Castellu di la Chitati

One of the least understood of all the works of fortification to have stood watch over the Maltese islands in antiquity is the castellu di la chitati - the medieval castle of the old town of Mdina. The arcanum that surrounds this ancient stronghold stems primarily from the fact that it was dismantled way back in the 15th century and what little had remained of the building thereafter, eventually disappeared altogether in the metamorphosis that accompanied the Hospitaller refortification of the medieval town into a gunpowder fortress throughout the course of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. This, coupled with the limited nature of contemporary documentary information has ensured that the true form and features of the medieval stronghold have been lost to the point that now only archaeology can hope to really figure out. Whilst acknowledging the severe limitations imposed by any approach that falls short of a full archaeological investigation, this paper seeks to re-examine the existing documentary, cartographic and physical evidence unearthed to-date in order to suggest a rudimentary model of Mdina's medieval stronghold. Undoubtedly, the greatest contribution to-date to the study of Mdina and its medieval fortifications has been the masterly work of Prof. Stanley Fiorini and Dr. Mario Buhagiar. This paper only undertakes to re-evaluate the evidence and some of the conclusions presented so far in the light of my own research into medieval military architecture and castle typologies.peer-reviewe

A newly discovered late Punic-Roman rock-cut tomb at Limestone Heritage, Siggiewi (Malta)

At Siggiewi, in the area known as Ta' Zagi, situated at a short distance from and overlooking Wied Xkora is a recently discovered rock-cut tomb which was at some point in its history refashioned into a water cistern (GR 49738/67965) (Fig. 1). The tomb is located within the grounds of the Limestone Heritage park, and was recently integrated in the cultural itinerary of its visitors. A request for the study of the tomb was made by Mr Emanuel Baldacchino, the Managing Director of Limestone Heritage, to one of us (NCV). A survey of the tomb was carried out and a set of drawings were produced by the other one of us (MS) (Fig. 2). The aim of this short contribution is to present the results of the survey.peer-reviewe

Education for sustainable development and meat consumption among inhabitants of two Maltese districts - a qualitative study

Malta and Gozo, two small islands forming part of the Maltese archipelago, are so near yet so distinct. As the two islands possess differing geographical features, two districts were selected – the predominantly urban Northern Harbour District (NHD) in Malta and the fertile rural district of Gozo – the main aim being to determine whether there is a relation between the inhabitants’ geographical location, the extent of meat consumption and the possible links of education for sustainable development to a sustainable diet. In fact, global patterns of meat consumption differ between and within countries. In view of this, the role played by the geographical location together with other motivating factors affecting meat consumption were explored, as also the level of awareness related to the environmental impact of meat production. Awareness on how our dietary choices impact our health and the environment is vital and the key vehicle required for citizens to be informed is Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The qualitative data was collected through four focus groups – two for each district – with the data collected being mainly analysed through thematic analysis. Based on the results emerging from the transcribed focus group texts, this study reveals that the absolute majority of participants in both districts are meat eaters although their meat consumption patterns differ. Gozitans are still more inclined to adhere to the traditional way of life, conforming to religious practices by including a variety of non-meat local produce in their menus. While taste and health are the two most determining factors for consuming meat, chicken is the preferred meat of both districts. The absolute majority are unaware of the negative environmental impact of meat production and consumption, although Gozitans are more knowledgeable about current farming systems. This study therefore reveals that geographical location does have an influential role in the dietary patterns of its inhabitants and that environmental attitudes are not a strong deciding factor. This study continues to uphold the vision that culture should be considered as one of the main pillars of ESD.peer-reviewe

Reimagining the General Health Questionnaire as a measure of emotional wellbeing: A study of postpartum women in Malta

Background: Postpartum health has been subject to a focus on psychological morbidity, despite positive associations between postpartum recovery and maternal emotional wellbeing. There are currently many validated tools to measure wellbeing and related concepts, including non-psychiatric morbidity. The General Health Questionnaire, 12 items (GHQ-12) is one such instrument, widely used and validated in several languages. Its use in postpartum settings has been documented with disagreement about the instrument's utility in this population, particularly in relation to scoring method and threshold. The GHQ-12 has never been translated into Maltese. This study explored the psychometric properties of the GHQ-12 in a Maltese postpartum population to consider if the use of a different scoring method (visual analogue scale) in the GHQ-12 can determine postpartum wellbeing. Methods: One hundred and twenty-four postpartum women recruited from one hospital in Malta completed the translated and adapted GHQ-12 as a wellbeing measure (GHQ-12(WB)) at four postpartum time points. The psychometric properties of the GHQ-12(WB) were explored using confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant and divergent validity and reliability analysis. Results: The GHQ-12(WB) demonstrated good divergent and known-groups validity and internal consistency. No models offered a good fit to the data. The overall consistent best-fit to the data was an eight item, two factor model (GHQ-8). Model fit improved across all models in terms of CFI at 13 weeks. Conclusion: Findings generally support the reliability and validity of the Maltese version of the GHQ-12(WB). Model fit changes over time reflect the dynamic nature of postpartum recovery. Further evaluation of the GHQ-8(WB) is recommended. © 2013 Australian College of Midwives

The outcome of elderly patients following removal of indwelling urinary catheter

The objectives of this study were to examine the documented indications for the insertion of the indwelling urinary catheter in elderly patients before admission to Zammit Clapp Hospital, St. Julians and St Vincent de Paule Residence, Luqa and to study the outcome after attempting removal of the indwelling urinary catheter. 64 patients from Zammit Clapp Hospital and 61 patients from St. Vincent de Paule Residence were studied. In 34 patients (24%), no clear reason for catheterisation prior to admission could be identified. In 46 patients (32 %) catheterisation was performed for severe uncontrollable incontinence. In all, 66 patients had their indwelling urinary catheter removed at some stage. Of these a total of 49 patients were continent 15 days after the removal of the catheter, 33 patients were still continent after 3 months and 29 patients remained continent after one year. With regards’ to continence rate, a poorer outcome was noted in patients with a mental score of less than 5/10, when compared to patients with a mental score of more than 5/10. Continence rates were better in patients from Zammit Clapp Hospital than in patients from St. Vincent de Paule residence. In conclusion, attempts should be made to use long term indwelling urinary catheterisation only if other measures fail. This can be achieved by proper multi-disciplinary team assessment and education of the patient or his carers. Full support from social services and provision and advice about the use of continence aids is necessary.peer-reviewe

[Book Review] Cities at War in Early Modern Europe

Book review of: Cities at War in Early Modern Europe. By Martha Pollak. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2010. ISBN 052111344X ; ISBN-13: 9780521113441 This publication focuses on how urban design and its spatial and visual ordering were influenced by the continual threat of war - how monarchs, princes and planners engineered the militarization of urban spaces and refashioned civic life with their bastioned star-shaped enceintes and citadels, massive esplanades and glacis, barracks, and parade grounds, in order to prepare the city for war.peer-reviewe

Guarding against contagion : vigilance and the role of fortifications in Malta during the outbreak of Plague in Messina 1743

L’Anno del Nostro Signore mille sette cento quaranta tre was not a good year. The dreadful plague had broken out in the city of Messina, a short distance across the sea in nearby Sicily. It also happened to be one of the coldest winters on record to hit the Maltese islands in the course of the eighteenth century.1 For the Hospitaller knights and their Maltese subjects this deadly combination of factors did not augur well for both the Island’s commerce and for the safety of its inhabitants. The Hospitaller Order of St. John was never one to take the news of such deadly outbreaks lightly. Indeed, the Knights’ sanitary departments had always prided themselves on the rigour of their well-proven quarantine laws which had served them well over the centuries and had preserved the Island, their Convent and their subject population from many such calamities. Now, once again, the whole machinery was set in motion. But in this instance, given the close proximity of the source of the contagion and the many maritime, commercial, and social contacts which the Maltese had with the city of Messina, the risks were deemed even higher. The situation demanded even more careful vigilance not the least because of the ferocity of the outbreak.peer-reviewe

Bridging the digital divide for e-learning students through adaptive VLEs

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are required to be highly effective and easy to use as they serve as the primary institutional portal between students and academics. There are currently a number of challenges that are caused due to the modernized digital divide, with a significant limitation being the inability of information systems to adapt to the users' technological platform, broadband quality and device in use to access the online system. This paper focuses on the limitations that students encounter when accessing VLEs within Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs). This research aims to primarily review and provide critical analysis of current VLE frameworks, as well as assess restrictions based on several demographics including content adaptation and technical aspects. An algorithmic system is developed to analyze students' individualistic needs, undertake adaption and personalization of the VLE, and hence ensure consistent and efficient access to academic web resources and functionalitie

A New Attraction Model For Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Selling Effort

Deployment analysis evaluates the allocation of selling effort directed towards achieving the firm’s sales objectives. While recent improvements in salesforce automation have resulted in more optimal levels of sales call effort, managerial judgments are still crucial to effectively deploy a salesforce. Moreover, the availability of large databases of target profiles, especially in consumer markets and some business markets like pharmaceuticals, has led to better targeting of accounts. Nevertheless, a robust model is still needed to post-hoc analyze the effectiveness of all these efforts. An analytical framework, based on the user-friendly Portfolio Model, has been found to provide more accurate diagnostic insights when the ideal “perfect-knowledge” benchmark is used as a comparison. The difference in this approach, which this paper calls the Attraction Model, is in the treatment of the variables. They have been operationalized to take advantage of “perfect-knowledge” in market shares, growth rates and account usage patterns obtained from a large random sample. In this way the frequency of sales calls, as a measure of the sales deployment efforts, can be scrutinized and the level of success evaluated when compared to the ideal effort.  Strategic corrections can then be made for the next promotional period