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 Researcher Launches 1st Iranian Goat Genome Variation Database
An Iranian researcher has launched the first goat reference genome for local Iranian species of goats as a result of carrying out a research project.
“Genome Analysis of Native Iranian Goat Ecotypes Using Next Generation Sequencing Technology,” is the title of post-doctoral dissertation done by "Zeinab Amiri Qanat Saman" at Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, which was sponsored by Iran National Science Foundation (INSF), according to INSF website’s report.
The researcher thoroughly analyzed the genome of native Iranian goats and showed their structure, the report said
She also determined the difference between the genome of native Iranian goats and their foreign counterparts. As a result, her research can be considered a road map for those who want to do eugenics.
“In recent years, the use of new technologies of molecular genetics has been considered as a suitable method to collect data on the characteristics of populations; therefore, the use of technology helps a lot to identify the genetic characteristics of populations and plan for their genetic protection and breeding. Our country is also one of the oldest centers of domestication and breeding of livestock and poultry species in the world,” Amiri Qanat Saman, who has a PhD in animal science - genetics and animal breeding from the Shahid Bahonar University, said.
Iran Registers 17.3 Percent Growth in Textile Industry
Director-General of the Office of Textiles and Clothing Industries at the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohsen Gorji said that the textile industry grew by 17.3% in the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20).
“Last year, the textile and clothing industry had the highest growth of Iran’s industry sector with a growth of 17.3%,” Gorji said.
“Nearly one million people work in Iran’s textile industry in 7,000 production units,” he added.
“Our total import in the textile industry is $1.8 billion, of which $700 million are allocated to the clothing sector,” Gorji noted.
Iranian experts have in the past few years manufactured different machinery for the textile industry.
Iran Medicinal Chemistry Research Institute to Produce Raw Materials for Pharmaceutical Companies
Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST) has opened Iran Medicinal Chemistry Research Institute to produce raw materials for producing drugs in domestic pharmaceutical companies.
“One of the main objectives of founding the Medicinal Chemistry Research Institute is to conduct applicable and developmental researches to create and develop the technical know-how of preparation and production of primary and intermediate materials for the pharmaceutical and health industries,” Hassan Zamanian, the head of Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST) said.
“The Medicinal Chemistry Research Institute that is established in the IROST can jointly work and cooperate with other active centers and institutions in the field of production of pharmaceutical raw materials and intermediates,” the IROST head said.
“Also, conducting fundamental research and developing the related knowledge with the aim of creating and expanding new products and processes in the field of medicinal and health industries, training and educating expert and competent forces in the field of pharmaceutical and health industries through the holding of post-graduate education courses, short-term training courses, long-term and practical training workshops, strengthening cooperation and collective scientific and technological activities and creating specialized and reference research laboratories are among the other goals pursued in founding this research institute,” Zamanian, who is also the Iranian deputy science minister, further said.
Iranian Company Produces Nano-Based Additive for Rapid Heat Exchange
Experts at an Iranian company managed to use nanotechnology to make a special additive used for the rapid exchange of heat.
Azma Sanjesh company manufactured the additive which increases the speed of heat exchange and brings advantages like preventing corrosion and increasing the life of equipment in industry.
"We have produced a nano additive to improve heat transfer properties in gas industry converters which is currently used in 28 companies,” said Abdolrahim Sabouri, the managing director of the company.
“This additive has specially been produced for closed systems like chillers and boilers, and it can be used for both heating and cooling systems,” he added.
“The results showed that the nano additive can result in a 15% to 25% improvement in heat transfer. It increases the speed of heat transfer, creates anti-corrosion properties in facilities and boosts the life of equipment and infrastructure. Another feature of this product is its high stability,” Sabouri said.
Monitoring Your Health with Iranian Nutrition Software
A software has been developed at an Iranian knowledge-based company that monitors a person's physical condition and offers suitable food ration suggestions.
“With the investment of a group of private sector economic activists and experts in the field of nutrition, since 2007 we have developed various infrastructures and products to promote health, and one of these achievements is the analysis of food rations to prevent diseases caused by malnutrition,” Shahrouz Seifouri, managing director of the knowledge-based company said, according to a report by the Iranian Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy.
"Long walks cause the body's electrolytes such as calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, and sodium to be disturbed, resulting in muscle cramps. In order for the body to function properly, these electrolytes need to be kept at a balanced level, otherwise the body's vital systems can be affected," he said.
“The electrolyte imbalance causes serious problems such as coma, seizures and cardiac arrest, so we released a software for this purpose. This application is installed on the phone and by monitoring the physical activity of the person, it provides suggestion on how to ration your food,” the researcher concluded.
Iranian Firm Manufactures Energy-Efficient Nano Glass
Kaveh Glass Industrial group is an Iranian company whose experts have been able to use nanotechnology to produce energy-efficient glass which reduces costs and increases comfort for customers.
Kaveh Glass Industrial Group has been able to produce energy controlling glass called EcoStar and EcoStar Plus using nanotechnology and receive a NanoScale Certification from Product Evaluation Unit of Iran Nanotechnology Innovation Council (INIC). EcoStar and EcoStar Plus products are industrially manufactured and currently available in the market.
Energy controlling glass controls energy transmission through conduction and radiation simultaneously and makes glass into an extremely effective element to reduce energy consumption, increases brightness, and provides visibility in the building, enhances the beauty of the façade while maintaining visible light transmission. These types of glass windows help materialization of the idea of buildings with large windows that bring inside light and beauty of the surroundings.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Produces Herbal Ointment to Heal Skin Burns
Researchers at an Iranian knowledge-based company have produced a herbal ointment to treat skin burns and blisters from sweating.
“The ointment, which has been produced based on plant materials, has antibacterial properties. At the same time, it is very effective to heal blisters from sweating,” Hana Allahdadi, one of the directors of the knowledge-based company said, according to a report by the Iranian Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy.
She stated that this ointment is also used to heal infected wounds and blisters, adding, “This ointment can prevent the worsening and spread of the infection.”
Allahdadi considered the superiority of this ointment over its counterparts available in the market to be its quick effectiveness, compatibility with all skin types and no limits on its use for different people.
“This product is completely herbal and is produced from a combination of two plants, ferulag and thyme. Therfore, it can be helpful even for people with sensitive skin,” the researcher concluded.
Recoiling Black Holes Could Move at Nearly One-Tenth Speed of Light
Collisions between black holes can launch newly melded cosmic sinkholes at speeds up to nearly one-tenth the speed of light, researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology found.
Moving that fast — about 28,500 kilometers per second — it would take about 13 seconds to complete the average trip from Earth to the moon. The findings may help researchers figure out how much energy can get released when black holes converge, the Physical Review Letters reported.
Black holes merge after coming so close together that they become ensnared in each other’s gravitational pull. The couple enters a cosmic waltz, spiraling ever tighter and stirring up ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves (SN: 6/28/23; SN: 1/21/21).
If the pair’s convergence blows gravitational waves preferentially in one direction, then the emerging black hole will recoil in the opposite direction at high speed, like kickback from a gun (SN: 4/25/22).
Revolutionary Coating Can Turn Lampshades into Indoor Air Purifiers
Researchers at Yonsei University have announced the creation of innovative catalyst-coated lampshades that act as indoor air purifiers.
These indoor air purifiers work to transform harmful pollution into harmless compounds, destroying indoor air pollution, the Innovation News Network reported.
The lampshades work with halogen and incandescent light bulbs, and the team is extending the technology to be compatible with LEDs.
The researchers will present their results during Autumn’s American Chemical Society (ACS) meeting.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Company Produces Saplings to Increase Fruit Yield
A knowledge-based company has produced saplings native to Iran’s soil which not only offer higher quality crops, but also are compatible with calcareous soils.
Hamed Mahmoudzadeh, the managing director of the Iranian knowledge-based company pointed to the production of fruit tree rootstocks using tissue culture and modified saplings technique as one of their company’s activities, adding, “The rootstocks produced in this company have advantages such as compatibility with calcareous soils, alkaline soils, fast producing fruit and increasing the yield of trees planted on these rootstocks.”
"Reduction in pruning of fruit trees and the improvement of the quality of the produced crops are among other features of these saplings," he said, adding theat peach rootstock, nectarine, different species of almond, cherry rootstocks, prunus cerasifera rootstock, apple rootstock, pear rootstock and pistachio rootstock are some of the products of this knowledge-based company.
Mahmoudzade continued to say that their produced rootstock saplings are not only compatible with calcareous and alkaline soils, but also the fruits of these saplings are same –sized and of good quality.
Plastic Recycling Revolutionised with Polymer Research Breakthrough
Researchers from the University of Florida have made a breakthrough with the potential to transform plastic recycling.
The team’s new approach to working with polymers has led them to develop an innovative plastic recycling method. The new method promises to lower the energy requirement without sacrificing the quality of the plastic, the journal Chem reported.
Countries around the world are facing a huge plastic problem. Despite plastic usage rapidly rising, however, only around 10% of our plastic currently ends up getting recycled.
“Our work is a response to the call to action proposed by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals,” said Brent Sumerlin, leader of the research and the George B Butler Professor in the University of Florida Department of Chemistry.
“New recycling strategies have become imperative to reduce the negative impact of plastic on the environment.”
Iranian Engineers Produce Gadgets to Smartly Manage Vehicles Maintenance
Iranian technologists have produced a gadget to reduce the cost of car maintenance and prevent car breakdowns by reporting any defects and flaws to the driver before it is too late.
Mehdi Golpaigani, managing director of an Iranian knowledge-based company said that he and his teammates in their company have developed a car gadget that offers services such as alarming the driver about any defects in the vehicle to reduce the car's maintainace costs.
“Our produced gadget called ‘Piod’ by connecting cars to the Internet, it provides valuable features to the cars. This gadget reduces the possibility of car breakdown by extracting data from the car's ECU using its practical features,” he said, according to a report by Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy.
Production of Nano-Based Brake Pad Adhesive in Iran with High Thermal Resistance
Iranian researchers at a nanotechnology company managed to produce strong vehicle break pad adhesive which shows high thermal resistance.
‘Polymer Pishrafteh Amirkabir’ company has succeeded in producing the brake pad adhesive in which nanoparticles are used to improve quality.
"Pad adhesive is used in the production line of brake pads for light and heavy vehicles whose task is to connect the two lower parts and the upper layer of the pad to each other,” said Mohammad Alizadeh, one of the founders of the company.
“We used nanoparticles to improve the thermal properties of this adhesive. The pad is a piece which is constantly subjected to friction and high temperature,” he added.
Noting that the addition of nanoparticles to the adhesive increased the thermal resistance of the pad so that it shows more resistance than normal pads in the hot shear test, Alizadeh said, “At present, the adhesive is being produced on an industrial scale of one ton per month.”
Iran Exports Ventilator Devices to European, Neighboring States
The Iran-made ventilator devices with application for infants and adults have been exported to several European and neighboring countries, an official said.
“After the outbreak of coronavirus, we had a great need for ventilators and breathing aids; therefore, we tried to reach the technical know-how for production of this device and now we have succeeded in making it for infants and adults,” Hassan Shalbaf, an expert for the Development of Knowledge-Based Companies of the Iranian Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, told ANA.
Noting that the ventilator is a medical device to help patients breathe, he said, “When a patient's lungs fail, he/she is able to breathe with the help of this device.”
“The ventilator helps to rehabilitate and rebuild the lungs. The main purpose of the ventilator is to provide breathing air to the lungs and maintain artificial respiration,” Shalbaf said.
“So far, we have exported the device to Iraq, Turkey, Sweden and several European countries,” he stated.
4155/v
