The following paper presents the process of decarbonization of the energy sector in Greece and points out to different methods the Greek authorities are adopting in order to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases generated by electricity production. Greece is a country which is modernizing its energy sector gradually, yet dynamically. One of the prime aims is to reduce the level of energy produced in coal-fired power plants by focusing on the renewable energy and the gas sector. In 2010 still more than half of the electrical energy was generated by lignite-fired power plants. Almost ten years later the ratio has dropped to only slightly more than 30%. A significant reduction in coal consumption was possible thanks to investments in renewable energy sources, especially in the wind and solar energy sectors. Both sectors have seen a large increase in production, making renewable energy sources already accounting for over 20% of Greek electricity production. Capital-intensive investments were also made in the country’s gas supply through the expansion of gas-fired power plants and gas transmission networks. As a result, natural gas remains the main source of energy for Greece next to coal. Unfortunately, a big challenge in terms of decarbonization is the need for increased imports of electricity from abroad, due to the insufficient capacity of the Greek energy sector. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to define a Greek model of decarbonization and to point out to its benefits and dangers. Greek strategy might serve as an example of how to successfully solve the energy issues in the countries with similar energy profile.

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the scientific discussion

on developing the free-carbon economy in Ukraine. The main purpose of the paper is elaborating

the energy efficiency profile of Ukraine to assure the development of the free-carbon economy. To

achieve this purpose, the authors carried out an investigation in the following logical sequence.

Firstly, the bibliometric analysis of 4674 of the most cited articles indexed by the Scopus database

was conducted. The obtained findings indicated that the green economy transformation depended

on the main factors such as economic performance, corruption, macroeconomic stability, social

welfare, shadow economy etc. As a result, the forecast of the final energy consumption to 2030

was performed. The methodological tool of this research is based on the Autoregressive Integrated

Moving Average (ARIMA) model. This study involved data of the Visegrad countries (Poland, the

Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic and Hungary) and Ukraine from 2000 to 2018. The base of

data is Eurostat, the EU statistical service. Based on the obtained results of analyzing the green

economic transformation in the Visegrad countries and Ukraine, the authors intimated the existence

of the significant energy-efficient gap in Ukraine compared to the analyzed countries. In reliance on

the experience of the Visegrad countries and the forecast results, the authors provided the main recommendations

for providing the green transforming in Ukraine. The authors highlighted that the obtained

results of this paper were considered to be the base for future investigations considering the influence

of endogenous and exogenous factors on developing the free-carbon economy in Ukraine.

In the present study, we analyse the influence of goal maintenance and goal change on the efficiency of executive control. Although there is empirical evidence on the impact of goal maintenance and task-switching on executive control, little is known about the consequences of changing between processing goals (e.g., speed or accuracy goals). We assessed the influence of changing between speed and accuracy goals while performing a task-switching procedure that requires social categorization. Experiment 1 included frequent goal changes, whereas Experiment 2 included one goal change across the experimental session. The results showed that both goals influence general performance and flexibility. A comparison between experiments suggested that frequent goal change (Experiment 1) resulted in worse performance and lower flexibility overall, compared to sequential goal change (Experiment 2). Frequent goal change was also associated with increased difficulties in pursuing the accuracy goal. The implications regarding the role of goal maintenance and goal change on executive control are discussed, as well as new research possibilities.

Consumption of energy is one of the important indicators in developing countries, but a lot of companies from the energy sector have to cope with three key challenges, namely how to reduce their impact on the environment, how to ensure the low cost of the energy production and how to improve the system overall performance? For Polish energy market, the number of challenges is greater. The growing demand for electricity and contemporary development of nuclear power technology allow today’s design, implement new solutions for high energy conversion system low unit cost for energy and fuel production. In the present paper, numerical analysis of modular high-temperature nuclear reactor coupled with the steam cycle for electricity production has been presented. The analysed system consists of three independent cycles. The first two are high-temperature nuclear reactor cycles which are equipped with two high-temperature nuclear reactors, heat exchangers, blowers, steam generators. The third cycle is a Rankine cycle which is equipped with up to four steam turbines, that operate in the heat recovery system. The analysis of such a system shows that is possible to achieve significantly greater efficiency than offered by traditional nuclear reactor technology.

Noise reduction inside waveguide systems has gained momentum owing to a great interest in it. To attenuate the sound in a broad frequency range, this study aims to compare the effects of two acoustic liners, a perforated plate backed by an air cavity (PP-Air cavity), or by a porous material (PP-PM), on the acoustic behaviour of lined ducts using a numerical model to compute the multimodal scattering matrix. From this matrix, the reflection and the transmission coefficients are computed and therefore the acoustic power attenuation is deduced. Moreover, the effects of geometry of ducts with and without changes in the section are investigated. The numerical results are obtained for five configurations, including cases of narrowing and widening of a duct portion with sudden or progressive discontinuities. Accordingly, numerical coefficients of reflection and transmission as well as the acoustic power attenuation show the relative influence of acoustic liners in each type of configuration.

Based on China’s resource endowment and coal mine disaster statistics, it has been found that there are many deficiencies in the management of disasters and risks in mining areas in China. Therefore, to scientifically and effectively manage mining areas, based on the theory of internal control, this paper systematically analyzes the risks of mining areas in the context of various factors and relevant suggestions. From the occurrence of mine risk to the occurrence of damage, the importance of risk management is highlighted. In accordance with the five selection principles of evaluation indicators (goal principle, comprehensiveness principle, scientificity principle, timeliness principle and focus principle) as well as the five elements of internal control (control environment, risk assessment, control activities, information and communication and supervision), a mining area risk managementframework of human-machine-environment-management – disturbance is constructed, and twentyseven secondary risk indicators are divided. The criteria for determining the risk level and the risk response process have been established, and a more systematic and accurate mine risk management system under the theory of internal control has been formed. Finally, based on four key technologies, a dual prevention and control mechanism is formed around the system risk and job risk management system. This provides new methods and ideas for the prevention and control of coal mine safety risks and the containment of disasters and accidents.

The aim of the article is to present Finland’s energy situation after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the related fact of this country’s accession to NATO structures. This situation is taking place for the first time in history and the analysis of this phenomenon is an important element of energy policy planning for other countries. The article shows how decisions that affect the country’s energy security can be made quickly and effectively.
Finland, due to its geographical location and historical circumstances, was closely economically linked with the Soviet Union and then with Russia. However, this situation changed dramatically after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This has resulted in a change in the thinking of politicians responsible for security, including energy security.
Finland is gradually increasing the share of RES in its energy mix due to the lack of energy resources and also to achieve climate neutrality. Nuclear energy, one of the most important domestic sources of electricity production, is also being developed. In 2021, it accounted for 33% of the total generation of electricity, and Finland’s two nuclear power plants have a combined installed capacity of 4.39 GW. Domestic production and imports from “safe” sources are the basis of Finland’s energy security, especially after the suspension of electricity and gas supplies from Russia in May 2022. Currently, electricity is mainly imported from Sweden and gas is imported by pipeline from Estonia and via three small LNG terminals. According to the Finnish government’s plans, Finland is expected to become an electricity exporter by 2030 due to increasing nuclear and renewable electricity production. It is also planned to use heat pumps and waste heat in heating to a greater extent.

In this article, I reflect on recent discussions of the methodological status of scientific knowledge within and outside the Academy. I draw attention to the problem of declining public trust in science (risk and fear society) and the phenomenon of post-truth. In the context of these issues, I present three positions whose authors define the relationship between official academic science in relation to other forms of knowledge (lay people) and forms of knowledge use outside the Academy (politics). The first position termed “elective modernism” was formulated by Harry Collins and Robert Evans in the context of discussions of the third wave of science disputes. Elective modernism defines the way in which policy decisions are made on the recommendations of scholars who have a methodological self-awareness of the possibilities and limitations of scientific knowledge. The second position is Steve Fuller's proposal of protestant science as a form of science in the context of posttruth conditions. In this view, knowledge can be produced by anyone, but it must meet certain specified scientific criteria. The third position is the view of expert knowledge proposed by Mark R. Brown, as a representation of various worldview or cultural options, whose representatives commission experts to make appropriate recommendations for certain political decisions.

Studies on the quality of bituminous coal are mainly focused on physico-chemical analysis, examining the ash content, sulphur content, volatile matter content, moisture content, and the Net Calorific Value of coal. Until now, the above mentioned parameters form the basis of the Polish Standard PN-82/87002, on the basis of which individual types of bituminous coal are determined. In addition, an elemental analysis, providing information about the content of primary elements in the organic matter of solids, i.e. coal, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulphur, is carried out for the selected samples. This issue has been studied by many authors, which undoubtedly provide invaluable knowledge due to the huge amount of data, but, as the authors themselves indicate, the knowledge of the petrography of coal, coking properties (Probierz et al. 2012) and finally the coke obtained from individual coal types (based on tests carried out using the Karbotest installation or the so-called „box tests” performed in the coke oven battery) is still very limited. The article discusses the impact of petrographic composition on the quality of metallurgical coke. The analysis was performed using samples of coking coal from the following mines: Pniówek, Zofiówka, Borynia, and Krupiński. The mentioned coal types are used to produce coke mixtures used for the production of coke in the Przyjaźń and Radlin coking plants. Based on the rank of coal and physicochemical parameters, the mentioned coal types were classified according to the Polish classification and the UN/ECE International Classification of In-Seam Coals (UN/ECE 1995). The prediction of thermomechanical properties of coke (CSR and CRI) performed according to the original CCP method were compared with the results obtained using the classical method of Nippon Steel Corporation.

In the article we study a model of network transmissions with Active Queue Management in an intermediate IP router. We use the OMNET++ discrete event simulator to model the varies variants of the CHOKe algoithms. We model a system where CHOKe, xCHOKe and gCHOKe are the AQM policy. The obtained results shows the behaviour of these algorithms. The paper presents also the implementation of AQM mechanisms in the router based on Linux.

The aim of this paper is to present a way of ranking the nonlinearities of electrodynamic loudspeakers. For this purpose, we have constructed a nonlinear analytic model which takes into account the variations of the small signal parameters. The determination of these variations is based on a very precise measurement of the electrical impedance of the electrodynamic loudspeaker. First, we present the experimental method to identify the variations of these parameters, then we propose to study theoretically the importance of these nonlinearities according to the input level or the input frequency. We show that the parameter which creates most of the distortions is not always the same and depends mainly on both the input level and the input frequency. Such results can be very useful for optimization of electrodynamic loudspeakers.

In the search for the critical functions of theology, we can find a growing number of dilemmas, which come from the theology itself and from the modern knowledge about the world, which theology has to face, not only offering expected answers, but also formulating its own Christian doctrine proper for contemporary times and consistent with the Tradition of faith. The only way to present such a broad and difficult problem in a short paper is through a general perspective. The key to the systematization of the problem is by observing that the tasks of theology can be seen from four different perspectives, according to the distinction ad extra – ad intra. Astrong emphasis is put on the encounter between theology and science. The attempt to make predictions about the future is based on analysis of the contemporary situation in theology and on the extrapolation of existing trends for the near future.

Background: The older population is very heterogeneous with regard to the co-morbidity and the physical reserve. This can result in unacceptably high postoperative complications rates. Th erefore, the aim of the study was to review the literature regarding the outcomes of older patients treated for pancreatic cancer, including the usage of minimal invasive techniques.

Methodology: A review of the literature was carried out including studies on pancreatic cancer in older patients published between 2011 and 2016.

Results: Seventeen retrospective studies were included. The total number of patients was 9981 with the age range of 65 years and more. Studies on surgical treatment alone (1.4%), neoadjuvant/adjuvant treatment with or without surgery (89.4%) and palliative therapy (9.2%) were assessed separately. Appropriate comparison was diffi cult due to the retrospective character and heterogeneity of the study population. Mortality was low, yet there was a great diff erence in morbidity ranging from some percent to even 100% of the study population. Long-term results were poor.

Conclusions: The functional status, not the chronological age alone, is the factor limiting therapeutic options in older patients with pancreatic cancer.

Organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the soils of the High Arctic play an important role in the context of global warming, biodiversity, and richness of tundra vegetation. The main aim of the present study was to determine the content and spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (N tot ), and total phosphorus (P tot ) in the surface horizons of Arctic soils obtained from the lower part of the Fuglebekken catchment in Spitsbergen as an example of a small non−glaciated catchment representing uplifted marine terraces of the Svalbard Archipelago. The obtained results indicate that surface soil horizons in the Fuglebekken catchment show considerable differences in content of SOC, N tot , and P tot . This mosaic is related to high variability of soil type, local hydrology, vegetation (type and quantity), and especially location of seabird nesting colony. The highest content of SOC, N tot , and P tot occurs in soil surface horizons obtained from sites fertilized by seabird guano and located along streams flowing from the direction of the seabird colony. The content of SOC, N tot , and P tot is strongly negatively correlated with distance from seabird colony indicating a strong influence of the birds on the fertility of the studied soils and indirectly on the accumulation of soil organic matter. The lowest content of SOC, N tot , and P tot occurs in soil surface horizons obtained from the lateral moraine of the Hansbreen glacier and from sites in the close vicinity of the lateral moraine. The content of N tot ,P tot , and SOC in soil surface horizons are strongly and positively correlated with one another, i.e. the higher the content of nutrients, the higher the content of SOC. The spatial distribution of SOC, N tot , and P tot in soils of the Hornsund area in SW Spitsbergen reflects the combined effects of severe climate conditions and periglacial processes. Seabirds play a crucial role in nutrient enrichment in these weakly developed soils.