Zircon (U-Th)/He (zircon He) dating has become a widely used thermochronologic method in the geosciences. Practitioners have traditionally interpreted (U-Th)/He dates from zircons across a broad spectrum of chemical compositions with a single set of ⁴He diffusion kinetics derived from only a handful of crystals (Reiners et al., 2004). However, it has become increasingly clear that a "one-size-fits-all" approach to these kinetics is inadequate, leading to erroneous conclusions and incongruent data. This dissertation develops a more grain-specific approach by showing the fundamental role that intracrystalline radiation damage plays in determining the He diffusivity in a given zircon. I present three appendices that seek to quantify the radiation damage effect on He diffusion in zircon, explain how this effect manifests in zircon He dates, and show how to exploit such manifestations to better constrain sample thermal histories. Of particular importance, this dissertation represents the first comprehensive study to concentrate on the entire damage spectrum found in natural zircon and also the first to show that two different mechanisms affect He diffusion in zircon in different ways across this spectrum. In the first appendix, I and my fellow co-authors describe results from a series of step-heating experiments that show how the alpha dose of a given zircon, which we interpret to be correlated with accumulated radiation damage, influences its He diffusivity. From 1.2 × 10¹⁶ α/g to 1.4 × 10¹⁸ α/g, He diffusivity at a given temperature decreases by three orders of magnitude, but as alpha dose increases from ~2 × 10¹⁸ α/g to 8.2 × 10¹⁸ α/g, He diffusivity then increases by about nine orders of magnitude. We parameterize both the initial decrease and eventual increase in diffusivity with alpha dose with a function that describes these changes in terms of increasing abundance and size of intracrystalline radiation damage zones and resulting effects on the tortuosity of He migration pathways and dual-domain behavior. This is combined with another equation that describes damage annealing in zircon. The end result is a new model that constrains the coevolution of damage, He diffusivity, and He date in zircon as a function of its actinide content and thermal history. The second and third appendices use this new model to decipher zircon He datasets comprising many single grain dates that are correlated with effective uranium (eU, a proxy for the relative degree of radiation damage among grains from the same sample). The model is critical for proper interpretation of results from igneous settings that show date-eU correlations and were once considered spurious (appendix B). When applied to partially reset sedimentary rocks, other sources of date variability, such as damage and He inheritance, have to be considered as well (appendix C).

Geologic structures within the Birdseye 7.5 minute quadrangle Utah County, Utah have been related by previous workers to both the Jurassic Arapien Shale diapirism and to the mid-Cenozoic extensional collapse of the Charleston-Nebo Thrust. Whichever model proves valid, it will have implications for oil exploration and interpretation of the subsurface geologic structure in the region. A detailed map of the quadrangle was constructed to better constrain which mechanism was responsible for the deformation. Exposures of Arapien Shale near, and within the Birdseye quadrangle show no evidence of diapiric movement. Arapien involvement in the deformation of Tertiary rocks in the center of the quadrangle is therefore unlikely. Changes in the pattern of sedimentation of Eocene age rocks suggest a change in tectonics during this time. Restoration of the Eocene strata shows that the most plausible mechanism for this deformation is extension along reactivated thrusts in the Arapien Shale, Thaynes Formation, and Woodside Shale, related to Basin and Range extension. The Moroni Formation, a prominent Tertiary volcanic unit present throughout the Birdseye quadrangle, has been used to justify Eocene extension. Deformation with the formation was found to be present only along the Thistle Canyon normal fault, constraining movement along the fault to the Eocene and later. Dip and facies relationships present within the formation mainly are a result of paleotopography rather than extension. Several distinctive units were mapped within the formation, including lahar and fluvial deposits, as well as two different ash-flow tuffs. A depletion in nickel and chromium, an unusually ferroan composition, and distinctive Fe/Ti ratios suggest that the volcaniclastic rocks of the Moroni Formation are similar to volcanic rocks in the Slate Jack Canyon and Goshen quadrangles which lie about 35 km to the west. This implies that the ignimbrites and volcanic clasts in the Moroni Formation were sourced from the East Tintic volcanic center. It further implies that any mid-Tertiary extension between the East Tintic center and the Birdseye quadrangle did not create barriers to sedimentation and was limited in extent.

This thesis deals with the prohibition of torture in international law. The prohibition of torture is considered one of the fundamental values of democratic states, it is an absolute right and a part of customary international law and such a rule of conduct from which we can under no circumstances deviate. Although it might seem that this topic is not too current, the opposite is true. The violation of the prohibition of torture is almost worldwide. The inspiration and impetus to select this topic for me was the situation about the U.S. war against terror and torture of prisoners at U.S. military bases. The work is divided into two blocks. The first part is a theoretical question, which aims to define the very concept of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment and their relationship and to map the universal and particular international mechanisms in which the prohibition of torture is established. In this respect, the important document is the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which is the only universal document that provides a precise definition of torture. The aim of the first part was also to describe how the control mechanisms checked in compliance with the prohibition of torture in the world. The second...

Alternative sources of energy and their legal regulation in the context of the Czech and the Community law The purpose of my thesis is to analyze alternative or renewable sources of energy. The aim of the thesis is to examine the legal background of renewable sources in the law of European Union and the Czech law. Renewable sources of energy are fundamental instrument to deal with such challenges as environmental protection, climate change and energy security. Author outlines importance of the support schemes and the recent development of the solar power in the Czech Republic. The thesis is composed of five chapters, each of them dealing with different aspects of renewable sources of energy. Chapter one is introductory and deals with general introduction to the renewable sources of energy. The chapter is subdivided into two parts. Part one focuses on general description of energy sources that can be divided on renewable and non renewable sources. This part also describes general advantages and disadvantages of the use of renewable sources of energy. Part Two investigates actual use of the biofuels and use of the renewable sources of energy for the production of electricity, both in the European Union and the Czech Republic. Chapter two examines legal background of the renewable sources of energy in the...

The diploma thesis concentrates on work obstacles institute and is divided into two parts. The first part contains a brief summary of legislation, which is based on data collecting and information gathering from legal regulations, professional publications and internet sources, focused on issues concerning work obstacles from the point of an employee and from an employer. The practical part deals with practical application of the obstacles at work from legal and economical point of view. The practical part consists of the issues of application, approval, permitting, usage and refunding such obstacles at work of the employer and analysis of obstacles arising in relation with the institute application by an employee. In this section part of the thesis methods of direct observation, internal documents analysis and last but not least semi-structured interviews with company managers were used. The result is a practical approach to legislation and economic impact in the analyzed company.

This diploma thesis with the topic of ,,The Concept of Serious Harm in Refugee Law" had three basic objectives. The first one was to analyse single notions which belong to the concept of serious harm. The second objective was to compare the concept of serious harm under the Qualification Directive and under the Czech Asylum Act. By means of the interpretation of single notions of serious harm and the comparison of the Qualification Directive with the Czech Asylum Act, I managed to answer the question ,,who is protected by Article 15 of the Qualification Directive and the second section of paragraph 14a in the Czech Asylum Act," which was the third basic objective of this diploma thesis, and at the same time its research question. My diploma thesis is structured into 6 chapters, further it contains the list of abbreviations, the introduction, the conclusion, the list of literature, the Czech and English abstract, and key words. The first chapter deals with the evolution of the concept of serious harm since the year 2001 till the contemporary version of the Qualification Directive from the year 2011, and with the incorporation of this concept into the Czech Asylum Act. From the depiction of history of the concept of serious harm in this chapter, it resulted how uneasy it was for the member states of...

The question of free will, determinants of free action and responsibility is one of the most thrilling questions of the mankind. Moreover, the free will problem is closely connected to regulation and hindsight judgement of man behaviour so the law is concerned with the problem as well. However, a legal concept of free will is missing in the Czech law or legal theory. The author is therefore concerned with the fact that there is no satisfactory legal definition of free will even though legal responsibility is impliedly based on free action and free will. The Czech law defines just the freedom of action in negative terms, i.e. as an action of will free from circumstances limiting or precluding legal responsibility. The aim of the thesis is to summarize knowledge of social psychology regarding free will and assess whether the Czech law does impose the right standard of freedom of will in comparison to scientific experiments and findings. Furthermore, there are philosophical theories of free will introduced in the thesis and consequently these theories are questioned and examined for the purpose of defining legal concept of free will. At the end of the psychological part of the thesis one comes to the conclusion that the social determinants such as peer pressure, conformity and obedience to authority...

The diploma work deals with the history of the male Augustinian order in Bohemia and Moravia, i.e. both canons and eremites. The main concern of the first part is the personality of St. Augustin and general history of the order in Europe. The history of the order in Bohemia and Moravia follows and at the end the history of individual Bohemian and Moravian cloisters is elaborated.

The theoretical part of the Thesis is aimed at explanation of certain terms of the sphere of institutional and protected upbringing. It also tries to map the situation among the young adults leaving institutional or protected upbringing. The work is aimedat assessment whether clients of children's homes are interested in halfway living and to elaborate a halfway house project for the town of Jinřichův Hradec. A model project of a halfway house specific for the town of Jindřichův Hradec was developed upon the data observed, in which the project risks are considered and exaples of good practice included.

General approach of international law to torture Abstract The prohibition of torture exists at national and international level. The author focuses only on the general approach of international law to torture. He analyzes the individual elements of the definitions of torture contained in international documents. At the same time, he does not forget to mention the cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment that is inextricably linked to torture. He also highlights the importance of the threat of torture, which may under certain conditions separately constitute torture. He provides an overview of the current international regulation of the prohibition of torture enshrined not only in international human rights treaties, but also in the field of international humanitarian law and international criminal law. He also emphasizes the reflection of international regulation in the practice of individual protection mechanisms ensuring effective control over compliance with the prohibition of torture, specifically universal, European, Inter-American, African and other functioning mechanisms. Also, he places torture in the context of crimes under international law. He refers to the practice of the International Criminal Court and ad hoc criminal tribunals, which have even granted status of jus cogens to the...