The role of public transport in addressing sustainable mobility for the elderly population in Malta

Over the past few years, several countries have continued experiencing a growth in their elderly population. Similarly, a number of towns and villages in Malta registered a high elderly population in the last census (NSO, 2012). The elderly people are one of the dominant ‘transport disadvantaged’ groups in the community. This research aims to analyse whether the current public transport system in Malta is providing effective and efficient mobility for elderly in the town of Luqa. In order to analyse this, the study analysed spatial accessibility, sought to identify barriers encountered by the elderly when using public transport and determine temporal accessibility to medical care. Data was collected using telephone surveys, travel time and bus frequency surveys. Statistical analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS 20 and Geographic Information Systems. The study showed that proximity to bus stops in Luqa does not affect public transport use amongst the elderly. The main barriers that elderly encounter when using public transport are mainly related to long waiting times, lack of comfort on bus stops and inaccessible travel information. Finally, temporal accessibility from Luqa to the State’s general hospital, Mater Dei, still requires improvements as it does not meet the desired time budgets of elderly people. By identifying the main concerns this study seeks to encourage policy makers and planners to target future development in public transport taking into consideration the requirements of the growing elderly population.peer-reviewe

Current GOLD recommendations and its implementation within hospitalised COPD patients in Malta

In 2012, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) revised their classification of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients, incorporating spirometry, symptoms and recent exacerbations. The sims and objectives was to assess if patients admitted with an exacerbation of COPD were properly staged prior to the admission, and whether their treatment on presentation was in accordance with GOLD recommendations. All patients admitted to Mater Dei Hospital, Malta with a COPD exacerbation during February, May and August 2013 were studied. Spirometry was considered relevant if performed within the previous two years. The mMRC score of each patient, the number of exacerbations over the previous 12 months, and patient co-morbidities were also recorded.peer-reviewe

The management of patients positive to hepatitis C virus antibody in Malta

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one of the main causes of chronic liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma worldwide and is an important public health concern. A retrospective analysis of the demographics and management of patients who had a positive anti-HCV detected by enzyme immunoassay test done at Mater Dei Hospital was carried out to analyse the epidemiology of HCV infection in Malta and assess our management when compared to the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) guidelines. 72% of patients were male. The majority of patients were aged 21-50 years. The main mode of infection was via intravenous drugs use, accounting for 68% of cases. Only 56% of patients found to be HCV Ab positive had a scheduled appointment with an infectious diseases specialist or gastroenterologist documented on the MDH online appointment system. 58% of patients had HCV RNA testing done and 45% had genotype testing. 7.3% with HCV infection were given treatment, of which 43% had a Sustained Virological Response (SVR).peer-reviewe

Drivers and barriers of higher education engagement in digital action: case studies from Cyprus, France, Greece, Malta and UK

As an assessment of a series of events held in 2021 at the start of the HEIDI project, the aim of this report is to provide a platform for staff and students within Higher Education Institutions to pinpoint and discuss the drivers and barriers of digital action, and their role in addressing societal needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report shall form the basis for further studies which shall be held until 2023 across Europe

The architectural practice of regeneration

In form and in content, cities are the epitome of diversity. This state is the result of the accumulation of layers of history, of construction, of demolition and reconstruction cycles. These tensions are the catalyst for the emergence of new urban forms and participate in the construction of heritage. As such they should be encouraged. As important as the existing fabric of the city is, its evolution to accommodate the ever-changing needs and fashions of its inhabitants is paramount. For regeneration to be successful it must inscribe itself in this process and it must be driven by an understanding of the environment where it occurs. This paper explores, through the lens of an architectural practice, some design processes and architectural proposals that have been generated by working on the Valletta harbours. It also discusses the necessary dynamics required to accommodate stakeholder engagement and planning policy while ensuring design quality and the perpetuation of the creative process inherent to the city. Finally, the paper introduces, as a possible future, the experiments and studies of the practice on the wider Valletta, putting into perspective the benefits of theoretical research combined with formal and aesthetic explorations of the harbour region.peer-reviewe

Choosing the pharmacy course : the need for guidance and counseling in preparation for higher education

Background: Students sometimes join the pharmacy course without having adequate information on which to base their choice. It is being argued that career guidance professionals should play a major role in helping students make the right choice. This could be an important factor in student retention and satisfaction. Aim: This paper aims to investigate the decisions taken by a cohort of students joining the first year of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Malta. Methodology: The Gordon Personal Profile Inventory was administered to student during the first semester of their first year. A short satisfaction questionnaire was administered to the same cohort during the first semester of the second year. Results: Almost one fourth of the participants said that had they sought professional help they would have probably chosen a different course. Conclusion: Appropriate career guidance and counseling is essential for students to learn how to make informed choices regarding future careers as well as how to deal with issues regarding management of transitions and contingencies.peer-reviewe

Historical Analysis of Tourism Policy and Planning in Malta

Tourism development is an activity that while bringing vast economic advantages, it canalso have negative social and environmental impacts. Hence, if tourism is not properlyplanned it can become a very unsustainable activity. The overwhelming message in many studies, papers and reports is that positive impacts can be maximized and negative ones minimized by means of intelligent policy frameworks [and] sound public and private sector forward planning(Jeffries, 2001:25). Literature has shown that the state plays an indispensable role in successful tourism development since the centralisation of policy-making powers in the hands of the state allows appropriate measures for the creation of a suitable framework for the promotion and development of tourism to be taken. Maltese governments have along the years opted for tourism development due to its associated economic advantages. Tourism development in Malta has followed Butler's(1980) typical life cycle curve and can now be considered a mature destination, perhaps in a stage of decline. This research aims at giving a general picture of the positions and decisions governments in Malta took along the years in order to maximize the benefits and minimize the negative impacts of tourism. The intention is that of providing insights into the real world of planning and its associated set of values, power and interests. The objectives of this research paper are as follows: - To understand how the tourism institutional settings, i.e. structure and roles, have changed along the years and how this has influenced policy-making - To understand the different planning processes that took place - To understand the role the different stakeholders played in the planning processes and the attitude of planners towards collaboration - To understand how the issues of power and politics pervaded the whole planning processes - To analyse changes in tourism policy along the years The findings provide more empirical evidence to the body of literature and show that Maltese governments along the years have altered the structure and the roles of the tourism institutional settings in order to convey the idea that something positive was being done with respect the recurring problems of tourism. It was found that this can have a negative impact on the public servants morale and motivation. In the early years of planning, Malta like many other countries has relied on aid agencies to take care of its planning and followed a master planning approach. Since 1999, planning has moved more towards Burns' (2004) Third Way. In support to the literature, it was found that power is omnipresent and pervades the whole planning process. While consultation is taking place, the industry still has a lot of power to get it its way and government is seen as being under its reins. An analysis of tourism policy has shown that like in many other Mediterranean destinations, Maltese governments opted for full blown tourism growth in the early stages of development, turning the islands into a mass destination, and have later on opted for a diversification strategy based on Malta's comparative advantage, i.e. culture

The relationship of teachers' and students' motivation in ELT in Malta: a mixed methods study

This thesis investigates the relationship between the motivation of secondary school teachers and students of English in Malta. The study involved 34 Form Four teachers of English and their 612 students (15 year-olds). A mixed methods research methodology, involving a survey and an interview study which complemented each other, was employed. The survey measured levels of teacher and student motivation and the relationship between them through questionnaires. Some of the teachers who had taken part in the survey were then interviewed about their motivation to teach and their perceptions of the relationship between this motivation and their students' motivation to learn. The results show that mainly two factors link the motivation of teachers and students of English. These are a good rapport between teachers and their students and high teacher efficacy. Both of these factors increase the motivation of the students and their teachers. Type of school and the students' attitudes toward Maltese speakers of English were also found to be influencing factors in the relationship between teacher and student motivation. Recommendations which stem from the study are that teachers should seek ways of professional self-improvement through support groups and Continual Professional Development courses. Other suggestions, both at the school level and the policy level, are put forward. These recommendations, if implemented, should improve teacher motivation which would in turn lead to improved student motivation as a positive relationship between the two has been established. The study is one of its kind in that it has established, for the first time, that an empirical link exists between teacher and student motivation

Validating the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire for use with children aged between five and fifteen in the Maltese context

The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ), developed by Wilson (2007), is a subjective parent/guardian screening tool which is used by Maltese paediatric Occupational Therapists. It is available solely in the English language and so within the local context poses several challenges for respondents who are not well versed in this language. This paper reports on a study which was carried out to address the gap in the current situation by translating and validating the original English DCDQ'07. This process involved a forward and backward translation of the DCDQ followed by its administration using a quantitative cross-sectional survey methodology. The translation team involved four translators who worked independently of each other and a moderator who facilitated the whole process. When the final Maltese version was completed, the bilingual test-retest technique using the split-half method was used to determine the validity and reliability of the final Maltese questionnaire. This involved data collected from 44 bilingual parents whose children were receiving Occupational Therapy at a local paediatric centre and completed both the Maltese and English versions at a seven-day interval. Data analysis of the findings compared the final scores achieved from the Maltese translation with those obtained from the original English questionnaire. Statistical tests yielded p values of 0.000 which indicated satisfactory intra-rater reliability implying that the translated Maltese questionnaire can be used with confidence. This would add to the available resources that assist Occupational Therapists in evaluating motor coordination difficulties in children.peer-reviewe

Occurrence of Centrouropoda almerodai and Uroobovella marginata (Acari : Uropodina) phoretic on the Red Palm Weevil in Malta

The unwanted introduction of the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) coincides with the spread in Malta of two species of Uropodid mites associated with this weevil. Usually, adult RPW carry phoretic forms of C. almerodai which are attached to the underside of elytrae, and U. marginata that prefers exposed surfaces of sternum, pygidium, head and legs. These mites use adult RPW to abandon dead palms and to colonize newly infested host-plants. Their role as plant pests is however negligible. Even the plant pathogen conidia, Curvularia which are carried by the mites, seem unable to germinate in palms under laboratory conditions. Both Centrouropoda almerodai and Uroobovella marginata are established in the Maltese Islands.peer-reviewe