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L-ilsien Malti għal qalbi
No full textF’diskursata dwar il-lingwa spiss jingħad kemm għandna
għax inkunu kburin bil-Malti: “Hawn pajjiżi ferm ikbar
minn tagħna li jużaw il-lingwa ta’ ħaddieħor, u aħna –
daqsxejn ta’ gżira – ixxurtjati li għandna l-ilsien tagħna.”
Tisma’ li għandna nagħmlu “minn kollox” biex il-lingwa
“nibżgħu għaliha” u “ma nitilfuhiex” għax tagħtina
identità. Imma meta tipprova toħdilhom minn rashom
x’jifhmu b’“minn kollox” ħafna qajla jsemmulek, ngħidu
aħna, li jistgħu jibdew huma stess mid-dar billi jkellmu lil
uliedhom u lin-neputijiet żgħar bil-Malti. Il-lingwa b’hekk
“nibżgħu għaliha” għax ngħadduha lill-ġenerazzjonijiet li
tilgħin f’kull kuntest. Jekk lit-tfal inrawmuhom jesprimu
ruħhom aktar jew bl-Ingliż biss, għada pitgħada wħud
minnhom ikunu l-uffiċjali pubbliċi li jużaw l-Ingliż biss fuq
ix-xogħol għax il-Malti ma jħossuhx naturali. U nibqgħu
nisimgħu l-ilmenti (ġusti) li l-Malti qed inwarrbuh.peer-reviewe
Mental wellbeing in Malta during the pandemic aftermath : a call-to-action
Get PDFDuring the 2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, mental health challenges constituted a parallel
peak to physical health difficulties. Local research conducted during COVID-19 identified mental wellbeing
implications that merited consideration. Currently, the population is progressing to a new normality. Whilst
the encouragement to adapt is commended, the mental wellbeing nuances experienced during COVID-19
pandemic and in the face of an altered reality following the pandemic, need to be addressed. This paper will
navigate around some of the needed changes in the local context. This literature review utilised the
University of Malta library resources and main online media portals to access literature involving the local
context that is Malta, focusing on a specific mental wellbeing area rather than on generic mental health, and
published between 2020 and 2022. Eligible publications yield it for four areas, namely loneliness, anger,
social media access, and mental health at the workplace. These were explored with international literature to
elicit further recommendations. The analysis yielded recommendations on environmental and architectural
considerations, awareness and access to mental-health services, changes at the workplace, and
consideration of identity markers to ensure accessibility to our social welfare systems to all.peer-reviewe
Ethical considerations for the age of non-governmental space exploration
Get PDFMounting ambitions and capabilities for public and private, non-government sector crewed space exploration bring with them an increasingly diverse set of space travelers, raising new and nontrivial ethical, legal, and medical policy and practice concerns which are still relatively underexplored. In this piece, we lay out several pressing issues related to ethical considerations for selecting space travelers and conducting human subject research on them, especially in the context of non-governmental and commercial/private space operations.peer-reviewe
Axenic culture and DNA barcode identification of wood decay fungi from the Maltese Islands
Get PDFWood-decaying fungi are important study subjects for their ecological role as well as for
their biotechnological applications. They break down lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses using
enzymes that modify the chemical structure of these complex macromolecules. Due to their ability to
degrade wood, these fungi can create structural damage to wooden structures and to trees, especially
those with very low level of fitness. Previous studies on wood decay fungi in the Maltese Islands
are limited to records and checklists described by a handful of authors. The aim of this study was
to provide a comprehensive description of wood decay fungal diversity in the Maltese Islands
including an updated checklist based on DNA barcoding, as well as to establish the first wood-decay
fungal culture collection at the Biology Department Seed Bank of the University of Malta. Several
surveys were carried out during the rainy season along wooded areas of the Maltese Islands as well
as in historical gardens. Isolates were identified using macro- and micro-morphological features,
dichotomous keys, as well as molecular data. Basidiomes were recorded growing on 14 different
host plant species, 11 axenic cultures have been made and 9 species of wood decay fungi have been
conclusively identified by DNA barcoding. The collection of the axenic isolates includes one of
Aurificaria cf. euphoria, three of Ganoderma resinaceum sl., two of Laetiporus sulphureus, one of Inonotus
sp., one of Inonotus rickii anamorph, one of Inocutis tamaricis, one of Stereum hirsutum, and one of
Pleurotus eryngii. However, the mycelium of Coriolopsis gallica, though collected and identified, could
not be isolated.peer-reviewe
The role of dynamic capabilities and strategic orientation for digital transformation : a configurational approach
Get PDFPURPOSE: Today, digital transformation is becoming a critical challenge for achieving
sustainable competitive advantage in the digital economy. However, most of the research
conducted so far has focused on linear models to explain the essentially non-linear
relationships between the leading factors important for digital transformation. Therefore,
based on the configurational approach, the aim of this paper is to find paths for the success
or failure of digital transformation based on the interaction between dynamic capabilities
and strategic orientation.DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: In this study, focusing on discovering and understanding
the causal mechanisms of digital transformation, a configurational set-theoretic analysis was
performed using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fs/QCA). Polish SMEs were
selected and used fs/QCA to explore how companies can engage strategy and dynamic
capabilities to achieve digital transformation.FINDINGS: The research shows: (1) a single condition of dynamic capabilities or strategic
orientation is not a necessary condition for high digital transformation, (2) two configuration
paths can contribute to high digital transformation of companies, (3) there are two
configuration paths leading to low digital transformation, which makes it possible to verify
the asymmetric relationship by comparing the configuration paths of high and low digital
transformation.PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: For managers of SMEs, a holistic understanding of the relationship
between organizational strategy and dynamic capabilities together with the complex causal
interactions occurring between these dimensions is necessary. The digital transformation of
SMEs is not the result of a single condition but rather the interaction of different elements of
strategic orientation and dynamic capabilities. This conclusion suggests that companies
cannot limit themselves to optimizing single elements of strategic orientation or dynamic
capabilities. Importantly, more attention needs to be paid to the complex web of causal
mechanisms between the analyzed conditions in order to create a combination that leads to
high digital transformation. SMEs should choose the right digital transformation path built
on their chosen strategic direction and their capability base. According to the research, for
SMEs with a clear strategic orientation, a focus on enhancing sensing capability is a recipe
for achieving digital transformation; if SMEs have strong dynamic capabilities, building a
technological orientation is an important configuration for achieving high-level digital
transformation.ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The findings provide a contribution to the literature on digital
transformation. The introduction of a configuration perspective focusing on the analysis of
the synergistic effect and combination relationship between elements allowed for the
discovery of many equifinal paths to achieve high digital transformation.peer-reviewe
Socio-ecological drivers of the pastoralist–farmer conflict in Nigeria’s mid-benue trough : introducing the ethnicity dimension
Get PDFIt is not clear how different social, demographic, economic and ecological factors influence the prevalence and lethality of pastoralist-farmer conflicts in Nigeria’s Mid-Benue Trough. This study introduces the ethnicity dimension alongside factors such as climate change, economic development, population density, political violence and terrorism. Data originates from secondary sources, and multinomial regression is used to model significant effects. The results suggest that ethnicity has a greater impact on the lethality of conflicts than other factors (0.038, x2 = 16.339). Further results show that lethal pastoralist-farmer conflict incidents occur in areas directly affected by climate change (87.4 per cent), with low levels of economic development (77.3 per cent) and low population density (58.9 per cent). The study highlights the effect of the multi-ethnic nature of the area as a main driver of lethal conflicts. Solutions for actions are therefore discussed for consideration by relevant authorities in efforts to integrate the ethnic diversity of the area into policy.peer-reviewe
Paul Heywood (2023) : Staying on in Malta [book review]
No full textFull bibliographic record: Paul Heywood (2023). Staying on in Malta. Midsea Publications. ISBN:
978-99932-7-974-7.To his colossal credit, Paul Heywood makes no bones about his leanings as a
citizen of the country in which he was brought up. He is a devout Christian,
more specifically Roman Catholic, votes Nationalist and is a proud European.
At no stage does he purport to be 'neutral', and his overall vision reflects, for
the most part, these standpoints. As this anthology of writings about his
personal and public life shows, he is however fair. His work in the public
sector was marked by an honest-to-goodness approach which won him the
admiration, especially in policy making and administration, of political friends
and adversaries alike. It is fair to say that his efforts in educational
administration were guided by a strong sense of the common good and making
things work for students under a professed sense of social justice. This is why
ministers on both sides of the dominant political spectrum trusted him as an '
old hand' in education. His life and professional trajectory is a far cry from
those of persons who try to appear sanctimoniously 'neutral' when they are
obviously not. Paul Heywood sought, at times creatively, to make things work
for students and their families and for the country. [excerpt]N/
The effectiveness of the EU’s post-accession conditionality in the case of Hungary
Get PDFIt has been more than a decade since Prime Minister Viktor Orbán
acquired power in Hungary with a two-thirds majority in Parliament
and set up a government that has been openly contradicting EU rules
and legislation in more than one policy areas. The freedom of the
press, the independence of the judiciary, academic freedom, the
fundamental rights of refugees, minority rights and corruption are
among those areas where Hungary was vastly criticized by one or
more EU institutions in the past years. The EU has several means to
address rogue Member State behavior. Some of them, for example
infringement proceedings, are regularly used to monitor Member
State compliance, whereas others, such as the Article 7 procedure,
have been seldom applied and with no tangible results. In April
2022 the rule of law mechanism has been activated against Hungary
and resulted in withdrawing EU funds from Hungary. These - rule of
law monitoring - procedures are different in nature and would have
different consequences if they were carried out entirely, however,
should Hungary comply with them, they could have serious impacts
on the domestic policy-making mechanisms of the country. This
paper evaluates the EU’s post-accession conditionality mechanisms
through the example of Hungary and tries to find out what are the
most effective tools of the Union to address rogue Member State
behavior.peer-reviewe
Optimising the impact of online learning - resources for healthcare educators
No full textThe ECG Interpretation for Nurses eBook originated as an online healthcare
app developed with the expertise of digital education researchers and
healthcare practitioners from 5 European Union countries participating in
an ERASMUS+ project.
The content of the eBook comes from open-source resources and offers
nurses and other interested healthcare practitioners a convenient way
to familiarize themselves with interpreting electrocardiograms. The
e-book can also be used by or adapted by educators at all institutions
at any level or country. Note that the term: ‘educator’ is interchangeable
with: practitioner, facilitator, professor, academic staff member, lecturer,
instructor, teacher, tutor, and trainer. [excerpt]peer-reviewe
Money laundering and the crime nexus : a case study in Malta
Get PDFThis paper analyses the role of money laundering in contemporary financial capitalism and how it consolidates synergies between corporations, crime and corrupt governments. Through a case study of a fuel smuggling operation by an alleged criminal syndicate based in Malta, it examines how systems criminality operates across a continuum of legality and illegality driven by a strategic network of individual, corporate and state actors. It also examines the wider socio-economic, political and imperialist implications of money laundering on both the local and global spheres. As the rise in money laundering merges with the proliferation of other criminal offences, dissecting this crime nexus calls for increased synergies in transnational solidarities against capitalism, imperialism, and systems criminality.peer-reviewe