Digitally Immigrant Social Work Faculty: Technology Self-Efficacy and Practice Outcomes

The problem addressed in this study was the lack of a model for technology integration in social work education to meet the needs of graduate social workers in the field. Extant research has focused on the efficacy of online or blended learning, but not on social work educators\u27 technology literacy. The purpose of this study was to explore social work educators\u27 self efficacy related to technology use in curriculum and pedagogy. Digitally immigrant educators, defined as those over the age of 35, were studied since this group struggles in adjustment to technology, commonly used by younger students. The conceptual framework synthesized von Bertalanffy\u27s general systems theory and Bandura\u27s self-efficacy construct to understand the relationship between social work educators and technology. In this concurrent mixed methods and grounded theory study, participants (n = 396) provided quantitative responses about self-efficacy to the Computer Technology Integration Survey and answered additional questions about technology integration in the classroom. Findings from the correlational analysis revealed a model that connects positive self-efficacy to the number of digital tools used in the classroom, technology integration in pedagogy and curriculum, and teaching the concept of a \u27digital divide.\u27 Qualitative data from open-ended questions (n = 260) and 4 individual interviews were analyzed by thematic content analysis. Findings included issues that inhibit technology integration: personal motivation, time, and lack of institutional support. This study may contribute to positive social change by proposing a technology integration model for social work educators to use as an innovative strategy for preparing future professionals in the practice of social work

Backdoor Attacks and Defences on Neural Networks

openIn recent years, we have seen an explosion of activity in deep learning in both academia and industry. Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) significantly outperform previous machine learning techniques in various domains, e.g., image recognition, speech processing, and translation. However, the safety of DNNs has now been recognized as a realistic security concern. The basic concept of a backdoor attack is to hide a secret functionality in a system, in our case, a DNN. The system behaves as expected for most inputs, but malicious input activates the backdoor. Deep learning models can be trained and provided by third parties or outsourced to the cloud. The reason behind this practice is that the computational power required to train reliable models is not always available to engineers or small companies. Apart from outsourcing the training phase, another strategy used is transfer learning. In this case, an existing model is fine-tuned for a new task. These scenarios allow adversaries to manipulate model training to create backdoors. The thesis investigates different aspects of the broad scenario of backdoor attacks in DNNs. We present a new type of trigger that can be used in audio signals obtained using the echo. Smaller echoes (less than 1 ms) are not even audible to humans, but they can still be used as a trigger for command recognition systems. We showed that with this trigger, we could bypass STRIP-ViTA, a popular defence mechanism against backdoors. We also analyzed the neuron activations in backdoor models and designed a possible defence based on empirical observations. The neurons of the last layer of a DNN show high variance in their activations when the input samples contain the trigger. Finally, we analyzed and evaluated the blind backdoor attacks, which are backdoor attacks that are based on both code and data poisoning, and tested them with an untested defence. We also proposed a way to bypass the defence.In recent years, we have seen an explosion of activity in deep learning in both academia and industry. Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) significantly outperform previous machine learning techniques in various domains, e.g., image recognition, speech processing, and translation. However, the safety of DNNs has now been recognized as a realistic security concern. The basic concept of a backdoor attack is to hide a secret functionality in a system, in our case, a DNN. The system behaves as expected for most inputs, but malicious input activates the backdoor. Deep learning models can be trained and provided by third parties or outsourced to the cloud. The reason behind this practice is that the computational power required to train reliable models is not always available to engineers or small companies. Apart from outsourcing the training phase, another strategy used is transfer learning. In this case, an existing model is fine-tuned for a new task. These scenarios allow adversaries to manipulate model training to create backdoors. The thesis investigates different aspects of the broad scenario of backdoor attacks in DNNs. We present a new type of trigger that can be used in audio signals obtained using the echo. Smaller echoes (less than 1 ms) are not even audible to humans, but they can still be used as a trigger for command recognition systems. We showed that with this trigger, we could bypass STRIP-ViTA, a popular defence mechanism against backdoors. We also analyzed the neuron activations in backdoor models and designed a possible defence based on empirical observations. The neurons of the last layer of a DNN show high variance in their activations when the input samples contain the trigger. Finally, we analyzed and evaluated the blind backdoor attacks, which are backdoor attacks that are based on both code and data poisoning, and tested them with an untested defence. We also proposed a way to bypass the defence

Environmental safeguard and sustainable development : an insight into payments for ecosystem services

This paper present a thorough reflection on Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs, which may be viewed as the most innovative tools of the ‘environmental policy toolkit’. These are incentive-based mechanisms, compensating landowners to manage the natural resources under their control in a sustainable way (generating environmental services such as biodiversity protection and ecotourism), instead of clearing land or excessively exploiting their natural resources. After briefly discussing the most significant findings in the environment and development research stream, we will present how the roots of PES lie in public economic theory, with regard in particular to environmental externalities. Later, after debating the proper definition of PES and its main concepts (e.g. additionality, perverse incentives, conditionality), we shall also comment the main case-studies on the topic, in order to provide clear examples of how these instruments may be applied in several different context (i.e. both in developing and developed countries, either by public or private agents). As it shall be shown, given their high adaptability to local conditions, PES are likely to become extremely important in next decades’ environment safeguard interventions.O texto contém uma reflexão sobre os Pagamentos por Serviços Ambientais (PSA), que podem ser considerados os instrumentos mais inovadores no âmbito das políticas ambientais. Estas compensações consistem na transferência de recursos (monetários ou outros) a quem ajuda a manter ou a produzir os serviços ambientais (por exemplo, proteção da biodiversidade e ecoturismo) numa maneira sustentável. Os mais importantes progressos na área de investigação sobre o ambiente e o desenvolvimento sustentável são discutidos em breve. Depois, com uma atenção particular às ligações com as teorias de economia pública, o presente artigo pretende analisar de que forma os programas PSA relacionam-se com os estudos sobre as externalidades ambientais. Ademais, as características principais dos PSA são descritas atentamente; são fornecidos também como exemplos explicativos os casos de maior sucesso, ilustrando como PSA podem ser estabelecidos em contextos muito diferentes (em países desenvolvidos e em desenvolvimento, por agentes públicos e privados). Enfim, será demonstrado como, apesar das suas complexidades e das longas investigações necessárias, os PSA podem tornar-se fundamentais pela proteção do meio-ambiente nos próximos anos

Sviluppo di un modello di wind shear a diversi livelli di intensita' ed integrazione dello stesso nell'ambito degli effetti atmosferici agenti in un simulatore di volo

Il presente lavoro tratta lo sviluppo di un modello di wind shear e la relativa integrazione in un programma di simulazione di volo in tempo reale con lo scopo di riprodurre, attraverso la simulazione, adeguati segnali di riconoscimento del fenomeno e permettere al pilota di effettuare le opportune manovre di recupero oppure di evasione. Utilizzando i risultati di un'indagine FAA, riguardante la caratterizzazione delle condizioni meteorologiche in presenza di wind shear associate a gravi incidenti occorsi in fase di avvicinamento, sono individuati e sviluppati cinque livelli del segnale di perturbazione che si differenziano per intensità e variazione spaziale. Il fenomeno è modellato e codificato in ambiente UNIX® con linguaggio FORTRAN 77. Allo stato attuale non è presente un modello di wind shear validato, quindi allo sviluppo del software segue una verifica della coerenza della risposta del velivolo alle perturbazioni introdotte. Il modello è messo a punto utilizzando la simulazione in tempo reale in collaborazione con piloti collaudatori, alla responsabili della validazione finale. Le tracce temporali dei controlli introdotti dall'equipaggio di condotta nel piano longitudinale e laterodirezionale testimoniano la generazione del carico di lavoro sul pilota. Secondo il pilota collaudatore il carico di lavoro, durante la fase di avvicinamento ed atterraggio, è coerente con quello prodotto dal fenomeno reale ed adeguato, quindi, per scopi di addestramento al pilotaggio; relativamente alla fase di decollo, attualmente il fenomeno non è riconoscibile e per questo non è ritenuto rappresentativo. In futuro, si ritiene necessario effettuare uno studio più approfondito atto a caratterizzare meglio il fenomeno in fase di decollo, seguito da un'intensa campagna di prove in tempo reale per riprodurre, il più fedelmente possibile, la risposta del velivolo alle perturbazioni introdotte ed il corrispondente carico di lavoro del pilota

Robot-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy. Safety and feasibility

Background: The availability of robotic assistance could make laparoscopic pancreaticoduo- denectomy safely feasible. We herein provide a systematic review on laparoscopic robot-assisted pancreaticoduodenectomy (RAPD). Methods: Literature search was conducted on multiple databases considering articles published in English up to October 31, 2014, reporting on ten or more patients. Results: A total of 262 articles were identified. Excluding duplicates (n=172), studies not matching inclusion criteria (n=77), and studies not suitable for other reasons (n=6), a total of seven studies reporting on 312 RAPDs were eventually reviewed. These studies were either retrospective cohort studies (n=4) or case-matched studies (n=3). No randomized controlled trial was identified. Most patients undergoing RAPD were diagnosed with malignant tumors (224/312; 71.8%). RAPD was feasible in most patients. Conversion to open surgery was reported in 9.2% of the patients. A hybrid RAPD technique, employing standard laparoscopy or open surgery through a mini-incision, was adopted in most patients (178/312; 57.0%). Overall, there were six postoperative deaths at 30 days (6/312; 1.9%), including one intraoperative death caused by portal vein injury, while 137 out of 260 patients with complete information developed postoperative complications (52.7%). The mean length of hospital stay ranged from 10–29 days. Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) occurred in 66 patients (66/312; 21.1%). Grade C POPF was reported in eight patients (8/312; 2.5%). The costs of RAPD were assessed in two studies, demonstrating additional costs ranging from 4,000–5,000 US dollars to 6,193 Euro. The mean number of examined lymph nodes and the rate of positive surgical margins indicate that RAPD could be an appropriate oncologic operation. Conclusion: RAPD is safely feasible. These results were obtained in selected patients and in specialized centers. RAPD should not be implemented in the occasional patient by surgeons without advanced laparoscopic skills and formal training in robotic surgery

Timed circuits: a new paradigm for high-speed design

Journal ArticleAbstract| In order to continue to produce circuits of increasing speeds, designers must consider aggressive circuit design styles such as self-resetting or delayed-reset domino circuits used in IBM's gigahertz processor (GUTS) and asynchronous circuits used in Intel's RAPPID instruction length decoder. These new timed circuit styles, however, cannot be efficiently and accurately analyzed using traditional static timing analysis methods. This lack of efficient analysis tools is one of the reasons for the lack of mainstream acceptance of these design styles. This paper discusses several industrial timed circuits and gives an overview of our timed circuit design methodology

Verification of delayed-reset domino circuits using ATACS

Journal ArticleThis paper discusses the application of the timing analysis tool ATACS to the high performance, self-resetting and delayed-reset domino circuits being designed at IBM's Austin Research Laboratory. The tool, which was originally developed to deal with asynchronous circuits, is well suited to the self-resetting style since internally, a block of selfresetting or delayed-reset domino logic is asynchronous. The circuits are represented using timed event/level structures. These structures correspond very directly to gate level circuits, making the translation from a transistor schematic to a TEL structure straightforward. The statespace explosion problem is mitigated using an algorithm based on partially ordered sets (POSETs). Results on a number of circuits from the recently published guTS (gigahertz unit Test Site) processor from IBM indicate that modules of significant size can be verified with ATACS using a level of abstraction that preserves the interesting timing properties of the circuit. Accurate circuit level verification allows the designer to include less margin in the design, which can lead to increased performance

Timed circuit verification using TEL structures

Journal ArticleAbstract-Recent design examples have shown that significant performance gains are realized when circuit designers are allowed to make aggressive timing assumptions. Circuit correctness in these aggressive styles is highly timing dependent and, in industry, they are typically designed by hand. In order to automate the process of designing and verifying timed circuits, algorithms for their synthesis and verification are necessary. This paper presents timed event/level (TEL) structures, a specification formalism for timed circuits that corresponds directly to gate-level circuits. It also presents an algorithm based on partially ordered sets to make the state-space exploration o f TEL structures more tractable. The combination of the new specification method and algorithm significantly improves efficiency for gate-level timing verification. Results on a number of circuits, including many from the recently published gigahertz unit Test Site (guTS) processor from IBM indicate that modules of significant size can be verified using a level of abstraction that preserves the interesting timing properties of the circuit. Accurate circuit level verification allows the designer to include less margin in the design, which can lead to increased performance

Indicadores de desempenho financeiro em organizações hoteleiras

Trabalho de Conclusão de Curso (graduação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Economia, Administração, Contabilidade e Gestão de Políticas Públicas, Departamento de Ciências Contábeis e Atuariais, 2019.Devido ao crescimento do setor hoteleiro e da importância da avaliação da situação econômica e financeira das empresas, esta pesquisa tem o objetivo de analisar os indicadores de desempenho financeiro da rede hoteleira, denominada para essa pesquisa, GK Hotelaria, no ano de 2018. A metodologia utilizada consiste em uma pesquisa exploratória, com uma abordagem quali-quantitativa e a estratégia de estudo de caso é aplicado em uma rede de hotéis localizados na cidade de Brasília/DF. Por meio do cálculo de indicadores financeiros extraídos a partir dos dados das demonstrações contábeis, nos anos de 2017 e 2018, e questionário aplicado aos colaboradores para verificar a utilidade dos indicadores de desempenho financeiro no processo de tomada de decisões do Grupo GK Hotelaria, os resultados revelam que, as empresas estudadas são consolidadas no mercado e não apresentam altos índices de endividamento. Embora a rede hoteleira não utilize os indicadores de desempenho financeiro (formalmente) no processo de tomada de decisões, a percepção dos funcionários do grupo GK Hotelaria é que a ferramenta é útil e pode fornecer informações sobre a empresa para se manter competitiva no mercado