Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is associated with heat and water loss from the airways. It is not known whether these conditions can influence the response to bronchoactive agonists. The effects of different degrees of alveolar ventilation on the pulmonary response to methacholine and the role of humidity and temperature in this response were evaluated. Wistar rats were anaesthetized, tra...

Cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) are a major class of photonic materials that display selective reflection properties arising from their helical ordering. The temperature response CLCs, comprising dynamic color changes upon variation temperature, is exploited using material systems consisting small mesogenic molecules, polymer-dispersed (PDLCs), polymer-stabilized (PSLCs), or liquid-crystalli...

Farmers and smokers are repeatedly exposed to airborne organic material. We hypothesised that farmers and smokers show altered airway responses to inhaled organic, pro-inflammatory agents. A total of 11 farmers, 12 smokers and 12 controls underwent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) bronchial challenge and spent 3 h in a pig barn. Lung function, exhaled nitric oxide and bronchial responsiveness were asse...

Drawing upon the organizational learning perspective, this study focuses on the relationship between external integration and organizational responsiveness, and how such relationship is moderated by three kinds of information technology (IT) capability (i.e. inside-out, outside-in, spanning). The results of 197 firms in China reveal the positive relationship between external integration and org...

Suppression of seed germination at supraoptimal high temperature (thermoinhibiton) during summer is crucial for Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) to establish vegetative and reproductive growth in appropriate seasons. Abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GAs) are well known to be involved in germination control, but it remains unknown how these hormone actions (metabolism and responsiveness) ...

In humans, temperature influences taste intensity and quality perception, and thermal stimulation itself may elicit taste sensations. However, peripheral coding mechanisms of taste have generally been examined independently of the influence of temperature. In anesthetized rats, we characterized the single-cell responses of geniculate ganglion neurons to 0.5 M sucrose, 0.1 M NaCl, 0.01 M citric ...