The successful use of Nickel-Titanium (Nitinol) in biomedical applications requires an accurate control of its unique mechanical properties. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of a wide range of heat treatments on the mechanical behavior of hot-rolled and cold-drawn Nitinol. Results comprise an understanding of the effect of heat treatment temperature and time variation on final material response which is imperative for optimization of material properties. Thirty-three heat treatment variations are tested by combining three durations, 10 minutes, 90 minutes, and 8 hours, with eleven different heat treatment temperatures between 200°C and 440°C. Following heat treatment, the Nitinol samples undergo tensile testing with upper plateau strength, lower plateau strength, ultimate tensile strength, strain to failure, and residual elongation compared for all test groups. Heat treatment "power" is used to describe the efficacy of different combinations of heat treatment temperature and duration. When using hot-rolled Nitinol, results show a low heat treatment power does not create significant precipitation hardening or a significant decrease in martensite transformation stress, resulting in a high upper plateau strength, high residual strain values, and evidence of plastic deformation upon unloading. Moderate power treatments lead to sufficient hardening of the material and a decrease in martensite transformation stress resulting in a pseudoelastic response. Increasing to a high treatment power further decreases the transformation stress and increases the martensite transformation temperature leading to a shape-memory response in hot rolled Nitinol. When using cold-drawn Nitinol, low and moderate heat treatment power levels result in the material exhibiting a pseudoelastic response. Increasing heat treatment power shows the same effects on martensite transformation stress and temperature as seen with the hot-rolled material resulting in a material response transition from pseudoelastic to shape memory.

The subject of this diploma thesis is the Employer's Strategy for Employing Parents on Parental Leave. The theoretical starting points of the thesis map the area of equal opportunities policy, the concept of family policy and employment policy in the Czech Republic. In addition, the work focuses on the personal and working life of parents on parental leave, describes the development of personal and work satisfaction, the motivation of parents to return to work and the expectation of parents from the employer. The last part of the theoretical framework focuses on employers' strategy, focuses on the social responsibility of organizations in the context of the topic, the motivation of employers to employ parents, their expectations of cooperation, and examples of different approaches to employing parents in the private and public sectors. The aim of the research part of thesis is to identify the causes that prevent parents from taking part in the labor market during parental leave and to educate and broaden their qualifications and to identify opportunities that lead to facilitating access to the labor market for parents on parental leave. The research problem looks at the perspective of parents (women) employed in the private and public sectors. The problem is processed through qualitative research....