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Work engagement is a desirable attribute of employees that organisations must attempt to foster and enhance. Engaged employees are focused and fully immersed in their tasks, resilient to high levels of job demands, and experience a sense of pride and meaningfulness within their work. Therefore, it is important that organisations understand the mechanisms that enhance work engagement, particularly whether and how its HRM systems contribute to levels of engagement. The present study examined the contributions of HRM systems to engagement. Furthermore, although organisations implement HRM systems with the purpose of increasing the performance of their workforce, empirical evidence supporting the relationship between HRM systems and organisational performance is scarce, therefore this is also a focus of this study. Additionally, organisational culture will be investigated as the social context that enhances engagement and performance beyond the effects of existing HRM systems. Hence, this study explored the role of HRM systems and organisational culture on employee engagement and perceived organisational performance. Ninety-seven Thai employees from various organisations completed an internet- based survey. Results from multiple regressions suggest that engagement can be maintained or enhanced to the extent that employees are offered responsibility in the organisation and participate less in job training, and that the organisational culture is one that focuses on flexibility, individualism, entrepreneurship, and innovativeness. Moreover, the findings show a positive association between organisational performance and opportunities for advancement, job security, and competitive and goal oriented organisational culture. The limitations and implications of this study were addressed, along with recommendations for future research.

An anti-reflective (AR) lens is an ultrathin multilayered structure composing of AR coatings on a lens substrate. These coatings can be made by a spin-coating process with a nanocomposite of UV curable acrylic monomers and well dispersed metal oxide nanoparticles. The in-situ UV polymerization rate was reduced by oxygen inhibition and the absorption of UV energy by the metal oxide nanoparticles. There are few studies of the mechanical properties of ultrathin polymeric coatings that include the effects of substrates, the viscoelastic behaviors of polymers in submicron scales and the effects of multilayered coatings. With a coating system based on UV cured dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate on silicon wafer substrates, nanoindentation tests showed that the nominal reduced contact modulus increased with the indentation load and penetration depth due to the effect of the substrate, in quantitative agreement with an elastic contact model. Ultrathin polymeric coatings subjected to constant indentation loads exhibit shear-thinning during flow. None of the models examined completely described the elastic response of an ultrathin polymeric coating on a compliant plastic substrate. The effective modulus was a function of coating-substrate property, indenter tip size, coating thickness, adhesion and residual stress. It was logarithmic dependent on the ratio of the indentation depth to the coating thickness prior to coating fracture. An elastic model, assuming shear-lag and a plane-stress state, was used to estimate the interfacial strength between a submicron coating and a compliant substrate. The critical indentation load for the indentation-induced delamination of the coating from the substrate increased with the third power of the indentation depth and was a linear function of the reciprocal of the coating thickness. The interfacial strength was 70.4 MPa. Mechanical properties and fracture characteristics of CVD ceramic and nanocomposite coatings on polymer substrates were evaluated by nanoindentation and nanoscratching tests. The AR lenses made with polymer nanocomposite coatings have better mechanical properties due to the close match of properties between the coatings and the plastic substrate. The new approach to making AR lenses with polymer nanocomposites on plastic substrate is promising.

The embedment strength of timber with respect to exposure temperature has not been widely studied. Some studies have suggested that the timber totally loses its embedment strength when the timber temperature reaches 300℃. This research concentrates on the embedment strength study of Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) timber product exposed to elevated temperatures up to 250℃ using singly bolted connections. Experiments showed that the embedment strength of LVL decreased at a constant rate from 0.08 kN/mm² to 0.025 kN/mm² once the bolt temperature increased from ambient conditions. The embedment strength was then assumed to remain at strength of 0.025 kN/mm² as the bolt temperature continues to increase from 120℃. The difference between the estimated failure load based on Johansen's Equations and the experimental failure load for the connections tested under fire conditions was less than 30%. The estimation was based on bolt strength reduction using NZS 3404, the experimental charring rate and the experimental embedment strength. The predicted failure mode agreed with experimental for all types of connection.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) is one of the most common, but least understood, knee disorders. Fulkerson (1997) believes that pathology may result from an excessive valgus force being applied to the patella. Researchers have historically examined quadriceps strength and neuromuscular activity and knee kinematics. However, results from these works have not provided conclusive answers. Powers (2003) has theorized that other structures can influence knee function, and researchers have shown that PFPS subjects can exhibit hip weakness and demonstrate altered hip kinematics during functional activities. Although they provide preliminary evidence regarding hip influences, investigations that simultaneously examine hip and knee function in PFPS subjects are needed. The primary purpose of this study was to determine functional performance, strength, neuromuscular activity (amplitudes and onset timing differences), and kinematics of the hip and knee for people diagnosed with PFPS. Eighteen females diagnosed with PFPS and 18 asymptomatic female controls participated. Subjects initially completed a 10-cm visual analog scale. Next, they completed two functional performance tests and underwent a strength assessment for the hip abductors, hip external rotators, and knee extensors. Surface electromyography (EMG) electrodes and reflective markers were donned in order to collect EMG and kinematic data during a stair-stepping task. For this purpose, subjects ascended and descended two 20-cm high steps at a standardized rate. Seven PFPS and seven control subjects were retested five to seven days later to establish measurement reliability. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to determine group differences. Correlation coefficients were calculated to identify associations between pain and dependent measures; intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated to determine measurement reliability for both control and PFPS subjects. Results from this study showed group differences for functional performance, strength, and EMG amplitudes but none for onset timing differences or kinematics. A strong association was found between pain and hip external rotator strength and EMG amplitudes during stair-stepping. Most tests provided reliable measures with repeat testing. PFPS subjects demonstrated quadriceps dysfunction but even greater hip weakness that was correlated more with pain. Contemporary rehabilitation has focused on quadriceps strengthening; however, results from this study support the importance of the hip.

INTRODUCTION: Excessive hip adduction (HADD) has been associated with a number of lower extremity overuse injuries, and it has been suggested that it may be the result of reduced strength of the hip abduction musculature. Hip structure has been postulated to influence both hip abduction (HABD) strength and HADD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between hip structure, HABD strength, and frontal plane kinematics during running. METHODS: Peak isometric HABD strength, lower extremity kinematics, femoral neck-shaft angle (NSA), and pelvis width-femur length (pw-fl) ratio were recorded for 25 female subjects. Pearson correlations (P < .05) were performed between variables. RESULTS: A fair relationship was observed between femoral NSA and HABD strength (r = -.472 P = .017) where an increased NSA was associated with reduced HABD strength. No relationship was observed between HABD strength and frontal plane kinematics or between NSA/pw-fl and frontal plane kinematics. CONCLUSION: Alterations in the femoral NSA have the ability to influence peak isometric hip abduction strength. However, alterations in strength did not result in changes in lower extremity kinematics. Structural deviations at the hip do not appear to influence hip kinematics during running.

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Strength training is safe and effective for children according to a position statement by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (2009). One such effect or benefit can be increased vertical jump ability. Due to methodological inconsistencies, determining whether strength training consistently leads to increased vertical jump has been difficult to do. This randomized study involved a 12-week, two-time per week lower body strength training program for the intervention group, and an upper body strength training program for the control group. A countermovement jump tested at baseline and post-intervention by a blinded observer measured the effect of this training intervention on the vertical jump ability of 10-14 year old athletic females (n=36). The results revealed no significant changes within each group from baseline to post-intervention and no significant differences between each group. It appears that a number of factors may have influenced the results of this study not the least of which was the high baseline ability of the participants. More research using strong methods, a sufficient training stimulus and female children is needed in order to clarify the response of vertical jump to a resistance training intervention.

Background: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is increasingly being usedoutside the realms of physical therapy. Acknowledged as an efficient method to enhancestrength parameters, athletes are increasingly using NMES to facilitate training andstrength gains. A review was designed with a systematic approach with the mainobjective: to assess the effectiveness of transcutaneous NMES on maximal strength inphysical education students, trained and elite athletes in studies involving isometricNMES and Dynamic NMES. Method: A search for all types of trials was performed onPubmed, Sportdiscus, Web of Science Core Collection and The Cochrane ControlledTrials Register, and results were recorded according to the PRISMA recommendations.Twenty-one studies were included and judged for risk of bias and quality according tothe Cochrane guidelines and GRADE. Results: Studies were judged as having either anunclear or high risk of bias. All studies were judged as ‘very low level’ according toGRADE and were lacking bias-limiting methods, detailed information of interventionsand general standardised procedures. Conclusion: Strength gains in physical educationstudents, trained or elite athletes from a training intervention involving either isometricNMES combined with or without voluntary exercise or dynamic NMES are inconclusivedue to the very low level of the quality of the studies. Meta-analysis performed in thisarea should be interpreted with caution as the studies have been judged as eitherunclear or high risk of bias.Key words: isometric NMES (electrical stimulation applied to relaxed muscle), dynamicNMES (electrical stimulation superimposed onto voluntary contractions), strength.