Probing natural SUSY from stop pair production at the LHC

We consider the natural supersymmetry scenario in the framework of the R-parity conserving minimal supersymmetric standard model (called natural MSSM) and examine the observability of stop pair production at the LHC. We first scan the parameters of this scenario under various experimental constraints, including the SM-like Higgs boson mass, the indirect limits from precision electroweak data and B-decays. Then in the allowed parameter space we study the stop pair production at the LHC followed by the stop decay into a top quark plus a lightest neutralino or into a bottom quark plus a chargino. From detailed Monte Carlo simulations of the signals and backgrounds, we find the two decay modes are complementary to each other in probing the stop pair production, and the LHC with $\sqrt{s}= 14$ TeV and 100 $fb^{-1}$ luminosity is capable of discovering the stop predicted in natural MSSM up to 450 GeV. If no excess events were observed at the LHC, the 95% C.L. exclusion limits of the stop masses can reach around 537 GeV.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, version accepted by JHE

Emerging social movements for sustainability: understanding and scaling up upcycling in the UK

Social movements have campaigned for environmental sustainability, most notably in relation to sustainable food production and climate change. Past research on these social movements has paid attention mainly to the relatively well-organised and established initiatives. Less attention has been paid to emerging collective actions by citizens. This chapter therefore aims to provide analyses of one such case, the upcycling movement in the UK, and considers its potential implications. The contributions to knowledge made through research in design for sustainable behaviour, upcycling, and sustainability science are outlined. Challenges for upscaling the upcycling movement are discussed, and further challenges concerning sustainability are raised

Tourism and quality of life: How does tourism measure up?

This chapter reviews and analyzes the contribution that tourism development makes to quality-of-life (QOL). The chapter commences with a review of the sociocultural, economic, and environmental effects of tourism development as it relates to QOL. It will be argued that tourism studies have generally relied on observations and measurement by researchers, who have explored residents’ perceived impacts of tourism on their community. In contrast to community-centric impact studies, this chapter is concerned with how economic, social, and environmental impacts of tourism are manifested and how tourism is contributing to QOL and overall life satisfaction. An importance-performance analysis (IPA) is used to achieve this goal. The opinions of experts in tourism development are used as a basis for identifying the importance of 45 attributes of QOL and for assessing how well tourism performs on each. The literature review, analysis, and findings indicate that tourism has the potential to contribute to enhanced QOL through economic benefits, but this can be at the expense of social equity, cultural identity, and environmental sustainability. There is also considerable room for improvement in tourism’s performance with respect to contributing to local communities and provision of leadership and corporate social responsibility as they relate to the key attributes of QOL in tourism destinations. Research propositions emerging from the findings could inform the future direction of inquiry into the complex relationships and interdependencies between tourism, QOL, and the well-being of both tourists and the communities they visit