‘To be or not to be?’ The African Union and its Member States Parties' Participation as High Contracting States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998)

This article examines, under the light of international law, African States’ fascination and fall-out with the ICC. It examines the challenge to international institutions and to international justice for high crimes posed by the quasi-supranational African Union’s (AU) emergent practice of ordering its Member States Parties not to co-operate with ICC Arrest Warrants against African Heads of States/Governments. The legal substance of AU claims and the AU’s own interpretations of the standards of sovereign immunity and universal jurisdiction are also examined. The article shows that emergent AU recalcitrance to ICC orders is difficult to dismiss even though it may be contrary to current international law on the Law of Treaties which nullifies resort to domestic local law as a justification for breach of the strictures of international law. In particular, AU claims that universal jurisdiction and sovereign immunity should be redefined to suit their concerns contradict recent international efforts to combat impunity for international crimes

The Effect of Information and Market Access on Adopters' Income Level

This paper is aimed at relating income fluctuation with adoptable innovations, adopter category and their access to some variables than those explained in the neoclassical economics principle of labor market demand and supply equilibrium. Using a quantitative and qualitative case study of some farmers in two States, we considered whether respondents are earning enough income and what constraints they face. The von Hipple’s lead user concept and decision model of risk aversion under uncertainty were used to explain causes of variability. Notably, farmers with enough steady income have access to market, various information and are less risk averse.Variability, Information, Income, Adoption, Market,

Acute kidney injury on chronic kidney disease: From congestive heart failure to light chain deposition disease and cast nephropathy in multiple myeloma

Acute on chronic renal failure is a common but notably broad diagnosis. We present a 64-year-old man with a history of diastolic heart failure and chronic kidney disease, admitted for an elevated creatinine. History and physical examination were suggestive of decompensated heart failure; however, the careful interpretation of urinalysis rendered the diagnosis of multiple myeloma. On renal biopsy, the patient was found to have light chain deposition disease with cast nephropathy. Combination lesions in multiple myeloma are rare and require diligent histopathology for detection, including light microscopy, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy. These patients portray different demographics, renal manifestations, oncologic characteristics and outcomes, and hence, further studies isolating these combined lesions are warranted

Investigating electrical response to water saturation of Agbada sandstone in an x-field Niger delta, Nigeria

In an attempt to characterize a reservoir in a field, importance is given to living models as it serves critical function in estimating if the reservoir under study is economically viable. Having a good knowledge of electrical response to reservoir rocks is important in characterizing and modeling the behavior of fluids at the subsurface. In this study, core plugs extracted from core barrels in a Niger Delta oil field were analyzed in the laboratory in order to determine the electrical properties of the samples and their relationship with each other and formation fluid. This was achieved by using a brine of a known concentration for simulation of core plugs. Results obtained show that for the unconsolidated sandstone, Formation resistivity factor increases with increase in confining pressure. This characteristic depends on the porosity of the Formation and type of fluid present. Resistivity values in a reservoir will increase with increase in capillary pressure and decrease with water saturation. Decrease in cementation exponent increases the rate of permeability in reservoir sand. However, resistivity values decrease with clay presence in reservoir sand

Numerical simulation of the dynamic response in pulse-loaded fibre-metal-laminated plates

This article presents a three-dimensional constitutive model to replicate the dynamic response of blastloaded fibre–metal laminates made of 2024-0 aluminium alloy and woven composite (glass fibre–reinforced polypropylene). Simulation of the dynamic response is challenging when extreme localised loads are of concern and requires reliable material constitutive models as well as accurate modelling techniques. It is well known that back layers in a fibre–metal laminate provide structural support for front layers; thus, proper modelling of constituent failure and degradation is essential to understanding structural damage and failure. The improved developed model to analyse damage initiation, progression and failure of the composite is implemented in finite element code ABAQUS, and a good correlation is observed with experimental results for displacements of the back and front faces as presented by other researchers. The model was also able to predict accurately the tearing impulses. Finally, the concepts of the ‘efficiency of the charge’ and ‘effectiveness of the target’ are proposed in the context of localised blast loading on a structure. Dimensionless parameters are introduced to quantify these parameters

Contaminant removal from enclosed atmospheres by regenerable adsorbents

A system for removing contaminants from spacecraft atmospheres was studied, which utilizes catalyst-impregnated activated carbon followed by in-situ regeneration by low-temperature catalytic oxidation of the adsorbed contaminants. Platinum was deposited on activated carbon by liquid phase impregnation with chloroplatinic acid, followed by drying and high-temperature reduction. Results were obtained for the seven selected spacecraft contaminants by means of three experimental test systems. The results indicate that the contaminants could be removed by oxidation with very little loss in adsorptive capacity. The advantages of a catalyst-impregnated carbon for oxidative regeneration are found to be significant enough to warrent its use