Milestones in the evolution of pathology in Malta

This book offers a brief sketch of events in chronological sequence that mark the rise of the science of pathology in Malta over the past three hundred years. This development cannot be adequately appreciated without a backward glance over a stretch of time when morbid anatomy and clinical medicine were still interpreted in terms of the ancient theory of the four humours - blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile - according to which an imbalance of these humours was considered to be the root cause of disease. In fact it was not until after 1858 when Rudolf Virchow (1821-1902), Professor of Pathology at Wursburg University, brought out his concept of Cellular Pathology that the humoral theory was abandoned. In fact Virchow pointed out that the cell was the centre of all bodily activity and changes and ultimately the seat of disease. Going through these pages the reader will note the great impact that European medical literature and advances have exercised on the development of pathology in Malta. This is to be expected as Malta, in its central geographical location in the Mediterranean at the southernmost point of Europe has, since ancient times, been a hub in the main stream of the political, maritime, cultural and medical evolution of that continent.peer-reviewe

RIDT/Malta Neuroscience Network (MNN) Brain Campaign 2016

The University of Malta Research Trust (RIDT), in collaboration with the Malta Neuroscience Network (MNN), has chosen The Brain as its main campaign for 2016. The campaign will have two parallel strands - one strand promoting brain awareness and the other a fund-raising campaign for research in brain disorders. The main objective of the fi rst strand is for the public to understand the brain and its functions and is intended to bring together scientists and the community. This will help widen the knowledge about brain-related topics, with a particular focus on what can go wrong within the brain and how science can provide solutions. There is a huge potential for improving the long-term health of the brain through lifestyle changes and prevention strategies.peer-reviewe

Fourth annual Science in the House exhibition at the new parliament building

Members of Parliament, the House of Representatives and researchers were in attendance at the 4th annual Science in the House exhibition in the New Parliament Building in Valletta at noon of Thursday 24th September 2015. The event was inaugurated under the auspices of the Off ce of the Speaker by Ray Scicluna. Following comments by Prof. Alex Felice, speeches were presented by MPs Deborah Schembri and Claudio Grech. A few comments were made on behalf of the Faculty of Science by Prof. Emmanuel Sinagra to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Faculty of Science at the University of Malta. The formal opening of the event concluded with enlightening words from the University Rector, Prof. Juanito Camilleri. The exhibition consisted of 12 posters representative of various research projects at the University of Malta from the Faculties of Science, Medicine and Surgery, Dental Surgery and Health Sciences. A commemorative poster was also dis played by the Faculty of Science to celebrate its 100th anniversary, which coincides with the centennial of Einstein's theory of relativity. Science in the House is organised by the Malta Chamber of Scientists, the University Research Trust (RIDT) and the Science in the City, European Researchers' Night consortium. Science in the City, European Researchers Night is mainly funded by the EU Marie Sklodowska-Curie Action of the Horizon 2020 (H2020) Programme. It is recognised by Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe (EFFE).peer-reviewe

A review of sensorless control in induction machines using HF injection and test vectors

This paper describes various methods aimed at tracking the flux and rotor position for cage induction machines without a shaft sensor using specially designed saliencies or natural saliencies. The estimation methods employ a High Frequency (HF) signal or test vectors to detect the machine saliency. As is common knowledge, multiple saliences can cause problems to track only one particular saliency. Ways to overcome this problem for rotor position and rotor flux tracking are discussed. The performance of these methods is investigated at all loads at low and zero speed and also at zero fundamental frequency.peer-reviewe

Iceland’s contested European Policy : the footprint of the past - a small and insular society

This paper will address the political developments in Iceland since the 2008 economic crash and place it in a historical context. The aim is to understand Iceland’s present foreign policy and, in particular, the highly contested decision by its government in 2009 to apply for membership of the European Union.peer-reviewe

Ten years of Malta’s EU membership - the impact on Maltese environmental NGOs

This paper investigates the impact of Malta’s European Union (EU) accession on Environmental NGOs (ENGOs). For this purpose, environmental politics in relation to Malta’s EU accession are analysed. This is carried out by focusing on a selection of issues involving Environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (ENGOs) (land development; climate change; hunting of birds and fishing of ‘blue fin’ tuna), as well as through data involving interviews with ENGO representatives. This paper verifies whether EU accession has effected lobbying by ENGOs; whether EU accession has enhanced the empowerment of ENGOs; and whether EU accession has led to the institutionalisation of ENGOs.peer-reviewe

The 2011 constitutional reform in Morocco : more flaws than merits

In this paper the author argues against the idea, according to which Morocco should be considered a model in the region, and in particular shows that the constitution-making process, the 2011 Constitution and its subsequent implementation have more flaws than merits.peer-reviewe

Malta transformed by multi-level governance : more than just an outcome of Europeanisation

Malta has been transformed in many ways with and by EU Membership. This paper goes beyond the more obvious impacts of ‘Europeanisation’ and instead reviews the implications of an explosion of multi-level governance on doing politics in Malta. While for most of its recent political history, there has been a clawing back of power by the central government – as when the Gozo Civic Council (1960-1973), an early foray into regional government, was “unceremoniously dissolved” in 1973 – this trend was reversed with the setting up of local councils as from 1994, an advisory Malta Council for Economic and Social Development (MCESD) in 2001, and then EU membership in 2004. These events have created a profligacy of decision-making tiers and multiplied the tensions that exist between different levels of governance in this small archipelago state. Malta has never experienced such pluralism before. In fact, since 1966, only two political parties have been represented in the national legislature and, therefore, there has been no division of powers between the executive and the national parliament. This paper reviews the implications of these developments on two hot political issues in 2014: the International Investor Programme (IIP) proposed by the Labour Government in its 2014 Budget; and the location of a Liquid Natural Gas (LNG)-storage vessel inside Marsaxlokk harbour. Keywords: democratisation; europeanisation; individual investment scheme; liquid natural gas tanker; Malta; multi-level governance; state; total politicspeer-reviewe

Governance in the EU member states : evidence from three global indicators

This paper assesses governance in twenty-eight EU Member States (EUMS) by comparing these states among themselves and with the rest of the world, utilising three indicators relating to political, economic and social governance. The main contributions of this paper on the issue of governance are three. First the paper includes economic and social governance in the meaning of the term “governance”. Studies on governance generally use indicators associated with politics and public administration. Secondly, it attempts to place the governance scores of the EU Member states, as a block, in an international context. Thirdly, the study tries to explain why GDP growth and governance indicators are often found to be negatively correlated. Keywords: Governance, European Union, Economic Growth, Corruption, Institutionspeer-reviewe

Governing climate change in the Mediterranean : fragmentation in dialogue, markets and funds

The article analyses the challenges of interregional cooperation for the two regional secretariats in the Mediterranean – the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean and the Secretariat of the Mediterranean Action Plan – in the policy fields of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Mediterranean climate governance is structured around complex governance arrangements, where multiple actors attempt to integrate the issue of climate change. However, the lack of financial commitments for long-term infrastructure investments and bilateral differentiation under the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy undermine region-wide cooperation. As a result, fragmentation in dialogue, markets and funds challenge the efforts of regional institutions in each climate sector and lead to variable governing outcomes. KEY WORDS Climate Change Governance, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Change Adaptation, Southern Neighbourhood, Euro-Mediterranean relations, North Africapeer-reviewe