Complex Reality Research Articles

Considering hormones as sex- and gender-related factors in biomedical research: Challenging false dichotomies and embracing complexity

The inclusion of sex and gender considerations in biomedicine has been increasing in light of calls from research and funding agencies, governmental bodies, and advocacy groups to direct research attention to these issues. Although the inclusion of both female and male participants is often an important element, overreliance on a female-male binary tends to oversimplify the interactions between sex- and gender-related factors and health, and runs a risk of being influenced by cultural stereotypes about sex and gender. When biomedical researchers are examining how hormones associated with gender and sex may influence pathways of interest, it is of crucial importance to approach this work with a critical lens on the rhetoric used, and in ways that acknowledge the complexity of hormone physiology. Here, we document the ways in which discourses around sex, gender and hormones shape our scientific thinking and practice in biomedical research, and review how the existing scientific knowledge about hormones reflects a complex and dynamic reality that is often not reflected outside of specialist niches of hormone biology. Where biomedical scientists take up sex- and gender-associated hormones as a way of addressing sex and gender considerations, it is valuable for us to bring a critical lens to the rhetoric and discourses used, to employ a sex contextualist approach in designing experimentation, and be rigorous and reflexive about the approaches used in analysis and interpretation of data. These strategies will allow us to design experimentation that goes beyond binaries, and grapples more directly with the material intricacies of sex, gender, and hormones.

Reimagining the United States organ procurement and transplant network.

The United States system of solid organ transplantation is overseen by the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network (OPTN). Recent announcements from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) indicate their clear intention to reform the system. We suggest that the original intention of the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA) to require one entity to oversee transplantation is critical to integrate policy with the complex realities of organ procurement and transplantation practice. We suggest that a contemporary business platform model best captures the appropriate structure for coordinating organ transplantation, as the seamless exchange of organs between related groups is the essential function to facilitate. A business platform framework that includes public and private, academic and industry partners can best accomplish the important goal of equitable and efficient organ transplantation.

Immobility and COVID-19: comparing mobility reduction among socio-demographic groups in a large German city during the pandemic

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic and the public health measures imposed to tackle the spread of the virus have changed the everyday life and severely reduced the mobility of many. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between changed transport behavior and complex socio-demographic groups. Drawing on a survey on mobility and transport use during the pandemic for the Hanover region (Germany), we find three distinct clusters in our data related to changed mobility behavior: (1) people with no change in transport behavior, (2) people heavily reducing public transport use in the inner city, and (3) people reducing public transport use for their commute. In a second step, we use logistic regression models to understand the socio demographic factors determining each of these change patterns. The results show that women and younger participants were more likely to experience an impact on their travel behavior as well as reducing the use of inner-city public transport, while the reduction of commuter transport seems to be mostly homogeneous once controlled for teleworking. We also find a complex interplay between gender and other socio-demographic factors, especially caring responsibilities for children and student status, to have shaped the reported extent of mobility reduction. We show that we need to think about socio-demographic variables in a more complex way instead of perceiving of them as stand-alone variables. Our analysis hence helps to uncover the complex reality of mobility reduction during the pandemic, providing deeper insights into the (im)mobile reality of people’s lives in times of COVID-19.Kindly check and confirm inserted city name are correctly identified.Yes, the city name is Hanover and thus corretly identified

Illuminating policy for health: insights from a decade of researching urban and regional planning

Abstract Background Public health focussed policy analysis focusses on policy making practice and the conditions under which policies are made. The field has great promise for interrogating and creating ‘healthy’ public policy. Engaging with the complex realities of policy with a critical lens using established knowledge from other disciplines, especially political science, is crucial. Objectives This presentation presents a comprehensive framework for public health focussed policy analysis, informed by deep engagement with political science especially new institutionalism. The presentation of the framework is supported by insights from its application to urban and infrastructure policy-making over the past decade. Methods A priori application of theory from political science was mixed with deductive and inductive data collection and critical policy analysis of case studies of urban planning practices and systems in Australia from 2011 to 2020, including 250 policy documents and 92 semi-structured interviews. Results The final framework from the research is presented as a ‘cube’ made up of Institutions (actors, structures, ideas), Action and Evaluation (processes, decisions and choices, and outcomes and events), Governance (constitutive, directive and operational), Power and Time. Essentially the research demonstrated the power of institutional silos and historical ways of working (path dependencies) that are challenging to shift and are underpinned by often unexplored normative values promoting market and economic growth and excluding risks to health and health equity such as climate change and social protections. Change however comes about by creating and ensuring health focussed representation and voices in the governance regimes that define, create and sustain policy-making. Conclusions This comprehensive decade long research demonstrates how to investigate and interrogate healthy public policy that accepts and illuminates complexity to critically unpack policymaking. Key messages • Research that interrogates policy-making as its main object is important in an era of increasing health inequities and the climate emergency. • This presentation demonstrates how to do such research with practical examples and insights from investigating urban and infrastructure policy systems.

“My Father Put Me in a Patera So I Could Study”: Key Aspects of Socio-Educational Support for Minors Who Migrate Alone

The migration process for minors who migrate alone represents a complex reality, one entailing exciting life projects but which often clashes with a host society that at times responds in a way shaped by stereotypes and prejudices. In this regard, the role of public and private institutions responsible for the care and custody of these minors is of the utmost importance. This is the point of departure of this study: to explore the multicultural and inclusive practices that are implemented in the process of socio-educational support for minors who migrate alone. Taking as a reference the closest context, as a case study, and employing a qualitative methodological approach, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals from Centers for the Protection of Minors, Institutes of Compulsory Secondary Education (secondary schools), and third-sector entities involved in socio-educational intervention with minors who migrate alone in the province of Cordoba (Spain). The results show, firstly, the complexity of the process behind the socio-educational inclusion of these minors, mainly due to their backgrounds; and, furthermore, the role of the different expectations of the professionals involved with regards to this group’s educational and labor-oriented development, along with the importance of the diversity of socio-educational intervention strategies used, focused on individualized attention and with a comprehensive approach. In conclusion, the findings of this study highlight the importance of tackling the task of socio-educational care in a coordinated manner, without forgetting the cultural backgrounds and previous experiences that these minors have when they join these protection and educational systems. It is, therefore, necessary to continue to implement these inclusive practices that promote the comprehensive development of minors and facilitate their transition to adult life, as should be done with any other minor facing situations of social vulnerability.

Analyzing organizational gaps in process accidents with FRAM: The case of the Imperial Sugar refinery explosion (2008)

AbstractThis study presents a reanalysis of the Imperial Sugar refinery accident that occurred in February 2008, in Georgia, USA, using functional resonance analysis method (FRAM) and based on technical‐scientific materials and the official reports. This explosion was fueled by sugar dust in the packaging building of the refinery, causing 14 fatalities and injuring 38 workers. The purpose of this reanalysis is to seek factors and interactions that could not be well analyzed or evidenced using traditional accident investigation techniques, which are primally designed to analyze linear systems. This reanalysis with FRAM allowed us to perceive the influence of organizational elements, such as culture, in the accidental chain of the event, highlighting the need of a broader approach for accidents involving high‐tech process industries. In this sense, FRAM enabled a more comprehensive analysis of the complex functioning of process plants, for both normal operation and in emergency. It was noticed that the greater the complexity of work systems, the greater the interaction and variability between personnel, equipment, and systems, requiring analysis techniques and methodologies capable of recognizing the real complexities that take place in these sociotechnical systems, especially in high‐tech process plants, such as the sugar refinery in this case.

Perception of the Level of Competency of Candidates for Graduation: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Complex Thinking.

Complex thinking is a cognitive skill that focuses on the integrated analysis and synthesis of information with a systemic and critical perspective that enables creative decision-making in the face of complex realities or challenges. At the educational level, it is valued as a transdisciplinary competency, meaning it is relevant for individuals regardless of their profession or field of study. This article presents the results of measuring the perceived achievement of complex thinking among 830 graduating students from a technological university in Mexico, aiming to identify possible significant differences based on their discipline or major. Methodologically, a multivariate descriptive statistical analysis was performed using R and RStudio software, including calculation of means and standard deviations, violin plots, boxplot and ANOVA significance analysis, and t-test. The results show that the differences were not statistically significant in all the disciplines, although it is possible to note significant differences, which reveals a differentiated behavior in the process of formation and development of complex thinking according to the discipline of study. In conclusion, the present study shows that the students' areas of training are associated with differences in perception of complex thinking and its associated sub-competencies, thus differentiating this ability in their graduation profile. This article contributes to the existing literature on the formation and development of complex thinking and its sub-competencies as relevant professional skills for lifelong learning.

Professor Ahmet Hadrovic's Philosophy of Architecture

As a part of the Universe, man is, by himself, such a complex reality that, as long as he exists, he will not be fully 'explored'. Before the explicit elaboration of 'his philosophy of architecture', the Author will present a brief description of 'his life path', since he is convinced that it is the material for his philosophy. In this description, he used excerpts from his published book (2019) of philosophical content – “Man: something or nothing”. The author is convinced that the text presented in this work is only one view of man about man. It is true to the extent that the very existence of the Author is true.

Four recommendations to tackle the complex reality of transdisciplinary, natural experiment research.

Natural experiments are often used to study interventions in which randomization to control versus intervention conditions are impossible. Nature-based interventions (i.e., programs designed to increase human interaction with nature and improve human health) are commonly studied as natural experiments. We used a natural experiment design to explore the benefits of ecological rehabilitation of parks on biodiversity and resident health in low-income, minoritized neighborhoods in Detroit, MI. Given the complexities and interconnectedness of lived experiences, community needs, and ecological health, this research design has presented challenges. Based on our experiences, we pose four key recommendations for researchers and practitioners conducting natural experiments, nature-based interventions, and those working in low-income, minoritized neighborhoods. We use the explicit examples of challenges faced as rationale for these recommendations. The key recommendations are (1) Engage with community leaders; (2) Build a transdisciplinary team and work closely; (3) Examine privilege; and (4) Create a unified vision.

Putting people back at the center of livelihood vulnerability analysis

The sustainable livelihoods framework is an analytical tool that allows livelihoods to be conceptualized in a holistic manner. This understanding is an important prerequisite to addressing potential vulnerabilities in people’s livelihoods. However, the framework places relatively little emphasis on people and their agency, although this aspect is central to vulnerability analysis. For example, factors hindering or enabling people’s capabilities to convert potentially available assets into desired livelihood outcomes are not explicitly disclosed in the framework. Instead, they are seen as part of the assets themselves or of site-specific processes and institutions. Accordingly, the framework is of limited use to analyze to what extent a person or group is capable of accessing a particular resource or converting them into a livelihood strategy and determining how power and power relations, as well as locally institutionalized practices and relationships, influence vulnerability. Yet, such analytical why-questions are central to the alignment of interventions that address vulnerability with people’s needs and local realities. Otherwise, there is a risk of remaining at a purely descriptive level.We propose an extension and partial redesign of the framework to better account for such dynamics and to better reflect the complex realities of peoples’ livelihoods. In particular, we propose the “personal realization capability” as a complementary component for analyzing the capability of individuals or households to convert assets into livelihood outcomes. The new component allows for a more person-centered analysis that focuses on people, their social living conditions, and the social structure surrounding them.

“Keeping Things under the Rug”: Racial Dynamics in the Context of Large Immigration Raids in Rural Mississippi☆

AbstractA large body of literature has evidenced racism and other challenges experienced by Latinx immigrants working in the food system and rural communities in the U.S. Despite a large number of studies showing complex and difficult realities experienced by Latinx immigrants, little has been studied about how immigration law enforcement operations impact Latinx communities and racial dynamics in rural communities. Analyzing 26 interviews with Latinx organizers and allies involved in community responses in the aftermath of large immigration raids, this study examines how the raids shaped racial dynamics and local actions to address Latinxs' problems. Findings show the immigration raids were seen as an “invasion” that created fear, distrust, and racial stigmatization among Latinx immigrants. After the raids, Latinx groups and allies mobilized resources for the affected families, contesting the binary racial order. However, community responses were challenged by white supremacy and racism that aimed to keep “things under the rug” by ignoring Latinxs' problems created and exacerbated by the immigration raids. These findings highlight unique characteristics of ongoing racialization processes in U.S. rural settings and illustrate how white supremacy and racism continue to shape what goes on within and outside rural communities.

Critical mass: the creation of Pajarero/Birder communities in Mexico for citizen science

ABSTRACT Birding (pajareo) precedes the field of citizen science by decades, if not centuries. However, by being incorporated into institutional programs and digital platforms [Invernizzi, N. 2020. “Public Participation and Democratization: Effects on the Production and Consumption of Science and Technology.” Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society 3 (1): 227–253. https://do.org/10.1080/25729861.2020.1835225], birding has been inscribed into the logic of data-intensive science [Scroggins, M. J., and I. V. Pasquetto. 2020. “Labor Out of Place: On the Varieties and Valences of (In)Visible Labor in Data-Intensive Science.” Engaging Science, Technology, and Society 6:111–132. https://do.org/10.17351/ests2020.341], with the premise of increasing the number of volunteers to accumulate more and more data. The history of these practices in Mexico is very recent, dating back only about 15 years. The explosion in the number of practitioners since then has been largely the product of institutional arrangements and top-down initiatives carried out by Mexican government environmental agencies. Building on recent STS approaches to public participation that conceive citizen science as a situated and contextual phenomenon, I propose that public policies can be legitimately used to create publics. From the study of interviews, visual materials, participant observation in birding field trips, and other ethnographic materials, I recover the different stories that have led to the creation of brigades, groups, and observation clubs in Mexico. I argue that this approach allows us to go beyond normative positions and present a much more complex reality than the mere instrumental relationship between institutions and communities.

Teaching the Russian literary language to foreign master and postgraduate students within the special course “Modern Russian literature”: key problems and prospects

The article puts insight into current issues of teaching the Russian literary language to foreign under-graduates and postgraduates, specializing in “Linguistics and Intercultural Communication”, in the course of studying “Modern Russian Literature”. We use a broad historical and cultural context to substantiate the fundamental role of Russian literature in the formation of world culture and the global literary canon, and highlight the great influence that such Russian classical writers as Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Turgenev and Chekhov had on the development of foreign literature in the East and West. We observe and trace continuity in classical and modern literary eras and the best long-lasting spiritual, moral and linguistic traditions of the Russian people. We assume that the key problems the teacher should focus on are: Russian literature as a significant phenomenon of world culture, the development of classical traditions in the history of Russian literature at present, the dialogue among cultures and the translation of modern writers’ works into foreign languages, historical and philosophical problems in literature, and historical heritage of the Russian language. The article comprehensively studies the Russian language value dimensions and linguistic axiological directions. The data show the presence, stability and preservation of the fundamental values (life, love, truth, good, beauty, hope, grace, honour, etc.) in the Russian literary language. These values form the spiritual conceptual sphere in Russian culture and constitute its main moral foundations. Serious attention is paid to the aesthetics of the language. We show the aesthetic potential, artistic expressiveness and stylistic richness of the modern Russian literary language, based on the works of E. Vodolazkin, L. Ulitskaya, M. Shishkin, M. Kucherskaya, M. Stepnova, D. Rubina and others. We focus on the problem of preserving the Russian literary language and the high status of Russian in general, revealing complex realities of modern multinational and multicultural world. We recommend such modern masterpieces as “Laurel” by E. Vodolazkin, “The God of Rain” by M. Kucherskaya, “The Garden” by M. Stepnova, “The Writer” by M. Shishkin, “Yakov’s Staircase” by L. Ulitskaya as sources to improve literacy and general cultural competence of foreign students.

Visual tools for supporting interviews in qualitative research: new approaches

PurposeThis study aims to describe and evaluate various visual and creative tools for supporting the in-depth biographical interview aimed at analyzing educational communities and their stakeholders.Design/methodology/approachResearching educational spaces today requires new ways of understanding, analyzing and studying. The complex characteristics, functions and realities demand research that responds to educational singularities. It is a matter of deeply understanding the educational phenomenon's peculiarities. For these purposes, instruments and research paradigms are needed to extract data and reach information saturation regarding the data obtained from the proposed objects of study. With this in mind, the following paper suggests reflecting on data collection tools that can complement the interview and biographical-narrative research approach. The authors highlight the use of photo-elucidation, the biogram-based timeline, the organigram and the flight of the geese, all of which are instruments endowed with a visual character that allows a deeper understanding of the object studied.FindingsThe main contribution of this paper is to unpack the uses and applications of four visual tools that support the interview technique. First, photo-elucidation is presented as a sensory strategy to stimulate the narrative during the dialogical exchange of the interview. Next, the timeline is described as a visual concretization of the traditional biogram widely used in educational research. Next, the authors unravel the uses of the organizational chart in educational research, which, due to its nature and utility, provides a glimpse of the organizational functioning of an institution and is particularly suitable for research in institutional frameworks. Finally, the tool known as the flight of the geese is presented. This tool is recommended for use in educational leadership and teamwork studies due to its simplicity and high representativeness of the hierarchy of roles and functions.Originality/valueResearching educational spaces today requires new ways of understanding, analyzing and studying. The complex characteristics, functions, and realities demand research that responds to educational singularities. It is a matter of deeply understanding the educational phenomenon's peculiarities. For these purposes, instruments and research paradigms are needed to extract data and reach information saturation regarding the data obtained from the proposed objects of study. With this in mind, the following paper invites us to reflect on data collection tools that can complement the interview and biographical-narrative research approach. The authors highlight the use of photo-elucidation, the biogram-based timeline, the organigram, and the flight of the geese, all of which are instruments endowed with a visual character that allows a deeper understanding of the object studied.

“El cuerpo de verdad”: The Potency of Magali Lara’s Unpictured Bodies

This article explores a suite of six prints made by the Mexican artist Magali Lara in 1984 that present a series of views onto bathrooms. Although the artist never pictures bodies, the images manage to articulate women’s bodily realities. Haunting details—a squat toilet, its lid propped up; a roll of toilet paper, ripped askew; a still-smoldering cigarette, freshly ground into an ashtray next to a sink—seem to describe bodies without directly depicting them. At the same time, anthropomorphic and animated bathroom fixtures serve as surrogate bodies, inhabiting the otherwise empty interiors. In the context of 1980s Mexico City where, despite a thriving feminist movement, reproductive health remained shrouded in mystery and discussions of women’s sexuality and inner lives were still regarded as taboo, Lara’s unpictured bodies offered a creative circumvention. They managed to invite discussion of key feminist concerns including women’s health, sexuality, and subjectivity. Counterintuitively, they offered a means of making visible the complex realities of women’s experience. Lara’s images help to expand notions of what has comprised feminist art in Mexico. Charting the possibilities of subjective expression as political in its own right, the suite of etchings invites reflection upon how viewers’ imaginations can become sites of political transformation

ANCIENT INDIAN CONCEPTS AS PORTRAYED IN CONTEMPORARY WESTERN FILMS

Historically, in the European imagination, India was a place that existed outside of history. The German philosopher G.W.F.Hegel wrote that India-with its psychology, religion, caste-system, and holy men - existed in a dream-like state. However, India, like every other place in the world, has never existed outside of history as an exotic dreamland. It has had itsown complex economic, social and political things going on regardless of whether the West was aware of it. India is a dream of the West. Being a maelstrom of human, social, and spiritual contradictions, India has always attracted many western filmmakers. In order to give a glimpse of its ancient concepts, complex reality and dynamism the contemporary global view of filmmakers on the lifestyle and the diversity of this country has been proposed. Many westernfilmmakers, including those from France, have had a desire to express themselves often with talent.The aim of this research paper is to bring forth their insight into life and culture of India. An analysis of how Westerners have stereotyped Indian concepts or accounted for the profound changes inIndian societyin their films has been done.

Locating the ‘invisible’ mum: exploring maternal selfie practices

ABSTRACT This article draws on ten semi-structured interviews with mothers about their maternal selfie practices in order to explore how they use and navigate the form in relation to their motherhood identities and experiences. Whilst work on the form is still emerging, we examine the claim that maternal selfies offer space for a uniquely subjective expression/depiction of motherhood. As part of this, we explore how discussions of their selfie practices – and appraisals of the cultural circulation of the maternal selfie – resist and (re)produce discourses on acceptable digital and cultural paradigms of motherhood. The themes which emerged from these data were 1) the maternal selfie as empowerment, 2) authenticity as regulatory discourse and 3) the risks of negative affect. In drawing on work on neoliberal and intensive mothering frames, the article examines how the increasing emphasis (in digital cultures in particular) on displaying the complex realities of motherhood are implicated within the surveillance and self-surveillance of maternal visibility in ways which may (further) delimit the possibilities for maternal self-expression.

Via Pulchritudinis: the narrative of violence and vulnerability in painting in view of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s hermeneutic aesthetics

In the article, I explore the many faces of violence and vulnerability evoked in religious and secular painting. Drawing upon Hans-Georg Gadamer’s phenomenology of art as play, I aim to show that the creative activity of both the artist and the viewer exceeds the mere actualization of the past event or the instantiation of poetic fantasy. Bringing into conversation Bosch’s, Caravaggio’s, Millais’s, and Waterhouse’s masterpieces, this essay interrogates how their embodiments of the uncanny proximity of violence and vulnerability as two conflicting sides of our human experience complicate the expected symmetry and clear-cut distinction between belligerency and gentleness, powerfulness and the powerlessness, benevolence and malevolence. Inviting us to appreciate the authenticity of their subtle meanings in the continuous veiling and unveiling (Verbegung/Entbergung) of truth, the selected artworks prompt, simultaneously, a possibility of our self-recognition. In the process of our patient tarrying in front of them, we are called on to attend to and acknowledge the more complex realities that speak to our lived experience and defy its apparent homogeneity.

Impact of Institutional Performance and Integrity on Public Trust during COVID-19: A Retrospective Examination in the Arabic Context

This study examines trust in public sector institutions during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the impact factors. A survey was administered to a convenience sample of 1,372 local and expatriate residents in the United Arab Emirates during 2022–2023. Bivariate and multiple regression analyses were utilized. There was a high level of general public trust among respondents (mean = 4.11), with the highest trust in the police (mean = 4.21) followed by trust in the information disseminated by the government (mean = 4.06) and in the performance of public sector institutions (mean = 3.89). On the bivariate and multivariate levels, demographic variables had an insignificant impact on public trust. General trust was significantly correlated with institutional performance (β = 0.417), institutional integrity (β = 0.397), perceived gains (β = 0.378), and government-disseminated information (β = 0.374). Public trust is a complex reality linked to numerous organizational and nonorganizational factors. Improving public trust requires enhancing ethical conduct—crucial for maintaining trust—as well as good governance practices and leadership behavior. The sample size and quantitative focus might have limited the generalizability of the findings. In the future, researchers should use in-depth interviews or mixed methodologies.

Heart Failure in Elderly People: From Pathophysiology to Diagnosis and Management

As the older population increases, there is an increase in age-related chronic diseases, especially heart failure. It affects 25% of over 75-year-old outpatients and represents the leading cause of hospitalization and death in older people. This review aimed to point out the main characteristics concerning heart failure in older people, taking into account clinical symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. An extensive search on heart failure was made on PubMed and Google, using the keywords older people, heart failure, epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical symptoms, and pharmacological approach. Our results underline how heart failure in older patients is a complex and multifaceted reality that requires a multidimensional assessment to frame the patient correctly, resolve the acute episode, and set a targeted therapeutic, pharmacological, and non-pharmacological approach, without neglecting the psychogeriatric aspect. The latter must be aimed at reducing the relapse rate and preserving functional autonomy and quality of life, decreasing the rate of re-hospitalization and institutionalization, the length of hospitalization, and improving predictive outcomes.