Intensive modernization and reconstruction of the energy sector takes place throughout the

world. The EU climate and energy policy will have a huge impact on the development of the energy

sector in the coming years. The European Union has adopted ambitious goals of transforming

towards a low-carbon economy and the integration of the energy market. In June 2015, the G7 countries

announced that they will move away from coal fired energy generation. Germany, which

has adopted one of the most ambitious energy transformation programs among all industrialized

countries, is leading these transformations. The long-term strategy, which has been implemented

for many years, allowed for planning the fundamental transformation of the energy sector; after the

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Germany opted for a total withdrawal from nuclear energy and

coal in favor of renewable energy. The German energy transformation is mainly based on wind and

solar energy. Germany is the fifth economic power in the world and the largest economy in Europe.

Therefore, the German energy policy affects the energy policy of the neighboring countries. The

article presents the main assumptions of the German energy policy (referred to as Energiewende).

It also presents the impact of changes in the German energy sector on the development of energy

systems in selected European countries.

The article compares the management of energy resources in Poland and Ukraine over the period 2000–2017. The analysis took changes in the volume of coal, oil and natural gas resources into consideration. The indicators of supplies of these fuels for Poland and Ukraine have additionally been compared with selected EU countries. In order to assess energy security of Poland and Ukraine, the changes in the primary energy consumption have been analyzed in general in first order, then the possibilities of meeting the demand for natural gas, coal and oil have been determined based on the domestic extraction of individual energy resources. Such a comparison indicates the dominant role of coal in Poland while the extraction of oil and natural gas meets the domestic demand to a greater extent in Ukraine. Over the period 2000-2017, trends in primary energy consumption were different; a 17% increase was noted in Poland, while a nearly 40% decline was noted in Ukraine. The main factors responsible for radical changes in fuel and energy management in Ukraine have been identified: military operations in the east of the country and the annexation of Crimea, demographic changes. These events had a negative impact especially on the volume of hard coal mining in Ukraine; the significant increase in imports from 5.36 to 19.14 million tons in 2011-2017 was necessary for balancing. The balance of foreign exchange for electricity was also compared. Over the past years, this comparison has been favorable for Ukraine, where the dominance of electricity exports over imports is noticeable, which generated revenues of over USD 200 million in 2017.

The materials mining from rivers have a variety of negative and positive effects. Currently, one of the most important issues in river engineering is the proper management of materials mining. In this research, global experiences and interna-tional standards for managing sand and gravel mining have been applied to evaluate the mining area in the Zohreh River in Khuzestan province (Iran). One of the evaluation methods in this field is the river matrix method. In this method, which is defined on the basis of river pattern, river characteristics such as river size, site location of materials, associated channel and type of deposit are being considered. In this research, a segment of the Zohreh River between Sardasht Zeydun bridge and Mohseniyeh village in which has good potential for gravel mining was selected and evaluated for river characteristics, mining potential and application of river matrix method. The study indicates that the Zohreh River has a braided pattern in the range. The volume of sediment materials in the target area is about 10 000 m3, the length and width of the mining area are 125 and 80 m respectively, and surface extraction with a maximum depth of 1 m was recommended for extraction of materials. At the end of the research, management solutions and solutions for mining of river materials were presented using various standards.

Thermodynamic principles for the dissolution of gases in ionic liquids (ILs) and the COSMO-SAC model are presented. Extensive experimental data of Henry’s law constants for CO2, N2 and O2 in ionic liquids at temperatures of 280-363 K are compared with numerical predictions to evaluate the accuracy of the COSMO-SAC model. It is found that Henry’s law constants for CO2 are predicted with an average relative deviation of 13%. Both numerical predictions and experimental data reveal that the solubility of carbon dioxide in ILs increases with an increase in the molar mass of ionic liquids, and is visibly more affected by the anion than by the cation. The calculations also show that the highest solubilities are obtained for [Tf2N]ˉ. Thus, the model can be regarded as a useful tool for the screening of ILs that offer the most favourable CO2 solubilities. The predictions of the COSMOSAC model for N2 and O2 in ILs differ from the pertinent experimental data. In its present form the COSMO-SAC model is not suitable for the estimation of N2 and O2 solubilities in ionic liquids.

Concrete is generally produced using materials such as crushed stone and river sand to the extent of about 80‒90% combined with cement and water. These materials are quarried from natural sources. Their depletion will cause strain on the environment. To prevent this, bottom ash produced at thermal power plants by burning of coal has been utilized in this investigation into making concrete. The experimental investigation presents the development of concrete containing lignite coal bottom ash as fine aggregate in various percentages of 25, 50, and 100. Compressive, split tensile, and flexural strength as part of mechanical properties; acid, sulphate attack, and sustainability under elevated temperature as part of durability properties, were determined. These properties were compared with that of normal concrete. It was concluded from this investigation that bottom ash to an extent of 25% can be substituted in place of river sand in the production of concrete.

This article discusses Shaftesbury’s fragmentary ‘Dictionary of art terms’, an appendix to the unfinished Plastics, and its relevance in establishing an aesthetic and moral art theory in Britain. The article argues that, although the ‘Dictionary’ is rudimentary, it already reveals enough information to assess it as an important document of English art philosophy. Given that Shaftesbury’s dictionary project was the first English attempt to produce a theoretical art dictionary, it is discussed in the light of traditions of the art dictionary in this country. The study clarifies notions of the dictionary’s art terms through comparative analyses with the use of the words in the aesthetic discourses in the Plastics. It looks at Shaftesbury’s creation of novel words based on classical literature and his use of contemporary literary sources which was partly ambivalent, for fear that only words were transferred from their original context but no ideologies that the author disapproved of. With the help of exemplary discussions of Shaftesbury’s art vocabulary, the study illustrates the shaping of an aesthetic vocabulary in England.