University of Pardubice

The worldwide acceleration of digital transformation in healthcare underscores the need for professionals to continuously adapt and sustain robust digital health competence, shaped not only by individual characteristics and institutional environments but also by broader social, cultural, and geopolitical factors. This study aimed to identify distinct clusters of digital health competence among healthcare professionals across 19 diverse countries and regions, and to examine the factors influencing the development and distribution of these competence clusters. A cross-sectional international survey study was conducted between 2023 and 2024, using a validated survey instrument measuring digital health competence and its influencing factors. Data were collected from healthcare professionals in 19 countries and regions (n=6440; n=5945 used for this study), following a harmonised protocol with shared demographic templates and instruments. K-means cluster analysis was employed to derive digital competence profiles, with comparative analyses conducted to investigate associations between the identified clusters and individual characteristics (e.g., age, education, professional experience). Five distinct clusters of digital health competence were identified: (1) Beginners, (2) Developing Professionals, (3) Emerging Users, (4) Proficient Practitioners, and (5) Pioneers. Higher competence clusters (4 and 5) were associated with younger age, higher education, hospital-based work, and stronger perceived support from management, organisational structures, and colleagues. In contrast, lower-performing clusters reported limited digital engagement and minimal support. Perceived leadership influence, particularly managerial commitment to digital change, was a key differentiator across clusters. The findings demonstrate substantial variation in digital health competence across healthcare professionals internationally. Cluster-specific strategies, such as targeted upskilling, peer mentoring, and leadership engagement, are needed to address competence gaps. The results provide a foundation for policy development and workforce training frameworks aimed at strengthening digital readiness in global healthcare systems. Future research should explore longitudinal competence development and evaluate targeted interventions.

ABSTRACTIn this work, we developed biodegradable cellulose acetate (CA) fibers infiltrated with ZnO nanocrystals for the Acne vulgaris (AV) treatment. The antibacterial effect (through Zn2+ release) was activated upon oxygen plasma treatment. CA fibers (fiber diameter ≈ 2 µm) were produced via centrifugal spinning, followed by ZnO infiltration (up to 8 wt% of Zn content) using Vapor Phase Infiltration (VPI) with varying deposition cycles. As CA fibers are naturally hydrophobic, oxygen plasma treatment was applied to turn them hydrophilic and to improve skin wetting. The combination of these steps is presented for the first time. Plasma treatment introduced oxygen‐containing functional groups on the CA surface, significantly improving wettability. Scanning electron microscopy analyses of treated fibers showed no morphological damage. Detailed characterization (using X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence, X‐ray diffraction, tranmission electron microscopy) focused on fibers with 32 and 128 VPI cycles, revealed that plasma partially oxidized and etched the surface, affecting the ZnO distribution. Plasma‐modified fibers, unlike untreated ones, exhibited antibacterial activity against AV‐causing bacteria (Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis), creating significant inhibition zones (up to 5 mm), demonstrating their potential as promising therapeutic modality. Overall, plasma treatment enabled effective surface functionalization, producing antibacterial fibers with enhanced surface properties suitable for application in AV management.

As wood is still scarce in some countries, it is necessary to replace wood in the paper industry with other lignocellulosic raw materials, particularly agricultural residues. This study evaluated hemp, flax, and sisal postharvest biomass as alternative nonwoody fibrous feedstocks for pulp and paper production. Pulping was performed using soda and nitrate-alkaline methods under comparable degrees of delignification. Their suitability for papermaking was assessed in terms of mechanical properties, fiber sedimentation (rheosedimentation), and chemical parameters, including the degree of polymerization and the chemical composition of the raw material. The highest tensile strength was achieved for sisal, reaching 11.6 N m g-1 when produced by the soda method, which was higher than that of industrially produced flax or hemp soda pulps. Regarding pulp sedimentation behavior, hemp pulp showed significantly higher sedimentation rates, while comparable values were observed for recovered paper.

Abstract This study develops a novel hybrid trading framework that integrates support vector regression (SVR) for price forecasting with proximal policy optimization (PPO) reinforcement learning for adaptive decision-making. Focusing on precious metal exchange traded funds (ETFs)–GLD, SLV, PPLT and PALL–the model incorporates both market-based volatility (VIX) and news-based sentiment (SSW) indices alongside key financial variables. By dynamically switching between rule-based trading actions (informed by SVR) and a learning-based PPO agent, our hybrid strategy consistently outperforms traditional benchmarks, including buy-and-hold and 5-day moving average. Empirical results show higher cumulative returns, improved Sharpe ratios and a higher proportion of profitable trades across all four ETFs. In addition, the inclusion of investor sentiment data significantly improves forecasting accuracy, particularly for gold, silver and platinum, and strengthens the stability of both short- and long-term predictions. These findings underscore the critical role of investor sentiment in predictive modeling and highlight the effectiveness of reinforcement learning for adaptive trading in volatile commodity markets. The proposed SVR-PPO approach provides a transparent, data-driven solution for investors and portfolio managers seeking to optimize returns, manage risk and respond quickly to changing market conditions.

The article examines the relation between love and moral understanding in the context of post-Wittgensteinian ethics via two examples, the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan and Raimond Gaita’s autobiographical account of an encounter with a loving nun. The article suggests that the examples are best understood as teachings about love as expressive of moral understanding and speak of love thus understood in terms of a wholehearted responsiveness to others – as wholeheartedness. While both examples teach a similar lesson, they emphasise different aspects: whereas the discussion of the Biblical parable focuses on the moral understanding involved in being loving towards another, Gaita’s anecdote foregrounds the question of what it is like to witness and understand such love. Our discussion shows that philosophy often overlooks the moral significance of love by rationalising morality. Whereas rational conceptions of morality overemphasise its practical and socio-cultural dimensions, the moral understanding that finds expression in love illustrates the radically personal nature of moral concerns. Thus, it is suggested that love is not merely an aspect of morality but lies at its very heart.

Abstract What justifies the demand for public justification? Recent critics – Anthony Taylor and Collis Tahzib – read Gerald Gaus as grounding public justification in Strawsonian reactive attitudes , and they argue this reading renders Gaus’s sufficient reason test either replaceable or counterintuitive. I offer a charitable, reconstructive reading that draws a different conclusion. On my interpretation, reactive attitudes supply the descriptive context of interpersonal moral life, but the normative warrant for converting affect into second-personal demands rests on a proto-Kantian principle of moral autonomy in Gaus’s account. I show how this bridge justifies Gaus’s sufficient reason condition, explain why Wallace/Taylor’s susceptibility to reason alternative either conflicts with moral autonomy or collapses into Gaus’s test under a moderate reading, and answer Tahzib’s “rationalized evil” charge (Goebbels’s case) by showing the example fails Gaus’s capacity requirements. This paper thus clarifies and salvages the normative core of Gaus’s public justification project.