"Umbrella Clause" in investment disputes The diploma thesis deals with the topic of the so-called umbrella clause, a provision that can be often encountered in the bilateral investment treaties. The aim of the thesis is to identify and assess individual interpretation issues that are faced by the arbitration tribunals when applying this provision. The thesis is composed from two main parts, theoretical one and analytical one. Each part is further divided into two separate chapters. First chapter familiarizes a reader with the basic instruments of international investment law, the bilateral investment treaties and investment contracts. The umbrella clause issue is closely intertwined with the topic of internationalization of investment contract, which is also discussed within this chapter. The second chapter provides basic introduction to the examined legal institution. Besides determining characteristic features of the umbrella clause and basic variations of its wording, the chapter also focuses on presence of this provision in contemporary sources of international investment law. In this regard, detailed analysis of the Czech bilateral investment treaties is presented. Last but not least, the attention is paid to the historical context of the issue. The detailed analysis of the International...

The demand on high resolution and high speed analog-to-digital converters (ADC’s) has been growing in today’s market. The pipeline ADC’s present advantages compared to flash or successive approximation ADC techniques. The high-resolution, high-speed requirements can relatively easier be achieved using pipelined architecture ADC’s than other implementations of ADC’s of the same requirements. Because the stages work simultaneously, the number of stages needed to obtain a certain resolution is not constrained by the required throughput rate. Latency is a result of a multistage concurrent operation of any pipelined system. But luckily enough, latency isn’t considered to be a problem in many ADC applications. In this work, a 1.5-bit stage in the pipeline ADC is completely implemented including its two voltage comparators, a DAC with three possible output voltages, and a multiplying digital to analog (MDAC) blocks. Only ideal components were used for clocking operation. At the end of design, a total harmonic distortion (THD) of less than -70 dB was achieved. / text

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IN ENGLISH Jurisdiction and Admissibility in the Czech Republic's BITs The purpose of this work is to assess whether the high number of investment cases the Czech Republic had to face was partially prompted by wordings of Czech Republic's BITs. The work focuses on clauses that pertain to jurisdiction of tribunal and admissibility of claim, as these are the first questions that are raised in every proceedings. The work consists of six Chapters. The first Chapter is introductory and outlines the issues that will be examined. The second Chapter defines the terms 'jurisdiction' and 'admissibility' and explains how the concepts relate to provisions of BITs. The third Chapter is dedicated to topic of treaty shopping. It explores cases against the Czech Republic where the issue of treaty shopping was raised, analyses the argumentation and provisions that were used in each case together with similar provisions contained in other Czech BITs, and suggests changes that should be made in order to make the clauses more effective against treaty shopping. The fourth Chapter examines the instance of parallel proceedings commenced against the Czech Republic. In a structure similar to the previous Chapter, it firstly analyses the awards and the BITs that were used together with the rest of the Czech BITs. Finally it...

Yes / Predicting the PDC bit performance during drilling operation is important for the cost effectiveness of the operation. The majority of PDC bits are assessed based on their performance that are relative to offset wells. Determination of mechanical specific energy (MSE) in real time and compare it with the known MSE for a sharp bit to assess the bit life has been utilized by several operators in the past. However, MSE still cannot be used to predict the bit performance in exploration wells and also it cannot assess the bit efficiency in the inner and outer cones. A more precise approach needs to be devised and applied to improve the prediction of bit life and the decision when to pull the bit out of the hole. Effective mechanical specific energy (EMSE) developed in this work is a new wear and performance predictive model that is to measure the cutting efficiency based on number of cutters, which contact the rock as a function of weight on bit (WOB), rotary speed (RPM), torque, and depth of cut (DOC). This model modifies the previous MSE model by incorporating such parameters and including detailed design of the bit, number of blades, cutter density, cutter size, and cutting angle. Using this approach together with the analysis of rock hardness, a level of understanding of how the drilling variables influence the bit performance in the inner and outer cone is improved, and a convenient comparison of the bit condition in the frame of the standard bit record is achieved. This work presents a new simple model to predict the PDC cutters wear using actual data from three sections drilled in three oil wells in Libya. It is found that the obtained results are in well agreement with the actual dull grading shown in the bit record.

Yes / Predicting the PDC bit performance during drilling operation is important for the cost effectiveness of the operation. The majority of PDC bits are assessed based on their performance that are relative to offset wells. Determination of mechanical specific energy (MSE) in real time and compare it with the known MSE for a sharp bit to assess the bit life has been utilized by several operators in the past. However, MSE still cannot be used to predict the bit performance in exploration wells and also it cannot assess the bit efficiency in the inner and outer cones. A more precise approach needs to be devised and applied to improve the prediction of bit life and the decision when to pull the bit out of the hole. Effective mechanical specific energy (EMSE) developed in this work is a new wear and performance predictive model that is to measure the cutting efficiency based on number of cutters, which contact the rock as a function of weight on bit (WOB), rotary speed (RPM), torque, and depth of cut (DOC). This model modifies the previous MSE model by incorporating such parameters and including detailed design of the bit, number of blades, cutter density, cutter size, and cutting angle. Using this approach together with the analysis of rock hardness, a level of understanding of how the drilling variables influence the bit performance in the inner and outer cone is improved, and a convenient comparison of the bit condition in the frame of the standard bit record is achieved. This work presents a new simple model to predict the PDC cutters wear using actual data from three sections drilled in three oil wells in Libya. It is found that the obtained results are in well agreement with the actual dull grading shown in the bit record.

ITC/USA 2010 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Sixth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 25-28, 2010 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / This paper describes the use of an efficient FPGA design flow, called Ogre, developed at BYU to design and implement PCM/FM demodulators. Ogre exploits the notion of reuse by taking advantage of a library of specially designed cores parameterized by XML metadata. A judicious choice of library cores, targeted to signal processing functions common to sampled data modulators and demodulators, reduces the design and test cycle time. We demonstrate this by using the tool to construct rapid prototypes of three different versions of FM demodulators and show that the bit error rate performance is comparable to demodulators on the market today.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / The impact of multipath fading parameters on the probability of error for Offset QPSK (OQPSK) is derived. The multipath fading channel is modeled using the aeronautical telemetry channel model [1-2]. Expressions for the probability of bit error are derived that are a function of the multipath model parameters. The expressions are shown to agree with computer simulations and show that a strong multipath reflection with a short delay causes much more degradation than a weak multipath reflection with a long delay.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 23-26, 2000 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / Telemetry receiving sites at missile test ranges almost always use polarization diversity to maximize the quality of the telemetry signals collected from missiles during developmental tests. If the sites are operating optimally, their sensitivity should be independent of received polarization. In this paper a technique to test the sensitivity of each receiving site is presented that involves radiating from a central location with selectable polarization and precise power level. Results of testing five telemetry sites are presented and compared with performance predicted through link analysis using site G/T and location information.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 21, 2002 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / End-to-End testing is a tool for verifying that Range Telemetry (TM) System Equipment will deliver satisfactory performance throughout a planned flight test. A thorough test verifies system thresholds while gauging projected mission loading all in the presence of expected interference. At the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) in New Mexico, system tests are routinely conducted by Range telemetry Engineers and technicians in the interest of ensuring highly reliable telemetry acquisition. Even so, flight or integration tests are occasionally halted, unable to complete these telemetry checks. The Navy Standard Missile Program Office and the White Sands Missile Range, have proactively conducted investigations to identify and eliminate problems. A background discussion is provided on the serious problems with the launcher acquisition, which were resolved along the way laying the ground work for effective system testing. Since there were no provisions to test with the decryption equipment an assumption must be made. Encryption is operationally transparent and reliable. Encryption has wide application, and for that reason the above assumption must be made with confidence. A comprehensive mission day encrypted systems test is proposed. Those involved with encrypted telemetry systems, and those experiencing seemingly unexplainable data degradations and other problems with or without encryption should review this information.