Disability activism and the politics of scale

In this paper, we examine the role of spatial scale in mediating and shaping political struggles between disabled people and the state. Specifically, we draw on recent theoretical developments concerning the social construction of spatial scale to interpret two case studies of disability activism within Canada and Ireland. In particular, we provide an analysis of how successful the disability movement in each locale has been at 'jumping scale' and enacting change, as well as examining what the consequences of such scaling-up have been for the movement itself. We demonstrate that the political structures operating in each country markedly affect the scaled nature of disability issues and the effectiveness of political mobilization at different scales

WTC's design cut death toll

NRC publication: N

Spin generation during an oblique impact of a compliant ball on a non-compliant surface

Oblique impacts between a ball and surface are a key part of many sports. Previous work has shown that a ball can slide, over-spin or roll at the end of an impact, depending on impact conditions. Inbound spin ratio was analysed to determine if it could be used to identify what is likely to happen at the end of impact for all sports regardless of surface, ball type, impact velocity, angle and spin. A predictive model, in the form of a finite element model, of a tennis ball was validated against experimental data for oblique impacts with inbound spin ratios in the range of –1 to 1. Spin ratio is defined as the product of the ball’s angular velocity and radius divided by the centre of mass velocity tangential to the surface. The finite element model was then used to determine the effect of impact conditions and ball parameters on outbound spin ratio. The study showed that for constant inbound spin ratio, outbound spin ratio was dependent on inbound velocity and angle. For constant inbound velocity and angle, decreasing the mass and increasing the stiffness of the ball through a change in material properties resulted in an increase in the maximum outbound spin ratio. Inbound spin ratio can be used to predict how a ball will rebound from a surface; however, inbound velocity and angle must be constant. Spin ratio can therefore be used to compare the impact characteristics for different ball and surface scenarios

NAFTA and Cross-Border Relations in Niagara, Detroit, and Vancouver

International audienceFirst, does free trade, and particularly economicintegration, lead to a process of functional interdependency and to cross-border linkages inNorth America? Second, do politics and institutions mediate this process? Specifically, howdoes the intergovernmental network linking local, regional, provincial/state, and federal institutionsmediate this process and impact local level initiatives? To investigate these questions, this work focuses on cross-border relations in three metropolitanborder areas: the Canadian-American border regions of Niagara-Niagara, Windsor-Detroit, and Vancouver-Seattle. This study takes a Canadian perspective and thus primarilyfocuses on Canada, Ontario, and British Columbia, and on Niagara, Windsor, and Vancouverand their border regions. The findings presented in this paper suggest that economic integrationmay lead to cross-border institution building when borderland communities also share the samevalue system