Convergent evolution in mechanical design of lamnid sharks and tunas

The evolution of 'thunniform' body shapes in several different groups of vertebrates, including whales, ichthyosaurs and several species of large pelagic fishes supports the view that physical and hydromechanical demands provided important selection pressures to optimize body design for locomotion during vertebrate evolution. Recognition of morphological similarities between lamnid sharks (the most well known being the great white and the mako) and tunas has led to a general expectation that they also have converged in their functional design; however, no quantitative data exist on the mechanical performance of the locomotor system in lamnid sharks. Here we examine the swimming kinematics, in vivo muscle dynamics and functional morphology of the force-transmission system in a lamnid shark, and show that the evolutionary convergence in body shape and mechanical design between the distantly related lamnids and tunas is much more than skin deep; it extends to the depths of the myotendinous architecture and the mechanical basis for propulsive movements. We demonstrate that not only have lamnids and tunas converged to a much greater extent than previously known, but they have also developed morphological and functional adaptations in their locomotor systems that are unlike virtually all other fishes.     

Physiology: hibernation in a tropical primate

The Madagascan fat-tailed dwarf lemur, Cheirogaleus medius, hibernates in tree holes for seven months of the year, even though winter temperatures rise to over 30 degrees C. Here we show that this tropical primate relies on a flexible thermal response that depends on the properties of its tree hole: if the hole is poorly insulated, body temperature fluctuates widely, passively following the ambient temperature; if well insulated, body temperature stays fairly constant and the animal undergoes regular spells of arousal. Our findings indicate that arousals are determined by maximum body temperatures and that hypometabolism in hibernating animals is not necessarily coupled to a low body temperature.     

Evaporation in the young solar nebula as the origin of 'just-right' melting of chondrules

Chondrules are millimetre-sized, solidified melt spherules formed in the solar nebula by an early widespread heating event of uncertain nature. They were accreted into chondritic asteroids, which formed about 4.56 billion years ago and have not experienced melting or differentiation since that time. Chondrules have diverse chemical compositions, corresponding to liquidus temperatures in the range 1,350-1,800 degrees C. Most chondrules, however, show porphyritic textures (consisting of large crystals in a distinctly finer grained or glassy matrix), indicative of melting within the narrow range 0-50 degrees C below the liquidus. This suggests an unusual heating mechanism for chondrule precursors, which would raise each individual chondrule to just the right temperature (particular to individual bulk composition) in order to form porphyritic textures. Here we report the results of isothermal melting of a chondritic composition at nebular pressures. Our results suggest that evaporation stabilizes porphyritic textures over a wider range of temperatures below the liquidus (about 200 degrees C) than previously believed, thus removing the need for individual chondrule temperature buffering. In addition, we show that evaporation explains many chondrule bulk and mineral compositions that have hitherto been difficult to understand.     

Change in the body temperature of healthy term infant over the first 72 hours of life

OBJECTIVE: To determine the range of body temperature in a group of healthy Chinese term neonates over the first 72 hours of life and to assess the influence of body weight, gestational age and route of delivery.METHOD: All 200 consecutive cases of neonates delivered at our hospital from March to August 2001 were included in this retrospective study. Temperatures were measured immediately after delivery, after 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 8 hours and 15 hours and on the 2nd and 3rd day. Axillary temperatures ranging from 36.5 degrees C to 37 degrees C were regarded as normal. No cases of maternal fever or systemic infection of the newborns were discovered. All infants were discharged in good general condition. RESULTS: The mean rectal temperature at birth was 37.19 degrees C. The lowest average temperature was reached at 1 hour after delivery (36.54 degrees C) with a significant difference between natural delivery (36.48 degrees C) and section (36.59 degrees C) (P<0.05). Temperature subsequently rose to 36.70 degrees C at 8 hours and 36.78 degrees C at 15 hours (P<0.05). Hypothermia was seen in 51.8% and hypothermia in 42.5% of the patients. On the 3rd day after delivery, 96% of all temperatures were in the normal range. A significant relation was found between hypothermia and both low birth weight (P<0.001) and low gestational age (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The reference range presently used did not include all physiological temperatures in the first 72 hours of life. Considering other factors, such as birth weight, route of delivery, gestational age and body temperature on the 2nd and 3rd day of life, may help to correctly assess the significance of temperatures beyond the reference range.     

硅衬底SrTiO3薄膜的热敏特性

利用氩离子束镀膜技术在SiO2/Si衬底上淀积钛酸锶（SrTiO3）膜,并制成平面型电阻器。结果表明：在实验温区（28～150℃）内,SrTiO3薄膜具有负温度系数电阻特性,且热敏牧场生比较明显,在室温30℃时,温度系数α达－2．15％℃^-1。建立热敏电阻－电容器并联模型,分析了频率对不同温度下薄膜电阻器阻拢的影响。在实验温区内,SrTiO3薄膜的介电常数具有较好的热稳定性。     

The menthol receptor TRPM8 is the principal detector of environmental cold

Sensory nerve fibres can detect changes in temperature over a remarkably wide range, a process that has been proposed to involve direct activation of thermosensitive excitatory transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels. One such channel--TRP melastatin 8 (TRPM8) or cold and menthol receptor 1 (CMR1)--is activated by chemical cooling agents (such as menthol) or when ambient temperatures drop below approximately 26 degrees C, suggesting that it mediates the detection of cold thermal stimuli by primary afferent sensory neurons. However, some studies have questioned the contribution of TRPM8 to cold detection or proposed that other excitatory or inhibitory channels are more critical to this sensory modality in vivo. Here we show that cultured sensory neurons and intact sensory nerve fibres from TRPM8-deficient mice exhibit profoundly diminished responses to cold. These animals also show clear behavioural deficits in their ability to discriminate between cold and warm surfaces, or to respond to evaporative cooling. At the same time, TRPM8 mutant mice are not completely insensitive to cold as they avoid contact with surfaces below 10 degrees C, albeit with reduced efficiency. Thus, our findings demonstrate an essential and predominant role for TRPM8 in thermosensation over a wide range of cold temperatures, validating the hypothesis that TRP channels are the principal sensors of thermal stimuli in the peripheral nervous system.     

TRPV3 is a calcium-permeable temperature-sensitive cation channel

Transient receptor potential (TRP) proteins are cation-selective channels that function in processes as diverse as sensation and vasoregulation. Mammalian TRP channels that are gated by heat and capsaicin (>43 degrees C; TRPV1 (ref. 1)), noxious heat (>52 degrees C; TRPV2 (ref. 2)), and cooling (< 22 degrees C; TRPM8 (refs 3, 4)) have been cloned; however, little is known about the molecular determinants of temperature sensing in the range between approximately 22 degrees C and 40 degrees C. Here we have identified a member of the vanilloid channel family, human TRPV3 (hTRPV3) that is expressed in skin, tongue, dorsal root ganglion, trigeminal ganglion, spinal cord and brain. Increasing temperature from 22 degrees C to 40 degrees C in mammalian cells transfected with hTRPV3 elevated intracellular calcium by activating a nonselective cationic conductance. As in published recordings from sensory neurons, the current was steeply dependent on temperature, sensitized with repeated heating, and displayed a marked hysteresis on heating and cooling. On the basis of these properties, we propose that hTRPV3 is thermosensitive in the physiological range of temperatures between TRPM8 and TRPV1.     

Carbon nanothermometer containing gallium

Many applications have been found for carbon nanotubes, and we can now add a role as a 'nanothermometer' to this list. We describe how the height of a continuous, unidimensional column of liquid gallium inside a carbon nanotube (up to about 10 micrometres long and about 75 nanometres in diameter) varies linearly and reproducibly in the temperature range 50-500 degrees C, with an expansion coefficient that is the same as for gallium in the macroscopic state. We chose gallium as our thermal indicator because it has one of the greatest liquid ranges of any metal (29.78-2,403 degrees C) and a low vapour pressure even at high temperatures. This nanothermometer should be suitable for use in a wide variety of microenvironments.     

高功率准分子激光沉积类金刚石膜的热稳定性

在不同温度下(200~ 800 ℃) 将高功率准分子激光溅射方法沉积的类金刚石膜进行退火实验. 利用Raman和XPS光谱分析类金刚石膜在退火过程中的化学键合结构变化. 结果表明, 类金刚石膜是由少量的sp² C键和大量的sp³ C键组成的非晶态碳膜. 在退火温度小于600 ℃范围内, 类金刚石膜的热稳 定性较好； 退火温度高于600 ℃时, 类金刚石膜中的sp³ C键逐渐向sp ² C键转变, 当退火温度升到800 ℃时, 类金刚石膜中sp³ C键含量由 退火前的大约70%下降到40%. 可见, 高温退火能导致类金刚石膜的石墨化趋势.     

A high-performance cathode for the next generation of solid-oxide fuel cells

Fuel cells directly and efficiently convert chemical energy to electrical energy. Of the various fuel cell types, solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) combine the benefits of environmentally benign power generation with fuel flexibility. However, the necessity for high operating temperatures (800-1,000 degrees C) has resulted in high costs and materials compatibility challenges. As a consequence, significant effort has been devoted to the development of intermediate-temperature (500-700 degrees C) SOFCs. A key obstacle to reduced-temperature operation of SOFCs is the poor activity of traditional cathode materials for electrochemical reduction of oxygen in this temperature regime. Here we present Ba(0.5)Sr(0.5)Co(0.8)Fe(0.2)O(3-delta)(BSCF) as a new cathode material for reduced-temperature SOFC operation. BSCF, incorporated into a thin-film doped ceria fuel cell, exhibits high power densities (1,010 mW cm(-2) and 402 mW cm(-2) at 600 degrees C and 500 degrees C, respectively) when operated with humidified hydrogen as the fuel and air as the cathode gas. We further demonstrate that BSCF is ideally suited to 'single-chamber' fuel-cell operation, where anode and cathode reactions take place within the same physical chamber. The high power output of BSCF cathodes results from the high rate of oxygen diffusion through the material. By enabling operation at reduced temperatures, BSCF cathodes may result in widespread practical implementation of SOFCs.     

Low-latitude seasonality of Cretaceous temperatures in warm and cold episodes

The Cretaceous period is generally considered to have been a time of warm climate. Evidence for cooler episodes exists, particularly in the early Cretaceous period, but the timing and significance of these cool episodes are not well constrained. The seasonality of temperatures is important for constraining equator-to-pole temperature gradients and may indicate the presence of polar ice sheets; however, reconstructions of Cretaceous sea surface temperatures are predominantly based on the oxygen isotopic composition of planktonic foraminifera that do not provide information about such intra-annual variations. Here we present intra-shell variations in delta18O values of rudist bivalves (Hippuritoidea) from palaeolatitudes between 8 degrees and 31 degrees N, which record the evolution of the seasonality of Cretaceous sea surface temperatures in detail. We find high maximum temperatures (approximately 35 to 37 degrees C) and relatively low seasonal variability (< 12 degrees C) between 20 degrees and 30 degrees N during the warmer Cretaceous episodes. In contrast, during the cooler episodes our data show seasonal sea surface temperature variability of up to 18 degrees C near 25 degrees N, comparable to the range found today. Such a large seasonal variability is compatible with the existence of polar ice sheets.     

Scaling effects in caudal fin propulsion and the speed of ichthyosaurs.

Four unrelated groups of large cruising vertebrates (tunas, whales, lamnid sharks and parvipelvian ichthyosaurs) evolved tuna-shaped (thunniform) body plans. Stringent physical constraints, imposed by the surrounding fluids, are probably responsible for this example of evolutionary convergence. Here I present a mathematical model of swimming kinematics and fluid mechanics that specifies and quantifies such constraints, and test the model with empirical data. The test shows quantitatively that morphology, kinematics, and physiology indeed covary tightly in large cruisers. The model enables calculations of optimal cruising speed from external measurements, and also predicts that wide caudal fin spans, typical of thunniform swimmers, are necessary for large cruisers. This finding is contrary to a popular yet rather teleological view that thunniform tails were selected for their high aspect ratios that increased propulsive efficiency. I also show by calculation that Stenopterygius, a Jurassic ichthyosaur, probably had optimal cruising speeds and basal metabolic rates similar to living tunas.     

基于脑电的温度阶跃变化环境下的人体热舒适研究

热环境作为评价建筑物理环境的重要部分,影响着人的工作效率和情绪变化。不同环境温度下的脑电信号与人体主观投票相结合是一种评价热舒适的新方法。本研究选取14名身体健康的成年人在人工气候室经历由低温15°C分别突变到18°C、24°C和30°C三个过程,通过快速傅里叶变换,将温度阶跃变化环境下测得的脑电信号转化为脑电频谱功率值,与主观投票和额头温度相结合,进一步探究脑电各分区和各波段与热舒适的相关性。研究表明,额叶区频谱功率值变化可作为人体热舒适的评价指标,频谱功率值与热舒适显著相关,且随着舒适程度的增加而降低,当温度突变到接近人体中性温度24°C时,功率值最低。同时发现与热愉悦情绪和注意力有关的额叶区θ波段功率值随着舒适程度的增加而增加,当温度突变到24°C时,θ波相对脑电功率变化最明显,增加了20%左右。     

Physiological and behavioural thermoregulation in bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus).

Tuna are unique among teleost fishes in being thermoconserving. Vascular counter-current heat exchangers maintain body temperatures above ambient water temperature, thereby improving locomotor muscle efficiency, especially at burst speeds and when pursuing prey below the thermocline. Because tuna also occasionally swim rapidly in warm surface waters, it has been hypothesized that tuna thermoregulate to accommodate changing activity levels or ambient temperatures. But previous field experiments have been unable to demonstrate definitively short-latency, mammalian-type physiological thermoregulation. Here we show using telemetered data that free-ranging bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) can rapidly alter whole-body thermal conductivity by two orders of magnitude. The heat exchangers are disengaged to allow rapid warming as the tuna ascend from cold water into warmer surface waters, and are reactivated to conserve heat when they return into the depths. Combining physiological and behavioural thermoregulation expands the foraging space of bigeye tuna into otherwise prohibitively cold, deep water.     

Increased Arctic cloud longwave emissivity associated with pollution from mid-latitudes

There is consensus among climate models that Arctic climate is particularly sensitive to anthropogenic greenhouse gases and that, over the next century, Arctic surface temperatures are projected to rise at a rate about twice the global mean. The response of Arctic surface temperatures to greenhouse gas thermal emission is modified by Northern Hemisphere synoptic meteorology and local radiative processes. Aerosols may play a contributing factor through changes to cloud radiative properties. Here we evaluate a previously suggested contribution of anthropogenic aerosols to cloud emission and surface temperatures in the Arctic. Using four years of ground-based aerosol and radiation measurements obtained near Barrow, Alaska, we show that, where thin water clouds and pollution are coincident, there is an increase in cloud longwave emissivity resulting from elevated haze levels. This results in an estimated surface warming under cloudy skies of between 3.3 and 5.2 W m(-2) or 1 and 1.6 degrees C. Arctic climate is closely tied to cloud longwave emission, but feedback mechanisms in the system are complex and the actual climate response to the described sensitivity remains to be evaluated.     

Experimental study on thermal characteristics of LiFePO4 power Batteries

<正> As an important high-energy chemical power source,lithium-ion power batteries come up to applicationproblems of thermal performance,such as extended temperature range and high power charge discharge.LiFePO_4 battery is applied and developed well recently,its charge and discharge experiment atdifferent temperatures and hybrid pulse power characterization (HPPC) test are analyzed,and the optimaltemperature range of LiFePO_4 battery is put forward.In order to provide experimental suggestion of powerbattery application and its thermal management,internal resistance,influencing factor of electromotiveforce and entropy change state of charge (SOC),battery thermal characteristic of different charge dischargerates are summarized.     

Deep-sea ecology. Developmental arrest in vent worm embryos

Temperature is a key factor in controlling the distribution of marine organisms and is particularly important at hydrothermal vents, where steep thermal gradients are present over a scale of centimetres. The thermophilic worm Alvinella pompejana, which is found at the vents of the East Pacific Rise (2,500-m depth), has an unusually broad thermotolerance (20-80 degrees C) as an adult, but we show here that the temperature range required by the developing embryo is very different from that tolerated by adults. Our results indicate that early embryos may disperse through cold abyssal water in a state of developmental arrest, completing their development only when they encounter water that is warm enough for their growth and survival.     

保温砂浆外墙外保温系统在不利条件下温度变化规律

为得到保温砂浆外墙外保温系统耐候性保温效果及机理,对其进行耐候性试验,通过布点监测得到各构造层瞬态温度场,计算各层温度变化率及层间温度衰减系数,以对比不同结构层温度变化程度及保温能力。结果表明:在热雨循环15～70℃温度范围内,基层温度最大变化幅度仅为9.12℃,在热冷循环-20～50℃温度范围内,基层温度最大变化幅度仅为28.21℃,其温度改变幅度相较于另外两层明显平缓;基层与保温层层间温度衰减系数明显大于保温层与饰面层。可见系统保温性能优良,保温砂浆层是主要保温结构。     

考虑温度效应的风电增速箱动力学特性研究

针对风电增速齿轮箱温度异常现象,基于Block闪温理论与Hertz接触理论,提出一种考虑随机风载作用下齿面接触温度的计算方法.以该方法为理论基础,根据行星轮系耦合建模理论,建立风电增速齿轮箱动力学性能计算模型.模型不仅揭示了随机风载、齿面接触温度及齿廓热变形之间相互影响的函数关系,还展现了随机风载、齿面接触温度等非线性...     

An internal thermal sensor controlling temperature preference in Drosophila

Animals from flies to humans are able to distinguish subtle gradations in temperature and show strong temperature preferences. Animals move to environments of optimal temperature and some manipulate the temperature of their surroundings, as humans do using clothing and shelter. Despite the ubiquitous influence of environmental temperature on animal behaviour, the neural circuits and strategies through which animals select a preferred temperature remain largely unknown. Here we identify a small set of warmth-activated anterior cell (AC) neurons located in the Drosophila brain, the function of which is critical for preferred temperature selection. AC neuron activation occurs just above the fly's preferred temperature and depends on dTrpA1, an ion channel that functions as a molecular sensor of warmth. Flies that selectively express dTrpA1 in the AC neurons select normal temperatures, whereas flies in which dTrpA1 function is reduced or eliminated choose warmer temperatures. This internal warmth-sensing pathway promotes avoidance of slightly elevated temperatures and acts together with a distinct pathway for cold avoidance to set the fly's preferred temperature. Thus, flies select a preferred temperature by using a thermal sensing pathway tuned to trigger avoidance of temperatures that deviate even slightly from the preferred temperature. This provides a potentially general strategy for robustly selecting a narrow temperature range optimal for survival.