The use of cold plasma in the treatment of seeds before sowing presents a promising technique for sustainable agriculture. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of cold plasma treatment on the morphology of wheat seeds (Triticum aestivum L. ‘Dacic’ and ‘Otilia’), their germination, biochemical composition, and the nutritional quality of wheat grass. Wheat seeds were morphologically and elementally characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-ray computer tomography (CT), and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). Helium was used as a working gas for plasma generation and the analysis of the species produced showed the presence of NO_γ, OH, N₂ and N₂⁺ and O. Evaluation of germination and plant growth for 10 days (wheat grass stage) highlighted a specific trend for each cultivar. The biochemical analysis of wheat grass highlighted an increase in the chlorophyll content in the plasma-treated variants, an increase in the flavonoid and polyphenol content in ‘Dacic’-treated variant, while the soluble protein content, antioxidant activity, and color were not affected. The analysis of the nutritional quality of wheat grass by the FT-NIR analytical technique highlighted an increase in the ash content in the plasma-treated wheat cultivars, while the humidity, proteins, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and energy values were not affected.

Nanoparticle (NP)-based solutions for oncotherapy promise an improved efficiency of the anticancer response, as well as higher comfort for the patient. The current advancements in cancer treatment based on nanotechnology exploit the ability of these systems to pass biological barriers to target the tumor cell, as well as tumor cell organelles. In particular, iron oxide NPs are being clinically employed in oncological management due to this ability. When designing an efficient anti-cancer therapy based on NPs, it is important to know and to modulate the phenomena which take place during the interaction of the NPs with the tumor cells, as well as the normal tissues. In this regard, our review is focused on highlighting different approaches to studying the internalization patterns of iron oxide NPs in simple and complex 2D and 3D in vitro cell models, as well as in living tissues, in order to investigate the functionality of an NP-based treatment.

This paper reports the results obtained for a distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser (DFB-QCL) exposed to different fluences of proton particles: 10¹⁴, 10¹⁵ and 10¹⁶ p/cm². Dedicated laboratory setups were developed to assess the irradiation-induced changes in this device. Multiple parameters defining the QCL performances were investigated prior to and following each irradiation step: (i) voltage-driving current; (ii) emitted optical power-driving current; (iii) central emitting wavelength-driving current; (iv) emitted spectrum-driving current; (v) transversal mode structure-driving current, maintaining the system operating temperature at 20 °C. The QCL system presented, before irradiation, two emission peaks: a central emission peak and a side peak. After proton irradiation, the QCL presented a spectral shift, and the ratio between the two peaks also changed. Even though, after irradiation, the tunning spectral range was reduced, at the end of the tests, the system was still functional.

The ELIGANT-TN long neutron counter, the ELISSA silicon strip array and the Mini-eTPC active gas target detector all represent nuclear physics research tools constructed at Extreme Light Infrastructure - Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) for use in γ-beam experiments. Currently, these three setups are used at the charged particle accelerators of the “Horia Hulubei” National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), for performing reaction cross-section measurements. Accurate knowledge of the incident beam energy is of paramount importance for such studies, which is why in the present article we report on a new proton beam energy calibration performed using the following threshold reactions: ⁷Li(p,n)⁷Be, ¹³C(p,n)¹³N and ⁵¹V(p,n)⁵¹Cr. The measurements were performed by varying the projectile energy across the key range of ∼ 1600–3200 keV. The results demonstrate a linear dependence of the projectile energy on the terminal voltage.