The Death Row Phenomenon: A Prohibition Against Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Several debates on the legitimacy, constitutionality, and acceptability of the death penalty have arisen throughout the years. The death row phenomenon refers to the psychological effects on prisoners of being on death row for a prolonged period while awaiting an imminent execution under harsh conditions of confinement. Having been declared a violation of a customary norm of international law by several international tribunals and national courts, this Article explores the possibility of the death row phenomenon, as a legal concept, becoming widely accepted and ultimately preventing the execution of another category of offenders. The existence of a lack of judicial consensus arising from different standards set by these courts in the determination of what constitutes delay could be an obstacle to this development. This Article suggests that if pursued diligently, the death row phenomenon could become universally accepted as an unacceptable practice and a standard could be set under international law which would become binding upon national courts

The Aggregate Technology And Contractionary Effects: An Empirical Estimation

Two identifying techniques were used to examine the effects on employment (or hours worked) following a technological innovation at the aggregate level in the United Kingdom’s (U.K) economy for the period 1970-2007. In addition, special attention was given to the treatment and/or the definition of hours worked, particularly the debate on level and first differenced hours. Thus, in primarily utilizing the Bank of England dataset, no significant evidence of contractionary effects in the U.K private business economy was found, which contrasts with some recent studies based on the USA post-war II private business economy

Drivers for the Formation of Informal Financial Associations by Immigrant Entrepreneurs in South Africa: the Case of Cameroonians

Abstract: The sometimes, selective exclusion by the legislation and the financial houses of the host country, force immigrants of African origin to setup stokvels to sustain their businesses and livelihood in South Africa. Aim: To provide the basis for inclusive policy initiatives, this paper investigated the drivers for the formation of business support stokvels by Cameroonians in South Africa. Method: The paper adopted a mix research paradigm with the survey questionnaire and personal interviews as the tools of choice. The purposive sampling technique was implored to reach the 132 respondents. Results: It was apparent that the participants form stokvels to compensate for the lack of access to finance from formal financial intermediaries. The dire need for startup and later expansion capital drove them to form stokvels and even to belong to multiple stokvels as they strive to improve their chances. Beyond this, stokvels provide the platform for the mobilization of savings and the opportunity to run their own bank on their own terms. Implications: while aligned to the Cameroonian community, other minority groups can draw vital lessons. Beyond this, the paper informs the inclusive finance debate and may therefore be relevant to policy makers and academics

Investigation of the Inhibition of the Corrosion of carbon steel in Solution of HCl by Glimepiride

Communication in Physical Sciences 2020, 5(3): 246-256 Authors: *Nkem B. Iroha and Richard A. Ukpe Received 26 April 2020/Accepted 21 May 2020 The corrosion inhibition effect of glimepiride (GMP) on the corrosion of X70 carbon steel in 1 M HCl solution was investigated using weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The inhibition efficiency was found to increase with increase in inhibitor concentration but decreased with temperature rise. The inhibition efficiency of glimepiride ranged from 54.2 to 95.8% for weight loss measurement, 52.0 to 90.5% for PDP and 53.3 to 90.3% for EIS method at 303 K. Polarization studies give evidence that GMP behaves as a mixed type inhibitor but predominantly anodic. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) spectra exhibit one capacitive loop indicating that, the corrosion reaction is controlled by charge transfer process. It was found that the investigated drug acts via adsorption on the carbon steel surface and obeys Langmuir and Temkin adsorption isotherms. Surface studies ascertain that a protective film was formed on the X70 carbon steel surface. The results have clearly shown that glimepiride has the inhibiting capacity for reducing the corrosion of X70 carbon steel in HCl solution. &nbsp

Information for the Control of the Spread of HIV among Women in Nigeria- The Role of Public Libraries

HIV has been widely recognized as a pandemic defying decades of global efforts at producing a cure. At the inception of the disease, women were not as much affected as men. In recent times however, women are gradually becoming the “endangered species” as a result of the increased infection rate as well as the high mortality rate of women as a result of HIV/AIDS. In the absence of a cure coupled with the inadequate medical facilities and services being experienced in Nigeria, the best way to control the spread of the disease is information for its management and prevention. The public library is charged with the responsibility of making information available to the right people and at the right time, irrespective of their status, age, religious or educational background. This paper therefore examined the different reasons why women should be made the target of HIV prevention strategies and interventions. It also discussed the role of public libraries in curbing the spread of HIV among women and highlighted the different ways through which the women can be reached using different innovative information services. Keywords:HIV/AIDS, information, women, public librarie