Forensic medicine significance of the fluid content of the sphenoid sinuses

In the forensic literature the opinion is often held that the presence of aqueous liquid in the paranasal sinuses in conjunction with other findings (plume of froth around the mouth and nostrils, emphysema aquosum, Paltauf's spots, increased haemolysis etc.) can be regarded as a sign of drowning. Especially the sphenoid sinus is easily accessible at autopsy; its content can be aspirated from the base of the skull with a cannula. The valency of the liquid content in the sphenoid sinuses was consecutively investigated in 60 deaths by drowning and 157 other deaths. The results showed that in 92% of the deaths by drowning between 1 ml and 4 ml of aqueous fluid could be found in the sphenoid sinuses. However, a positive result was also obtained in 52% of the other cases autopsied, but in the control group the average volume of the aspirate was smaller than in the group of deaths by drowning.     

Agricultural service delivery: strengthening private crop protection service in southern Ethiopia

As one element of agricultural service delivery, in Ethiopia crop protection service has generally only involved the private sector on a small scale. This article outlines a case study where private crop protection service (PCPS) was strengthened from 2006 to 2010 in Halaba Special District, southern Ethiopia. The study used questionnaires, analysis, service comparison, ranking, and indicator-based assessments. The study shows that PCPS in 2007/08 crop seasons served 1,104 households on 1,707?ha of land in 19 Kebeles, contributing US$327,752 in total. Assessment indicators values were better for PCPS than the informal crop protection service. Piloting PCPS strengthening is recommended to improve crop protection service and reduce crop loss in Ethiopia.     

Feedback loops in a world of complexity: a cybernetic approach at the interface of foreign policy analysis and international relations theory

Feedback in foreign policy occurs when a state's foreign policy affects the international context of that state and those changes in context subsequently impact on the state's future foreign policy decisions. In this way, feedback loops can develop, which may become self-reinforcing and in which foreign policy and international context continuously affect each other. Even though such processes are ubiquitous especially in a globalized world, they have hitherto received little systematic attention. We introduce cybernetics as a perspective that puts such feedback effects at the centre of attention and provides an accessible sequential framework for analysing them. Such a cybernetic analysis not only demonstrates the significance of feedback processes in foreign policies but also speaks to several recent debates in international relations theory and foreign policy analysis. In particular, it highlights processes of learning and change, of non-linearity and indeterminacy, and enables the researcher to integrate insights from structure- and agency-based approaches. We outline the merits of a cybernetic analysis by discussing the effects of feedback in the United States' War on Terror.