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:
Italy's Q4 2023 GDP Records Growth
Italy's gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 0.2 percent in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023 over the previous quarter, and by 0.6 percent year-on-year, the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) said.
The quarter-on-quarter figure matched ISTAT's preliminary estimate at the end of January, while the year-on-year result was revised up from 0.5 percent.
The primary drivers of economic growth are found in the industrial and construction sectors, while the agricultural sector saw a slight contraction, partly due to the impacts of extreme weather that affected Italy for much of last year. The services sector also experienced a slight decline, according to ISTAT.
Iran’s Islamic Azad University, China’s Nanjing University to Expand Cooperation
Officials of the Islamic Azad University’s Kermanshah branch in the Western part of Iran and Nanjing University in China in a virtual meeting discussed ways to develop cooperation in the scientific field.
“The meeting was held in line with implementation of the document on development of the university to expand the scientific, educational and research cooperation with prestigious universities of the world,” Morteza Kahrarian, the vice-president of Research and Technology Department of Islamic Azad University’s Kermanshah branch, told ANA.
“It was the first joint meeting of the two universities in which the interests of both parties in different research areas were studied and it was decided that both parties present their proposals to sign a cooperation agreement,” he added.
Kahrarian noted that Nanjing University of China was establishment in 1902, and it is one of the comprehensive universities of China that operates directly under the supervision of the Ministry of Science and Research of the country, adding that it has ranked 141 in the world in 2024 in the QS ranking.
Iran Exports 5 Billion US Dollars of Food Products in 1 Year
An official with the Iranian Vice Presidency of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy said that Iran exported over $5 billion worth of food products last year of 1401 in the Iranian calendar (March 21, 2022- March 20, 2023).
Shaqayeq Haqjuy-e Jovanmard, the head of the Strategic Technologies Development Center at the Iranian Vice Presidency of Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy made the remarks while addressing a conference about the ways how the vice presidency helps to boost research and development in the field of agrifood products in the country.
She said that one of the ways that the vice presidency has adopted to boost the knowledge-based economy in Iran is to help set up specialized laboratories for industries (fabrication lab) to assist them in their production, testing and standardization.
The official added that the food industry in the country ranks second only after the petrochemical industry in terms of the largest capital turnover and generating opportunities for creating jobs with 17% portion of the total GDP. “Also, food security is an issue of global importance. Therefore, one of our priorities is to set up a fab lab specialized in the food industry. We identify potential and capabilities and invest on them as the focus of the activities.”
Iranian Researchers Make Body Composition Analyzer for Smart Diet
Iranian researchers at an Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in designing a body composition analyzer device that facilitates giving a smart diet based on the organs of each person to the nutritionist.
“With this device, a smart diet based on body organs is offered to each person. The device gives the diet based on the amount of protein and body mass index and other features of the person’s body,” Tohid Amadeh, the managing director of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
Noting that the body composition analyzer examines the information of each person and then presents the diet based on the past data and the data provided by the nutritionist, he said, “The output of this device is the same dietary guidelines that lead most people to vegetarianism.”
“The software part of the body composition analyzer is a mobile application that provides diet instructions to the user after analyzing the body,” Amadeh said, adding that the device has obtained the necessary permissions from the Universities of Medical Sciences of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti University and the Iranian Nutrition Association.
Iran to Transfer Technological Know-How to Senegal
The Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research of Iran is due to transfer its know-how and achievements to Senegal.
The Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research of Iran hosted a delegation of seven trade persons from Senegal thanks to the interactions with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Senegal and with the aim of generating wealth from technology, selling technical knowledge and exporting products.
During this visit, Mohammad Hossein Fa’ezi, the head of the research center of the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research of Iran, presented a report on the capabilities of the ACECR, saying, “The complex is ready to cooperate for the training of technicians and academics, the sale of technical knowledge and other mutual collaborations.”
The business delegation then visited the Research Institute of Medicinal Plants, the National Center for Genetic and Biological Resources, the Biofarm Center of Ibn Sina Research Institute, and the Incubator and Technology Center of Royan Research Institute.
Iran among Best Manufacturers of Humanoid Robots
Head of the robotics and soft technologies research center of Islamic Azad University’s Tabriz branch said that the Iranian students and researchers are among the best in the world in designing and building humanoid robots.
“Fortunately, recently, our country has been able to make significant progress in the field of robotics software thanks to the efforts of Iranian researchers,” Morteza Abbaszadeh told ANA.
“This significant progress in the software industry is highly important since the main part of the robot is software and artificial intelligence, and our students and elites have gained enough confidence that they can develop good software and they have had an excellent performance in the domestic and foreign competitions and are among the top three teams in the world; specially in the category of humanoid robots, which are among the most complex robots, the Iranian teams have always been successful,” he added.
Abbaszadeh referred to commercialization of robots made by the Iranian researchers, and said 30 ‘EGV’ robots have been used in the assembly line of Tabriz Tractor Manufacturing Company.
Knowledge-Based Firm in Iran Produces Underwater Robots Capable of Picking Objects in 200-M Depth
Technologists at one of the knowledge-based companies in Iran have designed and developed two generations of remotely operated vehicle (ROV) or underwater robots capable of exploring the depth of up to 200 meters and picking objects in the sea bed.
“One of the achievements of this company is an underwater robot for checking and discovering equipment and conditions in marine environments,” said Shahin Faqihi, one of the researchers of the Iranian knowledge-based company.
“The first generation of this robot named ‘Kashef-1 ( Explorer-1) was designed and built for a depth of 100 meters, and in the second generation of this robot, we were able to offer a robot to perform missions up to a depth of 200 meters,” he added.
“The first models were only designed for watching and detecting, but in its more advanced generation, it is possible to add sonar, USPL, etc. for more accurate monitoring of the sea level and depth,” he continued.
“The latest generation of this robot can sit on the bottom of the sea and move over the seabed. It is also equipped with an arm to lift objects on the seabed,” he added.
“This robot can rival with its foreign-made equivalents. There are foreign robots offered to the market and we started manufacturing them in the country, and now these robots have been commercialized,” the researcher continued.
Rice Husk Derivatives Used by Iranian Scientists to Produce Natural Catalysts
Iranian researchers reduced the synthesis time, cost of compounds and environmental problems by using rice husk derivatives to produce natural catalysts.
“For the first time, we were able to obtain catalysts from rice husk and of course rice husk derivatives like rice husk ash or rice ash modified with samples of iron and titanium,” Farhad Shirini, a faculty member of the chemistry department of Gilan University, told ANA.
He explained that these catalysts, in addition to having good performance capabilities in various reactions like the synthesis of various compounds can be easily isolated and reduce environmental problems.
“We were able to use taurine as an amino acid that is present in the blood and human body by creating suitable conditions as a catalyst and use it to increase the speed of reactions, specially in the synthesis of medicinal compounds,” Shirini said.
He noted that in the research, pregabalin was used as a cheap compound in a process that in chemistry is referred to as the process of preparing optically active compounds.
First Catalyst Innovation, Technology Center in Iran Inaugurated at AUT
A knowledge-based company operating in the field of production and exports of different types of catalysts in Iran has opened the country's first Catalyst Innovation and Technology Center at the Tehran-based Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT).
“The advanced catalyst industry of the country, as a strategic industry, has made great achievements in the country over the past decade. It’s become self-sufficient and has met domestic needs. We have seen the exports of advanced and highly specialized catalyst products by our knowledge-based company to foreign countries,” Ehsan Ebrahimi, the executive director of the knowledge-based company based at the AUT said about the opening of the first innovation and technology center in the country.
“As a knowledge-based company, our firm produces and exports various types of catalysts used in the petrochemical, oil refining and steel industries. With the aim of attracting talented workforces, formation of knowledge cores and strengthening the ecosystem of innovation, and in line with goal of fulfilling social responsibilities and entering innovative fields of action, we have formed an innovation and technology center in cooperation with the country's top universities,” he added.
“This innovation and technology center is built over an area of about 200 square meters in one of the buildings of the AUT Faculty of Chemistry and it is being renovated and equipped by our company. We are ready to accept university teams and startups in engineering and management fields.”
“We have a space for work for startups in this center. Business evaluation, providing consulting and mentoring services and supporting ideas and technologies in the field of chemical engineering and catalysts are other services that will be offered by catalyst innovation hub (Center).”
Iranian Specialists Make Laser Hair Removal Device
Researchers of a knowledge-based company in Iran succeeded in producing a diode laser hair removal device with four wavelengths and high clinical quality through conducting reverse engineering on foreign samples.
“Our company produces medical equipment, skin lasers, and laser hair removal machine and has been able to indigenize different equipment by conducting reverse engineering on foreign samples with the same quality,” Mehdi Koneshlou, the technical supervisor of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
“The device produced by our company is a type of diode lasers suitable for the skin of Iranians. These diodes include diode, alexandrite and ND-YAG; ND-YAG has a wavelength of 1064 nm and our company is the first Iranian firm which has been able to market laser diode devices with four wavelengths and high clinical quality at one tenth of the price of similar foreign models,” he added.
Koneshlou explained that the diode laser hair removal device works in direct contact with the skin and a special gel should be used while the non-contact laser works in the form of shots, adding, “We have also put production of non-contact laser removal machine on our agenda. We have imported a type of laser gel for the first time to Iran that no longer has the sticking problem of ultrasound gels.”
Iran-Made Smart Hybrid System Settles Problem of Heating in Chicken Farms
An Iranian technology company has succeeded in solving the problem of heating poultry farms by manufacturing a smart hybrid pre-heating system by using solar energy.
“This system consists of 10 main parts; first the air coming out of the poultry house enters the first heat exchanger. On the other hand, water enters the first heat exchanger from the water tank and heats it up a bit. The outgoing water from the first heat exchanger enters the ground, passes through the spiral pipes and its temperature increases again, and then it leaves the ground and enters the first heat exchanger which contains PCM,” Saman Aminian, a PhD student in the field of mechanical engineering (energy conversion) at Islamic Azad University’s Science and Research Branch and the managing director of Daneshafarinan Negin Mandegar company, told ANA.
He added that the oil tank containing hybrid nanoparticles is heated by passing through the inadvertent collectors and enters the second heat exchanger, noting that inside this converter, the heat of the oil is given to the PCM and through the PCM it is transferred to the water output from the geothermal system.
“Then the heated water enters the geothermal heat pump cycle, where the air passes over the hot water and reaches a proper temperature inside the poultry house. We also use flat solar panels to supply electricity to the system,” Aminian said.
He explained that the advantages of the system are decreasing energy consumption, maintenance costs, poultry mortality and pollution, and increasing product quality.
Iran-Made Device Produces Toner Required in Printers
Iranian specialists at a knowledge-based company succeeded in making a toner-producing machine with the capability of mass-production.
“I started laboratory work on this product after being aware of Iran’s serious need for the toner as an expensive and high-consumption material. After research, we found out that in order to produce toner, we should first build machines to produce it, and with personal investment and after spending 15 years of research and development, I was able to produce toner with a unique formula,” said Mohammad Hossein Hassani, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
Noting that the toner production equipment has been made in Iran for the first time by using the internal capacity, he said, “The machine does not have a similar domestic counterpart, and one of its differences compared to the foreign example is the use of local raw materials, meaning petrochemicals.”
“We have produced this toner in cooperation with an Iranian company, and all this know-how and technology has grown internally, and we are able to develop, grow and export it. Also, its price is cheaper than similar foreign samples,” Hassani said.
He noted that the knowledge-based company is able to produce 100 tons of toner per year.
Iranian Researchers Produce Milk Containing Antibody from Colostrum to Boost Immune System
Researchers at a knowledge-based firm in Iran’s Isfahan Province have successfully obtained the permission from Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) after three years of research to produce a kind of milk containing antibodies from bovine colostrum which strengthens immune system in the body.
“Extraordinary milk containing colostrum and high immunogenic is a knowledge-based and health-focused product for those who care about their health,” said Hassan Nili Ahmadabadi, the managing director of the knowledge-based company after highlighting that the knowledge-based milk containing colostrum was produced for the first time in Iran.
Pointing to the superiorities of the milk containing colostrum over other milks, he added, "For example, the milk now available in stores is sterilized, and the protein of sterilized milk has been deactivated due to exposure to heat. Moreover, the function of insulin is to regulate blood sugar. And if the protein is heated, it no longer has its natural advantages. There are many proteins in milk that lose their biological value when heated."
“For that, we use the LT method, in which we will lower the temperature and increase the time; Aaso, before giving birth, we put the cow in the hyperimmunization protocol and strengthen and stimulate its immune system. Then we introduce some compounds into the colostrum and manage the feeding of the cow. That way, a super-specific antibody is produced in milk, like of which could be found nowhere.”
“Not only it improves food security and tackles malnutrition, it will also increase the level of immunity in the body considerably,” he said.
Iranian Researchers Produce Natural Catalysts from Rice Husk Derivatives
Researchers have produced natural catalysts for the first time in Iran from rice husk and rice husk derivatives such as rice husk ash modified with iron and titanium.
“For the first time, we obtained catalysts from rice husk and rice husk derivatives and of course rice husk derivatives such as rice husk ash modified with types of iron and titanium,” said Farhad Shirini, who is a chemistry professor at the Gilan University and a distinguished researcher an award winner at the Khwarizmi International Award.
“Because rice husk and its derivatives accelerate chemical reactions and reduce the synthesis time in the laboratory, we chose it,” Shirini said.
He noted that natural catalysts have been widely used in recent years because they are not expensive as their components are abundant in the nature and also because they pose much less challenges to the environment.
“We were able to use taurine, an amino acid that is present in the blood and human body by creating suitable conditions as a catalyst and use it to increase the speed of reactions, especially in the configurations that are of medical uses,” the researcher further said.
“In this research, we were able to use pregabalin as an inexpensive compound in a process that we refer to in chemistry as the process of preparing optically active compounds,” Shirini further pointed out.
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