This paper introduces the development of biomimetic underwater microrobots consisting of AVR microcontroller, an infrared ray communication system, and ionic conducting polymer film (ICPF) actuators. We use AVR ATmega16 as the control unit and an infrared ray receiver to provide feedback to the AVR unit. The spiral particle pathway searching approach is developed to search for particles. We als...

In order to clone and analyse the avirulence gene AVR-Pia from Japanese field isolates of Magnaporthe oryzae, a mutant of the M. oryzae strain Ina168 was isolated. This mutant, which was named Ina168m95-1, gained virulence towards the rice cultivar Aichi-asahi, which contains the resistance gene Pia. A DNA fragment (named PM01) that was deleted in the mutant and that co-segregated with avirulen...

Calcific Aortic Valve Disease: Where Are We Now? Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common valvular heart disease in the aging population of the developed world with projected disease burden expected to increase from 2.5 million in 2000 to 4.5 million in 2030. In CAVD, the leaflets become thick, stiff, scarred, and calcified, often covered with nodules on the surface facing the ao...

BACKGROUND Composite aortic valve and root replacement (CVG) is a complex surgical procedure, but excellent center-specific outcomes are reported. We sought to report outcomes in a national cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS The United Kingdom Heart Valve Registry was interrogated for 1962 first-time CVG (and 37,102 aortic valve replacements [AVR] as a reference group) procedures from 1986 to 2004. ...

W ith an increasingly aging population, aortic stenosis (AS) has become the most frequent valvular heart disease in North America and Europe. It is a progressive condition characterized by a long latent asymptomatic period, followed by a shorter symptomatic stage associated with increased morbidity and higher mortality. Surgical aortic valve replacement (AVR) and transcatheter aortic valve repl...

The recent resurgence of wheat stem rust caused by new virulent races of Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) poses a threat to food security. These concerns have catalyzed an extensive global effort toward controlling this disease. Substantial research and breeding programs target the identification and introduction of new stem rust resistance (Sr) genes in cultivars for genetic protection a...

Calcific Aortic Valve Disease: Where Are We Now? Calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) is the most common valvular heart disease in the aging population of the developed world with projected disease burden expected to increase from 2.5 million in 2000 to 4.5 million in 2030. In CAVD, the leaflets become thick, stiff, scarred, and calcified, often covered with nodules on the surface facing the ao...

AIM Patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) may have bleeding episodes due to the loss of high-molecular-weight (HMW) von Willebrand factor multimers (VWFMs). The absence of HMW-VWFMs and bleeding tendency are usually corrected after aortic valve replacement (AVR). To investigate the process of VWFM recovery and symptoms in patients with severe AS, we analyzed changes in VWF antigen (VWF:Ag),...

The aim of this study was to assess the validity and test-retest reliability of Thermovision Technique of Dry Needling (TTDN) for the gluteus minimus muscle. TTDN is a new thermography approach used to support trigger points (TrPs) diagnostic criteria by presence of short-term vasomotor reactions occurring in the area where TrPs refer pain. Method. Thirty chronic sciatica patients (n=15 TrP-pos...