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This procedure outlines the protocol for testing for SARS-CoV-2 using a saliva sample collected from an individual. The purpose of this test is to detect low levels of SARS-CoV-2 antigen at a higher sensitivity. Precision Biomonitoring Inc. developed an ultra-rapid digital, disposable, highly-sensitive and inexpensive testing device used for screening purposes. The mobile app complementary to this medical device is connected through Bluetooth. Using this innovation, the user can be tested at point-of-care (POC) by a health care professional, and obtain qualitative results.

Given its centuries-old origins and the inimitable mix of Semitic and Latinized vocabulary, the Maltese language benefits from a massive repertoire of proverbs and idioms that interpret life realities from the perspective of the common folks. The scope of this paper is to decipher a number of Maltese proverbs and idioms that encompass elements of political power and control. Each selected expression is probed in terms of political theory and contextualized from a sociological and anthropological standpoint. Such an analysis provides a cornucopia of diachronic and synchronic insights on how the Maltese perceive power and manipulation, judge the elites and the privileged, assess the art of politics and treat patronage and clientelism. “The wit of one and the wisdom of many” has organically led them to affirm their conviction that power manipulation, greed and elite collegiality, distortion of political virtues and exploitation of power games to the leverage of both the disadvantaged and the privileged are universal realities. In other words, these phenomena involving power and politics exist independently of the locals’ perceptions or interpretations., peer-reviewed

This procedure outlines the protocol for testing for SARS-CoV-2 using a saliva sample collected from an individual. The purpose of this test is to detect low levels of SARS-CoV-2 antigen at a higher sensitivity. Precision Biomonitoring Inc. developed an ultra-rapid digital, disposable, highly-sensitive and inexpensive testing device used for screening purposes. The mobile app complementary to this medical device is connected through Bluetooth. Using this innovation, the user can be tested at point-of-care (POC) by a health care professional, and obtain qualitative results.

The work-related experiences of migrants vary significantly across groups and are affected by the interaction of the migrants’ characteristics with those of the host country. This study investigates the influence of a number of personal factors on the work-related outcomes of Filipino migrants in Malta. Data about seven personal characteristics and nine work-related outcomes was gathered from a sample of 317 Filipino workers and analyzed through inferential statistics. Male and female respondents experience similar work outcomes, apart from access to training which is higher among males. Older workers have better work outcomes than younger ones. They are treated more fairly, face less discrimination, take less sick leave and are less likely to exhibit presenteeism. Knowledge of local employment laws is related to higher levels of job satisfaction, fair treatment, and ability to influence decisions at work. Counter intuitively, level of education is positively related to perceived discrimination. Besides, having a high skilled job and working in the public sector are related to greater health and safety risks and more sick leave. These unexpected results may be explained through the migrants’ higher expectations and greater awareness and sensitivity towards working conditions. This study confirms the utility of a nuanced approach when examining the working conditions of Filipino migrants and highlights the predictive ability of age, skills level of job, sector of employment and knowledge of local employment laws., peer-reviewed

The aim of this study was to determine the antifungal activity of Drimenol (1) and its synthetic derivatives, nordrimenone (2), drimenyl acetate (3), and drimenyl-epoxy-acetate (4), and to establish a possible mechanism of action for drimenol. For that, the effect of each compound on mycelial growth of Botrytis cinerea was assessed. Our results showed that compounds 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 are able to affect Botrytis cinerea growth with EC 50 values of 80, 92, 80 and 314 ppm, respectively. These values suggest that the activity of these compounds is mainly determined by presence of the double bond between carbons 7 and 8 of the drimane ring. In addition, germination of B. cinerea in presence of 40 and 80 ppm of drimenol is reduced almost to a half of the control value. Finally, in order to elucidate a possible mechanism by which drimenol is affecting B. cinerea, the determination of membrane integrity, reactive oxygen species production and gene expression studies of specific genes were performed.

Malta is experiencing a strong economic growth which is attracting increasing numbers of foreign workers. This study investigates the working conditions experienced by Filipinos in Malta, the largest group of migrants from outside the European Union. Survey data collected from a sample of 317 Filipino workers was compared to the results of the Sixth European Working Conditions Survey. While most respondents experience positive work outcomes, a significant minority grapples with negative conditions and perceptions. Overall, the Filipino respondents in Malta appear to face more difficult working conditions than other migrants in Europe. Nearly half of the respondents report that their health or safety is at risk because of their work and over a fourth suffered from discrimination during the year leading to the research. A substantial minority of Filipinos work below their skill levels and more than 40 hours per week. About a third of the respondents are not satisfied with their working conditions, claim not to be treated fairly at work and do not find sufficient help and support from their managers and colleagues. This study indicates the need to take into consideration the realities of both the home and host countries when analyzing the working situation of migrants. It highlights the employment vulnerability of migrant Filipino workers in Malta, and points to an apparent structural deficiency in the Maltese society to protect them., peer-reviewed

Botrytis cinerea is a worldwide spread fungus that causes the grey mold disease, which is considered the most important factor in postharvest losses in fresh fruit crops. Consequently, the control of gray mold is a matter of current and relevant interest for agricultural industries. In this work, a series of phenylpropanoids derived from eugenol were synthesized and characterized. Their effects on the mycelial growth of a virulent and multi-resistant isolate of B. cinerea (PN2) have been evaluated and IC50 values for the most active compounds range between 31&ndash, 95 ppm. The antifungal activity exhibited by these compounds is strongly related to their chemical structure, i.e., increasing activity has been obtained by isomerization of the double bond or introduction of a nitro group on the aromatic ring. Based on the relationship between the fungicide activities and chemical structure, a mechanism of action is proposed. Finally, the activity of these compounds is higher than that reported for the commercial fungicide BC-1000 that is currently employed to combat this disease. Thus, our results suggest that these compounds are potential candidates to be used in the design of new and effective control with inspired natural compounds of this pathogen.

In this paper, we applied a curved-channel microfluidic device to separate DNA from PCR-inhibitor-containing water and simultaneously wash them into clean water for detection using a portable PCR thermocycler. Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling has become an effective surveying approach for detecting rare organisms. However, low concentration eDNA molecules may be masked by PCR inhibitors during amplification and detection, increasing the risk of false negatives. Therefore, technologies for on-site DNA separation and washing are urgently needed. Our device consisted of a half-circle microchannel with a DNA-inhibitor sample inlet, a clean buffer inlet, and multiple outlets. By using the flow-induced inertial forces, 10 μm DNA-conjugated microparticles were focused at the inner-wall of the curved microchannel while separation from 1 μm inhibitor-conjugated microparticles and DNA washing were achieved simultaneously with the Dean flow. We achieved singleplex focusing, isolation and washing of 10 μm particles at an efficiency of 94.5 ± 2.0%. In duplex experiments with 1 μm and 10 μm particles, larger particles were washed with an efficiency of 92.1 ± 1.6% and a purity of 79 ± 2%. By surface-functionalizing the microparticles with affinity groups against Atlantic salmon DNA and humic acid (HA), and processing samples of various concentrations in our device, we achieved an effective purification and detection of DNA molecules using the portable PCR thermocycler. Our method significantly decreased PCR quantitation cycles from Cq > 38 to Cq = 30.35 ± 0.5, which confirmed enhancement of PCR amplification. The proposed device takes a promising step forward in sample preparation towards an integrated device that can be used for simultaneous purification and solution exchange of DNA in point-of-need environmental monitoring applications.

Liza Piper and Lisa Szabo-Jones, eds. Sustaining the West: Cultural Responses to Canadian Environments. Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier UP, 2015. $42.99 CAD. The field of environmental humanities study is, by necessity, an inter-, trans-, and multidisciplinary affair. Emergent scholarship in the area accepts as axiomatic the need to engage with scientific understanding of crises facing the biosphere, and it most often responds obliquely by drawing on a variety of humanities disciplines that focus on culture (including science cultures). But Liza Piper and Lisa Szabo-Jones, editors of the essay collection Sustaining the West: Cultural Responses to Canadian Environments, well understand that the humanities' response to environmental exigency must exceed efforts to build bridges between the arts and sciences--such work must operate beyond narrow forums of specialized expertise, in defiance of institutional blocks to interdisciplinary work and representative of the many cultural voices speaking out on environmental issues. Those three impulses clearly informed the generative event out of which this collection grew, a 2011 workshop held in Edmonton, Alberta and titled "Cross-Pollination: Seeding New Ground for Environmental Thought and Activism Across the Arts and Humanities." It is perhaps this meeting that led to the book's geographical focus on Western Canada, where the contributors work and live. Ethical knowledge and sustainable action, as the editors argue, best arise from critics being present, alert, and patient in order to discover "how cultural forces alternatively mask and reveal particular aspects of a place's history and nature, and to thus participate in a commitment to sustaining them well into the future" (Piper and Szabo-Jones 8). The list of contributors is impressive, indicating a wide range of Western-based writers engaging with diverse ecologies. And the editors succeed in their efforts to represent a spectrum of voices: university-based researchers (usually writing from intersections involving environmental history, ecocriticism, and indigenous studies) offer their perspectives along with visual artists, filmmakers, naturalists, poets, the head of an applied research company, a writing specialist, a digital humanities director, and eco-bloggers. The collection consists of three main sections. Part One, "Acting on Behalf of," involves histories of activism, analyses of interventions, and both research and contemplation as calls for action. The range is compelling: the writers discuss how prairies can recover through near-utopian idealism, Cree and Metis perspectives on place, a conservancy with four bioclimatic zones, the performance of restoration ecology, ecophilosophy and affect, and animals in relation to the sublime, visual art, consciousness, and perception. …

L-iskop ta’ din ir-riċerka hija li tagħti xhieda għall-kontribut li ta l-Oratorju Qalb ta’ Ġesù fil-parroċċa tal-Mosta u lil hinn minnha. Kontribut qawwi, kontinwu u sinifikattiv fit-trawwim tal-fidi fost it-tfal. Kontribut daqstant ieħor kruċjali, żelanti u meħtieġ fil-formazzjoni nisranija u ċivika fost l-adoloxxenti u ż-żgħażagħ. F’dan il-ktieb se ssibu l-istorja ta’ din l-istituzzjoni ewlenija fil-Mosta mifruxa fuq medda ta’ mitt sena bejn l-1914 u l-2016. Matul dan il-perjodu ttieħdu diversi miżuri, inbnew għadd ta’ faċilitajiet u kienu involuti numru kbir ta’ pijunieri u esponenti li ddistingwew ruħhom mhux biss fl-oqsma tal-appostolat u l-volontarjat imma, aktar minnhekk, taw bażi soda u sens ta’ direzzjoni lil eluf ta’ tfal u żgħażagħ. Ħafna mix-xogħol twettaq fid-dell, ħafna mill-inizjattivi ntesew maż-żmien u ħafna mis-sagrifiċċji saru bla ma ħadd induna. Issa kien wasal il-waqt li tinkiteb l-istorja sħiħa u kompluta ta’ dan l-Oratorju biex dak li ġara fl-imgħoddi, jaspira u jħeġġeġ lil dak li għad jiġri fil-ġejjieni. [Silta min-Nota tal-Awtur fuq il-Metodoloġija Applikata], peer-reviewed

vorgelegt von Mario Thomas Lercher Zsfassungen in dt. und engl. Sprache Graz, Univ., Dipl.-Arb., 2014