KWS moves three orphaned cheetah cubs to animal orphanage
by Njoroge Kaburo
NAIROBI – The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) on Tuesday defended its decision to relocate three orphaned cheetah cubs from the Mara Conservancy to the Nairobi Animal Orphanage.
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World living beyond its resources, summit off-track
GENEVA |
GENEVA (Reuters) – Biodiversity has decreased by an average of 28 percent globally since 1970 and the world would have to be 50 percent bigger to have enough land and forests to provide for current levels of consumption and carbon emissions, conservation group WWF said on Tuesday.
Unless the world addresses the problem, by 2030 even two planet Earths would not be enough to sustain human activity, WWF said, launching its “Living Planet Report 2012″, a biennial audit of the world’s environment and biodiversity – the number of plant and animal species.
Yet governments are not on track to reach an agreement at next month’s sustainable development summit in Rio de Janeiro, WWF International’s director general Jim Leape said.
“I don’t think anyone would dispute that we’re nowhere near where we should be a month before the conference in terms of the progress of the negotiations and other preparations,” Leape told reporters in Geneva.
“I think all of us are concerned that countries negotiating in the U.N. system for an outcome for Rio have not yet shown a willingness to really step up to meet these challenges. Those negotiations are clearly still tangled.”
The Rio+20 meeting on June 20-22 is expected to attract more than 50,000 participants, with politicians under pressure from environmentalists to agree goals for sustainable development, in the spirit of the Rio Earth Summit that spawned the Kyoto Protocol 20 years ago.
Despite that pact aimed at cutting planet-warming carbon emissions, global average temperatures are on track for a “catastrophic increase” by the end of the century, WWF said.
Leape said there were many initiatives governments could take unilaterally without being “held hostage” to the wider negotiations for a binding global climate deal to replace Kyoto, which expires this year.
It said the world should move away from “perverse” subsidies on fossil fuels that amount to more than $500 billion annually and ensure global access to clean energy by 2030.
Asked why environmentalists were still struggling to win the argument that something needed to be done, Leape said: “Let’s not underestimate the inertia in the system.
“We’ve built an economy over the last century that is built on fossil fuels and on a premise that the Earth’s resources could not be exhausted. You see that conspicuously in the case of the oceans, where we’ve been taking fish as if there were no tomorrow, as
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Western Wind Energy Executes Term Sheet to Acquire 4,000 MW Wind Project Pipeline
Western Wind Energy Executes Term Sheet to Acquire 4,000 MW Wind Project Pipeline
PR Newswire — May 15, 2012
VANCOUVER, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
Toronto Stock Exchange (Venture) Symbol: “WND”
OTCQX Symbol: “WNDEF”
Issued and Outstanding: 62,731,056
Western Wind Energy Corp. (the “Company” or “Western Wind”) is pleased to announce it has executed a Term Sheet with Champlin/GEI Wind Holdings (“CGEI Wind”) to acquire the rights and title to a 4,000 MW wind energy development pipeline, with near term projects in Hawaii and Utah. Additional large projects are in California and throughout the US in niche markets with strong Renewable Portfolio Standards and Power Purchase Agreement pricing.
Cost of the acquisition is $20 Million US, payable by the issuance of 8 Million common shares at a deemed value of $2.50 per share US. The term sheet will be subject to completion of due diligence, formal documentation, board approvals and approval of the TSX and the applicable securities regulatory agencies including applicable escrow provisions.
CGEI Wind is jointly owned by Good Energies and Champlin Windpower, LLC and is lead by Mike Cutbirth. Mike was formerly head of Global Finance for Zond Corporation and Enron Wind and served 4 years as the first CEO of Clipper Windpower. Mike has 16 years of wind energy executive experience including raising over $1 Billion in financings for various wind projects. Mike would join the board of Western Wind if the transaction closes. Good Energies is a private equity fund broadly focused on the North American energy sector. As part of the Bregal Investments’ family of funds, it has substantial, long term funding from a 6th generation family foundation that has invested over $10 Billion since 2002. Good Energies has a long term track record of successful previous wind investments including G3 Energy, Ventus and Everpower and continues to hold stakes in Sequoia Energy, Eolectric, Second Wind and 3TIER.
Jeff Ciachurski, CEO of Western Wind states, “We are excited to negotiate a term sheet with CGEI Wind Holdings. With a 4,000 MW pipeline and near term projects in Hawaii and Utah, this complements the consistent Western Wind strategy of executing and completing projects in niche markets with high level renewable energy policies and aggressive pricing. Mike is a well respected leader in the US wind business and complements the aggressive vision at Western Wind.”
Mike Cutbirth, CEO of CGEI Wind states “Western Wind has an impressive track record of growth over the last several years and we believe the market has not yet recognized the value of its stock. Our portfolio will help continue to fuel the growth plans of Western Wind. Our portfolio is complementary to Western Wind’s holdings with projects in key niche markets and there should be significant synergies to the acquisition and merger of our holdings into Western Wind. We are excited to become a part of Western Wind and help further increase the value of the Company.
About Western Wind Energy Corp.
Western Wind Energy Corp. (OTCQX: WNDEF; TSX.V: WND) trades in the United States on the OTCQX under the symbol “WNDEF” and on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol “WND”. Western Wind is a vertically integrated renewable energy production company that directly owns over 165 MW of rated solar and wind capacity in production in the States of California and Arizona. Western Wind further owns substantial additional development assets for both solar and wind energy in California, Arizona, Ontario, Canada; and in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Western Wind is in the business of owning and operating wind and solar energy generating facilities. Management of Western Wind includes individuals involved in the operations and ownership of utility scale wind energy facilities in California since 1981.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“SIGNED”
Jeffrey J. Ciachurski President & Chief Executive Officer
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking statements” under applicable securities laws, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Words such as “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “projects”, “plans”, “will”, “believes”, “seeks”, “estimates”, “should”, “may”, “could”, and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and actual events or results may differ materially. There are many factors that could cause such actual events or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the state of the Company’s business activities and various factors discussed in the Company’s annual report and annual information contained in the Company’s 20F Annual Report filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and securities regulators in Canada. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and the Company assumes no obligation to update such information to reflect later events or developments, except as required by law.
For further information:
Investor Relations Contact: Lawrence Casse
Email: alphaedgeinc@gmail.com Telephone: +1(416)992-7227
(WND. WNDEF)
Subject Codes: PC/t.120515175016289, PR/dest.Public, PT/lang.en, RE/British_Columbia, IN/ALT, IN/EUT, SU/TNM
Company Codes: TorontoVE:WND
Day4 Energy Reports First Quarter 2012 Results
Day4 Energy Reports First Quarter 2012 Results
PR Newswire — May 15, 2012
BURNABY, British Columbia, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
Day4 Energy Inc. (TSX: DFE), a leading global provider of solar photovoltaic (PV) products and solutions, today reported operating results for the first quarter of 2012.
“We are operating in an extremely challenging market plagued with oversupply, falling prices and tremendous uncertainty of what the future holds in respect of government subsidies and with that overall demand in some of our core markets. Unfortunately this market pain is unavoidable as our industry transitions from the subsidy supported supply dominated market to a real business of supplying cost competitive energy solutions based on PV technology to customers around the world. While the transition can take some time, I do believe that our products and technology could play a significant role in the revival of the PV market at some point in the future,” noted George Rubin, President and CEO of Day4 Energy. “Today our focus is on making sure that we can manage through these extremely challenging times while preserving as much value for all of our company’s stakeholders as possible under the circumstances,” added Mr. Rubin.
Q1 2012 FINANCIAL RESULTS FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS
Worldwide Product Revenues
First quarter revenues of $6.5 million declined from $16.0 million or 59% from the same period in 2011 and by $1.8 million or 22% from the prior quarter. As the global market migrated to higher overall supply in 2011, prices fell, thus reducing sales revenues in combination with lower availability of Day4 product. These market conditions continued into early 2012 resulting in consistent downward pressure on our selling prices and revenues.
Gross Loss
Gross loss was $0.7 million (10.5%) for the first quarter of 2012 as compared to a gross loss of $2.7 million (17%) in the same quarter of 2011 and a gross loss of $1.4 million (17%) in the fourth quarter of 2011. The continuing negative margins were due to several factors including decreasing sales prices and downward inventory adjustments to market.
Expenses
For the first quarter of 2012, general and administrative (G&A) expenses were $2.3 million, a decrease of $0.7 million and an increase of $0.3 million from expenses of $3.0 million for the prior quarter and $2.0 million for the same period in 2011, respectively. G&A expenses in the first quarter of 2012 include higher overhead costs being charged to G&A for professional fees and travel.
Research and development (R&D) expenses in the first quarter were $0.7 million compared to $0.3 million for the prior quarter and $1.2 million for same period in 2011. The decrease in R&D expenses in 2012 was a result of the overall cost-cutting measures across the Company.
Sales and marketing expenses were $0.7 million for the first quarter of 2012 compared to $0.6 million in the same period in 2011 and $1.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. The increase is mainly related to the addition of $0.2 million provision for PV module warranties in the first quarter of 2012.
Loss per Share
The net loss from continuing operations for the first quarter of 2012 was $4.1 million ($0.07 per share) compared to $11.2 million ($0.21 per share) in the prior quarter and a net loss of $6.3 million ($0.14 per share) for the same period in 2011. The continuing net losses are a direct result of the deteriorated PV market conditions.
Cash and Short-Term Liquidity
Working capital was negative $7.0 million at the end of the first quarter of 2012, a decrease of $3.0 million compared to the previous quarter. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $2.0 million at March 31, 2012, a decrease of $5.2 million from $7.2 million at December 31, 2011. Cash and cash equivalents have decreased since December 31, 2011 primarily due to the utilization of funds to finance operations.
Detailed financial results and management’s discussion and analysis can be found on our website at http://www.day4energy.com or on SEDAR at http://www.sedar.com.
About Day4 Energy
Day4 Energy Inc. is a Canadian company dedicated to providing high performance photovoltaic (PV) solutions for residential, commercial and utility scale installations. By fundamentally improving on the design and assembly of solar cells and modules, the Company produces unique PV panels of high power density, increased lifetime and uncompromised aesthetic appearance. Day4 Energy partners with international technology leaders to develop and deliver IEC- and UL-certified solar products to customers around the world. Day4 Energy is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “DFE”. For more information, please visit http://www.day4energy.com.
Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements relating to our expectations regarding our revenues, expenses, cash flows, operating performance and future profitability. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by words such as “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “forecast”, “may”, “will”, “project”, “could”, “plan”, “intend”, “should”, “believe”, “outlook”, “potential”, “target”, and similar words suggesting future events or future performance.
The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on assumptions, which include, but are not limited to the minimum base of licensed manufacturing capabilities required for revenues to become sufficient to cover the costs of the Company’s operations; the interest of third parties in manufacturing Day4′s products under license; our ability to meet and manage demand for our products; achieving increased PV cell and PV module efficiencies; expanding our existing product line; developing new markets for our products and securing necessary certifications in such markets; building the Day4 brand, attracting customers, and developing and maintaining customer and supplier relationships; continuing our strong relationships with our suppliers; effectively managing foreign exchange risks; effectively managing credit risks of customers and other counterparties; protecting our intellectual property rights and not infringing on the intellectual property rights of third parties; timely processing by certification agencies for new products; the continued existence of government incentives for the generation of electricity using solar power; and complying with applicable governmental regulations and standards.
Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed in our Annual Information Form filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities, many of which are beyond our control and each of which contributes to the possibility that our forward-looking statements will not occur or that actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to dilution risk; risks related to our ability to reduce costs by way of divesting of certain assets and certain unprofitable parts of our operations; government subsidies and economic incentives for PV power could be reduced or eliminated; the financial strength of our competitors; risks related to third parties infringing on our intellectual property; our financial strength and our ability to effectively manage our cash flow; there may be a lower than expected interest from third parties in licensing Day4′s proprietary technology; the absence of confirmed PV cell suppliers could impact our ability to secure third party licensees of our technology with PV cells incorporating Day4′s technology; the non-production of Day4 PV modules until licensed manufacturers are established may damage our sales channels, our brand and our reputation; the possibility that we may be subject to litigation by our suppliers or customers; warranty claims; risks relating to the protection of our intellectual property and intellectual property infringement claims by third parties; our reliance on a limited number of suppliers; competition from other forms of renewable energy; our ability to manage growth effectively; our ability to open up new markets for our products; demand for PV modules may reduce; risks relating to negotiating and closing contracts with Ever Energy Co. Ltd; technological advances from competitors that may render our products uneconomic or obsolete; the impact of general economic, market or business conditions; currency market fluctuations; and other factors, many of which are beyond our control.
The forward-looking statements made in this news release relate only to events or information as of the date indicated above. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Day4 Energy Inc. Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position (unaudited) (Expressed in Canadian Dollars)
March 31, December 31, 2012 2011 $ $ Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents 1,829,441 7,059,862 Restricted cash (note 6) 185,100 185,000 Trade receivables 4,084,029 4,463,586 Warranty claim receivable 1,544,369 1,529,415 Other receivables (note 
1,671,626 1,879,907 Current portion of debenture receivable (note 5) 347,460 – Inventory (note 9) 4,217,184 8,375,914 Prepaid expenses 460,218 607,433 14,339,427 24,637,031 Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment (note 10) 9,233,921 13,368,766 Debenture receivable (note 5) 1,385,517 – 24,958,865 38,005,797 Liabilities Current liabilities Trade payables and accrued liabilities 16,413,198 21,307,307 Provisions (note 11) 3,033,036 3,115,026 Deferred revenue 1,198,855 430,456 Current portion of long-term debt 726,811 3,512,805 Current portion of finance lease obligations – 308,355 21,371,900 28,673,949 Non-current liabilities Long-term debt (note 12) 91,203 1,062,345 Deferred revenue 162,084 – Finance lease obligation (note 13) – 123,435 21,625,187 29,859,729 Shareholders’ Equity Share capital (note 15) 137,244,624 137,244,624 Contributed surplus 3,356,027 3,346,341 Deficit (131,403,380) (126,426,944) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (5,863,593) (6,017,953) 3,333,678 8,146,068 24,958,865 38,005,797
Day4 Energy Inc. Interim Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss (unaudited) (Expressed in Canadian Dollars)
Three months ended March 31 2012 2011 $ $ Revenues 6,506,037 15,999,162 Cost of revenues 7,191,407 18,733,774 Gross margin (loss) (685,370) (2,734,612) Expenses General and administrative 2,302,192 2,035,208 Research and development 687,905 1,189,651 Less: Government assistance (note 17) (62,794) (73,569) Selling and marketing 669,099 643,750 3,596,402 3,795,040 Loss from operating activities 4,281,772 6,529,652 Foreign exchange gain 139,177 414,144 Interest and other income 103,628 (7,686) Interest expense (20,826) 17,376 Gain on disposal of property, plant and equipment 17,019 – 238,998 423,834 Loss before income taxes 4,042,774 6,105,818 Income taxes 25,621 219,056 Loss from continuing operations 4,068,395 6,324,874 Net loss from discontinued operations (note 5) (908,041) (663,384) Net loss for the period 4,976,436 6,988,258 Other comprehensive gain (loss) Unrealized foreign exchange gain on translation of consolidated financial statements to the presentation currency 154,360 1,188,926 Total comprehensive loss (4,822,076) (5,799,332) Net loss per share from continuing operations – basic and diluted (0.07) (0.14) Net loss per share from discontinued operations – basic and diluted (0.02) (0.02) (0.09) (0.16)
Day4 Energy Inc. Interim Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity (unaudited) (Expressed in Canadian Dollars)
Equity component of consideration Accumulated issuable for other Share business Contributed comprehensive Total capital acquisition surplus Deficit income equity Balance, January 1, 2012 137,244,624 – 3,346,341 (126,426,944) (6,017,953) 8,146,068 Net loss for the period (4,976,436) (4,976,436) Foreign currency translation 154,360 154,360 Comprehensive loss for the period (4,976,436) 154,360 (4,822,076) Stock based compensation 9,686 9,686 Balance, March 31, 2012 137,244,624 – 3,356,027 (131,403,380) (5,863,593) 3,333,678
Equity component of consideration Accumulated issuable for other Share business Contributed comprehensive Total capital acquisition surplus Deficit loss equity Balance, January 1, 2011 134,391,619 1,128,870 2,946,444 (6,662,172) (85,746,363) 46,058,398 Net loss for the period – – – (6,988,258) (6,988,258) Foreign currency translation – – – 1,188,926 1,188,926 Comprehensive gain loss for the period (6,988,258) 1,188,926 (5,799,332) Stock based compensation 46,450 46,450 Balance, March 31, 2011 134,391,619 1,128,870 2,992,894 (13,650,430) (84,557,437) 40,305,516
Day4 Energy Inc. Interim Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited) (Expressed in Canadian Dollars)
Three Months ended March 31 2012 2011 $ $ Cash flows from operating activities Loss for the period (4,976,436) (6,988,258) Items not affecting cash Stock-based compensation 9,686 46,450 Depreciation and amortization 749,085 719,207 Gain on sale of property, plant and equipment (19,982) (173,670) Impairment of property, plant and equipment – 189,865 Impairment of inventory 184,617 1,285,073 Unrealized foreign exchange (gain) loss (154,360) (414,143) Warranty expense 192,201 36,646 Gain on disposal of subsidiary (856,131) – (4,871,320) (5,298,830) Changes in non-cash working capital items Trade receivables (64,028) 7,623,182 Other receivables (122,657) (159,562) Inventory 1,877,162 (15,144,092) Prepaid expenses (163,052) 103,209 Trade payables and accrued liabilities (2,611,659) 6,038,642 Deferred revenue 1,186,775 1,314,038 Provisions (234,468) – (5,003,247) (5,523,413) Cash flows from investing activities Change in restricted cash 100 599,354 Purchase of property, plant and equipment (138,856) (104,315) Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment 17,023 488,936 Proceeds from disposition of subsidiary, net of cash surrendered (930) – Investment in product development – (663,399) (122,663) 320,576 Cash flows from financing activities Repayment of IRAP loan (73,431) (174,440) Proceeds from (repayment of) bank loan (60,329) 133,048 Repayment of finance lease obligation (123,468) (345,377) (257,228) (386,769) Impact of foreign exchange on cash and cash equivalents 152,717 369,291 Decrease in cash and cash equivalents (5,230,421) (5,220,315) Cash and cash equivalents – Beginning of period 7,059,862 10,486,264 Cash and cash equivalents – End of period 1,829,441 5,265,949 Supplemental cash flow information Cash paid for interest 10,433 11,878 Cash received for interest 98 137
For further information: George Rubin President and CEO Day4 Energy Inc. +1-604-297-0444
Subject Codes: PC/t.120515160116361, PR/dest.Public, PT/lang.en, RE/Canada, IN/ALT, IN/GRE, SU/ERN
Company Codes: Toronto:DFE
Ethiopia commended for efforts to mitigate drought effects
UNITED NATIONS – An official from the UN’s humanitarian arm complimented the work done by Ethiopia to deal with drought after a trip to the African country, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said here Monday.
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Wattner Acquires Solar Power Plant Waldhaus for SunAsset 3 Fund
Wattner Acquires Solar Power Plant Waldhaus for SunAsset 3 Fund
PR Newswire — May 15, 2012
COLOGNE, Germany, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
- Capacity of 4 megawatts for approx. 8 million euros
Wattner has acquired the solar power plant Waldhaus and is incorporating it into its closed-end solar fund Wattner SunAsset-3.
The installation was constructed in December 2011 on conversion area in Brandenburg. The facility has a capacity of 3.9-megawatts (MW) and an investment sum of 7.7 million euros.
WATTNER
Wattner finances power plants for renewable energies with an emphasis on solar power. The company is the only engineer-run issuing house with the most megawatt solar parks in Germany. Over 5,000 investors profit from the steady returns from Wattner’s short-term solar funds.
CONTACT Klaus Sachsenthal Public Relations Tel: +49-221-355-006-52 Fax: +49-221-355-006-79 E-Mail: presse@wattner.de Internet: http://www.wattner.de
Subject Codes: PC/t.120515080140058, PR/dest.Public, PT/lang.en, RE/United_States_of_America, RE/Europe, IN/FIN, IN/ALT, IN/GRE, SU/TNM
ZMDI, a Global Semiconductor Company, introduces the ZSSC3154 – The New High-Precision Signal Conditioner Standard IC with Dual Analog Output interface for Automotive and Industrial Applications
ZMDI, a Global Semiconductor Company, introduces the ZSSC3154 – The New High-Precision Signal Conditioner Standard IC with Dual Analog Output interface for Automotive and Industrial Applications
PR Newswire — May 15, 2012
DRESDEN, Germany, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
ZMD AG (ZMDI), a Dresden-based semiconductor company that specializes in enabling energy-efficient solutions, today announces an additional member of their ZSSC product family, the ZSSC3154. As a global supplier of analog and mixed-signal solutions for automotive, industrial, medical, information technology and consumer applications, ZMDI introduces the ZSSC3154 as a valuable addition to their portfolio of signal sensor conditioners [http://www.zmdi.com/products/sensor-signal-conditioner ]. It is well suited to many automotive and industrial applications.
With the ZSSC3154, two different input signals, such as a pressure signal from a resistive full bridge and temperature from an external temperature sensor (diode or positive temperature coefficient (PTC) resistor), are read out using one IC. The ZSSC3154 also measures the temperature of the full bridge sensor either externally or directly on the chip to compensate for the sensor’s offset, gain and temperature coefficient up to the second order and non-linearity failures up to the third order. The signal from the ambient temperature sensor is also digitally compensated for offset, gain and non-linearity up to the second order. These digital corrections are performed by a 16-bit RISC microcontroller using coefficients and settings stored in an on-board EEPROM memory. Different programmable configurations of the two analog outputs allow reading both measurement results simultaneously or generating two complementary (normal and antivalent) signals from the full-bridge sensor for controlling the correct sensor-to-module communication over time.
“The various configurable output options of the two analog output channels allow our customers to setup applications with redundant output signals. An example of application areas for the ZSSC3154 may include automotive ABS/ESC applications” stated Frank Schulze, Business Line Manager for Sensing and Automotive at ZMDI.
The ZSSC3154 allows a digital one-pass end-of-line calibration with integrated broken-chip detection, enabling fully automatic and highly efficient mass production for non-calibrated sensing elements. The IC is available as die or in a QFN32 5×5 mm plastic package compliant with the JEDEC standard. The ZSSC3154 is qualified according to AEC-Q100 automotive standards for an operational temperature range between -40degree(s)C and +125degree(s)C.
The unit price is EUR 4,60 / USD 6.22 for packaged parts in tubes with a minimum order of 1000 ICs or EUR 1,56 / USD 2.11 for die on frame with a minimum order of 10,000 die. The IC is available for volume production.
Benefits and Features of the ZSSC3154:
Dynamic
- Various configurable output options
Safe
- Safety output behavior via two antivalent analog outputs
Accurate
- Simultaneous measurement of sensor signal and temperature signal for compensation and ambient temperature
Effective
- Efficient use of non-calibrated elements for bridge and ambient temperature sensors without external trimming components
Cost Efficient
- Single-pass end-of-line calibration algorithm and broken-chip detection minimize production costs
Robust
- High EMC/ESD robustness and AEC-Q100 qualification
About ZMDI Zentrum Mikroelektronik Dresden AG (ZMDI) is a global supplier of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors solutions for automotive, industrial, medical, information technology and consumer applications. These solutions enable our customers to create the most energy-efficient products in power management, lighting and sensors.
For over 50 years, ZMDI [http://www.zmdi.com ] has been globally headquartered in Dresden, Germany. With over 300 employees worldwide ZMDI serves its customers with sales offices and design centers throughout Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, France, United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States.
See more at http://www.zmdi.com.
For further information:
Daniel Aitken, ZMDI Global Director of Marketing and Communications, T +001-514-831-6722 daniel.aitken@zmdi.com
The URL for this news release is http://www.zmdi.com/news/press-releases-news
Subject Codes: PC/t.120515070214357, PR/dest.Public, PT/lang.en, RE/Germany, IN/ECP, IN/ALT, SU/SVY
ATERAS® Announces Savannah River Operations Eliminates Mainframe Processing
ATERAS® Announces Savannah River Operations Eliminates Mainframe Processing
PR Newswire — May 15, 2012
-Application Transparency Platform(TM) Provides a Low Cost, Efficient Re-Host Solution to Natural Adabas Clients
DALLAS, May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — ATERAS, a leading provider of solutions for legacy migration and modernization, announced today the successful implementation of a Natural Re-Host project for the Department of Energy (DOE) Savannah River Operations Office (SR). DOE-SR* required a highly-capable, cost-effective solution to rehost their Natural Adabas systems on a Windows Server based platform. The answer was to use the Application Transparency Platform (ATP) from ATERAS.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20060511/DATH001LOGO [http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20060511/DATH001LOGO])
DOE-SR maintains Federal oversight of the Savannah River Site (SRS), a major industrial complex responsible for environmental cleanup, waste management and disposition of nuclear materials and focused on developing broader missions to address critical missions in environmental stewardship, clean energy and national security. DOE-SR is responsible for the oversight of the DOE’s environmental management operations at SRS.
Until recently, the DOE-SR Personnel Security Branch, Office of Safeguards, Security and Emergency Services utilized two mainframe databases and applications to record and track access authorizations. With the mainframe contract expiring in December 2011, it was imperative that database applications be migrated from the current mainframe environment to a Windows server-based platform within five months.
ATP is the sole industry solution that can provide Natural Re-Hosting with an end-to-end answer while lowering high license costs, supporting higher productivity and maintaining full preservation of legacy assets and business rules. ATP shortens the modernization window so that legacy modernization is no longer a long term project. The ATP solution provided DOE-SR the ability to remove their mainframe within the five month project window, while keeping the applications unchanged and providing a relational database.
“DOE-SR needed a fast solution to rehost in a Windows environment that met their technical requirements. ATP provides the only alternative in the industry for a fast, efficient solution for moving Natural Adabas off the mainframe to Windows without impact to the business. The ROI is accelerated to months versus years,” said Scott Miller, CEO, President, ATERAS.
DOE-SR had two applications that were written in Natural Adabas and hosted on an IBM zSeries model mainframe. Both applications were successfully migrated to Windows Server 2008 R2 standard and SQL Server 2008 standard. The requirement was to remove Natural Adabas as quickly as possible without changes to the application code. The Natural applications were moved without change from their current mainframe environment to a less expensive, more robust ATP environment on Windows. The Adabas databases and data were automatically transformed to SQL Server. The ATP development environment is enhanced with full documentation, impact analysis, dynamic debugging and version control. The transition was seamless with no impact to the business and no need for end-user or developer re-training.
“ATERAS is one of our key partners for migrating Natural Adabas to Windows and SQL Server,” said Bob Ellsworth, Worldwide Director of Platform Modernization for Microsoft. “The migration at SRO demonstrates the effectiveness of ATERAS’ newly announced ATP solution enabling SRO to speed their time to deployment on the Microsoft Application Platform, and improve their already compelling ROI.”
* Use of the Department of Energy and the Savannah River Operations Office names does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring of the ATERAS product
About ATERAS
ATERAS has supported global enterprises for over 28 years, offering state-of-the art services that exploit automation for transforming legacy applications and databases into modern technologies using patent-pending automated conversion and modernization, Re-Hosting technologies (DB-Shuttle(TM) & eav(TM) suite, ATP (TM)). ATERAS’ Application Portfolio Management (APM) solutions and Application code understanding range from Assessments of existing IT environments, enterprise field expansion, and COBOL/Natural workbenches to automated documentation tools. Information at: www.ateras.com [http://www.ateras.com/]
Contact: Anna Stamatelatos, Vice President Sales & Marketing 469.385.7236 information@ateras.com
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China "instant buildings": Just add labor, fireworks and a cow
YUEYANG, China |
YUEYANG, China (Reuters) – As a crane lowered a steel-and-concrete slab onto support pillars, construction workers swarmed around to bolt it down – a choreography of mad-dash steps against a backdrop of firecrackers, and a sacrificed cow, to herald China’s latest “instant building”.
The three-story structure, a workers’ cafeteria, was just a side note to a 30-story hotel built over 15 days outside this city in Hunan province in December. Both are examples of the streamlined construction being pioneered by China’s Broad Sustainable Building (BSB).
“There is an urgent need for construction security, especially energy-saving in construction, and this touches on conserving materials,” Zhang Yue, Broad Group’s founder and chairman, told Reuters in an interview at his headquarters in Changsha.
Over the last decade China has seen one of the biggest construction booms in history to house a surging urban population and an expanding industrial sector. But with that construction have come worries about environmental destruction, waste and shoddy buildings.
Zhang argues that his buildings represent just the opposite.
The subsidiary of Hunan-based cooling systems maker Broad Group finished the T30 Hotel in record time, a feat captured in a time-lapse video that has garnered nearly 5 million views online.
Zhang said he had been appalled at how many poorly constructed buildings collapsed in the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan province that left more than 87,000 dead or missing.
“To truly safeguard humanity, and guarantee we live in security, regardless of where, structures should be all-steel construction,” said Zhang, a spry, intense man in his early 50s.
Prefabrication has long been studied but not widely implemented in commercial buildings, says Steven Moore, professor of sustainable design at the University of Texas.
But despite an image of assembly-line flimsiness, “prefabrication can contribute to higher-quality construction, which in turn improves efficiency with less energy consumption,” Moore said.
“What I find interesting about what they’re doing is that they’re now becoming almost like automobile makers,” by adapting prefab techniques to construction, Moore said in an interview.
“It’s not exactly surprising to me that this round-the-clock, rapid construction system would emerge first in China,” said Moore, pointing to China’s regulations are less stringent regarding worker safety and overtime pay than in the West.
Broad’s use of non-electric chillers powered by natural gas and waste heat is a significant step for greater energy efficiency, he added.
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Scaleo Chip Introduces AMEC®, a Breakthrough Technology for Internal Combustion Engines and Electric Motors Control
Scaleo Chip Introduces AMEC®, a Breakthrough Technology for Internal Combustion Engines and Electric Motors Control
PR Newswire — May 14, 2012
SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –
Scaleo chip, the leading fabless semiconductor company in automotive electronics for powertrain, body control and driver-information, announced today the introduction of AMEC(R), a breakthrough technology for internal combustion engines and electric motors control. AMEC(R) will be first available in OLEA, Scaleo chip’s new family of microcontrollers optimized for powertrain systems.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120514/531493 )
The global environment concern for pollutant emission and energy consumption reduction leads carmakers to develop a wide variety of new powertrain systems, from downsized thermal engine, via hybrid system to full electric motorization. These solutions come along with the increase of electric driven functions, controlling complex engine system together with functional safety constraints inherited from both the Euro 7 regulation and the ISO 26262 standard applications. To control these new generations of powertrain systems, an Electronic Control Unit should rely on a microcontroller enabled to manage of a wide variety of engines, while offering reliability, enhanced computation capability and fast response time. Scaleo chip’s answer to this challenge is AMEC(R) – Advanced Motor Events Control, a flexible microcontroller’s interface for engine control.
AMEC(R) is an advanced real-time and parallel signal processing unit directly controlling and interfacing actuators and sensors. Its core technology relies on the unique combination of a Flexible Logic Unit (FLU) and Powertrain-ready Peripherals set (PrP) enabling Tiers 1s and carmakers to differentiate themselves by implementing their know-how both in software and hardware. AMEC(R) has been designed to cover Euro 7 and CAFE powertrain applications and provides uncompromised performance and high system integration capabilities for both thermal and electric applications. With its flexible hardware-based parallel processing, AMEC(R)’s changes the paradigm from traditional and limited software, based on “multi-small-CPU architecture” solution offered by the competition.
AMEC(R) usage offers multiple benefits for ECU’s makers. It has a fixed and fast response time whatever the amount and occurrence of events to process, blowing out the limit of efficiency and accuracy for the control of the engines. FLU and PrP hardware resources off-load the microcontroller CPU from time consuming signal processing, reducing furthermore the response time and releasing more resources for the application. AMEC(R) flexibility allows the control of a wide range of current and upcoming powertrain systems and extends the life cycle of ECUs platforms with support of yet to come sensors, actuators or signal processing algorithms. AMEC(R) simplifies ECU design and dramatically saves cost, banning useless external logic or component to build a complete function or match response timing. Finally, as AMEC(R) is hardware based, its configuration and programming is seamless, directly from industry’s standard tools.
“AMEC(R) technology surpasses current and upcoming solutions for engine control” says Pascal Jullien, VP Advanced Technology. “By considering the design of our microcontroller at the ECU system level, we provide a solution that enables highly integrated, efficient and flexible powertrain ECU platforms.”
AMEC(R) is available for evaluation within OLEA prototype boards for selected customers. More information on OLEA and AMEC(R) can be found on Scaleo chip’s website.
About Scaleo chip:
Scaleo chip is a semiconductor fabless company that designs, develops and sells complete and high value solutions, combining System-on-Chip (SoC) and embedded software for the future of automotive electronics industry. Scaleo chip product offering includes standard automotive microcontrollers addressing powertrain, body control, driver information and infotainment applications. The company leverages its technology and know-how by offering additionally custom products development and manufacturing for applications requiring added quality constraints as in defense or industrial markets. Scaleo chip is headquartered in Sophia-Antipolis in the south of France. Additional information about Scaleo chip can be found at http://www.scaleochip.com.
Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120514/531493
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