This study aimed to analyze the effect of various mutagens on the in vitro development, physiological activity, acclimatization efficiency, and genetic integrity of Lamprocapnos spectabilis ‘Valentine’. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), microwaves, and X-rays were used at different doses. The profiles of primary and secondary metabolites and the enzymatic activity in the produced plants were studied. The usefulness of various genetic markers in the detection of mutations in the species was compared. The genome size of L. spectabilis was estimated for the first time. It was found that the addition of AuNPs into the culture medium had a positive impact on the in vitro development and multiplication of plants. All of the shoots regenerated adventitious roots, but plants subjected to the longest microwave irradiation (3 × 9 s) and the non-treated control had the lowest acclimatization efficiency. Application of mutagens significantly affected the activity and profile of most enzymes and phytochemicals studied, however, the final effect depended on the agent type and dose. Mutations were detected by DAMD, RAPD, and SCoT markers in 7.5% of plants, but not by ISSRs. Phenotype variation in leaf shape was found in four plants. The genome size of L. spectabilis was found to be very small; about 1281 Mbp.

Classical mutation breeding using physical factors is a common breeding method for ornamental crops. The aim of our study was to examine the utility of ovaries excised from irradiated inflorescences of Chrysanthemum × morifolium (Ramat.) as explants for breeding purposes. We studied the in vitro regeneration capacity of the ovaries of two chrysanthemum cultivars: ‘Profesor Jerzy’ and ‘Karolina’ preceded by irradiation with high-energy photons (total dose 5, 10 and 15 Gy) and high-energy electrons (total dose 10 Gy). Growth and inflorescence parameters of greenhouse acclimatized regenerants were recorded, and ploidy level was estimated with flow cytometry. The strong impact of genotype on regeneration efficiency was recorded—cultivar ‘Karolina’ produced only 7 viable shoots, while ‘Profesor Jerzy’ produced totally 428 shoots. With an increase of irradiation dose, the regeneration decreased, the least responsive were explants irradiated with 15 Gy high-energy photons and 10 Gy high-energy electrons. Regenerants of ‘Profesor Jerzy’ obtained from these explants possessed shorter stem and flowered later. The highest number of stable, color and shape inflorescence variations were obtained from explants treated with 10 Gy high-energy photons. Variations of inflorescences were predominantly changes of shape—from full to semi-full. New color phenotypes were dark yellow, light yellow and pinkish, among them only the dark yellow phenotype remained stable during second year cultivation. None of the regenerants were haploid. The application of ovaries irradiated within the whole inflorescence of chrysanthemum can be successfully applied in the breeding programs, provided the mother cultivar regenerate in vitro efficiently.

Cacti are important in agricultural economies and one of the most popular horticultural plant groups. The genus Astrophytum is one of the most valuable and desirable cacti for growers and collectors around the world. By selecting the appropriate breeding methods to induce variations in combination with modern biotechnology tools for rapid change detection, it is possible to meet the challenges of the modern world in creating new variability in plants. However, there exists a lack of research concerning the impact of ionizing radiation on cacti. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of X-rays at different doses (0 Gy—control, 15, 20, 25, and 50 Gy) on the dynamics of seed germination in vitro, changes in the color of seedlings, biochemical changes in the content of metabolites and changes at the molecular level in Astrophytum spp. ‘Purple’. A significant effect of X-rays on the induction of genetic variation was observed. Remarkably high polymorphism rates were observed, ranging from 59.09% for primer S12 to a full 100.0% for S3 and S8, as determined by the SCoT (Start-Codon-Targeted) marker. In addition, a large variation in the content of plant pigments (anthocyanins, carotenoids, chlorophyll a, and chlorophyll b) was noted. Additionally, discernible alterations in the color of the tested cactus seedlings, assessed by the RHSCC catalog, were attributed to the impact of ionizing radiation. These findings hold promise for the application of radiomutation breeding in acquiring new cactus cultivars.

Point defects, impurities, and defect–impurity complexes in diamond microcrystals were studied with the cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy in the scanning electron microscope, photoluminescence (PL), and Raman spectroscopy (RS). Such defects can influence the directions that microcrystals are grown. Micro-diamonds were obtained by a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HF CVD) technique from the methane–hydrogen gas mixture. The CL spectra of diamond microcrystals taken from (100) and (111) crystallographic planes were compared to the CL spectrum of a (100) oriented Element Six diamond monocrystal. The following color centers were identified: 2.52, 2.156, 2.055 eV attributed to a nitrogen–vacancy complex and a violet-emitting center (A-band) observed at 2.82 eV associated with dislocation line defects, whose atomic structure is still under discussion. The Raman studies showed that the planes (111) are more defective in comparison to (100) planes. What is reflected in the CL spectra as (111) shows a strong band in the UV region (2.815 eV) which is not observed in the case of the (100) plane.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate three techniques of irradiation of left-sided breast cancer patients, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), hybrid Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (h-IMRT), and hybrid Volumetric-Modulated Arc Therapy (h-VMAT, h-ARC), in terms of dose distribution in the planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs). The second aim was to estimate the projected relative risk of radiation-induced secondary cancers for hybrid techniques. Three treatment plans were prepared in 3D-CRT, h-IMRT, and h-VMAT techniques for each of the 40 patients, who underwent CT simulation in deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH). For hybrid techniques, plans were created by combining 3D-CRT and dynamic fields with an 80%/20% dose ratio for 3D-CRT and IMRT or VMAT. Cumulative dose-volume histograms were used to compare dose distributions within the PTV and OARs (heart, left anterior descending coronary artery [LAD], left and right lung [LL, RL], right breast [RB]). Projected risk ratios for secondary cancers were estimated relative to 3D-CRT using the organ equivalent dose (OED) concept for the Schneider's linear exponential, plateau, and full mechanistic dose-response model. All plans fulfilled the PTV criterium: V95%≥95%. Compared to 3D-CRT, both hybrid techniques showed significantly better target coverage (PTV: V95%>98%, p < 0.001), and the best conformality was achieved by h-ARC plans (CI: 1.18 ± 0.09, p < 0.001). Compared to 3D-CRT and h-ARC, h-IMRT increased the average sum of monitor units (MU) over 129.9% (p < 0.001). H-ARC increased the mean dose of contralateral organs and the LL V5Gy parameter (p < 0.001). Both hybrid techniques significantly reduced the D_max of the heart by 5 Gy. Compared to h-IMRT, h-ARC increased secondary cancer projected relative risk ratios for LL, RL, and RB by 18, 152, and 81%, respectively. The results confirmed that both hybrid techniques provide better target quality and OARs sparing than 3D-CRT. Hybrid VMAT delivers less MU compared to hybrid IMRT but may increase the risk of radiation-induced secondary malignancies.

Growth technologies of oxide crystals in W/Mo crucibles have been developed as a low-cost alternative to conventional processes involving Ir crucibles. Carbon-containing atmosphere needed to protect crucibles from oxidation leads to introduction of carbon into the crystal lattice, creation of carbon-related defects, which affect scintillation performance. Meanwhile, a search for fast scintillators for new generation of positron-emission tomographs and high energy physics experiments at colliders is under way. Codoping with divalent cations has become an efficient way to suppress long components of scintillation decay in Ce-doped scintillators. This work addresses Y ₃ Al ₅ O ₁₂ (YAG) crystals codoped with carbon, cerium activator and divalent cations. Optical and scintillation properties of YAG:Ce,C,A ²⁺ crystals (A=Ca ²⁺ , Mg ²⁺ , Ba ²⁺ , Sr ²⁺ ) are systematically studied. Among all the studied garnet compounds, YAG:Ce,C,Ca ²⁺ crystals demonstrated the fastest scintillation decay times, which are promising for the mentioned applications. Mechanisms of scintillation process in the studied materials are discussed. The Ce ³⁺ /Ca ²⁺ ratio in YAG:Ce,C,Ca ²⁺ was optimized to minimize slow components in scintillation decay.