Putting Gender and Ethnic Discrimination on the Political Agenda: The Creation of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman and the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination in Sweden

During the last few decades, Swedish welfare policy has been increasingly criticized by various social groups who take as their point of departure the limitations of a social policy that predominantly focuses on class equality and paid work. The establishment of special public authorities, commissioned to combat discrimination against particular groups of citizens, may be interpreted as a manifestation of increased state attention to social disadvantages rooted in culture rather than the economy. This article takes a closer look at the processes by which social justice claims have been transformed into matters of public responsibility by exploring the creation of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman (JämO) and the Ombudsman against Ethnic Discrimination (DO). Drawing on policy documents and interviews with key persons, we investigate how “the women's question” and “the ethnic minority question” have been articulated in Swedish politics. The aim is to describe the processes by which gender and ethnicity were politicized, a politicization eventually resulting in state initiatives to establish the two ombudsman offices. Particular attention is given to the role played by the social sciences in these processes, e.g. the ways in which scientific knowledge was employed in political discourse.     

Labor law as an impediment to labor relations reform: Leveling the playing field

The primary professional society of American public administration has developed a code of ethics that appears to be largely irrelevant to the realities of bureaucratic experience. An explanation of this paradox can be found in the sociological literature on the professions and code-writing. Professional codes are designed to reyulate the behavior of a profession's members, but this is generally seen as a secondary aspect of a more fundamental objective: the need to assure the public at large that the profession's power is being exercised responsibly. From this perspective, the public administration code can be interpreted first as part of an attempt to legitimate the profession in the face of hostile challenges to its authority, and second as an effort to engender ethical behavior. Such an interpretation helps to explain the profession's failure to confront the organizational and political barriers that impede effective implementation of the code. The paper concludes with an observation on the implications of the argument for the further development of ethics in public administration.     

Developmental validation of the SPERM HY-LITER™ kit for the identification of human spermatozoa in forensic samples

Abstract: With sexual assault evidence, the visualization of spermatozoa confirms that ejaculation has occurred. However, microscopic examination of spermatozoa is a laborious process and can sometimes result in sperm cells being overlooked. Here, we present the developmental validation of the SPERM HY‐LITER? kit, which contains a human sperm–specific mouse monoclonal antibody coupled to a fluorescent Alexa 488 dye. The kit was tested using samples of human semen, saliva, blood, and urine, various animal semen extracts, sexual lubricants, and a commercially available spermicidal film. Postcoital vaginal swabs, degraded semen samples, and samples prepared with sample fixation techniques that deviated from the kit‐provided protocol were also tested. In each case, the SPERM HY‐LITER? kit was demonstrated to bind only to human sperm cell heads. Limitations to this fluorescent staining procedure include nonspecific staining and increased background fluorescence with extreme heat fixation in some samples.     

Acute pathophysiological influences of conducted electrical weapons in humans: A review of current literature

Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) deliver short high-voltage, low current energy pulses to temporarily paralyze a person by causing muscular contraction. The narrative of this article is a methodical analysis on acute pathophysiological changes within the central nervous system, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine, sympatho-adrenergic and muskuloskeletal system which can occur after application of conducted electrical weapons on human subjects. The results are based on wide-ranging literature analysis and source studies. The majority of the recent scientific publications on humans classify the health risks of an appropriate use of the CEWs device as minor. However, there still is an uncertainty about possible side-effects of these devices. Therefore medical supervision with human application is advised.     

Parent Relationships,Emotion Regulation,Psychosocial Maturity and College Student Alcohol Use Problems

This study tested associations between problems in parent-youth relationships and problems with alcohol use among college students (N = 1592) using structural equation modeling. Hypotheses were that relationships between both substance-specific parenting factors (parental drinking) and non-substance-specific parenting factors (parental intrusive control and lack of support) and college student drinking behaviors would be mediated by the developmental tasks of managing difficult emotions and establishing a mature psychosocial identity. Sex, ethnicity and age were entered as control variables in the analyses and were tested for moderating effects. Results showed that the unconstrained model for males and females differed significantly from a model in which the two groups were constrained to be similar. Among young women, emotion regulation and psychosocial maturity were partial mediators of the effects of parent problems on alcohol use problems. Among young men, parent problems were indirectly related to alcohol use problems through emotion regulation. Implications for alcohol use prevention activities on college campuses are discussed. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Meeting, November, 2004, Orlando, Florida. Research interests in college student alcohol misuse. Research interests in adolescent psychosocial maturity. Research interests in young adult relationships.     

Experiences of coercion during investigation and treatment

According to Swedish legislation (LVM) compulsory treatment shall be decided on if someone, due to ongoing abuse of alcohol, drugs or volatile solvents, is in need of care to overcome abuse and if a voluntary intervention is not possible. Very little research has been conducted in Sweden on this particular legislation with regard to the clients' experiences of entire process from assessment to aftercare. We interviewed 74 subjects who were being assessed prior to the court's decision on involuntary care (n=39), or with previous experience of assessment and involuntary care (n=35). The assessment group more often reported having the opportunity to express their opinions to the social worker during the assessment period (55% vs. 21%, p<.05) and they were more positive towards the final decision (60% vs. 24%, p<.05). In spite of the law, 18% were not contacted by the social services while in coercive treatment. The clients who did meet with a social worker, often described the conferences as more of a perfunctory nature with a lack of focus on the actual situation and aftercare planning. This study points at a need of studying the subjects' experiences of the whole continuum of the coercive process: from the investigation, to treatment and to aftercare. It also points at the need for new instruments to be developed covering all aspects of the coercive process and in particular the period of investigation prior to the decision on involuntary care.     

Cerebral ischemia or post traumatic thrombosis of the A. carotis occuring to a car driver (author's transl)]

A short while after leaving a public-house a 71 year old man as the driver of his car was involved in a head-on collision with another car. On admission to a hospital he was unconscious with a distinct debility for the left side of his body and showed a changing anisocoria. Angiography of the right carotid artery revealed an occlusion. It was suspected that this was the terminal state of a generalized arteriosclerotic occlusion which was considered being the reason for the accident. The autopsy-findings showed, however, a posttraumatic thrombosis (whiplash-trauma of the cervical vertebral column) of the right arteria carotis and of the right arteria vertebralis with thromboembolia in a small pontine artery with an infarct-like ischemic softening. The differentiation from an apoplexia is of importance for the differential diagnosis.     

Actors at Large-Scale Accidents: Lessons from the Bravo and Three Mile Island Accidents

This paper explores organizational issues raised via a comparison of the Bravo oil blowout in the North Sea and the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania. The organizations involved, their interconnections and interests in each accident are compared. Six actor types are used as a classification system for framing the comparison. The underlying issues bearing on allocation of effort to pre-accident planning are also noted. Finally, a framework from this effort is used for guiding the planning of operations for future accidents.