It's About Time: Loewald, Lacan, and AprÈs-Coup in America

Martin Heidegger's thought deeply influenced both Hans Loewald and Jacques Lacan, the catalyst they seemed to have been waiting for. For Loewald, Heidegger's ontological centrality of time to Being-in-the-World would bridge to Freud's centrality of transference to the analytic process, thereby operationalizing transference as a prism of time. In revealing the interwoven correlatives of present-past-future, how they bootstrap one another phenomenologically, Loewald also revealed a spiral of recursive meaning (in essence, après-coup) that draws us into the future, "the something more" of existence. In parallel, through his recognition of the power of après-coup, Lacan rescued from obscurity Freud's profound conception of Nachträglichkeit, or the spiral and causal force of unfolding meaning. Lacan was now situated to bring après-coupin conjunction with Heidegger's Being-in-the-World, with time interwoven into all aspects of existence, thereby underpinning, too, language and the Symbolic Order. By reading Freud through Heidegger and then creating their brilliant syntheses, Loewald and Lacan, through their striking sameness and differences, illuminate the nature of the unconscious, of memory and meaning, of the spiral of time, and of existence itself.

Reformulating the susceptible-infectious-removed model in terms of the number of detected cases: well-posedness of the observational model

Compartmental models are popular in the mathematics of epidemiology for their simplicity and wide range of applications. Although they are typically solved as initial value problems for a system of ordinary differential equations, the observed data are typically akin to a boundary value-type problem: we observe some of the dependent variables at given times, but we do not know the initial conditions. In this paper, we reformulate the classical susceptible-infectious-recovered system in terms of the number of detected positive infected cases at different times to yield what we term the observational model. We then prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution to the boundary value problem associated with the observational model and present a numerical algorithm to approximate the solution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Technical challenges of modelling real-life epidemics and examples of overcoming these'.

Positive Periodic Solution for Second-Order Nonlinear Differential Equations with Variable Coefficients and Mixed Delays

In this paper, we study two types of second-order nonlinear differential equations with variable coefficients and mixed delays. Based on Krasnoselskii's fixed point theorem, the existence results of positive periodic solution are established. It should be pointed out that the equations we studied are more general. Therefore, the results of this paper have better applicability.

The meaning of existence (bhava) in the Pāli discourses of the Buddha

This paper seeks to reconstruct the meaning of existence in the Pāli discourses of the Buddha by considering how the notion is used in the most systematic contexts in which it appears, and how it could be best interpreted. The discourses are concerned with how existence is used to support and consolidate a certain attitude of ownership, appropriation, and entitlement over contents of experience, in virtue of which one can claim that this or that is 'mine'. The problem with this move is that it seems to require a degree of stability that is at odds with the fundamental uncertainty (anicca) of all conditioned realities. Existence is used to somehow cover up uncertainty, and thus allow for a semblance of genuine ownership and possession, while in fact possession and ownership are just deluded views doomed to be contradicted by the structural uncertainty of actual experience. This reading entails that the early discourses do share with later traditions an anti-realist inspiration, which is worth exploring in its own right.

Existential Positive Psychology (EPP): A Positive Tool for Healing Existential Anxieties in South Africa during, and after, the COVID-19 Pandemic

Globally, humanity is in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, we question our individual, and collective, behaviours. Long periods of lockdown and ever-escalating death rates have found people asking questions such as "What is the point of carrying on?" This is exacerbated by the world's burgeoning ecological crisis. Humanity is beginning to wonder if it belongs on the planet when its footprint has caused such rampant destruction to forests, oceans, the animal kingdom, and other ecological entities. Existential positive psychology (EPP) seeks to uncover truths about humankind's existence, survival, and, thus, meaning in life. We, as people, need to make sense of our reason for being as we struggle with our anxieties and seek to become authentic. This discussion paper contends that EPP can help humanity find the courage to challenge, and heal, its existential anxieties, namely, death, isolation, freedom, and meaningless, in order to find individual and group identities, as well as overall mental wellness (or happiness), specifically in a South African context, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The writings of Wong, who works within the framework of EPP, and those of Frankl, a holocaust survivor, whose work falls within the scope of humanistic and existential psychology and Asante's Afrocentrism, which is a philosophical framework grounded on the African continent, are used to support this argument.

A fractional-order multi-vaccination model for COVID-19 with non-singular kernel

This work examines the impact of multiple vaccination strategies on the dynamics of COVID-19 in a population using the Atangana-Baleanu derivative. The existence and uniqueness of solution of the model is proven using Banach’s fixed point theorem. Local and global asymptotic stability of the equilibria of the model is also proven (under some conditions). Conditions for the existence of a unique or multiple equilibria are also derived and the model is shown to undergo backward bifurcation under certain scenarios. Using available data for the Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen vaccination programme for the city of Texas, United States of America from March 13, 2021 to June 29, 2021, the model is fitted using the three data sets. The three vaccination rates ν1,ν2 and ν3 corresponding to each vaccine as well as the effective contact rate for COVID-19 transmission, β, are estimated. Simulations of the model under different vaccination strategies are carried out. The results show that the three vaccination strategies not only cause significant reduction in the new asymptomatic and vaccinated symptomatic cases but also cause great decrease in the total number of vaccinated symptomatic individuals with severe COVID-19 illness.

Dignity in relationships and existence in nursing homes' cultures

Introduction:

Expressions of dignity as a clinical phenomenon in nursing homes as expressed by caregivers were investigated. A coherence could be detected between the concepts and phenomena of existence and dignity in relationships and caring culture as a context. A caring culture is interpreted by caregivers as the meaning-making of what is accepted or not in the ward culture.

Background:

The rationale for the connection between existence and dignity in relationships and caring culture is that suffering is a part of existence, as well as compassion in relieving suffering, and ontological interdependency.

Aim:

To describe different expressions of dignity in relationships and existence in context of caring cultures from the perspective of the caregivers.

Research design:

The methodology and method are hermeneutic. The method used was to merge the theoretical preunderstanding as one horizon of understanding with empirical data.

Participants and research context:

Focus group interviews with caregivers in nursing homes.

Ethical considerations:

The principles of the Helsinki Declaration have been followed to, for example, preserve self-determination, integrity, dignity, confidentiality and privacy of the research persons.

Findings:

Data interpretation resulted in four themes: Encountering existential needs that promote dignity in a caring culture; To amplify dignity in relationships by the creative art of caring in a caring culture; Violation of dignity by ignorance or neglect in a non-caring culture and The ethic of words and appropriated ground values in a caring culture.

Discussion:

Dignity-promoting acts of caring, or dignity-depriving acts of non-caring are adequate to see from the perspective of dignity in relationships and existence and the caring culture.

Conclusions:

Dignity in relationships seems to touch the innermost existential life, as the existential life is dependent on confirmation from others.

Tinkering with Time versus Being under the Spell of Time

Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork in a Danish pediatric oncology ward we explore how children - as cancer patients - respond to the time constraints of cancer treatment that may save their lives but simultaneously hold them under a spell of time. Children respond through practices of what we have called "tinkering with time," which enable them to seize control not of life, but of time. We suggest that tinkering be understood as time work through which children mold their experience of the constraints of time. We regard this as an expression of existential agency that simultaneously sustains children's sense of autonomy.

[The Reliability and Validity of the Chinese Version of the Experienced Level of Existential Emptiness]

BACKGROUND

Psychiatric patients are affected by diseases and mental symptoms that may worsen their ability to adjust emotionally. Being unable to respond to the emptiness, increases the risk of suicidal behaviors.

PURPOSE

This study was designed to translate the Experienced Level of Existential Emptiness (ELEE) scale, developed by Hazell in 1984, from the original English into Chinese and then to test its reliability and validity.

METHODS

This research adopted a cross-sectional design and collected data using convenience sampling and a structured questionnaire. The subjects of this study were psychiatric outpatients in the acute and chronic wards of a psychiatric hospital in Taiwan. The instruments used in this research included a demographic datasheet; the ELEE; the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, version 3; the Beck Depression Inventory-II; the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Y form; and the Oxford Happiness Inventory. After the data were obtained, the reliability and validity of the Chinese-version scale was tested.

RESULTS

Three hundred subjects were surveyed. The content validity index value of the ELEE was between .88 and 1, and the retest reliability and intrinsic consistency were good. From the analysis of criterion-related validity, a higher degree of emptiness was shown to correlate with more-obvious feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Conversely, a higher sense of happiness was shown to correlate with less-obvious feelings of these three variables. After the construct validity test, which used confirmatory factor analysis and regarded the co-variation coefficient of association and model fit index as the basis of consideration, the scale was reduced to two sub-scales of seven questions each. After the deletion of items, the scale retained good retest reliability and intrinsic consistency, supporting the retention of the 14 questions in the scale.

CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The findings of this study support using the Chinese version of the ELEE to measure emptiness in patients with mental illness and then providing appropriate medical assistance based on the measured results.

Mechanism Integrated Information

The Integrated Information Theory (IIT) of consciousness starts from essential phenomenological properties, which are then translated into postulates that any physical system must satisfy in order to specify the physical substrate of consciousness. We recently introduced an information measure (Barbosa et al., 2020) that captures three postulates of IIT—existence, intrinsicality and information—and is unique. Here we show that the new measure also satisfies the remaining postulates of IIT—integration and exclusion—and create the framework that identifies maximally irreducible mechanisms. These mechanisms can then form maximally irreducible systems, which in turn will specify the physical substrate of conscious experience.

[The philosopher to the aid of the anxious caregiver in the time of COVID-19]

Based on a clinical situation of a patient infected with COVID-19, the caregivers of the Saint-Étienne mobile psychiatric team describe their anxieties. Are the procedures carried out appropriate? Did we respect the safety measures? Are we at risk of contracting the virus and contaminating other people? The scientific discourse of "experts", who used to guide our actions, has throughout this crisis been inadequate and people's beliefs have crumbled. This abandonment is a source of anxiety for everyone, an anxiety about death. However, this reflection should kindle hope, a precious emotion for those working with patients in psychiatry.

Chaos Control and Synchronization of a Complex Rikitake Dynamo Model

A novel chaotic system called complex Rikitake system is proposed. Dynamical properties, including symmetry, dissipation, stability of equilibria, Lyapunov exponents and bifurcation, are analyzed on the basis of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Further, based on feedback control method, the complex Rikitake system can be controlled to any equilibrium points. Additionally, this paper not only proves the existence of two types of synchronization schemes in the complex Rikitake system but also designs adaptive controllers to realize them. The proposed results are verified by numerical simulations.

Stochastic Entropy Solutions for Stochastic Nonlinear Transport Equations

This paper considers the existence and uniqueness of stochastic entropy solution for a nonlinear transport equation with a stochastic perturbation. The uniqueness is based on the doubling variable method. For the existence, we develop a new scheme of parabolic approximation motivated by the method of vanishing viscosity given by Feng and Nualart (J. Funct. Anal. 2008, 255, 313–373). Furthermore, we prove the continuous dependence of stochastic strong entropy solutions on the coefficient b and the nonlinear function f.

Pulse dynamics in reaction-diffusion equations with strong spatially localized impurities

In this article, a general geometric singular perturbation framework is developed to study the impact of strong, spatially localized, nonlinear impurities on the existence, stability and bifurcations of localized structures in systems of linear reaction-diffusion equations. By taking advantage of the multiple-scale nature of the problem, we derive algebraic conditions determining the existence and stability of pinned single- and multi-pulse solutions. Our methods enable us to explicitly control the spectrum associated with a (multi-)pulse solution. In the scalar case, we show how eigenvalues may move in and out of the essential spectrum and that Hopf bifurcations cannot occur. By contrast, even a pinned 1-pulse solution can undergo a Hopf bifurcation in a two-component system of linear reaction-diffusion equations with (only) one impurity.This article is part of the theme issue 'Stability of nonlinear waves and patterns and related topics'.

Systems of nonlinear algebraic equations with positive solutions

We are concerned with the positive solutions of an algebraic system depending on a parameter [Formula: see text] and arising in economics. For [Formula: see text] we prove that the system has at least a solution. For [Formula: see text] we give three proofs of the existence and a proof of the uniqueness of the solution. Brouwer's theorem and inequalities involving convex functions are essential tools in our proofs.

New results on the existences of solutions of the Dirichlet problem with respect to the Schrödinger-prey operator and their applications

In this paper, by using the Beurling-Nevanlinna type inequality we obtain new results on the existence of solutions of the Dirichlet problem with respect to the Schrödinger-prey operator. Meanwhile, the local stability of the Schrödingerean equilibrium and endemic equilibrium of the model are also discussed. We specially analyze the existence and stability of the Schrödingerean Hopf bifurcation by using the center manifold theorem and bifurcation theory. As applications, theoretic analysis and numerical simulation show that the Schrödinger-prey system with latent period has a very rich dynamic characteristics.

Radiative transfer with delta-Eddington-type phase functions

The radiative transfer equation (RTE) arises in a wide variety of applications, in particular, in biomedical imaging applications associated with the propagation of light through the biological tissue. However, highly forward-peaked scattering feature in a biological medium makes it very challenging to numerically solve the RTE problem accurately. One idea to overcome the difficulty associated with the highly forward-peaked scattering is through the use of a delta-Eddington phase function. This paper is devoted to an RTE framework with a family of delta-Eddington-type phase functions. Significance in biomedical imaging applications of the RTE with delta-Eddington-type phase functions are explained. Mathematical studies of the problems include solution existence, uniqueness, and continuous dependence on the problem data: the inflow boundary value, the source function, the absorption coefficient, and the scattering coefficient. Numerical results are presented to show that employing a delta-Eddington-type phase function with properly chosen parameters provides accurate simulation results for light propagation within highly forward-peaked scattering media.

Cauchy problem of the generalized Zakharov type system in [Formula: see text]

In this paper, we consider the initial value problem for a two-dimensional generalized Zakharov system with quantum effects. We prove the existence and uniqueness of global smooth solutions to the initial value problem in the Sobolev space through making a priori integral estimates and the Galerkin method.

Direct and inverse relationships between Riccati systems coupled with multiplicative terms

An analytical and computational framework for the derivation of solitary solutions to biological systems describing the cooperation and competition of species and expressed by the system of Riccati equations coupled with multiplicative terms is presented in this paper. It is demonstrated that relationships between these solitary solutions can be either direct or inverse. Thus, an infinitesimal perturbation of one population would lead to an infinitesimal change in the other population - if only both solitary solutions are coupled with the direct relationship. But, in general, that is not true if solitary solutions are coupled with the inverse relationship - an infinitesimal perturbation of one population may result into a non-infinitesimal change in the other population. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of solitary solutions are derived in the space of the system's parameters and initial conditions.

Consciousness: here, there and everywhere?

The science of consciousness has made great strides by focusing on the behavioural and neuronal correlates of experience. However, while such correlates are important for progress to occur, they are not enough if we are to understand even basic facts, for example, why the cerebral cortex gives rise to consciousness but the cerebellum does not, though it has even more neurons and appears to be just as complicated. Moreover, correlates are of little help in many instances where we would like to know if consciousness is present: patients with a few remaining islands of functioning cortex, preterm infants, non-mammalian species and machines that are rapidly outperforming people at driving, recognizing faces and objects, and answering difficult questions. To address these issues, we need not only more data but also a theory of consciousness—one that says what experience is and what type of physical systems can have it. Integrated information theory (IIT) does so by starting from experience itself via five phenomenological axioms: intrinsic existence, composition, information, integration and exclusion. From these it derives five postulates about the properties required of physical mechanisms to support consciousness. The theory provides a principled account of both the quantity and the quality of an individual experience (a quale), and a calculus to evaluate whether or not a particular physical system is conscious and of what. Moreover, IIT can explain a range of clinical and laboratory findings, makes a number of testable predictions and extrapolates to a number of problematic conditions. The theory holds that consciousness is a fundamental property possessed by physical systems having specific causal properties. It predicts that consciousness is graded, is common among biological organisms and can occur in some very simple systems. Conversely, it predicts that feed-forward networks, even complex ones, are not conscious, nor are aggregates such as groups of individuals or heaps of sand. Also, in sharp contrast to widespread functionalist beliefs, IIT implies that digital computers, even if their behaviour were to be functionally equivalent to ours, and even if they were to run faithful simulations of the human brain, would experience next to nothing.

Euler equation existence, non-uniqueness and mesh converged statistics

We review existence and non-uniqueness results for the Euler equation of fluid flow. These results are placed in the context of physical models and their solutions. Non-uniqueness is in direct conflict with the purpose of practical simulations, so that a mitigating strategy, outlined here, is important. We illustrate these issues in an examination of mesh converged turbulent statistics, with comparison to laboratory experiments.

Manoeuvring between anxiety and control: patients' experience of learning to live with diabetes: a lifeworld phenomenological study

Research shows that people with diabetes want their lives to proceed as normally as possible, but some patients experience difficulty in reaching their desired goals with treatment. The learning process is a complex phenomenon interwoven into every facet of life. Patients and healthcare providers often have different perspectives in care which gives different expectations on what the patients need to learn and cope with. The aim of this study, therefore, is to describe the experience of learning to live with diabetes. Interviews were conducted with 12 patients afflicted with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. The interviews were then analysed with reference to the reflective lifeworld research approach. The analysis shows that when the afflicted realize that their bodies undergo changes and that blood sugar levels are not always balanced as earlier in life, they can adjust to their new conditions early. The afflicted must take responsibility for balancing their blood sugar levels and incorporating the illness into their lives. Achieving such goals necessitates knowledge. The search for knowledge and sensitivity to changes are constant requirements for people with diabetes. Learning is driven by the tension caused by the need for and dependence on safe blood sugar control, the fear of losing such control, and the fear of future complications. The most important responsibilities for these patients are aspiring to understand their bodies as lived bodies, ensuring safety and security, and acquiring the knowledge essential to making conscious choices.

Existence: who needs it? The non-identity problem and merely possible people

In formulating procreative principles, it makes sense to begin by thinking about whose interests ought to matter to us. Obviously, we care about those who exist. Less obviously, but still uncontroversially, we care about those who will exist. Ought we to care about those who might possibly, but will not actually, exist? Recently, unusual positions have been taken regarding merely possible people and the non-identity problem. David Velleman argues that what might have happened to you - an existent person - often doesn't merit moral consideration since the alternative person one would have been had what might have happened actually happened is a merely possible person about whom one has no reason to care. He argues that his way of thinking can eliminate the non-identity problem. Caspar Hare argues that merely possible people have interests and are morally relevant. He argues that we can solve the non-identity problem by rejecting the view that merely possible people are morally irrelevant. Both Hare and Velleman argue that focusing on one's de dicto rather than on one's de re children can help us avoid the non-identity problem. I analyze the role that merely possible, nonexistent hypothetical entities ought to play in our moral reasoning, especially with regard to procreation. I refute both Velleman's and Hare's views and demonstrate the difficulties we encounter when we try to apply their views to common non-identity cases. I conclude with the common-sense view regarding who matters, morally: only those who do, did, or will exist.

A non-local evolution equation model of cell-cell adhesion in higher dimensional space

A model for cell-cell adhesion, based on an equation originally proposed by Armstrong et al. [A continuum approach to modelling cell-cell adhesion, J. Theor. Biol. 243 (2006), pp. 98-113], is considered. The model consists of a nonlinear partial differential equation for the cell density in an N-dimensional infinite domain. It has a non-local flux term which models the component of cell motion attributable to cells having formed bonds with other nearby cells. Using the theory of fractional powers of analytic semigroup generators and working in spaces with bounded uniformly continuous derivatives, the local existence of classical solutions is proved. Positivity and boundedness of solutions is then established, leading to global existence of solutions. Finally, the asymptotic behaviour of solutions about the spatially uniform state is considered. The model is illustrated by simulations that can be applied to in vitro wound closure experiments.

Weak solutions to the continuous coagulation equation with multiple fragmentation

The existence of weak solutions to the continuous coagulation equation with multiple fragmentation is shown for a class of unbounded coagulation and fragmentation kernels, the fragmentation kernel having possibly a singularity at the origin. This result extends previous ones where either boundedness of the coagulation kernel or no singularity at the origin for the fragmentation kernel was assumed.

ADAPTIVE FINITE ELEMENT MODELING TECHNIQUES FOR THE POISSON-BOLTZMANN EQUATION

We consider the design of an effective and reliable adaptive finite element method (AFEM) for the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PBE). We first examine the two-term regularization technique for the continuous problem recently proposed by Chen, Holst, and Xu based on the removal of the singular electrostatic potential inside biomolecules; this technique made possible the development of the first complete solution and approximation theory for the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, the first provably convergent discretization, and also allowed for the development of a provably convergent AFEM. However, in practical implementation, this two-term regularization exhibits numerical instability. Therefore, we examine a variation of this regularization technique which can be shown to be less susceptible to such instability. We establish a priori estimates and other basic results for the continuous regularized problem, as well as for Galerkin finite element approximations. We show that the new approach produces regularized continuous and discrete problems with the same mathematical advantages of the original regularization. We then design an AFEM scheme for the new regularized problem, and show that the resulting AFEM scheme is accurate and reliable, by proving a contraction result for the error. This result, which is one of the first results of this type for nonlinear elliptic problems, is based on using continuous and discrete a priori L(∞) estimates to establish quasi-orthogonality. To provide a high-quality geometric model as input to the AFEM algorithm, we also describe a class of feature-preserving adaptive mesh generation algorithms designed specifically for constructing meshes of biomolecular structures, based on the intrinsic local structure tensor of the molecular surface. All of the algorithms described in the article are implemented in the Finite Element Toolkit (FETK), developed and maintained at UCSD. The stability advantages of the new regularization scheme are demonstrated with FETK through comparisons with the original regularization approach for a model problem. The convergence and accuracy of the overall AFEM algorithm is also illustrated by numerical approximation of electrostatic solvation energy for an insulin protein.