The (Proposed) Transposition Of The Digital Content Directive In The Netherlands

The Dutch bill for the transposition of the Digital Content Directive, recently submitted to the Dutch parliament, will create a new Title in the Civil Code dealing with digital content and digital services contracts. In line with Dutch legislative tradition, the bill is closely aligned with Dutch (consumer) sales law, which is amended accordingly for the transposition of the Sale of Goods Directive. The most important feature of the new title on digital content and digital services contracts is the \u27open period\u27 during which a lack of conformity may arise: as long as the consumer could reasonably expect that the digital content or service would remain to be in conformity, any lack thereof entitles the consumer to a remedy. In this paper, the Dutch system and the implementation of the directive will be explained

Proton conducting ABA triblock copolymers with sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide sulfone) midblock obtained via copper-free thiol-click chemistry dagger

A series of charged ABA triblock copolymers having sulfonated poly(phenylene sulfide sulfone) (sPSS) as B-block and polystyrene (PS) as A-block have been successfully synthesized using copper-free thiol-click chemistry. One-pot sequential radical addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization followed by functionalization with a perfluorinated chain extender (decafluorobiphenyl, DFBP) is used to prepare the PS blocks which are later cliked to the charged sPSS mid-block, synthetized using nucleophilic aromatic substitution polymerization. The proposed synthetic approach ensures good control over the composition of the resulting ABA block copolymers allowing synthesis of block copolymers with well-defined ion exchange capacity (IEC) and nanomorphology. The superstrong segregation regime (chi N >> 100) of these BCPs generates ordered nanostructures, spanning from spherical to lamellar. All the block copolymers are thermally stable up to 300 degrees C and are robust against swelling and wetting due to the dimensional stabilization of the ionic domains provided by the PS matrix. The relationship between proton conductivity and nanomorphology is investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), revealing the significant impact of self-assembly on the transport properties, reaching a maximum ion conductivity of 50 mS cm(-1) at 90 degrees C and 95% RH in the through-plane direction

Highly Stable Membranes of Poly(phenylene sulfide benzimidazole) Cross-Linked with Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes for High-Temperature Proton Transport

Poly(phenylene sulfide benzimidazole) has been synthesized and tested as a potential material for high-temperature proton transport. A high content of sulfide bonds has been implemented in the polymer chains to endow a high antioxidant capacity and, in combination with bulky benzimidazole pendant units, to significantly suppress crystallinity and thereby improve the solubility in highly polar aprotic solvents. The amorphous polymer has high thermal stability and high glass transition temperature (Tg). Freestanding, insoluble, and robust membranes were obtained via thermal cross-linking of the benzimidazole moieties with octa-glycidyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (g-POSS). The series of hybrid networks (cPPSBi_X, with X being the g-POSS content wt %) showed excellent oxidative stability, with cPPSBi_15 having weight loss lower than 5% after 264 h in Fenton's reagent at 80 °C. Elastic moduli as high as 868 MPa with reduced strain at break (1.8%) were obtained. After doping the membranes with phosphoric acid, proton conductivity in the range of 2.3 × 10-2 S cm-1 at 180 °C was obtained, and the membranes show a stress at break of 2.3 MPa. Dimensional and mechanical stability were maintained also at high doping levels thanks to the inclusion of g-POSS which provides the resulting hybrid networks with increased free volume and high cross-link density

National Research and International Competitiveness – An Antinomy?

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Digital Content Contracts for Consumers

The application of consumer law to digital content contracts encounters a number of obstacles. Some of these are rather typical for digital content markets, e.g., the legal consequences of the classification of digital content as “goods” or “services”, and more importantly, the absence of general benchmarks to evaluate the conformity of digital content. Other problems, such as the limited usefulness of consumer information and the position of underage consumers, are not as such reserved to digital consumers, but they are amplified in the digital content markets. Moreover, particular attention is paid to the complex relationship between copyright law and consumer law. This paper explores the extent to which consumer (contract) law is fit to address the problems faced by digital consumers wishing to enjoy the benefits of digital content and examines whether the on-going initiatives at national and European level are likely to provide relief. Finally, recommendations for improvement are put forward in cases where the analysis shows that the problems identified are not or are insufficiently solved by these initiatives

Применение оксидно-рутениевых титановых анодов, модифицированных сурьмой для очистки воды

Rationale: Unlike conventional dendritic cells, plasmacytoid DCs (PDC) are poor in antigen presentation and critical for type 1 interferon response. Though proposed to be present in human atherosclerotic lesions, their role in atherosclerosis remains elusive. Objective: To investigate the role of PDC in atherosclerosis. Methods and Results: We show that PDC are scarcely present in human atherosclerotic lesions and almost absent in mouse plaques. Surprisingly, PDC depletion by 120G8 mAb administration was seen to promote plaque T-cell accumulation and exacerbate lesion development and progression in LDLr(-/-) mice. PDC depletion was accompanied by increased CD4(+) T-cell proliferation, interferon-gamma expression by splenic T cells, and plasma interferon-gamma levels. Lymphoid tissue PDC from atherosclerotic mice showed increased indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) expression and IDO blockage abrogated the PDC suppressive effect on T-cell proliferation. Conclusions: Our data reveal a protective role for PDC in atherosclerosis, possibly by dampening T-cell proliferation and activity in peripheral lymphoid tissue, rendering PDC an interesting target for future therapeutic interventions. (Circ Res. 2011;109:1387-1395.

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns