Primary calcified hydatid of spleen: a case report

Most splenic cysts are parasitic. Hydatid disease, a parasitic disease, isendemic in Kashmir. Splenic involvement alone in hydatid disease is very rare. It may remain asymptomatic or, by causing pressure due to increasing size on adjacent viscera, may become symptomatic. A non specific presentation always makes diagnosis difficult. A case of hydatid spleen in a young boy who presented with abdominal pain is reported. Radiology complemented with serology made the diagnosis. Hydatid disease should beconsidered as a differential diagnosis in every patient with a calcified cystic mass of the spleen in endemic areas.KEY WORDS: Calcified hydatid; Spleen; Splenic cyst; Case repor

Molecular Typing of Canine Parvovirus from Sulaimani, Iraq and Phylogenetic Analysis Using Partial Vp2 Gene

Canine parvovirus (CPV) remains the most significant viral cause of haemorrhagic enteritis and bloody diarrhoea in puppies over the age of 12 weeks. The objective of the present study was to detect and genotype CPV-2 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to perform phylogenetic analysis using partial VP2 gene sequences. We analysed eight faecal samples of unvaccinated dogs with signs of vomiting and bloody diarrhoea during the period from December 2013 to May 2014 in different locations in Sulaimani, Kurdistan, Iraq. After PCR detection, we found that all viral sequences in our study were CPV-2b variants, which differed genetically by 0.8% to 3.6% from five commercially available vaccines. Alignment between eight nucleotides of field virus sequences showed 95% to 99.5% similarity. The phylogenetic analysis for the 8 field sequences formed two distinct clusters with two sequences belonging to strains from China and Thailand and the other six - with a strain from Egypt. Molecular characterisation and CPV typing are crucial in epidemiological studies for future prevention and control of the disease

Phylogenic analysis of serotype Asia1 foot-and-mouth disease virus from Sulaimani/Iraq using VP1 protein: heterogeneity with vaccine strain As1/Shamir/89

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotypes O, A and Asia1 are responsible for a significant number of disease outbreaks in Iraq. The current study can be considered as the first molecular characterization of serotype Asia1 in Iraq. The present investigation reports the detection of serotype FMDV Asia1 from local farms in Sulaimani districts in 2012 and 2014 outbreaks. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete VP1 gene has shown that FMDV Asia1 field isolates were under genetic novel variant Sindh-08 (group VII) including PAK/iso/11 and TUR/13 strains. The VP1 protein sequence of circulatory FMDV Asia1 genotype showed heterogeneity of nine amino acid substitutions within the G-H loop with the vaccine strain As1/Shamir/89 (JF739177) that is currently used in vaccination program in Iraq. Our result indicated that differences in VP1 protein at G-H loop of the locally circulated FMDV serotype Asia1 strain may be a reason for current vaccination failure

Collectivity evolution in the neutron-rich Pd isotopes towards the N=82 shell closure

The neutron-rich, even-even 122,124,126Pd isotopes has been studied via in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy at the RIKEN Radioactive Isotope Beam Factory. Excited states at 499(9), 590(11), and 686(17) keV were found in the three isotopes, which we assign to the respective 2+ -> 0+ decays. In addition, a candidate for the 4+ state at 1164(20) keV was observed in 122Pd. The resulting Ex(2+) systematics are essentially similar to those of the Xe (Z=54) isotopic chain and theoretical prediction by IBM-2, suggesting no serious shell quenching in the Pd isotopes in the vicinity of N=82

Microstructural characterization of ferroelectric Pb(Sc05Ta05)O-3 ceramics

To more fully understand the relaxer ferroelectric PST, i.e., Pb(Sc0.5Ta0.5)O-3, the relationship between dielectric properties and some microstructural characteristics were studied. These include the use of electron microscopy (SEM and TEM) and X-ray microanalysis to study intergranular inclusion. Significant structural and chemical variations were found in Pb-rich spheroids. In addition using fractal theory, fractal dimensions, D, of the ceramic grain boundaries were obtained, by image processing techniques. It was found that D could be successfully related to grain boundary configuration, which can be related to the dielectric properties

Development of ferroelectric ceramics with high dielectric constant and low dissipation factor for high-voltage capacitors

Both ferroelectric BaTiO3-based and SrTiO3-based dielectric ceramics with high dielectric constant and low dissipation factor have been successfully developed, and applied into mass production for high-voltage ceramic capacitors. Crystalline phases of the ceramics were identified by XRD. STEM study of the ceramics was also conducted. Based on the computer simulation of a shell-core and two-phase mixed structural model proposed, a novel processing method was employed to produce SrTiO3-based ceramics with the following satisfactory dielectric properties: dielectric constant at room temperature epsilon(20'C) = 2000, dissipation factor at room temperature D-20'C = 0.003, temperature coefficient of dielectric constant alpha(epsilon) = - 8% (-25 degrees C to 85 degrees C), and, breakdown electric field E-b = 10kV/mm (dc). Optional composition of BaTiO3-based ceramics has been obtained through the orthogonal design experimentation: BaTiO3-xBaZrO(3)-yBaSnO(3), where x = 8 wt% and y = 6 wt%, with minor additions of MnSiO3, WO3, CeO2, Bi-2(SnO3)(3) and ZnO. Its major properties are as follows: Curie temperature T-c = 21 degrees C, epsilon(20'C) = 18,000, D-20'C = 0.008, alpha(epsilon) = -80% (-25 degrees C similar to +85 degrees C) and E-b = 8kV/mm (dc)

Search for low lying dipole strength in the neutron rich nucleus 26^{26}Ne

Coulomb excitation of the exotic neutron-rich nucleus $^{26}$Ne on a $^{nat}$Pb target was measured at 58 A.MeV in order to search for low-lying E1 strength above the neutron emission threshold. Data were also taken on an $^{nat}$Al target to estimate the nuclear contribution. The radioactive beam was produced by fragmentation of a 95 A.MeV $^{40}$Ar beam delivered by the RIKEN Research Facility. The set-up included a NaI gamma-ray array, a charged fragment hodoscope and a neutron wall. Using the invariant mass method in the $^{25}$Ne+n channel, we observe a sizable amount of E1 strength between 6 and 10 MeV. The reconstructed $^{26}$Ne angular distribution confirms its E1 nature. A reduced dipole transition probability of B(E1)=0.49$\pm$0.16 $e^2fm^2$ is deduced. For the first time, the decay pattern of low-lying strength in a neutron-rich nucleus is obtained. The results are discussed in terms of a pygmy resonance centered around 9 MeV