The endothelium is a complex organ with a multitude of properties essential for control of vascular functions. Dysfunction of the vascular endothelium is regarded as an important factor in the pathogenesis of diabetic micro- and macro-angiopathy. Endothelial dysfunction in Type I and II diabetes complicated by micro- or macro-albuminuria is generalized in that it affects many aspects of endothelial function and occurs not only in the kidney. The close linkage between microalbuminuria and endothelial dysfunction in diabetes is an attractive explanation for the fact that microalbuminuria is a risk marker for atherothrombosis. In Type I diabetes, endothelial dysfunction precedes and may cause diabetic microangiopathy, but it is not clear whether endothelial dysfunction is a feature of the diabetic state itself. In Type II diabetes, endothelial function is impaired from the onset of the disease and is strongly related to adverse outcomes. It is not clear whether impaired endothelial function is caused by hyperglycaemia or by other factors. Impaired endothelial function is closely associated with and may contribute to insulin resistance regardless of the presence of diabetes. Endothelial dysfunction in diabetes originates from three main sources. Hyperglycaemia and its immediate biochemical sequelae directly alter endothelial function or influence endothelial cell functioning indirectly by the synthesis of growth factors, cytokines and vasoactive agents in other cells. Finally, the components of the metabolic syndrome can impair endothelial function.

[Vascular complications in diabetes mellitus: role of endothelial dysfunction].

Examines the motivation for achievement as a psychological factor that shapes economic development. Refuting arguments based on race, climate, or population growth, the book instead argues for cultural customs and motivations - especially the motivation for achievement - as the major catalysts of economic growth. Considering the Protestant Reformation, the rise of capitalism, parents' influences on sons, and folklore and children's stories as shaping cultural motivations for achievement, the book hypothesizes that a high level of achievement motivation precedes economic growth. This is supported through qualitative analysis of the achievement motive, as well as of other psychological factors - including entrepreneurial behavior and characteristics, and available sources of achievement in past and present highly achieving societies. It is the achievement motive - and not merely the profit motive or the desire for material gain - that has advanced societies economically. Consequently, individuals are not merely products of their environment, as many social scientists have asserted, but also creators of the environment, as they manipulate it in various ways in the search for achievement. Finally, a plan is hypothesized to accelerate economic growth in developing countries, by encouraging and supplementing their achievement motives through mobilizing the greater achievement resources of developed countries. The conclusion is not just that motivations shape economic progress, but that current influences on future people's motivations and values will determine economic growth in the long run. Thus, it is most beneficial for a society to concentrate its resources on creating an environment conducive to entrepreneurship and a strong ideological base for achievement. (CJC)

The Achieving Society

The Human Genome Project.

On Parallel Algorithms of some Orthogonal Transforms (S.S. Agaian and D.Z. Gevorkian). An Efficient Algorithm for Finding Peripheral Nodes (I. Arany). Computational Aspects of Assigning Characteristic Semigroup of Asynchronous Automata and Their Extensions (S. Bocian and B. Mikolajczak). Reichenbach's Propositional Logic in Algorithmic Form (P. Borowik). The Complexity of Weighted Multi-Constrained Spanning Tree Problems (P. Camerini, G. Galbiati and F. Maffioli). An Algorithm for Finding SC-Preimages of a Deterministic Finite Automaton (K. Chmiel). On Entropy Decomposition Methods and Algorithm Design (Th. Fischer). An Efficient Algorithm for Dynamic String-Storage Allocation (D. Fox). Covering Intervals with Intervals under Containment Constraints (M.R. Garey and R.Y. Pinter). How to Construct Random Functions (O. Goldreich, S. Goldwasser and S. Micali). Four Pebbles Don't Suffice to Search Planar Infinite Labyrinths (F. Hoffmann). Parallel Algorithms: The Impact of Communication Complexity (F. Hossfeld). Tight Worst-Case Bounds for Bin-Packing Algorithms (A. Ivanyi). Hypergraph Planarity and the Complexity of Drawing Venn Diagrams (D.S. Johnson and H.O. Pollak). Convolutional Charaterization of Computability and Complexity of Computations (S. Jukna). Succinct Data Representations and the Complexity of Computations (S. Jukna). Lattices, Basis Reduction and the Shortest Vector Problem (R. Kannan). The Characterization of Some Complexity Classes by Recursion Schemata (M. Liskiewicz, K. Lorys and M. Piotrow). Some Algorithmic Problems on Lattices (L. Lovasz). Linear Proofs in the Non-Negative Cone (J. Moravek). Characterizing Some Low Arithmetic Classes (J.B. Paris, W.G. Handley and A.J. Wilkie). Constructing a Simplex Form of a Rational Matrix (A. Rycerz and J. Jegier). Computing N with a Few Number of Additions (I. Ruzsa and Zs. Tuza). A Hierarchy of Polynomial Time Basis Reduction Algorithms (C.P. Schnorr). A Topological View of Some Problems in Complexity Theory (M. Sipser). v-Computations on Turing Machines and the Accepted Languages (L. Staiger). On the Greedy Algorithm for an Edge-Partitioning Problem (Gy. Turan). The Complexity of Linear Quadtrees (T.R. Walsh).

Theory of algorithms

Metal oxide based non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors for glucose detection

Diabetes is one of today’s greatest global problems, and it is only becoming bigger. Constant measuring of blood glucose level is a prerequisite for monitoring glucose blood level and establishing diabetes treatment procedures. The usual way of glucose level measuring is by an invasive procedure that requires finger pricking with the lancet and might become painful and obeying, especially if this becomes a daily routine. In this study, we analyze noninvasive glucose measurement approaches and present several classification dimensions according to different criteria: size, invasiveness, analyzed media, sensing properties, applied method, activation type, response delay, measurement duration, and access to results. We set the focus on using machine learning and neural network methods and correlation with heart rate variability and electrocardiogram, as a new research and development trend.

/pdf/noninvasive-glucose-measurement-using-machine-learning-and-nvzb69vpun.pdf

Noninvasive Glucose Measurement Using Machine Learning and Neural Network Methods and Correlation with Heart Rate Variability

Hardware-based courses in computer science studies require much effort from both students and teachers. The most important part of students' learning is attending in person and actively working on laboratory exercises on hardware equipment. This paper deals with a specific group of students, those who are marginalized by not being able to regularly attend lessons and perform the laboratory exercises. This group of “busy students” includes older students, and those who travel, are employed or are parents. In particular it describes how such students achieved impressive results in a hardware-based course by using Open Educational Resources (OER). These facilitated students' learning process and gave busy students the opportunity to organize their learning time so as to work on the hardware courses remotely from home when they had time and opportunity. The results of the evaluation show significant improvements, both in grade distribution and course throughput, after implementing the new Open Educational Resources approach.

OER Approach for Specific Student Groups in Hardware-Based Courses

This paper describes a new systematic approach and methodology for teaching hardware based courses to computer science (CS) students. It is a combination of various approaches with a profound goal to provoke deeper comprehension in various topics in microprocessors and microcontrollers details. The computer student programming skills and knowledge (generally high level programming languages and algorithms) is used to program and control processes with microcon trollers. Th e methodolog y evolutes around three steps: using visual simulators, incrementally weighted exercises, from easiest to hardest, including supplemental points, and finally working on real hardware controllers. The proposed teaching approaches were developed for the course “Microprocessors and Microcontrollers”, but can be applied to every hardware based course on computer science students.

Awakening curiosity — Hardware education for computer science students

Emotions are important in many aspects of human behavior. Emotions are displayed on human faces, they are reflected in human memory, and they even influence human intelligence. The creation of robots that try to mimic humans arises the question of how the concept of emotion can be transferred to robots. There is no unique answer to the question, however many robots that leverage emotions exist. By summarizing the work done on these robots we try to enlighten the relations between robots and emotions from several perspectives. We first identify how artificial emotion can be defined in a robotic system. Next, we investigate the possible roles of emotions in robotic behavior models and analyze different implementations of the concept of emotion in these models. Finally, we elaborate on the evaluation of how emotions influence human-robot interaction. For this purpose, we qualitatively analyzed a selected set of robots that include emotions in their model. Considering the diversity of state-of-the-art approaches to using emotions in robots, we try to present the findings in a structured and comprehensive way that could be valuable for future researchers.

Behavior Models of Emotion-Featured Robots: A Survey

This paper describes the evolution of a hardware course in a software oriented curriculum. It explains the problems that students taking this course experienced in the past. Furthermore, it presents the improvements to the course curriculum and proposes a new teaching methodology, as well as the results of its enforcement. All these changes lead to the overall improvement of the course quality: student satisfaction and interest, increased number of completed hardware projects and significant improvement in grade distribution.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/5962072/5973970/05974045.pdf

Nevena Ackovska

Papers

Noninvasive Glucose Measurement Using Machine Learning and Neural Network Methods and Correlation with Heart Rate Variability

OER Approach for Specific Student Groups in Hardware-Based Courses

Awakening curiosity — Hardware education for computer science students

Behavior Models of Emotion-Featured Robots: A Survey

Challenging students software skills to learn hardware based courses