Age estimation using radiographic analysis of laryngeal cartilage

The laryngeal cartilages undergo age changes, including mineralization and ossification. Keen and Wainwright defined, in male and female subjects, recognizable stages of radiopacity of the thyroid, cricoid, and arytenoid cartilages. The present study analyzed quantitatively the degree of laryngeal radiopacity to determine whether radiography of the larynx can be used routinely in forensic pathology to estimate age at death. In each of 82 subjects, the larynx was removed during forensic autopsy and subjected to radiography in an anteroposterior orientation. Each radiograph was independently scored by two observers. For each case, the degree of laryngeal radiopacity was evaluated according to the classification of Keen and Wainwright. There was a positive correlation between the total score of laryngeal radiopacity and age (correlation coefficient = 0.74). It was concluded that this method is simple, fast, and nondestructive and has a good reproducibility between observers. Because there was a wide interindividual variability in the same age class, this method must be associated with more accurate methods.     

Frequency of bone/cartilage lesions in stab and incised wounds fatalities

A retrospective study was carried out on 58 fatalities due to stab or incised wounds. The frequency of bone or cartilage lesions was analysed according to the number of wounds, the circumstances of death and the anatomical site. Our findings showed that bone/cartilage lesions were present in about 53% of the cases. Cartilage lesions were more frequent than bone lesions. The mean number of wounds in the group with bone/cartilage lesions was statistically higher than the mean number of wounds in the group without lesions (P=0.0068). The main cause of death was thoracic injury in the groups with and without bone/cartilage lesions. In case of skeletal remains, only bone or cartilage lesions allow to diagnose stab or incised wounds. The discovery of these lesions, often of small size, justifies a complete and careful examination of skeletal remains with the help of stereomicroscopy.     

Cutaneous current marks due to a stun gun injury

Histological changes of the skin following electrical injury with a stun gun have rarely been described. We report the case of a 61-year-old man who died after having been tortured with a stun gun during a robbery. At autopsy two reddish, dot-like lesions where found on the chest and histological examination revealed electric current-related changes. Only a few reports concerning micromorphological cutaneous changes following stun gun injury have been reported; therefore further investigations concerning the frequency and type of histological findings due to stun gun injuries will be necessary in order to provide sufficient characteristic data for a conclusive interpretation.     

Local School Choice Policies in Sweden

More choice for parents and students is a major recent change in school policies in most Western countries. In Sweden, these changes coincided with the decentralization of power and responsibilities within primary and secondary education from central to local government. This gave municipalities an important role in the actual implementation of choice policies. The question addressed here is how and why local authorities vary with regard to their promotion of choice in schooling. A theory of local government school choice policies is developed, focusing on the social and political composition of the locality. Four factors are seen as likely to be particularly important: the strength of liberal conservatism, the size of the middle class, ethnic diversity and urban location. The empirical investigation is based on data from the 288 municipalities in Sweden. All four factors turn out to be important, but contrary to previous assumptions, choice policies are not primarily linked to the success of the Moderate (Conservative) Party. Instead, the strength of the middle class is the major explanation. In Sweden, but also in other Western societies, the middle class has emerged as the dominant social stratum. Middle class parents, who themselves are well educated, take a keen interest in their children's education and are more likely to demand greater opportunities for choice. In the final analysis, this is linked to the changing position of the Social Democratic Party and its aim to broaden its electoral basis by appealing to middle class voters.     

Editors' Note

Note

Editors' Note     

Sweden

European Journal of Political Research -     

What to Do Here? What to Do There? The Effect of Change in Organization Size on Public Management

For a long time, researchers have been interested in the consequences of creating larger public organizations. The outcomes of changes in the size of public organizations have been relatively widely studied; however, much less is known about the internal processes through which these outcomes are actually achieved. This article explores whether changes in organizational size affect public management. As endogeneity is an inherent problem when studying outcomes of organizational size, we apply a quasi-experimental design in order to establish the causal linkage between size and different elements of public management. We use unique survey data collected before and after a large reform that changed the size of most Danish municipalities. The results suggest that public management related to daily operations is generic and not affected by size, whereas public management related to overall tasks such as creating a vision, servicing the mayor, and maintaining external relations is positively affected by size changes.     

One of all the others – a life course study of scouts,social capital,and stratification in the Swedish ‘Folkhem’

This longitudinal study shows that scouts have higher incomes than others 14 years after their participation when controlling for social background, sex, and individual cognitive tests. But scouting has no significant effects on future criminality. Social exclusion and criminal behaviour are so marginal that they require more specific types of explanations. The results can be interpreted as signs that taking part in scouts significantly contributes as a step in the social pathway to the upper classes of society. By supporting scouting, the welfare state seems not to prevent problem behaviour but runs the risk of contributing to social stratification.