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A study of methods for evaluating the integrity of plate type heat exchangers used in the dairy industry (2007)
Journal Article
Dowman, A. A., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2007). A study of methods for evaluating the integrity of plate type heat exchangers used in the dairy industry. International Journal of Dairy Technology, 53(1), 30-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0307.2000.tb02650.x

An overview of leak testing methods for heat exchangers is presented. The problems associated with the presence of residual liquid during testing were assessed as it was shown experimentally that complete drainage of plate type heat exchangers is ver... Read More about A study of methods for evaluating the integrity of plate type heat exchangers used in the dairy industry.

Volatile organic compounds from feces and their potential for diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease (2007)
Journal Article
Garner, C. E., Smith, S., De Lacy Costello, B., White, P., Spencer, R., Probert, C. S., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2007). Volatile organic compounds from feces and their potential for diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease. FASEB Journal, 21(8), 1675-1688. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.06-6927com

Little is known about the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in feces and their potential health consequences. Patients and healthcare professionals have observed that feces often smell abnormal during gastrointestinal disease. The aim of this work wa... Read More about Volatile organic compounds from feces and their potential for diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease.

Voronoi diagrams generated by regressing edges of precipitation fronts (2004)
Journal Article
Hantz, P., de Lacy Costello, B., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2004). Voronoi diagrams generated by regressing edges of precipitation fronts. Journal of Chemical Physics, 120(5), 2413-2416. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1635358

The Voronoi diagram generated by regression edges of precipitation fronts was analyzed. In the reaction-diffusion system, one of the reagents penetrates into a gel by diffusion and forms a precipitate with the other reagent homogenized in the gel. It... Read More about Voronoi diagrams generated by regressing edges of precipitation fronts.

A novel method for rapidly diagnosing the causes of diarrhoea (2004)
Journal Article
Jones, P. R. H., Probert, C. S. J., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2004). A novel method for rapidly diagnosing the causes of diarrhoea. Gut, 53(1), 58-61. https://doi.org/10.1136/gut.53.1.58

Background: The microbiological diagnosis of infectious diarrhoea may take several days using conventional techniques. In order to determine whether flatus can be used to make a rapid diagnosis, the volatile organic compounds associated with diarrhoe... Read More about A novel method for rapidly diagnosing the causes of diarrhoea.

Identification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the volatile organic compounds emitted from the wood-rotting fungi Serpula lacrymans and Coniophora puteana, and from Pinus sylvestris timber (2004)
Journal Article
Ewen, R. J., Jones, P. R., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Spencer-Phillips, P. T. (2004). Identification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the volatile organic compounds emitted from the wood-rotting fungi Serpula lacrymans and Coniophora puteana, and from Pinus sylvestris timber. Mycological Research, 108(7), 806-814. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095375620400022X

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by two wood-rotting basidiomycete fungi, Serpula lacrymans (dry rot fungus) and Coniophora puteana (cellar fungus), and the timber of Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine), were identified. Several volatile collectio... Read More about Identification by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the volatile organic compounds emitted from the wood-rotting fungi Serpula lacrymans and Coniophora puteana, and from Pinus sylvestris timber.

The synthesis of novel 3-substituted pyrrole monomers possessing chiral side groups: A study of their chemical polymerisation and the assessment of their chiral discrimination properties (2003)
Journal Article
de Lacy Costello, B., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Sivanand, P. S. (2003). The synthesis of novel 3-substituted pyrrole monomers possessing chiral side groups: A study of their chemical polymerisation and the assessment of their chiral discrimination properties. Synthetic Metals, 139(1), 43-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-6779%2802%2901247-X

Novel 3-substituted pyrrole monomers possessing chiral side groups were synthesised. These compounds were successfully polymerised with ferric salts and the polymer materials fabricated into sensors. The sensors were found to elicit differential chan... Read More about The synthesis of novel 3-substituted pyrrole monomers possessing chiral side groups: A study of their chemical polymerisation and the assessment of their chiral discrimination properties.

Experimental reaction-diffusion chemical processors for robot path planning (2003)
Journal Article
Adamatzky, A., de Lacy Costello, B., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Melhuish, C. (2003). Experimental reaction-diffusion chemical processors for robot path planning. Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, 37(3), 233-249. https://doi.org/10.1023/A%3A1025414424756

In this paper we discuss the experimental implementation of a chemical reaction-diffusion processor for robot motion planning in terms of finding the shortest collision-free path for a robot moving in an arena with obstacles. These reaction-diffusion... Read More about Experimental reaction-diffusion chemical processors for robot path planning.

Thick film organic vapour sensors based on binary mixtures of metal oxides (2003)
Journal Article
Ewen, R. J., de Lacy Costello, B., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Sivanand, P. S. (2003). Thick film organic vapour sensors based on binary mixtures of metal oxides. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 92(1-2), 159-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-4005%2803%2900258-2

Previously, composite sensors incorporating differing proportions of tin dioxide and zinc oxide were reported which exhibited high sensitivity to a range of organic vapours under dry conditions (0% relative humidity, RH). Most importantly, the compos... Read More about Thick film organic vapour sensors based on binary mixtures of metal oxides.

A prototype sensor system for the early detection of microbially linked spoilage in stored wheat grain (2003)
Journal Article
de Lacy Costello, B., Ewen, R., Gunson, H., Ratcliffe, N. M., Sivanand, P., & Spencer-Phillips, P. T. (2003). A prototype sensor system for the early detection of microbially linked spoilage in stored wheat grain. Measurement Science and Technology, 14(4), 397-409. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/14/4/301

Spencer-Phillips was Co-Investigator, the lead biologist in this HGCA-funded multi-disciplinary work, and co-wrote the paper. The grant was based on his expertise in the microbiology of post-harvest spoilage.

Syntheses and polymerizations of (E)-2-styrylfurans and an investigation of their electrorheological properties (2003)
Journal Article
Ewen, R. J., Teare, G. C., Campbell, S. A., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Smith, J. R. (2003). Syntheses and polymerizations of (E)-2-styrylfurans and an investigation of their electrorheological properties. Smart Materials and Structures, 12(1), 129-138. https://doi.org/10.1088/0964-1726/12/1/315

Novel furan compounds, which incorporate phenyl rings separated by alkene spacers, have been synthesized. Chemical polymerization of these compounds yielded black brittle powders, suspensions of which were found to exhibit significant electrorheologi... Read More about Syntheses and polymerizations of (E)-2-styrylfurans and an investigation of their electrorheological properties.

A prototype sensor system for the early detection of microbially linked spoilage in stored wheat grain (2003)
Journal Article
Gunson, H., de Lacy Costello, B., Ratcliffe, N. M., Ewen, R. J., Sivanand, P. S., & Spencer-Phillips, P. T. (2003). A prototype sensor system for the early detection of microbially linked spoilage in stored wheat grain. Measurement Science and Technology, 14(4), 397-409. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/14/4/301

Sensors based on composites of metal oxides were fabricated and tested extensively under high-humidity and high-flow conditions with exposure to vapours reported to increase in the headspace of wheat grain (Triticum aestivum cv Hereward) colonized by... Read More about A prototype sensor system for the early detection of microbially linked spoilage in stored wheat grain.

Highly sensitive mixed oxide sensors for the detection of ethanol (2002)
Journal Article
de Lacy Costello, B., Ewen, R., Guernion, N., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2002). Highly sensitive mixed oxide sensors for the detection of ethanol. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 87(1), 207-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0925-4005%2802%2900220-4

Sensors consisting of mixtures of tin dioxide and zinc oxide powders in a range of proportions were constructed. Each mixture was applied to an electrode-bearing alumina substrate either as a paste, or by screen printing. The responses of these senso... Read More about Highly sensitive mixed oxide sensors for the detection of ethanol.

Experimental reaction-diffusion pre-processor for shape recognition (2002)
Journal Article
Adamatzky, A., de Lacy Costello, B., & Ratcliffe, N. M. (2002). Experimental reaction-diffusion pre-processor for shape recognition. Physics Letters A, 297(5-6), 344-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0375-9601%2802%2900289-X

We have produced an experimental implementation of a massively-parallel reaction-diffusion processor which performs one of the most essential parts of shape recognition - construction of a skeleton. A skeleton is a unique, stable and invariant repres... Read More about Experimental reaction-diffusion pre-processor for shape recognition.

The fabrication and characterisation of a highly sensitive polypyrrole sensor and its electrical responses to amines of differing basicity at high humidities (2002)
Journal Article
Guernion, N., Ewen, R. J., Pihlainen, K., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Teare, G. C. (2002). The fabrication and characterisation of a highly sensitive polypyrrole sensor and its electrical responses to amines of differing basicity at high humidities. Synthetic Metals, 126(2-3), 301-310. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0379-6779%2801%2900572-0

Ammonia is a common feedstock for many chemical processes involving nitrogen compounds. It is a poisonous, colourless gas with a pungent smell and a fairly low odour threshold of approximately 5 ppm. The recommended threshold limit value for human ex... Read More about The fabrication and characterisation of a highly sensitive polypyrrole sensor and its electrical responses to amines of differing basicity at high humidities.

Deposition and characterization by surface plasmon resonance of Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of three macrocyclic conjugated tetrapyrrole compounds exposed to chlorine gas (2002)
Journal Article
Honeybourne, C. L., Portus, D., Ratcliffe, N. M., Richardson, T., & Ashwell, G. (2002). Deposition and characterization by surface plasmon resonance of Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of three macrocyclic conjugated tetrapyrrole compounds exposed to chlorine gas. Polish Journal of Chemistry, 76(2-3), 367-376

Conducting polymers as coatings: Electrochemical and density functional theory investigations of the polymerisation (2002)
Journal Article
Smith, J., Cox, P., Ratcliffe, N. M., & Campbell, S. (2002). Conducting polymers as coatings: Electrochemical and density functional theory investigations of the polymerisation. Transactions of the Institute of Metal Finishing, 80(2), 52-55

Electroactive materials such as polypyrrole and polythiophene have many applications including their use as coatings in the metal finishing industry. Electrochemical and density functional theory (DFT) studies of a series of derivatised thiophene mol... Read More about Conducting polymers as coatings: Electrochemical and density functional theory investigations of the polymerisation.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of volatile organic compounds from potato tubers inoculated with Phytophthora infestans or Fusarium coeruleum (2001)
Journal Article
Spencer-Phillips, P. T., Ratcliffe, N. M., Jones, P. R., De Lacy Costello, B. P., de Lacy Costello, B., Evans, P., …Spencer-Phillips, P. T. (2001). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of volatile organic compounds from potato tubers inoculated with Phytophthora infestans or Fusarium coeruleum. Plant Pathology, 50(4), 489-496. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3059.2001.00594.x

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) collected from potato tubers inoculated with Phytophthora infestans (late blight), Fusarium coeruleum (dry rot) or sterilized distilled water (as a control) were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (G... Read More about Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses of volatile organic compounds from potato tubers inoculated with Phytophthora infestans or Fusarium coeruleum.