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 Researchers Domestically Produce Device for Tinnitus Treatment, Hearing Tests
Researchers at one of the knowledge-based companies in Iran have produced a device to reduce annoying tinnitus sounds and assist in performing hearing tests in people who have applied to receive cochlear implants.
“Our main activities are defined in the fields of hearing cochlear implant systems, hearing impairment detection systems, electrical and acoustic stimulation systems, and providing engineering consulting services and holding specialized panels in the field of hearing as well as research and training courses,” said Samira Koushkestani, the managing director of the knowledge-based company, in an interview with local Iranian media.
She pointed to the design and construction of aural rehabilitation and hearing systems as one of the achievements of their company, adding, “Electrical stimulation devices are one of our achievements in the field of hearing, and a memorandum of understanding was concluded at the recent AbadIran exhibition [held in Tehran] for the application of this system. This device has rehabilitation applications for patients suffering from tinnitus and imbalances.”
Koushkestani pointed to conducting hearing tests for patients who have applied to receive cochlear implants as another application of the electrical stimulation device, adding, “The device performs a hearing test by creating electrical stimulation pulses at different wavelengths. Moreover, it allows for programming and changing signal features.”
She touched upon tinnitus, explaining is the perception of sound that does not have an external source, so other people cannot hear it. Tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing sound, but some people hear other types of sounds, such as roaring or buzzing, she added.
“For reducing the annoying effects of this disease, we have used electronic engineering knowledge in the design of this system,” she further said about tinnitus.
The electrical stimulation device is one of the products that, with the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding during the second edition of AbadIran exhibition, is slated to be used in medical centers in underdeveloped areas.
Iranian Experts Produce Portable Dental Unit for Use in Remote Areas
Researchers of a knowledge-based company in Iran managed to design and make a portable dental unit to help people in far-fetched regions.
“The integrated portable dental unit (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,” said Mohammad Reza Dor Ali, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
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.
Iranian Experts Build Self-Driving Robot for Poultry Farms
Iranian specialists at a knowledge-based company managed to design and manufacture a self-driving robot for individual monitoring in poultry farms.
“Periodic and non-continuous monitoring, lack of data recording and identification of sick chickens, creating stress and tension in poultry farming and reducing biological safety, slow monitoring of poultry health by humans, etc. are among the problems that will arise if this technology is not used,” said Farzad Yavari, the managing director of the knowledge-based company.
“The only way to overcome these problems is to use a combination of three technologies of artificial intelligence, robotics, and electronics,” he added.
Noting that the project, after going through the stages of research and development and making prototypes and the semi-industrial stage, is now in the stage of final tests, Yavari said, “The knowledge and various technologies used in this robot is completely indigenous. This technology is one of the new fields that few countries and companies have had so far.”
“The industrialization of this product increases productivity in the country's vital poultry industry, which has a significant impact on the country's food security. It is also possible to develop this technology in other areas,” he underlined.
IFDA: Iran Exports Pharmaceutical Products to 50 World States
Iran exports raw materials and pharmaceutical products to nearly 50 countries across the world, the Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) announced.
“Iranian raw materials and pharmaceutical products are exported by nearly 100 companies to about 50 destinations,” Assef Mahdavi, the secretary of the IFDA’s export policymaking council, said.
He underlined that the Iranian companies enjoy the capacity of producing medicines several times more than meeting domestic needs.
Mahdavi also noted that the export of medical equipment grew by 300% in the first four months of the current year.
Afghanistan’s Imports of Iran’s Non-Oil Products Increase 41 Percent in 2 Months
Iran’s non-oil exports to Afghanistan showed a 41% growth in the first two months of the current Persian calendar year (started on March 20) compared to the same period last year, an official said.
Hossein Roustayee, the commercial attaché of Iran in Afghanistan, said that Iran’s export of non-oil goods to Afghanistan increased by $102 million in the first two months of the current Iranian calendar year, showing a 41 percent hike compared to last year’s corresponding period.
He added that Afghanistan is Iran’s sixth export target market and is one of the export target countries with the highest positive balance of trade with Iran.
Roustayee put the volume of Iran’s export of non-oil goods to Afghanistan from March 19 to May 22, 2024, at $350 million, showing a 41 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
In this period, Iran exported 181,000 tons of non-oil goods to Afghanistan, he noted, adding that light oils, oil products, oil gases, ingot, iron, steel, compound, polyethylene, light- and heavy hydrocarbons, foodstuff, tomato, tree apples, cement, types of polyethylene, potatoes, fresh fruits and vegetables, orange and infant formula were the main products exported from Iran to the neighboring country, he stated.
Technology Company Improves Quality of Iran-Made Polyethylene Films
Experts at an Iranian technology company have produced high quality polyethylene (PE) films and lay the ground for improving the quality of products available in the country's market.
A Polyethylene (PE) film is essentially a plastic film made from hydrocarbons, which is mainly obtained from natural gas or petroleum. Because of its wide use, polyethylene has many names in the market – 'plastic sheeting', 'polyethylene sheet', 'poly sheeting', or 'poly film'.
Young experts in a technology company in Iran have produced these PE films and also taken steps to improve the quality of the Iranian-made products, a report by the Iranian Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy said.
Maryam Amiri, the director of research and development of the technology company pointed to the capability of the company in the production of polyethylene films, saying, “By taking advantage of the experience and expertise of domestic and foreign experts, the ability to produce three-layer nylons, the possibility of testing and measuring the quality of the products produced by this company and other companies in the country have been achieved.”
“Polyethylene films are among the most widely used types of plastics that are used in various fields such as agricultural, greenhouse, horticultural and packaging industries,” she added.
Iranian Researchers Grow Seedling of ‘Capparis’ Herbal Plant
An Iranian knowledge-based company succeeded in defeating seed dormancy, increasing the germination rate of Capparis (Kabar) plant seeds from 3% to over 95%, and growing the medicinal plant seedlings in the country.
Kabar plant is a permanent and deciduous species with deep roots and hanging and irregular stems, which is compatible with hot, dry and unfavorable environments.
“The main habitats of Capparis have been reported in Southern European countries, including Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East, and in Iran, in the slopes of Alborz, East and West Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Ilam, Khuzestan, Bushehr, Kermanshah, Fars, Yazd, Kerman, Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchestan,” said Zahra Radmanesh, the managing director of the company.
She called Kabar a plant compatible with poor soils, saying, “It can grow in places with limited water and food. Also, Capparis is considered as an important medicinal plant, and the flower buds, fresh leaves, roots and fruits of Kabar are used for food and medicinal purposes. The origin of this plant is desert areas and the cultivation of this plant is aimed at reducing the dust.”
Noting that countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE have turned to this plant to reduce desertification since it can prevent the occurrence of dust , Radmanesh said that the roots of this plant are from 3 to 30 meters inside the soil which stabilizes the soil.
“This plant does not need irrigation, fertilizers and poisons, and in addition to its medicinal properties, it is a tasty and popular product that reduces diabetes and liver fat,” she underlined.
Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization Launches Molecular Screening System
The managing director of Iran's Blood Transfusion Organization announced that blood molecular screening system has been launched by the organization.
Mostafa Jamali stated that the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization enjoys the highest global indicators of blood donation, adding, “In many indicators, we are the best country in the region and we are among the pioneers of 100% voluntary donation in the world.”
Noting that for the first time all the provinces of the country have been equipped with viral screening and blood grouping system, he said, “Molecular blood screening test was carried out for the first time in the organization to become assured of the blood’s health.”
“At present, we have a blood bag depot in Iran for six months. Also, the plasma that is sent abroad annually for drug conversion will reach over 300,000 liters this year.”
Iranian Scientists Produce Disinfecting Medicine for Animals by Using Pomegranate Peel
Iranian researchers at the Herbal Plant Research Center of the Islamic Azad University’s Isfahan branch succeeded in producing a knowledge-based medicinal product for animals from pomegranate peel.
“We have succeeded in producing a gel that is taken from the wastes of pomegranate peel and has no domestic or foreign counterparts,” Akbar Pirestani, a member of the Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Islamic Azad University’s Isfahan branch and the head of the Herbal Plants Research Center, told ANA.
“We have studied different pomegranates and produced medicine from pomegranate extracts which is used as a disinfectant and healing agent after childbirth in livestock,” he added.
“All necessary tests have been carried out on the gel and this product is now in the commercialization stage,” Pirestani said.
Iranian Scientists Make 1st Directional Wave Recorder
The first directional wave recorder was built in the National Research Institute of Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences of Iran.
“Knowing various phenomena, including the weather, the wave, the current regime and other natural phenomena requires field data collection with access to up-to-date and accurate equipment; therefore, for this purpose, the first directional wave recorder was designed and built with the aim of understanding the wave regime of marine and oceanic environments,” Seyed Massoud Mahmoudov, a member of the National Research Institute of Oceanography and the executive of the first directional wave recorder project.
Using this device, we will be able to extract the two-dimensional spectrum of waves. This device has gone through its initial testing period and has reached a stage where it is going to be launched in the sea for the first time and the main tests will be carried out in the Southern coasts of the country and the Caspian Sea,” he added.
Mahmoudov explained that the device was made in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology in Tehran.
Iranian Knowledge-Based Firm Makes Device to Remove Arsenic, Heavy Metals from Purified Water
The presence of arsenic and heavy metals is the challenge of water purification in rural areas which was settled with a device manufactured by an Iranian knowledge-based company.
“Our package for removing heavy metals and arsenic from drinking water is one of the latest achievements of our company, and this device is used in rural areas to supply drinking water to rural households,” said Arsalan Sadr, a senior marketing and sales expert of one of the knowledge-based company.
“We receive the purified water that has problems with heavy metals and arsenic, and the water reservoir is connected to our package, and we remove arsenic or any type of heavy metals through the filtration that is designed and installed inside this system,” he added.
“Finally, the package supplies standard and high-quality drinking water during the filtration process. The design of this device is similar to gas pumps for the ease of water withdrawal,” Sadr explained.
Citrus Waste Used by Iranian Researchers to Produce Essential Oil
Specialists of the Innovation and Acceleration Center of the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research of Shahid Beheshti Organization succeeded in producing essential oil and pectin (polysaccharide) from citrus waste.
“This product has similar counterparts, but so far, the production of essential oil from citrus fruits has not been done,” Nasrin Saqqazadeh, the director of the Center, told ANA.
Noting that the essential oil is widely used in the food industry and perfume and fragrance industry, she said, “We imported the product from France in the past, and we hope that it will replace the imported product.”
“One of the side products after production of the essential oil is pectin which is actually a thickener in the food industry, what we see in candy and chocolate or jam as the consistency in the product is created by pectin,” Saqqazadeh said.
Iranian Experts Use New Technology to Produce Profiles Resistant to Ultraviolet Rays
Specialists of a knowledge-based company in Iran active in production of polymer components for construction industry succeeded in manufacturing profiles resistant to the ultraviolet rays of the sun.
Among the most prominent products currently made in this company are ceiling and wall panels and all their installation tools made of UPVC, certain types of cornices with the C Pan brand, and door and window profiles made of UPVC.
Iman Ahmadi, an advisor to the managing director of Sepahan Plastic Technology Industries, pointed out that white and colored categories with the C4 brand, and the internal doors of the building and all its parts and frames with the C Door brand and made of wood polymer (WPC), are produced in the company and supplied to the market.
“The colored profiles of C4 doors and windows are produced in the form of profiles with white core and special coating with metallic colors and wood design. The technology used in this product has been used for the first time in the world by our company and after years of research and studies and undergoing various internal and external weather tests, it has reached the stage of production,” he added.
“With the special coating created by HOTMELT technology, C4 profiles have a great resistance to color change due to the ultraviolet rays of the sun and maintain their appearance and effect, therefore colored profiles HOTMELT C4 is a very good alternative to the colored laminate profiles available in the market, both in terms of superiority in quality and appearance, and even in terms of economy,” Ahmadi said.
Iran University of Medical Sciences Using Highly Advanced Microscope
The TEM electron microscope, one of the world's top technologies, returned to the circuit of professional services to the faculty members of Iran University of Medical Sciences and students of engineering and medicine fields.
With the efforts of Reza Falak, the vice-president of research and technology of the university, and the follow-up of Alireza Najafi, the head of the strategic laboratory network (labsnet) of the university and with the cooperation of the cellular and molecular research center of the university, ‘the TEM Electron Microscope’ returned to the circuit of professional services.
“The LEO 906 Germany device, which belongs to Zeiss, is considered among the top technologies (High Tec) in the world and eventhough a new generation of these microscopes has come to the market, these electron microscopes are still considered efficient and up-to-date in the world,” said Javad Erfani, an expert in the installation and operation of the device.
“Due to the complexity of the technology used in this device, its application requires lots of expertise and only users, who have passed certain courses and have a good background in science and sampling skills, can work with it,” he added.
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