In this study, drying characteristics, kinetic modelling, energy and exergy analyses of a convective hot air dryer are presented for water yam. The drying experiments were carried out at temperature levels of 50, 60, and 70°C and slice thicknesses of 3, 6, and 9 mm. The effects of drying variables on the drying rate (DR), moisture diffusivity (D_eff), activation energy (E_a), energy utilization (EU), energy utilization ratio (EUR), exergy loss (EX_L), exergy efficiency (EX_eff), improvement potential (IP), and exergetic sustainability index (ESI) were investigated. The results showed that increasing air temperature increased the DR, D_eff, EU, EUR, EX_L, EX_eff, IP, and ESI, while increasing the slice thickness increased D_eff and E_a, but decreased the DR. The highest D_eff and E_a values were 4.2 × 10⁻⁸ m²/s, and 53 KJ/mol, respectively. EU and EUR varied from 10 to 150 J/s and 0.39 to 0.79, respectively. EX_L and EX_eff varied between 2 and 12.5 J/s and 58 to 75 %, respectively. Midilli’s model had the best performance in predicting the moisture ratio of water yam with coefficient of determination (R² = 0.9998), root mean square error (RMSE = 0.0049), and sum of square error (SSE = 0.0023).

To ensure the progress of sustainable development and overcome threats to national security, the development of tools for balancing ecological, economic and energy aspects of economic activity acquires special importance. This study is related to the influence of choosing different functional elements of transport taxes on their effectiveness in ensuring national security. For calculations, panel regression modelling with panel-adjusted standard errors based on the use of the Durbin–Watson test using dummy variables was chosen. The assessment involves the selection of the main factor variable (tax revenues from transport taxes, as well as an additional dummy variable) and compliance with a country’s transport taxation system, with a certain criterion for its application. The resulting criterion was chosen as an integral indicator of national security, which summarizes the parameters of environmental footprints, economic growth, energy efficiency and security. Calculations were made for nine countries (i.e., the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Turkey) for the period 1996–2019. The calculations proved that the establishment of transport taxes, depending on the type and weight of the car, increases their effectiveness on ensuring national security or, depending on the cost and age of the car, weakens such effectiveness. The use of emissions generated by the car, its capacity and its type of fuel requires additional research; the obtained results did not allow for unambiguously determining their impact on the effectiveness of transport taxes. The conducted research forms the basis for choosing the optimal design of transport taxes to ensure the maximization of their regulatory effectiveness. The developed approach can be extended to evaluate the effectiveness of other environmental taxes.

Energy consumption in the drying industry has made drying an energy-intensive operation. In this study, the drying time, quality properties (color, shrinkage, water activity and rehydration ratio), specific energy consumption (S.E.C), thermal, energy and exergy efficiency of corn drying using a hybrid dryer convective-infrared-rotary (CV-IR-D) were analyzed. In addition, the energy parameters and exergy efficiency of corn were predicted using the artificial neural network (ANN) technique. The experiments were conducted at three rotary rotation speeds of 4, 8 and 12 rpm, drying temperatures of 45, 55 and 65 °C, and infrared power of 0.25, 0.5 and 0.75 kW. By increasing drying temperature, infrared power and rotary rotation speed, the drying time, S.E.C and water activity decreased while the D_eff, energy, thermal and exergy efficiency increased. In addition, the highest values of rehydration ratio and redness (a*) and the lowest values of shrinkage, brightness (L*), yellowness (b*) and color changes (ΔE) were obtained at an infrared power of 0.5 kW, air temperature of 55 °C and rotation speed of 8 rpm. The range of changes in S.E.C, energy, thermal and exergy efficiency during the corn drying process was 5.05–28.15 MJ/kg, 3.26–29.29%, 5.5–32.33% and 21.22–55.35%. The prediction results using ANNs showed that the R for the drying time, S.E.C, thermal, energy and exergy data were 0.9938, 0.9906, 0.9965, 0.9874 and 0.9893, respectively, indicating a successful prediction.

The aim of this study is to characterize the cognitive aspect of the semantic space of hope in patients in the terminal stage of cancer. This was confirmed in the research on hope by C. R. Snyder and B. Schrank. Hope is of great importance in all the great world religions and belief systems, both as regards a personal God or impersonal deities. Hoping is a human capacity with varying affective, cognitive and behavioral dimensions. Psychological, pedagogical (particularly in the framework of special needs pedagogy and thanatological pedagogy) and theological reflection on hope can provide support for dying people. In order to conduct the research, the semantic differential research method was selected. The research technique employed was a therapeutic conversation, and the research tool was the B.L. Block’s DSN-3 test. The DSN-3 test allows one to assess hope in the semantic space in three aspects: cognitive, emotional and functional. For the purposes of this study, only the cognitive aspect was taken into account. The study was begun on 1 April 2010 and ended in the last days of December 2020. It included 110 male patients in the terminal stage of cancer. The youngest respondent was 19 years old and the oldest was 94 years old. The surveyed men most often perceived hope in the semantic space in the cognitive aspect as more true, wise, meaningful and real than false, stupid, meaningless and deceptive. Their attitude to hope was, therefore, more affirmative than negative. The research did not reveal the importance of the age of the respondents on the degree of affirmation/negation of hope in the cognitive aspect in the semantic space; however, men in the period of late maturity and professional activity expressed the lowest level of the affirmation of hope. It is worthwhile to conduct further research concerning hope in other aspects (especially emotional and functional) in the semantic space in order to use the obtained results to consider what to take into account when providing patients in the terminal stage of cancer with better personalized holistic care than before.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a sudden shift toward remote and hybrid work, placing IT technologies at the forefront of organizational practices and revealing a spectrum of emotional responses among employees. While conventional wisdom suggests that high salaries in the IT industry safeguard well-being, this study challenges the notion that “money can't buy happiness” by demonstrating that technostress, social isolation, and “Zoom fatigue” persist regardless of income level. Drawing on a longitudinal dataset collected at three one-year intervals, the research employs fuzzy semantics to translate qualitative survey data into quantitative descriptors, basket analysis to identify consistent behavioral patterns, and a Minimal Spanning Tree-Based Isolation Forest enhanced by Takagi–Sugeno fuzzy rules to detect anomalies. The findings indicate a nuanced interplay of negative and positive emotions, with fear, anxiety, and fatigue frequently coexisting alongside pride, energy, and satisfaction. Some anomalies in responses reveal issues such as random guessing or minimal IT usage, underscoring the importance of filtering out low-quality data. Crucially, the emotional outcomes are influenced not only by pandemic-related disruption but also by psychosocial and organizational factors – such as role complexity, skill requirements, and managerial support – providing a holistic view of how and why IT-based work can foster both strain and fulfillment. These insights hold practical implications for employers, suggesting that comprehensive well-being strategies, rather than monetary incentives alone, are pivotal in promoting a healthier, more resilient IT workforce.

Purpose: This article attempts to identify the relationship between the level of work commitment and human capital in the area of social relations. Despite numerous studies devoted to this topic, relatively few studies are conducted to identify the interdependencies between these categories. In an era of organizational change, organizational commitment is gaining importance, as it can act as a mediating mechanism between human capital and the transformation processes taking place within an organization. The obtained results indicate that a high level of work commitment promotes the activation and development of employee competency resources. Work commitment, in turn, can be interpreted as a significant indicator of the organization's human capital quality, particularly in the dimension of social relations. Objective: The aim of the study was to understand the links between work commitment and human capital in the area of social relations. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research used an indirect survey method. Questions and responses were submitted in written form. The research was conducted using a translational method; the classic survey was digitized and transferred online. Research conducted by a company providing CAWI services. Findings: The research findings confirm that employee commitment is a key component of an organization's human capital, particularly in the area of social relations. It is strongly linked to the process of accumulating professional and organizational experience. What was found in the course of the work? This will refer to analysis, discussion, or results. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation is that the data were collected from respondents working in different size enterprises (from microenterprises to corporations) and with diverse business activities (e.g., manufacturing, services, trade). It introduces sample heterogeneity and may impact the findings generalization. Practical implications include a recommendation for managers to focus on segments with similar organizational characteristics and, for further research, to increase the sample size. Furthermore, strengthening commitment can support the process of updating employee competencies and facilitate the implementation of organizational change. Originality / Value: The obtained results constitute a significant contribution to the approach of human capital measurement particularly from the perspective of social research methods.