Presidents of the Royal Academy of Dance 1920-2001: the contribution of Genée, Fonteyn and Sibley to the growth and development of the Academy.

As Presidents of the Royal Academy of Dance Adeline Genée, Margot Fonteyn and Antoinette Sibley have all had an impact on its development. This thesis exposes key phases and stages in the history of the RAD, identifying and exploring a number of common as well as distiguishing characteristics in its evolution. The presidential selection process is reviewed in order to establish a rationale for their appointment in preference to other high profile contenders. Influenced by the Academy's aspiration to achieve status equivalent to its sister arts, the RAD mode of presidency is not only that of figurehead, but significantly, also that of protagonist, masterminding initiatives devised to increase public awareness, academic recognition and financial security. Without more specific terms of reference, guidelines, or rules for the presidential position, the thesis draws attention to ways in which, over a span of eighty one years, Genée, Fonteyn and Sibley became the architects of their posts, designing and fashioning unique roles which are examined in depth. Crucial to the invesigation of the Presidents' contribution, and for their individual roles within the Academy's life, is the concept of relevance. This is explored both in terms of the time-span of office and in relation to the Academy's original intent, which was, and arguably still is, to improve the standard of classical ballet teaching. The manner of the three Presidents' response to the Academy's practical and philosophical stance has proved an important consideration in determining the extent of success achieved during their term in office. While ackowledging the need to promote a contemporary image in the twenty-first century, the Academy has become more complex and competitive. Consequently the challenges facing the presidency are greater. Overall, the research has provided an invaluable insight that might be considered in making future presidential appointments. It has also drawn attention to the President's link with the theatre that has, in turn, contributed to the Academy's credibility in the arts world

Anticlerical illustrations and visual satire in ‘anti-Jewish affairs’

This thesis investigates the expression of anticlerical ideas in visual satire of ‘anti-Jewish’ political affairs in France between 1880 and 1906. Focusing predominantly on the Dreyfus polemic in Third Republican France, it responds to the following questions: what anticlerical ideas were articulated in the cartoons and illustrations? Why were they being expressed? How were these represented visually? The role of the Church and the religious press, secularisation and laicisation, notions of identity, leftist intellectual hubs, and how the clergy were represented are examined in the satirical art. Antimilitary ideas, a key theme in Dreyfusard protests, are also scrutinised in the art. Images from periodicals, newspapers, posters, postcards and book illustrations are examined from the period in question as well as material drawn from anti-Jewish controversies between 1840 and 1914. Henri-Gabriel Ibels’ work forms a major component of the data which incorporates Dreyfusard and anti-Dreyfusard satirical art. The main pillar has a supplementary dimension in discerning whether a flow of ideas existed between Ibels’ work and leading Dreyfusard, Emile Zola. Zola’s open letters à la jeunesse and à la France are used as main sources to his thinking. A secondary pillar interrogates the polemical art to examine competing representations of the Jewish individual and Jewishness amidst the socio-political tensions of modernising Europe. The study decodes the visual tropes and narratives to ‘other’ the Jew at this formative moment in the history of the French nation-state

Gender differences in understanding and acceptance of robot-assisted surgery

Robot-assisted surgery has numerous patient benefits compared to open surgery including smaller incisions, lower risk of infection, less post-operative pain, shorter hospital stays and a quicker return to the workforce. As such, it has become the first-choice surgical modality for several surgical procedures with the most common being prostatectomy and hysterectomy. However, research has identified that the perceptions of robot-assisted surgery among surgical patients and medical staff often do not accurately reflect the real-world situation. This study aimed to understand male and female perceptions of robot-assisted surgery with the objective of identifying the factors that might inhibit or facilitate the acceptance of robotic surgery. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 25 men/women from diverse social/ethnic backgrounds. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The majority of female participants expressed concerns in relation to the safety and perception of new technology in surgery, whereas many male participants appeared to be unfazed by the notion of robotic surgery. There were clear differences in how males and females understood and conceptualised the robot-assisted surgical process. Whilst male participants tended to humanise the process, female participants saw it as de-humanising. There is still a discrepancy between the public perceptions of robotic surgery and the clinical reality perceived by healthcare professionals. The findings will educate medical staff and support the development of current informative techniques given to patients prior to surgery

Knowledge of the risk factors and symptons associated with endometrial cancer in British South Asian and British white women

ABSTRACT Objective: To explore differences in the background knowledge of Endometrial Cancer (EC), its risk factors, symptoms and prognosis of Endometrial Cancer (EC) between British White (BW) and British South Asian (BSA) women who had undergone treatment for stage I endometrial cancer within the past 3-years. Study design: Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews exploring knowledge; diagnosis; treatment; follow-up; and survivorship were undertaken and analysed using Thematic Analysis. Results: Twenty-one women were interviewed (13 BW and 8 BSA). BW and BSA women reported similar views, experiences and concerns with regards to EC. Knowledge appeared to differ amongst the two groups with BSA women reporting being more aware that unscheduled vaginal bleeding could be associated with a malignancy but having lower levels of knowledge of the risk factors that can lead to EC, compared to BW women. There was a lack of understanding of the difference between cervical cancer and EC and as a result, many women reported taking reassurance from negative cervical cytology as excluding EC and there was also the misconception amongst some of the women that there was a link between sexual behaviour and EC. Women from both groups used the lay healthcare system to discuss their situation/symptoms, however BSA women reported to have specifically sought out women within their social network who had previously undergone treatment for EC. Conclusions: Greater effort is needed to raise awareness in both the BW/BSA communities of the symptoms associated with EC that should prompt medical review. Educational efforts are required to overcome the reported perception that EC is synonymous with cervical cancer and cannot be detected by cervical screening