The purpose of this study is to describe and explain tributary changes within the lower Trinity River basin, Texas, downstream of Livingston Dam. Within southeastern Texas, an opportunistic geomorphic experiment arose when the Trinity River was impounded. The dam represents a marked moment and place of a system perturbation. Geomorphological effects of the lower Trinity River tributaries were investigated through five different types of data: analysis of published discharge and sediment load data, examination of alluvium, planform change as measured from aerial photographs, resurveys of bridge cross-sections, and field mapping of geomorphic indicators of change. Since closure, Lake Livingston has reduced sediment supply while minimally affecting the discharge regime. Channel scour is evident for about 60 km downstream. All the tributaries studied are located within this reach. Currently, there is no model that directly addresses the morphological response of a tributary streams confluence downstream of a dam. Therefore, the Confluence Effects Model is developed to predict the resulting geomorphological impacts within a tributary streams mouth with varying changes in trunk stream discharge and channel morphology. When applied to two confluences of the lower Trinity River, the Confluence Effects Model successfully predicts the resulting geomorphological changes. Within the lower Trinity River basin, the tributaries are reacting in a nonlinear and complex manner. Delayed or lagged responses are illustrated through sediment budgets for two tributaries which suggest a large amount of sediment is in storage within the tributary basins. Applying the unstable hydraulic geometry model, thirteen qualitatively different modes of adjustment with respect to increases, decreases or lack of change in width, depth, slope and roughness were observed within the tributary systems. The nonlinear and complex reactions of the tributary systems mask the effects of the impoundment beyond the confluences with the Trinity. The geomorphic characteristics of the tributaries are largely dominated by Holocene sea level change and the response to extreme events, such that dam effects become relatively localized. While this study considered a coastal plain fluvial system perturbed by human modifications, other earth surface systems may draw comparisons between emergent responses, response times and landscape sensitivity to a disturbance within a system.

This thesis presents and develops a theory of self-reduction. This process is used to map instances of combinatorial optimisation problems onto smaller, more easily solvable instances in such a way that a solution of the former can be readily re-constructed, without loss of information or quality, from a solution of the latter. Self-reduction rules are surveyed for the Graph Colouring Problem, the Maximum Clique Problem, the Steiner Problem in Graphs, the Bin Packing Problem and the Set Covering Problem. This thesis introduces the problem of determining the maximum sequence of self-reductions on a given structure, and shows how the theory of confluence can be adapted from term re-writing to solve this problem by identifying rule sets for which all maximal reduction sequences are equivalent. Such confluence results are given for a number of reduction rules on problems on discrete systems. In contrast, NP-hardness results are also presented for some reduction rules. A probabilistic analysis of self-reductions on graphs is performed, showing that the expected number of self-reductions on a graph tends to zero as the order of the graph tends to infinity. An empirical study is performed comparing the performance of self-reduction, graph decomposition and direct methods of solving the Graph Colouring and Set Covering Problems. The results show that self-reduction is a potentially valuable, but sometimes erratic, method of finding exact solutions to combinatorial problems.

We study certain confluences of equations with two Fuchsian singularities which produce an irregular singularity of Poincaré rank one. We demonstrate a method to understand how to pass from solutions with power-like behavior which are analytic in neighbourhoods to solutions with exponential behavior which are analytic in sectors and have divergent asymptotic behavior. We explicitly calculate the Stokes' matrices of the confluent system in terms of the monodromy data, specifically the connection matrices, of the original system around the merging singularities. The confluence of Gauss' hypergeometric equation gives an excellent opportunity to show our approach with a concrete example. We explicitly show how the Stokes' data arise in the confluences of the isomonodromic deformation problems for the Painlevé equations PVI to PV and PV to PIII(D6).

River confluences - locations where rivers join one another - are fundamental components of natural drainage networks. Differences in topography, geology, soils, land use, and human activities within watersheds upstream of confluences can produce differences in thermal or chemical properties of river flows and in the materials transported by these flows. Mixing is initiated along the mixing interface (MI) that develops between the two incoming streams with different properties. Therefore, the understanding of fluvial processes at confluences is important for determining river mixing both at and downstream of individual confluences and at the scale of drainage networks. The primary goal of this thesis is to describe the main mechanisms that control mixing and transport at river confluences and the role played by the complex flow structures in the flow and how they change with planform geometry and other flow and geometrical parameters. The study is carried out using Computational Fluid Dynamics modeling based on the state of the art Detached Eddy Simulation approach and High Performance Computing. By starting with a mixing layer between parallel streams with simple geometry, the model is validated based on laboratory experiment data. Moreover, some hypotheses regarding the growth of the mixing layer are amended with the extensive data provided by the model, which is a valuable supplement to the experiment. By performing a detailed parametric study in very long and wide domains for simplified cases one can focus on the spatial development of the MI and the large scale coherent structures forming within and in the vicinity of the MI without the complications of other factors. More specifically, the influence of velocity and density difference of the two streams, flow depth, inflow conditions and angles between the two streams on the spatial development of the MI is analyzed. The data resulting from these simulations conducted in simple geometries is a unique set of data which can be used to test and improve theoretical models used to predict global parameters describing flow and mixing at natural river confluences. In particular, this research uses for the first time well resolved Large Eddy Simulation based techniques to investigate how density differences between the incoming streams affect the spatial development of the mixing interface and mixing downstream of the confluence apex. In order to investigate flow dynamics, mixing processes and effects of temperature stratifications at natural river confluences with discordant bed, a series of simulations is performed for the confluence of the Ebro and Segre Rivers in Spain, which is one of the most studied confluences in Europe. With the detailed survey data of the confluence bed and flow conditions data provided, the goal is to understand the main mechanisms responsible for mixing at a confluence with a large bed discordance and how the velocity ratio between the two incoming streams affects mixing. Besides, more insights are provided that if temperature stratification effects affect significantly flow structure and mixing based on real conditions recorded at a natural confluence. The study provides a comprehensive set of flow data in the confluence including velocity, temperature distribution etc. It serves as important supplement to the field measurements, which are generally more difficult to obtain. It also allows estimating scale effects between field conditions and conditions at which laboratory experiments of confluence flow and mixing are conducted.

The goal of master thesis "Automation of Processes in Agile Development" is research of agile metodics with a focus on development practices in the Kentico company. This thesis describes different tools used as a support of agile software development including JIRA Software and Confluence, which are used in Kentico. Important part of this thesis is analysis of the current company processes and a plan of their optimization and automation. During the implementation part a web application which displays metrics arising from analysis and optimization proposal phase is realized. This thesis also contains discussion of it's realization and possible improvements.

In freshwater networks, the sources, movement, and cycling of carbon and nutrients are shaped both by in-stream processes and the surrounding landscape. Streams receive and transport materials from upstream and terrestrial sources that support in-stream ecosystem processes and regulate downstream water quality. Understanding how these processes within a stream alter downstream carbon and nutrient fluxes is needed to assess the functional role of lotic ecosystems on the landscape. Further, predictions of how materials cycle and move throughout freshwater networks are derived from measurements at the stream reach scale which deliberately avoid complex geomorphology such as stream confluences. As a result, the impact of stream confluences on in-stream ecosystem processes and the fate of carbon and nutrients in freshwater networks has been overlooked. In this dissertation, I seek to address the following questions: (1) How are coupled carbon and nitrogen cycles altered by land use? (2) To what extent can rates of in-stream organic carbon removal inform our understanding of the role of streams in landscape carbon fluxes? (3) How are carbon metabolism and nutrient uptake altered downstream of a stream confluence? (4) How do confluences alter the transport and fate of carbon and nutrients within a freshwater network? In Chapter 2, I showed that the fate of organic carbon and nitrate are similar in headwater streams across the United States. Organic carbon travels longer distances before being respired in agricultural and urban streams compared to reference streams, suggesting that human modifications to landscapes impact carbon cycling and transport in streams. In Chapter 3, I demonstrated how rates of in-stream organic carbon removal can be used to quantify terrestrial-aquatic linkages and showed that laboratory bioassays systematically underestimate ecosystem organic carbon fluxes compared to whole-stream metabolism measurements. In Chapter 4, I conducted whole-ecosystem manipulation experiments to assess how ecosystem processes are altered by a confluence. I found that carbon metabolism and phosphorus uptake are suppressed downstream of a confluence and that rates of organic carbon uptake are spatially variable throughout a confluence mixing zone. In Chapter 5, I examined potential reach-scale and watershed-scale drivers to explain patterns of organic matter and nutrient chemistry downstream of confluences throughout a stream network. Reaches downstream of confluences were geomorphically and biogeochemically distinct from upstream reaches, and differences in upstream and tributary reach chemistry or drainage area did not explain patterns of biologically reactive parameters at confluences. My dissertation highlights the importance of in-stream ecosystem processes in driving the cycling and downstream fate of carbon and nutrients. I show how rates of whole-stream carbon metabolism can be used to better constrain terrestrial-aquatic organic carbon fluxes. I investigate the potentially disproportionate role of ecosystem interfaces, namely stream confluences, in determining the cycling and fate of carbon and nutrients in freshwater networks. This work challenges assumptions around controls over water quality in freshwater networks and asserts that by ignoring (1) contributions of all in-stream processes to whole-ecosystem function and (2) how confluences alter those processes, we risk misrepresenting the role of running waters in determining the fluxes and fate of carbon and nutrients from the reach- to the network-scale. / Doctor of Philosophy / Streams receive and use materials from upstream and the surrounding landscape to fuel in-stream ecosystem processes (e.g. carbon and nutrient cycling). Understanding how these processes within a stream alter concentrations of carbon and other nutrients is needed to assess how the ecosystem is functioning and what the consequences are on water quality downstream. Further, predictions of how materials cycle and move at the scale of streams networks are derived from measurements at the stream reach scale. As a result, the impact of stream confluences (i.e., where two streams meet and mix) on in-stream carbon and nutrient cycling and the consequences on downstream water quality has been overlooked. In this dissertation, I seek to address the following questions: (1) How are carbon and nitrogen cycles linked in streams and how those links altered by land use? (2) How can rates of in-stream carbon cycling inform our understanding of the role of streams in landscape carbon budgets? (3) How are carbon and nutrient removal altered downstream of a stream confluence? (4) How do confluences alter water chemistry within a freshwater network? In Chapter 2, I showed that organic carbon and nitrate shared similar fates in streams across the United States. Organic carbon traveled longer distances before being respired in agricultural and urban streams compared to natively-vegetated streams, suggesting that human modifications to landscapes impact carbon cycling and transport in streams. In Chapter 3, I demonstrated how rates of in-stream organic carbon removal can be used to understand land-stream connections. In Chapter 4, I conducted whole-ecosystem experiments to assess how carbon and nutrient removal are altered by a confluence. I showed that carbon metabolism and phosphorus removal are suppressed downstream of a confluence and that rates of organic carbon removal are spatially variable throughout where water from the two streams are mixing. In Chapter 5, I examined potential drivers to explain patterns of organic matter and nutrient chemistry downstream of confluences throughout a stream network. Reaches downstream of confluences were physically, chemically, and biologically distinct from upstream reaches and differences in upstream and tributary reach chemistry or drainage area did not explain patterns of water chemistry downstream of confluences. Overall, my dissertation highlights the importance of processes within a stream in driving carbon and nutrient cycling, and how rates of whole-stream carbon cycling can be used to better understand connections between streams and the surrounding landscape. I investigate the role of stream confluences in determining the cycling and downstream fate of carbon and nutrients in freshwater networks. This work shows that ecosystem functioning and downstream water quality in freshwater networks are affected by processes occurring within streams and by the interfaces between streams and other ecosystems (e.g., land-water interfaces, stream confluences).

Peaks andThe main subject of this thesis is diagram rewriting.This is a generalisation to dimension~$2$ of word rewriting (in dimension~$1$). In a first time, we give the first convergent diagrammatic presentation of the PRO of linear maps in arbitrary field. Then we study the convergent diagrammatic presentation of matrix of isometries of $RR^n$. We focus especially on a rule similar to the Yang-Baxter equation, described by a certain map $h$. We use the confluence of critical the parametric diagrams, To study the algebraic properties of $h$, Finally, we present the $Sigma$-diagrams, an alternative approach for calculation in bialgebras. We illustrate this approach with examples. The last two chapters have been already published: Diagram rewriting for orthogonal matrices: a study of critical peaks, avec Yves Lafont, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 5117, p. 232-245, 2008 Properties of co-operations: diagrammatic proofs, Mathematical Structures in Computer Science 22(6), p. 970-986, 2012. / The main subject of this thesis is diagram rewriting.This is a generalisation to dimension~$2$ of word rewriting (in dimension~$1$). In a first time, we give the first convergent diagrammatic presentation of the PRO of linear maps in arbitrary field. Then we study the convergent diagrammatic presentation of matrix of isometries of $RR^n$. We focus especially on a rule similar to the Yang-Baxter equation, described by a certain map $h$. We use the confluence of criticalthe parametric diagrams, To study the algebraic properties of $h$, Finally, we present the $Sigma$-diagrams, an alternative approach for calculation in bialgebras. We illustrate this approach with examples. The last two chapters have been already published: Diagram rewriting for orthogonal matrices: a study of critical peaks, avec Yves Lafont, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 5117, p. 232-245, 2008 Properties of co-operations: diagrammatic proofs, Mathematical Structures in Computer Science 22(6), p. 970-986, 2012.

Unser professionelles Selbstverständnis als Informationsspezialisten, der schnelle Wandel der Aufgaben und Strukturen in Bibliotheken sowie die zunehmende inhaltliche und technische Komplexität der Informationsangebote in unserer Wissensgesellschaft erfordern neue Methoden und Werkzeuge, um das vorhandene und neu entstehende Wissen effizient zu dokumentieren und zu teilen. Neue Methoden und Werkzeuge ermöglichen es auch, das Dienstleistungsspektrum in unserer Branche dynamisch an den Bedarf unserer Nutzer anzupassen. Damit die Schnelligkeit der Veränderungen nicht zu einem (Zusammen-)Bruch der historisch und kultursoziologisch bedeutsamen Institution „Bibliothek“ führt, müssen möglichst viele Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter in die Lage versetzt werden, den Wandel nachzuvollziehen und aktiv mitzugestalten. Transparenz und Interaktion gewinnen an Bedeutung, weil sich das nötige Wissen für Entscheidungsfindungen auf immer mehr Köpfe verteilt. Die Spezialisierung steigt und gleichzeitig erfordert das Dienstleisten für die Wissensgesellschaft eine hohe Vernetzung der verschiedenen Aufgabenbereiche. Rundschreiben per EMail, mündliche Kommunikation, Aktenordner und selbst Wiki-Software kommen hier schnell an ihre Grenzen. An der Einführung moderner Werkzeuge zum Wissensmanagement in Bibliotheken führt deshalb kein Weg vorbei. Die SLUB Dresden hat im Oktober 2012 eine Intranet-Plattform auf Basis der Software Confluence eingeführt. In diesem Artikel werden die Erfahrungen bei der Lösungssuche und Evaluation und schließlich bei der Einführung eines mit Social-Network-Funktionen ausgestatteten Intranets beschrieben. Das „soziale“ Intranet dient auch als Grundlage eines umfassenden Enterprise Content Managements. [...]

Unser professionelles Selbstverständnis als Informationsspezialisten, der schnelle Wandel der Aufgaben und Strukturen in Bibliotheken sowie die zunehmende inhaltliche und technische Komplexität der Informationsangebote in unserer Wissensgesellschaft erfordern neue Methoden und Werkzeuge, um das vorhandene und neu entstehende Wissen effizient zu dokumentieren und zu teilen. Neue Methoden und Werkzeuge ermöglichen es auch, das Dienstleistungsspektrum in unserer Branche dynamisch an den Bedarf unserer Nutzer anzupassen. Damit die Schnelligkeit der Veränderungen nicht zu einem (Zusammen-)Bruch der historisch und kultursoziologisch bedeutsamen Institution „Bibliothek“ führt, müssen möglichst viele Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter in die Lage versetzt werden, den Wandel nachzuvollziehen und aktiv mitzugestalten. Transparenz und Interaktion gewinnen an Bedeutung, weil sich das nötige Wissen für Entscheidungsfindungen auf immer mehr Köpfe verteilt. Die Spezialisierung steigt und gleichzeitig erfordert das Dienstleisten für die Wissensgesellschaft eine hohe Vernetzung der verschiedenen Aufgabenbereiche. Rundschreiben per EMail, mündliche Kommunikation, Aktenordner und selbst Wiki-Software kommen hier schnell an ihre Grenzen. An der Einführung moderner Werkzeuge zum Wissensmanagement in Bibliotheken führt deshalb kein Weg vorbei. Die SLUB Dresden hat im Oktober 2012 eine Intranet-Plattform auf Basis der Software Confluence eingeführt. In diesem Artikel werden die Erfahrungen bei der Lösungssuche und Evaluation und schließlich bei der Einführung eines mit Social-Network-Funktionen ausgestatteten Intranets beschrieben. Das „soziale“ Intranet dient auch als Grundlage eines umfassenden Enterprise Content Managements. [...]

Objetivos: Avaliar o efeito da ressecção tumoral e da quimioterapia sobre o estado nutricional e os marcadores séricos/plasmáticos do estado inflamatório e do estresse oxidativo de pacientes com neoplasia maligna da confluência biliopancreática. Casuística: O estudo prospectivo e longitudinal foi conduzido com pacientes adultos com neoplasia maligna da confluência biliopancreática (Grupo Câncer, n=10) que foram submetidos à ressecção tumoral seguida de quimioterapia, conforme diretrizes internacionais estabelecidas na rotina do Serviço de Gastrocirurgia e de Oncologia Clínica da HCFMRP-USP. O estudo incluiu também voluntários saudáveis (Grupo Controle, n=10), pareados para a idade, gênero e condição socioeconômica. Métodos: Os pacientes do Grupo Câncer foram avaliados em duas ocasiões distintas, sendo a primeira no pré-operatório da ressecção tumoral e a segunda, após o término da quimioterapia. Antes da cirurgia, os pacientes foram questionados sobre a evolução ponderal, foram feitas as medidas de composição corporal e aplicaram-se questionários de qualidade de vida e de fadiga. Foi feita a coleta de sangue para avaliação laboratorial do estado clínico e nutricional, que incluiu a determinação de proteínas séricas, albumina, zinco e cobre. Foram avaliados os marcadores de estresse oxidativo como: superóxido dismutase (SOD), glutationa peroxidase (GPx), malondialdeído (MDA) e vitamina E. Foram dosadas as citocinas séricas: interleucina-1? (IL-1?), interleucina-6 (IL-6), interleucina-10 (IL-10), fator de necrose tumoral alfa (TNF?) e interferon gama (INF?). Todas as análises foram repetidas num período médio de 50 dias após término da quimioterapia. O Grupo Controle foi submetido aos mesmos procedimentos, em apenas uma ocasião. A análise estatística foi feita com o software Statistica 8.0, usando o teste não paramétrico de Wilcoxon pareado ou teste não paramétrico de Mann Whitney. Para todas as análises, foi estabelecido um nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: O IMC, a massa gorda e a massa magra do Grupo Câncer mantiveram-se inalterados nos dois momentos da avaliação. Os pacientes relataram média de 20% de perda de peso antes do diagnóstico do tumor, mas não houve perda de peso durante o tratamento oncológico. A qualidade de vida e de fadiga não se alterou no período de estudo e os pacientes mantiveram escores elevados nos dois momentos da avaliação. A SOD e a GPx mantiveram-se elevadas no pré-operatório e após a quimioterapia em relação ao Grupo Controle. O MDA não se alterou em nenhum momento do estudo. No pré-operatório, a TNF-? foi mais elevada em relação ao Grupo Controle, mantendo-se elevada após a quimioterapia. A IL-6 mostrou-se elevada antes da ressecção tumoral e apresentou aumento adicional após o tratamento oncológico. A IL-1? foi menor no pré-operatório em relação ao Grupo Controle. A IL-10 estava elevada no pré-operatório, reduziu na 2ª coleta, porém manteve-se elevada em relação ao Grupo Controle. Conclusões: Os dados obtidos indicam que os pacientes com neoplasia maligna da confluência biliopancreática apresentaram perda ponderal anterior ao diagnóstico, mas houve estabilização do peso, da composição corporal e dos escores de qualidade de vida e de fadiga após a ressecção tumoral e o uso de drogas antineoplásicas. Os pacientes mantiveram níveis elevados de IL-6, IL-10 e TNF-? indicando atividade neoplasia e pior prognóstico. Os níveis séricos de SOD e de GPx mantiveram-se altos durante todo o seguimento, provavelmente mantendo um equilíbrio oxidativo que preveniu a peroxidação lipídica. A vitamina E reduziu após quimioterapia, o que sugere necessidade de reposição desta vitamina em pacientes que recebem drogas antineoplásicas. / Objective: To evaluate the effect of tumor resection and chemotherapy on nutritional status and serum / plasma oxidative and inflammatory stress markers in patients with malignant neoplasm of biliopancreatic confluence. The prospective and longitudinal study was conducted with 10 adult patients of both genders with malignant neoplasm of biliopancreatic confluence (Group Cancer, n = 10) who underwent tumor resection followed by chemotherapy, according to established international guidelines followed in the routine of the Service of Gastrocirurgia and of Clinical Oncology of the HCFMRP-USP. The study also included 10 healthy volunteers (Control Group, n = 10), matched for age and gender. Methods: Patients of the Cancer Group were evaluated on two different occasions, the first one in the preoperative period of tumor resection and after the end of chemotherapy. Before resection, the patients were questioned about the weight evolution, the measurements of body composition were made and quality of life and fatigue questionnaires were applied. Blood samples were collected for laboratory evaluation of clinical and nutritional status, including determination of serum proteins, including albumin, in addition to zinc and copper. We evaluated superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde and vitamin E, in addition to IL-1?, IL-6, IL-10, TNF?, and INF?. All analyzes were repeated within a mean period of 50 days after chemotherapy was completed. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistica 8.0 software, using the nonparametric Wilcoxon paired test or the non-parametric Mann Whitney test. For all analyzes, a significance level of 5% was established. Results: The BMI, fat mass and lean mass of the Cancer Group remained unchanged at both moments of the evaluation. In our study, patients reported weight loss before surgical treatment, averaging 20% of the weight before diagnosis of the tumor. During cancer treatment, there was no significant weight loss. Quality of life and fatigue did not change during the study period and had elevated scores. SOD and GPx are elevated preoperatively and post-chemotherapy in relation to the Control Group. MDA did not change at any point in the study. In relation to cytokines, TNF-? is higher in the preoperative period than in the Control Group, which remains high after chemotherapy and with a significant difference in relation to the Control Group. IL-6 was significantly elevated prior to tumor resection and further increased after resection and chemotherapy. IL-1? was lower preoperatively than in the Control Group. IL-10 is elevated preoperatively, reduced in the second collection, but remained elevated significantly in relation to the Control Group. In conclusion, the data obtained in the present study indicate that patients with malignant neoplasm of biliopancreatic confluence submitted to tumor resection followed by chemotherapy presented weight loss prior to diagnosis, but there was stabilization of weight, body composition and quality of life scores and of fatigue after the use of antineoplastic drugs. On the other hand, serum levels of SOD and GPx remained high throughout the follow-up, probably maintaining an oxidative balance that prevented lipid peroxidation. Vitamin E reduced after chemotherapy, which suggests that this vitamin should be replenished in patients receiving antineoplastic drugs. In parallel, patients maintained high levels of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-? indicating advanced cancer and worse prognosis.