Defining a right of reply: An examination of the Law Commission's proposals to use a right of reply to regulate online conduct

<p>This paper examines the Law Commission’s proposals to use a right of reply as a remedy within a new regime to combat harmful digital communications on the Internet in its Ministerial Briefing Paper, Harmful Digital Communications: The Adequacy of Current Sanctions and Remedies. It seeks to determine whether a right of reply is a suitable tool to use in an online context against ordinary citizens, when it has typically been an offline remedy for use against the media. It also considers the best form for a right of reply under this new regulatory regime, in order for it to constitute a proportional limit on a defendant’s right to freedom of expression. It concludes that a right of reply could be a suitable remedy under the regime, and it could constitute a proportional limit on a defendant’s freedom of expression, but a Court should carefully balance the harms a right of reply might pose against the values of free speech implicated in each circumstance, on a case-by-case basis, in order to ensure the limitations a right of reply might pose on freedom of expression are always proportional and justified.</p>

Defining a right of reply: An examination of the Law Commission's proposals to use a right of reply to regulate online conduct

<p>This paper examines the Law Commission’s proposals to use a right of reply as a remedy within a new regime to combat harmful digital communications on the Internet in its Ministerial Briefing Paper, Harmful Digital Communications: The Adequacy of Current Sanctions and Remedies. It seeks to determine whether a right of reply is a suitable tool to use in an online context against ordinary citizens, when it has typically been an offline remedy for use against the media. It also considers the best form for a right of reply under this new regulatory regime, in order for it to constitute a proportional limit on a defendant’s right to freedom of expression. It concludes that a right of reply could be a suitable remedy under the regime, and it could constitute a proportional limit on a defendant’s freedom of expression, but a Court should carefully balance the harms a right of reply might pose against the values of free speech implicated in each circumstance, on a case-by-case basis, in order to ensure the limitations a right of reply might pose on freedom of expression are always proportional and justified.</p>

Analysis of Bearing Strength of Post-Tensioning Anchorage Zone with Respect to Relative Bearing Area and Lateral Confinement Design

This study aimed to evaluate the bearing strength of the post-tensioning anchorage zone with respect to the relative bearing area and lateral confinement design of spiral and stirrup rebars. Eleven specimens were fabricated and tested to fracture in accordance with EAD 160004-00-0301. Load-displacement curves and fracture modes were analyzed. Then, the conventional design equation for the bearing strength and previous findings on the relative bearing area was re-investigated in comparison with the test results. From the test, the representative findings are as follows: (1) A specimen with relatively small size and less lateral reinforcement is more likely to be affected by the wedge action of the anchorage device; however, a larger specimen is affected by both concrete crushing and/or spalling; (2) The behavior of the anchorage zone is markedly affected by the local behavior near the anchorage bearing plate, and the sectional efficiency is mostly determined by A/Ag; (3) For specimens with A/Ag = 9.52, the proportional limit of the load-displacement curve is determined by the yield of spiral rebar or fracture of the bearing plate, but the later part of the curve is determined by lateral confinement; (4) The maximum A/Ag that could produce 100% sectional efficiency is about 2.0 for the anchorage bearing plate used in the test; (5) For a fully confined specimen with a small-diameter spiral for minimum anchorage spacing, the stirrup rebar design mainly influences crack occurrence and patterns when the size of the specimen is equal to the minimum anchorage spacing; however, the area of the load-displacement curve after the proportional limit as well as crack occurrence and patterns are also influenced by stirrup rebar design when A/Ag is relatively large; (6) Finally, a revised design model is proposed to effectively estimate the ultimate bearing strength of the post-tensioning anchorage zone without respect to A/Ag. From the comparison of the design equations, it was concluded that the proposed equation provides a more reliable prediction with a 14.0% average error rate and 5.7% standard deviation of error rate.

The Effect of Multipoles on the Elasto-Plastic Properties of a Crystal: Theory and 3D Dislocation Dynamics Modeling

Plastic deformation in metals is dominated by the interactions among dislocations and other defects inside the crystal. A large number of dislocation multipoles (dipoles, tripoles, quadrupoles, etc.) can form during plastic deformation. Depending on the relative position and the orientation of the dislocations, interactions in and between multipoles can change the elastoplastic properties of a material. The authors of this article investigate the effect of dislocation multipoles on the elastoplastic properties of a material. This is performed under different multipole configurations (i.e. the distance between active glide planes and the signs of the dislocations) using a 3D Discrete Dislocation Dynamics (DDD) code. The simulations show that multipoles exhibit a hardening/softening effect when the sign of the dislocations involved is the same, and a hardening effect only when the dislocations are of opposite sign to nearby ones. The distance between the two neighboring dislocations was also affecting the proportional limit for the material. Such hardening or flow stress results, as in this study, can be incorporated into larger-scale modeling work.

Probability Assessment of the Mechanical and Low-Cycle Properties of Structural Steels and Aluminium

Key mechanical properties used in low-cycle strength and durability calculations are the strength (proportional limit stress, σpr; relative yield strength, σ0.2; and ultimate tensile stress, σu) and strain properties (proportional limit strain, epr; percent area reduction, ψ; and percent area reduction at failure, ψu). When selecting the key mechanical properties provided in the specifications, an error may be made due to the failure to account for a series of random factors that determine the distribution of properties. The majority of research papers dealing with statistical descriptions of the low-cycle strain properties do not look deeper into the distribution of mechanical properties and the diagram parameters of strain characteristics. This paper provides a description of the distribution patterns of mechanical properties, statistical parameters, and low-cycle fatigue curves. Log-normal distribution generated the lowest values for the coefficient of variation of one of the key statistical indicators, suggesting that log-normal distribution is superior to normal or Weibull distribution in this respect. The distribution of low-cycle strain parameters exceeded the distribution of mechanical properties considerably. Minimum coefficients of variation of the parameters were generated at normal distribution. The statistical analysis showed the lower distribution of the durability parameters compared to the distribution of parameters of the strain diagrams. The findings of the paper enable a revision of the durability and life of the structural elements of in-service facilities subject to elastoplastic loading by assessing the distribution of mechanical characteristics and low-cycle strain parameters as well as the permissible distribution limits.

Experimental determination of the limiting flexibility of eucalyptus wood for axially compressed elements

Relevance. Wood is one of the most widely used building materials throughout history, and because of its physical-mechanical properties it mainly has been used in flexed and compressed elements. Eucalyptus was introduced to Latin America in the mid-19th century and nowadays is one of the most used woods for construction in the Andean region of Ecuador. To designing slender structural elements under axial loading engineers usually use the Euler formula, but it is applicable only if the compression stress does not exceed the proportional limit. One way to determine if the compression stress will be below the proportional limit is by comparing of the slenderness of the element with the limiting flexibility of its material which allows knowing if the buckling will occur in the elastic zone where Euler formula applies. The aim of the work - determine the magnitude of the limiting flexibility of eucalyptus, since this wood has been the subject of some investigations, however, no information about the limiting flexibility magnitude for the calculation of axially compressed elements. Methods. The laboratory tests to determine the magnitudes of the modulus of elasticity, proportional limit, admissible compression stress and limiting flexibility was carried out. Results. This experimental investigation shows that the magnitude of the limiting flexibility or so-called critical slenderness ratio for eucalyptus globulus is 59.

Tensile Properties of Natural and Synthetic Rattan Strips Used as Furniture Woven Materials

This study investigated factors on tensile properties of rattan strips commonly used as woven materials for furniture. The factors were rattan type (bast, core, synthetic), gauge length (100, 140 mm), and unit loading speed (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 mm/min/mm). Experimental results indicated that natural bast and core rattan strips, when subjected to tensile loading, behaved like synthetic rattan strips in terms of their stress-strain curves showing excessive plastic deformation. There was no significant difference in ultimate tensile strain between bast and synthetic rattan strips. Bast rattan strips had the highest ultimate tensile strength and modulus of elasticity among three materials evaluated in this study, followed by core rattan and synthetic strips. The major tensile properties of natural rattan bast strips can be influenced by their gauge length adapted to their evaluation test. Unit loading speeds, in general, had no significant effects on the major tensile properties of natural bast rattan strips but tended to significantly effect the ultimate strength of synthetic rattan strips, while less significantly for strengths at the proportional limit and yield point.

Strength and stiffness analyses of standard and double mortise and tenon joints

This paper investigated the effect of the tenon length on the strength and stiffness of the standard mortise and tenon joints, as well of the double mortise and tenon joints, that were bonded by poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and polyurethane (PU) glues. The strength was analyzed by measuring applied load and by calculating ultimate bending moment and bending moment at the proportional limit. Stiffness was evaluated by measuring displacement and by calculating the ratio of applied force and displacement along the force line. The results were compared with the data obtained by the simplified static expressions and numerical calculation of the orthotropic linear-elastic model. The results indicated that increasing tenon length increased the maximal moment and proportional moment of the both investigated joints types. The analytically calculated moments were increased more than the experimental values for both joint types, and they had generally lower values than the proportional moments for the standard tenon joints, as opposed to the double tenon joints. The Von Mises stress distribution showed characteristic zones of the maximum and increased stress values. These likewise were monitored in analytical calculations. The procedures could be successfully used to achieve approximate data of properties of loaded joints.

Beam-Column Timber Joint Connection Behavior Due to Nail and Modified-Washer Reinforcement Tests

Timber connection capacity, in case of beam-column joint connection provides significant impact on the wooden building structures. Strength and stiffness of timber connections using reinforcement technique of wooden building structures have not been studied intensively. This paper studies the use of nails and modified-washer to improve wood connection’s performance. The experimental tests were conducted in the laboratory by comparing the partial connection between test specimen timber without reinforcement (standard type) and the reinforcement (PRP type). The testing was conducted based on partial connection beam-column joint test using Universal Testing Machine’s with a modified holder. Wood studied includes Meranti (Shorea spp.) and Mersawa (Anisoptera spp.). PRP type connection was using nails and modified-washer strengthening, and standard type connection was using a classic washer. Parameters studied were strength and stiffness of the connection, reviewed both: proportional limit load and ultimate limit load conditions. Result obtained from this research indicates that the use of nails and modified-washer make a positive contribution to improving the performance of the beam- column timber joint connections, in terms of strength capacity (both of proportional limit and ultimate limit loads) and stiffness capacity (displacement ductility ratio). Meranti beam-column timber joint is more brittle than Mersawa beam column timber joint, it has an impact on the results. PRP-type of Mersawa timber connection produces a higher ductility than the standard type, while the PRP-type of Meranti timber connection produces a similar ductility to the standard type.

Investigating Polymer Fibre Optics for Condition Monitoring of Synthetic Mooring Lines

Synthetic mooring lines are becoming a popular alternative to conventional chain mooring systems. For marine renewable energy devices, they have been considered as an enabling technology for this nascent sector, given their reduced costs and ease of deployment. However, the extreme operating environment has led to an increased interest in the ‘in-situ’ condition monitoring of these mooring lines. This paper considers the use of polymer fibre optic technology and the optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) technique for the condition monitoring of synthetic mooring lines. To establish the operating envelope of the fibres, Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) polymer optical fibres are mechanically tested. Additionally, an OTDR is used to monitor fibres whilst under elongation using a tensile test machine, and the sensitivity of the system in monitoring strain is established. At the lowest strain rate, the average proportional limit and yield points of the fibres are found at 1.16% strain and 5.41% strain, respectively. Fatigue exposure of fibres up to 1.25% strain identifies no measurable effect on fibres’ proportional limit or yield point. The occurrence of significant creep is identified for fibres strained beyond 1.5%. The OTDR system is able to identify strains at and above 4%. The study identifies important criteria that should be considered in the integration of polymer optical fibres for mooring applications. Limitations are discussed and suggestions for progressing this technology are provided.