Anterior Condition Research Articles

Concurrent Validity of the Ergotex Device for Measuring Low Back Posture.

Highlighting the crucial role of monitoring and quantifying lumbopelvic rhythm for spinal curvature, the Ergotex IMU, a portable, lightweight, cost-effective, and energy-efficient technology, has been specifically designed for the pelvic and lumbar area. This study investigates the concurrent validity of the Ergotex device in measuring sagittal pelvic tilt angle. We utilized an observational, repeated measures design with healthy adult males (mean age: 39.3 ± 7.6 y, body mass: 82.2 ± 13.0 kg, body height: 179 ± 8 cm), comparing Ergotex with a 3D optical tracking system. Participants performed pelvic tilt movements in anterior, neutral, and posterior conditions. Statistical analysis included paired samples t-tests, Bland-Altman plots, and regression analysis. The findings show minimal systematic error (0.08° overall) and high agreement between the Ergotex and optical tracking, with most data points falling within limits of agreement of Bland-Altman plots (around ±2°). Significant differences were observed only in the anterior condition (0.35°, p < 0.05), with trivial effect sizes (ES = 0.08), indicating that these differences may not be clinically meaningful. The high Pearson's correlation coefficients across conditions underscore a robust linear relationship between devices (r > 0.9 for all conditions). Regression analysis showed a standard error of estimate (SEE) of 1.1° with small effect (standardized SEE < 0.26 for all conditions), meaning that the expected average deviation from the true value is around 1°. These findings validate the Ergotex as an effective, portable, and cost-efficient tool for assessing sagittal pelvic tilt, with practical implications in clinical and sports settings where traditional methods might be impractical or costly.

Effects of Changing Center of Pressure Position on Knee and Ankle Extensor Moments During Double-Leg Squatting.

The effects of changes in the anterior-posterior center of pressure (AP-COP) position on the lower limb joint moments during double-leg squatting remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of AP-COP positional changes on the hip, knee, and ankle extensor moments during double-leg squatting. Sixteen male participants (22.1 ± 1.5 years) performed double-leg squatting under two conditions (anterior and posterior COP conditions) with visual feedback on their COP positions. Kinematics and kinetics were analyzed using a three-dimensional motion analysis system and force plates. The hip, knee and ankle flexion angles and extensor moments at peak vertical ground reaction force were compared between the two conditions using paired t tests. The COP position was 53.5 ± 2.4% of the foot length, starting from the heel, under the anterior condition and 44.4 ± 2.1% under the posterior condition (P < 0.001). The knee extensor moment was significantly smaller under the anterior than the posterior COP condition (P = 0.003, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.087 to -0.021 Nm/kg/m), while the ankle extensor moment significantly larger under the anterior COP condition than under the posterior COP condition (P < 0.001, 95% CI 0.113 to 0.147 Nm/kg/m). There was no significant difference in hip extensor moment (P = 0.431). The ankle dorsiflexion angle was significantly larger under the anterior than the posterior COP condition (P = 0.003, 95% CI 0.6 to 2.6°), while there was no difference in trunk, hip, or knee flexion angle. The present results indicate that changes in the AP-COP position mainly affect the ankle and knee extensor moments during double-leg squatting, while the effect on the lower limb joint and trunk flexion angles was limited. Visual feedback on the AP-COP position could be useful for modifying the ankle and knee extensor moments during double-leg squatting.

The Codification of Western Law and the Poethics of Disclosure

Speaking perceptively of the criminal procedure in The Brothers Karamazov, Edward Wasiolek points out that the process is an obstacle to the facts ... [It] brings forth only technique, ambition and triviality.2 Wolfgang Holdheim, writing on the same subject, observes that the legal error at the end of that novel is indicative of the ambiguities inherent in modern literature's approach to reality.' These critics have shown a sensitivity to a topic otherwise still rarely treated: the use of the legal theme within the modern novel not merely for effect, but also for thematic, structural and formal purposes not explicitly stated by the writer. Why is the novel a particularly happy generic medium for the intense development of a legal theme? The answer launches us into a more complicated theoretical realm than we might intuitively expect, but it is one worth entering in an effort to understand the full import of the theme as actually used by these novelists. It involves a three-part response encompassing dramatic, historical and formal elements within the genre. The dramatic aspect indigenous to the artistic use of the law stands out, of course, as a common feature in a variety of literary periods and genres.4 Epitomized in the scene, the legal theme is employed in tragedy, for example, as an almost perfect Aristotelian device for furthering the action,' and for producing the reversals and discoveries that lead to catharsis within the audience. In comedy, the trial provides an excellent medium for untying the Gordian Knot, and restoring the characters and their environment to a properly happy, anterior condition.6 But these observations about the efficacy of trial scenes for effect on the stage leave open at least two questions. First, how may we distinguish the law's appeal to literary artists from that of other human professional endeavors that are equally as provocative in reality but far less frequently depicted in art? Second, how do we proceed to explain the interest of narrative as opposed to theatrical art in the law? If we observe that the law provides by the very. structure of its operation a culminating point inscribing all the elements of theatricality otherwise

The Codification of Western Law and the Poethics of Disclosure

Speaking perceptively of the criminal procedure in The Brothers Karamazov, Edward Wasiolek points out that the "legal process is an obstacle to the facts ... [It] brings forth only technique, ambition and triviality."2 Wolfgang Holdheim, writing on the same subject, observes that the legal error at the end of that novel is indicative of the ambiguities inherent in modern literature's approach to reality.' These critics have shown a sensitivity to a topic otherwise still rarely treated: the use of the legal theme within the modern novel not merely for dramatic effect, but also for thematic, structural and formal purposes not explicitly stated by the writer. Why is the novel a particularly happy generic medium for the intense development of a legal theme? The answer launches us into a more complicated theoretical realm than we might intuitively expect, but it is one worth entering in an effort to understand the full import of the theme as actually used by these novelists. It involves a three-part response encompassing dramatic, historical and formal elements within the genre. The "dramatic" aspect indigenous to the artistic use of the law stands out, of course, as a common feature in a variety of literary periods and genres.4 Epitomized in the "trial scene," the legal theme is employed in tragedy, for example, as an almost perfect Aristotelian device for furthering the dramatic "action,"' and for producing the reversals and discoveries that lead to catharsis within the audience. In comedy, the trial provides an excellent medium for "untying the Gordian Knot," and restoring the characters and their environment to a properly happy, anterior condition.6 But these observations about the efficacy of trial scenes for dramatic effect on the stage leave open at least two questions. First, how may we distinguish the law's dramatic appeal to literary artists from that of other human professional endeavors that are equally as provocative in reality but far less frequently depicted in art? Second, how do we proceed to explain the interest of narrative as opposed to theatrical art in the law? If we observe that the law provides by the very. structure of its operation a culminating point inscribing all the elements of theatricality otherwise