title: Validation of the Fiala multi-node thermophysiological model for UTCI application.
abstract: The important requirement that COST Action 730 demanded of the physiological model to be used for the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) was its capability of accurate simulation of human thermophysiological responses across a wide range of relevant environmental conditions, such as conditions corresponding to the selection of all habitable climates and their seasonal changes, and transient conditions representing the temporal variation of outdoor conditions. In the first part of this study, available heat budget/two-node models and multi-node thermophysiological models were evaluated by direct comparison over a wide spectrum of climatic conditions. The UTCI-Fiala model predicted most reliably the average human thermal response, as shown by least deviations from physiologically plausible responses when compared to other models. In the second part of the study, this model was subjected to extensive validation using the results of human subject experiments for a range of relevant (steady-state and transient) environmental conditions. The UTCI-Fiala multi-node model proved its ability to predict adequately the human physiological response for a variety of moderate and extreme conditions represented in the COST 730 database. The mean skin and core temperatures were predicted with average root-mean-square deviations of 1.35 ± 1.00°C and 0.32 ± 0.20°C, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Empa: Laboratory for Physiology and Protection, Lerchenfeldstrasse 5, 9014, St. Gallen, Switzerland. agnieszka.psikuta@empa.ch
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Psikuta
authors.forename: Dusan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fiala
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Laschewski
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jendritzky
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Błażejczyk
authors.forename: Igor
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mekjavič
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rintamäki
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Dear
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Havenith
mesh_terms: D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002980:Climate; D003020:Clothing; D003081:Cold Climate; D016208:Databases, Factual; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D008954:Models, Biological; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D013697:Thermosensing; D014919:Wind