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:
Folic Acid Existing in Iran-Made Eggs Absorbed in Body up to 95%
Iranian researchers at a knowledge-based company stationed at Isfahan Science and Research Town achieved the technology to produce eggs containing folic acid which is absorbed as much as 95 percent in the body.
“One of the useful foods produced in our company is eggs enriched with folic acid (B9). This egg is suitable for 3 categories of people; pregnant women, children and people with cardiovascular diseases,” said Mohammadreza Ebadi, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“Only 40% to 50% of folic acid enters the body in the tablet form, and based on this, we used technology to add the chemical form of folic acid into the diet of laying hens, and when the hens use this diet, the form of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, which is exactly the same form that the human body needs, is created,” he added.
“Therefore, an egg that is rich in folic acid is produced, while its folic acid content is 6 to 8 times higher than that of a normal egg, and over 95% of its folic acid will be absorbed in the human body,” Ebadi explained.
Iran Launches 1st Foreign Currency-Rial Crowdfunding Platform
The first foreign currency-rial crowdfunding platform was launched in Iran with the efforts of the New Technologies Development Fund and with the cooperation of other institutions.
‘Novin Kerad’ currency-riyal crowdfunding platform is the first financing platform of the country, which was created by the New Technologies Development Fund as the largest research and technology fund of Iran.
The crowdfunding platform officially started its work on the OTC after obtaining the activity license. Novin Kerad crowdfunding platform was launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, the Central Bank, the Securities and Exchange Organization of Iran, the Iran Exchange, the National Bank, the Foreign Investment Organization, the Export Guarantee Fund, the Central Depository Company and other economic institution.
Mohammad Kolahi, the vice-president of Credit and Commercialization of New Technologies Development Fund, underlined that the development of new technologies has reached the stage of implementation.
“This project requires 200,000 dollars of foreign currency investment to supply the raw materials and equipment needed for the production and export of its knowledge-based products to Turkey and Azerbaijan,” he said.
Iranian Firm Produces Gelatin, Pectin from Seafood, Citrus Waste
A technological company in Iran has succeeded in producing gelatin and pectin from the waste of seafood and citrus fruits which have application in the food, pharmaceutical and military industries.
“Gelatin production from the waste of marine products in various blooms is used in all food, pharmaceutical and military industries, and this gelatin powder was produced as a pilot project in the laboratory of Islamic Azad University’s Ayatollah Amoli branch,” Peyman Aryayee, an associate professor and faculty member of the Islamic Azad University’s Ayatollah Amoli branch and the director of the food industry department and head of the incubator center of the University, told ANA.
“We have also succeeded in producing pectin from citrus waste which is produced from the plant gelatin structures found in fruits and vegetables,” he added.
“We launched an industrial unit for the production of gelatin from fish skin for the first time in the country, although this gelatin is in the pilot phase and has successfully passed the laboratory phase,” Aryayee said.
Iran-Made Degradable Plastic Bags Welcomed by Foreign Customers
An Iranian technological company active in development and production of green polymers has been able to make degradable plastic bags and exports 99% of its products abroad.
The company, stationed at Aras Free Zone in East Azerbaijan province in the Northwestern part of Iran, produces environmentally friendly plastic bags by using nanotechnology.
The products of the technological company are exported to Iraq, Russia, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
Among the features of the company's products mention can be made of being non-leaking and impervious to viruses and microbes, having smart antibacterial properties, high physical resistance, the scent of medicinal plants, favorable heat resistance, decomposition and degradability to protect the environment.
Also, the degradable plastic products of the company can be decomposed in less than 5 years.
Iranian Specialists Produce Linings for Mining Industry Mills
Engineers of an Iranian company, based in the incubator center of Vali-e Asr University in Rafsanjan, achieved the technical know-how of making linings for mining industry mills and increased their lifespan to one year.
“The product of our company is the combined rubber-metal liners, and they have the properties of all-rubber liners and the properties of all-metal liners,” said Amirhossein Sarrafpour, one of the researchers of the research and development team of the company.
“These composite linings are similar to metal linings in terms of anti-wear properties and similar to rubber linings in terms of weight and ease of installation, but another aspect of this achievement is the design and optimization of the lining’s geometry design by the Iranian experts,” he added.
Noting that the combined liners are composed of two parts of anti-wear rubber and anti-wear steel, which are glued to metal using surface preparation method, Sarrafpour said, “The adhesion strength of these two layers is very high, and this guarantees that during the lifetime of the lining, the rubber is not removed from the metal.”
“These liners can protect the wall of mills against decay and abrasive agents,” he underlined.
Women Constitute 31% of Managers of Knowledge-Based Firms in Iran's Lorestan Province
A study conducted by a knowledge-based company has shown that 31% of managers of knowledge-based firms in Lorestan Province in the Western part of Iran are women.
“This company was established in 2017 with the support of the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy and the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, in cooperation with a number of research and technology funds who specializes in providing financial services to knowledge-based companies. This company has set up systems to assess the financial position of knowledge-based companies,” said Mostafa Arab, the managing director of the knowledge-based company which has conducted the study.
He said that their surveys show that as many as 119,866 were working for knowledge-based companies in Iran.
“Our research shows that about 31% of the managing directors and members of the board of directors of knowledge-based companies based in Lorestan province are women, which is the highest number among all provinces of the country,” Arab said.
According to him, this percentage is 16% in Tehran province, where most knowledge-based companies operate.
“Most of the managing directors and members of the board of directors have bachelor's or master's degrees, and while the Ph.D holders are in the third place,” the managing director of the evaluating knowledge-based company further said.
Iranian Researchers Study Evaluation Indicators of Scientific Authority
Iranian researchers believe that enough attention has not been paid to scientific authority by the executive bodies and humanities researchers as it should be due to the soft nature and complexity in monitoring and evaluating science, technology and humanities innovation.
Kiarash Fartash (a member of Shahid Beheshti University's Faculty of Technology Management) in collaboration with Amir Hadi Azizi (a Science and Technology Policy Researcher) in an article titled ‘presenting the framework of monitoring indicators and evaluating scientific authority in the field of humanities (with an emphasis on educational authority, scientific and promotional publications) deals with the issue that in addition to the importance of policy making in the field of science, technology and innovation of countries as an essential element of empowerment and support for technological development and excellence, wealth creation and maintaining and promoting their competitiveness in international arenas, assessing the existing situation in the framework of policies, the micro and macro goals and the performance of its components and actors will be of great importance.
The research underlines that today the importance of evaluating science, technology and innovation in the national and international arena based on standardized indicators is undeniable. But what is considered important in the system of science, technology and innovation is the use of appropriate evaluation frameworks, and therefore, it enables the correct selection and use of the country's position and situation, and the goals and prospects of the country's scientific and technological system.
Iraq’s Construction Sector Still Needs Iran-Made Rebar
The director general of the West Asia Office of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran (TPOI) said that the neighboring Iraq has to construct almost three million homes that require concrete and rebar, providing a good market for Iranian manufacturers.
“In 2011, Iran prepared a comprehensive steel program. At that time Iraq was one of the closest markets for the export of Iranian steel materials. Therefore, out of the 55 million tons target in the steel master plan, about 20 million tons was considered to be exported, part of which to Iraq. However, over time, steel supply chain in Iraq got ready. For example, the 30% duties on the imports of Iranian steel to Iraq became problematic at the end of last year (ended on March 19,2023),” Abdul Amir Rabihavi said in an interview with local Iranian media.
“Although Iraq pursues the policy of self-sufficiency, it cannot achieve complete self-sufficiency and it does not match Iran in terms superiorities in some mining fields. For example, in the area of Iraqi steel, it needs to import raw materials from Iran and then turn them into ingots. Also, Iraq needs about three million homes that require concrete and rebar. Although rebar production plants are operating in the country, due to Iraq's high demand for this product, it cannot ban the imports of rebar for the time being,” the TPOI official said.
“Nevertheless, Iraq has a piece of legislation that calls for protecting domestic production, according to which, it follows a tariff policy to reduce imports. These duties bring the prices of imported goods close to the prices of domestically produced goods,” Rabihavi continued.
He also said that Iraq considers zero tariffs for investment projects according to the foreign investment protection law, noting, “Therefore, if the rebar exporter reaches an agreement with an Iraqi party that defines the investment project, it can get the necessary permit from Iraq to import its products free of any duties.”
Iranian Scientists Make Persian-Language Tablet for Blind People
Researchers of an Iranian knowledge-based company have succeeded in designing a computer tablet which can be a good rehabilitation aid for the Persian-speaking blind people.
This product is the only braille PDA (personal digital assistant) made in Iran, and its main advantages include full support for the Persian language, technical support in Iran, automatic identification by the operating system, the ability to adjust the prominence of braille points and the lower price compared to the foreign counterparts.
The keyboard of the tablet includes 20 keys, 20 8-pin cells made of hypoallergenic plastic and 20 CR Keys. Its battery can be used for about 10 hours. The internal memory of this tablet is 8 GB and it has a monitor and TV (HDMI). Also, this product has a wireless (Bluetooth) connection with the tablets and smartphones (Android).
“This product is the first braille digital PDA for the blind that can do all the daily tasks like writing, reading, surfing the web and other tasks and it is actually a tablet for the blind,” Ramin Farjad, the chairman of the board of directors of the knowledge-based company, told ANA.
“This device has 64 gigs of memory, of which 43 gigs are available to the user. It also has a modem and can be connected to Wi-Fi through LAN, and given that the Chrome browser is now adapted for the blind, these people can access the Internet. They can also connect to the Android phone through Bluetooth and have Braille support for their Android phone,” he underlined.
Iran Inaugurates Reference Lab for Evaluation of Nano-Based Agricultural Products
Iran inaugurated a reference laboratory for evaluation of nanotechnology-based agricultural products in the presence of Agriculture Minister Mohammad Ali Nikbakht and other officials.
During the ceremony, in addition to inauguration of the reference laboratory of nano-based agricultural products, a number of technological products jointly made by the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute and 12 knowledge-based companies were also introduced.
Addressing the ceremony, Nikbakht said that the opening ceremony of this laboratory has been constructed to achieve knowledge-based agriculture and uniform and sustainable production, conducting research, providing proper training to operators and promoting the use of new technologies.
Also, Mohsen Mardi, the senior advisor of the Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization and the head of the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute, said, “The laboratory was developed in line with the expansion of using nanotechnology in agricultural products with the approval of the Nano Technology Strategic Committee of the Agriculture Ministry to issue certificates of approval for the nano products.”
Iranian knowledge-based companies active in the field of nanotechnology have so far manufactured and presented several products for application in the agricultural fields.
Iranian Startup Develops Smart System to Track Products from A to Z
An Iranian startup has designed and developed an innovative management and intelligence system in the field of store, warehouse and production line by using the RFID technology which can track the product from the production line to the sales stage.
“Accelerating the business process by increasing accuracy, improving security and increasing speed to the highest possible level are among the prominent features of this system. Also, it is possible to display the list of products simply and accurately through this system,” said Nouri, the managing director of the startup.
Noting that the startup has a team of experts in the field of software and hardware, who use RFID readers and identify goods with RFID tags, control and manage all business sectors, he added, “The startup also supports the hardware requirements of businesses very well, among which we can mention all kinds of RFID tags, long-range RFID readers, and handheld RFID readers.”
“Also, this management and smart system has two different panels of Production Line Foreman Panel and Business Owner Web Management Panel,” Nouri said.
According to him, in the foreman's panel, data and information are recorded, the products read in the production line are checked and the list of products is displayed.
Iranian Researchers Find New Solution to Provide Drinking Water in Remote Areas
Iranian researchers from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of University of Tehran succeeded in designing an innovative system for supplying fresh water from the sea.
“One of the main problems that many countries are currently facing is the problem of fresh water supply. Nearly 70% of the earth's surface is covered by water, but a small percentage of it (about 4%) is sweet. The increase in population and the expansion of industries that require water has led to an increasing consumption of fresh water, in a way that many countries, including Iran, are currently facing a major challenge in providing fresh water for their consumption, and the number of these countries will increase in the future,” Ehsan Houshfar, an Associate Professor at the Department of Energy Conversion of the University of Tehran.
Noting that in this research, a new solution for desalination of sea water has been proposed, which is called humidification-dehumidification or HDH for short, and is inspired by the process of rain production, he said, “In fact, desalination systems for desalination of sea water, which is one of the conventional ways to supply fresh water, is carried out in many ways, and each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages; the advantage of the method introduced in this research is less energy consumption than other methods in a way that the waste heat of other systems can be used in it.”
“In this research, an independent desalination unit using HDH, solar panels for simultaneous production of electricity and heat (PVT) and compression chiller is proposed to provide stable water to remote areas that have access to sea water,” Houshfar said.
“The solar panel supplies the electricity required for the chiller and the heat required for the HDH, and the incoming seawater is preheated by the condenser of the chiller. Therefore, the overall performance of the system is significantly improved for fresh water production,” he went on to say.
Iranian Company Domestically Produces PLC Device for Data Transmission in Electrical Industry
Experts at an Iranian knowledge-based company have domestically produced a PLC (Power Line Carrier) device for the electricity industry in the country.
Amir Hossein Rasekh, the managing director of the Iranian knowledge-based company, told ANA correspondent in an interview that, the PLC device or power line carrier is a device that sends telecommunication signals from one substation or power station through high voltage lines and receives them at another substation or power station.
The PLC is the act of carrying data on a conductor that is also used simultaneously for AC electric power transmission or electric power distribution to consumers. The line that does so is known as a power-line carrier.
“We are the only manufacturer of PLC devices in the country and we have received all necessary approvals for this product. This device has been produced in the world for several years and we have been able to locally produce it with the help of the company's experts,” he said.
“The internal materials of this device are basic electronic parts that we import from overseas and assemble these parts inside the country and carry out the installation and operationalizing process,” Rasekh went on to say.
The superiority of this product compared to its foreign counterparts is that it is lower-priced and has 24/7 support and after-sales service, according to the managing director of the Iranian knowledge-based company.
“The electrical industry is exclusively the target of this device. It has received a warm welcome and it has been able to meet the expectations,” he concluded.
New Research in Iran Studies Necessity for Policymaking in Science Development
Iranian researchers believe that considering that policymaking as a guiding light can chart the future path of societies in various fields, the promotion of policymaking in science and technology is a necessary requirement for countries to achieve sustainable development.
In an article entitled ‘Policymaking in Science, Technology and Science Promotion in Iran: A National Necessity’, Akram Qadimi (a Professor of the National Science Policy Research Center) in collaboration with Elaheh Hejazi (a Professor of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of University of Tehran) deals with the issue that science and technology can be effective when its products are used in the society, and science promotion plays a significant role to this end.
The research explains when the field of science, technology and innovation was directly noticed by the policymakers and before that, it was always affected by the decisions and interventions of the governments. According to these researchers, the phrase ‘science, technology and innovation policymaking’ refers to the set of all policies that seek to promote the activities and processes related to science, technology and innovation to realize economic and social development.
This research suggests that the advancement of science and technology is considered to be one of the most important components of the country's authority, and the support for achieving the advancement of science and technology is achieving a scientific leap, and the support for achieving a scientific leap is to familiarize students, scholars and the general public with science.
This research underlines the fact that policymaking in the field of science, technology and promoting science, like policymaking in any other field, requires attention to the time and place that has led to the understanding and application of science in people's daily lives, and therefore, prescribing science and technology promotion policies in one country is not reasonable for other countries.
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