Understanding the experience of discovering a kindred spirit connection: a phenomenological study

Preliminary existential-hermeneutic phenomenological analysis of data based on 24 protocols, and our own reflexive discussion, reveals how “kindred spirit connections” manifest in myriad elusive, evocative ways. These special connections are experienced variously from briefly felt moments of friendship to enduringly profound body-soul love connections. This paper explicates five intertwined dimensions: shared bonding; the mutual exchange and affirmation of fellowship; the destined meeting or relationship; immediate bodily-felt attraction; and the pervasive presence of love. A wide ranging literature around the theme of love is outlined and the concept of kindred spirit is briefly applied to the psychotherapy practice context

Proceeding from syllable inventory to phonemic inventory in the analysis of Liangshan Yi

Liangshan Yi (also known as Nosu, spoken in Sichuan Province, China) has many phonetically-interesting syllables. In this paper an articulatory description of the full range of distinctive syllables of this language is given and it is shown that the standard phonemicization of these is reasonable

Structural mechanics of a plate with multiple dimples

Thin plates, sheets and shells are an important category of structural components, and while commonly used, they are often only utilised in simplistic geometries. An increased understanding of the geometric and structural behaviour of more sophisticated geometries allows for the optimisation of performance. This thesis considers a thin plate which has (orhas been given) out-of-plane depth or texture: a dimpled sheet. By developing new methods of analysis for these types of modified plate geometries, increases in performance can be sought and quantified. Compared to flat plates, corrugated sheets have an increased bending stiffness in one direction, whilst dimpled sheets have an increase in bending stiffness in both orthogonal directions. Comparing dimpled to corrugated sheets, a “second moment of area” approach might be used; however, this thesis will show that such an analysis is unsuitable. Instead a wholly new approach is developed to describe and quantify the structural behaviour of a dimpled sheet, with the key observation being the treatment of each dimple as an elastic inclusion. Theoretical analysis is carried out which confirms the applicability of representing a single dimple as an elastic inclusion, and which quantifies the relationship between dimple geometry and the effective stiffness of the inclusion. The applicability of this representation is also confirmed though use of relevant finite element analysis. Analysis of the overall performance of a plate with a pattern of inclusions is subsequently carried out. A theoretical formula is derived that accurately predicts the smeared overall elastic modulus of an inclusion patterned plate, and the suitability of this formula is backed-up by extensive finite element analysis. This formula also compares favourably to existing “rule-of-mixtures” approaches, although it is superior to existing rules due to its incorporation of Poisson’s ratio terms. Practical experiments on perforated strips explore the behaviour of plates which have inclusions of zero stiffness, with favourable agreement to the derived theory. By combining the analyses of the previous sections, the overall performance of a dimpled sheet is investigated. Making suitable adjustments to the effective inclusion representing each dimple, due to the proximity of adjacent dimples, a complete theoretical prediction of the structural performance of a dimpled sheet is derived. Finite element analysis is used to validate that the theoretical model is suitable for predicting and accurately capturing both the increase in bending stiffness of a dimpled sheet, as well as the reduction in stretching stiffness. Furthermore, practical experiments on physical dimpled sheet specimens confirm the increased bending stiffness which is obtained from dimpled sheets, as compared to identical specimens without dimpling.EPSR

Tractive performance of 4x4 tyre treads on pure sand.

This thesis examined the difficulties of generating traction from 4x4 (light truck) tyres in pure sand conditions. Investigations conducted in the Cranfield University Soil Dynamics Laboratory measured the tractive performance of a range of production and prototype 4x4 tyre tread patterns to quantify the effect of tread features upon tractive performance. The investigation also quantified the amount of sand displacement instantaneously occurring beneath the tyre, by a novel application of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, which determined sand displacements to an accuracy of ±5.5 mm. A limited number of normal contact stress measurements were recorded using a TekScan normal pressure mapping system. This technology was employed in a new manner that allowed pressure distributions to be dynamically recorded on a deformable soil surface. Models were developed or adapted to predict rolling resistance, gross thrust of a tyre and the gross thrust effect due to its tread. Net thrust was predicted from refined versions of equations developed by Bekker to predict gross thrust and rolling resistance. These were modified to account for dynamic tractive conditions. A new tread model proposed by the author produced a numerical representation of the gross thrust capability of a tread based on factors hypothesised to influence traction on loose sand. This allowed the development of a relationship between the features of the tread and its measured gross thrust improvement (relative to a plain tread tyre), from which a total relationship was developed. The tread features were also, in combination with the wheel slip, related to the sand displacements and net thrusts simultaneously achieved. The sand displacement results indicated that the majority of the variation in displacement between the different treads occurred in the longitudinal (rearward) direction. This effect was influenced by the wheel slip, as increased slip caused greater displacements, so the differences between the treads were greater at higher slips. The treads that generated the highest relative displacements also derived the higher gross thrusts (up to +5% extra gross thrust compared to a plain tread), although at the higher slips this also caused increased sinkage. As sinkage increased, the rolling resistance increased at a fester rate then the gross thrust, and thus the net thrust reduced. To prevent this effect the wheel slip should be limited to a maximum of 20% at low forward speeds (approximately 5 km/h). Current market forces dictate that the biggest benefit that tyre manufacturers could offer in desert market regions would be to optimise road-biased tyres to suit loose sand conditions. The modelling developed indicated that this could be achieved by maximising the number of lateral grooves (and thus lateral edges) featured on a tread, however care would have to be exercised so as not to compromise the necessaiy on-road capability. The models could also be used to quantifiably determine from a choice of possible tyre treads, the tread that would offer most traction on pure loose sand

Pulsar-black hole binaries: prospects for new gravity tests with future radio telescopes

The anticipated discovery of a pulsar in orbit with a black hole is expected to provide a unique laboratory for black hole physics and gravity. In this context, the next generation of radio telescopes, like the Five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) and the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), with their unprecedented sensitivity, will play a key role. In this paper, we investigate the capability of future radio telescopes to probe the spacetime of a black hole and test gravity theories, by timing a pulsar orbiting a stellar-mass-black-hole (SBH). Based on mock data simulations, we show that a few years of timing observations of a sufficiently compact pulsar-SBH (PSR-SBH) system with future radio telescopes would allow precise measurements of the black hole mass and spin. A measurement precision of one per cent can be expected for the spin. Measuring the quadrupole moment of the black hole, needed to test GR's no-hair theorem, requires extreme system configurations with compact orbits and a large SBH mass. Additionally, we show that a PSR-SBH system can lead to greatly improved constraints on alternative gravity theories even if they predict black holes (practically) identical to GR's. This is demonstrated for a specific class of scalar-tensor theories. Finally, we investigate the requirements for searching for PSR-SBH systems. It is shown that the high sensitivity of the next generation of radio telescopes is key for discovering compact PSR-SBH systems, as it will allow for sufficiently short survey integration times.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRA

Understanding more fully: a multimodal hermeneutic-phenomenological approach

This article shares a research methodology that we argue supports human science researchers in their aim to understand lived experiences more fully. Drawing on Merleau-Pontian thinking, the article outlines three dimensions of sense experience that underpin our approach: the felt-sense, aesthetic aspects of language, and visual imagery. We then detail this approach: the data-collection phase is a creative interviewing method, adapted from Imagery in Movement Method (Schneier 1989) and focusing technique (Gendlin 1997). This results in multimodal data: drawings, and bodily and verbal accounts, rich in imagery. The analysis is an expanded hermeneutic-phenomenology, and in this article we focus in particular on our method for interpreting visual data. Three examples taken from a case-study about feeling guilty are provided to illustrate the potential of the approach. The article concludes with some reflections on the impact of using a multimodal approach in human science research

Hermeneutics: Interpretation, Understanding and Sense-making

Gadamer (1989: xxxiii) describes hermeneutics as ‘a theory of the real experience that thinking is’. In this chapter, we explore two main aspects of this experience of thinking - interpretation and understanding. We draw on the work of Schleiermacher (1768-1834) to review the origins of modern hermeneutics as an activity of interpretation, and on Heidegger (1889-1976) and Gadamer (1900-2002) for hermeneutics as a philosophy of understanding. We consider the ways in which Ricoeur (1913-2005) and Habermas (1929-) move hermeneutics towards critical theory, challenging the trustworthiness of text and the possibility of understanding, and urging reflection on their ideological construction and motivation. We use the most famous idea in the hermeneutic canon, the hermeneutic circle, as a leit-motif for the chapter. This illuminates a range of mutually constitutive relationships between context and text, whole and parts, general and particular, anticipation and encounter, familiarity and strangeness, presence and absence, and sense and non-sense. We discuss how hermeneutics has influenced contemporary organization and management research, inspiring an array of interpretive methods and inviting critical reflection on personal and organizational sense-making

Parallel returns: feelings, temporality and narrative in the experience of guilt

This paper tentatively sketches out a model of guilt. It is based on hermeneutic phenomenological analyses of five men’s accounts of feeling guilty and is informed by phenomenological and narrative theory. The model maps how guilt unfolds through time in a looping, iterative manner. Initially, guilt feelings are overwhelming and immediate, such that time seems to collapse. The guilt process then unfolds into two ‘parallel returns’; temporal loops wherein an individual first relives their guilt feelings (a ‘bodily return’) and then re-narrates the experience (a ‘narrative return’) in numerous iterations, in an attempt to make sense of what has happened. The final phase maps the resolution: as the narrative becomes more adequate, sense-making becomes easier, and bodily experience is incorporated into over-arching life narratives in a process of synthesis. When this happens, the experience shifts from feeling ‘stuck’ to progression. Mapping guilt in this way offers insight into the interplay between temporality, feelings and narrative in this particular experience, but may also provide a framework to consider how it is possible to ‘work through’ other difficult emotional experiences

‘I’m worried about getting water in the holes in my head’: a phenomenological psychology case study of the experience of undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery for Parkinson’s disease

Objectives: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a form of biotechnological surgery which has had considerable success for the motor improvement of Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. Paradoxically, this observed motor improvement is not matched with improved psychosocial adjustment. This study contributes to a small but growing body of research aiming to understand this paradox. We conclude by discussing these aspects from a phenomenological and health psychology understanding of decision-making, human affectivity and embodiment. Design: A hermeneutic phenomenological case study. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with one woman with Parkinson’s disease were carried out paying particular attention to (a) how the decision to have the procedure was made and (b) the affective experience in the time periods immediately prior to the procedure, shortly after and one month later. Results: The thematic structure derived from the hermeneutic phenomenological analysis comprises the following experiential aspects: Making the decision: ‘I was feeling rather at a dead end with my Parkinson’s’; Shifting emotions and feelings: ‘Terrified, excited, disappointed, overjoyed’; Embodied meaning: ‘This extraordinary procedure where they were going to drill holes in my head’. Conclusions: This research has elucidated the complexity of decision–making, the emotional landscape and specific bodily nature of the experience of DBS. It has suggested implications for practice informed by both existential-phenomenological theory and health psychology