Peter R. Griffiths - Böcker

Cancer is the second largest cause of death (after heart disease) in North America and Europe. Statistics from many countries serve constantly to inform us of how prevalent cancer is worldwide, even though one particular variation may be more predominant is one geographical region than another. The Traumatic cost in human lives, the dramatic cost of treatment and the need for rapidly advancing diagnoses and improving diagnostic methods for cancer, are clear for all to see. Current histopathological techniques for the detection and classification of cancer often lead to ambiguous diagnoses. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy have the potential to provide fast, accurate complementary techniques for the detection of many different forms of cancer. This book contains ten state-of-the-art chapters on the application of these techniques to the detection and classification of prostate, lymphatic, cervical, head and neck, and esophageal cancers, as well as reports on the application of vibrational spectroscopy to the study of individual human cells, and the identification of micro-organisms and erythrocytes, which should be of importance to spectroscopists and medical professionals alike. This book provides an up-to-date account of the practical means, applications and potential of mid-infrared and Raman spectroscopy for the medical diagnosis of diseased tissue and cells. It will be of significant interest both to vibrational spectroscopists involved in developing technique for medical diagnosis, and to clinicians, histopathologists, medical practitioners and students working in the field, with whom the spectroscopists must work closely in multi-disciplinary teams.

In this book, measurements using vibrational spectroscopy techniques for both the chemical and physical characteristics of polymers are described, alongside chapters covering spectra-structure correlations and spectra calculation. Special chapters deal with composites and conducting polymers, while others discuss the role of vibrational spectroscopy in understanding polymer weathering and degradation, and determining the optical, dielectric and solar and thermal properties of polymers. Dichroism measurement methods, important in understanding product performance, are covered, as well as practical methods for determining molecular orientation; linear, biaxial and trichroic determinations for polymers, as are dynamic measurement systems.

Bringing several disparate aspects of food science and analysis together in one place, Applications of Vibrational Spectroscopy to Food Science provides a comprehensive, state-of the-art text presenting the fundamentals of the methodology, as well as underlying current areas of research in food science analysis.  All of the major spectroscopic techniques are also covered – showing how each one can be used beneficially and in a complementary approach for certain applications.  Case studies illustrate the many applications in vibrational spectroscopy to the analysis of foodstuffs.

Although vibrational spectroscopy is a critical technology within the pharmaceutical industry, currently the literature regarding its applications in the field is fragmented. At present there is no single volume that brings together the diverse aspects of vibrational spectroscopy at a level that will provide value to the dedicated spectroscopist as well as to the synthetic, development and medicinal based chemists, alike. This volume aims to present key themes, established and emerging, within current research as well as presenting detailed contributions on the instrumentation, methodology, data treatment, and applications associated within this area of research. It will provide a consolidated "road map" to the practice of this science within the industry.