iii WCCS26: World Conference on Complex Systems 20-22nd April

Chaos
Making a New Science 
by James Gleick

When I first learned of WCCS26, I saw a connection, an affinity across the conference themes. This was reinforced when I read the final program for WCCS. Here was a home for the model, a way-point for Hodges' model. For an independent scholar, it was quite a trip to Ben Guerir, to the north of Marrakech; 13 hours (brief by global standards). It was a place to wave wildly, making use of the opportunity to present Hodges' model, to say - "Dear All, can you do anything with this?".

It is almost 40 years since I read James Gleik's, Chaos: Making a New Science. That was in Cornwall I think? Now, something more than book - a complexity conference.  

 After the first two keynotes - two panels: 

 Panel 1 - Complexity, Society & Global Challenges

▪ Carlos Álvarez Pereira - No Limits to Hope: Escaping from the unreasonable effectiveness of Modernity
▪ David Chavalarias - The Artificialization of Cultural Evolution: the Impact of Very Large Digital Infrastructures on Individuals and Society
▪ Louis Klein - Noospheric Singularity and the Mirror of Tamkeen
Panel Chair: Karima Kadaoui

These confirmed I was in the right place. Well, it was bit late if I wasn't! I was reminded of the slow movement, and how in healthcare, specifically client-nurse intereactions you had time to manage your time, that is your caseload to deliver person-centred care. I don't mean time-wasting, as in social chat, tea and custard creams either. This is what being professional is about, truly trying to make a difference - that lasts. So we worked through: What is; (science) what we understand; and (tech and law) what should be. Ecologically, we often refer to the size of our footprints. Panel one considered this individually and collectively - institutionally. Fascinating to reflect upon these themes and how modernity is stamping about in a rather chaotic way? We are seemingly power-less to stop this.

c/o Carlos Álvarez Pereira
No Limits to Hope: Escaping from the unreasonable effectiveness of Modernity

Three reports to the Club of Rome were displayed, spanning 'NO LIMITS TO LEARNING - Bridging the human gap' 1979; 'Limits and Beyond' 2022; 'NO LIMITS TO HOPE - Liberate the potential for Collective Learning' 2026. Should we be troubled, worried even, that the latest followed after a mere four years? There are of course, many reports as per the link above.

David Chavalarias - The Artificialization of Cultural Evolution: the Impact of Very Large Digital Infrastructures on Individuals and Society spoke about the beneficial and malign impacts of social media AI tools. Covid featured as might be expected. Within the sciences, what was worrying, was an innovation slowdown associated with AI, non-AI use, chartered around a central point (centroid). I believe the slide referred to:

Qianyue Hao & Fengli Xu & Yong Li & James Evans, 2026. "Artificial intelligence tools expand scientists’ impact but contract science’s focus," Nature, vol. 649(8099), pages 1237-1243, January. 

There was one slide:

Is this the demise of any efforts to achieve SOCIO-technical synergy? Even to the extent of realising benefits for the human in socio-technical systems? Did Covid not teach us anything about the informational difference technology can make? When so many technologies are muted by a virus? This is what we need: things to think about, question and critique. 

There used to be a series of A3 step-by-step oil painting magazines in the 1970s. One presented a desert campfire, clearly set in the east. I did try it, though not sure were the result is now. ... Such a scenario was presented by Louis Kleinand the Noospheric Singularity and the Tamkeen Process - Regenerative Hermeneutics, with the following reference provided:

Klein, L., & Kadaoui, K. (2024). Realising metamorphic transformation in the mirror of Tamkeen: Growing a shared understanding from co-reflected lived experiences. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 41(5), 738–749. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.3058 

There was much I could identify with. And, once again, I cannot continue at this pace. We have only covered (touched!) panel one. Hopefully you now have an idea of the depth of the conference programme. More however, will follow.

See also: thefifthelement.earth

Chaos - cover: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826080.Chaos

Caring with Excellence, Care that Evolves: Filipinos in Care Anniversary Event 2026

Time & Location

17 Apr 2026, 14:00 – 23:00 BST

St Mary Abbots Centre, Vicarage Gate, London, W8 4HN

About the event

This engaging 2-panel session will delve into the inspiring journeys of Filipino nurses and nurse leaders who are making significant contributions in the social care sector. Participants will have the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of challenges, triumphs, and the unique experiences that shape their careers. The session aims to highlight the vital role that Filipino nurses play in providing compassionate care and leadership in diverse settings.

Panel 1: Personal Journeys and Experiences of Award-Winning Filipinos

The first panel will feature a diverse group of nurses who will share their personal stories. Topics will include:

• Overcoming cultural and professional challenges
• Adapting to different healthcare environments
• Building resilience and community support

Panel 2: Transitioning to Social Care

The second panel will focus on the experiences of Filipino nurses who moved from the NHS to social care. Key discussions will revolve around:

• Developing skills in a care home setting
• Key tips for the career move
• Key learnings from the shift from acute to chronic care

Takeaways: A Practical Toolkit

Attendees will leave the session equipped with a practical toolkit designed to inspire and guide them in their own nursing careers. This toolkit will include:

• Resources for professional development
• Strategies for effective leadership in nursing
• Networking opportunities with fellow nurses and leaders

Join us for this enlightening session to celebrate the contributions of Filipino nurses in social care and to gain valuable insights that can enhance your own journey in the field. Sessions moderated by Filipinos in Care Founder Kier Dungo and Co-Founder Jay Trondillo.

Tickets and website: https://www.filipinosincare.org.uk/event-details/fic-anniversary-event

My source: RCN North West Multicultural Group

Rare Disease Day 2026 Official Video

28 February is 
Rare Disease Day

'Raising awareness and generating change for the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease, their families and carers.'

Manchester, UK https://www.rarediseaseday.org/event/light-up-for-rare-2/

Continued ... https://www.rarediseaseday.org/

BCS SPECIALIST GROUP ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Virtual seminar 'Generative AI'

BCS SPECIALIST GROUP ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (SGAI)

The next in our series of free evening virtual seminars will be on Wednesday March 11th from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. (UK time). The topic will be Generative AI.

Synopsis

Generative AI is rapidly reshaping the landscape of intelligent systems. This virtual seminar covers cutting-edge research and visionary perspectives on the design, deployment, and governance of generative models. It explores how generative models are enabling adaptive control, task planning, and embodied intelligence in dynamic environments. It also addresses GenAI robustness, interpretability, and alignment which are critical pillars for deploying generative systems in high-stakes domains.

The speakers will be Dr Mark Post (University of York) on 'Safety, Trust, and Perception of Generative AI: Is it deceiving us, or are we deceiving ourselves?' and Dr Erfu Yang (University of Strathclyde) on 'Generative AI in Robotics and Automation: Applications, Advancements and Challenges'.

The virtual seminar series is free and open to all. For further details and for the zoom link to use go to http://https://bcs-sgai.org/seminars/2026-03-11/.

Details of future SGAI events will be placed on the website at https://bcs-sgai.org as they become available. To register to be sent information about future SGAI events by email go to https://www.bcs-sgai.org/register/.

Max Bramer
Chair, BCS SGAI
----------------------------------------------------
Chair, British Computer Society Specialist Group on Artificial Intelligence
Emeritus Professor, School of Computing, University of Portsmouth, UK
http://www.maxbramer.org

My source: BCS-AI mail list.

Abstract accepted: 6th World Conference on Complex Systems - WCCS 2026

April, 20-22, 2026

Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir-Marrakech, Morocco

About Us

Building on the success of previous editions, we are delighted to announce WCCS26, organized by the Chair of Complexities ∞ Humanities - UM6P and the Moroccan Society of Interdisciplinary Studies, with technical sponsorship from IEEE. This conference remains a premier international platform where researchers and Ph.D. students come together to share cutting-edge research, address emerging challenges, and explore new frontiers in complex systems and interdisciplinary science.

WCCS26 fosters collaboration and debate on the most advanced methodologies and approaches for understanding, modeling, simulating, predicting, and mastering societal, ecological, biological, and engineered complex systems. By bringing together experts from diverse disciplines, the conference bridges theory and real-world applications, driving scientific progress and innovation.

Join us for a stimulating exchange of ideas at WCCS26!

WCCS26 Theme :

Navigating Contemporary Complexity:
Transdisciplinary Approaches to Economic, Social,
Political, and Environmental Challenges

Conference Topics (But not limited to...) :

• Foundations and Approaches to Complex Systems
• Social and Economic Complexity
• Complexity in the Anthropocene
• Biological Complexity: From Cells to Societies
• Complexity in Health and Medicine
• Philosophical Dimensions of Complexity
• Complex Systems With Artificial Intelligence
• Complexity in Emerging Technologies
• Grand Challenges in Complexity Science
  
  

Continued at: https://wccs-conference.org/wccs26/#call

See also: 'complexity'

n.b. I am attending (unsponsored) as an independent scholar and researcher; and by abstract alone.

'New Thoughts on Conceptual Engineering' - Introduction to special issue

 Abstract

Conceptual engineering has emerged in recent times as a significant topic in current philosophical literature. The now vast list of references includes works on more general or conceptual issues, such as describing the nature of conceptual engineering, how we may respond to the different objections to it, how it is related to philosophical analysis or empirical philosophy, or toward which target conceptual engineering should be directed, among others. But research on the topic also includes applications of conceptual engineering to many different areas. This Introduction opens with a short overview of the state of the art on conceptual engineering, aiming to clarify the most important features associated with it. The Introduction moves on to introduce and discuss the eight articles collected here, whose topics range from the nature and the functionality of conceptual engineering to reconstructing the entire conceptual engineering practice. Taken as a whole, this special issue is meant to provide enlightening, informative, and thought-provoking views on the topic, its functions, targets, and challenges.

de Donato-Rodríguez, Xavier. 2025. “ Introduction to the Special Issue New Thoughts on Conceptual Engineering.” Metaphilosophy 56(3-4): 283–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/meta.70007

ii Editorial: Persistent Positive Change in Challenging Times ...

To Howden's editorial it's worth highlighting that Hodges' model is situated. So, whether the 'challenge' that is faced is individual, or collective Hodges' model can help to identify the issues, problems, strengths, opportunities, threats, where we are, where we would like to be and more. Surely, reflection, critical thinking is about confiming, or regaining our perspective, correcting our orientation or improving alignment and synchronisation with others? The time this entails, whether exercised on paper, or cognitively (yes, humans thinking is still an option) this is equivalent to a time-out even if momentary. This can be critical in clinical encounters, were emotions are raised, or there is risk of escalation.

So whether the challenge is personal, lived experience, bullying, finance, physical, or mental health, simulation (fidelity, testing), ethical ...; or collective (a team) - service and organisational change, major incident, policy, clinical or management supervision, whistleblowing, public / patient engagement, complaints and challenging relationships; Hodges' model is a tool (one of many) to call upon.

It could be the context causes you to focus on one or two care (knowledge) domains. Or, there is a need to step back in order to 'see' the big picture (integrated care, risk assessment, holistic care, psychosocial view ...) - the spiritual too.

While Hodges' model is simple, please consider this: there aren't many tools that can facilitate articulation and dissemination of the 'big picture' in a form that is (imho) readily transferable and translatable.

Howden, S. (2025). Editorial: Persistent Positive Change in Challenging Times. International Journal of Practice-based Learning in Health and Social Care, 13(1), ii-iii.

'International Nurse's Day' 2025 #2 - c/o ICN & WHO

State of the World’s Nursing Report 2025

State of the World’s Nursing

Report 2025

'As the world’s nurses celebrate International Nurses Day (IND), ICN issues a rallying cry to governments around the globe for urgent nursing support, following the launch of the second World Health Organization (WHO) State of the World’s Nursing (SOWN) report.

The SOWN report is a vital assessment of the global nursing workforce in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and underscores the urgent need for bold investments in nursing to address shortages, strengthen health systems, and promote global resilience and economic stability.

The SOWN report reflects ICN’s IND 2025 report, Caring for nurses strengthens economies, and related Survey of National Nurses' Association (NNA) Presidents, reinforcing the central role of nurses in achieving global health, including Universal Health Coverage (UHC), and calling for immediate action to address long-standing challenges. The SOWN data presents a mixed picture. It highlights progress in areas such as advanced practice and nursing leadership, but indicates gravely concerning continued workforce shortages, inadequate compensation and working conditions, poor mental health support, inequities in the distribution and employment of nurses, and failures to fully enable nurses as practitioners and health care leaders.'

Continued ...

Caring for nurses strengthens economies

Caring for nurses
strengthens economies

'As we face growing health care challenges, from ageing populations and rising chronic diseases to climate-related emergencies and deepening global inequalities, the need for a strong, sustainable nursing workforce has never been greater. We cannot meet these challenges without sufficient nurses who are themselves well-cared for and supported. ICN’s International Nurses Day report reveals the severity of our current nursing shortage and well-being crisis – and the path forward. ICN’s “Caring for Nurses Agenda” provides a comprehensive roadmap for creating environments where nurses, patients, and entire health care systems can flourish.'

Source: ICN

New citation for Hodges' model

It was a struggle obtaining a copy, as the paper is not open access, but more good news with Doyle & Jones (2013) being cited in:

Yasemin Güner, Bilge Delibalta, Melek Üçüncüoğlu, Sinan Paslı, Challenges encountered by emergency nurses in forensic case management: A qualitative study, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Volume 109, 2025, 102807, ISSN 1752-928X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2025.102807.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1752928X25000083)

The above has been added to the blog's bibliography. 

The abstract reads:

Purpose/Aims: This study aimed to reveal the opinions of emergency room nurses regarding crime victims and the challenges they experience.
Design: This study was a qualitative descriptive study.
Methods: A convenience sampling method was used in the study. Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews using semi-structured questions lasting approximately 45 min. The interviews were audio recorded. In total, nine nurses individual interviews were held.
Results: The study was completed with nine nurses with approximately twelve years of experience in the emergency department. Four themes were identified: duties and responsibilities of nurses in crime victims management; maintaining well-being in challenging crime victims; education needs of emergency nurses for crime victims; and challenges experienced by nurses in crime victims management.
Conclusions: When contextualizing the findings of our study within forensic nursing theory, it becomes evident that nurses play a pivotal role in continuously informing, influencing, and advancing forensic nursing care to improve patient health, forensic evidence collection, and criminal justice outcomes. A key finding of our study was the impact of interaction with crime victims in the emergency department on nurses’ well-being. In this regard, implementing institution-supported education policies, establishing units dedicated to supporting wellbeing, and fostering a supportive organizational culture are essential measures to promote the resilience and effectiveness of nurses in this critical field.

I will read again, and reflect later in the month.

"AI & Health: Seminars 2025" - Current topics in AI in medicine and health informatics ...

Dear Madam/Sir,

This is to officially announce the FIRST seminar of the "AI & Health: Seminars 2025" series as hosted by HC@AIxIA, i.e., the "Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare" working group of the Italian Association for Artificial Intelligence.

*** Save the date: 22 JANUARY 2025. 3:30 CET ***

We hope you will attend and participate in the discussion on the relevant topics that will be presented and by our speakers. Feel free to share this with those potentially interested.

Please find some details below, and a poster attached. All directions for participating are available at https://aixia.it/en/gruppi/hc/.

2024 January 22 - 3:30PM CET

Mor Peleg, PhD, Professor of Information Systems, University of Haifa (HAifa, Israel), EIC of Journal of Biomedical Informatics

Title: 
Current topics in AI in medicine and health informatics: 
current challenges and a look ahead

Abstract: In this talk I will review current challenges, current work by the biomedical informatics community, and future topics related to AI. I draw the information from a paper[1] that a group of informatics editors and other respected members of the community co-authored and published in 2023 in the Journal of Healthcare Informatics Research. There, we identified focus areas that should be addressed in the next ten years, specifically learning from new challenges that emerged in the Covid-19 epidemic. I will also present my analysis of current and emerging topics of papers published in the Journal of Biomedical Informatics (JBI) in the past two years, and current calls for special issue papers. I will also touch upon the role of international collaboration in emerging research areas (in JBI).

[1] Combi C, Facelli JC, Haddawy P, Holmes JH, Koch S, Liu H, Meyer J, Peleg M, Pozzi G, Stiglic G, Veltri P. The IHI Rochester report 2022 on healthcare informatics research: Resuming after the covid-19. Journal of healthcare informatics research. 2023 Jun;7(2):169-202.

Short Bio: Mor Peleg is Full Professor of information systems and Founding Director of the University of Haifa’s Data Science Research Center, former Chair of the Data Science BSc program of the University of Haifa, and former Chair of the Department of Information Systems. She is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biomedical Informatics, which focuses on novel biomedical informatics methods. Mor's BSc and MSc degrees in biology and her PhD in Information Systems – are from the Technion -- Israel Institute of Technology, and her 4-year postdoc was at Stanford University's Center for Biomedical Informatics Research. Mor’s research focuses on clinical guideline-based decision support systems (CDSS) for patients and physicians. She led the large-scale European project MobiGuide and was a PI in the CAncer PAtients Better Life Experience ( CAPABLE project https://capable-project.eu/). There she uses machine learning methods to personalize triggers for health behavior change, utilizing behavioral theories. Web-site: https://mpeleg.hevra.haifa.ac.il/

Flyer: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pYIdbkk63mS52wRbOiiEpwaDJmsraZJL&usp=drive_fs

Link to participate: https://unimib.webex.com/unimib/j.php?MTID=m8e6e76b39cc5aa47f15922dddb167a25

(PLEASE CHECK the site https://aixia.it/en/gruppi/hc/ for any changes or updates)
====
Some notes
Serving as coordinators of the working group on AI for Healthcare of the Italian Association of Artificial Intelligence (AIxIA, see: https://aixia.it/en/gruppi/hc/), part of our commitment consists of fostering contamination and collaboration between AI researchers and experts and operators in Medicine and Healthcare; in particular, we aim to contribute in building a two-way road for informing healthcare operators about AI results and opportunities, while also raising awareness among AI researchers about challenges and problems in medicine and healthcare.
Therefore, the 2025 seminar series, in the trail of the 2024 edition, will feature a number of experts presenting research results, projects, best practices, ideas, and more to a mixed audience of AI researchers and healthcare operators.

== Are you interested in Joining the group? ==
Please head to https://aixia.it/en/gruppi/hc/ fo find out how. Do not hesitate to contact us at
  hc-aixia AT googlegroups.com for any information or clarification.

Thank you for your interest in the AI & Health seminar series and the HC@AIxIA working group, and see you soon!

Sincerely,
Francesco Calimeri, Mauro Dragoni, Fabio Stella
(coordinators of the HC@AIxIA working group)
(and my source)

Young Carers Choir - 'Love is Enough'

'Young carers face many challenges throughout the year and Christmas can be an especially tough time.

When their friends are having fun, young carers’ responsibilities don’t stop. That’s why we’re delighted Sir Ed Davey and the Bath Philharmonia’s Young Carers Choir have come together to record for a wonderful Christmas song – Love is Enough. 

The song, in support of young carers through Carers Trust and the Bath Philharmonia, has been written by young carers and shines a light on their lives.' 

continued ... 

Ability Today's Accessible Online Dip. in Journalism - Launches Next Course

Hello  Ability Today's ADJ Launches Next Diploma Course I hope this email finds you well. We're really excited to announce the doors for our Academy for Disabled Journalists (ADJ) Diploma Course in partnership with the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) are now open for disabled individuals for the third year. This initiative aims to break down barriers in the media industry and make journalism more inclusive. We are offering accessible online classes, featuring a wide range of topics such as reporting, writing, editing, and multimedia journalism, all while accommodating the unique needs and challenges faced by disabled students. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SPREAD OUR MESSAGE TO AS MANY DISABLED INDIVIDUALS AS POSSIBLE. Please access our press release by clicking the button below 👇🏼

Get the press release here

Would you please share this with your network to help us reach as many potential students who we can support on their journey into journalism? We also welcome any further involvement you may wish to have in this program, such as offering mentorship, resources, or scholarships. Should you have any questions or require additional information, please don't hesitate to contact me directly at grant AT abilitytoday.com. Here is a link to our academy page with a short promotional video and further details: abilitytoday.com/diploma-in-journalism/ twitter.com/ADJnews/status/ Best Grant

Oncology nursing in the Global South during COVID-19

A new special issue published in ecancer includes narratives from oncology nurses across the world describing the psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on their family and work lives.

Oncology nurses and their patients face a double burden in Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), where resources are limited under normal circumstances and now must accommodate pandemic-related challenges.  The special issue includes personal reports and narratives describing the the early psychosocial effects of the pandemic, for example lockdowns and increased staff shortages due to diversion to COVID-19 wards or vulnerable nurses with chronic conditions or pregnancy staying at home while some became infected with COVID-19 and died.

The significance of the oncology nurse’s contribution to the care of people with cancer is more relevant than ever before due to their role as the cornerstone of health services, either on the frontline offering compassionate care or in leadership, research and education.

The special issue is open access and can be read here:

https://ecancer.org/en/journal/special-issue/30-oncology-nursing-in-the-global-south-during-covid-19

Katie Foxall
Head of Publishing

+44(0) 117 942 085213 King Square Avenue, Bristol, BS2 8HU

HIFA profile: Katie Foxall is Head of Publishing at eCancer, Bristol, UK. katie AT ecancer.org

My source: HIFA