The Muslim headscarf conceals the hair and other external features of a face. For this reason it may have implications for the recognition of such faces. The experiments reported in this thesis aimed to investigate anecdotal reports, which suggested that headscarf wearing females are more difficult to recognise. This was done by employing a series of experiments which involved a yes/no recognition task. The stimuli that were used were images of South Asian females who were photographed wearing a Muslim headscarf (HS), with their own hair visible (H), and a third set of stimuli were produced in which their external features were cropped (CR). Most importantly, participants either took part in the condition in which the state of the external features remained the same between the learning and test stage (Same) or the condition in which they were switched between the two stages (Switch). In one experiment participants completed a Social Contact Questionnaire. Surprisingly, in the Same condition, there was no difference in the recognition rates of faces that were presented with hair, with headscarf, or cropped faces. However, participants in the Switch condition performed significantly worse than those in the Same condition. It was also found that there was no difference in the % of fixations to the external features between the Same and Switch condition, which implied that the drop in performance between the two conditions was not mediated by eye-movements. These results suggest that the internal and external features of a face are processed interactively and, although the external features were not fixated on, a manipulation to them caused a drop in performance. This was confirmed in a separate experiment in which participants were unable to ignore the external features when they were asked to judge the similarity of the internal features of pairs of faces. Pairs of headscarf faces were rated as being more similar compared to pairs of faces with hair. Finally, for one group of participants it was found that contact with headscarf-wearing females was positively correlated with the recognition of headscarf-wearing faces. It was concluded that the headscarf per se did not impair face recognition and that there is enough information in the internal features of a face for optimal recognition, however, performance was disrupted when the presence or absence of the headscarf was manipulated.

This study aims to research the user perspective on interactions between authors, readers and the tagging system on the fanwork website Archive of Our Own. To answer the research questions a survey was made and sent out to users of the website via Tumblr and Reddit. In total 97 answers were received. The survey results and subsequent analysis showed us that users have similar preferences and opinions on tag usage, but have some differing opinions on the restrictions of the tag system and its affordances, as well as different views on other users’ tagging behaviors depending on if they are readers or authors. Much of the analysis stays consistent with the results of previous studies and suggestions for future research are given as a result of our own conclusions.

In her 1929 essay "A Room of One's Own," Virginia Woolf famously asserts that "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction" (4). This concept places an immediate importance on the role of the Modernist female subject as an artist and as an architect, constructing the places and spaces that she exists within. With Woolf's argument as its point of departure, this thesis investigates the theme of female space in two Modernist texts: Nella Larsen's Quicksand (1928) and Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar (1963). The respective protagonists of Quicksand and The Bell Jar, Helga Crane and Esther Greenwood, each undertake journeys to obtain spaces that are purely their own. However, this thesis positions each space that Helga and Esther occupy as both male-constructed and male-dominated in order to address the inherent gendering of space and its impact on the development of feminine identities. This thesis focuses specifically on the roles of the mother, the muse, and the female mentor, tracking the spaces in which Helga and Esther begin to adhere to these roles. Expanding on Lauren Berlant's theory of cruel optimism, this thesis will use the term "cruel femininity" to support its intervening claim that the respective relationships that Helga and Esther each have with their own feminine identities begin to turn cruel as they internalize the male-dominated spatial structures surrounding them. Overall, this thesis argues that there is no space in existence where Helga and Esther can realize their full potential as human beings, as long as the spatial structures within their communities continue to be controlled by hegemonic, patriarchal beliefs.

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Bostadspriserna har ökat signifikant under en lång period nu och på senare tid har en upplevd bostadsbrist blivit alltmer påtaglig. Medan prisutvecklingen har varit goda nyheter för många ägare har det samtidigt skapat en allt högre inträdesbarriär för förstagångsköparna, speciellt kombinerat med kreditrestriktionerna införda under 2010-talet. För att lösa detta problem har konceptet hyrköp introducerats i Sverige och det är denna studies syfte att undersöka dess egenskaper och potential. Hyrköp möjliggör för privatpersoner att skjuta upp delar eller hela förvärvet av en bostad till en avtalad tidpunkt eller intervall i framtiden och hyra fram till dess. Att äga är ekonomiskt fördelaktigt på längre sikt men i fall där intressenten inte har möjlighet att förvärva bostaden genom konventionell överlåtelse kan hyrköp appliceras. Medan det är grundtanken har många anpassningar av hyrköp utvecklats både i Sverige och utomlands. Därför är ett av målen med detta arbete att analysera och komma fram till hur en effektiv hyrköpsmodell bör vara utformad. En annan anledning till varför hyrköp är viktigt att undersöka är att det är ett nytt fenomen på den svenska bostadsmarknaden. Unik lagstiftning för hyrköp existerar inte, verksamheten befinner sig fortfarande på relativt småskalig nivå och den svenska forskningen inom området är begränsad. Metodiken för detta arbete har anpassats efter dessa förutsättningar och inneburit att fokus legat på det kvalitativa genom framför allt intervjuer med relevanta aktörer i Sverige, både inom den privata och politiska sfären. I och med att hyrköp är mer etablerat i andra länder har utövare i dessa också bidragit till arbetet. Genom att undersöka hyrköp och intervjua aktörerna som ligger bakom hyrköpsverksamheten i Sverige och sedan sätta det i dagens kontext har flera slutsatser kunnat dras. En analys av resultaten tyder på att receptet för en framgångsrik variant av hyrköp är att vara enhetlig, enkel för konsumenten att ta till sig och framför allt noggrant anpassad efter köparnas förutsättningar för sparande. Analys av resultaten indikerar dock starkt på att hyrköp i dagsläget har begränsningar i rollen som lösning till bostadsbristen för förstagångsköpare. Hyrköp som ett initiativ från de privata aktörerna kombinerat med justeringar bland kreditrestriktionerna från statligt håll framstår som ett mer effektivt tillvägagångssätt att sänka inträdeströskeln till bostadsmarknaden till en acceptabel nivå. / The housing prices have experienced a steady and significant incline during a long period and in recent times the housing shortage has turned into quite a tangible issue in the major Swedish cities. While the house price increase has made many wealthier, it has simultaneously caused an ever-rising threshold for first time home buyers, particularly when compounded with the credit regulations implemented during the last decade. With the intent of solving this issue, the concept Rent-to-Own has been introduced to Sweden and it is the purpose of this dissertation to investigate it’s properties and gauge it’s potential. Rent-to-Own allows individuals to partially or completely postpone their acquisition of a home until a predetermined interval or point in time while renting until then. Owning is financially more advantageous than renting in the mid- to long-term and it is in cases where a conventional outright purchase is not possible that Rent-to-Own is applicable. While this is the core notion, a number of adaptations have been developed both in Sweden and abroad. It is hence one of the objectives of this paper to deduce how an effective Rent-to-Own agreement should be structured. An additional reason for the relevance of this study is the fact that Rent-to-Own is a new and unfamiliar concept in Sweden. The current capacity is relatively low, specific regulations do not yet exist and Swedish research regarding the subject is finite. The methods employed for this paper have been adjusted based on these circumstances which has led to focus on a qualitative approach, primarily interviews with relevant parties, both in the private and political sphere. Considering that Rent-to-Own is a better-established matter abroad, information from providers of Rent-to-Own housing in such countries has complemented this work to a significant degree. Investigating the different forms of Rent-to-Own and interviewing real estate developers providing such acquisition options in Sweden has led to several conclusions. An analysis of the results implies that a successful variation of Rent-to-Own is uniform, comprehendible and most importantly adapted regarding the buyers’ saving capabilities. The results do also strongly indicate that Rent-to-Own in it’s current state is limited in it’s role as a mitigant of the housing shortage for first time home buyers. However, Rent-to-Own as an initiative by the corporations and companies combined with adjustments in credit regulations by the government resembles a more effective effort in lowering the entry barrier to the housing market to an adequate level.

Nous avons investi l’entrepreneuriat maghrébin dans la métropole parisienne, région riche de par sa diversité culturelle, avec comme point de départ les activités associatives auxquelles adhérent nos interlocuteurs. A ce titre, nous avons identifié un certain nombre de regroupements et de réseaux crées par des entrepreneurs maghrébins et qui ont pour objectifs, notamment, de fédérer les efforts pour faire face à la concurrence domestique et de faciliter un retour entrepreneurial au pays d’origine. Sur ce plan, nous avons mis en relief les questions d’efficacité de ces associations, voir même leur transformation en entreprises.Nous avons pu évoquer avec nos interlocuteurs les aspects des diasporas maghrébines, notamment celles se rapportant aux difficultés de transmettre la culture d’origine aux descendants, les jeux avec les doubles identités ou l’assimilation avec tout ce que signifie ce mot.Nous avons aussi, évoqué les effets directs et indirects du retour entrepreneurial sur le marché des pays du Maghreb aussi bien sur le plan de l’intégration ou la désintégration économique, que sur le plan de l’emploi, les qualifications et les compétences ainsi que les modes de gouvernance./. / Absract:We discussed in this thesis the maghrebian entrepreneurial ship in Paris, This capital is known by its cultural diversity . the starting point was the association’s activities that make the business men that we meet. We have identified some entrepreneurial network. These network have as missions to federate des efforts of the maghrebian entrepreneurs to conterbalance the concurrents in France and to guarantee the best conditions for the entrepreneurial return to tha origin country in maghreb.We evoked also in this doctoral work, the aspects of maghrebian diasporas, and the difficulties to transmit the original cultures to the younger generations . the acting with the double culture and or the assimilation full integration in the host society (the frensh community) .We studied also some economic consequences of creating company in the origin country (Tunisia) by the maghrebian business men. Especially the economic desintegration or the integration through out the entrepreneurial establishement either creating compagnies or by some partenarship.Kee words: entrepreneurship, associations, network, diasporas, maghrebian, Paris, identities, culture, economic integration,

The purpose of my master’s thesis is the solution steel hall with concrete columns, that is loaded by an earthquake. This simulation program was used RFEM. To calculate was used the spectral and temporal analysis, and that on models of structures with several combinations of materials. The analysis was performed for both the general direction of the earthquake, so for combinations of directions according to standard procedures in EC8.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Research suggests that misperceptions about the mentally ill and about their ability to recover and live productive lives are still commonly held by the public. Psychoeducation programs and direct contact can help both correct misperceptions and offer encouraging messages about recovery in those with and without mental illness. Consumer presentation programs, such as NAMI’s In Our Own Voice (IOOV), were designed in part for these purposes. This study examined archival IOOV audience evaluations (n = 599) from 2009 to better understand how audiences respond to IOOV in natural settings. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted to examine: 1) viewers’ responses to the program, 2) differences between consumer and nonconsumer responses, and 3) whether the program satisfies program goals for audience members. Results indicate that the majority of viewers respond positively, in a variety of ways and to a variety of program elements not previously identified. Additionally, the program’s effects appear to generalize across consumers and nonconsumers equally well, with the exception that nonconsumers more frequently reported finding the program educational and consumers more frequently reported personally relating to presenters. Finally, results suggest that IOOV is indeed meeting its two stated program goals for audience members: educating the public and offering a hope-inspiring message of recovery. In conclusion, IOOV, as it is performed in the field, appears to be a valuable addition to educational and inspiring recovery-oriented programming available to the public.

Syftet med denna uppsats är dels att undersöka de innebörder lärare ger undervisningen med faktatexter och att skriva faktatexter med egna ord på lågstadiet och dels att inom samma område undersöka om det finns några skillnader mellan den traditionella skolan och montessoripedagogiken. För att uppfylla syftet genomfördes kvalitativa gruppintervjuer med lärare från två pedagogiska inriktningar, montessoripedagogiken och den traditionella skolan.  Min undersökning visar att när det handlar om att skriva faktatexter och att utmana elever i de yngre åldrarna att skriva faktatexter med egna ord så skiljer sig inte montessoriundervisningen och den traditionella skolan specifikt. De resultat som framkom var att man inom båda pedagogiska inriktningarna utgår från elevgruppen när ett faktatextarbete startas upp samt anser att vikten av begreppsförståelsen är stor. När det kommer till att låta eleverna skriva faktatexter med egna ord visade undersökningen att alla lärare använder samma metod, nämligen att ta bort befintlig text och låta eleverna skriva det de minns. / The aim of this thesis is divided into two part. Firstly, the aim is to investigate what meanings teachers associate with the teaching of informative texts and their thoughts on pupils writing texts with their own words at primary school. Secondly, the aim is to investigate whether there are any differences between traditional education and Montessori education with respect to the latter aim. In order to fulfill this aim, qualitative group interviews were conducted with teachers from the two pedagogical orientations.  My survey shows that when it comes to writing informative texts and challenging students of the younger ages to write informative texts with their own words there are no major differences between the traditional approach and Montessori approach. The result also shows that in both educational settings the teachers start by learning what the students already know about the subject and proceed from there. They think it is important to teach the children new vocabulary as well. When it comes to letting students write informative texts using their own words, the survey shows that teachers from the both pedagogical orientations use the same method, namely to put aside the original text and let the students write what they remember.