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 Experts Design System to Prevent Leakage of Organizational Info
Researchers of a knowledge-based company in Iran succeeded in designing a system to strengthen security and reduce the vulnerability of systems connected to the network to block leakage of organizational information.
“The company produces and commercializes products with 45 years of support in the fields of cellular systems, network cyber security, and intelligent asset management,” Amirhossein Ostadhossein Khayyat, a representative of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
Noting that one of the company's products is used to discover and monitor equipment, he said, “This product is used to improve security and reduce the vulnerability of systems connected to the network and it is used as a monitoring engine.”
Ostadhossein Khayyat explained that the system designed by the company enjoys the capability of permanent and real-time monitoring hardware equipment, adding that the system also monitors software services available in the network, including organizational, national and global networks along with security risk assessment.
“It is a software system provided to the customers in two versions of online and software. The product has passed the research stages and has reached the stage of production and commercialization,” he added.
Iran to Launch Cord Blood Refinery In Tehran by Yearend
An official at Iran National Cord Blood Bank (INCBB) said that a cord blood refinery will be launched in Tehran by yearend (March 21, 2024) to store birth products such as blood and umbilical cord tissue, amniotic membrane fluid and fetal placenta.
Joshaqani, the director of the agents department of Iran National Cord Blood Bank (INCBB), said on a visit to Semnan that planning has been made to benefit from umbilical cord blood in the treatment of non-hematopoietic diseases and to set up a maternity refinery and receive stem cells.
“Umbilical cord blood stem cells have been used to treat blood diseases such as thalassemia and various types of blood cancers, but by conducting clinical studies and research, we will start using these cells to treat non-hematopoietic diseases such as cerebral palsy, autism, and diabetes from August this year, “ Joshaqani added.
He further announced the planning to launch a cord blood refinery in Tehran by yearend to store birth products such as blood and umbilical cord tissue, amniotic membrane fluid and fetal placenta, adding, “Umbilical cord samples are stored in imported liquid nitrogen tanks at a temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius, which has been localized with the efforts of a knowledge-based company.”
“Every month, more than 2,000 cord blood samples are collected in the country, and with the families' permission, in the first quarter of this year, 8,500 cord blood samples were collected,” the medical official further noted.
Iran-Made Fitted Carpet Kills Bacteria
An Iranian nanotechnology firm produced a new type of wall-to-wall carpet which shows antibacterial properties.
‘Zarif Mosavar’ company has made the antibacterial fitted carpet whose fibers are modified by oxide nanoparticles with high capability to disinfect the bacteria, inhibit their growth, and suppress the unpleasant odors.
The product is rinse-resistant to conventional disinfectants and maintains its color stability.
Utilization of oxide nanoparticles in the structure of fitted carpet’s fibers has resulted in emergence of strong antibacterial properties, preventing the growth of bacteria and fungi and suppressing the unpleasant odors.
The antibacterial wall-to-wall carpets can be used in kitchen, child room, office, kindergarten and public places like mosques and schools.
Nano-Based Zinc Sulfide Powder Produced by Iranian Firm
Researchers at an Iranian company succeeded in production of zinc sulfide powder by using nanotechnology which can be applied in sensors and transistors.
‘Rayka Sanaat Afrand’ company has made the zinc sulfide (ZnS) powder with nanoscale rod-like particles and high purity.
It enjoys certain nanoelectronic features, including the quantum size effect, optical absorption, and quantum tunneling.
The nanoscale size of ZnS particles has led to high surface-area-to-volume ratio, emergence of the quantum size effect and quantum tunneling effect, and high optical absorption
The zinc sulfide powder can be used in electrocatalysts, biosensors and optical windows.
Iranian Experts Make Dental Suitcase to Provide Aid to Remote Areas
Researchers of a knowledge-based company in Iran succeeded in designing and manufacturing a mobile dental suitcase and chair to help people in far-fetched regions.
“The integrated mobile dental suitcase and chair is the result of 30 years of field and laboratory research which saves time, money and energy and has a significant effect on improving the general health of societies,” Mohammad Reza Dor Ali, the managing director of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
He elaborated on the features of the product, saying that weight bearing and maintaining balance up to 250 kg, usability without the need for any urban possibilities like water, electricity, sewage, etc., occupation of merely a travel suitcase, the ability to operate in harsh and different climatic conditions like the sea, desert, etc., providing electricity with a car battery, small generator, solar panel, etc., offering different positions for the patient and the dentist, and long-term work are among the features of the mobile dental suitcase and chair.
Dor Ali noted that the product is in compliance with all health and safety principles, weighs 30 kg and is very small that can be easily carried in the trunk of a car as a travel luggage, adding that advanced possibilities for more specialized treatments can be installed on this device and it consumes little amount of water and energy.
Largest Biotechnology Factory in Iran Increases Annual Production of Enzymes to 1,500 Tons
An Iranian holding operating in the field of biotechnology, oil, gas and innovation development launched the largest biotechnology factory in the country in 2018, and now its annual production of enzymes exceeds 1,500 tons.
Ali Marjawi, one of the technologists in the Iranian holding attending a conference on “technology exchange in the field of the food industry” held in Tehran said, “This holding is operating in the fields of biotechnology, oil, gas and innovation development. It launched the largest biotechnology factory in 2018 and its annual enzyme production has now increased to 1,500 tons.”
He considered the availability, cooperation with other companies and the production of enzymes with various applications as some of the advantages of their holding, saying, “The enzymes produced by this holding have applications in the food, textile, livestock and poultry and detergent industries. Along with this product, probiotics have also been produced.”
He pointed to the production of enzymes for the treatment of waste oil industries as one of the achievements of the company, saying, “We have succeeded in producing enzymes for meat products in order to connect pieces of meat, while enzymes for the production of sausages and kielbasas have also been produced.”
Iranian Firms Use Nanotechnology to Produce Zinc Oxide Powder
A number of Iranian companies managed to produce zinc oxide (ZnO) powder with nanoscale particles in the semi-equiaxed morphology with a high purity level of 98.5%.
‘Arman Jostojogaran Energy Noor’, ‘Arman Nanofanavar Rabin’ and ‘Behin Nanoparticles Pars’ companies produced the powder whose average particle size falls within the range of 10-20 nm.
Using nanotechnology has led to specific features in the product, including high surface-area-to-volume ratio, emergence of antibacterial property to eliminate the bacteria, and absorption of unfavorable smells.
The powder can be used in cosmetic compounds such as sunscreens, fabrication of nanocomposites, including rubber, glass, plastics, cement, and ceramics, lubricants, paints, adhesives, batteries, fire extinguishers, and UV absorbers, and dermal and anti-allergic medicines.
Nano Colloidal Selenium Produced in Iran for Food, Pharmaceutical Applications
Iranian scientists at a nanotechnology firm succeeded in production of colloidal selenium (SE) with applications in food and pharmaceutical industries.
‘Arman Jostojogaran Energy Noor’ company has made the product which is a uniform and stable colloid of selenium nanoparticles with a high purity (99.9%).
The concentration of nanoparticles in this colloid is less than 800 ppm and can serve as a strong antioxidant.
The nanoscale size of particles floating in the colloid has resulted in high surface-area-to-volume ratio, reduced toxicity compared to selenium, high capacity of removing free radicals and emergence of antibacterial and antioxidation properties.
The product can be used in food and pharmaceutical industries and cosmetics areas.
Iran Registers 17.1% Growth in Textile Industry, 6% in Clothing Industry Last Year
The Director General of the Office of Textiles and Clothing Industries at the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade said last year in the Iranian calendar, the textile industry grew by 17.1% while the clothing industry witnessed a 6% growth.
Mohsen Gorji, Director General of the Office of Textiles and Clothing Industries at the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade gave figures on the clothing industry for last iranian year of 1401 (march 21, 2022-2023) and said, “In the garment industry, we have at least 100,000 production units registered in the Guilds. These figures do not not include home businesses and bridal stores that are licensed by the Ministry of [Culture and Islamic] Guidance.”
“There are at least 280,000 distributive trade units, without taking into account the business activists who operate in cyberspace and sometimes are unauthorized.”
Stating that nearly 1,000 production industrial units are operating in the country, Gorji added that between 2 to 2.5 million people are employed in the textile and clothing industires in Iran.
“In this number of industrial-production units, in addition to 100,000 trade-production units, between 700,000 and 1 million people are employed. If employment in the distribution field is taken into account, nearly 2 million to 2.5 million people (officially registered statistics of official units) are working in the country's garment industry,” he said.
GPT Detectors Can Be Biased against Non-Native English Writers
Researchers at Stanford University show that computer programs commonly used to determine if a text was written by artificial intelligence tend to falsely label articles written by non-native language speakers as AI-generated.
The researchers caution against the use of such AI text detectors for their unreliability, which could have negative impacts on individuals including students and those applying for jobs, the journal Patterns reported.
"Our current recommendation is that we should be extremely careful about and maybe try to avoid using these detectors as much as possible," says senior author James Zou, of Stanford University. "It can have significant consequences if these detectors are used to review things like job applications, college entrance essays or high school assignments."
AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot can compose essays, solve science and math problems, and produce computer code. Educators across the US are increasingly concerned about the use of AI in students' work and many of them have started using GPT detectors to screen students' assignments. These detectors are platforms that claim to be able to identify if the text is generated by AI, but their reliability and effectiveness remain untested.
Tear-Resistant Rubbery Materials Could Pave Way for Tougher Tires
A new material design developed by researchers at Duke University could reduce pollution where the rubber meets the road.
Strategically adding weak points along microscopic chains called polymers actually makes them harder to tear, researchers report in the journal Science. Because polymers are used in car tires, the findings could help reduce plastic pollution as tires wear down over time.
When tires scrape against the road, they drop tiny particles of rubber and plastic polymers, which pollute waterways and contaminate the air (SN: 11/12/18). Every year, tires release an estimated 6 million metric tons of these microplastics into the environment. Stronger polymers that break apart less easily could limit the amount of particles shed annually.
To make such tough materials, Stephen Craig, a chemist at Duke University, and colleagues added molecules called cross-linkers to the polymers. These cross-linkers connected jumbled-up polymer chains to their many neighbors, and they were specifically designed to break apart easily. At the microscopic scale, the polymers act like a tangle of spaghetti strands with the cross-linkers holding them all together and helping them retain their shape, says Craig’s collaborator Shu Wang, a chemist at MIT.
When the team stretched the polymer spaghetti, the individual cross-linkers broke easily, as expected. But the bulk material required more force to rip than they expected.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Exports Nano Products to Germany, US
A knowledge-based company has succeeded in exporting its nano products, including the effective components of micro-encapsulated plant extracts and micro-encapsulated vitamins to Germany and the United States.
Habib Ramzanzadeh, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Asr-e Nano Company said in an interview with Iranian media, “This company operates in the field of producing effective and original enrichment and extra-beneficial ingredients for food stuff, pharmaceutical products, animal and poultry feed products, and cosmetics.”
“Our work and activity is in the field of nanotechnology, and we have begun mass production of different types of effective substances such as vitamins, proteins, amino acids, plant extracts and plant essences using nano-encapsulation technology to increase their durability and absorption,” he added.
"Fortunately, this company could export these materials to Germany and the United States since last year, and these materials are certain effective ingredients of micro-encapsulated plant extracts and micro-encapsulated vitamins that are used in food and pharmaceutical industries,” he added.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Companies to Display Products, Services at China’s CIIE 2023
Pavilion of Iran's knowledge-based companies will be set up at the China International Import Expo 2023 (CIIE 2023) with the support of Iran Innovation and Prosperity Fund.
One of the programs of the Iranian Innovation and Prosperity Fund in order to help the development of the export market of knowledge-based companies is to support the presence of these companies in permanent foreign exhibitions and their participation in prestigious international exhibitions in two different formats: independent presence and setting up a pavilion.
The pavilion of Iran's knowledge-based companies will be set up at the China International Import Expo which will be held between Sun, Nov 5, 2023 – Fri, Nov 10, 2023 with the support of Innovation and Prosperity Fund in China.
In the pavilion, which is set up by the Fund in cooperation with the Center for International Science and Technology Interactions of the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, Iranian knowledge-based companies will display their products and services.
Over 1.2 Million Tourists Visited Iran to Receive Medical Treatment Last Year
Iranian deputy health minister said that a total number of 1.2 million people from different countries traveled to the Islamic Republic of Iran to receive medical treatment during last year of 1401 (March 21-2022-2023) in the Iranian calendar.
“Last year, 1.2 million health tourists from different countries traveled to the Islamic Republic of Iran for treatment, and most of the visits were related to infertility treatment,” Saeed Karimi, the Deputy Minister of Health and Medical Education, said in a conference dubbed “The 2nd International Conference And Exhibition Of Hospitals And Medical Centers (IPH 2023) held in Tehran on July 17th.
“Among other cases that they came to Iran to receive treatment, we can point to cosmetic surgery, eye surgery, cardiovascular diseases, cancer-related diseases, dentistry, and organ transplantation,” the official added.
He stressed that the patient that come to Iran should receive standard treatment.
“A patient who comes to us from a foreign country must have access [to insurance] from the very beginning and get his treatment in a specific service package and leave satisfied,” Karimi added after stressing the need for paying more attention to insurance coverage.
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