Reflection: Turn it over ...

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

In your mind	in your hands
with-in your community	in your heart, wealth, or technology?

Previously: 'wealth' : 'poverty' : 'justice'

A Scope with the Big Picture in Mind

Coverage plans are ready for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope prelaunch and launch activities. Roman is NASA’s next-generation observatory designed to explore some of the universe’s biggest mysteries, including dark energy. NASA and SpaceX are targeting Roman’s liftoff for no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 30, aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch coverage begins at 6:20 a.m. Live coverage of these events will stream through a variety of platforms. Learn where to watch online: 

https://www.nasa.gov/live ...

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

education for ALL life chances Nancy Grace	STEMM Observation Scale
ROMAN Girls - Women in Science	Political investment in Science for Public and Planetary Good

See also:

Nancy Grace Roman

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/roman-space-telescope/

Previously: 'women' : 'astronomy' : 'big picture'

Dear Editorial Office,

Dear Dr. Jones,

My name is Editorial Office, and I am writing on behalf of the selected journal. I came across your article, "A Conceptual Mapping Exercise of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards in Residential & Community Care Using Hodges' Model and Threshold Concepts". Its focus on deprivation of liberty safeguards, Hodges' model, older adults caught our attention. I would like to invite you to consider a new and unpublished contribution to the selected journal.

For this invited contribution, we are pleased to offer a Full APC Waiver. Invited manuscripts receive priority editorial handling, and we aim to provide an initial editorial decision within one week. This invitation does not imply acceptance, and editorial standards remain unchanged.

If you are interested, a working title or short abstract is enough for an initial discussion. If your current work is not closely aligned with this journal, you are also welcome to share your present research topic and we can check whether another journal in our portfolio may be more suitable.

I would be glad to answer any questions and look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,
Editorial Office
the selected journal

Dear Editorial Office,

Re. 'the selected journal: Invited Contribution – Full APC Waiver'

Thank you for your communication and recognition of my recent paper.

Unfortunately you have not specified the 'selected journal'. Without this detail it is difficult to proceed at all, or ascertain what benefit is provided by the 'full APC waiver'. 

I am more troubled, however by your name. Is it really 'Editorial Office'?

Again the specific journal matters here. If it is materials science, chemistry, or quantum physics or related this is (slightly?) less of a problem. Otherwise, I do worry that with Hodges' model being person-centred your being de-personalised does not sit very well with the purposes and values of Hodges' model.

It is however reassuring to learn that I should not take your invitation to suggest acceptance, and that accordingly your editorial standards remain intact - especially in these times.

Again, even if I were interested, I am at a loss to provide either a working title, or abstract.

I do hope you understand my difficulty? 

Although perhaps I ask too much.

Can it be - this IS in fact the journal?

'The Selected Journal'?

Yours Faithfully,

Mr^ P Jones

^'Conceptual Surgeon' 4th class

(and not sent.) 

Disciplines in Disarray - Scope of Practice, Disciplinary boundaries

To be in a state of disarray, is to be disarmed, without access to resources, or at least having an impaired ability to organise strategically for reasons of defence, disputation or argument. Constructive debate will be hard to achieve and so the confusion continues.

Prior to 2013 ideas for a paper with a would-be co-author began. Early that year there were 5000 words. There's probably mention of (another!) project on these pages – somewhere/when? The focus was using Hodges' model to explore 'scope of practice' in nursing. As the conceptual gift that keeps giving, Hodges' model can encompass all health disciplines, curricula, and professions, informal caring and social care too.

This post is prompt-ed (human ‘intelligence’ needs a nudge too) by ‘discussion’ on what was twitter, and currently on ‘X’. So in turn I can reflect on how relevant this paper would be today.

I still have that draft of over 5000 words. It is now woefully out-of-date. Out-of-date? Well the available job postings across the health and care sectors, have always changed. If you scan the paper copies of  Nursing Times, Nursing Standard, Nursing Mirror (anyone?) and the BMJ, The Lancet, Health Service Journal over three-four decades the evidence is clear. Then try the e-media, (and with it AI!)?

Now, for several years the impacts of  policy and change in advanced nursing practice, plus associate roles, that have also been applied in medical training and education are coming home to roost. Depending on your corner, and position in the debate there's a position called 'Noctor' (Vaughan and Kar, 2026).

I find it regrettable that consultants and 'senior' nurses have taken corners, as policy results in grossly negative examples with potentially safety consequences. There has always been a 'distance' to be bridged between health disciplines. In the past any sense of competition was usually, and so constructively patient-centred - grounded in the delivery and quality of care. The contest was tempered through mutual respect and dignity, and recognition of respective roles, knowledge, abilities and contribution to what is (and remains?) the multidisciplinary team?

Now with technology and AI in the mix, maintaining goodwill, common-sense and keeping the patient, public and future generations in sight will need a degree of diplomacy as yet not called-upon.

This made me think of the unions in the 1970s and more recent examples of work-to-rule. 

As health professionals argue between themselves, what is the cost of distraction?

Yes, that paper using Hodges' model on 'scope of practice (and theory!)' would be timely now.
In fact, it is urgently needed.

Vaughan L, Kar P. Vexatious complaints are being weaponised to discourage debate BMJ 2026; 394 :e100697 doi:10.1136/bmj-2026-100697 

Previously: 'scope' : 'publications'

[IBPnetworkGlobalConnect] 🎉 It's live: the investment case for pleasure-based sexual health

*Shared via the IBP Network Global Community of Practice hosted by the WHO Department of Sexual Reproductive Maternal Child Adolescent Health and Ageing. Learn more at www.ibpnetwork.org*

Dear pleasure champions,

Our new research, The Investment Case for Pleasure-Based Sexual Health, is officially published in BMJ Global Health.

Read it here: https://gh.bmj.com/content/11/8/e024479

Read the One Pager here: https://thepleasureproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PleasurePays-2.pdf

Headline finding: making sexual health services pleasure-inclusive for young people returns $23 for every $1 invested, across 99 countries. Full details, plus everything you need to help spread the word — captions, hashtags, visuals for you to use, the works — are in our media pack: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FSrXz5XO1qYiZX9NoExBvvc51nCpmT-H?usp=drive_link 

We'd love it if you shared it with your communities and whomever you think needs to read it; this is exactly the kind of moment we built this toolkit for. Instructions inside!

Thank you for being part of this movement with us, reach out to me at any time if you have questions.

Warmly,

Elena and The Pleasure Project Team

Elena Ascione (lei/she/her) 

Strategic Communication Lead

e:     elena AT thepleasureproject.org

w:    www.thepleasureproject.org

 

n.b.My source as indicated. When I first read this, I did a double-take, but all good in the end! PJ

South Sudan Medical Journal - August 2026

Dear Reader,

The August 2026 issue is online here; we thank all the copyeditors and reviewers who helped prepare these papers. If you are submitting a manuscript, remember to read our Author’s Guidelines first.

We are looking for volunteers to join the Editorial team. Email us if you have time and editing skills.

Editorial

Can the Ebola Zaire vaccine stop Bundigunyo virus? Edward Kenyi

RESEARCH ARTICLES
Assessment of airborne fungi in the emergency and traumatology departments of University Hospital Centre, Sidi Bel-Abbes, Algeria Derouicha Matmour, Samia Merad, Yassine Merad, Achwak Bendouida, Zoubir Belmokhtar, Zakaria Merad, Mohamed Amine Boumelik, Benali Beghdadli, Othmane Ghomari 

Maternal and nutritional factors associated with early childhood development in rural Indonesia Hadi Ashar, Mohammad Zen Rahfiludin, Sri Achadi Nugraheni, Dwi Hapsari Tjandrarini

Observed outcomes and costs of laparoscopic versus open cholecystectomy in Juba, South Sudan Mayen Achiek, Jingo Faride, Mohamed Ibrahim, Abraham Mafair Kezekia, Chep C. Chep, Garang D. Nyuol, Ajak M. Dhel, George Lefteri

Stakeholders’ perspectives on determinants of health financing in South Sudan: a qualitative assessment Jonathan Majok, Gabriel Loi, Solomon Dut, Aluel Ayom, Thiey Kuethpiny, David Ngor, Sarah Nyannyot

Predictors of unsuccessful treatment outcomes among adults with pulmonary tuberculosis in a resource-limited setting Tri Agus Yuarsa, Malehah Mohd Noh, Richard Avoi, Meryl Grace Lansing, Putra Agina Widyaswara Suwaryo 

Assessment of the understanding of evidence-based medicine among undergraduate medical students in Gadarif University, Sudan Khalid Mohammed Ali, Ozaz Yagoub, Inshirah Mustafa, Tarig Fadelelmoula
 
Environmental health risks associated with open dumping practices in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia: an observational study Nawan, Septi Handayani 

Assessing the quality of health facilities providing antenatal care services in Bor, South Sudan John Thon Pandak Kuot, Shalini Ninan Cherian

Prostate cancer awareness and factors influencing screening among men at St. Francis Referral Hospital, Tanzania Theresia A. Karuhanga, Zeinabu Awardh Sharif, Antony Magoda, Philbert Madoshi 

CASE REPORTS 
Long-standing aspirated foreign body in a child complicated by pneumothorax and empyema Gawar Gel, Juma Deng, Justin Rubena

Clinical rabies in an HIV-positive pregnant mother with surviving newborn Ayol Mac Ayol

BACKCOVER: WHO: Guidelines for the management of pregnant and breastfeeding women in the context of Ebola virus disease

FRONT COVER IMAGE: The grown fungal colonies on SDA media collected from different types of samples. (Article on page 149)

Thanks to everyone who supports SSMJ. Tell your colleagues they can join our mailing list here.

The SSMJ team

Email: southsudanmedicaljournal AT gmail.com
Website: http://www.southsudanmedicaljournal.com
Follow us on X: @SSMedJournal and our Facebook Group.

Our mailing address is:

South Sudan Medical Journal
Health and Social Sciences Research Institute, Juba
South Sudan
Copyright (C) 2026 South Sudan Medical Journal All rights reserved.

Medicine - Mathematics & History

'We now come to the input of mathematics into medical history, and to the related questions of arithmetic and quantification, ratio and proportion, geometrical argument and diagrams, and probability. Mathematics (consisting in arithmetic, geometry, astrology and music) had an established place in the quadrivium of the medieval arts course; its application to medicine is demonstrated in such textbooks as the Articella, which include treatises on weights and measures, and in studies of proportion and ratio such as those of the medieval Oxford calculators which Italian doctors among others caused to be revived at the beginning of our period. In the sixteenth century, it was a vigorously debated subject; there is a well-documented discussion of the certainty of mathematics, concerning its status in respect to the logical adequacy of its proofs, in which some natural philosophers and doctors (notably Cardano) take part. It will come therefore as no surprise that it was prescribed for doctors by most Renaissance pedagogical writers;  this prescription is often specifically linked to Galen's geometrical (axiomatic) method whose operations are the constitution of objects from elements, the comparison of existing objects and their reduction into their constitutive elements.

Associated with mathematics are diagrams, that is, abstract quantified spatial representations. There is a modern debate about the contribution of technical innovations in illustration in the Renaissance (most notably perspective) to the scientific revolution: this is only relevant here insofar as some participants in this debate argue for the importance of diagrammatic symbolisation of mental abstractions above those, like perspective, which are still representations of the real world, and see the former as a step on the path to full algebraic notation of geometry. Not all Renaissance thinkers were persuaded of their usefulness: Argenterio describes the diagrams of Manardo and Akakia reproduced below as 'vain and false tables and figures'; but I shall argue here that they were related to the uptake of doctors from the arts course insofar as well-known logical diagrams reproduced above (4.3:3) were adapted by them for their own purposes.' pp.171-172.

Maclean, Ian. 2002. Chapter 5, Beyond logic: geometry, proportion, quantity. In Logic, Signs, and Nature in the Renaissance: The Case of Learned Medicine. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.

Related to ongoing reading, Maclean provides two (among several) historical illustrations (with apologies for the quality) on pp.174-175, the first is from the Wellcome Collection:

Dubois, Jacques, 1478-1555 (Boe͏̈, Jacques, Bois, J. d., Boë, J., del, Boë, J., Del Boë, J., DelBoe͏̈, J., . . . Sylvius/de Bois). (1548). Methodus sex librorum galeni in differentiis et causis morborum et symptomatum in tabellas sex ordine suo conjecta paulo fusius ne brevitas obscura lectorem remoretur & fallat. de signis omnibus medicis, hoc est salubribus, insalubribus, & neutris, commentarius / ... per jacobum sylvium ..Paris: Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/books/methodus-sex-librorum-galeni-differentiis-et/docview/2090356749/se-2

Jacobus Sylvius, 1539

Which Maclean then translates / interprets (p.174):

Maclean. Figure 5.1, p.174.

'Manardo goes further, and causes and symptoms adapts the square of contraries to represent not only all the possible combinations of temperaments (combinations of cold and hot and wet and dry are cleverly excluded) but also inserts a mediate point to represent the absolutely temperate body: see fig. 5.2.
This adaptation of the square of contraries (which has precedents in the medieval period) shows the appropriation for their own use by doctors of the logical instruments at their disposal.

As we have seen, it is a feature of medical thinking to take into account many circumstantiae or variables, and, over time, the numbers of variables taken into consideration increases.' p.174-175.

Figure 5.2 Giovanni Manardo, p.175.

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

quality logic	quantity past - present - future diagrams symptoms - signs
subjective	objective

Previously: 'medicine' : 'history' : 'diagram'

Workshop: 'Under Pressure: Character, Certainty, Conspiracy'

How people change (or fail to) under pressure, false certainty and misinformation

Institute for Ethics & Society Workshop - Thursday 3 September 2026

10:00 am – 4:30 pm (AEST)

In an age of outrage, algorithms and information overload, how do we become people of resilient character, humble conviction and wise discernment? Drawing on several funded research projects in Europe and Australia, this workshop explores how pressure exposes the heart and yet shapes the self, how self-righteousness quietly corrupts our capacity for knowledge and understanding of self and others, and how conspiracy theories and AI-generated “slopaganda” shape the way we see the world.

The IES is pleased to host this event on the occasion of Laura Candiotto’s visit to Sydney. Laura is Associate Professor of Moral Philosophy (Universities of Cagliari and Pardubice). She currently leads two research projects, including ‘Vicious Epistemic Cultures’ on the ethics of knowledge with a specific focus on emotional friction in revision responsibility, funded by the Czech Science Foundation. Laura is currently working on a monograph, Emotional Friction, and a co-edited collection entitled Vice Epistemology and the Philosophy of Emotions (Routledge).

 

SPEAKERS

Laura Candiotto (Cagliari and Pardubice) ‘Character revision under duress’

 

John Lippitt (Notre Dame IES and Pardubice) ‘Failures of receptivity: self-righteousness as a stealthy vice’

 

Adam Piovarchy (Notre Dame IES) ‘Conspiracy theories are Infohazards’

 

Mark Alfano (Macquarie) ‘Slopaganda’

Event poster: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/NdGNCq712YtRgVKVFXhKphE8bFg?domain=notredame.edu.au

 

Location:

The University of Notre Dame Australia,

NDS23/102 (Wilcox Mofflin Building)

46-52 Mountain Street Ultimo, NSW, 2007

 

Or online via Teams

For enquiries, Teams link and to RSVP:

Professor John Lippitt (john.lippitt AT nd.edu.au)

My source: Philos-L "The Liverpool List" is run by the Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/philosophy/philos-l/ Messages to the list are archived at http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/archives/philos-l.html. Recent posts can also be read in a Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/PhilosL/ Follow the list on Twitter @PhilosL. Follow the Department of Philosophy @LiverpoolPhilos

Measuring Behavior 2027

The next Measuring Behavior conference will take place from 28 to 30 April, 2027, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Düsseldorf is in a region with a high concentration of behavioral research across a variety of fields both in universities and industry. It is easy to reach by international trains and flights. It is a city combining innovative modern architecture with a historic city centre. The conference will take place in the Clayton Hotel, which is in the Little Tokyo region of Düsseldorf, with its distinctive Japanese flavor. We will be hosted by the Heinrich Heine Medical University and the location is within easy walking distance of the central station.

The Scientific Program Committee invites you to submit proposals for oral presentations and posters at Measuring Behavior 2027 (Düsseldorf, 28-30 April).

All papers will be refereed through double-blind peer review and the proceedings will be published by the conference (with ISBN and DOI) and available online after the conference. In addition, selected papers will be invited to submit for a special edition of a journal.

Submissions for oral presentations and posters must be written in English following the style guide for Measuring Behavior 2027 publications. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the conference, we are flexible about the submission length. We accept submissions from at least one to maximum seven pages long for oral papers and about one page for posters. You also need to prepare a short (maximum 1000 characters, preferably shorter) abstract for the website.  
You can submit from the Submission page of the website. The deadline is 6th November 2026.

Tutorials and Demonstration Showcase submissions are free format and also have a later deadline (4 February 2027).

The Call for Symposia is open until October 9^th should you want to organise a series of presentations or an interactive workshop.

If you think a colleague might be interested in this Call for Symposia, you can also send them this PDF.

On behalf of the Measuring Behavior 2027 conference chairs,

Sabine Bischoff, Irena Krüger and Antonella Pomè (Heinrich-Heine-University), Gernot Riedel (University of Aberdeen) & Andrew Spink (Noldus Information Technology).

n.b. Early days, but I hope to attend and participate with a co-presenter.
Please do visit their site for full details. PJ

Re. 'Population mental health in England, 2003–2022: Teasing apart psychological distress, mental illness and activity limitation'

Last month I was struck reading John Burn-Murdoch's regular opinion piece 'Data Points' in the FTWeekend.

This one 'What's really going on with mental health around the world?' concerned a report:

Henking, C. and Baumberg Geiger, B. (2026), 'Population mental health in England, 2003–2022: Teasing apart psychological distress, mental illness and activity limitations'. ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, King's College London.
https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/8ygrz_v2

Below I have mapped some points to Hodges' model and added others. 

By accident or not, Mr Burn-Murdoch continued this theme last weekend, discussing pandemic lockdowns and how they never ended for some people (citations below):

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

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group

Getting stuck in a psychological minima. Becoming fixed in mindset, lack of self-development through others - empathy, rapport.  Subtle self-harm becoming more serious. What is character in the 21st C? Lack of measures. ^Lack of coherence - parity in health policy. Lack of assertiveness, self-advocacy, prone to self-stigma (non-help seeking!) Qualitative lived experience becomes self-reinforcing (and other - family?)

Getting fixed with a physique, posture - shaped by technology. Physical equivalent-complement  of 'mindset'. Getting stuck in a physical minima 'long-term'. Subtle self-harm becoming more serious. 'Systems medicalisation' PROCESSES Convenience (POLITICAL) of binary responses, e.g.  DISABLED -------- NOT DISABLED Search for 'answers' - diagnosis Search for 'solutions' interventions

Early effect of lack of external play, risk-taking with others, friends - testing - trust. Lack of social skills. Impact of social and other media - reduction of stigma. Social roles models - father-figure?  Lack of 'real' socialisation - meeting peers. Socio-Political Power, hence resort to 'sick role'. Social media - contribution to self-diagnosis.  Support inc. Social prescribing: "You're not listening! How dare you suggest walking, gardening, volunteering, discussion group .. as a way to deal with this!"

'It's life - get on with it!'  The compound effect of 'World News' on young people: cost of living; housing; cost of/access to education; employment options - related to AI; geopolitical events; climate change, state of economics since birth; COVID; housing; and isolation. 'Jobs' for teenagers? (I had a 7-day paper-round)  ^Parity of esteem (see above) Welfare traps -  especially by age xx Realisation of the importance of outdoors play. Streets being protected for children. Early Start Nursery

Imagine four characters called Harlequin meet for dinner. Halfway through another Harlequin gatecrashes the party, called spirit, then add psychiatry, anti-psychiatry, psychology, service users, policy-makers, the pharma-industry and education to the guest list and you are set for a marvellous time.

My source: John Burn-Murdoch, What's really going on with mental health around the world? FTWeekend, 11-12 July 2026, p.10.

John Burn-Murdoch, Pandemic lockdowns never ended for some people. FTWeekend, 15-16 August 2026, p.8.

Previously: 'young people' : 'mental illness' : 'behaviour' : 'Serres'