Category Archives: Virtual Reality

Five physical challenges offer free sweaty fun for enthusiasts of all ages

'A Drop Over Lok Fu' features the first-ever virtual reality skydiving experience that uses the breath-taking setting of Hong Kong's cityscape

Special drinks and gym passes from merchants add a cool and electrifying splash to the summer

HONG KONG, Aug. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dive into a sizzling summer holiday with Lok Fu Place. To promote a green and healthy lifestyle to the widest possible audience, Lok Fu Place is organising the 'SPORTIVAL' campaign, which combines a sports gala with a carnival to celebrate an active summer. Kicking off on 31 July, SPORTIVAL will turn up the heat on sporting fun with exciting games and the first-ever virtual reality (VR) skydiving experience featuring Hong Kong's cityscape, creating memories for energetic, fun-loving jocks of all ages.

The large-scale SPORTIVAL campaign organised by Lok Fu Place combines a sports gala with a carnival to promote a green and healthy lifestyle.

Five Physical Challenges to Beef up Your Muscles

During the campaign, the outdoor leisure area in Zone B of Lok Fu Place will be transformed into a free fitness boot camp, where five physical challenges (bouldering, vertical wall climbing, slacklining, standing high jump and quintuple steps) will be open to all. The five checkpoints for these challenges will have gradations of difficulty, offering multi-level trainings for participants of different ages and fitness levels to boost their muscular power, stamina, balance and vertical leap abilities.

Shoppers with $200 or more of net spending* via electronic payment methods during the campaign period are each eligible to get one 'SPORTIVAL Fast Pass' and one day pass for Physical Fitness & Yoga Lok Fu. Holders of the Fast Pass can join the 'Weekly Physical Challenge' to score points at the checkpoints. The top three challengers on the weekly scoreboard will win fabulous prizes!

'A Drop Over Lok Fu' in a VR Skydiving Experience

Complementing the physical challenges is a VR skydiving experience that offers a virtual drop from 10,000 feet above the ground into the pulsating heart of urban Hong Kong the first such experience of its kind. Try out 'A Drop Over Lok Fu' and glide over the stunning Victoria Harbour and steer your way through the sky to land in Lok Fu Place while enjoying the familiar cityscape of our home city from an unusual perspective thanks to the state-of-the-art VR headset.

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This unique VR skydiving experience, enjoyed from the comfort of an armchair, is available for redemption with cumulative spending of $300 or more at Lok Fu Place via electronic payment methods*.

After a day of adrenaline-pumping activities, enjoy a slice of the great outdoors in the urban farm adjacent to the event venue, where seasonal greens such as edible sunflower, winter melon and hairy gourd are planted. Meanwhile, Fullhouse Kitchen at Lok Fu Place is joining hands with 'Taiko no Tatsujin' to present a special seasonal drink exclusively for the summer holiday to quench your thirst after a fun day out.

Terms and conditions apply. The programme is subject to change without prior notice.

For more details about the event, please visit Linkhk.com.

*Electronic payment methods include Credit Card, EPS, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Tap & Go, AlipayHK, WeChat Pay, Octopus or other mobile payment applications

About Link

Link Real Estate Investment Trust (Hong Kong stock code: 823), managed by Link Asset Management Limited, is a leading retail-focused REIT in the world. Listed in 2005 as the first REIT in Hong Kong, Link has been 100% held by public and institutional investors and is a Hang Seng Index constituent stock. From its home in Hong Kong, Link manages a diversified portfolio including retail facilities, car parks and offices spanning Hong Kong, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, London and Sydney. Link seeks to extend its portfolio growth trajectory and grasp expansion opportunities in different markets in pursuit of our medium-term target Vision 2025. For details, please visit https://www.linkreit.com/.

SOURCE Lok Fu Place

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Lok Fu Place Presents the Summer 'SPORTIVAL' Campaign - Virtual Reality Skydiving over Urban Hong Kong - Yahoo Finance

Miami Cancer Institute has teamed up with healthcare technology manufacturer Reimagine Well to create a virtual-reality experience for MR patients where staying perfectly still is rewarded in a gaming simulation.

"This Xbox-style educational game is a part of pre-MR acclimation. First, the patient can explore an MR suite in an Xbox-style environment on the laptop. The patient then puts on the VR headset and lies down. The headset can measure tiny movements of the head, and the game gives feedback to the patient (and staff) about their stillness," Roger Holzberg, founder of Reimagine Well, told HCB News.

One of Reimagine Wells Experiential Education programs, the VR-based MRI Stillness Game comprises three levels that are timed to last the duration of the scan. The aim is to fill black and white worlds with vibrant colors, which is achieved by the patient keeping still. The first level is the rainforest, followed by a balloon fiesta and then a coral reef.

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In addition to lowering anxiety and creating better patient experiences, the game is expected to reduce the need to reschedule appointments and increase facility throughput by shortening the duration of MR scans.

"For the hospital, when a patient is still, sequences do not need to be repeated, or MRs rescheduled," said Holzberg. "For patients, studies are suggesting that repeated sedation is harmful in young children. A strategy of preparation with experiential education has lowered the mean age of sedation at Nebraska Medicine from age ten to three."

Video games are becoming more common as tools to prepare and reduce anxiety in patients. They also are being used to teach clinicians practices that help enhance care and hospital operations. Level Ex, a video game manufacturer, for example,

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Using virtual reality to gamify (and reward) stillness for MR patients - DOTmed HealthCare Business News

Cyber security, 5G, drones and virtual reality are the technological developments expected to have the biggest impact on real estate in the next two years, according to a National Association of Realtors survey.

The survey also found that 36% percent of agents spend $50-$250 per month on technology, while 23% spend more than $500.

The figures released Tuesday stem from 3,104 online responses to a June survey of NAR members. About 1.4 million real estate agents the vast majority of U.S. home sale professionals are dues-paying members of the Chicago-headquartered NAR.

Thirty-one percent of agents surveyed believe 5G will have the biggest impact in the next 24 months. Meanwhile, 30% named virtual reality as the most likely to impact real estate on a day-to-day basis.

The survey also examined the current use of technology by agents, finding that the most valuable tools used in the past 12 months were eSignature, local MLS apps/technology, social media, lockboxes, and video conferencing.

Indeed, agents are on social media more than Charli dAmelio. Ninety percent of agents use Facebook in their day-to-day operations, followed by Instagram (52%), LinkedIn (48%), YouTube (24%) and Twitter (19%).

Less clear is whether real estate agents are big believers in social media or just feel they have to be on. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they use social media, because, well, They are expected to have a presence on social media.

That said, social media does top the list of where real estate agents generate leads, with 52% of respondents saying they get their tips from one of the aforementioned websites and apps. The agents customer relationship management system was the second best tech source for leads, responsible for 31%. The salespersons affiliated Multiple Listings Services site contributed to 28% of where the next deal may land.

The survey includes a statement from NAR President Bob Goldberg that, The pandemic has caused more of our members to use social media and video to creatively market themselves and their properties.

However, the majority of agents do not use video in marketing. Of those surveyed, 37% said they used it, while 29% said they dont, with the remainder stating they dont deploy video but they plan to do so going forward.

One intriguing question is whether real estate brokerages are providing agents with the technology they need. Basically every single brokerage today bills its value proposition as providing talented agents with the tools they need to maximize their productivity.

And, according to the survey, brokerages are largely delivering. Sixty-four percent of agents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that their brokerage provides technology tools needed to be successful. Only 13% disagreed or strongly disagreed with 23% stating they neither agree or disagree.

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Drones, 5g, and VR dot future of real estate tech - HousingWire

From gaming to entertainmentto training, Georgia companies have been pushing VR/AR space forward over the years.

Now, two different Georgia universities are using VR to improve our health and wellness, which is estimated to be a $11 billion by 2026.

We heard from a Georgia Tech graduate commercializing a VR meditation program to address critical mental health gaps and from the team behind a SCAD initiative to help those going through hospice care.

One Create-X startup is taking a zen approach while entering the fast-moving VR space.

Matthew Golino earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Georgia Tech, and worked previously as a software engineer for General Motors. During this classwork in the HCI program, he tells Hypepotamus that his interest in VR as an emerging medium converged with his experience in meditation.

Meditation, he says, became a more central part of his life during his graduate work. Throughout the course of his thesis, Golino spoke with expert and novice meditators alike on a quest to better understand how the practice of meditation is both taught and learned.

The result was eight meditation lessons taught completely through VR, aptly named ZenVR.

15 Georgia Tech students used the VR technology and educational modules during the prototyping phase.

We had people come in twice a week for 20 to 30 minute long classes. And by the end of the year, we were seeing these statistically significant increases in a number of mental health metrics. A lot of masters projects kind of end therebut given my personal interest, it was my belief that this could make an impact.

After completing the Create-X program last year, the team joined the Oculus Start Program.

ZenVR can now be downloaded in the Oculus Quest store.

For Teri Yarbrow, Immersive Reality Professor at SCAD, a new VRx Immersive Therapy program on campus is a combination of academic and personal passions.

I am a VR evangelist, Yarbrow tells Hypepotamus. I have been working with Hospice Savannah and the Steward Center of Palliative Care for more than two years. It began with a woman with stage 4 pancreatic cancer who wanted to skydive as a bucket-list request. She was too ill to skydive, so we brought her skydiving via VR. It was quite liberating for her as jumping out of a plane, and skydiving is a great metaphor for letting go and embracing the end-of-life experience.

As SCAD grew its BFA program in immersive reality, tangible applications took center stage. While students in the class were introduced to VRs role in commercial, architectural, fashion, gaming, engineering, experimental and medical fields, Yarbrow says students were particularly drawn to the medical opportunities.

18 students on campus have been involved in the project as far, which harnesses VR to alleviate pain, reduce anxiety in patients, and provide positive engagement for hospice patients. SCAD has created three unique experiences:

Virtual reality has proven effective in reducing pain, anxiety, stress, depression, dementia, Alzheimers and enhancing the quality of life. For those in palliative care or hospice who are bed-bound or confined to wheelchairs, this can be quite miraculous and life-enhancing. Our students visit patients at Hospice Savannah and Hospice Homecare. Based on the patients condition and specific requests, they implement VR experiences, adds Yarbrow.

Yarbow adds that she sees emerging opportunities to bring this technology out of the classroom even more. The FDA has now validated immersive VR therapy with a designation: Medical Extended Reality, MRX. This will create many career opportunities. Our goal is for SCAD to be a leader in the emerging field of immersive health, and, armed with the understanding of all facets of the design process and professional experiences even before graduation, our students will be at the forefront of creating the next generation of immersive medical experiences.

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What's Next In VR? Southeast Entrepreneurs Use Tech To Boost Wellness - hypepotamus.com

In the middle of the pandemic, the Portland Art Museum managed to score a partnership with one of the biggest events in the art world.

Last September, the museum and NW Film Center hosted the only U.S. exhibit of the Venice Biennial, a 126-year-old art festival and one of the most prominent in the world. For 10 days, the Portland Art Museum was home to the Venice Biennials virtual reality competition, Venice VR Expanded.

Now, the competition is about to return to Portland for the second year in a row. The Portland Art Museum announced today that it is one of the exhibitions 14 international satellite venues, and still the Venice Biennials sole U.S. outpost.

There are over 30 virtual reality films from 21 countries in this years show. The immersive works range from animated to nonfiction, and from story-focused to abstract experiences.

Like last year, a ticket gets you a one-hour time slot to explore dozens of VR headsets and their respective programs. The event will be held in the museums Fields Ballroom, and local duo Mobile Projection Unit will deck out the space with vibey lighting and projection art.

Venice VR Expanded will take place Sept. 1-19. Tickets go on sale in late August.

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The Venice Biennial's Only U.S. Exhibit Is Returning to the Portland Art Museum This Year - Willamette Week

The Department of Science and Technology Education within the Faculty of Education at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), has introduced a virtual and augmented reality (AR) research hub to accelerate innovation in the education field.

The new VARSTEME hub seeks to play a key role in educating the next generation of researchers and practitioners, by creating one of Africas primary academic centres dedicated to virtual reality (VR) and AR in science, technology, engineering and mathematic (STEM) learning, according to UJ.

Located at Auckland Park Kingsway campus in Johannesburg, the hub will support research and education initiatives with a potential to deliver game-changing breakthroughs in the STEM field, says UJ.

It will bring together an interdisciplinary team of UJ faculty, graduate students and postgraduates taking up studies in VR and AR.

We have great expectations for the hub and believe this can be a significant feature of the faculty and the university for research and teacher education, says UJ professor Umesh Ramnarain, HOD of science and technology education.

In December 2020, UJ was invited to do a presentation on the activities of the VARSTEME hub at the fifth Europe-Asia Symposium on Simulation & Serious Games for Education. It was the first invited presentation from an African country.

The hub will be officially launched today during a virtual opening ceremony.

The recognition of technology-enabled learning that has been forced due to the pandemic is opening doors to learning opportunities that are unprecedented in human history, and the development of VAR technologies is a marker for the future of basic and higher education delivery in the country, notes UJ.

In SA and other emerging markets, AR and VR applications remain niche tools for scientific research. The goal of the VARSTEME hub is to equip pre-service and in-service teachers with knowledge and skills in the use of advanced learning technologies, it adds.

Associated to this goal, is the research agenda to pursue studies on the efficacy and pedagogy of the two technologies.

UJs VARSTEME hub is well-placed to assume a key leadership role in exploiting the affordances of VR and AR, not only in South Africa but on the African continent as a whole, says professor Yiyu Cai, professor from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, programme director of the Strategic Research Programme of VR and Soft Computing, and professor in charge of the Computer-aided Engineering Labs at NTU.

Through VARSTEME, international collaboration can be developed for next-generation education research.

The UJ VARSTEME hub builds on the Virtual Campus Tour, which uses VR with AR to help people navigate the campus maps online. UJ also has the Virtual Graduation ceremony and online systems for graduates, which include digital certificates, electronic academic records and the graduation selfie picture feature.

More here:

UJs virtual reality hub to advance STEM education - ITWeb

Explore Biomes in Virtual Reality

While it is fun to visit and explore each biome in person, it is not likely that you can get to all of them. So we are gathering some 360 views of the different biomes that you can use to explore and learn about each biome. It is like having your own private window looking into these amazing places.

There are three ways to view each biome. You can use a computer and click and drag to look around. You can also use your smart phone like an iPhone or Android with their gyroscope enabled functionto look into each biome. In this mode you can move the phone around as you to look into the biome. Finally, if you have Virtual Reality (VR) goggles like Google Cardboard, you can immerse yourself into each biome. Be sure to stand up and turn and look around to view all of the space.

We are just getting started, so bookmark this page so you can find your way back to explore more virtual biomes as they are released. We also welcome your feedback and suggestions.

How to explore the virtual biomes

On a computer, smart phone, or tablet you can click or touch the Location icon to move to the new area. When using goggles, you place the pointer on top of the Location Icon to move to a new area. Below are the other icons you will find in the different tours. Review the list below before you jump into these virtual worlds.

Biologist Notebook

When you explore these different biomes you will want to take notes of what you see and hear. You can use your own notebook, or download our custom designed Biologist Notebook that can be used to document your travels and discoveries.

This virtual biome is from the desert southwest of the United States. This biome is filled with desert plants and animals. See if you can find biologist Karla Moeller who is studying Gila monsters. Oh, and be sure to be on the lookout for the rattlesnake.

As you explore this biome, take notes on the types of plants and animals you find. Here are a few questions to get you started.

Pop into this virtual rainforest found in Panama. Listen to the animals and explore the lush green plant life. Biologists David Pearson, Karla Moeller, and Peter Marting are also there to show you around this biome. If you click on Karla, you can listen to her talking about what they are doing in the rainforest. Be sure to track down the howler monkey in this tour.

As you explore this biome, take notes on the types of plants and animals you find. Here are a few questions to get you started.

This virtual biome allows you to explore the savanna of Kenya Africa. Join biologist Beth Pringle and her research team as they travel in the savanna where they are researching the relationship between some ants and trees that live in this biome. While they are out they also see many animals that make the savanna their home. Be sure to find Beth and click on her to hear her talk about the research and animals that are part of the virtual tour. Later, you can read her PLOSable story,Trees Get By with Ant Aides, to learn more about her research.

As you explore this biome, take notes on the types of plants and animals you find. Here are a few questions to get you started.

This virtual biome allows you to explore the temperate forest in North America. Not only can you jump from location to location, you can also travel in time. Look for the time travel icons that let you move between summer, fall, and winter seasons.

As you explore this biome, take notes on the types of plants and animals you find. Here are a few questions to get you started.

Tundras are cold, wind-swept areas where low-growing bushes, grasses, and mosses seem to rule the land. Travel around the country of Iceland to check out many faces of the tundra, but without the biting cold. This tour has some extra stops, so make sure to check the thumbnail menu so you don't miss any locations.

As you explore this biome, take notes on the types of plants and animals you find. Here are a few questions to get you started.

Credits:

Desert 360 images by CJ Kazilek. Locations include Lost Dutchman State Park, Senoran Desert east of Picacho, South Mountain Park, Arizona. Audio recording at locations by CJ Kazilek.

Savanna 360 images by Beth Pringle.

VR-360 Video of hyena: Courtesy of Wildlife Protection Solutions.

Rainforest 360 images by Karla Moeller. Locations include Pipeline Road, Gamboa, Panama. Audio recordings at locations by CJ Kazilek.

Video host: David Pearson.

Temperate forest 360 images by CJ Kazilek. Locations include Mount Humphrey Arizona, and Keystone Colorado. Audio recordings at locations by CJ Kazilek.

Points of interest by: David Pearson, Karla Moeller, and Charles Kazilek.

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360 Virtual Reality Biomes | Ask A Biologist

Photo: Josh Edelson (Getty Images)

An update for Facebooks Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality system will let developers incorporate real-life video from the VR headsets sensorsinto their games to create mixed reality experiences.

With Passthrough API Experimental, Oculus new application programming interface, developers can customize how a players surroundings appear through their VR headset, applying effects and filters and even rendering the real world onto certain in-game surfaces. The API will roll out first to Unity developers in an upcoming software update, with support for other development platforms coming in the future, Oculus VR said in a blog post Friday.

Its easy to imagine a slew of cool ways games could incorporate your physical environment into gameplay. One gif that Oculus shared of the API in action shows a player drawing on the walls, immediately calling to mind the paint-based turf wars a la Splatoon.

Gif: Oculus VR (Facebook)

The ability to toggle the mixed realitys opacity, aka how much of the real-world or virtual one you see at any given time, thats shown off in another gif could handily be integrated with some kind of puzzle-solving mechanic.

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In-game enemies could also hide behind your furniture for sneak attacks. Im a total chicken when it comes to horror games already, so the idea of monsters being able to jump out from behind my own living room couch makes me want to cry.

Gif: Oculus VR (Facebook)

The announcement included several examples of uses for the API beyond gaming as well. Oculus posited that it could improve productivity and enable more collaborative teleworking by incorporating workers real-life keyboards and desks. Users would also be able to engage with virtual content without losing the ability to interact with their housemates or pets.

When asked if first-generation Quest users can expect to have access, Facebook told the folks at UploadVR that the API is only coming to the Quest 2. A pared-down version of the Passthrough technology is already available on Facebooks Quest, Quest 2, and Rift S headsets, which lets users take a peek at whats happening around them while still wearing the headset.

Gif: Oculus VR (Facebook)

In its announcement, Oculus added that it designed the API with privacy in mind.

Apps that use Passthrough API cannot access, view, or store images or videos of your physical environment from the Oculus Quest 2 sensors. This means raw images from device sensors are processed on-device, the company said.

As for when developers can expect to ship their games that use Passthrough to players, Oculus said its aiming to roll out a production version later this year.

Read more:

Oculus' New Experimental API Blends Virtual Reality With Your Real-World Surroundings - Gizmodo

As the COVID-19 pandemic still looming large over the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, technological innovations are promising to bring spectators and athletes closer to the action.

Using advanced virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), this year's event will be the first Games with its own COVID-inspired Olympic Virtual Series.

In one event, pro cyclists competed from around the world on exercise bikes from the comfort of their own homes.

On-site at the Games, a team from NTT Docomo, one of Japan's major network providers, is helping spectators get an upgraded experience.

"At a normal swimming event, spectators are very much engrossed in the action, but if you want to check out player records or other stats, you have to look up at a display on a wall," said Noriyuki Furuno who is leading the NTT Docomo team.

Going back and forth between the pool and the display, as would be the case during a normal swimming competition, is now a thing of the past. Thanks to the new speed and low latency that 5G offers, spectators at swimming venues can wear a special augmented reality or AR headset.

While keeping their eyes on the action, they can see who is in what lane, lap times and if a swimmer is close to breaking a world record.

These in-person experiences depend on cutting-edge transmission technology end-to-end. That will take some work, but Docomo's experience designer Akiji Tanaka said there are interesting applications ahead.

"In the future, we could send competition data directly to another pool set up in another location - replicating the swimmers in the pool and all the data that comes with it via those glasses and casting it over the empty pool," said Tanaka.

"I think spectators will be able to watch and participate in sports happening very far away without being bound by their physical location".

For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.

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Tokyo 2020: Virtual reality and augmented reality bringing spectators closer to the action - Euronews

After recently opening one cell therapy plant and breaking ground on another in Massachusetts, Takeda is pivoting westward to beef upproduction in California.

The Japanese drugmaker is injecting $126 million into its Thousand Oaks facility to boost manufacturing and support new product lines, Pacific Coast Business Times first reported. Takeda wasjoined by the citys mayor, Claudia Bill-de la Pea, for a groundbreaking event on Thursday, July 22.

The outlaywill be used to grow Takeda's portfolio of treatments and boost capacity "to manufacture additional products for the rare disease community," Stephen Hatke, Takeda's Thousand Oaks site head, said in a YouTube video about the expansion. The company didn't name the specific products it plans to make there.

As for the expansion itself, Takeda will build a new 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at the site and expand an existing 14,000-square-feet of production space. Takeda has been knocking around the Thousand Oaks area since 1996, the Business Times said.

RELATED:With Takhzyro durability data, Takeda tries to fend off BioCryst's hereditary angioedema challenger Orladeyo

The company pinpointed Thousand Oaks for its expansion based on capability, staffingas well as the local community and the things we could bring to the area,Hatke, told the news outlet.

The sites workforce currently stands 550-strong. Takeda plansto boost its headcount in Thousand Oaks, though nothing is certain, Hatke said, as quotedby the Business Times.

The manufacturing chief pointed to some of the cutting-edge technology Takeda will roll out at the upgraded facility, such as automation and robotics, plusvirtual reality equipment and training.

RELATED:With cost cuts and asset sales largely wrapped, Takeda gears up for growth: CEO

In Massachusetts, where the bulk of Takedas U.S. operations are based since the Shire buyout, the Japanese pharma has been swiftly ramping up its cell therapy ambitions. In September, the company cut the ribbon on a new 24,000-square-foot R&D manufacturing center in Boston, which it said at the time would handle clinical development for three ongoing pipeline programs and two other prospects pegged to enter clinical development by the end of 2021.

Earlier this year, the company revealed it had broken ground on a 38,000-square-foot commercial cell therapy plant in Lexington, Massachusetts, which is about 10 miles from downtown Boston. Takeda says the new $84 million plant will be used to make cell therapies for cancers and other diseases. That site will also tap robotics and virtual reality training, which Takeda says should help operators learn in a virtual environment before they enter the real facility.

Continued here:

Takeda lays out $126M to tap robotics, virtual reality and more at California production site - FiercePharma