Zugl.: Bayreuth, Univ., Diss., 2007

Conventional approaches to cancer treatment typically do not address the personal experiences of the women with breast cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a structural description of the lived experience of women with breast cancer who create art, specifically through painting, sketching or drawing. A phenomenological approach was employed to explore the meaning of creating art for four women with a diagnosis of breast cancer. The philosophical underpinnings for this study were based on the phenomenological method of bracketing which allows the researcher and subjects to focus on lived experience. This qualitative methodology provided a means to examine the phenomenon of interest in depth from the participants' subjective perspective. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and follow up telephone conversations. Giorgi's method for analyzing phenomenological data was used to elicit an invariant description of the meaning that creating art had for the participants. Three predominate themes emerged from the analysis. Contextual constituents of the phenomenon were identified as that of giving back and time to create. Dynamic components consisted of creative space and creative expression. Enduring factors consisted of the creative experience and sense of self. Nurses are in a unique position to facilitate the creative art process which holds the potential for self-healing and self-responsibility for their patients. Included are limitations of the study and recommendations for future research.

The aim of this study is to develop a methodology, through phenomenology, for exploring the unknown in the acquisition of therapeutic knowledge. An exploration is made of the way various writers attempt to explain the unknown, raising a problematic about how the unknown can become defined as if known, whereas others attempt to hold open the question of the unknown of the unknown. It is argued that learning places emphasis on knowing whereas in psychotherapy, there is increasing interest in learning to tolerate doubt and uncertainty. Ten participants were interviewed in terms of the question ‘how do psychotherapists learn about the unknown?’ An empirical phenomenological method was utilised to translate a general descriptive structure of the phenomenon. Findings suggest learning about the unknown as acquired during a process of lifelong enquiry through interrelated experiences, including: the known, training, therapy and supervision, practice and just living. Furthermore, immersion in experiences and relationships highlighted recognition of the spiritual or mystical, opening up hope in the face of fear of death and repeated disillusionment, with realisation that no single theory explains everything. In de-translating findings, examples of a second analysis suggested that reverie seemed more helpful in researcher and participants was disrupted, compared to empirical psychological phenomenology which separates phenomenology from philosophy. Reverie was explored as an approach, which can attend more to aspects where something other than dialectic of birth and death has possibility, and the unknown emerges when one disrupts the intentional position of the other.

Zugl.: Bayreuth, Univ., Diss., 2007.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-15T11:46:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 572294 bytes, checksum: 1c46e916c7cc2e4689880e2687dbee0b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-08 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This word is concerned with the study of bounded solutions of semilinear elliptic equations u − F0(u) = 0 in the whole space Rn, under the assumption that u is monotone in one direction, say, @u/@xn > 0 em Rn. The goal is to establish the one-dimensional character or symmetry of u, namely, that u only depends on one variable or, equivalently, that the level sets of u are hyperplanos. This type of symmetry question was raised by de Giorgi in 1978 (see [6]), who made the folowing conjecture: Conjecture Suppose that u 2 C2(Rn) is solution of the equation u + u − u3 = 0 satisfying |u(x)| 1 and @u @xn > 0 in the whole Rn. Then the level sets of u must be hyperplanes. We show a stronger version of De Giorgi s conjecture is indeed true in dimension 2 and 3 using some techniques in the linear theory developed by Berestychi, Caffarelli and Nirenberg [5] in one of their papers on qualitative properties of solutions of semilinear elliptic equations. / Este trabalho se preocupa com o estudo de soluções limitadas de equações elípticas semilineares u − F0(u) = 0 em todo espaço Rn, sob o pressuposto que u é monótona em uma direção, digamos @u/@xn > 0 em Rn. O objetivo é estabelecer o caráter unidimensional ou simetria de u, ou seja, que u depende apenas de uma variável ou equivalentemente, que os conjuntos de nível de u são hiperplanos. Este tipo de questão da simetria foi levantada por De Giorgi em 1978 (ver [6]), que fez a seguinte conjectura: Conjectura Suponha que u 2 C2(Rn) é solução da equação u + u − u3 = 0 satisfazendo |u(x)| 1 e @u @xn > 0 em todo Rn. Então os conjuntos de nível de u são hiperplanos. Mostraremos que uma versão forte da conjectura de De Giorgi é de fato verdade em dimensão 2 e 3 usando somente técnicas da teoria linear desenvolvida por Berestychi, Caffarelli e Nirenberg [5] em um dos seus artigos sobre as propriedades qualitativas de equações elípticas semilineares.

This thesis is divided into two independent parts. The first part concerns the 3D Navier-Stokes equations. The second part deals with regularity issues for a family of integro-differential equations. In the first part of this thesis, we consider weak solutions of the 3D Navier-Stokes equations with L² initial data. We prove that ([Nabla superscript alpha])u is locally integrable in space-time for any real [alpha] such that 1 < [alpha] < 3. Up to now, only the second derivative ([Nabla]²)u was known to be locally integrable by standard parabolic regularization. We also present sharp estimates of those quantities in local weak-L[superscript (4/([alpha]+1))]. These estimates depend only on the L² norm of the initial data and on the domain of integration. Moreover, they are valid even for [alpha] ≥ 3 as long as u is smooth. The proof uses a standard approximation of Navier-Stokes from Leray and blow-up techniques. The local study is based on De Giorgi techniques with a new pressure decomposition. To handle the non-locality of fractional Laplacians, Hardy space and Maximal functions are introduced. In the second part of this thesis, we consider non-local integro-differential equations under certain natural assumptions on the kernel, and obtain persistence of Hölder continuity for their solutions. In other words, we prove that a solution stays in C[superscript beta] for all time if its initial data lies in C[superscript beta]. Also, we prove a C[superscript beta]-regularization effect from [mathematical equation] initial data. It provides an alternative proof to the result of Caffarelli, Chan and Vasseur [10], which was based on De Giorgi techniques. This result has an application for a fully non-linear problem, which is used in the field of image processing. In addition, we show Hölder regularity for solutions of drift diffusion equations with supercritical fractional diffusion under the assumption [mathematical equation]on the divergent-free drift velocity. The proof is in the spirit of Kiselev and Nazarov [48] where they established Hölder continuity of the critical surface quasi-geostrophic (SQG) equation by observing the evolution of a dual class of test functions. / text

This study investigated the resourcing experiences of children and youth attending office-based, tri-phasic trauma treatment. Ten participants were recruited from both private and agency based clinical psychology or counselling practices. During semi-structured, in-depth interviews participants described their resourcing experiences. The data were analyzed using the descriptive, phenomenological, and psychological method of Amedeo Giorgi. The results revealed a basic structure in the resourcing experiences of the child participants which was comprised of 12 constituents: (a) perceived attitude of the therapist, (b) personal and contextual relevance, (c) currency, (d) choice and control, (e) calming, (f) unsticking, (g) experiential, (h) triumph, (i) internal ease, (j) needing a guide, (k) naming the resource, and (l) betterment. The findings contribute to an understanding of the resourcing experience of youth in trauma therapy by adding the client’s voice to the therapeutic process. Implications for clinical practice and further research are presented. / Graduate

In this thesis, we extend De Giorgi's interpolation method to a class of parabolic equations which are not gradient flows but possess an entropy functional and an underlying Lagrangian. The new fact in the study is that not only the Lagrangian may depend on spatial variables, but also it does not induce a metric. Assuming the initial condition is a density function, not necessarily smooth, but solely of bounded first moments and finite "entropy", we use a variational scheme to discretize the equation in time and construct approximate solutions. Moreover, De Giorgi's interpolation method is revealed to be a powerful tool for proving convergence of our algorithm. Finally, we analyze uniqueness and stability of our solution in L¹.

No description available.

Les adultes allophones peu ou pas scolarisés (AAPPS) rencontrent des défis pour effectuer des tâches essentielles dans la société québécoise en raison de leurs compétences langagières limitées. Leur intégration socioculturelle et professionnelle s’avère donc difficile et soulève des enjeux socioéconomiques tant pour les AAPPS que pour la société en pénurie de main-d’œuvre. En apprenant le français dans le contexte formel de scolarité, les AAPPS font face à d’autres défis d’acculturation aux conventions scolaires, notamment aux évaluations formelles des apprentissages. En étudiant les particularités des AAPPS, Abbott et al. (2021), de même que Gonzalves (2020) ont mis en question l’évaluation de ce public parce qu’elle est faite de l’angle des personnes scolarisées sans considérer la perspective des AAPPS. Quant à Altherr Flores (2020), elle a critiqué la tendance à supposer que les AAPPS comprenaient l’évaluation alors qu’ils ignoraient les attentes des évaluateurs et leur rôle comme évalué selon Simpson (2006). Ces préoccupations soulèvent des enjeux éthiques d’équité, de diversité et de différenciation pédagogique pour une évaluation adéquate, d’où l’intérêt au sens de l’expérience évaluative aux yeux des AAPPS en cours formelle de francisation. Pour ce faire, l’approche phénoménologique de Giorgi (1997) permet d’étudier l’expérience des phénomènes vécus telle que comprise par les acteurs sociaux. L’analyse de six entretiens individuels semi-dirigés menés en arabe maghrébin, auprès de six participantes issues du Maghreb, permet de comprendre l’expérience évaluative des AAPPS comme un processus dynamique et continu d’exploration, d’acculturation et de maturation. L’exploration met en relief les premières expériences évaluatives caractérisées par la confrontation à la nouveauté, la surprise, le stress et le choc de l’échec. En acculturation, les AAPPS approprient l’évaluation et développent des stratégies pour réussir et pour gérer le stress qui diminue, mais demeure présent. Et en maturation, elles et ils réfléchissent sur leur évaluation, échec et réussite en lien avec leur besoin et habileté à l’extérieur de la classe. Ces résultats contribuent à éclairer les angles morts de l’expérience évaluative des AAPPS et présentent un appui pour les conceptrices et concepteurs des évaluations visant ce public. / Allophone adults with little or no schooling (AAPPS) face challenges in performing essential tasks in Quebec because of their limited language skills. Their socio-cultural and professional integration is therefore difficult and raises socio-economic issues both for the AAPPS and for the society facing a labour shortage. Learning French in the context of formal schooling, AAPPS face challenges related to acculturation to school conventions, particularly those of formal learning assessment. Based on the particularities of AAPPS, Abbott et al. (2021) as well as Gonzalves (2020) have questioned the assessment of this audience because it is made from the angle of educated people without considering the perspective of AAPPS. As for Altherr Flores (2020), she criticized the tendency to assume that AAPPS understood the assessment while ignoring the fact that AAPPS might misunderstand the expectations of the evaluators and their role as evaluated according to Simpson (2006). These concerns raise ethical issues of equity, diversity, and pedagogical differentiation for an adequate assessment, hence the interest in the meaning that the AAPPS give to their assessment experience in the formal francization course. The phenomenological approach of Giorgi (1997) makes it possible to study the experience of lived phenomena as understood by social actors. The analysis of the six semi-directed individual interviews conducted with six participants from the Maghreb in Maghrebi Arabic, allows us to understand the evaluative experience of the AAPPS as a dynamic and continuous process of exploration, acculturation, and maturation. Exploration concerns the first evaluative experiences characterized by the confrontation with novelty, surprise, stress, and the shock of failure. In the acculturation phase, AAPPS appropriate assessment and develop strategies to succeed and manage stress that diminishes but remains present. And in maturation, they reflect on their assessment, failure, and success in relation to their needs and abilities outside the classroom. These results shed light on blind spots of the AAPPS assessment experience and provide support for designers of assessment aimed at this audience.