Individens rätt till jämlikhet – en kollektiv affär? : En ideologikritisk studie av debatten om positiv särbehandling i Sverige

In this study thoughts of the individual’s right to equality are considered. By using critical ideology analysis the central tools of the study are strongly connected with thoughts of representation, equality, individual and collective rights, equal opportunities and possibilities and discrimination. In critical ideology analysis nothing can be automatically visible to us and critical ideology analysis is a method as well as a theory. A central point in this study is to investigate whether there are oppositional views or unanimity in the debate of affirmative action. The debate is still under ”construction”, which means that the debate has not yet come up with a solution to the problems of discrimination. The empirical material arises from arena rather than actor, where arena is the Swedish labour market with focus on ethnic minority groups. The analysis of this study results in that the ideas of affirmative action hold complex values and themes that constitute the idea itself. A tension between formal and real equality and individual and collective rights arise and affirmative action needs to point out those who will be in need for special treatments. In this matter I claim that affirmative action is in danger of becoming a shallow policy of symbols. Is the individual’s right to equality a collective affair

Regulation of Duodenal Mucosal Barrier Function and Motility : The Impact of Melatonin

The duodenal mucosa is regularly exposed to acid, digestive enzymes and ingested noxious agents. It is thus critical to maintain a protective barrier to prevent the development of mucosal injury and inflammation, which are often observed in situations when barrier function is impaired. The rate of mucosal bicarbonate secretion, the regulation of epithelial paracellular permeability and motility are each key components of duodenal barrier function. The hormone melatonin is present in high levels in the gastrointestinal tract and it has been hypothesized that melatonin exerts protective properties. This thesis aims to investigate the impact of exogenous melatonin on the regulation of duodenal barrier function and motility in anesthetized rats in vivo. In addition, duodenal tissue was examined histologically and the expression levels of tight junction proteins and melatonin receptors were assessed with qRT-PCR. It was found that melatonin stimulated mucosal bicarbonate secretion and decreased basal paracellular permeability. Exposing the duodenal mucosa to the well-characterized barrier breaker ethanol increased mucosal bicarbonate secretion, paracellular permeability and motility. Omission of luminal Clˉ abolished, while pretreatment with a nicotinic receptor antagonist reduced, the ethanol-induced bicarbonate secretion suggesting that the secretory response to ethanol is meditated via Clˉ/HCO3ˉexchangers and enteric neural pathways. Melatonin reduced the ethanol-induced increases in paracellular permeability and motility either when injected intravenously or when administered in drinking water for two weeks. The actions of melatonin were abolished by the melatonin receptor antagonist luzindole and by nicotinic acetylcholine receptor inhibition. Two weeks oral administration of melatonin up-regulated the expression levels of melatonin receptors, down-regulated the expression of ZO-3 while the expression of ZO-1, ZO-2, claudin 2-4, occludin and myosin light chain kinase were unaffected. Superficial epithelial changes in a few villi were seen in response to ethanol exposure, an effect that was histologically unchanged by melatonin pretreatment. In conclusion, the results suggest that melatonin plays an important role in the neurohumoral regulation of gastrointestinal mucosal barrier function and motility via receptor- and enteric neural-dependent pathways in vivo in rats. Melatonin might be a candidate for treatment of barrier dysfunction in humans

The acceleration of corporate bonds made by hedge funds

Hedge funds have been a part of the financial markets since the 1940's. However, it is only during the last decade that they have gained the status as one of the more influential players on this market. Today hedge funds enjoy great interest from both investors and regulators. There is not really a generally accepted definition of the term hedge fund. What characterizes them, and what might be the reason for why people consider them to be special and a little bit mysterious, is the freedom they have in the markets. Their characterizing features are among other things that they have different investment rules and that they are using more aggressive investment strategies. Examples of these aggressive investment strategies are the use leverage, short selling and investing in derivatives. The debate surrounding hedge funds has been constantly ongoing during the last couple of years. The fact that the hedge funds have been involved in a string of events that has gotten much attention from the mass media has only led to that the debate has increased even further. Lately, regulators have become more and more interested in the hedge funds. One aspect of the debate has therefore been whether or not the hedge funds should be allowed to keep their status as less regulated, or if more regulation is required, in order to reduce the market risks that some people believe the hedge funds to create. The hedge funds have often been criticized for being greedy and for using investment strategies that balances on the edge of what is legal and what is not. In this thesis I have chosen to look at the hedge funds engagement as holders of corporate bonds. Lately the activist hedge funds have used the bondholder's rights in order to increase the yield of the bond. Previously many violations of bondholder rights have passed unnoticed. This is something that has changed due to the way activist hedge funds enforce the rights of the bondholder. Unlike previous investors, hedge funds are actively seeking out bonds where the companies either have, or are on the verge of, violating their contractual obligations. As soon as they find such an opportunity, they will acquire bonds in these companies. The thesis is focused on the consequences of activist hedge fund activity in the corporate bond market. It investigates the rights of the hedge funds in the case of late filings made by bond issuers and the implications this has on the bond market and how indentures are written. The conclusion of the thesis is that hedge funds have a weak case against the bond issuer, but the rulings are not absolute. History has shown that companies don't want to risk a court ruling against them as well as litigation costs, resulting in issuers settling with the hedge funds outside of court. The risk of loosing a large sum of money if the court rules in favor of the hedge funds, is often one that the companies do not dare to take. The conclusion is that in order for this situation to be resolved, the language of the indentures needs to change. The thesis draws up a discussion on the subject

Upplevda psykosociala arbetsförhållanden bland uthyrd personal

Inom postmodernismen är begrepp som flexibilitet och förändring aktuella och dagens arbetsmarkand kräver att organisationerna ska hantera denna ombytlighet. Detta har lett till att bemanningsbranschen har vuxit. Syftet med vår studie var att få förståelse för uthyrd personals arbetssituation. Åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes på anställda i ett större bemanningsföretag. Resultatet visar att deltagarna står inför många men korta sociala relationer. På grund av detta anses den enda kontinuerliga sociala kontakten, med den personalansvarige på bemanningsföretaget, vara av vikt. Överlag fann vi brister i det sociala stöd den uthyrde erhåller. Majoriteten av deltagarna anser att deras kompetens inte tas tillvara men att arbetet är utvecklande på grund av de erfarenheter dom erhåller. Trots detta är förhoppningen för många att genom bemanningsföretaget få ett stationärt arbete. Ett stort missnöje bland deltagarna i studien är avsaknad av belöning och feedback. Precis som begreppet flexibilitet är flitigt använt på arbetsmarkanden, menar deltagarna även att flexibilitet är en förutsättning i individens personlighetsdrag för att kunna arbeta som uthyrd. Genomgående var också att upplevelsen av arbetssituationen även beror på uppdragets längd

The Ethanol-Induced Stimulation of Rat Duodenal Mucosal Bicarbonate Secretion In Vivo Is Critically Dependent on Luminal Cl-

Alcohol may induce metabolic and functional changes in gastrointestinal epithelial cells, contributing to impaired mucosal barrier function. Duodenal mucosal bicarbonate secretion (DBS) is a primary epithelial defense against gastric acid and also has an important function in maintaining the homeostasis of the juxtamucosal microenvironment. The aim in this study was to investigate the effects of the luminal perfusion of moderate concentrations of ethanol in vivo on epithelial DBS, fluid secretion and paracellular permeability. Under thiobarbiturate anesthesia, a similar to 30-mm segment of the proximal duodenum with an intact blood supply was perfused in situ in rats. The effects on DBS, duodenal transepithelial net fluid flux and the blood-to-lumen clearance of Cr-51-EDTA were investigated. Perfusing the duodenum with isotonic solutions of 10% or 15% ethanol-by-volume for 30 min increased DBS in a concentration-dependent manner, while the net fluid flux did not change. Pre-treatment with the CFTR inhibitor CFTRinh172 (i.p. or i.v.) did not change the secretory response to ethanol, while removing Cl- from the luminal perfusate abolished the ethanol-induced increase in DBS. The administration of hexamethonium (i.v.) but not capsazepine significantly reduced the basal net fluid flux and the ethanol-induced increase in DBS. Perfusing the duodenum with a combination of 1.0 mM HCl and 15% ethanol induced significantly greater increases in DBS than 15% ethanol or 1.0 mM HCl alone but did not influence fluid flux. Our data demonstrate that ethanol induces increases in DBS through a mechanism that is critically dependent on luminal Cl- and partly dependent on enteric neural pathways involving nicotinic receptors. Ethanol and HCl appears to stimulate DBS via the activation of different bicarbonate transporting mechanisms

Effects of ethanol and hydrochloric acid on duodenal bicarbonate secretion, paracellular permeability and fluid flux.

<p>A). The effects of luminal perfusion of the duodenum with 1.0 mM hydrochloric acid on duodenal bicarbonate secretion were investigated. Hydrochloric acid induced a significant increase in duodenal bicarbonate secretion. A combination of 15% ethanol and 1.0 mM hydrochloric acid induced a significantly larger increase in bicarbonate secretion than hydrochloric acid alone. B). No statistically significant effects on the duodenal net fluid flux were observed in response to hydrochloric acid alone or the combination of 15% ethanol and hydrochloric acid. C). The combination of 15% ethanol and hydrochloric acid caused a potent increase in the duodenal epithelial blood-to-lumen clearance of ⁵¹Cr-EDTA. However, 1.0 mM hydrochloric acid alone did not influence the clearance of ⁵¹Cr-EDTA. The values are the mean ± SEM; 1.0 mM hydrochloric acid (pH 3, n = 6), and a combination of 15% ethanol and 1.0 mM hydrochloric acid (n = 7). * indicates a significant (p<0.05) increase compared with baseline in the same group, and § indicates a significantly lower value compared with the corresponding time point in the other group.</p

Ethanol-induced stimulation is critically dependent on luminal Cl⁻.

<p>A). The effects of luminal perfusion of the duodenum with 15% ethanol during luminal Cl⁻- free conditions on duodenal bicarbonate secretion was investigated. Ethanol did not induce increases in duodenal bicarbonate secretion during Cl⁻-free conditions. B). No statistically significant effects on duodenal net fluid flux were observed in response to the perfusion of ethanol during Cl⁻-free conditions. C). Ethanol precipitated a potent increase in the duodenal-epithelial blood-to-lumen clearance of ⁵¹Cr-EDTA during Cl⁻-free conditions. The increase in permeability in response to ethanol was in the same magnitude as that observed when luminal Cl⁻ was present (not shown). The values are the mean ± SEM, n = 11 in both groups. * indicates a significant (p<0.05) increase compared with baseline in the same group, and § indicates a significantly lower value compared with the corresponding time point in the other group.</p