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High-sensitivity optical temperature measurement has attracted extensive attention in both fundamental studies and practical applications. In this study, a series of upconversion (UC) luminescence phosphors composed of NaGd(PO₃)₄ (NGP) doped with 20 at% Yb³⁺ and various concentrations of Er³⁺ (0.5 at% as the optimal concentration) was synthesized by high-temperature solid-state method. And their crystal structure and the distribution of lanthanide dopants were analyzed using X-ray diffraction with Rietveld refinement verifies. Under 980 nm laser excitation, the obtained phosphors show the characteristic Er³⁺ upconversion green and red emission bands through two-photon processes. The fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) based on the thermal coupled states demonstrates the thermal sensing ability in a wide temperature range of 200-573 K. The thermal sensitivity is relatively high with the maximum absolute thermal sensitivity S _a of 0.53 % K^-1 (523 K) and the maximum relative thermal sensitivity S _r of 2.60 % K^-1. The phosphor NGP:Yb/Er also exhibits high repeatability as the thermal sensors reach 97 %. These findings postulate the potential of NGP:Yb/Er as a promising candidate in optical thermal sensing applications.

The pertinence of recycled brick aggregate (RBA) in concrete structures largely depends on their bonding ability with the rebars. Considering the practical detailing of concrete structures where main rebars are usually confined by stirrups, this study conducted bending pullout tests on 12 beam specimens to study the influence of concrete confinement on the bond behavior of rebar in RBA concrete. The investigated variables include RBA%, rebar diameter (d), embedment length (l_e ), and the ratio of concrete cover to rebar diameter (c/d). Bond stress-slip relationships were acquired, analyzed, and average bond strengths were compared to the AS 3600, CEB-FIP codes, and existing MacGregor's model. The average bond strength of confined specimens was nearly double that of the unconfined specimens. A progressive increase in bond strength was noticed with the presence of RBA regardless of confinement. The confined specimens also exhibited higher deformability, ductility, and toughness values than those of the unconfined beams. At 15% RBA content, the maximum toughness value of the confined specimen was 3078.1 J, while the unconfined specimens reached a value of 278.1 J, only. Similarly, the ductility of the confined beam was found in a range of 1.21-1.60 whereas the value is only 1.04-1.10 for the unconfined cases. Moreover, the confined specimens exhibited a significant number of cracks during their failure, while the unconfined specimens experienced a split type brittle failure. Nevertheless, these findings may contribute to the further development of the bond behavior of rebar in RBA-based concrete structures and thus play a role in the sustainability of construction materials.

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) has both culinary and medical applications. However, the low and uneven nutrient availability in the soil frequently limits the garlic yield. This study aimed to select adaptable garlic varieties under greenhouse conditions using a pot of soil taken from Awada and Wondo Genet and to identify the optimum rates of the newly introduced mineral nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur (NPS) fertilizer on the growth, yield, and yield parameters of the crop. Four garlic varieties; Bishoftu Nech, Tsedey 92, Kuriftu, and local variety were used and treated with four levels of NPS (0-0-0, 78.75-69-12.75, 105-92-17, and 131.25-115-21.25 kg ha^-1). The experiment was triplicated and conducted with a randomized complete block design (RCBD). Growth characteristics of the four garlic varieties were evaluated, including days to 50 % emergence, plant height, leaf number per plant, leaf length, fresh weight, dry weight, average bulb weight, and total bulb yield. The findings of this study indicated that the growth, yield, and yield parameters of all four garlic varieties from Awada soil rose as the rates of NPS increased. However, all growth and production parameters of the four garlic varieties gradually fell, starting from the blanket recommendation from Wondo Genet soil. According to this research, the usage of NPS at the rate of (131.25-115-21.25 kg ha^-1) resulted in improved growth in Awada soil. Similarly, the rate of (78.75-69-12.75 kg ha^-1) was optimum at Wondo Genet soil. In conclusion, determining the optimum rates of the NPS is essential to increase garlic productivity.

The financial consumer protection laws in South Korea emphasize the principle of suitability to ensure the well-being of the financial consumer. To adhere to these regulations, financial institutions utilize the behavioral risk assessment (BRA) form to assess investors' characteristics. This study evaluates the effectiveness of these forms in capturing investor risk propensities, using Economic Risk Attitude (ERA), Instrumental Risk-Taking (IRT), and Stimulating Risk-Taking (SRT) as comparative benchmarks. Unlike previous research focused mainly on financial risk attitudes, this study introduces a multidimensional approach that includes psychological factors like SRT, offering a more comprehensive understanding of investor behavior. Findings reveal that while BRA assessments correlate with ERA and IRT, they fail to capture the excitement-driven aspects of risk propensity represented by SRT, indicating that BRA forms may inadequately reflect investors' risk profiles. This underscores the need for refining BRA forms by integrating psychological risk factors, advocating for a multidimensional framework that enhances consumer protection and enables more tailored investment strategies. The study contributes actionable insights for financial consumer protection and sets the stage for integrating advanced technologies, such as AI, to further refine risk assessments.

Objective: Mendelian randomization (MR) was employed to explore the potential causal relationship between liposomes (LP) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with a focus on the mediating roles of immune cells (IC).

Methods: By screening public GWAS data, LP were used as exposure data, RA as outcome data, and IC as mediating factors. The Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) method was the main analytical technique used in this paper to evaluate causal effects. Additional techniques included the MR-Egger, weighted median, weighted mode, and simple mode methods. Cochran's Q and MR-Egger were utilized for heterogeneity and multi-effect analysis.

Results: Phosphatidylcholine was revealed to enhance the risk of RA by MR analysis (P = 0.013, OR = 1.073, 95%CI = 1.015-1.136). There was no strong evidence that RA could affect liposome changes (IVW: P = 0.705, OR = 0.992, 95%CI = 0.952-1.034). The IVW method showed that increased levels of phosphatidylcholine were notably linked to higher levels of Double-Negative Autoreactive Cells (CD4^-CD8^-, DNAC) (P = 0.006, OR = 1.152, 95%CI = 1.041-1.276). The IVW approach showed that increased levels of DNAC were substantially linked to a higher risk of RA (P = 0.001, OR = 1.105, 95%CI = 1.041-1.173). Of the genetically predicted liposomes mediated by DNAC, 19.2 % were found.

Conclusion: The present work established a causal association between LP and RA, and identified a potential mediating influence of IC. However, the specific mechanism of LP triacyl-glycerol and IC on RA is still unclear, and further research is needed.

Many developing countries use tax reform as a strategy to support national or regional development. China's tax reform of the Hainan Free Trade Port in 2025 serves this purpose. The reform replaces the existing VAT, consumption tax, vehicle purchase tax, urban maintenance and construction tax, and education fee ("four taxes and one fee") with a sales tax. Previous studies of tax structure reform have rarely addressed the economic impact of such a transition, and few sales tax studies have discussed the issue of optimal tax rates. To study the economic effects of the introduction of sales tax and to find the optimal tax rate, this paper uses the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to conduct simulation analyses. It is found that the sales tax rate should be 17.16 % to keep the fiscal revenue of Hainan Province more or less unchanged after the 'four taxes and one fee' are simplified into sales tax. The total economic volume and sales tax rate show an inverted 'U' type relationship, the optimal sales tax rate is about 9.79 %, and the tax rate of GDP, investment, employment growth of 3.82 %, 0.35 %, 3.41 %, respectively, the manufacturing industry and other industries in most of the different degrees of growth. Therefore, we suggest that the average sales tax rate of Hainan Free Trade Port should be around 9.79 %.

In modular educational systems, students are allowed to choose a part of their curriculum themselves. The rationale behind letting students choose their courses themselves is to enhance self-responsibility, improve student motivation, and allow for focus on specific areas of interest. A central instrument for bringing these systems to fruition is the timetable. However, scheduling the timetable in such systems can be an extremely challenging and time-consuming task. In this study, we present a framework for classifying modular educational systems in Europe that reflects different degrees of freedom regarding student choices and explore the consequences from the perspective of scheduling a timetable that satisfies all requirements from the organizational and pedagogical perspectives. For this purpose, we conducted interviews in Austria, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, and applied the framework to these educational systems, finding that among them the Finnish system shows the highest degree of modularity. After analyzing the consequences of modularity from the scheduling perspective, we assess the necessity for automated scheduling methods, which are central to realizing the potential and many benefits of modular education. The framework developed in this paper can be used by educational systems to assess their degree of modularity and consider the right approach to timetabling based on it.

Pseudohypoaldosteronism type II is a rare Mendelian disorder characterized by hypertension, hyperkalemia, hyperchloremia and metabolic acidosis, despite a normal glomerular filtration rate. Four genes (KLHL3, CUL3, WNK1 and WNK4) are associated with this disease. Mutations in the KLHL3 gene cause pseudohypoaldosteronism type II in either an autosomal dominant or a recessive inheritance pattern. Sensory neuropathy has been associated with autosomal recessive mutations in WNK1, but not with KHLH3. We reported a unique three-generation family with dominant pseudohypoaldosteronism type II and sensory neuropathy. Three affected members of the family underwent neurological examination, nerve conduction studies and exome sequencing. A 13-years-old girl had a history of pseudohypoaldosteronism type II, and suffered from neuropathic pain associated with a sensory neuronopathy. Her mother and grandfather have pseudohypoaldosteronism type II associated with an asymptomatic sensory neuropathy on nerve conduction studies. Exome sequencing revealed in all affected members two missenses at heterozygous state, one pathogenic variant in KLHL3, which may be responsible for the sensory neuropathy. This is the first description of neurological features associated with KLHL3 mutation. Our study expands the genotype-phenotype spectrum of KLHL3 with the addition of sensory neuronopathy.

Distributed agile software development (DASD) has become a prominent software development approach. Proper task allocation is crucial in DASD to avoid undesirable outcomes including project rejection by clients, unfavorable team attitudes, and project failure. Coordination and communication issues occur as businesses embrace the DASD environment more frequently to tap into global talent and knowledge while cutting development expenses. To overcome these challenges, efficient task allocation planning becomes a crucial success component in software project management. The purpose of this study is to utilize machine learning (ML) predictive algorithms to determine the most appropriate role for a given task, with the aim of assisting software managers in making task assignments more efficiently and effectively in DASD environment. Preprocessing steps applied to the dataset include data cleaning, normalization, and partitioning into training, validation, and test sets. Four model classifiers were used in the experiment: Random Forest, Decision Tree, K-Nearest Neighbors (K-NN), and AdaBoost. The results showed that Random Forest outperformed the other classifiers in task allocation prediction, achieving an accuracy of 96.7 %, followed by K-NN (94.2 %), Decision Tree (93.5 %), and AdaBoost (93 %). The study demonstrates that ML models are effective in tackling task allocation issues in DASD settings, and the outcomes are promising.

There exists a potential interdependence among the United States markets, alongside an exceptional dependence on the East Asian stock markets. This transmission of risks is similarly evident in funds that are traded within markets. The current study seeks to uncover the pathways of risk contagion among various financial markets. This study examines how risks of funds spread across borders among China, the United States, and East Asia using Extreme Value Theory (EVT) and C vine copula quantile regression. It uses models such as AR (1), EGARCH (1, 1), Peak over Threshold (POT), and Copula methods to predict volatility events and correlation patterns during times of high volatility versus regular periods. Notably, the United States exhibits a risk transmission effect on the East Asian market compared to China. Furthermore, the findings indicate that, in times of high volatility, the risk spillover effect is comparatively weak, which is contrary to the situation of the US market. The study suggests that China's financial impact could progressively rise due to initiatives aimed at sector integration and enhancing financial independence. These findings have enlightening consequences for macro-prudential regulatory agencies, emphasizing the necessity of effective regulation to address cross-border risk spillovers. International investors can benefit from these results by incorporating risk-hedging strategies, accurately evaluating derivatives, and making wise investment decisions.