Chapter 7 **Nuclear Analytical Techniques in Animal Sciences: New Approaches and Outcomes 179**

A.C. Avelar, W.M. Ferreira and M.A.B.C. Menezes

Preface

growing interdisciplinary field.

ing centers around the world.

essing and analysis for different applications cases.

The last quarter of the last century has witnessed major advancements that have brought imaging and radioanalytical techniques to a paramount status in life sciences and industry. Generally speaking, the scope of radiation imaging and radioanalytics covers data acquisi‐ tion, data processing, and data analysis, involving theories, methods, systems and applica‐ tions. While detection and post-processing techniques become increasingly sophisticated, traditional and emerging modalities play more and more critical roles in medical and indus‐ trial domains. The overall goal of this book is to promote research and development of imaging and radioanalytical techniques by publishing high-quality chapters in this rapidly

This book is intended to serve as a text for students and a reference for practicing physicists and physicians. Emphasis is given to the broad prospective, particularly for topics impor‐ tant to medical and radar imaging and radioanalytics, with basic coverage provided in such supporting areas as computed tomography , nuclear medical imaging , neutron activation analysis, and applications. Thus, the purpose of the book is to provide a tutorial overview on the subject of imaging and radioanalytical techniques including: Computed Tomography (CT), Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), Positron Emission Tomog‐ raphy (PET), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging Meth‐ od, and Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA). We expect the book to be useful for practicing scientists for gaining an understanding of what can and cannot done all these imaging and radioanalytical techniques. Toward this end, we have tried to strike a balance among purely mathematical and physical issues, topics dealing with how to generate data and data proc‐

Our hope is that the style of presentation used will also make the bock useful for a begin‐ ning graduate course on the subject. The survey on we have included in chapter 1 should help the reader to understand the principles of nuclear imaging techniques, to be informed on the actual technologic advances in the fabrication of more sophisticated machines and finally to appreciate the powerful aspect of these techniques through the presentation of some examples of recent applications developed at famous laboratories and medical imag‐

The book is organized in two sections including in total seven chapters which cover a wide variety of very interesting topics. In the first section there are five chapters on different med‐ ical and radar imaging techniques and their applications. In the first chapter Faycal Kharfi presents basis and applications of nuclear imaging techniques aimed more specifically to graduate students. In the second chapter, Mariluce Gonçalves Fonseca describes Spin Echo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) fundamentals and applications with the presentation of fascinating examples. Chapter 3 by Samuel Opoku et al. summarizes the assessment of safe‐
