning that second half spending will be flat to down 19 percent compared with the first half, Newberry said.
Newberry said that since April foundries have adjusted their 2011 spending plans in response to reduced demand for 65-nm and above capacity, which has resulted in lower utilization rates. Foundries are telling Lam they plan to delay their 32- and 28-nm ramp plans while they address typical yield ramp issues, Newberry said.
Lam now expects total equipment spending by foundries and logic IDMs to be between $10 billion and $13 billion this year, depending on the pace of yield improvement, Newberry said.
Newberry said memory players are being "very cautious" with DRAM capacity expansion plans because of concerns over slowing PC demand. Investment in NAND capacity and conversion to new technology nodes remain strong, Newberry said.
Lam reported sales for the quarter ended June 26 of $752 million, down 7 percent from the previous quarter but up 8 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. The company reported a net income in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $125.9 million, or $1.01 per diluted share, down 31 percent from the previous quarter and up 10 percent from the year-ago quarter.
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding charges, Lam reported a net income of $142.3 million, or $1.14 per share.
Consensus analysts' expectations had called for Lam to report sales of $748.8 million and non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.09, according to Yahoo Finance.
Gross margin for the June quarter declined to $338.5 million or 45 percent, compared to gross margin of $374 million or 46.2 percent in the previous quarter, Lam said.
"Lam delivered solid operating performance and financial results for the June quarter," Newberry said.
Newberry said Lam expects sales for the currentquarter to decline to between $650 million and $690 million. Lam expectsshipments in the current quarter to be worth between $555 million and$605 million, Newberry said.
Lam Research, Equipment, Semiconductor Lam sees steep decline in tool spending
"We are seeing significant near term declines in wafer fab equipment spending, and as result our September quarter shipments, revenues and earnings per share will be well below our June quarter results," said Steve Newberry, Lam's CEO, in a statement.
In a conference call with analysts following the quarterly report, Newberry said investment by foundries and in DRAM capacity has slowed in recent months, although NAND capacity and conversion investments remain strong.
Newberry said Lam now expects total wafer fab equipment spending to be between $29 billion and $32 billion in 2011, an increase of as much as 10 percent over 2010, but down from Lam's previous 2011 forecast for the equipment market of $32 billion to $34 billion. Lam projects that total equipment spending in the first half of 2011 was tracking at roughly $32 billion on an annualized basis, meaning that second half spending will be flat to down 19 percent compared with the first half, Newberry said.
Newberry said that since April foundries have adjusted their 2011 spending plans in response to reduced demand for 65-nm and above capacity, which has resulted in lower utilization rates. Foundries are telling Lam they plan to delay their 32- and 28-nm ramp plans while they address typical yield ramp issues, Newberry said.
Lam now expects total equipment spending by foundries and logic IDMs to be between $10 billion and $13 billion this year, depending on the pace of yield improvement, Newberry said.
Newberry said memory players are being "very cautious" with DRAM capacity expansion plans because of concerns over slowing PC demand. Investment in NAND capacity and conversion to new technology nodes remain strong, Newberry said.
Lam reported sales for the quarter ended June 26 of $752 million, down 7 percent from the previous quarter but up 8 percent compared with the year-ago quarter. The company reported a net income in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $125.9 million, or $1.01 per diluted share, down 31 percent from the previous quarter and up 10 percent from the year-ago quarter.
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding charges, Lam reported a net income of $142.3 million, or $1.14 per share.
Consensus analysts' expectations had called for Lam to report sales of $748.8 million and non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.09, according to Yahoo Finance.
Gross margin for the June quarter declined to $338.5 million or 45 percent, compared to gross margin of $374 million or 46.2 percent in the previous quarter, Lam said.
"Lam delivered solid operating performance and financial results for the June quarter," Newberry said.
Newberry said Lam expects sales for the currentquarter to decline to between $650 million and $690 million. Lam expectsshipments in the current quarter to be worth between $555 million and$605 million, Newberry said.
Lam Research, Equipment, Semiconductor Lam sees steep decline in tool spending
Steve Perlman, DIDO, Wireless, Cellular DIDO promises wireless breakthroughs
SAN JOSE, Calif. – A serial entrepreneur released a white paper describing a wireless technology that can deliver more than ten-fold increases in spectrum utilization compared to today's cellular systems.
The Digital Input, Distributed Output (DIDO) method can radically extend the range while decreasing the power consumption and silicon complexity of radios, its inventors claim.
"We have only scratched the surface of the potential of this technology," said Steve Perlman, chief executive of Rearden Companies, a Palo Alto, Calif. incubator and one of the DIDO inventors.
"We believe there are not only far more applications in communications, but we believe that the unprecedented control and capacity that we have with radio signals will lead to a wide range of applications in other fields, such as medicine, imaging, manufacturing and alternative energy," he said in the white paper now posted online.
The technique uses a data center as an intermediary for all wireless communications. The servers apparently compute waveforms specific to each wireless client's data request.
Each client receives a unique waveform with justthat user's data. DIDO does this by synthesizing a private channel for eachuser, which is why each user gets 100 percent of the data rate of the spectrum,regardless of how many users share the spectrum, Perlman said.
Rearden has tested the technique with ten radios, each using the full data rate available for a given slice of spectrum in a site near Austin, Texas.
"We know we can get to one-hundred fold what today's cellular systems provide, and we are optimistic we can get to a thousand-fold," said Perlman in a recent talk at Columbia University where he first publically described DIDO. "We don’t know what the limit is [because] this is all green-field" research, he added.
The average power is easily one-tenth that of cellular, and in many cases its one one-hundredth, Perlman said
In a fully deployed DIDO system, the antennas are far closer to the user on average than in a cellular system where, for example, many users are on the fringes of the system, he explained. Also, DIDO doesn't transmit much power where there are no users, so this is far less wasted RF energy, he added.
In terms of silicon complexity a DIDO access point radio can be as simple as an A/D, D/A and an amplifier, said Perlman. All it is doing is digitizing and transmitting, or receiving and digitizing a digital waveform. It does no processing at all, he said.
A DIDO user radio has a little more to it because it is a portable radio, but it is closer to a walkie-talkie than a 3G radio in complexity, Perlman said.
Next: Path to market unclear
Steve Perlman, DIDO, Wireless, Cellular DIDO promises wireless breakthroughs
MEMS, Sensors, Consumer, Yole Consumer electronics turn to MEMS for gesture control, precision location
The first MEMS accelerometers in iPhones and the Wii revolutionized the user interface by introducing natural motion as an input mechanism, but it's taken a while for designers to figure out how best to use these capabilities. Now the inertial sensors are starting to move into a wider range of motion control and precision location applications, helped along by lower costs, and by the generally maturing of the knowledge base and infrastructure that are making the sensor data easier to use.
Yole Développement projects these developments will drive accelerometers and magnetometers to be designed in to close to 50 percent of all mobile phones within five years, and gyroscopes to be included in some 20 percent, mostly at the higher-end smart phone part of the market. Gyroscopes are already in almost all tablets, mostly because Apple still so dominates that market with better than 90 percent share. We expect usage of inertial sensors in consumer electronics will increase by about 24 percent on average annually for the next five years, to reach some 5 billion individual sensor units by 2015.
Lower prices and better software and infrastructure help drive adoption
Major applications for inertial sensors outside of games so far have actually been somewhat limited. Accelerometers have become a must-have in mobile phones for switching between portrait and landscape mode, and seen scattered use in pedometer functions. Magnetometers hit mass adoption in phones last year, to supply correct heading for navigation. Multiaxis MEMS gyroscopes have just reached consumer price points and volumes and are showing up in first phones and essentially all tablets, although initially largely for games.
But lower prices are helping drive wider adoption. Yole sees costs of discrete inertial devices continuing their steep decline, with the ASP of a three-axis accelerometer, for example, dropping from $0.70 in 2010 to around $0.30 by 2015—or less than $0.10 per axis. Part of these cost savings will be driven by sharing the cost of one controller ASIC between two sensor devices, by packaging the accelerometer and the magnetometer, or the accelerometer and gyroscope together as one combination sensor with one ASIC. This can also improve the sensor data, directly building in the corrections of each sensor for the deviations of the other.
Also driving adoption is the fact that it's getting much easier to turn the sensor output into useful applications. The leading MEMS device makers like STMicroelectronics and InvenSense are supplying more software and libraries to make it easier for the phone and tablet makers to add basic motion functions to their systems. Dedicated motion sensor software suppliers like Movea and Hillcrest Labs are supplying device-agnostic software to allow wider applications, particularly for air mice and TV remotes to do control by gestures. And the latest version of Android operating system software supports some motion processing APIs, with more sophisticated versions expected to come.
Next: Bellwether applications worth noting
MEMS, Sensors, Consumer, Yole Consumer electronics turn to MEMS for gesture control, precision location
Yole Développement projects these developments will drive accelerometers and magnetometers to be designed in to close to 50 percent of all mobile phones within five years, and gyroscopes to be included in some 20 percent, mostly at the higher-end smart phone part of the market. Gyroscopes are already in almost all tablets, mostly because Apple still so dominates that market with better than 90 percent share. We expect usage of inertial sensors in consumer electronics will increase by about 24 percent on average annually for the next five years, to reach some 5 billion individual sensor units by 2015.
Lower prices and better software and infrastructure help drive adoption
Major applications for inertial sensors outside of games so far have actually been somewhat limited. Accelerometers have become a must-have in mobile phones for switching between portrait and landscape mode, and seen scattered use in pedometer functions. Magnetometers hit mass adoption in phones last year, to supply correct heading for navigation. Multiaxis MEMS gyroscopes have just reached consumer price points and volumes and are showing up in first phones and essentially all tablets, although initially largely for games.
But lower prices are helping drive wider adoption. Yole sees costs of discrete inertial devices continuing their steep decline, with the ASP of a three-axis accelerometer, for example, dropping from $0.70 in 2010 to around $0.30 by 2015—or less than $0.10 per axis. Part of these cost savings will be driven by sharing the cost of one controller ASIC between two sensor devices, by packaging the accelerometer and the magnetometer, or the accelerometer and gyroscope together as one combination sensor with one ASIC. This can also improve the sensor data, directly building in the corrections of each sensor for the deviations of the other.
Also driving adoption is the fact that it's getting much easier to turn the sensor output into useful applications. The leading MEMS device makers like STMicroelectronics and InvenSense are supplying more software and libraries to make it easier for the phone and tablet makers to add basic motion functions to their systems. Dedicated motion sensor software suppliers like Movea and Hillcrest Labs are supplying device-agnostic software to allow wider applications, particularly for air mice and TV remotes to do control by gestures. And the latest version of Android operating system software supports some motion processing APIs, with more sophisticated versions expected to come.
Next: Bellwether applications worth noting
MEMS, Sensors, Consumer, Yole Consumer electronics turn to MEMS for gesture control, precision location
Tucker Taft, SofCheck, ParaSail, parallel, programming, language, processor, multicore SofCheck preps ParaSail parallel language
LONDON – SofCheck Inc., best known as a vendor of software analysis and verification technology and Ada Compilers, is working on a parallel programming language called ParaSail that has been presented at two learned conferences recently.
ParaSail – for Parallel Specification and Implementation Language – is being developed "from scratch" and is particularly aimed at safety-critical systems where C/C++, and parallelizations of C/C++ are notoriously unsafe but it is also intended to make use of abundant processing resources that will soon be potentially available. It is SofCheck's assertion that chips with more than 64 cores will become relatively easy to make, but they will prove difficult to program effectively without a well-constructed parallel programming language.
SofCheck (Burlington, Mass.) is led by chairman and chief technology officer Tucker Taft who is well known as an industry leader in compiler construction and programming language design. It was Taft, while employed at Intermetrics Inc., who was the lead designer of the Ada 95 programming language and who helped add formal methods to parts of the Ada language.
Taft presented a paper entitled An introduction to ParaSail at the Ada Europe conference held in Valencia, Spain, in June 2010 and a paper by the same title at the Open Source Convention being held this week in Portland Oregon. Taft was also scheduled to present a tutorial on experimenting with ParaSail, for which there is now a prototype compiler.
According to the abstract of Taft's Oscon paper "ParaSail is a new language, but it borrows concepts from other programming languages, including the ML/OCaml/F# family, the Lisp/Scheme/Clojure family, the Algol/Pascal/Modula/Ada/Eiffel family, the C/C++/Java/C# family, and the region-based languages, especially Cyclone."
The language is described as being simpler than many others with only four basic concepts; modules, types, objects, and operations. It does not include pointers, exceptions and uses stack- and region-based data storage management rather than garbage collection. It supportds implicit parallelism, making programmers have to work to achieve sequential operation, rather than the other way around. By default the program constructs run in parallel and it promotes a formal approach to software with compile-time checks for correctness with respect to the formal annotations.
In the Oscon paper Taft was set to describe the status of a prototype compiler and a ParaSail Virtual Machine.
Progress in the development of the ParaSail language is the subject of a dedicated blog at http://parasail-programming-language.blogspot.com
Related links and articles:
www.sofcheck.com
http://www.sofcheck.com/news/AdaEurope_ParaSail_2010.pdf
http://www.oscon.com/oscon2011/public/schedule/detail/18557
http://conferences.ncl.ac.uk/adaconnection2011/tutorials/T1.html
http://parasail-programming-language.blogspot.com
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SOFTWARE TOOLS: CodePeer to automate code review
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Tucker Taft, SofCheck, ParaSail, parallel, programming, language, processor, multicore SofCheck preps ParaSail parallel language
Infineon, financial, results, automotive, industrial, semiconductor Infineon profits as car woes no-show
LONDON – Expected problems in the automotive supply chain failed to materialize for Infineon Technologies AG in the second quarter and helped the German chip maker turn in higher than expected sales and profits in its third fiscal quarter ended June 30.
Infineon (Munich, Germany), which has divested itself of numerous operations in recent quarters to focus on chips for the industrial, automotive, security and energy applications, made a net profit of 190 million euro on revenues of 1,043 million euro in its third fiscal quarter.
Sales revenue was up 5 percent sequentially and 18 percent ahead of the same quarter a year before. Net income on continuing operations was 175 million euro, up from 173 million euro in the previous quarter and up from 103 million euro in the same quarter a year before.
The company said the results come in ahead of market expectations and that Infineon had grown faster than the market and its direct competitors.
"Our excellent results continue to prove that Infineon's focus on energy efficiency, mobility and security is the right strategy," said Peter Bauer, CEO of Infineon, in a statement.
The sales growth was driven by demand in the industrial & multimarket and automotive sectors. The second was counter to expectations, which had predicted a negative impact from disruptions in the automotive supply chain after the Japan earthquake.
However, Infineon gave a flat outlook for the fourth fiscal and third calendar quarter. Infineon expects increased revenues from industrial and multimarket to be balance by a seasonal decline in the automotive sector.
Related links and articles:
Infineon ships chips for Chromebook security
Infineon buys Qimonda Dresden assets
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Infineon to spend $285 million in Austria
Infineon, financial, results, automotive, industrial, semiconductor Infineon profits as car woes no-show
TSMC, foundry, Taiwan, semiconductor, demand TSMC forecasts falling sales in Q3
LONDON – Foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has announced that its net income fell in the second quarter and has forecast its revenue will decline by about 7 percent in the third quarter.
"The outlook of the global economic condition has weakened in the last few months, which has added volatility to the supply chain inventory, and in turn, has significantly impacted the demand for our wafers in the third quarter of 2011," said Lora Ho, senior vice president and chief financial officer of TSMC, in a statement. "Relative to the second quarter, the computer and consumer segments will decline more than the decline of the communications segment while industrial/standard segment will increase," Ho added.
The third quarter revenue is expected to be between NT$102 billion and NT$104 billion (between about $3.53 billion and about $3.60 billion) which is between 6 and 8 percent down on the NT110.51 billion (about $3.83 billion) that TSMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan) reported for the second quarter.
TSMC's revenue – a bellwhether for the foundry and semiconductor sectors – has climbed sequentially in the third quarter by about 8 percent on average over the last decade, as customers try to load the sales channel prior to the winter holiday season. The only time TSMC's sale revenue has fallen in the third quarter in the last decade was in 2002 when it dipped sequentially by 10 percent.
TSMC announced a net income of NT$35.95 billion on consolidated revenue of NT$110.51 billion for the second quarter ended June 30, 2011. In US dollars terms, second quarter revenue increased 6.5 percent from the previous quarter and increased 16 percent year-over-year, TSMC said. Compared to first quarter of 2011, second quarter of 2011 results represent a 4.9 percent increase in revenue, and a 0.9 percent decrease in net income. Compared with 2Q10 net income fell by 10.8 percent.
During the second quarter 40-nanometer process technology accounted for 26 percent of total wafer revenues, and 65-nanometer accounted for 29 percent, TSMC said.
Related links and articles:
Taiwan comforted by Apple chip spend cycle
IDMs to hurt pure-play foundries, says report
TSMC posts weak June, Q2 sales figures
TSMC, foundry, Taiwan, semiconductor, demand TSMC forecasts falling sales in Q3
EE Times Confidential, Apple iPhone, iPhone, Apple, Handsets, Smartphones, Wireless Next iPhone looks to be an underachiever
Apple Inc.’s next-generation handset is likely to run a bit faster; sport a somewhat larger, higher-resolution display and camera; and link to faster (HSDPA+) networks. But the incremental upgrade will not merit the name iPhone 5. We give the handset a C for effort and dub it the iPhone 4+.
On the other hand, the accompanying report card looks bright for the chip vendors already designed into the iPad 2; most have a better-than-average shot of getting sockets in the evolutionary smartphone.
The most heated competition will be over baseband processors, where the likely scenario sees Apple continuing to use its tried-and-true Infineon chips for 3G phones and the Qualcomm MDM6600 for the CDMA versions.
On the 3G side, Apple may upgrade to Infineon’s X-Gold 626 or 706 to pick up support for HSDPA+ networks, says Steve Bitton, senior technology analyst at our partner UBM TechInsights.
Click here to read the full story at EE Times Confidential.
EE Times Confidential, Apple iPhone, iPhone, Apple, Handsets, Smartphones, Wireless Next iPhone looks to be an underachiever
Tablets, Smartphones, IHS, Consumer Tablets, smartphones hit sales of CE devices
SAN FRANCISCO—Rapidly growing sales of multifunction products like media tablets and smartphones are coming at the expense of demand for single-task consumer electronics products, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli, which projects sluggish sales for single-task devices like MP3 players and digital still cameras through at least 2015.
Shipments of smartphones and tablets will rise at compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 28.5 percent and 72.1 percent, respectively, for the years 2010 to 2015, according to IHS. Meanwhile, shipments of portable navigation devices (PNDs), portable media players (PMPs)/MP3 players and digital still cameras (DSCs) will either decline or remain flat during the same period of time, according to the firm's projections.
Tablets, Smartphones, IHS, Consumer Tablets, smartphones hit sales of CE devices
Shipments of smartphones and tablets will rise at compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of 28.5 percent and 72.1 percent, respectively, for the years 2010 to 2015, according to IHS. Meanwhile, shipments of portable navigation devices (PNDs), portable media players (PMPs)/MP3 players and digital still cameras (DSCs) will either decline or remain flat during the same period of time, according to the firm's projections.
Tablets, Smartphones, IHS, Consumer Tablets, smartphones hit sales of CE devices
Tablets, Displays, Small, Medium Small-sized display shipments down except in tablets
MANHASSET, NY -- Shipments of small- and medium-sized display panels fell for the second straight month in May, another data point from market research firm IHS iSuppli pointing to tablets taking over where once cell phones and other consumer devices prevailed.
SMD panels range in size from 1.0 inches to 9 in. with nearly all of them using liquid crystal display technology.
IHS reported a 6.9 percent decline in April. In May shipments of SMD displays from major suppliers in South Korea and Taiwan fell to 187.1 million units, down 4.2 percent from 195.3 million units during the earlier month.
“SMD demand in May was impacted by declining sales to the cell phone market—the leading application for such displays—along with other key areas, including digital still cameras and portable navigation devices,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, director for small and medium displays at IHS, in a statement. “The only exception was the tablet market, where demand continued to exceed supply.”
Along with their high shipment growth, tablet displays command a relatively high price compared to SMDs in other applications. This is because of their high specifications required for advanced performance. Taiwanese vendors will start mass-producing for Apple iPad panels starting in the third quarter, while Korean vendors have aggressive plans for capacity expansion to meet demand for PC-type tablets, such as Hewlett-Packard’s TouchPad.
Fearing possible component shortages after the Japan quake disaster in early March, branded vendors and channels pulled in SMD shipments ahead of time to bolster stocks. However, with inventory in the channel building up and in light of endemic weak demand, panel shipments could not recover and declined in April and May. The uncertain picture in Europe, with rising inflation and sovereign debt issues, was also a contributing factor to the SMD panel decline in general during the period.
More here.
Tablets, Displays, Small, Medium Small-sized display shipments down except in tablets
Food and Drug Administration, Institute of Medicine, Medical Devices, Ralph Hall, Regulations, FDA, Medical, IoM Report on FDA draws fire before release
SAN JOSE, Calif. – A major report on the future of medical device regulations to be released tomorrow is already drawing criticism.
The Institute of Medicine will release tomorrow a report commissioned last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The report is expected to provide recommendations about several of the most controversial issues around regulating medical devices.
In January, the FDA released plans for as many as 25 changes it will make starting this year to its so-called 510(k) process, the primary regulatory pathway for medical devices. The agency deferred to the IoM report on about seven contentious questions. They include:
- Should the FDA have power to revoke a 510(k)?
- Should the FDA create a new Class IIb category for devices?
- Should the FDA consider "off-label" uses of a device when reviewing it?
- Should the FDA continue reviewing products even after they have been approved for use?
- Should companies be required to keep on hand examples of all their products in case the FDA needs a review model?
In May, a University of Minnesota law professor and medical device expert co-authored a paper criticizing the makeup of the IoM committee and its process for creating the report.
"I have absolutely no idea of the substance of the report, it's the IoM process I have concerns about," said Ralph Hall who also acts as a legal adviser to medical device companies on a part time basis and has founded his own cardiac implant startup.
The IoM committee consists of physicians, academics and lawyers who have worked with medical device clients. Hall said he had no issues with the existing members of the IoM panel, only those left out.
"There are no patient representatives, no one from industry, no entrepreneurs or innovators--those are all critical stakeholders," Hall said. "Other IoM committees usually have these sorts of people," he said.
The group has not held a public meeting for a year, and it was relatively opaque at that July 2010 meeting, Hall added. The group has held no meetings since January when the FDA specifically added the contentious questions to its charter, he said.
At the July 2010 meeting, "they said almost nothing, it was unidirectional--you might get a question or two, but there wasn't a give-and-take exchange," said Hall who addressed the group at the meeting.
"Most government reports are released in a draft form for public comment before they are made final," said Hall. "I have absolutely no idea of the substance of the report, but I wish I had some insight," he said.
The FDA will likely provide time for public comment before it decides what actions it will take based on the report.
A representative of the IoM said the committee has followed the processes outlined by its parent group, the National Academies.
"The IoM assembled a committee of experts who have the necessary backgrounds and expertise to respond to the task and who do not have financial conflicts of interest," an IoM spokeswoman said.
"The IoM followed the same study process that it has used to issue hundreds of reports," she said. "We believe that upon reading the report, people will be able to make up their own minds about the committee and its recommendations for improving the Class II device clearance process," she added.
The medical device industry has lobbied for some time in an effort to relax FDA regulations. A PriceWaterhouseCoopers report earlier this year ranked the FDA as the seventh of nine global agencies in the speed of its approvals.
Food and Drug Administration, Institute of Medicine, Medical Devices, Ralph Hall, Regulations, FDA, Medical, IoM Report on FDA draws fire before release
Trident, Video, License, Loss Trident signs IP license deal amid Q2 loss
SAN FRANCISCO—Digital TV chip vendor Trident Microsystems Inc. Thursday (July 28) announced it reached an agreement to license some of its video processing technology and reported a narrower second quarter loss on sales that fell short of consensus analysts' expectations.
Trident said it agreed to license its motion estimation and motion compensation (MEMC) video processing technology to multimedia SoC vendor Sunplus Technology Co. Ltd. Financial terms of the royalty-based license agreement were not disclosed.
Trident (Sunnyvale, Calif.) said the non-exclusive patent licensing deal is part of the company's ongoing effort to make a limited number of licenses for its MEMC patent portfolio available to TV OEMs and consumer electronics semiconductor providers.
This is the second patent license agreement that Trident has announced for its MEMC patents. Earlier this year, the company announced a licensing agreement with Taiwan's MStar Semiconductor Inc. covering part of Trident's MEMC portfolio.
According to Trident, MEMC technology has become a de facto standard by enabling superior picture quality when displaying high-definition and 3-D video on televisions, computer monitors, tablet computers and other video-enabled consumer electronics devices.
"Our MEMC technology represents decades of development that was originally started at Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. and has become widely recognized as the highest quality solution in the industry," said Tony Francesca, Trident's vice president of corporate and business development, in a statement.
Trident claims a portfolio of patents relating to MEMC, demodulators, audio, video, television interfaces, 3-D, conditional access and general semiconductor circuit technology.
Also Thursday, Trident reported that its second quarter revenue slipped to $69.6 million, down 21 percent from first quarter revenue and down 59 percent from the second quarter of 2010. Trident reported a net loss in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $29.6 million, or 15 cents per share, narrower compared to GAAP net losses of $40.8 million and $48.8 million in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding charges, Trident reported a net loss of $21.7 million, or 12 cents per share, compared to non-GAAP net losses of $22.4 million and $14.6 million in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.
Consensus analysts' expectations for the second quarter called for Trident to report sales of $72.5 million and non-GAAP earnings of 13 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
"Although financial results for the second quarter were in-line with the company's guidance range, the negative trends for both revenue and profitability underscore the need for a comprehensive turnaround," said Bami Bastani, Trident's president and CEO, in a statement.
"The turnaround's aim is to restore Trident to profitable growth by focusing resources on the key capabilities that differentiate us in the highly attractive connected home market and achieving an appropriate cost structure," Bastani said.
For the current quarter, Trident said it expects revenue to increase to between $72 million and $78 million.
Trident, Video, License, Loss Trident signs IP license deal amid Q2 loss
Trident said it agreed to license its motion estimation and motion compensation (MEMC) video processing technology to multimedia SoC vendor Sunplus Technology Co. Ltd. Financial terms of the royalty-based license agreement were not disclosed.
Trident (Sunnyvale, Calif.) said the non-exclusive patent licensing deal is part of the company's ongoing effort to make a limited number of licenses for its MEMC patent portfolio available to TV OEMs and consumer electronics semiconductor providers.
This is the second patent license agreement that Trident has announced for its MEMC patents. Earlier this year, the company announced a licensing agreement with Taiwan's MStar Semiconductor Inc. covering part of Trident's MEMC portfolio.
According to Trident, MEMC technology has become a de facto standard by enabling superior picture quality when displaying high-definition and 3-D video on televisions, computer monitors, tablet computers and other video-enabled consumer electronics devices.
"Our MEMC technology represents decades of development that was originally started at Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. and has become widely recognized as the highest quality solution in the industry," said Tony Francesca, Trident's vice president of corporate and business development, in a statement.
Trident claims a portfolio of patents relating to MEMC, demodulators, audio, video, television interfaces, 3-D, conditional access and general semiconductor circuit technology.
Also Thursday, Trident reported that its second quarter revenue slipped to $69.6 million, down 21 percent from first quarter revenue and down 59 percent from the second quarter of 2010. Trident reported a net loss in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $29.6 million, or 15 cents per share, narrower compared to GAAP net losses of $40.8 million and $48.8 million in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding charges, Trident reported a net loss of $21.7 million, or 12 cents per share, compared to non-GAAP net losses of $22.4 million and $14.6 million in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.
Consensus analysts' expectations for the second quarter called for Trident to report sales of $72.5 million and non-GAAP earnings of 13 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
"Although financial results for the second quarter were in-line with the company's guidance range, the negative trends for both revenue and profitability underscore the need for a comprehensive turnaround," said Bami Bastani, Trident's president and CEO, in a statement.
"The turnaround's aim is to restore Trident to profitable growth by focusing resources on the key capabilities that differentiate us in the highly attractive connected home market and achieving an appropriate cost structure," Bastani said.
For the current quarter, Trident said it expects revenue to increase to between $72 million and $78 million.
Trident, Video, License, Loss Trident signs IP license deal amid Q2 loss
Researcher hacks into Apple’s laptop battery’s microcontroller Electronics News
A SECURITY researcher has found a way to exploit the microcontroller in Apple’s laptop batteries.
According to Accuvant Labs’ Charlie Miller, the security problem could allow malicious exploiters to cause fire or explosions. The microcontroller’s flash memory can also be exploited to create a permanent malware infection which keeps re-infecting a computer after it has been cleansed.
Laptop batteries are no longer dumb power-supplying units. Modern batteries include microcontrollers which monitor the battery voltage, current, and temperature. They can also control these factors to optimise battery performance.
Miller claims Apple left the default passwords on its Smart Battery System, which he accessed with help from publicly-available documentation.
By hacking the microcontrollers, he can reprogram the firmware, causing the battery to erroneously report values, or making the charger overcharge the battery. If the parameters are tampered with incorrectly, the battery could fail or explode.
Miller has passed on details of the security weakness to Apple, and will present the findings at the Black Hat conference, 4 August.
Researcher hacks into Apple's laptop battery's microcontroller Electronics News
According to Accuvant Labs’ Charlie Miller, the security problem could allow malicious exploiters to cause fire or explosions. The microcontroller’s flash memory can also be exploited to create a permanent malware infection which keeps re-infecting a computer after it has been cleansed.
Laptop batteries are no longer dumb power-supplying units. Modern batteries include microcontrollers which monitor the battery voltage, current, and temperature. They can also control these factors to optimise battery performance.
Miller claims Apple left the default passwords on its Smart Battery System, which he accessed with help from publicly-available documentation.
By hacking the microcontrollers, he can reprogram the firmware, causing the battery to erroneously report values, or making the charger overcharge the battery. If the parameters are tampered with incorrectly, the battery could fail or explode.
Miller has passed on details of the security weakness to Apple, and will present the findings at the Black Hat conference, 4 August.
Researcher hacks into Apple's laptop battery's microcontroller Electronics News
Maxim, LSI, KLA-Tencor Earnings: Maxim, LSI, KLA beat estimates
SAN FRANCISCO—Chip makers Maxim Integrated Products Inc. and LSI Corp. and semiconductor capital equipment vendor KLA-Tencor Corp. delivered quarterly results this week that exceeded analysts.
Maxim (Sunnyvale, Calif.) reported record revenue of $626.5 million for the quarter ended June 25, up 3 percent from the prior quarter and up 11 percent compared to the same period of 2010. The company posted a net income based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) or $125.6 million, or 42 cents per share, down 8 percent from the previous quarter and up 115 percent from the year-ago quarter.
Consensus analysts' expectations called for Maxim to report sales of $625.5 million and earnings of 42 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
Maxim said it expects revenue for the current quarter to be between $625 million and $655 million.
"We are aware of the current macro economic uncertainty and are prepared to react to various revenue scenarios," said Tunc Doluca, Maxim's president and CEO, in a statement. "However, based on multiple design wins across our end markets we are confident of our long term growth."
LSI (Milpitas, Calif.) reported second quarter sales of $501 million, up 6 percent compared with both the previous and year-ago quarters. The company reported a GAAP net income from continuing operations of $28 million, or 5 cents per share, compared to a GAAP net income of $3 million in the year-ago quarter.
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding special items, amortization of acquisition-related items and stock-based compensation expense, LSI reported a net income from continuing operations of $60 million, or 10 cents per diluted share, compared to second quarter 2010 non-GAAP income from continuing operations of $61 million, or 9 cents per diluted share.
Consensus analysts' expectations had called for LSI to report sales of $482.3 million and non-GAAP net income of 10 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
For the third quarter, LSI said it expects revenue for continuing operations to be between $535 million and $565 million, a sequential increase of 10 percent at the midpoint.
"With our transformation complete, we are well positioned to drive above-market growth, generate greater profitability and increase shareholder value," said Abhi Talwalkar, LSI president and CEO, in a statement.
LSI said its capital spending is projected to be around $20 million in the third quarter and approximately $55 million in total for 2011.
KLA-Tencor (Milpitas, Calif.) reported sales of $892 million for its fiscal fourth quarter, ended June 30, up 7 percent from the previous quarter and up 60 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. The company reported a net income for the quarter of $245 million, or $1.43 million for the quarter, up 17 percent from the previous quarter and up 117 percent year-over-year.
Consensus analysts' expectations called for KLA-Tencor to report sales of $872.7 million and earnings of $1.37 per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
For its fiscal year, also ended June 30, KLA-Tencor reported sales of $3.2 billion, up 78 percent from fiscal 2010.
Maxim, LSI, KLA-Tencor Earnings: Maxim, LSI, KLA beat estimates
Maxim (Sunnyvale, Calif.) reported record revenue of $626.5 million for the quarter ended June 25, up 3 percent from the prior quarter and up 11 percent compared to the same period of 2010. The company posted a net income based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) or $125.6 million, or 42 cents per share, down 8 percent from the previous quarter and up 115 percent from the year-ago quarter.
Consensus analysts' expectations called for Maxim to report sales of $625.5 million and earnings of 42 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
Maxim said it expects revenue for the current quarter to be between $625 million and $655 million.
"We are aware of the current macro economic uncertainty and are prepared to react to various revenue scenarios," said Tunc Doluca, Maxim's president and CEO, in a statement. "However, based on multiple design wins across our end markets we are confident of our long term growth."
LSI (Milpitas, Calif.) reported second quarter sales of $501 million, up 6 percent compared with both the previous and year-ago quarters. The company reported a GAAP net income from continuing operations of $28 million, or 5 cents per share, compared to a GAAP net income of $3 million in the year-ago quarter.
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding special items, amortization of acquisition-related items and stock-based compensation expense, LSI reported a net income from continuing operations of $60 million, or 10 cents per diluted share, compared to second quarter 2010 non-GAAP income from continuing operations of $61 million, or 9 cents per diluted share.
Consensus analysts' expectations had called for LSI to report sales of $482.3 million and non-GAAP net income of 10 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
For the third quarter, LSI said it expects revenue for continuing operations to be between $535 million and $565 million, a sequential increase of 10 percent at the midpoint.
"With our transformation complete, we are well positioned to drive above-market growth, generate greater profitability and increase shareholder value," said Abhi Talwalkar, LSI president and CEO, in a statement.
LSI said its capital spending is projected to be around $20 million in the third quarter and approximately $55 million in total for 2011.
KLA-Tencor (Milpitas, Calif.) reported sales of $892 million for its fiscal fourth quarter, ended June 30, up 7 percent from the previous quarter and up 60 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. The company reported a net income for the quarter of $245 million, or $1.43 million for the quarter, up 17 percent from the previous quarter and up 117 percent year-over-year.
Consensus analysts' expectations called for KLA-Tencor to report sales of $872.7 million and earnings of $1.37 per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
For its fiscal year, also ended June 30, KLA-Tencor reported sales of $3.2 billion, up 78 percent from fiscal 2010.
Maxim, LSI, KLA-Tencor Earnings: Maxim, LSI, KLA beat estimates
NXP, Quarter, Clemmer, Revenue NXP grew again in Q2; may decline in Q3
SAN FRANCISCO—NXP Semiconductors NV Thursday (July 28) reported a sequential increase in product revenue for the ninth consecutive quarter, but said the streak could come to an end in the third quarter because of a pause in demand from automotive customers following the March 11 earthquake in Japan, slower-than-expected deployment of near field communications (NFC) technology and global macroeconomic weakness.
Richard Clemmer, NXP's CEO, said in an interview that NXP continued to grow product revenue faster than peer companies despite experiencing a slowdown in gross margin expansion within the company's high-performance mixed signal product segment that stemmed from changes in product mix combined with increased costs.
"We had some headwinds that came from Asian currencies that did not continue to operate in line with the U.S. dollar, which increased our cost basis," Clemmer said. Gross margins were also hit by increased costs for precious metals and costs associated with increasing capacity for embedded flash production, Clemmer said.
NXP (Eindhoven, the Netherlands) reported revenue for the quarter of $1.12 billion, up 4 percent from the previous quarter and up slightly from the year-ago quarter. The company reported a net income in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $84 million, compared with a net income of $187 million in the previous quarter and a GAAP net loss of $362 million in the year-ago quarter.
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding charges, NXP reported net income of $130 million, or 51 cents per diluted share, compared with non-GAAP net incomes of $117 million and $74 million in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.
NXP reported product revenue from continuing operations of $1.03 billion, up 5 percent compared to the previous quarter and up 11 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. It was the ninth consecutive quarter in which NXP's product revenue from continuing operations grew sequentially, NXP said. Product revenue is the combination of sales from the company's high-performance mixed-signal and standard products segments.
NXP said its net debt total was down $383 million compared with the year-ago quarter and stood at $3.85 million. The company said the Standard and Poor's credit rating agency raised the company's credit rating to "B+" from "B-."
NXP said revenue from its high-performance mixed signal product segment increased 5 percent sequentially, paced by strong demand from its Wireless Infrastructure, Industrial and Lighting business with high-performance RF power amplifiers, 32-bit ARM-based MCUs and lighting products all showing strong sequential growth.
For the third quarter, NXP said it expects product revenue to be down 5 percent to up 1 percent sequentially. Clemmer cited a slight pause in demand from automotive customers related to inventory issues in the wake of the Japan earthquake, macroeconomic uncertainty, and pushouts of NFC deployments.
NXP now expects NFC growth this in 2011 to be lower than previously expected, Clemmer said, adding that the company's NFC technology is currently being designed into 62 cellular handsets. "NFC is clearly not experiencing the kind of growth that we had originally anticipated this year," Clemmer said.
NXP, Quarter, Clemmer, Revenue NXP grew again in Q2; may decline in Q3
Richard Clemmer, NXP's CEO, said in an interview that NXP continued to grow product revenue faster than peer companies despite experiencing a slowdown in gross margin expansion within the company's high-performance mixed signal product segment that stemmed from changes in product mix combined with increased costs.
"We had some headwinds that came from Asian currencies that did not continue to operate in line with the U.S. dollar, which increased our cost basis," Clemmer said. Gross margins were also hit by increased costs for precious metals and costs associated with increasing capacity for embedded flash production, Clemmer said.
NXP (Eindhoven, the Netherlands) reported revenue for the quarter of $1.12 billion, up 4 percent from the previous quarter and up slightly from the year-ago quarter. The company reported a net income in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $84 million, compared with a net income of $187 million in the previous quarter and a GAAP net loss of $362 million in the year-ago quarter.
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding charges, NXP reported net income of $130 million, or 51 cents per diluted share, compared with non-GAAP net incomes of $117 million and $74 million in the previous and year-ago quarters, respectively.
NXP reported product revenue from continuing operations of $1.03 billion, up 5 percent compared to the previous quarter and up 11 percent compared to the year-ago quarter. It was the ninth consecutive quarter in which NXP's product revenue from continuing operations grew sequentially, NXP said. Product revenue is the combination of sales from the company's high-performance mixed-signal and standard products segments.
NXP said its net debt total was down $383 million compared with the year-ago quarter and stood at $3.85 million. The company said the Standard and Poor's credit rating agency raised the company's credit rating to "B+" from "B-."
NXP said revenue from its high-performance mixed signal product segment increased 5 percent sequentially, paced by strong demand from its Wireless Infrastructure, Industrial and Lighting business with high-performance RF power amplifiers, 32-bit ARM-based MCUs and lighting products all showing strong sequential growth.
For the third quarter, NXP said it expects product revenue to be down 5 percent to up 1 percent sequentially. Clemmer cited a slight pause in demand from automotive customers related to inventory issues in the wake of the Japan earthquake, macroeconomic uncertainty, and pushouts of NFC deployments.
NXP now expects NFC growth this in 2011 to be lower than previously expected, Clemmer said, adding that the company's NFC technology is currently being designed into 62 cellular handsets. "NFC is clearly not experiencing the kind of growth that we had originally anticipated this year," Clemmer said.
NXP, Quarter, Clemmer, Revenue NXP grew again in Q2; may decline in Q3
Rainforest plant developed 'sonar dish' to attract pollinating bats
ScienceDaily (July 28, 2011) — How plants sound as well as how they look helps them to attract pollinators, a new study by scientists at the University of Bristol, UK, and the Universities of Erlangen and Ulm, Germany has found.
The researchers discovered that a rainforest vine, pollinated by bats, has evolved dish-shaped leaves with such conspicuous echoes that nectar-feeding bats can find its flowers twice as fast by echolocation. The study is published in Science.
While it is well known that the bright colours of flowers serve to attract visually-guided pollinators such as bees and birds, little research has been done to see whether plants which rely on echolocating bats for pollination and seed dispersal have evolved analogous echo-acoustic signals.
The Cuban rainforest vine Marcgravia evenia has developed a distinctively shaped concave leaf next to its flowers which, the researchers noticed, is reminiscent of a dish reflector. By analyzing the leaf's acoustic reflection properties, they found that it acts as an ideal echo beacon, sending back strong, multidirectional echoes with an easily recognizable, and unvarying acoustic signature -- perfect for making the flower obvious to echolocating bats.
They then trained nectar-feeding bats (Glossophaga soricina) to search for a single small feeder hidden within an artificial foliage background, varying the feeder's position and measuring the time the bats took to find it. The feeder was presented on its own or with a replica of either a foliage leaf or the distinctive dish-shaped leaf. Each feeder type was randomly tested once at each of the 64 positions within the artificial foliage background.
Search times were longest for all bats when the feeder was presented on its own and were slightly, but not significantly, shorter when a replica of a foliage leaf was added. However, a dish-shaped leaf replica above the feeder always reduced search times -- by around 50 per cent.
Although the leaf's unusual shape and orientation reduce its photosynthetic yield compared to a similarly sized foliage leaf, the researchers argue that these costs are outweighed by the benefits of more efficient pollinator attraction.
Dr Marc Holderied of Bristol's School of Biological Sciences, co-author of the paper, said: "This echo beacon has benefits for both the plant and the bats. On one hand, it increases the foraging efficiency of nectar-feeding bats, which is of particular importance as they have to pay hundreds of visits to flowers each night to fulfill their energy needs. On the other hand, the M. evenia vine occurs in such low abundance that it requires highly mobile pollinators."
Bats, with their wide home range and excellent spatial memory, are exceptionally efficient pollinators and many other neotropical plants depend on them for pollination. As the acoustic and perceptual principles shaping the echo beacon leaf of Marcgravia evenia should work for all echolocating pollinators, the researchers expect to find other instances of plant species that use acoustic signalling to attract their bat pollinators.
Rainforest plant developed 'sonar dish' to attract pollinating bats
Cadence, EDA, Sales, Million Cadence lifts sales target after strong Q2
SAN FRANCISCO—Cadence Design Systems Inc. Thursday (July 28) adjusted its sales target for 2011 after reporting sales for the second quarter that beat consensus analysts' expectations.
Cadence (San Jose, Calif.) reported second quarter revenue of $283 million, up 8 percent from the previous quarter and up 25 percent compared with the second quarter of 2010. Cadence recognized a net income in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $27 million, or 10 cents per share, up 2 percent from the previous quarter but down 45 percent compared with the second quarter of 2010 (when Cadence recognized $67 million in acquisition-related tax benefits).
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding charges, Cadence reported a net income of $32 million, or 12 cents per diluted share, compared to $18 million, or 7 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2010.
Consensus analysts' expectations called for Cadence to report second quarte sales of $276 million and a non-GAAP net income of 10 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
"Demand for our products and services in the second quarter continued to be strong with run rates on renewals increasing," said Lip-Bu Tan, Cadence president and CEO, in a statement. "We saw acceleration in adoption of our end-to-end digital solution at advanced nodes and very positive response to our new Cadence System Development Suite."
For the third quarter, Cadence said it expects revenue of between $280 million and $290 million. The company expects to report a GAAP net income for the quarter of 4 to 6 cents per share.
Cadence said it adjusted its 2011 guidance upward to reflect ongoing the ongoing strength in the company's business. The company said it now expects to record sales of $1.12 billion to $1.14 billion. The company expects to report a GAAP net income for the year of between 20 and 26 cents per share.
Cadence previously said it expected 2011 sales to be between $1.08 billion and $1.12 billion, with a GAAP net income of 11 to 19 cents per share.
Cadence, EDA, Sales, Million Cadence lifts sales target after strong Q2
Cadence (San Jose, Calif.) reported second quarter revenue of $283 million, up 8 percent from the previous quarter and up 25 percent compared with the second quarter of 2010. Cadence recognized a net income in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) of $27 million, or 10 cents per share, up 2 percent from the previous quarter but down 45 percent compared with the second quarter of 2010 (when Cadence recognized $67 million in acquisition-related tax benefits).
On a non-GAAP basis, excluding charges, Cadence reported a net income of $32 million, or 12 cents per diluted share, compared to $18 million, or 7 cents per share, in the second quarter of 2010.
Consensus analysts' expectations called for Cadence to report second quarte sales of $276 million and a non-GAAP net income of 10 cents per share, according to Yahoo Finance.
"Demand for our products and services in the second quarter continued to be strong with run rates on renewals increasing," said Lip-Bu Tan, Cadence president and CEO, in a statement. "We saw acceleration in adoption of our end-to-end digital solution at advanced nodes and very positive response to our new Cadence System Development Suite."
For the third quarter, Cadence said it expects revenue of between $280 million and $290 million. The company expects to report a GAAP net income for the quarter of 4 to 6 cents per share.
Cadence said it adjusted its 2011 guidance upward to reflect ongoing the ongoing strength in the company's business. The company said it now expects to record sales of $1.12 billion to $1.14 billion. The company expects to report a GAAP net income for the year of between 20 and 26 cents per share.
Cadence previously said it expected 2011 sales to be between $1.08 billion and $1.12 billion, with a GAAP net income of 11 to 19 cents per share.
Cadence, EDA, Sales, Million Cadence lifts sales target after strong Q2
How bats stay on target despite the clutter
The minute change in amplitude is enough to cause a delay in the bats' neural response to an echo, letting the bat know what is clutter and what is the target. It is as if the bat is using two screens -- a main screen that keeps it locked in on its target by virtue of its neural response to the echo and another, secondary screen that keeps note of surrounding objects but doesn't fixate on them.
"Everything the bat sees using sonar is based on the timing of the neural responses and nothing else," said James Simmons, professor of neuroscience at Brown and an author on the paper.
The research is important because it could help refine the maneuverability of sonar-led vehicles and improve their ability to remain fixed on a target even in dense, distracting surroundings.
In a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year, Simmons and Mary Bates, who studied under Simmons and earned her doctorate last May, showed how bats avoid colliding with objects while flying in tight quarters. The key, they determined, is that bats tweak their sounds (chirps) and thus the echoes they receive to differentiate one broadcast/echo set from another. Building on that research, Bates and Simmons sought to determine how bats take note of objects in their sonar surroundings without being deterred by them -- how bats prioritize the waves of echoes they are receiving from their broadcasts.
"The problem the bat is facing is that it's flying around in this really complicated environment. It's getting all these echoes back [from the sonar broadcasts it emits], and the echoes are all arriving at almost the same time," said Bates, lead author on the Science paper. "And they have no trouble at all dealing with that. We're trying to figure out perceptually how these bats distinguish an echo from a nearby target from all the background echoes that are arriving within a similar time window."
In a series of experiments, the researchers studied those times when the bats would encounter a "blind spot," when the echoes were so close together that the bat could not distinguish its target from the surrounding clutter. The range in which the bats can detect when one echo interferes with another is a mere 50 milliseconds, the researchers report.
Harmonics plays a major role. Bat chirps -- sounds -- generally have two harmonics. When a bat chirps, it waits for the corresponding echo. It makes a mental fingerprint of the emitted sound and its echo; if the broadcast/echo fingerprints match up precisely, then the bat "will process it and produce an image," Simmons said. In many cases, that image is an object it is targeting. But when the second harmonic is weaker in the echo fingerprint, the neurons' response is delayed by as few as 3 microseconds. That delay, while undetectable to humans, is enough to tell the bat that the object is present, but it is not its primary interest.
"What the bat does is it takes clutter and defocuses it, like a camera would, so the target remains highly defined and in focus," Simmons said.
Tengiz Zorikov from the Institute of Cybernetics in the Republic of Georgia contributed to the research. The U.S. Office of Naval Research, National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation funded the work.
How bats stay on target despite the clutter
Galaxy signs technology license deal for lithium batteries Electronics News
GALAXY Resources has signed a partnership deal with US-based K2 Energy for the use of lithium battery technologies.
K2 Energy is an established lithium ion battery producer of high energy density batteries. Under the agreement, it will provide expertise, licensing and commercial support for Galaxy’s proposed battery plant in China.
Galaxy Resources produces lithium compounds, primarily for batteries. It mines lithium and is also involved in downstream processing to supply lithium carbon. It is proposing to open a processing plant in Jiangsu.
Galaxy will have the unrestricted and unlimited use of specific K2 Energy lithium battery technologies, valuable for the Ebike and other battery markets.
When coupled with Korean automated plant equipment, Galaxy hopes the technology will allow it to boost R&D and produce world-class lithium ion batteries.
K2 Energy is developing large format batteries and battery systems based upon lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 or “LFP”) technology. The company possesses key intellectual property for high performance lithium iron phosphate batteries, with some of its technology applications pending patent approvals.
K2 Energy’s energy and power cells are currently believed to have the highest energy densities of any LFP products on the market.
Galaxy signs technology license deal for lithium batteries Electronics News
K2 Energy is an established lithium ion battery producer of high energy density batteries. Under the agreement, it will provide expertise, licensing and commercial support for Galaxy’s proposed battery plant in China.
Galaxy Resources produces lithium compounds, primarily for batteries. It mines lithium and is also involved in downstream processing to supply lithium carbon. It is proposing to open a processing plant in Jiangsu.
Galaxy will have the unrestricted and unlimited use of specific K2 Energy lithium battery technologies, valuable for the Ebike and other battery markets.
When coupled with Korean automated plant equipment, Galaxy hopes the technology will allow it to boost R&D and produce world-class lithium ion batteries.
K2 Energy is developing large format batteries and battery systems based upon lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 or “LFP”) technology. The company possesses key intellectual property for high performance lithium iron phosphate batteries, with some of its technology applications pending patent approvals.
K2 Energy’s energy and power cells are currently believed to have the highest energy densities of any LFP products on the market.
Galaxy signs technology license deal for lithium batteries Electronics News
Largest-ever map of plant protein interactions
ScienceDaily (July 28, 2011) — An international team of scientists has described their mapping and early analyses of thousands of protein-to-protein interactions within the cells of Arabidopsis thaliana -- a variety of mustard plant that is to plant biology what the lab mouse is to human biology.
"With this one study we managed to double the plant protein-interaction data that are available to scientists," says Salk Institute plant biologist Joseph Ecker, a professor in the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Laboratory. "These data along with data from future 'interactome' mapping studies like this one should enable biologists to make agricultural plants more resistant to drought and diseases, more nutritious, and generally more useful to mankind."
The four-year project was funded by an $8 million National Science Foundation grant, and was headed by Marc Vidal, Pascal Braun, David Hill and colleagues at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston; and Ecker at the Salk Institute. "It was a natural collaboration," says Vidal, "because Joe and his colleagues at the Salk Institute had already sequenced the Arabidopsis genome and had cloned many of the protein-coding genes, whereas on our side at the Dana Farber Institute we had experience in making these protein interaction maps for other organisms such as yeast."
In the initial stages of the project, members of Ecker's lab led by research technician Mary Galli converted most of their accumulated library of Arabidopsis protein-coding gene clones into a form useful for protein-interaction tests. "For this project, over 10,000 'open reading frame' clones were converted and sequence verified in preparation for protein-interaction screening," says Galli.
Vidal, Braun, Hill and their colleagues systematically ran these open reading frames through a high quality protein-interaction screening process, based on a test known as the yeast two-hybrid screen. Out of more than forty million possible pair combinations, they found a total of 6,205 Arabidopsis protein- protein interactions, involving 2,774 individual proteins. The researchers confirmed the high quality of these data, for example by showing their overlap with protein interaction datafrom past studies.
The new map of 6,205 protein partnerings represents only about two percent of the full protein- protein "interactome" for Arabidopsis, since the screening test covered only a third of all Arabidopsis proteins, and wasn't sensitive enough to detect many weaker protein interactions. "There will be larger maps after this one," says Ecker.
Even as a preliminary step, though, the new map is clearly useful. The researchers were able to sort the protein interaction pairs they found into functional groups, revealing networks and "communities" of proteins that work together. "There had been very little information, for example, on how plant hormone signaling pathways communicate with one another," says Ecker. "But in this study we were able to find a number of intriguing links between these pathways."
A further analysis of their map provided new insight into plant evolution. Ecker and colleagues Arabidopsis genome data, reported a decade ago, had revealed that plants randomly duplicate their genes to a much greater extent than animals do. These gene duplication events apparently give plants some of the genetic versatility they need to stay adapted to shifting environments. In this study, the researchers found 1900 pairs of their mapped proteins that appeared to be the products of ancient gene-duplication events.
Using advanced genomic dating techniques, the researchers were able to gauge the span of time since each of these gene-duplication events -- the longest span being 700 million years -- and compare it with the changes in the two proteins' interaction partners. "This provides a measure of how evolution has rewired the functions of these proteins," says Vidal. "Our large, high-quality dataset and the naturally high frequency of these gene duplications in Arabidopsis allowed us to make such an analysis for the first time."
The researchers found evidence that the Arabidopsis protein partnerships tend to change quickly after the duplication event, then more slowly as the duplicated gene settles into its new function and is held there by evolutionary pressure. "Even though the divergence of these proteins' amino-acid sequences may continue, the divergence in terms of their respective partners slows drastically after a rapid initial change, which we hadn't expected to see," Vidal says.
In the July 29 issue of Science researchers from the Arabidopsis interactome mapping study reported yet another demonstration of the usefulness of their approach. Led by Jeffery L. Dangl of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, they examined Arabidopsis protein interactions with the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae (Psy) and a fungus-like microbe called Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (Hpa). "Even though these two pathogens are separated by about a billion years of evolution, it turns out that the 'effector' proteins they use to subvert Arabidopsis cells during infection are both targeted against the same set of highly connected Arabidopsis proteins," says Ecker. "We looked at some of these targeted Arabidopsis proteins and found evidence that they serve as 'hubs' or control points for the plant immune system and related systems."
Ecker and his colleagues hope that these studies mark the start of a period of rapid advancement in understanding plant biology, and in putting that knowledge to use for human benefit. "This starts to give us a big, systems-level picture of how Arabidopsis works, and much of that systems-level picture is going to be relevant to -- and guide further research on -- other plant species, including those used in human agriculture and even pharmaceuticals,"Ecker says.
The "Arabidopsis Interactome Mapping Consortium" consists of over 20 national and international laboratories that contribute to this study with support from a number of funding agencies including the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Largest-ever map of plant protein interactions
World population to surpass 7 billion in 2011; Explosive population growth means challenges for developing nations
These sizable increases represent an unprecedented global demographic upheaval, according to David Bloom, Clarence James Gamble Professor of Economics and Demography at the Harvard School of Public Health, in a review article published July 29, 2011 in Science.
Over the next forty years, nearly all (97%) of the 2.3 billion projected increase will be in the less developed regions, with nearly half (49%) in Africa. By contrast, the populations of more developed countries will remain flat, but will age, with fewer working-age adults to support retirees living on social pensions.
"Although the issues immediately confronting developing countries are different from those facing the rich countries, in a globalized world demographic challenges anywhere are demographic challenges everywhere," said Bloom.
The world's population has grown slowly for most of human history. It took until 1800 for the population to hit 1 billion. However, in the past half-century, population jumped from 3 to 7 million. In 2011, approximately 135 million people will be born and 57 million will die, a net increase of 78 million people.
Considerable uncertainty about these projections remains, Bloom writes. Depending on whether the number of births per woman continues to decline, the ranges for 2050 vary from 8.1 to 10.6 billion, and the 2100 projections vary from 6.2 to 15.8 billion.
Population trends indicate a shift in the "demographic center of gravity" from more to less developed regions, Bloom writes. Already strained, many developing countries will likely face tremendous difficulties in supplying food, water, housing, and energy to their growing populations, with repercussions for health, security, and economic growth.
"The demographic picture is indeed complex, and poses some formidable challenges," Bloom said. "Those challenges are not insurmountable, but we cannot deal with them by sticking our heads in the sand. We have to tackle some tough issues ranging from the unmet need for contraception among hundreds of millions of women and the huge knowledge-action gaps we see in the area of child survival, to the reform of retirement policy and the development of global immigration policy. It's just plain irresponsible to sit by idly while humankind experiences full force the perils of demographic change."
World population to surpass 7 billion in 2011; Explosive population growth means challenges for developing nations
Food and Drug Administration, Institute of Medicine, Medical Devices, Ralph Hall, Regulations, FDA, Medical, IoM, Advamed, MDMA Report: FDA should scrap 510(k) process
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Industry groups are blasting a much-anticipated report from the Institute of Medicine (IoM) that calls for scrapping the current regulatory process used by the vast majority of medical devices.
A panel of 13 experts convened by the IoM said he U.S. Food and Drug Administration should replace the 35-year-old 510(k) process used to approve moderate-risk medical devices. It called for creating an entirely new process but only provided rough guidelines for what that process might be.
"It's not clear that the 510(k) process is serving the needs of either industry or patients, and simply modifying it again will not help," said David Challoner, emeritus vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida, Gainesville who chaired the IoM panel.
"While current information is not adequate to immediately start designing a new framework, we believe the agency can get the necessary data and establish a new process within a reasonable time frame," he said.
The bold conclusion stunned many in the medical electronics sector. Two top industry lobbying groups were quick to criticize the recommendations, saying they added too much uncertainty to a process that was imperfect but basically sound.
"The report’s conclusions do not deserve serious consideration from the Congress or the Administration," said Stephen J. Ubl, president of the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) which represents many top U.S. medtech companies.
The report "proposes abandoning efforts to address the serious problems with the administration of the current program by replacing it at some unknown date with an untried, unproven and unspecified new legal structure--a disservice to patients and the public health," he said in a press statement.
Ubl said the FDA's plan released in January to take more than 20 steps to improve the 510(k) process was a better step forward. "Other targeted reforms may also be appropriate," he added.
Mark Leahey, president of MDMA which represents many small and medium-sized medical device companies, issued a more moderate response. "We remain concerned about efforts to overhaul a regulatory pathway that would create additional uncertainties and slow patient access to medical therapies," he said.
Prior to the release of the report, one leading academic criticized what he characterized as the relatively opaque process of the IoM committee and its lack of representation of some stakeholders.
For its part, the IoM panel said "the 510(k) process lacks the legal basis to be a reliable premarket screen of the safety and effectiveness of moderate-risk Class II devices and cannot be transformed into one.
"FDA's finite resources would be better invested in developing a new framework that uses both premarket clearance and improved post-market surveillance of device performance," it added.
The 510(k) process lets companies get approval for devices characterized as moderate risks that are "substantially equivalent" to devices that have already been approved by the FDA.
"Substantial equivalence cannot assure that devices reaching the market are safe and effective," the panel said. "The majority of the devices used as the basis for comparison were never reviewed for safety or effectiveness," it added.
Food and Drug Administration, Institute of Medicine, Medical Devices, Ralph Hall, Regulations, FDA, Medical, IoM, Advamed, MDMA Report: FDA should scrap 510(k) process
Sea level rise less from Greenland, more from Antarctica, than expected during last interglacial
Where did all that extra water come from? Mainly from melting ice sheets on Greenland and Antarctica, and many scientists, including University of Wisconsin-Madison geoscience assistant professor Anders Carlson, have expected that Greenland was the main culprit.
But Carlson's new results, published July 29 in Science, are challenging that assertion, revealing surprising patterns of melting during the last interglacial period that suggest that Greenland's ice may be more stable -- and Antarctica's less stable -- than many thought.
"The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting faster and faster," says Carlson, who is also a member of the Center for Climatic Research in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. But despite clear observations of that fact, estimates of just how much the ice will melt and contribute to sea level rise by the end of this century are highly varied, ranging from a few centimeters to meters. "There's a clear need to understand how it has behaved in the past, and how it has responded to warmer-than-present summers in the past."
The ice-estimation business is rife with unknown variables and has few known physical constraints, Carlson explains, making ice sheet behavior -- where they melt, how much, how quickly -- the largest source of uncertainty in predicting sea level rises due to climate change.
His research team sought a way to constrain where ice remained on Greenland during the last interglacial period, around 125,000 years ago, to better define past ice sheet behavior and improve future projections.
The researchers analyzed silt from an ocean-floor core taken from a region off the southern tip of Greenland that receives sediments carried by meltwater streams off the ice sheet. They used different patterns of radiogenic isotopes to identify sources of the sediment, tracing the silt back to one of three "terranes" or regions, each with a distinct geochemical signature. The patterns of sedimentation show which terranes were still glaciated at that time.
"If the land deglaciates, you lose that sediment," Carlson explains. But to their surprise, they found that all the terranes were still supplying sediment throughout the last interglacial period and thus still had some ice cover.
"The ice definitely retreated to smaller than present extent and definitely raised sea level to higher than present" and continued to melt throughout the warm period, he adds, but the sediment analysis indicates that "the ice sheet seems to be more stable than some of the greater retreat values that people have presented."
The team used their results to evaluate several existing models of Greenland ice sheet melting during the last interglacial period. The models consistent with the new findings indicate that melting Greenland ice was responsible for a sea level rise of 1.6 to 2.2 meters -- at most, roughly half of the minimum four-meter total increase.
Even after accounting for other Arctic ice and the thermal expansion of warmer water, most of the difference must have come from a melting Antarctic ice sheet, Carlson says.
"The implication of our results is that West Antarctica likely was much smaller than it is today," and responsible for much more of the sea level rise than many scientists have thought, he says. "If West Antarctica collapsed, that means it's more unstable than we expected, which is quite scary."
Ultimately, Carlson says he hopes this line of research will improve the representation of ice sheet responses to a warming planet in future Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports. Temperatures during the last interglacial period were similar to those expected by the end of this century, and present-day temps have already reached a point that Greenland's glaciers are melting.
The Science paper was co-authored by UW-Madison colleagues Elizabeth Colville, Brian Beard, Alberto Reyes, and David Ullman and Oregon State University researchers Robert Hatfield and Joseph Stoner, and supported by UW-Madison and the National Science Foundation.
Sea level rise less from Greenland, more from Antarctica, than expected during last interglacial
Fall of the Neanderthals: Volume of modern humans infiltrating Europe cited as critical factor
ScienceDaily (July 29, 2011) — New research sheds light on why, after 300,000 years of domination, European Neanderthals abruptly disappeared. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered that modern humans coming from Africa swarmed the region, arriving with over ten times the population as the Neanderthal inhabitants.
The reasons for the relatively sudden disappearance of the European Neanderthal populations across the continent around 40,000 years ago has for long remained one of the great mysteries of human evolution. After 300 millennia of living, and evidently flourishing, in the cold, sub-glacial environments of central and western Europe, they were rapidly replaced over all areas of the continent by new, anatomically and genetically 'modern' (i.e. Homo sapiens) populations who had originated and evolved in the vastly different tropical environments of Africa.
The most plausible answer to this long-debated question has now been published in the journal Science by two researchers from the Department of Archaeology at Cambridge -- Professor Sir Paul Mellars, Professor Emeritus of Prehistory and Human Evolution, and Jennifer French, a second-year PhD student.
By conducting a detailed statistical analysis of the archaeological evidence from the classic 'Perigord' region of southwestern France, which contains the largest concentration of Neanderthal and early modern human sites in Europe, they have found clear evidence that the earliest modern human populations penetrated the region in at least ten times larger numbers than those of the local Neanderthal populations already established in the same regions. This is reflected in a sharp increase in the total number of occupied sites, much higher densities of occupation residues (i.e. stone tools and animal food remains) in the sites, and bigger areas of occupation in the sites, revealing the formation of much larger and apparently more socially integrated social groupings.
Faced with this dramatic increase in the incoming modern human population, the capacity of the local Neanderthal groups to compete for the same range of living sites, the same range of animal food supplies (principally reindeer, horse, bison and red deer), and the same scarce fuel supplies to tide the groups over the extremely harsh glacial winters, would have been massively undermined. Additionally, almost inevitably, repeated conflicts or confrontations between the two populations would arise for occupation of the most attractive locations and richest food supplies, in which the increased numbers and more highly coordinated activities of the modern human groups would ensure their success over the Neanderthal groups.
The archaeological evidence also strongly suggests that the incoming modern groups possessed superior hunting technologies and equipment (e.g. more effective and long-range hunting spears), and probably more efficient procedures for processing and storing food supplies over the prolonged and exceptionally cold glacial winters. They also appear to have had more wide-ranging social contacts with adjacent human groups to allow for trade and exchange of essential food supplies in times of food scarcity.
Whether the incoming modern human groups also possessed more highly developed brains and associated mental capacities than the Neanderthals remains at present a matter of intense debate. But the sudden appearance of a wide range of complex and sophisticated art forms (including cave paintings), the large-scale production of elaborate decorative items (such as perforated stone and ivory beads, and imported sea shells), and clearly 'symbolic' systems of markings on bone and ivory tools -- all entirely lacking among the preceding Neanderthals -- strongly point to more elaborate systems of social communications among the modern groups, probably accompanied by more advanced and complex forms of language.
All of these new and more complex behavioural patterns can be shown to have developed first among the ancestral African Homo sapiens populations, at least 20,0000 to 30,000 years before their dispersal from Africa, and progressive colonisation (and replacement of earlier populations) across all regions of Europe and Asia from around 60,000 years onwards.
If, as the latest genetic evidence strongly suggests, the African Homo sapiens and European Neanderthal populations had been evolving separately for at least half a million years, then the emergence of some significant contrasts in the mental capacities of the two lineages would not be a particularly surprising development, in evolutionary terms.
Professor Sir Paul Mellars, Professor Emeritus of Prehistory and Human Evolution at the Department of Archaeology, said: "In any event, it was clearly this range of new technological and behavioural innovations which allowed the modern human populations to invade and survive in much larger population numbers than those of the preceding Neanderthals across the whole of the European continent. Faced with this kind of competition, the Neanderthals seem to have retreated initially into more marginal and less attractive regions of the continent and eventually -- within a space of at most a few thousand years -- for their populations to have declined to extinction -- perhaps accelerated further by sudden climatic deterioration across the continent around 40,000 years ago."
Whatever the precise cultural, behavioural and intellectual contrasts between the Neanderthals and intrusive modern human populations, this new study published in Science demonstrates for the first time the massive numerical supremacy of the earliest modern human populations in western Europe, compared with those of the preceding Neanderthals, and thereby largely resolves one of the most controversial and long-running debates over the rapid decline and extinction of the enigmatic Neanderthal populations.
Fall of the Neanderthals: Volume of modern humans infiltrating Europe cited as critical factor
NEON-EK presents SMD LEDs based on EPISTAR chips by REFOND Optoelectronics. Electronics News
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NEON-EK presents SMD LEDs based on EPISTAR chips by REFOND Optoelectronics. Electronics News
Should you have any questions, send an e-mail to julia@e-neon.ru or visit our web-site www.e-neon.ru
NEON-EK presents SMD LEDs based on EPISTAR chips by REFOND Optoelectronics. Electronics News
'Wonder material' graphene tapped for electronic memory devices
Electronic memory devices, which store information, are increasingly expected to provide not only greater storage density, but also faster access to information. As storage density increases, however, power consumption and unwanted heat generation also increase, and the fidelity of accessing the memory is frequently diminished. Various platforms exist to overcome these hurdles, according to a team led by University of California at Los Angeles researchers, which they describe in detail in the AIP's Applied Physics Letters.
A spin-transfer-torque device, for example, relies on a clever technique for storing and accessing information in a magnetic dipole moment, which is similar to a hard drive. Information can be stored in a ferroelectric material in the form of an electric dipole moment in a class of devices known as "ferroelectric-field-effect-transistors" or more commonly as FFETs. For this research, graphene is used to write and read the electric dipole moments of an underlying ferroelectric material. A
nd the very good news, the researchers report, is that this graphene-FFET has a high fidelity and low operating voltage. Future work will focus on improving the speed of the device's performance.
'Wonder material' graphene tapped for electronic memory devices
Food and Drug Administration, Institute of Medicine, Medical Devices, Class II, De Novo, 510(k), Regulations, FDA, Medical, IoM, PMA FDA defends 510(k) as debate begins
SAN JOSE, Calif. – U.S. regulators were quick to reject the conclusion of a report saying it should scrap its most widely used process for approving medical devices. They also launched a public comment period on the 227-page report whose conclusions are likely to be widely debated for some time.
Members of the Institute of Medicine panel that wrote the report effectively started the discussion today. In a conference call, they explained their recommendation to replace the FDA's 510(k) program that reviews about 4,000 medical devices a year categorized as Class II or moderate risk.
The panel rejected the 510(k) approach of approving products by showing they are "substantially equivalent" to existing ones in the market. They said most products that have been approved under the 35-year-old program are generally safe and effective, but the approach was not sustainable.
In its place, the panel called for a new framework that more directly investigates whether devices are safe and effective before they are put on the market and monitors products throughout their life. They provided no detailed recommendations for a new approach, but suggested a starting point could be a revamped version of the so-called de novo process, an existing path for novel, moderate-risk devices.
"The FDA believes that the 510(k) process should not be eliminated, but we are open to additional proposals and approaches for continued improvement of our device review programs," said Jeffrey Shuren, director of the FDA's medical devices unit, speaking in a press statement.
The FDA will hold a public meeting "in the coming weeks" to discuss the non-binding recommendations of the report. It will take online and written comments on the IoM report through September 30.
Creating a new regulatory structure for moderate-risk devices may require congressional action, the agency said. In January, the FDA laid out a set of more than 20 steps it started taking this year to revise the existing 510(k) process.
Two industry groups were quick to reject the findings of the report. Like the FDA, they called for revising the existing 510(k) process rather than scrapping it to start work on a new framework.
The medical electronics sector has long called for reforms of all the FDA's regulatory processes, including the Pre-Market Approval (PMA) process used for high-risk devices such as pacemakers. All the existing processes are too slow and complex, a problem the IoM report doesn't directly address, some argued.
"To say throw out the 510(k) system, and not say what to replace it with doesn’t help anyone," said Ralph Hall, a University of Minnesota law professor and medical device expert who criticized the IoM panel's approach and makeup prior to the release of the report.
"I think a lot of stakeholders were expecting more specific recommendations than what the committee came up with," said Hall who also advises medical device companies and has his own implant startup. "They didn’t have specific data about actual problems, so this was more of a theoretical concern," he said.
"If the remedy is to move to a PMA-like process which is the most rigorous at the FDA--that’s a great concern," said Paul Citron, a retired executive at Medtronic that reviewed an early draft of the report but had not yet read the final version.
"The FDA's own data shows U.S. citizens receive life-saving technologies years after the identical technologies are available in Europe and elsewhere, and that’s not a good thing for patients or industry," said Citron who served as vice president of technology policy at Medtronic.
Next: Panel defends its report
Food and Drug Administration, Institute of Medicine, Medical Devices, Class II, De Novo, 510(k), Regulations, FDA, Medical, IoM, PMA FDA defends 510(k) as debate begins
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