24762 research outputs found
Sort by
Perceived health, psychological distress and quality of life in 8415 adults with congenital heart disease from 32 countries
No full textBackground The global prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) is increasing. Research on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) predominantly originates from high-income countries, resulting in an incomplete understanding of the true global burden of CHD from the patient perspective. Therefore, we described perceived health, psychological distress and quality of life (QoL) in a large sample of adults with CHD from the globe and explored the relationship between PROs and the income level of the countries. Methods Assessment of Patterns of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease—International Study II (APPROACH-IS II) represents an international cross-sectional investigation of PROs in 8415 patients from 53 centres across 32 countries. Patients completed questionnaires to measure perceived health status (RAND-12 Health Survey; EuroQOL-5D Visual Analog Scale); depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-8, PHQ-8); anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7) and QoL (Linear Analog Scale). Gross National Income per capita in US dollars was used for stratifying countries according to income levels. Results Large intercountry disparities in PROs were observed. Switzerland demonstrated the highest mean scores for physical functioning, self-rated health and QoL, while Senegal had the lowest scores. Patients from Malta demonstrated the highest mean scores for mental health, and Senegal had the lowest scores. With regard to depressive symptoms and anxiety, Pakistan had the lowest mean scores, while Turkey had the highest scores. Patients from high-income nations reported significantly better physical functioning, mental functioning and QoL. Conclusion Large intercountry disparities in PROs were observed. APPROACH-IS II is a pioneering international endeavour that comprehensively evaluated PROs among adults with CHD, drawing participants from nations with different income levels.peer-reviewe
Conceptualising and exploring creative pedagogies and design thinking in transdisciplinary STEAM higher education courses
No full textHigher Education Institutions are increasingly facing challenges in designing courses that enable students to develop the transdisciplinary knowledge, skills and understanding needed to engage with complex ‘wicked’ problems. This article reports on a conceptual framework for STEAM in Higher Education (HE), in which design thinking is interwoven with four key features of creative pedagogies: transdisciplinarity, embodied dialogue, empowerment and agency, and ethics and trusteeship. The study explores: how does the design thinking–creative pedagogies framework manifest for participants in practice? The framework was used in four international HE short courses entwining sciences, arts and entrepreneurship to facilitate participants’ responses to a different ‘wicked problem’ in each country, based on the local context. The framework was analysed across the courses to explore how it operates in practice through iterative developments, to help educators understand how to develop it further. The study used a mixed-method, participatory research design, with 82 participants in total. This paper highlights the key creative pedagogy features and design thinking approach working together in productive patterns, helping teachers and partners establish new learning strategies and offering insight into how transdisciplinary learning around complex problems can be facilitated in STEAM Higher Education.peer-reviewe
Reverse design for mixture proportion of asphalt concrete in high-temperature regions based on the materials informatics
No full textWith the development of economy and living quality, the requirements of high-temperature performance of asphalt mixture are
constantly increasing. However, the traditional asphalt mix design method is difficult to meet these requirements due to its
cumbersome and blind nature. This study aims to implement the concept of materials informatics to the design of asphalt concrete in
high-temperature regions. Firstly, the data of asphalt binders and mixtures containing modulus and conventional property information
were obtained from an open database, and outliers were detected and removed. Every feature was redefined based on materials
informatics and selected based on prior knowledge. Six machine learning models were then employed to develop forward design
models, including ridge regression, K-nearest neighbor regression, support vector machine regression, multilayer perceptron, random
forests, and the stacking model, which established the mapping relationship from input to output for the reverse mix design. Finally, by
leveraging the stacking model and genetic algorithm, the multi-objective optimization was conducted to achieve a trade-off between
dynamic modulus and cost of the asphalt mixture. The results indicate that the feature selection based on prior knowledge was feasible.
All forward design models can achieve promising prediction accuracy, among which the stacking model has the best generalization
ability, with the lowest variance and bias. Lastly, the multi-objective optimization method based on materials informatics could
efficiently identify the feasible ranges of key design parameters for low-cost asphalt mixtures that reach the requirements of target
service performance, providing a valuable solution to dilemmas existing in the mix proportion design of asphalt concrete in the high-temperature regions.peer-reviewe
Guidelines on open spaces : open markets
No full textOpen markets comprise vibrant public marketplaces where vendors and shoppers come together in the open or within designated lightweight structures for exchange (whether goods, food, or cultural). Far more than simple venues for commerce, open markets serve as social hubs, economic enablers, cultural assets and attractions for locals and visitors alike. Throughout history and especially in Mediterranean regions, marketplaces have been central to community life, often doubling as the heart of civic engagement and even poetically referred to as the ‘soul’ of a community. In Malta, the tradition of open markets runs deep, from village squares bustling on weekly market days to the historic merchant stalls of Valletta. Today, there is a renewed interest in leveraging these markets as tools for sustainable local development in line with the Local Councils’ Association’s ResidentFirst vision. The value of open markets is multifaceted – they are, of course, platforms for economic opportunity, a reflection of the local culture and tourism magnets. Still, they are also important social spaces within a locality. Indeed, in essence, markets serve as social infrastructure, performing the role of open-air community centres where residents forge connections and local identity is strengthened. Building on open space re-use principles, further discussed in the LCA’s document 3.4 Open Space Re-use, this document outlines key design principles for creating or retrofitting spaces to host markets, ensuring they are flexible, accessible, well-integrated into our towns and that they do not significantly inconvenience nearby residents. [excerpt]peer-reviewe
Exploring the multifaceted roles of social robots in early childhood literacy lessons : insights from a Maltese classroom
No full textThis study investigates the roles of social robots (SRs) in literacy lessons with 25 children aged 5–6, including five with
special educational needs, in a Maltese early childhood classroom. Through thematic analysis and grounding in Mead’s
symbolic interactionism and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, we explored how SRs mediate interactions and influence
children’s self-concept development. The NAO6 humanoid robot, programmed to recognize students and reference prior
interactions, fostered familiarity and facilitated symbolic exchanges that supported social identity formation, consistent
with the “looking-glass self” concept. Beyond the commonly cited “tutor” role, our findings reveal SRs’ dynamic contributions as mediators of reflective social interactions, offering cues that shaped children’s behaviors and self-awareness.
These results highlight SRs’ potential to enhance inclusive education by engaging both typically developing children and
those with disabilities, extending prior research on anthropomorphized technology and its impact on classroom dynamics.peer-reviewe
Stage-wise IoT solutions for Alzheimer’s disease : a systematic review of detection, monitoring, and assistive technologies
No full textThe Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as a transformative technology in managing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), offering novel solutions for early diagnosis, continuous patient monitoring, and assistive care. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of IoT-enabled systems tailored to AD care, focusing on wearable biosensors, cognitive monitoring tools, smart home automation, and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven analytics. A systematic literature survey was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to identify, screen, and synthesize 236 relevant studies primarily published between 2020 and 2025 across IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The inclusion criteria targeted peer-reviewed articles that proposed or evaluated IoT-based solutions for AD detection, progression monitoring, or patient assistance. Key findings highlight the effectiveness of the IoT in detecting behavioral and cognitive changes, enhancing safety through real-time alerts, and improving patient autonomy. The review also explores integration challenges such as data privacy, system interoperability, and clinical adoption. The study reveals critical gaps in real-world deployment, clinical validation, and ethical integration of IoT-based systems for Alzheimer’s care. This study aims to serve as a definitive reference for researchers, clinicians, and developers working at the intersection of the IoT and neurodegenerative healthcare.peer-reviewe
Conscience and legislative behaviour in a two party state : the case of Malta
No full textIn democratic political systems, it is agreed that the political behaviour of Members of Parliament (MPs) is governed by ideology and party lines, except when matters of conscience arise. Such situations, often the case of moral dilemmas, render political behaviour unpredictable (outcome is uncertain), disruptive (legislative programmes can be derailed) and chaotic (party discipline is disregarded). This paper presents results of a study carried out in the Maltese Parliament. Using a qualitative approach, sitting and former MPs, give their account on how conscience informs their parliamentary behaviour. The evidence from this study shows that conscience matters not only in highly‑contentious ethical policy questions. Indeed, conscience is a multi-faceted driver of individual political behaviour shaped by a complex interconnection of values, norms, tradition, cultural and ideological traits. More often than claimed, it can enable or hinder the MPs’ link with both political parties and the electorate.peer-reviewe
The procedural content generation benchmark : an open-source testbed for generative challenges in games
No full textThis paper introduces the Procedural Content Generation Benchmark for evaluating generative algorithms on different game content creation tasks. The benchmark comes with 12 game-related problems with multiple variants on each problem. Problems vary from creating levels of different kinds to creating rule sets for simple arcade games. Each problem has its own content representation, control parameters, and evaluation metrics for quality, diversity, and controllability. This benchmark is intended as a first step towards a standardized way of comparing generative algorithms. We use the benchmark to score three baseline algorithms: a random generator, an evolution strategy, and a genetic algorithm. Results show that some problems are easier to solve than others, as well as the impact the chosen objective has on quality, diversity, and controllability of the generated artifacts.peer-reviewe
Il-kuntest tal-kunflitt Għarbi-Iżraeljan
No full textBiex inkunu ċari din mhix kitba li se timmoralizza fuq suġġett li,
madankollu, pożizzjoni morali dwaru wieħed ma jistax ma jiħux. Fis-sens, biex nibqgħu fuq ġrajjiet li seħħew fi żminijiet reċenti, wieħed
ma jistax ma jikkundannax l-attakk barbaru tas-sebgħa ta’ Ottubru
2023, il-martirju li għaddew/għaddejjin minnu l-ostaġġi, il-massakru
ta’ ċivili f’Gaża mill-armata Iżraeljana, u l-qtil bil-ġuħ ta’ nies innoċenti
minħabba l-azzjonijiet tal-Gvern Iżraeljan. L-istess huma kundannabbli
l-attakki minn Iżrael fuq pajjiżi f’dik in-naħa tad-dinja, li ġabu riskju li
l-kunflitt ikompli jikber fi gwerra reġjonali. Fil-każ tal-Qatar ukoll, ġie
attakkat pajjiż li seta’ jkun medjatur. Biex ma nsemmux inġustizzji li
ilhom snin, bħal ngħidu aħna l-fatt li l-Palestinjani ma kellhomx ċans
ikollhom stat. Kif għedt, imma, l-għan ta’ din il-kitba mhix li tagħti
ġudizzju morali ta’ min għandu raġun jew tort.peer-reviewe
Living with a sibling who is on the autism spectrum : the siblings’ perspective
Get PDFThis study explores the lived experiences of neurotypical siblings who have a brother or sister on the autism spectrum. Drawing on qualitative case studies of three adolescent siblings, the research investigates the emotional, social, and developmental impacts of these relationships. Through semi-structured interviews, the study identifies themes such as caregiving responsibilities, the emotional burden of unequal attention, and future caregiving concerns. The findings highlight both the challenges and growth opportunities associated with these sibling relationships. By examining these experiences within the unique cultural context of Malta, this study contributes to the broader discourse on inclusion and family dynamics in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Implications for educational systems, family support programmes, and future policy developments are discussed.peer-reviewe