Shore platform denudation measurements along the Maltese coastline

Using an original rock profiling technique especially adapted to locally common smooth and irregular / deeply weathered (karstic) rocky shores, 38 base-line profiles were established at 19 rocky-shore sites to investigate surface-denudation characteristics exhibited by natural rock surfaces found on the Maltese coast. The latter were identified as being representative of actual or potential bathing platforms, thus offering a valuable alternative to otherwise scarce beach environments on the tourist rich Islands of Malta. Observations on shore surface denudation over a 3 – 5 year period were subsequently related to degree of exposure, erosion and weathering processes considered active at each site. Identification of distinct surface-denudation characteristics for sub-divisions within the Globigerina Limestone and similar surface-lowering rates for Lower Coralline Limestone and the Lower Globigerina Limestone sub-division were considered to qualify otherwise subjective interpretation of local bedrock resistance to marine erosion and weathering. The design of an innovative 'Rock Profiler', was identified as an improvement to traditional profiling techniques, allowing surface elevation measurements over both smooth and indented rock surfaces, achievements of more representative rock surface profiling over extended sample areas (with a 95 consecutive point line-transect), accurate assessments of rock surface micro-relief and of carrying out profiling independent of rock surface plane. This study provided for the first time, accurate and distinct surface-denudation rates for the main geological formations exposed on the Maltese coast, these being 1.38mm/yr for Upper Coralline Limestone, 9.16mm/yr for Middle Globigerina Limestone, 0.74mm/yr for Lower Globigerina Limestone and 0.77mm/yr for Lower Coralline Limestone.peer-reviewe

Birth-weight and socio-economic factors

In 1974 there were 5762 total births in the Maltese Islands, and of these 3486 were born at St. Lukes`s Hospital Malta. Of the total births at this hospital, a sample of 407 records have been examined for this pilot study. The sample, which is believed to be reasonably representative of the respective situation in Malta, was restricted to primagravidae with no complication of pregnancy whose height was 5ft 1in and over. The effect of socio-economic factors upon birth-weight was studied, taking into account maternal age, duration of gestation and baby's sex. No such influence was detected to a convincing degree.peer-reviewe

Application of function analysis to bathing areas in the Maltese Islands

On a small island such as Malta where many developers and policy makers place a large emphasis on social use and development values, which encourages recreational/industrial development, it is often hard to promote the monetary value of coastal conservation due to strong competition with the large tourism industry. An assessment of the ecological (conservation) and economic (use/development) values of four popular Maltese bathing areas (Mellieha, St. George's, Ramla and Ghajn Tuffieha Bay) was carried out by evaluating their ability to provide a number of functions. This is dependent on the environments' inherent characteristics within the context of locally applicable time and space functions. Function Analysis is an innovative technique able to provide a means for assessing changes in environmental quality of an area and evaluating the sustainability of applied management regimes. This paper is a first example of an application of the Functional Analysis approach in Malta. Local application of this technique indicates a need for additional refinement in application to coastal areas. Analysis showed that St. George's, had the lowest conservation value, Ramla and Ghajn Tuffieha bay had the highest conservation values, Mellieha Bay had high conservation value and use/development potential. In this context, conservation value is understood to reflect values of biodiversity, information / knowledge and environmental quality.peer-reviewe

EmoteControl: An interactive system for real-time control of emotional expression in music

Several computer systems have been designed for music emotion research that aim to identify how different structural or expressive cues of music influence the emotions conveyed by the music. However, most systems either operate offline by pre-rendering different variations of the music or operate in real-time but focus mostly on structural cues. We present a new interactive system called EmoteControl, which allows users to make changes to both structural and expressive cues (tempo, pitch, dynamics, articulation, brightness, and mode) of music in real-time. The purpose is to allow scholars to probe a variety of cues of emotional expression from non-expert participants who are unable to articulate or perform their expression of music in other ways. The benefits of the interactive system are particularly important in this topic as it offers a massive parameter space of emotion cues and levels for each emotion which is challenging to exhaustively explore without a dynamic system. A brief overview of previous work is given, followed by a detailed explanation of EmoteControl’s interface design and structure. A portable version of the system is also described, and specifications for the music inputted in the system are outlined. Several use-cases of the interface are discussed, and a formal interface evaluation study is reported. Results suggested that the elements controlling the cues were easy to use and understood by the users. The majority of users were satisfied with the way the system allowed them to express different emotions in music and found it a useful tool for research

Coastal scenic assessment : unlocking the potential for coastal tourism in rural Pakistan via Mediterranean developed techniques

Originally developed within the Mediterranean, a tested coastal management and planning tool was applied outside the region to evaluate its international scope, with particular reference to a less developed country. Seven coastal sites in Pakistan were investigated for their scenic values through a 26 item checklist grouped as physical and human parameters analysed though weighted parameters and fuzzy logic matrices. With respect to a five-class evaluation system, results indicated: Jiwani, Miani Hor and Pasni-Astola Island as extremely attractive natural sites with very high landscape value (classified as Class 1 sites); Mubarak village as an attractive natural site with high landscape value (classified as a Class 2 site); Kaka pir village, Harjana village and Keti Bandar as having little outstanding landscape features or with urban environment and classified as Class 3 sites. Rural and/or urban environmental influences were observed to be critical factors which influenced major human parameters that ultimately affect sites’ scenic classification. However, notwithstanding natural attraction, unless political and social development barriers are tackled in conjunction with recognising areas that possess inherent tourism potential, economic potential is unlikely to be realised.peer-reviewe

integration of an organic rankine cycle and a photovoltaic unit for micro scale chp applications in the residential sector

Abstract The purpose of this work is to analyse the performance of a novel system for combined heat and power (CHP) generation in small-scale applications. The system is based on an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) fed with biomass and a photovoltaic (PV) unit. The ORC and PV sub-systems operate in parallel to produce the required electrical energy. A preliminary investigation is performed to define the proper size of the photovoltaic unit. Afterwards, the analysis is focused on the hybrid system and a comparison between the two configurations is carried out. This work demonstrates the potential for integrating biomass and solar energy resources: during daylight, solar radiation is significant and the ORC system can be switched off or operated at partial load. Furthermore, the adoption of biomass makes it possible to overcome the intermittency of solar resource, increase the self-consumed electrical energy, and produce thermal energy, thereby saving natural gas for heating purposes

Deriving relationships between number of observed short gamma ray bursts and viewing angle

Gamma ray bursts are some of the brightest events in the entire observable universe. Since the late 1960’s, thousands of gamma ray bursts have been observed and they have been researched extensively. However, there are still many mysteries which remain unsolved. One such mystery is whether or not the viewing angle, more specifically the off-axis viewing angle, of short gamma ray bursts affects the distribution of bursts. It has been suspected that at least some of the features of the gamma ray burst distribution are due to off-axis viewing (meaning the burst was observed at large angles relative to its propagation direction). In this study, Monte-Carlo simulations were used to determine the relationships between the number of observable short gamma ray bursts and the flux of those bursts based on randomly generated viewing angles. Here we show that the viewing angle is a primary contributor of the shape of the distribution of short gamma ray bursts. Other effects include the geometry of the universe, its expansion rate, and its star formation rate. Understanding this relationship will allow for better contextualization of the experimental data that has been gathered for the past 50+ years. Further studies should be done to exclude some of the other parameters that affect the distribution, such as distance, in order to further refine the relationship between viewing angle, flux, and number

A comparison of tourist evaluation of beaches in Malta, Romania and Turkey

The characteristics, perceptions, attitudes and behaviour of beach users at three locations: St George's Bay, Malta, Mamaia, Romania and Olu Deniz, Turkey, were determined from questionnaire surveys. Respondents comprised locals, domestic and foreign tourists. Results for these parameters had substantial agreement both across the three beaches and with previous studies. The amounts beach users were willing to pay (WTP), via the contingent valuation method and their consumer surpluses (CS), via the travel cost method were determined. The average amount beach users were willing to pay per visit, was £0.64 on St George's bay, £0.32 on Mamaia and £0.94 on Olu Deniz. The willingness to pay varied with social class, earnings, amount of beach use and between local, domestic and foreign user groups. The consumer surplus also varied for these groups as British tourists had a CS of £0.62 per visit, with domestic Turkish and Romanian users having values of £0.46 and £0.69, respectively. Diminishing marginal utility, as measured by WTP, with beach use was found in all three surveys. Charging for actual use would be acceptable for the majority of beach users. Coastal zone managers could realise significant revenues from beach users if they charge adults on a per visit basis (the favoured mode of payment) and spend the revenue on the maintenance and improvements identified by the users. Only one of the beaches (Olu Deniz, Turkey) currently has restricted access, which would facilitate such a payment method.peer-reviewe

An improved user-based beach climate index

Questionnaire surveys were carried out in Wales, Malta and Turkey to establish the preferences of north European beach users for thermal sensation and bathing water temperature, plus priority levels for other climatic attributes. A user-based beach climate index based on these preferences and priorities was formulated. Linkage was made between the user-generated ratings for various climatic conditions and published climate data to evaluate most major Euro-Mediterranean/Black Sea and a range of other beach tourism areas on a month-by-month basis. Results showed excessively hot thermal sensation in many southern and eastern Mediterranean coastal destinations during July and August, the present peak of the beach tourism season. Highest preference was given to water temperatures rather lower than those found in these areas during late summer. Many long haul coastal destinations popular with north European visitors had similar unpleasant thermal sensations over several months. Uncertainties and deficiencies still exist with the system, but from the point of view of north European beach users the final scores generated in this study may be regarded as good approximations of the quality of resort area climates for sedentary beach use.peer-reviewe