Compost Rich of Resistance: Wayfinding in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem

It is not common to travel to a region searching for what is wrong and askew. But this is precisely how I move through greater Palestine-Israel each time I visit. Explosions and incessant pummeling have forced the sidewalks and retaining walls to heave–Styrofoam slabs serve as an equally hasty and hideous shim. But in this, there is hope. Even where the sidewalk momentarily ends–likely that in just a few months a new road, deeper into the West Bank will be built–it is glaring that these foundations are laid at an unsustainable pace. In a land where the forest often obscures the trees, noticing the nuances of demolition and decay have proven integral to my understanding of body-in-place, body-amongst-conflict. In this piece, I describe the embodied experience of encountering the cracks and fissures in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and how in these visible, yet nuanced, interstices there is radical potential

An exploration of the experiences and utility of functional electrical stimulation for foot drop in people with multiple sclerosis

Purpose: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is effective in improving walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with foot drop. There is limited research exploring people’s experiences of using this device. This study aims to explore the utility, efficacy, acceptability, and impact on daily life of the device in people with MS. Methods: An interpretative phenomenological approach was employed. Ten participants who had used FES for 12 months were interviewed. Transcripts were analysed, and emergent themes identified. Results: Nine participants continued to use the device. Three relevant super-ordinate themes were identified; impact of functional electrical stimulation, sticking with functional electrical stimulation, and autonomy and control. Participants reported challenges using the device; however, all reported positive physical and psychological benefits. Intrinsic and external influences such as; access to professional help, the influence of others, an individual’s ability to adapt, and experiences using the device, influenced their decisions to continue with the device. A thematic model of these factors was developed. Conclusions: This study has contributed to our understanding of people with MS experiences of using the device and will help inform prescribing decisions and support the continued, appropriate use of FES over the longer term

Inequality is hidden in plain sight.

Lette

Reporting of sex as a variable in cardiovascular studies using cultured cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Chromosomal complement, including that provided by the sex chromosomes, influences expression of proteins and molecular signaling in every cell. However, less than 50% of the scientific studies published in 2009 using experimental animals reported sex as a biological variable. Because every cell has a sex, we conducted a literature review to determine the extent to which sex is reported as a variable in cardiovascular studies on cultured cells.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Articles from 10 cardiovascular journals with high impact factors (<it>Circulation</it>, <it>J Am Coll Cardiol</it>, <it>Eur Heart J</it>, <it>Circ Res</it>, <it>Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol</it>, <it>Cardiovasc Res</it>, <it>J Mol Cell Cardiol</it>, <it>Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol</it>, <it>J Heart Lung Transplant and J Cardiovasc Pharmacol</it>) and published in 2010 were searched using terms 'cultured' and 'cells' in any order to determine if the sex of those cells was reported. Studies using established cell lines were excluded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using two separate search strategies, we found that only 25 of 90 articles (28%) and 20 of 101 articles (19.8%) reported the sex of cells. Of those reporting the sex of cells, most (68.9%; n = 31) used only male cells and none used exclusively female cells. In studies reporting the sex of cells of cardiovascular origin, 40% used vascular smooth-muscle cells, and 30% used stem/progenitor cells. In studies using cells of human origin, 35% did not report the sex of those cells. None of the studies using neonatal cardiac myocytes reported the sex of those cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The complement of sex chromosomes in cells studied in culture has the potential to affect expression of proteins and 'mechanistic' signaling pathways. Therefore, consistent with scientific excellence, editorial policies should require reporting sex of cells used in <it>in vitro </it>experiments.</p

Observations Of Rotating Radio Transients With The First Station Of The Long Wavelength Array

Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs) are a subclass of pulsars first identified in 2006 that are detected only in searches for single pulses and not through their time averaged emission. Here, we present the results of observations of 19 RRATs using the first station of the Long Wavelength Array (LWA1) at frequencies between 30 MHz and 88 MHz. The RRATs observed here were first detected in higher frequency pulsar surveys. Of the 19 RRATs observed, 2 sources were detected and their dispersion measures, periods, pulse profiles, and flux densities are reported and compared to previous higher frequency measurements. We find a low detection rate (11%), which could be a combination of the lower sensitivity of LWA1 compared to the higher frequency telescopes, and the result of scattering by the interstellar medium or a spectral turnover. Taylor, G B; Stovall, K; McCrackan, M; McLaughlin, M A; Miller, R; Karako-Argaman, C; Dowell, J; Schinzel, F