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Critical Mass (critical + mass)
Selected AbstractsCritical Mass, Deliberation and the Substantive Representation of Women: Evidence from the UK's Devolution ProgrammePOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 4 2006Paul Chaney This article provides empirical evidence to support recent assertions that the substantive representation of women depends not only on the numbers of women elected representatives in national legislatures, but also who they are. In this case study of one of the UK's devolved legislatures, analysis was undertaken of the transcripts of 327 plenary debates held during the first term of the National Assembly for Wales, where women constituted 42 percent of elected members (1999,2003). The gender dynamics of political debate around key equality topics reveal that the link between descriptive and substantive representation of women is complex. When a ,critical mass' of women is achieved the substantive representation of women is affirmed as ,probabilistic' rather than ,deterministic' for it is shaped by the institutional context, the gender dynamics of debate and, importantly, the actions of individual ,equality champions'. While women representatives exhibited a greater propensity to advance gender equality in debate than their male colleagues, the present findings also show the disproportionate influence of ,equality champions': women who are able to draw upon earlier feminist activism and act as ,strategic insiders' who make a difference to women's issues in a parliamentary context. [source] Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to AnotherTHE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN CULTURE, Issue 4 2004Marshall W. Fishwick No abstract is available for this article. [source] Does a critical mass exist?EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2002A comparative analysis of women's legislative representation since 1950 It has often been argued theoretically that a ,critical mass,' ranging from 10 to 35 per cent women, is needed before major changes in legislative institutions, behaviour, policy priorities and policy voting occurs. This paper examines one of the less-explored dimensions of the critical mass concept: Is there a process by which women reaching a critical mass of the legislature accelerates the election of further women? Using data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union and International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, we analyze this question for 20 industrialized democracies over a period of half a century, longer than any other relevant research. Descriptive results indicate that gains in women's representation have been incremental rather than a critical mass accelerating the election of women to legislatures. In a multivariate analysis of the percentage of women in the lower house of the legislature, the critical mass is tested against established explanations of women's gains in seats: institutional rules, egalitarian political culture, political parties and economic development. Of two measures of the critical mass theory, one has no impact and the second results in only a small increase in women's gains. Far from being clearly demonstrated, critical mass theories need empirical testing. [source] Aesthetics of Celebration, Tension and Memory: Nigeria Urban Art HistoryHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 5 2008Adérónké Adésolá Adésŕnyŕ This essay, among other things, addresses the question of origin of Nigerian Urban art, a genre basically found in urban spaces. It highlights the various nomenclatures by which the genre has been tagged to date and provides a robust debate on the pioneer and later urban artists in the country noting the characteristics and nuances of their art. Besides establishing the character of Nigerian urban art as compelling and significant to understanding the aesthetic sensibilities and nuances of the producer culture, issues of identity, training, authorship, patronage, social memory and social responsibility, morality and immorality and how they inform, shape and complicate the creative endeavors of urban artists are brought to the fore. In this insightful interrogation of history, people and spaces one finds the emergence of a new artistic order in which Nigerian urban artists establish and expand their own idioms, unite politics with art, engage their own audiences, cultivate their own clientele, tell their own stories and that of the society, create and endorse new identities, and increasingly expand their socioeconomic space. Their creative formats essentially transform into markets where people, products and services unite. They also serve as cultural lenses through which one gain insights into class struggle in a postcolonial society and how a critical mass of the Nigerian public interprets leadership, commerce, and culture. [source] Broadband consumer electronics networking and automationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 1 2004Th. Zahariadis Abstract Although a critical mass of households worldwide have access to the information superhighway, the broadband consumer networking and automation market is still evolving very slowly. Two reasons may be identified for this delay. The first one is related to the lack of broadband home data networks. Consumer electronics networks either do not exist at all or they are not able to support multimedia communications. The second reason is the large variety of ad hoc consortia or (un-)authorized standardization bodies that have been defining independent, in many cases non-interoperable specifications for residential networks. In this paper, we analyse and compare some of the most widely accepted, foreseen or advanced current and future broadband consumer electronics networking technologies able to support home automation and multimedia in-home appliances. Technologies and standards are categorized in three groups based on their physical medium requirements. Moreover, we discuss technologies that are independent of the lower layers, and aim to provide convergence between multiple in-home and access networks. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Transport of Mitochondria During AxonogenesisIUBMB LIFE, Issue 6 2000Vadim N. Dedov Abstract The cellular mechanisms involved in axonogenesis are still unclear. In the present work we found that formation of neurites in cultured neonatal dorsal root ganglion neurons co-incided with the redistribution of highly charged mitochondria. Radially distributed in subplasmalemmal space 3 h after plating, highly charged mitochondria formed clusters in the hillocks of predominant neurites during the next 24?48 h and then redistributed into the axons. These results provide evidence that accumulation of a critical mass of charged mitochondria at the site of the future axonal hillock may represent the slow initiation stage of axonogenesis, followed by a fast growth phase. [source] Role of Structural Complexities of Septal Tissue in Maintaining Ventricular Fibrillation in Isolated, Perfused Canine VentricleJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2001TAKANORI IKEDA M.D. Tissue Structure and VF.Introduction: It is unclear how the patterns of wavelet propagation during ventricular fibrillation (VF) vary between structurally different tissues. We hypothesized that the structural complexities of septal tissue influence the maintenance of reentrant wavelets in the ventricle. Methods and Results: Endocardial activation patterns during VF were analyzed in the isolated, perfused canine right ventricular (RV) free wall (n = 9), interventricular septum (n = 5), and left ventricular (LV) free wall (n = 6) using a computerized mapping system (2-mm resolution) with 120-msec consecutive windows. Each tissue sample was cut progressively to reduce the tissue mass until the VF was terminated. More wavelets were seen in the septa than in the RV and LV free walls at baseline (P = 0.004), and VF in the septa displayed a shorter cycle length than in the RV and LV free walls (P = 0.017). As the tissue mass decreased, VF became successively more organized in all regions: the number of wavelets decreased and the cycle length of VF lengthened. Single and "figure-of-eight" stationary, reentrant wavelets often were mapped after tissue mass reduction in the RV free walls and rarely in the LV free walls, but they were not observed in the septa. Less critical mass was required to maintain VF in the septa than in the RV and LV free walls (P = 0.0006). Gross anatomic and histologic examinations indicated that the tissue structure of the septa is more complex than that of the RV and LV free walls. Conclusion: VF activation patterns with progressive reduction of tissue mass differ for the septum and the ventricular free walls. The structural complexities of the septal tissue influence the maintenance of fibrillation in the ventricle. [source] The Evolution of the Digital Divide: How Gaps in Internet Access May Impact Electronic CommerceJOURNAL OF COMPUTER-MEDIATED COMMUNICATION, Issue 3 2000Donna L. Hoffman Enthusiasm for the anticipated social dividends of the Internet appears boundless. Indeed, the Internet is expected to do no less than virtually transform society. Yet even as the Internet races ambitiously toward critical mass, some social scientists are beginning to examine carefully the policy implications of current demographic patterns of Internet access and usage. Key demographic variables like income and education drive the policy questions surrounding the Internet because they are the most likely have a differential impact on the consequences of interactive electronic media for different segments in our society. Given these concerns, we set out to conduct a systematic investigation of the differences between whites and African Americans in the United States with respect to computer access, the primary current prerequisite for Internet access, and Web use. We wished to examine whether observed race differences in access and use can be accounted for by differences in income and education, how access influences use, and when race matters in the calculus of equal access. The particular emphasis of this research is on how such differences may be changing over time. We believe our results may be used as a window through which policymakers might view the job of ensuring access to the Internet for the next generation. [source] 182Hf- 182W chronometry and the early evolution history in the acapulcoite-lodranite parent bodyMETEORITICS & PLANETARY SCIENCE, Issue 4 2008Der-Chuen LEE Unlike the more evolved achondrites originating from differentiated asteroids,e.g., eucrites and angrites,bulk rock acapulcoites and lodranite are characterized by distinct 182W deficits relative to the terrestrial W, as well as to the undifferentiated chondrites, ,w varies from ,2.7 to ,2.4. This suggests that live- 182Hf was present during the formation of acapulcoites and lodranites, and their parent body probably had never experienced a global melting event. Due to the large uncertainties associated with the isochron for each sample, the bulk isochron that regressed through the mineral separates from all 3 samples has provided the best estimate to date for the timing of metamorphism in the acapulcoite-lodranite parent body, 5 (+6/-5) Myr after the onset of the solar system. It is thus inconclusive whether acapulcoites and lodranites have shared the same petrogenetic origin, based on the Hf-W data of this study. Nevertheless, the formation of acapulcoite-lodranite clan appears to have post-dated the metal-silicate segregation in differentiated asteroids. This can be explained by a slower accretion rate for the acapulcoite-lodranite parent body, or that it had never accreted to a critical mass that could allow the metal-silicate segregation to occur naturally. [source] A model of cloud fragmentationMONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 1 2008George B. Field ABSTRACT We present a model in which the supersonic motions observed in molecular clouds are driven by gravitational energy released as large structures fragment into smaller ones. The fragmentation process begins in large molecular clouds, and continues down to fragments of a critical mass defined as the mass at which gravitational confinement may be replaced by pressure confinement. The power laws that describe the scaling of density, mass, and number spectra of the fragments are given in terms of the observed velocity dispersion of the fragments. The results agree with observations over the range from several to about a third of a million solar masses. [source] Addressing spiritual development in youth development programs and practices: Opportunities and challengesNEW DIRECTIONS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT, Issue 118 2008Karen Pittman If strengthening children's moral and spiritual selves is the most important challenge facing youth-serving organizations in the United States today, three things are required to respond: a clear road map of where to go and how to get there, a critical mass of champions prepared to lead the way, and candid readiness assessments and strategies for individuals and organizations ready to take on this work. More clarity is needed on defining the concepts of spiritual development and spirituality, the boundaries and bridges needed between religious and secular organizations, and the activities and practices that are both effective and allowable under separation of church and state. Immediate steps to take include engaging frontline workers across sectors and identifying strategies for integrating spiritual development into youth practice. [source] People's Exit in North Korea: New Threat to Regime Stability?PACIFIC FOCUS, Issue 2 2010Kyung-Ae Park As suggested in a growing literature that securitizes the phenomenon of refugee migration and analyzes it as a national as well as a regional security issue, the growing number of North Korean border-crossers has far-reaching political implications for both North Korea and the international community. Studies have argued that refugees could contribute significantly to democratic change in their home countries by assisting and actively participating in the struggle of the domestic opposition, even sparking regime instability and eventual regime breakdown. Much of the North Korean refugee research has focused on the human rights issues faced by the refugees, but a largely unexplored area of the refugee research concerns the political consequences of the refugee flight for the current regime in Pyongyang. This article examines whether North Korean refugees are expected to play the role of political opposition in exile by raising the following four questions: (i) Are the refugees political dissidents? (ii) Are they a resourceful critical mass? (iii) Does exit always lead to regime instability? and (iv) Would China and South Korea encourage exile politics against the current North Korean regime? The article contends that the North Korean refugee community does not currently represent a critical mass that can trigger instability of the Pyongyang regime. Most of the North Korean refugees are not political dissidents, nor have they organized into any resourceful critical mass capable of generating a threat to their home country. In addition, people's exit does not necessarily destabilize the regime as it can sometimes yield a positive political effect by driving out dissidents' voices. Furthermore, several of the receiving countries, in particular, China and South Korea, would not encourage exile dissident movements against North Korea for fear of Pyongyang's collapse. The North Korean regime's stability does not seem to be threatened by the current refugee situation, although the potential of refugees becoming a critical threat should not be discounted should people's exit ever reach the point of developing into an uncontrollable mass exodus. [source] AN EXPLORATION OF MEMBER ROLES AS A MULTILEVEL LINKING MECHANISM FOR INDIVIDUAL TRAITS AND TEAM OUTCOMESPERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2005GREG L. STEWART We use data from 220 individuals in 45 teams to examine team member roles as a cross-level linking mechanism between personality traits and team-level outcomes. At the individual level, peer ratings of task role behavior relate positively with Conscientiousness and negatively with Neuroticism and Extraversion. Peer ratings of social role behavior relate positively with Agreeableness and negatively with Openness to Experience. At the team level, a composition process of aggregation operates such that the mean for social roles corresponds with social cohesion. Compilation processes of aggregation also occur, as the variance of social roles corresponds negatively with task performance, and the variance of task roles corresponds negatively with cohesion. Skew of the distribution for social roles within each team,a measure of critical mass of members individually enacting the role,also correlates with social cohesion. [source] Tackling the paradox: can attaining global research excellence be compatible with local technology development?R & D MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2004Johan Van Helleputte This paper uses the case of the IMEC (microelectronics research centre) to examine the compatibility between strategic IPR management of large independent research centres, and regional industrial policy missions given to such centres in return for government funding. In particular, the issue of whether a balance can be found between a necessary drive for international recognition and critical mass of funding, and a policy of IPR valorization towards regional firms is examined. The first section sets out the mission of IMEC and the evolution over time of its strategic approach to building global industrial partnerships based on a sophisticated model of IPR management. Drawing on a recent evaluation, the subject of the second section is the extent to which the results of the industrial and exploratory research activities of IMEC are then commercialized in local Flemish industry. The concluding section offers policy conclusions in terms of the instruments and objectives which public policy makers can apply to maximize the local impact of large globally operating research centres. [source] Tutorials in Clinical Research: Part III.THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 5 2001Selecting a Research Approach to Best Answer a Clinical Question Abstract Objective This is the third in a series of sequential "Tutorials in Clinical Research."1,2 The objectives of this specific report are to enable the reader to rapidly dissect a clinical question or article to efficiently determine what critical mass of information is required to answer the question and what study design is likely to produce the answer. Study Design Tutorial. Methods The authors met weekly for 3 months exploring clinical problems and systematically recording the logic and procedural pathways from multiple clinical questions to the selection of proper research approaches. The basic elements required to understand the processes of selection were catalogued and field tested, and a report was produced to define and explain these elements. Results Fundamental to a research approach is the assembly of subjects and the allocation of exposures. An algorithm leading to the selection of an approach is presented. The report is organized into three parts. The tables serve as a rapid reference section. The initial two-part narrative explains the process of approach selection. The examples section illustrates the application of the selection algorithm. Conclusions Selecting the proper research approach has six steps: the question, logic and ethics, identification of variables, data display considerations, original data source considerations, and selection of prototypical approaches for assembly of subjects. Field tests of this approach consistently demonstrated its utility. [source] Negotiating Individualist and Collectivist Futures: Emerging Subjectivities and Social Forms in Papua New Guinean High SchoolsANTHROPOLOGY & EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2003Assistant Professor Peter Demerath This article explains the academic disengagement of a critical mass of high school students in Manus Province, Papua New Guinea, as resulting in part from emerging personal subjectivities and new social networks. Based on a year of ethnographic research in 1994,95, the article describes the authority these young people attributed to their own perceptions of the limited opportunity structures facing them and to the idealized village-based egalitarian student identity being circulated through peer networks. As such, it illuminates the educational implications of youth culture, and demonstrates how local and global processes are mediated through the social fields of high schools. [source] Immigrants and Equitable Health-Care Delivery in Rural AreasAUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2000Jeff Fuller ABSTRACT In response to settlement patterns in Australia, most immigrant specialist services and programs have been developed in metropolitan locations and large provincial cities. However, immigrants have also settled in smaller numbers in country locations. It is of concern, therefore, to consider how responsive and equitable health-care services can be delivered in country regions when immigrants do not reach the critical mass that would warrant the development of specialist services. This paper draws on a consultation conducted in South Australia to propose a way forward in linking country health services with local immigrant communities and immigrant specialist services in cities. [source] Infinite time aggregation for the critical Patlak-Keller-Segel model in ,2COMMUNICATIONS ON PURE & APPLIED MATHEMATICS, Issue 10 2008Adrien Blanchet We analyze the two-dimensional parabolic-elliptic Patlak-Keller-Segel model in the whole Euclidean space ,2. Under the hypotheses of integrable initial data with finite second moment and entropy, we first show local-in-time existence for any mass of "free-energy solutions," namely weak solutions with some free-energy estimates. We also prove that the solution exists as long as the entropy is controlled from above. The main result of the paper is to show the global existence of free-energy solutions with initial data as before for the critical mass 8,/,. Actually, we prove that solutions blow up as a delta Dirac at the center of mass when t , , when their second moment is kept constant at any time. Furthermore, all moments larger than 2 blowup as t , , if initially bounded. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Critical Mass, Deliberation and the Substantive Representation of Women: Evidence from the UK's Devolution ProgrammePOLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 4 2006Paul Chaney This article provides empirical evidence to support recent assertions that the substantive representation of women depends not only on the numbers of women elected representatives in national legislatures, but also who they are. In this case study of one of the UK's devolved legislatures, analysis was undertaken of the transcripts of 327 plenary debates held during the first term of the National Assembly for Wales, where women constituted 42 percent of elected members (1999,2003). The gender dynamics of political debate around key equality topics reveal that the link between descriptive and substantive representation of women is complex. When a ,critical mass' of women is achieved the substantive representation of women is affirmed as ,probabilistic' rather than ,deterministic' for it is shaped by the institutional context, the gender dynamics of debate and, importantly, the actions of individual ,equality champions'. While women representatives exhibited a greater propensity to advance gender equality in debate than their male colleagues, the present findings also show the disproportionate influence of ,equality champions': women who are able to draw upon earlier feminist activism and act as ,strategic insiders' who make a difference to women's issues in a parliamentary context. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||