Desorganisation mit System

Zusammenfassung In der Diskussion über die Entwicklung westlicher Wohlfahrtsstaaten spielte zuletzt eine wachsende Rolle, wie und mit welchen Auswirkungen sich deren Steuerungssysteme ver?ndern. Als ein wesentliches Merkmal des Wandels gilt die Aufwertung nicht-staatlicher Instanzen und marktf?rmiger Koordinationsmechanismen. Bezüglich der Interpretation der Ver?nderungsdynamik stehen sich allerdings verschiedene Diagnosen gegenüber. Ausgehend von einem ganzheitlichen Konzept der „governance of welfare” und mit einem Fokus auf die Praxis nicht-staatlicher Tr?ger der Wohlfahrtsproduktion wird untersucht, inwieweit diese Diagnosen den Wandel zutreffend charakterisieren. Die Analyse nimmt zwei Organisationsfelder aus drei verschiedenen L?ndern in den Blick, um zu prüfen, ob l?nderübergreifende Transformationstendenzen auszumachen sind. Sie zeigt, dass sich überall eine Konstellation abzeichnet, in der soziale Wohlfahrtsproduktion einer spezifischen Vermarktlichung sowie neuartigen Formen der sozialstaatlichen und zivilgesellschaftlichen Moderation unterliegt. Auf diese Weise entsteht „Desorganisation mit System”, d.h. eine Neuordnung, in der es durchg?ngig mehr Kreativit?t und ebenso durchg?ngig mehr Output-Heterogenit?t gibt — was systematisch zu mehr, aber unübersichtlicherer Ungleichheit führt.

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Summary Recent debates on the evolution of Western welfare states have paid increasing attention to the recasting of governance systems and its consequences. An increasing importance of non-public agencies and market-based coordination mechanisms are deemed to be key elements of this change. However, there are varying approaches to the interpretation of this transformation. Drawing on a holistic understanding of the governance of welfare and setting the focus on the activity of nonpublic providers, this article explores whether these approaches do adequately grasp the dynamics of change. Two organisational fields from three different countries are considered in order to examine if cross-country tendencies of transformation can be singled out. It is shown that, by and large, a new constellation takes shape, with the provision of welfare becoming subject to a specific type of marketization and to new patterns of statutory and civic mediation. The result is systemic disorganization, i.e., a new regime producing, as a principle, more creativity but also more output heterogeneity, the consequence being increasing albeit opaque inequality.

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Résumé Les mutations des systèmes de protection sociale et les effets qui en découlent ont pris récemment une place de plus en plus centrale dans le débat sur l’évolution des Etats providence occidentaux. La montée en puissance des instances non-étatiques et des mécanismes de coordination par le marché est considérée comme une caractéristique essentielle des mutations en cours. Cette dynamique de changement fait l’objet d’interprétations divergentes. Cet article se propose de vérifier la pertinence de ces interprétations en partant du concept général de„gouvernance de la protection sociale“ (governance of welfare) et en se focalisant sur la pratique des acteurs nonétatiques de la protection sociale. Notre analyse porte sur deux champs organisationnels dans trois pays différents afin de déterminer si des tendances internationales se font jour. Elle démontre qu’une conjoncture se dessine partout dans laquelle la protection sociale est soumise à des modes spécifiques de commercialisationainsi qu’à de nouvelles formes de médiation étatique et sociale. Nous assistons ainsi à une „désorganisation méthodique“ de la protection sociale, c’est-à-dire à l’émergence d’un nouvel ordre social générant, dans l’ensemble, plus de créativité mais aussi plus d’hétérogénéité, ce qui conduit automatiquement à une croissance des inégalités, mais aussi à un effacement de leurs contours.

     

It Runs in the Family

What motivates citizens to run for office? Recent work has shown that early life parental socialization is strongly associated with a desire to run for office. However, parents not only shape their children’s political environment, they also pass along their genes to those same children. A growing area of research has shown that individual differences in a wide range of political behaviors and attitudes are linked to genetic differences. As a result, genetic factors may confound the observed political similarities among parents and their children. This study analyzes Swedish register data containing information on all nominated and elected candidates in the ten parliamentary, county council, and municipal elections from 1982 to 2014 for a large sample of adoptees and their adoptive and biological parents. By studying the similarity in political ambition within both adoptive and biological families, our research design allows us to disentangle so-called “pre-birth” factors, such as genes and pre-natal environment, and “post-birth” factors like parental socialization. We find that the likelihood of standing as a political candidate is twice as high if one’s parent has been a candidate. We also find that the effects of pre-birth and post-birth factors are approximately equal in size. In addition, we test a number of potential pre- and post-birth transmission mechanisms. First, disconfirming our expectations, the pre-birth effects do not seem to be mediated by cognitive ability or leadership skills. Second, consistent with a role modeling mechanism, we find evidence of a strong transmission in candidacy status between rearing mothers and their daughters.     

Suspicious circumstances on discovery of the cadaver

The authors report on three autopsy cases in which the findings at the death scene gave rise to the suspect of non-natural, in two cases even violent causes of death. The medico-legal and criminalistic investigations led to surprising results: Death was due to acute intoxication with narcotics, supposed delirium tremens and a suicide attempt in the presence of bronchopneumonia. External force was ruled out in all three fatalities by cooperative work of police investigators and forensic medicine.     

Three-dimensional cranio-facial reconstruction in forensic identification: latest progress and new tendencies in the 21st century

Three-dimensional (3D) cranio-facial reconstruction can be useful in the identification of an unknown body. The progress in computer science and the improvement of medical imaging technologies during recent years had significant repercussions on this domain. New facial soft tissue depth data for children and adults have been obtained using ultrasound, CT-scans and radiographies. New guidelines for facial feature properties such as nose projection, eye protrusion or mouth width, have been suggested, but also older theories and "rules of thumbs" have been critically evaluated based on digital technology. New fast, flexible and objective 3D reconstruction computer programs are in full development. The research on craniofacial reconstruction since the beginning of the 21st century is presented, highlighting computer-aided 3D facial reconstruction. Employing the newer technologies and permanently evaluating and (re)questioning the obtained results will hopefully lead to more accurate reconstructions.     

Semi-automated ultrasound facial soft tissue depth registration: method and validation

A mobile and fast, semi-automatic ultrasound (US) system was developed for facial soft tissue depth registration. The system consists of an A-Scan ultrasound device connected to a portable PC with interfacing and controlling software. For 52 cephalometric landmarks, the system was tested for repeatability and accuracy by evaluating intra-observer agreement and comparing ultrasound and CT-scan results on 12 subjects planned for craniofacial surgery, respectively. A paired t-test evaluating repeatability of the ultrasound measurements showed 5.7% (n = 3) of the landmarks being significantly different (p < 0.01). US and CT-scan results showed significant differences (p < 0.01) using a Wilcoxon signed rank test analysis for 11.5% (n = 6) of the landmarks. This is attributed to a difference in the volunteer's head position between lying (CT) and sitting (US). Based on these tests, we conclude that the proposed registration system and measurement protocol allows relatively fast (52 landmarks/20 min), non-invasive, repeatable and accurate acquisition of facial soft tissue depth measurements.     

Radiologically determined DMF index variations for forensic age estimation of young adults

The eruption and mineralization of third molars are the main criteria for dental age estimation of living people involved in criminal proceedings. Since the development of third molars is usually completed by the age of 19 or 20 years, this feature cannot be used to ascertain whether a person has attained the forensically relevant age of 21 years. This study examined whether the DMFT index or the third molar DFT index could supply reliable information enabling conclusions to be drawn about whether a person has reached the age of 21. To this end, 650 conventional orthopantomograms of German subjects aged 18 to 30 years were evaluated. The DMF index variations considered were found to be unsuitable for determining whether a person is over 21 because they displayed a weak correlation with age and considerable individual scatter. A high indicative value can only be attributed to a third molar DFT index of 4, although this is rarely observed in the relevant age group. An X-ray examination of the medial clavicular epiphyseal cartilage is, therefore, strongly recommended when assessing whether a person has attained 21 years of age.     

Analysis of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) in vitreous humour as a forensic tool for detection of alcohol misuse

Analysis of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin concentration in vitreous humour (VH-CDT) has recently been demonstrated to be useful for diagnosis of pre-mortal alcohol misuse, but more knowledge considering possible methodological problems is warranted. In a forensic sample we examined the stability of VH-CDT during laboratory handling as well as the possible affection of time-dependent changes of total transferrin concentrations in vitreous humour (VH-Transferrin) in the dead body on VH-CDT as indicator of alcohol misuse. By use of a commercial assay designed for serum analysis (CDTect) it was possible to measure VH-CDT with high precision, and detectable amounts were found in 20 of 21 alcoholics and in two of seven controls. The compound was demonstrated to be stable in vitreous humour during laboratory handling, since the results of the first analysis were well reproducible after 4 months storage of the specimens (rs=0.86, P=0.0002). Transferrin concentrations in vitreous humour (VH-Transferrin) correlated to the estimated time since the individual last time had been alive before the forensic examination (rs=0.57, P<0.005). However, in this small sample the discriminating property of VH-CDT as indicator of alcohol misuse was not decisively affected, whether or not the variables "VH-Transferrin" and "estimated time since the individual last time had been alive" were considered in a multivariate logistic regression analysis (minor change in the beta-coefficient from 0.57 to 0.52, P=0.086). We conclude that CDT is stable in vitreous humour during proper laboratory handling and that detection of VH-CDT is primarily a marker of alcohol misuse before death. However, the results of this study do not exclude that time-dependent changes of VH-Transferrin, possibly affecting VH-CDT, may occur in the dead body. VH-CDT analysis should thus, at present, be restricted to cases with rather short post-mortal time interval.     

Effect of hair care and hair cosmetics on the concentrations of fatty acid ethyl esters in hair as markers of chronically elevated alcohol consumption

Fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) can be used as alcohol markers in hair. It was investigated in this study whether this diagnostic method is disturbed by hair care and hair cosmetics. Traces of ethyl myristate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl oleate and ethyl stearate were detected in all of 49 frequently applied hair care products by headspace solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The highest concentration was 0.003% in a hair wax. From experiments with separated hair samples of alcoholics as well as from the evaluation of the FAEE concentrations and the data about hair care of 75 volunteers (alcoholics, social drinkers and teetotalers) follows that usual shampooing, permanent wave, dyeing, bleaching or shading are of minor importance as compared to the drinking amount and other individual features. However, false positive results were found after daily treatment with a hair lotion containing 62.5% ethanol, with a deodorant and with a hair spray. As an explanation, it is assumed that FAEE are formed in the sebum glands also after regular topical application of products with a higher ethanol content.     

Differential diagnosis of accident and resuscitation traumas

The purpose of this paper is to define the criteria for the differential diagnosis of trauma following resuscitation and road accidents. To this end, 311 cases of thoracic and epigastric trauma were selected from the 2893 medico-legal autopsies carried out between 1979 and 1982 at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Heidelberg. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation had to be considered as the cause of trauma in 140 of these, but 45 of this group were excluded from further evaluation as they had been the victims of blunt trauma and no clear-cut distinction was possible between trauma resulting from an accident and trauma resulting from resuscitation. Thus, we were left with 95 cases of internal injury that presented as emergencies and in whom death followed resuscitation, as a group for comparison with 171 road accident victims who had not received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Rib fractures, predominantly on the left side, were established in half the cases resuscitated, sternal fractures also being found in one-third of these victims. Bleeding at various sites, including hemato-thorax, was rare, with an incidence of 15%, thus making it highly unlikely that serious traumas caused by resuscitation were a major factor in the cause of death. This paper encompasses an extensive discussion on serious injuries, such as aortic and gastric ruptures, in this connection.