The changing role of the Maltese CFO

The recent past has been characterised by advances in technology, continuous changes in the environment and also added regulatory requirements, mostly as a consequence of both corporate governance scandals and a challenging recession. This has induced changes in the role of most business professionals, among whom the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Maltese Listed companies. The objective of this article, which builds on a recent MBA dissertation by Ms Buttigieg, is to analyse such changes in the role of these CFO’s since 2003 and their implications. For this purpose, a review of international literature is made, complemented by empirical data collected by means of semi-structured interviews held with ten CFOs of such listed companies. The rest of the paper consists of five sections. The next section will review the literature, followed by an exposition of the methodology used, the findings, the discussion thereon, and conclusion, including the limitations of the study.peer-reviewe

Understanding the economic contribution of tourism in Malta : a literature review

The paper presents a critical assessment of the key studies which present empirical estimates for the contribution of the tourism sector to the Maltese economy. The observed discrepancies in the estimates derived from these studies has in part led to a situation in which there is an effective widespread divergence relating to the specific economic contribution of tourism in Malta. The paper evaluates the estimates derived by these key studies in the context of both the strengths and weaknesses of their respective modelling frameworks, which range from the construction of tourism satellite accounts, to input-output models and computable general equilibrium modelling, as well as an evaluation of the overall quality of the data utilized. The paper therefore attempts to identify and clarify the main causes behind the observed variations in the resulting estimates and through a systematic comparative assessment also aid in the providing a further understanding of the potential economic contribution of tourism to the Maltese economy. On the basis of this assessment it is suggested that the contribution of tourism to the Maltese economy should account for approximately 5.7% of total gross value added when taking account solely direct effects, 12% once indirect effects are included and roughly 17% accounting also for the induced effects. Furthermore, on the basis of this assessment the paper highlights the need for further research in this area given the significance of the tourism sector to the small island economy of Malta.peer-reviewe

Design activity in Malta : a macro-economic analysis

The present economic analysis focuses on design and innovation. It compares Malta to leading design innovators in the EU, namely Germany, Italy, Sweden and Finland. Findings include positioning of Malta in relation to these focus countries, overall, by firm size and by sector. Furthermore, manufacturing fares timidly in design innovation both internally in relation to other sectors, and also when compared to other EU Member States. Within services, IT and consultancy are relatively high design innovation spenders, whereas financial services come in at the lower end. The analysis also evaluates the multiplier effects of design services and the inter-industry linkages involved in design activity.peer-reviewe

Access to preventive health services of migrants in five EU countries

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The Activated Type 1–Polarized Cd8+ T Cell Population Isolated from an Effector Site Contains Cells with Flexible Cytokine Profiles

The capacity of activated T cells to alter their cytokine expression profiles after migration into an effector site has not previously been defined. We addressed this issue by paired daughter analysis of a type 1–polarized CD8+ effector T cell population freshly isolated from lung parenchyma of influenza virus–infected mice. Single T cells were activated to divide in vitro; individual daughter cells were then micromanipulated into secondary cultures with and without added IL-4 to assess their potential to express type 2 cytokine genes. The resultant subclones were analyzed for type 1 and 2 cytokine mRNAs at day 6–7. When the most activated (CD44highCD11ahigh) CD8+ subpopulation from infected lung was compared with naive or resting (CD44lowCD11alow) CD8+ cells from infected lung and from normal lymph nodes (LNs), both clonogenicity and plasticity of the cytokine response were highest in the LN population and lowest in the activated lung population, correlating inversely with effector function. Multipotential cells were nevertheless detected among clonogenic CD44highCD11ahigh lung cells at 30–50% of the frequency in normal LNs. The data indicate that activated CD8+ T cells can retain the ability to proliferate and express new cytokine genes in response to local stimuli after recruitment to an effector site

Physical characteristics underpinning repetitive lunging in fencing

Given the repetitive demand to execute lunging and changes in direction within fencing, the ability to sustain these at maximal capacity is fundamental to performance. The aim of this study was threefold. Firstly to provide normative values for this variable referred to as repeat lunge ability (RLA) and secondly to identify the physical characteristics that underpin it. Thirdly, was to establish if a cause and effect relationship existed by training the associated characteristics. Assessment of lower body power, reactive strength, speed, change of direction speed (CODS) and a sport specific RLA were conducted on senior and junior elite male fencers (n = 36). Fencers were on average (± SD) 18.9 ± 3.2 years of age, 174.35 ± 10.42 cm tall, 70.67 ± 7.35 kg in mass, and 8.5 ± 4.2 years fencing experience. The RLA test had average work times of 16.03 s ± 1.40 and demonstrated "large" to "very large" associations with all tested variables, but in particular CODS (r = .70) and standing broad jump (SBJ; r = -68). Through linear regression analysis, these also provided a two-predictor model accounting for 61% of the common variance associated with RLA. A cause and effect relationship with SBJ and CODS was confirmed by the training group, where RLA performance in these fencers improved from 15.80 ± 1.07 s to 14.90 ± 0.86 s, with the magnitude of change reported as "moderate" (ES = 0.93). Concurrent improvements were also noted in both SBJ (216.86 cm ± 17.15 vs. 221.71 ± 17.59 cm) and CODS (4.44 ± 0.29 s s. 4.31 ± 0.09 s) and while differences were only significant in SBJ, magnitudes of change were classed as "small" (ES = 0.28) and "moderate" (ES = 0.61)respectively. In conclusion, to improve RLA strength and conditioning coaches should focus on improving lower-body power and reactive strength, noting that jump training and plyometrics designed to enhance horizontal propulsion may be most effective, and translate to improvement in CODS also

The relationship between leader support, staff influence over decision making, work pressure and patient satisfaction : a cross-sectional analysis of NHS datasets in England

Objective To explore the relationships between leader support, staff influence over decisions, work pressure and patient satisfaction. Design A cross-sectional study of large National Health Service (NHS) datasets in England in 2010. Setting and participants 158 NHS acute hospital trusts in England (n=63 156) from all staff groups. Primary and secondary outcome measures Survey data measuring leader support, staff influence over decision making, staff work pressure and objective outcome data measuring patient satisfaction. Results Multilevel serial mediation analysis showed a significantly positive association between leader support and staff influence over decisions (B=0.74, SE=0.07, p<0.01). Furthermore, staff influence over decisions showed a negative association with staff work pressure (B=−0.84, SE=0.41, p<0.05) which in turn was negatively linked to patient satisfaction (B=−17.50, SE=4.34, p<0.01). Serial mediation showed a positive indirect effect of leader support on patient satisfaction via staff influence over decisions and work pressure (B=10.96, SE=5.55, p<0.05). Conclusions and implications Our results provide evidence that leader support influences patient satisfaction through shaping staff experience, particularly staff influence over decisions and work pressure. Patients’ care is dependent on the health, well-being, and effectiveness of the NHS workforce. That, in turn, is determined by the extent to which leaders are supportive in ensuring that work environments are managed in a way which protects the well-being of staff

Transforming the study of organisms: Phenomic data models and knowledge bases

The rapidly decreasing cost of gene sequencing has resulted in a deluge of genomic data from across the tree of life; however, outside a few model organism databases, genomic data are limited in their scientific impact because they are not accompanied by computable phenomic data. The majority of phenomic data are contained in countless small, heterogeneous phenotypic data sets that are very difficult or impossible to integrate at scale because of variable formats, lack of digitization, and linguistic problems. One powerful solution is to represent phenotypic data using data models with precise, computable semantics, but adoption of semantic standards for representing phenotypic data has been slow, especially in biodiversity and ecology. Some phenotypic and trait data are available in a semantic language from knowledge bases, but these are often not interoperable. In this review, we will compare and contrast existing ontology and data models, focusing on nonhuman phenotypes and traits. We discuss barriers to integration of phenotypic data and make recommendations for developing an operationally useful, semantically interoperable phenotypic data ecosystem

Analysing relationship between air pollutants and meteorological parameters using TRA, PCA & CA : a concise review

Air pollution plays a significant role in causing respiratory illnesses and fatalities, and it also contributes to global warming and environmental degradation. Recent advances in remote sensing technology have improved our understanding of the complex interactions involved. This review study offers a comprehensive examination of the current understanding of air pollution, highlighting areas where analytical and detection methods have been improved. The study highlights recent studies that use a worldwide monitoring system with established procedures to keep an eye on new environmental concerns. The study also evaluates the efficiency of different correlation methods, like TRA, PCA, and CA, in analysing the association among meteorological parameters and air pollution, and suggests the most appropriate techniques for the analysis.peer-reviewe