161 research outputs found

    Secure storage systems for untrusted cloud environments

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    The cloud has become established for applications that need to be scalable and highly available. However, moving data to data centers owned and operated by a third party, i.e., the cloud provider, raises security concerns because a cloud provider could easily access and manipulate the data or program flow, preventing the cloud from being used for certain applications, like medical or financial. Hardware vendors are addressing these concerns by developing Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) that make the CPU state and parts of memory inaccessible from the host software. While TEEs protect the current execution state, they do not provide security guarantees for data which does not fit nor reside in the protected memory area, like network and persistent storage. In this work, we aim to address TEEs’ limitations in three different ways, first we provide the trust of TEEs to persistent storage, second we extend the trust to multiple nodes in a network, and third we propose a compiler-based solution for accessing heterogeneous memory regions. More specifically, • SPEICHER extends the trust provided by TEEs to persistent storage. SPEICHER implements a key-value interface. Its design is based on LSM data structures, but extends them to provide confidentiality, integrity, and freshness for the stored data. Thus, SPEICHER can prove to the client that the data has not been tampered with by an attacker. • AVOCADO is a distributed in-memory key-value store (KVS) that extends the trust that TEEs provide across the network to multiple nodes, allowing KVSs to scale beyond the boundaries of a single node. On each node, AVOCADO carefully divides data between trusted memory and untrusted host memory, to maximize the amount of data that can be stored on each node. AVOCADO leverages the fact that we can model network attacks as crash-faults to trust other nodes with a hardened ABD replication protocol. • TOAST is based on the observation that modern high-performance systems often use several different heterogeneous memory regions that are not easily distinguishable by the programmer. The number of regions is increased by the fact that TEEs divide memory into trusted and untrusted regions. TOAST is a compiler-based approach to unify access to different heterogeneous memory regions and provides programmability and portability. TOAST uses a load/store interface to abstract most library interfaces for different memory regions

    Augustine's Two Cities Doctrine: It's Apologetical Role in the City of God and Relevance to Contemporary Christian Apologetics.

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    Christian apologetics has had to respond to pressing issues confronting the church at various eras. In recent decades the church has experienced a decline in the number of those who still believe in God or practice the Christian faith. There does not seem to be a “need” for God. The “purpose,” of theistic belief, if we may speak thusly, has faded away in a secularized society that has become seemingly self-sufficient. One reason for this might be that the world has witnessed an unprecedented acceleration in the growth of technology and development in the sciences. Amidst the present situation today, where secularism is visibly present, it behoves the church to find a way of credibly presenting the truths of Christianity. There is need for a robust Christian apologetics

    World History, Volume 1: To 1500

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    World History, Volume 1: to 1500 is designed to meet the scope and sequence of a world history course to 1500 offered at both two-year and four-year institutions. Suitable for both majors and non majors World History, Volume 1: to 1500 introduces students to a global perspective of history couched in an engaging narrative. Concepts and assessments help students think critically about the issues they encounter so they can broaden their perspective of global history. A special effort has been made to introduce and juxtapose people’s experiences of history for a rich and nuanced discussion. Primary source material represents the cultures being discussed from a firsthand perspective whenever possible. World History, Volume 1: to 1500 also includes the work of diverse and underrepresented scholars to ensure a full range of perspectives

    General Average and Risk Management in Medieval and Early Modern Maritime Business

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    This open access book explores the history of risk management in medieval and early modern European maritime business, focusing particularly on 'General Average' – a mechanism by which extraordinary expenses regarding ship or cargo, incurred during a voyage to save the venture, are shared between all participants to protect equity. This volume traces the history of this risk management tool from its origins in the pre-Roman Mediterranean through to its use in the shipping sector today. Contributions range from the Islamic Mediterranean to the Low Countries, and taken together, provide a wide-ranging analysis of social, cultural, and political aspects of pre-modern maritime commerce in Europe

    General Average and Risk Management in Medieval and Early Modern Maritime Business

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    This is the final version. Available on open access from Palgrave Macmillan via the DOI in this recordThe chapter "Sharing Risks, on Averages and Why They Matter" by Maria Fusaro is available in ORE at http://hdl.handle.net/10871/132151This open access book explores the history of risk management in medieval and early modern European maritime business, focusing particularly on 'General Average' – a mechanism by which extraordinary expenses regarding ship or cargo, incurred during a voyage to save the venture, are shared between all participants to protect equity. This volume traces the history of this risk management tool from its origins in the pre-Roman Mediterranean through to its use in the shipping sector today. Contributions range from the Islamic Mediterranean to the Low Countries, and taken together, provide a wide-ranging analysis of social, cultural, and political aspects of pre-modern maritime commerce in Europe. The volume is divided into five parts. The first one—Why and How Risk is Shared—starts with Maria Fusaro’s introduction and analytical description of the concept of General Average [GA] at large, highlighting some of its peculiarities and importance regarding both its historical development and future policy. This is followed by essays by Ron Harris and Giovanni Ceccarelli that, from two different perspectives, contextualise GA’s importance within the development of medieval and early modern risk management tools and business strategies. The second part—Origins and Variants of Mutual Protection—traces the development of GA from Byzantium to Early Modern Italy. It starts with Daphne Penna detailing the complex transition of GA from Roman law to the Digest, the Byzantine collection known as the Rhodian SeaLaw and their transmission in the Basilica. The focus then shifts to Hassan Khalilieh’s discussion of how GA rules and practices evolved in the Islamic Mediterranean. This section ends with Andrea Addobbati’s analysis of how this complex genealogy was received in early modern Italy. The third part—The Iberian Experience—is dedicated to the multifaceted articulation of Averages within the Hispanic world. Ana María Rivera Medina argues for the medieval roots of maritime risk mutualisation in northern Spain, and the second essay—by Gijs Dreijer—analyses the transplantation of these usages in the Spanish Low Countries in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The section concludes with Marta García Garralón discussing the peculiarities of GA as practiced within the Carrera de Indias. The next part—The Genoese Experience—focuses on the extremely rich documentary evidence regarding GA in Genoa. It starts with Antonio Iodice’s discussion of local early modern normative developments. Then—in the essay by Luisa Piccinno—the focus shifts to the importance of GA data for the analysis of maritime trade passing through the port of Genoa. Andrea Zanini completes this section discussing the intersection between financing the maritime sector and risk-sharing strategies in the eighteenth century. The fifth and last part—Mature Systems—presents three cases in which GA was used as a tool of political economy by states with a strong maritime sector. Jake Dyble analyses the free port of Livorno, Sabine Go discusses developments in Amsterdam, and Lewis Wade the effects of the Ordonnance de la Marine in the French case.European Union Horizon 202

    Rules Britannia: Board Games, Britain, and the World, c. 1759-1860

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    Focusing on Georgian and Victorian Britain, this thesis examines didactic boardgames as cultural artefacts exploring the bounds of moral sympathy and responsibility in an ostensibly Anglocentric world. It refutes previous conclusions that exposure to imperial ideology via these games in childhood necessarily led to an imperialist identity in adulthood and thence to imperialist activity later in the nineteenth century, highlighting instead how games encouraged players to question the appropriateness of affiliating oneself with the British imperial project by accounting for circumstantial differences at home and abroad. It defies a hypodermic model of communication which posits players as passive and highly susceptible to manipulation by demonstrating instances of player modifications to rules and/or content that, in changing the values and assumptions of the original game, suggest what contemporaries found to be objectionable or missing in standard gameplay. It examines this dialectic between game and player across four thematic categories: teleological games, geographical games, ethnographic games, and zoological games

    The Eve of Spain

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    The Eve of Spain demonstrates how the telling and retelling of one of Spain’s founding myths played a central role in the formation of that country’s national identity. King Roderigo, the last Visigoth king of Spain, rapes (or possibly seduces) La Cava, the daughter of his friend and counselor, Count Julian. In revenge, the count travels to North Africa and conspires with its Berber rulers to send an invading army into Spain. So begins the Muslim conquest and the end of Visigothic rule. A few years later, in Northern Spain, Pelayo initiates a Christian resistance and starts a new line of kings to which the present-day Spanish monarchy traces its roots.Patricia E. Grieve follows the evolution of this story from the Middle Ages into the modern era, as shifts in religious tolerance and cultural acceptance influenced its retelling. She explains how increasing anti-Semitism came to be woven into the tale during the Christian conquest of the peninsula—in the form of traitorous Jewish conspirators. In the sixteenth century, the tale was linked to the looming threat of the Ottoman Turks. The story continued to resonate through the Enlightenment and into modern historiography, revealing the complex interactions of racial and religious conflict and evolving ideas of women’s sexuality.In following the story of La Cava, Rodrigo, and Pelayo, Grieve explains how foundational myths and popular legends articulate struggles for national identity. She explores how myths are developed around few historical facts, how they come to be written into history, and how they are exploited politically, as in the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 followed by that of the Moriscos in 1609. Finally, Grieve focuses on the misogynistic elements of the story and asks why the fall of Spain is figured as a cautionary tale about a woman’s sexuality

    JamĂłn and Halal

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    Contemporary Spain reflects broader patterns of globalization and has been the site of tensions between nationalists and immigrants. This case study examines a rural town in Spain’s Andalucía in order to shed light on the workings of coexistence. The town of Órgiva’s diverse population includes hippies from across Europe, European converts to Sufi Islam, and immigrants from North Africa. Christina Civantos combines the analysis of written and visual cultural texts with oral narratives from residents. In this book, we see that although written and especially televisual narratives about the town highlight tolerance and multiculturalism, they mask tensions and power differentials. Toleration is an ongoing negotiation, and this book shows us how we can identify the points of contact that create robust, respect-based tolerance

    Multiculturalism and American Democracy

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    Arthur Melzer is professor of political science at Michigan State University. He is the author, editor, or coeditor of eleven books, including The Supreme Court and the Idea of Constitutionalism. Jerry Weinberger is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of political science at Michigan State University. He has written, edited, and coedited several books on political thought, including Benjamin Franklin Unmasked: On the Unity of His Moral, Religious, and Political Thought. M. Richard Zinman is University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of political theory in James Madison College at Michigan State University. With Melzer and Weinberger, he has co-edited several books on democracy and modern politics.This Kansas Open Books title is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Humanities Open Book Program.Multiculturalism: is it the face of twenty-first century America or merely a passing intellectual fad? With its celebration of ethnic diversity and strong advocacy of tolerance, this contemporary movement provides philosophical justification for many who seek to correct social inequities. But while its proponents see it as a means of promoting self-esteem among marginalized groups, its critics see it as a dangerous form of relativism that culminates, paradoxically, in a new form of intolerance. The fourteen essays in this volume address the pros and cons of multiculturalism and explore its relationship with liberal democracy. A team of stellar contributors—C. Vann Woodward, Linda Chavez, Stanley Fish, and others—offers viewpoints on multiculturalism from the perspectives of political theory, history, philosophy, and fiction. The editors first help explain multiculturalism by contrasting it with the Sixties counterculture. How is it, they ask, that yesterday's radicals, so concerned with economic justice, have given way to the multiculturalist preoccupation with identity politics? The contributors then explore different facets of the multiculturalism issue: they present disparate views of the stakes involved as older notions of pluralism and assimilation give way to multiculturalism; examine it in its relation to the principles of liberal democracy; and assess its place in public education. In a final section, the role of the arts in the multiculturalism debate is addressed by celebrated novelists J. M. Coetzee and Mario Vargas Llosa. Because multiculturalism is a movement without a leader or guiding document, its tenets remain difficult to define. This book not only tells what the controversy is about but also clarifies the concerns it should raise for thoughtful citizens. The points of view expressed here will prove helpful to those who are trying to frame their own opinions about multiculturalism—and they are guaranteed to spark new debate among those who have already chosen sides

    HERITAGE 2022. International Conference on Vernacular Heritage: Culture, People and Sustainability

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    Vernacular architecture, tangible and intangible heritage of great importance to European and global culture, represents the response of a society culturally linked to its territory, in terms of climate and landscape. Its construction features are born from the practical experience of the inhabitants, making use of local materials, taking into consideration geographical conditions and cultural, social and constructive traditions, based on the conditions of the surrounding nature and habitat. Above all, it plays an essential role in contemporary society as it is able to teach us important principles and lessons for a respectful sustainable architecture. Vernacular Heritage: Culture, People and Sustainability will be a valuable source of information for academics and professionals in the fields of Environmental Science, Civil Engineering, Construction and Building Engineering and ArchitectureMileto, C.; Vegas López-Manzanares, F.; Cristini, V.; García Soriano, L. (2022). HERITAGE 2022. International Conference on Vernacular Heritage: Culture, People and Sustainability. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.15942EDITORIA
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