Simple Solution For Complex Problem Research Articles

Simple solutions for complex problems? What is missing in agriculture for nutrition interventions

Within the nutritionism paradigm, in this article we critically review the marketization and medicalization logics which aim to address the pressing issue of malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries. Drawing from political economy and food system transformation discourses, we are using the popular intervention types of nutrition-sensitive value chains (marketization logic) and biofortification exemplified through orange-fleshed sweet potato (medicalization logic) to assess their outcomes and underlying logics. We demonstrate that there is insufficient evidence of the positive impact of these interventions on nutritional outcomes, and that their underlying theories of change and impact logics do not deal with the inherent complexity of nutritional challenges. We show that nutrition-sensitive value chain approaches are unable to leverage or enhance the functioning of value chains to improve nutritional outcomes, especially in light of the disproportionate power of some food companies. We further demonstrate that orange-fleshed sweet potato interventions and biofortification more broadly adopt a narrow approach to malnutrition, disregarding the interactions between food components and broader value chain and food system dynamics. We argue that both intervention types focus solely on increasing the intake of specific nutrients without incorporating their embeddedness in the wider food systems and the relevant political-economic and social relations that influence the production and consumption of food. We conclude that the systemic nature of malnutrition requires to be understood and addressed as part of the food system transformation challenge in order to move towards solving it. To do so, new evaluation frameworks along with new approaches to solutions are necessary that support multiple and diverse development pathways, which are able to acknowledge the social, political-economic, and environmental factors and drivers of malnutrition and poverty.

The Confrontation of COVID-19 in the Brazilian Context in the Light of the Theory of Cognitive Dissonance

The crisis of the new Coronavirus has provoked existentially threatening reactions in several aspects. This literature review on coping with COVID-19 is based on the theoretical framework of cognitive dissonance theory as applied to the behavior and attitudes of Brazilians. The methodology used was restricted to the following criteria: classical texts of social psychology, such as those of Leon Festinger and his contemporary collaborators, and of the social psychologists of the school of the theory of cognitive dissonance, taking into account its main paradigms. Based on articles published on the difficulties of the Brazilian context in confronting the pandemic, we aim to promote reflections and articulations with the theme. The main concepts of the theory are presented as related to the social dynamics underlying the pandemic, as an explanation, or not, of the adherence processes in the Brazilian context. We suggest that there is dissonance in different groups in Brazil about what is known and what is done, and that many people use simple solutions for complex problems.

The autonomic nervous system and cardiac arrhythmias: current concepts and emerging therapies.

Research into cardiac autonomic control has received great interest in the past 20 years, and we are now at a critical juncture with regard to the clinical translation of the experimental findings. A rush to develop clinical interventions and implant a range of devices aimed at cardiac neuromodulation therapy has occurred. This interest has been driven by research, superimposed on commercial opportunities and perhaps the more relaxed regulatory framework governing implantable devices and interventions compared with that for pharmacotherapy. However, many of the results of the clinical trials into these therapies have been disappointing or conflicting. This lack of positive results is partly attributable to a scramble to find simple solutions for complex problems that we do not yet fully understand. Are there reasons to be optimistic? In this Review, we highlight areas in the field of cardiac autonomic control that we feel show the most promise for clinical translation and areas in which our current range of blunt tools need to be refined to bring about long-term success in treating arrhythmias.

Merging Digital Medicine and Economics: Two Moving Averages Unlock Biosignals for Better Health.

Algorithm development in digital medicine necessitates ongoing knowledge and skills updating to match the current demands and constant progression in the field. In today’s chaotic world there is an increasing trend to seek out simple solutions for complex problems that can increase efficiency, reduce resource consumption, and improve scalability. This desire has spilled over into the world of science and research where many disciplines have taken to investigating and applying more simplistic approaches. Interestingly, through a review of current literature and research efforts, it seems that the learning and teaching principles in digital medicine continue to push towards the development of sophisticated algorithms with a limited scope and has not fully embraced or encouraged a shift towards more simple solutions that yield equal or better results. This short note aims to demonstrate that within the world of digital medicine and engineering, simpler algorithms can offer effective and efficient solutions, where traditionally more complex algorithms have been used. Moreover, the note demonstrates that bridging different research disciplines is very beneficial and yields valuable insights and results.

Why Education Predicts Decreased Belief in Conspiracy Theories.

SummaryPeople with high education are less likely than people with low education to believe in conspiracy theories. It is yet unclear why these effects occur, however, as education predicts a range of cognitive, emotional, and social outcomes. The present research sought to identify mediators of the relationship between education and conspiracy beliefs. Results of Study 1 revealed three independent mediators of this relationship, namely, belief in simple solutions for complex problems, feelings of powerlessness, and subjective social class. A nationally representative sample (Study 2) replicated these findings except for subjective social class. Moreover, variations in analytic thinking statistically accounted for the path through belief in simple solutions. I conclude that the relationship between education and conspiracy beliefs cannot be reduced to a single mechanism but is the result of the complex interplay of multiple psychological factors that are associated with education. © 2016 The Authors. Applied Cognitive Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

On Research to Optimize Eating Timing: Simple Solutions for Complex Problems

On Research to Optimize Eating Timing: Simple Solutions for Complex Problems

Embracing the complexity of inclusive science classrooms: Professional development through collaboration

There are no panaceas and no shortcuts. Man is an amphibious being who lives simultaneously or successively in several universes: in the world of matter, the world of mind, the world of spirit; in the individual world and in the social world; in the homemade universe of his own artifacts, institutions, and imaginings, and in the given, the God-made universe of nature and grace. In the very nature of things none of the major problems confronting such a being can possibly be a simple problem. Those who seek simple solutions for complex problems may have the best of intentions; but unfortunately there is an original sin of the intellect in our habit of arbitrary oversimplification. Those who act without taking precautions against this vice of their intellectual nature doom themselves and their fellows to perpetual disappointment. (Aldous Huxley, 1953, p. 1.)

Foreign-born Medical Colleagues

To the Editor.— In his commentary A Prescription for the Rising Cost of Medical Care (237:2383-2384, 1977), Vernon H. Mark, MD, states that all too often, when they finish their educational program, they enter the medical system in areas where they are least needed. quote is in reference to the ever increasing number of foreign-born medical graduates (FBMGs) who are swelling the physicians' ranks in this country. Even if this allegation is correct, in part or whole, Dr Mark's proposed solution to this problem is wrong both in principle and practice. He proposes to limit the FBMG to two years postgraduate training in this country: This would prevent them from becoming Boardcertified and theoretically discourage their entry into the American medical system. In his aside concerning the surgical and medical specialties as well as elsewhere in his commentary, he favors simple solutions for complex problems. The problems he