Data acquisition in thermal physiology: Measurements of shivering

1. 1.|Simple electronics for measurement of shivering, which include direct and mean rectified EMG (U_mrv), are suggested.

2. 2.|A software system (LabGraph) for measurement and analysis is described.

3. 3.|Three different electrode designs were tested with the system by recording electromyography (EMG) from m. iliotibialis with subdermal, intramuscular and safety pin electrodes in bantam hens exposed to cold eggs. The signal characteristics of EMG are discussed in relation to electrode design and signal processing.

4. 4.|A method for normalizing EMG activity within an experiment to units of heat production is presented and was tested successfully in bantam hens.

Author Keywords: Shivering; electromyography; electrodes; EMG activity; heat production; data acquisition; spectral analysis; thermoregulation; bantam hens