Tag Archives: Iran National Nanotechnology Initiative Council

Overview of journal publications on topic of nanotechnology offers a surprise or two

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The Iran National Nanotechnology Initiative (INIC) has released a report on the number of nanotechnology articles published in ISI (Institute for Scientific Information)-indexed journals, according to a May 28, 2014 news item on Nanowerk,

This report studies the number of nanotechnology articles published in ISI-indexed journals, and investigates the ascending or descending trend of the publication of such articles in ISI-indexed journals. The report then presents a list of conferences in which the highest number of nanotechnology articles have been presented.

A May 29, 2014 INIC news release offers some insight into the reasons for the report,

Scientific journals have always been among the most important tools in the development of science and technology, because by publishing scientific reports and articles, they demonstrate the movement of science borders. Like reliable references, the journals provide researchers with the latest scientific findings and help them achieve their research objects. The philosophy behind the publication of articles at the international level is to take out human discoveries from laboratories and scientific centers and to help the development of science by publishing them. Journals create an atmosphere to share scientific achievements and they prevent the loss or uselessness of the finding.

After less than two decades since the appearance of nanotechnology, this technology has penetrated all scientific aspects. Therefore, various journals in all sciences publish nanotechnology-related articles and reports. No comprehensive research has so far been carried out to determine the share of journals in the publication of nanotechnology articles. Introduction to nanotechnology penetration in the ISI-indexed journals is the main objective of the present study. Therefore, the following report studies the share of ISI-indexed journals in the publication of nanotechnology-related articles.

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ISI Web of Knowledge includes 22,000 journals, 23 million patents, 192,000 articles presented in conferences, 5,500 websites and 5,000 volumes of books. Master Journal List includes the titles of all journals that are licensed by various products of Thomson Scientific Institute. The journals are annually evaluated, and according to the evaluation, approximately 8,000 to 9,000 of the journals acquire impact factor (IF) and are indexed in Journal Citation Report (JCR). JCR is in fact a databank of ISI-indexed journals. Only the articles that are published in the journals of this databank are indexed in Web of Science (WoS).

Here are some of the findings, from the news release,

Figure 1: Top 30 journals in publication of nanotechnology articles in 2001-2013 [downloaded from http://irannano.org/nano/index.php?ctrl=news&actn=news_view&id=46553&lang=2]

Figure 1: Top 30 journals in publication of nanotechnology articles in 2001-2013 [downloaded from http://irannano.org/nano/index.php?ctrl=news&actn=news_view&id=46553&lang=2]

Figure 1 demonstrates the top 30 journals that have published the highest number of nanotechnology articles in 2001-2013. APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS and PHYSICAL REVIEW B have ranked first and second by publishing 24,382 and 23,717 articles, respectively. These two journals have published respectively 2.9% and 2.82% of all nanotechnology-related articles in the past 13 years. The two journals are the only ones that possess a share of nanotechnology articles publication higher than 2%, and other journals are far behind them. For instance, the JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS, which ranks third in the following chart, has published 1.95% of nanotechnology-related articles in the past 13 years.Among the top 30 journals, there are only four nanotechnology specific journals classified in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology category of ISI categories. The four journals are as follows: Nanotechnology, Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Nano Letters and ACS Nano.

I find it surprising that Nature Nanotechnology is not on the list of the top 30 journals. I’m not arguing their results, it’s just that given a specific journal dedicated to nanotechnology topics, it’s unexpected.

You can find more in the May 29, 2014 INIC news release or here at:  http://statnano.com/searchstring.

Honey nanofibres tested as scaffolding for wound dressing in an Iran-Netherlands collaboration

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It’s taken me a while to get to this one but I can’t resist this honey-enabled technology any longer. According to a Sept. 19, 2013 news item on Nanowerk, honey, a well known antibiotic, has been used in a new technique for wound dressings (Note: A link has been removed),

Researchers applied electrospinning process and produced a drug-carrying nanofibrous web to be used in wound dressing by using an artificial and biodegradable polymer and honey as a natural polymer (“A novel honey-based nanofibrous scaffold for wound dressing application”).

A wide range of biological and biodegradable materials have been electrospun in recent years to produce nanofibers. In this research, a drug carrying nanofibrous web was produced to be used in wound dressing by using an artificial and biodegradable polymer and a natural polymer through electrospinning method.

The Sept. 19, 2013 Iran National Nanotechnology Initiative Council (INIC) news release, which originated the news item, mentions honey’s antibiotic properties and explains how its application in this new technique for wound dressing,

Honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammation properties. Many studies have been published on the effects of honey in the treatment of infections and in prevention of the wound from being infected. Therefore, the combination of the unique properties of nanofibers and the natural properties of honey in the production of wound dressing is the most important characteristic of this research.

SEM [scanning electron microscope] and AFM [atomic force microscope] results showed that the fibers were completely homogenous with relatively smooth surface. However, spindle-like beads were observed in nanofibers containing 60% honey. As the concentration of honey increased in the mixture, a decrease was observed in the diameter of nanofibers. Drug-loaded nanofibers, too, had relatively smooth and homogenous surface, and as the amount of drug increases, the diameter of the nanofibers decreased. Drug release behavior studies demonstrated a sudden initial release. Statistical analyses showed that the presence of honey did not have significant effect on the process or on the behavior of drug release. Therefore, electrospun nanofibers that contain honey are appropriate option to be used in wound dressing.

Wounds can be dressed faster by using the achievements of this research. Honey is considered as a well-known drug in traditional medical sciences, which has been loaded with drugs in this research.

The research paper’s (a link and citation will be provided further down) abstract provides a bit more detail,

In this study, nanofiber meshes were produced from aqueous mixtures of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and honey via electrospinning. The Electrospinning process was performed at different PVAs to honey ratios (100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, and 60/40). Dexamethasone sodium phosphate was selected as an anti-inflammatory drug and incorporated in the electrospinning solutions. Its release behavior was determined. Uniform and smooth nanofibers were formed, independent of the honey content. In case honey content increased up to 40%, some spindle-like beads on the fibers were observed. The diameter of electrospun fibers decreased as the ratio of honey increased. The release characteristics of the model drug from both the PVA and PVA/honey (80/20) nanofibrous mats were studied and statistical analysis was performed. All electrospun fibers exhibited a large initial burst release at a short time after incubation. The release profile was similar for both PVA and PVA/honey (80/20) drug-loaded nanofibers. This study shows that an anti-inflammatory drug can be released during the initial stages and honey can be used as a natural antibiotic to improve the wound dressing efficiency and increase the healing rate.

Here’s a link to and a citation for paper,

A novel honey-based nanofibrous scaffold for wound dressing application by  H. Maleki, A. A. Gharehaghaji, and P. J. Dijkstra.
Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Volume 127, Issue 5, pages 4086–4092, 5 March 2013 (Article first published online: 29 MAY 2012) DOI: 10.1002/app.37601

Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This article is behind a paywall.

One final note, the researchers are from (Maleki and Gharehaghaji) Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran and (Dijkstra) the University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands