226 papers by Polish authors and co-authors have been collected. They deal with Antarctic or sub-Antarctic fishes and also their parasites. The majority (35.7%) of the publications discuss fish biology including growth, age, maturity, feeding and occurrence of particular species in the area. Fewer papers are devoted to parasitology (26.0%). Papers dealing with fish biomass and exploitation make up 18.5%. Papers dealing with morphology and systematics make up 6.6%. The remaining papers are devoted to technology, physiology, palaeontology and others.

The paper presents a model for calculations of the temperature field in electric mine motors with a water cooled frame. That model was worked out with use of modified and improved thermal networks developed by the author for determining the temperature distributions in different types of ac machines. Thermal calculations for a selected type of 400 kW mining motor were performed with use of an original computer program. Their results were compared with those obtained from measurements. On the basis of the verified simulation results there was determined the influence of value changes of parameters characterising the work environment condition (ambient temperature, inlet temperature and cooling water discharge, degree of covering the casing with coal dust) on the mining motor thermal state.

The contemporary underground mining of raw minerals is more and more associated with geological and mining software packages which support the work of designers from the moment of the exploration of a deposit, determination of its size and quality, geological, hydrogeological and tectonic conditions, by planning the development and cutting of the deposit. Production planning is one of the most important activities carried out in the course of a mining project, because it allows to set specific production results of a mine in relation to a time unit, and then allows for a verification of the degree of completion of the assumed plan. At present, computer-aided design is applicable to daily or long-term output planning taking deposit, qualitative, quantitative and cost constraints into account. In the article, selected forms of ore deposits were presented. On the basis of several dozen boreholes up to 300m in length, an exemplary fragment of the ore cutting model using computer-aided design of mining works was presented. By using modern computer software - ABB MineScape with modular construction, the possibilities of improving the process of development of future exploitation areas have been determined. In particular, the arrangement of boreholes, based on which ones the cross sections were made with, present the exemplary lithostratigraphic thickness of layers, including the location of discontinuous deformations in the form of faults, and an ore bearing zone. For the block model, resources with priority for metal N o. 1 and 2 were calculated. I n the last section of the article, the cutting idea for a shallow ore deposit has been presented. The degree of effective use of the deposit has been analysed for the room and pillar mining method.

This article concerns numerical modeling of the impact of mining operations on fault behavior, carried out on the basis of a calculation program based on the finite element method. It was assumed that the fault is a single discontinuity in the form of a vertically-oriented plane, and the conditions in which surfaces merge are defined by the right of the Coulomb friction. On the one hand, the calculations are related to the fault’s response to additional weight resulting from mining operations, and on the other, they are related to the impact that occurrences in the fault’s plane had on the immediate surroundings of the extraction center. The behavior of the fault was analyzed based on distributions in the plane of shear stress and slip, together with their range and energy dissipated due to friction. In turn, the impact of the fault on its immediate environment was analyzed based on variations in the total energy density of elasticity. The results of numerical modeling made it possible to draw conclusions concerning mining operation in the proximity of tectonic dislocations in the context of seismic hazard’s levels.

The relevance of this study is due to the fact that the presented object of scientific work, namely 6–10 kV overhead lines, plays an important role in the process of providing electrical energy to consumers of the oil industry. The aim of the work is a detailed analysis of the reliability of overhead lines which are exploited in the difficult natural and climatic conditions of the Caspian region and Mangyshlak and the introduction of effective modeling tools for overhead lines. The methods used include the analytical method, theoretical method, logical analysis method, functional method, statistical method, synthesis method and others. In the course of the study, the natural and climatic conditions of the Atyrau region and their differences were noted and the reliability of the power supply systems was also analyzed. The most damaged elements of industrial power supply systems and their part of failures were identified in comparison with other elements of the power supply system. It was determined that the electrical power sector plays a crucial role in the oil and gas sector by determining the solution of the production tasks of all departments which have a significant impact on the formation of economic indicators. The practical value of the revealed results is that they will help to highlight the problems of operational reliability of the 6–10 kV overhead lines, considering the various natural and climatic factors, which in turn will help to change the power supply scheme and increase the resistance to external influences.

Geographical Information Systems have become essential tools for land analysis and the subsequent decision making in many fields of human activity. In the field of mining, GIS applications have appeared in ore deposit modelling, environmental pollution, or planning of mining spaces. In this research, the powerful multicriteria tools of GIS platforms have been applied for the determination of an index that has been called “Exploitability Index”. This index allows analyzing a series of outcrops of industrial aggregates, to help in the selection of the most adequate one to be enhanced from a mining approach. The multicriteria analysis has been applied for its determination, and as a result of this research, a model is proposed. The main criteria that condition the decision have been established in this model, along with their subsequent hierarchization and their weighting. The proposed model is applied to a specific case: the analysis of a series of outcrops of industrial aggregates (ophites) in Cantabria, Spain. After defining the Exploitability Index for those ophitic outcrops, it has been observed that the only deposit that has been classified as very suitable for its exploitation is the only one that has been really exploited, supporting the proposed methodology.

The impact of caulking of goafs after mining exploitation of a hard coal seam with caving is expressed as the change in value of a a exploitation coefficient which, as defined, is the quotient of the maximum reduction in the surface height of a complete or incomplete trough to the thickness of the exploited seam. The basis for determining the value of the exploitation coefficient was geological and mining data combined with the results of the measurement of subsidence on the surface – measuring line 1222-1301 – of the Ruda mine. There, mining was carried out between 2005 and 2019, with a transverse longwall system and the caulking of goafs. The research team used two methods to determine the impact of the caulking applied in the goafs on the value of the exploitation coefficient. In the first method the goafs are filled evenly along the whole longwall, and in the second method unevenly and on a quarterly basis. The determination of the values of the exploitation coefficients for selected measuring points was preceded by the determination of the parameters of the Knothe-Budryk theory, which was further developed by J. Białek. The obtained dependencies are linear and the values of the correlation coefficients fall between –0.684 and –0.702, which should be considered satisfactory in terms of experimental data. It is possible to reduce the value of the exploitation coefficient by caulking the goafs by about 18%, when filling the goafs to 0.26% of the height of the active longwall.

Native sulphur deposits mined using the underground melting method are characterized by a complex structure, which is the result of the many geologic processes which led to their formation.
The resource utilization rate and the consumption of hot water per ton of sulphur are the main criteria of mining effectiveness. They depend on the porosity and permeability of the rocks forming the deposit, the content and mode of occurrence of sulphur (ore texture), and the distribution of rocks with these varying features. Good recognition of geological and hydrogeological deposit features, exploitation results, is important for formulating the rules of controlling the course of exploitation in order to achieve the best recovery of sulphur with the lowest possible water consumption and to reduce operating costs.
Sulphur deposits are characterized by great local and directional variations in their structure and hydrogeological parameters. This makes the melting process irregular. The flow of hot water and melted sulphur is facilitated in certain directions. As a result, the shape, and distribution and form of exploited parts of the deposit are highly variable. Full information about the deposit is necessary for the proper understanding and prediction of processes that occur in the deposit during sulphur melting, for forecasting its effects, and for controlling the exploitation process. This information is obtained through the lithological description of core samples from exploratory and exploitation boreholes, geophysical borehole logging, and surface seismic surveys.

The demand for REE was the background to include them to those consisting of the property of the State Treasury in Poland, enumerated in the Geological and Mining Law (Article 10). The PLN 500/kg REE payment for exploitation of REE (exploitation tax) was introduced. Both proposals will restrain the REE recovery from exploited domestic mineral commodities. The term REE is imprecise. Their deposits are rare and may be classified as “REE ore deposits”. The REE are often the accompanying constituents in varied mineral commodities and are recoverable during their processing, outside the mine. The application of an exploitation tax in such a case is inapplicable. The established value of the exploitation tax is incomparably high in respect to the value of the REE contained in mined mineral commodities. The analysis of introduced changes of mining and geological law allow to suggest the reevaluation of ownership based subdivision of mineral commodities: name the mineral commodities belonging to the land property owners and leave the list of mineral commodities consisting property of the State Treasury open. The more careful approach is also necessary in the formulation of Geological and Mining Law. It should be preliminary formulated by persons competent in geology and mining and subsequently adjusted to juridical exigencies.

Caving in the excavation of mining galleries is a dangerous phenomenon, resulting in a threat to the health and life of humans, technological difficulties (transport, ventilation, etc.) and economic losses. Mining galleries list: design errors, runtime errors, errors and random causes among the causes of the caving occurring in recent periods in the excavation of underground coal mines. Examples in the recent period of caving in the excavation of mining galleries in coal mines indicated that one of the main causes of the situation was the loss of capacity and double timber technical wear caused by the corrosion of the profile. In practice, the caving that occur as a result of the technical wear can be divided into the breaking arc of a roof – bar, the loss of stability of one of the heading walls and a total heading collapse. On the basis of the carried out analysis of these cases, guidelines were proposed for improving the safe operation of the workings. The improvement of support stability may be achieved by applying additional supports, stabilizing the structure by bolting the support sets or by introducing a fiber-reinforced concrete coating with injection into the rock mass. Examples of caving occurring in the excavation, for which the preparatory selection of support does not match the geological-mining conditions, were also presented. The summary indicated the importance of diagnostics roadway in the safe and efficient conduct of mining that should be covered by the operational rules, and their scope and frequency should be adapted to the rank of the occurrence of hazard and support construction.

The paper presents the experience of using the ŁPrP, ŁPKO, ŁPSp, ŁPSpA i ŁPSp3R types of flattened supports for longwall entries in the conditions of the JSW S.A. Knurów-Szczygłowice coal mine. The article concentrates on the support solutions applied in the conditions of the mine and the results in terms of stability and usefulness of the structures of the supports. An analysis of the load bearing capacity and technological conditions has been conducted for various flattened supports solutions, with special consideration given to the ŁPSp and ŁPrPJ support sets. Comparing these two, the ŁPSp exhibits a load bearing capacity that is 21% higher while using 31% less steel mass. The experiment results allowed to determine that the ŁPSpA and ŁPSp3R support types are an advantageous solutions in case of longwall set-up rooms.

The continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (NM) accounts for a great value for States. The development of technologies and science has allowed the human economic and scientific activities on the deep parts of the ocean floor. The continental shelf is rich with living resources. The living resources of continental shelf are also valuable, since they possess valuable genetic resources for pharmaceuticals and commercial products. Many valuable non-living resources are situated on the continental shelf, including hydrocarbons (oil and gas) and minerals (e.g. manganese, nickel, cobalt, gold, diamonds, copper, tin, titanium, iron, chromium and galena). Therefore, States have spent significant resources on conducting a research and exploring their continental shelf and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has received seventy-seven submissions and issued twenty-nine recommendations pursuant to Article 76 (8) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). With the expected improvement of technological capabilities in decades to come, especially, in deep waters, the continental shelf will be explored more thoroughly and perhaps will meet no technological limits.

Waters with mineralization above 1000 mg/dm3, classified as mineral waters, are exploited in many regions of Poland. Their resources are usually not renewable and their excessive exploitation can lead to the deterioration of their physical and chemical properties and negatively affect their quantitative status.

The stages in the life of a groundwater deposit involve prospecting, exploration, development, and exploitation. Deposit management is the basis for a sustainable and economically successful process of using water resources.

The problem of effective management of mineral water deposit management has not been raised so far, which is why the authors decided to address issues that should be taken into account in the abovementioned process. An integrated approach to the prospecting, exploration, opening, and exploitation of mineral waters combining the knowledge of specialists from various disciplines (hydrogeologists, geologists, drillers and producers) will enable the appropriate management of these resources.

The article describes the basic elements of the process, special attention has been paid to the mineral water deposit development plan conditioning the correct and economically justified exploitation of these waters. This plan should take the development strategy and legal and environmental conditions into account. Hydrogeological and mathematical models of mineral water deposits developed as part of the plan provide the basis for determining the extent of the mining area and estimating water resources. The deposit opening, exploitation, and monitoring methods are important elements of the deposit development plan.

In the article there was described the current state of mines against a background of tradition of exploitation and application of rock raw materials. Active quarries were selected, where the extraction of rock blocks has been a tradition, as well as quarries where the geological structure of the deposit allows to exploit the blocks in the future. There were also assessed old quarries and their deposits where the popular stones had been extracted in the past and then used in domestic architecture as a decorative materials. That is a group of more than 230 deposits in total. It has been presented economically justified perspectives of exploitation development concerning decorative and architectural rocks in south-eastern Poland against a background of European market requirements, the state of resources and environmental limitations. It was established that they are differentiated depending on the decorative properties of the rocks, their block divisibility and quantity of resources. Taking above-mentioned into consideration the deposits have been classified to groups which have the chances of exploitation development in the European, domestic and local scale. The former are Zygmuntówka Conglomerate, Morawica Limestone, Zalesiaki Limestone and Diplopora Dolomite. The domestic scope of use can be associated with properly developed deposits of Paleozoic limestones in the vicinity of Kielce and Krzeszowice and some dimension sandstones in the margin of the Holy Cross Mountains and in the Carpathians. The small deposits of sandstones from the Holy Cross Mountains margin and from the Carpathians as well as deposits of limestones from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, excavating material used in so called small architecture, have guarantee of local development. Moreover there was shown the hazard to the dimension stones deposits connected with the huge consumption of their resources for the production of crushed aggregates. This problem concerns especially raw materials with good physico-mechanical properties. For the most attractive rocks it was justified the need of their protection against exploitation for the other purposes than block production. It was stated that the return to local masonry traditions is possible and necessary because of many connections with the national culture through its history, architecture and art. It requires large investments for modernize the exploitation methods as well as for promotion of Polish stones in the European market. It must be also taken into consideration the possibility of financial support from the European Union funds.

Steel loss related to the formation of scale is a parameter that is of great importance in the charge heating process. The value of steel loss determined by the thickness of the scale layer affects the intensity of the heat transfer process in the heating furnace, but also constitutes a significant element in the heat-material balance. Reducing the loss of steel during charge heating has a positive effect on heat consumption and material losses, which is extremely important in the context of energy and resource savings, the main elements of sustainable development processes. The methodology of determining the loss of steel to scale in an industrial heating furnace is presented in the paper. The results of calculations for various charge temperatures at the entrance to the furnace are presented. The influence of furnace operating conditions on steel loss is discussed.

The author believes that one all-inclusive assessment of Marx’s philosophy is inevitably misleading. Although Marx constructed one theory that has a texture of a uniform fabric, the fabric has been woven with threads of two very different qualities. His presentation of capitalist instability, exploitation and alienation has the quality of scientific explanations. But his treatment of dialectic, economy formulated in terms of priceless commodities and his vision of communism is fantastic and arbitrary.

Both the steel loss to scale and the scale adhesion are very important parameters of the heating process. High values of steel loss (large thickness of the scale layer) reduce the heat exchange intensity in the furnace chamber, which results in higher energy consumption. A low adhesion value adversely affects the operation of heating furnaces, while too high value causes the scale to roll into a steel product and deteriorate its purity and quality.
The paper presents the research methodology and the results of measurements of steel loss and scale adhesion. The effect of the excess air combustion ratio values on loss of steel and scale adhesion for constant furnace efficiency is discussed. This influence was described by mathematical dependencies. The tests were carried out for traditional technology and rational technology, enabling the reduction of steel losses to scale and energy consumption.

Organisations have to take into account rapid, non-linear changes in their environment that build pressure on the company‘s development strategy. Therefore, one of the key challenges and paradoxes is to how maintain mutual coherence between different areas of the organisation and simultaneously leverage being ambidextrous so as to continue with exploration and exploitation activities. The main goal of this paper is to present research results on the relation between strategic coherence and company ambidexterity.
Strategic coherence is a proprietary concept allowing for measurement of the balance between the vertical and horizontal adjustment of an organisation. Vertical adjustment is the relation between strategy and the elements of the business model measured by: 1) the cascading of goals, 2) feedback on matching elements of the business model according to strategy, and 3) control over financial results and strategy implementation. Horizontal adjustment refers to matching the business model components measured by: 1) creating value, 2) capturing value, and 3) creating a synergy effect) Meanwhile, ambidexterity is determined by four areas: 1) company goals, 2) products, 3) market and 4) competitive advantage for both exploration and exploitation activities. The research survey was conducted with the use of the CATI method. Altogether, 400 medium-sized and large Polish companies were included in the study. To calculate the dependencies, the Pearson correlation coefficient was applied. The companies studied achieved similar results in terms of strategic coherence dimensions, as the vertical adjustment was 6.47, and the horizontal was 6.29 on a scale of 1–10. Meanwhile, in terms of ambidexterity, the companies achieved a moderate level, with the average value for exploration being 4.26, and that for exploitation 4.51 on a scale from 1 to 7. Based on correlation analysis, the relation between both variables has the shape of an inverted “U” with the most favourable point for ambidexterity at the “high strategic coherence” level. This study is a comprehensive guide for practitioners, and presents development guidelines for companies. The value of this research is an empirically validated framework that describes relations based on a dynamic balance between strategic coherence and two types of adjustment in the area of regulation – vertical and horizontal, as well as ambidexterity with two types of activity in the area of operations: exploration and exploitation. This study is unique and explores uncharted areas of strategic management.

The events that took place on April 10,2010 on the Gulf of Mexico began an international debate on minimizing and materializing the risk of dangerous occurrences and accidents during the exploitation of offshore energy resources. In the aftermath of this event to ensure safe operation in European maritime areas, the European Union decided to introduce regulations throughout the entire EU. On June 12, 2013, Directive 2013/30/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on safety of offshore oil and gas operations and amending Directive 2004/35/EC was issued. The main aim of the Directive is to reduce the occurrence of major accidents relating to offshore oil and gas operations and limits their consequences. The article is a review of provision of Directive 2013/30/UE with particular regard to requirements at the national level. What is more, the paper indicates solutions which must be introduced by July 19, 2018 in offshore companies. The incorporated solutions must include the protection of the marine environment against pollutions (especially oil spills), establish minimum conditions for safe offshore exploration and the production of oil and gas and improve the response mechanism in the eventof an accident. The paper also presents accidents which take place in oil and gas fields which are a background of necessary improvements of safety during offshore operations.

China has been building an ecological compensation system to eliminate the contradiction between economic development and ecological protection. Aiming at conflicts of interest in the implementation of an ecological compensation policy for China’s mineral resource development, this study established a tripartite evolutionary game model to simulate the ecological compensation scenario and determined the evolutionary stable strategy (ESS) under different scenarios; it uses numerical simulation to analyse the strategy evolution process of stakeholders and the influence of parameter changes on each strategy. The results show that there is an optimal ESS for ecological compensation for mineral resource development, which condition is C1 < Ti + F1, P < F2, C2 < R1 + R2. The initial cooperation intentions of stakeholders directly affected the final stable state. Local governments are most affected by the input cost, and mining enterprises are most affected by the supervision of the central government. Punishment can effectively restrain the behavior of local governments and mining enterprises and promote the implementation of ecological compensation systems. In addition, the higher supervision cost of the central government, the longer time it will take for the stakeholders to reach the stable state. Finally, reducing the payment amount for ecological compensation will not affect the trend in environmental improvement; in contrast, it is conducive to the preservation of enterprises’ strength, economic development and ecological environment protection. The main findings of this study can help secure coordinate between the stakeholders in conflict and jointly formulate appropriate ecological compensation policy.