Press Releases

Kawasaki, Japan, Feb 10, 2010 - (ACN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and the University of Toronto today announced their joint development of a new processing method for transceiver chips used in gigabit-class(1) high-speed data transmission over wirelines. The new technology employs digital circuitry to replace previously-required structures that used analog circuits. While analog processing require circuits that are adapted to the specifications of a signal being transmitted, such as transmission distance and amplitude, this new digital approach can perform these optimizations automatically, so that a single circuit could be used to accommodate a wide range of various wireline communications. Compared to conventional processing methods, this new digital-processing method makes it possible to shorten development periods by approximately half. It is anticipated that this new technology in the future could be applied to a variety of wireline communication applications, including 10 Gbps high-speed Ethernet in datacenters.

Details of this technology were presented at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2010 (ISSCC 2010) being held in San Francisco from February 7-11. (Presentation number: 8.7)

Background and Technological Challenges

File size data volumes for large photographic, audio, and video files are becoming increasingly larger, thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth to transmit, leading to demand for ever-faster wireline data communications. Conventional transceiver chips rely on analog circuitry which needs to be optimized to accommodate specifications of the signal being transmitted - such as transmission distance and amplitude - and therefore require multiple transceiver chips to be designed in order to accommodate for various applications.

With a growing diversity of devices featuring high-speed data transmission, the need to optimize an existing technology for every new type of device or model has become a bottleneck in the development process. Efforts to develop transceiver chips within short development periods that can accommodate the wide range of different devices have been proven challenging.

Newly-developed Technology

Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto have developed a digital circuit-based transceiver chip. Featuring digital circuitry, the new transceiver chip can automatically optimize itself for a variety of high-speed communications circuits, thus significantly reducing development periods by approximately half compared with conventional methods.

This technology detects variations in the delay on the time axis of the input signal, caused during data transmission, and based on that can automatically adjust the timing it uses for judging whether an incoming signal is a 0 or 1 (Figure 1). Since variations in data transmissions increase along with faster transmission speeds, this new technology is essential for accurate data exchange. This is the world's first technology to achieve Gbps-class speeds without the use of analog circuitry elements, while offering fully-digital timing adjustments for signal-determination.

Results

As a world's first, by using digital circuitry-based high-speed transceiver technology, Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto's new technology makes it possible to reduce the design and development period for a gigabit-class transceiver chip by approximately one-half (1/2) compared with conventional methods. This suggests that transceiver chips for a wide range of communications devices could be offered in a timely manner.

Future Developments

Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto will continue with development of this technology to optimize the digital signal processing, to further reduce the transceiver's power consumption.

Glossary and Notes

1 Gigabit-class/Gigabits-per-second (Gbps):Gigabits-per-second (Gbps) expresses data rate and indicates how many gigabits can be transferred per second. 10 Gbps is 10 billion bits-per-second (10 billion bps) = 10,000 megabits-per-second (10,000 Mbps), and indicates that 10 billion bits of data can be transferred per second.

About University of Toronto

Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada's largest university, recognized as a global leader in research and teaching. U of T's distinguished faculty, institutional record of groundbreaking scholarship and wealth of innovative academic opportunities continually attract outstanding students and academics from around the world. U of T is committed to providing a learning experience that benefits from both a scale almost unparalleled in North America and from the close-knit learning communities made possible through its college system and academic divisions. Located in and around Toronto, one of the world's most diverse regions, U of T's vibrant academic life is defined by a unique degree of cultural diversity in its learning community. The University is sustained environmentally by three green campuses, where renowned heritage buildings stand beside award-winning innovations in architectural design.

For more information: http://www.utoronto.ca/

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 160,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. For more information, please visit www.fujitsu.com.

Contact: Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.
Design Solutions Lab.
Platform Technologies Lab.
Tel: +81-44-754-2635
E-mail:hsio_adc_pr@ml.labs.fujitsu.com

University of Toronto
Prof. Ali Sheikholeslami
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Tel: +1(416)978-1681
E-mail:ali@eecg.utoronto.ca
Address: 10 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G4

Copyright 2010 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved.

Kawasaki, Japan, Feb 10, 2010 - (ACN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Limited and the University of Toronto today announced that they have jointly developed the world's first high-reliability read-method for use with spin-torque-transfer (STT) MRAM(1) that is insusceptible to erroneous writes. STT MRAM is regarded as a potential future form of non-volatile memory(2) that could be used as an alternative to flash memory. NOR flash memory that is embedded in microcontrollers widely used in mobile phones and other electronic devices is expected to reach the limits of its feasible miniaturization in the near future, which has led to the search for an alternative low-power non-volatile memory that will allow continued necessary miniaturization. By resolving one of the major obstacles to using STT MRAM, Fujitsu and the University of Toronto's new read-method marks a major step towards the practical implementation of STT MRAM as a necessary replacement for flash memory, in view of future requirements that will be necessary for compact and low-power electronic devices.

Details of this technology were presented at the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference 2010 (ISSCC 2010) being held in San Francisco from February 7-11. (Presentation number: 14.1)

Background

Many electronic devices such as mobile phones or PDAs use microcontrollers with embedded flash memory, which allows onboard software to be rewritten. However, NOR flash memory used in such microcontrollers is nearing the physical limits of its miniaturization, which has led to research on various types of memory that could replace NOR flash memory.

STT MRAM, which uses magnetic materials as the memory storage element, is gaining attention as an emerging potential candidate to replace flash memory, as STT MRAM meets the needs for speed, low power consumption, and miniaturization that would make it a good candidate to replace flash memory.

Technological Challenges

STT MRAM uses memory storage elements that take advantage of the effect in which a current that is passed through a magnetic material - such as a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ)(3) - reverses its direction of magnetization (Figure 1). Passing a current through the MTJ causes its direction of magnetization to switch between a parallel or anti-parallel state, which has the effect of switching between low resistance and high resistance. Because this can be used to represent the 1s and 0s of digital information, STT MRAM can be used as a non-volatile memory.

Reading STT MRAM involves applying a voltage to the MTJ to discover whether the MTJ offers high resistance to current ("1") or low ("0"). However, a relatively high voltage needs to be applied to the MTJ to correctly determine whether its resistance is high or low, and the current passed at this voltage leaves little difference between the read-current and the write-current. Any fluctuation in the electrical characteristics of individual MTJs could cause what was intended as a read-current, to have the effect of a write-current, thus reversing the direction of magnetization of the MTJ.

Newly-developed Technology

In a joint collaboration, Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto have developed an innovative circuit design (Figure 3) that for the first time resolves the issue of erroneous writes in STT MRAM during read operations.

The newly developed read-method uses a negative resistance(4) that is intermediate between the MTJ's high resistance and low resistance on a parallel circuit (Figure 4). If the MTJ is in a high-resistance state, this circuit exhibits negative-resistance characteristics. If the MTJ is in a low-resistance state, then it exhibits normal-resistance characteristics. These characteristics allow the resistance value to be read at lower voltages than before, suppressing the tendency of the read operation to reverse the direction of magnetization and avoiding the problem of erroneous write operations.

Results

The development of this new read circuit with negative resistance has resulted in STT MRAM that is insusceptible to erroneous writes caused by fluctuations in the electrical characteristics of the MTJs. It is anticipated that the STT MRAM used as miniaturized non-volatile memory would enable greater high-performance in mobile phones and other electronic devices.

Future Developments

Fujitsu Laboratories and the University of Toronto plan to continue with R&D related to STT MRAM to strive toward practical implementation, such as lowering write currents and developing process technologies for further miniaturization.

Glossary and Notes

1 Spin- Torque-Transfer MRAM:Spin-torque-transfer magnetoresistive (STT) random access memory. MRAM that uses the "spin-torque-transfer" effect to reverse the direction of magnetization of an element by passing current through it.

2 Non-volatile memory:Memory that persists even when electrical power is cut.

3 Magnetic tunnel junction (MJT):A tunnel junction that uses the magnetoresistive effect. Consists of a recording layer made of ferromagnetic material, an insulating film a few atoms thick, and a layer made of ferromagnetic material that will not change its direction of magnetization in the presence of a current.

4 Negative resistance:An element that has negative resistance value, in which its current decreases when voltage rises.

About University of Toronto

Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada's largest university, recognized as a global leader in research and teaching. U of T's distinguished faculty, institutional record of groundbreaking scholarship and wealth of innovative academic opportunities continually attract outstanding students and academics from around the world. U of T is committed to providing a learning experience that benefits from both a scale almost unparalleled in North America and from the close-knit learning communities made possible through its college system and academic divisions. Located in and around Toronto, one of the world's most diverse regions, U of T's vibrant academic life is defined by a unique degree of cultural diversity in its learning community. The University is sustained environmentally by three green campuses, where renowned heritage buildings stand beside award-winning innovations in architectural design.

For more information: http://www.utoronto.ca/

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is a leading provider of IT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 160,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009. For more information, please visit www.fujitsu.com.

Contact: Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd.
Technology Integration Lab.
Platform Technologies Lab.
Tel: +81(46)250-8379
E-mail:til-si@ml.labs.fujitsu.com

University of Toronto
Prof. Ali Sheikholeslami
Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Tel: +1(416)978-1681
E-mail:ali@eecg.utoronto.ca
Address: 10 King's College Road, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G4 Canada

Copyright 2010 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved.

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6459a9/big_pharmas_key_l) has announced the addition of the "Big Pharma's Key Lifecycle Management Strategies - Maximizing the Market Potential" report to their offering.

Big Pharma's Key Lifecycle Management Strategies: Maximizing the Market Potential

Big Pharma's Key Lifecycle Management Strategies: Maximizing the Market Potential. It provides key data, information and analysis on the main lifecycle management strategies being implemented by pharmaceutical companies. The report provides information on the lifestyle management strategies (LCM) market, the reasons why companies implement LCM strategies and the challenges faced by them. This report provides comprehensive analysis of five key LCM strategies (new indications, formulation variants, extended/controlled released versions, Rx-to-OTC switches and store brand generics) using case studies. The report also provides the sales growth patterns of the key drugs for which LCM activities are being carried out. It also reviews the factors determining the success and failure of the strategies providing an understanding of how to ensure success for LCM.

It is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in house analysis by a team of industry experts.

Increasing Cost Pressures Will Drive the Growth in LCM Activities

Increasing cost pressures have forced pharmaceutical companies to look for other sources of revenue besides the development of new drugs. The cost of developing a new drug has increased over the years from $54m in 1976 to $280m in 1991 to $1.5 billion in 2004 and is expected to grow further in future. Several blockbuster products such as Lipitor, Plavix, Nexium, Seroquel XR and many others, worth $127 billion currently, are set to expire by 2014. The increasing competition from generics will also continue to erode the revenues of prescription drugs. These factors are expected to drive the pharmaceutical companies to maximize their revenues by minimizing costs. Better management of the lifecycle of the existing brands is a more cost-effective way for pharmaceutical companies to increase revenues than investing money in developing new brands.

Indication Expansion is the Most Popular Form of Lifecycle Management Activity in the Pharmaceutical Industry

This study of the pipelines of 20 major pharmaceutical companies has revealed that indication expansion remains the most popular LCM strategy for their products. Other alternatives include combination therapies, new formulations, dosage variants and extended release formulations. Rx-to-OTC switch also remains one of the popular methods used to manage the lifecycle of drugs whose patents have expired. However, indication expansion activities account for more than 80% of the LCM pipelines for the companies analyzed in this report.

Distribution of LCM Pipeline of 20 Major Pharma Companies by the LCM Strategy Implemented, 2010

The popularity of indication expansion as an LCM strategy is due to its potential to expand the patent pool and extend the drugs market exclusivity. With every expansion providing access to a new patient pool, a company's revenue stream is boosted considerably by this activity. There is at least one project devoted to expanding the indications for almost every drug in the LCM pipeline.

Key Topics Covered:

    --  1 TOC
    --  2 Introduction
    --  3 Lifecycle Management The Next Big Thing for the Pharmaceutical
        Industry
    --  4 Reasons to Implement Lifecycle Management Increasing Financial
        Pressures
    --  5 Process of Implementation of Lifecycle Management Strategies Correct
        Selection and Efficient Execution is the Key
    --  6 The Pharmaceutical Pipeline and LCM Today Cancer and CNS on the Top
    --  7 Ensuring Success of Lifecycle Management Overcoming Challenges
    --  8 Future Outlook LCM to Drive the Profitability and Success Tomorrow
    --  9 Appendix
    --  List of tables
    --  List of figures

Companies Mentioned:

    --  GSK
    --  Roche/Genentech
    --  Allergan
    --  Bayer
    --  Pfizer

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/6459a9/big_pharmas_key_l

    Source: Research and Markets

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/df3074/molecular_orbitals) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new report "Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions: Reference Edition" to their offering.

Molecular orbital theory is used by chemists to describe the arrangement of electrons in chemical structures. It is also a theory capable of giving some insight into the forces involved in the making and breaking of chemical bonds -- the chemical reactions that are often the focus of an organic chemist's interest. Organic chemists with a serious interest in understanding and explaining their work usually express their ideas in molecular orbital terms, so much so that it is now an essential component of every organic chemist's skills to have some acquaintance with molecular orbital theory.

Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions is both a simplified account of molecular orbital theory and a review of its applications in organic chemistry; it provides a basic introduction to the subject and a wealth of illustrative examples. In this book molecular orbital theory is presented in a much simplified, and entirely non-mathematical language, accessible to every organic chemist, whether student or research worker, whether mathematically competent or not. Topics covered include:

    --  Molecular Orbital Theory
    --  Molecular Orbitals and the Structures of Organic Molecules
    --  Chemical Reactions How Far and How Fast
    --  Ionic Reactions Reactivity
    --  Ionic Reactions Stereochemistry
    --  Pericyclic Reactions
    --  Radical Reactions
    --  Photochemical Reactions

This expanded Reference Edition of Molecular Orbitals and Organic Chemical Reactions takes the content and the same non-mathematical approach of the Student Edition, and adds extensive extra subject coverage, detail and over 1800 references. The additional material adds a deeper understanding of the models used, and a includes a broader range of applications and case studies. Providing a complete in-depth reference for a more advanced audience, this edition will find a place on the bookshelves of researchers and advanced students of organic, physical organic and computational chemistry.

Key Topics Covered:

    --  Preface
    --  1. Molecular Orbital Theory
    --  2. Molecular Orbitals and the Structures of Organic Molecules
    --  3 Chemical Reactions: How Far and How Fast
    --  4 Ionic Reactions: Reactivity
    --  5 Ionic Reactions: Stereochemistry
    --  6 Pericyclic Reactions
    --  7 Radical Reactions
    --  8 Photochemical Reactions
    --  References
    --  Index

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/df3074/molecular_orbitals

    Source: Research and Markets Ltd.

SANTA MONICA, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 02/10/10 -- According to TrueCar.com, the authority for new car pricing on the Internet, competitive models from Honda, Ford, Hyundai and Kia all experienced significant gains in consumer consideration in the wake of the recent Toyota recall while the average pricing trends were mixed.

"Toyota has taken a real beating through this recall," said Jesse Toprak, VP of Industry Trends for TrueCar.com. "More significantly, though, are the great strides taken by all of the manufacturers who offer comparable models to the eight affected models. They have all been able to take a nice chunk out of Toyota's market share. We believe that after the current storm dies down, Toyota will be making some of the best cars money can buy, simply because they cannot afford to have these kinds of massive recalls again. In the short term, this doesn't stop the competition from capitalizing on their misery."

TrueCar.com looked at two specific Toyota models -- Camry and Corolla -- and their in-class competitors to see how transaction prices were trending and where potential buyers were turning in response to the recall.

The data shows a clear correlation between pricing and customer searches. In the case of the Camry, the Honda Accord showed the biggest gain in average transaction price and the largest drop in pricing report requests while the Kia Optima and the Hyundai Sonata showed the biggest drop in average pricing and the biggest gains in pricing report requests, found at TrueCar.com.

Similarly, with Corolla shoppers, the Kia Forte is showing the biggest price drop and the largest web traffic change while the Nissan Sentra is near the top of the list for price gain and at the bottom of the list for web traffic. The Honda Civic remains the most popular vehicle in the class, despite its above average transaction price.

"Clearly, because of Honda's position among the Big 6, they have the edge in conquesting in-market Toyota buyers," added Toprak. "But our data shows that customers are saving a lot more by buying from Kia, Ford, Chevrolet and Hyundai. And those savings are starting to be noticed by consumers, who are requesting pricing reports on comparable, cheaper vehicles more than ever before. These turbulent times are forcing consumers to be more price sensitive and the manufacturers who take that sensitivity into account are seeing the most gains."

Camry Competitive Set Average Transaction Price Changes
                      Before          After**    Price Change
Honda Accord         $23,183         $23,288         $105
Chevrolet Malibu     $21,055         $21,132          $77
Nissan Altima        $22,984         $22,800        -$184
Hyundai Sonata       $18,586         $18,256        -$330
Ford Fusion          $22,382         $21,978        -$403
Kia Optima           $16,803         $16,389        -$414


Corolla Competitive Set Average Transaction Price Changes
                      Before          After**    Price Change
Honda Civic          $18,190         $18,282          $92
Nissan Sentra        $16,575         $16,608          $33
Ford Focus           $15,966         $15,915         -$52
Hyundai Elantra      $15,556         $15,489         -$67
Chevrolet Cobalt     $14,502         $14,221        -$281
Kia Forte            $17,004         $16,678        -$326


TrueCar.com Web Traffic change (before & after recall*) - Toyota Camry
                   % change
Hyundai Sonata        27%
Ford Fusion           26%
Kia Optima            25%
Honda Accord          11%
Chevrolet Malibu      -8%
Nissan Altima        -12%
Toyota Camry         -39%


TrueCar.com Web Traffic change (before & after recall*) - Toyota Corolla
                   % change
Kia Forte             33%
Hyundai Elantra       26%
Ford Focus            14%
Honda Civic           13%
Chevrolet Cobalt       6%
Nissan Sentra        -11%
Toyota Corolla       -45%

According to the data, Honda had the biggest improvement in average transaction pricing on the brand level with an average spike of $40 per transaction. Hyundai ($22) and Kia ($12) were the only other manufacturers to record an upward trend. Chevrolet (-$692), on the other hand, is not shying away from aggressive pricing by seizing the opportunity and offering extra incentives to sell more vehicles. This strategy was highlighted by their first-to-market conquest incentive program.

Brand Level Average Transaction Price Changes
                      Before          After**    Price Change
Honda                $23,682         $23,723          $40
Hyundai              $20,465         $20,487          $22
Kia                  $18,782         $18,794          $12
Nissan               $24,390         $24,369         -$21
Non-recalled Toyota  $27,365         $27,337         -$28
Ford                 $28,704         $28,597        -$106
Chevrolet            $27,908         $27,217        -$692

TrueCar.com bases all of its trends and forecast reports on actual transactional data, culled from 43% of all vehicles sales in the U.S. This data comes from a number of sources, including dealers, insurance and financing, giving TrueCar.com the most thorough sample in the industry.

All of this information is being tracked daily at the Toyota Recall page at TrueCar.com. The page has updated information about transaction pricing as well as links for consumers to learn more about pricing on the Toyotas still available for purchase as well as comparable models.

TrueCar.com thoroughly reviewed comparable model transaction price changes and web traffic changes on all eight of the recalled Toyota vehicles and is available upon request. Media with interview or data requests can contact Lee Morrell at 866-65-TRUTH (866-658-7884) or lee@truecar.com.

*"Before recall" refers to the time period prior to the Toyota recall -- January 1, 2010 to January 20, 2010. "After recall" refers to the time period following the Toyota recall -- January 21, 2010 to February 9, 2010. **"After" is based on normalized averages.

About TrueCar

TrueCar (http://www.truecar.com/) is the authority in new car prices. TrueCar analyzes data from thousands of sources to show car buyers and car dealers how much people actually paid for a particular car in a specific local area. The innovative new car pricing service is offered online, free of charge at TrueCar.com. With TrueCar pricing, both new car buyers and new car dealers can know at any time what is considered a good or great price on a new car. Consumers no longer need to walk into a dealership partially informed and fully suspicious -- using TrueCar they walk in knowing the price of a fair deal. Dealers benefit by TrueCar's real-time, unbiased information about marketplace pricing, helping them price cars for increased sales, and ultimately gaining market share over other dealers. Led by a highly experienced team from the automotive and technology industries, TrueCar is based in Santa Monica, California.

Contact:
Lee Morrell
866-658-7884