"If we use the strength of diversity among researchers we can only improve the quality and impact of our research": Issues of equality, diversity, inclusion, and transparency in the process of applying for research funding

This paper sets out the recommendations that have emerged from a six-month-long exploration and discussion of the processes that take place before research is submitted for funding: the ‘pre-award’ environment. Our work concentrated on how this environment is experienced by researchers at all career stages and from a variety of backgrounds, demographics, and disciplines, as well as by research managers and research support professionals. In the later stages of our exploration, representatives from research funders were also involved in the discussions. The primary component of this project was an analysis of pre-award activities and processes at UK universities, using information collated from workshops with researchers and research management and support staff. The findings of this analysis were presented as a workflow diagram, which was then used to surface issues relating to equality, diversity, inclusion, and transparency in context. The workflow diagram and the issues highlighted by it were used to structure discussions at a symposium for a range of research stakeholders, held in Bristol, UK, in January 2023. The recommendations set out in this paper are drawn from discussions that took place at that event. This paper is not an exhaustive landscape analysis, nor a review of existing research and practice in the area of pre-award processes or of recent thinking on the topics of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Instead, it aims to summarise and encapsulate the suggestions put forward by the stakeholders during the symposium. These recommendations, from experienced professionals working in the field, are based on their encounters with the issues raised in the project. They do not solely relate to those working on pre-award processes, but may also apply to funders, policymakers, university leaders, and professional associations, since many of the challenges flagged in our research are systemic and cultural, and reach far beyond the research office

Motifs, Themes and Variations: In Search of the Evil Woman in The Tempest and Die Zauberflöte

This dissertation focuses on two major works of the European canon, Shakespeare’s The Tempest, written in 1611 for the Jacobean stage and Mozart/Schikaneder’s Singspiel, Die Zauberflöte, composed for the Theatre auf der Wieden in Vienna in 1791, and examines the grounds for a comparative analysis of the two works. Despite inviting comparison due to their structural and thematic similarity, very little scholarship has been devoted towards establishing a comparative reading of these works. In this dissertation, the grounds for these parallelisms between the texts have been first identified, and the methodological framework of thematic analysis has been discussed in detail to differentiate between structural elements such as themes and motifs, so as to enable an in-depth analysis of the common themes and motifs between The Tempest and Die Zauberflöte. Finally, on the basis of establishing thematic similarity and identifying dominant motifs associated with each character, this dissertation also attempts to understand the motifs employed in the characterisation of Sycorax and the Queen of the Night that render them as ‘evil,’ and concludes that a complimentary reading of The Tempest and Die Zauberflöte goes some way in being able to contextualise these female characters and identifies scope for future work in order to further establish the link between these works

<i>Singspiel</i> as Practice: Italian Opera in German Translation 1783-1800

This thesis examines the circulation and reception of Italian operas in German translation in the late eighteenth century (c.1783-1800) and investigates their role in the development of German opera in the early nineteenth century. To this end, I frame my narrative within the concept of cultural transfer to highlight how mediators and agents across the German-speaking lands enabled a gradual diffusion of boundaries between the North German and Viennese Singspiel by the turn of the century.In the first chapter, I use a hub-and-spoke model of transmission centred on Vienna to substantiate the role played by Vienna in the circulation of Italian opera in the late eighteenth century and frame these trajectories as ‘operatic conversations’ between Vienna and Pressburg to its east as well as Bonn and Hamburg to its north. In the second chapter, I focus on Vienna, investigating German translations of popular Italian operas in the background of the rivalry between the Nationaltheater and suburban theatres. I then explore the institution of Adelstheater using the example of the Erdődy theatre in Pressburg (1785-1789) and the links between its repertory of German-language works and Vienna. I further investigate this connection in the fourth chapter using two libretti from the Erdődy theatre and show the impact of printed scores in the establishment of an accepted version of a work using the example of Sarti’s Giulio Sabino. In the case of Salieri’s Axur, Re d’Ormus, I establish that the Pressburg translation, hitherto not known to have been circulated beyond Pressburg and Pest, was integrated into the 1797 Vienna production alongside the more well-established North German translation by Heinrich Gottlieb Schmieder. In the fifth and final chapter, I summarise the role of Viennese repertories in the Bonn and Hamburg Spielpläne and illustrate how the growing popularity of piano reduction scores of Italian operas with bilingual text helped establish an accepted translation and aided widespread domestic consumption of these works. In summary, my thesis contributes to scholarship on late eighteenth-century Italian opera and Singspiel by examining the circulation of Italian operas in German translation, highlighting various networks of transmission and establishing their role in the development of early nineteenth-century German opera. </p

Dataset for the Southampton doctoral thesis &#39;Singspiel as Practice: Italian opera in German translation 1783-1800&#39;

&#x202F;This dataset accompanies the Ph.D. diss. titled _Singspiel_ as Practice: Italian Opera in German Translation 1783-1800. All four datasheets can be read on MS Excel. An Introduction sheet prefaces both workbooks with details of contributors, explanation of blank cells and source materials used. https://doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/D2838</span

Prospective observational cohort study on grading the severity of postoperative complications in global surgery research

Background The Clavien–Dindo classification is perhaps the most widely used approach for reporting postoperative complications in clinical trials. This system classifies complication severity by the treatment provided. However, it is unclear whether the Clavien–Dindo system can be used internationally in studies across differing healthcare systems in high- (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods This was a secondary analysis of the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), a prospective observational cohort study of elective surgery in adults. Data collection occurred over a 7-day period. Severity of complications was graded using Clavien–Dindo and the simpler ISOS grading (mild, moderate or severe, based on guided investigator judgement). Severity grading was compared using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Data are presented as frequencies and ICC values (with 95 per cent c.i.). The analysis was stratified by income status of the country, comparing HICs with LMICs. Results A total of 44 814 patients were recruited from 474 hospitals in 27 countries (19 HICs and 8 LMICs). Some 7508 patients (16·8 per cent) experienced at least one postoperative complication, equivalent to 11 664 complications in total. Using the ISOS classification, 5504 of 11 664 complications (47·2 per cent) were graded as mild, 4244 (36·4 per cent) as moderate and 1916 (16·4 per cent) as severe. Using Clavien–Dindo, 6781 of 11 664 complications (58·1 per cent) were graded as I or II, 1740 (14·9 per cent) as III, 2408 (20·6 per cent) as IV and 735 (6·3 per cent) as V. Agreement between classification systems was poor overall (ICC 0·41, 95 per cent c.i. 0·20 to 0·55), and in LMICs (ICC 0·23, 0·05 to 0·38) and HICs (ICC 0·46, 0·25 to 0·59). Conclusion Caution is recommended when using a treatment approach to grade complications in global surgery studies, as this may introduce bias unintentionally

The surgical safety checklist and patient outcomes after surgery: a prospective observational cohort study, systematic review and meta-analysis

© 2017 British Journal of Anaesthesia Background: The surgical safety checklist is widely used to improve the quality of perioperative care. However, clinicians continue to debate the clinical effectiveness of this tool. Methods: Prospective analysis of data from the International Surgical Outcomes Study (ISOS), an international observational study of elective in-patient surgery, accompanied by a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature. The exposure was surgical safety checklist use. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality and the secondary outcome was postoperative complications. In the ISOS cohort, a multivariable multi-level generalized linear model was used to test associations. To further contextualise these findings, we included the results from the ISOS cohort in a meta-analysis. Results are reported as odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals. Results: We included 44 814 patients from 497 hospitals in 27 countries in the ISOS analysis. There were 40 245 (89.8%) patients exposed to the checklist, whilst 7508 (16.8%) sustained ≥1 postoperative complications and 207 (0.5%) died before hospital discharge. Checklist exposure was associated with reduced mortality [odds ratio (OR) 0.49 (0.32–0.77); P\u3c0.01], but no difference in complication rates [OR 1.02 (0.88–1.19); P=0.75]. In a systematic review, we screened 3732 records and identified 11 eligible studies of 453 292 patients including the ISOS cohort. Checklist exposure was associated with both reduced postoperative mortality [OR 0.75 (0.62–0.92); P\u3c0.01; I2=87%] and reduced complication rates [OR 0.73 (0.61–0.88); P\u3c0.01; I2=89%). Conclusions: Patients exposed to a surgical safety checklist experience better postoperative outcomes, but this could simply reflect wider quality of care in hospitals where checklist use is routine

Critical care admission following elective surgery was not associated with survival benefit: prospective analysis of data from 27 countries

This was an investigator initiated study funded by Nestle Health Sciences through an unrestricted research grant, and by a National Institute for Health Research (UK) Professorship held by RP. The study was sponsored by Queen Mary University of London