Anti-Catholicism v. Al Smith: An Analysis of Anti-Catholicism in the 1928 Presidential Election

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. With few exceptions, the details of past presidential elections are largely forgotten over the course of history. As specific campaigns and elections become more distant from contemporary society, people tend to focus on the larger picture of what that election produced, mainly, who actually became the president. And for the majority of the American public, the presidential election of 1928 is no exception to this. But as Allan Lichtman suggests in his book Prejudice and the Old Politics: The Presidential Election of 1928, ―Presidential elections are central events of American politics, often bearing the detailed imprint of the society in which they occur. The careful study of a single election can test theories of social process and illuminate the meaning of a historical era‖ (Lichtman 25). In this regard, all past presidential elections are American studies‘ in their own right, and are of importance because they provide insight about a specific society at any particular time in our country‘s history

A study to determine the extent to which eighteen basic middle school principles are currently implemented in Massachusetts.

A search of the literature was conducted to identify those principles and characteristics most commonly associated with the delivery of quality educational programs and services to students in middle grade schools. The principles focused attention upon the areas of continuous progress programs, the use of a multi-media approach to instruction, flexible scheduling, provisions for students\u27 social, physical, and creative experiences, guidance services, team teaching, intramual activities, planned gradualism in programming, exploratory/enrichment programs, independent study opportunities, basic learning skills extension, programs to promote students\u27 feelings of security, student evaluation procedures, community relations, specialized student services, and the use of auxiliary staff. The search also established the relevance and credibility of those principles in an examination of the research conducted in the area of middle level education. The analysis of survey responses indicated that the basic principles are currently implemented in Massachusetts middle grade schools to varying degrees. The results represent a greater degree of implementation of the principles in all but one area when compared with the results of similar studies conducted in other states in past years. An analysis of variance between those schools identified by title as middle schools and junior high schools revealed significant differences in the implementation of three of the eighteen principles, while similar analyses based on the grade organization and philosophy of the school showed significant differences in implementation of the principles to a greater degree. The primary conclusion of the study was that the results indicate a consistently higher degree of implementation of the principles in Massachusetts schools than in other states based on the results of past studies. The overall percentage of implementation of the eighteen principles in Massachusetts middle grade schools was 65.8%. The difference in the degree of implementation of the principles was very small in schools identified by title as middle schools or junior high schools. The differences became more pronounced when the factors of grade organization and philosophical orientation were examined. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.

A Better Method for Analyzing the Costs and Benefits of Fundraising at Universities

This article develops a new methodology for a more compre-hensive and useful analysis of the costs and benefits of fundrais-ing, as well as the total costs and net benefits associated with development efforts in general. This approach does a better job of linking the timing of return of fundraising efforts and mea-suring the actual return on investments in fundraising (as opposed to the reported return) than the widely used guidelines from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the National Association of College and University Busi-ness Officers (CASE/NACUBO) (1990). The implications are a better methodology for practitioners that they can use to enhance internal decision making and a better methodology for boards to use in evaluating performance and accountability. Recently, other large, public universities have begun using sev-eral of these concepts in the assessment of their development offices (Rooney, 1998)

Standard of Proof in Proceedings to Terminate Parental Rights

This Note advocates the use of the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard of proof in proceedings to terminate parental rights permanently. The Note will commence with background considerations such as the authority of the state to terminate parental rights, the rights of the parties involved in a termination proceeding and a discussion of standards of proof. Consideration will also be given to the factors which should have an impact on the standard of proof in permanent termination proceedings. These factors include: the vagueness of termination statutes, the fundamental right of family integrity, the broad discretionary powers of the courts involved, the need for human service agencies to focus on serving the family as a unit and the symbolic value of the standard of proof. The argument will be made that the use of the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard in these proceedings is appropriate given the interests involved, the needs of the child and the realities of what can be called the termination system

Analysis of an Experimental Pulsed Plasma Accelerator

The purpose of this study was to gather and analyze data taken from a laboratory Pulsed Plasma Accelerator to understand its operation, and also for future comparison of the experimental data with predictions made with computer simulations based on the codes named MACH2 and GEMS. This comparison will allow for further validation of these two computer simulations in order to more accurately model the laboratory thruster. Data was collected from three different instruments: B-Dot probes; a laser interferometer; and Rogowski coils. These devices measure the time dependent current sheets, the electron number density, and the capacitor discharge current respectively. The B-Dot probes were an excellent source of data once the correct procedure for their analysis was determined. Using this data and that of the main Rogowski coil, a total resistance and a total inductance of the thruster was determined to be 0.009 Ω and 4.5Xl0-8 Henry, respectively. Then, using a simple circuit analysis, the current sheet was modeled as a damped sine wave based on the experimentally determined thruster impedance, for use in the MACH2 computer simulation. In the future, a straight comparison of the electron number density from MACH2 will be made once new developments of MACH2 are completed. Recommendations for future development of both the MACH2 and GEMS computer simulations are provided in the final chapter of this thesis

Standard of Proof in Proceedings to Terminate Parental Rights

This Note advocates the use of the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard of proof in proceedings to terminate parental rights permanently. The Note will commence with background considerations such as the authority of the state to terminate parental rights, the rights of the parties involved in a termination proceeding and a discussion of standards of proof. Consideration will also be given to the factors which should have an impact on the standard of proof in permanent termination proceedings. These factors include: the vagueness of termination statutes, the fundamental right of family integrity, the broad discretionary powers of the courts involved, the need for human service agencies to focus on serving the family as a unit and the symbolic value of the standard of proof. The argument will be made that the use of the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard in these proceedings is appropriate given the interests involved, the needs of the child and the realities of what can be called the termination system

Polymer substrates for optical chemical sensing

Membranes for chemical sensing based on changes in light reflectance from amine-modified, porous, rubber-toughened poly(vinylbenzyl chloride-co-divinyl benzene) were prepared by bulk free radical polymerization. Xylene and dodecane were used as porogenic solvents and solutions were prepolymerized to viscous solutions prior to forming membranes. The crosslinked membranes are turbid and scatter light when unswollen. They swell in response to increases in hydrogen ion concentration, causing the membrane to reflect less light. Turbidity is ascribed mainly to scattering by water-filled macropores within the amine-functionalized membranes. Swelling decreases the refractive index of porous, hydrated polymers with 2% crosslinking by approximately 0.04 units, bringing it closer to the refractive index of water, which decreases scattering. The effects of four variables on the turbidity, swelling and optical change of these membranes indicates that turbidity is affected by a number of interacting effects. Increases in rubber content, total porogen volume and the dodecane fraction of the porogen increase turbidity while crosslinking decreases turbidity. The rubber is a styrene/ethylene-butylene/styrene triblock copolymer, Kraton G-1652, that is believed to act as a surfactant between the growing polymer chains and porogenic solvents to form more large macropores that scatter light. Crosslinker and dodecane decrease the optical response by limiting swelling. Kraton increases the response by helping form more scattering centers. Membranes can be formed without prepolymerization if dodecane is excluded from the formulation. Membranes cured by photoinitiated polymerization indicate that cure temperature influences the morphology and performance of membranes. Membranes cured at 85\sp\circC with 2% crosslinker have the best response. Membranes consisting of swellable polymer microspheres in poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) were prepared. Swelling decreases the refractive index of the microparticles and the membranes scatter less light. The microparticles were prepared by dispersion polymerization of vinylbenzyl chloride, aminated, cast into a hydrogel monomer and cured. The membranes are prepared quickly and with great precision. The turbidity change is similar to earlier membranes and conveniently controlled by the number of microspheres in the hydrogel. The response time of micron diameter particles in poly(HEMA) is on the order of an hour and limited by diffusion through the hydrogel and into the microparticles

An Empirical Assessment of the Use of Password Workarounds and the Cybersecurity Risk of Data Breaches

Passwords have been used for a long time to grant controlled access to classified spaces, electronics, networks, and more. However, the dramatic increase in user accounts over the past few decades has exposed the realization that technological measures alone cannot ensure a high level of IS security; this leaves the end-users holding a critical role in protecting their organization and personal information. The increased use of IS as a working tool for employees increases the number of accounts and passwords required. Despite being more aware of password entropy, users still often participate in deviant password behaviors, known as ‘password workarounds’ or ‘shadow security.’ These deviant password behaviors can put individuals and organizations at risk, resulting in data privacy. This study, engaging 303 IS users and 27 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), focused on designing, developing, and empirically validating Password Workaround Cybersecurity Risk Taxonomy (PaWoCyRiT)—a model supported on perceived cybersecurity risks from Password Workarounds (PWWA) techniques and their usage frequency. A panel of SMEs validated the PWWA list from existing literature with recommended adjustments. Additionally, the perception level of the cybersecurity risks of each technique was measured from the 27 SMEs and 303 IS users. They also provided their self-reported and reported on coworkers\u27 engagement frequencies related to the PWWA list. Noteworthy, significant differences were found between SMEs and IS users in their aggregated perceptions of cybersecurity risks of the PWWAs, with IS users perceiving higher risks. Engagement patterns varied between the groups, as well as factors like years of IS experience, gender, and job level had significant differences among groups. The PaWoCyRiT was developed to provide insights into password-related risks and behaviors

TOWARDS ASSESSING PASSWORD WORKAROUNDS AND PERCEIVED RISK TO DATA BREACHES FOR ORGANIZATIONAL CYBERSECURITY RISK MANAGEMENT TAXONOMY

Cybersecurity involves a broad range of techniques, including cyber-physical, managerial, and technical, while authentication provides a layer of protection for Information Systems (IS) against data breaches. The recent COVID-19 pandemic brought a tsunami of data breach incidents worldwide. Authentication serves as a mechanism for IS against unauthorized access utilizing various defense techniques, with the most popular and frequently used technique being passwords. However, the dramatic increase of user accounts over the past few decades has exposed the realization that technological measures alone cannot ensure high level of IS security; this leaves the end-users holding a critical role in protecting their organization and personal information. Despite users being more aware of password entropy, users still often participate in deviant password behaviors also known as ‘password workarounds’ or ‘shadow security’. These deviant password behaviors can put individuals and organizations at risk resulting in data privacy issues, data loss, and ultimately a data breach incident. In this paper, we outline a research-in-progress study to build a risk taxonomy for organizations based on the to identify the risks associated with deviant password behaviors technique based on the constructs of users’ perceived cybersecurity risk of data breaches resulting from PassWord WorkArounds (PWWA) techniques. Additionally, this study aims to empirically assess significant mean difference between Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) and employees on their perceived cybersecurity risk of data breaches resulting from the deviant password behaviors and frequency of PWWA techniques usage

The Current State of Management Preparation, Training, and Development among Middle Manager Librarians in Academic Libraries

This study examined the amount of management experience, development, preparation, and training possessed by middle managers in academic libraries. Previous studies and reports have pointed out that librarians often take on middle management roles without extensive preparation and training to perform management duties and without much previous experience performing management duties. This study found there has been some improvement in the preparation and training of academic librarians to handle management duties over the past couple of decades. Presently, most middle managers in academic libraries have had at least some prior experience performing management duties before becoming middle managers. Additionally, most academic library middle managers participate in management training prior to and during their jobs as middle managers. However, the study also found room for improvement in some areas of management preparation and training within the academic librarian profession