PASTIC::News Letter

Executive Editor

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Akram Shaikh

Director General, PASTIC

Managing Editor

Dr. Syed Aftab Hussain Shah

Composer

Kashif Farooqui

ECHNOLOGY

OUNDUP

Technology Information Services Section (TIS)

Pakistan Scientific & Technological Information Centre

PASTIC

March-April, 2021

Vol.13 No. 2

A NEWS BULLETIN

Tech News Headlines

Tech & Trade Offers

Phone: 051-9248103-4, 9248128
Fax: 051-9248113
Email: tis.pastic@gmail.com
Web: www.pastic.gov.pk

PASTIC National Centre
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P.O. Box 1217, Islamabad

Editorial Board

Aqsa Ajmal from NUST University, Islamabad Invents

Sewing Machine for Visually Impaired People

NutriBiz 2021: Nutrition Innovation Challenge for SMEs

COVID-19: Scientists Identify Human Genes that fight
Infection

New research optimizes Body's own Immune System to
fight Cancer

Engineers Harvest WiFi signals to Power small Electronics

Towards 2D Memory Technology by Magnetic Graphene

The Cerebellum may have played an important role in the
Evolution of the Human Brain

Forthcoming Tech Events

International Conference on Innovative Engineering

Technologies

International Conference on Science Technology and

Management

World Congress On Information Technology And

Computer Science

World Congress On Industrial Biotechnology

International Conference on Science and Technology

International Conference on Science Engineering and

Management

International Conference on Nursing and COVID

International Conference on Science & Technology

Research

NEW WAY

AUTOMOBILE

Technology Roundup

Aqsa Ajmal from NUST University, Islamabad Invents Sewing Machine

for Visually Impaired People

NUST is proud to announce that Aqsa Ajmal – an Industrial Design graduate from NUST School of Art,
Design and Architecture (SADA) – has been selected as one of the six finalists for the Lexus Design Award
from around the world – and has become the first and only Pakistani to have achieved this milestone, for her
phenomenal project titled 'Pursewit.

Courtesy

https://nust.edu.pk/news/aqsa-ajmal-success-story

Lexus announced the six finalists for the Lexus Design Award 2020 in the last week of January, from a
record-setting group of 2,042 submissions from 79 countries. The proposals were selected based on their
expression of three key principles of the Lexus brand – Anticipate, Innovate, and Captivate – with an
emphasis on design that leads to a better tomorrow.

Aqsa's final-year project 'Pursewit' is a sewing machine exclusively designed for visually impaired people
with low-income backgrounds. The machine is ergonomically designed and being developed with special
embedded features to enable differently abled individuals to operate it without any hassle. After attending an
exclusive mentorship workshop in New York, USA, Aqsa worked on her prototype under the supervision of
co-inventor Mr Jawwad Zaidi, HoD Industrial Design SADA. Aqsa later on showcased the prototype at the
Milan Design Week in Italy, scheduled for April 2020. Through her experimental design, she is aiming to
improve the connections between people and products.

Aqsa Jamal has now won the prestigious Lexus Design Award in Italy, for her design of a sewing machine for
the visually impaired. Aqsa has won from amongst 2042 entries from 79 entries.

Source

www.nust.edu.pk/news/aqsa-ajmal-success-story/

https://mmnews.tv/pakistani-female-student-aqsa-invents-

and

sewing-machine-visually-impaired

Technology Roundup

NutriBiz 2021: Nutrition Innovation Challenge for SMEs

The National Incubation Center is Pakistan's largest technology incubation center; the first purpose built
creative space in Pakistan buzzing with innovators, mentors, change-makers and passionate leaders. It's a
living example of a successful public-private partnership between the Ministry of IT & Telecom, Ignite –
National Technology Fund, Jazz and Teamup. The National Incubation Center in Islamabad is led by two
unicorn founders with around decades of combined experience in setting up organizations from scratch
and bringing digital revolution in Pakistan. The National Incubation Center connects Pakistani
entrepreneurs with industry experts and investors.

Applications are now open for the NutriBiz 2021 Nutrition Innovation Challenge for SMEs.

Courtesy:

https://nicpakistan.pk/the-nutribiz-nutrition-innovation-challenge/

NIC was chosen from a pool of around 1300 projects submitted by the Government and private sector
for WSIS Prizes 2021. This initiative is organized by the NIC in collaboration with the UN World
Food Program (WFP),

and Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN); a global movement in 63

@GAINalliance

countries that seeks to end malnutrition in all its forms.

The focus of Nutribiz 2021 is on improving the capability and productivity of small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) working in the food industry.

Our problem statements have been gathered directly from those who operate in NutriBiz space. Based on
the problem statements collected by our stakeholders, over 7 thematic areas within the NutriBiz 2021
Nutrition Innovation Challenge have been identified. But feel free to apply regardless of the thematic
statement as long as your idea is innovative. If you are working in one or more of the thematic areas listed
below:

Product Innovation and Marketing

Market Connectivity

Minimizing Food Waste

Cutting Edge Farming Tech

Food Safety

Promoting a Healthy Diet through Education

Supply Chain Management

The focus of Nutribiz 2021 is on improving the capability and productivity of SMEs working in the
food industry

The last date to apply is 30 May 2021.
Please visit here to apply:

https://forms.office.com/r/LEpZDn1RNT

Source:

www.nicpakistan.pk

https://twitter.com/NIC_Pakistan/status/1394696667614560259/photo/1

and

Technology Roundup

COVID-19: Scientists Identify human Genes that fight Infection

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys have identified a set of human genes that fight SARS-CoV-2 infection, the
virus that causes COVID-19. Knowing which genes help control viral infection can greatly assist researchers'
understanding of factors that affect disease severity and also suggest possible therapeutic options. The genes in
question are related to interferons, the body's frontline virus fighters.

Credit: © eMirage / stock.adobe.com

The scientists gained new insights into how the virus exploits the human cells it invades, but they are still searching
for its Achille's heel so that they can develop optimal antivirals. Soon after the start of the pandemic, clinicians
found that a weak interferon response to SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in some of the more severe cases of
COVID-19. This knowledge led Chanda and his collaborators to search for the human genes that are triggered by
interferons, known as interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), which act to limit SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Based on knowledge gleaned from SARS-CoV-1, the virus that caused a deadly, but relatively brief, outbreak of
disease from 2002 to 2004, and knowing that it was similar to SARS-CoV-2, the investigators were able to develop
laboratory experiments to identify the ISGs that control viral replication in COVID-19.

They found that 65 ISGs controlled SARS-CoV-2 infection, including some that inhibited the virus' ability to enter
cells, some that suppressed manufacture of the RNA that is the virus's lifeblood, and a cluster of genes that
inhibited assembly of the virus. Some of the ISGs exhibited control across unrelated viruses, such as seasonal flu,
West Nile and HIV, which leads to AIDS.

They identified eight ISGs that inhibited both SARS-CoV-1 and CoV-2 replication in the subcellular compartment
responsible for protein packaging, suggesting this vulnerable site could be exploited to clear viral infection; but
they still need to learn more about the biology of the virus and investigate if genetic variability within these ISGs
correlates with COVID-19 severity.

As a next step, the researchers will look at the biology of SARS-CoV-2 variants that continue to evolve and
threaten vaccine efficacy.

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210416145832.htm

Technology Roundup

New research optimizes Body's own Immune System to fight Cancer

A groundbreaking study led by engineering and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities
shows how engineered immune cells used in new cancer therapies can overcome physical barriers to allow a
patient's own immune system to fight tumors. The research could improve cancer therapies in the future for
millions of people worldwide.

Credit: © Design Cells / stock.adobe.com

Instead of using chemicals or radiation, immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the patient's
immune system fight cancer. T cells are a type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system.
Cytotoxic T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invader cells.

While there has been success in using immunotherapy for some types of cancer in the blood or blood-producing
organs, a T cell's job is much more difficult in solid tumors.

The tumor is sort of like an obstacle course, and the T cell has to run the gauntlet to reach the cancer cells. These T
cells get into tumors, but they just can't move around well, and they can't go where they need to go before they run
out of gas and are exhausted. In this first-of-its-kind study, the researchers are working to engineer the T cells and
develop engineering design criteria to mechanically optimize the cells or make them more "fit" to overcome the
barriers. If these immune cells can recognize and get to the cancer cells, then they can destroy the tumor.

In a fibrous mass of a tumor, the stiffness of the tumor causes immune cells to slow down about two-fold -- almost
like they are running in quicksand.

The scientists have identified some structural and signaling elements where they can tune these T cells to make
them more effective cancer fighters. Every 'obstacle course' within a tumor is slightly different, but there are
some similarities. After engineering these immune cells, they found that they moved through the tumor almost
twice as fast no matter what obstacles were in their way.

To engineer cytotoxic T cells, the authors used advanced gene editing technologies (also called genome editing)
to change the DNA of the T cells so they are better able to overcome the tumor's barriers. The ultimate goal is to
slow down the cancer cells and speed up the engineered immune cells. The researchers are working to create cells
that are good at overcoming different kinds of barriers. When these cells are mixed together, the goal is for groups
of immune cells to overcome all the different types of barriers to reach the cancer cells.

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210514134222.htm

Technology Roundup

Engineers Harvest WiFi signals to Power small Electronics

With the rise of the digital age, the amount of WiFi sources to transmit information wirelessly between devices
has grown exponentially. This results in the widespread use of the 2.4GHz radio frequency that WiFi uses, with
excess signals available to be tapped for alternative uses.

A chip embedded with about 50 spin-torque oscillators. Credit: National University of Singapore

To harness this under-utilised source of energy, a research team from the National University of Singapore (NUS)
and Japan's Tohoku University (TU) has developed a technology that uses tiny smart devices known as spin-
torque oscillators (STOs) to harvest and convert wireless radio frequencies into energy to power small
electronics. The researchers had successfully harvested energy using WiFi-band signals to power a light-emitting
diode (LED) wirelessly, and without using any battery. They are surrounded by WiFi signals, but when they are
not using them to access the Internet, they are inactive, and this is a huge waste. Their latest result is a step towards
turning readily-available 2.4GHz radio waves into a green source of energy, hence reducing the need for batteries
to power electronics that we use regularly. In this way, small electric gadgets and sensors can be powered
wirelessly by using radio frequency waves as part of the Internet of Things. With the advent of smart homes and
cities, their work could give rise to energy-efficient applications in communication, computing, and
neuromorphic systems.

Spin-torque oscillators are a class of emerging devices that generate microwaves, and have applications in
wireless communication systems. However, the application of STOs is hindered due to a low output power and
broad linewidth. While mutual synchronisation of multiple STOs is a way to overcome this problem; current
schemes, such as short-range magnetic coupling between multiple STOs, have spatial restrictions. On the other
hand, long-range electrical synchronisation using vortex oscillators is limited in frequency responses of only a
few hundred MHz. It also requires dedicated current sources for the individual STOs, which can complicate the
overall on-chip implementation.

To overcome the spatial and low frequency limitations, the research team came up with an array in which eight
STOs are connected in series. Using this array, the 2.4 GHz electromagnetic radio waves that WiFi uses was
converted into a direct voltage signal, which was then transmitted to a capacitor to light up a 1.6-volt LED. When
the capacitor was charged for five seconds, it was able to light up the same LED for one minute after the wireless
power was switched off.

The researchers also highlighted the importance of electrical topology for designing on-chip STO systems, and
compared the series design with the parallel one.

Source:

www.scitechdaily.com/engineers-harvest-energy-from-wifi-signals-to-power-small-electronics

Technology Roundup

Towards 2D Memory Technology by Magnetic Graphene

In spintronics, the magnetic moment of electrons (spin) is used to transfer and manipulate information. An
ultra-compact 2D spin-logic circuitry could be built from 2D materials that can transport the spin information
over long distances and also provide strong spin-polarization of charge current. Experiments by physicists at
the University of Groningen (The Netherlands) and Colombia University (USA) suggest that magnetic
graphene can be the ultimate choice for these 2D spin-logic devices as it efficiently converts charge to spin
current and can transfer this strong spin-polarization over long distances.

FIG. 4. Anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in a Gr/CrSBr vdW heterostructure. (a) An optical micrograph and
schematic of device D2 consisting of a graphene Hall bar on SiO2, partially covered with a CrSBr flake
(thickness ≈ 50 nm) with Ti(5 nm)/Au (100 nm) electrodes. Scale bar: 5 µm. The red and blue arrows represent
the out-of-plane spins. (b) Left axis: Transverse resistance Rxy = Vxy/I as a function of an out-of-plane
magnetic field (Bz), measured at Vg = +35 V, with I = 0.5 µA. The dashed blue line determines the linear
background attributed to ordinary Hall effect. Right axis: The nonlinear component of the Rxy, attributed to
the AHE (RAHE). (c) Left axis: The magnitude of the AHE signal (defined as an average of the maximum and
minimum values of the RAHE at Bz > +4 T and < −4 T) at the various Vg, shown by the red dots. Right axis:
Longitudinal resistance (Rxx) versus back-gate voltage (Vg), shown by the black line. The measurements are
performed at T = 30 K. Courtesy:

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2007.15597.pdf

Spintronic devices are promising high-speed and energy-saving alternatives for the current electronics. These
devices use the magnetic moment of electrons so-called spins ('up' or 'down') to transfer and store information.
The ongoing scaling down of memory technology requires ever smaller spintronic devices and thus it seeks
for atomically thin materials that can actively generate large spin signals and transfer the spin information over
micrometre-long distances.

Source:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210506142123.html

Technology Roundup

The

Cerebellum may have played an important role in the Evolution of the

Human Brain

Study compares epigenetic modifications to DNA in the cerebellum of humans, chimpanzees and monkeys
The cerebellum -- a part of the brain once recognized mainly for its role in coordinating movement --
underwent evolutionary changes that may have contributed to human culture, language and tool use. This new
finding appears in a study by Elaine Guevara of Duke University and colleagues.

https://neurosciencenews.com/cerebellum-evolution-18362

Scientists studying how humans evolved their remarkable capacity to think and learn have frequently focused
on the prefrontal cortex, a part of the brain vital for executive functions, like moral reasoning and decision
making. But recently, the cerebellum has begun receiving more attention for its role in human cognition.
Guevara and her team investigated the evolution of the cerebellum and the prefrontal cortex by looking for
molecular differences between humans, chimpanzees, and rhesus macaque monkeys. Specifically, they
examined genomes from the two types of brain tissue in the three species to find epigenetic differences. These
are modifications that do not change the DNA sequence but can affect which genes are turned on and off and
can be inherited by future generations.

Compared to chimpanzees and rhesus macaques, humans showed greater epigenetic differences in the
cerebellum than the prefrontal cortex, highlighting the importance of the cerebellum in human brain evolution.
The epigenetic differences were especially apparent on genes involved in brain development, brain
inflammation, fat metabolism and synaptic plasticity -- the strengthening or weakening of connections
between neurons depending on how often they are used. The results support an important role for the
cerebellum in human brain evolution and suggest that previously identified epigenetic features distinguishing
the human neocortex are not unique to the neocortex."

Source:

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/05/210506142039.htm

Technology Roundup

Pakistan

International Conference on Innovative Engineering Technologies

18-19 July 2021
Karachi

www.conferencealerts.co.in/events/eventdetail.php?id=1404092

International Conference on Science Technology and Management

28-29 July, 2021
Rawalpindi

www.astem.org/Conference2021/Pakistan/1/ICSTM/

World Congress On Information Technology And Computer Science

1 -2 August, 2021
Peshawar

www.conferencealerts.net/event_detail.php?ev_id=413333

World Congress On Industrial Biotechnology

12-13 August, 2021
Multan

www.conferencealerts.net/event_detail.php?ev_id=400837

International
International Conference on Science and Technology

8-9 July, 2021
Pathum Thani, Thailand

https://10times.com/science-and-technology-bangkok

nternational Conference on Science Engineering and Management

26-27 August, 2021
Colombo, Srilanka

www.icsem.net/

International Conference on Nursing and COVID

29-30, September 2021
Singapore

www.larixconferences.com/nursing

International Conference on Science & Technology Research

7-8, October 2021
Istanbul, Turkey

www.10times.com/icrst-istanbul

Forthcoming Tech Events

Tech & Trade Offers

About PASTIC

PASTIC serves as a gateway for
Scientific & Technological
Information for R&D by catering
to the information needs of
researchers, entrepreneurs,
industrialists, educationists,
policy makers and planners
t h r o u g h a n t i c i p a t o r y a n d
responsive information services.

T e c h n o l o g y I n f o r m a t i o n
Section works exclusively for
support and promotion of
technological information on
t r a d e a n d i n d u s t r y i n t h e
country. “Technology Roundup”
is a news bulletin that provides
latest and innovative technology
news, forthcoming events, etc. It
a l s o p r o m o t e s p r o d u c t s ,
t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d s e r v i c e s
globally in sectors such as Agro-
I n d u s t r y , B i o - T e c h n o l o g y ,
Building Material, Business,
Chemicals, Electronics, Energy,
Fisheries, Food Processing,
Machinery, Packaging, Mining
Pharmaceuticals and Textiles.

NEWWAY AUTOMOBILE

Neway has become renowned in its local and foreign circles due
to the workmanship and services provided by the company.
Neway is the only firm in Pakistan producing the highest
numbers of Auto-Engine-Repairing as well as general machine
tools. Ever since its beginning, Neway added at least one new
model of machine in its production line every year to offer a
complete solution for engine overhauling.

The production includes Crankshaft Grinder, Surface
Grinder, Honing Machine, Hydraulic Presses, Line Boring,
Cylinder Boring and many other machines to meet the needs of
auto repairing workshops of all sizes for local and foreign
market. These machines are also exported to the South
America, Fiji Island, Middle East, Africa, South & South East
Asia such as U.A.E., Turkey, Iran, Korea, Saudi Arabia and
England.

Neway was nominated for
International Trophy for
Technology and Quality,
Geneva and “Europe Award
For Quality” Paris, several
times in the last decade.
Neway is the only ISO-9001 :
2015 certified company in Pakistan in its field, with CE Mark
for its Products.

Head Office
Rahim Road, Misri Shah
Lahore - 54900
Contact No :+92-333-4227783
+92-333-4227784
+92-42-37282283
+92-42-37602283
Email: machines@neway.com.pk
www.neway.com.pk

Technology Roundup

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