Should I Stay or Should I Go? Exploring the Crisis of Faith Process of Former Members of the CJLDS within the United States

Christians are experiencing a crisis of religious faith throughout the United States at an alarming rate, especially among millennials. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, there were 20 primary and secondary reasons that created a crisis of religious faith and there were 13 reasons that motivated each participant to eventually abandon their Church membership. Over 80% of the reasons why the participants left the Church were directly and indirectly tied to the Prophet Joseph Smith and to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. The use of the Internet played a significant role in expediting a person’s crisis of religious faith. Of the 13 participants in this study, nine were self-described as an atheist or being agnostic; three as a spiritualist, but not religious; and one was self-described as a Deist. In all cases, each participant felt suspicious and resentful of religions in general, and they had no desire to seek out a differing religious denomination, a phenomenon not previously documented in prior research studies. When a participant experienced a crisis of religious faith, each individual went through a transitional phase that was highlighted by Six-Stages of Religious Transition that went from questioning and then doubting Church dogma to leaving the Church by forming a new identity through self-determination with the goal of reaching a state of sovereignty or autonomy by becoming agents unto themselves. The average length of time from first questioning and doubting Church dogma to eventually leaving the Church was 6.5 years

A Moustakas Phenomenological Analysis of How Counseling Master’s Students Experience Instructor Use of Humor in The Classroom

The following dissertation presented the findings from the first known Moustakas Phenomenological Analysis study exploring the experience of seven counselors-in-training (CITs) in the classroom with an instructor who utilized humor. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experience of counseling students who had participated in master’s classrooms in which the instructor used humor. Previous research has explored the use of humor within counseling, though no research has explored the experience of CITs in a classroom with an instructor who utilized humor. Moreover, no literature has explored the experience of CITs within their instructor-student relationship with an instructor who utilized humor. This study addressed this gap in literature. The primary research question guiding the study was: How do master’s students in counseling experience instructor use of humor in the classroom? An additional sub-research question further explored CIT experience, specific to the student-instructor relationship: How does instructor use of humor in the classroom influence the student-instructor relationship for master’s students in counseling? Seven participants engaged in one 30-to-90-minute semi-structured interview, completed a demographics questionnaire, as well as participated in a member checking interview and member checked further through email correspondence. Three main composite themes emerged from the data: (a) Defining Humor, (b) Humor and Connection vs Disconnection, and (c) Humor and Learning. The Defining Humor sub-theme explored participants’ personal definition of humor including what they believed to make something funny and the subjective nature of humor. Humor and Connection vs Disconnection encapsulated participants’ experience of humor being a tool to humanize their professors, feeling more connected with their professors due to their use of humor, as well as some information on how humor could also foster disconnection. The final theme, Humor and Learning explored how students perceived humor as a learning tool in the classroom, some stating they felt more engaged and energized when humor was used as well as recalling content better, participants also explored how they felt emotionally in a classroom with humor being utilized, many of which felt more comfortable and less anxious in class. Each superordinate theme contained sub-themes when discussed further in the subsequent document. Much of the participants’ recounted experience matched that which had been seen in previous literature, others added new perspective to the construct of humor in the classroom. Results from this study could have unique implications within the field of counselor education. Results from this study could have the potential to inform counselor educators how students experience humor in the classroom. In turn, this information could better inform counselor educators how to appropriately utilize humor within their teaching to support student learning, comfort, as well as the student-instructor relationship

Whom the Gods Would Destroy

The ability of the U.S. nuclear arsenal to deter and compel smaller WMD-owning adversaries is growing smaller; an alternative strategy is required. Information warfare can provide that alternative

Pretreatments for metal-to-metal bonding

Pretreatments for metal-to-metal bondin

Epitope profiling via mixture modeling of ranked data

We propose the use of probability models for ranked data as a useful alternative to a quantitative data analysis to investigate the outcome of bioassay experiments, when the preliminary choice of an appropriate normalization method for the raw numerical responses is difficult or subject to criticism. We review standard distance-based and multistage ranking models and in this last context we propose an original generalization of the Plackett-Luce model to account for the order of the ranking elicitation process. The usefulness of the novel model is illustrated with its maximum likelihood estimation for a real data set. Specifically, we address the heterogeneous nature of experimental units via model-based clustering and detail the necessary steps for a successful likelihood maximization through a hybrid version of the Expectation-Maximization algorithm. The performance of the mixture model using the new distribution as mixture components is compared with those relative to alternative mixture models for random rankings. A discussion on the interpretation of the identified clusters and a comparison with more standard quantitative approaches are finally provided.Comment: (revised to properly include references

Gambling and sport: how bookmakers win in voluntary 'whistle-to-whistle' advert ban

First paragraph: When Huddersfield Town FC unveiled its 2019-20 match shirt emblazoned with an enormous sash bearing the logo of bookmakers Paddy Power, fans were horrified and took to social media to voice their disgust.https://theconversation.com/gambling-and-sport-how-bookmakers-win-in-voluntary-whistle-to-whistle-advert-ban-12569

Plain packaging for tobacco: what other countries can learn from the UK's experience

First paragraph: Bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, sponsorship and open display in shops in the UK encouraged tobacco companies to make "the pack the hero". So they opposed plain packaging and claimed there was no evidence it would reduce smoking. They also attempted to thwart the policy through lobbying and third-party interference, and unsubstantiated claims about the effect on price, businesses and illicit trade. Following a review of the potential public health benefits, the government introduced a policy that made plain packaging mandatory for cigarettes and rolling tobacco sold in the UK. The policy was first introduced in May 2016 and, after a transition period, became compulsory in May 2017. But research has shown that tobacco companies appeared to delay introducing plain packs, continued to explore ways to promote products and did not follow through with their predictions that prices would decline.https://theconversation.com/plain-packaging-for-tobacco-what-other-countries-can-learn-from-the-uks-experience-10609