Bone is a composite biomaterial mainly composed of packed collagen fibres and nano-sized hydroxylapatite (HA) crystals. Quantitative measurements of bone mine­ ral composition can provide insights into the bone mine­ ral formation in health and disease . Bone mineral characteristics such as crystal lini ty, carbonate and phosphate mineral content may vary as a function of age, sex, diet, bone l...

BACKGROUND: Proteins are sensitive to environmental conditions. Whether they are produced for therapeutic purposes or for fundamental research, the integrity of their structure and post-traductional modifications are key issues. Measuring glycosylation or phosphorylation level as well as their secondary structure most often rely on complex and indirect experiments. Infrared spectroscopy present...

Fourier transform infrared FTIR spectroscopy has found an important analytical niche in the field of condition monitoring CM of lubricants, lubricant quality being a primary determinant of the wear and operational efficiency of engines and machinery. The ability to track a wide range of functional groups associated with chemical changes in lubricants by FTIR spectroscopy allows the overall qual...

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging offers the opportunity to analyse the chemical composition of wood spatially resolved. To illustrate the potential of FTIR imaging for wood analysis, the lignin distribution in cross sections of beech and poplar wood was analysed and the spatial resolution compared. Additionally, the ratio of guaiacyl/syringyl lignin in a poplar wood section was compute...

Infrared spectroscopy has long been used to examine the average secondary structure and orientation of membrane proteins. With the recent utilization of site-specific isotope labeling (e.g., peptidic 1-(13)C = (18)O) it is now possible to examine localized properties, rather than global averages. The technique of site-specific infrared dichroism (SSID) capitalized on this fact, and derives site...

The diagnostic usefulness of information regarding the chemical composition of renal stones has been recognized since the 1950s and has been significantly improved during last years [1—13]. So it is now possible to correlate the results of every analysis with the appropriate diagnosis and therapeutic regime. Nowadays, current physical and chemical methods available for urinary stones analysis a...

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to study protein-cofactor interactions in photosystem II. The FTIR spectrum of each cofactor was measured as a difference spectrum upon its light-induced reaction. The spectrum included the bands of the protein moiety coupled to the cofactor, which were identified using selective isotopic labeling of amino acids. Analysis of these FTIR ban...