Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“What Is Inside a Computer?”: Preconceptions About Computer Principles in 6-9-Graders

The new computer science curriculum in Czechia for grades 6 to 9 accentuates, among others, the topic of computer principles, i.e., how computers work internally. For various reasons, there is a lack of teaching materials in Czechia that deal with this topic and support teachers in their teaching. To create quality materials, as a first step, we wanted to discover children’s preconceptions about computer principles. To this end, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 53 children about how computers work, what parts they comprise of, and how these parts communicate and work with each other. After completing an inductive thematic analysis, we found around 260 preconceptions. Based on their occurrence we performed a non-hierarchical cluster analysis and identified three groups of participants according to their level of knowledge (i.e., experts, who are able to understand the majority of abstract concepts; moderate, who understand some abstract concepts; and naïve, who do not understand the vast majority of abstract concepts). This poster presents preliminary findings from our study.
Exploring Mixed-Reality for Enhancing Driver Warning Systems: A Preliminary Study on Attention-Shifting Methods and Hazard Perception

Modern vehicles are equipped with advanced sensors and capabilities, yet engaging human drivers effectively in hazard perception remains a challenging research area. This paper investigates the potential of mixed reality (MR) to enhance driver warning systems. The study examines the impact of attention-shifting methods, including visual cues, audio cues, and a combination of both, on drivers’ hazard perception. A preliminary study involving six participants was conducted, and the NASA-TLX analysis did not yield significant differences. However, through the use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we unveil distinct brain activation patterns associated with visual and sound cues. Further research with larger sample sizes and diverse driving scenarios is required to validate and expand upon these preliminary results.
Bird's Eye View Effect on Situational Awareness in Remote Driving

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to transform the way we live. Nevertheless, at least in the near foreseeable future, it seems that AVs will not be able to resolve every problem they encounter and thus, there will be a need for human involvement in the form of remote vehicle teleoperation. However, it is still unclear how such a teleoperation station should be designed and which views should be presented to the teleoperator. In this study, we examine the effect of a bird's eye view (BEV) on situation awareness in tele-driving. We compare a regular frontal view with two different arrangements of BEV added to the frontal view. Our findings indicate that adding a BEV does not improve the situation awareness of the tele-driver, and in some cases, even makes it more difficult for the user to perceive some important environmental features.
Designing a Light-based Communication System with a Biomolecular Receiver

Biological systems transduce signals from their surroundings in numerous ways. This paper introduces a communication system design using the biological receptor Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), a light-driven ion pump. Our design includes a ChR2-based receiver, along with encoding, modulation techniques and detection. Analyzing the resulting communication system with a ChR2-based receiver, we discuss the effect of different parameters on the performance of the system. Finally, we discuss its potential design in the context of bioengineering and light-based communication.
Targeting PTBP1 blocks glutamine metabolism to improve the cisplatin sensitivity of hepatocarcinoma cells through modulating the mRNA stability of glutaminase

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequently diagnosed malignancy with a high mortality rate. Cisplatin (CDDP) is a widely applied anti-cancer drug. However, a large population of liver cancer patients developed CDDP resistance. The polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTBP1) is an RNA-binding protein involving in progressions of diverse cancers. Here we report PTBP1 was significantly upregulated in liver tumors and cell lines. Silencing PTBP1 effectively sensitized HCC cells to CDDP. From the established CDDP-resistant HCC cell line (HepG2 CDDP Res), we observed that CDDP-resistant cells were more sensitive to CDDP under low glutamine supply compared with that in HCC parental cells. CDDP-resistant HCC cells displayed elevated glutamine metabolism rate. Consistently, PTBP1 promotes glutamine uptake and the glutamine metabolism key enzyme, glutaminase (GLS) expression. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that the 3′-UTR of GLS mRNA contained PTBP1 binding motifs which were further validated by RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assays. PTBP1 associated with GLS 3′-UTR to stabilize GLS mRNA in HCC cells. Finally, we demonstrated that the PTBP1-promoted CDDP resistance of HCC cells was through modulating the GLS–glutamine metabolism axis. Summarily, our findings uncovered a PTBP1-mediated CDDP resistance pathway in HCC, suggesting that PTBP1 is a promisingly therapeutic target to overcome chemoresistance of HCC.
Behind the Screens: The Security & Privacy Advice Landscape of Children in Grades 5 & 6

Human-centered security research often aims to improve online security of end users through education, but work in the field rarely considers children as end users. Despite the inevitable need to empower children against online threats, the space of what children know about security and privacy is insufficiently explored. This is of interest not only to security researchers, but also to educators. As a first step in exploring the space of children’s knowledge about security and privacy, we set out to collect security and privacy advice of children in grades 5 & 6, as well as from their parents and teachers. We collect the advice through a survey for each of the aforementioned groups. We consider pieces of advice collected to uncover gaps in the security knowledge of children and their support network enabling further insights and research in this area.
Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access for Diffusion-Based Molecular Communication Networks

This paper proposes a concept of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) for diffusion-based molecular communication (DBMC) networks. The method relies on the difference in received signal levels for multiple access and uses successive interference cancellation. We analytically investigate the bit error probability (BEP) of a communication system using NOMA with two transmitters (TXs) and a central receiver. Initial results show that the BEP can be minimized by balancing a high received signal level from each TX with the separation in received signal level between the TXs. The identification of this trade-off is a first step towards the further analysis of NOMA for single-molecule-type multiple access in future DBMC networks.
Blockchain-Empowered Search Over Encrypted Data With Forward and Backward Privacy

With the development of cloud data, searchable encryption has been getting more attention. Searchable encryption with forward and backward privacy can better meet people’s security needs, for it leaks less information. However, only forward and backward is not enough to deal with the situation where the server returns less search results than it should. This paper will focus on this question. Since the consensus mechanism in the blockchain can well ensure honesty, this paper proposes a symmetric searchable encryption with forward and backward privacy based on blockchain smart contracts. We propose a one-to-one scheme SCSSEFB that can be easily extended to one-to-many and extended to the asymmetric case. According to our calculations and evaluations, this scheme has O(n · m) + O(s) + O(s · log2(s)) time update overhead and O(m) + O(m · log2(s′)) search time overhead, where n keywords are updated each time on average, each w corresponds to m identifiers, s documents are updated each time, and a total of s′ documents when searching. Specifically, our scheme takes 103 seconds in the update phase when the test data set is 16,000 bytes and the amount of keyword pairs is 50, and 142.5 seconds in the search phase when the number of keywords is 5 and the amount of leaves in the Merkle tree is 8388608.
Capturing Types

Type systems usually characterize the shape of values but not their free variables. However, many desirable safety properties could be guaranteed if one knew the free variables captured by values. We describe CC< :◻, a calculus where such captured variables are succinctly represented in types, and show it can be used to safely implement effects and effect polymorphism via scoped capabilities. We discuss how the decision to track captured variables guides key aspects of the calculus, and show that CC< :◻ admits simple and intuitive types for common data structures and their typical usage patterns. We demonstrate how these ideas can be used to guide the implementation of capture checking in a practical programming language.
From Blocks to Professional Development – Thoughts on the Future of Educational Programming

Systems for programming education currently fall into two categories: block-based systems built around structure editors almost exclusively used for early programming instruction to young learners, and professional environments that use text-based languages and are edited at character level. Here, we argue that combining the two approaches into a single system can have benefits. We discuss frame-based editing, a combination of text and blocks, and its potential to improve the landscape of programming education. We argue that frame-based systems can help support the transition from blocks to text-based programming, and that frame-based systems in themselves may be a reasonable endpoint in programming education for a majority of learners.
Emerging Practices for Integrating Computer Science into Existing K-5 Subjects in the United States

Research Problem. With increasing initiatives and policies to bring computer science (CS) learning opportunities to primary school students within the United States, there is a growing need to understand how to integrate CS into various other subjects. Research on emerging practices for integrating CS into other subjects (co-curricular), however, remains thin. Research Questions. Our research question for this study was: What are promising practices for integrating CS into other subject areas? Methodology. We conducted interviews with experts (n=9) in integrating CS into subject areas in the K-5 classroom using a semi-structured interview protocol. Findings. Several promising practices emerged for designing curriculum, creating assessments, and preparing teachers to teach in a co-curricular manner. These include ways for teachers to vary instruction, integrating into core (and oft tested) language arts and mathematics, and simplifying assessments. Many of the findings are borne from the need to help new teachers become comfortable teaching a new subject integrated into their other subjects. Implications. Our findings reveal a number of steps curriculum designers can take to design and implement CS integrated into other subject areas. While many are built on addressing the cognitive load that both teachers and students may face, there is deep recognition that teachers must gradually learn to become familiar with CS as well as how to integrate CS into other subjects that ensure true integration, rather than teaching two subjects in parallel.
Embodied Conversational Agent Teams for Trust Calibration in Automated Vehicles

Representing sub-systems of automated vehicles with a team of conversational agents has been suggested in the past to improve the process of trust calibration. Experiments so far did not include embodied agents. In this work, we present two potential analogies derived from a company hierarchy and a spaceship crew. We developed comic strips showing everyday interactions with these agents in an automated vehicle and evaluated them in a Vignette study in comparison with single-agent approaches. Our results suggest that a multi-agent approach could be beneficial for trust calibration, but only for the company and not the spaceship analogy. Only some of the design decisions regarding the agents’ personalities worked out as intended. Still, we believe the concept is promising for future investigations.
The Thermal Impact of THz Signaling in Protein Nanonetworks

Technological advancements in the terahertz (THz) frequency band have resulted in a surge of interest in the fundamental research as well as the practical applications of THz waves in the biomedical domain. In specific, the energy levels of protein vibrations coincide with those of THz waves, which increases the probability of their interaction. Nonetheless, one open research topic in this field involves understanding the thermal effect of THz radiation on protein networks, particularly under resonant conditions. In this work, we adopt the Goldenberg and Tranter heat diffusion model to study the thermal interaction between THz waves and protein molecules. We show that using different THz power levels results in various implications on protein interactions. In addition, we demonstrate the impact of resonance on protein absorption and the fundamental role it plays in increasing the temperature in protein networks. Finally, we numerically verify the analytical framework by building a physical model that mimics the THz-protein interaction using COMSOL Multiphysics®.
Combined Model for Partially-Observable and Non-Observable Task Switching: Solving Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning Problems Statically and Dynamically with Transfer Learning

An integral function of fully autonomous robots and humans is the ability to focus attention on a few relevant percepts to reach a certain goal while disregarding irrelevant percepts. Humans and animals rely on the interactions between the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC) and the Basal Ganglia (BG) to achieve this focus called Working Memory (WM). The Working Memory Toolkit (WMtk) was developed based on a computational neuroscience model of this phenomenon with Temporal Difference (TD) Learning for autonomous systems. Recent adaptations of the toolkit either utilize Abstract Task Representations (ATRs) to solve Non-Observable (NO) tasks or storage of past input features to solve Partially-Observable (PO) tasks, but not both. We propose a new model, PONOWMtk, which combines both approaches, ATRs and input storage, with a static or dynamic number of ATRs. The results of our experiments show that PONOWMtk performs effectively for tasks that exhibit PO, NO, or both properties.
Independent allocentric and egocentric reference frame encoding of person knowledge within the brains of social groups

Humans spontaneously infer information about others to perceive the similarity in behaviors and traits among people in our social environments. However, evaluating the similarity among people can be achieved through multiple frames of reference: other-to-other differences (allocentric similarity) or self-to-other differences (egocentric similarity), which are difficult to dissociate with behavioral measures alone. Here, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging to test whether the similarity of brain response patterns when thinking of others and the self is predicted by models of allocentric and egocentric similarity in the trait-judgments of well-acquainted peers from 20 independent groups of people (total N = 108; within-subject design). Results show that both allocentric and egocentric similarity during person representation are reflected in brain response similarity patterns when thinking of others but do so differentially and in non-overlapping brain systems. Specifically, allocentric similarity was positively related to brain similarity patterns in distributed regions involved in social cognition as well as in regions involved in general non-social spatial reference frame encoding. Egocentric similarity was inversely related to brain response similarity but only within dorsal regions of the medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate, suggesting that activation within this region is important for dissociating self-representation from that of similar others. These results suggest that the brain processes both kinds of reference frames independently to encode trait information about conspecifics that we use to represent person knowledge about other people within real-world social networks.
Fluorinated cGAMP analogs, which act as STING agonists and are not cleavable by poxins: structural basis of their function

The Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) plays a crucial role in the cGAS-STING pathway of innate immunity, detecting DNA in the cytoplasm and defending against certain cancers, viruses, and bacteria. We designed and synthesized fluorinated carbocyclic cGAMP analogs, MD1203 and MD1202D (MDs), to enhance their stability against nucleases and their affinity for STING. These compounds demonstrated exceptional activity against wild-type STING and all its allelic variations, including the hard-to-target REF isoform. Despite their distinct chemical modifications relative to the canonical CDNs, such as the substitution of guanine with hypoxanthine and the fluorination of the (pseudo)ribose ring, crystallographic analysis revealed a consistent binding mode with STING. Importantly, these compounds were resistant to cleavage by viral poxin nucleases. The crystallographic analysis of poxin/MD complexes unveiled their binding mode at the interface of poxin monomers, with dynamic adenine base orientations. Interestingly, MDs-bound poxin adopted an unliganded-like conformation, distinct from the conformation of cGAMP-bound poxin. Moreover, when MDs were in complex with poxin, they exhibited a different conformation than cGAMP when bound to poxin; in fact, it closely resembled the conformation observed when MDs were bound to STING. In conclusion, the development of MD1203 and MD1202D, showcases their potential as potent STING activators with remarkable stability against poxin-mediated degradation—a crucial characteristic for future development of antivirals.
Reciprocal Recommender Systems: Analysis of State-of-Art Literature, Challenges and Opportunities on Social Recommendation

Many social services including online dating, social media, recruitment and online learning, largely rely on \matching people with the right people". The success of these services and the user experience with them often depends on their ability to match users. Reciprocal Recommender Systems (RRS) arose to facilitate this process by identifying users who are a potential match for each other, based on information provided by them. These systems are inherently more complex than user-item recommendation approaches and unidirectional user recommendation services, since they need to take into account both users' preferences towards each other in the recommendation process. This entails not only predicting accurate preference estimates as classical recommenders do, but also defining adequate fusion processes for aggregating user-to-user preferential information. The latter is a crucial and distinctive, yet barely investigated aspect in RRS research. This paper presents a snapshot analysis of the extant literature to summarize the state-of-the-art RRS research to date, focusing on the fundamental features that differentiate RRSs from other classes of recommender systems. Following this, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for future research on RRSs, with special focus on (i) fusion strategies to account for reciprocity and (ii) emerging application domains related to social recommendation.
Heat Tolerance is Affected by the Gut Microbiota in a Vertebrate Ectotherm

The gut microbiota is known to influence and have regulatory effects in diverse physiological functions of host animals, but only recently has the relationship between host thermal biology and gut microbiota been explored. Here, we examined how early-life manipulations of the gut microbiota in larval amphibians influenced their critical thermal maximum (CTmax) at different acclimation temperatures. We removed the resident microbiome on the outside of wild-caught wood frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) egg masses via an antibiotic wash, and then either maintained eggs without a microbiota or inoculated eggs with pond water or the intestinal microbiota of another species, green frogs (L. clamitans), that have a wider thermal tolerance. We predicted that this cross-species transplant would improve the CTmax of the recipient wood frog larvae relative to the other treatments. In line with this prediction, green frog-recipient larvae had the highest CTmax while those with no inoculum had the lowest CTmax. Both the microbiome treatment and acclimation temperature significantly influenced the larval gut microbiota communities and alpha diversity indices. Green frog inoculated larvae were enriched in Rikenellaceae relative to the other treatments, which produce short-chain fatty acids and could contribute to greater energy availability and enhanced heat tolerance. Larvae that received no inoculation had higher relative abundances of potentially pathogenic Aeromonas spp. , which negatively affects host health and performance. Our results are the first to show that cross-species gut microbiota transplants alter heat tolerance in a predictive manner. This finding has repercussions for the conservation of species that are threatened by climate change and demonstrates a need to further explore the mechanisms by which the gut microbiota modulates host thermal tolerance.