No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

In explosive astrophysical environments such as novae, X-ray bursters and supernovae, conditions of extreme temperature and density are achieved. Under such conditions, both the rate of energy release and path of nucleosynthesis are governed by reactions on unstable nuclei. In this light, direct reaction studies using radioactive ion beams play a vital role in determining nuclear reaction rates. However, in the vast majority of cases, direct measurements are not possible and as such, indirect measurements are equally important for the understanding of the main reaction processes driving astrophysical events. In this thesis work, indirect studies of the astrophysically important 19Ne(p,γ)20Na and 29P(p,γ)30S reactions have been performed. For the first reaction, a β-delayed proton decay study of 20Mg was performed to gain information about the spin-parity assignment of the first key resonance above the proton emission threshold in the compound nucleus 20Na. This resonance is expected to dominate the 19Ne(p,γ)20Na reaction rate in explosive astrophysical environments and its identity has been under discussion for a long time, with J π = 1+ and 3+ assignments suggested. In the present study an upper limit on the β-decay branch to this state of 0.02% with a con dence level of 90% is reported. This is signi cantly more stringent than previous studies and makes a 1+ assignment highly unlikely, favouring instead a 3+ assignment. A 3+ assignment is predicted to have a signi cantly higher resonance strength and produce a proportionately higher 19Ne(p,γ)20Na reaction rate in X-ray burst conditions. The second study performed was a detailed gamma-ray spectroscopy study of the nucleus 30S. Excitation energies have been determined with improved precision over previous studies and the first,firm spin-parity assignments of key 29P + p resonant states, expected to dominate the 29P(p,γ)30S reaction in stellar scenarios, have been made. An evaluation of the 29P(pγ)30S reaction over the temperature range T = 0.06-2.5 GK shows that the 3+ and 2+ resonant states located at Er = 292.0(9) and 413.1(10) keV, respectively, dominate the 29P(p,γ)30S reaction rate in ONe novae, while the 413 keV resonance is expected to govern the rate in X-ray burster environments. These new, precise resonance energy measurements and firm spin-parity assignments have signi cantly reduced uncertainties in the 29P(p,γ)30S reaction in ONe novae and X-ray bursters. In particular, the reaction rate is now speci ed precisely enough for calculations of isotopic abundances in ONe novae ejecta.

Gastric emptying of Sprattus sprattus and Arenicola spp. (gastric lavage) and formulated pellets (X-Ray studies) was investigated in a range of sizes of whiting, Merlangius merlangus fed different meal sizes at different temperatures. Emptying of indigestible solids, barium sulphate spheroids and ballotini were also studied. Additionally stomach contents of whiting sampled from Red Wharf Bay, Eastern Anglesey, UK. were analysed to determine diet composition, diel feeding periodicity and feeding strategy of whiting. Daily and total annual intake of main prey taxa, sprat, sandeel and crab, were estimated. Finally feeding behaviour of whiting in captivity was monitored. With respect to the studies conducted under laboratory conditions, it was found that gastric emptying is best described by a linear function. The results indicated significant changes in gastric emptying rates with both prey type and size. The seasonal change in temperature did not yield a significant change in gastric emptying rate. Increase in diet surface area also did not alter the gastric emptying rate significantly. The results have also shown that in continuously- feeding whiting gastric emptying is affected by the second meal such that the arrival of the second meal is accompanied by rapid emptying of a small fraction of the first meal. Despite difficulties encountered with individual variation among whiting of similar size held under similar conditions, gastric emptying times (GET) for both natural food and formulated pellets can be adequately predicted by the equations: GET = 126.47 W -0.111 g 0.26 e -0.068T for the natural food, GET = 6.6 e -0.09T + 2.48 W0.566 e -0.044T for the formulated pellets; where W is the fish weight (g), S is the meal size (g) and T is the temperature (°C) suggesting that a similar meal size of formulated pellet is emptied faster than natural food, Sprattus sprattus. This was interpreted as evidence that natural diets may reflect a combination of 2 factors (a) the relative size of stimulation to the stomach (% distension) and (b) the existence of protective, fibrous skin which resists digestion. Barium sulphate spheroids of diameter 1 mm (ca 20 per g food) and ballotini of diameter 0.029- 0.049 mm (60-100 per 1.58g) were selectively retained by the whiting stomach, suggesting that these indigestible materials can not be used in gastric emptying studies in whiting. Under laboratory conditions with continuous food availability, medium size whiting (155.25±27.98 g) consumed 5.29 g sprat corresponding to 3.41 %bw (approximately 3 sprat, 1.88g each) at 14 °C. The return of appetite after a single meal was found to follow the gastric emptying curve closely. However if food is not offered directly, but made available through demand feeding, the whiting feed rhythmically (every 21 hours), under these conditions it was estimated that feeding activity returns when the stomach is 40 % full. It wa§ found that, in the wild, whiting prefer fish (Sprattus sprattus and Ammodytes spp. ) and crustaceans and only turn to the polychaetes as a third option, even when they are readily available, when preferred food is scarce. The availability of prey was found to be the main criterion in whiting feeding strategy. In March fish were dominant for most whiting, in August and September/October however, Liocarcinus spp. and Corystes cassivelaunus were the main prey items found in whiting stomach reflecting the availability of these prey species. A highly correlated relationship was found between predator (whiting) and prey (sandeel) length, however this was not noticed for sprat; whiting prey on sprat regardless of its length. An increase in feeding intensity was observed in the morning (August), in the evening (September/October), or at both times, crepuscular feeding pattern, (March). However, when feeding behaviour was investigated under laboratory conditions it was found that whiting is mainly a day time feeder with a slight increase in the morning and in the evening, but some feeding also occurs at night. Additionally a strong tendency was found for crustaceans to be found in fish captured during the daylight hours and fish at night in August and September/October. A linear model to estimate food consumption from the field samples was developed. F= (S2-S1) + 1.5 K T, where S2 and SI are average stomach contents at time tI and t2, K is the gastric emptying rate (gh-1) and T is temperature (°C). The average recruited whiting stock in the area of approximately 150 km2 in Red Wharf Bay was estimated to be 129,000 with a total biomass of 22 tonnes. It was estimated that young whiting (groups 0+ to 3+ years) in Red Wharf Bay eat between 1.29 and 6.57 g day-1 in February. By August, when temperature has maximised, these values increase by approximately 70-80 %. Daily intake of sprat, sandeel and crab was estimated to be 0.41,0.14 and 0.14 g for the 0+ group. This was increased to 0.70,0.80 and 0.94 g by the age of 4. On a daily basis the long-term average of the amount of sprat, sandeel and crab consumed were estimated to be 820, 370 and 520 g/km2/day respectively. Total food consumption per year by the recruited whiting stock in the area studied however was 44.8 tonnes of sprat (approximately 11.5 million sprats), 20 tonnes of sandeel and 28.5 tonnes of crab. These figures were compared with the available data from the North Sea as well as from other parts of the Irish Sea and it was concluded that whiting in the Irish Sea eat more than they do in the North Sea.

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M.Com. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Com. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The pure expectations hypothesis says that forward rates, implied off a yield curve, are unbiased predictors of future spot rates. Which implies forward rates, according to the pure expectations hypothesis, should provide reliable forecasts of future spot rates. This study set out to see if the theory behind the pure expectations hypothesis holds in a South African context. If it does hold, it can have an impact on real world applications such as bond trading strategies and the setting of monetary policy. To test the theory behind the pure expectations hypothesis, South African government bond data for the short end of the yield curve was used. Various regression tests were run. These regressions tested mainly for forward rate forecast accuracy, the relationship between forecast errors and changes in the spot rate, for the presence of liquidity premiums and to test for market efficiency. The results indicated that forecast accuracy and the relationship between forecast errors and changes in the spot rate were contrary to the theory behind the pure expectations hypothesis. A liquidity premium was found to exist and there appeared to be weak form market efficiency. These results led to a conclusion that there is very little evidence to support the theory behind the pure expectations hypothesis. This was mainly due to the presence of a liquidity premium. The pure expectations hypothesis does not seem to be of any significant use within real world applications.