The Center Holds Quite Well: An Ethnographic Study of Social Structure and Control in Jehovah's Witness Religious Organization

Abstract: Religion has long occupied a singularly prominent position among the various institutions of social control. Evidence suggests, however, that the American religious milieu has changed in recent decades. Several historically fringe religions have grown in terms of power and influence while traditionally dominant religious institutions have deteriorated. One of the fastest growing religious organizations is Jehovah's Witness. Despite its increasingly powerful role in American society, we know very little about how Jehovah's Witness operates as a system of social control. This paper presents the findings of an ethnographic study of the mechanisms with which Jehovah's Witness' construct and control deviance. The results demonstrate that Jehovah' Witness operates according to the principles of functional systems theory. Witnesses are isolated from other social systems, which are deemed evil, and those who stray are shamed and labeled. Growth is maintained through careful evangelism processes that minimize threats to the organization and socialize core values to willing participants

word~river literary review (2009)

wordriver is a literary journal dedicated to the poetry, short fiction and creative nonfiction of adjuncts and part-time instructors teaching in our universities, colleges, and community colleges. Our premier issue was published in Spring 2009. We are always looking for work that demonstrates the creativity and craft of adjunct/part-time instructors in English and other disciplines. We reserve first publication rights and onetime anthology publication rights for all work published. We define adjunct instructors as anyone teaching part-time or full-time under a semester or yearly contract, nationwide and in any discipline. Graduate students teaching under part-time contracts during the summer or who have used up their teaching assistant time and are teaching with adjunct contracts for the remainder of their graduate program also are eligible.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/word_river/1002/thumbnail.jp

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

Acoustic Attenuation in the Lower Cloud Layer of Venus

Generic predictions for the acoustic wavenumber at low frequencies in the condensational cloud layers of Venus are presented, based on and adapted from the terrestrial model of Baudoin et al. (J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 130. 1142 (2011)). While the general thermodynamics of Earth clouds is well understood, that of Venusian clouds is still a matter of debate. Venus’ clouds are primarily formed of H2O and H2SO4 vapors and aqueous sulfuric acid droplets, the fluxes of which are not fully constrained due to the few in situ observations. Inside the clouds, the Navier-Stokes-Fourier equations of continuum fluid mechanics are used for the gaseous (dry + vapor) and liquid phases of H 2O andH2SO4, combined with equations describing the evaporation/condensation processes; the gaseous phase is treated as an ideal gas and the liquid droplets are considered polydisperse. Thermophysical parameters are interpolated at the ambient conditions pertaining to an altitude of 50 km, a level where balloon platforms (e.g., European Space Agency’s EVE) and manned airships (e.g., NASA’s HAVOC) may be deployed in the future. At low frequencies, the dominant source of absorption is caused by the evaporation/condensation of the liquid phase. At higher frequencies, absorption is dominated by momentum transfers between the wave and the ambient gas and liquid droplets. The intrinsic dispersion is negligible. Sensitivity studies of the attenuation coefficient and the sound speed on the cloud physical parameters is performed, namely, the mean cloud particle size and the cloud density. The attenuation coefficient is sensitive to changes in both mean cloud particle size and cloud density, while the intrinsic dispersion changes negligibly

Taking a View: Corporate Speculation, Governance, and Compensation

Using responses to a well-known confidential survey, we study corporations' use of derivatives to "take a view" on interest rate and currency movements. Characteristics of speculators suggest that perceived information and cost advantages lead them to take positions actively; that is, they do not speculate to increase risk by "betting the ranch." Speculating firms encourage managers to speculate through incentive-aligning compensation arrangements and bonding contracts, and they use derivatives-specific internal controls to manage potential abuse. Finally, we examine whether investors reading public corporate disclosures are able to identify firms that indicate speculating in the confidential survey; they are not. Copyright 2007 by The American Finance Association.