Semantic Change in Words Loaned to Swedish

This thesis examines the diachronic semantic development in terms of metonymization and metaphorization for 30 nouns loaned into the Swedish language between the 13th and 20th centuries from a cognitive-semantic point of view. Through the framework of Lexical Meaning as Ontologies and Construals (LOC) combined with a study of the occurrence of metaphorization, metonymization, widening and narrowing in semantic development, it examines to what extent metonymization can be said to be a more common mechanism of lexical semantic change than metaphorization, and to what extent words lose semantic width initially after the loaning period and then regain it over time. The results indicate that metonymization is the more frequent mechanism and that an initial narrowing occurs directly after loaning in most cases. However, the results also reveal that in order to reach a satisfactory understanding of this matter, the socio-cultural context of the loans must be considered to a greater extent than has been done in this thesis

Metaphors and their Making: Bodily, conventionally and contextually motivated metaphors in inter- and intra-generational conversations

This thesis examines and compares spontaneous metaphor usage in conversations within and between generations. It investigates to what extent they can be seen as motivated by bodily, conventional and situated factors with the help of the Motivation and Sedimentation Model (MSM), which operates with these three levels of meaning. The model combines and integrates earlier accounts of metaphor motivation, conventionalization and emergence, as shown through a theoretical discussion. The thesis proposes and employs a detailed MSM-based procedure for linguistic metaphor identification in transcripts from moderated dyadic conversations between participants, thus contributing to MSM specifically with both methodology and new data. The identification procedure was based on the Metaphor Identification Procedure (MIP), elaborated through elements from the Discourse Dynamics Approach (DDA). It was further aided by MSM’s definition of metaphor based on the notions of iconicity and semantic tension, the latter understood in the present context as polysemy (as opposed to semantic vagueness/generality). Rather surprisingly, the analysis showed no major quantitative differences in metaphor motivation between inter- and intragenerational conversations among strangers. Conventionality, and in particular strongly sedimented norms, appeared to be the foremost driving factor in metaphor production, both within and between generations, while the younger generation had a slight preference for weakly sedimented metaphors. In sum, the thesis contributes to metaphor studies theoretically and methodologically and calls for better inter-study comparability through higher methodological transparency and conceptual clarity

Switch panel design based on simulation of accumulated rail damage in a railway turnout

A methodology for numerical prediction of accumulated rail damage in railway turnouts is presented. Based on simulation of dynamic vehicle-track interaction followed by a discretisation of the conditions in each wheel-rail contact, distributions of rail wear are calculated by the Archard model of sliding wear, while surface initiated rolling contact fatigue (RCF) damage is evaluated by the Palmgren–Miner rule and an index building on shakedown theory. Partial slip in the wheel-rail contacts and variable amplitude loading are considered. For freight traffic in the diverging route, the influence of rail inclination and switch rail elevation on damage in the switch panel is investigated in a demonstration example. Two-point contact situations with one contact on the switch rail and one on top of the stock rail induce relative motion and slip between wheel and rail leading to high energy dissipation. In agreement with field observations, it is concluded that wear is the dominating damage mechanism on the gauge side of the switch rail while the risk for RCF is higher on the crowns of the switch and stock rails. For accurate prediction of rail life for given combinations of wheel/rail materials and traffic conditions, the methodology needs to be calibrated by field measurements

Evaluation of long-term maintenance of switches & crossings with respect to life-cycle costs and socio-economic impact

Switches & crossings (S&Cs) are vital assets as they allow for increased railway capacity by introducing flexibility and connectivity in railway networks. At the same time this makes them critical, and they can cause major delays and disruptions if they are not well maintained. This motivates studies to improve maintenance strategies of S&Cs, considering both life-cycle costs (LCC) of the assets and other additional socio-economic costs (e.g., transportation costs for passengers and freight customers). In this paper, the interdependence between deterioration mechanisms, maintenance activities, and expected LCC (including transportation costs) is investigated using a combination of mechanical and econometric modelling. The interrelation between the degradation of contact geometry and track settlement is analysed using simulations of dynamic vehicle–turnout interaction. Changes in the timing of the associated maintenance measures (crossing repair welding and tamping) are performed to investigate the impact on damage modes. This is then linked to LCC and transportation costs, which requires a distribution between preventive and corrective activities with respect to the simulated maintenance strategy. This relationship is investigated by means of regression modelling: =(,) where Corrective and Preventive represent the number of failures and the scheduled actions to prevent these failures, respectively. holds variables related to the traffic (volume, type of traffic, axle load, etc.) and the infrastructure (type of S&Cs, etc.)

Evaluating the mix of maintenance activities on railway crossings with respect to life-cycle costs

Switches & crossings (S&Cs) are vital assets as they allow for increased railway capacity by introducing flexibility and connectivity in railway networks. At the same time, this makes them critical since they can cause costly delays and disruptions if they are not well maintained. This motivates studies to improve maintenance strategies of S&Cs, considering both the life-cycle costs (LCC) of the assets and socio-economic transportation costs for passengers and freight customers. In this paper, the interdependence between deterioration mechanisms, maintenance activities, and expected LCC (including transportation costs) is investigated using a combination of mechanical and econometric modelling. The interrelation between the degradation of contact geometry and track settlement is analysed using simulations of dynamic vehicle–turnout interaction. Long-term mechanical degradation of the S&C is simulated for different maintenance strategies that correspond to different timing of the associated maintenance measures (crossing repair welding and tamping). This provides the basis for analysing the interdependence between preventive and corrective activities using econometric modelling. Based on a case study of a common type of S&Cs in the Swedish infrastructure, the impact of different maintenance strategies on LCC and transportation costs is analysed. Opportunities and challenges in the development of more socio-economically effective maintenance strategies of S&Cs are discussed

Artiklar sprungna ur en seminarieserie vid Högskolan i Borås våren 2009

Förord av Björn Brorström, Prorektor Högskolan i Borås Ett professionslärosäte bedriver utbildning och forskning på vetenskaplig grund.Vetenskapliga metoder tillämpas och framkomna resultat prövas för att säkratillförlitlighet och relevans. Förmågan att problematisera, formulera frågor ochvälja lämpliga metoder för att besvara frågor är egenskaper för god forskning ochutmärkande för en stark utbildnings- och forskningsmiljö. Vid ett professionslärosätefinns samtidigt en stark strävan efter att i utbildning och forskning ta tillvara den kunskap och de erfarenheter som professioner besitter och därigenomsäkra en hög grad av praktisk relevans. Växelverkan mellan teori och praktik ocherfarenhetsutbyte mellan forskare och praktiker är ständigt pågående. Det finnsingen avslutning på processen utan den pågår utan avbrott. En nödvändig förutsättningför ett fruktbart samarbete är en ömsesidig respekt och vilja att stödjaoch ifrågasätta varandra. Forskaren måste vara beredd på kritik för bristen påpraktisk relevans och professionsföreträdaren måste vara beredd på att förtrogenhetskunskapenslämplighet ifrågasätts. Det är en fråga om med- och mothållfrån båda håll i syfte att långsiktigt utveckla teori och praktik. Det är en utmaningatt utveckla, etablera och därefter kontinuerligt försvara och förbättra professionslärosätet.Ett led i utvecklingen är att inom ramen för Högskolan i Borås föra en debattom innebörden av ett professionslärosäte och vad vi behöver göra för att förbättraverksamheten. På uppdrag av rektor Lena Nordholm har medarbetare vidBibliotekshögskolan utvecklat och ansvarat för en seminarieserie benämnd Professionoch vetenskap. Seminarierna spände över ett brett fält. En av mångaviktiga frågor som diskuterades flitigt var huruvida vi ska forska om professioner,i för eller med, eller kanske alltihop samtidigt.Bidragen publiceras nu i denna antologi som ges ut inom ramen för Högskolan iBorås rapportserie Vetenskap för profession. Rapporten Profession och vetenskap– idéer och strategier för ett professionslärosäte, som redigerats av universitetsadjunktMaria Lindh, kommer att få stor betydelse inom lärosätet och i vårtsamarbete med företrädare för näringsliv, kulturliv och offentlig verksamhet. Jagser det som en intressant fortsättning att anordna ett antal seminarier med inbjudnarepresentanter för professioner där artiklarna i denna rapport kan liggatill grund för erfarenhetsutbyte och diskussioner

Semi-conservative treatment versus radical surgery in abdominal aortic graft and endograft infections

Objective: Abdominal aortic graft and endograft infections (AGIs) are rare complications following aortic surgery. Radical surgery (RS) with resection of the infected graft and reconstruction with extra-anatomical bypass or in situ reconstruction is the preferred therapy. For patients unfit for RS, a semi-conservative (SC), graft preserving strategy is possible. This paper aimed to compare survival and infection outcomes between RS and SC treatment for AGI in a nationwide cohort. Methods: Patients with abdominal AGI related surgery in Sweden between January 1995 and May 2017 were identified. The Management of Aortic Graft Infection Collaboration (MAGIC) criteria were used for the definition of AGI. Multivariable regression was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results: One hundred and sixty-nine patients with surgically treated abdominal AGI were identified, comprising 43 SC (14 endografts; 53% with a graft enteric fistula [GEF] in total) and 126 RS (26 endografts; 50% with a GEF in total). The SC cohort was older and had a higher frequency of cardiac comorbidities. There was a non-significant trend towards lower Kaplan–Meier estimated five year survival for SC vs. RS (30.2% vs. 48.4%; p = .066). A non-significant trend was identified towards worse Kaplan–Meier estimated five year survival for SC patients with a GEF vs. without a GEF (21.7% vs. 40.1%; p = .097). There were significantly more recurrent graft infections comparing SC with RS (45.4% vs. 19.3%; p < .001). In a Cox regression model adjusting for confounders, there was no difference in five year survival comparing SC vs. RS (HR 1.0, 95% CI 0.6 – 1.5). Conclusion: In this national AGI cohort, there was no mortality difference comparing SC and RS for AGI when adjusting for comorbidities. Presence of GEF probably negatively impacts survival outcomes of SC patients. Rates of recurrent infection remain high for SC treated patients