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An international collaboration at DESY is currently studying the possibilities of a new type of particle accelerator: the superconducting linear collider, developed under the project name TESLA. The TESLA Test Facility is trying to establish a well-developed collider design, which will also be helpful for the design of a superconducting X-ray Free Electron Laser facility (XFEL), a project approved by the German Government and now in its initial stage. Besides, XFEL will be the ideal workbench to improve the necessary components for the next International Linear Collider (ILC). This paper is about the fabrication and testing of the first prototype of a combined superconducting magnet for focusing and steering purposes, in the framework of the Spanish contribution to the TESLA project. It consists of a quadrupole and two dipole concentric coils, one horizontal and another one, vertical. The double pancake winding technique with a ribbon of eight pre-glued wires has been used in order to develop a cheap method for the quadrupole coils in industrial scale, as the accelerator would need about 800 magnets. The coils were fully instrumented with voltage taps to study the quench propagation. The magnet has been successfully tested at DESY and the results are reported in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Confidentiality is one of the central preconditions for clinical ethics support (CES). CES cases which generate moral questions for CES staff concerning (breaching) confidentiality of what has been discussed during CES can cause moral challenges. Currently, there seems to be no clear policy or guidance regarding how CES staff can or should deal with these moral challenges related to (not) breaching confidentiality within CES. Moral case deliberation is a specific kind of CES., Method: Based on experiences and research into MCD facilitators' needs for ethics support in this regard, we jointly developed an ethics support tool for MCD facilitators: the Confidentiality Compass. This paper describes the iterative developmental process, including our theoretical viewpoints and reflections on characteristics of CES tools in general., Results: The content and goals of the ethics support tool, which contains four elements, is described. Part A is about providing information on the concept of confidentiality in MCD, part B is a moral compass with reflective questions, part C focuses on courses of action for careful handling of moral challenges related to confidentiality. Part D contains general lessons, best practices and tips for dealing with confidentiality in future cases., Conclusions: This paper concludes with providing some lessons-learned related to developing ethics support tools and some reflections on issues of quality and normativity of ethics support tools., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Healthcare professionals in palliative care are found to be confronted with moral challenges on a frequent basis. CURA is a low-threshold instrument for dialogical ethical reflection that was developed to deal with these challenges. A previous study identified the need of healthcare professionals to be trained to introduce CURA in their organization, initiate and facilitate reflections with CURA, and contribute to the implementation of CURA. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a training for professionals to become 'CURA-ambassadors'., Methods: The training was developed in a participatory way in two cycles. We trained 72 healthcare professionals. The training was evaluated by means of a questionnaire and six semi-structured interviews., Results: The study resulted in a blended learning training combining training sessions with an e-module and with practicing with organizing and facilitating CURA in daily healthcare practice. The main objectives of the training are to enable CURA-ambassadors to introduce CURA within their organization, initiate and facilitate ethical reflections using CURA, and contribute to the implementation of CURA. Participants were generally positive about the training program and the trainers. Technical difficulties related to the e-module were mentioned as main point of improvement., Discussion: The training program can generate ownership, responsibility, and competency among CURA-ambassadors, which are essential foundations for implementing complex interventions in healthcare practice. The training program received positive evaluations shortly after completing the program. This study adds to our understanding of what is needed for healthcare professionals to use CURA, in order to support them in dealing with moral challenges and to foster their moral resilience. Further research is needed to assess whether participants experience the training as sufficient and effective when using and implementing CURA structurally in their organizations over a longer period of time., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Moral Case Deliberation is a specific form of bioethics education fostering professionals' moral competence in order to deal with their moral questions. So far, few studies focus in detail on Moral Case Deliberation methodologies and their didactic principles. The dilemma method is a structured and frequently used method in Moral Case Deliberation that stimulates methodological reflection and reasoning through a systematic dialogue on an ethical issue experienced in practice., Methods: In this paper we present a case-study of a Moral Case Deliberation with the dilemma method in a health care institution for people with an intellectual disability, describing the theoretical background and the practical application of the dilemma method. The dilemma method focuses on moral experiences of participants concerning a concrete dilemma in practice. By an in-depth description of each of the steps of the deliberation process, we elucidate the educational value and didactics of this specific method., Results: The didactics and methodical steps of the dilemma method both supported and structured the dialogical reflection process of the participants. The process shows that the participants learned to recognize the moral dimension of the issue at stake and were able to distinguish various perspectives and reasons in a systematic manner. The facilitator played an important role in the learning process of the participants, by assisting them in focusing on and exploring moral aspects of the case., Discussion: The reflection and learning process, experienced by the participants, shows competency-based characteristics. The role of the facilitator is that of a Socratic teacher with specific knowledge and skills, fostering reflection, inquiry and dialogue., Conclusion: The specific didactics of the dilemma method is well suited for teaching bioethics in clinical settings. The dilemma method follows an inductive learning approach through a dialogical moral inquiry in which participants develop not only knowledge but also skills, attitude and character. The role of a trained facilitator and a specific view on teaching and practicing ethics are essential when using the dilemma method in teaching health care professionals how to reflect on their own moral issues in practice.