In “Marturia and the Gospel of John” the following hypothesis is investigated: Theological investigation of the ìáñôõñéá lexeme in the Gospel of John contributes significantly towards an understanding of an emerging, missional ecclesiology. The study is precipitated by the accelerated pace of change our society is currently experiencing. The technological developments of the past fifty years created a society that is totally dependent on the technology it developed. This dependence led to the developing of a new cultural paradigm in which the church is ill at home. Not only are the ecclesial structures ill-adapted to effectively minister to people who increasingly live in a different cultural milieu, but also the premises upon which itstheology is built, has increasingly come under scrutiny. The question of an emerging, missional ecclesiology is therefore not only a question of developing new ministry praxis. Neither is it a matter of reframing theological theses with new metaphors. A growing realisation exists of the need for theological research from the perspective of this developing new paradigm. Theology needs to turn to Scripture in a quest for such answers and it is proposed that a hermeneutic approach should be taken towards this investigation. This exegetical study is conducted from a New Testament perspective, specifically focusing on the Gospel of John. It is done through a sequential reading of the Gospel with special emphasis on the pericopes that contain the word-group, marturiva. Finally, the insights gathered from this study are systemized into a framework that aims to contribute towards the further development of an emerging, missional ecclesiology. It will be argued that ecclesiology serves as the integration point for reflection and practical missional ministry. As such, the church as object of investigation is the ultimate technological praxis, as the community of believers serves as the show-case of God’s presence in this world, as sacrament of his redemptive mission, and as mediator of the governance in his kingdom. Outline of the study In Chapter One attention is given to the changing cultural paradigm and the implications this holds for ministry as well as for theology. These changes are presented as the study’s research problem. The Gospel of John is also introduced as a case study in the ongoing development of an emerging, missional ecclesiology as foundational cornerstone to a postmodern theological paradigm. In Chapter Two the framework from which the hermeneutical study is undertaken, is established. A bird’s eye view of the Gospel of John is attempted and a preliminary investigation into the marturiva lexeme is also undertaken. Chapter Three investigates the testimony of John the Baptist, as recounted in John’s Gospel from John 1-4. Chapter Four reads the second part of Jesus’ public ministry, starting with John 5 and continuing until John concludes his narrative of this section of Jesus’ mission in John 12. Chapter Five studies John’s account of Jesus’ conversation with his disciples in John 13-17. It also reads John 18-21, which comprises of the Passion narrative and the Epilogue to the Gospel. In Chapter Six the matter at hand will be the development of an emerging, missional ecclesiology as a result of the exegetical study of John’s Gospel. Finally, we conclude the study by exploring some issues that need further investigation. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

Protests constitute one of the most important means for citizens to raise key issues on the social agenda and express marginalised voices, in which an important factor to spread their message is attracting mass media coverage. However, previous research has repeatedly found that the mass media delegitimizes protests and focus on the protest event itself rather than the issues behind it. Meanwhile, the role of alternative media on digital platforms is growing stronger. Given this background, this study sets out to answer how U.S. mainstream- and alternative media depicts three protests in Latin America in 2019 and how they potentially differ in their depiction of these protests. More specifically, the study aims to find if the media portrays protests in a negative manner, and if so, how it is done. These questions are analysed through postcolonialism and the protest paradigm theory, which suggests that the media delegitimize protests through certain ways of describing the protest events. Through a critical discourse analysis of 36 articles in total, this study finds that both the mainstream- and alternative media largely adheres to the protest paradigm. It is found that violent aspects of the protests are often in focus, as well as an absence of lifting the structural issues that the protesters want to lift. However, exceptions that deviate from the theory are found as well, indicating that the protest paradigm alone may not be sufficient to explain the complexities behind the media’s coverage of protest events.

Ing. Petr Kotlas Reflexe skupinových zájmů v procesu politického rozhodování: institucionální přístup Disertační práce Praha 2012 Annotation PhD thesis "Reflection of group interests in political decision-making processes: an institutional approach" deals with the role of group interests reflected into the specific decision-making actions, on various stages of the political discourse. The thesis offers a methodological contribution, consisting in an interconnecting of the analysis of interest groups with a new institutional paradigm, utilizing its fundamental concepts, particularly transaction costs, formal and informal institutions, and various types of 5 institutional setting, its equilibrium and change. Among the problems of pluralist democracy there are underlined the processes of cleavage and cohesion, shaping group diversity under the condition of multi-actor democracy. The characteristic of political decision-making involves beyond general framework also problems of group decisionmaking. Two alternative approaches to the policy-making analysis are explored: first, an arena approach, focused on the relations among actors, arenas, and agendas; second, an approach focused on the different networks of policy-making. There is the phenomenon of lobbying analyzed in detail, including the controversial...

Screening and assessment play a critical role in the lives of young children and their families. The results of these procedures can paint enduring portraits of the strengths and vulnerabilities of both children and families. This article explores the challenges of cultural dynamics and family issues relative to six areas of assessment: the target of assessment, the setting, the methods, the personnel, the uses, and, finally, the fusion of assessment with intervention. While the authors' examination of these challenges does not eliminate the problems inherent in the screening and assessment with infants and young children, it can, perhaps, raise issues and stimulate ideas that can help us to enter the homes and worlds of diverse families and their children in ways that are both respectful and responsive.

Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in electroencephalography are manifestations at the scalp of neural activity that is triggered by, and is involved in, the processing of specific events. This chapter focuses on braincomputer interfaces (BCIs) that use P300, an endogenous ERP component. The P300 is a positive potential that occurs over central-parietal scalp 250- 700 msec after a rare event occurs in the context of the oddball paradigm. This paradigm has three essential attributes: a subject is presented with a series of events (i.e., stimuli), each of which falls into one of two classes; the events that fall into one of the classes are less frequent than those that fall into the other class; and the subject performs a task that requires classifying each event into one of the two classes.

In today's fast-paced, instant-gratification-oriented society, everyone is looking for quick fixes. We want it all and we want it now! This mindset is in conflict with the overall process of education and learning which requires time, reflection, and practice. More and more students are entering colleges and universities with weak academic preparation and deficient life skills. This often leads them to engage in unethical practices in order to compete, get ahead and survive academically. Declining academic integrity is a significant issue on almost all college campuses. The purpose of this study was to gain deeper insight into student nurses' perceptions of the concept of instant gratification in general and in nursing education in particular. The implications of the Trinity Paradigm of Intelligence in developing a culture of integrity were also explored. The emerged data supports the notion of "academic disintegrity" as a social problem with a long history of development.

Syftet med denna studie har varit att ge ett tillskott till forskningsområdet gällande digitalt sexarbete i form av en kvalitativ intervjustudie av kvinnliga kreatörers upplevelser på plattformen OnlyFans. Vi har belyst att plattformen utmärker sig i ledetav nya gig-ekonomiska företag som agerar mellanhand för köpandet och säljandetav kommersiella sexuella tjänster. Fenomenet har spridits genom sociala medieroch lockat många att träda in i dess värld, särskilt under COVID-19 pandeminsosäkra tillvaro. Vi har undersökt fenomenet med hjälp av två feministiska ramverk;radikalfeminismen och liberalfeminismen som har hjälpt oss att svara på vilkaaspekter som är exploaterande eller självstärkande. Dessutom har vi redogjort förhur informanterna använder sammanlänkande arbete och rollspel i sitt arbete,samt att pengar och resonans är stora motivationsfaktorer. Resultatet har visat attkvinnorna upplever ett sammanhängande spektrum av erfarenheter och formas avkomplexa strukturella förutsättningar vilket bäst fångas av Weitzers (2010; 2012) “polymorphous paradigm”.

Prior to 1968, the National Park Service contended that an unnaturally large population of elk had severely damaged Yellowstone Park's northern winter range, including aspen and willow communities. However, under "natural regulation" management adopted in the earl y 1970s the agency now believes that vegetation changes in the park are due to normal plant succession, climatic change, or fire suppression, not ungulates. The agency also believes that large numbers of elk (12, 000 - 15, 000) have wintered on the park's northern range for the last several thousand years. This study tested several of the major assumptions or predictions of the Park Service's "natural regulation" paradigm by collecting vegetational data, reviewing historical source materials, and analyzing archaeological reports. The available evidence suggests that observed changes in Yellowstone's tall willow and aspen communities are due primarily to ungulate browsing, not other factors. The future of sexually reproducing willow and aspen communities on the park's northern range appears to be in jeopardy. Under current management, their extinction is only a matter of time. Moreover, entire plant and animal communities have been affected, not just aspen and willows. Historical accounts and archaeological data indicate that few elk inhabited Yellowstone prior to creation of that national park in 1872. These results do not support the "natural regulation" paradigm. Prior to European influence, predation by Native Americans and carnivores limited elk, as well as other ungulate numbers throughout the Greater Yellowstone area.

Inefficient operations management practices have proven to be the main cause of failure in the administration of any business empire. Operations managers are held in the apex of leadership in companies and by standards, the outcome of their management are expected to lead to the growth and success of the company. With the mismanagement of finances and human capital, it would be difficult for the company to achieve growth and success to meet the objectives of the company. The main purpose of this research was to do an exploratory study on the impacts of Operations Management on the growth of business, with a focus on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria, specifically a hotel. The study aimed to identify why the concept “Operations Management” is important to the growth of businesses.The objective was to contribute knowledge to the field of finance and the business world.The population of this study comprised of 30 staffof LasVegas Hotels and Resort Abuja, Nigeria. The study employed the use of primary data using structured questionnaires open–ended and close – ended. The 30 questionnaires that were administered were all returned. The study employed the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) in the analysis of the data. The study found that operational controls, financial prudence, are the specific operations management skills that are responsible for the growth and the success of the company. Hence, operations management is fundamental to the growth and success of a business. The study concluded that operations management contributes to the growth of businesses in Nigeria.The study recommended that the operations management team should carry staff along in the day - to - day running of the business so that the staff can have sense of belonging. / <p>The major challenge with this research was time constraint. I started two weeks behind schedule, with the guide and encouragement from my supervisor, I was able to finish up successfully.</p>

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / School-community collaboration has received increasing attention in social work because of its potential for enhancing the quality of services to meet the multifaceted needs of students. However, there is little understanding of how to create and maintain successful school-community collaboration. The purpose of this research is to develop and validate a comprehensive framework for transformative school-community collaboration based on a critical paradigm and its corresponding theories. Using school survey data, an exploratory factor analysis identified the four dimensions of transformative school community collaboration, including (1) critical member capacity, (2) equal relations, (3) democratic network governance, and (4) empowering coordination. The results of multiple regression analyses showed that the identified dimensions were positively associated with the quality outcomes of Out-of-School Time programs although their significant effects varied across different quality outcomes: high-quality activities, student engagement, and linkages with family/community. Another key finding was that structural dimensions—democratic network governance and empowering coordination—appeared to be stronger factors. However, this research suggested that critical member capacity and equal relations may be associated indirectly with the quality outcomes. This dissertation paper concludes with practical implications and future research agenda to successfully build transformative school-community collaboration.