Systematic review of beliefs, behaviours and influencing factors associated with disclosure of a mental health problem in the workplace

Stigma and discrimination present an important barrier to finding and keeping work for individuals with a mental health problem. This paper reviews evidence on: 1) employment-related disclosure beliefs and behaviours of people with a mental health problem; 2) factors associated with the disclosure of a mental health problem in the employment setting; 3) whether employers are less likely to hire applicants who disclose a mental health problem; and 4) factors influencing employers' hiring beliefs and behaviours towards job applicants with a mental health problem

Ποιότητα ζωής και ψυχική υγεία των μητέρων με παιδί/ά στο φάσμα του αυτισμού: Επισκόπηση ευρημάτων [Quality of life and mental health of mothers of children within the autism spectrum: A research review]

The present paper is a critical review of a representative corpus of studies extending from the '70s until today, that examine the quality of life and mental health of parents, and especially mothers who raise at least one child with autism. This review aims at identifying the factors influencing mental health and perceived quality of life of parents with children within the autistic spectrum, drawing on the theoretical model of quality of life developed by Zissi & Barry (2006). This theoretical model posits that quality of life is associated with a variety of factors such as; a), objective living conditions that relate to family socio-economic status and its type, the severity of autism, and the access to therapeutic services, and b) socio-psychological processes that relate to the different explanatory models, the hardiness, the general life outlook and the quality of ties. This model predicts that socio-psychological processes mediate the relationship between objective living conditions, mental health and subjective evaluations of quality of life

Different training programs for improving muscular performance in healthy inactive elderly

Abstract. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether a general conditioning (callisthenic exercise) versus a machine based resistance-training protocol or an isokinetic exercise program would be similarly effective in improving knee extension muscular performance in healthy inactive elderly. Fifty two individuals, 26 men and 26 women, were randomly assigned to one of four groups: control group (C, n = 10), the isokinetic strengthening group (ISO, n = 12), the multi-joint resistance training group (RES, n = 15) and the calisthenic exercised group (CAL, n = 15). The training protocol for the ISO included concentric isokinetic extension and flexion of the knee, for the RES included leg extension, leg curls and leg press and for the CAL included aerobic exercise accompanied with music, general calisthenics and activities targeted to reaction time and agility improvement. The isokinetic concentric testing method applied prior to and at the end of the training period to assess peak muscle torque of the right knee extensors. MANOVA repeated measures (2 × 4, time by treatment) revealed that at 60 • /s angular velocity there was statistically significant improvement in performance for the RES group in comparison to control group. At 180 • /s angular velocity the results revealed, statistically significant improvement in performance for the RES and ISO group also. In conclusion, in older adults isokinetic exercise and resistance training results in larger increases in strength compared with callisthenic exercise

Actionneurs miniatures à alliages à mémoire de forme fabriqués par microstéréophotolithographie

A new method for the fabrication of actuators has been implemented. It is based on polymer structures built using microstereophotolithography ($\mu$SPL) integrating Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) elements. The principle of the proposed approach consists in the assembly of SMA wires together with passive mechanical architectures fabricated using $\mu$SPL techniques. A light aided assembly method based on photopolymerization has been adjusted to clamp SMA parts to $\mu$SPL parts. This approach has been implemented to build actuators using distributed elasticity or liable hinge architectures. These actuators have been associated in parallel or serie to produce new active mechanical components. Some of these actuators have been experimentally tested. The obtained results are presented and discussed.La mise au point d'un procédé de fabrication d'actionneurs associant la microstéréophotolithographie ($\mu$SPL) avec des éléments d'Alliages à Mémoire de Forme (AMF) est décrite dans le présent article. L'idée repose sur l'assemblage de fils d'AMF avec des architectures mécaniques passives en polymère réalisées par $\mu$SPL. Une étape de collage assisté par la lumière (photopolymérisation) permet de lier rigidement les fils d'AMF à la structure polymère. Cette approche a été utilisée pour fabriquer des actionneurs à élasticité répartie ou à charnières déformables. L'association de tels actionneurs en série ou en parallèle donne alors lieu à de nouveaux composants (éléments articulés), dont le principe est présenté. Certains de ces actionneurs ont été testés expérimentalement. Les résultats de ces tests sont reportés et analysés