This master thesis is devoted to different possibilities of dealing with consequences of nuclear risks through a commercial insurance. It deals with nuclear energy in the world and in the Czech Republic, international liability conventions, Czech regularization of liability principles, possibilities of insuring nuclear risks through nuclear pools and alternative risk transfer methods. The thesis analyzes the causes, process, consequences and financing the damage of two selected nuclear power plant accidents. Based on available data, the thesis tries to evaluate the ability of the existing system of nuclear risk insurance to eliminate potential negative consequences and suggest possibilities to strengthen the role of commercial insurance.

Patent pools are agreements between patent holders to license their rights to central entity and then to sale these licenses to third parties. In the Czech Republic there is no such cooperation between firms. In this thesis I would like to describe this phenomenon to Czech public and firms. The othel goal is to find out if this cooperation is efficient.

CARBON AND NITROGEN POOLS AND FLUXES OF TWO FOREST ECOSYSTEMS IN THE ORE MOUNTAINS With increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, forest ecosystems are considered for their sequestration ability. However, there are differences between coniferous and deciduous tree species in their impact on the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) fluxes within forest ecosystems, which influence soil carbon and nitrogen pools. In natural beech and monoculture spruce stands on research sites of Czech Geological Survey in the Ore Mountains, C and N fluxes and pools were investigated. There were investigated ecosystem inputs (C, N, in throughfall, litterfall) as well as outputs (soil respiration, concentrations of C, N in seepage water discharge). Further, C and N pools of living biomass and soils were determined. Throughfall DOC was significantly higher in the spruce stand, on the other hand litterfall C flux showed the opposite relationship. At output, DOC, DON and NH4 + discharge fluxes from O horizon were significantly higher in the spruce stand whereas in the beech stand higher NO3 - flux from mineral soil was recorded. Soil respiration was quite similar in the both stands, however different parts of original sources of respiration among tree species were different. Beech stand has larger pools of carbon and nitrogen in...

Deep-sea anoxic brine pools are one of the most extreme ecosystems on Earth, which are characterized by drastic changes in salinity, temperature, and oxygen concentration. The interface between the brine and overlaying seawater represents a boundary of oxic-anoxic layer and a steep gradient of redox potential that would initiate favorable conditions for divergent metabolic activities, mainly methanogenesis and sulfate reduction. This study aimed to investigate the diversity of Bacteria, particularly sulfate-reducing communities, and their ecological roles in the interfaces of five geochemically distinct brine pools in the Red Sea. Performing a comprehensive study would enable us to understand the significant role of the microbial groups in local geochemical cycles. Therefore, we combined culture-dependent approach and molecular methods, such as 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA gene, phylogenetic analysis of functional marker gene encoding for the alpha subunits of dissimilatory sulfite reductase (dsrA), and single-cell genomic analysis to address these issues. Community analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences demonstrated high bacterial diversity and domination of Bacteria over Archaea in most locations. In the hot and multilayered Atlantis II Deep, the bacterial communities were stratified and hardly overlapped. Meanwhile in the colder brine pools, sulfatereducing Deltaproteobacteria were the most prominent bacterial groups inhabiting the interfaces. Corresponding to the bacterial community profile, the analysis of dsrA gene sequences revealed collectively high diversity of sulfate-reducing communities. Desulfatiglans-like dsrA was the prevalent group and conserved across the Red Sea brine pools. In addition to the molecular studies, more than thirty bacterial strains were successfully isolated and remarkably were found to be cytotoxic against the cancer cell lines. However, none of them were sulfate reducers. Thus, a single-cell genomic analysis was used to study the metabolism of uncultured phyla without having them in culture. We analysed ten single-cell amplified genomes (SAGs) of the uncultivated euryarchaeal Marine Benthic Group E (MBGE), which contain a key enzyme for sulfate reduction. The results showed the possibility of MBGE to grow autotrophically only with carbon dioxide and hydrogen. In the absence of adenosine 5’-phosphosulfate reductase, we hypothesized that MBGE perform sulfite reduction rather than sulfate reduction to conserve energy.

This case study was written to explore the different branches of queer theory and its links to the architecture of bath-houses. This, from both a historicaland a modern-day societal perspective. By implementing researcher Katarina Bonnevier’s queer theory on performativity and cross-cladding, I aim to investigate how the swimming pool and the bath-house can be re-envisioned.Throughout the country, the need for renovating and extending the existing portfolio of swimming pools and bath-house institutions has grown large. Meanwhile, thenumber of queer spaces in the city of Stockholm has over the years diminished. Therefore, I have chosen Liljeholmsbadet at Södermalm, an institution currently facing demolition, as subject of this case study and I propose a reinvention of it into a gay bath-house.Through literary research, observations, and studyvisits to public bath-houses, I will analyse the swimmingpool and what role it has played in society and in the queer community.Subsequently, using Bonnevier’s theoretical framework,I will redesign Liljeholmsbadet and dissect this new gay bath-house’s different components. By “queering” the already-built, this thesis speculates on what lies in the future of the bath-house.This diploma project is not to be viewed as a finished design proposal or an answer to a question, but as a starting point for further discussions.The thesis is split in two parts, a theoretical background as a framework, and a design proposal.

The purpose of this dissertation is to be an introductory examination of whether the use of the Prudent Person Rule in place of legal list investment restrictions could have a significant difference upon the return on investment that a state or local government may receive through its cash management practices. The dissertation will examine this issue by studying the effect of the Prudent Person Rule and legal list limitations on state-run local government investment pools in the United States. The specific question to be asked in this study will be: "Is there a difference in the return on investment yield performance of state-run local government investment pools among those operating under the Prudent Person Rule fiduciary standard, those operating under a legal list fiduciary standard, and those operating under a combination legal list/Prudent Person Rule fiduciary standard, for the five-year period beginning with Fiscal Year 1992 and ending with Fiscal Year 1996? It appears from this brief examination that there may be a difference in return among state-run pools operating under different fiduciary standards. However, because of various factors that might affect the results, the author believes that this is just a preliminary study, and that further research must be done on this important topic in public cash management. / Ph. D.

Environmental gradients exist at global and local scales and the variable conditions they encompass allow the coexistence of different microbial assemblages. Studying gradients and the selection forces they enclose can reveal the spatial succession and interactions of microorganisms and, therefore, how they are assembled in functionally stable communities. By combining high-throughput sequencing technology and laboratory experimental approaches, I investigated the factors that influence the microbial community assemblages in two types of environmental gradients in the Red Sea. I have studied the communities in the chemoclines occurring at the transition zones along the interfaces between seawater and the Deep Hypersaline Anoxic Brines (DHABs) at the bottom of the Red Sea. Across these chemoclines salinity increases of 5-10 times respect to the overlying seawater. I compared the microbial community diversity and metabolisms in the chemoclines of five different DHABs, finding different microbial community compositions due to the different DHABs characteristics, but the same succession of metabolisms along the five interfaces. From the Suakin Deep brine, I assembled the genome of a novel bacterial phylum and revealed the metabolic features that allow this organism to cope with the challenging variable conditions along the chemocline. In an alternative environmental system, I studied the effect of different thermal regimes on the microbiome of coastal sediment exposed to different yearly ranges of temperature variation. Sediment bacterial communities living under larger temperature variations are more flexible and can grow under a larger range of thermal conditions than communities experiencing narrower temperature ranges. My results highlight the large metabolic flexibility of microorganisms and their capacity to efficiently self-organize in complex functional assemblages under extreme ranges of environmental conditions.

Vernal pools are temporary aquatic habitats that can be home to dozens of 4 invertebrate species. Unfortunately, over 90 percent of California vernal pool habitat has been destroyed. To better understand the remaining habitat, this study focused on the species community structure of the pools, determined similarity among sites, and the pool characteristics important to survival of these organisms. Vernal pools at four distinct sites in the Sacramento Valley during winter 2012 were sampled for crustaceans and water characteristics every 2 weeks for 14 weeks. Twenty-two species of crustaceans were identified, 13 of which are possibly new species. In this dry, late rainfall year, fairy shrimp and copepods were the first species to emerge in large numbers. Ostracods, Cladocera and clam shrimp experienced large populations later in the season. Temperature showed strong correlations with most species and likely affected growth rates and emergence; conductivity, depth, and surface area were also positively correlated with several species abundance. Understanding the emergence and distribution of these crustaceans is necessary to protection of remaining habitat.

Climate warming is increasing fire severity in boreal forests and can alter forest structure and carbon (C) dynamics in Cajander larch (Larix cajanderi) forests of Siberia, which occur over C and ice-rich yedoma permafrost. Altered forest structure may impact understory vegetation through changing canopy cover, permafrost thaw depth, and soil temperatures. The primary objective of this study was to assess the long-term impacts of fire-driven changes in tree density on understory composition, diversity, and C pools and the underlying soil organic layer (SOL). Shrubs dominated low density stands, likely from reduced canopy cover and thaw depth, while mosses dominated high density stands. Consequently, understory C pools decreased from 415.46 to 158.87 g C m-2. Total SOL C pools remained unchanged as tree density increased. These findings suggest that fire-driven changes in tree density may alter understory composition and C pools, which could impact nutrient/water cycling and permafrost stability.

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