Consumption and Convicts: Faunal Analysis from the Port Arthur Prisoner Barracks

This thesis will present a zooarchaeological analysis of the faunal remains excavated from the Port Arthur Prisoner Barracks in 1977. Originally constructed in 1830 following the establishment of the Port Arthur Penal Settlement, the Prisoner Barracks were continually occupied throughout the convict period, spanning 1830 – 1877. This thesis will examine both the faunal remains and the historical record to examine the evolution of subsistence practices at Port Arthur and within the broader network of probation stations upon Tasman’s Peninsula

Pesticide changes odds of interactions between native and invasive ants

BACKGROUND: A variety of facial nerve grading scales have been developed over the years with the intended goals of objectively documenting facial nerve function,tracking recovery, and facilitating communication between practitioners. Numerous scales have been proposed; however, all are subject to limitation because of varying degrees of subjectivity, reliability, or longitudinal applicability. At present, such scales remain the only widely accessible modalities for facial functional assessment. The authors' objective was to ascertain which scales(s) best accomplish the goals of objective assessment. METHODS: A systematic review of the English language literature was performed to identify facial nerve grading instruments. Each system was evaluated against the following criteria: convenience of clinical use, regional scoring, static and dynamic measures, features secondary to facial palsy (e.g., synkinesis), reproducibility with low interobserver and intraobserver variability, and sensitivity to changes over time and/or following interventions. Results : From 666 articles, 19 facial nerve grading scales were identified. Only the Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale satisfied all criteria. The Facial Nerve Grading Scale 2.0 (or revised House-Brackmann Scale) fulfilled all criteria except intraobserver reliability, which has not been assessed. CONCLUSIONS: Facial nerve grading scales intend to provide objectivity and uniformity of reporting to otherwise subjective analysis. The Facial Nerve Grading Scale 2.0 requires further evaluation for intraobserver reliability. The Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale has been robustly evaluated with respect to the criteria prescribed in this article. Although sophisticated technology-based methodologies are being developed for potential clinical application,the authors recommend widespread adoption of the Sunnybrook Facial Grading Scale as the current standard in reporting outcomes of facial nerve disorders

Infrared-Based Blink-Detecting Glasses for Facial Pacing : Toward a Bionic Blink

IMPORTANCE Facial paralysis remains one of the most challenging conditions to effectively manage, often causing life-altering deficits in both function and appearance. Facial rehabilitation via pacing and robotic technology has great yet unmet potential. A critical first step toward reanimating symmetrical facial movement in cases of unilateral paralysis is the detection of healthymovement to use as a trigger for stimulated movement. OBJECTIVE To test a blink detection system that can be attached to standard eyeglasses and used as part of a closed-loop facial pacing system. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Standard safety glasseswere equipped with an infrared (IR) emitter-detector unit, oriented horizontally across the palpebral fissure, creating a monitored IR beam that became interrupted when the eyelids closed, and were tested in 24 healthy volunteers from a tertiary care facial nerve center community. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Video-quantified blinkingwas compared with both IR sensor signal magnitude and rate of change in healthy participants with their gaze in repose, while they shifted their gaze from central to far-peripheral positions, and during the production of particular facial expressions. RESULTS Blink detection based on signal magnitude achieved 100% sensitivity in forward gaze but generated false detections on downward gaze. Calculations of peak rate of signal change (first derivative) typically distinguished blinks from gaze-related eyelid movements. During forward gaze, 87%of detected blink events were true positives, 11% were false positives, and 2%were false negatives. Of the 11% false positives, 6%were associated with partial eyelid closures. During gaze changes, false blink detection occurred 6%of the time during lateral eyemovements, 10% of the time during upward movements, 47%of the time during downward movements, and 6%of the time formovements from an upward or downward gaze back to the primary gaze. Facial expressions disrupted sensor output if they caused substantial squinting or shifted the glasses. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Our blink detection system provides a reliable, noninvasive indication of eyelid closure using an invisible light beam passing in front of the eye. Future versions will aim to mitigate detection errors by using multiple IR emitter-detector units mounted on glasses, and alternative frame designs may reduce shifting of the sensors relative to the eye during facial movements

The Dilator Naris Muscle as a Reporter of Facial Nerve Regeneration in a Rat Model

OBJECTIVE: Many investigators study facial nerve regeneration using the rat whisker pad model, although widely standardized outcomes measures of facial nerve regeneration in the rodent have not yet been developed. The intrinsic whisker pad "sling" muscles producing whisker protraction, situated at the base of each individual whisker, are extremely small and difficult to study en bloc. Here, we compare the functional innervation of 2 potential reporter muscles for whisker pad innervation: the dilator naris (DN) and the levator labii superioris (LLS), to characterize facial nerve regeneration. METHODS: Motor supply of the DN and LLS was elucidated by measuring contraction force and compound muscle action potentials during stimulation of individual facial nerve branches, and by measuring whisking amplitude before and after DN distal tendon release. RESULTS: The pattern of DN innervation matched that of the intrinsic whisker pad musculature (ie, via the buccal and marginal mandibular branches of the facial nerve), whereas the LLS seemed to be innervated almost entirely by the zygomatic branch, whose primary target is the orbicularis oculi muscle. CONCLUSIONS: Although the LLS has been commonly used as a reporter muscle of whisker pad innervation, the present data show that its innervation pattern does not overlap substantially with the muscles producing whisker protraction. The DN muscle may serve as a more appropriate reporter for whisker pad innervation because it is innervated by the same facial nerve branches as the intrinsic whisker pad musculature, making structure/function correlations more accurate, and more relevant to investigators studying facial nerve regeneration

Health-related quality of life in 794 patients with a peripheral facial palsy using the FaCE Scale: a retrospective cohort study.

Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVES: To describe the health-related quality of life of patients visiting a tertiary referral centre for facial palsy, and to analyse factors associated with health-related quality of life, using the FaCE Scale instrument. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The Facial Nerve Center at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, a tertiary referral centre. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with a peripheral facial palsy visiting the centre for an initial consultation between August 2007 and June 2012. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The total FaCE score and the FaCE social function subdomain. Multiple regression models were developed to identify factors associated with the total FaCE score and FaCE social function score. RESULTS: A total of 794 patients with a mean age of 47.0 +/- 16.0 years were analysed in this study, of which 59.9% were female. The mean House-Brackmann, Sunnybrook, total FaCE and FaCE social function scores were 3.6 +/- 1.5, 48.2 +/- 21.2, 47.3 +/- 19.3 and 55.5 +/- 19.2, respectively. Increasing age (r = -0.229, P < 0.001) was associated with a lower total FaCE score. Female gender (r = -4.422, P = 0.033) and increased duration of palsy (r = -0.018, P = 0.041) were associated with lower FaCE social function scores. CONCLUSIONS: While counselling patients on what to expect during the recovery process after facial paralysis is an important part of any clinical visit, FaCE score correlations suggest that female patients with chronic facial palsy and increased age constitute a patient category that may require additional time and attention to prevent or mitigate psychosocial dysfunction.1 december 201

Whisking recovery after automated mechanical stimulation during facial nerve regeneration.

Item does not contain fulltextIMPORTANCE Recovery from facial nerve transection is typically poor, but daily mechanical stimulation of the face in rats has been reported to remarkably enhance functional recovery after facial nerve transection and suture repair. This phenomenon needs additional investigation because of its important clinical implications. OBJECTIVE To determine whether automated mechanical stimulation of the whisker pad improves whisking recovery after facial nerve transection and repair in a rat model. DESIGN AND SETTING Sixty-one rats underwent unilateral facial nerve transection and suture repair and were randomized into 8 groups. Six groups received daily automated whisker or whisker pad mechanical stimulation including 0.5-, 1.5-, and 8.0-Hz patterns. Two control groups received restraint without stimulation. Treatment started on postoperative day 8, occurred 5 days per week, and lasted throughout 15 weeks of recovery. Whisking amplitude, velocity, and acceleration were quantified weekly for 15 weeks. INTERVENTIONS Unilateral facial nerve transection, suture repair, and, for 6 groups, daily automated whisker or whisker pad mechanical stimulation. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Quantification of whisking amplitude, velocity, and acceleration. RESULTS Rats receiving the low frequencies of stimulation of the whiskers or whisker pad did not demonstrate enhanced whisking recovery, and rats receiving stimulation at 8.0 Hz showed significantly worse whisking recovery compared with controls and previously published groups receiving lower dose manual stimulation. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Although daily manual whisker pad stimulation has been shown to enhance whisking recovery, rats in this study did not demonstrate improved whisking recovery after automated mechanical stimulation across a wide range of driving frequencies. Moreover, faster stimulation (8.0 Hz) was actually detrimental to recovery. Further work is needed to understand the relationship between stimulation patterns and the physiologic mechanisms underlying improved or worsened functional outcomes after facial nerve transection and repair. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA

Electrical stimulation of eye blink in individuals with acute facial palsy : progress toward a bionic blink

Background: Elicitation of eye closure and other movements via electrical stimulation may provide effective treatment for facial paralysis. The authors performed a human feasibility study to determine whether transcutaneous neural stimulation can elicit a blink in individuals with acute facial palsy and to obtain feedback from participants regarding the tolerability of surface electrical stimulation for daily blink restoration. Methods: Forty individuals with acute unilateral facial paralysis, HB grades 4 through 6, were prospectively studied between 6 and 60 days of onset. Unilateral stimulation of zygomatic facial nerve branches to elicit eye blink was achieved with brief bipolar, charge-balanced pulse trains, delivered transcutaneously by adhesive electrode placement; results were recorded on a high-speed video camera. The relationship between stimulation parameters and cutaneous sensation was analyzed using the Wong-Baker Faces Pain Rating Scale. Results: Complete eye closure was achieved in 55 percent of participants using stimulation parameters reported as tolerable. In those individuals, initial eye twitch was observed at an average current of 4.6 mA (\ub11.7; average pulse width of 0.7 ms, 100 to 150 Hz), with complete closure requiring a mean of 7.2 mA (\ub12.6). Conclusions: Transcutaneous facial nerve stimulation may artificially elicit eye blink in a majority of patients with acute facial paralysis. Although individuals varied widely in their reported degrees of discomfort from blink-eliciting stimulation, most of them indicated that such stimulation would be tolerable if it could restore eye closure. These patients would therefore benefit from a biomimetic device to facilitate eye closure until the recovery process is complete