'Otherwise it would be nothing but cruises': Exploring the subjective benefits of working beyond 65

The age at which statutory and private pensions are being paid is increasing in many countries so more people will need to work into their late 60s and beyond. Currently, relatively little is known about the meanings of work for people who actively choose to work into their later life. This qualitative study examined the subjective benefits of continuing in a paid job or self-employment beyond the age of 65 in the UK. Thirty one participants were interviewed, aged 65-91 years (median age 71), with 11 females and 20 males. Fourteen were working full-time; seventeen part-time. Interview transcripts were subject to thematic analysis. Although financial reward was acknowledged (more so by the female participants and the males who had young second families), there was more elaboration of the role of work in maintaining health, and enabling continuing personal development. Work was framed as increasing personal control over later life, lifestyle choices and active participation in wider society, an antithesis to ‘cruising’.The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (UK)

Rho-meson, Bethe-Salpeter equation, and the far infrared

The Bethe-Salpeter equation in QCD connects the gauge-dependent gluon and quark degrees of freedom with the gauge-invariant properties of mesons. We study the rho meson mass and decay constant for various versions of the gauge-dependent input functions discussed in the literature, which start to differ generically below the hadronic scale, and show qualitative different infrared behavior. We find that, once the gauge-dependent quark-gluon vertex is permitted to vary as well, the rho mass and decay constant is reproduced equally well for all forms investigated. A possible conclusion from this is that these $\rho$-meson properties are only sensitive to changes in the input at scales above a few hundred MeV.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; introduction and conclusion modified, some details and one figure panel added, some further minor modifications and added references, version to appear in PR

The QCD chiral transition temperature in a Dyson-Schwinger-equation context

We analyze the chiral phase transition with the help of the QCD gap equation. Various models for the effective interaction in rainbow truncation are contrasted with regard to the resulting chiral transition temperatures. In particular, we investigate possible systematic relations of the details of the effective interaction and the value of T_c. In addition, we quantify changes to the transition temperature beyond the rainbow truncation.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Enabling occupational therapy students to take a fresh approach to psychosis

This practice evaluation describes the implementation of a 2-day workshop on psychosis with third-year undergraduate occupational therapy students at Brunel University. The work was undertaken by the teaching team at Brunel University, a clinical psychologist working in assertive outreach and an occupational therapist working in community mental health. The background to the project and the way in which the 2-day workshop was adapted to accommodate the university timetable are outlined. An evaluation of the workshop, its place in the occupational therapy programme and the feedback from students are presented

Light-meson properties from the Bethe-Salpeter equation

We discuss how to extract observables from an inhomogeneous vertex Bethe-Salpeter equation without resorting to the corresponding homogeneous equation. As an example we present a prediction for the $e^+e^-$ decay width of the $\rho(1450)$ or $\rho'$ meson. We also attempt to identify the momentum range contributing to a vector meson's decay constant.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figures, talk presented at the conference "Quark Confinement and the Hadron Spectrum IX", Madrid, Spain, 30th of August-3rd of September 2010; submitted to the proceeding

‘Without occupation you don't exist’: Occupational engagement and mental illness

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.This phenomenological study explores the meanings of work for people living with severe and enduring mental health conditions. The participants were three women and seven men who were attending a mental health day centre. Data were collected through up to three depth interviews with each participant over 18 months. The interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed according to phenomenological principles. Two overarching themes were identified. Building and maintaining an occupational identity expressed the ways in which participants used occupations as the building blocks of an evolving identity. Most of the participants wanted to work, and participation in occupations was seen as essential to recovery from mental ill-health. Work and other ways of belonging encapsulated the need to feel connected to others. Many of the participants envisaged working as a way of achieving this. The longitudinal nature of the study facilitated engagement with the developing narratives and exploration of the changes and consistencies in the participants' meaning making about their occupations. Implications for understanding individuals' occupational participation which enhances a sense of self and promotes feelings of belonging are identified

The meaning and experience of work in the context of severe and enduring mental health problems: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

This is the author's final version of the article. The final publication is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2013 IOS Press and the Authors.Research into mental health and employment has indicated that work holds multiple meanings for people with mental health problems. This paper reports findings from a phenomenological study which aimed to understand the complexity of these meanings by exploration of the perspectives of one individual who was considering returning to work. Data were gathered through a series of three interviews carried out over a period of 18 months. Three themes were identified – Beliefs and Values about Work, Working with a Mental Health Problem, and Planning for the Future. Analysis and interpretation facilitated understandings of what work represented for the participant. What this study has contributed to the evidence base is a deeper understanding of the multiple meanings of work, and the varied roles that work may play in contributing to meaning and quality of life for people with mental health problems

In-situ growth studies of sputtered ybco thin films by spectroscopic ellipsometry

Using spectroscopic ellipsometry we studied in-situ the growth of off-axis sputtered YBa2Cu3O6+x thin films on (001) SrTiO3 as a function of the deposition parameters. Especially in the very first growth stage (<5 nm) we observed that the optical properties of the grown layer differs from the "bulk" optical properties of YBCO and strongly depends on, both, the deposition temperature and the oxygen partial pressure. Both properties are well established as influencing the superconducting properties of thin YBCO films. YBCO thin film growth under optimal deposition conditions (Tcnot, vert, similar90 K; jc>106A cm¿2 @ 77 K) is smooth and homogeneous, except for the first unit cell layer (initial stage regime). The smoothness of the response is indicative for a step-mode like growth mechanism. In contrast, the initial stage regime is governed by a 2D nucleation mechanism. This behaviour changes when the deposition temperature is lowered. Due to increased disorder, the initial stage regime is extended to larger thicknesses and a true 2D growth mode is no longer apparent. Similar behaviour is observed with increasing oxygen partial pressure, where the optical response is shifted from a step-flow mode like mechanism to an island-growth mode