7 research outputs found
Oligoglycidol-Functionalised Styrene Macromolecules as Reactive Surfactants in the Emulsion Polymerisation of Styrene: The Impact of Chain Length and Concentration on Particle Size and Colloidal Stability
No full textReactive surfactants (surfmers), which are covalently attached to the surface of sub-micron sized polymer particles during emulsion polymerisation, are applied to tailor the surface functionality of polymer particles for an application of choice. We present a systematic study on the use of oligoglycidol-functionalised styrene macromolecules as surfmers in the emulsion polymerization of styrene. Firstly, we report the impact of the surfmer concentration on the particle size for polymerisations performed above and below the critical micelle concentration. Secondly, we report the influence of the oligoglycidol chain length on the particle size. Thirdly, we conducted experiments to analyse the influence of the surfmer concentration and its chain length on the colloidal stability of the aqueous polystyrene nanoparticles in sodium chloride solutions. We demonstrated that the size of polystyrene particles could be influenced by changing both the surfmer concentration and its chain length. Furthermore, we showed that the colloidal stability of the oligoglycidol-functionalized polystyrene particles is dependent on the particle size, and not directly related to the oligoglycidol chain length
Corporate social responsibility: legal and semi-legal frameworks supporting CSR: Developments 2000-2010 and case studies
No full textCorporate social responsibility (CSR) as a nominal term clearly resonates with scholars and practitioners alike. As a scientific concept, however, it has often been criticized for its lack of definitional precision and poor measurement. The upshot of this analysis is that since the CSR concept adds nothing of value to existing frameworks in the field of management and organisation, such as the economizing and legitimizing perspectives, it is best to discard it altogether. Generally, criticasters have also contended that CSR distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses. From a different perspective, CSR has been criticised as being nothing more than superficial window-dressing. Along those lines, as one of the downsides, it has been asserted that CSR could become the victim of its own popularity. For example, the campaign group Friends of the Earth sees some companies’ interest in CSR as a cynical ‘PR exercise’. Hence, in their view, ‘greenwashing’ – self-styled ethical brands – could suffer a backlash from their own CSR spin. Another critical argument often disseminated is that CSR is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations. Clearly, the CSR phenomenon has attracted strong positive and negative opinions from both scientists and society. On the one hand, the author agrees with the criticisms conversed; they provide a realistic view and certainly contain an element of truth. However, as will be demonstrated throughout this study, she also agrees with the view of Porter and Kramer. If businesses were to use the same frameworks that guide their core business, CSR could be effectively incorporated into the core operations and could become a source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantage for business, as well as a source of social progress. As will be explained infra, the author has chosen to direct her research towards legal and semi-legal frameworks that support and guide business organisations and to examine how these frameworks interact with CSR.LEI Universiteit LeidenCoherent privaatrech
Het algemene opschortingsrecht
No full textThis book focuses on the general right of suspension regulated in article 6:52 et seq. of the Dutch Civil Code. The author pays attention, among other things, to the requirements for the power to suspend, including the coherence criterion (Dutch: samenhangcriterium), which is also the central requirement. The author explains that this criterion is not a measure of judgment or criterion to be judged by itself, but the existence of sufficient coherence between mutual obligations to justify suspension is rather a conclusion that follows the application of the coherence criterion. The author also discusses how the general right of suspension is exercised. Under circumstances, that exercise may be unacceptable. This involves weighing the interests involved in that exercise. Procedural aspects of the general right of suspension are also discussed, including the dictum. The author discusses that under circumstances an order for gradual performance fits a defense of suspension better than a rejection of the claim. The author makes this concrete using many examples mainly from case law. This book is therefore relevant for both law and legal practice.Coherent privaatrech
Vormen van subsidiariteit : een historisch-comparatistische studie naar het subsidiariteitsbeginsel bij pand, hypotheek en borgtocht
No full textIn several continental Western European legal systems, a person may be liable in person or through his property for payment of a debt which is not his. Both personal surety and a pledge which has been alienated by its owner come to mind. Under such circumstances, the question rises whether a creditor can attach the surety or the pledge before seeking payment from the debtor. According to classical Roman law, the creditor had a right to choose. However, emperor Justinian changed the law in this regard, forcing the creditor to first seek recourse against his debtor, even to the point of insolvency proceedings. This rule later became known as the ‘beneficium ordinis’ or ‘beneficium excussionis / discussionis’. Over the ages, the rule has come under severe attack, which resulted in it either being abandoned or modified, so as not to interfere with creditors’ rights. The author tracks these developments through the medieval European ‘ius commune’ into French law, Roman-Dutch law and modern Dutch law. The latter has extended the rule in 1992 for real security interests, while at the same time abandoning it for sureties. It is asserted that this was a mistake and the rule should be abolished entirely.LEI Universiteit LeidenCoherent privaatrech
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Oligoglycidol-functionalised styrene macromolecules as reactive surfactants in the emulsion polymerisation of styrene: The impact of chain length and concentration on particle size and colloidal stability
No full textReactive surfactants (surfmers), which are covalently attached to the surface of sub-micron sized polymer particles during emulsion polymerisation, are applied to tailor the surface functionality of polymer particles for an application of choice. We present a systematic study on the use of oligoglycidol-functionalised styrene macromolecules as surfmers in the emulsion polymerization of styrene. Firstly, we report the impact of the surfmer concentration on the particle size for polymerisations performed above and below the critical micelle concentration. Secondly, we report the influence of the oligoglycidol chain length on the particle size. Thirdly, we conducted experiments to analyse the influence of the surfmer concentration and its chain length on the colloidal stability of the aqueous polystyrene nanoparticles in sodium chloride solutions. We demonstrated that the size of polystyrene particles could be influenced by changing both the surfmer concentration and its chain length. Furthermore, we showed that the colloidal stability of the oligoglycidol-functionalized polystyrene particles is dependent on the particle size, and not directly related to the oligoglycidol chain length. © 2020 by the authors
BolVis: visualization for text-based research in philosophy
No full textTraditional research in philosophy consists for a large part in conceptual analysis and close reading of texts. This is a precise but time-consuming approach, in which the researcher focuses on one particular text passage or one philosophical concept from one or more works of an author. In this paper, we present BolVis, a visualization tool for text-based research in philosophy. BolVis allows researchers to determine quickly which parts of a text corpus are most relevant for their research by performing a semantic similarity search on words, sentences, and passages. It supports activities such as filtering, exploring the semantic context, comparing, performing close reading on selected passages, et cetera. Our approach enables in-depth analysis of texts at a significantly greater scale than is possible by traditional means, thereby allowing researchers to gain in speed without compromising on precision. We demonstrate the usefulness of BolVis by applying it to a corpus consisting of about 11,000 pages of the writings of the Bohemian polymath Bernard Bolzano (1781--1848). Our use case addresses an open question about Bolzano's ideas concerning size equality for sets of natural numbers, and we show that the use of BolVis enabled us to find (at least a significant part of) the reason why he came to accept one-to-one correspondence as a sufficient criterion for size equality
