Why do national court judges refer to human rights treaties?: A comparative international law analysis of CEDAW

An analysis was conducted of 325 national judicial decisions across 55 jurisdictions, in which CEDAW was referred to in the reported decision. Despite predictions to the contrary based on previous scholarship, significant variations between courts in their interpretation of CEDAW occurred relatively infrequently, courts referred relatively seldom to interpretations of CEDAW by other national courts, and there was little evidence of transnational dialogic approaches to judging. An analysis of these results suggests that domestic judges invoking CEDAW act primarily as domestic actors who use international law in order to advance domestic goals, rather than acting primarily as agents of the international community in applying CEDAW domestically, or contributing to the transnational shaping of international law to suit national interests. The Article suggests an understanding of the domestic implementation of a human rights treaty as not only law, but a unique kind of law that performs a particular function, in light of its quality as something akin to hard and soft law simultaneously.

Formation of soluble mercury oxide coatings: transformation of elemental mercury in soils

The impact of mercury (Hg) on human and ecological health has been known for decades. Although a treaty signed in 2013 by 147 nations regulates future large-scale mercury emissions, legacy Hg contamination exists worldwide and small scale releases will continue. The fate of elemental mercury, Hg(0), lost to the subsurface and its potential chemical transformation that can lead to changes in speciation and mobility are poorly understood. Here we show that Hg(0) beads interact with soil or manganese oxide solids and x-ray spectroscopic analysis indicates that the soluble mercury coatings are HgO. Dissolution studies show that after reacting with a composite soil, > 20 times more Hg is released into water from the coated beads than from a pure liquid mercury bead. An even larger, > 700 times, release occurs from coated Hg(0) beads that have been reacted with manganese oxide, suggesting that manganese oxides are involved in the transformation of the Hg(0) beads and creation of the soluble mercury coatings. Although the coatings may inhibit Hg(0) evaporation, the high solubility of the coatings can enhance Hg(II) migration away from the Hg(0)-spill site and result in potential changes in mercury speciation in the soil and increased mercury mobility.

Embodying Self-Determination: Re-placing Food Sovereignty through Everyday Geographies of Indigenous Resurgence

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2015

On the 'inherent' character of the right of states to self-defence

While there is no lack of studies on the use of armed force by states in self-defence, its qualification as an ‘inherent right’ in article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations has received little scholarly attention and has been too quickly dismissed as having no significance. The present article fills this gap in the literature. Its purpose is not to discuss the limits to which article 51 or customary international law submit the exercise of the right of self-defence by states, but to examine what its 'inherent’ character means and what legal consequences it entails. The article advances two main arguments. The first is that self-defence is a corollary of statehood as presently understood because it is essential to preserving its constitutive elements. The second argument is that the exercise of the right of self-defence must be distinguished from the right itself: it is only the former that may be delegated to other states or submitted to limitations under customary international law and treaty law. The right of self-defence, however, cannot be alienated and it takes precedence over other international obligations, although not over those specifically intended to limit the conduct of states in armed conflict or over non-derogable human rights provisions.

Selective recognition in potentiometric transduction of amoxicillin by molecularly imprinted materials

The indiscriminate use of antibiotics in food-producing animals has received increasing attention as a contributory factor in the international emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Woodward in Pesticide, veterinary and other residues in food, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2004). Numerous analytical methods for quantifying antibacterial residues in edible animal products have been developed over years (Woodward in Pesticide, veterinary and other residues in food, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2004; Botsoglou and Fletouris in Handbook of food analysis, residues and other food component analysis, Marcel Dekker, Ghent, 2004). Being Amoxicillin (AMOX) one of those critical veterinary drugs, efforts have been made to develop simple and expeditious methods for its control in food samples. In literature, only one AMOX-selective electrode has been reported so far. In that work, phosphotungstate:amoxycillinium ion exchanger was used as electroactive material (Shoukry et al. in Electroanalysis 6:914–917, 1994). Designing new materials based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) which are complementary to the size and charge of AMOX could lead to very selective interactions, thus enhancing the selectivity of the sensing unit. AMOX-selective electrodes used imprinted polymers as electroactive materials having AMOX as target molecule to design a biomimetic imprinted cavity. Poly(vinyl chloride), sensors of methacrylic acid displayed Nernstian slopes (60.7 mV/decade) and low detection limits (2.9 × 10−5 mol/L). The potentiometric responses were not affected by pH within 4–5 and showed good selectivity. The electrodes were applied successfully to the analysis of real samples.

Psychiatric comorbidity and additional abuse of drugs in maintenance treatment with l- and d,l-methadone.

Sixty d,l- or l-methadone treated patients in maintenance therapy were interviewed for additional drug abuse and psychiatric comorbidity; 51.7% of the entire population had a comorbid Axis-I disorder, with a higher prevalence in females (P=0.05). Comorbid patients tended to have higher abuse of benzodiazepines, alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine, but not of heroin. They had received a significantly lower d,l- (P<0.05) and l-methadone dose than non-comorbid subjects. The duration of maintenance treatment showed an inverse relationship to frequency of additional heroin intake (P<0.01). Patients with additional heroin intake over the past 30 days had been treated with a significantly lower l-methadone dosage (P<0.05) than patients without. Axis-I comorbidity appears to be decreased when relatively higher dosages of d,l- (and l-methadone) are administered; comorbid individuals, however, were on significantly lower dosages. Finally, l-, but not d,l-methadone seems to be more effective in reducing additional heroin abuse.

An appeal to the people ; being a review of the late correspondence and documents, relating to the rejection of the British Minister : including an examination of the "arrangement" of April last /

Introduction "To the people of the United States" signed Wm. Coleman.

Beaverdams 1812-1814, 1912-1914

On cover: Beaverdams, 1812-14-1912-14.

A compressed view of the points to be discussed, in treating with the United States of America : with an appendix /

Appendix: On the conduct of the government of United States towards the Indian tribes: p.[129]-139.

Correspondence between the American and British Plentipotentiaries relative to the commercial convention concluded on the 3rd of July, 1815.--

January 16, 1816.

Letter from the Secretary of War, to the Chairman of the Committee on Militay Affairs, upon the subject of the defects existing in the present establishment. --

13th Cong., 3d sess. House. Doc. no. 12.

Letter from the Secretary of the Navy, transmitting the official account of the capture of the British sloop of War, Reindeer, by the United States sloop Wasp, commanded by Captain Johnston Blakeley, on the twenty-eighth June last.--

"A list of British vessels captured by the United States' sloop of War Wasp, J. Blakeley esg. commander, between May 1st and July 6th, 1814".Folded table at end.