Malta’s megaliths have attracted droves of archaeology and history enthusiasts over the years, all clamouring for the rich narrative our little rock has to offer. Shelby Marter talks to Prof. Nicholas Vella and his team as they dig up the past in Kordin and attempt to piece together long lost stories. Photography by Faisal Sadegh and Dr Edward Duca.
A magnificent feat of engineering, the LHC goes where no other machine has gone before.
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The Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and the Institute of Space Sciences & Astronomy (ISSA; both at the University of Malta) have just acquired a 5.3m dual-reflector parabolic dish, as part of a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) project to extend postgraduate research lab facilities. The radio telescope will now allow students and researchers to study celestial objects such as the sun or the centre of the galaxy through the radio waves they emit.
| Quick Specs |
| Dish diameter: 5.3m
Feed horns: L-Band and K-band Gain: 44 dBi @ 4GHz Observing modes: Continuum and line observation Total weight (including pedestal): 1900 kg Surface accuracy: 0.5mm PC-based automated control unit |
When pointed to a radio-loud celestial object (an object which emits large amounts of radio waves, such as the sun), the telescope will receive radio waves from these sources and convert them to voltage readings in the feed. The converted signal is then transmitted to a digitiser that converts these signals into bits and bytes.
The digitised signals are then processed and broken down into the different frequency counterparts (similar to what a car radio does with the radio waves it receives from its antenna), which allows for continuum observation of the skies above. The telescope provides a test-bed for several research initiatives being undertaken at ISSA.
Some of its specialisations include improving the hardware and software processing back-ends for radio telescopes. The on-site telescope can speed up this sort of research immensely. ISSA is part of the largest radio telescope project in the world: the SKA (Square Kilometre Array).
Around 13% of all internet searches can be linked to keywords related to erotic material, while by 2017 it is estimated that about a quarter of a billion people will be accessing pornography on mobile devices. While by far not a recent phenomenon, the widespread use and growth of the internet has made pornography common and easy to access. So why pornography? What more do we really need to know? And what is the point of such research anyway? From a psychological point of view, the visible increase of use needs to be studied, particularly in Malta, since very little research has been conducted.
Nicola Falzon (supervised by Dr Nicholas Briffa) focused her undergraduate research on the attitudes towards pornography; she looked into the literature regarding the effects of addiction, among other psychological implications. Despite the grave implications the field may imply, this study showed that not all effects are necessarily detrimental. University of Malta (UoM) students were found to have a fairly relaxed and liberal attitude towards it.
Raw data was collected through online surveys, of which 261 UoM students participated. The data was analysed using SPSS and data sets were compared between males and females, older and younger adults, and then compared to previous local and international research. Similar to information obtained through literature reviews, the results showed significant differences in the attitude towards pornography between men and women. Males were shown to watch pornography more frequently and had a more positive attitude, while females considered pornography to be harmful. However, both males and females answered similarly on the majority of survey statements.
Attitudes towards porn might be more similar than previously assumed. There were no significant age differences in the frequency of use or views of porn as harmful. Younger adults displayed a more positive attitude to porn than their older counterparts. Finally, while most female respondents agreed that access to pornography should be restricted, a strong majority did not agree it should be illegal.
So, what is the point of such research in the first place? Primarily, further studies into pornography can contribute towards the field of psychology, first by deepening the understanding of the phenomena, and secondly because it directly effects how treatment can be improved when porn causes a negative effect. Also, new methods of therapy and counselling could be developed to help with addiction that can cause relationship issues. Other problems include excessive masturbation that can lead to isolation from real life relationships and sexual practice. Research can also help influence changes in social policy, for example by including ‘Porn Literacy’ in sex education—currently absent. In Malta, 41% of 16- to 18-year-olds are sexually active; many learnt about sexual practices and pleasure from the internet, films, and video. It is no longer convenient to remain naïve at the expense of public health.