Georisks in the Mediterranean and their mitigation

An international scientific conference organised by the Seismic Monitoring and Research Unit, Department of Geoscience, Faculty of Science, Department of Civil and Structural Engineering and Department of Construction and Property Management, Faculty of the Built Environment, University of Malta.Part of the SIMIT project: Integrated civil protection system for the Italo-Maltese cross-border area. Italia-Malta Programme – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013This conference is one of the activities organised within the SIMIT strategic project (Integrated Cross-Border Italo-Maltese System of Civil Protection), Italia-Malta Operational Programme 2007 – 2013. SIMIT aims to establish a system of collaboration in Civil Protection procedures and data management between Sicilian and Maltese partners, so as to guarantee the safety and protection of the citizens and infrastructure of the cross-border area. It is led by the Department of Civil Protection of the Sicilian region, and has as other partners the Department of Civil Protection of Malta and the Universities of Palermo, Catania and Malta. SIMIT was launched in March 2013, and will come to a close in October 2015. Ever since the initial formulation of the project, it has been recognised that a state of national preparedness and correct strategies in the face of natural hazards cannot be truly effective without a sound scientific knowledge of the hazards and related risks. The University of Malta, together with colleagues from other Universities in the project, has been contributing mostly to the gathering and application of scientific knowledge, both in earthquake hazard as well as in building vulnerability. The issue of seismic hazard in the cross-border region has been identified as deserving foremost importance. South-East Sicily in particular has suffered on more than one occasion the effects of large devastating earthquakes. Malta, although fortunately more removed from the sources of such large earthquakes, has not been completely spared of their damaging effects. The drastic increase in the building density over recent decades has raised the level of awareness and concern of citizens and authorities about our vulnerability. These considerations have spurred scientists from the cross-border region to work together towards a deeper understanding of the underlying causes and nature of seismic and associated hazards, such as landslide and tsunami. The SIMIT project has provided us with the means of improving earthquake surveillance and analysis in the Sicily Channel and further afield in the Mediterranean, as well as with facilities to study the behaviour of our rocks and buildings during earthquake shaking. The role of the civil engineering community in this endeavour cannot be overstated, and this is reflected in the incorporation, from the beginning, of the civil engineering component in the SIMIT project. Constructing safer buildings is now accepted to be the major option towards human loss mitigation during strong earthquakes, and this project has provided us with a welcome opportunity for interaction between the two disciplines. Finally the role of the Civil Protection authorities must occupy a central position, as we recognize the importance of their prevention, coordination and intervention efforts, aided by the input of the scientific community. This conference brings together a diversity of geoscientists and engineers whose collaboration is the only way forward to tackling issues and strategies for risk mitigation. Moreover we welcome the contribution of participants from farther afield than the Central Mediterranean, so that their varied experience may enhance our efforts. We are proud to host the conference in the historic city of Valletta, in the heart of the Mediterranean, which also serves as a constant reminder of the responsibility of all regions to protect and conserve our collective heritage.peer-reviewe

Barriers and needs in paediatric palliative home care in Germany: a qualitative interview study with professional experts

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In North-Rhine Westphalia (Germany) a pilot project for an extensive service provision of palliative care for children and adolescents has been implemented. Accompanying research was undertaken with the aim to assess the status quo of service delivery at the outset of the project and to evaluate the effects of the pilot project. As part of the research, barriers and needs with respect to paediatric palliative home care in the target region were explored.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Semi-structured interviews with 24 experts in the field of paediatrics, palliative and hospice care have been conducted and were analysed by qualitative content analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Four main categories emerged from the interviews: (1) specific challenges and demands in palliative care for children and adolescents, (2) lack of clear legal and financial regulations, (3) gaps in the existing care delivery, and (4) access to services. Generally the interviews reflected the observation that the whole field is currently expanding and that certain deficits are temporary barriers that will be resolvable in the medium-term perspective.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Predominant barriers were seen in the lack of clear legal and financial regulations which take into account the specific challenges of palliative care in children and adolescents, as well as in a shortcoming of specialist services for a local based care provision throughout the federal country.</p

The analysis of 2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid in the plasma of smokers and non-smokers

ATCA (2-amino-2-thiazoline-4-carboxylic acid) is a promising marker to assess cyanide exposure because of several advantages of ATCA analysis over direct determination of cyanide and alternative cyanide biomarkers (i.e. stability in biological matrices, consistent recovery, and relatively small endogenous concentrations). Concentrations of ATCA in the plasma of smoking and non-smoking human volunteers were analyzed using gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry to establish the feasibility of using ATCA as a marker for cyanide exposure. The levels of ATCA in plasma of smoking volunteers, 17.2 ng/ml, were found to be significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that of non-smoking volunteers, 11.8 ng/ml. Comparison of ATCA concentrations of smokers relative to non-smokers in both urine and plasma yielded relatively similar results. The concentration ratio of ATCA for smokers versus non-smokers in plasma and urine was compared to similar literature studies of cyanide and thiocyanate, and correlations are discussed. This study supports previous evidence that ATCA can be used to determine past cyanide exposure and indicates that further studies should be pursued to validate the use of ATCA as a marker of cyanide exposure

A Review of Economic Consequences and Costs of Male Violence Against Women

[EN] This article focuses on male violence against women. As it takes place in what is often considered to be 'the private sphere' of the home, violence is difficult to prove, to measure, to prevent and easy to ignore. A multi-country study (WHO, 2005, WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence against women: Summary report of initial results on prevalence, health outcomes and women's responses, Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization) shows that there are wide variations between countries resulting in 15 per cent to 71 per cent of women aged between 15 and 49 years saying that they have been victims of physical or sexual violence in intimate relationships. This article reviews and summarises literature that analyse types of economic costs that result from domestic violence and abuse perpetrated against women.The theoretical reflections and findings are from a research project funded by the European Commission through the Leonardo da Vinci Programme named 'Giving Hope to Victims of Abuse through Vocational Guidance', promoted and coordinated by the University Miguel Hernandez of Elche. The content of this paper does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Union or the National Agency, nor does it involve any responsibility on their part (Agreement number: 2011/3500-516610-LLp-1-2011-1-ES-LEONARDO-LMP).López-Sánchez, MJ.; Belso-Martínez, JA.; Hervás Oliver, JL. (2019). A Review of Economic Consequences and Costs of Male Violence Against Women. Indian Journal of Gender Studies. 26(3):424-434. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971521519861194S424434263Babcock, J. C., Waltz, J., Jacobson, N. S., & Gottman, J. M. (1993). Power and violence: The relation between communication patterns, power discrepancies, and domestic violence. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(1), 40-50. doi:10.1037/0022-006x.61.1.40Bloch, F., & Rao, V. (2002). Terror as a Bargaining Instrument: A Case Study of Dowry Violence in Rural India. American Economic Review, 92(4), 1029-1043. doi:10.1257/00028280260344588Comijs, H. C., Pot, A. M., Smit, J. H., Bouter, L. M., & Jonker, C. (1998). Elder Abuse in the Community: Prevalence and Consequences. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 46(7), 885-888. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.1998.tb02724.xFord-Gilboe, M., Wuest, J., & Merritt-Gray, M. (2005). Strengthening Capacity to Limit Intrusion: Theorizing Family Health Promotion in the Aftermath of Woman Abuse. Qualitative Health Research, 15(4), 477-501. doi:10.1177/1049732305274590Garbarino, J., & Crouter, A. (1978). Defining the Community Context for Parent-Child Relations: The Correlates of Child Maltreatment. Child Development, 49(3), 604. doi:10.2307/1128227Grana, S. J. (2001). Journal of Family Violence, 16(4), 421-435. doi:10.1023/a:1012229011161HEISE, L. L. (1998). Violence Against Women. Violence Against Women, 4(3), 262-290. doi:10.1177/1077801298004003002Kim, J., & Gray, K. A. (2008). Leave or Stay? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(10), 1465-1482. doi:10.1177/0886260508314307Krug, E. G., Mercy, J. A., Dahlberg, L. L., & Zwi, A. B. (2002). The world report on violence and health. The Lancet, 360(9339), 1083-1088. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(02)11133-0LAMBERT, L. C., & FIRESTONE, J. M. (2000). Economic Context and Multiple Abuse Techniques. Violence Against Women, 6(1), 49-67. doi:10.1177/1077801200006001004Max, W., Rice, D. P., Finkelstein, E., Bardwell, R. A., & Leadbetter, S. (2004). The Economic Toll of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States. Violence and Victims, 19(3), 259-272. doi:10.1891/vivi.19.3.259.65767(2003). Costs of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the United States. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e721242007-001Reeves, C., & O’Leary-Kelly, A. M. (2007). The Effects and Costs of Intimate Partner Violence for Work Organizations. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(3), 327-344. doi:10.1177/0886260506295382Roldós, M. I., & Corso, P. (2013). The Economic Burden of Intimate Partner Violence in Ecuador: Setting the Agenda for Future Research and Violence Prevention Policies. Western Journal of Emergency Medicine, 14(4), 347-353. doi:10.5811/westjem.2013.2.15697Schiamberg, L. B., & Gans, D. (1999). An Ecological Framework for Contextual Risk Factors in Elder Abuse by Adult Children. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 11(1), 79-103. doi:10.1300/j084v11n01_05(1993). World Development Report 1993. doi:10.1596/0-1952-0890-0TOLMAN, R. M., & ROSEN, D. (2001). Domestic Violence in the Lives of Women Receiving Welfare. Violence Against Women, 7(2), 141-158. doi:10.1177/1077801201007002003Wuest, J., Ford-Gilboe, M., Merritt-Gray, M., & Berman, H. (2003). Intrusion: The Central Problem for Family Health Promotion among Children and Single Mothers after Leaving an Abusive Partner. Qualitative Health Research, 13(5), 597-622. doi:10.1177/1049732303013005002Yodanis, C. L., Godenzi, A., & Stanko, E. A. (2000). The Benefits of Studying Costs: A Review and Agenda for Studies on the Economic Costs of Violence Against Women. Policy Studies, 21(3), 263-276. doi:10.1080/0144287002001953

Deficits in visuo-spatial working memory, inhibition and oculomotor control in boys with ADHD and their non-affected brothers.

Few studies have assessed visuo-spatial working memory and inhibition in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by recording saccades and consequently little additional knowledge has been gathered on oculomotor functioning in ADHD. Moreover, this is the first study to report the performance of non-affected siblings of children with ADHD, which may shed light on the familiality of deficits. A total of 14 boys with ADHD, 18 non-affected brothers, and 15 control boys aged 7-14 years, were administered a memory-guided saccade task with delays of three and seven seconds. Familial deficits were found in accuracy of visuo-spatial working memory, percentage of anticipatory saccades, and tendency to overshoot saccades relative to controls. These findings suggest memory-guided saccade deficits may relate to a familial predisposition for ADHD

The effects of aging of scientists on their publication and citation patterns

The average age at which U.S. researchers get their first grant from NIH has increased from 34.3 in 1970, to 41.7 in 2004. These data raise the crucial question of the effects of aging on the scientific creativity and productivity of researchers. Those who worry about the aging of scientists usually believe that the younger they are the more creative and productive they will be. Using a large population of 13,680 university professors in Quebec, we show that, while scientific productivity rises sharply between 28 and 40, it increases at a slower pace between 41 and 50 and stabilizes afterward until retirement for the most active researchers. The average scientific impact per paper decreases linearly until 50-55 years old, but the average number of papers in highly cited journals and among highly cited papers rises continuously until retirement. Our results clearly show for the first time the natural history of the scientific productivity of scientists over their entire career and bring to light the fact that researchers over 55 still contribute significantly to the scientific community by producing high impact papers.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Exploring Takfir, Its Origins and Contemporary Use: The Case of Takfiri Approach in Daesh’s Media

Muslims have been the primary targets of Daesh’s attacks since 2014 in different countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. These attacks were based on its takfiri ideology. As Daesh official media and documents indicate, kufr (unbelief, infidelity) in Daesh’s approach is not limited to non-Muslims (original disbelievers), but Muslims are the most significant parts of kuffar (unbelievers) in its view and defined as incidental disbelievers. Through studying Daesh’s official documents and various Arabic, English, and Persian media productions, in an explanatory research, this article attempts to display Daesh’s takfiri approach toward Muslims and explains its historical and ideological roots, difference with Al-Qaeda’s takfiri approach, different approaches to takfir inside Daesh, main targets of Daesh’s takfir, and the reasons behinds its takfiri view. This article displays that for Daesh, the Muslims are limited only to Sunni Muslims who are accepting and following its approach. Other Sunni and non-Sunni Muslims are thus kuffar. This study also shows that the assertion of takfir has become a method for Daesh to discredit its opponents, such as Shi’a Muslims and other Muslim groups

Contraceptive use among HIV-infected women and men receiving antiretroviral therapy in Lusaka, Zambia: a cross-sectional survey

Abstract Background Family planning (FP) is an essential health service and an important part of comprehensive HIV care. However, there is limited information about the contraceptive needs of people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, which in turn has hampered efforts to expand and integrate FP services into existing HIV programs. Methods We performed a cross-sectional survey to determine FP prevalence and predictors among HIV-positive women and men attending 18 public antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics in Lusaka, Zambia. Trained peer counselors administered the 10-question survey to those seeking care for five days at each of the target sites. Results From February to April 2014, we surveyed 7,046 HIV-infected patients receiving routine HIV services. Use of modern contraception was reported by 69 % of female ART patients and 79 % of male ART patients. However, highly effective contraceptive use and dual method use were low among women (38 and 25 %, respectively) and men (19 and 14 %, respectively). HIV disclosure status (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.91, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 3.32–7.24 for women, AOR = 3.58, 95 % CI = 2.39–5.38 for men) and sexual activity in the last 6 months (AOR = 5.80, 95 % CI = 4.51–7.47 for women, AOR = 6.24, 95 % CI = 3.51–11.08 for men) were associated with modern contraceptive use in multivariable regression. Most respondents said they would access FP services if made available within ART clinic. Conclusions While FP-ART integration may be a promising strategy for increasing FP service uptake, such services must focus on assessing sexual activity and advocating for dual method use to increase effective contraceptive use and prevent unintended pregnancies

Aboriginal Health Worker perceptions of oral health: a qualitative study in Perth, Western Australia

Background: Improving oral health for Aboriginal Australians has been slow. Despite dental disease being largely preventable, Aboriginal Australians have worse periodontal disease, more decayed teeth and untreated dental caries than other Australians. Reasons for this are complex and risk factors include broader social and historic determinants such as marginalisation and discrimination that impact on Aboriginal people making optimum choices about oral health. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study conducted in the Perth metropolitan area investigating Aboriginal Health Workers’ (AHWs) perceptions of barriers and enablers to oral health for Aboriginal people. Methods: Following extensive consultation with Aboriginal stakeholders, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups across 13 sites to investigate AHWs’ perceptions of barriers and enablers to oral health based on professional and personal experience. Responses from 35 AHWs were analysed independently by two researchers to identify themes that they compared, discussed, revised and organised under key themes. These were summarised and interrogated for similarities and differences with evidence in the literature. Results: Key findings indicated that broader structural and social factors informed oral health choices. Perceptions of barriers included cost of services and healthy diets on limited budgets, attending services for pain not prevention, insufficient education about oral health and preventing disease, public dental services not meeting demand, and blame and discrimination from some health providers. Suggested improvements included oral health education, delivering flexible services respectful of Aboriginal people, oral health services for 0–4 year olds and role modelling of oral health across generations. Conclusion: Reviewing current models of oral health education and service delivery is needed to reduce oral health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. Shifting the discourse from blaming Aboriginal people for their poor oral health to addressing structural factors impacting on optimum oral health choices is important. This includes Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal stakeholders working together to develop and implement policies and practices that are respectful, well-resourced and improve oral health outcomes