The aim of this thesis is to present the situation of the intravenous drug-users (IDUs) living with HIV in Romania, with a focus on Bucharest. The study follows the IDUs experiences from the environment they live in, to the day-to-day examples of structural violence they face. The questions followed regard the lives of the IDUs in Romania, as well as how they are handled by various authorities and institutions’ representatives such as medical staff in hospitals, the national healthcare system, social workers, law enforcement representatives and other public servants. The fieldwork was conducted around Bucharest through the use of observation while volunteering on outreach with an NGO, and interviews in the form of life histories in a hospital, as research methods. The thesis offers a background look at the communist and transition periods that influenced everyday life in today’s Romania. I argue that because of the stigma attached to them for being part of risk groups, the IDUs face many different forms of structural violence. Whether it comes to governmental authorities, law enforcement or medical staff, the IDUs, as well as other vulnerable risk group members, are continuously pushed outside of society through various measures. This creates a continuous state of isolation from which they cannot remove themselves without outsider help.

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This research examined the relationships between the Big Five human personality traits, favorable social conditions, and foreign language classroom speaking confidence. Four research questions were investigated concerning the validity of the Big Five for a Japanese university sample, the composition of Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Confidence, the degree to which the Big Five influenced Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Confidence, and the degree to which perceptions of classroom climate affect Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Confidence. The first stage of the research involved three pilot studies that led to the revision of the Big Five Factor Marker questionnaire and the creation of a new instrument for measuring foreign language classroom speaking confidence that included both cognitive and social factors as theorized in mainstream social anxiety research. The second stage of the research involved the collection and analysis of data from 1,081 participants studying English in 12 universities throughout Japan. Data were analyzed using a triangulation of Rasch analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in order to verify the construct validity of the eleven hypothesized constructs. Following validation of the measurement model, the latent variables were placed into a structural regression model, which was tested by using half of the data set as a calibration sample and confirmed by using the second half of the data set as a validation sample. The results of the study indicated the following: (a) four of the five hypothesized Big Five personality traits were valid for the Japanese sample; (b) Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Confidence comprised three measurement variables, Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Anxiety, Perceived Foreign Language Speaking Self-Competence, and Desire to Speak English; (c) Emotional Stability and Imagination directly influenced Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Confidence, and; (d) Current English Classroom Perception and Perceived Social Value of Speaking English directly influenced Foreign Language Classroom Speaking Confidence. The findings thus demonstrated a link between personality, positive classroom atmosphere, and foreign language classroom speaking confidence. The implications of the findings included the possibility that foreign language anxiety is not situation-specific as theorized, and that improved social relations within the foreign language classroom might help reduce speaking anxiety. / CITE/Language Arts

In this study, we examine how teachers in compulsory school for pupils with ID describes their knowledge assessment process and knowledge assessment practices. The purpose of the study is to contribute knowledge about knowledge assessment as an ideological practice in compulsory school for pupils with ID. Schiro´s (2013) teaching ideologies serve as the theoretical perspective in the analysis of the data. The study is a qualitative interview study conducted through ten semi-structured interviews with teachers working in compulsory school for pupils with ID. The study is based on the following research questions: • How do teachers describe the assessment practice in compulsory school for pupils with ID focusing on syllabus in subjects? • How do teachers describe the assessment process? • What traces of teaching ideologies are visible in the teachers' descriptions of knowledge assessment? From the study´s three research questions, the results shows that knowledge assessment is a cyclical process where several aspects interact and influence how the assessment is conducted and understood by the teachers. It is a complex and significant task for teachers to carry out, contributing to both students´ knowledge progression and the development of teaching. For the special education profession, knowledge assessment and grading are key areas highlighted in the degree ordinance. The special education teacher is also expected to serve as a qualified dialogue partner on matters related to learning and knowledge development for students with intellectual disabilities. / I den här studien undersöks hur lärare inom anpassad grundskola beskriver sin kunskapsbedömningsprocess och kunskapsbedömningspraktik. Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om kunskapsbedömning som ideologisk praktik i anpassad grundskola. Som teoretiskt perspektiv i studien används Schiros (2013) undervisningsideologier i analysen av empirin. Studien är en kvalitativ intervjustudie som genomförts genom tio semistrukturerade intervjuer med lärare som arbetar i anpassad grundskola. Studien utgår ifrån följande frågeställningar: • Hur beskriver lärare bedömningspraktiken i anpassad grundskolas inriktning ämne? • Hur beskriver lärare bedömningsprocessen? • Vilka spår av undervisningsideologierna synliggörs i lärarnas beskrivningar av kunskapsbedömning? Utifrån studiens tre frågeställningar visar resultatet att kunskapsbedömning är en cyklisk process där flera aspekter samverkar och påverkar hur kunskapsbedömningen bedrivs och förstås av lärarna. Det är en komplex och betydelsefull arbetsuppgift för lärare att genomföra,som bidrar till både elevernas kunskapsprogression och undervisningens utveckling. För speciallärarprofessionen är kunskapsbedömning och betygsättning en av de punkter som återfinns i examensförordningen. Specialläraren ska även agera som en kvalificerad samtalspartner när det handlar om lärande och kunskapsutveckling för elever med en intellektuell funktionsnedsättning.

Ce travail de recherche a été principalement motivé par les avantages importants apportés par la technologie UTBB FDSOI aux applications analogiques et RF de faible puissance. L'objectif principal est d'étudier le comportement dynamique du transistor MOSFET du type UTBB FDSOI et de proposer des modèles prédictifs et des recommandations pour la conception de circuits intégrés RF, en mettant un accent particulier sur le régime d'inversion modérée. Après une brève analyse des progrès réalisés au niveau des architectures du transistor MOSFET, un état de l’art de la modélisation du transistor MOSFET UTBB FDSOI est établi. Les principaux effets physiques impliqués dans le transistor à double grille avec une épaisseur du film de 7 nm sont passés en revue, en particulier l’impact de la grille arrière, à l’aide de mesures et de simulations TCAD. La caractéristique gm/ID en basse fréquence et la caractéristique ym/ID proposée pour la haute fréquence sont étudiées et utilisées dans une conception analogique efficace. Enfin, le modèle NQS haute fréquence proposé reproduit les mesures dans toutes les conditions de polarisation y compris l’inversion modérée jusqu’à 110 GHz. / This research work has been motivated primarily by the significant advantages brought about by the UTBB FDSOI technology to the Low power Analog and RF applications. The main goal is to study the dynamic behavior of the UTBB FDSOI MOSFET in light of the recent technology advances and to propose predictive models and useful recommendations for RF IC design with particular emphasis on Moderate Inversion regime. After a brief review of progress in MOSFET architectures introduced in the semiconductor industry, a state-of-the-art UTBB FDSOI MOSFET modeling status is compiled. The main physical effects involved in the double gate transistor with a 7 nm thick film are reviewed, particularly the back gate impact, using measurements and TCAD. For better insight into the Weak Inversion and Moderate Inversion operations, both the low frequency gm/ID FoM and the proposed high frequency ym/ID FoM are studied and also used in an efficient first-cut analog design. Finally, a high frequency NQS model is developed and compared to DC and S-parameters measurements. The results show excellent agreement across all modes of operation including very low bias conditions and up to 110 GHz.