Suchergebnisse

Taking the island of Malta as a case study, this research questions the role of development control in delivering urban design quality. Authors have acknowledged the significance of this relationship. However, few studies have tried to assess both sides of the story, focusing instead on the study of either the planning process or final design outcome in isolation. These studies have also generally tended to rely exclusively on either qualitative or quantitative research methods. The Maltese plan‐led discretionary planning system is experiencing interesting times. Recent documents produced by the Kamra tal­‐Periti, the Chamber of Architects and Civil Engineers, together with central Government's National Environment Policy, point to the need for an informed debate on urban design quality in the built environment. Central Government also initiated a planning reform in 2010, which to date has remained focused on the reform of planning procedures within the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, rather than on quality targets. These are also challenging times. The intense residential development that characterised the past decades occurred at the expense of broader qualitative considerations. Its consequences have been compounded by the restrictive spirit of current policy tools, their inadequacy in addressing urban design issues, and the approach of officers and decision‐makers in their regard. It is thus the optimal time to study the Maltese planning system. This research explores the multifarious debates surrounding development control, urban design quality and the Maltese planning context. Using a mixed four-­stage methodology comprising both quantitative and qualitative research tools, it subsequently develops 'process'-­ and 'product'-­related analytical frameworks that respectively assess key themes within the planning process and the quality of urban design outcome on the ground. At the concluding stage, the research draws these frameworks together to determine their possible relationship and provide recommendations to stimulate a rethinking of planning practice.

The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic that struck the world has negatively affected all kinds of everyday activities. Besides the effects that this pandemic has had on the economy, social life and political scene, it has affected religion in various ways. The effects on religion are manifold. The immediate regulations issued by the local government for social distancing, the prohibition of mass gatherings, and the closure of all religious places has disrupted all aspects of everyday religious life. Meanwhile, tourism has suffered immensely, and this has also negatively impacted the international aspect of religious tourism. The negative impact on religion is wide ranging – from all churches being closed, all religious services being suspended, to no baptisms, holy communion or confirmation, weddings or funerals being held. The drastic decision of suspending all popular parish feasts this year has also been taken. The disruption that has come, practically unexpectedly, to the communities has led to innovative activities being organised by individuals, street communities and even the church itself. In this paper I aim to look at some of the changes that have affected Malta and its local communities regarding religious aspects due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Professional Doctorate in Biomedical Science. ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells that can self-renew and differentiate into cells from the mesodermal cell lineage. Under specific conditions, MSCs are known to transdifferentiate into the neuronal cell lineage. The aim of this study was to investigate if specific microRNAs (miRNAs) are responsible for neural induction, differentiation and fate specification and if they can induce MSCs to commit to a neuroblast and/or mature neuron cell lineage. The selected miRNAs were miR-107, miR-124 and miR-381, which respectively are known to promote neurogenesis, neural differentiation and neural proliferation. Targeting protein expression by transiently destroying the messenger RNA using miRNAs is an alternative to destroying the gene permanently and, being a transient process, the cells being differentiated should not retain any permanent evidence of this process. The objectives of this study were to culture MSCs from the Wharton's Jelly, transform these MSCs into neural-like cells using the spent medium from the neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y, and further treat these conditioned cells with retinoic acid to induce further maturation. MSCs were characterised by trilineage differentiation and all three cell types were tested for a series of CD and neural markers. Once characterised, the three cell types were transfected with one of the three selected miRNAs and a target gene for each miRNA was analysed but results were sub-optimal. The MSCs and neural-like derivatives were then tested for a selection of neural markers. Once again results provided limited information, however it was observed that miR-107 and miR-124 have the potential to induce MSCs to differentiate into neural-like cells and that these miRNAs may also induce intermediate neural progenitors and immature neuron cell types to differentiate further. ; Malta Government Scholarship Scheme.

Dating back to prehistoric times, art has been serving as a means of communication for humans (Blundell, 2006). Considering that communication is the process of transmitting information and common understanding (Keyton, 2011), does communication through art occur only when people share a common understanding of art? When looking at art, do people need to look for the message as intended by artists and as defined by art historians? At a time of intense social, political and environmental changes, art museums could serve as social spaces that encourage communication among the public. This article explores the concept of art as a universal communication regardless of one's artistic abilities and art background vis-a-vis my research projects concerning the national art museum as a public educational resource. As part of my research, I carried out three community projects with young adult participants (aged 21- 30years). I exchanged ideas with the participants about the way they engage with the national art museum collection in Malta. Throughout the three projects, regardless of their artistic ability and aesthetic background, all participants communicated experiences, feelings and ideas through art. ; peer-reviewed

Much of Malta's written depositories of national memory are to be found within the island's capital, Valletta. An impressive variety of such institutions, varying from public to private ones, house printed works and manuscript and archival material which goes well beyond the island's own history, being of considerable significance within the wider Mediterranean and European contexts. The extent to which such collections are accessible, their facility of use and possible ways ahead where their further development is concerned are delved into. Of particular importance is the need to democratize access to such material, making it more known to local and foreign academics, but also more relevant to a much wider audience to who are financially sustaining it and to whom much of it belongs as national heritage. ; peer-reviewed

Dr Antoine Zammit takes a look at the city of Valletta that has implemented the technique of adaptive reuse and shows us its wider implications. Malta is currently undergoing a renewed wave of adaptive reuse strategies. This is due to a number of reasons. Most certainly, it is partly a response to existing market conditions, which in recent decades have been characterised by constant (often speculative) residential construction. This has often resulted in the demolition of traditional two-storey houses and their rebuilding into apartment blocks located on the outskirts of towns and villages. The recent building boom (particularly between 2002 – 2008) provided a strong property market resulting in an environment dominated by 'quantity', as opposed to 'quality' considerations and generating a surplus of small apartments with rooms sharing poorly lit and ventilated internal yards. In addition, the increase in prices of apartments implied that it cost as much to buy a small finished apartment within a complex of internal developments as a larger older house, albeit not necessarily centrally located and requiring some restructuring. The reduction in quality for the newer stock of apartments and their corresponding increase in prices is pushing a number of younger couples to opt for the purchase of older houses and redeveloping them to suit their needs. In tandem with the above, the increased adaptive reuse of existing building stock has also been the direct result of government incentives and the channelling of EU Structural Funds in order to revive Urban Conservation Areas that became depleted of younger generations as they moved out to the newer edges. EU Funds have also been used to restore and rehabilitate a number of historical buildings, which have lent themselves to new uses. Such rehabilitation is best exemplified within the island's capital city, Valletta. ; non peer-reviewed

Europe is undergoing manifold changes, often happening together in a very short timespan. The recent economic downturn and the environmental imperative have had significant repercussions on the way urban societies are developing, with consequent implications in socio-cultural terms. This follows decades of economic growth and prosperity that have very often been prioritised over social and cultural specificities, manifesting themselves in design schemes that are insensitive to individuals. This is a timely publication. As we enter a new era of economic rebuilding and restructuring and new societal challenges, it would be opportune to re-evaluate our position as architectural professionals, and to remind ourselves of our central contribution in forming and establishing welldesigned societies that increase the well-being of individuals. As the complexities of our urban structures increase, as our cities become more and more urbanised, and as broad overarching objectives dominate urban and political agendas, we must not forget that at the heart of these phenomena lies the individual, living within the basic societal unit that is a home, which in turn comprises the elemental unit of a street, a neighbourhood, a city. We also need to be more aware of our responsibilities in terms of providing better urban environments. And better urban environments start from better streets. And better streets start from better homes. Well-designed places are designed around people. People must first be happy with their own individual spaces, their streets and their neighbourhoods. This is where the profession comes in, as architecture affects people's feelings and behaviour. If we get these immediate environments right, we could then aim to achieve bigger objectives – such as strong community ties and community involvement and participation. We cannot simply assume that active communities or public participation form by default. Strictly speaking, these are not new ideas. We are aware of the fact that these basic principles have long been established, within a myriad of professional and academic literature as well as within some salient European charters and policies, briefly outlined in Part (3) of this document. We are not questioning the need for these principles – rather, we would like to address them within a renewed approach that translates these principles into tangible deliverables for our urban environments. We therefore feel that there is a need for the ACE to disseminate such a vision in order to help professionals understand better the EU policies that affect the urban environment, notably the EU's Urban Agenda, and also in order to make the most effective use of the EU's funding programmes, notably the ERDFs. ; peer-reviewed