Indian firm develops ‘world’s first’ Zika virus vaccine

Dr Krishna Ella, Bharat Biotech chairman Suresh Dharur & Aditi Tandon, Tribune News Service, Hyderabad/New Delhi, February 3In a major breakthrough, Hyderabad-based biotechnology research company Bharat Biotech has announced that it has developed the world’s first vaccine for Zika virus. The company has submitted two vaccine candidates — one inactivated and one recombinant — to the Government of India and is waiting for regulatory approvals to produce the vaccine on a large scale. The company officials are confident of producing one million doses of the vaccine, if clinical trials are completed as per the plan and approvals are given swiftly. Zika virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, which also transmits diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. Bharat Biotech submitted the necessary @ flickr.com/photos/thespeakernews/24253989800 by cc by 2.0 licence information to the Indian Council of Medical Research four days ago. The government today called researchers for discussions on the vaccine quality to see if its development can be fast-tracked. Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Secretary, Health Research, and Director General, ICMR, said, “Bharat Biotech has taken a lead in the possibility of developing a Zika vaccine. They applied for a patent for the vaccine almost a year...

Read More........→February 04, 2016

VR startup adds new skin to real world

Tech startup Wild has become the latest company to blend virtual reality with the physical world. The project uses a dedicated environment that serves as a physical framework that the user can explore while interacting with a virtual overlay as seen through a VR headset. WILD is initially aiming its creation at the marketing and visitor attraction markets.  Merging real and virtual environments is a popular concept at the moment, with several companies such as Surreal Vision - a company recently acquired by Oculus Rift – and VOID (Vision Of Infinite Dimensions) developing similar projects. US-firm Wild’s prototype has been built in its offices in Oregon and allows a user to open a door into a world where they can speed up and slow down traffic outside the office’s virtual window and change the weather with the flick of a 'real' switch. The explorers can interact – or in some cases eat – things that exist in both the real and virtual world such as popcorn.  Wild’s prototype uses a Samsung Gear VR headset with integrated smartphone. Multiple sensors track the whereabouts of the user, and establishes their interaction with the items in the space. It is these interactions with real world objects that ‘grounds’ the experience for the user, developers believe, and ultimately makes it more believable. Wild describes itself...

Read More........→September 01, 2015

Google launches new mapping and analysis tool for potential solar customers

BY:  PV MAGAZINE STAFF: The tech giant's latest foray into renewable energy involves aggregating information for customers looking to set up a new pv system, complete with shading analysis, financials and information on local installers. Project Sunroof is currently limited to San Francisco, Fresno and Boston. On Monday Google launched Project Sunroof, a new tool to provide information for prospective solar customers. The product utilizes Google Maps' vast data and a host of other resources, in a bid to make the choice to install PV “easy and understandable for anyone”. When an individual interested in installing PV provides his or her address, the program will provide a complete shading analysis, including trees and other obstructions that could lead to complications in output, as well as cloud patterns. The program is currently limited to San Francisco, Fresno and Boston, however Google plans to extend it to the entire nation. The program then asks for information on customer electricity usage, in order to calculate the optimal system size, with an aim towards 100% coverage. The program also provides information on federal, state and utility rebates and incentives, as well as renewable energy credits and net metering. Finally, Project Sunroof provides potential customers with information on solar providers in their...

Read More........→August 22, 2015