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Identifying core teamwork competencies for community-based health and social care professionals: an e-Delphi study
No full textBackground: Due to the increasing burden of chronic diseases, the European Recovery Plan aims to enhance community-based healthcare services across Europe by 2026. Therefore, healthcare professionals will need to be prepared to work effectively in teams to ensure effective patient-centred care. However, few courses specifically designed for developing teamwork competencies are available. The aim of this study was to identify core teamwork competencies for in Community-Based Interprofessional Team specialists for person-centred care. Methods: Guided by the European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations framework of the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training for transversal skills and competencies, a 3-round e-Delphi study was conducted between March-May 2024. The experts were identified by the project partners. Following a literature review, focus groups, and interviews with service users and healthcare professionals from four different countries, an initial list of 63 competencies was identified. In Rounds 1 and 2, experts were asked to ‘agree’, ‘disagree’ or ‘amend’ the competencies. An agreement threshold of 70% was established for the inclusion of the competencies. In Round 3, experts rated the priority of each competency on a Likert scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high). Results: Nineteen experts from 6 European countries responded to all rounds. Consensus was achieved for 58 core competencies grouped into: ‘Interprofessional Teamwork’; ‘Interprofessional Communication, Roles and Professional Conduct’; ‘Shared Vision and Approach to Healthcare’; ‘Digital Health’; and ‘Planning and Coordination of Integrated Care Services’. Conclusions: The competencies identified through this study covered a wide range of areas, such as conflict management, collaborative leadership, respect and dignity, cultural sensitivity, digital skills, data management, artificial intelligence, and green skills. The competencies were developed in line with European skills classification and crediting systems to ensure transferability across Europe. These competencies will subsequently be used to develop an EU Curriculum to adequately prepare a new cohort of healthcare professionals specialised in Community-Based Interprofessional Teamwork. Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-025-08478-9
The long shadow of P.B.Shelley’s Defence of Poetry on Anglo-American Modernist Manifestoes
No full textThis paper aims at showing how Shelley’sDefence of Poetry proved influential in 19th-and 20th-century aesthetics, despite Modernist criticisms of his poetic achievements as immature and overly sentimental. In particular, the article examines textual instances where James Joyce, Virginia Woolf, and Wallace Stevens’s pronouncements of poetics seem not merely to respond to, but to have been shaped around and throughShelley’s Defens
Least-cost electrification pathways for Senegal by 2030: A nationwide analysis using open-source spatial electrification tool (OnSSET)
No full textAchieving universal electricity access in Senegal by 2030 remains a major policy challenge due to persistent spatial disparities in infrastructure, population density, and resource availability. This study conducts a nationwide, spatially explicit assessment of least-cost electrification pathways using OnSSET. The analysis develops context-specific scenarios to plan optimal technology mixes across rural and peri‐urban areas, based on differentiated tiers of electricity access. By integrating high-resolution geospatial, demographic, and techno-economic data, the model identifies the most economically viable solutions for achieving universal access. Results indicate that grid extension is the least-cost option for approximately 93.7 % of the population, largely concentrated in peri‐urban areas with high population density and proximity to existing grid infrastructure. In contrast, solar PV mini-grids (MG PV) and stand-alone PV (SA PV) systems are optimal for 0.7 % and 5.6 % of the population, respectively, mainly in remote, sparsely populated rural settlements. The total investment required to achieve universal electricity access by 2030 is estimated at USD 269.8 million, corresponding to 116.1 MW of additional installed capacity. Beyond quantifying cost-optimal solutions, the study demonstrates the potential of open-source geospatial models like OnSSET to support transparent, data-driven planning in developing country contexts. It also highlights key policy implications, emphasizing the need for integrated national electrification strategies that combine centralized and decentralized systems to address regional disparities. Limitations of the study include uncertainties in input data quality, static demand assumptions, and the exclusion of non-technical barriers such as institutional capacity and financing constraints. Nonetheless, the findings provide a valuable decision-support basis for Senegal’s ongoing energy transition and broader Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) objectives
Circular composite materials: Biomass-based furan epoxies with high-performance and closed-loop recyclability
No full textEpoxy thermosets based on diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) are widely used for high-performance commercial composites. This study explores renewable, recyclable alternatives using furfural-derived diepoxies (diol- and diacid-based) as replacements in anhydride-cured epoxy systems reinforced with glass or flax fibers for the first time. The biobased furan epoxies, synthesized in higher scale, demonstrate superior mechanical properties compared to DGEBA. Notably, the glass fiber reinforced composites with the diacid-derived epoxy resin achieve a significantly higher Young's modulus, 24.0 GPa (tensile) and 28.5 GPa (flexural), versus DGEBA's 15.9 and 21.0 GPa, respectively. It also shows highly enhanced tensile (357 MPa) and flexural (779 MPa) strengths, outperforming DGEBA (296 and 613 MPa). Charpy impact tests on unnotched specimens confirm improved toughness (156 vs. DGEBA's 146 kJ/m2). Furthermore, the composites produced from the diacid-based bioepoxy resin exhibit closed-loop chemical recyclability due to furan ester bonds which are capable to undergo methanolysis with catalytic K2CO3 under mild conditions providing reusable furan monomer in good yields and high purity. Therefore, this work presents a conceptually new and a promising strategy to develop high-performance composites with enhanced sustainability and recyclability, utilizing furfural-based diepoxy featuring an inherently solvolytically degradable chemical structure
Effects of N3SA Analogues on Cerebral and Peripheral Arteriolar Vasomotion in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
No full textThiazides are among the most efficacious and commonly used drugs for the treatment of hypertension. The nanomolar stabilizer N3SA binds specifically to the recently discovered thiazide-binding site of the membrane target NAPE-PLD, showing sustained arterial blood pressure-lowering effects and vasodilation in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHRs). To further support the relation between stabilizers anchored to NAPE-PLD and their beneficial effects on hypertension, we selected compound analogues of N3SA with chemical modifications at the three target-interacting sulfonic groups, including the drug Suramin. Each compound was injected i.v in an adult SHR (systolic blood pressure of 217 ± 5 mmHg) to evaluate the frequency components contribution to cerebral and peripheral arteriolar vasomotion. We visualized the pial and rectus femoral muscle microcirculation by Epi-illumination, measuring changes in the rhythmic arteriolar diameter. Findings showed that the minor structural differences in compounds correlated with the contribution of the six different frequency components affecting the arterial tone, as well as their vasodilatory effects, in both cerebral and femoral muscle arterioles. These results provide evidence that the spectra analysis of the regulation mechanisms of vascular tone and arterial blood pressure can accurately reflect the structure–activity correlations of different analogues of an antihypertensive compound
Synthesis and Application of a Glucoconjugated Organometallic Rhenium Complex as an IR Imaging Probe for Glycolytic Cancer Cells
No full textCurrent tumor diagnostics rely on fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET imaging, but FDG's short half-life and high cost limit its widespread use. Infrared (IR) probes are emerging as non-radioactive alternatives to conventional tracers for tissue section and other in vitro imaging applications. Because cells and tissues are relatively free of absorption peaks between 1800 and 2200 cm-1, metal-carbonyl complexes, especially cyclopentadienylrhenium(I) tricarbonyl (Cp[Re(CO)3]) derivatives, absorb strongly in this window and provide robust platforms for bioconjugation. Furthermore, Cp[Re(CO)3] fragments can be introduced into organic substrates via an elegant three-component reaction that simultaneously forges the cyclopentadienyl-metal and cyclopentadienyl-substituent bonds. As a result, the functionalized half-sandwich complex is obtained in a single step without any special handling issues. We have therefore properly modified a glucose molecule with that complex and developed a novel glucoconjugated Cp[Re(CO)3] probe that enables IR-based visualization of diseased cells at 2100 cm-1, offering a non-invasive, non-radioactive histological tool and a promising basis for future medical imaging devices
Switchable and Tunable Multifunctional Metamaterial Enabled by Hybrid Integration of Active Device and Microfluidic Liquid Metal
No full textThis paper presents a hybrid-controlled multifunctional metamaterial (HCMM) that integrates electromagnetic switching and frequency tuning through combined active and microfluidic modulation. The HCMM achieves rapid switching between shielding and transmission states via active control of PIN diodes, while wideband frequency tuning is accomplished by manipulating liquid metals (LMs) in embedded microfluidic channels. Wideband frequency adjustment is demonstrated through discrete coarse-tuning (LM injection/discharge) and continuous fine-tuning (precise LM segments repositioning). The underlying operational mechanisms are analyzed by establishing an equivalent circuit model (ECM). Finally, experimental measurements of a fabricated prototype validate the design, confirming its dual-function reconfigurability in both state switching and frequency adaptation
Systemic and pulmonary congestion by ultrasound and prognosis in heart failure: A pooled cohort analysis
No full textObjective: We assessed the prognostic value of the relation between pulmonary and systemic congestion in HF. Background: Increasing congestion, either pulmonary (detected by ultrasound) or systemic (quantified by inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter), is associated with worse outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). Methods: We performed a pooled analysis on five European cohorts of patients with HF. The primary outcome was a composite of hospitalization for HF and all-cause death. Patients with mild pulmonary congestion (lowest tercile of B-lines, <16 for in-patients, <3 for out-patients) and un-dilated IVC (<21 mm) were considered as the reference group. Results: 835 patients (mean age 75 ± 11 years, 60 % men, 60 % in-patients) were included. Compared to patients with the lowest degree of congestion (n = 124 in-patients, 25 %, and 75 out-patients, 22 %), those with greater congestion were older, had higher natriuretic peptides and lower tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, but similar left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Among in-patients, 163 (33 %) were re-hospitalized or died during a follow-up of 180 days while 125 (37 %) out-patients were re-hospitalized or died during a median follow-up of 600 days. In models adjusted for age and LVEF, out-patients with the greatest degree of isolated pulmonary congestion (highest tercile) were at higher risk than reference group (HR: 2.34 (1.11–4.91), p = 0.025). A dilated IVC was associated with a greater risk in both in-patients and out-patients when pulmonary congestion was more than mild. Conclusion: Among patients with HF, the combination of both pulmonary and systemic congestion is associated with a worse prognosis than either sign of congestion alone