Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-126). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1974. / Mimeographed.

published_or_final_version / Medical Sciences / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Physiology / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

No description available.

A method called SRICOS-EFA is presented in this dissertation for scour prediction. The method is based on the calculation of two basic parameters: the maximum depth of scour and the initial rate of scour. The maximum depth of scour is based on an equation obtained from flume tests and the initial rate is based on an equation giving the initial shear stress obtained from numerical simulations. The initial scour rate is then read on the Erosion Function Apparatus (EFA) erosion function curve at the corresponding value of the calculated shear stress. A hyperbola is used to connect the initial scour rate to the maximum scour depth and describes the complete scour depth vs. time curve. The erodibility function curve can be measured in the EFA. As the results show, the SRICOS-EFA method can handle the multi-flood hydrograph and multilayer soil system. It can be used to solve the complex pier and contraction scour alone; it can also handle the superposition of complex pier scour and contraction scour. A simplified SRICOS-EFA method was developed based on the case histories for contraction scour. EFA tests were performed to investigate the influence of different pH values and different levels of salinity on the soil erodibility. An attempt was made to find the correlation between the critical shear stress, and the initial slope of the erodibility function on the one hand and some geotechnical parameters on the other. A solution for future hydrograph prediction was developed in this dissertation. The prediction consists of using a past hydrograph, preparing the frequency distribution plot for the daily stream flows, sampling the distribution randomly and preparing a future hydrograph, which has the same mean and standard deviation as the measured hydrograph. A frequency distribution plot of scour depths can be used to quote a scour depth with a corresponding probability of occurrence and risk level based on future hydrographs. In the verification process, 10 bridge case histories and 3 scour databases were used to check whether the method is good enough to provide sound results in real cases.

No description available.

Standard local control theory, which describes Ca²⁺ release during excitation-contraction coupling (ECC), assumes that all Ryanodine Receptor (RyR) complexes are equivalent. Recent data from our laboratory has called this assumption into question. Specifically, we have shown that RyR complexes in ventricular myocytes differ depending on their location within the cell. This, and other data, has led us to hypothesize that similar differences occur within the rat atrial cell. To test this hypothesis, we have triple-labeled enzymatically-isolated, fixed myocytes to examine the distribution and colocalization of RyR, calsequestrin (CSQ), voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels (Cav1.2), sodium-calcium exchangers (NCX), and caveolin-3 (cav-3). All images were acquired on a wide-field microscope, deconvolved, and subject to extensive analysis, including a novel method of measuring statistical significance of the recorded colocalization values. Overall, eight surface RyR populations were identified, depending on its binding partners. One of these groups, in which RyR, Cav1.2, and NCX colocalize, may provide the structural basis for ‘eager’ sites of Ca²⁺ release in atria, while other groups were defined based on their association with cav-3, and are therefore highly likely to be under the influence of other signaling molecules located within caveolae. Importantly, although a small portion of the surface RyR in atria do colocalize with NCX alone, the majority are tightly linked to Cav1.2 alone or Cav1.2 and NCX together. Therefore, it appears likely that Cav1.2-mediated calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) is the primary method of initiating Ca²⁺ release from the SR during EC coupling.