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Background & Aim: To assess consonant proficiency and velopharyngeal function in 10-year-old children born with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) within the Scandcleft project.Methods & Procedures: Three parallel group, randomized, clinical trials were undertaken as an international multicentre study by nine cleft teams in five countries. Three different surgical protocols for primary palate repair (Arm B–Lip and soft palate closure at 3–4 months, hard palate closure at 36 months, Arm C–Lip closure at 3–4 months, hard and soft palate closure at 12 months, and Arm D–Lip closure at 3–4 months combined with a single-layer closure of the hard palate using a vomer flap, soft palate closure at 12 months) were tested against a common procedure (Arm A–Lip and soft palate closure at 3–4 months followed by hard palate closure at 12 months) in the total cohort of 431 children born with a non-syndromic UCLP. Speech audio and video recordings of 399 children were available and perceptually analysed. Percentage of consonants correct (PCC) from a naming test, an overall rating of velopharyngeal competence (VPC) (VPC-Rate), and a composite measure (VPC-Sum) were reported.Outcomes & Results: The mean levels of consonant proficiency (PCC score) in the trial arms were 86–92% and between 58% and 83% of the children had VPC (VPC-Sum). Only 50–73% of the participants had a consonant proficiency level with their peers. Girls performed better throughout. Long delay of the hard palate repair (Arm B) indicated lower PCC and simultaneous hard and soft palate closure higher (Arm C). However, the proportion of participants with primary VPC (not including velopharyngeal surgeries) was highest in Arm B (68%) and lowest in Arm C (47%).Conclusions & Implications: The speech outcome in terms of PCC and VPC was low across the trials. The different protocols had their pros and cons and there is no obvious evidence to recommend any of the protocols as superior. Aspects other than primary surgical method, such as time after velopharyngeal surgery, surgical experience, hearing level, language difficulties and speech therapy, need to be thoroughly reviewed for a better understanding of what has affected speech outcome at 10 years.

Target K-shell ionisation and K-shell capture cross sections differential in projectile scattering angle have been measured for selected combinations of accelerated 1H, 4He and 7Li ions and gaseous targets of neon and argon. The K-shell vacancy producing events were identified by scattered-particle, KLL Auger electron coincidence techniques. The choice of projectile-target combinations has resulted in a set of data illustrating for fully stripped projectiles, the dependence of the K-shell processes on projectile atomic number Z1 and target atomic number Z2 at a fixed collision velocity nu , measured relative to the orbital velocity of the K-shell electron nu K ( nu / nu K approximately=0.46). Further, in view of theoretical predictions, the selection is aimed in particular at forming groups of data with approximately constant Z1/Z2 ratios. In one case, He to Ne, the authors also studied the K-shell ionisation process (i) for projectiles carrying electrons, to test for a possible charge state effect, and (ii) for faster, fully stripped projectiles ( nu / nu K approximately=0.8). The authors also present measurements of impact-parameter-dependent, total capture probabilities.

Cross sections differential in projectile scattering angle for total K-shell-vacancy production and for electron capture from the K shell by 200-600 keV H+ in carbon (CH4) and 500-1500 keV H+ in neon have been measured using scattered-particle, Auger electron coincidence techniques. The collision velocities range from 0.46 to 0.86 in units of the K-shell velocities, and the scattering angles correspond to impact parameters within a region around the K-shell radius. The ratio between the differential cross sections for K-shell capture and for total K-shell-vacancy production depends weakly on the scattering angle at the present collision velocities. The measured differential cross sections are transformed to impact parameter dependent probabilities to facilitate comparison with theoretical predictions. First-order perturbation theory with accurate initial and final electronic wavefunctions reproduces the main characteristics of the experimental ionisation probabilities. Recent progress in the theoretical description of capture in asymmetric collisions brings the theoretical predictions into close agreement with the experimental data for the capture process.