Indoor environmental study and post occupancy evaluation in an office environment

1. 1. The objective of this paper is to investigate the indoor environment from the viewpoint of interaction between physical environment and the human responses. The field survey has been conducted over 1 year.

2. 2. A continuous measurement has been carried out for 1 week and distribution of variables have been measured for 1 day.

3. 3. The attitude of workers was investigated by a questionnaire.

4. 4. As the result, average luminance represented more than 1000 lx in the new building, in contrast with less tha 300 lx in the existing building.

5. 5. There was a significant difference of the occupants' response to the light environment between the two buildings.

6. 6. Measured thermal conditions are on the edge of the ASHRAE comfort envelope in summer, and in the neighborhood of the lower dry limit of the envelope in spring.

7. 7. The occupants' evaluations were remarkably changed before and after the moving. The office environment is better than that of the factory.

Numerical analysis of thermal structure in heated room

1. 1. Two-dimensional numerical analysis is carried out on the thermal structure in an empty heated room of actual size under a steady state.

2. 2. Three types of heater, floor heating, side-wall heating and hot-air heating were used.

3. 3. The thermal structure in a room formed by each heating type is investigated in consideration of the energy transfer through the window of the room.

4. 4. The results indicate that floor heating is most suitable in a room without window from a viewpoint of the thermal comfort.

5. 5. In a windowed room, it is desirable that a heater should be located by the side of the window to prevent the cold draft.

The physical mechanisms of the perception of dampness in fabrics

1. 1. The detection of dampness in hygroscopic materials has been investigated both by subjective tests and by the application of a model of the physical mechanisms involved.

2. 2. Subjects were asked to rate the degree of dampness of a range of materials of different moisture contents after a short period of contact with the inner forearm.

3. 3. Skin and fabric inner surface temperatures were recorded

4. 4. It was found that highly hygroscopic wool fabrics were perceived as being dryer and maintained a higher temperature at the skin surface than polyester, a less hygroscopic fabric, during fabric-skin contact.

5. 5. A physical model of the sorption/desorption process in hygroscopic materials has been developed from knowledge of fibre sorption kinetics and has been used to study the physical processes which take place at the skin-fabric interface during transient contact.

6. 6. These predictions agree well with the subjective responses and the measured temperatures.

Thermal parameters of four species of Gerbillurus

1. 1.Thermal parameter of the four Gerbillurus species measured in the laboratory were examined in relation to their micro-environments in a xeric habitat.

2. 2.Basal metabolic rates (BMR) were lower than predicted, while thermoneutral zonds (TNZ) were narrow and exceeded burrow temperatures.

3. 3.Body temperatures (T_b) were regulated over a range of ambient temperatures (T_a). Evaporative water loss was used as a short-term cooling mechanism to reduce hyperthermia above the TNZ.

4. 4.Conductance was low below the TNZ to reduce heat loss.

5. 5.Adaptation to low temperatures is important for gerbils when active at night.

6. 6.The adaptive significance of the thermal biology of Gerbillurus is discussed in relation to phylogeny, distribution, food availability and nocturnal activity.

Criteria for a comfortable indoor environment in buildings

1. 1. The major purpose of buildings is to provide a healthy and comfortable environment for occupants.

2. 2. The indoor environment is a complex system including factors like thermal, visual and acoustic conditions, indoor air quality, electromagnetic fields, static electricity and vibration.

3. 3. To obtain an indoor environment that is acceptable in terms of health as well as comfort, criteria for these factors need to be established.

4. 4. The present paper gives an overview of the criteria recommended in current existing standards and guidelines.

5. 5. As most studies to date have focussed on thermal conditions and indoor air quality, these two factors are described in more detail.

Ethanol effects on temperature-sensitive hypothalamic neurons in rat brain slices

1. We recorded impulse activity of thermosensitive hypothalamic neurons in rat brain slices during superfusion with ethanol at constant temperatures and during slow sinusoidal temperature changes.

2. At constant temperatures of 37 °C, ethanol application typically induced a triphasic change of the firing rate: An initial excitation turned into complete inhibition followed by spontaneous recovery to higher firing rates.

3. Ethanol application increased the neurons’ temperature sensitivity remarkably.

4. Our data indicate complex neuromodulatory effects of ethanol with different time delays which interfere with basic mechanisms of temperature transduction.

Effect of temperature on growth and bioenergetics of a tropical moth

1. 1.|Larval development and metamorphosis of Achaea junta were prolonged at 22°C, compared to 27, 32 and 35°C.

2. 2.|Overall rates of consumption, assimilation, production and metabolism of the larvae increased with temperature.

3. 3.|Efficiencies of assimilation and conversion of the digested food were significantly altered by life stage and temperature.

4. 4.|About 60% of the pupal energy was transferred to the imago at the tested temperatures.

Why are small homeotherms born naked? Insulation and the critical radius concept

1. 1. For cylinders or spheres smaller than a critical size, a layer of insulation may increase, rather than decrease, the rate of heat exchange.

2. 2. It has been suggested that the critical size for animals insulated with fur or feathers is about 4–7 g body mass, and therefore may explain why many small mammals and birds are born naked. We suggest that this is unlikely.

3. 3. We found that downy feathers on hatchlings as small as 1.6 g body mass retard rates of heat loss. Also, hatchling birds smaller than 4–7 g are not always, or even often, born naked.

4. 4. If a critical size exists at all, it is likely to occur at body masses of 0.6 g or smaller.

Phylogeography of western Palaearctic reptiles – Spatial and temporal speciation patterns

A phylogeographic analysis of eight species complexes of European reptiles was performed using different molecular methods. While mitochondrial genes (mainly cytochrome b sequences) enabled conclusions about phylogeography and differentiation, additional application of bisexually inherited markers provided information about speciation stages. As species with similar distribution patterns in southern and Central Europe were selected, matching phylogeographic patterns are useful for drawing general conclusions:

(1) The species complexes are in different stages of speciation. In some cases, cryptic species were detected.

(2) Highest genetic diversity occurs in southern Europe, the Near East and the Caucasus, regions corresponding with glacial refuges in the Iberian, Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas as well as in Turkey and the Caucasus. Often, several microrefugia must have existed in close neighbourhood. Additional microrefugia were located in southern France and in the Carpathian Basin.

(3) North Africa and the Middle East did not serve as glacial refuges for Central or northern European lineages and are typically inhabited by independent clades.

(4) Evidence for multiple range retractions and expansions, which were postulated for the times of Pleistocene climatic oscillations, could be found in the Balkans, but in Central Europe their traces have been wiped out by the last glacial. Only the Holocene invasion has left imprints in the genomes from this area.

(5) Central and northern Europe were recolonized from Balkan and Pontic refugia in the Holocene.

(6) Groups from the Iberian and Apennine Peninsulas rarely conquered other regions. This limitation can be attributed to the barrier function of the Pyrenees and the Alps.

The multiplication rate of amoebae related to the cultivation temperature

The cultivation temperature-dependent rate of multiplication in amoebae was studied using three strains of Amoeba proteus and another amoeba strain of unknown specific and generic position.

1. 1. The multiplication rates are characterized by optima that vary with strains.

2. 2. The temperature-induced changes in the multiplication rate of a given strain are non-hereditary; they are common modifications.

3. 3. Hereditary interstrain differences in the multiplication rate have also been shown at constant temperatures.

4. 4. The range of modificational changes with increase or decrease of cultivation temperature appears to be greater than interstrain differences in multiplication rate.

Interactions of season and temperature acclimation in the control of metabolism in Amphibia

1. 1.|Studies concerning the seasonal variation and the temperature acclimation of metabolism and their control in Amphibia are reviewed.

2. 2.|Both season and temperature acclimation affect the activities of the central and autonomic nervous systems.

3. 3.|These changes are mediated especially by alterations in the activity of the thyroid and through the autonomic nerves.

4. 4.|The fact that common control mechanisms are involved may explain some of the often observed metabolic interactions of season and temperature acclimation.

Thermoregulatory significance of basking behaviour in the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides)

1. 1.|The raccoon dogs frequently basked in spring while keeping their dark chest area towards the sun. The importance of this behaviour for the thermal balance was examined by using a cylinder model, and the results were compared with that of the blue fox which has pale chest and no basking behaviour.

2. 2.|With no external radiation source, cooling rates of blue fox and racoon dog models were almost equal, while in the sunshine with the chest area towards the sun, raccoon dog gained and blue fox lost heat.

3. 3.|In the same sunshine, the raccoon dog lost heat if its back area was towards the sun in comparison with the situation when the chest area was towards the sun.

4. 4.|Temperatures at the skin level were much higher for sun-exposed raccoon dogs than blue foxes especially on the chest area.

5. 5.|It is concluded that the hair coat structure of the raccoon dog is especially favourable for trapping heat from the sun, and with postural adjustments the animal takes maximal advantage of this free heat.

Blockage errors in studies of the effect of wind on thermoregulatory responses

1. 1.The presence of an animal in a wind tunnel increases the effective wind velocity, and so increases heat transfer rates.

2. 2.Potentially significant errors in thermal conductance and thermoregulatory metabolism measurements may result.

3. 3.In a given wind tunnel metabolism chamber, these errors are size dependent and thus may lead to invalid allometric or adaptive interpretations of data.

4. 4.The errors are also sensitive to the shape, orientation, and characteristics of the fur or feather insulation of the animal. Thus, only approximate guidelines can be given for choosing correction factors.

Subcutaneous fat and muscle distribution patterns in middle and old aged japanese

1. 1. To evaluate the distribution patterns of subcutaneous fat and muscle 679 male and 950 female Japanese volunteers were investigated by means of ultrasonic tomography.

2. 2. With an increase in age the thickness of the anterior thigh muscle decreased, whilst subscapula muscle thickness was independent of age.

3. 3. In comparing a resident in a city (Tokyo) to a country resident (farmer in Yamagata) the arm muscle of a farmer was thicker than that of a cityman, while the thigh muscle was lower in the farmer.

4. 4. Muscle thickness is related to its cross-sectional area and the muscle area is affected by activity level in daily physical exercise.

5. 5. The present data indicate that the farmer makes less use of his legs than does the city dweller.

6. 6. There were significant correlation coefficients between fat thickness and HDL-C, i.e. the highest correlation was observed at the abdomen, suggesting that the fat thickness of the abdomen is one of the important factors for evaluating serum cholesterol level.

Energy expenditure and metabolic adaptation during winter dormancy in the lizard Lacerta vivipara Jacquin

1. 1.Laceria vivipara were hibernated from October to March. Respiration rates were measured at various times during this period and compared with respiration rates of lizards at the same temperatures in July.

2. 2.Rates of respiration at 10°C soon after entry into hibernation and towards the end of the dormant period did not differ significantly from rates at 10°C in July.

3. 3.After several weeks in hibernation at 10°C a depression of metabolism occurred which produced acclimated respiration rates significantly lowe than 10°C rates measured at other times of year. This is interpreted as a probable case of negative metabolic compensation to temperature (inverse acclimation).

4. 4.No difference in respiration rates at 5°C could be detected between dormant and summer lizards.

5. 5.Energy expenditure during winter dormancy accounts for approximately 5% of the energy assimilated annually from food. Inverse acclimation at 10°C effects an energy saving amounting to about 35% of the total dormancy expenditure.

Lactate modeling and its application to endurance training

1. 1. In this short review, previous studies regarding the modeling of lactate (La) response to exercise and its application to endurance training have been summarized.

2. 2. Additionally the result of a recent study by the present authors are shown.

3. 3. Several models for La response to step and ramp exercise are already proposed and deductions derived from them are used for practical purposes such as the prediction of race performance in middle-and long-distance runners as well as for construction of their training regimens.

4. 4. Only a limited number of models however have tried to quantify whole body La kinetics to exercise in humans concomitantly with describing physiological mechanisms underlying the observed phenomenon.

5. 5. In a recent study described further in this paper a 2 compartment model was used for the purpose of clarifying the current “La production vs degradation” controversy during La adaptation to training.

6. 6. It was determined from this investigation that the La metabolic clearance rate during recovery is enhanced by the endurance training.

7. 7. This is in accordance with another recent observation of an increased La metabolic clearance rate at high absolute work rates and all relative work rates during exercise.

Adaptation of industrial/commercial air conditioners for use in a thermally stressful environment

1. 1. The concept of intermittent, microclimate cooling during rest periods has been investigated due to the logistical and ergonomic problems associated with backpack cooling systems

2. 2. In an attempt to improve intermittent cooling applications, the use of industrial/commercial air conditioners (ICAC) as a source of cool air was conceived

3. 3. In the current study, a prototype of a pressurized air distribution unit (PADU) which can be incorporated into existing ICAC was designed and fabricated

4. 4. In a successful test, an ICAC circulated air and cooled it down to the set temperature, while the PADU pumped 5101/min (the specified air volume for one person) of 15°C into each air cooling vest, 4601/min to the body and 501/min to the face, through filters and 10 ft/1 in. diameter supply line

5. 5. The PADU is necessary to increase the air pressure in the system, creating the required air volume

6. 6. This promising concept adapts existing ICAC to provide adequate amounts of clean, cool air to individuals working in thermally stressful environments

7. 7. This development effectively increases the conditioned air sources available for use in decreasing heat storage and increasing personal comfort in military or civilian scenarios where work is conducted in protective garments.

Diel thermoregulation of the crawfish Procambarus Clarkii (crustacea, cambaridae)

1. 1. In a diel cycle Procambarus clarkii has two preferred temperatures: 24.0 ± 0.15 SEM °C during the day and 26.7 ± 0.13 SEM °C at night.

2. 2. The preferred temperatures are independent from the weight of the organisms.

3. 3. In the photophase the animals are dispersed, in the scotophase they congregate.

4. 4. The crawfish seem to feed during the thermal interphases.

5. 5. Animals in a constantly dark condition maintain a diel preferendum of temperature.

Thermal responses of the fresh water turtle Mauremys caspica to step-function changes in the ambient temperature

1. 1.|The turtle Mauremys caspica cools significantly faster than it heats in air. The heating/cooling ratio is 0.49.

2. 2.|The variation of body temperature in relation to time-course in response to a step-function change of environmental temperature, fitted to a second-order system improves that of a first-order system.

3. 3.|The gradient between ambient temperature (T_a) and equilibrium body temperature (T_b) increases significantly and progressively when ambient temperature rises over 25°C.

4. 4.|At 40°C thermoregulatory hyperventilation was detected, implying an increase in air convection requirement (ventilation relative to O₂ consumption, ).

An experimental study of effects of low-level sound in our daily life on a mental task

1. 1. It is often reported that any sound from the neighborhood disturbs one's reading or study, even though it is at a low level.

2. 2. This study was done to clarify the mechanism by which the low level sound in our daily life exerts an influence upon mental tasks.

3. 3. Two experiments were carried out, one by an ordinary, and the other by a social psychological test. In both, a random number generation test was applied as the mental exercise. The levels of presented sounds in each condition were 34–45 dBA in Leq.

4. 4. One of various conditions was in conformity with a setting of“low level noise”, where existence of low level sound is not recognized as an inevitable phenomenon but perceived as the noise.

5. 5. The quality of performance tends to be worse, though the quantitative side can be maintained.