Domain-initial strengthening on oral vowels in français : interaction with phonological contrasts.

Le but de cette thèse est de mieux comprendre le phénomène de renforcement initial pour les voyelles du français : ses mécanismes de réalisations et sa fonction linguistique. Pour cela, cette thèse compare la réalisation acoustique et articulatoire (lèvres et menton) des voyelles orales du français /i, e, ɛ, a, y, ø, œ, u, o, ɔ/ en position strictement initiale de Groupe Intonatif et en position médiane de Groupe Intonatif. Le corpus a été enregistré par quatre locutrices avec deux appareils en simultané : une caméra pour l’analyse de l’aperture et l’étirement des lèvres et un appareil de capture mouvements (Qualisys) pour l’analyse articulatoire de la protrusion des lèvres et de l’abaissement du menton. Une étude acoustique a également été menée (formants, intensité, durée). Cette thèse montre que, d’une part, le renforcement initial modifie des caractéristiques phonétiques des voyelles qui peuvent contribuer, à renforcer les contrastes syntagmatiques en augmentant la sonorité de la voyelle: augmentation de l’aperture et l’étirement aux lèvres pour l’ensemble des voyelles et augmentation d’intensité acoustique pour la plupart. D’autre part, le renforcement initial renforce des caractéristiques acoustiques et articulatoires propres à chaque voyelle. Ces variations contribuent à maximiser les contrastes paradigmatiques entre voyelles : soit par une maximisation de chacune des valeurs du contraste ([+F] et [-F]), soit par une maximisation d’une des deux valeurs du contraste ([+F] ou [-F]).The goal of this thesis is to better understand the phenomenon of domain-initial strengthening on French vowels: how it is realized and its linguistic function. We compare the acoustic and articulatory variations (on the lips and chin) of the French oral vowels /i, e, ɛ, a, y, ø, œ, u, o, ɔ/ in initial position of Intonational Phrase and in medial position of Intonational Phrase. The corpus was recorded by four female speakers with two different systems simultaneously. Lip aperture and lip width were analyzed from the video data and lip protrusion and lowering of the chin were captured by an optical motion capture system (Qualisys). An acoustic study was also conducted (formants, intensity, duration). Results show that initial strengthening affects phonetic properties of vowels which may contribute to enhance syntagmatic contrasts by increasing their sonority: increased lip aperture and width for all vowels, and increased acoustic intensity for most. Moreover, initial strengthening enhances vowel-specific acoustic and articulatory properties. Consequently, initial strengthening contributes to maximize paradigmatic contrasts between vowels, either by maximizing contrast of each of the values ([+F] and [-F]), either, or by maximizing the value of a single contrast ([+F] or [-F])

Rounding and height contrast at the beginning of different prosodic constituents in French.

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Thermodynamic analysis of additives to render the ethanol-water azeotrope and gasoline miscible

M.S.Jude T. Sommerfel

Mesures de protrusion par capture optique de mouvements : quelle métrique est la plus représentative de l’opposition d’arrondissement en français ?

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Development of a mathematical model of a packed column for benzene removal from salt solutions

A mathematical model of a packed column was developed to describe the removal of benzene from radioactive salt solutions at the Savannah River Site. The model was developed from existing, generalized mass transfer correlations for randomly dumped packing, and the correlations were adapted for structured packing. Thermophysical data specific to the solutions of interest were incorporated into the model. Verification of the code was completed using operating data from stripping columns at other locations

Evaluation of concentrations of hazardous components to support removal of the Tank 48 thermowell

In support of start-up activities for the In Tank Precipitation (ITP) process, a thermowell is scheduled to be removed from Tank 48. Disposal of the thermowell in the Solid Waste Disposal Facility (SWDF) requires manifesting the quantities of several radioisotopes and, equally important, declaring that the waste package is nonhazardous. Sampling of the waste in the package (i.e., the thermowell) to determine quantities of hazardous materials or to perform a Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) is not prudent or practical. Extremely high dose rates due to contamination of the thermowell preclude any close contact to obtain smear samples, and obtaining a representative sample of the various parts of the thermowell for a TCLP is not feasible. Alternatively, the TCLP can be simulated using a limited amount of data supplemented with process knowledge. This information can be further developed into a conservative screening tool to provide guidance on declaring whether the waste package is hazardous or not. This report documents the information and calculations of hazardous component concentrations used to support the possible disposal of the Tank 48 thermowell

Group contribution equations of state for complex fluid mixtures

Ph.D.Amyn S. Tej

Characterization of hazardous constituents in HLW supernate and implications for solid LLW generation

High Level Waste (HLW) generated during Separations processing in the F- and H-Canyons is transferred to the Tank Farms for stage in 51 underground, million gallon storage tanks. The waste is an aqueous solution containing dissolved sodium salts and insoluble metal oxides/hydroxides. The waste solution is evaporated to reduce the volume, and the resulting saltcake and residual supernate are stored. Over the 40 year history of the Tank Farm, routine supernate sampling has been conducted in support of the primary goal of safe storage of HLW. As a result of routine and non-routine activities that are part of managing these highly radioactive wastes, secondary solid waste is generated. Radioactive contamination of over 90% of the solid waste generated is due to contact with BLW supernate or saltcake. In order to comply with the Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) for of solid waste in the E-Area Vaults (EAV), the quantity of certain radioisotopes must be manifested for each waste container and a declaration made of whether or not the waste is hazardous. However, solid waste is not amenable to routine analysis, this forces a reliance on analytical data from supernate samples to characterize the contamination. To provide the manifest information, process knowledge in combination with the limited amount of analytical data will be used. This report documents the characterization of hazardous components in the HLW supernate associated with the waste storage, evaporation and sludge processing facilities. The hazardous constituents of HLW are identified and the fate of the constituents is tracked based on knowledge of each phase of the process. The limited amount of sample data that includes analyses for hazardous species is then used to establish average and maximum characterization values. Finally, a screening based on an average supernate is compared to the criteria for the individual streams to evaluate the amount of conservatism introduced for the individual streams

Allocation issues in LCA methodology: the case study of bio-based aggregates

International audienc

Variations de la configuration labiale des voyelles /i, y, a/: effets de la position prosodique et du locuteur

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