Three-phase characterization of uniaxially stretched linear low density polyethylene

This study comprises a detailed morphological study of cold-drawn polyethylene monofilaments by Raman spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray measurements. The structure of the three-phase morphology of the linear low density polyethylene monofilaments was investigated by combining these measurements. It was found that the most important structure variation was found in the intermediate or rigid amorphous phase, whereby the amounts of crystalline and amorphous phases were nearly constant and almost independent of the cold draw ratio. The intermediate third phase contains gauche and trans molecules and the amount of trans molecules was increased with the cold draw ratio and was directly related to this 2 cold draw ratio. The resulted mechanical properties of the oriented monofilaments are related to the amount of the trans content in the third phase, a result of the transformation of the gauche molecules into trans molecules due to the cold drawing of the monofilaments. It was found that the two peaks in the Raman spectra, respectively at 1303 and 1295 cm-1, can be correlated to the amount of gauche and trans molecules in the polyethylene monofilaments. A good and new insight into the three phase morphology was obtained by combining the DSC and X-ray measurements with the amounts of trans and gauche molecules from the Raman spectra analysis

The right to social security in the Belgian Constitution

The paper discusses the right to social security in the Belgian Constitution and its relation to the different social security reforms due to the recent economic crisis. The main research question is the following: "Can the right to social security in the Belgian Constitution be used as a real instrument to prevent social regress and as a stop for the roll-back of social expenses in times of crisis?

Promišljanja o radu na daljinu u kontekstu koordinacije sustava socijalne sigurnosti

Telework has become prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has changed the way we look at work. However, the current EU rules for social security coordination were not designed to accommodate telework, with the lex loci laboris principle being understood in practical terms. During the pandemic, the European Commission initially suspended the coordination regulation rules to prevent sudden changes for workers, which caused unintended consequences and potential discrimination against intra-community migrants. To address these issues, options include changing the legal text of the coordination regulation, reinterpreting coordination rules, or concluding bilateral or multilateral agreements. Failure to take action could lead to continued discrimination by companies. In this regard, if no legislative action is taken, at least a common approach within the context of the Administrative Commission should be envisaged to ensure uniformity at the European level. The recent developments within the context of the Administrative Commission at least seem to go in that direction.Rad na daljinu postao je prevladavajući način obavljanja rada tijekom trajanja pandemije bolesti COVID-19, zbog čega se promijenio i način na koji promišljamo o radu. Ipak, postojeća pravila EU-a o koordinaciji sustava socijalne sigurnosti nisu osmišljena na način da se u njih uklopi koncept rada na daljinu, s praktičnim shvaćanjem načela lex loci laboris. Tijekom pandemije Europska komisija je inicijalno suspendirala pravila o koordinaciji sustava socijalne sigurnosti kako bi se spriječile iznenadne promjene za radnike, što je dovelo do neželjenih posljedica i potencijalne diskriminacije radnika koji se kreću unutar Europske unije. Suočavanje s navedenim problemima uključuje nekoliko mogućnosti: izmjenu pravila o koordinaciji sustava socijalne sigurnosti, drukčije tumačenje postojećih pravila ili sklapanje bilateralnih odnosno multilateralnih ugovora. Nedjelovanje u tom smislu moglo bi dovesti do kontinuirane diskriminacije od strane trgovačkih društava (poslodavaca). Ako se ne poduzmu nikakve pravne mjere, trebalo bi barem predvidjeti zajednički pristup u okviru Administrativne komisije za koordinaciju sustava socijalne sigurnosti, a kako bi se osigurala ujednačenost na razini Europske unije. Čini se da nedavni razvoj u okviru Administrativne komisije ide u tom smjeru

The changing concept of work:When does typical work become atypical

In most countries, a standard (or core) model of employment relationship (i.e. full-time work under an open-ended employment contract) typically receives the greatest labour and social security protection, with divergent work arrangements receiving less protection in correlation to the magnitude of the differences between the former and the latter. However, recent developments concerning non-standard forms of work may question this dynamic. In this article, we examine the nature and current evolution of the standard employment relationship, then analyse how other forms of work deviate from this standard. In order to do so, we draw on the conclusions of the numerous studies recently published by scholars and international organisations in the wake of the growing public debate on the ‘new world of work’. Afterwards, we analyse the situation of non-standard workers under certain social security systems, in order to determine how those systems have approached the divergent character of these forms of work. This leads us to identify the main challenges that social security systems experience when faced with non-standard forms of work. The article concludes by addressing the need to adapt the basic principles of social security to the atypical features of non-standard work

Novel dressing materials accelerating wound healing made from dibutyrylchitin

Dibutyrylchitin (DBC), a soluble chitin derivative, is a polymer with confirmed biological properties. DBC was obtained in the reaction of shrimp chitin with butyric anhydride, carried out under heterogeneous condition, in which perchloric acid was used as a catalyst of reaction. Production of DBC batches was carried out on a half - technical scale line. If DBC parties were examined by infrared spectrometry, size exclusion chromatography and viscometry. DBC with molar mass of 132 x 10(3) daltons was used for the manufacturing of DBC fibres and DBC non-woven materials. DBC non-woven fabrics after gamma-sterilisation were applied to a group of nine patients with different indications. DBC dressing materials were used exluding the use of other medical products. Satisfactory results of wound healing were achieved in most cases, especially in cases of burn wounds and postoperative/posttraumatic wounds and various other conditions causing skin/epidermis loss

Fighting social exclusion under the Europe 2020 strategy: which legal nature for social inclusion recommendations?

In this paper, we take a closer look at the promotion of social inclusion in the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy, in particular the legal consequences of the incorporation of the social inclusion guidelines under the European Semester. Since the employment guidelines under the Europe 2020 strategy are now connected in a structural way to the economic guidelines, we first look at the monitoring procedures that accompany the implementation of these economic guidelines. Furthermore, we test the potential legal consequences of the integrated approach by unravelling (the formulation of) the social inclusion-related Country Specific Recommendations, and look at to what extent they answer to the economic, employment or social inclusion objectives. The first legal consequence relates to the question of whether and to what extent the harder sanctioning tools, which have been developed for controlling the EU’s economic-oriented Country Specific Recommendations, can be similarly applied to the guidelines relating to social inclusion (such as the application of sanctions in cases when the recommendations are not followed by states). In our opinion, there is a spillover effect only in relation to social inclusion recommendations that have sufficient economic or budgetary relevance (‘social inclusion recommendations of the negative kind’, supporting economic or budgetary goals). In other words, social inclusion recommendations that support only social objectives (or only employment objectives) do not enjoy the stronger legal effects of the integrated monitoring approach. From analysing the concrete Country Specific Recommendations, we demonstrate that the incorporation of social inclusion into the employment guidelines has two additional consequences. On the one hand, social inclusion recommendations are nowadays formulated mainly in terms of employment objectives. On the other hand, the link with social inclusion also has implications for recommendations in the field of employment and economy that should not be to the detriment of social inclusion

Social security coordination and non-standard forms of (self-)employment

status: publishe

EU social security law:The hidden social model

status: publishe

Social security coordination and non-standard forms of (self-)employment

status: publishe