A despicable villain is a critical element of any successful narrative.
Ground-motion prediction equations are a critical element of any probabilistic seismic hazard or risk analysis.
The legal term scienter - or having knowledge of wrongdoing - is a critical element of any insider trading case.
Timings, a critical element of any tasting menu, are a bit off, and we spend long, long periods between courses with no drinks.
While trust is a critical element in any team or operation, it's particularly important when you are managing teams or operations that are geographically and culturally dispersed.
The dynamical core, which governs the evolution of resolved fluid-dynamical processes, is a critical element of any atmospheric model.
Responding to a proposal from the New York Jets for a domed 75,000-seat stadium on the West Side of Manhattan, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani said yesterday that a critical element of any such project would be the expansion of public transportation to the site.
Indeed, alumni are still a critical element to any university's development strategy, but they have an increasingly important role to play in how institutions are responding to and meeting the changing expectations of their students now.
Assemblywoman Deborah J. Glick of Greenwich Village said that her long opposition to the park had eased but that she planned to fight any proposed commercial development -- a critical element of current plans to finance the park.
And e-mails from her to Mr. Hurd suggest that whatever transpired between the two of them, Mr. Hurd's attentions were hardly unwelcome, which is a critical element of any sexual harassment claim.
Participants at the World Economic Forum indicated that they were particularly interested in understanding the science behind happiness because they know that a critical element of any successful global collaboration is how we work as individuals and as a team — a goal related directly to our happiness and well-being.
