Dynamics of private social networks

Social networks, have been a significant turning point in ways individuals and companies interact. Various research has also revolved around public social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. In most cases trying to understand what's happening in the network such predicting trends, and identifying natural phenomenon. Seeing the growth of public social networks several corporations have sought to build their own private networks to enable their staff to share knowledge, and expertise. Little research has been done in regards to the value private networks give to their stake holders. This is primarily due to the fact as their name implies, these networks are private, thus access to internal data is limited to a trusted few. This paper looks at a particular online private social network, and seeks to investigate the research possibilities made available, and how this can bring value to the organisation which runs the network. Notwithstanding the limitations of the network, this paper seeks to explore the connections graph between members of the network, as well as understanding the topics discussed within the network. The findings show that by visualising a social network one can assess the success or failure of their online networks. The Analysis conducted can also identify skill shortages within areas of the network, thus allowing corporations to take action and rectify any potential problems.peer-reviewe

Maternal weight gain and fetal growth

Extrinsic factors such as maternal nutrition may affect fetal growth giving rise to short and long-term consequences. The present study sets out to explore the inter-relationship between antenatal weight gain, in part dependant on maternal nutrition, and fetal growth as determined by birth weight. The study population included 21573 women who delivered their singleton child at term during 1999-2006. This population was subdivided into 16 subgroups according to BMI and antenatal weight gain. The study confirms that irrespective of maternal BMI, there is a statistically significant trend towards low birth weight with decreasing antenatal weight gain and conversely macrosomia with increasing antenatal weight gain.peer-reviewe

Referral tickets to secondary healthcare : is communication effective?

Communication between primary and secondary health care relies primarily on referral tickets. They determine how patients’ details are conveyed and hence the quality of care. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of referral tickets at the Surgical Outpatients at Mater Dei Hospital in Malta and to develop recommendations for improvement. Consecutive referral tickets between the 7th February and 4th March 2015 were prospectively included in the study and analysed for completeness. The data was entered into a proforma which was revised after the first ten entries. A total of 351 referral tickets were included in the study. Names and surnames were present in all reports and identification number in 99.42% of cases. 44.16% of referrals were inappropriate according to clinical details. The majority of the forms had a history of presenting complaint (98.29%) while the past history, drug history / allergies and examination findings were available in 69.23%, 67.81% and 76.64% respectively. The source of referral was not clear in 56.13%. Only 69.23% of all referral tickets were completely legible while 30.77% were partly legible. This study shows the need for an overhaul in the referral system. Recommendations include the use of electronic referrals and the introduction of feedback letters by hospital specialists.peer-reviewe

Preliminary trabeculectomy results using the Moorfields safer surgery technique in Malta

Purpose: To review the results of the Moorfields Safer Surgery System (MSSS) for trabeculectomy, recently introduced in Malta. Methods: Patient files were reviewed from data collected over an 18 month period, from the Maltese national teaching hospital, Mater Dei Hospital. Files of all patients undergoing primary trabeculectomy with a minimum of 12 months follow up data available were reviewed. Primary outcome measure of success was defined as a 30% drop in final post-operative intraocular pressure (IOP) at 1 year. Secondary outcome measure of success was final post-op IOP of less than 21mmHg. Unqualified success was defined as satisfactory IOP without the need of anti-glaucoma medication, while qualified success was defined as satisfactory IOP in those patients requiring anti-glaucoma medication. Results: 43 eyes (mean age = 66.2 yrs ± 11.7) were analysed. The mean pre-operative IOP was 27.0mmHg ± 4.6. Mean post-op IOP at one year was 15.3mmHg ±2.7. Unqualified success for the primary outcome measure was achieved in 64.1% of patients while the qualified success was achieved in 82.1%. Unqualified success for the secondary outcome measure was achieved in 72.7% and a qualified success, of 94.8% was obtained. There was 6.8% failure rate. Conclusions: The results from this first review using the Moorfields safe surgery system for Trabeculectomy surgery in the Maltese islands compares well to the current literature.peer-reviewe

Audit on testosterone therapy in adult males with testosterone deficiency

Introduction: Hypogonadism is estimated to affect between 2.1 and 12.8% of the adult male population. Method: A review of 235 patients suffering from hypogonadism was undertaken. Local standards of care were compare to the Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline of 2010 (ESCG). Results: Patients complained of 0, 1-4, 5-8 symptoms suggestive of hypogonadism in 17%, 67% and 16% respectively. 76.5% of the patients had repeatedly low testosterone. 20% suffered from primary hypogonadism. 77% suffered from secondary hypogonadism secondary. Karyotype was obtained in 35% and 5% of the patients suffering from primary and secondary hypogonadism respectively. Patients suffering from secondary hypogonadism had serum TSH (94%), prolactin (92%), cortisol (91%), GH levels (89%) and iron studies (43%) analysed. 77% of patients suffering from secondary hypogonadism had an MRI of the pituitary, with an abnormality reported in 53% of the patients. Prior to starting treatment 7% of the patients were assessed for prostate nodules and PSA was taken in 39% of the patients. Only 33% of the patients had bone mineral density (BMD) taken prior to starting testosterone treatment. Patients were reviewed 3-6 months (35%) and then annually (88%) after treatment was initiated. Conclusion: The study identifies the need for documentation of signs and symptoms. Testosterone levels should be repeated prior to starting treatment. It also highlights the need for karyotyping in patients with primary hypogonadism as well as the need to measure BMD and PSA before and after prescribing testosterone. Patients need review at 3-6months after initiation of testosterone supplementations.peer-reviewe

Transition to 3D social networking

In this paper we analyse the theoretical under-pinnings underlying collaboration in virtual environments and propose a 3D Virtual World (VW) approach to the construction and facilitation of communities of practice within the context of social innovation. Although connected networks can emerge from 'flat' 2D Social Networks, while face-to-face meetings have been proven successful to undertake innovative entrepreneurial ventures, the 3D VW approach possesses affordances that can be exploited to augment the experience. We propose a model for a 3D Virtual World, as part of the Euro South Hub project, that facilitates the social innovation experience through collaboration and the setting up of communities of practice, using the Virtual Environment to move towards producing solutions for a better physical world.peer-reviewe

Youth engagement study. Report - 2021

The purpose of this report is to present the findings of a quantitative study concerning youth civic/political engagement on the Maltese Islands. A survey was distributed to 498 participants (aged between 16 and 25), asking them for their views on political engagement, community engagement, and specific issues of interest such as religious faith, ideologies, health and the environment. This executive summary presents the methodology utilised, together with key findings and recommendations for educating youth about civic and political engagement. Following Barrett & Pachi (2019), in this research report, political engagement refers to “the engagement of an individual with political institutions, processes and decision-making” (p. 3), whereas civic engagement refers to “the engagement of an individual with the concerns, interests and common good of a community”.peer-reviewe

Dwell-free typing using an EOG based virtual keyboard

This work presents the development of an asynchronous dwell-free virtual keyboard application which can be operated using electrooculographic (EOG) data. Unlike other EOG based eye typing applications, the developed system avoids the use of dwell-times and relieves the user from the need to perform repetitive and unnatural eye movements tomove a cursor towards the desired letter or the need to perform voluntary blinks to interact with the application. Instead, the proposed application requires the user to simply glance through the vicinity of the desired letters, as one would swipe through letters when typing on a touchscreen device, after which a set of word predictions are displayed for the user to select. The proposed application obtained a top five rate of 76.00 ± 12.61% using EOG data which is comparable to the top five rate of 79.00 ± 13.37% obtained when operating the application using a vision-based eye gaze tracker.peer-reviewe

Recurrent mutation of IGF signalling genes and distinct patterns of genomic rearrangement in osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma is a primary malignancy of bone that affects children and adults. Here, we present the largest sequencing study of osteosarcoma to date, comprising 112 childhood and adult tumours encompassing all major histological subtypes. A key finding of our study is the identification of mutations in insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signalling genes in 8/112 (7%) of cases. We validate this observation using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in an additional 87 osteosarcomas, with IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) amplification observed in 14% of tumours. These findings may inform patient selection in future trials of IGF1R inhibitors in osteosarcoma. Analysing patterns of mutation, we identify distinct rearrangement profiles including a process characterized by chromothripsis and amplification. This process operates recurrently at discrete genomic regions and generates driver mutations. It may represent an age-independent mutational mechanism that contributes to the development of osteosarcoma in children and adults alike

Recurrent rearrangements of FOS and FOSB define osteoblastoma.

The transcription factor FOS has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of bone tumours, following the discovery that the viral homologue, v-fos, caused osteosarcoma in laboratory mice. However, mutations of FOS have not been found in human bone-forming tumours. Here, we report recurrent rearrangement of FOS and its paralogue, FOSB, in the most common benign tumours of bone, osteoblastoma and osteoid osteoma. Combining whole-genome DNA and RNA sequences, we find rearrangement of FOS in five tumours and of FOSB in one tumour. Extending our findings into a cohort of 55 cases, using FISH and immunohistochemistry, provide evidence of ubiquitous mutation of FOS or FOSB in osteoblastoma and osteoid osteoma. Overall, our findings reveal a human bone tumour defined by mutations of FOS and FOSB