Excavations at Tas-Silg, Malta : a preliminary report on the 1996-1998 campaigns conducted by the Department of Classics and Archaeology of the University of Malta

The area known as Tas-Silg is situated in the south-eastern part of the island of Malta, close to Marsaxlokk harbour. In reality the place name refers to the small church dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows (hence Tas-Silg) situated at the point where the narrow · road from Zejtun forks out in two directions: to Delimara and Xrobb il-Ghagin due south-east and to Marsaxlokk village due south-west. A British-period fort occupying the highest point of the elongated hill further south along· the first road also carries the same place name. The lower and more compact hill on which the excavations have been conducted is called 'Ta' Berikka' , but since it is so close to the above-mentioned church (only 50 m to the north) the tradition of calling it Tas-Silg is now well established and there is no sense in changing it. The site has a commanding view of the Marsaxlokk harbour to the south and overlooks two other bays, Marsascala and St Thomas's bay, to the north-east. On all sides the slope is broken up by man-made terraced fields There is no doubt that the topography of the site must have been a determining factor in its choice for the establishment of a religious centre in the Temple period of Maltese pehistory (3000--2500 BC), though one must keep in mind that close to Tas-Silg there are three other prehistoric temple sites. each one with a completely different topography. The Temple people were quite introverted in their cultural isolation and do not seem to have been much interested in seafaring and in the outside world. The situation changed radically in the following age, the Bronze Age. when the island was occupied by people who set up villages on naturally defensible hilltops, occasionally fortifying them with artificial ramparts. The Tas-Silg hill with its temple ruins was occupied by these people, but it is not as yet clear for what purpose. The scenario changed again in historical times when the central and western Mediterranean started to be parcelled out among the commercial powers originating in the eastern Mediterranean. The Greeks do not seem to have even tried 10 colonize Malta as they did in neighbouring Sicily. The Phoenicians, however, did occupy the island, apparently through a slow process of peaceful penetration and eventual political and cultural assimi lation. It was in this period that the ruins of the megalithic temple were transformed into a Phoenician extraurban shrine dedicated to Astarte, which in time expanded into a full y-fledged sanctuary with an international reputation. The last chapter in the millennia- long history of the site was written when the colonnaded courtyard in front of the old temple was transformed into an early Christian church. Any use made of the site in the following Arab period is, once again, poorly understood.peer-reviewe

Benefits of Using a Transdisciplinary Approach for the Design and Operationalization of a Surveillance System

Abstract During the preparatory phase of a surveillance project in Western Kenya, it was noted that several animal health activities, including meat inspection, were recorded using paper-based forms. Through discussions with the meat inspectors and other slaughterhouse actors, an electronic meat inspection form was developed, tested, and used in two slaughterhouses in Bungoma County. The meat inspectors completed and submitted a form for every animal slaughtered at their facility over a 2.75-year period. In a feedback meeting with the meat inspectors and other stakeholders, areas for improvement were highlighted, such as the timely provision of feedback to the data providers, and the inclusion of data fields that allow for more detailed animal movement information. The meat inspectors remarked that the form made them feel appreciated and added value to their work as the data could be used to educate farmers on prevailing livestock conditions and provide economic incentives for disease control interventions. The data submitted via the electronic forms were of sufficient quality to be summarized and identify trends in the animal slaughterhouse throughput, as well as frequent reasons for meat condemnation and associated costs. These data could therefore set the foundation for a syndromic surveillance system based on slaughterhouse data. Other non-traditional data sources, such as livestock and meat transport certificates, could also be leveraged to create a post-farm animal health information system. Information © The Authors 2023 </jats:sec

The safety of isoniazid tuberculosis preventive treatment in pregnant and postpartum women: systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment for high-risk groups. Isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) has been used globally for this purpose for many years, including in pregnancy. This review assessed current knowledge about the safety of IPT in pregnancy. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, Global Health Library and HIV and TB-related conference abstracts, until May 15, 2019, for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomised studies (NRS) where IPT was administered to pregnant women. Outcomes of interest were: 1) maternal outcomes, including permanent drug discontinuation due to adverse drug reactions, any grade 3 or 4 drug-related toxic effects, death from any cause and hepatotoxicity; and 2) pregnancy outcomes, including in utero fetal death, neonatal death or stillbirth, preterm delivery/prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight and congenital anomalies. Meta-analyses were conducted using a random-effects model. RESULTS: After screening 1342 citations, nine studies (of 34 to 51 942 participants) met inclusion criteria. We found an increased likelihood of hepatotoxicity among pregnant women given IPT (risk ratio 1.64, 95% CI 0.78-3.44) compared with no IPT exposure in one RCT. Four studies reported on pregnancy outcomes comparing IPT exposure to no exposure among pregnant women with HIV. In one RCT, adverse pregnancy outcomes were associated with IPT exposure during pregnancy (odds ratio (OR) 1.51, 95% CI 1.09-2.10), but three NRS showed a protective effect. CONCLUSIONS: We found inconsistent associations between IPT and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Considering the grave consequences of active TB in pregnancy, current evidence does not support systematic deferral of IPT until postpartum. Research on safety is needed

A systematic literature review

Publisher Copyright: © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved.Objective. The aim of this study was to systematically review outcome domains and measurement tools used in gout trials and their accordance with the preliminary OMERACT gout recommendations published in 2005.Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs investigating any intervention for gout published up to February 2013 were included. Recruitment start dates and all measured outcomes were extracted. Risk of bias (RoB) was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration tool. Numbers of OMERACT domains were compared for trials at low vs unclear/high RoB and for recruitment start date before 2005 or 2005 and later.Results. Of 9784 articles screened, 38 acute and 30 chronic gout trials were included. Mean (s.d.) number of OMERACT outcomes was 2.9 (1.1) (out of 5) and 2.5 (1.2) (out of 9) for acute and chronic gout trials, respectively. Health-related quality of life, participation and joint damage imaging were not assessed in any trial. Tools used to measure individual domains varied widely. There were no differences in the number of OMERACT outcomes reported in acute or chronic gout trials recruiting before 2005 vs 2005 or later [mean (s.d.): 3.0 (1.1) vs 3.5 (1.3), P = 0.859 and 2.7 (1.1) vs 2.8 (1.4), P = 0.960, respectively]. While both acute and chronic trials at low RoB reported more OMERACT domains than trials at unclear/high RoB, these differences were not significant. Industry-funded trials and trials performed by OMERACT investigators reported more OMERACT outcome domains.Conclusion. We found no appreciable impact of the OMERACT recommendations for gout trials to date.publishersversionpublishe

The role of interfacial properties on the intralaminar and interlaminar damage behaviour of unidirectional composite laminates: Experimental characterization and multiscale modelling

The development of the latest generation of wide-body passenger aircraft has heralded a new era in the utilisation of carbon-fibre composite materials. One of the primary challenges facing future development programmes is the desire to reduce the extent of physical testing, required as part of the certification process, by adopting a ‘certification by simulation’ approach. A hierarchical bottom-up multiscale simulation scheme can be an efficient approach that takes advantage of the natural separation of length scales between different entities (fibre/matrix, ply, laminate and component) in composite structures. In this work, composites with various fibre/matrix and interlaminar interfacial properties were fabricated using an autoclave under curing pressures ranging from 0 to 0.8 MPa. The microstructure (mainly void content and spatial distribution) and the mechanical properties of the matrix and fibre/matrix interface were measured, the latter by means of nanoindentation tests in matrix pockets, and fibre push-in tests. In addition, the macroscopic interlaminar shear strength was determined by means of three-points bend tests on short beams. To understand the influence of interfacial properties on the intralaminar failure behaviour, a high-fidelity microscale computational model is presented to predict homogenized ply properties under shear loading. Predicted ply material parameters are then transferred to a mesoscale composite damage model to reveal the interaction between intralaminar and interlaminar damage behaviour of composite laminates

Imaging in diagnosis, outcome prediction and monitoring of large vessel vasculitis : a systematic literature review and meta-analysis informing the EULAR recommendations

Objectives: To perform a systematic literature review on imaging techniques for diagnosis, outcome prediction and disease monitoring in large vessel vasculitis (LVV) informing the European League Against Rheumatism recommendations for imaging in LVV. Methods: Systematic literature review (until 10 March 2017) of diagnostic and prognostic studies enrolling >20 patients and investigating ultrasound, MRI, CT or positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with suspected and/or established primary LVV. Meta-analyses were conducted, whenever possible, obtaining pooled estimates for sensitivity and specificity by fitting random effects models. Results: Forty-three studies were included (39 on giant cell arteritis (GCA), 4 on Takayasu arteritis (TAK)). Ultrasound (‘halo’ sign) at temporal arteries (8 studies, 605 patients) and MRI of cranial arteries (6 studies, 509 patients) yielded pooled sensitivities of 77% (95% CI 62% to 87%) and 73% (95% CI 57% to 85%), respectively, compared with a clinical diagnosis of GCA. Corresponding specificities were 96% (95% CI 85% to 99%) and 88% (95% CI 81% to 92%). Two studies (93 patients) investigating PET for GCA diagnosis reported sensitivities of 67%–77% and specificities of 66%–100% as compared with clinical diagnosis or temporal artery biopsy. In TAK, one study each evaluated the role of magnetic resonance angiography and CT angiography for diagnostic purposes revealing both a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. Studies on outcome prediction and monitoring disease activity/damage were limited and mainly descriptive. Conclusions: Ultrasound and MRI provide a high diagnostic value for cranial GCA. More data on the role of imaging for diagnosis of extracranial large vessel GCA and TAK, as well as for outcome prediction and monitoring in LVV are warranted