To investigate the effects of the menstrual cycle and of exercise intensity on the relationship between finger blood flow (FBF) and esophageal temperature (Tes), we studied four women, aged 20-32 years. Subjects exercised at 40% and 70% VO2max in the semi-supine posture at an ambient temperature of 20 degrees C. Resting Tes was higher during the luteal phase than the follicular phase (P less than 0.01). There were no significant differences between the two phases in FBF, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, heart rate or minute ventilation at rest and during exercise, respectively. Each regression line of the FBF-Tes relationship consists of two distinct segments of FBF change to Tes (slope 1 and 2). FBF increased at a threshold Tes for vasodilation ([Tes 0]) and the rate of FBF rise became greater at ([Tes 0]) and the rate of FBF rise became greater at another Tes above this threshold ([Tes 0']). For both levels of exercise, [Tes 0] and [Tes 0'] were shifted upward during the luteal phase, but the slopes of the FBF-Tes relationship were almost the same in the two phases of the menstrual cycle. Increasing exercise intensity induced a significant decrease in slope 1 of the FBF-Tes relationship during the follicular (P less than 0.01) and the luteal phases (P less than 0.02), respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

To investigate the effects of hyperthermia and facial fanning during hyperthermia on hand-grip exercise performance and thermoregulatory response, we studied eight male subjects, aged 20-53 years. Subjects exercised at 20% of maximal hand-grip strength in the sitting position under three conditions: normothermia (NT), hyperthermia without fanning (HT-nf) or with fanning at 5.5 m X sec-1 wind speed (HT-f). Hyperthermia (0.5 degrees C higher oesophageal temperature than in NT) was induced by leg immersion in water at 42 degrees C. Mean exercise performance was markedly reduced from 716 contractions (NT) to 310 (HT-nf) by hyperthermia (P less than 0.01) and significantly (P less than 0.05) improved to 431 (HT-f) by facial fanning. Hyperthermic exercise was accompanied by significant increases in forearm blood flow (71%) and the local sweat rate on the thigh (136%) at the end of exercise compared with that in NT. Heart rate (HR) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) increased during exercise and were higher in HT-nf than in NT at any given time of exercise. Oesophageal, tympanic (Tty) and mean skin temperatures were also significantly higher in HT-nf than in NT. Facial fanning caused a marked decrease in forehead skin temperature (1.5-2.0 degrees C) and a slight decrease in Tty, HR and PRE compared with that in HT-nf at any given time of exercise. These results suggested that hyperthermia increased thermoregulatory demands and reduced exercise performance. Facial fanning caused decreases in face skin and brain temperatures, and improved performance.

The present study was performed to investigate the effect of food intake on thermoregulatory vasodilatation in seven healthy male volunteers. The changes in oesophageal (Toes) and mean skin temperatures, finger and forearm blood flows (BF), oxygen consumption (VO2) and heart rate (fc) with and without food intake were measured before and during a 40-min exercise at an intensity of 35% maximal O2 consumption at an ambient temperature of 25 degrees C. Exercise commenced 60 min after food intake. Ingestion of food equivalent to 50.2 kJ.kg body mass-1 elevated mean body temperature, BF, VO2 and fc in 60 min. Four subjects responded to exercise with a marked increase in finger BF and with no sweating (non-sweating group), while the other three responded with perspiration over almost the whole skin area and with little change in finger BF. Further analyses were made mainly in the non-sweating group. The postprandial increases in Toes, BF, VO2 and fc were persistent during exercise. The rate of increase in finger BF with the increase in Toes and mean body temperature was significantly greater with food intake than without. However, there was no difference in the response of forearm BF to exercise between the two conditions. These results suggested that food intake enhanced finger BF response to the increase in deep body temperature during exercise. It was also concluded that there was a regional difference in cutaneous vasomotor response to thermal load in the postprandial subjects.

To demonstrate the principle of a breaking pitch during a ball game, we have developed an image processing system for a pitched ball during its transit. This system can detect the rotational speed and the orientation of rotational axis of a ball from images taken by a high-speed video camera. These images are taken at a frame rate of 200 fps or 1000 fps with a shutter speed of 1/2000 s or 1/5000 s, and the ball's

Nonevaporative heat loss [ radiation (R) and convection (C) ] and evaporative heat loss [ evaporation (E) ] from the hand (Rh + Ch) and (Eh) were measured in four healthy men exercised on a bicycle ergometer at 20, 35, and 45% of VO2max at an ambient temperature (Ta) of 20 degrees C with a gradient layer type direct hand calorimeter. Esophageal (Tes) and mean skin temperatures (Tsk) were continuously measured. Leg exercise at these intensities produced initially a fall followed by an increase in (Rh + Ch). Tes was positively correlated to % VO2max during exercise. Thermal conductance in the hand (k) was computed by dividing the total heat loss from the hand (Rh + Ch + Eh) by the difference between Tes and mean hand temperature. All subjects had significantly lower (Rh + Ch) and k at a given Tes during exercise with a higher intensity. The slope indicating the relation between (Rh + Ch) and Tes was 9.18, 6.25, and 5.04 W per degree C at 20, 35, and 45% VO2max, respectively. The slope of k vs. Tes was 28.64, 20.82, and 16.61 W/m2 X degree C degree C at 20, 35, and 45% VO2max, respectively. These results indicated that thermoregulatory vasodilation was reduced by the increasing reflex vasoconstrictor tone caused by increasing intensity of exercise as a non-thermal factor.