This study examined six- and 12-month levels of adherence to physical activity, functional changes, and psychosocial determinants of physical activity in 176 older adults who participated in the “Get Fit for Active Living (GFAL)” pilot program. Functional and psychosocial measures were conducted in person at six months; psychosocial measures and physical activity participation were assessed by telephone interview at 12 months. Ninety-five per cent were retained in the study at the six-month follow-up, and 88 per cent at 12 months. The self-reported adherence rate to exercise at 12 months was 66 per cent. The main reason for continued exercise participation was to maintain health (45%). Reasons for nonadherence were illness (38%) and lack of motivation (32%). Results identify factors associated with positive behaviour change that health promoters can utilize when targeting the older adult population. The GFAL project results can serve as a model for sustainable, community-based older-adult exercise programs.

This study examined factors affecting adherence in a 16-week tai chi program among multi-ethnic middle-aged and older adults living in a low socioeconomic environment in Toronto. Analysis was based on data collected from three tai chi program cohorts that took place from August 2009 to March 2012. The main outcome variable, adherence, was measured by the total number of sessions attended by each of the participants. Total sample size was 210 participants with a mean age of 68.1 ± 8.6. Based on the regression model, greater adherence was significantly associated with older age, greater perceived stress, higher education, and higher mental and physical scores of Short Form-36 components. Conversely, lower adherence was significantly associated with higher baseline weekly physical activity. Our findings suggest that we target less-educated individuals with poor mental and physical health to optimize adherence for future community-based tai chi programs.

In this paper, composites based on unsaturated polyester resin reinforced with short Alfa fibers are studied in detail. Alfa fibers have been previously treated with various concentrations NaOH (1, 3, 5, 7%) during 24 h. The influence of alkali treatment on fiber morphology is analyzed. Analysis by FTIR and X-ray diffraction showed physico-chemical changes in Alfa fiber treated surfaces. SEM observations also helped to highlight these changes. The results of static tests on composites showed improvements in tensile and flexural strengths of composites reinforced with the treated fibers, particularly the composite with treated fibers at 7% NaOH. These improvements were about 30% and 50%, respectively, compared to untreated fiber reinforced composite.

This article presents an overview of the psychosocial factors that influence older people’s participation in physical activity interventions to prevent falls. The importance of psychosocial factors is stressed inasmuch as interventions will be rendered useless if they do not successfully gain the active participation of older people. The theory of planned behavior is used as a framework for the review on how knowledge (a prerequisite), attitudes, subjective norms (the social context), and perceived behavioral control (confidence) promote or inhibit the intention to carry out activities to prevent falls. The review is supplemented with evidence for self-identity to influence intention, and the article concludes with a discussion of the recommendations made by the Prevention of Falls Network Europe for engaging older people in falls prevention.

L’assemblage des rails de chemin de fer se fait généralement à travers un procédé desoudage par aluminothermie. Ce procédé consiste en la coulée de métal de jonction entreles deux extrémités de rails à assembler. La qualité de cet assemblage dépend étroitementdes conditions de la réalisation qui sont généralement difficiles à respecter. En effet,les techniques classiques de contrôle des rails, mettent souvent, en évidence la présencedes défauts de soudure dans la jonction. Selon les observations, ces défauts peuvent êtreclassés en deux types : défauts d’adhésion (ou défauts de collage) et défauts de porosité(ou défauts de soufflures multiples). Chacun de ces défauts, peut constituer un siteprivilégié de concentration des contraintes. Selon le niveau de ces contraintes, deséventuels processus d’endommagement risquent de se développer et mettant le rail horsservice. Il semble donc nécessaire de modéliser le comportement mécanique de ces souduresavec ces défauts en vue de les classer par leur criticité. Dans cette étude, nous avonsdonc modélisé avec un même chargement et avec les mêmes conditions aux limites, lajonction de soudure pour chaque type de défaut. Les résultats obtenus sont très concluantset permettent de bien orienter l’approfondissement de notre analyse coté paramètres desoudage.

We studied the relationship between caregivers' personal and social resources and facilitation of adherence by elderly care recipients to a prescribed health regimen. Adherence facilitation was measured among 240 caregivers on a 45-item instrument constructed for this research. The facilitation score was regressed on caregivers' role-specific self-concept (e.g., caregiver competence), informal social network support, utilization of the informal network as a lay referral system, formal network support, and reported health status of the care recipient. Background variables and health beliefs were considered as control variables. The resource variable best correlated with adherence facilitation was the personal resource of caregiver competence — perception of oneself as a good caregiver — followed by two social resources: support of the professional health care provider and the presence of a lay referral system (R2 = 0.37). Thus, although the care recipient is the beneficiary of adherence facilitation, the caregiving characteristics of the caregiver appear to affect its extent.

Dans le collage, deux pièces sont assemblées par le dépôt d'une couche fine (typiquement 20−100 μm) d'adhésif qui peut être de fort module (GPa) ou de faible module (MPa) suivant le type d'assemblage souhaité. Afin d'évaluer la tenue mécanique de cet assemblage, il doit être soumis à un test destructif destiné à rompre le joint adhésif et à séparer les deux pièces. Comme le matériau composant l'adhésif est invariablement un polymère, il est important d'étudier la résistance à la rupture d'une couche de polymère confinée. Dans cet article nous discutons brièvement l'état de l'art sur la rupture des polymères vitreux et des élastomères dans une géométrie confinée. Dans ce type de géométrie plusieurs effets spécifiques sont observés lors de la rupture du joint : d'une part les contraintes internes dans la couche jouent un rôle essentiel et peuvent profondément modifier les mécanismes de rupture, d'autre part le fort degré de triaxialité de la contrainte favorise la nucléation de cavités. Cette cavitation, favorisée pour tous les types de polymères, est particulièrement prononcée pour les élastomères.