This thesis investigates variability in airway caliber and the distribution of ventilation within the human lung as thought to occur in asthma. Currently, the understanding of how an integrated network of airways can lead to temporal and spatial variation as found in the human lung is unclear. Throughout this thesis, a multibranch airway tree model was used in a forward modeling approach. In a variability study, the mean airway resistance (RL) was observed to be proportional to the standard deviation in airway resistance (SDRL) as reported in the literature under several conditions of airway diameter indicating the strong robustness of this behavior. The model predicted previously reported RL distributions and the reported proportionality of SDRL and RL, but only when we included coherency between airways. In a second study, patient specific ventilation was investigated using an image functional approach by closing specific airways (creating defects) identified by hyperpolarized 3He MRI from asthmatic subjects. Impedance predictions from the imposed heterogeneous ventilation were then calculated and correlated to 3He MRI ventilation defect percent (VDP), plethysmography, and spirometry data. These predictions suggest the forced oscillation technique (FOT) to be a superior metric toward the evaluation of the VDP. In a third study, we investigated how asymmetric branching could play a role in ventilation defect emergence and persistence. At high muscle activation levels simulating an asthmatic episode, airway trees with greater asymmetry reached steady state sooner, with defects that were more persistent in location, had lower RL values (~50%), and greater EL values (~25%) after bronchoconstriction. These results suggest the initial formation of ventilation defects was dependent on airway instability; however, the location and persistence of ventilation defects may be due to geometric airway structure. By modeling the contribution of ventilation defects to lung impedance, we were able to show that defects can play a role in governing the relationship between RL and its variation, and the effect of defects through VDP could be better assessed using FOT. Moreover, lung structure contributed to the emergence and persistence of ventilation defects, meaning that defects could be potentially ameliorated through structural intervention.

A major part of the terrestrial sediment in the ocean comes from the land via river plume. There are four stages in sediment dispersal from rivers into the sea: supply via plume, initial deposition, resuspension and transport by waves and currents or by the slope failure, and long-term net accumulation. We can understand the dispersion and transport of the river plume by in situ observations of hydrodynamic of the plume field. Therefore, it is helpful to study river plume hydrodynamics, such as winds, tides, waves, and currents. The purpose of this study is to identify the type of plume dynamics by analyzing the temporal and spatial variability of hydrological structures observed around the Gaoping River mouth. We observed the bottom and surface time series of temperature, salinity, turbidity, suspended sediment concentration, and velocity profile by instrument mounted at the tetrapods and a moored buoy during July 28 to 30 in 2009 and July 30 to August 2 in 2011. Besides, we investigated the spatial structures of the river plume in Gaoping River mouth by using a fishing boat in 2009. We also acquired satellite images to assist our study. The results showed that the river discharges during 2009 was lower than daily average discharge. Combined the temporal and spatial observations and satellite images, we determined that the river plume turned west during the ebb tide was influenced by Coriolis force and winds. The buoyancy-driven current velocity was 0.15 m/s and the maximum of wind-driven current velocity was 0.30 m/s. The wind strength index (Ws) determines whether a plume¡¦s along-shelf flow is in a wind-driven or buoyancy-driven state. Ws is the ratio of the wind-driven and buoyancy-driven along-shelf velocities. If |W_s | > 1 on average the wind velocity more than 5.9 m/s. The wind velocity reached this threshold during most of the ebb periods, and around that value in the flood time. Flood currents combined with cross-shore wind pushed the river plume to swing to the east. The data were analyzed by empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. The results indicated that winds and waves were the main factors influencing plume dynamics during low-discharge period. During the field experiment in 2011, the river discharge was greater than daily average discharge. The buoyancy-driven and the maximum of wind-driven current velocities were 0.30 and 0.12 m/s, respectively. The wind velocity did not reach the threshold that was 11.67 m/s. The buoyancy-driven current was more significant than wind-driven current. By analyzing the ocean color of satellite images, the river plume was spreading from the river mouth and toward west during ebb. The time series data also showed that there was plume signal at the same time. The average cross-shore current velocity was 0.52 m/s, being larger than the buoyancy-driven current. Therefore, the tide was the main factor deciding where the plume discharged. The first eigemode of EOF suggested that current was the most important factor influencing plume dynamics during high-discharge period. The second eignmode described the dominant influence of wind.