91 research outputs found
Membership List, 1961; Citizens United for a Fair Housing Bill in Rhode Island
https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/irving_fain/1013/thumbnail.jp
Far better to serve in heaven than to reign in hell : the logic of incorporation in the European communities by a very small developing country : Malta, a case study
In spite of the rhetoric of viability and endogenously led growth
and development, small states are generally resigned to a status
of dependency, surviving as rentier economies and remi ttance
societies. Most appear determined today that their best (and
only?) bet is for even better integration within the world
economic order. They may have decolonised but they have no
intention to disengage. To do so effectively, they often seek to
establish a life-line to richer countries.
Nevertheless, lip service to self-directed development, and a
sound policy of economic management to that effect, is an
important exercise: It generates and guarantees the establishment
and preservation of sufficiently intimate relations with
prosperous and benevolent sponsors.
This paper explores the changing fortunes of Malta's experience
in development planning (1959-1988) from this perspective. It
appraises the economic success story of the resource poor island
state, independent from Britain since 1964, while chasing the
elusive phantom of viability and self-reliance. The latter has
persisted stubbornly on the distant horizon; but the public
relations exercise in this chase has been profitable in securing
transfers and investments from abroad, perhaps turning topsy
turvy the notion of unequal exchange from periphery to core.
Membership into the European Communities (EC) may yet consolidate
Malta's position as a "pampered periphery" ...peer-reviewe
Hitting the limelight in Lilliput : a critique of expertise
This paper hopes to critically problematise further the issue of expertise in small jurisdictions. It does so on the basis of comparative fieldwork: First, a series of semi-structured interviews undertaken during summer 1992 with social science academics from the University of the West Indies at Cave Hill (UWICH), Barbados, one of the three main campuses of the regional University of the west Indies (UWI). Quotations in this article are
drawn from these interview scripts. Second, a reflexive autobiography, locating the self as an academic based at the University of Malta (UM). The material is culled from completed
doctoral research, now looking for an interested publisher (Baldacchino 1993).peer-reviewe
Biodiversity conservation and utilisation in the Maltese Islands
The Maltese archipelago which occupies an area of c.316km2 consists of the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino and several other uninhabited islets and rocks. In spite of their restricted area, the limited number of habitats, and the intense human pressure, the Maltese Islands support a very diverse terrestrial and freshwater biota, with some 2000 species of plants and fungi known, more than 4000 species of insects, several hundred species of other invertebrates, and more than 200 terrestrial or freshwater vertebrates; of these c.80 taxa are considered as endemic. The most characteristic terrestrial ecosystems are those represented by the Mediterranean scrubland, of which the maquis, garigue and steppe are the main types present - evergreen woodlands are all but extinct and only four relict patches occur. Minor terrestrial ecosystems include rupestral, freshwater and coastal communities including sand dunes, saline marshlands and rocky coasts. Marine communities include those characteristic of both hard and mobile substrata. Human impact is significant, and human influence is a key feature of the islands' ecology. In fact, the population density is the highest in Europe and built-up areas have increased from 5 to 16% in the past 30 years. Some 38% is agricultural land and 46% of the area is undeveloped, but even so, no wilderness areas remain in the Maltese Islands. The management practices of the islands include mainly those concerned with agriculture, animal husbandry and herding, and the use of fire, which all proved to be detrimental to the local biota, mainly through habitat destruction, the removal of competing species and the introduction of alien ones, particularly goats, rabbits and sheep. All these human activities have put great stress on the Maltese biodiversity, with a consequent impoverishment of the flora and fauna. Flora and fauna which are directly or indirectly exploited in the Maltese Islands are reviewed. Work on biodiversity carried out by national institutions, government departments, agencies and non-governmental organisations is also outlined. Legislation safeguarding biodiversity is relatively new to Malta. Prior to the Environment Protection Act [EPA] (1991), and the Development Planning Act [DPA] (1992), legislation mainly protected species due to their associated economic importance. Both the EPA and DPA have permitted the creation of protected areas. The EPA also protects some of the flora and fauna, including some 10% of the endemics. The DPA, on the other hand incorporates the Structure Plan for the Maltese Islands which is a strategic plan meant to harmonise development with conservation. On the international level, Malta is party to the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) which is implemented locally by means of regulations controlling trade in species of flora and fauna (1992). Malta is also party to the Ramsar Convention, the Berne Convention, the Barcelona Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Law of the Sea Convention.peer-reviewe
Distinguishing transient versus stable aspects of depression in New Zealand Pacific Island children using Generalizability Theory
Abstract Background: The distinction between temporary versus enduring or state/trait aspects of depression is
important. More precise distinction would improve understanding of the aetiology of depression and those aspects most amenable to intervention thus identifying more homogeneous, dynamic targets for clinical trials. Generalizability Theory has been proposed as useful for disentangling state and trait components of psychopathology.
Methods: We applied Generalizability Theory to determine the relative contributions of temporary and enduring aspects of depression in a widely used screening measure of depression the - 10-item Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI-10; Kovacs, 1985). Participants were children of Pacific Island descent living in New Zealand (n= 668). Data were collected at ages - 9, 11, and 14 years.
Results: The CDI-10 demonstrated acceptable generalizability across occasions (G=.79) with about one third of variance in total scores attributed to temporary and two thirds to more enduring aspects of depression. There were no other significant sources of error variance. Two items were identified as more sensitive than the remaining eight to more dynamic symptoms.
Limitations: Studies with briefer test-retest intervals are warranted. Use of this Pacific Island cohort limits generalisability of findings to other cultures and ethnicities. No data were collected on whether participants had received intervention for depression.
Conclusions: While the CDI-10 reliably measures both stable and transient aspects of depression in children, the scale does not permit clear distinction between them. We advocate application of Generalizability Theory for developing state/trait depression measures and determining which existing measures are most suitable for capturing modifiable features of depression
瀬戸内島嶼部の柑橘類栽培農家中高年女性における骨密度および生活習慣病関連指標
本研究では柑橘類農家中高年女性の生活習慣病に関連する身体的・代謝的特徴を知るため,瀬戸内海島嶼部の健康な女性107名(平均年齢59.9±8.3歳,S・Y町グループ)について骨密度と生活習慣病関連指標を調べ,地方都市居住の女性86名(平均年齢60.2±7.4歳,M市グループ)の結果と比較した。二重X線吸収法(DXA)で測定したS・Y町グループ女性の骨密度はM市グループ女性の測定値よりも高かった。一方,S・Y町グループ女性の生活習慣病関連指標(中性脂肪,HDLコレステロール,LDLコレステロール,HbA1cなどの血中濃度,血圧および上腕―足首間脈波伝播速度)はM市グループ女性よりもリスクが高い値を示した。しかし,S・Y町グループ女性の本研究での測定値はいずれも健常の範囲内であった。S・Y町グループ女性の生活習慣病予防のためには,食生活改善や身体活動推進など,地域の実情に応じた健康のためのライフスタイル改善の推進策が必要と考えられる。To determine the physical and metabolic features related to metabolic syndrome in middle-aged and elderly women in the citrus fruit farmers, we examined the bone mineral density and risk factors for metabolic syndrome in 107 healthy women (mean age 59.9 ± 8.3) living on a Japan Inland Sea island (S ・Y town group) and compared them with 86 healthy women (mean age 60.2 ± 7.4) living in a local city (M city group) . Bone mineral density in the women of the S ・ Y town group was higher than that of the M city group. On the contrary, the women in the S ・Y town group were at a higher risk for a metabolic syndrome (values of serum lipid, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and HbA1c, blood pressure and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity) . These risk factors for metabolic syndrome in the S ・Y town group were still within normal limits for healthy adults. In order to prevent metabolic syndrome in the S ・Y town group, a health policy based on a community-based strategy should be implemented to encourage the people to change over to a healthy lifestyle, including good eating habits and physical activity.報告Report
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