A note on the St. John Co-Cathedral marble tombstones : the artisans, foreign and Maltese

The aim of this brief study is to modestly review the documentation principally in the notarial archives concerning the tombstones, mainly in the period 1678 to 1819 and the marble craftsmen, local and foreign, who executed their masterpieces so expertly.peer-reviewe

Familial paroxysmal hypokalaemic paralysis (hypoKPP)

Case Summary: Demographic Details: Mr. SF, male, South African was referred by his general practitioner A 26-year-old South African gentleman was referred to the Neurology Outpatient department due to occasional episodes of bilateral muscle weakness in the lower limbs. The attacks last for approximately 1 hour and may result in complete muscle paralysis. The severe attacks of bilateral lower limb paralysis are uncommon. The most severe attack he had ever experienced lasted for 19 hours when he was 19 years of age. Mr. SF noticed that stress, carbohydrate-rich meals and exercise triggered recurrent attacks of muscle weakness. The patient’s grandfather, father and sister have been diagnosed with ‘Familial Paroxysmal Hypokalaemic Paralysis’ (hypoKPP). The father had a positive genetic diagnosis from a muscle biopsy. Mr. SF believes that he has inherited the genetic condition, however, he was never tested for the mutation. When the patient suffers an attack of muscle weakness, he takes potassium supplements and rests at home and symptoms resolve.peer-reviewe

Charles Vere and his controversial attempts to open a school in Malta

The long and chequered history of Maltese education provides a most versatile and litigious character: Charles Vere, a British resident on the Island from the mid-1820's to the mid-1830's. He made his first impact on the local scene in 1824, when he opened what must be rated as Malta's first department-store at No. 256, Strada Reale - now Republic Street - Valletta.peer-reviewe

Bayesian model selection for dark energy using weak lensing forecasts

The next generation of weak lensing probes can place strong constraints on cosmological parameters by measuring the mass distribution and geometry of the low redshift universe. We show that a future all-sky tomographic cosmic shear survey with design properties similar to Euclid can provide the statistical accuracy required to distinguish between different dark energy models. Using a fiducial cosmological model which includes cold dark matter, baryons, massive neutrinos (hot dark matter), a running primordial spectral index and possible spatial curvature as well as dark energy perturbations, we calculate Fisher matrix forecasts for different dynamical dark energy models. Using a Bayesian evidence calculation we show how well a future weak lensing survey could do in distinguishing between a cosmological constant and dynamical dark energy.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

On matriculation certificate in further education : notes on how to binge and question syllabi topics : an excursus on Systems of Knowledge

In education, the common practice is for students to demonstrate what they know in examinations. The grading system makes more noticeable this basic fact. This paper, in its first section, considers the two-year course students complete in a sixth form to qualify for a Matriculation Certificate that holds two passes at Advanced level and four at Intermediate level. To this extent it questions whether students qualify for their Matriculation Certificate by digesting a vast amount of information from six subjects at the cost of depriving themselves of other abilities, like the capacity to bring to fruition their relationships with others or the ability to understand matters of public interest. For this purpose, this paper measures and explores whether such condensed coursework dulls creative and inventive skills. The second section of the paper investigates whether Systems of Knowledge offers an alternative path about how students engage with people and the world in a critical, creative, and innovative fashion.peer-reviewe

An overview of a problem in Hospitaller naval historiography

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta, frequently referred to as the Religion or the Hospital, is a particular institution. Recognised by Pope Paschal II in 1113, this centuries old Order had a double raison d'etre: To offer hospitality to Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem and to pursue the Holy War against the Infidel. However, the fall of Acre to the Saracens in 1291, made it impossible for the Hospitallers to fulfill their original vocation. After the capture and transformation of Rhodes into their base, they had to find a way of justifying their existence. They quickly came up with a characteristic answer - to wage naval war against Islam. So successful did the Knights become in this new role that the marine branch of the Order's military activities was to come to the greatest prominence, in Rhodes and later in Malta. What were the characteristics of the Order's navy? Small numbers, excellent design and an enviable tradition became the chief qualities of this small but effective nary. What, however, did the Hospitallers do with their galleys? Did they wage war on I slam? Or did their activities degenerate into privateering? This issue is hotly debated by historians of the Order. European Historians have a habit of shuddering away from accusing the Hospitallers of indulging in the corso, as corsairing is known in this context. This paper examines the topic in an attempt to unravel what has become a veritable Gordian knot.peer-reviewe

Management of epilepsy

Figures for the incidence of epilepsy in Malta are not available. The overall figure for epilepsy given by the Royal College of General Practitioners (Reid 1960) is 4.82 per 1,000 population. As there is no reason to expect and difference in the incidence in these Islands, one can expect that there are at least 1,500 epileptics in Malta. This would mean that all general practitioners would, at some time, come across a patient with epilepsy.peer-reviewe

On the contribution of adaptation to originality in Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus and the history of art

This article assesses the manner in which the gesture of adaptation affects notions of originality. Through its fluctuations, the adaptive process can generate divergent thinking about the question of originality. Adaptation appears resourceful for the purposes of originality when it produces innovative works of art by modifying adopted sources. At the same time, any claim towards originality can be compromised whenever the exercise of adaptation turns out to be overtly dependent on the adoptive sources. To this extent, in the first part of the essay, Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus is deployed as a means of exploring whether the novel's bid towards originality is undermined by the adaptation ofthe Faust theme. What further limits the novel's effectiveness as an "original" is the possibility that the protagonist ofthe novel, Adrian Leverkiihn, may be perceived as an adaptation of Friedrich Nietzsche's own biography. The second part of this study investigates whether the work, through the adaptation of recurring motifs in the history of art, can bring about original arrangements in works of art.peer-reviewe

Surgery and Ulcerative Colitis

The management of ulcerative colitis requires the collaboration of various teams looking after the patient and any decision regarding surgery should involve not only the patient and the surgeons but also various other professionals looking after the patient. Surgery may be needed in the acute setting or in patients with chronic disease and the management in these two scenarios is different. This article will look at the indications for surgery in patients with both acute and chronic colitis and the various options available, together with the results expected. We will also give an overview of the results on 27 cases of chronic colitis with restorative proctocolectomy operated on in our unit.peer-reviewe

The small scale syndrome : career perspectives of Maltese and Gozitan secondary school students

The ‘Small Scale Syndrome’ is a model meant to conceptualise the experiences of Monopoly, Intimacy, Totality and Emigration by the inhabitants of small, often island, states and territories. This study uses the Small Scale Syndrome as a tool to investigate the career perspectives of students living in the archipelago of Malta, the smallest country in the European Union. Data was gathered through 321 questionnaires answered by students attending two state secondary schools, one on the island of Gozo and another one on the island of Malta. Results highlight the higher level of awareness of Monopoly of students living in Gozo when compared to their peers living in Malta. The study captures the higher assimilation of Intimacy/ Totality of students with only Maltese citizenship when compared to those with dual or foreign citizenship. Besides, this study also points out the greater inclination towards Emigration of students with dual or foreign citizenship when compared to their peers with only Maltese citizenship. The Small Scale Syndrome appears to be more strongly related to citizenship than to whether one resides in Malta or in Gozo, indicating that it might be affected by the level of social integration of the students under consideration. The study also suggests that the root causes of Monopoly may differ from those of Intimacy/ Totality and Emigration.peer-reviewe