3 research outputs found
Letters and networks : analysing Olive Schreiner's epistolary networks.
This thesis analyses letters and other archival material associated with Olive Schreiner
(1855-1920) and her network(s) to conceptualise and theorise aspects of "letterness" and
networks. Its premise is that such qualitative micro-level analysis of letters and other
historical documents can contribute effectively to contemporary thinking about both
epistolarity and social networks and their analysis. Using the existing literatures on
Schreiner, epistolarity and social network analysis as a starting point, the analysis of letters
and other relevant archival material is used to inform the setting of analytical boundaries.
Then five examples of Schreiner-related networks – the Lytton to Carpenter letters, the Great
War letters to Aletta Jacobs, letters of the Men and Women‟s Club, women‟s letters to Jan
Smuts, and letters in the Schreiner-Hemming family collection - are analysed to demonstrate
the validity of the premise and to contribute in an innovative and in-depth way to conceptual
and theoretical ideas in the field. In doing so, the thesis offers an in-depth analysis of letters
and networks in a variety of historical social contexts, identifying key features within each
network and exploring whether these are case-specific or generalizable in theoretical terms.
This thesis argues that many existing concepts such as those of reciprocity, brokering,
bridging, gatekeeping and dyads can be teased out in an analytically helpful way by using
letters to reveal the variations and nuances of these concepts in micro-levels interactions. It
also considers network size, arguing that existing assessments of this based on frequency of
contact, emotional intensity and time since last contact are not in fact particularly important
in relation to the analysis of these networks and their epistolary communications. Rather, it is
what happens in networks and the letters associated with them, with network members using
and deploying their letter-writing in strategic and instrumentally ways. The key arguments
made by the thesis concerning letters and networks are: that the size of a network is
important but not deterministic; that the balance of reciprocity in letter exchanges and
correspondence is highly complex, with this emergent through letter-exchanges, letter
content and also enclosures of different kinds; that the purpose of a network and the
existence of central figures within it creates propulsions and constraints; that brokering is
neither necessarily positive nor always proactive action; that the complex nature of
interpersonal ties and how these change over time affects both letters and networks; that
letters and their writers can be future-orientated rather than retrospectively focused; and, that
this orientation towards the future can influence decisions concerning the retention and
archivisation of letters - a fundamental issue in epistolary research - and subsequently what
can be gleaned from them concerning networks
Ophthalmology research in the UK’s National Health Service: the structure and performance of the NIHR’s Ophthalmology research portfolio
Purpose-
To report on the composition and performance of the portfolio of Ophthalmology research studies in the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network (UK CRN).
Methods-
Ophthalmology studies open to recruitment between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2018 were classified by: sub-specialty, participant age, gender of Chief Investigator, involvement of genetic investigations, commercial/ non-commercial, interventional/observational design. Frequency distributions for each covariate and temporal variation in recruitment to time and target were analysed.
Results-
Over 8 years, 137,377 participants were recruited (average of 15,457 participants/year; range: 5485–32,573) with growth by year in proportion of commercial studies and hospital participation in England (76% in 2017/18). Fourteen percent of studies had a genetic component and most studies (82%) included only adults. The majority of studies (41%) enrolled patients with retinal diseases, followed by glaucoma (17%), anterior segment and cataract (13%), and ocular inflammation (6%). Overall, 68% of non-commercial studies and 55% of commercial studies recruited within the anticipated time set by the study and also recruited to or exceeded the target number of participants.
Conclusions-
High levels of clinical research activity, growth and improved performance have been observed in Ophthalmology in UK over the past 8 years. Some sub-specialties that carry substantial morbidity and a very high burden on NHS services are underrepresented and deserve more patient-centred research. Yet the NIHR and its CRN Ophthalmology National Specialty Group has enabled key steps in achieving the goal of embedding research into every day clinical care