The Uncertain Progress Of White Male Democracy: Intimidation And Disenfranchisement Before The Civil War

Since the contested presidential election in 2000 Americans have become more aware of conflicts over voter eligibility, disputed ballots, and simply access to the polls. More and more states require state-issued identification in order to vote, efforts that have accelerated in the past few years. St...

Measurements of Turbulent Pressure Under Breaking Waves

The experiments discussed in this paper describe the turbulent fluid pressures in breaking waves. Before actual data measurements could be made, the instruments used were put through various tests to determine their ability to capture accurate data. These tests were both static and dynamic in nature. Following the tests on the pressure measurement system, waves were produced such that they were breaking at the instrument panel. Wave height, subsurface pressure, and three components of velocity were measured at this point. Using MATLAB to produce plots, waves that produce strong turbulence were isolated and their respective pressures, as well as theoretical and measured velocity heads were observed

Masterless Men: Poor Whites and Slavery in the Antebellum South

In Masterless Men Keri Leigh Merritt reinvigorates the debate over white class relations in the antebellum South, and particularly the impact of slavery on poor whites. In many ways the book is an extended discussion of Hinton Rowan Helper’s Impending Crisis of the South, with Merritt concluding that Helper was more accurate than even previously sympathetic historians realized when he argued for the devastating effects of slavery on white workers. Along the way Merritt also engages several classic debates in southern historiography, including the nature of slavery as a capitalist economic system, the extent of white class self-awareness and conflict, and the reasons for secession

Characterizing and Managing Intrusion Detection System (IDS) Alerts with Multi-Server/Multi-Priority Queuing Theory

The DoD sets forth an objective to employ an active cyber defense capability to prevent intrusions onto DoD networks and systems. Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) are a critical part of network defense architectures, but their alerts can be difficult to manage. This research applies Queuing Theory to the management of IDS alerts, seeking to answer how analysts and priority schemes effect alert processing performance. To characterize the effect of these two variables on queue wait times, a MATLAB simulation was developed to allow parametric analysis under two scenarios. The first varies the number of analysts and the second varies the number of alert priority levels. Results indicate that two analysts bring about drastic improvements (a 41% decrease) in queue wait times (from 116.1 to 49.8 minutes) compared to a single analyst, due to the reduced potential for bottlenecks, with diminishing returns thereafter. In the second scenario, it was found that three priority levels are sufficient to realize the benefits of prioritization, and that a five level priority scheme did not result in shorter wait queue times for Priority 1 alerts. Queuing models offer an effective approach to make IDS resource decisions in keeping with DoD goals for Active Cyber Defense

A Heuristic Method for Task Selection in Persistent ISR Missions Using Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The Persistent Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (PISR) problem seeks to provide timely collection and delivery of data from prioritized ISR tasks using an autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). In the literature, PISR is classified as a type of Vehicle Routing Problem (VRP), often called by other names such as persistent monitoring, persistent surveillance, and patrolling. The objective of PISR is to minimize the weighted revisit time to each task (called weighted latency) using an optimal task selection algorithm. In this research, we utilize the average weighted latency as our performance metric and investigate a method for task selection called the Maximal Distance Discounted and Weighted Revisit Period (MD2WRP) utility function. The MD2WRP function is a heuristic method of task selection that uses n+1 parameters, where n is the number of PISR tasks. We develop a two-step optimization method for the MD2WRP parameters to deliver optimal latency performance for any given task configuration, which accommodates both single and multi-vehicle scenarios. To validate our optimization method, we compare the performance of MD2WRP to common Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) methods for PISR using different task configurations. We find that the optimized MD2WRP function is competitive with the TSP methods, and that MD2WRP often results in steady-state task visit sequences that are equivalent to the TSP solution for a single vehicle. We also compare MD2WRP to other utility methods from the literature, finding thatMD2WRP performs on par with or better than these other methods even when optimizing only one of its n + 1 parameters. To address real-world operational factors, we test MD2WRP with Dubins constraints, no-y zones in the operational area, return-to-base requirements, and the addition and removal of vehicles and tasks mid-mission. For each operational factor, we demonstrate its effect on PISR task selections using MD2WRP and how MD2WRP needs to be modified, if at all, to compensate. Finally, we make practical suggestions about implementing MD2WRP for flight testing, outline potential areas for future study, and offer recommendations about the conduct of PISR missions in general

Green and growing

Im Jahr 2009 eröffnete die Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints eine neue Bibliothek, deren Entwurf den strengen Standards des U.S. Green Building Council für neu errichtete Gebäude entsprach. Der Erfolg des Projektes wurde in der Öffentlichkeit wahrgenommen, als die Church History Library ihr Zertifikat Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) erhielt. Dieser Beitrag zeichnet nach, wie Neubaupläne, die ursprünglich auf die Erhaltung von Archivmaterialien abzielten, erweitert wurden, um weiterreichende, umweltbezogene Anliegen einzubeziehen. Es wird ferner der Einfluss untersucht, den ein einzelnes grünes Gebäude auf die nachhaltigen Praktiken der ganzen Trägerorganisation haben kann. Behandelt werden der Auftrag und die Sammlungen der Church History Library, das Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Programm, die auf Nachhaltigkeit bezogenen Spezifika im Entwurf für das Church History Library Gebäude, Daten zu den Recylingmaßnahmen in der Bibliothek und ihrer Trägerorganisation sowie die Auswirkungen des Baus eines LEED zertifizierten Gebäudes auf die Trägerorganisation.In 2009, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened a new library designed to meet the rigorous standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council for newly constructed facilities. The success of the project was officially recognized when the Church History Library received its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. This paper will trace how building plans originally focused on preserving archival materials were expanded to address larger environmental concerns. Also explored will be the impact a single green facility can have on the sustainable practices of an entire organization. Topics covered will include the Church History Library, its mission and collections; the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design programme; special environmental design characteristics of the Church History Library building; data on recycling efforts in the library and its parent organization; organizational impact of constructing a LEED-certified facility

Eternal Worlds and the Best System Account of Laws

In this paper we apply the popular Best System Account of laws to typical eternal worlds – both classical eternal worlds and eternal worlds of the kind posited by popular contemporary cosmological theories. We show that, according to the Best System Account, such worlds will have no laws that meaningfully constrain boundary conditions. It’s generally thought that lawful constraints on boundary conditions are required to avoid skeptical arguments. Thus the lack of such laws given the Best System Account may seem like a severe problem for the view. We show, however, that at eternal worlds, lawful constraints on boundary conditions do little to help fend off skeptical worries. So with respect to handling these skeptical worries, the proponent of the Best System Account is no worse off than their competitors

Substrate Support Ring for More Uniform Layer Thickness

Embodiments of substrate support rings providing more uniform thickness of layers deposited or grown on a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a substrate support ring includes: an inner ring with a centrally located support surface to support a substrate; and an outer ring extending radially outward from the support surface, wherein the outer ring comprises a reaction surface area disposed above and generally parallel to a support plane of the support surface, and wherein the reaction surface extends beyond the support surface by about 24 mm to about 45 mm

Creating a center for global health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Globalization, migration, and widespread health disparities call for interdisciplinary approaches to improve health care at home and abroad. Health professions students are pursuing study abroad in increasing numbers, and universities are responding with programs to address these needs. The University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison schools of medicine and public health, nursing, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and the division of international studies have created an interdisciplinary center for global health (CGH). The CGH provides health professions and graduate students with courses, field experiences, and a new Certificate in Global Health. Educational programs have catalyzed a network of enthusiastic UW global health scholars. Partnerships with colleagues in less economically developed countries provide the foundation for education, research, and service programs. Participants have collaborated to improve the education of health professionals and nutrition in Uganda; explore the interplay between culture, community development, and health in Ecuador; improve animal health and address domestic violence in Mexico; and examine successful public health efforts in Thailand. These programs supply students with opportunities to understand the complex determinants of health and structure of health systems, develop adaptability and cross-cultural communication skills, experience learning and working in interdisciplinary teams, and promote equity and reduce health disparities at home and abroad. Based on the principles of equity, sustainability, and reciprocity, the CGH provides a strong foundation to address global health challenges through networking and collaboration among students, staff, and faculty within the UW and beyond