This doctoral thesis consists of a thesis for a Licentiate degree (Kristoffersson, 2002. Föräldrainflytande i grundskolan. En studie av nio lokala styrelser med föräldramajoritet i grundskolan. [Parents involvement in compulsory school. A study of nine local boards with parents in majority in compulsory school]) and two articles (Kristoffersson, 2005. Parental involvement: Parents´ new role in Swedish schools; and Kristoffersson, 2007. The paradox of parental influence in Danish schools. A Swedish perspective). In this thesis my interest is particularly governance, management, communication and partnership. The research aimed comprehensively to describe the school boards and discuss the education policy behind the implementation of the boards. An additional aim were to see whose interests favoured in local school boards. I also wanted to study how comparative research in this case can be relevant to Swedish studies of local school boards. I used the frame factor theory, which aids the exploration of the correspondence relations between factors that affect local school boards. Governance and partnership are key concepts applied to the analysis of data. Critical analysis and discussions of these boards from a hermeneutic sign are included, which meant that I tried to understand the boards in their context. I used a case study method. Data were gathered through interviews, observations and analysis of documents (e.g., school board minutes). The results signify that different interests are not adequately balanced on the boards. Communication between the board and the parents not on the board was not satisfactory in many cases and such parents felt excluded from the board’s activity. The principal’s collaboration with the board’s chairperson was an important influence on the board. Evaluation, support and feedback of the board’s activity from the local school authority in the municipality were often neglected. The implementation of the boards related to the transferred welfare policy to more market-oriented political governance. The political governing of the school changed, and was influenced by neo-liberal trends where partnership had become the new prestige word. Parents are today seen as individual consumers in a market, whereas as board members they should make decisions that include all parents. Instead of increased parental influence in the schools, the effect of boards could be increased differences between pupils and between parents. This arose because parents are not a homogenous group. Social, cultural and economic conditions have an influence on parents’ activities. The state implementation of local school boards in Sweden and in many countries is, therefore, complex. This can be seen through the weak interest in the creation of boards, which also can be linked to the top-down character of the reform. This study is an example where global, national and local factors interact.

The aim of the study is to investigate the practice of psychoanalysis with infants, and its effect on mother and child. With psychoanalytical thoeries and contemporary research on infants interaction as a basis, five interwievs with psychoanalysts in practice has been done. Also taking part of a clinical meeting with nine psychoanalysts has been done. Two of the interwieved analysts where part of this meeting, therefor the total sum of twelve psychoanalysts who reports their thoughts about the process i infantanalysis. The study also includes three participating observations of infantanalysis. The collected material has been examined with the intention to understand the psychoanalysts own experiences as well as the eventual effect the analys could have on mother, child and sometimes the father. The psychoanalysts describes how the treatment really helps both mother an child, and the proof for this is the mothers way to change her way to interact with the baby. The result shows the analysts themselves believes the interaction mother – child is improving with help from analysis. The discussion debate however the eventual effect on mother – child can be established, how the analysis is practised and if the psychoanalysts way to treat children is anything anyone could practise. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka psykoanalys med spädbarn och dess inverkan på mor-barn samspelet. Med utgångspunkt i psykoanalytiska teorier och nutida forskning om spädbarnets medfödda samspelskompetenser har fem intervjuer med praktiserande psykoanalytiker utförts. Utöver dessa fem intervjuer har medverkande på ett kliniskt möte med nio närvarande psykoanalytiker gjorts. Två av de intervjuade ingår i gruppen psykoanalytiker på det kliniska mötet; totalt redogörs tolv psykoanalytikers uppfattningar om processerna i spädbarnsanalys. I undersökningen ingår också tre deltagande observationer av spädbarnsanalys. Det insamlade materialet har granskats med intentionen att förstå både psykoanalytikernas egna upplevelser av spädbarnsanalysen, och den eventuella effekt analysen har på mor, barn och i vissa fall även fadern. Spädbarnsanalytikerna beskriver att behandlingen hjälper både mor och barn och beviset för det är att moderns beteende och förmåga att uttrycka sig förändras så att samspelet mor-barn fungerar bättre. Resultatet visar att spädbarnsanalytikerna själva anser sig se att samspelet mellan mor och barn stärks av analys. Diskussionen tar upp hur den eventuella effekten på mor - barn i analys kan påvisas, hur analysen praktiseras och om psykoanalytikerns sätt att bemöta spädbarn kan användas av alla som möter mor - barn par där samspelet inte fungerar.

Because conventional seismic force resisting systems rely on yielding of key structural members to limit seismic forces, structural damage is expected after a design-level earthquake. Repairing this damage can be very expensive, if it is possible at all. Researchers have been developing a new family of self-centring systems that avoid structural damage. One such system is a controlled rocking steel frame, which is the subject of this thesis. In a controlled rocking steel frame, the columns of a frame are permitted to uplift from the foundation, and the response is controlled by using a combination of post-tensioning and energy dissipation. Although previous studies have confirmed the viability of this system, they have also shown that rocking does not fully limit the peak seismic forces because of higher mode effects. If a structure is designed to account for these effects, it may be uneconomical, but if it is not designed to account for them, it may be unsafe. The purpose of this thesis is to develop recommendations for the design of controlled rocking steel frames, particularly with regard to higher mode effects. A theoretical framework for understanding higher mode effects is developed, and large-scale shake table testing is used to study the behaviour of a controlled rocking steel frame. Two mechanisms are proposed to mitigate the increase in structural forces due to higher mode effects, and these mechanisms are validated by shake table testing. Numerical modelling of controlled rocking steel frames is shown to become more reliable when higher mode mitigation mechanisms are used to limit the seismic response. In the final chapters, the thesis proposes and validates a new methodology for the limit states design of controlled rocking steel frames.

This thesis contributes to the knowledge and understanding of the anti-racist movement in Sweden by describing its development from the early 1930s to the mid-2000s. It pays special attention to mapping and analyzing the ideas that have motivated anti-racist activities and their importance for mobilizing support and movement activity. Using the theoretical toolbox of the framing perspective, the strengths, weaknesses, possibilities and limitations of different anti-racist frames are discussed, as are the consequences of different types of intra-movement frame disputes and frame contests with external actors. By tracing and describing the historical development of the movement and different types of anti-racist frames, I create a typology of different anti-racist actors - what I call pragmatic, radical and moderate anti-racists. The activities of these types of actors are described throughout the long and winding history of the movement. In the thesis, the movement’s history is divided into four waves of protest. The movement’s roots stretch back to the 1930s and the struggle against Fascism and Nazism. It continues during the 1960s and onwards with the anti-apartheid movement, the 1980s mass mobilizations against domestic racist groups and the intensified struggles of the last decades against racist extremism, right-wing populism and various aspects of structural racism. Based on the typology, three cases are selected for further scrutiny. Pragmatic anti-racism is studied through the activities of Stoppa rasismen (Stop racism) in the 1980s, radical anti-racism through Antifascistisk aktion (Antifascist action, also known as AFA) during the 1990s and moderate anti-racism through Samling mot rasism och diskriminering (Gathering against racism and discrimination) at the turn of the millennium. By gaining access to extensive empirical material I have been able to follow each case from its first steps to its downfall. The material has been gathered from a variety of sources using different qualitative techniques. I have conducted semi-structured interviews with activists and analyzed protocols, pamphlets, journals, internal bulletins, mails, posters, speeches, web pages that have been disbanded, pictures, films and books. The analysis shows that the different types of actors face different challenges, and have different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to mobilizing consensus and fostering participation. However, the three actors have also faced common challenges when trying to mobilize against racism given the national context, the self-image of Sweden as a tolerant, open and egalitarian country and the dominant views of racism, which taken together has turned racism into a serious but fairly marginal problem. The analysis also shows the effects of frame disputes and frame contests with regard to diagnostic, prognostic and motivational aspects of framing. At times the dividing lines have led to a broadening of the movement and its work, creating a wide mobilization potential and a strong multitudinous movement. During other periods the differences have contributed to long and profound conflicts that have drained the organizations and activists of time, resources and energy. Instead of focusing on combating their opponents, the anti-racist groups have been engulfed in internal strife, which has severely fragmented, divided and weakened the movement and hindered mobilization – contributing to turning the movement into a dispersed “milieu” by the mid-2000s. The thesis concludes with a chapter discussing how the empirical applicability of the framing perspective can be improved.

The theme of Master project of Energetics engineering is actual because in nowadays it is important not only design and functionality of bicycle, but also safety and technological tests of bycicle frame, fork and other part corresponding to international standarts. In Master project was created system for dynamic changing force applying on dynamic pedal and wheel strenght tests. Results of practical pedal pushing research and computations of modelated pedaling system were similar. Analysis of pneumatic cylinder and proportional pressure regulator (using Centaurus Plus modeling program) showed that it is necessary to reduce cylinder working cell volume to enable system to repeat 3 Hz set signals. Using algorithms models was created program for data input, processing and visualizing of testing stand. This program was kindly evaluated by specialists of Technological Test center of Faculty of Technology.

The present research investigates political conceptual metaphors and their translation in Hillary Rodham Clinton autobiography “Living History” (2003). It sets out to explore conceptual metaphors in political discourse. As the study of political discourse covers a broad range of subject matters, herewith politicians’ memoirs, this book has been taken as source material. The analysis of a rather framed corpus allows to view and contrast distinguished conceptual metaphors in the source language and their rendering in the target language. The concept of politics has been taken as a source domain, in what have followed all possible classifications established. My investigation aims at already accepted conceptual metaphors (POLITICS IS WAR; POLITICS IS A JOURNEY, etc.) and less explored conceptual metaphors inherent in the above mentioned book and their translation into Lithuanian (POLITICS IS MEDICINE, POLITICS IS HUNTING, etc.). / Magistrinio darbo tema „Konceptualiosios metaforos politiniame diskurse ir jų vertimas iš anglų kalbos į lietuvių. Darbo tikslas yra nustatyti kaip konceptualiosios metaforos yra verčiamos iš anglų kalbos į lietuvių kalbą Hillary Rodham Clinton autobiografijoje „Gyvoji istorija“ (2003). Darbas susideda iš dviejų pagrindinių dalių: teorinės ir praktinės. Pirmoje dalyje aptariamos kognityviosios kalbotyros atsiradimo prielaidos ir konceptualiosios metaforos teorija, analizuojamos metaforinės kalbos ypatybes politiniame diskurse. Tai pat joje pateikiama išsamesnė metaforos vertimo teorijos apžvalga. Antroji dalis yra empirinė, kurioje konceptualiosios metaforos ir jų vertimas nagrinėjamas freimų teorijos požiūriu. Darbas grindžiamas G. Lakoff‘o ir M. Johnson‘o kognityviniu konceptualiosios metaforos požiūriu, kuri konceptualiosios metaforos pagrindu laiko žmogaus mintis, kalbą, elgesį. Buvo surinkti ir palyginti 740 pavyzdžių (lingvistinių manifestacijų) bei jų vertimų į lietuvių kalbą. Remiantis lingvistinių elementų sistemiškumu bei teminiu kryptingumu buvo išskirtos devynios konceptualiosios metaforos, kurių tikslo sritis yra politika: POLITIKA YRA KARAS, POLITIKA YRA SPORTAS, POLITIKA YRA KELIONĖ, POLITIKA YRA VERSLAS, POLITIKA YRA MEDICINA, POLITIKA YRA TEATRAS, POLITIKA YRA ARCHITEKTŪRA, POLITIKA YRA MEDŽIOKLĖ ir POLITIKA YRA ŽAIDIMAS. Vertimų analizė atlikta remiantis trimis vertimo modeliais. Ši analizė leidžia teigti, kad lingvistinės manifestacijos verčiant iš anglų... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Mechanikos inžinieriaus magistro projekto tema yra aktuali uždarosios akcinės bendrovės ,,Baltik vairas” gaminamiems dviračių rėmų stiprumo ir standumo tyrimams. Kad išspręsti stiprumo problemas, Technloginiame bandymų centre yra vykdomi konstrukcinių dviračio dalių statiniai ir dinaminiai bandymai. Po rezultatų analizės, deformacijų ir įtempimų matavimui atlikti yra siūloma naudoti daugiau tikslesnį ir patikimesnį matavimo metodą, naudojantį tenzojutiklius bei „Spider 8” matavimo sistemą, valdomą „Catman“ programinės įrangos. Šiame projekte analizuojami šios sistemos principai. Naudojant „Spider 8” sistemą atlikti eksperimentiniai dviračio rėmo bandymai, pateikti ir aprašyti rezultatai. Šis matavimo metodas yra siūlomas naudoti dviračio rėmo bandymams atliekamiems Techologiniame bandymų centre. / The theme of Master project of mechanical engineer is actual for the stock company ,,Baltik vairas” produced bicycle frames strength and rigidity analysis. To solve strength problems in Technological test center are making static and dynamic bicycle tests. After results analysis, suggested more correctly and trusty testing method for measuring strain and stress, by using strain gages, Spider8 amplifier controlling by Catman software. In project analyzed principle of this system. Using Spider system made experimental testing of bicycle frame, introduced about testing method and given result analysis. This test method suggested to use for ,,Baltik vairas” producing bicycles frames testing.

Because conventional seismic force resisting systems rely on yielding of key structural members to limit seismic forces, structural damage is expected after a design-level earthquake. Repairing this damage can be very expensive, if it is possible at all. Researchers have been developing a new family of self-centring systems that avoid structural damage. One such system is a controlled rocking steel frame, which is the subject of this thesis. In a controlled rocking steel frame, the columns of a frame are permitted to uplift from the foundation, and the response is controlled by using a combination of post-tensioning and energy dissipation. Although previous studies have confirmed the viability of this system, they have also shown that rocking does not fully limit the peak seismic forces because of higher mode effects. If a structure is designed to account for these effects, it may be uneconomical, but if it is not designed to account for them, it may be unsafe. The purpose of this thesis is to develop recommendations for the design of controlled rocking steel frames, particularly with regard to higher mode effects. A theoretical framework for understanding higher mode effects is developed, and large-scale shake table testing is used to study the behaviour of a controlled rocking steel frame. Two mechanisms are proposed to mitigate the increase in structural forces due to higher mode effects, and these mechanisms are validated by shake table testing. Numerical modelling of controlled rocking steel frames is shown to become more reliable when higher mode mitigation mechanisms are used to limit the seismic response. In the final chapters, the thesis proposes and validates a new methodology for the limit states design of controlled rocking steel frames.

An experimental program was conducted to investigate some aspects of in-plane behaviour of masonry infilled steel frames. Eight concrete masonry infilled steel frames, consisting of three fully grouted and five partially grouted infills, were tested under combined lateral and axial loading. All specimens were constructed using one-third scale concrete masonry units. The in-plane lateral load was gradually increased at the frame top beam level until the failure of the specimen while an axial load was applied to the top beam and held constant. The parameters of the study included axial load, extent of grouting, opening, and aspect ratio of the infill. The experimental results were used, along with other test results from the literature, to evaluate the efficacy of stiffness and strength predictions by some theoretical methods with a focus on Canadian and American design codes. Cracking pattern, stiffness, failure mode, crack strength, and ultimate strength of the specimens were monitored and reported. Presence of axial load was found to increase the ultimate strength of the infilled frame but had no marked effect on its stiffness. Two specimens exhibited “splitting failure” due to axial load. Partially grouted specimens developed extensive diagonal cracking prior to failure whereas fully grouted specimens showed little or no cracking prior to failure. An increase in grouting increased the ultimate strength of the frame system but reduced its ductility. Presence of opening reduced the ultimate strength of the infilled frame and increased its ductility but its effect on the stiffness of the frame system was not significant. A review of current Canadian and American design codes showed that the Canadian code significantly overestimates the stiffness of infilled frames whereas the American code provides improved predictions for stiffness of these frame systems. Both design codes underestimate the strength of masonry infilled steel frames but grossly overestimate the strength of masonry infilled RC frames. / Masonry infilled steel frames tested under combined axial and lateral loading. Behaviour as affected by axial load, grouting, aspect ratio and openings discussed. Correlation between axial load level and the infill lateral resistance examined. Efficacy of the Canadian and American masonry standards on infill design was examined.

In recent years, a considerable amount of work has been devoted to the task of automatic frame-semantic analysis. Given the relative maturity of syntactic parsing technology, which is an important prerequisite, frame-semantic analysis represents a realistic next step towards broad-coverage natural language understanding and has been shown to benefit a range of natural language processing applications such as information extraction and question answering. Due to the complexity which arises from variations in syntactic realization, data-driven models based on supervised learning have become the method of choice for this task. However, the reliance on large amounts of semantically labeled data which is costly to produce for every language, genre and domain, presents a major barrier to the widespread application of the supervised approach. This thesis therefore develops unsupervised machine learning methods, which automatically induce frame-semantic representations without making use of semantically labeled data. If successful, unsupervised methods would render manual data annotation unnecessary and therefore greatly benefit the applicability of automatic framesemantic analysis. We focus on the problem of semantic role induction, in which all the argument instances occurring together with a specific predicate in a corpus are grouped into clusters according to their semantic role. Our hypothesis is that semantic roles can be induced without human supervision from a corpus of syntactically parsed sentences, by leveraging the syntactic relations conveyed through parse trees with lexical-semantic information. We argue that semantic role induction can be guided by three linguistic principles. The first is the well-known constraint that semantic roles are unique within a particular frame. The second is that the arguments occurring in a specific syntactic position within a specific linking all bear the same semantic role. The third principle is that the (asymptotic) distribution over argument heads is the same for two clusters which represent the same semantic role. We consider two approaches to semantic role induction based on two fundamentally different perspectives on the problem. Firstly, we develop feature-based probabilistic latent structure models which capture the statistical relationships that hold between the semantic role and other features of an argument instance. Secondly, we conceptualize role induction as the problem of partitioning a graph whose vertices represent argument instances and whose edges express similarities between these instances. The graph thus represents all the argument instances for a particular predicate occurring in the corpus. The similarities with respect to different features are represented on different edge layers and accordingly we develop algorithms for partitioning such multi-layer graphs. We empirically validate our models and the principles they are based on and show that our graph partitioning models have several advantages over the feature-based models. In a series of experiments on both English and German the graph partitioning models outperform the feature-based models and yield significantly better scores over a strong baseline which directly identifies semantic roles with syntactic positions. In sum, we demonstrate that relatively high-quality shallow semantic representations can be induced without human supervision and foreground a promising direction of future research aimed at overcoming the problem of acquiring large amounts of lexicalsemantic knowledge.