Quench Crucibles Reinforced with Metal

Improved crucibles consisting mainly of metal-reinforced ceramic ampules have been developed for use in experiments in which material specimens are heated in the crucibles to various high temperatures, then quenched by, for example, plunging the crucibles into water at room temperature. In a traditional quench crucible, the gap between the ampule and the metal cartridge impedes the transfer of heat to such a degree that the quench rate (the rate of cooling of the specimen) can be too low to produce the desired effect in the specimen. One can increase the quench rate by eliminating the metal cartridge to enable direct quenching of the ampule, but then the thermal shock of direct quenching causes cracking of the ampule. In a quench crucible of the present improved type, there is no gap and no metal cartridge in the traditional sense. Instead, there is an overlay of metal in direct contact with the ampule, as shown on the right side of the figure. Because there is no gap between the metal overlay and the ampule, the heat-transfer rate can be much greater than it is in a traditional quench crucible. The metal overlay also reinforces the ampule against cracking

Unruly Narratives: Discovering the Active Self

In this paper, we will discuss the findings from research which explores the biographical experience of adults who have been involved in activism1 across their lifetime. The age range of those involved extended from early twenties to late seventies. The material is drawn from nineteen in-depth interviews that illuminate how disparate experiences of activism over time acquire continuity and coherence within a reflective narrative which builds and communicates a mature self-identity. Sociological research on social movement activism has followed a trajectory which echoes the wider shifts in the discipline. Early research on social movements tended to focus on the evaluation of the ‘effectiveness’ of particular campaigns (for example, McCarthy and Zald, 1977). More recently, research has followed theoretical interests in the cultural struggle for meaning and the social relations and identities which have emerged from activism (see Melucci, 1989; 1996; Touraine, 1995). While this has instigated research that focuses on social innovation and social networks, research still tends to be based on specific campaigning moments and social constellations. Key aspects of theoretical models of contemporary activism – that activism is about critical reflection and social identity, and that the ‘effects’ of movements are not limited to specific campaigns but create radical actors and ideas that ripple out into society, what Melucci (1996) terms latency – are still relatively under-examined. The aim of this project is to contribute to such critical examination, and to throw light on the shifting subjective significance of being active over time, through periods of activism over the lifecourse and transitions between campaigning issues and styles

Agency and Adaptiveness: Navigating Change and Transformation : Agency in Earth System Governance

− ESG–Agency scholarship reveals that diverse forms of agency are crucial to cultivating adaptiveness of governance systems within complex and changing contexts. − ESG–Agency scholars are well-positioned to apply extensive insights to major emerging questions in the social sciences about adaptiveness and renewal of political and governance systems across many spheres of society. − Greater focus is required concerning the effects of agency on adaptiveness of environmental governance systems in several ways: materially, normatively, and temporally

How to Evaluate Agents and Agency : Agency in Earth System Governance

− ESG–Agency scholars have embraced the notion that agent influence is complex, contingent, and context dependent, with the success of environmental governance depending considerably on propitious environmental and social conditions. − Scholars have shifted from an earlier focus on how agents influence behaviours and environmental quality in earth system governance to how they influence governance processes, with increasing focus on democracy, participation, legitimacy, transparency, and accountability. − ESG–Agency scholars employ increasingly diverse methods to integrate insights from case studies, interviews, surveys, statistical analyses, and other approaches leading to deeper and more nuanced understanding of agency in earth system governance. − Adopting more interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches to evaluating agency can foster future understandings of and contributions to earth system governance

Introduction: Agency in Earth System Governance : Agency in Earth System Governance

− Agency is one of five core analytical problems in the Earth System Governance (ESG) Project’s research framework, which offers a unique approach to the study of environmental governance. − Agency in Earth System Governance draws lessons from ESG–Agency research through a systematic review of 322 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2008 and 2016 and contained in the ESG–Agency Harvesting Database.− ESG–Agency research draws on diverse disciplinary perspectives with distinct clusters of scholars rooted in the fields of global environmental politics, policy studies, and socio-ecological systems. − Collectively, the chapters in Agency in Earth System Governance provide an accessible synthesis of some of the field’s major questions and debates and a state-of-the-art understanding of how diverse actors engage with and exercise authority in environmental governance