Background: Prisoners are often associated with mental health and substance use disorders. Coercive measures are widely used in prison settings. The objective of this study was to compare inmates’ perceptions and satisfaction with telepsychiatry versus face-to-face consultation and the effects of telepsychiatry on the use of coercive measures. The sample consisted of 100 male inmates from various backgrounds who had experienced both approaches of services (face to face and telepsychiatry). Method: The data were obtained through an interview where the individuals completed a Demographic Data Questionnaire, a Participant Satisfaction Questionnaire to assess satisfaction with face-to-face psychiatric services, and a Participant Satisfaction Questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with services offered via telepsychiatry. Additionally, calculations of time spent waiting for a face-to-face psychiatric evaluation and time spent in handcuffs and in confined spaces were made before and after the introduction of telepsychiatry. Results: Statistically significant improvements (all p-values < 0.001) were noted in waiting times, support for relapse prevention, follow up, quality of mental health care, quality of care in the management of psychiatric problems and related medication, behavior of psychiatrists, duration of the assessment, sense of comfort, and confidentiality. Telepsychiatry led to the elimination of time spent in handcuffs and in confined spaces (transport vehicles). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, telepsychiatry is an acceptable method of service delivery in correctional facilities and was associated with a reduction of coercive practices. Full article

In this study, the ultrasonic extraction (UAE) of free phenolic compounds and relative biological activities of the Bulgarian peach variety “Filina” was optimized using chemometric techniques (response surface methodology). A Box–Behnken design was used to reveal the variation in the hydro module, temperature, duration, and extractant on the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant potential, and inhibitory activity on each yield. The results revealed that the optimal conditions included a hydro module of 20, a duration of 39.33 min, a temperature of 70 °C, and an extractant of 96.64% to retrieve the highest level of bioactive compounds. The calculated parameters were discovered to be following the projected values. Full article

As IoT metering devices become increasingly prevalent, the smart energy grid encounters challenges associated with the transmission of large volumes of data affecting the latency of control services and the secure delivery of energy. Offloading computational work towards the edge is a viable option; however, effectively coordinating service execution on edge nodes presents significant challenges due to the vast search space making it difficult to identify optimal decisions within a limited timeframe. In this research paper, we utilize the whale optimization algorithm to decide and select the optimal edge nodes for executing services’ computational tasks. We employ a directed acyclic graph to model dependencies among computational nodes, data network links, smart grid energy assets, and energy network organization, thereby facilitating more efficient navigation within the decision space to identify the optimal solution. The offloading decision variables are represented as a binary vector, which is evaluated using a fitness function considering round-trip time and the correlation between edge-task computational resources. To effectively explore offloading strategies and prevent convergence to suboptimal solutions, we adapt the feedback mechanisms, an inertia weight coefficient, and a nonlinear convergence factor. The evaluation results are promising, demonstrating that the proposed solution can effectively consider both energy and data network constraints while enduring faster decision-making for optimization, with notable improvements in response time and a low average execution time of approximately 0.03 s per iteration. Additionally, on complex computational infrastructures modeled, our solution shows strong features in terms of diversity, fitness evolution, and execution time. Full article

Alternative splicing is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism in gene expression that allows a single gene to generate multiple messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Adipocyte development is regulated by many processes, and recent studies have found that splicing factors also play an important role in adipogenic development. In the present study, we further investigated the differences in selective shearing during different periods of adipocyte differentiation. We identified five alternative splicing types including skipped exon, mutually exclusive exon, Alternative 5’ splice site, Alternative 3’ splice site, and Retained intron, with skipped exons being the most abundant type of selective shearing. In total, 641 differentially expressed selective shearing genes were obtained, enriched in 279 pathways, from which we selected and verified the accuracy of the sequencing results. Overall, RNA-seq revealed changes in the splicing and expression levels of these new candidate genes between precursor adipocytes and adipocytes, suggesting that they may be involved in adipocyte generation and differentiation. Full article

In the process of validating the elevated zero maze, a common test of anxiety-like behavior, in our laboratory, we demonstrated an anxiolytic-like effect of castor oil and its primary component, ricinoleic acid. We tested the effects of vehicle and chlordiazepoxide in male mice in the elevated zero maze following a 30-min pretreatment time. Chlordiazepoxide is a United States Food and Drug Administration-approved drug that was previously shown to exert anxiolytic-like effects in both the elevated zero maze and elevated plus maze. Chlordiazepoxide was administered at doses of 5 or 10 mg/kg. We used 5% polyoxyl 35 castor oil (Kolliphor^® EL) and saline as treatment vehicles and found that the effect of chlordiazepoxide on open zone occupancy and open zone entries was blunted when 5% Kolliphor was used as the vehicle. These tests demonstrated that chlordiazepoxide increased open zone occupancy and entries in the elevated zero maze more effectively when saline was used as the treatment vehicle and that Kolliphor dampened the anxiolytic-like effect of chlordiazepoxide when it was used as the treatment vehicle. Notably, 5% Kolliphor alone slightly increased baseline open zone occupancy and entries. Given that Kolliphor is a derivative of castor oil, we next tested the effect of 5% castor oil and 5% ricinoleic acid, which is a major component of castor oil. We found that both castor oil and ricinoleic acid increased open zone occupancy but not entries compared with saline. Altogether, our findings demonstrate that Kolliphor, castor oil, and ricinoleic acid may exert anxiolytic-like effects in male mice in the elevated zero maze. This potential anxiolytic-like effect of castor oil is consistent with its well-established beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifungal, and pain-relieving properties. Full article

North China is one of the high-risk areas for destructive and strong earthquakes in mainland China and has experienced numerous strong historical earthquakes. An earthquake of magnitude M_W 5.5 struck Pingyuan County, Dezhou city, in Shandong Province, China, on 6 August 2023. This earthquake was the strongest in the eastern North China Craton since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Since the earthquake did not produce surface ruptures, the seismogenic structure for fault responsible for the Pingyuan M_W 5.5 earthquake is still unclear. To reveal the subsurface geological structure near the earthquake epicenter, this study used high-resolution two-dimensional (2D) seismic reflection profiles and constructed a three-dimensional (3D) geometric model of the Tuqiao Fault by interpreting the faults in the seismic reflection profiles. This study further combined focal mechanism solutions, aftershock clusters, and other seismological data to discuss the seismogenic fault of the Pingyuan M_W 5.5 earthquake. The results show that the Tuqiao Fault is not the seismogenic fault of the M_W 5.5 earthquake. The actual seismogenic structure may be related to the NE-oriented high-angle strike-slip blind fault developed in the basement. We further propose three possible fault models for the strong seismogenic structure in North China to discuss the potential seismotectonics in this region. Full article

Food insecurity comprises a major global public health threat, as its effects are detrimental to the mental, physical, and social aspects of the health and well-being of those experiencing it. We performed a narrative literature review on the magnitude of global food insecurity with a special emphasis on Greece and analyzed the major factors driving food insecurity, taking into consideration also the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. An electronic search of international literature was conducted in three databases. More than 900 million people worldwide experience severe food insecurity, with future projections showing increasing trends. Within Europe, Eastern and Southern European countries display the highest food insecurity prevalence rates, with Greece reporting a prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity ranging between 6.6% and 8% for the period 2019–2022. Climate change, war, armed conflicts and economic crises are major underlying drivers of food insecurity. Amidst these drivers, the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on food insecurity levels around the globe, through halting economic growth, disrupting food supply chains and increasing unemployment and poverty. Tackling food insecurity through addressing its key drivers is essential to any progress towards succeeding the Sustainable Development Goal of “Zero Hunger”. Full article

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is especially dominant in people with cystic fibrosis; the drug resistance expressed by this pathogen and its capacity for adaptation poses a significant challenge to its treatment and control, thereby increasing morbidity and mortality rates globally. In this sense, the search for new treatment alternatives is imminent today, with products of plant origin being an excellent alternative for use. The objective of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial and antibiofilm potential and to explore the possible effect of ethanolic extracts from the wood and bark of Duguetia vallicola on the cell membrane. Microdilution assays showed the inhibition of bacterial growth by more than 50%, with the lowest concentration (62.5 μg/mL) of both extracts evaluated. Furthermore, we report the ability of both extracts to inhibit mature biofilms, with inhibition percentages between 48.4% and 93.7%. Intracellular material leakage experiments (260/280 nm), extracellular pH measurements, and fluorescence microscopy with acridine orange (AO) and ethidium bromide (EB) showed cell membrane damage. This indicates that the antibacterial action of ethanolic extracts of D. vallicola is associated with damage to the integrity of the cell membrane and consequent death of these pathogens. These results serve as a reference for future studies in establishing the mechanisms of action of these extracts. Full article

The gut microbiota has become an essential component of the host organism and plays a crucial role in the host immune system, metabolism, and physiology. Nevertheless, our comprehension of how the fish gut microbiota contributes to enhancing nutrient utilization in the diet and improving host growth performance remains unclear. In this study, we employed a comprehensive analysis of the microbiome, metabolome, and transcriptome to analyze intestines of the normal control group and the antibiotic-treated model group of T. ovatus to investigate how the gut microbiota enhances fish growth performance and uncover the underlying mechanisms. First, we found that the growth performance of the control group was significantly higher than that of the antibiotic-treated model under the same feeding conditions. Subsequent multiomics analyses showed that the gut microbiota can improve its own composition by mediating the colonization of some probiotics represented by Lactobacillus in the intestine, improving host metabolic efficiency with proteins and lipids, and also influencing the expression of genes in signaling pathways related to cell proliferation, which together contribute to the improved growth performance of T. ovatus. Our results demonstrated the important contribution of gut microbiota and its underlying molecular mechanisms on the growth performance of T. ovatus. Full article

The photocatalyst (PC) zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP) is highly efficient for photoinduced electron/energy transfer reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (PET-RAFT) polymerization. However, ZnTPP suffers from poor absorbance of orange light by the so-called Q-band of the absorption spectrum (maximum absorption wavelength ${\lambda }_{\max }$ = 600 nm, at which molar extinction coefficient ${\epsilon }_{\max }$ = $1.0\times {10}^4$ L/(mol·cm)), hindering photo-curing applications that entail long light penetration paths. Over the past decade, there has not been any competing candidate in terms of efficiency, despite a myriad of efforts in PC design. By theoretical evaluation, here we rationally introduce a peripheral benzo moiety on each of the pyrrole rings of ZnTPP, giving zinc tetraphenyl tetrabenzoporphyrin (ZnTPTBP). This modification not only enlarges the conjugation length of the system, but also alters the $a_{1u}$ occupied $\pi$ molecular orbital energy level and breaks the accidental degeneracy between the $a_{1u}$ and $a_{2u}$ orbitals, which is responsible for the low absorption intensity of the Q-band. As a consequence, not only is there a pronounced hyperchromic and bathochromic effect (${\lambda }_{\max }$ = 655 nm and ${\epsilon }_{\max }$ = $5.2\times {10}^4$ L/(mol·cm)) of the Q-band, but the hyperchromic effect is achieved without increasing the intensity of the less useful, low wavelength absorption peaks of the PC. Remarkably, this strong 655 nm absorption takes advantage of deep-red (650–700 nm) light, a major component of solar light exhibiting good atmosphere penetration, exploited by the natural PC chlorophyll a as well. Compared with ZnTPP, ZnTPTBP displayed a 49% increase in PET-RAFT polymerization rate with good control, marking a significant leap in the area of photo-controlled polymerization. Full article

Respiratory conditions have been a focal point in recent medical studies. Early detection and timely treatment are crucial factors in improving patient outcomes for any medical condition. Traditionally, doctors diagnose respiratory conditions through an investigation process that involves listening to the patient’s lungs. This study explores the potential of combining audio analysis with convolutional neural networks to detect respiratory conditions in patients. Given the significant impact of proper hyperparameter selection on network performance, contemporary optimizers are employed to enhance efficiency. Moreover, a modified algorithm is introduced that is tailored to the specific demands of this study. The proposed approach is validated using a real-world medical dataset and has demonstrated promising results. Two experiments are conducted: the first tasked models with respiratory condition detection when observing mel spectrograms of patients’ breathing patterns, while the second experiment considered the same data format for multiclass classification. Contemporary optimizers are employed to optimize the architecture selection and training parameters of models in both cases. Under identical test conditions, the best models are optimized by the introduced modified metaheuristic, with an accuracy of 0.93 demonstrated for condition detection, and a slightly reduced accuracy of 0.75 for specific condition identification. Full article

Although the relationship between earnings management and firm performance has been well explored in the literature, sustainable performance has not yet been examined. Furthermore, the literature has not addressed the issue of nonlinearity between earnings management and firm performance. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the potential nonlinear relationship between earnings management and sustainable firm performance in Saudi Arabia using a sample of 70 listed firms over the 2015–2022 period. Specifically, it investigates the operational risk disclosure threshold effect in the earning management–sustainable firm performance nexus. To do so, the dynamic panel threshold regression model (DPTR) is performed. The result proves that there is a threshold effect of operational risk disclosure in the relationship between earning management and sustainable firm performance. Specifically, the threshold values of operational risk disclosure for the three models are estimated at 6 between the low- and the high-operational-risk-disclosure regimes. In the lower regime, firm performance decreases when earning management increases; however, in the higher regime, firm performance increases when earning management increases. These outcomes support the predictions of agency and positive accounting theories. Full article

Vision starts in retinal photoreceptors when specialized proteins (opsins) sense photons via their covalently bonded vitamin A derivative 11cis retinaldehyde (11cis-RAL). The reaction of non-enzymatic aldehydes with amino groups lacks specificity, and the reaction products may trigger cell damage. However, the reduced synthesis of 11cis-RAL results in photoreceptor demise and suggests the need for careful control over 11cis-RAL handling by retinal cells. This perspective focuses on retinoid(s) synthesis, their control in the adult retina, and their role during retina development. It also explores the potential importance of 9cis vitamin A derivatives in regulating retinoid synthesis and their impact on photoreceptor development and survival. Additionally, recent advancements suggesting the pivotal nature of retinoid synthesis regulation for cone cell viability are discussed. Full article

In the realm of digital libraries, efficiently managing and accessing scientific publications necessitates automated bibliographic reference segmentation. This study addresses the challenge of accurately segmenting bibliographic references, a task complicated by the varied formats and styles of references. Focusing on the empirical evaluation of Conditional Random Fields (CRF), Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory with CRF (BiLSTM + CRF), and Transformer Encoder with CRF (Transformer + CRF) architectures, this research employs Byte Pair Encoding and Character Embeddings for vector representation. The models underwent training on the extensive Giant corpus and subsequent evaluation on the Cora Corpus to ensure a balanced and rigorous comparison, maintaining uniformity across embedding layers, normalization techniques, and Dropout strategies. Results indicate that the BiLSTM + CRF architecture outperforms its counterparts by adeptly handling the syntactic structures prevalent in bibliographic data, achieving an F1-Score of 0.96. This outcome highlights the necessity of aligning model architecture with the specific syntactic demands of bibliographic reference segmentation tasks. Consequently, the study establishes the BiLSTM + CRF model as a superior approach within the current state-of-the-art, offering a robust solution for the challenges faced in digital library management and scholarly communication. Full article

We compared the effects of two different high-caloric diets administered to 4-week-old rats for 12 weeks: a diet rich in sugar (30% sucrose) and a cafeteria diet rich in sugar and high-fat foods. We focused on the hippocampus, particularly on the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic system, including the Ca²⁺-binding proteins parvalbumin (PV), calretinin (CR), calbindin (CB), and the neuropeptides somatostatin (SST) and neuropeptide Y (NPY). We also analyzed the density of cholinergic varicosities, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), reelin (RELN), and cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (CDK-5) mRNA levels, and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression. The cafeteria diet reduced PV-positive neurons in the granular layer, hilus, and CA1, as well as NPY-positive neurons in the hilus, without altering other GABAergic populations or overall GABA levels. The high-sugar diet induced a decrease in the number of PV-positive cells in CA3 and an increase in CB-positive cells in the hilus and CA1. No alterations were observed in the cholinergic varicosities. The cafeteria diet also reduced the relative mRNA expression of RELN without significant changes in BDNF and CDK5 levels. The cafeteria diet increased the number but reduced the length of the astrocyte processes. These data highlight the significance of determining the mechanisms mediating the observed effects of these diets and imply that the cognitive impairments previously found might be related to both the neuroinflammation process and the reduction in PV, NPY, and RELN expression in the hippocampal formation. Full article

Rhinogobio ventralis is a rare fish found in the Yangtze River in China and has significant ecological and economic value. In this study, a bacterial strain (RV-JZ01) was isolated from the livers of diseased R. ventralis. This isolate was identified as Aeromonas veronii based on its morphology, biochemical features and 16S rDNA phylogenetic analysis. The artificial infection of healthy R. ventralis (16 ± 2 cm) with RV-JZ01 resulted in the manifestation of clinical symptoms, in accordance with those of naturally infected fish. The 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) of RV-JZ01 for R. ventralis was 6.3 × 10⁶ CFU/mL. Histopathological examination revealed various pathological changes in the diseased fish, including intestinal villus swelling and rupture, hepatocyte vacuolization, renal tubular cell nuclear enlargement and pyknosis, and myocardial fiber fracture and atrophy. RV-JZ01 infection significantly reduced the gut flora diversity of R. ventralis, with the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Fusobacteria increasing, and those of the Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes decreasing. The abundance of Lactobacillus and Streptococcus dramatically increased, and the abundance of Clostridium and Escherichia reduced in the intestinal microbiota of R. ventralis infected with RV-JZ01. Antibiotic sensitivity testing revealed that RV-JZ01 was highly susceptible to 12 antimicrobials, including erythromycin, cefalexin, norfloxacin, furazolidone, sulfonamides, enrofloxacin, doxycycline, piperacillin, florfenicol, gentamicin, and lincomycin. These results contribute to the understanding of pathological alterations in R. ventralis following A. veronii infection, offering valuable data to support the implementation of disease treatment. Full article

Chronic venous disease (CVD) comprises a spectrum of morphofunctional disorders affecting the venous system, affecting approximately 1 in 3 women during gestation. Emerging evidence highlights diverse maternofetal implications stemming from CVD, particularly impacting the placenta. While systemic inflammation has been associated with pregnancy-related CVD, preliminary findings suggest a potential link between this condition and exacerbated inflammation in the placental tissue. Inflammasomes are major orchestrators of immune responses and inflammation in different organs and systems. Notwithstanding the relevance of inflammasomes, specifically the NLRP3 (nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich-containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3)- which has been demonstrated in the placentas of women with different obstetric complications, the precise involvement of this component in the placentas of women with CVD remains to be explored. This study employs immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) to examine the gene and protein expression of key components in both canonical and non-canonical pathways of the NLRP3 inflammasome (NLRP3, ASC—apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a C-terminal caspase recruitment domain—caspase 1, caspase 5, caspase 8, and interleukin 1β) within the placental tissue of women affected by CVD. Our findings reveal a substantial upregulation of these components in CVD-affected placentas, indicating a potential pathophysiological role of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the development of this condition. Subsequent investigations should focus on assessing translational interventions addressing this dysregulation in affected patient populations. Full article

A large-scale re-inventory of red wood ant (RWA; Formica rufa-group) nests and a comparative analysis of their presence/absence data was carried out for the first time in 2023 at two study sites in the Oberpfalz, NE Bavaria, Germany, to investigate the suspected decline of nests, their relationship with forestry aspects, and possible changes in spatial distribution due to tectonic activity (GeoBio-Interactions). We inventoried, in two sustainably managed forests, outstanding nest occurrences (5393 nests including 5276 active nests) and an increase of ≈8% over 4–7 years. Our results do not support claims that the number of nests in the Oberpfalz is in sharp decline. RWA preferred mature and medium–mature pine-dominated forests. Standing and downed dead wood did not negatively affect nests. The number of nests with woodpecker cavities and the diversity of the herb layer increased. Nests clusters in NW–SE direction suggest a strong interaction between nest distribution and active tectonics. Our (re-)inventory approach combined with the extensive photo database is a valuable tool for (a) monitoring the entire forest habitat including natural restocking, herb biodiversity, woodpecker cavities, and dead wood in, at, and around nests, and (b) identifying GeoBio-Interactions. Such an approach will lead to more realistic counts of RWA nests and provide scientific evidence of the current situation of nests occurrence. We suggest seven to eight years as an appropriate time interval for re-inventories. Full article

Metallic materials are commonly characterized through tensile tests. For ductile metals, a consistent part of the test occurs after the necking onset. A first estimate of the post-necking behavior could be obtained by extrapolating the mathematical model that fits the pre-necking law. However, as well known, the accuracy of the predictions would not be guaranteed. Therefore, over the past decades many efforts have been devoted to dealing with the necking phenomenon. The most popular correction formula proposed by Bridgman is an analytical method based on the neck geometry. Despite being widely used, it may not be accurate at large strains due to the assumption of uniform distribution of the equivalent stress and equivalent strain in the specimen minimum cross-section. Starting from Bridgman’s idea and in order to overcome its limitations, the present paper develops an efficient method to calibrate the hardening law of isotropic metallic materials at large strains. The proposed method requires to record the outer contour of the necking zone during the test and to build a dataset of necking deformed shapes. Experimental quasi-static tensile tests were analyzed with the proposed approach, which appears promising when critically compared with other methods. Full article

Age is the primary risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and a leading cause of death in the elderly population of the United States. No effective treatments for these diseases currently exist. Identifying effective treatments for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases is a major current focus of national scientific resources, and there is a critical need for novel therapeutic strategies. Here, we investigate the potential for targeting the kynurenine pathway metabolite 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3HAA) using Caenorhabditis elegans expressing amyloid-beta or a polyglutamine peptide in body wall muscle, modeling the proteotoxicity in Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease, respectively. We show that knocking down the enzyme that degrades 3HAA, 3HAA dioxygenase (HAAO), delays the age-associated paralysis in both models. This effect on paralysis was independent of the protein aggregation in the polyglutamine model. We also show that the mechanism of protection against proteotoxicity from HAAO knockdown is mimicked by 3HAA supplementation, supporting elevated 3HAA as the mediating event linking HAAO knockdown to delayed paralysis. This work demonstrates the potential for 3HAA as a targeted therapeutic in neurodegenerative disease, though the mechanism is yet to be explored. Full article

Oil-tea belongs to the Camellia genus, an important oil crop in China. However, oil-tea is taxonomically challenging due to its morphological variation, polyploidy, and interspecific hybridization. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the flower organs’ morphology and pollen micro-morphology of 18 oil-tea genotypes in detail and discussed their significance for oil-tea taxonomy. The quantitative parameters of flowers were measured using Vernier caliper measurements. Pollen morphology was observed and photographed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the flower size varied significantly among the tested oil-tea genotypes, with the corolla diameter ranging from 42.25 μm in C. meiocarpa ‘LP’ to 89.51 μm in C. oleifera ‘ASX09’. The pollen grains of oil-tea are monads and medium grade in pollen size. There were two types of polar views, including triangular or subcircular, with a polar axis length (P) ranging from 27.5 μm in C. oleifera ‘CY67’ to 59.04 μm in C. mairei (H. Lév.) Melch. var. lapidea (Y.C. Wu) Sealy. The equatorial views exhibited oblate, spherical, or oblong shapes, with an equatorial axis length (E) of 21.32 to 41.62 μm. The pollen exine sculpture was perforate, verrucate, and reticulate. The perforation lumina diameter (D) ranged from 0.29 μm in C. magniflora Chang to 1.22 μm in C. yuhsienensis Hu, and the perforation width (W) varied from 0.77 μm in C. osmantha to 1.40 μm in C. gauchowensis ‘HM349’, respectively. Qualitative clustering analysis (Q-type cluster) and principal component analysis (PCA) were conducted using eleven indexes of flower and pollen morphology, and the 18 oil-tea genotypes were classified into three categories. In addition, the correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between pollen size and flower morphology or pollen exine sculpture. These results offer valuable information on the classification and identification of the 18 oil-tea germplasm resources. Full article

This study aims to investigate the thermomechanical properties of vanadium dioxide (VO₂) thin films. A VO₂ thin film was simultaneously deposited on B270 and H-K9L glass substrates by electron-beam evaporation with ion-assisted deposition. Based on optical interferometric methods, the thermal–mechanical behavior of and thermal stresses in VO₂ films can be determined. An improved Twyman–Green interferometer was used to measure the temperature-dependent residual stress variations of VO₂ thin films at different temperatures. This study found that the substrate has a great impact on thermal stress, which is mainly caused by the mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the film and the substrate. By using the dual-substrate method, thermal stresses in VO₂ thin films from room temperature to 120 °C can be evaluated. The thermal expansion coefficient is 3.21 × 10⁻⁵ °C⁻¹, and the biaxial modulus is 517 GPa. Full article