The New Swedish Sex Trade : - An in-depth investigation

This study examines the phenomenon of the Swedish sex trade. A phenomenon that has a long history that is constantly changing, taking new forms and creating new boundaries. The purpose of this study has been to review and understand the Swedish sex trade with a focus on the effects of internet and the effects of the Swedish sex purchase act. As well as to examine how state and non-state actors work to secure the fundamental human rights to safety and an adequate safety net for people who sell sex. By conducting interviews and a literature study with state and non-state actors it has been possible to understand the Swedish sex trade and create an in-depth description of the current situation. The study's result and analysis show that the Swedish sex trade is strongly linked to the feminist perspective. In Sweden, the abolitionist feminist perspective is dominant, which is also reflected in definitions used within this field, legislation, the sex trade via internet and the Swedish safety net. This study highlights that the Swedish sex trade is a complex issue which requires a greater discussion beyond the feminist perspective

Socialisation av kvinnor på en mansdominerad arbetsplats

Uppsatsen faller inom ämnesområdet organisation och vår undersökning handlar om kvinnor inom organisationer sett utifrån ett feministiskt perspektiv. Det feministiska perspektivet betraktar samhället som ett könssystem och med det menar vi att de strukturer som finns i samhället, liksom inom organisationer, inte är könsneutrala. Från den ståndpunkten har vi valt att studera socialisation av kvinnor och vad som kan tänkas ligga bakom den processen på en mansdominerad arbetsplats. Valet av mansdominerad arbetsplats beror på att vi tror att den kvinnliga socialisationen där blir tydligare. För att komma fram till socialisationsprocessen har vi analyserat fram arbetsplatsens organisationskultur med de normer, värderingar och ideal som råder. Genom att vi analyserade fram rådande normer på avdelningen fick vi en förståelse för vad kvinnorna som arbetar där socialiseras in i. För att få en uppfattning för hur kvinnorna socialiseras har vi först försökt beskriva deras nuvarande identiteter och därefter de rådande normerna. Därefter har vi tolkat hur kvinnorna som vi intervjuat förhåller sig till de rådande normerna och på så vis har vi försökt förstå deras socialisation. Vi analyserade fram följande rådande normer som ligger bakom socialisationsprocessen: Individualism, effektivt arbete, kundfokus, kön spelar roll, bilsäljare bör vara män och du får den lön du förtjänar. Vi har kommit fram till att kvinnorna i vår undersökning har en könsneutral syn på samhället, vilket kan vara en anledning till att de inte ser några hinder att vara kvinnor på den arbetsplats de verkar i. Socialisationen har då skett naturligt, eftersom kvinnorna hade en inställning från början som gick att sammanföra med organisationen som helhet. Nyckelord: Socialisation, organisationskultur, normer, identitet, genu

Post-genocide gender equality : Understanding the gender equality process within the political sphere after the Rwandan genocide against the Tutsi

Inspire by article 1 of the Human Rights Declaration, which states that every human is born free and equal, this thesis highlights gender equality and the process towards political empowerment, using the example of Rwanda. A country known for being one of the world’s leading countries regarding women’s representation in the parliament. The purpose of the thesis is to explore Rwanda's gender equality process within the political sphere using feminist approaches. Results have been produced through a literature study and some elements of empirical material from interviews with people from Rwanda to give them a voice on the matter. The results of this thesis illustrate two main factors behind the increase of gender equality and women's political participation; (1) the effect that the genocide against the Tutsi had on the country, and (2) the regime’s commitment to gender equality. Our results also illustrate that there are differences concerning political opportunity and participation between urban and rural parts of Rwanda. Concluding that, even though women have the opportunity to participate in politics and are politically empowered, there are still issues regarding gender equality in the political sphere

The fungistatic activity of organic selenium and its application to the production of cultivated mushrooms Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus spp.

The activity of organic selenium against pathogenic molds and its use as a potential selenium source in the production of enriched mushrooms were examined. The effect of commercial selenized yeast on mycelia growth was examined using a method with mycelia disks and a well diffusion method. For mushroom enrichment, different concentrations of selenium were added to a growth substrate. The results presented in this paper suggest that the most suitable concentration of selenized yeast that inhibits the growth of the mycopathogenic molds is 70-100 mg/kg of selenium. With the addition of this concentration to the substrate, mushroom fruit bodies will uptake a high level of selenium, about 100 μg/g for Pleurotus spp., and 200 μg/g for Agaricus bisporus in dry weight of the mushroom. Thereby a double effect in the cultivation of mushrooms is achieved

Chronic Hepatitis C: Conspectus of immunological events in the course of fibrosis evolution.

In chronically infected HCV patients emergence and evolution of fibrosis, as a consequence of virus persistence, can be considered as an indicator of disease advancement. Therefore the aim of this study was to correlate alterations of immune response in chronic HCV patients with liver histopathology. Sera cytokine levels and frequency of circulating and liver infiltrating cells were evaluated using 13plex Kit Flow Cytomix, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. We found that the number of circulating T lymphocytes (including CD4+, CD8+ and Treg) and B lymphocytes, as well as DCs, was higher in patients with no fibrosis than in healthy subjects. In patients with fibrosis frequency of these cells decreased, and contrarily, in the liver, number of T and B lymphocytes gradually increased with fibrosis. Importantly, in patients with advanced fibrosis, liver infiltrating regulatory T cells and DC-SIGN+ mononuclear cells with immunosuppressive and wound-healing effector functions were abundantly present. Cytokine profiling showed predominance of proinflammatory cytokines in patients with no fibrosis and a tendency of decline in level of all cytokines with severity of liver injury. Lower but sustained IL-4 production refers to Th2 predominance in higher stages of fibrosis. Altogether, our results reveal graduall alterations of immunological parameters during fibrosis evolution and illustrate the course of immunological events through disease progression

Correction: Chronic Hepatitis C: Conspectus of immunological events in the course of fibrosis evolution.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219508.]