Nomenclature AC : Active cooling AVA : Arterio-venous anastomoses CIVD : Cold induced vasodilation M : Metabolic rate (W)  a m : Blood flow rate through the artery (kg/s)  AVA m : Blood flow due to AVA (kg/s)  CIVD m : Blood flow due to AVA (kg/s) q o,finger : Initial sensible heat loss upon finger immersion in cold fluid (W) Q res : Heat dissipated through respiration (W) Q cr-sk : Heat exchange between the core and skin through contact resistance (W) t : Time (s) t CIVD : CIVD period (s) t

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... 0 : Time at which CIVD response starts (s) T CIVD,min : threshold temperature to trigger reaction (°C) T cr : Core temperature (°C) T sk : Skin temperature (°C) T sk,f : Finger skin temperature (°C) Greek Symbols τ : Time constant of the AVA response (s) Abstract A modeling approach is used to study the effectiveness of the Active Cooling (AC) method of hand and forearm immersion in cold water to reduce core temperature following heavy physical activity. A transient multi-node segmental bioheat model based on physiology and accurate mathematical modeling of thermoregulatory functions are used to predict human segmental core and skin temperatures, and arterial blood flow for given metabolic rate and environmental conditions. The validity of the model is confirmed by comparison with published experimental data on core temperature during and after immersion of forearms and hands in cold water. The validated model is used in a case study to enhance understanding of associated body thermal changes and arterial blood flow and AVA mechanisms during AC interventions that alleviate thermal stress in hot environment. Citation: Rida M, Karaki W, Ghaddar N, Ghali K (2013) Robust Modeling of Human Thermal Response to Hand and Forearm cooling for Improved Performance and Energy Efficiency. J Appl Mech Eng 2: 129.