Biological control in the Maltese Islands - past initiatives and future programmes

Past records of introduced predators and parasites for biological control programmes in the Maltese Islands are reviewed. Literature on this subject is very limited, difficult to obtain and to confirm. During the last 10 years, several exotic pest species were accidentally introduced into the Maltese Islands, including Aleurothrixus floccosus, Bemisia tabaci, Liriomyza spp., Frankliniella occidentalis and Phyllocnistis citrella. Natural enemies have been imported to control these pests. These include Dacnusa sibirica and Diglyphus isaea for the control of leafminers; Encarsia formosa, Eretmocerus califomicus and Macrolophus caliginosus for regulation of Bemisia tabaci; Cales noacki against Aleurothrixus floccosus; Orius laevigatus, o. insidiosus and Neoseiulus cucumeris against thrips; Aphidius colemani and Aphidoletes aphidimyza for the control of glasshouse aphids and Phytoseiulus persimilis and Amblyseius califomicus for the control of the red spider mite. Encarsia lutea and Eretmocerus mundus have been recorded from Bemisia tabaci in Malta. Faunistic studies of parasitic Hymenoptera occurring in Malta are currently being carried out. The data is presented and the significance of utilizing local natural enemies is briefly discussed.peer-reviewe

Effect of Self-Efficacy Enhancing Education Program on Family Caregivers\u27 Competencies in Caring for Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the effect of a self-efficacy enhancing education program on family caregivers\u27 competencies regarding perceived confidence and performance in caring for patients with mild TBI in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Methods: The quasi-experimental study, two groups pre-test and post-test design was conducted. Fifty family caregivers and patients with mild TBI who met the inclusion criteria were recruited. The first 25 control group received the routine care were, while another 25 subjects in the experimental group received a self-efficacy enhancing education program developed by the researchers. The program was constructed using Bandura\u27s four sources of self-efficacy. The family caregivers\u27 perceived confidence and performance were measured by using the Perceived Confidence Questionnaire (PCQ) and the Performance Questionnaire (PQ). The data were analyzed using paired t-test, independent t-test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: The findings showed that the family caregivers who participated in the program had a higher in perceived confidence (t = 8.30, p < .05) and performance (U = .00, p < .05) in caring for patients with mild TBI upon the completion of the program. Conclusion: This study suggests the program may have contributed in improving the family caregivers\u27 competencies regarding perceived confidence and also influencing their performance in caring for patients with mild TBI. Therefore, this program is recommended for nurses to extend this knowledge for nursing practices and improve family caregivers\u27 competencies in caring for patients with mild TBI before and after discharge

Dispersant Efficacy and Effectiveness

Dispersants have been researched extensively and used for oil spill mitigation for more than 40 years, yet there are opportunities to enhance our understanding, including with respect to their long term fate and effects and how to optimize dispersant use. For example, the 2005 National Academy of Sciences report, Understanding Oil Spill Dispersants: Efficacy and Effects, suggested a number of areas where increased understanding would help support the use of dispersants. Throughout the summer of 2010 dispersants were used in unprecedented quantities and, in the case of sub-sea application, with novel application methods following the Deepwater Horizon incident. The focus of this paper is to provide a brief overview of spilled oil behavior, chemical dispersants efficacy and effectiveness, and a discussion of the state of knowledge pre-, during, and post- Deepwater Horizon

Life satisfaction and self-efficacy in patients affected by a first stroke living in Kuwait: A two-phase study

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2012 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.Life satisfaction and self-efficacy are important aspects of stroke rehabilitation. Previous research focuses on Western stroke survivors, neglecting the stroke experience in the Middle East. This research was conducted in Kuwait and entailed both quantitative and qualitative phases to obtain a more comprehensive, clinically relevant understanding of self-efficacy and life satisfaction during stroke rehabilitation in this culture. The aims were to: 1) investigate the relationships between self-efficacy and life satisfaction in female patients affected by stroke (Phase 1); and 2) explore health professionals' views regarding the importance of self-efficacy and possible strategies for enhancing self-efficacy during rehabilitation, through semi-structured interviews (Phase 2). Significant correlations were found between patients' general self-efficacy, and psychosocial adaptation self-efficacy following stroke. Self-efficacy (both general and psychosocial adaptation) showed significant correlations with life satisfaction post-stroke. Health professionals (more than half of whom were physiotherapists) recognised the importance of self-efficacy within stroke rehabilitation and identified five main ways to increase self-efficacy during stroke rehabilitation. These were to: 1) motivate and encourage patients; 2) provide more education about stroke and rehabilitation; 3) identify change; 4) offer a high-quality environment and therapy; and 5) set goals. In conclusion, psychosocial self-efficacy was identified as having a stronger relationship to life satisfaction compared with general self-efficacy within this sample of Kuwaiti female patients. Health professionals suggested various strategies for enhancing self-efficacy and thereby life satisfaction post-stroke during the rehabilitation process in Kuwait. Despite the collectivist culture of Kuwait, the findings indicate that the patient's own confidence and sense of responsibility for progress may be relevant to rehabilitation

Moments of clarity : a study of higher education teachers' professional learning experiences and the transformational process of change in self-efficacy development : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand

This qualitative longitudinal study sought to understand ‘aha’ moments experienced by a group of early career higher education teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand and the role those moments played in the transformational process of change in teacher self-efficacy development. Self-efficacy theory was foregrounded throughout the study, transformation theory provided an established framework to understand the process of transformation, and the notion of threshold concepts was used to conceptualise the ‘aha’ moment and name potential teaching threshold concepts. Aotearoa New Zealand specific teacher self-efficacy studies are important because studies in other contexts have shown self-efficacy is a predictor of teacher motivation, resilience and persistence in the face of difficulties and self-efficacy is linked to successful student achievement. In understanding the relationship between ‘aha’ moments and how these contribute to teacher self-efficacy development, there is the potential for professional learning opportunities that support self-efficacy promotion. Eleven early career teachers shared their experiences of ‘aha’ moments and their interpretation of the role these played in their teacher self-efficacy development. This research found that ‘aha’ moments were personal learning realisations that contributed to change in teacher self-efficacy and that the transformational development of teacher self-efficacy can be understood as a process containing four distinct phases. Furthermore, the transformative ‘aha’ moments, and in particular those that constituted a teaching specific potential threshold concept, provided teachers with an enhanced awareness of teaching capability. Finally, mastery experiences (successful and unsuccessful) were the most commonly described source of efficacy information related to the teachers’ ‘aha’ moments

Collective efficacy belief, within-group agreement, and performance quality among instrumental chamber ensembles

We examined collective efficacy beliefs, including levels of within - group agreement and correlation with performance quality, of instrumental chamber ensembles (70 musicians, representing 18 ensembles). Participants were drawn from collegiate programs and intensive summer music festivals located in the No rthwestern and Western regions of the United States. Individuals completed a 5 - item survey gauging confidence in their group’s performance abilities; each ensemble’s aggregated results represented its collective efficacy score. Ensembles provided a video - r ecorded performance excerpt that was rated by a panel of four string specialists. Analyses revealed moderately strong levels of collective efficacy belief and uniformly high within - group agreement. There was a significant, moderately strong correlation bet ween collective efficacy belief and within - group agreement ( r S = .67, p < .01). We found no relationship between collective efficacy belief and performance quality across the total sample, but those factors correlated significantly for festival - based ensem bles ( r S = .82, p < .05). Reliability estimates suggest that our collective efficacy survey may be suitable for use with string chamber ensembles. Correlational findings provide partial support for the theorized link between efficacy belief and performance quality in chamber music settings, suggesting the importance for music educators to ensure that positive efficacy beliefs become well founded through quality instruction