Thermophysiology,microclimates, and species distributions of lizards in the mountains of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Thermophysiological traits, particularly thermal tolerances and sensitivity, are key to understanding how organisms are affected by environmental conditions. In the face of ongoing climate change, determining how physiological traits structure species’ ranges is especially important in tropical montane systems. In this study, we ask whether thermal sensitivity in physiological performance restricts montane lizards to high elevations and excludes them from the warmer environments reported at low elevations. For three montane lizard species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, we collect thermophysiological data from lizards in the highest elevation site of each species’ distribution, and ask how well the individuals exhibiting those traits would perform across the Atlantic Forest. We use microclimatic and organism‐specific models to directly relate environmental conditions to an organism's body temperature and physiological traits, and estimate measures of thermophysiological performance. Our findings demonstrate that thermophysiological constraints do not restrict montane lizards to high elevations in this system, and thus likely do not determine the warm boundaries of these montane species’ distributions. Results also suggest that competition may be important in limiting the warm boundaries of the species’ ranges for two of the focal species. These experimental results suggest that caution should be used when claiming that physiology drives patterns of diversity and endemism within montane environments. They also highlight the importance of interdisciplinary experimental studies that bridge the fields of evolution and ecology to improve predictions of biological responses to future environmental shifts.     

Climate change and thermal comfort in Hong Kong

Thermal comfort is a major issue in cities and it is expected to change in the future due to the changing climate. The objective of this paper is to use the universal thermal comfort index (UTCI) to compare the outdoor thermal comfort in Hong Kong in the past (1971–2000) and the future (2046–2065 and 2081–2100). The future climate of Hong Kong was determined by the general circulation model (GCM) simulations of future climate scenarios (A1B and B1) established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Three GCMs were chosen, GISS-ER, GFDL-CM2.1 and MRI-CGCM2.3.2, based on their performance in simulating past climate. Through a statistical downscaling procedure, the future climatic variables were transferred to the local scale. The UTCI is calculated by four predicted climate variables: air temperature, wind speed, relative humidity and solar radiation. After a normalisation procedure, future UTCI profiles for the urban area of Hong Kong were created. Comparing the past UTCI (calculated by observation data) and future UTCI, all three GCMs predicted that the future climate scenarios have a higher mode and a higher maximum value. There is a shift from ‘No Thermal Stress’ toward ‘Moderate Heat Stress’ and ‘Strong Heat Stress’ during the period 2046–2065, becoming more severe for the later period (2081–2100). Comparing the two scenarios, B1 exhibited similar projections in the two time periods whereas for A1B there was a significant difference, with both the mode and maximum increasing by 2 °C from 2046–2065 to 2081–2100.     

Consideration of the importance of measuring thermal discomfort in biomedical research

Core temperature stability is the result of a dynamically regulated balance of heat loss and gain, which is not reflected by a simple thermometer reading. One way in which these changes manifest is in perceived thermal comfort, ‘feeling too cold’ or ‘feeling too hot’, which can activate stress pathways. Unfortunately, there is surprisingly little preclinical research that tracks changes in perceived thermal comfort in response to either disease progression or various treatments. Without measuring this endpoint, there may be missed opportunities to evaluate disease and therapy outcomes in murine models of human disease. Here, we discuss the possibility that changes in thermal comfort in mice could be a useful and physiologically relevant measure of energy trade-offs required under various physiological or pathological conditions.     

A dynamic tester to evaluate the thermal and moisture behaviour of the surface of textiles

The thermal and moisture behaviour of the microclimate of textiles is crucial in determining the physiological comfort of apparel, but it has not been investigated sufficiently due to the lack of particular evaluation techniques. Based on sensing, temperature controlling and wireless communicating technology, a specially designed tester has been developed in this study to evaluate the thermal and moisture behaviour of the surface of textiles in moving status. A temperature acquisition system and a temperature controllable hotplate have been established to test temperature and simulate the heat of human body, respectively. Relative humidity of the surface of fabric in the dynamic process has been successfully tested through sensing. Meanwhile, wireless communication technology was applied to transport the acquired data of temperature and humidity to computer for further processing. Continuous power supply was achieved by intensive contact between an elastic copper plate and copper ring on the rotating shaft. This tester provides the platform to evaluate the thermal and moisture behaviour of textiles. It enables users to conduct a dynamic analysis on the temperature and humidity together with the thermal and moisture transport behaviour of the surface of fabric in moving condition. Development of this tester opens the door of investigation on the micro-climate of textiles in real time service, and eventually benefits the understanding of the sensation comfort and wellbeing of apparel wearers.     

Thermal sensation and comfort during exposure to local airflow to face or legs

The present study examined the contribution of local airflow temperature to thermal sensation and comfort in humans. Eight healthy male students were exposed to local airflow to their faces (summer condition) or legs (winter condition) for 30 minutes. Local airflow temperature (Tf) was maintained at 18 degrees C to 36 degrees C, and ambient temperature (Ta) was maintained at 17.4 degrees C to 31.4 degrees C. Each subject was exposed to 16 conditions chosen from the combination of Tf and Ta. Based on the results of multiple regression analysis, the standardized partial regression coefficient of Tf and Ta were determined to be 0.93 and 0.13 in the summer condition, and 0.71 and 0.36 in the winter condition at the end of the exposure. Also, thermal comfort was observed to depend closely on the interrelation between Tf and Ta. The present data suggested that local airflow temperature is an important thermal factor regarding thermal sensation and comfort.     

Prediction of human thermophysiological responses during shower bathing

This study develops a model to predict the thermophysiological response of the human body during shower bathing. Despite the needs for the quantitative evaluation of human body response during bathing for thermal comfort and safety, the complicated mechanisms of heat transfer at the skin surface, especially during shower bathing, have disturbed the development of adequate models. In this study, an initial modeling approach is proposed by developing a simple heat transfer model at the skin surface during shower bathing applied to Stolwijk’s human thermal model. The main feature of the model is the division of the skin surface into three parts: a dry part, a wet part without water flow, and a wet part with water flow. The area ratio of each part is decided by a simple formula developed from a geometrical approach based on the shape of the Stolwijk’s human thermal model. At the same time, the convective heat transfer coefficient between the skin and the flowing water is determined experimentally. The proposed model is validated by a comparison with the results of human subject experiments under controlled and free shower conditions. The model predicts the mean skin temperature during shower fairly well both for controlled and free shower bathing styles.     

Identification of local thermal conditions for sleeping comfort improvement in neutral to cold indoor thermal environments

The effect of the thermal environment on sleep quality has attracted considerable attention, as sleep forms one-third of human lifetime and the occupied space is largely constrained during sleep. With an increasing development of partial space regulation and task air conditioning systems and devices, thermal comfort demand concerning local thermal conditions has attracted more and more attention. In the present study, experiment was conducted and data mining technologies were performed to investigate correlations between local thermal conditions and whole body thermal comfort in sleeping state. The identification of local thermal condition included two steps: the first step was to clarify thermal sensation links between local and covered body, and the second step was to identify local thermal sensation inclination towards different thermal comfort levels. Thermal sensation correlations among local body parts and covered body were obtained. Back, face, and thigh were identified as three dominant linear-correlated local parts with weighting factors 0.488, 0.388, and 0.152, respectively; in addition, chest, arm, leg and foot were found as non-negligible local parts in the estimation of covered body thermal sensation. By dividing the sleeping human body into three parts as head, trunk and extremity, the proper local thermal sensations and their coupling relationships for whole body sleeping thermal comfort have been elaborated by three rules. The present study provides implications in sleeping thermal environment regulation in neutral to cold indoor conditions.     

Characterization of mode II-wear particles and cytokine response in a human macrophage-like cell culture.

Informations about wear particles in metallosis (mode II wear) and their effects in vitro and in vivo are limited. The aim of this study was to characterize wear particles obtained intraoperatively and to analyse their effects on cytokine response in an established human macrophage-like cell culture model. METHOD: Wear particles were obtained intraoperatively from four patients with metallosis resulting from CrCoMo/PE/TiAIV-implants (mode II wear) (3 knee, 1 hip prosthesis). After purification, particles were characterized regarding to their composition and size (particle size analyser, electron microscopy, edx-analysis, histological slices). The effects of particles on the release of cytokines (PDGF, IL-1beta, IL-8, TNF alpha) were determined in an established human macrophage-like cell culture system by ELISA-assays. RESULTS: The metal wear particles consisted of TiAIV with a mean size of 0.1 +/- 0.15 microm, independent of the prosthesis location. CrCoMo particles could not be detected. In the cell culture model 1456 x 10(8) particles per 1 x 10(6) macrophages released maximum amounts of TNFalpha (8-fold) and IL-8 and IL-1beta (5-fold) while the survival rate of the cells was more than 90 percent. A particle-dependent increase of PDGF-levels could not be detected. CONCLUSION: As already shown for mode I wear particles (contact between primary bearing surfaces), also mode II wear particles cause release of bone resorbing cytokines in a macrophage-like cell culture model. Because their local and systemic effects in vivo are still not completely understood, we recommend a complete removal of wear particles in cases of metallosis to avoid possible immunological reactions of the body as well as periprosthetic osteolysis.     

亚热带住区不同景观空间夏季微气候实测与优化设计研究—— 以佛山居住区为例

以佛山为例,运用实地调查法对亚热带居住区10种常见景观空间夏季微气候指标(风速、温度、湿度)进行实测,结合居民主观舒适度问卷调查研究成果,对常见住区景观空间夏季舒适性进行对比分析.结果显示"架空层通风良好处"综合得分最高,其次为"乔木林下铺装广场"、"露天广场",得分最低的为"架空层通风欠佳处".研究表明亚热带住区景观...     

Thermal sensitivity mapping - warmth and cold detection thresholds of the human torso

Skin as the largest organ of the human body accomplishes many important functions, including thermoregulation. In this context, investigating cold (CDT) and warmth detection thresholds (WDT) constitutes an important research branch, and investigating thermal thresholds has a significant impact on the clothing and fabric textile industry. In this regard, not only the extremities, but also torso regions are of high relevance. However, only few examinations have conducted detailed mapping studies of the human torso. Additionally, some of these studies show certain methodological limitations. Furthermore, the issue of whether cutaneous thermal sensitivity is gender-dependent is still controversial. Therefore, the present study investigated the cutaneous thermal sensitivity (CDT, WDT) of 42 male and female young and healthy subjects. Measurements were taken at 11 anatomical regions. We found that gender plays an important role when investigating thermal thresholds: Females tended to be more sensitive than males. We also found considerable differences between the tested regions, even within the anterior torso, for example. We identified locations which were constantly sensitive (lower back), while others were consistently insensitive (e.g. scapula). We also detected greater data variability for males compared to females, and for WDT compared to CDT. Furthermore, mainly for WDT, we found a proximal-to-distal increase of thermal torso and upper arm sensitivity. In line with previous investigations, our subjects were more sensitive to cold than to warmth. The findings of this study have important implications. First, our data may complement basic research, e.g. in terms of reference data of body regional maps. Second, our data provides important insights that could be leveraged in the textile industry, and also used to optimize current broadly applicable test methods and tools, like thermal manikins and thermophysiological models.     

The annual Day of the Dead song contest: musical‐linguistic ideology and practice,piratability, and the challenge of scale

Building on research theorizing scale, this article proposes augmentations to existing frameworks that will help illuminate how localities are linked to ‘stranger collectives’ like nations, ethnicities, and global religious ‘communities’. In this case of ethnic revival from Mexico's Sierra Mazateca, people use new vernacular literacy practices tied to local musical performances as a way of ‘customizing’ modular forms deployed by national and global institutions to manage indigenous difference. People ‘re‐imagine’ locality through a localized indigenous literacy that takes templates provided by the Mexican state and the Catholic Church and places them in productive tension with local context: musical properties of the indigenous language Mazatec, locally valued performance practices, and local musical‐linguistic ideologies. While this revival movement draws on immanently modular forms, once locally embedded they become ‘unpiratable’, and constitute a new resource for inscribing local belonging. This case suggests the importance of considering linguistic and musical aspects of social context often taken for granted in anthropological investigations of scale.     

Blood flow fluctuation underneath human forearm skin caused by local thermal stimuli of different fabrics

The aim of this study was to investigate physiological interactions between fabric and the human body via skin and the resultant disturbance to blood flow, which in turn influences the skin temperature and the sensation of warmth and chilliness, thus the feeling of comfort. We focussed on the effects on the forearm skin blood flow by different local physical stimuli from fabrics. The blood flows were examined under three protocols: (1) using fabrics of different fiber types and fiber blending, (2) different surface characteristics of the same fabric and fiber type, and (3) different moisture levels of the same fabric type. A total of five different fabrics were wrapped over the forearm of a female subject at a good health state for test. The fabric samples were preconditioned for 24 h, and the subject sat for 30 min, in both cold and dry ambient conditions (20.5±0.5 °C, 45±5 p.100 RH) to reach equilibrium before testing. The forearm skin blood flow and temperature were recorded by a laser-Doppler flowmeter (DP1T/7-V2) with two probes mounted on both forearms to eliminate any systematic common mode fluctuations. Several conclusions were drawn from our test data. First, the fabric impact on both skin temperature and blood flow can be significant. Also fabric surface characteristics play important role, especially during the transient heat exchange at the beginning of contact. Finally, moisture level in the samples exhibits considerable influences on skin temperature and blood flow, and the higher the moisture level, the longer the duration of the impact.     

A cooling vest for working comfortably in a moderately hot environment

To alleviate worker's thermal discomfort in a moderately hot environment, a new cooling vest was designed and proposed in this paper. To investigate the effect of the cooling vest and to collect the knowledge for the design of comfortable cooling vest, subjective experiments were conducted. Two kinds of cooling vests, the new one and the commercially available one, were used for comparison. The new cooling vest had more insulation and its surface temperature was higher than the commercially available one. Experiments were performed in the climatic chamber where operative temperature was controlled at 30.2 degrees C and relative humidity was at 37% under still air. In addition, experiment without cooling vest was carried out as a control condition. The results obtained in these experiments were as follow: 1) By wearing both types of cooling vest, the whole body thermal sensation was closer to the neutral conditions than those without cooling vest. This effect was estimated to be equal to the 5.7 degrees C decrement of operative temperature. The subjects felt more comfortable with the cooling vest than without it. They felt more thermally acceptable than that without cooling vest. Wearing the cooling vest was useful to decrease the sweating sensation. 2) The local discomfort was observed when the local thermal sensation was "cool" approximately "cold" with the cooling vest. 3) The new cooling vest kept the skin temperature at chest at about 32.6 degrees C. On the other hand, by wearing the commercially available one, it lowered to about 31.1 degrees C. By wearing the new cooling vest, there was a tendency that local thermal sensation vote was higher and local comfort sensation vote was more comfortable than those of the condition wearing the commercially available one. It is important for the design of a comfortable cooling garment to prevent over-cool down from the body.     

An alternative heat-budget model relevant to heat transfer in fishes and its practical use for detecting their physiological thermoregulation

Previous studies have detected activity-independent fish thermoregulation or conservation mechanisms by applying a mathematical model to body temperature data collected with electronic tags. This model is inadequate, due to its inability to separate quantitatively the effects of physiological thermoregulation from those of physical thermal inertia (the low thermal conductance of the body). In this paper, we have developed an alternative mathematical model that separates these effects. We have then applied it to published electronic tagging data from a large, free-swimming blue shark, Prinoca glauca, to demonstrate physiological thermoregulation. Resultant estimated body-temperature curves indicate that the fish could adjust its whole-body heat-transfer coefficient by changes in arterial blood flow over a range of one order of magnitude. To look at the physical effect on thermoregulation, body temperature for a smaller hypothetical fish was calculated. The estimated temperature was significantly lower than the actual value, indicating that an ectothermic fish like the blue shark cannot achieve physiological thermoregulation without assistance from thermal inertia. In addition, the blue shark returns to cooler depths without recovering its body temperature to the normal surface-temperature level, indicating that this behavior contributes to maximization of the rate of body-temperature recovery. Furthermore, the model indicated that the time for body-temperature recovery is irrelevant to the initial body temperature. Thus, the model made it possible to quantify thermophysiological manipulation. In addition, it was also useful in the comparison of thermoregulatory mechanisms between fishes of different sizes or species.     

Skin and core temperature response to partial- and whole-body heating and cooling

1. Human subjects were exposed to partial- and whole-body heating and cooling in a controlled environmental chamber to quantify physiological and subjective responses to thermal asymmetries and transients.

2. Skin temperatures, core temperature, thermal sensation, and comfort responses were collected for 19 local body parts and for the whole body.

3. Core temperature increased in response to skin cooling and decreased in response to skin heating.

4. Hand and finger temperatures fluctuated significantly when the body was near a neutral thermal state.

5. When using a computer mouse in a cool environment, the skin temperature of the hand using the mouse was observed to be 2–3 °C lower than the unencumbered hand.     

Prediction of air temperature for thermal comfort of people in outdoor environments

Current thermal comfort indices do not take into account the effects of wind and body movement on the thermal resistance and vapor resistance of clothing. This may cause public health problem, e.g. cold-related mortality. Based on the energy balance equation and heat exchanges between a clothed body and the outdoor environment, a mathematical model was developed to determine the air temperature at which an average adult, wearing a specific outdoor clothing and engaging in a given activity, attains thermal comfort under outdoor environment condition. The results indicated low clothing insulation, less physical activity and high wind speed lead to high air temperature prediction for thermal comfort. More accurate air temperature prediction is able to prevent wearers from hypothermia under cold conditions.     

The shape of abundance distributions across temperature gradients in reef fishes

Improving predictions of ecological responses to climate change requires understanding how local abundance relates to temperature gradients, yet many factors influence local abundance in wild populations. We evaluated the shape of thermal‐abundance distributions using 98 422 abundance estimates of 702 reef fish species worldwide. We found that curved ceilings in local abundance related to sea temperatures for most species, where local abundance declined from realised thermal ‘optima’ towards warmer and cooler environments. Although generally supporting the abundant‐centre hypothesis, many species also displayed asymmetrical thermal‐abundance distributions. For many tropical species, abundances did not decline at warm distribution edges due to an unavailability of warmer environments at the equator. Habitat transitions from coral to macroalgal dominance in subtropical zones also influenced abundance distribution shapes. By quantifying the factors constraining species’ abundance, we provide an important empirical basis for improving predictions of community re‐structuring in a warmer world.