Seven on Seven : A Conversation with the Writers of Orca Book Publishers' Series

In his will, the adventurer David McLean arranges for each of his seven grandsons a different task that takes him to locations around the world. Seven the Series, published by Orca Book Publishers, brings together the boys' stories, and the work of Canadian young adult writers Eric Walters, John Wilson, Ted Staunton, Richard Scrimger, Norah McClintock, Sigmund Brouwer, and Shane Peacock. Founded in 1982, Orca Book's main warehouse and editorial offices are based in Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. The independent publisher has brought numerous Canadian writers to global attention. Since its publication, over 100,000 copies of Seven the Series have been sold. In what follows, the seven writers share with us their views about the project, their writing processes, their child characters, the larger aims of their individual novels, and how they fit into the larger project. For synopses of the seven books, please refer to www.orcabook.com/seventheseries. The series continues with The Seven Sequels, which will be published on 1 October 2014

Does inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation augment functional task practice to improve arm recovery in chronic stroke?

Introduction. Restoration of upper extremity (UE) functional use remains a challenge for individuals following stroke. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive modality that modulates cortical excitability and is being explored as a means to potentially ameliorate these deficits. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in the presence of chronic stroke, the effects of low-frequency rTMS to the contralesional hemisphere as an adjuvant to functional task practice (FTP), to improve UE functional ability. Methods. Twenty-two individuals with chronic stroke and subsequent moderate UE deficits were randomized to receive 16 sessions (4 times/week for 4 weeks) of either real-rTMS or sham-rTMS followed by 1-hour of paretic UE FTP. Results. No differences in UE outcomes were revealed between the real-rTMS and sham-rTMS intervention groups. After adjusting for baseline differences, no differences were revealed in contralesional cortical excitability postintervention. In a secondary analysis, data pooled across both groups revealed small, but statistically significant, improvements in UE behavioral measures. Conclusions. rTMS did not augment changes in UE motor ability in this population of individuals with chronic stroke. The chronicity of our participant cohort and their degree of UE motor impairment may have contributed to inability to produce marked effects using rTMS