Chris Chapman | University of Cambridge (original) (raw)

Papers by Chris Chapman

Journal of sports sciences, Jan 29, 2015

This study evaluated the influence of annual-age category, relative age, playing position, anthro... more This study evaluated the influence of annual-age category, relative age, playing position, anthropometry and fitness on the career attainment outcomes of junior rugby league players originally selected for a talent identification and development (TID) programme. Junior rugby league players (N = 580) were grouped retrospectively according to their career attainment level (i.e., amateur, academy and professional). Anthropometric (height, sitting height, body mass, sum of four skinfolds), maturational (age at peak height velocity; PHV) and fitness (power, speed, change of direction speed, estimated[Formula: see text]) characteristics were assessed at the Under 13s, 14s and 15s annual-age categories. Relative age (Q2 = 8.5% vs. Q4 = 25.5%) and playing position (Pivots = 19.5% vs. Props = 5.8%) influenced the percentage of players attaining professional status. Anthropometry and fitness had a significant effect on career attainment at the Under 14 (P = 0.002, η(2) = 0.16) and 15 (P = 0.0...

Driven by European legislation the UK has commenced a new phase in waste management where it seek... more Driven by European legislation the UK has commenced a new phase in waste management where it seeks to introduce new and cost effective technologies to manage a range of wastes – including hazardous. Key to all these developments is the demonstration to the public that the new technologies are `environmentally friendly` and do not in themselves create problems through excess production of say hazardous residues. The use of plasma arc technologies, especially in the treatment of hazardous wastes, is set to expand in the UK. The technology is intermediate within the waste management hierarchy and is characterised as an Advanced Conversion Technique (ACT) with Best Available Technique (BAT) attributes. Adoption is driven by the increasing stringency of environmental regulations, the requirement for efficient resource utilisation, the responsibility of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for product life cycle impact and the reducing capacity of traditional disposal mechanisms. Withi...

2000 Optical Data Storage. Conference Digest (Cat. No.00TH8491), 2000

Page 1. WA3 8:45 am - 9:00 am Servo Error Signal Generatio r 2-Photon Recorded Monolithic Multi1 ... more Page 1. WA3 8:45 am - 9:00 am Servo Error Signal Generatio r 2-Photon Recorded Monolithic Multi1 r Optical Data Storage Edwin P. Walker, Xuezhe Zheng, Frederick B. McC'ormick, t4;tichuan Zhang, Namtlyong Kim, Joe Costa ...

Waste Management, 2015

The major technical problems faced by stand-alone fluidized bed gasifiers (FBG) for waste-to gas ... more The major technical problems faced by stand-alone fluidized bed gasifiers (FBG) for waste-to gas applications are intrinsically related to the composition and physical properties of waste materials, such as RDF. The high quantity of ash and volatile material in RDF can provide a decrease in thermal output, create high ash clinkering, and increase emission of tars and CO2, thus affecting the operability for clean syngas generation at industrial scale. By contrast, a two-stage process which separates primary gasification and selective tar and ash conversion would be inherently more forgiving and stable. This can be achieved with the use of a separate plasma converter, which has been successfully used in conjunction with conventional thermal treatment units, for the ability to 'polish' the producer gas by organic contaminants and collect the inorganic fraction in a molten (and inert) state. This research focused on the performance analysis of a two-stage fluid bed gasification-plasma process to transform solid waste into clean syngas. Thermodynamic assessment using the two-stage equilibrium method was carried out to determine optimum conditions for the gasification of RDF and to understand the limitations and influence of the second stage on the process performance (gas heating value, cold gas efficiency, carbon conversion efficiency), along with other parameters. Comparison with a different thermal refining stage, i.e. thermal cracking (via partial oxidation) was also performed. The analysis is supported by experimental data from a pilot plant.

A growing environmental concern of waste management drives new research toward the identification... more A growing environmental concern of waste management drives new research toward the identification of low impact waste treatment and disposal options. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be used as a tool to provide information about the environmental impact of these waste disposal methods. We performed an attributional Life Cycle Assessment with system expansion using GaBi 6 LCA software (PE international) for an advanced thermal conversion technology called Gasplasma. Refuse Derive Fuel (RDF) is fed to the innovative core of the Gasplasma process: a plasma reactor follows the gasification of waste in order to obtain an efficient cracking of problematic tars and highly polluting compounds of the raw gas. The high purity syngas is suitable, after cleaning, for electrical power generation in a gas engine. Electricity, together with the stable vitrified plasma slag and the steam from heat recovery, constitute the valuable products of the Gasplasma process. Advanced Plasma Power developed a ...

Waste Management, 2015

In the past, almost all residual municipal waste in the UK was landfilled without treatment. Rece... more In the past, almost all residual municipal waste in the UK was landfilled without treatment. Recent European waste management directives have promoted the uptake of more sustainable treatment technologies, especially for biodegradable waste. Local authorities have started considering other options for dealing with residual waste. In this study, a life cycle assessment of a future 20MWe plant using an advanced two-stage gasification and plasma technology is undertaken. This plant can thermally treat waste feedstocks with different composition and heating value to produce electricity, steam and a vitrified product. The objective of the study is to analyse the environmental impacts of the process when fed with seven different feedstocks (including municipal solid waste, solid refuse fuel, reuse-derived fuel, wood biomass and commercial & industrial waste) and identify the process steps which contribute more to the environmental burden. A scenario analysis on key processes, such as oxygen production technology, metal recovery and the appropriate choice for the secondary market aggregate material, is performed. The influence of accounting for the biogenic carbon content in the waste from the calculations of the global warming potential is also shown. Results show that the treatment of the refuse-derived fuel has the lowest impact in terms of both global warming potential and acidification potential because of its high heating value. For all the other impact categories analysed, the two-stage gasification and plasma process shows a negative impact for all the waste streams considered, mainly due to the avoided burdens associated with the production of electricity from the plant. The plasma convertor, key characteristic of the thermal process investigated, although utilising electricity shows a relatively small contribution to the overall environmental impact of the plant. The results do not significantly vary in the scenario analysis. Accounting for biogenic carbon enhanced the performance of biomass and refuse-derived fuel in terms of global warming potential. The main analysis of this study has been performed from a waste management perspective, using 1ton of waste as functional unit. A comparison of the results when 1kWhe of electricity produced is used as functional unit shows similar trends for the environmental impact categories considered.

Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, IEEE LEOS Annual Meeting, 1998

Our recent storage media experiments have concentrated on optimizing the 2-photon photochemistry ... more Our recent storage media experiments have concentrated on optimizing the 2-photon photochemistry of our stable ROM/WORM optical storage materials, though we are also exploring erasable photochemistries. Most of our system experiments have used our ROM/WORM material in 1 cm3 cube samples and 5 mm×1" diameter disks. These are fabricated by polymerizing a desired concentration of active molecules in PMMA

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2015

ABSTRACT The EU landfill and Waste Framework directives are driving new approaches to waste manag... more ABSTRACT The EU landfill and Waste Framework directives are driving new approaches to waste management in the UK, away from landfilling and mass-burn incineration, which has been regarded as the main alternative to landfilling. The objective of this study is to compare the environmental impacts of three dual-stage advanced energy-from-waste technologies, i.e. gasification and plasma gas cleaning, fast pyrolysis and combustion and gasification with syngas combustion, with those associated with conventional treatments for municipal solid waste, i.e. landfill with electricity production and incineration with electricity production. Results show that the two-stage gasification and plasma process has a significantly better overall environmental performance than the conventional waste treatment technologies and somewhat better than a more modern incineration plant, exemplified by a plant under commissioning in Lincolnshire in the UK. The benefits of the gasification and plasma process arise primarily from its higher net electrical efficiency.

Fuel Processing Technology, 2015

Waste gasification is considered a valuable and sustainable solution to the production of clean e... more Waste gasification is considered a valuable and sustainable solution to the production of clean energy (via gas turbines or gas engines) and bio-fuels, such as synthetic natural gas and bio-hydrogen, provided that the syngas produced in the gasifier is free of condensable tars and organic sulphur contaminants that cause equipment fouling and deactivation of catalytic stages downstream. In particular, catalytic reaction stages are highly sensitive to specific trace contaminants (e.g. PAHs, thiophenes, etc.), necessitating the use of additional cleaning operations to remove these residues to levels where the catalyst degradation is acceptable. In this work, the use of thermal plasma (coupled with primary waste treatment) to completely reform tars and organic sulphur compounds to simple gaseous products (predominantly H 2 and CO) is assessed. To this end, a 20-hour waste gasification run was performed on a two-stage fluid bed-plasma demonstration plant to investigate the tar evolution in the syngas, with special attention on the chemistry of generic and sulphur-substituted aromatics within the plasma stage. The organic fraction in the gas phase was found to be completely reformed under plasma conditions, leaving essentially CO, H 2 and H 2 S as ultimate products. In particular, reduction efficiencies typically exceeded 96%v/v for complex organics (e.g. PAH) and thiophenes were observed. The syngas, after a tertiary simplified gas cleaning process, is suitable for high efficiency power generation, or conversion to a fuel gas capable of injection into national or industrial supply grids.

Neuroendocrinology, 1996

In order to investigate the role of central GABAB receptors in the control of the milk ejection r... more In order to investigate the role of central GABAB receptors in the control of the milk ejection reflex, we have examined the effects of third ventricular and bilateral supraoptic nucleus (SON) injections of a GABAB receptor agonist (baclofen) and antagonist (hydroxy-saclofen) on the milk ejection reflex in the urethane-anaesthetised rat. In addition, microdialysis studies have evaluated whether the activation of GABAB receptors in the SON is able to modulate the release of GABA and glutamate, two major neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of the milk ejection reflex. Intracerebroventricular injections of baclofen (n = 9) in doses of 10, 50 and 100 pmol inhibited the milk ejection reflex in a dose-dependent manner, without affecting the electroencephalogram or attenuating the intramammary pressure response to intravenous injection of 0.5 mU exogenous oxytocin. Hydroxy-saclofen given into the third ventricle in doses of 100 pmol (n = 2) and 500 pmol (n = 4) did not modify the ...

European Journal of Heart Failure Supplements, 2006

Clinical colorectal cancer, 2009

Patients infected with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) living longer with antiretroviral thera... more Patients infected with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) living longer with antiretroviral therapy (ART) are more likely to develop non-AIDS-defining cancers such as adenocarcinoma of the colon. There have been limited case reports regarding HIV-associated colon adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinicopathologic findings and outcome in a series of HIV-infected patients diagnosed and treated for colon adenocarcinoma. A retrospective study involving HIV-related colon adenocarcinoma was performed. Cases were accrued from the personal archives and published case reports. Data regarding demographics, HIV acquisition, ART use, immunosuppression, cancer location, pathology, and outcome were extracted and analyzed. A total of 17 patients were identified, including 7 personal cases. Patients were of average age 43 years (range, 25-67 years) and predominantly male (male:female ratio, 14:3). Most carcinomas (57%) involved the right colon, were largely TNM stage 4 ...

Fuel, 2015

ABSTRACT To accelerate progress in the industrial use of RDF as an alternative fuel in gasificati... more ABSTRACT To accelerate progress in the industrial use of RDF as an alternative fuel in gasification plants, the problems associated with hazardous solid residues and ash deposition must be resolved. The practical approach to reduce these problems must be aimed at preventing the accumulation of fly ash/condensable vapours on heat transfer surface areas while minimising the amount of residual materials that have to be treated before the disposal. One such approach is adopted in an advanced two-stage thermal process which incorporates a plasma processing stage for conditioning the gas generated from a primary waste gasification unit, primarily for the treatment of household and industrial wastes. This paper presents a comprehensive examination of ashes sampled under different operational conditions and in different locations of a two-stage fluid bed-plasma demonstration plant. A demonstration test miming the normal commercial operation was conducted over 44 h of operation with RDF from a standard UK municipal solid waste. The results are presented according to solid samples composition, gas composition, and further specific data (e.g., enrichment factor, XRD analysis, leaching test, etc.). An investigation on pollutant removal from the hot syngas, focusing on the partitioning and chemistry of sulphur and chlorine along with other relevant components, is also carried out. Experimental trials revealed a reduced extent of alkali and metals availability in the gas phase, i.e. a minor deposit forming potential into downstream equipment. From 85% to 91% of the fly ash was captured and vitrified within the plasma converter and made non-leachable with respect to non-volatile heavy metals, allowing for near complete landfill diversion.

Fuel Processing Technology, 2014

This work focuses on systematic studies of the plasma reforming of newly evolved vapors from a fl... more This work focuses on systematic studies of the plasma reforming of newly evolved vapors from a fluid bed gasifier, and on the resulting evolution of individual gaseous cracking products to hydrogen-rich syngas. The aim of this study is to compare some previously developed mechanisms of thermal cracking and to identify the main elementary reactions and the most sensible ones for tar decomposition in a two-stage process. Evaluation of plasma chemistry is performed by a comparison between experimental data and thermal kinetic predicted results. Distribution analysis of condensable organics shows that for all the representative species, the levels of tars are distinct in the first stage and almost negligible after the plasma treatment. Under the given reaction conditions, the organic cracking products such as methane and C 2 -species are completely converted to carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and no soot significantly formed. Oxygen atoms initially formed from CO 2 were identified as the major active species involved in the oxidative decomposition of hydrocarbon intermediates and soot precursors. As a result, a two-stage system shows better reforming results, large treatment capacity and almost complete carbon conversion.

High Temperature Material Processes, 2003

ABSTRACT Tetronics Limited has developed a process for producing ultra-fine (< 150 nm) pow... more ABSTRACT Tetronics Limited has developed a process for producing ultra-fine (< 150 nm) powder using atmospheric DC plasma technology. The procedure for producing aluminium nanopowder is briefly described with material characterisation results. The production method utilises the evaporation and subsequent gas phase condensation of an aluminium feed stock and offers the advantage of high throughput under controlled atmosphere conditions. This is complemented by controllable material passivation and dispersion at near atmospheric pressure. The work was funded under contract from QinetiQ (formally the United Kingdom Defence and Evaluation Research Agency) [1].

In this paper we argue that theory, method, methodology, and knowledge gains in qualitative Weld ... more In this paper we argue that theory, method, methodology, and knowledge gains in qualitative Weld studies are inter- twined through the ongoing hypothesis development in the Weld. We develop our argument through a discussion of spe- ciWc qualitative Weld studies in management accounting. We emphasise in particular the distinctive role of theory in qualitative research as relating to expression of

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2014

The current study retrospectively investigated the differences in anthropometric and fitness char... more The current study retrospectively investigated the differences in anthropometric and fitness characteristics of junior rugby league players selected onto a talent identification and development (TID) programme between long-term career progression levels (i.e., amateur, academy, professional). Retrospective design. Former junior rugby league players (N=580) selected to a TID programme were grouped according to their career progression level. Anthropometric (height, sitting height, body mass and sum of four skinfolds), maturational and fitness (power, speed, change of direction speed and estimated V˙O2max) assessments were conducted at 13-15 years. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) analyzed differences between career progression levels controlling for chronological age. 57.1% and 12.1% of players selected to the TID programme progressed to academy and professional levels in rugby league, respectively. Sum of four skinfolds (η(2)=0.03), vertical jump (η(2)=0.02), 10m (η(2)=0.02), 20m (η(2)=0.02), 30m (η(2)=0.02), and 60m (η(2)=0.03) speed, agility 505 left (η(2)=0.06), agility 505 right (η(2)=0.05) and estimated V˙O2max (η(2)=0.03) were superior within junior players who progressed to professional compared to amateur levels. No significant differences were identified between future academy and professional players for any measure. Findings suggest that lower sum of four skinfolds and advanced fitness characteristics within junior (13-15 years) rugby league players may partially contribute to long-term career progression. Therefore, TID programmes within rugby league should aim to assess and develop body composition and fitness characteristics, especially change of direction speed. However, TID programmes should also consider technical, tactical and psycho-social characteristics of junior rugby league players that may be important for long-term career progression.

Journal of sports sciences, Jan 29, 2015

This study evaluated the influence of annual-age category, relative age, playing position, anthro... more This study evaluated the influence of annual-age category, relative age, playing position, anthropometry and fitness on the career attainment outcomes of junior rugby league players originally selected for a talent identification and development (TID) programme. Junior rugby league players (N = 580) were grouped retrospectively according to their career attainment level (i.e., amateur, academy and professional). Anthropometric (height, sitting height, body mass, sum of four skinfolds), maturational (age at peak height velocity; PHV) and fitness (power, speed, change of direction speed, estimated[Formula: see text]) characteristics were assessed at the Under 13s, 14s and 15s annual-age categories. Relative age (Q2 = 8.5% vs. Q4 = 25.5%) and playing position (Pivots = 19.5% vs. Props = 5.8%) influenced the percentage of players attaining professional status. Anthropometry and fitness had a significant effect on career attainment at the Under 14 (P = 0.002, η(2) = 0.16) and 15 (P = 0.0...

Driven by European legislation the UK has commenced a new phase in waste management where it seek... more Driven by European legislation the UK has commenced a new phase in waste management where it seeks to introduce new and cost effective technologies to manage a range of wastes – including hazardous. Key to all these developments is the demonstration to the public that the new technologies are `environmentally friendly` and do not in themselves create problems through excess production of say hazardous residues. The use of plasma arc technologies, especially in the treatment of hazardous wastes, is set to expand in the UK. The technology is intermediate within the waste management hierarchy and is characterised as an Advanced Conversion Technique (ACT) with Best Available Technique (BAT) attributes. Adoption is driven by the increasing stringency of environmental regulations, the requirement for efficient resource utilisation, the responsibility of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for product life cycle impact and the reducing capacity of traditional disposal mechanisms. Withi...

2000 Optical Data Storage. Conference Digest (Cat. No.00TH8491), 2000

Page 1. WA3 8:45 am - 9:00 am Servo Error Signal Generatio r 2-Photon Recorded Monolithic Multi1 ... more Page 1. WA3 8:45 am - 9:00 am Servo Error Signal Generatio r 2-Photon Recorded Monolithic Multi1 r Optical Data Storage Edwin P. Walker, Xuezhe Zheng, Frederick B. McC'ormick, t4;tichuan Zhang, Namtlyong Kim, Joe Costa ...

Waste Management, 2015

The major technical problems faced by stand-alone fluidized bed gasifiers (FBG) for waste-to gas ... more The major technical problems faced by stand-alone fluidized bed gasifiers (FBG) for waste-to gas applications are intrinsically related to the composition and physical properties of waste materials, such as RDF. The high quantity of ash and volatile material in RDF can provide a decrease in thermal output, create high ash clinkering, and increase emission of tars and CO2, thus affecting the operability for clean syngas generation at industrial scale. By contrast, a two-stage process which separates primary gasification and selective tar and ash conversion would be inherently more forgiving and stable. This can be achieved with the use of a separate plasma converter, which has been successfully used in conjunction with conventional thermal treatment units, for the ability to 'polish' the producer gas by organic contaminants and collect the inorganic fraction in a molten (and inert) state. This research focused on the performance analysis of a two-stage fluid bed gasification-plasma process to transform solid waste into clean syngas. Thermodynamic assessment using the two-stage equilibrium method was carried out to determine optimum conditions for the gasification of RDF and to understand the limitations and influence of the second stage on the process performance (gas heating value, cold gas efficiency, carbon conversion efficiency), along with other parameters. Comparison with a different thermal refining stage, i.e. thermal cracking (via partial oxidation) was also performed. The analysis is supported by experimental data from a pilot plant.

A growing environmental concern of waste management drives new research toward the identification... more A growing environmental concern of waste management drives new research toward the identification of low impact waste treatment and disposal options. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be used as a tool to provide information about the environmental impact of these waste disposal methods. We performed an attributional Life Cycle Assessment with system expansion using GaBi 6 LCA software (PE international) for an advanced thermal conversion technology called Gasplasma. Refuse Derive Fuel (RDF) is fed to the innovative core of the Gasplasma process: a plasma reactor follows the gasification of waste in order to obtain an efficient cracking of problematic tars and highly polluting compounds of the raw gas. The high purity syngas is suitable, after cleaning, for electrical power generation in a gas engine. Electricity, together with the stable vitrified plasma slag and the steam from heat recovery, constitute the valuable products of the Gasplasma process. Advanced Plasma Power developed a ...

Waste Management, 2015

In the past, almost all residual municipal waste in the UK was landfilled without treatment. Rece... more In the past, almost all residual municipal waste in the UK was landfilled without treatment. Recent European waste management directives have promoted the uptake of more sustainable treatment technologies, especially for biodegradable waste. Local authorities have started considering other options for dealing with residual waste. In this study, a life cycle assessment of a future 20MWe plant using an advanced two-stage gasification and plasma technology is undertaken. This plant can thermally treat waste feedstocks with different composition and heating value to produce electricity, steam and a vitrified product. The objective of the study is to analyse the environmental impacts of the process when fed with seven different feedstocks (including municipal solid waste, solid refuse fuel, reuse-derived fuel, wood biomass and commercial & industrial waste) and identify the process steps which contribute more to the environmental burden. A scenario analysis on key processes, such as oxygen production technology, metal recovery and the appropriate choice for the secondary market aggregate material, is performed. The influence of accounting for the biogenic carbon content in the waste from the calculations of the global warming potential is also shown. Results show that the treatment of the refuse-derived fuel has the lowest impact in terms of both global warming potential and acidification potential because of its high heating value. For all the other impact categories analysed, the two-stage gasification and plasma process shows a negative impact for all the waste streams considered, mainly due to the avoided burdens associated with the production of electricity from the plant. The plasma convertor, key characteristic of the thermal process investigated, although utilising electricity shows a relatively small contribution to the overall environmental impact of the plant. The results do not significantly vary in the scenario analysis. Accounting for biogenic carbon enhanced the performance of biomass and refuse-derived fuel in terms of global warming potential. The main analysis of this study has been performed from a waste management perspective, using 1ton of waste as functional unit. A comparison of the results when 1kWhe of electricity produced is used as functional unit shows similar trends for the environmental impact categories considered.

Lasers and Electro-Optics Society, IEEE LEOS Annual Meeting, 1998

Our recent storage media experiments have concentrated on optimizing the 2-photon photochemistry ... more Our recent storage media experiments have concentrated on optimizing the 2-photon photochemistry of our stable ROM/WORM optical storage materials, though we are also exploring erasable photochemistries. Most of our system experiments have used our ROM/WORM material in 1 cm3 cube samples and 5 mm×1" diameter disks. These are fabricated by polymerizing a desired concentration of active molecules in PMMA

Journal of Cleaner Production, 2015

ABSTRACT The EU landfill and Waste Framework directives are driving new approaches to waste manag... more ABSTRACT The EU landfill and Waste Framework directives are driving new approaches to waste management in the UK, away from landfilling and mass-burn incineration, which has been regarded as the main alternative to landfilling. The objective of this study is to compare the environmental impacts of three dual-stage advanced energy-from-waste technologies, i.e. gasification and plasma gas cleaning, fast pyrolysis and combustion and gasification with syngas combustion, with those associated with conventional treatments for municipal solid waste, i.e. landfill with electricity production and incineration with electricity production. Results show that the two-stage gasification and plasma process has a significantly better overall environmental performance than the conventional waste treatment technologies and somewhat better than a more modern incineration plant, exemplified by a plant under commissioning in Lincolnshire in the UK. The benefits of the gasification and plasma process arise primarily from its higher net electrical efficiency.

Fuel Processing Technology, 2015

Waste gasification is considered a valuable and sustainable solution to the production of clean e... more Waste gasification is considered a valuable and sustainable solution to the production of clean energy (via gas turbines or gas engines) and bio-fuels, such as synthetic natural gas and bio-hydrogen, provided that the syngas produced in the gasifier is free of condensable tars and organic sulphur contaminants that cause equipment fouling and deactivation of catalytic stages downstream. In particular, catalytic reaction stages are highly sensitive to specific trace contaminants (e.g. PAHs, thiophenes, etc.), necessitating the use of additional cleaning operations to remove these residues to levels where the catalyst degradation is acceptable. In this work, the use of thermal plasma (coupled with primary waste treatment) to completely reform tars and organic sulphur compounds to simple gaseous products (predominantly H 2 and CO) is assessed. To this end, a 20-hour waste gasification run was performed on a two-stage fluid bed-plasma demonstration plant to investigate the tar evolution in the syngas, with special attention on the chemistry of generic and sulphur-substituted aromatics within the plasma stage. The organic fraction in the gas phase was found to be completely reformed under plasma conditions, leaving essentially CO, H 2 and H 2 S as ultimate products. In particular, reduction efficiencies typically exceeded 96%v/v for complex organics (e.g. PAH) and thiophenes were observed. The syngas, after a tertiary simplified gas cleaning process, is suitable for high efficiency power generation, or conversion to a fuel gas capable of injection into national or industrial supply grids.

Neuroendocrinology, 1996

In order to investigate the role of central GABAB receptors in the control of the milk ejection r... more In order to investigate the role of central GABAB receptors in the control of the milk ejection reflex, we have examined the effects of third ventricular and bilateral supraoptic nucleus (SON) injections of a GABAB receptor agonist (baclofen) and antagonist (hydroxy-saclofen) on the milk ejection reflex in the urethane-anaesthetised rat. In addition, microdialysis studies have evaluated whether the activation of GABAB receptors in the SON is able to modulate the release of GABA and glutamate, two major neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of the milk ejection reflex. Intracerebroventricular injections of baclofen (n = 9) in doses of 10, 50 and 100 pmol inhibited the milk ejection reflex in a dose-dependent manner, without affecting the electroencephalogram or attenuating the intramammary pressure response to intravenous injection of 0.5 mU exogenous oxytocin. Hydroxy-saclofen given into the third ventricle in doses of 100 pmol (n = 2) and 500 pmol (n = 4) did not modify the ...

European Journal of Heart Failure Supplements, 2006

Clinical colorectal cancer, 2009

Patients infected with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) living longer with antiretroviral thera... more Patients infected with Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) living longer with antiretroviral therapy (ART) are more likely to develop non-AIDS-defining cancers such as adenocarcinoma of the colon. There have been limited case reports regarding HIV-associated colon adenocarcinoma. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinicopathologic findings and outcome in a series of HIV-infected patients diagnosed and treated for colon adenocarcinoma. A retrospective study involving HIV-related colon adenocarcinoma was performed. Cases were accrued from the personal archives and published case reports. Data regarding demographics, HIV acquisition, ART use, immunosuppression, cancer location, pathology, and outcome were extracted and analyzed. A total of 17 patients were identified, including 7 personal cases. Patients were of average age 43 years (range, 25-67 years) and predominantly male (male:female ratio, 14:3). Most carcinomas (57%) involved the right colon, were largely TNM stage 4 ...

Fuel, 2015

ABSTRACT To accelerate progress in the industrial use of RDF as an alternative fuel in gasificati... more ABSTRACT To accelerate progress in the industrial use of RDF as an alternative fuel in gasification plants, the problems associated with hazardous solid residues and ash deposition must be resolved. The practical approach to reduce these problems must be aimed at preventing the accumulation of fly ash/condensable vapours on heat transfer surface areas while minimising the amount of residual materials that have to be treated before the disposal. One such approach is adopted in an advanced two-stage thermal process which incorporates a plasma processing stage for conditioning the gas generated from a primary waste gasification unit, primarily for the treatment of household and industrial wastes. This paper presents a comprehensive examination of ashes sampled under different operational conditions and in different locations of a two-stage fluid bed-plasma demonstration plant. A demonstration test miming the normal commercial operation was conducted over 44 h of operation with RDF from a standard UK municipal solid waste. The results are presented according to solid samples composition, gas composition, and further specific data (e.g., enrichment factor, XRD analysis, leaching test, etc.). An investigation on pollutant removal from the hot syngas, focusing on the partitioning and chemistry of sulphur and chlorine along with other relevant components, is also carried out. Experimental trials revealed a reduced extent of alkali and metals availability in the gas phase, i.e. a minor deposit forming potential into downstream equipment. From 85% to 91% of the fly ash was captured and vitrified within the plasma converter and made non-leachable with respect to non-volatile heavy metals, allowing for near complete landfill diversion.

Fuel Processing Technology, 2014

This work focuses on systematic studies of the plasma reforming of newly evolved vapors from a fl... more This work focuses on systematic studies of the plasma reforming of newly evolved vapors from a fluid bed gasifier, and on the resulting evolution of individual gaseous cracking products to hydrogen-rich syngas. The aim of this study is to compare some previously developed mechanisms of thermal cracking and to identify the main elementary reactions and the most sensible ones for tar decomposition in a two-stage process. Evaluation of plasma chemistry is performed by a comparison between experimental data and thermal kinetic predicted results. Distribution analysis of condensable organics shows that for all the representative species, the levels of tars are distinct in the first stage and almost negligible after the plasma treatment. Under the given reaction conditions, the organic cracking products such as methane and C 2 -species are completely converted to carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and no soot significantly formed. Oxygen atoms initially formed from CO 2 were identified as the major active species involved in the oxidative decomposition of hydrocarbon intermediates and soot precursors. As a result, a two-stage system shows better reforming results, large treatment capacity and almost complete carbon conversion.

High Temperature Material Processes, 2003

ABSTRACT Tetronics Limited has developed a process for producing ultra-fine (< 150 nm) pow... more ABSTRACT Tetronics Limited has developed a process for producing ultra-fine (< 150 nm) powder using atmospheric DC plasma technology. The procedure for producing aluminium nanopowder is briefly described with material characterisation results. The production method utilises the evaporation and subsequent gas phase condensation of an aluminium feed stock and offers the advantage of high throughput under controlled atmosphere conditions. This is complemented by controllable material passivation and dispersion at near atmospheric pressure. The work was funded under contract from QinetiQ (formally the United Kingdom Defence and Evaluation Research Agency) [1].

In this paper we argue that theory, method, methodology, and knowledge gains in qualitative Weld ... more In this paper we argue that theory, method, methodology, and knowledge gains in qualitative Weld studies are inter- twined through the ongoing hypothesis development in the Weld. We develop our argument through a discussion of spe- ciWc qualitative Weld studies in management accounting. We emphasise in particular the distinctive role of theory in qualitative research as relating to expression of

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 2014

The current study retrospectively investigated the differences in anthropometric and fitness char... more The current study retrospectively investigated the differences in anthropometric and fitness characteristics of junior rugby league players selected onto a talent identification and development (TID) programme between long-term career progression levels (i.e., amateur, academy, professional). Retrospective design. Former junior rugby league players (N=580) selected to a TID programme were grouped according to their career progression level. Anthropometric (height, sitting height, body mass and sum of four skinfolds), maturational and fitness (power, speed, change of direction speed and estimated V˙O2max) assessments were conducted at 13-15 years. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) analyzed differences between career progression levels controlling for chronological age. 57.1% and 12.1% of players selected to the TID programme progressed to academy and professional levels in rugby league, respectively. Sum of four skinfolds (η(2)=0.03), vertical jump (η(2)=0.02), 10m (η(2)=0.02), 20m (η(2)=0.02), 30m (η(2)=0.02), and 60m (η(2)=0.03) speed, agility 505 left (η(2)=0.06), agility 505 right (η(2)=0.05) and estimated V˙O2max (η(2)=0.03) were superior within junior players who progressed to professional compared to amateur levels. No significant differences were identified between future academy and professional players for any measure. Findings suggest that lower sum of four skinfolds and advanced fitness characteristics within junior (13-15 years) rugby league players may partially contribute to long-term career progression. Therefore, TID programmes within rugby league should aim to assess and develop body composition and fitness characteristics, especially change of direction speed. However, TID programmes should also consider technical, tactical and psycho-social characteristics of junior rugby league players that may be important for long-term career progression.