CONTEXT: Latex allergy and sensitization have been an important problem facing health care workers. Providing a latex-safe environment is the intervention of choice.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old surgical pathologist presented with increasing shortness of breath for the previous 4 years. Twenty years before presentation, he noted a pruritic, erythematous rash on his hands, associated with latex glove use. Fourteen years before presentation, during pathology residency, he developed a nonproductive cough, wheezing, and an urticarial rash, temporally associated with use of powdered latex gloves. These symptoms improved while away from work. At presentation, he had one-flight dyspnea. His skin prick test was positive for latex, and pulmonary function testing showed mild obstruction, which was reversible with bronchodilator use. Because the patient was at risk for worsening pulmonary function and possible anaphylaxis with continued exposure, he was removed from the workplace because no reasonable accommodation was made for him at that time.
DISCUSSION: The patient’s presentation is consistent with latex-induced occupational asthma. Initially noting dermal manifestations, consistent with an allergic contact dermatitis secondary to accelerators present in latex gloves, he later developed urticaria, flushing, and respiratory symptoms, consistent with a type I hypersensitivity reaction to latex. He also has reversible airways disease, with significant improvement of peak expiratory flow rate and symptoms when away from work.
RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL OR PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: The ideal treatment for latex sensitization is removal from and avoidance of exposure. Clinicians should consider occupational asthma when patients present with new-onset asthma or asthmatic symptoms that worsen at work.

KEY WORDS: formaldehyde, health care worker, latex allergy, occupational asthma, pathology, xylene.

doi:10.1289/ehp.7830 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 31 March 2005]

Case Presentation

A 46-year-old male surgical pathologist presented to our clinic complaining of a 4-year history of increasing shortness of breath. He had been in good health until 20 years prior while in medical school, when he noted a pruritic, erythematous rash on the dorsal aspect of his hands whenever he wore latex gloves. He often applied steroid cream to the rash, but it usually did not resolve unless he refrained from using latex gloves. This rash, associated with latex glove use, persisted during his internal medicine residency. Approximately 14 years before presentation, at the beginning of his pathology residency, he noted that the rash involved his arms. He developed an episodic, nonproductive cough, wheezing, and occasional chest tightness, which occurred at work when he used powdered latex gloves. These symptoms were mild and did not interfere with his vigorous exercise program. He did not seek medical attention.

After completing his residency, the patient worked as a hospital-based surgical pathologist. Typical daily activities involved cutting tissue and frozen sections and preparing slides. He changed gloves several times each day. He did reasonably well until 4 years before presentation (1993), when his symptoms worsened. He then experienced cough and dyspnea within 30 min of starting work. These symptoms, which continued throughout the workday and improved once he left work, seemed especially severe on the first day of the workweek and worsened as the week progressed. The use of xylene and formaldehyde exacerbated his symptoms. He noted an intermittent rash on his upper extremities and torso, occasional flushing with exposure to latex, postnasal drip, progressive dyspnea on exertion, and dyspnea and coughing when he laughed. He noted heavy breathing if he “flipped” his gloves off, and he described an episode of “passing out” 1 year earlier when he “flipped” his gloves off and placed his hands over his mouth and nose. He was taken to a local emergency department, where he was diagnosed as having had a vasovagal episode. He was returned to work without intervention.

The patient’s wife and co-workers started commenting on his cough, noting that he “breathed heavily.” He became self-conscious about his cough and about constantly having to clear his throat. There was no seasonal variation to his symptoms. The patient attempted to reduce his exposure to powdered natural rubber latex (NRL) gloves, formaldehyde, and xylene. For example, he switched to non-powdered latex gloves, although his co-workers continued to use the powdered form. He replaced eyecups on the microscope once he realized that they contained latex. He instructed his staff to allow an hour for drying slides fixed with formaldehyde and xylene before sending them to him to be read. His symptoms persisted, however, prompting him to seek medical attention.

The patient subsequently consulted with an allergist, an otorhinolaryngologist, and a dermatologist. Skin biopsy of his rash revealed changes consistent with acute urticaria. Latex skin prick tests were positive to latex glove extracts. Skin prick tests were positive to dust, cat dander, and mold antigens, and a computerized tomography (CT) scan of the sinuses revealed nasal polyps in the maxillary sinus. He was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis. Treatment included antibiotics and a steroid taper. The patient was started on Serevent (GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC), Flovent (GlaxoSmithKline), and Proventil (Schering, Kenilworth, NJ) inhalers and returned to work with the recommendation that he use a surgical mask while at work. His symptoms continued to progress, and he presented to us 2 months later, by which time he was experiencing single-flight dyspnea.

Available in PCI and PCI Express configurations, FireMV(TM) 2200 and FireMV(TM) 2400 feature 64 and 256 MB of memory. Catalyst Control Center enables user-friendly handling of multiple desktops and streamlined interface. Products are supported by WHQL unified driver, which is tested and certified for range of professional 2D software packages, including Hummingbird Exceed and Citrix.

MARKHAM, Ontario -October 26, 2004 - ATI Technologies Inc. (TSX: ATY, NASDAQ: ATYT) continues to expand its product offerings with the new FireMV(TM) 2D workstation graphics accelerators, giving users in financial trading, process control and distribution control markets a wide range of low-profile options for their systems. ATI now provides corporate customers with a complete range of ATI products for their day-to-day use, with the superior image quality and stability which has helped to make ATI the technology leader in graphics.

Available in both PCI and PCI Express configurations, both the FireMV(TM) 2200 and FireMV(TM) 2400 are low profile graphics accelerators featuring 64MB and 256MB of memory. Quad monitor output support will be available with the FireMV 2400 while the FireMV 2200 supports dual monitor output and will be available for customers samples beginning in December. The FireMV line leverages ATI’s experience with low power high performance mobility devices to offer fanless solutions for increased product lifespan and reliability without compromise of quality.

“With the introduction of the FireMV line, corporate customers can look to ATI for a complete graphics solution; one provider from server to desktop to notebook to workstations,” said Dave Rolston, Vice President, Workstation and Embedded Products, ATI. “The superior image quality and stability that is the hallmark of ATI’s products is of paramount importance to this market and ATI is excited about bringing our high standard of excellence to these new customers.”

The FireMV product line-up will leverage the newly announced Catalyst Control Center, which enables user-friendly handling of multiple desktops and a streamlined interface. Having recognized the tremendous importance of driver stability to its customers, the Catalyst Control Center is the result of several thousand man-hours and experience dedicated to improving the user experience. ATI’s FireMV products are supported by a WHQL unified driver, which is tested and certified for a wide range of professional 2D software packages, including Hummingbird Exceed and Citrix, ensuring system administration and upgrades are cost effective and simple. All FireMV products come with a three year warranty and unlimited direct access to a dedicated workstation technical support team.

Most people in the post industry would agree that a collaborative, file-based workflow with common central storage is the ultimate end game. Collaborative workflows have been proven by pioneering facilities to achieve huge gains in productivity, with commensurate business returns. But what is the best approach? Software solutions exist that allow most applications on just about any computer OS to fully use the shared central storage–but it is tough to guarantee real-time performance without overbuilding the system and blowing the next five years’ capital expenditure budget.

Another approach is a proprietary system that guarantees realtime performance–but only if you use a particular vendor’s workstations and applications, and only if you restrict your work to a limited number of SD and highly compressed HD seats. It’s unlikely that this same single-vendor approach can provide a solution for DI work, with its 2K and 4K formats reading and writing massive files on a daily basis.

Some facilities have created hybrid workflows that use shared storage for most tasks, but require direct attached storage (DAS) for those seats handling the most “complicated” work. This approach involves copying the massive files to and from the DAS, negating much of the advantage of shared storage.

Why is realtime performance so important? Almost all client-facing work, as well as most creative decision-making and quality control operations, require realtime performance. In the tape-based world, there was a simple formula: For each realtime stream, there was a dedicated VTR. If five streams were required, one bought or rented five VTRs. But collaborative, file-based workflows are not as empirical. The storage infrastructure that normally delivers five realtime streams may muster only one when the stars line up against you.

Why does this happen? IT hardware and software are designed to achieve maximum performance over an extended period of time, but with no guarantees of minimum performance on a continuous basis. This is often known as “best effort” and helps achieve impressive results for the money spent. This performance is ideal for email, databases, in fact, most tasks performed by computers today. It even works for significant parts of a facility’s workflow such as rendering and data movement. But it isn’t good enough for realtime film and video requirements where dropped frames and intermittent stutters are simply unacceptable.

The biggest problem in achieving consistent realtime performance is the comparatively slow pace of performance gains of disk-based storage. While computing power has grown three million times in the past 25 years, and network bandwidth by more than 1,000-fold, disk transfer bandwidth has grown by only seven times. Though it’s true that disk capacity has grown exponentially–you still effectively have a very small hose trying to fill a huge, ever-expanding tank. This problem is compounded in a shared storage environment with many individual applications simultaneously requiring reads and writes off the disk. Disk performance is even degraded by the simple desire to actually use all the capacity of the expensive storage that just busted your budget. The problem with disk drives and arrays is that once the storage fills to between 50 percent and 80 percent of capacity, performance rapidly falls off. That is because the disk becomes fragmented, and it becomes harder and harder to find contiguous areas on which to store the data.

Many physics discoveries of the past century have emerged from giant particle accelerators costing up to billions of dollars and sprawling over acres. Now, three independent research groups in the United States, France, and England have simultaneously passed a major milestone toward a laser-based electron accelerator that could fit inside a room and cost only a fraction of the price of a conventional machine.

The new work pushes forward an accelerator scheme that uses extremely brief and intense laser pulses (SN: 9/5/98, p. 157). As each pulse plows through a puff of gas, it pulls electrons from the gas into its wake. Over distances hardly more than the thickness of a coin, such laser “wakefield” accelerators can pump electrons to high energies, the scientists report.

Whereas previous experiments demonstrated the principle behind wakefield accelerators, the energy of the electrons wasn’t uniform enough for precision research, says Wim P. Leemans of the Lawrence Berkeley (Calif.) National Laboratory, leader of the team based in the United States.

That flaw has become a thing of the past. In back-to-back-to-back reports in the Sept. 30 Nature, each of the three teams reports finding virtually the same sweet spot of operating conditions. All the laser-driven apparatuses emit extremely brief, narrowly confined pulses of electrons in which all the particles in the pulse race at nearly the same speed and therefore have nearly the same energy.

“These results represent the most significant step so far for laser-based accelerators and should stimulate further advances in the near future” says Thomas Katsouleas of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles in a commentary accompanying the reports.

The newly achieved electron pulses, which last only tens of femtoseconds, pack energy up to 1,000 times as densely as did electron packets produced by wakefield accelerators of the past, Katsouleas notes.

In any wakefield scheme, an intense laser pulse strips electrons from gas atoms and shoves those electrons ahead and sideways, much as a boat pushes waves off its bow and hull. That creates an electron-depleted wake. A wave of displaced electrons then pours back into the wake. As that electron wave surges forward, other electrons just ahead get propelled by repulsive electrostatic forces, effectively surfing the wave.

In the new experiments, each research team boosted the number of surfing electrons until the waves couldn’t take on any more. By tweaking how the laser pulses plow through the gas, the researchers preserved the waves tong enough for every surfer to get a full ride.

The resulting uniform distribution of energy among electrons in the pulses bodes well for future efforts to create a compact series of wakefield accelerators to attain the enormous energies needed to explore the fundamental nature of matter and energy, says Victor Malka of Ecole Nationale Superieure de Techniques Avancees in Palaiseau, leader of the France-based team.

As promising as wakefield acceleration now looks, it can’t displace all conventional accelerator technology. Many of the world’s leading particle accelerators propel protons or ions, which are too massive for wakefield methods, notes English team member Stuart P.D. Mangles of the Imperial College London.

SAN JOSE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 14, 1998–Start-up FlowWise Networks, a pioneering developer of router acceleration products, today introduced AutoGuard(TM), an automatic bypass switch that eliminates the FlowWise Router Accelerator as a single point of network failure and allows users to replace the Router Accelerator on a live, production network. When combined with the FlowWise IMS 800 or IMS 1600 Router Accelerator, the new device provides organizations with a low risk, high availability solution for increasing the performance of business-critical networks.

When activated, the AutoGuard switch automatically directs traffic to bypass the Router Accelerator and connects all links directly to the backbone router. Except for a temporary reduction in network performance, the bypass process is transparent to users and enables the network administrator to replace the FlowWise Router Accelerator without network disruption. Remarkably, AutoGuard also works during a complete loss of power to itself or the Router Accelerator, forwarding network traffic to the backbone router while in a passive state.

According to RELM, Inc., an independent product testing laboratory, AutoGuard boosts the already-outstanding network availability of FlowWise Router Accelerators to an even higher level — an expected average of just one failure in 260,000 hours (30 years) of continuous operation.

“As organizations become increasingly reliant on their network for critical applications, financial transactions, and workflow, downtime has become unacceptable,” said Randy Fardal, vice president of marketing for FlowWise Networks. “For many organizations, that means removing single points of failure in the network. AutoGuard virtually eliminates the FlowWise Router Accelerator as a source for downtime, and provides increased reliability for critical applications. With AutoGuard, FlowWise Router Accelerators provide a dramatic boost in network performance and deliver previously unattainable levels of reliability.”

AutoGuard is installed in front of the IMS 800 or IMS 1600 Router Accelerator and the existing backbone router. Using auto-sensing technology, the AutoGuard bypass switch constantly audits the Router Accelerator for loss of power or loss of heartbeat and automatically directs traffic to bypass the Router Accelerator when it encounters a fault. AutoGuard is compatible with Cisco’s HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol), allowing use of Router Accelerators and AutoGuard bypass switches with dual, redundant backbone routers. The AutoGuard switch can be mounted in a standard 19-inch equipment rack and has 32 RJ-45 ports.

“The Router Accelerator concept offers organizations an outstanding combination of simplicity, price, and performance for extending the life of their installed routers,” said David Passmore, at NetReference, Inc. “With the addition of AutoGuard, a Router Accelerator is now better able to serve critical networks that require extremely high performance and reliability.”

Availability and Pricing

Priced at $2,500, the AutoGuard automatic bypass switch is available immediately. When purchased with the IMS 800 or IMS 1600 the price is $2,000.

About FlowWise Networks

Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., FlowWise Networks provides high-performance router acceleration products that are self-configuring. These products enable enterprises to enhance the performance of their networks, with virtually no disruption of service. FlowWise Router Accelerators boost the performance of Cisco Systems (Nasdaq:CSCO), Nortel Networks (NYSE:NT), 3Com (Nasdaq:COMS), and all other routers. The company has announced strategic alliances with Lucent Technologies (NYSE:LU) and Ericsson (Nasdaq:ERICY).

FlowWise Networks is financed by a combination of venture capital sources and corporate investors, including Battery Ventures, Venrock Associates, Mitsubishi Electronics, InveStar Capital, TL Ventures, and Alta Partners.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Celoxica, Ltd. today announced that HiEnergy Technologies, Inc. (HiEnergy), a developer of advanced stoichiometric sensor devices, has adopted the Celoxica DK Design Suite of C-based design and synthesis tools to accelerate chemical formula analysis algorithms. HiEnergy and Celoxica have successfully implemented and delivered these algorithms using Celoxica RC2000 FPGA boards in HiEnergy’s SIEGMA(TM) 3E3 product used for the remote detection of hidden homemade bombs.

The SIEGMA(TM) 3E3, integrating Celoxica’s boards, is being marketed globally to first responders from a wide array of federal, state, and local agencies, as well as the armed forces. Most recently, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), the nation’s fifth largest public transportation system and the largest multi-modal transit authority in the United States, selected the SIEGMA(TM) 3E3 system to provide its more than 1 million riders per day with a safer and more secure travel environment.

“We chose to work with Celoxica because they provided us with a complete software and hardware acceleration solution for optimizing the performance of our C algorithms,” said Dr. Bogdan Maglich, HiEnergy’s CEO and chief scientist. “This solution gives us the speed and flexibility necessary to optimize our SIEGMA 3E3 system, demonstrated in our recent reduction of false positives by half with no increase in the interrogation time.”

Based in Irvine, California, HiEnergy develops neutron-based sensor devices with the ability to decipher the chemical formulas of unknown substances. Without human intervention and with 95% accuracy, these devices automatically detect the presence of selected substances such as explosives, biological agents or illicit drugs. HiEnergy uses the Celoxica C-based design and synthesis tools to optimize the algorithms and synthesize them directly to FPGA hardware. Portions of the algorithm are moved to hardware to accelerate the signal processing and free the embedded processor for other tasks. The accelerated hardware algorithms are then implemented on a Celoxica RC2000 PCI card which is then incorporated in the production system.

Celoxica provides the only complete design and synthesis environment to accelerate C-based algorithms directly to FPGA. The DK Design Suite of tools delivers the fastest path from algorithm to system implementation providing software-based design entry, cycle-accurate simulation, C-based synthesis to optimized FPGA device descriptions or RTL code, and direct integration with FPGA vendor place and route. In addition, Celoxica is the only system-level design provider that actually designs systems, offering a wide range of FPGA development cards and consulting services to ensure customer success.

“Leading edge system developers such as HiEnergy are increasingly looking to reprogrammable hardware accelerators like the RC2000 to augment processor performance, reduce power consumption and maximize algorithm performance,” said Phil Bishop president and CEO of Celoxica. “The optimization of HiEnergy’s bomb detection systems shows the power of our C-based design and synthesis tools and how they can be deployed to quickly expand the performance and capabilities of very complex signal processing systems.”

About HiEnergy Technologies, Inc.

HiEnergy Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:HIET) is a nuclear technologies-based company focused on the commercialization of its initial proprietary, neutron-based, “stoichiometric” sensor devices, including (i) the CarBomb Finder(TM) 3C4, a vehicle-borne system, for the detection and identification of car bombs, and (ii) the SIEGMA(TM) 3E3, a portable suitcase-borne system for the detection and identification of home-made bombs, also known as Improvised Explosive Devices or IEDs. HiEnergy is currently developing prototypes in programs with the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security for other related uses of its core technology, including a funded cooperative development agreement with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to produce a proof of concept which incorporates the Company’s SuperSenzor(TM) technology into a baggage screening system.

About Celoxica

An innovator in Electronic System Level (ESL) design, Celoxica is turning software into silicon by supplying the design tools, boards, IP and services that enable the next generation of advanced electronic product design. Celoxica technology raises design abstraction to the algorithm level, accelerating productivity and lowering risk and costs by generating semiconductor hardware directly from C-based software descriptions. Adding to a growing installed base, Celoxica provides the world’s most widely used C-based behavioral design and synthesis solutions to companies developing semiconductor products in markets such as consumer electronics, defense and aerospace, automotive, industrial and security.
Celoxica and the Celoxica logo are trademarks of Celoxica, Ltd. All other brand names and product names are the property of their respective owners.

Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:DIMD), a leader in PC multimedia and Internet connectivity, today announced that Dell Computer Corporation (Nasdaq:DELL), the world’s leading direct computer systems company, has chosen the 32MB Diamond Viper V770D NVIDIA(TM) AGP graphics card (an OEM version of Diamond’s Viper V770 graphics accelerator) as an optional graphics solution in Dell’s new Dimension(R) XPS T550 desktop and Dell Precision(TM) WorkStations.

Additionally, Diamond’s advanced Fire GL1 professional graphics accelerator will be offered as an option with the Dell Precision(TM) WorkStation 410 and 610, making Diamond’s first-to-market 256-bit graphics solution readily available to NT workstation users.

Diamond Multimedia’s new 32MB Viper V770D graphics accelerator is powered by NVIDIA Corporation’s (Nasdaq:NVDA) breakthrough RIVA TNT2(TM) graphics processor, offering the ultimate in visual quality and speed for today’s hottest 3D gaming and business applications. The Diamond Fire GL1 features IBM’s (NYSE:IBM) first graphics chipset for the NT platform, bringing a mid-range workstation graphics accelerator with outstanding 2D and 3D performance to the professional digital content creation market.

“Dell Computer offers our Viper V550 in their XPS T Pentium III series and now has again selected Diamond’s award-winning graphics cards to bring high-quality 3D and video to their top-selling desktop PCs and workstations,” said Steve Cotter, vice president of strategic accounts at Diamond Multimedia. “The combination of Diamond’s expertise in graphics with Dell’s high-quality components and engineering gives today’s PC and NT workstation users an impressive selection of top-performing systems designed to fit their individual needs.”

Viper V770D Pushes the Boundaries of 2D and 3D Performance

Diamond Multimedia’s Viper V770D graphics accelerator combines 32MB of high-speed memory, advanced 128-bit acceleration with NVIDIA’s TwiN Texel engine design, true single-pass multi-texturing and true-color 3D rendering to deliver high-quality imaging, high frame rates and remarkable 3D performance. Diamond’s 32MB Viper V770D AGP graphics card also provides up to AGP 2X support, 32-bit Z/stencil buffer and MPEG video playback.

In addition, Diamond’s Viper V770D graphics accelerator offers 2D and 3D resolution support up to 1920×1200, refresh rates up to 240Hz and support for monitors 24 inches and larger. Diamond Multimedia’s Viper V770D graphics accelerator also supports Microsoft(R) Windows(R) 95/98/NT 4.0 operating systems and is enhanced for the industry’s most popular application programming interfaces (APIs), including OpenGL(R) ICD and Microsoft’s DirectX 6(R). The Viper V770D supports the streaming SIMD instructions in Pentium(R) III processor-based PCs to deliver refined 3D graphics to the PC user.

Fire GL1 — Premium Workstation Graphics

Diamond’s Fire GL1 graphics solution, featuring the IBM 256-Bit Graphics Rasterizer engine, provides twice the bandwidth of standard 128-bit engines for the digital content creation market, including 3D animators, CAD engineers and Web content creators. Capable of processing up to 15 million anti-aliased vectors per second and achieving a fill-rate of 200 million pixels per second, the Diamond Fire GL1 brings a new level of price-performance graphics to the Windows NT platform.

Diamond’s new Fire GL-brand accelerator is optimized for multi-processor systems with multi-threaded OpenGL drivers and supports Intel’s new Pentium III Streaming SIMD Extensions. With an integrated 250Mhz RAMDAC, the Diamond Fire GL1 accelerator supports true color screen resolutions up to 1920×1200 with double buffering and a 24-bit Z-buffer. The Fire GL1 graphics accelerator also provides multi-screen support and can simultaneously handle the display of up to four monitors running under Windows NT 4.0.

Dell’s Dimension XPS T550 Desktop

Designed for first-class performance with Intel’s new Pentium III 550MHz processor, the Dell Dimension XPS T550 desktop PC offers custom-tailored systems for today’s growing home and business PC market. Dell customers can order customized Dimension XPS T series desktops based on the needs of their individual preferences. Additional information on the Dell Dimension XPS T550.
Dell’s Precision WorkStations with Pentium III Power

Designed for exceptional performance, the Dell Precision WorkStation series incorporates Intel’s new 550MHz Pentium III processor and supports single or dual processors. Dell customers can order custom-built Precision WorkStations including Diamond’s Viper V770D or Fire GL1 to fit their needs in both the mid-range and entry-level workstation market. Dell Precision WorkStations support applications from the industry’s leading independent software vendors, including Autodesk, Microsoft, Parametric Technology Corp., Unigraphics and many more. Additional information on the Precision WorkStation 210, 410, 610.
About Diamond Multimedia

Diamond Multimedia is a leader in PC multimedia and Internet connectivity, providing advanced products that enable desktop computer users to create, access and experience compelling, new media content from their PC’s and through the Internet. Products include the Rio series of Internet audio appliances, the Stealth and Viper(R) series of video accelerators, the Monster series of 3D gaming accelerators, the Fire series of professional graphics accelerators, the Supra(R) series of modems, and the HomeFree line of home networking products. Diamond’s common stock is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol DIMD,
How to Contact Diamond Multimedia

There are many ways to reach Diamond for sales support, technical assistance, driver updates and general information:

HomeFree, Monster 3D, Rio, Shotgun, SpeedStar and SupraSonic are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. Monster(R) is a registered trademark of Monster Cable. Viper(R) is a registered trademark of Directed Electronics, Inc., Used under License. All other trademarks referenced are the service mark, trademark or registered trademark of their respective manufacturers. This announcement relates to products whose introductions are in North America. The product name, contents, prices and availability may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements.

AccelGraphics, Inc., the leading supplier of high-performance 3D graphics accelerators for Windows NT, today announced that Epson Direct Corporation in Japan has chosen the AccelPRO family of products as Epson Direct’s exclusive 3D graphics accelerators for their new personal workstation: the Endeavour Pro-200E.”Epson Direct in Japan wanted to partner with the leader in professional 3D graphics for Windows NT and AccelGraphics was the obvious choice. We plan to use the AccelPRO products for SEIKO EPSON CORP. internal use as well as to provide solutions for the open marketplace. As one of the largest users of Pro/ENGINEER software, there are several hundred internal SEIKO EPSON users that will benefit from these new personal workstations. As a second step, we will bring these products to the open marketplace,” said Mr. Yasuhiko Kudo, General Manager of Epson Direct Corporation.

Dr. Hiroki Kato, Vice President for Asia-Pacific, of AccelGraphics stated, “We are very excited about our relationship with Epson Direct. We expect to supply products immediately for SEIKO EPSON’s internal use as well as for Epson Direct’s external marketing thrust. Epson Direct Corporation is a very important customer for us. We are pleased that they will be using the AccelPRO products.”

“AccelGraphics’ excellent working relationship with Parametric Technology will help ensure a very solid, high performance solution that Epson can use with complete confidence,” said Glenn Sinclair, Hardware Partner Manager at Parametric Technology Corporation.

The AccelPRO products provide high performance 3D graphics including smooth double-buffered displays at resolutions up to 1280×1024, support for 24bits of Z, and hardware texture mapping (AccelPRO TX models only). Other advanced features supported include: anti-aliasing, transparency, overlays, dithering, and stencilling. Since the AccelPRO family is OpenGL compliant many other popular OpenGL-based applications are supported. Since the AccelPRO TX boards work with Windows NT, they ensure standard support for thousands of other popular applications, including word processors, spread sheets and Web browsers.

Epson Direct Corporation

Epson Direct Corporation is a subsidiary of SEIKO EPSON Corporation. SEIKO EPSON is a world leader in the electronics sector. With operations in more than 28 countries, the company develops, manufactures and markets watches, precision assembly robots, plastic lens, computers and peripheral products, display products, software tools and semiconductors. The company employs over 36,500 people world-wide.

AccelGraphics, Inc.

AccelGraphics develops, manufactures and markets high-performance three dimensional graphics accelerators for computer-aided design and engineering and other professional markets. AccelGraphics’ 3D graphics accelerators enable technical professionals to visualize 3D data quickly and interactively, thereby dramatically enhancing user productivity when using 3D applications.

DaVinci Technology Enables OEMs to Implement Digital Video Without Codec or DSP Expertise

HOUSTON, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Simplifying digital video innovation, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) today announced the availability of the first products based on its DaVinci(TM) technology (announced September 8, 2005). The new products include two digital signal processor- (DSP) based system-on-chips (SoC), multimedia codecs, application programming interfaces (APIs), frameworks and development tools, all are optimized to enable innovation for digital video systems. These integrated components are the industry’s first complete offering of an open platform to enable digital video innovation without requiring extensive digital video expertise. With these DaVinci products, adding digital video to an application becomes as simple as writing to an API, saving original equipment manufacturers months of development time and lowering overall system costs.
TI has made this possible by eliminating the complexity of digital video through the integration of hardware and software, allowing developers to build upon existing, production-tested software components optimized for digital video. With the first of many DaVinci products from TI, digital video will be as easy to implement as an off-the-shelf component.
“Texas Instruments’ DaVinci technology is very clearly a landmark in consumer electronics,” said Chris Crotty, senior consumer electronics analyst, iSuppli Corporation. “We’ve had an audio revolution; a video revolution is the next step in consumer electronics. It looks like TI is taking care of everything and providing a very complete solution for developers that will enable digital video innovation and the next generation of consumer video devices.”

Now Sampling, DaVinci Processors Reduce System Cost

The TMS320DM644x architecture is a highly integrated system-on-chip (SoC) that has absorbed many of the external components required for digital video, dropping hardware bill of materials by as much as 50 percent. Offering up to 1080i MPEG-2 decode and up to 720p MPEG-4 simple profile encode, the DM644x devices are based on TI’s performance-leading TMS320C64x+(TM) DSP core, an ARM926 processor, video accelerators, networking peripherals and external memory/storage interfaces all specifically tuned for video performance. The TMS320DM6443, tuned for video decode applications, provides all of the processing components required to decode digital video, including both analog and digital video output with integrated resizer and on-screen display (OSD) engines. The TMS320DM6446, tuned for video encode and decode applications, adds video encoding capabilities through a dedicated video processing front end capable of capturing various digital video formats.

Software Infrastructure Speeds Time to Market

The complete DaVinci software infrastructure, from low-level OS drivers to application APIs, makes it possible for developers to implement digital video without having to focus resources on writing and optimizing codecs or programming a DSP. Initially, based on the Linux Operating System, APIs mask the complex hardware and software details of implementing codecs from developers, enabling them to interchange multimedia codecs without having to modify application code. Optimized video and audio codecs are also available for free evaluation and licensing from TI to simplify and speed customer design and decision making.

When creating applications, developers are able to write to industry- recognized APIs for storage, networking and video interfaces leveraging standard OS development environments. OEMs are still empowered to access and develop directly on the DSP and ARM should they choose. The result is that developers are able to take advantage of the SoC’s performance and focus on developing their own value-added features.

“DaVinci technology gives developers flexible combinations of components to quickly create high-performance and production-tested designs without getting bogged down in the details of video implementation,” said Greg Mar, DSP SoC platform manager, TI. “DaVinci technology will be implemented into a wide variety of applications, such as videophones, video security systems, and innovative devices that will take advantage of simplified digital video implementation.”

Complete System Tools and Support Enable Implementation

Developers can begin evaluation and implementation of the DM644x devices with the Digital Video Evaluation Module (DVEVM). The DVEVM contains the MontaVista Linux Professional Edition, which allows developers to begin code development immediately. In addition, the DVEVM includes a NTSC/PAL camera, LCD screen, pre-wired video encode and decode codec demos and the ability to create new demos with original video streams. The DVEVM also offers connectivity to video input/outputs, networking interfaces, storage interfaces and standard daughter card connections, so developers can use the DVEVM for their application prototypes. Using the DVEVM, developers can write production-ready application code for the ARM and access the DSP core using DaVinci APIs to begin application development immediately for both the DM6443 and DM6446.

Code Composer Studio(TM) Integrated Development Environment supporting TMS320DM644x devices is also available now giving design engineers the flexibility to work with the tool chain they are most familiar with. DaVinci products are backed by TI and its third party network that is able to offer video system expertise to customers worldwide.

In addition to TI’s DaVinci products and digital signal processors, the company offers a complete portfolio of high-performance analog products for video applications. For example, TI provides high-performance clocking solutions, high-speed video amplifiers and power management products designed for the unique requirements of digital video.

Pricing and Availability

The TMS320DM6443 and TMS320DM6446 are pin-for-pin and software-compatible, as well as being code compatible with previous generations of TMS320DM644x devices and are sampling immediately. The DM6443 is $29.95 and the DM6446 is $34.95, both in quantities of 10KU in 2006. The DVEVM (TMDXEVM6446) is $1995 and available for order entry.
About Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers’ real-world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductors, the company’s businesses include Sensors & Controls, and Educational & Productivity Solutions. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries.

Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN.

Trademarks

DaVinci, TMS320C64x+, Code Composer Studio and TMS320C64x are trademarks of Texas Instruments. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.

New Stealth and SpeedStar Offerings Provide Optimal

Price/Performance Graphics Solutions

Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: DIMD), a leader in PC multimedia and Internet connectivity, today announced shipment of the company’s newest value-priced graphics accelerators: the Stealth III S540 Xtreme and SpeedStar A90. Powered by S3 Incorporated’s (Nasdaq:SIII) Savage4 accelerators, the Stealth III S540 Xtreme features stunning 3D gaming and DVD performance with 32MB of memory for $99.00 U.S. (estimated retail price based on a $30.00 rebate), while the SpeedStar A90 graphics accelerator offers a lower-cost, feature-rich graphics solution for system integrators and OEMs .

Diamond’s Stealth III S540 Xtreme

Delivering high-performance for graphics intensive business and computer gaming applications, Diamond’s Stealth III S540 Xtreme is equipped with 128-bit processing, 166Mhz memory and 160Mhz engine clocks, 32 MB of system memory, S3 texture compression (S3TC) and support for textures up to 2048×2048. The Stealth III S540 Xtreme also features single-pass multi texturing, 32-bit rendering, AGP 4X compatibility and hardware accelerated DVD playback.

“It’s unbelievable performance for the price!” said Scott Vouri, vice president and general manager of the Multimedia Division at Diamond. “We are shipping possibly the first high-performing graphics accelerator that has amazing resolution capabilities and clockspeeds and is priced below $100.00. The features of the Stealth III S540 Xtreme unify the compelling advantages of S3’s chip and Diamond’s board technologies and emphasize that PC consumers do not have to sacrifice quality graphics enhancements for value-sensitive pricing.”

SpeedStar A90 Now Available To System Integrators and OEM’s

Also announced today is the shipment of Diamond Multimedia’s Speedstar A90 graphics accelerator. The next generation of the successful SpeedStar series, Diamond’s SpeedStar A90, offers higher performance and more functionality than its SpeedStar A50 predecessor. Based on the S3 Savage4 PRO+ chipset, the SpeedStar A90 integrates 16MB of 125MHz SDRAM memory, 128-bit processing, complete AGP 4X support and optimal video playback, providing a truly low-cost solution designed for system integrators and OEMs.

About Diamond Multimedia

Diamond Multimedia is a leader in PC multimedia and Internet connectivity, providing advanced products that enable desktop computer users to create, access and experience compelling new media content from their PC’s and through the Internet. Products include the Rio series of Internet audio appliances, the Stealth and Viper(R) series of video accelerators, the Monster series of 3D gaming accelerators, the Fire series of professional graphics accelerators, the Supra(R) series of modems, and the HomeFree line of home networking products. Diamond’s common stock is traded on the NASDAQ under the symbol DIMD.
How to Contact Diamond Multimedia

There are many ways to reach Diamond for sales support, technical assistance,
HomeFree, Monster 3D, Rio, Shotgun, SpeedStar and SupraSonic are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Diamond Multimedia Systems, Inc. Monster(R) is a registered trademark of Monster Cable. Viper(R) is a registered trademark of Directed Electronics, Inc., used under License. All other trademarks referenced are the service mark, trademark or registered trademark of their respective manufacturers. This announcement relates to products whose introductions are in North America. The product name, contents, prices and availability may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements.Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, such as statements relating to the Company’s ability to successfully exploit technological and market developments, the timing and success of new product introductions by the Company and its competitors, and the Company’s ability to invest in new technologies and to enhance its existing systems are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the impact of competitive products and pricing and alternative technological advances, the timely and successful development and market acceptance of new products and upgrades to existing products, and other risks as detailed from time to time in Diamond Multimedia’s SEC filings, including its most recent Forms 10-K and 10-Q.