Singing with Moses and the Lamb: Social Memory and Radical Discipleship in John’s Apocalypse

The Apocalypse reads as a kind of “discipleship manual” for the ekklesiai living in Asia Minor under Roman administration. It calls for followers of the Lamb to reject easy compliance with the world of empire, and to embrace instead a costly alternative of witness and resistance. This study applies learnings from social memory theory to illuminate the political struggle in the Apocalypse: it considers how memory functions in antiquity to build a shared narrative of “Romanness;” how the Apocalypse’s strategy of drawing on Hebrew scriptures articulates a “counter-discourse” to Roman hegemony; how worship recalls this distinctive memory and re-narrates the world through it; and finally, how memory functions in the important imperative to “remember and repent” (2:5, 3:3). The study concludes that John is quite aware of the dynamics of power at work in his social world and memory is one basis on which he confronts this power. Through memory, the Apocalypse nurtures an alternative way of seeing the world, forges an alternative identity to “being Roman,” and animates an alternative life-practice. Deep memory is crucial for the ekklesiai to embody the way of the Lamb as a sustained alternative to ordinary civic life in the empire

E-WoM Engagement and Purchase Intention on Social Commerce Specialized in Beauty Products: A Perspective from Young Female Consumers

This study intends to analyze the impact of e-WoM engagement on social commerce applications of beauty products on customer purchase intention. The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), and Social Support Theory were employed to investigate the effect of e-WOM engagement on purchase intention. Data were collected from 356 social commerce users in Indonesia, and PLS-SEM was used to analyze the relationship between variables. This study discovered that e-WoM engagement positively affects purchase intention. All the TAM constructs, consisting of innovativeness and social support, also have a positive impact on e-WoM engagement and purchase intention. However, information characteristics have no significant impact on e-WoM engagement. Business players of beauty products and managers of online businesses should pay attention to factors that shape customers’ attitudes to engage in e-WoM in order to stimulate positive e-WoM engagement. This study proposes a new model for research in the field of social commerce and becomes the first research concentrating on social commerce specializing in beauty products

Socialism and the blockchain

Bitcoin (BTC) is often cited as Libertarian. However, the technology underpinning Bitcoin, blockchain, has properties that make it ideally suited to Socialist paradigms. Current literature supports the Libertarian viewpoint by focusing on the ability of Bitcoin to bypass central authority and provide anonymity; rarely is there an examination of blockchain technology's capacity for decentralised transparency and auditability in support of a Socialist model. This paper conducts a review of the blockchain, Libertarianism, and Socialist philosophies. It then explores Socialist models of public ownership and looks at the unique cooperative properties of blockchain that make the technology ideal for supporting Socialist societies. In summary, this paper argues that blockchain technologies are not just a Libertarian tool, they also enhance Socialist forms of governance

ADC Nonlinearity Correction for the Majorana Demonstrator

Imperfections in analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) cannot be ignored when signal digitization requirements demand both wide dynamic range and high resolution, as is the case for the Majorana Demonstrator 76Ge neutrinoless double-beta decay search. Enabling the experiment's high-resolution spectral analysis and efficient pulse shape discrimination required careful measurement and correction of ADC nonlinearities. A simple measurement protocol was developed that did not require sophisticated equipment or lengthy data-taking campaigns. A slope-dependent hysteresis was observed and characterized. A correction applied to digitized waveforms prior to signal processing reduced the differential and integral nonlinearities by an order of magnitude, eliminating these as dominant contributions to the systematic energy uncertainty at the double-beta decay Q value

Contamination Control and Assay Results for the Majorana Demonstrator Ultra Clean Components

The MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR is a neutrinoless double beta decay experiment utilizing enriched Ge-76 detectors in 2 separate modules inside of a common solid shield at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The DEMONSTRATOR has utilized world leading assay sensitivities to develop clean materials and processes for producing ultra-pure copper and plastic components. This experiment is now operating, and initial data provide new insights into the success of cleaning and processing. Post production copper assays after the completion of Module 1 showed an increase in U and Th contamination in finished parts compared to starting bulk material. A revised cleaning method and additional round of surface contamination studies prior to Module 2 construction have provided evidence that more rigorous process control can reduce surface contamination. This article describes the assay results and discuss further studies to take advantage of assay capabilities for the purpose of maintaining ultra clean fabrication and process design.Comment: Proceedings of Low Radioactivity Techniques (LRT May 2017, Seoul