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The purpose of this paper was to comprehensively understand the effects of imidization process on the structure and properties of polyimide (PI) films through the preparation and characterization of a variety of PI/aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) nanocomposite films by using several imidization-based strategies.

Poly(amic acid) (PAA) containing different amounts of inorganic materials (namely, 0 Wt.%, 4 Wt.%, 8 Wt.%, 12 Wt.% and 16 Wt.%) was synthesized by using pyromellitic dianhydride and 4,4-diaminodiphenyl ether as raw material and N,N-dimethylacetamide as solvent. Subsequently, the solution obtained was casted on a glass substrate and dried by the means of various curing processes. The micro-structure, Fourier transform–infrared spectral features, breakdown field strength, dielectric properties and the corona-resistant time parameters of films were achieved.

The imidization process influences substantially the properties of composite films. Therefore, as the imidization rate is increased, the corona-resistant time and the electrical breakdown strength of composite films are also improved, while the dielectric constant faces a+ decreasing.

In this paper, the impact of imidization process on the performance of PI/nano-Al₂O₃ three-layered composite film is reported. However, there are multiple factors governing these systems (such as, interlayer thickness ratio and humidity), which are not discussed herein.

The current study expounds the relationship between imidization ratios as well as the effect of imidization ratio on the performance of the film.

This essay will consider three theories developed by international law scholars to analyze the international legal terrain and the strengths of each as well as issues it fails to address sufficiently in the dimensions of power, meaning, and social relationships: bottom-up lawmaking; transnational legal processes; and global legal pluralism. The idea of bottom-up lawmaking, already discussed, has the strength of beginning from the everyday practices by which problems are solved that lead eventually to the creation of a body of law. However, the phrase bottom-up suggests that this is a grassroots movement, while it is typically cosmopolitan elites who generate the informal rules that become established over time. Explicit attention to the power relationships underlying this process would help to clarify what “bottom-up” means. As Judith Resnick points out, the terms “soft law” and “hard law” are themselves problematic, incorporating gender ideologies and suggesting that some international laws are enforced firmly, which is rarely the case in practice (personal communication).

This chapter examines changes in the kinds of American legal issues that have attracted international attention since the end of the Cold War and looks at the extent to which they have resulted in higher levels or new forms of foreign participation and interest in Supreme Court cases. Suggesting that these changes may have an impact, at least indirectly, on the Court in ways not adequately explored in the existing literature, it considers their possible effects on its decisions and the way that the justices consider their role within increasingly globalized legal networks.

This article looks at the relationship between human rights law and geography. Drawing from a meeting of the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC), the article explores how the right to life was legally interpreted to apply to the loss of life associated with Hurricane Katrina. In particular, the article argues that the HRC’s legal interpretation of the right to life shifted as part of a discussion between the United States and nongovernmental organizations. The shift incorporated a more nuanced understanding of the spatial dimension of injustice by including preexisting inequalities and ongoing internal displacement in the analysis of human rights obligations related to the hurricane. The HRC meeting and the legal interpretations arising from that meeting therefore provide an example of Seyla Benhabib’s concept of “democratic iterations” as well as an example of how law can be “spatialized” through international legal processes.

The purpose of this paper is to examine privacy rights and the relationship between those rights and business and government interests in data collected from individuals.

This paper approaches legal issues from the perspective of the consumer or citizen.

While conducting research for this paper, it was found that the issues facing the citizenry on privacy protection have been addressed extensively in the not too distant past. The distinguishing characteristic is the speed with which data can be collected and disseminated and the infinitely more vast amount of personal data being collected not only by the government and businesses with whom consumers conduct transactions, but also by independent data brokers.

Privacy rights are ephemeral and difficult to measure. Businesses, therefore, appear to have difficulty determining the value of protecting consumers' privacy. Additionally, governments from which citizens derive many social services accumulate substantial personal information given in exchange for those services. Businesses and governments are increasingly negligent in protecting the data collected on individuals, which has been revealed by a series of reported data breaches, disclosures, thefts, and surveillance activities. This paper addresses the inherent value in protecting the privacy interests of individuals and proposes that more robust privacy laws, derived from established tort law, be developed and used by concerned persons.