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The detection of γ-rays from explosive astrophysical scenarios such as novae provides an excellent opportunity for the study of on-going nucleosynthesis in the Universe. Within this context, this work has addressed an uncertainty in the destruction rate of the 18F nucleus, thought to be the primary source of 511 keV γ-rays from novae. A direct measurement of the 18F(p,α )15O cross section has provided the opportunity to extract resonance parameters through the R-Matrix formalism. The inferred parameters of populated states in 19Ne include the observation of a broad 1/2+ state, consistent with a recent theoretical prediction, which will have a significant impact on the rate of destruction of this γ-ray producing radioisotope. The 18O(p,α )15N reaction follows similar nuclear and kinematic processes and is expected to occur in the hydrogen burning layers of AGB stars. Resonance widths have been extracted from a direct measurement in the region around a poorly constrained broad state close to the Gamow window. This has produced a new parameter set for future reference and provides new information on the reaction rate. The complex R-Matrix formalism used in these analyses is a crucial tool in the study of nuclear astrophysics reactions, and many codes have been written to implement the complex mathematics. This thesis presents a comparison of two publicly available codes from the JINA collaboration and a code used extensively by the University of Edinburgh. For this, the recent results of the 18F destruction reaction, presented here, have been used. A minor error was found within one of the codes, and corrected. The final parameters extracted, and the resulting cross sections calculations, are shown to be consistent between the three codes. A further γ-ray line of interest at 1.809 MeV, characteristic of 26Al decay, has been observed throughout the interstellar medium. If, however, this isotope is formed in a known isomeric state, its decay bypasses the emission of this γ-ray, thus complicating the interpretation of observed γ-ray fluxes. To this end, an experiment has been carried out, providing proof of principle of a direct measurement of the 26mAl(p,γ)27Si reaction. The calculation of the isomeric intensity is presented here.

Nasality is a common resonance disorder present in the speech of severely hearing impaired individuals (Hudgins, 1934). The likely cause has been attributed to structural or functional abnormalities of the velopharyngeal mechanism as well as deviations in pitch and loudness. In addition, hearing impaired individuals speak at a slower rate than normal hearing individuals which has been shown to exacerbate the presence of nasality in their speech (Colton & Cooker, 1968). The purpose of this study was to determine whether deliberate increases in speaking rate would serve to decrease the amount of nasality in the speech of severely hearing impaired individuals. The participants were 11 severe to profoundly hearing impaired students, ranging in age from 12 to 19 years (mean = 16 years). Each participant provided a baseline speech sample (R1) followed by three training sessions during which participants were trained to increase their speaking rate. Following the training sessions, a second speech sample was obtained (R2). Acoustic and perceptual analysis pf the speech samples obtained at R1 and R2 were undertaken. The acoustic analysis focused on changes in first and second formant frequency bandwidth (BW1 & BW2). The perceptual analysis involved 21 naïve listeners rating the speech samples (at R1 & R2) for perceived nasality. Findings indicated a significant increase in speaking rate at R2. In addition, a significantly narrower BW2 frequency and lower perceptual rating score was obtained at R2 across all participants, suggesting a considerable decrease in nasality as speaking rate increases. The influences of speaking rate changes on the functioning of the velopharyngeal mechanism are discussed. In addition, the clinical implications of the findings are explored.

3 pp. / Production practices for grain sorghum are discussed including hybrid selection, planting date, seeding rate, row configuration, irrigation, fertilization, pest control, and harvesting.

This dissertation presents the results of laboratory experiments in which essential aspects of the movement of F- in saturated media have been addressed. The interactions between F-solutions and quartz, vermiculite, and kaolinite were studied through batch and column experiments. Quartz was found to react slightly with F⁻ , giving data described by a quasi-linear isotherm. Vermiculite adsorbed only minute amounts of F. A large uptake of F⁻ by kaolinite was measured. Ion exchange F⁻ by 0H⁻. may not have been the exclusive mechanism operating under the experimental conditions. The kinetics of the dissolution of fluorite (CaF₂) were investigated by means of batch and column tests. There appears to be a relationship between the dissolution rate and the mean flow velocity. Solution pHs greater than 5-6 may accelerate the dissolution process. For temperatures between 15 and 30°C, the dissolution is characterized by an activation energy of about 7 Kcal/mole, which would indicate that both surface reaction and transport are the rate-limiting step. The percolation of columns containing quartz, vermiculite, and kaolinite with multi-component solutions (including F⁻) resulted in a late breakthrough of F⁻ when compared with that of the other species. Circulation of distilled water led to an almost complete recovery of the F⁻ injected, which exited the column with relative concentrations greater than 1. When the packing included fluorite and distilled water was flushed through the column for 2 days, a concentration of F⁻ of about 1.3 pprn was rapidly reached and remained constant throughout the run. Multivariate analysis techniques (factor and correspondence analyses) were applied to data from two aquifers known to carry high F-waters. Although helpful in discriminating major and minor associations of species, none of those techniques could help unravel the behavior of F⁻ in the study aquifers. It is suggested that laboratory and field studies be continued and that, for the successful modeling of the movement and distribution of F⁻ in aquifers, non-linear source/sink terms should be included in the pertinent differential equation governing the transport of solutes.

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