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Many older people in Britain spend Christmas day alone. The Christmas period may be especially difficult for older people who are socially isolated, living with dementia or who have physical impairments, and may feel particularly marginalised at this time of year. This paper draws on evaluative research findings from a community Christmas event held in December 2014 at the University of Salford for older people and their carers who would be on their own on Christmas day. A multi-method approach was employed, seven guests took part in semi-structured interviews to explore their experiences and perceptions of the event, seven staff and student volunteers participated in a group interview to explore and discuss their participation in the event. Data collection took place during April and May 2015. Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis. Three overarching themes were identified from the interviews: 'reasons for participants attending the event', 'a different Christmas day: the impact on guests and volunteers', and 'learning, planning and moving forwards'. The findings illustrate that a range of people participated in the Christmas day event for a variety of reasons. The event itself had a positive impact, including the shared experience of social belonging, for all involved. There are tangible longer term benefits as a result of the event, such as ongoing contact between participants and the development of supportive networks in the local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, experimental and numerical investigations on the vibration characteristics of a drill pipe during the lowering of a subsea Xmas tree were presented. A fourth-order partial differential equation with variable coefficients was established based on Euler–Bernoulli beam theory. The natural frequencies and mode shapes are obtained by using the differential transformation method. Four drill pipe models of different sizes were used in the experiments which were measured using piezoelectric acceleration sensors and fiber Bragg grating sensors, respectively. The factors that affect the natural frequencies and mode shapes, such as length, diameter, lumped mass, and boundary conditions, were analyzed. The results show that all factors have remarkable effects on the natural frequency, but changes in the length and diameter of the pipe have little effect on the mode shapes; the main factors affecting the mode shape are the boundary conditions and lumped mass. The results of the numerical calculation were validated by a comparison with the experimental results and showed good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the celebration of Christmas. He stated that in the month of December, the focus should not just merely on the closeness of families, friends, and good fortune but also on those less fortunate. He added that for those making decisions that affected the many but do not touch themselves, it is time to reflect on their personal impact rather than the political atlas. The author also cited the difference in decision making in the medical and politics.