Fibres in concentrated suspensions are in continuous contact with other fibres and may interlock through elastic bending to form coherent networks. Such interlocking is termed Type-C cohesion. The process by which Type-C cohesion forms among fibres and the resulting structure and tensile strength of individual floes of fibres have been examined in experimental study in which relatively straight, smooth nylon (6-6) fibres of aspect ratios from 65 to 189 were suspended in aqueous-sugar solutions. The fibres were in most cases neutrally buoyant. The suspensions were caused to flow in a partially filled, inclined-to-the-horizontal or horizontally-oriented cylinder rotated about its principal axis to produce a recirculating and moderately unsteady flow. At a well-defined and reproducible "threshold concentration" Type-C coherent floes formed. The floes were verified to be of Type-C by heat treatment. The heat treatment caused stress relaxation in elastically bent fibres resulting in reduced floe strength. Visual observations of floe formation and velocity measurements with Laser Doppler Anemometer indicated that the floes originated in the zone in which flow decelerated. In this zone floes formed by compaction of crowded fibres. The threshold concentration depended on fibre geometry and viscosity of the suspending liquid. Below an aspect ratio of approximately 50 and above a suspending liquid viscosity of approximately 0.013 Pa‧s, Type-C coherent floes did not form at any concentration of fibres. Under the test conditions of this work, the threshold concentration was unaffected by the cylinder rotational speed, cylinder diameter, and angle of incline to the horizontal, provided that sufficient shear was induced in the cylinder to create recirculating flow. The structure and strength of Type-C coherent floes were examined. The number of contact points per fibre was less than values estimated from theoretical, statistical models in the literature. The tensile strength of individual Type-C floes measured in a tester with a unique comb support showed values larger than strengths reported in the literature for either man-made or wood-pulp fibre networks. A mathematical model developed to describe tensile strength based on frictional fibre-to-fibre interaction accounted for only a part of the total floe strength. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of / Graduate

While a great deal of theoretical work has been conducted describing group development, there is an underdeveloped area in the examination of the development of a group or team that is faced with constant transition. The purpose of this dissertation is twofold. First, this dissertation seeks to understand how cohesion is developed within a collegiate athletic team that has players come and go each season and, at times, within a season. Second, this dissertation explores how the coaching staff sustained and managed the cohesion within the team. To explore these issues, an ethnographic study was conducted with a Division 1- A, collegiate basketball team called Private U. Over 50 practices were attended and 20 formal interviews were completed. Results showed that cohesion occurred through social and task forms and in varying contexts. The coaching staff, and specifically the head coach, used self-handicapping to protect his players and thereby potentially keeping division from happening among team members. The lens of Symbolic Convergence Theory is utilized to discuss specific cohesion-forming moments during the season. Communication about cohesion transpired through interactions between the coaching staff and the players, and in fact, even between the coaching staff and prospective players who were being recruited to play for Private U. The coaching staff attempted to convey memorable messages and provided legal incentives to recruits because the importance of building cohesion begins with the players that the staff would get to come to Private U. Through on and off-court interactions, the coaching staff managed the cohesion on the team that had been created, but this was not always an easy task. Through the use of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory and Dialectical Theory, I examined how in-groups and out-groups were experienced by some of the players. The desires from Private U team members to compete with their teammates for playing time, but also to want the best result for the team created a dialectical tension for team members that is discussed through the Competition-Cooperation dialectic.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Case Western Reserve University, 2009 / Title from PDF (viewed on 30 July 2009) Department of English Includes abstract Includes bibliographical references Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center

This essay concerns itself with the importance of learning English as a second language cohesively. The research focus is on student responsibility to learn English and if as well as how this responsibility contributes to have students' perceptions of learning the language cohesively. The applied research method consists of a student questionnaire and two teacher interviews. The questionnaire produces a description of students' relationship to, and view of, the English language and how they understand their learning process in acquiring it. The two teacher interviews establish if and how the teachers influence the students' cohesive understanding of the English language.

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Far East, Southeast Asia, Pacific))--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Moltz, James Clay. Second Reader: Knopf, Jeffrey W. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 27, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: State Identity, Collective Identity, Alliance, Alliance Cohesion, Constructivism, U.S.-ROK alliance, PRC-DPRK alliance, Common Values. Includes bibliographical references (p. 118-128). Also available in print.

This qualitative study investigated how a selected group of post-secondary, second language students (L2) students perceive coherence in their written discourse in various disciplinary contexts in a French CEGEP. The primary focus is on the verbal language, or meta-language, derived from participant interviews that students used to describe their written texts. M. A. K. Halliday's (1978) social theory of language, and L. S. Vygotsky's (1962) sociopsychological theories of language provided a framework for conceptualizing the amount of control, self regulation, that students perceive they had in constructing coherent written discourse. Results from the study indicate that although students may have individual terminology about coherence, collegial students with the most successful self-regulated strategies described coherence across disciplines, and global features of text organization. Results also indicate that there is a lack of synchrony between students and teachers' interpretation of written tasks assigned in this French collegial institutional setting.

No description available.

Written as three publishable papers, this dissertation examines the individual, community and national level factors related to social cohesion with emphasis placed on the role of economic inequalities. The core of dissertation revolves around two main arguments: The first argues that there is a direct negative association between economic inequality and social cohesion. The second states that this connection is influenced by other factors that include the individuals’ position in the stratification system. The contextual effects are of particular importance because they influence both the relationship between individual economic realities and economic inequality and the link between social cohesion and economic inequality. Focusing on two aspects of social cohesion—civic engagement and social tolerance—I present evidence that (a) high levels of inequality are related to low levels of social cohesion and inclusion; (b) high levels of inequality are associated with lower commitment to democratic principles; and (c) low levels of inclusion are associated with lower commitment to democratic principles such as social tolerance. This dissertation provides links between these topics by exploring the comparative role of inequality in varying social, economic, political, and religious contexts. It examines contextual effects at both the community-level and at the cross-national level to illustrate the patterns and results of social cohesion.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2003. / Also available online.