9,325 research outputs found
The impact of global environmental change on transport in Malta
No full textThis study addresses the impact of global
environmental change, speci fically on transport in the
Maltese Islands, with special attention to the economic
implications of changes on: (i) employment, (ii) product
or service growth/decline, (iii) capital investment, (iv)
competitiveness and (v) skills/educational development
and upgrade. Geographic and economic data from secondary sources are used to support the study. The paper addresses the concerns of environmental change on
the islands of Malta and attempts to map the extent
of potential damage to the islands' transport system,
namely the impact of sea level rise and extreme weather
events. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used
to build a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the islands
and simulate the eff ects on the road network, maritime
installations and air transport infrastructures that are
critical for Malta's economy and sustainability. The
paper also describes the implications of such impacts.
Results show that a
significant share of the islands' infrastructure could be heavily damaged and the trans-
port systems easily disrupted from predicted impacts of
global environment change. The paper concludes with a
call for the adoption of sustainable transport measures
which address not only mitigation but also adaptation
to global environmental change.peer-reviewe
Sir Charles Ballance : A pioneer surgeon in Malta
No full textCharles Ballance was arguably the most eminent surgeon stationed in Malta during the Great War. On the 16th February 1918 he removed a bullet from the heart of trooper Robert Martin who was shot in the chest in Salonika three months previously. Sadly the patient died of sepsis one month later, a fact that obscured the importance of this landmark operation, the third of its kind worldwide. This paper sets the background to this achievement and celebrates the impact that this surgical pioneer left on our shores.peer-reviewe
Society and the inquisition in Malta 1743-1798
No full textThe thesis falls into two main sections. It endeavours to analyse the major aspects of Maltese society in the second half of the eighteenth century as they emerge from a close scrutiny of the Archives of the Inquisition in Malta. The approach is mainly that of the ethnologist, a social history written 'from below'. The ultimate purpose was to try to arrive at as clear and accurate a picture of the Maltese mentalite as the archives permitted. Unfortunately, the Archives of the Inquisition in Malta have hardly ever been seriously studied by the social historian. Their richness and diversity not only cast enormous insight into the mental habits and frame of mind of a wide cross-section of Maltese society; they even shed sufficient light on a wide range of the social life of the Maltese. The subject is also approached from the point of view of the legal historian. The Inquisition was a Tribunal of Faith set up to stop the onslaught of Protestantism, as well as to reform the superstitious accretions to popular religion practised by the remaining part of the Catholic Church. The thesis examines the events leading to the charge and possibly arrest of the accused. Most of the reports were self-accusations and those arrested were taken into custody only after much deliberation. If the Inquisitors did make use of torture the accused was assisted by the defence counsel and produced his own witnesses. No instance of death sentences are encountered with in the second half of the eighteenth century and those found guilty were kindly dealt with, the Inquisitors being only after their conversion
The use of salt in restaurants
No full textA high intake of salt is detrimental to health as it causes high blood pressure thus increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and renal disease. Such conditions, mostly hypertension, are common in Malta. A framework for a National Salt Initiative was proposed by the European Union (EU) to establish a common vision for a general European approach towards salt reduction. Since the initiative partly targets reformulation actions with industry and catering, a study done in collaboration with the World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) exploring the use and perceptions of salt amongst chefs and caterers was carried out. A validated questionnaire developed by WASH was sent via email to 66 restaurants together with a covering letter. These included first, second and third class restaurants registered with the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA). 31 restaurants responded to the questionnaire to give a response rate of 47%. The main outcome of the study showed that 90% of the participants added salt to dishes to enhance flavour and improve taste. Although 99% of the respondents were aware which foods are low or high in salt, salt in dishes was replaced by soy sauce and stock cubes. 58% of the respondents were ready to consider reducing salt in their dishes as long as taste was not compromised. Due to the poor response rate, the study cannot be generalised to the Maltese population thus repeating the study with the aim of increasing the response rate so that further recommendations for salt reduction can be made within the population as well as for the catering industry.peer-reviewe
Fungal and fungal-like plant pathogens of the Maltese Islands
No full textThe paper provides updated lists of plant pathogenic species belonging to the kingdoms Protozoa, Chromista and Fungi (one, 21, and 211 species entries, respectively) recorded in Malta. It is intended primarily for the use of plant pathologists and authorities involved in plant protection and quarantine issues. It is based on published papers and unpublished reports of several authors and on our original data. The latter were based on inspections in the field and at the Maltese fruit and vegetable market, on surveys requested by EC and on samples brought by farmers at the Għammieri, Marsa, laboratories of the Ministry for Rural Affairs and the Environment (MRAE). They include records or more than 30 species new for Malta and several new host and new location records. Major diseases observed during 2004-2006 include Verticillium wilt of olive, late blight of potato and tomato, powdery mildew on several hosts, crown and root rot (Forl) of tomato, Sclerotinia stem rot of vegetables, grey mould of several crops, leaf mould of tomato. Most of the pathogenic species reported at the beginning of the last century are still present. Several species, including Spongospora subterranea f. sp. subterranea, Colletotrichum acutatum, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici, probably have been introduced recently. Intensified plant trade, due to world trends and the accession of Malta into the EU, increases this risk and requires consolidating the national quarantine service and extending monitoring of the territory. The incidence and severity of some diseases could be traced back to inappropriate cultural practices or unsuitable seed or plant material. MRAE and private organisations have a key role to play in improving this situationpeer-reviewe
The status of Otala punctata (Muller, 1774) : a recently established terrestrial gastropod in Malta
No full textA population of the alien helicid Otala punctata (Müller, 1774) has recently been found on the island of
Malta (Central Mediterranean), located around a single plant nursery at Mosta in the central part of the island.
Extensive field collections indicate that this species was very probably introduced via the horticultural
trade and is gradually extending its range from its point of introduction, occupying a variety of natural and
anthropic habitats. Analysis of size-frequency data suggests that Otala punctata has successfully bred
through at least three consecutive reproductive events until 2006. We hypothesise that Otala punctata
was originally imported accidentally with plant material and established itself in the nursery, from where it
then escaped into the surrounding land since 2003. This situation represents the introduction of yet another
alien species on Malta with the potential of becoming an agricultural pest, and a threat to the islands’
biodiversity.peer-reviewe
Malta
No full textThis economy profile for Doing Business
2016 presents the 11 Doing Business indicators for Malta. To
allow for useful comparison, the profile also provides data
for other selected economies (comparator economies) for each
indicator. Doing Business 2016 is the 13th edition in a
series of annual reports measuring the regulations that
enhance business activity and those that constrain it.
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business; for
2015 Malta ranks 80. A high ease of doing business ranking
means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the
starting and operation of a local firm. Doing Business
presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and
the protection of property rights that can be compared
across 189 economies from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and over
time. Doing Business sheds light on how easy or difficult it
is for a local entrepreneur to open and run a small to
medium-size business when complying with relevant
regulations. It measures and tracks changes in regulations
affecting 11 areas in the life cycle of a business: starting
a business, dealing with construction permits, getting
electricity, registering property, getting credit,
protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across
borders, enforcing contracts, resolving insolvency and labor
market regulation. The data in this report are current as of
June 1, 2015 (except for the paying taxes indicators, which
cover the period from January to December 2014)
Malta
No full textThis economy profile presents the Doing
Business indicators for Malta. To allow useful comparison,
it also provides data for other selected economies
(comparator economies) for each indicator. Doing Business
2017 is the 14th in a series of annual reports investigating
the regulations that enhance business activity and those
that constrain it. Economies are ranked on their ease of
doing business; for 2016 Malta ranks 83. Doing Business
sheds light on how easy or difficult it is for a local
entrepreneur to open and run a small to medium-size business
when complying with relevant regulations. It measures and
tracks changes in regulations affecting 11 areas in the life
cycle of a business: starting a business, dealing with
construction permits, getting electricity, registering
property, getting credit, protecting minority investors,
paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts,
resolving insolvency and labor market regulation. Doing
Business 2017 presents the data for the labor market
regulation indicators in an annex. The report does not
present rankings of economies on labor market regulation
indicators or include the topic in the aggregate distance to
frontier score or ranking on the ease of doing business.
The indicators are used to analyze economic outcomes and
identify what reforms have worked, where and why. The data
in this report are current as of June 1, 2016 (except for
the paying taxes indicators, which cover the period
January–December 2015)
Education and older adults at the University of the Third Age
No full textThis article reports a critical analysis of older adult education in Malta. In educational gerontology, a critical perspective demands the exposure of how relations of power and inequality, in their myriad forms, combinations, and complexities, are manifest in late-life learning initiatives. Fieldwork conducted at the University of the Third Age (UTA) in Malta uncovered the political nature of elder-learning, especially with respect to three intersecting lines of inequality - namely, positive aging, elitism, and gender. A cautionary note is, therefore, warranted at the dominant positive interpretations of UTAs since late-life learning, as any other education activity, is not politically neutral.peer-reviewe
Spare the rod, spoil the child? : A literature review of outcomes of physical punishment in relation to recent changes to Maltese Law
No full textA literature review of outcomes of physical punishment in children confirms the polarised views resulting from various studies. This is mainly attributed to the limitations in the methodology and study designs used, confounding factors that were unaccounted for and the different ways in which physical punishment was defined by researchers. Researchers that provide evidence to discourage the use of physical punishment highlight the risk that this mode of discipline can easily cross over to physical abuse. This is challenged by other researchers who argue that alternative disciplinary techniques investigated with similar analyses to physical punishment have similar outcomes. Malta recently became one of the 39 countries worldwide that outlawed the use of physical punishment in children, in keeping with the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child. The focus of legally banning the use of physical punishment is not to increase the number of parental prosecutions but to safeguard children and adopt a policy of zero tolerance towards any violence against them. Our role as health professionals should be in supporting and educating parents, including those from a different cultural background, in becoming authoritative parents that are able to discipline their children in an effective and nurturing manner, away from using any form of violence. Successful evidence based parental intervention programmes exist that may help provide these necessary skills. Health professionals should also adopt a child centred approach whereby the child’s views are considered and any allegation made taken seriously. Training in safeguarding children is recommended for all professionals who come into contact with children and families.peer-reviewe
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