Archive for July 24th, 2014
Asia Plantation Capital announces commercial collaboration in India
SINGAPORE, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Singapore-based Asia Plantation Capital is proud to announce Phase 1 of a commercial collaboration in India with the country’s largest, public sector, agarwood plantation group – a community based project, extending across the whole of Southern India.
Vanadurgi Agarwood India was established around 10 years ago as a cooperative-shareholder business model – providing local farmers and landowners with planting stocks, and support to cultivate agarwood and other cash crops. The company has grown, and has now established over 5,000 grower plantations across South India; accounting for about 99% of agarwood trees currently in South India. In the prime plantation zone at Sringeri, in Karnataka, the company has established an old-model plantation system, an agriculture research station, an artificial-inoculum multiplying unit, warehousing and a packing and forwarding centre. In addition, a standard, resinous wood extraction facility with a large scale, primary processing unit is being planned here. Also, fully-fledged, primary processing units are planned at: Madikeri, Sakaleshpur, Shimoga, Sirsi, Puttur and Kollur (in Karnataka) with collection centres at Coimbatore (in Tamil Nadu) and at Kalpetta (in Kerala).
After visits by Dharmendra Kumar – the founder of Vanadurgi – to Thailand, and to other countries in South East Asia, to study and establish relationships with other commercial agarwood plantations, Asia Plantation Capital is proud that the group have chosen Asia Plantation Capital to work with them on developing inoculation solutions and the end-processing of agarwood into all the various (and increasing) products it can offer.
During early July, a team from Asia Plantation Capital’s Specialist Inoculation and Research Department carried out field trials in India to assess the best inoculation systems – based on our experience in perfecting a system inThailand and Malaysia which has a 100% success rate in stimulating the production of agarwood resin, and which is 100% organic; comparable to oud oils produced in nature. Jack Sirichai, who headed the team from Asia Plantation Capital’s Thailand office (based in Bangkok) said, “It was an amazing experience to meet Dharmendra and his group of farmers when we arrived. Over 500 of them had travelled, for many hours, to meet and greet us with an official reception, held in our honour. We were overwhelmed to find so many people who share our passion for developing the agarwood industry and for employing the best husbandry and socially responsible management practices to advance this massive plantation industry in a sustainable manner. Providing and nurturing community support is a cornerstone of our own policies at Asia Plantation Capital; to share this with such a passionate group is key to our continued growth and success.”
The Asia Plantation Capital team will now be working closely with Vanadurgi to monitor and assess our inoculation processes. All countries (and even regions) have differing climatic and biodiversity conditions – all of which have a major effect on the performance of these systems – and it is important that we tailor and research our methods to provide the maximum yield and quality of the end oud that is produced in all the regions.
Phase 2 of the collaboration will see Asia Plantation Capital and Vanadurgi working on end-processing solutions, distillation, and developing consumer products which we can jointly market – creating the world’s largest, combined producer and supplier of agarwood – with the ability to offer long term, sustainable supplies of consistent quality to the global market place.
Asia Plantation Capital chooses, very carefully, whom it works with and with whom it shares its technologies. The benefits for the largest agarwood plantation group in India – gained by jointly working with Asia Plantation Capital – are the potential to create the largest, single supplier and grower in the world and to increase the market share for both companies. This offers both companies the opportunity to benefit from joint research and technologies; helping to further secure the future market and sustainable supplies of agarwood, for both companies and the industry.
About Asia Plantation Capital
Asia Plantation Capital is an owner and operator of a diverse range of commercial plantation and farming businesses across the Asia-Pacific region – and globally, part of the Asia Plantation Capital Group of associated companies. Their focus is on multicultural and diverse plantation projects, geared to the domestic and commercial demands of the countries in which they operate. Working closely with, and supporting local communities is an underlying core principle of the APC business – providing social and cultural support (as well as investment) to move these communities away from deforestation and illegal logging activities which were previously seen as a main source of income in some regions of Asia. Established officially in 2008, although operating privately since 2002, the group now has plantation and agricultural projects on four continents – with operational projects at various stages in: Thailand, Malaysia, China, Laos, India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique, The Gambia, North America and Europe.
Promoting the use of certified wood is the best way of preventing deforestation, protecting biodiversity and combatting poverty in the Tropical Rainforest regions. For the Yachting Sector, which strives for excellence and which is already involved in environmental efforts, this is also a way of ensuring that no wood from illegal logging is used.
About Vanadurgi Agarwood
The Vanadurgi Agarwood India Limited is a public sector company that is exclusively engaged in the cultivation, production and marketing of agarwood. The company has enormous experience, expertise and establishments in each and every segment of the agarwood industry. The company has established over 5,000 agarwood plantations and is emerging as one of the world’s largest agarwood plantation companies. Our goal is to become a one-stop-shop for agarwood raw materials, with no parallels elsewhere in the world. We plan to meet that goal through a combination of experience and partnerships with leading experts from around the world.
The company has established over 5,000 plantations across South India, accounting to about 99% of trees currently in South India. In the prime plantation zone at Sringeri in Karnataka, the company has established an old model plantation, an agriculture research station, an artificial inoculum multiplying unit, warehousing, and a packing and forwarding centre. Further, a standard resinous wood extraction facility with a large scale primary processing unit is also being planned here. Also, full-fledged primary processing units are planned at Madikeri, Sakaleshpur, Shimoga, Sirsi, Puttur and Kollur in Karnataka, and collection centres at Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu and at Kalpetta in Kerala.
International Mega Bio Expo in S. Korea to Offer Glimpse of Future Life
CHEONGJU, South Korea /PRNewswire/ — The upcoming international bio exposition in South Korea will provide visitors with a glimpse into the life that biotechnology will bring about, its organizers said Wednesday.
The Osong International Bio Industry Exposition, set to kick off in September in the country’s central city of Osong, “will present how life will look like in the future in accordance with the development of the cell-based industry,” said Lee Cha-young, secretary general of its organizing committee.
“The Bio Future Hall, one of our six main galleries, will depict diverse scenes of this new life in such areas as food, energy, medicine and converging science,” he added.
The displays show that lack of food and famine are a thing of the past as the technology to culture cells produces meat and vegetables at factories.
Unmanned vehicles run along mid-air streets, and they do not need to refuel as a single-cell microorganism in the fuel tank continues to produce gasoline.
Severe injuries are not a source of concern anymore, as 3D printers can help restore body parts with stem cells.
Different kinds of robots are employed for diverse purposes in order to help humans live more conveniently and abundantly. They cook, care for the sick and entertain people.
“Dreams for an eternal life or an oil-producing country will not be in the distant future,” Lee said. “Visitors will take a look at the value of the bio industry and its infinite possibilities.”
Hosted by the government of North Chungcheong Province, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the local municipal government, the expo will kick off its 17-day run on Sept. 16 in the Osong Biovalley in the city, some 120 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the organizing committee.
Under the theme of “The Secret of Life, Beautiful Future,” exhibitions will showcase how the industry has developed over the past decades and what the future society will be like, while allowing people to have diverse hands-on experiences such as carrying out medical treatments and conducting science experiments, it added.
Media Contact
Gu hyeon jeong
rachel@outcom.co.kr
+82-70-7707-3784
Occlutech Wins Invalidation of St Jude Patent
JENA, Germany /PRNewswire/ — Occlutech, a leading European developer of minimally invasive implants for therapy in structural heart disease, today announced that it has successfully obtained a ruling by the U.K. Patents Court in the High Court of Justice in London, that invalidates AGA/St Jude’s patent -EP0957773B1 in the UK.
This decision is similar in effect to a decision obtained by the Opposition Division of the European Patent Office, (EPO), in Munich for the same patent already in December 2013. The EPO decision revoked the patent in its entirety as it extended beyond the application as filed and the UK ruling states that the patent is invalid due to public prior use of devices supplied by the inventors before the priority date of the patent. Both rulings are subject to appeal by AGA/St Jude.
AGA/St Jude started litigation against Occlutech for infringing the 0957773 patent in the UK and in Germanyalready in 2011. While the U.K. court continued proceedings towards the present judgment, the German district court in Düsseldorf chose to stay proceedings until the EPO having taken a final decision on the validity/invalidity of the patent.
Occlutech’s CEO Tor Peters says, “Obviously, we are very happy to, again, get confirmation that we are not infringing any issued and valid patent held by our competitor. Our aim is to develop superior, patented, life-saving implants that make a difference to physicians and patients and we look forward to move this process forward.”
Occlutech has a manufacturing plant in Germany as well as R&D facilities in Sweden and Turkey. Implants such as ASD, PFO and PDA occluders as well as a large range of accessories from Occlutech are available in more than 80 countries.
100 Resilient Cities — Pioneered By The Rockefeller Foundation, Announces Opening Of The 2014 100 Resilient Cities Challenge: Cities Worldwide Invited To Apply
NEW YORK /PRNewswire/ — Today 100 Resilient Cities — Pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation announced that the 2014 application process of its 100 Resilient Cities Challenge has officiallyopened. The Challenge invites applications from cities worldwide that are ready to address to the social, economic, and physical challenges that they face in an increasingly urbanizing world. Selected cities will be eligible to receive significant resources to help them become more resilient.
“In the last year we’ve worked with 32 cities from around the world, learning what makes them tick and starting to surface the steps they need to take to become more resilient,” said Michael Berkowitz, President of 100 Resilient Cities. “We’re looking forward to using everything we’ve learned over the past year to ensure we have the best group of city partners, who can work with us, learn from each other, and help lead the global resilience movement. The world is becoming more urbanized and cities are facing an ever greater number of challenges, so the question is: how will cities move forward?”
The world’s cities face two clear trends. First, there is increasing urbanization: the percentage of people living in cities is projected to increase from approximately 50% today to an estimated 75% by 2050. Second, cities face more frequent and intense natural and manmade threats. Taken together, it is clear that cities need to think and act differently, and the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge is helping cities do just that.
“While cities across the globe can’t predict which disruptions will come next, they can plan for them, learn from them, and grow after them. This is the crux of resilience,” said Dr. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation. “100 Resilient Cities is helping cities to adopt innovative approaches that build resilience to the unprecedented physical, economic, and social challenges that characterize the 21st century”.
Cities everywhere are invited to apply, and will be judged on a range of criteria – including how well they will address the needs of the poor or vulnerable, who are disproportionately impacted by shocks and stresses. Selected cities will be eligible to receive:
- Grant funding to hire a Chief Resilience Officer, who will lead the resilience building process, bringing in stakeholders from across silos of government and sectors of society;
- Technical support to develop a holistic resilience strategy that reflects each city’s distinct needs;
- Access to an innovative platform of services to support strategy development and implementation. Platform partners come from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors, and will offer tools in areas such as innovative finance, technology, infrastructure, land use, and community and social resilience;
- Membership in the 100 Resilient Cities Network to share knowledge and practices with other member cities.
To apply, municipal government leaders and major institutions can submit an application on behalf of their city. To learn more, or fill out an application (subject to official rules) in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish, visit www.100resilientcities.org/challenge.
100 Resilient Cities — Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation is financially supported by The Rockefeller Foundation and managed as a sponsored project by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA), an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides governance and operational infrastructure to its sponsored projects.
Learn more about 100RC at www.100resilientcities.org, RPA at www.rockpa.org, and the Rockefeller Foundation at http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/about-us
CONTACT:
Maxwell Young
MYoung@100RC.org
+1-646-612-7142
New Lumia 530 brings uncompromised smartphone performance under 100 euros
REDMOND, Washington /PRNewswire/ — Microsoft Devices Group today announced the Lumia 530, the most affordable Lumia to date, delivering an uncompromised smartphone experience with the latest Microsoft and Lumia innovations. It is expected to be available for an estimated retail price of 85 eurosbefore taxes and subsidies, beginning in August 2014.
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO
Available in both single-SIM 3G and dual-SIM 3G variants, Lumia 530 will expand the reach of Windows Phone as the first Lumia introduced below 100 euros, allowing more people to enjoy the innovations and Microsoft services found in high-end Lumia smartphones, which includes the following:
- The latest version of Windows Phone 8.1 including one-swipe notifications from Action Center, and the fast Word Flow keyboard
- A powerful quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor that delivers a fast user experience of favorite apps, gaming and Internet browsing on the 4-inch LCD display
- Seamless integration with Microsoft services such as Skype and Microsoft Office, available right out of the box
- Popular social apps such as Instagram, WhatsApp, Viber and WeChat, plus key gaming apps such as Asphalt 8, available in the Windows Phone Store.
- The dual-SIM 3G variant for easy switching between two SIM cards, helping people manage their data costs
- Smooth performance with signature Lumia apps such as Creative Studio and Glam Me, which help people take voice-guided selfies with the 5-megapixel rear camera
- More content and apps with 4 GB of onboard memory, expandable with SD cards up to 128 GB, and an additional 15 GB of free cloud storage on Microsoft OneDrive that lets people sync, store, access and share files between Lumia 530 and computers, laptops and tablets
“We are moving quickly to help more people experience the uncompromised Lumia technologies, third-party apps and Microsoft services that we deliver on our flagship products,” said Jo Harlow, corporate vice president of Microsoft Devices Group. “Lumia 530 underscores our commitment to making affordable smartphones for everyone, and introducing more people to the best of Microsoft.”
Microsoft also announced the rechargeable Bang by Coloud speaker. Perfect for enjoying music with friends, Bang by Coloud is portable so people can connect multiple speakers together for a loud daisy chain of sound.
The Lumia 530 comes with changeable cover shells in bright orange, bright green, and stylish neutrals dark grey and white. The Lumia 530 will be available globally and begins rolling out in select markets in August 2014.
Tech specs summary
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Lumia 530 |
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Operating System |
Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Cyan |
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Display |
4-inch FWVGA LCD display |
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Battery |
Up to 22 days standby, 13 hours of 2G talk time. Battery capacity: 1430mAh |
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Connectivity |
HSPA+ 21Mbps/5.76Mbps, Wi-Fi (b/g/n), BT 4.0, micro-USB |
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Processor |
1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 |
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Camera |
5 MP |
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Memory |
512MB RAM, 4GB eMMC with up to 128GB micro SD card support |
About Microsoft Devices
The Microsoft Devices Group includes award-winning hardware used by over a billion people around the world, including Lumia smartphones and tablets, Nokia mobile phones, Xbox hardware, Surface, Perceptive Pixel products, and accessories.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
Wynyard Group Expands Australian and Asia Pacific Presence with New Advanced Crime Analytics Operations Centre
SYDNEY, July 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Wynyard Group, a market leader in advanced crime analytics software and services, announces the opening of its Asia Pacific Operation Centre in Sydney.
The centre will support growth in the region where Wynyard recently secured new contracts with key Australian State and Federal Government agencies, Thai Customs, New Zealand Police and one of the region’s intelligence agencies. The company is also supporting inter-governmental drug control and crime prevention initiatives in the region.
Wynyard’s software is used globally to help prevent and solve serious and organised crime ranging from regulatory offences and financial crime, to drug trafficking, terrorism and cyber crime. The major users of Wynyard’s Advanced Crime Analytics software are financial institutions, regulatory bodies, government intelligence and investigative agencies which is a growing market for Wynyard, said Craig Richardson, Wynyard Managing Director.
“There is strong demand in Australia and South East Asia for a big data analytics capability focused on surfacing key intelligence on organised crime and drug trafficking from diverse data sources such as financial transactions, mobile phone handsets, call charge records and the movement of people and suspicious packages.“
“We will double the size of our Australian–based team this year to support a customer base of more than 30 agencies in the region, collectively responsible for the safety and security of more than 650 million citizens,” said Richardson.
Wynyard’s Advanced Crime Analytics product platform allows users to collect data from a variety of sources, surface organisations or persons of interest and identify links to past incidents or potential future events. The platform supports small and large scale investigations and intelligence operations to prevent and solve crime and is used by more than 111,000 end–users globally.
Richardson said Australia is an important and growing market for the company.
“More than 60 per cent of Wynyard’s 2013 customer revenue was from the Asia Pacific region and Australian financial institutions participated in our recent new capital placement.
“The interest in our products and Wynyard shares has given us the confidence to open a new centre in Sydneyand expand our operations in Canberra and Melbourne,” said Richardson.
The opening of the Asia Pacific Regional Operation Centre also coincides with Wynyard’s Asia Pacific Advanced Crime Analytics User Group which brings together customers and crime prevention experts.
Media Contact:
Emma Jackson
Communications Director
Wynyard Group
Mobile: +64-212256253
Email: ejackson@wynyardgroup.com
Frost & Sullivan: Explosion of Digital Identities Sustains Global Demand for Public Key Infrastructure Certificates
LONDON /PRNewswire/ — The surge in the number of data breaches and recent security bugs such as Heartbleed has generated strong interest in digital certificates and technologies, including secure sockets layer (SSL) and public key infrastructure (PKI). PKI, in particular, remains the trusted technology for all projects where secured identity management is crucial.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Global Certificates Markets — A Focus on Public Key Infrastructure, finds that the market earned revenues of $357.4 million in 2013 and estimates this to reach $532.8 million in 2017. The government sector is expected to account for the largest share of the total revenue owing to the implementation of several identity document projects.
The explosion of mobile devices, leading to the emergence of new usage models and habits, will further highlight the need to identify people, devices, and transactions, spurring the demand for PKI.
“In the past, many organisations saw very little benefit in employing PKI due to the lack of compatible applications, while enterprises and governments that used PKI encountered several problems within the system,” said Frost & Sullivan Information and Communication Technologies Global Programme Director Jean-Noël Georges. “Today, the quality of PKI platforms and associated services has drastically improved, widening market potential.”
While immense growth opportunities exist in the global market, the availability of newer secure solutions reduces the scope for PKI adoption. In addition, not all middleware require strong authentication.
The change management strategies necessary for such installations add to end-user reticence. To gain clients, providing a complete return on investment analysis that also takes into account the hidden costs of certificate management, profile lifetime, and form factor support is important.
“Companies and governments seek solutions that are flexible enough to work with existing systems and evolve to add new services or uses quickly and cost-effectively,” stated Georges. “Certificate providers capable of supporting many devices, security requirements, usages, and systems to deliver a technology agnostic platform for certificate management will strengthen their position in the global PKI domain.”
If you are interested in more information on this study, please send an e-mail to Edyta Grabowska, Corporate Communications, at edyta.grabowska@frost.com.
Global Certificates Markets — A Focus on Public Key Infrastructure is a Market Insight that is part of theSmart Cards (http://www.smartcards.frost.com) Growth Partnership Service program. Frost & Sullivan’s related studies include: Trusted Service Management, Government ID: A Fragmented and Competitive Market, Payment Privacy Protection – Global Security Implications, and Global Smart Card Forecaster. All studies included in subscriptions provide detailed market opportunities and industry trends evaluated following extensive interviews with market participants.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today’s market participants.
Our “Growth Partnership” supports clients by addressing these opportunities and incorporating two key elements driving visionary innovation: The Integrated Value Proposition and The Partnership Infrastructure.
- The Integrated Value Proposition provides support to our clients throughout all phases of their journey to visionary innovation including: research, analysis, strategy, vision, innovation and implementation.
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For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Is your organisation prepared for the next profound wave of industry convergence, disruptive technologies, increasing competitive intensity, Mega Trends, breakthrough best practices, changing customer dynamics and emerging economies?
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Contact:
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Corporate Communications — Europe
P: +48-22-481-62-03
E: edyta.grabowska@frost.com
Chatsworth Products Steps into New Leadership Era with Positive Outlook, New Product Developments
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — Chatsworth Products (CPI), a 100 percent employee-owned global manufacturer of voice, data and security products and service solutions, has moved into a new leadership era, focusing on global growth, customer satisfaction and innovative product development.
Since its inception in 1991, CPI’s desire to provide infrastructure products of unparalleled design and quality has driven the company to embrace the constant advancements innate of the technology sector, particularly in the advancing field of data center management.
Continuing this forward momentum, in June, CPI welcomed Michael Custer as its new President, replacing Larry Renaud, who will remain CEO until his retirement in September. Custer, who first joined CPI in 1996, most recently held the position of Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing with additional executive oversight responsibilities for International Operations, Supply Chain & Quality.
Moving forward, CPI’s employee-owners and customers can expect to benefit from the yearly growth and expansion that CPI has experienced since it started. With the continuity in senior leadership, the Chatsworth Products management team is energized with the opportunity to extend its core value of ‘delighting the customer’ and expects to further leverage the company’s core competency to sense and rapidly respond to the changing needs of technology end users.
“CPI has remained fiercely independent through an extended period of industry consolidation and has preserved a uniquely strong best-in-class market position,” Custer states. “We’ve earned that position through an unmatched combination of high-availability solutions through our industry-leading distribution partners and high-touch customized solutions that always start with collaboration and the goal of delivering demonstrable benefits to our customers.”
CPI believes that technology decisions are business decisions. CPI looks to a bright future with its new leadership and is committed to seize every new opportunity to keep delighting customers with industry-relevant, high-value custom solutions.
For more information about Chatsworth Products, visit the website.
About Chatsworth Products
Chatsworth Products, Inc. (CPI) is a global provider of quality voice and data solutions that optimize, store and secure technology equipment, providing innovation, configurability and value. CPI operates global offices withinthe United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and China, as well as manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe and Asia.
For more information about CPI, visit www.chatsworth.com.cn
CPI does not accept liability for any errors or omissions and reserves the right to change information and descriptions of listed services and products.
©2014 Chatsworth Products, Inc. All rights reserved. Chatsworth Products, CPI, CPI Passive Cooling, eConnect, MegaFrame, Saf-T-Grip, Seismic Frame, SlimFrame, TeraFrame, GlobalFrame, Cube-iT Plus, Evolution, OnTrac, QuadraRack and Velocity are federally registered trademarks of Chatsworth Products. Simply Efficient is a trademark of Chatsworth Products. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies.
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