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This paper focuses on the issue of heat stress and its adverse effects on animals, specifically livestock, and attempts to develop a solution using the Arduino microcontroller. The adverse effects of heat stress towards animals includes the deterioration of the reproductive system of animals, abnormalities in eating behaviors, and so on. The researchers have developed the schematics and the specifications used for the solution to the heat stress dilemma. The schematics include the usage of sensors for humidity and temperature, which can be viewed on a mobile phone application, and an automatic feeder which will operate under a certain time set by the user. This is controlled through a mobile application which also uses push notifications to notify the user about the conditions of the animals. The researcher recommends further analysis through comparison with other products with a similar goal, and additional features to further enhance the current schematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green roofs can provide a number of benefits in urban areas, including mitigation of heat islands, reduction of urban air pollution, CO2 sequestration, noise reduction, water retention, absorption of pollutants in rainwater runoff, acid rain buffering, etc. The aim of the study is to map the land cover and assess some of the potential benefits of retrofitting green roofs in a residential area in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The survey covers Yuzhen (South) Quarter, with an area of 31.33 ha. According to the General Development Plan of Plovdiv, 73% of Yuzhen Quarter is a residential area with required greening between 20 and 60%. Only 2% of it is designated as a green area for public use. A detailed mapping in GIS environment, based on available satellite images showed that impervious surfaces cover 61%. Green areas cover about 28% and are mainly grass communities of ruderal and synanthropic species on highly compacted soils. Trees are mainly planted along the streets and between buildings. Flat roofs currently cover 15% of the studied area (25% of the impervious surface). The assessment of the possible effects of retrofitting of all flat roofs in Yuzhen Quarter, Plovdiv, showed a significant potential to mitigate some of the major adverse effects of urbanization. If the roofs are greened, for example, with F. rubra, 11% of the PM10 in the area can be removed. Sequestration and energy savings will reduce the CO2 by 205 242 kg/year. Other benefits, like a decrease in the summer temperatures, rainwater retention, noise reduction, etc. can also be expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the combined water and the temperature stresses on young local olive cultivars (Olea europaea L. cvs 'Chemlali' and 'Zarrazi'). The experimentation was carried out following a split-plot design; the main plot units had a 3*3*2 factorial design with three controlled climatic, three irrigation treatments and two olive cultivars (Chemlali and Zarrazi).The volumetric water soil content, net photosynthesis production, stomatal conductance and apical growth were measured throughout the experimentation. We found that cultivar had insignificant effect on net photosynthetic production and stomatal conductance. Moreover, the irrigation was not proportional to the amount of change in net photosynthetic production and stomatal conductance. Likewise, the apical growth and the studied physiological parameters were dramatically dropped under heat stress regardless of the water treatment. Nevertheless, the severity of the decline was more intense in Chemlali cultivar (Apical growth dropped 40.39% and 42.18% for 100 and DI50, respectively for Zarrazi and dropped 42.18% and 46.87% for 100 and DI50, respectively for Chemlali). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this century, global warming has become the main cause of temperature increase in various regions, including Indonesia. The increase of temperature gives negative effects to livestock such as the reduction of metabolism, reproduction, and performance. One of the most adaptive livestock to heat stress in Indonesia is Bali cattle. The response of Bali cattle to heat stress can be shown by the expression of HSP90 gene. This early study was conducted to understand the profile of HSP90 gene expression in Bali cattle to heat stress in West Sumbawa district, West Nusa Tenggara. Temperature humidity index (THI) was measured to ascertain the heat stress in Bali cattle that bred in West Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara and Cipelang district, Bogor as the control for five days in August 2016. The expression of HSP90 gene was observed from RNA isolation of blood samples of two years old Bali cattle, which were taken from venous jugularis. Transcript variants of HSP90 were analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The results showed that THI measurement in West Sumbawa district is higher than in Cipelang district. Furthermore, there is a tendency that the ratio of HSP90 gene expression of Bali cattle in West Sumbawa district is higher than Cipelang district, as a control. Nevertheless, the values of the ratio of HSP90 gene expression in Bali cattle were not significantly different between the districts. However, this research showed that Bali cattle in West Sumbawa district, West Nusa Tenggara may have good adaptability to heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to evaluate clothing ventilation designs for their ability to reduce heat stress incurred during firefighting activities. Ventilation applications were implemented on structural turnout suits, including both active and passive systems, to determine the benefit of ventilation towards heat loss. A total of five different designs were evaluated on a sweating manikin for thermal and evaporative resistance. From these measurements, a predicted total heat loss (THL) was calculated for each design compared back to a control suit with no ventilation. A large improvement in heat loss was measured, specifically, with the maximum open ventilation design. Overall, ventilation designs in structural firefighter turnout gear show a statistically significant increase in heat loss improvement for the wearer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plants pigments' concentrations describe important information about plant physiological condition that depends on genetically, growing and developing conditions. The role of inhibitor of oxidative electron transport antimycin A on the functional activity of the photo synthetic apparatus and under heat stress (40°C) was examined in wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.). We determined the concentration of photo synthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids) in etiolated wheat seedlings exposed to heat stress (40°C) and in the presence of classic respiratory inhibitor antimycin A (1 mg/l). Heat stress created by transferring wheat seedlings growing at 26°C to higher temperature (40°C). The results of experiment show that the heat stress leads to a decrease of pigments. When wheat seedlings were transferred to a thermostat with an optimum temperature (26°C) the concentration of pigment recovered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relevant researches in the past semi century have shown that there is a significant decrease in fertility during the hot months. The most important factor is a consequence of increased temperature. Heat stress (HS) can have large effects on most aspects of reproductive function in mammals. In this paper, the effects and possible mechanisms of heat stress on the reproduction of mammalians are discussed in three aspects: gametes production, embryo development and litter size, so as to guide the production practice and offer a theoretical basis for exploring mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The finite element software, ANSYS, was applied to build the analyzed model of the slotted 20 steel bar. Influences of cooling water temperature and initial heat temperature of the bar on the heat stress near V-shaped notch tip were investigated in detail. The simulation results show that the initial heat temperature of the bar has a remarkable influence on the heat stress and the influence of the cooling water temperature can be neglected to some extent. The reasonable values of the initial heat temperature of the bar and the cooling water temperature are also obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulnerability to excessively hot weather in cities is an increasingly important public health problem. This study analyzed the unequal conditions of neighborhood environments that create the microclimate conditions responsible for chronic and episodic exposure to heat stress. A computer simulation model was used to estimate an outdoor human thermal comfort index (HTCI) as a function of local climate variables collected in 8 diverse city neighborhoods during the summer of 2003 in Phoenix, AZ, USA. HTCI is an indicator of heat stress, a condition that causes illness and death. There were significant differences in HTCI between the neighborhoods during the entire summer, which increased during a heat wave period. High settlement density, sparse vegetation, and having no open space in the neighborhood were correlated with higher temperatures and HTCI. Lower socioeconomic and ethnic minority groups were more likely to live in warmer neighborhoods with greater exposure to heat stress. Houses in the low-income neighborhoods with higher levels of HTCI offered less protection from the outdoors because they had fewer air conditioners, reflective roofs and swimming pools. The most important influence on spatial differences in the heat island and associated health risks may be the level of neighborhood affluence, which affords people unequal opportunities to shape their environments in ways that decrease exposure to heat stress. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that evaluates the physiological performance of thermal protective clothing in controlling heat stress. It highlights the importance of thermal protective clothing in protecting firefighters from burn injuries. It states that different fabric system were used in the study wherein their thermal resistance (Rct) and evaporative resistance (Ret) were measured using a sweating hot plate. Findings of the study confirm the contribution of vapor impermeable fabrics on the greater heat stress on firefighters' bodies, putting emphasis on the need to develop thermal protective clothing in lighter weight to enhance working performance, safety and quality of life.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis) is activated by various stresses. The objective of this study was to observe the acute heat exposure on the expression of hypothalamic corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) mRNA and content of serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT) in rat, and investigate hypothalamic neurons proliferation and differentiate. Male Wistar rats (160-180g) were randomly divided into two groups and exposed to heat at 32 degree (heat exposure, HE) or to a room temperature at 24 degree (control, CN). After 7 days of heat exposure, the body core temperature was measured by telemetry (n=4). The relative weight of the pituitary and adrenal gland were determined (n=4), and the expression of hypothalamic CRH mRNA was detected by using real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and content of serum ACTH and CORT were detected by applying enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (n=6). Another batch rats (male, 180-200g, n=4) was intraperitoneally injected Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) daily (50mg/kg) for 6 consecutive days. After commencing heat exposure, on the 7th day of exposure to heat, rats' brains were removed. Immunohistochemical analysis the numbers of BrdU-positive cells and double-stained by a mature neuron marked cell in the hypothalamus were observed. All rats were anesthetized via intraperitoneal administration of petobarbital sodium (70 mg/kg). Values are means ± S.D., compared by ANOVA. Compared with control group, heat exposure did not obviously affect body core temperature (p>0.05) or body weight of the rats (p>0.05). Seven days heat exposure increased the relative weight of pituitary and adrenal gland (e.g. CN: 0.026±0.002 vs. 0.17±0.02 mg/g, HE: 0.031 ±0.001 vs. 0.24±0.02 mg/g, p<0.05 respectively), and significantly increased ACTH and CORT contents of serum (e.g. CN: 11.66±1.21 vs. 12.38±3.21 mmol/L, HE: 15.23±2.09 vs. 18.45±2.06 mmol/L, p<0.05, p<0.01 respectively). The CRH mRNA expression levels increased but had no statistical difference (p>0.05). The number of BrdU-positive cells were significantly increased (67.8±11.2 for control rats and 117±12.3 for heat exposure, p<0.05), while the number of BrdU-positive cells double-stained by a mature neuron marker no significantly increased after 7 days of heat exposure. Acute heat stress affect hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and may lead to the activation hypothalamic proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]