Top News of Last Week with ANA
Azad News Agency (ANA) published a number of scientific and technological news during the past week whose top ones are as follows:
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Produces Desktop Pulse Oximeter
An Iranian knowledge-based company based in Khorasan-Razavi province has produced a desktop pulse oximeter device by receiving funds from Samen Health Research and Technology Fund to monitor blood oxygen level.
“The desktop pulse oximeter is a device for real-time measurement of arterial blood oxygen saturation percentage and heart beat rate per minute. This device measures the amount of hemoglobin moleculesmixed with oxygen and expresses it as a percentage. The normal level is between 95% and 97%. If this amount falls below 90% in patients, an alarm goes out,” Abolfazl Shourvarzi, a member of the board of directors of the knowledge-based firm said, according to a report by Samen Health Fund.
Shouvarzi went on to say that high accuracy and the ability to compete with foreign imported equivalents among the advantages of their machine, adding, “All the stages of making this device were done in this company and in terms of cost, it is more economical than similar foreign products.”
The member of the board of directors of the company also said that medical centers and hospitals in the country are the target market for their product, continuing, “In the next steps and after obtaining the necessary permits, we have planned to export this product to neighboring countries as well. Also, this product can be used for home use due to its easy use, while the home edition of this product is already produced by this company and offered for sale in domestic markets.”
“We used the funds provided by Samen Health Fund in the production and development of the desktop pulse oximeter,” he continued.
Iran-Made Device Capable of Car Tracking, Troubleshooting, Anti-theft Alarming
An Iranian knowledge-based company designed a system that can be utilized for car tracking, troubleshooting, and anti-theft alarming simultaneously.
The product performs three functions professionally and there is no other similar product that can perform like this.
This device can be suitable both for organizations that have many cars and for an individual as well.
In advanced cars, a new Internet-based process for troubleshooting has been defined, where the car owner can embark on troubleshooting through a mobile phone.
Iran-Made Device Obviates Need to Import Hot Tapping of Oil Pipelines
A knowledge-based company in Iran has designed a device with high quality and different capabilities for hot tapping of oil pipelines to eliminate the need for imports.
“The device has a very sensitive function and its quality and efficiency should be at a high level for a successful operation and the Iran-made product is superior and more efficient than the foreign models,” said Reza Zolqader, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“The hot tapping device is used for branching from oil and gas pipelines without the need to stop the fluid flow in explosive conditions which is known as hot tapping operation,” he added.
“In the inner part of the hot tapping device, a retainer has been installed to restrain the end of the shaft and prevent the shaft of the hot tapping device from lagging. This function is very important,” Zolqadr said.
Iranian Researchers Develop System Capable of Treating Wastewater Up to 90%
Iranian researchers at a technological company have developed a water treatment system based on ceramic nano membranes which can treat homes and industrial wastewater up to 90%.
Ali Akbar Babalu, the managing director of an Iranian technology company and a professor at Sahand University of Technology in Tabriz, in the Northwestern part Iran said that they used nano ceramic membranes to develop the system.
“Ceramic membranes have many applications in the separation and purification of gases, proteins and various compounds, and we in this company have concentrated the exploitation of these membranes in the greywater field,” Babalu said, according to Iran's Nanotechnology Development Headquarters.
"Utilizing this system via controlling the conditions, nanometer holes can be created on these membranes and it can be used to remove pollutants in greywater,” he continued, adding, “Greywater is the wastewater from home uses such as dishes or toilets, bathrooms, washing machines and kitchens, and this water purification system equipped with nano-ceramic membranes can remove compounds such as detergents, oil and fat and other water pollutants, and reduce the microbial load of water and treat the water for agriculture irrigation or even drinking water.”
“With this technology, 70% to 90% of greywater can be recycled for reuse at home or in different industries,” Babalu pointed out.
He further considered car wash, carpet cleaning, stone cutting, bolt and nut production workshops as well as radiator manufacturing units among the industries that can use their water treatment system.
Iranian Researcher Designs, Builds 1,600-Degree Celsius Lab Furnace
A graduate of mechanics at Islamic Azad University’s Shahr-e Kord branch in Western Iran succeeded in designing and building a laboratory furnace which is resistance to high temperature of up to 1,600 degrees Celsius.
“This electric furnace has been designed and built with a capacity of three liters, 2,000 watts of power and a bilingual menu in Farsi and English,” Sa’adat Dousti, who works at the incubator center of technological units of Islamic Azad University’s Shahr-e Kord branch, told ANA.
He added that materials and energy laboratories, dental laboratories for sintered zirconia, performing heat treatment for material decomposition, calcination of ceramics and nanotechnology polymers, chemical vaporization of melting and heat treatment, alloying, drying of polymers, physical and chemical analysis, oxidation and reduction, purification of synthesis materials and sintering of refractory materials are among the applications of these laboratory furnaces.
“PLC control system, seven-inch touch screen, easy use and very low energy consumption due to the special programming of the device that uses artificial intelligence are other advantages of the laboratory furnace which is made in dimensions of 50*50*86 cm, and it is possible to design and manufacture similar devices with different capacities and dimensions based on the needs of the consumer,” Dousti said.
Iranian Company Produces Regulation System for High-Pressure Gas Stations
An Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in manufacturing a regulation system able to measure the volume of gas transferred and consumed in high-pressure stations.
Due to the fact that the existing turbine meter for measuring the volume of gas consumption alone cannot measure gas consumption in high-pressure stations, a regulation system is used to accurately calculate the consumption of gas.
The gas temperature and pressure regulator is a converter that measures the gas volume in base conditions according to the volume in conditions that include temperature, pressure, and compressibility factor.
So, it is necessary to prepare temperature and pressure regulation systems for all urban and rural gas pressure reduction stations, industrial units, and natural gas stations and install them on turbine meters.
When gas pressure and temperature change, the volume of gas changes accordingly, and the turbine meter measures the volume of gas passing through measuring the speed.
Amirkabir University in Iran to Host Int’l Conference on Electrical Engineering
The 31st International Conference on Electrical Engineering is due to be held at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran on May 8-11.
“The 31st International Conference on Electrical Engineering will be held in cooperation with the Iranian Electrical Engineering Science Association and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of Amirkabir University of Technology,” said Masoud Shafiyee, the chairman of the 31st Conference and Secretary of the Permanent Committee of the International Conference on Electrical Engineering.
He added that the official inauguration ceremony of the conference will be held on May 9, adding, “Among the side programs of the conference, mention can be made of holding 40 educational workshops on May 8.” Shafiyee noted that over 500 articles have been sent to the conference’s secretariat, adding, “Nearly 270 articles will be presented in 60 specialized meetings.”
Carrying Out Plan to Preserve Different Types of Medicinal Plants in 5 Iranian Provinces
In order to preserve the rare indigenous medicinal plants in Iran last year, a plan titled “medicinal plant collection development plan” was carried out in five different provinces across the country.
Protecting various plant types in a country matters a lot as plants are considered to be a national wealth which could create lots of revenues and jobs for that country, a report by the Iranian Vice Presidency for Science and Technology said.
Preserving and collecting different plant germplasms with the aim of preserving the resources with high genetic value is what a botanical garden does. A botanical garden or botanic garden is a garden with a documented collection of living plants for the purpose of scientific research, conservation, display, and education.
A botanic garden can take care of plant types in different provinces and regions in a country. Valuable types symbolize the habitat and ecosystem of each region.
In fact, botanical gardens are large communities of living plants and valuable vital resources for plant conservation, agriculture, forestry, and horticulture.
The researchers at an Iranian knowledge-based company produced a rectifier for accurately calculating the rate of the natural gas transmission at the high-pressure gas stations.
“The normal turbine meter at high pressure gas stations that are used to measure the gas transmission volume alone cannot measure the volume of gas that passes through. For that, a rectifier is needed to accurately calculate the gas transmission volume. Hence, the correction device matters a lot in the oil and gas industry,” according to Mohammad Ali Qaderi, who is the member of the board of directors of that knowledge-based firm, Iran’s Vice Presidency for Science and Technology reported.
He considered the gas temperature and pressure rectifier to be a gas volume converter that calculates the gas volume in basic conditions based on the volume in measurement conditions that includes temperature, pressure and compressibility parameters.
“Therefore, it is necessary to use temperature and pressure rectifying devices for all urban and rural gas pressure reduction stations, industrial units and natural gas stations and install them on turbine meters,” the researcher said.
“When the gas pressure and temperature fluctuates, the volume of the gas changes accordingly, and the turbine meter measures the volume of the passing gas through the speed factor, meaning that the gas flow is calculated when the gas flow collides with a vane wheel and the transmitted gas is calculated based on the number of the rotations.” Qaderi added.
Largest Foot-And-Mouth Disease Vaccine Production Line in Iran Inaugurated
The largest vaccine production line for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Iran came on stream last week.
The FMD vaccine is used to create resistance against the virus and control foot-and-mouth disease in cattle, calves, sheep, and goats.
FMD is a highly contagious, acute viral disease. It is characterized by the formation of vesicles (fluid blisters) and erosions in the mouth and on the nose, teats, and feet.
The vaccine is an oil-based adjuvant that usually provides immunity for a longer period of time. In case of the foot-and-mouth disease, the immunity reaches up to 6 months while it is 3 to 4 months in the case of water-based vaccines.
The lower price of the Iran-made product compared to foreign samples, the increase in domestic production capacity of livestock vaccines, and the reduction of foreign dependence are among the advantages of the project.
Iranian Company Discovers Way to Measure Membranes in Oil, Petrochemical Industries
An Iranian research-industrial company has produced a device for measuring the performance of membrane that has application in the separation of gases in oil and gas pharmaceutical industries.
According to a report by Iran’s Headquarters for Nanotechnology Development, one of the research-industrial companies has succeeded in introducing membrane performance measurement device known as the MGSPS to the market the .
The device can play an important role in the field of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has enabled the device to enjoy the ability of measuring membrane performance.
"Detection of large holes and cracks in the structure of the microporous membrane", "Possibility of performing membrane separation at different temperatures and pressures", "Possibility of membrane separation and Permporometry" and "Measuring the distribution of holes on the membrane surface" are among the capabilities of the device, the report added.
Iran-Made Low-Cost Insulator Capable of Saving Energy in Buildings
An Iranian professor at the Islamic Azad University of Borujen, managed to invent and register a low-cost product that is able to save energy in buildings efficiently.
“After participating in a seminar on new energies, I realized that due to the high cost of generating new energies, saving energy should be implemented at the same time as changing fossil energy to new energy. Currently, a large amount of energy is wasted in households,” Behrouz Alayee, who is also a Physics professor, said.
“So, I was looking for a method for thermal insulation in buildings that is economically cost-effective, high-performance, and easy to implement, and I reached the "insulation of walls using fiberglass mesh,” he added.
Alayee further said that the invention titled “insulation of walls using fiberglass mesh” was registered by the relevant organization.
Knowledge-Based Firm in Iran Makes High-Resistance Flooring for Industries
Researchers of a knowledge-based company in Iran succeeded in production of industrial concrete flooring with high resistance to pressure and erosion by using nanotechnology.
Concrete is one of the most widely-used building data-x-items applied as a raw material in construction. Concrete floorings are used as a new covering in certain shapes and thicknesses for the flooring of parks and urban and industrial passages, according to the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy.
The main and important specification of this type of concrete flooring which has been produced by an Iranian knowledge-based company is its high resistance to erosion and weather changes. Cement, water, aggregator and concrete glue are used to make this type of flooring but to improve the properties of this product, nanoparticles have also been added.
Nanoparticles are one of the additives that can improve the properties of concrete, including erosion resistance, due to their very small dimensions. This type of flooring can be used in industrial and decorative flooring, parking lots, warehouses, ports, parks, road surfaces, sidewalks, intersections, stair floors, top of ramps and slopes, and refinery areas and fueling stations.
New Nanocoating Kills More Bacteria Faster
A new copper covering that kills bacteria faster and in greater amounts than existing formulations might be available for hospitals and other high-traffic locations in the near future, University of British Columbia researchers found.
Although current formulations comprised of pure copper are antibacterial and self-sanitizing, they kill certain forms of bacteria with a thicker cell wall (Gram-positive bacteria), more slowly than bacteria with a thinner cell wall (Gram-negative), the journal Advanced Materials Interfaces reported.
Using zinc and bacteria-killing nanoscale features, a team of the University of British Columbia researchers under the direction of Dr. Amanda Clifford, an assistant professor in the department of materials engineering, has created a nano-copper coating. Small bumps known as nanoscale features have the power to kill bacteria by rupturing their cell walls. In contrast to pure copper alone, zinc, which is similarly antibacterial, selectively oxidizes in the presence of copper and aids in the faster killing of bacteria.
“Use of our coating could significantly reduce the incidence of contracting bacterial infections from high-touch surfaces in healthcare facilities, such as doorknobs and elevator buttons since it kills bacteria using multiple approaches,” says Dr. Clifford. “As it contains less copper than other existing coatings or whole copper parts, it would also be cheaper to make.”
The team found that the material took just one hour to kill 99.7 percent of Staphylococcus aureus—a Gram-positive pathogen commonly responsible for hospital-acquired infections— compared with two hours for pure copper.
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