iButton

Higher estrus associated temperatures (HEAT) are a hallmark feature in sexually active females. The overarching aim of this study was to characterize the variability, magnitude, and persistence of HEAT in heifers and suckled beef cows as well as identify associated factors when occurring during thermoneutral conditions at the onset of the spring breeding season. In both heifers and cows, estrus was induced using a seven-day controlled internal drug release (CIDR)-PGF2α protocol. Vaginal temperature after prostaglandin F2α administration was recorded every 5 min using a Thermochron iButton affixed to a blank CIDR (containing no progesterone)...

BACKGROUND: This study determined brace wear adherence for patients treated with nighttime braces and evaluated the effect of brace adherence on curve progression. METHODS: One hundred twenty-two patients with AIS ages 10-16 years, Risser stages 0-2, major curves 20°-40° treated with Providence nighttime braces prescribed to be worn at least 8 h per night were prospectively enrolled and followed until skeletal maturity or surgery. Brace adherence was measured using iButton temperature sensors after 3 months of brace initiation and at brace discharge...

BACKGROUND: Sleep and circadian rhythm problems intertwine with affective disorders. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to developing sleep and affective problems. Yet, the temporal pathways between circadian rhythm, depression and anxiety in the transition phase from adolescence to early adulthood are not fully understood. METHODS: 233 adolescents (76 % females) participated at two time points (T1 and T2) at an interval of 19-months (aged 16.8 and 18...

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a three-dimensional spine and trunk deformity. Bracing is an effective treatment for medium-degree curves. Thermal sensors help monitor patients' adherence (compliance), a critical issue in bracing treatment. Some studies investigated adherence determinants but rarely through sensors or in highly adherent cohorts. We aimed to verify the influence of personal and clinical variables routinely registered by physicians on adherence to brace treatment in a large cohort of consecutive AIS patients from a highly adherent cohort...

Nighttime heat is an important factor in heat-health outcomes, though nighttime heat exposure and its impacts are poorly understood. We assessed overnight heat in indoor (n = 12) and outdoor (n = 3) living spaces in Knoxville, Tennessee, using iButton Hygrochrons in August 2021. Indoor sleep spaces, all of which were air conditioned, reported a variety of overnight conditions. Indoor sleep spaces were both warmer and cooler than outdoor temperatures overnight, and some participants noted having physical health effects of overnight heat in their homes...

Animal behavior and management factors that influence behavior affect physiology and lactation performance. Circadian rhythms of core body temperature are a primary output of the master clock; however, core body temperature in early-lactation dairy cows showed poor fit to 24-h rhythms. We hypothesized that eating behavior was related to daily body temperature oscillations. The objectives of this study were to determine if oscillations in daily behaviors, specifically feeding behavior, were related to body temperature...

Climate change threatens endemic island ectothermic reptiles that display small population sizes and temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). Studies of captive Galapagos tortoises demonstrate type A TSD with warmer incubation temperatures producing females. However, there are few published data from free-living Galapagos tortoises on incubation temperature regimes, and none on hatchling sex ratios in the wild or the potential impacts of climate change on future sex ratios. We sought to address these deficits by quantifying incubation temperatures of nests and sex ratios of juvenile tortoises along an elevation gradient on Santa Cruz Island...

Anecdotal evidence indicated some British military dive support boat personnel suffer from uncomfortably cold hands and feet, which could impair their performance and be associated with reductions in core body temperature. This study collected preliminary data on thermal stress and cognitive performance of personnel taking part in a cold-weather training exercise. Six men were monitored during four boat transits in a range of climatic conditions (air temperature +1.2°C to -10.5°C, wind chill -4.5°C to 19...

This study explored the facial skin temperature and thermal sensation of sub-tropically acclimated subjects in summer. We conducted a summer experiment that simulated the common indoor temperatures in Changsha, China. Twenty healthy subjects experienced five exposure conditions: 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32 °C with a relative humidity of 60%. During exposure (140min), the sitting participants documented their thermal sensation, comfort and acceptability of the environment. Their facial skin temperatures were continuously and automatically recorded by using iButtons...

Ecosystems in semi-arid and arid Southern Africa experience high temperatures which translate to extremely hot soil surface temperatures. High soil surface temperatures lead to a decrease in seed germination and consequently less plant cover in these areas. To facilitate maintenance of optimum plant cover, soil surface temperature should be moderated with appropriate mitigation techniques. Temperature variations in low (kg.0.5 m-3 ) and high density (1 kg m-3 ) brush packing treatments were compared to bare soil...

Radiofrequency radiation (RFR) can generate heat in living organisms. In this study, we monitored the body temperature of healthy animals during RFR exposure in real time using an implantable iButton data logger. A reverberation chamber system for small animals was used for this radiofrequency (RF) exposure in vivo study. Healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups: with versus without iButton implantation (n = 20 per group). Each group was further divided into a sham-exposed and RF-exposed group (n = 10 per subgroup)...

Extremely narrow endemic plant species (ENEs) are generally connected with microrefugia characterized by particular environmental conditions. In-depth knowledge of the ecological requirements of ENEs is fundamental to plan appropriate conservation measures. Using cross-cutting technology, this paper gives a multifaceted approach to collect on-site data on the ecology of ENEs, defines the protocols for a correct sampling design and describes the type of equipment, the time and expenditure needed. Our sampling approach is based on two orthogonal transects, long enough to extrapolate the whole ecological gradient across the area of occupancy of the target species...

Facial skin temperature has been applied to evaluate thermal comfort in a few studies, but the related theoretical basis is not sufficient. We conducted a climate-controlled experiment in winter. The air temperatures were 12, 15, 18, 21, and 24°C, and the relative humidity was set to 60%. During exposure (140 min), the subjects were in a sedentary state, and their thermal sensation, comfort, and acceptability of perceived thermal environments were documented many times. iButton instruments were used to continuously and automatically record skin temperatures on the forehead, nose, right ear, right cheek, left cheek, left ear, and chin...

Extinction risks for many insect species, particularly across very broad spatial extents, have been linked to the growing frequency and severity of temperatures that exceed the boundaries of their realized niches. Measurement and mitigation of such impacts is hindered by the availability of high-resolution measurements of species-specific severity of extreme weather, especially temperature. While techniques enabling interpolation of broad-scale remote sensing metrics are vital for such efforts, direct remote sensing measurements of thermal conditions could improve habitat management by providing detailed insights that interpolative approaches cannot...

Circadian rhythms relate to multiple aspects of health and wellbeing, including physical activity patterns. Susceptible circadian regulation predisposes to circadian misalignment, poor sleep, sleep deprivation, increased sleepiness, and thereby sedentary behavior. Adolescents' circadian regulation is particularly vulnerable, and may lead to sedentary behavior. To investigate which factors associate strongest between physical activity (PA) and circadian behavior, we conducted multimodal circadian rhythm analyses...

Core body and skin temperatures are intimately linked to sleep and alertness. The distal-to-proximal skin temperature gradient has been described as a good physiological predictor for sleep onset. Increased ear skin temperature is often caused by increased blood flow reflected in redness, which is commonly noticed in people who are sleepy, especially anecdotally in children. Nonetheless, no prior study investigated the possible relation between sleepiness and ear skin temperature as a separate measurement. We assessed the relation between ear skin temperature and sleepiness in patients undergoing regular electroencephalographic examinations, because of suspicion of epilepsy, both without and after sleep deprivation...

The implications of logger accuracy and precision are rarely considered prior to their application in many ecological studies. We assessed the accuracy and precision of three temperature data loggers widely used in ecological studies (Hobo®, iButton® and TinyTag®). Accuracy was highest in TinyTags (95% of readings were within 0.23°C of the true temperature) and lowest in HOBOs and iButtons (95% of were readings within 0.43°C and 0.49°C of the true temperature, respectively). The precision (standard deviation of the repeat measurements) was greatest in TinyTags (0...

Climate change refugia are areas that are relatively buffered from contemporary climate change and may be important safe havens for wildlife and plants under anthropogenic climate change. Topographic variation is an important driver of thermal heterogeneity, but it is limited in relatively flat landscapes, such as the boreal plain and prairie regions of western Canada. Topographic variation within this region is mostly restricted to river valleys and hill systems, and their effects on local climates are not well documented...

As the use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a research model continues to rise, so too will the shipping and sharing of zebrafish strains across collaborating institutions. If done incorrectly, shipping can result in significant mortality, welfare concerns, and loss of valuable resources for researchers and research institutions. Here we introduce a novel method to track temperatures of zebrafish containers during shipping and show that internal packaging temperatures are directly affected by the external temperatures...

The purpose of fabric masks in the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 often requires that the masks be worn for extended periods without removal. The management of the conditions in the micro-climate inside the masks is important to keep the wearer comfortable and enhance user compliance. In this study, the effect of mask design and fabric type on the micro-climate was investigated using thermocron iButtons to record the temperature and humidity inside the masks. It was found that the mask style, and its effect on the amount of air incorporated in the micro-climate, had a significant influence on the factors that determine the temperature and humidity levels...