Measures Of Cohesion Research Articles

Application of single-board computers in experimental research on unsaturated soils

In this contribution, the application of single-board computers for the investigation of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of unsaturated granular soils is presented. Single-board computers, such as the Raspberry Pi or Arduino, have recently experienced a hype of applications in school and university teaching, in the maker scene, amongst hobbyists, but also in research. In combination with easy to learn and open programming languages, such as Python, individual experimental set-ups for research in unsaturated soil mechanics, using actuators and sensors can be easily developed with the help of different programmable hardware, such as stepper motors, analog-to-digital converters and other controller boards. For the experimental application in imaging of unsaturated granular soils by computed tomography (CT), we present a miniaturized uniaxial compression device for the measurement of unsaturated shear strength and capillary cohesion in CT-experiments. The device has already been applied for CT-imaging of the development of water distribution and capillary bridges in between different shear steps. Furthermore, a new fully programmable hydraulic experimental set-up for the automated investigation of transient hydraulic paths of the water retention curve of granular media is presented. Both devices have been developed in the framework of the Raspberry Pi single-board computer and Python programming language with simple and relatively inexpensive hardware components. In addition to the technical development of the testing devices, experimental results of the hydro-mechanical behaviour of unsaturated sand and glass beads, derived from uniaxial compression tests and water retention tests, will be presented.

The effect of cohesive features in integrated and independent L2 writing quality and text classification

Cohesion features were calculated for a corpus of 960 essays by 480 test-takers from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) in order to examine differences in the use of cohesion devices between integrated (source-based) writing and independent writing samples. Cohesion indices were measured using an automated textual analysis tool, the Tool for the Automatic Assessment of Cohesion (TAACO). A discriminant function analysis correctly classified essays as either integrated or independent in 92.3 per cent of cases. Integrated writing was marked by higher use of specific connectives and greater lexical overlap of content words between textual units, whereas independent writing was marked by greater lexical overlap of function words, especially pronouns. Regression analyses found that cohesive indices which distinguish tasks predict writing quality judgments more strongly in independent writing. However, the strongest predictor of human judgments was the same for both tasks: lexical overlap of function words. The findings demonstrate that text cohesion is a multidimensional construct shaped by the writing task, yet the measures of cohesion which affect human judgments of writing quality are not entirely different across tasks. These analyses allow us to better understand cohesive features in writing tasks and implications for automated writing assessment.

Network analysis of pig movements in Argentina: Identification of key farms in the spread of infectious diseases and their biosecurity levels.

This study uses network analysis to evaluate how swine movements in Argentina could contribute to disease spread. Movement data for the 2014-2017 period were obtained from Argentina's online livestock traceability registry and categorized as follows: animals of high genetic value sent to other farms, animals to or from markets, animals sent to finisher operations and slaughterhouse. A network analysis was carried out considering the first three movement types. First, descriptive, centrality and cohesion measures were calculated for each movement type and year. Next, to determine whether networks had a small-world topology, these were compared with the results from random Erdös-Rényi network simulations. Then, the basic reproductive number (R0 ) of the genetic network, the group of farms with higher potential for disease spread standing at the top of the production chain, was calculated to identify farms acting as super-spreaders. Finally, their external biosecurity scores were evaluated. The genetic network in Argentina presented a scale-free and small-world topology. Thus, we estimate that disease spread would be fast, preferably to highly connected nodes and with little chances of being contained. Throughout the study, 31 farms were identified as super-spreaders in the genetic network for all years, while other 55 were super-spreaders at least once, from an average of 1,613 farms per year. Interestingly, removal of less than 5% of higher degree and betweenness farms resulted in a >90% reduction of R0 indicating that few farms have a key role in disease spread. When biosecurity scores of the most relevant super-spreaders were examined, it was evident that many were at risk of introducing and disseminating new pathogens across the whole of Argentina's pig production network. These results highlight the usefulness of establishing targeted surveillance and intervention programmes, emphasizing the need for better biosecurity scores in Argentinean swine production units, especially in super-spreader farms.

Intergroup Competition Enhances Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) In-group Cohesion

In-group cohesion is an essential component of successful intergroup competition in both human and nonhuman animals, likely facilitating group members access to potential benefits. However, when benefits are equally shared among group members, group defense becomes a collective action problem, which might subvert cohesive participation during intergroup competition. There is a lack of consensus across studies and species with regard to the link between in-group cohesion and intergroup competition, likely as a result of species differences in managing the collective action problem. Here, we examine this link in a species with a striking example of collective action during intergroup competition, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus). Using two years of focal-follow data on males and females in two groups at the Taï Forest, Côte d’Ivoire, we investigated the immediate and long-term effects of intergroup competition (border patrols and intergroup encounters) on measures of in-group cohesion, namely modularity, party size, and intergroup aggression. We found that groups’ association patterns were less modular (more cohesive) in months in which they engaged in more border patrols and intergroup encounters. We found that current and greater prior engagement in intergroup competition predicted larger party sizes. Furthermore, current, but not prior engagement in intergroup competition, predicted reduced intragroup aggression by males but not by females. Increased in-group cohesion in chimpanzees likely reduces potential costs of intergroup competition engagement, by facilitating joint participation in current and future intergroup conflicts, overcoming the collective action problem.

Inflation cycle synchronization in ASEAN countries

We investigate the pairwise causality of inflation rates across time and frequencies, inflation cycle synchronization and network structure of causality between five ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. We draw our empirical results and conclusions by implementing dynamic conditional correlations (DCCs), a wavelet measure of cohesion for inflation cycle evolution assessment, and the spillover network index model of Diebold and Yilmaz [1,2]. We find evidence of time-dependent variation in the strength of co-movement between inflation cycles across countries. Positive network causality between inflation cycles and inflation integration across the ASEAN countries are identified. The lead–lag properties of economic indicators are observed to depend on the cycle’s periodicity. The inflation synchronization is particularly pronounced in Thailand.

Economic Transfers and Social Cohesion in a Refugee-Hosting Setting

There is increasing interest in understanding if social protection can foster social cohesion, particularly between refugees and host communities. Using a cluster randomised control trial, this study examines if a short-term transfer programme targeted to Colombian refugees and poor Ecuadorians in urban and peri-urban areas of northern Ecuador led to changes in social cohesion measures. The overall results suggest that the programme contributed to reported improvements in social cohesion among Colombian refugees in the hosting community through enhanced personal agency, attitudes accepting diversity, confidence in institutions, and social participation. However, the programme had no impact on social cohesion among Ecuadorians. The programme had no negative impacts on the indicators or domains analysed. Although it was not possible to identify specific mechanisms, impacts are hypothesised to be driven by the joint targeting of Colombians and Ecuadorians, the interaction between nationalities at monthly nutrition sessions, and the messaging around social inclusion by programme implementers.

MRCC-Measuring Reusability Based on Coupling and Cohesion Methodology

The component based reusability framework is a procedure of reusing pre-manufactured programming segments to assemble new programming and upgrading the exactness of the techniques for deciding them. The software reuse is principally used to diminish time and spares assets in programming improvement. The product segments are shared and help to lessen the expense of advancement. In existing framework a drawback is the product segment dependent on their nonfunctional reasonableness has been dismissed to an incredible territory. This paper proposes another arrangement of measurements of Fusing and Stability (CC) to determine code scalability frameworks. Coupling and cohesion measures are utilized in different exercises, for example, sway investigation, evaluating the issue inclination of classes, issue forecast, re-modularization, distinguishing of programming part, structure designs, surveying programming quality and so on. It is achievable to infer a productive and hearty reusability forecast model utilizing programming measurements. The product measurement is utilized to improve the nature of programming during the advancement procedure. There are three parts of programming measurements are built up they measure how much substances are coupled one another, it assesses coupling and attachment relationship and lessens the multifaceted nature of classes and techniques. The java is utilized as an assessment instrument for estimating programming measurements and approving the measurements. The experimental results demonstrate the new measurements are reliably prevalent at estimating and positioning the application part of reusability.

Social cohesion as a mechanism behind neighbourhood effects on mental or physical health

Abstract Background The neighbourhood where an individual resides have become a relevant element in the study of health inequalities. While there is substantial evidence that environmental factors affect health, far less evidence of the hypothesised role of social mechanisms in the causal chain between neighbourhood characteristics and health is available. Methods Using data from the longitudinal German SOEP panel, we built measures of perceived neighbourhood characteristics and a measure of social cohesion for participant living in urban areas. Participants were included in a longitudinal cohort of 4 year observation time starting in 2004. Using linear regression models, we tested the role of social cohesion as a mediator between the neighbourhood characteristics at baseline and a health outcome (mental and physical component of the SF-12) at the end of follow-up adjusted for socio-economic variables. Results For the 4 year follow-up 10 665 participants were included. There was no evidence of a mediation effect of our measure of social cohesion between geographical or institutional characteristics and physical health. The effect of social cohesion on mental health was 2.03 ([1.44, 2.59]) and on physical health 1.78 ([1.27, 2.29]). Social cohesion mediated associations between biological (17%, 11%) or built (11%, 14%) characteristics and both physical and mental health and association between institutional characteristics and mental health (7%). Discussion We found evidence for a possible role of social cohesion in the pathway between neighbourhood characteristics and health. Only perceived characteristics have been used in this work and the respective role of objective and subjective measures of neighbourhood characteristics should be further investigated. Moreover, validated measures of social cohesion should be developed. Key messages The perception of social cohesion mediates the effect of specific perceived characteristics of neighbourhood on mental and physical health. Interventions seeking to improve social cohesion in neighbourhoods might have positive consequences on the health and wellbeing of inhabitants.

Aprendizaje activo a través del uso del software Excel en asignaturas de finanzas

Los cambios en los procesos enseñanza aprendizaje han impactado tanto a docentes como estudiantes, donde el uso de las tecnologías de información en las universidades ha modificado la forma de enseñanza, ejemplo de ello, es el uso del Excel en las escuelas de negocio. Este estudio tiene por objetivo medir la percepción de los estudiantes sobre la contribución del Excel en asignaturas del área finanzas de una universidad estatal chilena, como estudio de caso. Metodológicamente se aplicó un cuestionario en escala Likert a 177 estudiantes y un análisis de conglomerado bietápico para determinar perfiles. Se obtuvo una fiabilidad estadística aceptable, con un alfa de Cronbach de 0,96, una evaluación promedio general de 3,33 en una escala de 1 a 5. El análisis de conglomerado se sustenta en una medida de cohesión de 0,6. Los resultados muestran un avance significativo en el dominio del Excel una vez finalizadas las asignaturas y donde los estudiantes destacan una alta valoración sobre su importancia en la formación de finanzas, transferencia de contenidos y especialmente su contribución a su desarrollo profesional futuro, generándose tres conglomerados, y donde las mujeres tienen una mejor evaluación en su proceso formativo.

110th Anniversary: Slurryability: What Makes a Powder Hard To Incorporate into a Slurry?

This paper investigates powder properties that are significant in determining how easily a powder may be incorporated into water to form a concentrated slurry. The slurryability of a powder is defined as the time and energy required to prepare a 50 wt % slurry as well as a threshold concentration at which 1 kJ is required to further increase the solid content by 1 wt % at the scale studied. Partial least-squares models relating powder properties to their slurryability are built on a data set of 13 powders. The most significant properties determining slurryability are the particle pore volume, powder bulk density, and the results of permeability and aeration tests on a powder rheometer. The D50 particle size and powder cohesion measurements are also relevant in the models. Through the measurement of only these six properties, the slurryability of two further powders, not included in the training data set, were predicted within ±10%.

Outgroup Contact, Anti-Foreigner Attitude, and Social Cohesion in the Caucasus: Evidence from a Population-Based Survey

A substantial literature has emerged examining the relationship between ethnic diversity due to immigration and social cohesion in the host country. Empirical evidence concerning this relationship, however, remains inconsistent, if not contradictory. Aside from rare exceptions, the bulk of evidence is also based on North American and European countries. The present study focuses on a novel empirical context: Georgia, a country located in the South Caucasus. Based on multilevel modeling of population-based data, it examines the associations between outgroup contact and attitude toward immigrants and two measures of social cohesion: generalized trust and civic engagement. Results show that net of controls at individual and regional levels, a negative orientation toward foreigners significantly predicts lower trust in generalized others. Frequency of outgroup contact, on the other hand, is positively related to civic participation. This linkage is also weaker in geographic areas with higher levels of anti-immigrant attitude. A major policy implication from this study is to encourage more intergroup contact through effective residential integration, amongst other measures.

Beyond first grade: examining word, sentence, and discourse text factors associated with oral reading rate in informational text in second grade

Text complexity in elementary classrooms is typically measured by traditional readability tools, which rely on surface-level measures of word and sentence complexity. Theoretical and empirical work on text complexity, however, indicates that additional measures of semantics, syntax, and discourse structure may be equally important for understanding how young children process texts. This study evaluated the components of two available text analysis tools representing different generations of readability: the Lexile Framework and the Coh-Metrix Text Easability Assessor. Using multilevel modeling, informational passage readings were nested in 5133 second-grade children in 459 schools to identify text variables that predicted changes in oral reading rate. Coh-Metrix dimensions of word concreteness, referential cohesion, and deep cohesion were uniquely associated with oral reading rate after controlling for traditional readability components. A full model including both the Lexile components and three Coh-Metrix dimensions provided the best fit to the data. Results suggest that measures of semantic complexity and text cohesion are needed to improve prediction of text difficulty for young readers and better inform text selection in the early grades. Implications for policy and practice under the Common Core State Standards, which emphasize reading complex texts across the gradespan, are discussed.

Ring Shear Tester as an in-vitro testing tool to study oral processing of comminuted potato chips.

Oral processing of solid foods is an extremely dynamic and complicated activity that involves multiple processes in tandem such as comminution, mixing, dilution, hydration and enzymatic breakdown that gradually transform the food from a morsel or a bite to a bolus that is ready for swallowing. It is hypothesised that just after "first bite" and initial particle reduction and hydration of solid brittle foods, the response to deformation of food particles is analogous to studies on the flowability and cohesion of wetted powders, which are effectively characterised using a Ring Shear Tester (RST). We examine this hypothesis and determine whether the RST measures properties of solid snack foods (potato chips or crisps, PCs) that are relevant to their dynamic sensory response, which includes capturing the effect of hydration on comminuted PCs. The RST is found to differentiate PCs obtained from different manufacturing sources (e.g. baked versus fried), and its measurements of cohesion and friction can be considered in context of the structure and composition of the PCs as well as oral processing. Remarkably, RST measurements for this small set of PC samples correlate with several sensory attributes that arise during mastication, which includes Sharpness and Ease of Clearance. This study highlights the potential of the RST as a new tool for oral processing research.

A Multiscale Framework for Designing High-Toughness Composite Materials

Development of high-toughness composite materials requires careful microstructure design as geometric distribution of phases, constituent properties and interface attributes combine to influence the deformation and failure behavior of composites. In two-phase composite materials, reinforcement cracking and interface debonding are two competing fracture mechanisms observed during the crack–microstructure interactions. The activation of each fracture mechanism largely depends on the microstructure and ultimately determines the fracture toughness of composites. The objective of this study is to quantify the competition of the two fracture mechanisms as function of microstructure and find their intricate coupling with material fracture toughness. The multiscale material design framework developed here allows fracture toughness to be predicted through cohesive element-based fracture simulation and digital image correlation measurement. Based on the numerical and experimental results, two analytical models are developed for fracture mode determination of both brittle and ductile composites. Although calculations carried out concern ceramic composites Al2O3/SiC and metal matrix composites Al/SiC, the approach developed can be applied to other composite material systems.

Perceived motivational climate and unit cohesion: The case of French soldiers in training

ABSTRACTUsing a correlational design, this exploratory research investigates the relationships between soldiers’ perceptions of the motivational climate created by platoon leaders and unit cohesion in a French military sample. Conducted among 257 soldiers, the findings indicate that new recruits perceive motivational climate as significantly more task- than ego-involved. Moreover, multiple regressions show that a task-involving motivational climate predicts higher measures of cohesion than does an ego-involving motivational climate. Implications for the professionalization of military forces and exercising command in training are discussed.

A New Metric for Class Cohesion for Object Oriented Software

Various class cohesion metrics exist in literature both at design level and source code level to assess the quality of Object Oriented (OO) software. However, the idea of cohesive interactions (or relationships) between instance variables (i.e., attributes) and methods of a class for measuring cohesion varies from one metric to another. Some authors have used instance variable usage by methods of the class to measure class cohesion while some focus on similarity of methods based on sharing of instance variables. However, researchers believe that such metrics still do not properly capture cohesiveness of classes. Therefore, measures based on different perspective on the idea of cohesive interactions should be developed. Consequently, in this paper, we propose a source code level class cohesion metric based on instance variable usage by methods. We first formalize three types of cohesive interactions and then categorize these cohesive interactions by providing them ranking and weights in order to compute our proposed measure. To determine the usefulness of the proposed measure, theoretical validation using a property based axiomatic framework has been done. For empirical validation, we have used Pearson correlation analysis and logistic regression in an experimental study conducted on 28 Java classes to determine the relationship between the proposed measure and maintenance-effort of classes. The results indicate that the proposed cohesion measure is strongly correlated with maintenance-effort and can serve as a good predictor of the same.

COREMatters: A Bullying Intervention Pilot Study

While bullying is a serious concern for students and educators alike, empirically tested interventions are needed. This study examined the impact of a bullying intervention curriculum at a public middle school in the Midwest. This intervention, COREMatters, was designed to reduce bullying behaviors, foster a greater sense of community cohesion and trust in the school, improve school climate, and increase student self-esteem. As such, the intervention required participation of teachers, administrators, students, and outside experts. COREMatters was modeled after theoretical frameworks of socioemotional learning and Bloom’s taxonomy. Additionally, components of This We Believe outlining successful schools were considered. Uniquely contributing to this intervention is the inclusion of martial arts instruction. The intervention was taught as a whole, integrated model. The t-tests indicated significant differences between the control and intervention groups on measures of school climate, student self-esteem, and school cohesion and trust. Students in the intervention group scored higher in measures of self-esteem and rated their schools more positively on measures of cohesion and trust and climate.

ОТ ЗАБАСТОВОК К "ВОЛЫНКАМ": РАБОЧИЕ ПРОТЕСТЫ В СОВЕТСКОЙ СТРАНЕ 1920-Х ГОДОВ

<p align="justify">В статье анализируются причины и характер забастовочного движения в СССР в 1920-е годы и уроки, которые извлекала большевистская власть из протестов различных групп работников против действий нанимателей. Политика в области трудовых конфликтов носила дуалистический характер, когда одни забастовки (в частном и концессионном секторах) пользовались институциональной поддержкой, а другие (в государственном секторе) пресекались административными и репрессивными методами. Устойчивое воспроизводство острых конфликтов в сфере труда ставит вопрос о действительной природе системы власти и экономического базиса, обозначавшихся как социалистические. </font>

Measuring territorial cohesion is not a mission impossible

ABSTRACTTerritorial cohesion, recognized by the Treaty of Lisbon, has been subject to various policy and academic debates. Despite various efforts to operationalize it, territorial cohesion has remained at the level of policy intention and overall guiding policy paradigm rather than a clearly defined policy goal or task. Recently new light on possible measurement of territorial cohesion has been shed by some ESPON research. This paper examines the reasons and conditions of successful measurement of territorial cohesion . We conclude that the operationalization of territorial cohesion is the most promising when using the frameworks of existing policies and that such operationalization on smaller geographical scales (below the EU) might be easier and more productive than at the EU level.

Intimate partner cohesion and military unit cohesion: Different types of interpersonal relationships each uniquely predict soldier well-being

ABSTRACTAlthough research on military populations has found that measures of personal well-being are correlated with both intimate partner cohesion and military unit cohesion, it is not clear how these correlations should be interpreted. Based on Relationship Regulation Theory, it was expected that each type of interpersonal relationship would have independent effects, that each would uniquely predict outcomes, and that effects would remain significant after controlling for person-level traits and experiences, such as trait resilience and exposure to combat. A sample of 273 active-duty military personnel completed self-report measures of cohesion in two types of interpersonal relationships (intimate relationships and military unit relationships), two control variables (trait resilience and combat exposure), and three outcome variables (well-being, negative emotionality, and trauma-related stress). Results indicated that cohesion in the two types of relationships were minimally related to each other, but both correlated with outcome variables. Effects for each type of interpersonal relationship remained significant after controlling for the other type and controlling for trait resilience and combat exposure. The results suggest that the effects of interpersonal cohesion are best understood as reflecting experiences in specific types of relationships rather than general characteristics of people in those relationships.