Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Rowardennan, Glasgow, G63 0AW, Scotland, UK.
Published: February 2022
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
The moult in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) represents an especially energetically demanding period during which seals must maintain high skin temperature to facilitate complete replacement of body fur and upper dermis. In this study, heat flux from the body surface was measured on 18 moulting southern elephant seals to estimate metabolic heat loss in three different habitats (beach, wallow and vegetation). Temperature data loggers were also deployed on 10 southern elephant seals to monitor skin surface temperature. On average, heat loss of animals on the beach was greater than in wallows or vegetation, and greater in wallows than in vegetation. Heat loss across all habitats during the moult equated to 1.8 x resting metabolic rate (RMR). The greatest heat loss of animals was recorded in the beach habitat during the late moult, that represented 2.3 x RMR. Mass loss was 3.6 ± 0.3 kg day, resulting in changes in body condition as the moult progressed. As body condition declined, skin surface temperature also decreased, suggesting that as animals approached the end of the moult blood flow to the skin surface was no longer required for hair growth.
Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Genetic Metabolism, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Shanghai, 200092, People's Republic of China.
Introduction: Growth hormone (GH) is crucial for immune system development and regulation, potentially benefiting COVID-19 outcomes. However, there are limited studies on the role of GH treatment in COVID-19 in children with short stature.
Methods: We conducted a survey study to evaluate the association between GH treatment and COVID-19 risk in short stature children aged 7 to 18 years.
The induction of adipose thermogenesis plays a critical role in maintaining body temperature and improving metabolic homeostasis to combat obesity. β3-adrenoceptor (β3-AR) is widely recognized as a canonical β-adrenergic G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that plays a crucial role in mediating adipose thermogenesis in mice. Nonetheless, the limited expression of β3-AR in human adipocytes restricts its clinical application.
Exposure to high temperatures during indoor and outdoor activities increases the risk of heat-related illness such as cramps, rashes, and heatstroke (HS). Fatal cases of HS are ten times more common than serious cardiac episodes in sporting scenarios, with untreated cases leading to mortality rates as high as 80%. Enhancing thermal comfort can be achieved through heat loss in enclosed spaces and the human body, utilizing heat transfer mechanisms such as radiation, conduction, convection, and evaporation, which do not require initial energy input.
Molten salts are important in a number of energy applications, but the fundamental mechanisms operating in ionic liquids are poorly understood, particularly at higher temperatures. This is despite their candidacy for deployment in solar cells, next-generation nuclear reactors, and nuclear pyroprocessing. We perform extensive molecular dynamics simulations over a variety of molten chloride salt compositions at varying temperature and pressures to calculate the thermodynamic and transport properties of these liquids.
In recent decades, biodiversity loss has greatly impacted planetary and human health. Children are at additional risk of adverse effects due to unique biological, developmental, and behavioral factors, as well as their longer exposure to an altered planet as a function of their young age. These effects are heightened for children living in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions.
