2,530 research outputs found
Updates in the flora of the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean)
No full textDuring the last 5 years, this author has been involved in the research and exploration of the flora of the
Maltese islands in order to create and update the website http://www.maltawildplants.com. This paper
consists of several important discoveries of new populations of very rare or endangered floral species for
the Maltese Islands which were recorded during field surveys to collect material for this website. It also
includes the species Calendula bicolor Rafin., which is a new record for the Maltese islands.peer-reviewe
Multiple arterial embolization from left atrial myxoma in a Maltese boy
No full textAtrial myxoma is rare in adults and even rarer in children. In this article the author describes. The presentation may be with embolic, obstructive or constitutional symptoms, which may be dramatic and life-threatening. The case of a 12 year old Maltese boy with left atrial myxoma with multiple simultaneous arterial embolism in upper and lower limbs is described in this article.peer-reviewe
High order multiple births in the Maltese population
No full textTriplets are a relatively rare occurrence being encountered in the Maltese Islands with an overall incidence of about 0.1 per 1000 maternities. The incidence appears to be on the increase over the last twenty years rising from the 0.08 per 1000 maternities in the decade 1960-69 to 0.11 per 1000 maternities in the following two decades. This increase has been correlated with the increasing use of ovulation induction agents, as has the occurrence of two quadruplets and one octuplet pregnancies in 1988-90. Triplets are shown to occur more frequently in elderly mothers, but no relationship to parity could be identified. Higher order births are shown to have a high incidence of antenatal and intrapartum problems, and are associated with a higher fetal loss than singleton pregnancies.peer-reviewe
Fluoride and dental caries
No full textFluorine was probably discovered by the chemist Scheele in 1771, and eventually isolated in 1886 by Moissan. Its presence in bones and teeth was initially disputed but eventually confirmed in the middle of the eighteenth century. In this article the author discusses the few epidemiological studies which confirm the relationship between fluoride concentration in drinking water, mottled enamel and the incidence of dental caries and also describes the Maltese scene in regards the caries level in tap water.peer-reviewe
Present distribution of the threatened killifish Aphanius fasciatus (Actinopterygii, Cyprinodontidae) in the Maltese Islands
No full textA survey of the nine localities from which the threatened Killifish Aphanius fasciatus has been recorded in the Maltese Islands showed that large and thriving populations exist at Salina, at the Simar and Ghadira bird sanctuaries and in reservoirs at Marsa and Ghadira. The Simar and Ghadira populations are introduced and originate from a mixture of animals collected from Salina and Marsa. The provenance of the Marsa population is unknown but it is possibly autochthonous to the Marsa area. The Salina and possibly the Marsa populations seem to be the only remaining natural populations of this species in the Maltese Islands.peer-reviewe
Present knowledge of the Entomofauna of the Maltese Islands
No full textThe Maltese Islands' strategic position in the centre of the Mediterranean basin and in between the Siculo Tunisian sill, always encouraged a number of foreign naturalists to visit and study their local entomofauna. A number of Maltese naturalists also contributed to such investigations. All this activity yielded a substantial amount of literature, sometimes with descriptions of possibly endemic species. Unfortunately, some of these earlier published works and those found in Maltese journals, are not easily accessible. A brief general account of the entomofauna inhabiting the Maltese Islands is provided, citing general works in which earlier citations may be found and where possible indicating lack of research on certain insect groups.peer-reviewe
The Maltese Labour Corps during World War I
No full textThe participation by Maltese troops abroad has been limited. During the
First World War Malta was not directly involved, yet during this time a significant
overseas deployment did take place. It did not take the form of front line troops; rather it
was some 5,600 locally enlisted men who volunteered for overseas service with the
Maltese Labour Corps. At least 120 men lost their lives on active service, very often from
disease. They are buried across various cemeteries mostly in Greece. It is a deployment
that has received little attention and is all but forgotten. This paper seeks to tell their
story and to remember the service these men provided.peer-reviewe
Coastal land use in the Maltese islands: a description and appraisal
No full textThe area of the Maltese Islands is 316 km , and with an official coastal length of 180 km(^2) possess a high ratio of coastal length to area. The physical properties of the coast include a highly indented and largely accessible coastline having a low sloping profile, on the north, east and south-east littoral of Malta, presenting inlets, bays and deep harbours. Most of the recreational, industrial and coastal residential areas are situated around these areas together with a wide range of fortifications and military defensive structures built as part of the coastal defensive network of Malta over the last five centuries. In contrast, the other parts of the coast, including Gozo, consists of a largely inaccessible coastline made up of cliffs and boulder scree slopes with the few indentations marking sandy beaches. These areas have a high aesthetic quality. The rapid pace of development over last half-century has witnessed an economic transformation from an economy based on British military spending to one based on the development of coastal areas for marine-related services, tourism and residential and second-home development. Coastal land use conflicts have intensified with economic development and as people have sought to make a more use of the coast. This thesis is concerned with the evaluation of the coastal land use in the Maltese Islands. A historical overview of the coast is first presented, then a methodology for the mapping, surveying and estimation of the land uses along the coastal zone of the Maltese Islands is developed. This is based on a number of coastal field surveys that the author participated in between 1989 and 1998. The coastal zone was divided into sixteen segments and mapping is covered by sixteen land uses. The main results were that coastal development was centred in areas where a high natural coastal indentation and good physical accessibility of the coast were present, these, in turn, gave rise to land use conflict. In addition, civil engineering works and modifications such as rock-cutting, jetties, breakwaters and, in densely populated areas, promenades, intensified land use conflict. A notable difference in the type of coastal development processes to the north (tourism) and south (industry) of the Great Fault is evident. The thesis also includes the part played by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in influencing coastal land uses, the main land use modifications proposed in the European Union accession talks and a brief assessment of the land use situation in selected localities in 2003
A synthesis of the echinoderm fauna of the Maltese Islands
No full textA review of existing literature records of echinoderms from Malta and a study of a large collection of
specimens was carried out between 2000 and 2004 so as to update and produce a validated checklist of
echinoderms occurring in Maltese waters. Seventy different species of echinoderms are recorded, including
a number of species for which only single records exist for the Maltese islands and five species that were not
found in the present study. The Maltese echinoderm fauna includes 45% of the 153 recorded
Mediterranean echinoderm species, and apart from two aliens, is typical of the central Mediterranean region.peer-reviewe
An overview of the dragonflies and damselflies of the Maltese Islands (Central Mediterranean) (Odonata)
No full textSeventeen species of odonates have been recorded on the Maltese Islands of which Pantala flavescens represents a new record. Diagnostic features of the adult and larval stages of these species are described in this work. The work also combines findings from previous literature on Maltese Odonata with information gathered from fieldwork data in order to give an insight on the current situation of the Odonata of the Maltese Islands and serves as an identification guide to both adults and larvae of these insects. The anatomy and physiology of the larval and adult forms of these insects, which are discussed in this work, are adapted to the predatory lifestyle which they lead. The fact that odonate larvae frequent different habitats from adults helps to reduce competition for resources. Adult odonates can be found in a number of local habitats; mostly near freshwater but also brackish water bodies since freshwater is a scarce natural resource on the Maltese Islands. Global warming is affecting the distribution range of odonates in the Mediterranean - while some species may be on the decline, others which can thrive in hot dry environments are progressively being recorded in the Mediterranean and southern Europe, including the Maltese Islands. Relatively little work on the Odonata of the Maltese Islands has been done previous to the present work. Most of this involves listing of locally recorded species; very little research investigates odonate behaviour and distribution. No information exists as to why species such as Sympetrum striolatum, and Orthetrum cancellatum have become progressively uncommon in recent years, and therefore more research is required on the matter. Because of limiting water resources, freshwater habitats on the Maltese Islands are quickly drained of water, which may be used for agricultural purposes. This may tend to reduce species richness of local odonates. Biologists are now considering dragonflies as biological indicators of a healthy environment and make recommendations in order to preserve the habitats frequented by these insects.peer-reviewe
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