Taolu: credibility and decipherability in the practice of Chinese martial movement

The practice of taolu (tao4lu4, tào lù, 套路), the prearranged movement patterns of the Chinese martial arts, has been explained in fantastically diverse ways spanning a range of interpretations from the essential and functional to the narrative, theatrical and religious. Rather than trying to find a universal reason for the practice of taolu, this paper proposes to look at the idea of prearranged movement patterns through the lens of credibility and decipherability. These twin concepts, borrowed from the Great Reform movement in 20th century theatre practice, helpfully embrace both the criteria by which the performance of taolu is usually judged and also the deficiencies in our contemporary understanding of reasons behind this palimpsestic training method. As conceptual tools, credibility and decipherability also offer us insight into how the practice of prearranged martial movement patterns is presented and interpreted as a personal and phenomenological experience of embodied practice. This paper hopes to pragmatically present new perspectives from which the practice of taolu can be understood

Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of a Novel Piling System for Sound Wall Applications

Drilled shafts are conventionally used as foundations for sound walls. However, steel piles can provide faster installation and immediate utilization. The purpose of this research program is to evaluate a novel pile concept which comprises an H-pile modified to better resist typical load patterns faced by sound wall piles including lateral force and moment from wind and uplift force from adfreeze. The modifications include one or two plates welded to the pile and soil anchors (nodes) welded along the pile flange. A full-scale pile load testing program was performed on sixteen piles which included monotonic and cyclic lateral load tests and uplift load tests. A numerical model was developed and validated from the experimental results which was then used to explore the effect of plate dimensions and the soil type on a pile’s lateral capacity. A second numerical model was developed to extend the cyclic lateral load analysis to simulate higher loads and more load cycles. The test results showed that the plate greatly increased lateral capacity and the parametric study demonstrated that widening the plate is more efficient for increasing lateral capacity than lengthening it. The cyclic tests and modelling revealed that the lateral stiffness of the piles remains approximately constant within 100 cycles and the pile is not expected to exceed deflection limits after 1000 cycles of the design load. The uplift load tests concluded that adding nodes decreased the uplift capacity of H-piles. It was observed that the installation quality of the piles directly affected pile capacity

Speaking in a Visceral Language: From performer preparation to performance composition

This article presents the hypothesis that sophisticated psychophysical training is vital for the development of the creative relationship between the performer and the director. Using a fragment of original performance and with reference to training practices drawn from the Chinese martial arts this presentation explains how the author and his collaborator use psychophysical training to facilitate the creation "theatrical opposition." Originally a live lecture/demonstration, the article is supplemented by numerous illustrations of practical examples of original performance and Chinese martial arts training. Résumé Cet article, qui était à l’origine une conférence/démonstration en direct, montre en quoi l’entraînement psychologique et physique de haut niveau est d’une importance vitale pour le développement de la relation de création entre comédien et metteur en scène. À l’aide d’un extrait tiré de la représentation originale et d’exemples puisés des pratiques d’entraînement d’arts martiaux chinois, cette présentation explique comment l’auteur et son collaborateur se sont servis de l’entraînement physique et psychologique pour faciliter l’« opposition théâtrale » créative

Tàolù – The Mastery of Space

This paper explores the experience of space afforded by the practice or liàn of tàolù 练套路, the prearranged movement patterns of the Chinese martial arts. It examines the roots of tàolù in Chinese martial preparation, religious self-consecration and theatrical performance. It develops the structure and phenomenology of this practice with special attention to its exponents’ perceptions of negative space. Following an interdisciplinary approach, the author contextualizes embodied, martial knowledge in terms of Chinese social history, theatre and religious praxis

Bony ingrowth potential of 3D-printed porous titanium alloy: a direct comparison of interbody cage materials in an in vivo ovine lumbar fusion model.

Background contextThere is significant variability in the materials commonly used for interbody cages in spine surgery. It is theorized that three-dimensional (3D)-printed interbody cages using porous titanium material can provide more consistent bone ingrowth and biological fixation.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to provide an evidence-based approach to decision-making regarding interbody materials for spinal fusion.Study designA comparative animal study was performed.MethodsA skeletally mature ovine lumbar fusion model was used for this study. Interbody fusions were performed at L2-L3 and L4-L5 in 27 mature sheep using three different interbody cages (ie, polyetheretherketone [PEEK], plasma sprayed porous titanium-coated PEEK [PSP], and 3D-printed porous titanium alloy cage [PTA]). Non-destructive kinematic testing was performed in the three primary directions of motion. The specimens were then analyzed using micro-computed tomography (µ-CT); quantitative measures of the bony fusion were performed. Histomorphometric analyses were also performed in the sagittal plane through the interbody device. Outcome parameters were compared between cage designs and time points.ResultsFlexion-extension range of motion (ROM) was statistically reduced for the PTA group compared with the PEEK cages at 16 weeks (p-value=.02). Only the PTA cages demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in ROM and increase in stiffness across all three loading directions between the 8-week and 16-week sacrifice time points (p-value≤.01). Micro-CT data demonstrated significantly greater total bone volume within the graft window for the PTA cages at both 8 weeks and 16 weeks compared with the PEEK cages (p-value<.01).ConclusionsA direct comparison of interbody implants demonstrates significant and measurable differences in biomechanical, µ-CT, and histologic performance in an ovine model. The 3D-printed porous titanium interbody cage resulted in statistically significant reductions in ROM, increases in the bone ingrowth profile, as well as average construct stiffness compared with PEEK and PSP

Cervical spine surgery for tandem spinal stenosis: The impact on low back pain

Objective Tandem spinal stenosis (TSS) can present similarly to cervical myelopathy, but often has a worse prognosis. Few studies have investigated outcomes and compared treatment approaches for patients with TSS. We sought to determine the impact of cervical spine surgery on cervical and lumbar spine symptoms in patients with symptomatic tandem spinal stenosis. Patients Methods 84 patients with TSS were identified over 5 years. 48 underwent cervical spine surgery alone, 20 underwent both cervical and lumbar spine surgery, and 16 received conservative treatment alone (conservative cohort). Quality of life (QOL) measures included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for arm, neck, and back pain, and EuroQOL-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D). QOL data were acquired at baseline (pre-operative) and 1 year postoperatively via an institutional prospectively collected database. Results Both surgical cohorts showed significant (p < 0.01) pre- to postoperative improvement for VAS neck and arm scores at 1-year post-op and significantly (p < 0.01) greater improvements than the conservative cohort. In addition, the cohort undergoing cervical spine surgery alone experienced significant improvement in the EQ-5D score whereas those undergoing both cervical and lumbar spine surgery did not. Conclusions Cervical spine surgery with or without follow-up lumbar spine surgery significantly improves neck pain in patients with TSS. In contrast, cervical spine surgery in these patients does not improve lumbar symptoms. Lumbar surgery also did not improve low back pain or quality of life. Future prospective studies are necessary to examine the impact of lumbar decompression alone on cervical spine symptoms in patients with TSS

Anterior Cervical Infection: Presentation and Incidence of an Uncommon Postoperative Complication.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective multi-institutional case series. OBJECTIVE: The anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) affords the surgeon the flexibility to treat a variety of cervical pathologies, with the majority being for degenerative and traumatic indications. Limited data in the literature describe the presentation and true incidence of postoperative surgical site infections. METHODS: A retrospective multicenter case series study was conducted involving 21 high-volume surgical centers from the AOSpine North America Clinical Research Network, selected for their excellence in spine care and clinical research infrastructure and experience. Medical records for 17 625 patients who received cervical spine surgery (levels from C2 to C7) between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, inclusive, were reviewed to identify the occurrence of 21 predefined treatment complications. Patients who underwent an ACDF were identified in the database and reviewed for the occurrence of postoperative anterior cervical infections. RESULTS: A total of 8887 patients were identified from a retrospective database analysis of 21 centers providing data for postoperative anterior cervical infections (17/21, 81% response rate). A total of 6 postoperative infections after ACDF were identified for a mean rate of 0.07% (range 0% to 0.39%). The mean age of patients identified was 57.5 (SD = 11.6, 66.7% female). The mean body mass index was 22.02. Of the total infections, half were smokers (n = 3). Two patients presented with myelopathy, and 3 patients presented with radiculopathic-type complaints. The mean length of stay was 4.7 days. All patients were treated aggressively with surgery for management of this complication, with improvement in all patients. There were no mortalities. CONCLUSION: The incidence of postoperative infection in ACDF is exceedingly low. The management has historically been urgent irrigation and debridement of the surgical site. However, due to the rarity of this occurrence, guidance for management is limited to retrospective series