Search Results (1,044)

Ghana has a substantial disability burden with approximately 8% of the population, including adolescents, living with one form of disability or another. Despite this, the everyday experiences and challenges of adolescents with disabilities remain insufficiently documented. This study employed a phenomenological qualitative approach using photovoice methodology to explore the inner lives and often unvoiced experiences of adolescents with disabilities within their socio-cultural contexts. A total of fifty-four (54) adolescents aged 10–19 years with hearing, visual, and physical disabilities participated in the study. Participants were purposively selected to ensure maximum variation by sex, age and locality. The data were analysed manually using the photovoice data analyses procedure as proposed by Tsang. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: adversity, resilience, and social support. Participants used a range of visual images to represent their challenges, including images symbolising darkness, a stick lying on a bare floor, a coconut tree, heaps of sand, and stacks of wood logs. Images of chapel and group gatherings were also used to illustrate coping strategies and social support respectively. These findings underscore the need for the development of age-appropriate, resilience-focused interventions tailored to adolescents with disabilities in Ghana. it also highlights the need for larger community support networks and empowerment groups that meet the needs of adolescents with disabilities in Ghana. Full article

Financial reporting standards aim to increase transparency; however, the expansion in disclosure volume may also create an information overload paradox for investors, an issue that remains underexplored in the context of institutional investors. Excess information beyond mandatory requirements may complicate decision environments and create cognitive burden. When information exceeds cognitive processing capacities, attention may become fragmented, making it more difficult to distinguish signal from noise and potentially leading to analysis paralysis and changes in risk perception. Drawing on bounded rationality and cognitive load theory, this study conceptualizes information overload as a behavioral constraint associated with perceived limitations in decision quality and speed and, accordingly, examines its influence on institutional investors’ decision processes through a phenomenological approach. The study employs thematic analysis based on in-depth interviews with 19 professionals in institutional investment organizations in Türkiye. The findings suggest that information overload is experienced as cognitive strain that may prolong decision processes, may be associated with analysis paralysis and perceived changes in decision quality, and may be associated with increased uncertainty and potential challenges in interpreting risk. These findings provide exploratory insight into how information density may influence risk interpretation and portfolio assessment, and how institutional investors perceive decision-making efficiency. Full article

We introduce a local phase-field framework for spin-entanglement correlations. In this framework, the relevant hidden variable is an internal scalar phase associated with each fermion and derived from two underlying real fields. The fields are assumed to evolve locally in ordinary spacetime. When a particle pair is produced at a common spacetime event, the pair acquires a shared phase-locking condition at creation; after separation, the two internal phases evolve independently and no nonlocal interaction is introduced. Spin measurements by Stern–Gerlach analyzers are modeled as local filtering operations. Each local response depends only on the internal phase carried by the particle and on the orientation of the local analyzer. The local response function A(α,λ) = cos(λ − 2α) is derived from the spinorial transformation law of the underlying real field pair and the projection geometry of the detector interaction; it is not a phenomenological ansatz. From these deterministic local responses we derive an analog correlator. The raw product moment of the continuous detector outputs evaluates to ⟨AB⟩ = −½ cos 2(α − β), which satisfies classical Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) bounds. After Pearson normalization—the operationally appropriate correlation measure for continuous analog detector outputs, justified by channel-contrast physics and scale invariance—the normalized correlator yields E(α,β) = −cos 2(α − β), matching the quantum singlet correlator in functional form. When this normalized correlator is inserted into the CHSH expression, it yields the numerical value 2√2. This result is a structural consequence of the reduced marginal variance of continuous response functions relative to the unit-variance dichotomic observables assumed in Bell’s derivation; it does not constitute a violation of Bell’s inequality. The model does not reproduce quantum singlet statistics at the level of binary detector outcomes, where the correlator takes a triangular rather than cosine form. The contribution is therefore ontological and conceptual rather than predictive. The framework preserves parameter independence and no-signaling throughout. It provides a concrete real-field ontology for spin correlations based on internal phase structure, and it demonstrates that the functional form of the quantum singlet correlation can be obtained from a strictly local deterministic description, provided that the detector responses are treated as continuous analog quantities and normalized accordingly. We compare the model with earlier phase-based approaches and discuss experimental configurations—including time-resolved and multi-stage Stern–Gerlach measurements—that could in principle probe the proposed internal-phase dynamics at the pre-registration level. Full article

In this article, I expand on the approach suggested by Huifeng and explored in my earlier publications. Here, I approach Prajñāpāramitā as primarily concerned with experience rather than reality or metaphysics. More precisely, I argue that Prajñāpāramitā is concerned with the absence of experience in deep meditative states. I explore the idea of “phenomenological” reading and note how it differs from the hegemonic metaphysical readings in a general way. The resulting heuristic is then applied to reading passages from the opening of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā, some of which are apparently paradoxical. At the very least, I show that we are not forced to read these parts of the text as addressing metaphysical issues. I also try to show that the phenomenological reading is superior, since it can be directly connected to standard Buddhist soteriological concerns, avoids paradoxes, and leaves logic intact. Full article

Background/Objectives: The placement of central venous access devices, including peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and PICC-PORTs, is a routine procedure in oncology care. Usually associated with limited physical pain, these procedures may nevertheless generate significant anxiety and negatively influence the overall procedural experience. Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a non-pharmacological intervention capable of modulating attentional and emotional responses during medical procedures; however, evidence in adult oncology patients undergoing vascular access placement remains scarce. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of VR on an oncological patient’s overall procedural experience. Methods: This manuscript outlines the design and methodology of a prospective, single-centre randomised controlled trial. Adult oncology patients scheduled for PICC/PICC-PORT placement are randomised to receive standard care alone or standard care combined with an immersive VR intervention delivered via a head-mounted display during the procedure under pragmatic, real-world clinical conditions. The primary outcome is a composite patient-reported procedural experience endpoint, assessed through a non-aggregated framework encompassing procedural anxiety, comfort, satisfaction and procedural tolerability. Procedural anxiety constitutes the main quantitative driver; the remaining domains are analysed as individual component dimensions and interpreted jointly to contextualise the overall experience. Secondary outcomes include procedural pain, physiological parameters and procedural characteristics. A mixed-methods approach integrates quantitative assessment with qualitative phenomenological analysis. Results: The study is expected to provide methodological and clinical insight into the role of immersive VR in improving procedural experience and support future multicentre trials. Conclusions: This trial will contribute to the expanding field of digital and immersive health technologies by evaluating VR as a patient-centred adjunct intervention in oncological procedural care using a predefined patient-reported experience-based primary endpoint. The protocol has been submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov with the registration number NCT07384741. Full article

Background/Objectives: From a phenomenological perspective, the body is not merely a biological entity but the primary medium through which we experience and interpret the world. This study aimed to understand the lived body experience of advanced physiotherapy students at a university in Cali, Colombia, exploring how significant life events are embodied and expressed. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological design was employed. Twenty physiotherapy students participated in a body mapping exercise within a mental health elective. Participants graphically represented sensations, emotions, and memories on a body silhouette using colors and symbols. Data from the resulting body maps were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach via a data extraction matrix to identify patterns in symbolic, chromatic, and narrative elements. Results: The analysis revealed that students consistently inscribe both traumatic and positive life events onto their body maps, illustrating a narrative of resilience. Specific colors and body parts were symbolically charged: black and red in the heart, head, and shoulders represented pain and emotional burden, while blue and green in areas like the hands and stomach signified stability and achievement. External symbols (e.g., landscapes, bicycles) served as emotional anchors or representations of personal growth. Conclusions: Body mapping proves to be a powerful technique for accessing the embodied, often non-verbal, narratives of students. It underscores that the body functions as a living archive of experience. Integrating such methodologies into physiotherapy education can significantly enrich professional training by fostering sensitivity to corporality as a lived, relational, and cultural phenomenon, thereby strengthening future clinicians’ holistic and humanistic competencies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Anaesthetic nurses play a critical role during surgical procedures. However, research focusing on Australian anaesthetic nurses remains limited. While previous studies have identified inconsistencies in anaesthetic nurse education, the everyday experiences of these nurses have not been comprehensively examined. This study aimed to explore the barriers and enablers influencing anaesthetic nursing practice in Australia and to examine anaesthetic nurses’ views on their evolving roles and responsibilities. Methods: A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was employed to explore the lived experiences of Australian anaesthetic nurses. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to enable in-depth exploration of participants’ experiences, thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Participants were interviewed by telephone, videoconference, or in person. Data were transcribed verbatim into Microsoft Word and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, informed by Gadamerian hermeneutics. Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines were followed. Results: Four overarching themes were identified, Culture, Education, Leadership, and Institution, each shaping anaesthetic nursing practice in distinct yet interrelated ways, with several subthemes emerging within each category. These interrelated factors contributed to perceptions of being undervalued, restricted career progression, and uncertainty regarding role sustainability. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for enhanced support systems and system-level reform that addresses hierarchical power dynamics alongside standardised, context-specific education and training pathways. Addressing these interconnected issues is essential to better support anaesthetic nurses while ensuring competent, high-quality care is provided. Understanding the structural and cultural concerns underpinning anaesthetic nursing practice may inform the development of coherent curricula, visible nursing leadership, and clearer professional recognition and career pathways. Full article

Cancer patients with an enterostomy or urostomy face significant physical and psychological challenges that impact their sexuality and quality of life. Despite its importance, this topic is often overlooked in clinical settings. This study explores the lived experiences of these patients regarding their sexual health. Using a descriptive phenomenological approach, researchers performed face-to-face interviews with 33 adult cancer patients living with enterostomy or urostomy at Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Regina Elena National Cancer Institute of Rome, Italy. Data were analyzed according to Giorgi’s method to identify core themes. Four primary themes emerged: the emotional weight of surgery, fear of rejection or disgust, the influence of partner reactions on intimacy, and the struggle to find professional guidance. Participants reported reduced desire and altered body image, though many utilized coping strategies like personal resilience and partner support. Stoma surgery profoundly affects sexuality, yet professional support remains inadequate. The study highlights a critical need for multidisciplinary care and proactive communication. Integrating sexual health into routine oncological practice is essential for providing person-centred care and improving overall quality of life. Full article

This article aims to highlight the close connection between prompt engineering and philosophy, with particular attention to how AI can be used in educational and teaching contexts. The study of philosophy, traditionally oriented toward the analysis of language, logic, and critical thinking, makes it possible to produce and refine prompts that are more precise and effective in the creation and modification of images through major chatbots and large language models (LLMs – ChatPGT-5, Gemini 2.5). By bringing into the school educational context the theories proposed and supported by the scientific literature on the didactics of philosophy and AI education, this contribution will exemplify a phenomenological analysis of the image as developed by Sartre. It will show how refining the description of an image, typical of the phenomenological method, can lead to a more accurate and appropriate prompt, which is useful for generating increasingly sophisticated images. This approach can guide students toward formulating more effective image-oriented prompts. Full article

This review explores the hypothesis that schizophrenic symptoms may be understood not as isolated deficits, but as interconnected manifestations of a structural reorganization of consciousness. The premises of this work are grounded in a comparative matrix that suggests an underlying “consanguinity” between the philosopher’s voluntary epoché—the suspension of the natural attitude performed to study the inner workings of consciousness—and the involuntary “unworlding” passively experienced in schizophrenia. By exploring this shared ontological ground, the text suggests how specific phenomenological shifts, such as the collapse of the “vital drive,” may manifest as clinical markers; this process may eventually lead to an involuntary “transcendental reduction” where the mind’s internal machinery becomes an object of forced awareness. Building on these premises, the review tentatively outlines several key achievements. It addresses the substrate-subjectivity gap by linking biological sensory-binding failures to the onset of involuntary hyper-reflexivity. Regarding structural loss and gain of function, it suggests that the psychotic transition involves a simultaneous erosion of common-sense coherence and an intensified receptivity to unfiltered perceptual fragments, which may trigger a search for metaphysical meanings. In terms of a therapeutic synthesis, it proposes exploring the conversion of “artless decentering” into a manageable, strategic distance through mindfulness and person-centered position-taking. Finally, it discusses a potential nosographic evolution, advocating for future diagnostic classifications that prioritize the experiencing self and qualitative insights to support a more translational and empathetic approach to psychiatry. Full article

Human motivation is governed by a long-memory cognitive process in which the depth of temporal integration—how far into the past the system draws upon accumulated experience—is not fixed, but dynamically compressed under cognitive stress. Despite extensive empirical evidence that acute stress impairs working memory and narrows temporal integration in decision-making, no existing mathematical framework has formally coupled the memory depth of the governing operator to a physiologically grounded stress indicator. To address this gap, we propose a stress-adaptive variable-order fractional model for motivational intensity $M\left(t\right)$, in which the Caputo fractional order $\alpha \left(t\right)$ varies inversely with an aggregated stress indicator $\sigma \left(t\right)$ through the Hill-type coupling $\alpha \left(t\right)={\alpha }_{min}+({\alpha }_{max}-{\alpha }_{min})C/(C+\sigma \left(t\right))$, thereby encoding the empirically documented shift from deep integrative to shallow heuristic processing as cognitive load increases. Rather than deriving the model by algebraic manipulation of a differential equation, we formulate it directly as a causally consistent type-III Volterra integral equation, in which the memory kernel is evaluated at the history time s, ensuring that the weight assigned to each past state reflects the memory depth that was physiologically active when that state was experienced. Well-posedness is established rigorously via the Banach fixed-point theorem with explicit contraction constants, uniform boundedness and non-negativity of solutions are derived through the fractional Gronwall inequality, and numerical solutions are computed using an Adams–Bashforth–Moulton predictor–corrector scheme adapted to the variable-order kernel. Five numerical experiments demonstrate that stress-induced variation in $\alpha \left(t\right)$ produces qualitatively richer dynamics compared with the tested constant-order baselines: the proposed model achieves a steeper peak decline rate (0.48 versus 0.19–0.45), a larger burnout gap (3.15 versus 1.92–2.81), and faster recovery to ninety percent of peak motivation (4.2 versus 3.9–7.3 time units), while the empirically observed numerical convergence approaches $O\left(h^2\right)$ for sufficiently small step sizes. The framework offers a principled phenomenological substrate for memory-adaptive cognitive modelling, with direct implications for stress-aware intelligent tutoring systems that are capable of inferring $\alpha \left(t\right)$ in real time from biometric signals such as heart rate variability or galvanic skin response, and adjusting instructional complexity accordingly. Empirical calibration against learning-analytics and psychophysiological datasets, together with stochastic extensions for probabilistic burnout-risk prediction, are identified as immediate priorities for future research. Full article

This study investigates the selection of suitable statistical models for speckle reflections from the underlying surface under low-altitude sensing conditions. A parametric approach to modeling speckle images of terrain fragments typical of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is presented. We use a phenomenological model of speckle formation during radio wave interference, taking into account the spectrum of fluctuations, the roughness of the reflecting surface, the angle of incidence, and other radar parameters. We investigate the influence of the properties of the reflecting surface and the probing parameters on the nature of speckle images. The values of the sample cumulative coefficients for various multiplicative models of the reflection distribution are obtained. The properties and characteristics of various classes of distributions for describing the intensity and amplitude of speckles are considered: the gamma distribution, the K-distribution, and the classes of non-Gaussian probability densities G and G⁰. A generalized Gaussian (GG) distribution is used to model the complex components of reflected signals. We compare the obtained model characteristics with the sample characteristics of real terrain fragments in synthesized speckle images obtained by the on-board radar system. Based on a comparative analysis of cumulants, this paper examines methods for modeling amplitude and intensity speckle images using several classes of backscatter probability densities. Limitations in specific applications have been identified, and a modeling method using quadrature components has been developed in cases of extremely rough reflections. Full article

We explore a phenomenological extension of the Polyakov–Nambu–Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) model by introducing a curvature-sensitive effective contribution to the Polyakov-loop potential, motivated by the hypothesis that the non-perturbative QCD vacuum in the confined phase may retain a residual sensitivity to cosmic expansion. In a spatially flat FLRW background, this modification reduces to a term proportional to $\alpha {(H/H_0)}^{d}f(\Phi ,{\Phi }^{*})$, which naturally vanishes in the deconfined regime and behaves as an effective dynamical vacuum component at late times, without invoking a fundamental cosmological constant. The construction provides an effective thermodynamic description of the QCD sector within an adiabatic framework and introduces a minimal phenomenological extension characterized by the exponent d and the amplitude parameter $\alpha$. We analyze the cosmological implications at the background level and compare the model with low-redshift observations, including cosmic chronometers, Type Ia supernovae, HII galaxies, and quasars. Using Bayesian Monte Carlo techniques, we constrain the model parameters and compare its performance with the ΛCDM. Our results indicate that the modified PNJL cosmology provides a statistically competitive fit to current data while allowing small departures from the ΛCDM within observational uncertainties. We also investigate the impact of the coupling on the QCD phase diagram and the critical end point. The framework offers a tractable effective approach to connect confinement physics with late-time cosmology and suggests directions for further theoretical development in QCD under curved backgrounds. Full article

Emergent Post-Loss Experiences (EPLEs) are reported in experiential grief therapies such as Reparative Experience-Based Grief Therapy (REGT) and Induced After-Death Communication Therapy (IADC). Through these experiences, such approaches have demonstrated notable effectiveness and efficiency in the treatment of complicated grief. Yet their phenomenology and structure remain poorly defined, and no validated instruments are available for their assessment. The present study aims to address this gap by examining the phenomenological characteristics of EPLEs and developing a brief instrument for their assessment. Using a cross-sectional mixed-method design, an 87-item EPLE questionnaire was administered retrospectively to 64 former REGT patients alongside the Near-Death Experience (NDE) Scale. A qualitative phase was subsequently conducted to identify phenomenological domains of EPLEs, which informed the derivation of a 22-item EPLE Scale. The scale was examined using exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency, convergent validity, and network analysis. High inter-rater agreement supported the organization of EPLEs into four phenomenological domains: Contact, Sensoriality, Space/Time, and Impact. EPLEs were characterized by relational presence, multisensory perceptual features, altered spatial–temporal experience, and predominantly comforting and meaning-related effects. The EPLE Scale showed satisfactory internal consistency (ω = 0.79). Exploratory factor analysis did not support a stable multidimensional structure, suggesting that the scale is more appropriately interpreted using a global score. Network analysis revealed a highly sparse configuration with selective conditional associations and two organizing nodes, indicating a policentric organization of the experience. Convergent validity was supported by a moderate-to-strong correlation with the NDE Scale (ρ = 0.62, p < 0.001). EPLEs appear to constitute complex and structured experiential configurations that may play a reparative role in relation to the loss and promote adaptive reorganization of the grieving process. The EPLE Scale provides a concise global measure for future research and clinical applications. Full article

The Andean walnut (Juglans neotropica Diels), locally known as tocte, is a keystone tree species of major socio-ecological importance in South American mountain ecosystems, facing severe anthropogenic pressure associated with genetic erosion, habitat fragmentation, and unregulated selective logging. This article presents a case study applying a qualitative phenomenological approach to examine the power relations and institutional failures shaping the sustainable management of its value chain in Imbabura Province, Ecuador. Drawing on 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews with key actors (including woodcarvers, sawyers, traders, and environmental authorities) conducted between March and September 2025 until theoretical saturation was achieved, and supported by thematic analysis in ATLAS.ti, we identified five thematic categories revealing the tension between cultural valuation and market pressure. The findings confirm the existence of a value paradox, whereby high timber demand paradoxically accelerates resource depletion rather than incentivizing conservation, as premature harvesting of young trees undermines the viability of non-timber forest products such as nuts and accelerates the loss of local genetic resources. We conclude that the long-term conservation of the species requires a transition toward polycentric stewardship, community forestry enterprises, and integrated landscape management in which the standing tree is formally recognized as carrying greater ecological and economic value than harvested timber. Full article