#dfusion

[baby-lotion1]

i forgot to clarify im thinking about drawing animal hybrids. as an art exercise bedcxayse i cant get myself to draw actual drawings but figuring out what a dfusion of two animals would look lke is fun

im loooking=at one of those animal generatior websites and this would be such a good combo for tumblr. tu,bmlr loves moths and the salmon. i think

[dfusioninc]

Supporting Autistic* Young Adults in Building Healthy Relationship Skills

*A note about language: In the post and in our presentation, we chose to use identity first language (ex: autistic person) rather than person-first language (ex: person with autism) based on feedback from our participants, advisors, and focus group members. Though this language is not yet standard in academic or professional spaces, there is significant evidence suggesting it is preferred by the majority of autistic young adults.

Check out our #YTHLive 2021 Presentation where we share the results and learnings from our first project to help build the relationship and independent living skills of autistic young adults.

With the help of an amazing cast of advisors, focus group participants, and actors, we developed 20 Microskill™ training videos to build relationship skills, such as how to deal with put-downs and how to give and ask for an apology.

We piloted the resource with 17 autistic young adults and saw a significant improvement (p=.000) in their skill usage in both skills from their pre-roleplay to their post roleplay. We also saw significant improvement (p=.001) in self-assessed skill level for two of our skills, giving and asking for an apology.

We are thrilled to have the opportunity to integrate all the amazing feedback we received from our participants into our Phase II study, which will include 150+ videos and a randomized controlled trial with 200 participants. This will include:

An emphasis on the celebration of autistic identities, the centering of autistic voices, and the use of concepts developed and supported by autism self-advocates.

Materials that do not pressure autistic individuals to behave neurotypically or suppress their autistic traits.

Videos on a broad range of relationship types including partners, coworkers, roommates, hook-ups, bosses, etc.

The addition of self-advocacy & activism skills, employment & educational skills, relationship transition skills, and skills for navigating power dynamics.

A set of videos intended to be viewed and discussed with neurotypical peers/family covering communication needs and ways to “meet in the middle.”

We are excited to continue this work with passionate and out-spoken young adults in the autistic community!

[prischepov]

Селфи селфи... На семинарах по аргентинскому танго в @dfusion_by_galladance by @dmitryvasintango @sagdianahamzina #Prischepov #alexanderprischepov #tango #milonga #dfusion #ilovedance #ilovetango (at Dfusion)

[pamini]

day 20 Tango Christmas - gancho (right) Tango Advents-Kalender tango advent Calendar Our gifts for Christmas 2019 gancho (right) - level medium have fun Patrizia and Michael https://tango-x.com #tango #adventskalender #christmas #advent #argentinetango #dance #танго #аргентинскоетанго #тангобанда #дмитрийвасин #dmitryvasin #сагдианахамзина #танцы #dfusion #хореографы #танцынатнт #tangobanda #dfusionbygalladance #москва #тангоброви #счастье #танцуй #dancer #танец #dancers #dancing #обучениетанцам #тангорасписание #solotango (hier: Munich, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6SYYI2KiZg/?igshid=40vrzo3qqn82

[nanaloficial]

#video #vapemalaysia #instagram #like4like #instagood #vapedaily #vapeaholic #vapetricks #vapelifestyle #dagelan #indovidgram #couplewhovape #couplegoals #relationshipgoals #vape #vapor #tricklyfe #smoke #smoketricks #trickortreat #vine #cloudtricks #станиславпопов #galladance #dfusion #танцы #бальныетанцы #легенда #история #dance (em Cachoeiro Do Itapemirim, Espirito Santo, Brazil)

[pozmagazine]

Researchers are working with the tech start-up dfusion to design an app for transgender women that offers sexual health messaging, HIV prevention and a sense of community, according to a press release from Portland State University, where the two researchers work.

Titled Trans Women Connected, the app is being developed thanks to a $1.4 million  Small Business Innovation Research grant awarded to dfusion by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities; about $280,000 of the grant goes to the university’s work on the app.

[dqueensshow]

Stretching your middle splits is painless and easy...😄💃 #rehearsal #dqueens #stretching #justanotherday #baldies #baldgirls (at Dfusion) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvl6WlghGqE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jji7gcxckhty

[click2watch]

As ‘Plasma’ Stalls, SNARKs Become New Hope for Scaling Ethereum Now

Efforts to scale ethereum, the world’s second-largest blockchain, are growing more varied as one much-anticipated solution encounters pitfalls amid its continued development.

At the forefront of this transition has been plasma, a concept widely heralded as ethereum’s best bet for short-term scaling. Already, researchers behind the tech have built five distinct versions of the protocol – but within these multiple iterations, there’s evidence that work isn’t proceeding as originally hoped, with little actionable code being put together well over a year since its inception.

As plasma slows, however, attention is being drawn to zk-snarks – a form of cryptography pioneered by privacy-centric cryptocurrency zcash – as another path forward. In fact, startups are already embracing the tech, which allows developers to aggregate transactions into batches, as they look to scale the network amid other efforts to expand, upgrade and grow ethereum.

For example, prediction market platform Gnosis is exploring the use of zk-snarks to underpin a decentralized exchange, in what is known as a “snapp” (snark dapp). Pseudonymous developer “barrywhitehat” has also used the technology to create “roll-up,” another snapp that can potentially be applied to ethereum scaling more broadly.

Vitalik Buterin, ethereum’s creator, has even written about the potential of such an approach, stating that it could be applied to achieve 500 transactions a second in the short-term.

That’s notable because, while progress toward ethereum’s longer term, high-performance rewrite – Serenity (sometimes called Shasper and ethereum 2.0) – is continuing to proceed, developers are hinting the switch is still two years away. As such, developers are looking to more immediate options to cope with an increase in the number of users on the network.

Indeed, at Devcon4 – ethereum’s annual developer conference – there was a palpable sense of excitement around zk-snarks and their applications. The event featured seven tracks dedicated to the tech and related systems, and Kelvin Fichter, plasma researcher at decentralized exchange OmiseGo, referred to the growing hype as a “snark-nado.”

Speaking to CoinDesk, Gnosis CTO Stefan George explained that what’s compelling about the approach is not only does it have the potential to be more decentralized than plasma, but that it is ready for deployment in the near-term.

He told CoinDesk:

“More and more people understand what the possibilities are. Even beyond zero-knowledge, it’s also a great scalability tool that ethereum is missing, and we can use it without waiting.”

Plasma pitfalls

So, what’s happening with plasma, exactly? Speaking at Devcon4, researchers gave their take on what’s being built – and what’s impeding progress.

Plasma was first conceived by Buterin and Joseph Poon, co-author of bitcoin’s Lightning Network white paper, in April 2017, the idea being that scaling can be achieved by pushing the actual computation of smart contracts off of the main ethereum blockchain.

Since its release, various iterations of the scaling method have emerged, with a growing number of research teams and capital devoted to it. Still, each new plasma iteration reveals a new research problem that needs to be addressed, leading to multiple plasma variants that navigate deployment trade-offs in different ways.

For example, an implementation dubbed minimal viable plasma “has time constraints, is horrible for UI, and is vulnerable to network congestion,” David Knott, plasma researcher for OmiseGo, told the audience at Devcon4.

While one iteration of plasma – the so-called plasma cash – is usable today, it’s difficult for users and developers to interact with. Similarly, because it relies on non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to function, the design requires heavy transaction histories.

“You still have to keep track of the value and have to be constantly collecting proofs of non-inclusion, and so when you transfer ownership of the NFT you have to transfer its history as well,” Knott said.

With an endlessly growing body of research surrounding the idea, confusion about what the underlying technology actually is has pushed companies and research teams to behave asynchronously.

“Plasma is a confusing term,” Fichter said during his Devcon presentation last week. “No one really knows what plasma is. The paper defines it as one thing, researchers define it as something else.”

As such, there’s a push toward what Fichter called the “holy grail” of plasma research: a generalized plasma that seeks to combine elements – as well as the lessons learned – from all techniques.

“We are really not close to generalized Plasma. I think a ton of time and money is going to be spent on this in the next months or years,” Fichter said.

Snarks for scaling

And that’s because, in order to function, plasma relies on what is known as an “exit,” which is how users extract funds from plasma and place them back on the blockchain itself.

Requiring complex game theory to function, this process can be unwieldy and complicated, whereas zk-snarks stand out for their elegant design. While plasma “can become super complex,” George told CoinDesk, “with snapps we have a super simple architecture.”

Plasma also requires a centralized component in order to operate, George continued, as the off-chain component is managed by authorities in order to achieve higher transaction volume.

While on plasma, this is achieved in a way that is trustless – meaning that there’s no risk that transactions can be faked – George said that this comes with another downside, as its centralization means it could be a potential shut down by regulators.

“You have this operator, it is trustless not decentralized. It’s pretty centralized, it is prone to regulation and so on,” he told CoinDesk.

George plans to use the method as part of a decentralized exchange, or DEX, that could even have zero-knowledge properties. Named dFusion, the new DEX is expected to reach a proof-of-concept phase within the next three to four months.

Feedback loop?

Still, there’s evidence that the two research streams – focusing separately on plasma and snarks – can actually loop back into each other as well.

For example, speaking to CoinDesk, Fichter said one of the most challenging aspects of plasma could be solved using the right application of snark technology.

Fichter introduced a new term – “plapps” – meaning that decentralized applications that run on plasma. These apps could rely on snarks in terms of how they verify transactions on the blockchain itself.

“[Snarks] solve what we were solving with crypto-economic assumptions with just straight up with cryptographic assumptions. It means we have to worry about a lot less,” Fichter said.

Additionally, in the future, zk-snarks could be used to make the plasma layer more private.

That said, solutions like barrywhitehat’s roll-up and Gnosis’ dFusion currently struggle with the anonymity aspect, due to the resources required to add a privacy layer. Currently, the scaling solutions are used for verification purposes only and don’t come with additional anonymity benefits.

“Purely zero-knowledge systems and making use of zero-knowledge systems in plasma it is still a little bit far away,” Fichter told CoinDesk, adding:

“There’s work that remains on ‘Do we make hash functions cheaper?’ and once we get to that point, we are going to see an explosion of zero-knowledge applications.”

Vitalik image via Devcon

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

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The post As ‘Plasma’ Stalls, SNARKs Become New Hope for Scaling Ethereum Now appeared first on Click 2 Watch.

More Details Here → https://click2.watch/as-plasma-stalls-snarks-become-new-hope-for-scaling-ethereum-now

[askandanswerbot]

Can we get this to 40 by time I wake up?

— DFusion | MiniGunners (@DFusionDesign) Thu Nov 01 03:49:33 +0000 2018

Sure

— Ernest Baah (@Okrakuubaah) Thu Nov 01 04:36:18 +0000 2018

[dfusioninc]

dfusion Wins Gold!

dfusion is Honored in 23rd Annual Digital Health Awards® Spring 2021 Session

dfusion of Scotts Valley, CA was selected as a gold medal winner in the 23rd annual Digital Health Awards® program. This competition – held each spring and fall – recognizes the world’s best digital health resources. The program is organized by the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC), a national clearing house for professionals who work in consumer health fields. dfusion’s entry – SkillFlix® for Parents IDD – received a Gold Award in the category “web-based digital health interactive content/rich media.”

SkillFlix for Parents IDD, a patented training technology, uses streaming video models to hone parents’ skills for communicating about healthy relationships and sex with their teens who have mild cognitive impairment and/or are on the autism spectrum. The ultra-short Microskills® videos model parent communication with teens who have reciprocal verbal communication skills.

“It’s an honor to have SkillFlix IDD chosen for a gold medal, the highest award, from more than 700 entries judged by a panel of distinguished experts in digital health media,” said Regina Firpo-Triplett, CEO of dfusion. dfusion builds upon science-based behavior change models and learning theories to facilitate behavior change for health, prevention, and adherence. Current scientific research on effectiveness guides development and adaptation of interventions for heightened relevance and impact.  

For more information:

SkillFlix IDD – www.dfusioninc.com/skillflix/

dfusion – www.dfusioninc.com

Digital Health Awards – https://healthawards.com/dha/index.html

[sammfeaster]

Researchers to develop NIH-funded HIV prevention app for transgender women

Researchers at Portland State University have teamed up with Oakland, California-based dfusion, a health tech startup focused on behavior change research, to develop a mobile app for HIV prevention among transgender women. from MobiHealthNews http://www.mobihealthnews.com/content/researchers-develop-nih-funded-hiv-prevention-app-transgender-women via IFTTT

[pamini]

day 24 Tango Christmas - volcada Tango Advents-Kalender tango advent Calendar Our gifts for Christmas 2019 volcada - complicated have fun Patrizia and Michael https://tango-x.com #tango #adventskalender #christmas #advent #argentinetango #dance #танго #аргентинскоетанго #тангобанда #дмитрийвасин #dmitryvasin #сагдианахамзина #танцы #dfusion #хореографы #танцынатнт #tangobanda #dfusionbygalladance #москва #тангоброви #счастье #танцуй #dancer #танец #dancers #dancing #обучениетанцам #тангорасписание #solotango (hier: Munich, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6bt67xKWez/?igshid=18ukub87dab6a

[superbimages]

Artist's room by dFusion http://ift.tt/2lpGcc5

[viralhottopics]

McDonalds gets seared by Wendys over fresh beef tweet

By the time you’re in charge of the McDonald’s Twitter account, you must really know what you’re doing right? After all, you’re creating content for 2.4 million followers. So it’s odd that whoever is running the account seemed to have zero idea how Twitter would react when thrown a softball like this:

Today we've announced that by mid-2018, all Quarter Pounder burgers at the majority of our restaurants will be cooked with fresh beef. http://pic.twitter.com/Bdf99ALlxw

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 30, 2017

It’s hard to tell if the people reacting to the tweet were legitimately confused or just trolling, but either way, the responses were swift and brutal.

@McDonalds Fresh beef as opposed to spoiled beef? Fresh beef as opposed to fresh kangaroo? What HAVE you been using in the 1/4 Pounders?

— Glen Segal (@MGHTYDX) March 30, 2017

@McDonalds Uhhhh………was it not FRESH meat before???? "Majority of restaurants" "by mid-2018" ???? Bad campaign guys #rethink

— jackshapira (@jackshapira) March 30, 2017

@McDonalds as opposed to not so fresh?

— Michael (@MichaelColosim2) March 30, 2017

@McDonalds fresh beef? So what has america been eating all this time? Im done with yall plus your ice cream machines never work.

— Arnizzy (@Iamarnizzy) March 30, 2017

Shoulda kept that to yourself to be honest, I got more questions than answers now @McDonalds

— Baby Groot (@saveoursound) March 30, 2017

This lead to McDonald’s copying and pasting this reply:

@chrisnebeker Our 100% beef is ground, formed into patties & flash frozen to lock in flavor. Check out todays news:http://bit.ly/2oLfdpF

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 31, 2017

Rinse and repeat.

@CStencel Our 100% beef is ground, formed into patties & flash frozen to lock in flavor. Check out todays news:http://bit.ly/2oLfdpF

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 30, 2017

Over and over again.

@Turbo_Mike Our 100% beef is ground, formed into patties & flash frozen to lock in flavor. Check out todays news:http://bit.ly/2oLfdpF

— McDonald's (@McDonalds) March 30, 2017

Even rival Wendy’s, which totally understood what McDonald’s meant by the tweet, couldn’t help but join in the fun (though Wendy’s could’ve used a copyeditor).

.@McDonalds So youll still use frozen beef in MOST of your burgers in ALL of your restaurants? Asking for a friend.

— Wendy's (@Wendys) March 30, 2017

@DFusions @McDonalds Only when the ice cream machine isn't broken.

— Wendy's (@Wendys) March 30, 2017

@Wendys @DFusions @McDonalds http://pic.twitter.com/GNkZM4JtXg

— Jason (@Hairs36) March 30, 2017

You know what they say: If you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchenand off Twitter.

Read more: http://bit.ly/2oLyNC8

from McDonalds gets seared by Wendys over fresh beef tweet

[dfusioninc]

Testing an Evidence-Based Virtual Training Model for Sexual Health Educators

dfusion and the RAND Corporation are partnering on a new project to develop and test an Avatar-Based Virtual Training prototype. The training prototype will prepare educators to lead ETR’s evidence-based Making Proud Choices intervention with teens.

Making Proud Choices (MPC) is a leading evidence-based sexual health intervention for youth which has been shown to reduce unprotected sex among teens in multiple trials. MPC is designed to be educational, entertaining, and culturally relevant. With group discussions, videos, games, brainstorming, and experiential activities, it builds teens’ skills to avoid sex or have safe sex. MPC was developed by Drs. Loretta and John Jemmott, and Dr. Konstance McCaffree.

Improving Instruction and Fidelity. The virtual training will provide educators with the knowledge and skills practice needed to lead MPC with high quality and fidelity. Avatar-based simulations allow for real-life, two-way exchanges. They allow educators to practice online where they receive immediate feedback on core concepts from an “audience” programmed to display a range of reactions.

This training approach was used with the highly successful Project Alert Self-Paced Training to prepare educators to use Project Alert, a substance abuse prevention program for middle school youth. The evidence-based training approach is also supported by a growing body of evidence that suggests avatar-based training simulations support participant learning and engagement.[1,2]

Addressing Need for Affordable Training. Many schools and community organizations do not provide evidence-based prevention, in large part due to a lack of affordable and accessible training. Avatar-based virtual training for MPC educators would provide sustainable and widespread access to training that could dramatically improve sexual health outcomes in youth for a reasonable cost. 

Thank you National Institutes of Health. The Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant is funded by the National Institute on Child Health and Human Development.

  [1] Falloon, G. (2010). Using avatars and virtual environments in learning: What do they have to offer? British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 108-122.

[2] Kognito Inc. (2011). At-Risk for University and College Faculty Gatekeeper Training Simulation. Follow Up Study of Online Gatekeeper Training Simulation at 68 Universities. New York, NY: Author.

[dfusioninc]

Improving the Lives of Young Adults on the Spectrum

In September 2020, dfusion kicked off SkillTalk for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, our 5th fantastic project involving young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities! This project is particularly exciting because it will be our first training tailored specifically for young adults with ASD, while past projects have worked with parents, teachers, and caretakers. It is also unique because unlike many other programs supporting the independence of young adults with ASD, this training focuses very specifically on relationship skills rather than more general social skills related to the activities of daily living. Research shows that adults with ASD have relatively few close friendships compared to their neurotypical peers and often experience feelings of social isolation and loneliness (Billstedt et al., 2007; Eaves & Ho, 2008; Howlin et al., 2004; Liptak, Kennedy, & Dosa, 2011; Whitehouse et al., 2009; Orsmond, Krauss, & Seltzer, 2004).

Especially during these strange and potentially isolating times, a lack of healthy relationships for young adults with ASD can have a significant impact on their well-being and independence as a young person. The SkillTalk YA ASD video training library is being created to support the independence of young adults with a series of 20 initial videos designed to build MicroSkills related to developing and sustaining healthy relationships across the spectrum of relationships, including work, friendships, romantic, and sexual relationships.

We are grateful to our expert advisors, Peter Gerhardt, Laura Graham-Holmes, Jan Johnson-Tyler, Shana Nichols and Emily Rothman, and the young adults who are part of the project.

SkillTalk: Using Streaming Video for Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Build Microskills to Develop and Sustain Relationships for Healthy and Independent Living

Funded by National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Grant # 90BISA0037-01-00