Complex Systems Theory Research Articles

A complex systems perspective on chronic aggression and self-injury: case study of a woman with mild intellectual disability and borderline personality disorder

BackgroundChallenging behaviors like aggression and self-injury are dangerous for clients and staff in residential care. These behaviors are not well understood and therefore often labeled as “complex”. Yet it remains vague what this supposed complexity entails at the individual level. This case-study used a three-step mixed-methods analytical strategy, inspired by complex systems theory. First, we construed a holistic summary of relevant factors in her daily life. Second, we described her challenging behavioral trajectory by identifying stable phases. Third, instability and extraordinary events in her environment were evaluated as potential change-inducing mechanisms between different phases.Case presentationA woman, living at a residential facility, diagnosed with mild intellectual disability and borderline personality disorder, who shows a chronic pattern of aggressive and self-injurious incidents. She used ecological momentary assessments to self-rate challenging behaviors daily for 560 days.ConclusionsA qualitative summary of caretaker records revealed many internal and environmental factors relevant to her daily life. Her clinician narrowed these down to 11 staff hypothesized risk- and protective factors, such as reliving trauma, experiencing pain, receiving medical care or compliments. Coercive measures increased the chance of challenging behavior the day after and psychological therapy sessions decreased the chance of self-injury the day after. The majority of contemporaneous and lagged associations between these 11 factors and self-reported challenging behaviors were non-significant, indicating that challenging behaviors are not governed by mono-causal if-then relations, speaking to its complex nature. Despite this complexity there were patterns in the temporal ordering of incidents. Aggression and self-injury occurred on respectively 13% and 50% of the 560 days. On this timeline 11 distinct stable phases were identified that alternated between four unique states: high levels of aggression and self-injury, average aggression and self-injury, low aggression and self-injury, and low aggression with high self-injury. Eight out of ten transitions between phases were triggered by extraordinary events in her environment, or preceded by increased fluctuations in her self-ratings, or a combination of these two. Desirable patterns emerged more often and were less easily malleable, indicating that when she experiences bad times, keeping in mind that better times lie ahead is hopeful and realistic.

The study of coevolution relationship among coastal marine economy, innovation, and ecology based on Chinese complex systems

Based on the complex system theory, this paper constructs a collaborative evolution model of marine economy, innovation and ecological protection. Findings show the MEIE orderliness shows an upward trend, and the adaptability of the system increase, however there are significant spatial difference. The synergistic relationship between economic development and innovation system is characterized by ‘bias’ and ‘mutual beneficial’. The Synergistics relationship between economic development-ecological protection system is ‘bias’. The Synergistics relationship between innovation-ecological protection system tend to be ‘bias’ or ‘inhibition’.

The role of platform ecosystem configuration toward performance bifurcation

The prevalence of digital ecosystems and platforms underscores the need for a deeper understanding of the factors that influence performance variations within these platforms. This study introduced a multidimensional model to examine the platform ecosystem characteristics that affect performance outcomes. To this end, it adopted the Lotka-Volterra complex system theory. The model was simplified into a one-dimensional framework, enabling the examination and prediction of the relationship between performance bifurcation and configurations of platform characteristics. This study provides practical insights and implications that extend beyond academia. The results reveal that high network threshold values indicate robust platform performance, suggesting resilience against collapse. Additionally, increasing the network effect influences platform performance by shifting competition strength toward prominent tipping-point locations, which is considered a desirable regime. The results further confirm that competition dampens a platform's exponential growth; however, cross-network effects enhance it. These insights have significant implications for investors, offering a practical vision that can inform managers' strategic decision-making. These findings provide a solid foundation for developing informed strategies to enhance platform performance. In a world in which digital ecosystems play a pivotal role, the implications of this study empower stakeholders to make data-driven decisions, fostering success in a dynamic and competitive digital business environment.

Exhibition Space Circulation in Museums from the Perspective of Pedestrian Simulation

Contemporary studies largely concentrate on the physical aspects of architecture, yet within the sphere of design, the gap between user experience and the designer’s intention is an undeniable fact. This gap, illustrating the contrast between the spatial perception and the actual physical space, to some degree, mirrors preferences in human spatial behavior. It accentuates the complex relationship between human cognitive functions and spatial layout, underlining the critical role of spatial perception in architectural design and planning. This prompts the question of whether perceptions of internal traffic flow within buildings also suffer from spatial distortions. Focusing on museums, and by examining circulation paths and spatial features, a virtual museum model is devised. The research employs a holistic and reductionist approach (complex systems theory) to forge a link between circulation components and the spatial experience of architecture. Utilizing agent-based modeling tools for simulating pedestrian movements, it investigates how different circulation patterns and spatial relationships influence pedestrian behavior. The study proposes a museum circulation optimization strategy, grounded in quantifying spatial experience through Anylogic software analysis. This strategy is aimed at enhancing the design of internal traffic flows in future museum projects, offering fresh insights into museum design research, and probing into new possibilities for using pedestrian simulation software.

Review of Griffiths, C. & Soruç, A. (2020) Individual differences in language learning: A complex systems theory perspective. Palgrave Macmillan.

Review of Griffiths, C. & Soruç, A. (2020) Individual differences in language learning: A complex systems theory perspective. Palgrave Macmillan.

Integration of Spirituality, Values and Ethics in Leadership Practice and Theory in Egypt

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the integration of spirituality, values, and ethics in leadership practice and theory.
 Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
 Findings: Integration of spirituality, values, and ethics in leadership practice and theory in Egypt shows a strong emphasis on Islamic principles and teachings. Leaders often draw upon religious values to guide their decision-making and ethical behavior. This integration fosters a sense of moral responsibility and accountability among leaders, promoting ethical leadership practices. However, there is also a need for a balance between religious principles and modern leadership theories to ensure inclusive and effective leadership.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social network theory, Graph theory & Complex systems theory may be used to anchor future studies on the integration of spirituality, values, and ethics in leadership practice and theory. Design and implement leadership development programs that explicitly incorporate components related to spirituality, values, and ethics. Advocate for the implementation of policies and regulations that institutionalize ethical standards within organizations and industries.

Don’t Call It a Failure: Systemic Risk Governance for Complex Financial Systems

The probability that an event will avalanche into an impairment of essential services constitutes a “systemic risk.” Owing to the inherent complexities of modern societies, the outbreak of a novel disease or the failure of a financial institution can rapidly escalate into an impact significantly larger than the initial event. Through the lens of complex system theory, this article draws a parallel between financial crises and disasters to contend that the regulatory framework for financial systemic risk is unequipped to address its fundamental dynamics. Epitomized by the market failure rationale, financial regulation is premised on a reductionist view that purports both systemic risk and law as external to the actions of market participants. Conversely, this article advances a twofold conceptual framework. First, it shows that systemic risk emerges from the same complex dynamics that generate the financial system. Second, it understands law as an agent of complexity, thus contributing to the emergence of finance and its inherent instability. Normatively, this conceptual framework reveals the limits of current regulatory approaches and constructs a holistic risk governance framework that is akin to the one adopted to govern disaster risks.

Analysis for Digital Economy Ecosystem Based on Three-Dimensional Lotka-Volterra Model

Inspired by the complex system theory, we have expanded the two-dimensional Lotka- Volterra model to three- dimensional Lotka-Volterra model to obtain the stability conditions for all the equilibrium points, and to analyze the symbiotic evolution among the central enterprises and other two sorts of satellite digital enterprises in the ecosystem of digital economy.

Perturbative Expansion in Reciprocal Space: Bridging Microscopic and Mesoscopic Descriptions of Molecular Interactions.

Determining the Fourier representation of various molecular interactions is important for constructing density-based field theories from a microscopic point of view, enabling a multiscale bridge between microscopic and mesoscopic descriptions. However, due to the strongly repulsive nature of short-ranged interactions, interparticle interactions cannot be formally defined in Fourier space, which renders coarse-grained (CG) approaches in k-space somewhat ambiguous. In this paper, we address this issue by designing a perturbative expansion of pair interactions in reciprocal space. Our perturbation theory, starting from reciprocal space, elucidates the microscopic origins underlying zeroth-order (long-range attractions) and divergent repulsive interactions from higher order contributions. We propose a systematic framework for constructing a faithful Fourier-space representation of molecular interactions, capturing key structural correlations in various systems, including simple model systems and molecular CG models of liquids. Building upon the Ornstein-Zernike equation, our approach can be combined with appropriate closure relations, and to further improve the closure approximations, we develop a bottom-up parameterization strategy for inferring the bridge function from microscopic statistics. By incorporating the bridge function into the Fourier representation, our findings suggest a systematic, bottom-up approach to performing coarse-graining in reciprocal space, leading to the systematic construction of a bottom-up classical field theory of complex aqueous systems.

Revisiting complex dynamic systems theory: Empowering language teachers and teaching

AbstractThis article revisits complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) and provides a new synthesis that, the authors argue, may empower language teachers. The particular focus is on the interplay between change and stability in complex dynamic systems, including language teaching and learning. The article identifies four key dynamical properties of complex dynamic systems, which reflect change, stability, and the interplay between these two. The dynamical properties are historicity, adaptiveness, nonlinearity, and emergence. The authors associate these dynamic properties with four recognisable types of activity: normative, contingent, creative, and purposeful teaching and learning. The central argument is that language teaching and learning are interconnected, and language teaching that promotes these four types of teaching and learning activity may also promote opportunities for language learning. The authors conclude with a discussion of how teachers may use this CDST perspective to reflect on three aspects of their professional context—teaching, language, and agency—and how such reflection, followed by action, may promote opportunities for language learning in their contexts.

Complex System Theory —Hierarchy and Dynamic Interactions within Psychological Structures

Complex System Theory —Hierarchy and Dynamic Interactions within Psychological Structures

Coevolution Analysis of the Sustainable Development Systems of Energy Firms From a Strategic Philanthropy Perspective

As the objectives of the “dual carbon goal”—reaching peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060—continue to be promoted, the fulfilment of social responsibilities is critical in enabling energy firms to achieve sustainable development goals. However, due to the frequent occurrence of nonstrategic charitable behaviors, energy firms cannot effectively manage the outcomes of charity. This affects the sustainable development processes of energy firms. While previous studies have mainly focused on the assessment of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the static evaluation of sustainable development, few studies focus on the coevolution analysis of the triple combination. To explore the coevolution of the sustainable development systems of energy firms from the perspective of strategic philanthropy, based on triangular fuzzy numbers, a multiattribute evaluation system has been used. This system integrates strategy features, sustainability features, adaptability features, and matching degrees. It has been used to improve the traditional Belousov–Zhabotinsky (B-Z) reaction model, otherwise known as complex system theory. The coevolution model of sustainable development systems stemmed from the perspective of strategic philanthropy. The feasibility of the dynamic model was verified using data from Chinese energy enterprises (Firm-G and Firm-S) gathered between 2011 and 2020. The improved “B-Z” model proposed in this study is able to dynamically simulate the sustainable coevolution track of energy firms and the action mechanism of strategic philanthropy, which provides new decision-making ideas and methods to enable energy firms to effectively manage the behaviors and effects of strategic philanthropy.

How the dynamics of engagement explain the momentum of achievement and the inertia of disengagement: A complex systems theory approach

Engagement can be understood as a complex dynamic system that unfolds over time and interacts within the student, school, and environment. Most of the research on the dynamics of engagement comes from classroom settings and it is so far inconclusive how and why engagement and disengagement evolve over time. Using person-centered methods, sequence, transition, and covariate analysis, we examined a large dataset of 18 consecutive courses of 245 students over a full program. We identified three engagement states (active, average, and disengaged), as well as three distinct longitudinal engagement trajectories (engaged, fluctuating, and mostly disengaged). Taken together, our results showed that engagement trajectories are rather stable over time conforming to the universal dynamics of complex systems. Engaged students were driven by course materials, their achievement, and their previous engaged states (momentum). Most importantly, our results offer a novel theoretical grounding for the understanding of disengagement which has so far remained unexplained. According to our results, disengagement follows the dynamics of a complex system where stability does not require a hard-wired causal mechanism but rather, it is an attractor state that pulls the system to settle in (inertia). Thus, disengagement becomes a hard to change equilibrium state for those students t (or a stuck state).

SYSTEM-PARAMETRIC IMPERATIVES OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF AQUACULTURE IN THE UKRAINIAN BLACK SEA REGION

Topicality. Modern socio-economic development is characterized by a steady growth of resource-ecological, economic, political and other crisis problems. These factors create a high level of threats to food security both at the national and international levels. For Ukraine, this problem is actualized as a result of russia's military aggression. This situation determines the need for comprehensive knowledge of the specified problems in the interests of sustainable development of Ukraine.
 Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is a scientific and methodological search for promising directions and effective solutions to the problems of sustainable food security in Ukraine over a fairly long time scale. At the same time, the task of scientific substantiation of the mobilization strategy for the development of domestic (within the territory of Ukraine) natural resource potential of aquaculture is set.
 Materials and methods. Regulatory and legal materials, including the Law of Ukraine "On Aquaculture", the report of the State Fisheries Agency of Ukraine, etc., which determine state policy in the field of fisheries and aquaculture development, were used as the information base of the research. The methodology and methods of the theory of complex systems, the principles of nonlinear and synergistic interpretations, etc. are used as tools for solving the tasks in the work.
 Research results. The scientific and economic foundations of the development of the aquaculture development program based on the natural resource potential of the Ukrainian Black Sea region have been developed. The work presents the results of research related to the formation of a conceptual basis for the development of a program-oriented direction of aquaculture development in relation to the conditions of Ukraine. Based on the high level of uncertainty of the studied problems in the work, the field of aquaculture of the state (region) is considered as a complex (non-linear) socio-ecological-economic system (SEES). Particular importance in the work is given to the question of the methodology of forming a system of imperatives for the development of complex objects, which is considered according to such directions as actual, categorical, modal and hypothetical imperatives. The specified system of imperatives is considered in connection with other development factors as one of the important elements of the driving forces of the development of the SEES, in relation to the conditions of development of the Ukrainian Black Sea region.
 Conclusion. Methodological and methodological approaches to the system-parametric understanding of complex socio-ecological-economic objects discussed in the work are an important basis for substantiating effective directions of development and ways of solving problems of sustainable development of natural and economic systems. The development of aquaculture in the Ukrainian Black Sea region is considered as a problem of solving the issues of ensuring national food security, improving the quality of life of the country's population and a factor in the revival of Ukraine as a maritime state.

Preventive mental health care: A complex systems framework for ambient smart environments

We offer a framework for the design and use of Ambient Smart Environments (ASEs) for preventive mental health care support. Drawing from Complex Systems Theory (CST) and ‘E’ Cognitive Science (ECS), we claim that ASEs have the potential to act in a preventive capacity in support of good mental health, i.e. supporting dynamics that avoid so-called “struck states” (which are, according to CST, thought generally to underpin forms of psychopathology). Here, we frame our discussion with what has recently been termed the “mind-technology problem”. We define and characterise ASE systems, present some examples, and briefly survey some existing theoretical work. After introducing the essential CST terminology, the paper goes on to apply CST to explain developmental adaptation to continuously changing (smart) environments. Understanding the ASE’s navigation in terms of a dynamic geometry between attracting and repelling points (or local minima/local maxima), allows us to develop neurotechnology that can augment clinical interventions by predicting upcoming shifts for good symptomatic outcomes, i.e. when a preventive intervention (i.e. destabilisation) should take place. We further offer clear directions for the development and design of such neurotechnology.

Bridges and Mechanisms: Integrating Systems Science Thinking into Implementation Research.

We present a detailed argument for how to integrate, or bridge, systems science thinking and methods with implementation science. We start by showing how fundamental systems science principles of structure, dynamics, information, and utility are relevant for implementation science. Then we examine the need for implementation science to develop and apply richer theories of complex systems. This can be accomplished by emphasizing a causal mechanisms approach. Identifying causal mechanisms focuses on the "cogs and gears" of public health, clinical, and organizational interventions. A mechanisms approach focuses on how a specific strategy will produce the implementation outcome. We show how connecting systems science to implementation science opens new opportunities for examining and addressing social determinants of health and conducting equitable and ethical implementation research. Finally, we present case studies illustrating successful applications of systems science within implementation science in community health policy, tobacco control, health care access, and breast cancer screening.

Modelling the Reliability of Logistics Flows in a Complex Production System

This paper analyses the disruptions occurring in a production system determining the operating states of a single machine. A system with a convergent production character, in which both single flows (streams) and multi-stream flows occur, was considered. In this paper, a two-level formalisation of the production system (PS) was made according to complex systems theory. The continuity analysis was performed at the operational level (manufacturing machine level). The definition of the kth survival value and the quasi-coherence property defined on chains of synchronous relations were used to determine the impact of interruption of the processed material flow on uninterrupted machine operation. The developed methodology is presented in terms of shaping the energy efficiency of technical objects with the highest power demand (the furnace of an automatic paint shop and the furnace of a glass tempering line were taken into consideration). The proposed methodology is used to optimise energy consumption in complex production structures. The model presented is utilitarian in nature—it can be applied to any technical system where there is randomness of task execution times and randomness of unplanned events. This paper considers the case in which two mutually independent random variables determining the duration of correct operation TP and the duration of breakdown TB are determined by a given distribution: Gaussian and Gamma family distributions (including combinations of exponential and Erlang distributions). A formalised methodology is also developed to determine the stability of system operation, as well as to assess the potential risk for arbitrary system evaluation parameters.

Beyond Metrics: Navigating AI through Sustainable Paradigms

This manuscript presents an innovative approach to the concept of sustainability in the realm of Artificial Intelligence (AI), recognizing that sustainability is a dynamic vision characterized by harmony and balance. We argue that achieving sustainability in AI systems requires moving beyond rigid adherence to protocols and compliance checklists, which tend to simplify sustainability into static criteria. Instead, sustainable AI should reflect the balance and adaptability intrinsic to the broader vision of sustainability. In crafting this vision, we draw upon the principles of complex systems theory, the wisdom of philosophical doctrines, and the insights of ecology, weaving them into a comprehensive paradigm.

Metastasis Models: Thermodynamics and Complexity.

The thermodynamic formalism of nonequilibrium systems together with the theory of complex systems and systems biology offer an appropriate theoretical framework to explain the complexity observed at the macroscopic level in physiological phenomena. In turn, they allow the establishment of an appropriate conceptual and operational framework to address the study of phenomena such as the emergence and evolution of cancer.This chapter is organized as follows: In Subheading 1, an integrated vision of these disciplines is offered for the characterization of the emergence and evolution of cancer, seen as a nonlinear dynamic system, temporally and spatially self-organized out of thermodynamic equilibrium. The development of the various mathematical models and different techniques and approaches used in the characterization of cancer metastasis is presented in Subheading 2. Subheading 3 is devoted to the time course of cancer metastasis, with particular emphasis on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT henceforth) as well as chronotherapeutic treatments. In Subheading 4, models of the spatial evolution of cancer metastasis are presented. Finally, in Subheading 5, some conclusions and remarks are presented.

“Ice Cream is Delicious.”: Shared Codes that Emerged through Interactions in Two ESL Academic Writing Classrooms

This study examines utterances—either words, phrases, or sentences—that instructors initiate and students later appropriate for their own purposes and interests in different sequential contexts. We name these utterances shared codes because they occur repeatedly in classroom interactions and gradually take on meanings unique to class members. Simply put, they serve as codes, or keys, for unlocking the interactional history (but not necessarily for explaining the original meaning). Such shared codes were employed for making humor and building relationships. Indeed, students’ use of the codes seems to exhibit learner agency in selecting and appropriating utterances. We examined classroom interactions of two English as a second language (ESL) courses, taught by two instructors in university-based English-language programs in the U.S. Following Cameron and Deignan (2006), this study analyzes interactional contexts where shared codes emerge by employing complex dynamic systems theory perspectives. From our corpus of ESL writing classrooms, we selected four utterances that emerged as shared codes by tracking instances longitudinally, visualizing patterns among which the codes emerged. We also employed multimodal conversation analysis to illuminate processes during which students adapted their teachers’ utterances, thus contributing to those utterances becoming temporarily stable, or in an attractor state (Larsen–Freeman, 2017).