A Model of Academic Journal Quality with Applications to Open-Access Journals

Previous research modeled academic journals as platforms connecting authors with readers in a two-sided market. This research used the same basic framework also used to study telephony, credit cards, video game consoles, etc. In this paper, we focus on a key difference between the market for academic journals and these other markets: journals vary in terms of quality, where a journal's quality determined by the quality of the papers it publishes. We provide a simple model of journal quality. As an illustration of the value of the model, we use it to address issues that have arisen in the recent debate concerning whether, in the Internet age, journals should become 'open access' (freely available to readers, financed by author rather than subscriber fees). Among other issues, we examine (a) whether open-access journals would tend to publish more articles than traditional journals, moving further down the quality spectrum in order to boost revenue; (b) whether journal quality affects the profitability of adopting open access; and (c) whether submission fees or acceptance fees are better instruments to extract surplus from authors

Simple method for real-time seismic damage assessment of bridges

Seismic damage of bridges may pose a severe threat to motorway users, and preventive closure until post-seismic inspection may be viewed as the only safe option. However, such a measure may incur pronounced losses by obstructing transportation of rescue teams. On the other hand, allowing traffic on earthquake-damaged bridges is a difficult decision with potentially dire consequences. Hence, the main dilemma for the motorway administrator is whether to interrupt the operation of the network, calling for timely development and implementation of a RApid REsponse (RARE) system. The development of such a RARE system requires an effective means to estimate the seismic damage of motorway structures in real time. This paper contributes towards such a direction by introducing a simple method for real time seismic damage assessment of motorway bridges. The proposed method requires nonlinear dynamic time history analyses using multiple seismic records as seismic excitation. Based on the results of the analyses, statistical models are estimated, and nonlinear regression equations are developed to express seismic damage as a function of statistically significant intensity measures (IMs). Such equations are easily programmable and can be employed for real-time damage assessment, as part of an online expert system. In the event of an earthquake, the nearest seismic motion(s), recorded by an online accelerograph network, will be used in real time to estimate the damage state of motorway structures, employing the developed equations. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated using a single bridge pier as an illustrative example. Based on finite element (FE) analysis results, three nonlinear regression models are estimated correlating three damage indices (DIs) with statistically significantly IMs.</p

Domestic Drones: Technical and Policy Issues

https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1003/thumbnail.jp

Growing Washington\u27s Clean Energy Economy: A Report to the Washington State Legislature

Clean energy technologies have begun to transform the national economy. Growth in this sector is expected to be as high as four-fold, generating more than $2 trillion per year by 2020. Washington State has historically been a leader in the field by pursuing low-carbon energy policies, such as renewable portfolio standards and green building codes. But as competition increases, Washington needs to continue to improve to stay on top. Increasing investment in distributed generation, energy efficiency, and conservation has been identified as the future for Washington State by the Legislature, two Governors (both Gregoire and Inslee), the Washington Department of Commerce, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, and the people themselves (in passing I-937, the Energy Independence Act). To this chorus of supporting voices, we add our own. Investments in clean energy technologies promotes energy independence, creates clean tech jobs, safeguards our natural resources, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, protects against environmental degradation, and maintains low energy costs throughout the state. Consequently, the State should consider all manner of policies to support these investments. We have identified several policy and technical barriers to developing Washington State’s clean energy economy. The following is a series of recommendations on eight policy areas that are critical to this issue: Distributed generation Energy efficient buildings Cogeneration Increasing affordability Net Metering Plug-in electric vehicles Amendments to the EIA Decouplinghttps://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1010/thumbnail.jp

Growing Washington\u27s Clean Energy Economy

Clean energy technologies have begun to transform the national economy. Growth in this sector is expected to be as high as four-­‐fold, generating more than $2 trillion per year by 2020. Washington State has historically been a leader in the field by pursuing low-­‐carbon energy policies, such as renewable portfolio standards and green building codes. But as competition increases, Washington needs to continue to improve to stay on top. This report presents a package of proposals that address policy and technical barriers to developing Washington State’s clean energy economy.https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1013/thumbnail.jp

Broadband and Economic Development

Technology is essential for economic growth and job creation. Ensuring Washington has 21st century digital infrastructure, such as high-speed broadband Internet access, fourth-generation (4G) wireless networks, new healthcare information technology and a modernized electrical grid, is critical to the long-term prosperity and competitiveness of our state. The Internet is a global platform for communication, commerce and individual expression, and now promises to support breakthroughs in important national priorities such as healthcare, education and energy. Additionally, the Internet and information technology can be applied to make government more effective, transparent and accessible to all Americans. For Washington, improvement of broadband access will open up ways for our state’s innovators and entrepreneurs to reassert and extend national and global leadership. It will unlock doors of opportunity long closed by geography, income, and race. It can enable education beyond the classroom, healthcare beyond the clinic, and participation beyond the town square. Directed to the Washington State Legislature, Technology and Economic Development Committee and the Uniform Law Commission.https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1014/thumbnail.jp

Autonomous Vehicle Law Report and Recommendations to the ULC Based on Existing State AV Laws, the ULC\u27s Final Report, and Our Own Conclusions about What Constitutes a Complete Law

This report was created by the University of Washington’s Technology Law and Policy Clinic for the Uniform Law Commission (ULC). It was created at the request of Robert Lloyd, Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee and a member of the ULC’s subcommittee for autonomous vehicles. The report aims to do three things: (1) present the existing autonomous vehicle provisions on the books in California, Michigan, Florida, Nevada, and Washington, D.C.; (2) analyze these provisions, address related questions raised in the ULC’s Final Report, and make recommendations to the ULC; and (3) offer draft provision language to illustrate our recommendations. Our analysis sometimes favors select state provisions that we think get it right and sometimes creatively suggests provisions that no state has adopted. Professor Lloyd asked us to be forward-looking and creative in our thinking, particularly as it relates to provisions surrounding the deployment, sale, and consumer-operation of autonomous vehicles (relatively uncharted territory). This report reflects this charge, while attempting to firmly ground itself in the wisdom of existing state provisions and surrounding scholarship. The report starts by addressing definitional provisions, moves to provisions related to the testing and certification of autonomous vehicles, and concludes with provisions covering deployed and salable autonomous vehicles.https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/techclinic/1008/thumbnail.jp

GW Extremism Tracker: The Proud Boys

105 Proud Boy federal cases. Our quarterly roundup and summary of the ongoing legal cases facing Proud Boy members. Pdf includes links to their court records for the research community and the public