Are Online Business Transactions Executed by Electronic Signatures Legally Binding?

Most of us believe that we make contracts over the Internet all the time. We buy books and computers, arrange for hotels and planes, trade stocks, and apply for mortgages. But as recently as seven months ago that transaction was most likely not legally binding. This uncertainty led many practitioners, businesspeople, and consumers to question the efficacy of contracts executed by electronic signatures. Without a uniform standard, many jurisdictions ruled inconsistently, while other jurisdictions did not consider the issue. This disparate treatment threatened the legitimacy of online agreements and deprived both consumers and businesses of the certainty and predictability expected from well-developed markets. The law\u27s formalities evolved outside of the digital world, and the process of adapting them to it has proven to be more difficult than expected. In June of 2000, Congress attempted to solve this problem with the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (E-Sign)

Flow Characteristics of Arced Labyrinth Weirs

The need to accommodate larger reservoir discharge events has prompted the improvement or replacement of existing spillways. One possible spillway modification is the use of an in-reservoir arced labyrinth weir in place of a linear weir. Arced labyrinth weirs can increase crest length (more cycles) and have improved hydraulic efficiency in non-channelized approach flow applications, compared to traditional labyrinth weir applications. In this study, arced labyrinth weir flow characteristics were observed for eleven different laboratory-scale model geometries at the Utah Water Research Laboratory. Rating (Cd vs. HT/P) data and observations were recorded for each configuration, and discharge efficiency was determined. Cycle efficiency, which is representative of the discharge per cycle, was also reported

Wind Charged Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle

With the emergence of electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid vehicles HVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) from a variety of automotive manufacturers, the electrical grid will need to meet new challenges in supplying the electricity required to charge these vehicles. To help supply the electricity needed by these vehicles, we compared the electricity consumption of a modified Toyota Prius (PHEV) and the output of a small residential wind turbine over the course of one year. Our research seeks to determine whether a small residential wind turbine can supply the necessary electricity demanded by the PHEV annually

The Impact of Driving Conditions on PHEV Battery Performance

The battery performance of a modified Prius with a 5 kWh plug-in battery was documented for a year to determine the impact of environmental conditions and user attributes on vehicle performance. Both fuel economy and pure electrical efficiency were compared to ambient temperature. The fuel economy has a positive relationship with ambient temperature until approximately 70˚F where the efficiency begins to drop. Electrical performance has a positive linear relationship with ambient temperature. With the emergence of electric vehicles (EVs) and PHEVs from a variety of automotive manufacturers, information on EV and PHEV performance for consumers will become more important

STORMTOOLS, Coastal Environmental Risk Index (CERI) Risk and Damage Assessment App

STORMTOOLS Coastal Environmental Risk Index (CERI) predicts the coastal flooding damage to individual structures using coastal flooding levels, including the effects of sea level rise (SLR), provided in terms of the base flood elevation (BFE), specifications of the structure of interest (type and first floor elevation) and the associated damage functions from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE), North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study (NACCS). CERI has been applied to selected coastal communities in Rhode Island, including those in Narragansett Bay and along the southern Rhode Island shoreline. Users can access the results of CERI via ArcGIS online at the CERI website. The objective of this effort was to develop, test, distribute, and evaluate a mobile phone application (App) that allows the user to assess the risk from coastal flooding and the associated damage at the individual structure level using the CERI methodology. The App is publicly available and has been developed for both iOS and Android operating systems. Environmental data to support the App, in terms of 100 y flood BFE maps, including the effects of SLR and the selected site grade elevation, are provided in the application by the URI Environmental Data Center (EDC). The user enters the location and type of the structure of interest (residential number of stories, with or without basement, pile supported or commercial building and the first-floor elevation (FFE)) and the desired SLR. The App then calculates the percent structural damage based on the specified environmental conditions and structure specifications. The App can be applied to any structure at any coastal location within the state. The CERI App development project has been guided by an Advisory Board made up of key constituents involved in coastal management and development in the state. The effort included extensive testing of the App by various user groups. The App structure makes it simple and straightforward to transfer to coastal and inland flooded areas in other locations, requiring only the specification of BFEs and grade elevations

Analyzing Sea-Level Change on the East Coast with Spatiotemporally Correlated Data

Increasing rates in sea-level rise imply drastic consequences for U.S. coastal populations, infrastructure, ecological systems, and natural resources in the coming decades. These direct impacts will lead to negative repercussions in public health, biodiversity, tourism, and other aspects of the global economy. Using hourly tide readings from the past 30 years at 38 gauges along the east coast, we wish to develop a model that will allow us to analyze the trends in this type of data and to accurately and precisely predict sea-level change along the east coast. The model developed is an iterative generalized additive model that will use spatial and temporal dependence between gauges and across time, allowing us to predict sea-level change all along the east coast, not only at the stations for which we have data. Here, the methodology and components of our current model will be discussed as well as an overview of results. We will also address the model\u27s shortcomings and the work that is currently being done to improve the accuracy and efficiency of its predictions

The politics of innovation: why innovations need a godfather

Innovation is closely linked to the development of technology. Hence it is often assumed that when an innovation fails it is the technology that is at fault. While this may be true in many instances, there are occasions when it is not the technology that is at fault, rather, it is managerial and organisational aspects that cause problems and lead to failure. Studies have shown that individuals who take on specific roles can play an important part in avoiding these problems. These roles include the technological gatekeeper, the product champion and the sponsor/coach. In addition to these roles, this paper argues that there is another, namely that of godfather. With this role a highly respected, senior figure within an organisation provides support that is critical in ensuring the project overcomes the hurdles that lie in the path of any major new development. The nature of the godfather role is explored through three case studies. These provide examples of the role and show how it can facilitate the innovation process