Title
Prediction of thermal comfort based on the Mekjavic-Morrison neuronal model: Abstract
Author
Tobita, K.
Gliha, M.
Ciuha, U.
Kingma, B.R.M.
Mekjavic, I.B.
Publication year
2018
Abstract
Introduction. The neuronal model based on the characteristics of thermoreception, initially proposed by Mekjavic and Morrison for the simulation of shivering thermogenesis, has been adapted to simulate other effector responses and has been suggested2, as an approach to predict the perception of thermal sensation and thermal comfort. The development and evaluation of such a model was the aim of the present study. Methods. Data from a study investigating the effects of the rate of change of ambient temperature on thermal comfort was used to develop the neuronal model. Static and dynamic thermoafferent neural drives from skin cold and warm receptors were derived as suggested by the Mekjavic-Morrison neuronal model. Several regression models were considered as predictors of thermal comfort based on the derived thermoafferent drive. Results. The R-squared for quadratic regression model was substantially better during the cooling (0.35) compared to the heating phase (0.05). Incorporating the dynamic component of thermoreception did not improve the prediction of thermal comfort. Conclusions. The present results confirm that a model based on the neurophysiology of thermoreception1 can be used to predict thermal comfort during exposure to transient temperature conditions. The contribution of the dynamic component is dependent on the time interval used in the simulation. Acknowledgements. This study was supported by the European Commission H2020 “Heat-Shield” project (contract number: 668786). Tobita was supported by the Yamada Science Foundation (Japan).
Subject
Human & Operational Modelling
TPI - Training & Performance Innovations
Defence Research
Health
Defence, Safety and Security
Comfort
Thermal
Models
Mekjavic-Morrison neuronal model
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:f326b242-6949-40a2-a369-7b3a016d2dab
TNO identifier
843353
Source
7th International Conference on the Physiology and Pharmacology of Temperature Regulation (PPTR), October 7-12 Split, Croatia
Document type
conference paper