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On the communicative turn in philosophy : exploring intersubjectivity, community and the ethics of dialogue
No full textBeyond language and pragmatics, this is an argument for communication as a philosophical force in its own right. Philosophy has long grappled with questions of meaning and human connection, yet communication itself remains an underexplored concept in the field. Claude Mangion shifts the focus by examining how communication has shaped debates on intersubjectivity and ethics. By tracing its role across key philosophical discussions, Mangion offers a new outlook on how communicative exchanges inform our understanding of self and society. Accessible and rigorously argued, it bridges the gap between philosophy and communication theory, making it a useful reference for students and scholars alike. A compelling argument for thinking of communication as a philosophical practice, whether you're exploring community, the ethics of dialogue, or the foundations of intersubjectivity.peer-reviewe
Analyzing festival-based public engagement with research : developing and testing an impact framework for understanding audience responses to science festivals in Europe
Get PDFPublic engagement festivals offer rare opportunities for researchers and citizens to converse, yet organisers often lack robust evidence about whether such events change audience perceptions. Repeated measures surveys were used during European Researchers’ Night festivals in Malta and Ireland to explore how attending audiences perceive “research” and “researchers.” Open-ended responses were collected before the events and again afterwards and then analysed inductively using grounded-theory techniques to generate a set of thematic codes. Those codes were distilled into an indicators framework that categorises positive, negative and neutral perceptions of both research and researchers. The framework was piloted quantitatively to assess whether indicators linked to the European Commission’s expected impacts appeared more frequently after the events. Results showed that positive perceptions of research increased, particularly awareness of its social value, while perceptions of researchers were more ambivalent. The indicator-based approach also highlighted where stereotypes endured or where respondents remained uncertain. These findings provide organisers with a concise set of evidence-based indicators for evaluating festival impacts and suggest that pairing open-ended research with structured measures can improve the efficiency, reliability and generalisability of public engagement evaluations. Future applications should test the framework across diverse settings and investigate how to reach audiences who are not already positively disposed toward science.peer-reviewe
Paradise threatened : a look at Seychelles in the anthropocene era
Get PDFIn his 2016 book Overheating, Thomas Hylland Eriksen discusses the problematics of high-speed change in a world that is fast becoming too intense, too full, too fast, and most importantly, too unequally dominated by humans. In our recent past, change and modernity have been seen as synonymous with progress; but progress, Eriksen warns, has turned out to be a double-edged sword. Stemming from Eriksen’s discussion of overcrowding, high-speed mobility, and the consequential energy and waste management issues, this paper narrows down on the complexities of progress in the small island state of Seychelles. It discusses the impact of the Anthropocene era on the archipelago and its own contribution to that impact, through a review of literature and existing data on indicators of human activity such as tourism, energy, waste, consumerism, and pollution. Since Seychelles has often been synonymized with Paradise, which suggests that its inhabitants are ‘happy islanders’, could this country’s own high-speed ‘progress’ be impacting on the quality of life in Seychelles?peer-reviewe
Trichophyton benhamiae as the causal agent of tinea faciei : the first case report in Malta
No full textTrichophyton benhamiae is an emerging zoonotic
dermatophyte increasingly recognised as a cause
of inflammatory mycosis in humans, particularly
following contact with infected animals. We report the
first documented case of T. benhamiae infection in Malta
in an 8-year-old girl who presented with a single itchy
annular patch on her right cheek. The patient had a recent history of close interaction with a symptomatic
pet guinea pig, a known reservoir of this pathogen.
Laboratory examination in the form of mycological
culture and proteomic analysis by mass spectrometry
confirmed the presence of T. benhamiae. The patient
responded well to topical antifungal therapy. A few
months later, three other cases of T. benhamiae infection
were also identified in Malta highlighting the presence
of an emerging dermatophyte causing inflammatory
mycosis. This case underscores the diagnostic challenges
associated with T. benhamiae, as its presentation
often mimics that of more common dermatophytes,
potentially leading to misdiagnosis or delayed treatment.
Futhermore, increased awareness is essential to prevent
the spread of zoonotic mycosis.peer-reviewe
Continuing education for midwives : a professional doctorate approach
Get PDFThere is great emphasis within the midwifery profession on developing research aware and proficient practitioners. For example, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) has a key aim to build research capacity and embed research-mindedness throughout the professions (RCM 2020) The professional doctorate program is one pathway available to support people in the development of research knowledge and skills as it provides midwives with the opportunity to study while continuing in their current midwifery role.peer-reviewe
Wellbeing and policy : evidence for action
No full textImproving people’s health constitutes an important public-sector goal with hefty budgets in many countries of the world. This chapter assesses the evidence on the presence, direction, and magnitude of the effect of health on wellbeing. Health indicators are a ubiquitous feature of so-called objective measures of wellbeing and, by these accounts, improvements registered in health directly translate to improvements in wellbeing. But in assessing the impact of health on subjective wellbeing, it is necessary to rely on methods that allow for the identification of causal effects. The studies reviewed in this chapter provide evidence that better health and health interventions can lead to better wellbeing outcomes, but they also reveal disparities in these outcomes depending on the type of health issue, how health is measured, the type of intervention and the demographic targeted. The study concludes that policy-makers should seek to disentangle the wellbeing impacts of health interventions and to reflect on the relative importance of both health and wellbeing in assessing the cost effectiveness of interventions. In turn, impacts may be identified through carefully designed impact studies that overcome overlaps in the definitions of health and wellbeing, which account for both direct and indirect effects of health on wellbeing and that consider the reverse causality of wellbeing on health.peer-reviewe
Editorial introduction : studies in memory of Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962-2024)
Get PDFThis is the introduction to a special section in SST journal, celebrating the work of Norwegian anthropologist and small-state researcher Thomas Hylland Eriksen (1962-2024). It first offers a bibliographical sketch of his intellectual life. It then presents the two core ideas of his oeuvre. Eriksen, a specialist on ethnicity in modern urban settings, held that ethnic pluralism could be integrative given a firm political framework. This idea was offered in contradistinction to two more widespread views: a nationalist view and a multiculturalist view. He also held that globalization, which should be celebrated for bringing individuals and groups together, also exerts heavy pressure on people’s time resources. Finally, this introduction presents the other contributions to this special section.peer-reviewe
Parental perspectives on climate change and its impact on young children’s emotional well-being : insights from Malta
Get PDFParents express concern about climate change, yet there is limited research on their role in helping children navigate climate change and climate anxiety—worry and fear related to the awareness of climate change impacts—especially in early childhood. As the direct and indirect effects of climate change become more evident, understanding this role is crucial. Grounded in theories of hope and self-efficacy, and using semi-structure interviews, this qualitative case study examined the perspectives of 14 Maltese parents on climate change, their understanding of its perceived impact on their children's well-being, and the challenges and opportunities in supporting their children with climate-related issues. Data analysis indicated that parents had a general awareness of climate instability but a limited understanding of its underlying causes. Parents expressed significant concern about the potential impacts of climate change on their children’s health and well-being. They identified barriers to discussing the issue while also sharing positive experiences. Findings suggest that parents would benefit from resources to help them support their children’s understanding of climate change in ways that nurture emotional well-being, resilience, and hope. These results can help inform researchers, educators and policymakers to find ways to emphasise solutions, and encourage action in the context of a changing climate.peer-reviewe
A cephalhaematoma and maybe more, a tricky diagnosis
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Cephalhematomas are fairly common occurrences in children who have undergone traumatic births. These often result in ultrasound requests in order to rule out central nervous system damage.CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 13-day-old boy with a large cephalhaematoma who was referred for a transfontanellar ultrasound. The ultrasound exam revealed a cephalhaematoma with what appeared to be a large extra-axial collection on the other side of the of the skull, opposite to the site of the cephalhaematoma. An MRI was performed to confirm the finding, revealing the collection to be caused by the mirror image artefact.DISCUSSION: The mirror image artefact is caused by the delayed return of ultrasound waves due to multiple reflections before reaching the ultrasound probe. This can cause the appearance of some images to be repeated and found in abnormal positions when the signal is interpreted and displayed on the screen. This is an important artefact to be aware of as it may cause images to be misinterpreted and cause unnecessary alarm, all the while making it very difficult to outright dismiss the possibility of the image being real, posing a diagnostic dilemma for the radiologist.
The existence of the mirror image artefact once again shows that ultrasound, though undeniably useful, can be fraught with challenges. Knowledge of these artefacts is important yet does not necessarily allow the radiologist to differentiate between a real image and an artefactual one.peer-reviewe
On the use of recycled UHPC to reduce cement demand in UHPC mixes : mechanical and durability validation
Get PDFUltra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) offers superior durability and strength, as compared to
ordinary concrete solutions, but its inborn environmental footprint is dictated by high cement
content and the environmental impact of raw material extraction, which would require a heavily
optimized structural and process design to be levelled off. With the aim of assessing effectiveness
of strategies aimed at reducing the embodied carbon footprint of UHPC mixes, this study investigates two recycled UHPCs (R-UHPC) designed by replacing all natural aggregates with
crushed UHPC and partially substituting Portland cement (30 %) with recycled material. One mix
used ungraded crushed UHPC; the other included additional fine fractions (≤75 μm) obtained
through further processing. The partial replacement of cement constitutes a novelty alongside the
widely established aggregate replacement in high performance cementitious materials. Both
mixes achieved superior compressive strength and comparable flexural strength to the reference
UHPC, while demonstrating effective autogenous self-healing under repeated NaCl exposure, with
full recovery of crack sealing, sorptivity, strength, and stiffness over six months. However, the mix
containing recycled fines showed reduced performance under repeated damage-healing cycles,
mainly attributed to its higher water absorption. A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment using the
CML-IA method and a functional unit of 1 m³ – subsequently normalized over long-term
compressive and flexural strength – revealed that mechanical performance strongly influences
environmental impacts. Notably, the additional processing and increased input volumes required
for fine fractions led to higher impacts across all categories. This work lays the foundation for a
rational and engineering-wise effective promotion of the circular economy concept in the design
and production of highly durable cement-based materials and structures by demonstrating unexplored and effective recycling strategies for UHPC elements at the end of their service life,
facilitated by their unaltered condition even after prolonged use.peer-reviewe