This review paper is devoted to study the conceptual difficulties that mathematics meets when attempting to describe the complexity of living matter focusing on the challenging perspective of developing a mathematical theory for living systems including mutations and selection. The quest starts with the identification of a number of common complexity features of living systems. Then, mathematical structures are derived to include these features, while mathematical models are derived by inserting in the structures models of individual based interactions. Three applications are examined by active particles methods, i.e., models of SARS2-CoV-2 pandemics, models of idiosyncratic learning in open markets and of the dynamics of prices accounting for human behaviors. A critical study, which pervades the whole paper, shows that also economics can be viewed as a behavioral science thus accounting for specific aspects typical of living systems.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2022.10.001 | DOI Listing |
J Infect Dev Ctries
December 2024
Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, SE, Brazil.
Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted public transportation systems worldwide. In this study, we evaluated the rate of COVID-19 positivity and its associated factors among users of public transportation in socioeconomically disadvantaged regions of Brazil during the pre-vaccination phase of the pandemic.
Methodology: This ecological study, conducted in Aracaju city in Northeast Brazil, is a component of the TestAju Program.
BMC Psychiatry
January 2025
Division of Epidemiology and Social Sciences, Institute for Health and Equity, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA.
Background: During adolescence, a critical developmental phase, cognitive, psychological, and social states interact with the environment to influence behaviors like decision-making and social interactions. Depressive symptoms are more prevalent in adolescents than in other age groups which may affect socio-emotional and behavioral development including academic achievement. Here, we determined the association between depression symptom severity and behavioral impairment among adolescents enrolled in secondary schools of Eastern and Central Uganda.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Public Health
January 2025
Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Public and Occupational Health, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Background: Developing interventions along with the population of interest using systems thinking is a promising method to address the underlying system dynamics of overweight. The purpose of this study is twofold: to gain insight into the perspectives of adolescents regarding: (1) the system dynamics of energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) (physical activity, screen use, sleep behaviour and dietary behaviour); and (2) underlying mechanisms and overarching drivers of unhealthy EBRBs.
Methods: We conducted Participatory Action Research (PAR) to map the system dynamics of EBRBs together with adolescents aged 10-14 years old living in a lower socioeconomic, ethnically diverse neighbourhood in Amsterdam East, the Netherlands.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, 66075-110, Brazil.
In Brazil, health policies implemented over the last three decades have enabled rapid testing for HIV to be made available in primary health care services. However, although these policies are national, the implementation of actions is not uniform, as they depend on the local management of local health systems. In this context, the study identified the proportion of women from sexual minorities who had never tested for HIV and the factors associated with access, in a Metropolitan Region of the Brazilian Amazon.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Open
January 2025
Centre for Cancer Screening, Prevention and Early Diagnosis, Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Background: Worldwide, lung cancer (LC) is the second most frequent cancer and the leading cause of cancer related mortality. Low-dose CT (LDCT) screening reduced LC mortality by 20-24% in randomised trials of high-risk populations. A significant proportion of those screened have nodules detected that are found to be benign.
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