94 research outputs found

    Czechs Look Back on 1989, a Revolution Betrayed: A Reflection on the Mythology of the Velvet Revolution

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    Twenty-five years ago today the Velvet Revolution kicked off in what was then Czechoslovakia to bring an end to the one-party government of the Communist Party. This exclusive translation of a feature from the Czech journal A2 Cultural Bi-Weekly explains that the events of 1989 were about more than just Václav Havel, a playwright and leader in the revolution who was elected president in 1990. A generation of unfulfilled promises later, Czechs are struggling to revive the spirit of not only democracy and humanism, but also socialism. This article originally appeared in Ricochet, November 17, 2014

    U. S. Foreign Policy Towards Cuba 1958-1965

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    Zahraniční politika Spojených států amerických vůči Kubě v letech 1958-1965 U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Cuba, 1958-1965 PhDr. Jaroslav Fiala Abstrakt Práce se zabývá zahraniční politikou Spojených států amerických vůči Kubě v letech 1958-1965. Analyzuje v první řadě příčiny a vznik kubánsko-amerického napětí v době, kdy na Kubě zvítězila revoluce vedená Fidelem Castrem. Ukazuje, jakým způsobem politika Spojených států a kontext studené války přispěly k politické polarizaci a radikalizaci na Kubě. Práce analyzuje, do jaké míry se lokální konflikt v podmínkách studené války transformoval do "mezinárodní občanské války". Cílem práce je obhájit tezi, že revoluční Kuba v první polovině šedesátých let ovlivnila globální rovnováhu sil mezi Spojenými státy a Sovětským svazem. Úvodní kapitoly shrnují předpoklady a příčiny kubánské revoluce, analyzují vztahy USA a spřátelených diktatur a zahraniční politiku vůči vládě Fulgencia Batisty na Kubě. Práce pokračuje povstáním proti Batistovi a partyzánskou válkou, v níž se nepřímo angažovaly Spojené státy. Kvůli komplexnímu pochopení dobových událostí využívá multiarchivní výzkum amerických, britských a československých pramenů. Jejich srovnání ukazuje, do jaké míry byli Kubánci schopni jednat nezávisle, a pomáhá porozumět logice východoevropské politiky. Práce zároveň...The thesis deals with the U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba in the years 1958-1965. It analyses sources of U.S.-Cuban hostility at the beginning of the Fidel Castro era. It shows, how the U.S. foreign policy and the beginning of Cold war contributed to polarization as well as radicalization of politics in Cuba. Thus, it analyses the change of a local conflict into the "international civil war". The aim of the thesis is to argue that Cuba influenced the global balance of power between the Soviet Union and the United States at the beginning of 1960's. The introductory chapters summarize the causes of the Cuban Revolution, the U.S. policy toward friendly dictators, mainly toward Fulgencio Batista in Cuba. Next part deals with the guerilla warfare against Batista and the extent of U.S. influence on this insurrection. The thesis uses a multi-archival research of the U.S. as well as Czech and British sources. The comparison of sources shows the extent of independent Cuban actions and helps to comprehend the logic of the Eastern-European foreign policy. The thesis further analyses the U.S. reaction on Cuban Revolution as well as causes and consequences of the Cuban Missile crisis. Moreover, it deals with the possibilities of improvement in the U.S.-Cuban relations. Last but not least it also analyses the...Ústav světových dějinInstitute of General HistoryFilozofická fakultaFaculty of Art

    A monitoring network for the detection of invasive ambrosia and bark beetles in the Czech Republic: principles and proposed design

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    Invasive bark beetles pose a threat to native biodiversity and to functional ecosystems and the economic productivity of forests, parks, and orchards. In the Czech Republic, there are six species of invasive ambrosia and bark beetles with a stable natural population, and it can be assumed that other invasive species that will be found. In the Czech Republic, there are no guidelines or methods for the early detection of invasive ambrosia and bark beetles. We propose monitoring at a total of 24 locations considering the following: (i) monitoring approaches used in other countries; (ii) identified entrance gates of invasive ambrosia and bark beetles found in the Czech Republic; (iii) presumed invasive species that occur in surrounding countries and are expanding their range; (iv) substances attractive to all the above mentioned species; (v) commonly available traps; and (vi) minimization of operating costs. Most of the chosen locations are located on the state borders and in river valleys, which are probably the entrance gates to the Czech Republic for invasive ambrosia and bark beetles. In addition, two large timber warehouses where international trade takes place, all international airports and three botanical gardens with tropical greenhouses were selected. Three Theysohn or Ecotrap impact traps should be installed every year at all locations. Traps should be baited with ethanol and exposed from mid-April to the end of July and should be checked every 2 weeks

    Using ethanol and other lures to monitor invasive ambrosia beetles in endemic populations: case study from the Czech Republic

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    Bark and ambrosia beetles pose significant threats to the stability of forest stands worldwide, making their control crucial. Among these pests, Gnathotrichus materiarius, a polyphagous invasive ambrosia beetle living on conifers, has successfully established itself in Europe. Early identification of these pests plays a fundamental role in designing effective pest control strategies. The work aimed to assess the efficacy of different lures in Ecotrap® for capturing of invasive ambrosia bark beetles. The lures tested included Wood Stainers Lure (containing the potential pheromone sulcatol for capturing Gnathotrichus materiarius adults), α-pinene, ethanol UHR, and Cembräwit. The objective was to determine the most suitable lure for use in traps. In four locations in western Bohemia, a total of 7,410 individuals from 46 species of ambrosia and bark beetleswere captured. The abundance of invasive ambrosia beetles (Gnathotrichus materiarius, Cyclorhipidion bodoanum, Xyleborinus attenuatus, and Xylosandrus germanus) primarily depended on the day of the season and secondarily on the lure used. Although their population density was low, more beetles were caught using ethanol as the lure. Notably, these invasive ambrosia beetles accounted for less than 3 % of the total number of ambrosia and bark beetles detected (187 individuals). Ethanol was found to be a universal lure for attracting ambrosia beetles, with the majority of Scolytinae species being captured in traps baited with ethanol

    EVALUATION OF FATIGUE DAMAGE BY X-RAY DIFFRACTION TECHNIQUE OF STEAM TURBINE ROTOR STEELS AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES

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    ABSTRACT In many industrial applications materials are subjected to degradation of mechanical properties as a result of real service conditions. The assessment of the remaining lifetime of components and structures is commonly based on correlated procedures including numerous destructive, nondestructive and mathematical techniques that should guarantee reasonable precise assessment of the current damage extent of materials in question and the remnant lifetime assessment. The assessment of the remaining lifetime by X-ray diffraction technique is based on the fact that mechanical properties of the most materials depend strongly on crystallite size and orientation of ingredients, which are the crucial parameters for the determination of the ageing state and the prediction of residual lifetime of the components

    Defect and microstructure analysis by diffraction

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    Korundové nárosty na vyzdívce pecí pro tavení hliníku

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    Vydáno chybně pod ISSN 1210-047

    Databases in materials science - Contemporary state and future

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    The state-of-the art of databases in materials science, understood as ordered and stored information, is discussed and the outlook for their development is deliberated. The text is divided in sections dealing with the glory, misery and future vision of databases, thermal analysis having its own comment.Web of Science6031110110
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