A Phenomenological Study: The Experiences of Homeschool Students Who Persisted in College at a Faith-Based Institution

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of homeschool students who persisted in college at a faith-based institution in the Southeastern United States. The theory guiding this study was Tinto’s student integration model as it focused on students’ integration into campus life to increase persistence in college. The central question for this study was the following: What are the experiences of homeschool students who persist in college? The participants in this study were recent students who have graduated college within the last five years and had self-reported as a homeschool student upon admission. There was a sample size of 10-12 students. Data was collected using interviews, participant letters, and focus groups and was analyzed using Moustakas’ method of data analysis that is aligned with phenomenological research. This study described the essence of the lived experiences of these homeschool students who had persisted in college and gave voice to their experiences

Otis II: light at the end of the tunnel for damages indirectly caused by competition law infringements

Abstract: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) culminated a particularly fruitful year (2019) in private enforcement rulings with an important one in terms of “who” is entitled to be compensated for damages caused by competition law infringements: the Otis of 12 December 2019 (C-435/18). It ruled that any damage which has a causal connection with an infringement of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) must be capable of giving rise to compensation even if the injured party does not operate in the market affected. Despite the abstract character of this statement, which leaves a large margin of application for national courts – and therefore of legal uncertainty –, the ECJ is (once again) coming out in defense of the principle of the effectiveness of EU competition rules and taking over the competence to determine the substantive part of private enforcement, i.e., the liability requirements.   Keywords: Private enforcement; competition infringement; compensation; causal relationship; indirect damages.Abstract: The European Court of Justice (ECJ) culminated a particularly fruitful year (2019) in private enforcement rulings with an important one in terms of “who” is entitled to be compensated for damages caused by competition law infringements: the Otis of 12 December 2019 (C-435/18). It ruled that any damage which has a causal connection with an infringement of Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) must be capable of giving rise to compensation even if the injured party does not operate in the market affected. Despite the abstract character of this statement, which leaves a large margin of application for national courts – and therefore of legal uncertainty –, the ECJ is (once again) coming out in defense of the principle of the effectiveness of EU competition rules and taking over the competence to determine the substantive part of private enforcement, i.e., the liability requirements.   Keywords: Private enforcement; competition infringement; compensation; causal relationship; indirect damages

Gaussian noise model for multiband optical networks over the C and L bands

The Gaussiannoise (GN) model is an efficient tool to estimate the nonlinear interference (NLI), simplifying current wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) systems design and analysis. Recently, the generalized Gaussian noise (GGN) model has been proposed for assessing the performance of multiband C+L transmission in WDM optical systems, where the interaction between NLI and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) must be accurately characterized. In a network scenario, the WDM channels are added and dropped, leading to dynamic traffic variations in the fiber spans (here referred as network utilization). For efficient network planning, the combined SRS and NLI impact on the optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) must be properly evaluated for the whole C+L band and different network utilizations. In this work, an exhaustive study of the performance of the GN and GGN models for point-to-point and network transmission scenarios is performed. For 0 dBm channel launch power and network utilizations from 20% to 100%, the power transfer between the outer channels increases about 5.3 dB due to SRS. At optimal OSNR, the maximum power transfer due to SRS lies between 4.4 dB and 6.4 dB and the maximum OSNR variation along the WDM channels bandwidth is only 0.7 dB. Comparing the OSNR predictions of GGN and GN models closed form approximations (which are more suitable for the performance assessment in network scenarios), it is demonstrated that the maximum difference between methods is below 0.7 dB at optimum OSNR and for maximum C+L band occupancy.O modelo de ruído Gaussiano (GNmodel, em inglês) foi desenvolvido para estimar a interferência não-linear (NLI, em inglês) e simplificar o projeto e análise dos sistemas com multiplexagem por divisão de comprimento de onda (WDM, em inglês) atuais. Recentemente, o modelo GN generalizado (GGN-model, em inglês) foi proposto para avaliar o desempenho em sistemas multibanda C+L, onde a interação entre difusão estimulada de Raman (SRS) e NLI deve ser corretamente caracterizada. Nas redes óticas, os canais WDM são inseridos e extraídos, resultando numa variação dinâmica do tráfego ao longo das secções de fibra (referida aqui como utilização de rede) que influencia o impacto da SRS e NLI na relação sinal-ruído ótica (OSNR, em inglês). Neste trabalho, é realizado um estudo exaustivo do desempenho dos modelos GN e GGN considerando transmissão ponto-a-ponto e de rede em toda a banda C+L e diferentes utilizações de rede. Para 0 dBm de potência por canal e variando a utilização de rede de 20% a 100%, a transferência de potência aumenta 5.3 dB devido à SRS. Na OSNR ótima, a transferência de potência máxima devido à SRS situa-se entre 4.4 dB e 6.4 dB e a variação máxima da OSNR ao longo da banda C+L é apenas 0.7 dB. Comparando as estimativas da OSNR dos modelos GGN e GN com formulação fechada (mais adequados para avaliar o desempenho em redes ópticas), demonstra-se que a diferença máxima entre os modelos é cerca de 0.7 dB na OSNR ótima e com ocupação total da banda C+L

Effect of the curing time on the numerical modelling of the behaviour of a chemically stabilised soft soil

The ability of the Modified Cam Clay (MCC) model combined with the Von Mises (VM) model, considering the effect of curing time on the enhancement of the mechanical properties of a chemically stabilised soft soil is examined. The evolution of the strength and stiffness over time is based on the results of undrained compressive strength (UCS) tests carried out for different curing times (from 28 days to 360 days). Initially, the MCC/VM models associated with the effect of curing time are validated by CIU triaxial tests, for curing times of 28 and 90 days. Finally, the behaviour of an embankment built on a soft soil reinforced with deep mixing columns is predicted based on the previously validated models. The results show that the increase of curing time of the DMCs slightly decreases the settlement obtained with a curing time of 28 days

Development of the Core Outcome Set to be used in Clinical Trials of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Introduction Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is an excruciating unilateral facial pain, which can be managed medically and surgically. Due to the lack of standardized outcomes of treatment in the field, it has been difficult to compare the available treatments and to draw meaningful conclusions about their efficacy. Furthermore, patients have seldom been involved in TN research and outcomes of treatment should be meaningful to those most affected by TN. The aim of the present thesis was to reach consensus on what outcomes of treatment are important to different TN stakeholders (patients, clinicians, and researchers), and to develop the TN Core Outcome Set (COS) to be used in future clinical trials. Methodology Mixed methods were used to achieve this thesis’ aim. Two systematic reviews (SR) were conducted to (1) identify what outcomes have been used to date, and (2) to investigate the psychometric performance of patient reported outcomes (PROMs). Focus group (FG) work with TN patients identified outcomes that mattered most to them. Secondary analysis of the SR data and qualitative data analysis of the FG work were used to develop a list of outcomes to be presented to the different stakeholders during consensus processes. A three-round Delphi survey was conducted to prioritise the identified outcomes. It involved patients, clinicians, and researchers. Participants were asked to score the outcomes on scale from 1 to 9 (1– 3 not important;4– 6 important but not critical;7– 9 critical). Outcomes scored as critical by ≥70% and not important by <15% were retained. Those for which no consensus was reached were discussed at a consensus meeting, where the final COS was decided. Results Forty outcomes identified from the SR and FG work were presented during the Delphi survey. Of the 70 participants who completed the Delphi, 26 were patients, 38 were clinicians and six were researchers. Seventeen outcomes were scored as critical, and no consensus was met for 23 outcomes. Agreement was reached during a consensus meeting on 11 outcomes across six domains (pain, side effects, social impact, quality of life, global improvement, and satisfaction with treatment). Of the PROMs identified in the SR, only the Penn Facial Pain Scale Revised (PFPS-R) demonstrated moderate quality evidence for sufficient content validity. Conclusion The findings of the present thesis led to the development of an 11-item COS for TN clinical trials, through a partnership between patients, clinicians, and researchers. Implementation of the TN COS will contribute to improving data collection in future trials. Study results will be more homogeneous which will effectively allow comparison of different treatments to better inform researchers, clinicians and most importantly patients, about the effectiveness of the different treatments. Further work is needed to identify which PROMs to use with each of the 11 outcome domains

Monitoring liquidity risk at BPI GA

Field lab: Business projec

TRANSFORMASI PEMBELAJARAN MATEMATIKA DI SEKOLAH DASAR BERBASIS SADAR LINGKUNGAN DENGAN KONTEKS PENGGUNAAN LAYANAN SUROBOYO BUS

Merefleksikan diri merupakan awal tindakan untuk melakukan suatu perubahan terhadap diri kita maupun orang lain. Peneliti menggali pengalaman mengenai penggunaan layanan Suroboyo Bus dalam perannya sebagai peserta didik, mahasiswa, dan pendidik terhadap pembelajaran matematika. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mentrasformasi pembelajaran matematika di sekolah dasar berbasis lingkungan dengan menggunakan layanan Suroboyo Bus dan mendeskripsikan pandangan pendidik serta peserta didik terhadap hasil eksplorasi konsep matematika. Penelitian ini termasuk jenis penelitian kualitatif tipe transfromatif. Transformative research merupakan penelitian yang berdasarkan refleksi kritis dari diri peneliti. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode auto|ethnography dan multiparadigm, yaitu postmodernsm, interpretivism dan criticalism. Hasil penelitian transformative research adalah konsep-konsep matematika yang ditemukan pada penggunaan layanan Suroboyo Bus. Konsep matematika yang ditemukan antara lain konsep bilangan, konsep geometri dan pengukuran, dan konsep pengolahan data. Adanya temuan konsep matematika, maka pembelajaran matematika lingkungan dengan penggunaan layanan Suroboyo Bus dapat menjadi alternative guna menciptakan suasana yang menyenangkan. Pembelajaran matematika yang ditransformasikan pada penggunaan layanan Suroboyo Bus akan memberikan pengetahuan tentang lingkungan pada peserta didik. Penggunaan sampah botol plastik sebagai alat pembayaran untuk menggunakan Suroboyo Bus akan menimbulkan kepedulian peserta didik terhadap sampah botol plastik. Peserta didik akan mulai menyadari bahwa sampah bukanlah barang yang tidak berharga dan mereka melakukan tindakan terhadap sampah untuk mencapai tujuan tertentu

EFL Learners’ Big Five Personalities, Language Learning Strategies, and Speaking Skills

Accommodating learners’ individual differences including personalities and language learning strategies is important in implementing the learner-centred instruction. This current research investigated the correlation of EFL learners’ Big Five personalities, language learning strategies, and speaking skills. It tried to answer the questions if there is (a) any correlation between the EFL learners’ Big Five personalities and speaking skills, (b) any correlation between the EFL learners’ learning strategies and speaking skills, and (c) any correlation between the predictor variables (EFL learners’ Big Five personalities and language learning strategies) and the criterion variable (speaking skills). This present study involved 357 students from 3 senior high schools in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, academic year 2018/2019. The data were obtained through questionnaires and speaking test. The data were analysed using statistical analysis through correlational and regression tests to answer the research questions. The results revealed that there was no significant correlation found between the EFL learners’ Big Five personalities and speaking skills (Sig. (2tailed)=0.464>alpha level 0.05), between the learners’ language learning strategies and speaking skills (Sig. (2tailed)=0.575>alpha level 0.05), and between the predictor variables and criterion variables (Sig. (2tailed)=0.712>alpha level 0.05). These results showed that other variables outside personality and language learning strategy might correlate to the learners’ speaking skill