TITLE:
Statistical Estimation of Surface Heat Control and Exchange in Endotherms
AUTHORS:
Barbara Henning, Benilton de Sá Carvalho, José Luiz Boldrini, Sérgio Furtado dos Reis, Denis Otávio Vieira de Andrade
KEYWORDS:
Gracilinanus microtarsus, Infrared Thermography, Thermal Window, Thermoregulation in Homeothermic Endotherms, Vasomotor Adjustment
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Statistics,
Vol.8 No.1,
February
28,
2018
ABSTRACT: In this paper, we combine polynomial functions, Generalized Estimating
Equations, and bootstrap-based model selection to test for signatures of linear
or nonlinear relationships between body surface temperature and ambient
temperature in endotherms. Linearity or nonlinearity is associated with the
absence or presence of cutaneous vasodilation and vasoconstriction, respectively.
We obtained experimental data on body surface temperature variation from a
mammalian model organism as a function of ambient temperature using infrared
thermal imaging. The statistical framework of model estimation and selection
successfully detected linear and nonlinear relationships between body surface
temperature and ambient temperature for different body regions of the model
organism. These results demonstrate that our statistical approach is
instrumental to assess the complexity of thermoregulation in endotherms.