Five varieties of Ocimum basilicum L. namely lettuce, cinnamon, minimum, latifolia, and violetto were separately cultivated in field and greenhouse in the island Kefalonia (Greece). The effect of successive harvesting to the essential oil content was evaluated. In total 23 samples of essential oils (EOs) were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Ninety-six constituents, which accounted for almost 99% of the oils, were identified. Cluster analysis was performed for all of the varieties in greenhouse and field conditions, in order to investigate the possible differentiation on the chemical composition of the essential oils, obtained between harvests during growing period. Each basil variety showed a unique chemical profile, but also the essential oil composition within each variety seems to be differentiated, affected by the harvests and the cultivation site.

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Objective: This study aims to investigate the use of 3D printing techniques for the fabrication of physical breast phantoms, suitable for conventional and phase contrast breast imaging. Such phantoms could provide essential information for the design, development and optimization of emerging X-ray imaging modalities. Materials and Methods: Physical phantoms were constructed using two 3D printing techniques: Fused Deposition Modeling and Stereolithography. Eight materials suitable for 3D printing, including thermoplastic filaments and photopolymer resins, were investigated for the optimal representation of breast tissues, based on their attenuation and refractive characteristics. The phantoms consisted of a 3D-printed mold, which was then manually filled with paraffin wax. Additionally, a 3D complex-patterned layer and details representing abnormalities were embedded in different depths. Images of the phantoms were obtained in attenuation and phase contrast mode. Experiments were conducted using an X-ray microfocus tube with Tungsten anode set to 55kVp, combined with a photon-counting detector. The distance between source and detector was 56.5cm. The images were acquired at different object-to-detector distances starting from 5cm up to 40cm in a free space propagation set-up. Results and Conclusion: Results show that among all combinations with paraffin used as an adipose substitute, phantoms created with the Stereolithography technique and resins (especially Flex) as glandular equivalent, were found to be more appropriate for both attenuation and phase contrast imaging. The edge enhancement effect was well observed in the experimental images acquired at 35cm object-to-detector distance, indicating the potential for improved feature visualization using this set-up in phase contrast compared to attenuation mode.