Location, safety and (non) strangers in gay men’s narratives on ‘hook-up’ apps

Hook-up websites and apps are said to be transforming the sexual lives of gay men and have been linked with the apparent erosion of gay publics as the basis for identity politics and social action. This article examines these dynamics in the interview and focus-group talk of gay men living on the economic and geographical margins of metropolitan gay culture. It offers perspectives on the importance of location – class, generation and space – for the experience of digital media, the negotiation of safety, and the new codifications and elaborations on sex with the (non) stranger; a figure who is not alien, yet not familiar, in sexual sociality. Reflecting on these situated perspectives in connection with debates on the erosion of gay publics, this article argues against monolithic framings of gay men’s sexual lives after digital media

Effects of a high-dose 24-h infusion of tranexamic acid on death and thromboembolic events in patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (HALT-IT): an international randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: Tranexamic acid reduces surgical bleeding and reduces death due to bleeding in patients with trauma. Meta-analyses of small trials show that tranexamic acid might decrease deaths from gastrointestinal bleeding. We aimed to assess the effects of tranexamic acid in patients with gastrointestinal bleeding. Methods: We did an international, multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 164 hospitals in 15 countries. Patients were enrolled if the responsible clinician was uncertain whether to use tranexamic acid, were aged above the minimum age considered an adult in their country (either aged 16 years and older or aged 18 years and older), and had significant (defined as at risk of bleeding to death) upper or lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Patients were randomly assigned by selection of a numbered treatment pack from a box containing eight packs that were identical apart from the pack number. Patients received either a loading dose of 1 g tranexamic acid, which was added to 100 mL infusion bag of 0·9% sodium chloride and infused by slow intravenous injection over 10 min, followed by a maintenance dose of 3 g tranexamic acid added to 1 L of any isotonic intravenous solution and infused at 125 mg/h for 24 h, or placebo (sodium chloride 0·9%). Patients, caregivers, and those assessing outcomes were masked to allocation. The primary outcome was death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation; analysis excluded patients who received neither dose of the allocated treatment and those for whom outcome data on death were unavailable. This trial was registered with Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN11225767, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01658124. Findings: Between July 4, 2013, and June 21, 2019, we randomly allocated 12 009 patients to receive tranexamic acid (5994, 49·9%) or matching placebo (6015, 50·1%), of whom 11 952 (99·5%) received the first dose of the allocated treatment. Death due to bleeding within 5 days of randomisation occurred in 222 (4%) of 5956 patients in the tranexamic acid group and in 226 (4%) of 5981 patients in the placebo group (risk ratio [RR] 0·99, 95% CI 0·82–1·18). Arterial thromboembolic events (myocardial infarction or stroke) were similar in the tranexamic acid group and placebo group (42 [0·7%] of 5952 vs 46 [0·8%] of 5977; 0·92; 0·60 to 1·39). Venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) were higher in tranexamic acid group than in the placebo group (48 [0·8%] of 5952 vs 26 [0·4%] of 5977; RR 1·85; 95% CI 1·15 to 2·98). Interpretation: We found that tranexamic acid did not reduce death from gastrointestinal bleeding. On the basis of our results, tranexamic acid should not be used for the treatment of gastrointestinal bleeding outside the context of a randomised trial

'Giving voice' : exploring enforced occupational change in opera choristers

Within the performing arts, the understanding of 'who we are' and 'what we do' appears less straightforward than in many professions. Performance becomes more than a means of earning a living; it becomes a way of living. This thesis presents a qualitative investigation into enforced occupational change for individual opera choristers and highlights aspects of career disruption that are unique to singers, in that they make their living using a biologically embedded instrument. The consequences of such change are considerable but until now, musical career transition has only been explored within the context of natural development such as the transition from music student to professional musician. This thesis spans three major academic disciplines: Music Psychology, Occupational Psychology and Developmental Psychology in order to present a rich, holistic account of the participants' experiences of unexpected and premature career transition. The thesis comprises two distinct but related empirical studies. Study One investigates the effects of redundancy on seven opera choristers. Study Two is a case study of one singer (Joe) who has been forced to abandon an operatic career due to undiagnosed physical disabilities. The personal aspects of life-changing events are not always addressed by traditional research methodologies. Motivated by these concerns, both studies adopt an idiographic approach and the method used is Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. IPA is concerned with the subjective meanings people ascribe to their experiences, but also recognises the active role of the researcher in gaining access to that window of experience. In Study One, three super-ordinate themes are discussed. 'All about me' examines identity construction for the participants. 'Who's in Control?' examines the participants' attitudes to and expectations of the power structures within the operatic profession. 'Re-defining Me' explores the process of adapting to a changed working environment, whereby three of the singers were able to experience positive growth out of career disruption. In Study Two, three further super-ordinate themes encapsulate the experiences of career transition for Joe. 'Music is Master' deals with the complex relationship between music and performer. 'I love Music, but I don't like to Sing', deepens the understanding of vocal embodiment and what singing means to Joe in the context of his disabled body. 'Staging a Life' examines how Joe moves between stage and real-life to make sense of his experiences. Despite the differing contexts of the investigation, it was seen that the singers from both studies engaged with their life world primarily through interactions between voice, music and the stage which contributed to an established sense of self. Conflicts of power were a major source of disruption to the singers' perception of self. The participants of Study One felt powerless against the control that managements had over their work and personal identity. In Study Two, Joe experienced an internal power conflict between his perception of music as a powerful force to be served and the empowerment he expected as a musical performer. Common to both studies is the question of what it means to be a singer when professional work can longer validate a vocal identity. The participants' individual abilities to re-align established professional values determined their experience of career transition. The thesis concludes that a flexible approach to what it means to be a singer is a key issue in adapting to career transition as well as to the current changes in the contemporary music profession. Recommendations are made for there to be more awareness of the special needs of musicians when faced with career transition and for training institutions to equip students for the demands of the changing music industry.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Meaning of Redundancy for Opera Choristers - an investigation of musical identity in the context of job loss

This study looks at the impact of job loss for seven professional opera choristers. The individual aspects of such change are not always addressed by traditional methodologies. Motivated by these concerns, this study takes an idiographic approach using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). IPA is concerned with the subjective meanings that people ascribe to experiences, but also recognises the active role of the researcher in gaining access to that window of experience. Three main themes emerged from the data analysis but, for the purpose of this presentation, only one theme will be discussed which is ‘Issues of Identity’. This theme looks at the differing levels of importance assigned by the participants to the singing and performing aspects of their work. It also investigates the effect that these varying priorities have on an identity construction when adapting to job loss. Analysis showed that some singers experienced redundancy as a positive change and a chance to develop aspects of the ‘self’ that were not possible in a professional community. Others found difficulty in dealing with the lack of continuity in their identity that was enforced by loss of work

Musical disembodiment: A phenomenological case study investigating the experiences of operatic career disruption due to physical incapacity

The effects of musical career disruption are an increasingly important, yet under-researched, area within music education. This article highlights psychological issues that can negatively affect an operatic career. Existing work has examined the effects of redundancy for opera choristers and confirmed the importance of a flexible approach to identity formation for career longevity. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), this study investigates the effects of career disruption by focussing on the consequences of physical disabilities for one professional opera singer called Joe. Music and musical narratives are utilized as key elements to investigate various aspects of Joe’s music identity. Internal conflicts that can result from a perceived lack of autonomy over musical issues and the effects of bodily malfunction on a vocal identity are discussed as being crucial. Findings also highlight the importance for music educators to help young artists develop a balanced relationship with music and a sustainable identity within music

Identity in crisis: the role of work in the formation and renegotiation of a musical identity

This study presents a qualitative investigation into the effects of enforced occupational change on a professional musical identity. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) is used to explore the meaning of redundancy for six professional opera choristers. The paper highlights aspects of career disruption that are unique to singers who make their living using a biologically embedded instrument. Findings show the ‘opera singer’ identity to be a professional identity which consists of several subjective sub-identities. Adaptation to change is dependent on the salience given to these subjective identities. It is suggested that if more attention is given to these subjective sub-identities during a professional career, musicians may be better prepared for unexpected disruption to an established career pattern