Since its inception in the 1980s digital technology is considered to be at the heart of contemporary education in the developed world, supported by national ICT strategies and exponentially rising levels of public funding. Yet the promised educational transformation, as measured by learning outcomes, has arguably failed to materialise, while developing countries continue to emulate unproven digital educational programmes. A substantial body of empirical research, conducted by policy makers, business and educators over the past fourty years has found tangible beneficial evidence consistently elusive. This qualitative-based study seeks to explain the dichotomy by critically investigating what is actually happening when digital technology meets education in UK secondary schools as opposed to what is often envisaged as 'should' or 'might' be happening. It moves the debate beyond both its learning focus predominance, and deterministic view of education and technology to one which addresses the educational phenomenon by reference to the broader context of the social, political, historical and cultural conditions that influence all educational practices and which recognises the mutual social-shaping nature of the relationship. Consequently, this qualitative study utilises semi-structured interviews in a multilevel framework to explore how secondary school heads of department; a hitherto under-researched group, at the organisation's structural intersection, have responded to the introduction of ICT from the 1980s to the current day. This thesis contributes to the advancement of knowledge and understanding by drawing attention to issues of continuity and change, and structure and agency within the educational process and by offering insights into why (unforeseen) developments have occurred, how they have evolved and with what consequences for the profession and its educational institutions. It concludes by establishing a link between ICT-induced structural developments and agency constraints, offering policy makers a means of addressing key detrimental oganisational procedures in order to improve educational processes.

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

The Royal Palace of Dahomey, which stands in varied states of decay and restoration in Abomey, Benin, has been subject to change and manipulation throughout its history (c. 1645-present). This dissertation focuses on its transformations during the French colonial and post-colonial periods and investigates how the palace functions as a site for religious ceremonies, a center for political struggle, and a symbol of non-European identity. It documents what physical transformations the palace complex underwent in relation to its changing roles, explores the ethics of external political forces, and investigates what influence the palace and royal history have had on contemporary identity and domestic architecture.

Heritage, the “present-centered” use of the past (Ashworth 2007) influences the identities of contemporary citizens (Palmer 2005, Sommer 2009). Grasping the ways in which the production and consumption of heritage takes place is becoming increasingly relevant in a post-Brexit Britain, where the national identity is constantly up for debate. This research asks: what role does heritage tourism play in (re)producing hegemonic national narratives in Glastonbury and Tintagel? And subsequently, what do these narratives say about broader conceptualizations of English identity? Arthurian legend permeates the historical narrative in both locations. According to the legend, King Arthur was conceived and born in Tintagel, and ultimately buried in Glastonbury. Both Glastonbury and Tintagel are located in the southwest region of England and are home to significant national heritage sites. In Glastonbury, heritage sites include Glastonbury Abbey, Glastonbury Tor and the Chalice Well Gardens. In Tintagel, heritage sites include Tintagel Castle, King Arthur’s Great Halls, St. Nectan’s Glen and the Arthurian Centre. Methods for this ethnographic comparative study include classic participant observation, semi-structured interviews, ethnographic photography and archival research. The focus here is on the producers of heritage (heritage management employees, local shop owners and community members) rather than the consumers (tourists and travelers). By using a holistic political economy approach, this research reveals how heritage is both contested and commodified in both Glastonbury and Tintagel. Rather than understanding “authorized heritage discourses” (Smith 2006) as simply the result of hegemonic forces imparted by heritage management organizations, this research reveals the nuances created by the commodification of heritage in both Glastonbury and Tintagel, where tourism plays a significant role in the local economy.

National accounting and national accounts concepts have very strong links to business accounting and business accounts concepts, and economic theory. The current trend in national accounting work is to carry out the task based on a framework which functions as an integrated general purpose statistical information system. The principal constraints to this approach are data availability which is a function of the standard and serviceability of the country's national statistical system, and general conventional accounting principles. It is submitted that one of the important properties that a system of national accounts should possess is inherent flexibility in order to allow such a system to respond sensitively to developments in economic theory and specialized needs/demands. Even though the development of certain national accounting principles can be traced back to the seventeenth century, national accounting generally is a twentieth century invention, with the development of the SNA as a very major breakthrough. One of the SNA's most valuable contributions is its provision of a consistent and comprehensive framework in terms of national accounting concepts, definitions and principles. The application of the conventional national accounting principles to Tonga and other developing countries has been confronted with many conceptual and statistical problems. The existence of imperfect national price systems in developing countries has led many critics to question the validity of national income estimates for such countries. It has been submitted that such imperfection of national price systems has been essentially a function of constraints on commodity and factor movements. It is argued however that many such restrictions cannot be applied with significant force to the case of Tonga and that there exists great validity and usefulness in making national income estimation. Non-market portion of total production in the economy of Tonga is significant. Its estimation for national accounting purposes is faced with the conceptual problems of setting appropriate boundary of production and imputation. The recommendations of the SNA with regard to the former are endorsed for national accounting practice in Tonga with special attention to transactions such as the unilateral provisions of free and/or partially paid services by Tongans to government and church authorities. Due to the predominantly agricultural character of the Tongan economy and the existence of a partial subsistence sector, certain conceptual problems arising from the need to make clear distinctions between production and consumption, and saving and investment in accordance with the Keynesian framework are bound to prevail with regard to national accounting in the Kingdom. There are also the problems associated with any attempt to distinguish the various factor shares of national income. Recommendations and comments concerning possible means of minimizing these problems or perhaps putting such, problems into some balanced perspective, are presented. Statistical problems faced with national accounting work in Tonga are generally associated with the inadequacy and unreliability of basic national accounting statistics, and the shortage of appropriate material and human resources. While most of the statistical problems can be substantially alleviated by more liberal direction of resources to the process of data collection and national income estimation, some of the statistical problems like the conceptual problems would persist in Tonga as long as the general standard of the Kingdom's national statistical system is low and the general state of under-development prevails. A close scrutiny of the general performance and structure of the Tongan economy, current and anticipated future needs/demands for various national accounting statistical series, and current and anticipated future status of data availability, suggests that a system of national accounts for Tonga which could bring out the important economic characteristics and inter-relationships of important sectors in the economy would be considered as very desirable. With the increasing complexity of the Kingdom's economy and associated increasing diversity of needs/demands for appropriate statistical series, it is felt that a system of national accounts which offers greater disaggregation of important aggregates and which views the production sector at some component levels such as "Agricultural", "Non-Agricultural, Non-Financial" and "Financial" production sub-sectors even though it is a diversion from the general recommendations of the SNA, would merit a high level of serviceability. A system of national accounts which is essentially based on a system of sector accounts with the incorporation of the above stated partitioning of the production sector is therefore proposed for Tonga. The proposed system also consists of sets of supplementary tables and aggregative accounts which aim at providing essential supplementary information via the adoption of different classification systems or appropriate aggregations of information exhibited in the sector accounts. Issues concerning suggested future expansion of the proposed system to include appropriate input-output matrices and flow of funds tables and the need for a proper development and application of an appropriate social accounting matrix (SAM) for Tonga are also discussed. The proposed system of national accounts for Tonga is relatively comprehensive and possesses inherent flexibility which is a reflection of its primary inheritance from the SNA. Even though it might take some time before the proposed design can be implemented in full, its relative comprehensiveness would automatically serve a lot of useful purposes e.g. its explicit facilitation of attention to gaps in the existing data series. The implementation of the proposed system is regarded as a feasible long term project for the Tonga national statistical agency. The extent to which it can be implemented in the very near future given Government's acceptance, would depend heavily on the priority level the Tonga Government attaches or would attach to the task of developing and improving the Kingdom's national accounting system.

A significant problem in the construction industry is the losses sustained as a result of the theft of tools and equipment from construction sites. The case study company, referred to as PSS, have successfully developed and commercialized a technological solution to prevent such theft within Sweden. The next step in the commercialization of PSS is to seek growth and leverage their investment and innovation. Our purpose is to undertake a UK market analysis, in order to investigate if PSS's business model has opportunities in the UK, and recommend how PSS might approach internationalization, using a resource based perspective. PSS’s existing business model has been developed to fit the Swedish market conditions, and has been demonstrated to perform. We find market conditions in the UK are similar, albeit in greater proportions. The nature of the problem, the industry structures, and the competitive environment is similar to the domestic conditions, and the competitive position of PSS is replicable, with a high level of strategic fit. We recommend PSS pursue its desire to internationalize to the UK based on similarity of the fit with the local market (which has been demonstrated to result in acceptable performance). We would recommend entry through a sales subsidiary to facilitate the establishment of customer relationships. In addition a possible license agreement with a partner may help to facilitate speedy access to UK distribution industry networks.

Oren Rhea Martin, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2013 Chair: Dr. Bruce A. Ware Chapter 1 introduces the thesis, states the purpose, and defines the dissertation's specific goals. Attention is then given to a summary of research before a closing section presents the methodology that is used: a historical-exegetical, epochal, and canonical-eschatological approach to biblical interpretation and theological formulation. Chapter 2 provides the biblical-theological framework from which a theology of land can be canonically understood. More specifically, the framework for understanding the place, or land, of God's people is the kingdom. God's kingdom commences in Eden, and after the fall of mankind into sin God's kingdom will come through his divinely-initiated covenants with his people. In the end, God will once again create a place--a new heaven and a new earth--for his people through the fulfillment of his covenant promises in Christ, who wins the new creation and reigns in his kingdom forever. Working out of this framework, the next two chapters trace the theme of land as it progressively unfolds across the canon. To begin, Chapter 3 connects the promise of land to Abraham to the preceding events in Genesis 1-11. Then, the promise of land within the Abrahamic covenant is evaluated, which is followed by partial fulfillments through Israel's history under leaders such as Joshua, David, and Solomon. However, each stage of fulfillment is not final, for every fulfillment is followed by covenant failure. Instead, each fulfillment and failure anticipates something greater, which the canonical prophets proclaim. What begins in the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New. Chapter 4, then, demonstrates the inaugurated fulfillment of the kingdom with the coming of Christ and his work. That is, the blessings of the land come now to those who are united to Christ by faith and they await their future, final fulfillment in the new creation. Thus, the fulfillment of the land in the New Testament is inaugurated but not yet consummated. Finally, chapter 5 summarizes and concludes the overall argument of this dissertation. The argument is then evaluated in light of the two dominant theological systems today, namely, dispensationalism and covenant theology.

The legal treatises of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were written in the thirteenth century, when most of the kingdom had been re-conquered by the Muslims. There are no treatises from the twelfth century, when the kingdom was at its height. The thirteenth-century jurists claimed that the kingdom had always had written laws, but they may have been making this up for political purposes. The treatises also discuss issues important to the noble class of which the jurists were a part: property rights and the feudal services owed to the king, as well as the proper way to plead their cases in court. But what do they say about criminal law, and laws for the lower classes? How were crimes tried and punished in the twelfth century, and did this differ from the laws recorded in the thirteenth century? Chapter one deals with the different treatises, and their claim that there was a set of laws called “Letres dou Sepulcre” in the twelfth century. The most important of the treatises for criminal law, the assizes of the burgess court, is examined in detail. Chapter two looks at the small number of laws that survive from the twelfth century, in charters, the canons of the Council of Nablus, and the chronicle of William of Tyre. Chapter three is a study of other descriptions of crusader law in the twelfth century, including those by Christian and Muslim pilgrims, and especially the observations of Usama ibn Munqidh. These accounts are tied together by the common theme of theft and the ways that thieves could be punished. Chapter four deals with cases mentioned by thirteenth-century sources, including theft, assault, and prostitution, but especially cases that led to trials by battle. The usefulness of such trials for dating some of the laws is also examined. The conclusion demonstrates that certain parts of the assizes relating to criminal law must have already existed in the twelfth century, and offers some tentative ideas about the specific origin of the laws. Avenues for future research are also introduced.

The legal treatises of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were written in the thirteenth century, when most of the kingdom had been re-conquered by the Muslims. There are no treatises from the twelfth century, when the kingdom was at its height. The thirteenth-century jurists claimed that the kingdom had always had written laws, but they may have been making this up for political purposes. The treatises also discuss issues important to the noble class of which the jurists were a part: property rights and the feudal services owed to the king, as well as the proper way to plead their cases in court. But what do they say about criminal law, and laws for the lower classes? How were crimes tried and punished in the twelfth century, and did this differ from the laws recorded in the thirteenth century? Chapter one deals with the different treatises, and their claim that there was a set of laws called “Letres dou Sepulcre” in the twelfth century. The most important of the treatises for criminal law, the assizes of the burgess court, is examined in detail. Chapter two looks at the small number of laws that survive from the twelfth century, in charters, the canons of the Council of Nablus, and the chronicle of William of Tyre. Chapter three is a study of other descriptions of crusader law in the twelfth century, including those by Christian and Muslim pilgrims, and especially the observations of Usama ibn Munqidh. These accounts are tied together by the common theme of theft and the ways that thieves could be punished. Chapter four deals with cases mentioned by thirteenth-century sources, including theft, assault, and prostitution, but especially cases that led to trials by battle. The usefulness of such trials for dating some of the laws is also examined. The conclusion demonstrates that certain parts of the assizes relating to criminal law must have already existed in the twelfth century, and offers some tentative ideas about the specific origin of the laws. Avenues for future research are also introduced.

The overall goal of this research was to understand the role of inter-kingdom signaling in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infections of the human gastro-intestinal (GI) tract from the perspective of both the invading pathogen and the human intestinal epithelial cells, which they colonize. Differential gene expression of EHEC was studied upon exposure to the human neuroendocrine hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine. We determined that these hormones increase EHEC chemotaxis, motility, biofilm formation, colonization of host cells, and virulence gene expression. We also studied the EHEC response to the GI tract commensal bacterial signaling molecules indole and autoinducer-2 (AI-2). We observed that indole decreases all the EHEC phenotypes that are increased by the human hormones and represses EHEC virulence. However, the effect of AI-2 was similar to that observed with hormones and opposite to that observed with indole, i.e. AI-2 increases EHEC virulence phenotypes. We studied changes in host cell transcriptome in the presence of the commensal bacterial signal indole. Indole increases expression of genes involved in tight junction and gap junction formation, and production of mucins and actin cytoskeleton genes. Indole also down-regulates genes encoding for pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and Toll-like receptors. The gene expression results were confirmed with phenotypic assays where we observed an increase in trans-epithelial resistance, increase in the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8, decrease in the activity of the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB, and decrease in colonization by EHEC of the indole-pre-treated HCT-8 cells. We established that factors secreted by epithelial cells are important determinants of EHEC virulence. Gene expression studies showed that 34 out of 41 LEE virulence genes were induced when EHEC was cultured in conditioned medium. In addition, the data showed increased expression of the shiga toxin-2 prophage 933W. These changes in gene expression were corroborated by a 5-fold increase in HCT-8 cell colonization and increased intracellular Stx2 phage titers. We determined that the HCT-8-secreted factor(s) was protein-based and that it was greater than 3 kDa in size. In conclusion, we have characterized the pathogen response to various eukaryotic and prokaryotic GI tract signals. We have established, for the first time, that the commensal bacterial signal indole is an inter-kingdom signal for the host epithelial cells. Overall, our studies provide a greater understanding of host-pathogen interactions.