TY - JOUR

T1 - A two-node mechanistic thermophysiological model for pigs reared in hot climates – Part 1

T2 - Physiological responses and model development

AU - Huang, Tao

AU - Rong, Li

AU - Zhang, Guoqiang

AU - Brandt, Pia

AU - Bjerg, Bjarne

AU - Pedersen, Poul

AU - Granath, Simon W.Y.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 IAgrE

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Due to the climate change and the increasing heat production of modern pigs (e.g. larger size sows having a larger number of piglets nowadays), pigs are more frequently suffering heat stress. In order to prevent the occurrence of heat stress, there is a need to develop a model which can effectively and efficiently predict the effect of ambient thermal environments on pigs. This study developed a two-node mechanistic model to simulate processes of pig thermoregulation and heat release to an ambient hot environment based on biophysical laws. The two-node model consists of a passive system, which can simulate the heat transfer processes occurring in the body core and at the skin surface, and an active system, which controls the thermoregulatory system based on a positive deviation of core temperature from its reference value under thermal neutral conditions. Vasodilatation and panting in relation to the ambient environment were specifically investigated and mathematically described based on the experimental data from previously published studies. The functions to predict vasodilatation and panting provided a relatively more detailed modelling of the thermo-physiological processes of the pigs compared to the available mechanistic models. The proposed two-node model was expected to effectively predict the thermal status of pigs under various combinations of environmental conditions without further tuning.

AB - Due to the climate change and the increasing heat production of modern pigs (e.g. larger size sows having a larger number of piglets nowadays), pigs are more frequently suffering heat stress. In order to prevent the occurrence of heat stress, there is a need to develop a model which can effectively and efficiently predict the effect of ambient thermal environments on pigs. This study developed a two-node mechanistic model to simulate processes of pig thermoregulation and heat release to an ambient hot environment based on biophysical laws. The two-node model consists of a passive system, which can simulate the heat transfer processes occurring in the body core and at the skin surface, and an active system, which controls the thermoregulatory system based on a positive deviation of core temperature from its reference value under thermal neutral conditions. Vasodilatation and panting in relation to the ambient environment were specifically investigated and mathematically described based on the experimental data from previously published studies. The functions to predict vasodilatation and panting provided a relatively more detailed modelling of the thermo-physiological processes of the pigs compared to the available mechanistic models. The proposed two-node model was expected to effectively predict the thermal status of pigs under various combinations of environmental conditions without further tuning.

KW - Heat stress

KW - Mechanistic model

KW - Panting

KW - Pig

KW - Thermoregulation

KW - Vasodilatation

U2 - 10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2021.08.024

DO - 10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2021.08.024

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85114402322

VL - 212

SP - 302

EP - 317

JO - Biosystems Engineering

JF - Biosystems Engineering

SN - 1537-5110

ER -