Improved Measurement of the Muon Lifetime and Determination of the Fermi Constant

The MuLan collaboration has measured the lifetime of the positve muon to a precision of 1.0 parts per million. The Fermi constant is determined to a precision of 0.6 parts per million.Comment: Proceedings of CKM2010, the 6th International Workshop on the CKM Unitarity Triangle, University of Warwick, UK, 6-10 September 201

The potential role of socio-hydrological models for participatory water governance in Burkina Faso

Halting and reversing water quality degradation is a major global concern. The variety of needs and priorities placed on water resources make the issue of water pollution multifaceted and complex. Addressing water quality management requires an approach that can tackle the diversity of requirements and concerns to achieve effective strategies. In Burkina Faso, stakeholder participation plays an important role in effective catchment management. The Participatory Water Governance Project in Rural Burkina Faso has developed support strategies to strengthen the capacity of local-level Water User Committees. Research conducted by TU Wien (Technical University Vienna) and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) aims to support the project by exploring the potential role of socio-hydrological models in water management decision making. The areas around the River Kou and Bapla Reservoir were the focus for this part of the study. The specific question addressed by TU Wien was: can a socio-hydrological model be developed that accurately captures the relationships between people and water quality in the study area

Degradation of water resources in rural Burkina Faso: drivers, local perceptions and solutions.

Burkina Faso reformed its water management institutions and adopted integrated water resources management (IWRM) for more than two decades, yet the country still suffers from weak institutions and ineffective implementation of water management reforms. The key institutional question is: “How can IWRM reforms be adapted to increase effectiveness and sustainability of water management, and improve livelihoods of rural populations through increased participation of local stakeholders?” A key practical issue related to this bigger institutional question is to understand the barriers to adoption of good land and water management measures by riparian farmers and other land/water users, and the mechanisms to induce behavioral change among these users. Knowledge gaps exist in understanding the local perceptions and preferences of alternative management measures, and the incentive mechanisms to induce behavioral change. The aim of this study, which was part of a 3-year project entitled ‘Participatory planning for more inclusive and sustainable water management in rural Burkina Faso’, was to understand the perceptions, preferences and willingness of farmers and other land/water users to adopt environmentally friendly land and water management measures. The study also examined potential mechanisms that could induce riparian economic actors to adopt such measures

Ženske in islam v urbanem Burkina Fasu. Definicije in interpretacije pobožnosti

Članek predstavi in analizira koncepte in interpretacije pobožnosti pri muslimankah v urbanem Burkina Fasu ter jih primerja z razumevanjem enakih konceptov v drugih delih zahodne Afrike. Skoz osebne zgodbe informatork ugotavlja neskladje med diskurzom in prakso in skuša ugotoviti, zakaj posameznice, ki največkrat delujejo v enakih razumevanjskih okvirih, v praksi stvari ne vidijo, in ne počnejo, na enak način. *** This article introduces and analyses concepts and interpretations of piety among Muslim women in urban Burkina Faso and compares them with the understanding of these same concepts in other parts of West Africa. Through personal histories of chosen informants it observes the gap between the discourse and the practice and attempts to understand why these individuals, who most often operate within the same conceptual frames, in practice often do not see or do the things in the same way

Vacuum Chamber Construction and Contamination Study of a Micro Pulsed Plasma Thruster

The micro pulsed plasma thruster (micro-PPT) is a simple and versatile electric thruster capable of performing multiple missions, from precise attitude control on standard satellites to primary propulsion for nanosatellites. In order to fill this role as both industry and government move toward utilizing smaller satellites, micro-PPTs first need to be thoroughly tested on the ground. This study examines the deposition profile and rate of particle emission from the thruster so that satellite designers understand any potential contamination issues with sensitive instruments and solar panels. Employing a newly assembled vacuum chamber system, four tests were completed with the micro-PPTs, and the results showed that particles discharge in all directions, with the surfaces directly facing the propellant tube collecting exponentially more particle deposition than surfaces at wider angles

A Psychoanalytic Inquiry into Social Aggression as a Form of Bullying among Female Students

Bullying among children and adolescents, particularly within the school setting, has drawn much attention in recent years as a reaction to an onslaught of high profile school violence in the 1990s. While much attention and research focused upon physical violence that was prevalent among male students, very little research covered indirect, relational, and social forms of aggression. Research into the covert manners of aggression that involved the manipulation of relationships revealed them to be salient among female students, demonstrating that female students were predominantly aggressive in a different manner than their male counterparts. Psychoanalytic theories of attachment and aggression guide this research as a theoretical framework for interpreting social aggression as a form of bullying among adolescent female students. To better understand the influences of society upon the developing psyches of young females, which also encompass the influence of mothers, social media, and the hidden curriculum of schooling, psychoanalytic theories of attachment and aggression offer insight to the following questions: How do societal perceptions of the female gender lead to a prevalence of social aggression? What perpetuates social aggression as a form of bullying among female students? A detailed exploration of the conflicting societal perceptions and expectations placed upon female students is included. In addition, the increased use of social media adds another method of covert aggression to the repertoire of adolescent girls via cyberbullying. Finally, a look at the hidden curriculum in schools indicates a reiteration of societal expectations for females, as well as a diminished focus upon relationships with students as teachers struggle to meet increasing academic demands. The developing psyches of adolescent females are challenged by the conflicting societal perceptions of females, cyber-communications, as well as the hidden curriculum of schooling, all of which function as impediments to relationships among adolescent females. Through socially aggressive means, girls have found an inconspicuous outlet through which to channel their aggression toward one another. Suggestions for facilitating change with the involvement of parents, bystanders, and educators are included for improving the relational attachments of adolescent female students in an effort to reduce the prevalence and impact of social aggression

Is the Attractive Nuisance Doctrine Outmoded

The history of the attractive nuisance rule shows that it stemmed from the turntable cases because the courts felt that an owner of a contrivance of this nature was negligent in not keeping it locked when he realized that small children would play on it. From this shaky proposition of law was built the even shakier structure of the attractive nuisance. There was no longer any question of the owner failing to repair a lock on a turntable, but the mere fact that the instrumentality or appliance was there became enough to find the owner liable towards trespassing children. The attractive nuisance doctrine as such should be discarded and each case decided on its own merits with due regard given to whether or not the child was or was not a trespasser