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Showing papers by "Lancaster University published in 2011"


Proceedings ArticleDOI
26 Oct 2011
TL;DR: A system for accurate real-time mapping of complex and arbitrary indoor scenes in variable lighting conditions, using only a moving low-cost depth camera and commodity graphics hardware, which fuse all of the depth data streamed from a Kinect sensor into a single global implicit surface model of the observed scene in real- time.
Abstract: We present a system for accurate real-time mapping of complex and arbitrary indoor scenes in variable lighting conditions, using only a moving low-cost depth camera and commodity graphics hardware. We fuse all of the depth data streamed from a Kinect sensor into a single global implicit surface model of the observed scene in real-time. The current sensor pose is simultaneously obtained by tracking the live depth frame relative to the global model using a coarse-to-fine iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm, which uses all of the observed depth data available. We demonstrate the advantages of tracking against the growing full surface model compared with frame-to-frame tracking, obtaining tracking and mapping results in constant time within room sized scenes with limited drift and high accuracy. We also show both qualitative and quantitative results relating to various aspects of our tracking and mapping system. Modelling of natural scenes, in real-time with only commodity sensor and GPU hardware, promises an exciting step forward in augmented reality (AR), in particular, it allows dense surfaces to be reconstructed in real-time, with a level of detail and robustness beyond any solution yet presented using passive computer vision.

4,184 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
20 Oct 2011-Nature
TL;DR: It is found that biodiversity values were substantially lower in degraded forests, but that this varied considerably by geographic region, taxonomic group, ecological metric and disturbance type.
Abstract: Human-driven land-use changes increasingly threaten biodiversity, particularly in tropical forests where both species diversity and human pressures on natural environments are high. The rapid conversion of tropical forests for agriculture, timber production and other uses has generated vast, human-dominated landscapes with potentially dire consequences for tropical biodiversity. Today, few truly undisturbed tropical forests exist, whereas those degraded by repeated logging and fires, as well as secondary and plantation forests, are rapidly expanding. Here we provide a global assessment of the impact of disturbance and land conversion on biodiversity in tropical forests using a meta-analysis of 138 studies. We analysed 2,220 pairwise comparisons of biodiversity values in primary forests (with little or no human disturbance) and disturbed forests. We found that biodiversity values were substantially lower in degraded forests, but that this varied considerably by geographic region, taxonomic group, ecological metric and disturbance type. Even after partly accounting for confounding colonization and succession effects due to the composition of surrounding habitats, isolation and time since disturbance, we find that most forms of forest degradation have an overwhelmingly detrimental effect on tropical biodiversity. Our results clearly indicate that when it comes to maintaining tropical biodiversity, there is no substitute for primary forests.

1,640 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
K. Abe1, N. Abgrall2, Yasuo Ajima, Hiroaki Aihara1  +413 moreInstitutions (53)
TL;DR: The T2K experiment observes indications of ν (μ) → ν(e) appearance in data accumulated with 1.43×10(20) protons on target, and under this hypothesis, the probability to observe six or more candidate events is 7×10(-3), equivalent to 2.5σ significance.
Abstract: The T2K experiment observes indications of nu(mu) -> nu(mu) e appearance in data accumulated with 1.43 x 10(20) protons on target. Six events pass all selection criteria at the far detector. In a three-flavor neutrino oscillation scenario with |Delta m(23)(2)| = 2.4 x 10(-3) eV(2), sin(2)2 theta(23) = 1 and sin(2)2 theta(13) = 0, the expected number of such events is 1.5 +/- 0.3(syst). Under this hypothesis, the probability to observe six or more candidate events is 7 x 10(-3), equivalent to 2.5 sigma significance. At 90% C.L., the data are consistent with 0.03(0.04) < sin(2)2 theta(13) < 0.28(0.34) for delta(CP) = 0 and a normal (inverted) hierarchy.

1,361 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: A golden age for heavy-quarkonium physics dawned a decade ago, initiated by the confluence of exciting advances in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and an explosion of related experimental activity. The early years of this period were chronicled in the Quarkonium Working Group (QWG) CERN Yellow Report (YR) in 2004, which presented a comprehensive review of the status of the field at that time and provided specific recommendations for further progress. However, the broad spectrum of subsequent breakthroughs, surprises, and continuing puzzles could only be partially anticipated. Since the release of the YR, the BESII program concluded only to give birth to BESIII; the B-factories and CLEO-c flourished; quarkonium production and polarization measurements at HERA and the Tevatron matured; and heavy-ion collisions at RHIC have opened a window on the deconfinement regime. All these experiments leave legacies of quality, precision, and unsolved mysteries for quarkonium physics, and therefore beg for continuing investigations at BESIII, the LHC, RHIC, FAIR, the Super Flavor and/or Tau-Charm factories, JLab, the ILC, and beyond. The list of newly found conventional states expanded to include h(c)(1P), chi(c2)(2P), B-c(+), and eta(b)(1S). In addition, the unexpected and still-fascinating X(3872) has been joined by more than a dozen other charmonium- and bottomonium-like "XYZ" states that appear to lie outside the quark model. Many of these still need experimental confirmation. The plethora of new states unleashed a flood of theoretical investigations into new forms of matter such as quark-gluon hybrids, mesonic molecules, and tetraquarks. Measurements of the spectroscopy, decays, production, and in-medium behavior of c (c) over bar, b (b) over bar, and b (c) over bar bound states have been shown to validate some theoretical approaches to QCD and highlight lack of quantitative success for others. Lattice QCD has grown from a tool with computational possibilities to an industrial-strength effort now dependent more on insight and innovation than pure computational power. New effective field theories for the description of quarkonium in different regimes have been developed and brought to a high degree of sophistication, thus enabling precise and solid theoretical predictions. Many expected decays and transitions have either been measured with precision or for the first time, but the confusing patterns of decays, both above and below open-flavor thresholds, endure and have deepened. The intriguing details of quarkonium suppression in heavy-ion collisions that have emerged from RHIC have elevated the importance of separating hot- and cold-nuclear-matter effects in quark-gluon plasma studies. This review systematically addresses all these matters and concludes by prioritizing directions for ongoing and future efforts.

1,354 citations


MonographDOI
01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the Second Edition Preface to 3.0 Theories Mass Tourism Economies Working under the Gaze Changing Tourist Cultures Places, Buildings and Design Vision and Photography Performances Risks and Futures
Abstract: Preface Preface to the Second Edition Preface to 3.0 Theories Mass Tourism Economies Working under the Gaze Changing Tourist Cultures Places, Buildings and Design Vision and Photography Performances Risks and Futures

970 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 2011-Pain
TL;DR: Screening questionnaires are suitable for identifying potential patients with neuropathic pain, but further validation of them is needed for epidemiological purposes and quantitative sensory testing is recommended for selected cases in clinic, including the diagnosis of small fiber neuropathies and for research purposes.
Abstract: This is a revision of guidelines, originally published in 2004, for the assessment of patients with neuropathic pain. Neuropathic pain is defined as pain arising as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system either at peripheral or central level. Screening questionnaires are suitable for identifying potential patients with neuropathic pain, but further validation of them is needed for epidemiological purposes. Clinical examination, including accurate sensory examination, is the basis of neuropathic pain diagnosis. For more accurate sensory profiling, quantitative sensory testing is recommended for selected cases in clinic, including the diagnosis of small fiber neuropathies and for research purposes. Measurement of trigeminal reflexes mediated by A-beta fibers can be used to differentiate symptomatic trigeminal neuralgia from classical trigeminal neuralgia. Measurement of laser-evoked potentials is useful for assessing function of the A-delta fiber pathways in patients with neuropathic pain. Functional brain imaging is not currently useful for individual patients in clinical practice, but is an interesting research tool. Skin biopsy to measure the intraepidermal nerve fiber density should be performed in patients with clinical signs of small fiber dysfunction. The intensity of pain and treatment effect (both in clinic and trials) should be assessed with numerical rating scale or visual analog scale. For future neuropathic pain trials, pain relief scales, patient and clinician global impression of change, the proportion of responders (50% and 30% pain relief), validated neuropathic pain quality measures and assessment of sleep, mood, functional capacity and quality of life are recommended.

909 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
K. Abe1, N. Abgrall2, Hiroaki Aihara1, Yasuo Ajima  +533 moreInstitutions (53)
TL;DR: The T2K experiment as discussed by the authors is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment whose main goal is to measure the last unknown lepton sector mixing angle by observing its appearance in a particle beam generated by the J-PARC accelerator.
Abstract: The T2K experiment is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment Its main goal is to measure the last unknown lepton sector mixing angle {\theta}_{13} by observing { u}_e appearance in a { u}_{\mu} beam It also aims to make a precision measurement of the known oscillation parameters, {\Delta}m^{2}_{23} and sin^{2} 2{\theta}_{23}, via { u}_{\mu} disappearance studies Other goals of the experiment include various neutrino cross section measurements and sterile neutrino searches The experiment uses an intense proton beam generated by the J-PARC accelerator in Tokai, Japan, and is composed of a neutrino beamline, a near detector complex (ND280), and a far detector (Super-Kamiokande) located 295 km away from J-PARC This paper provides a comprehensive review of the instrumentation aspect of the T2K experiment and a summary of the vital information for each subsystem

714 citations


Book
06 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce the notion of impoliteness and define a metadiscourse for understanding it: face and social norms, intentionality and emotions, and co-texts and contexts.
Abstract: Introducing impoliteness 1. Understanding impoliteness I: face and social norms 2. Understanding impoliteness II: intentionality and emotions 3. Impoliteness metadiscourse 4. Conventionalised formulaic impoliteness and its intensification 5. Non-conventionalised impoliteness: implicational impoliteness 6. Impoliteness events: co-texts and contexts 7. Impoliteness events: functions 8. Conclusions.

662 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The work demonstrates the promise of eye-based activity recognition (EAR) and opens up discussion on the wider applicability of EAR to other activities that are difficult, or even impossible, to detect using common sensing modalities.
Abstract: In this work, we investigate eye movement analysis as a new sensing modality for activity recognition. Eye movement data were recorded using an electrooculography (EOG) system. We first describe and evaluate algorithms for detecting three eye movement characteristics from EOG signals-saccades, fixations, and blinks-and propose a method for assessing repetitive patterns of eye movements. We then devise 90 different features based on these characteristics and select a subset of them using minimum redundancy maximum relevance (mRMR) feature selection. We validate the method using an eight participant study in an office environment using an example set of five activity classes: copying a text, reading a printed paper, taking handwritten notes, watching a video, and browsing the Web. We also include periods with no specific activity (the NULL class). Using a support vector machine (SVM) classifier and person-independent (leave-one-person-out) training, we obtain an average precision of 76.1 percent and recall of 70.5 percent over all classes and participants. The work demonstrates the promise of eye-based activity recognition (EAR) and opens up discussion on the wider applicability of EAR to other activities that are difficult, or even impossible, to detect using common sensing modalities.

619 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore sustainable consumption and consider possible roles for marketing and consumer researchers and public policy makers in addressing the many sustainability challenges that pervade the planet, and propose a macro-institutional approach to fostering sustainability.
Abstract: This essay explores sustainable consumption and considers possible roles for marketing and consumer researchers and public policy makers in addressing the many sustainability challenges that pervade the planet. Future research approaches to this interdisciplinary topic must be comprehensive and systematic and would benefit from a variety of different perspectives. There are several opportunities for further research; the authors explore three areas in detail. First, they consider the inconsistency between the attitudes and behaviors of consumers with respect to sustainability. Second, they broaden the agenda to explore the role of individual citizens in society. Third, they propose a macroinstitutional approach to fostering sustainability. For each of these separate, but interrelated, opportunities, the authors examine the area in detail and consider possible research avenues and public policy initiatives.

578 citations


Book
20 Jan 2011
TL;DR: In this paper, a relation to the world of concern and its relation to social science is discussed. But the focus is on the ethical dimension of life and not the social science itself.
Abstract: Preface and acknowledgements 1. Introduction: a relation to the world of concern 2. Values within reason 3. Reason beyond rationality: values and practical reason 4. Beings for whom things matter 5. Understanding the ethical dimension of life 6. Dignity 7. Critical social science and its rationales 8. Implications for social science Appendix: comments on philosophical theories of ethics Bibliography Index.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a framework is developed that shows two situated, but interlinked, discursive activities, "performing the conversation" and "setting the scene", to be critical to the accomplishment of middle manager sensemaking.
Abstract: This paper seeks to better understand the way middle managers contribute strategically to the development of an organization by examining how they enact the strategic roles allocated to them, with particular reference to strategic change. Through vignettes drawn from the authors' current research, a framework is developed that shows two situated, but interlinked, discursive activities, ‘performing the conversation’ and ‘setting the scene’, to be critical to the accomplishment of middle manager sensemaking. Language use is key, but needs to be combined with an ability to devise a setting in which to perform the language. The paper shows how middle managers knowledgeably enact these two sets of discursive activities by drawing on contextually relevant verbal, symbolic, and sociocultural systems, to allow them to draw people from different organizational levels into the change as they go about their day-to-day work.

Journal ArticleDOI
23 Sep 2011-Science
TL;DR: This article conducted a standardized sampling in 48 herbaceous-dominated plant communities on five continents and found no clear relationship between productivity and fine-scale (meters−2) richness within sites, within regions, or across the globe.
Abstract: For more than 30 years, the relationship between net primary productivity and species richness has generated intense debate in ecology about the processes regulating local diversity. The original view, which is still widely accepted, holds that the relationship is hump-shaped, with richness first rising and then declining with increasing productivity. Although recent meta-analyses questioned the generality of hump-shaped patterns, these syntheses have been criticized for failing to account for methodological differences among studies. We addressed such concerns by conducting standardized sampling in 48 herbaceous-dominated plant communities on five continents. We found no clear relationship between productivity and fine-scale (meters−2) richness within sites, within regions, or across the globe. Ecologists should focus on fresh, mechanistic approaches to understanding the multivariate links between productivity and richness.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reported a strong Anderson localization and the corresponding metal-insulator transition in ultra-high-quality graphene, where the transition is controlled externally, by changing the carrier density in another graphene layer placed at a distance of several nm and decoupled electrically.
Abstract: Disordered conductors with resistivity above the resistance quantum h/e(2) should exhibit an insulating behaviour at low temperatures, a universal phenomenon known as a strong (Anderson) localization(1-3). Observed in a multitude of materials, including damaged graphene and its disordered chemical derivatives(4-10), Anderson localization has not been seen in generic graphene, despite its resistivity near the neutrality point reaching approximate to h/e(2) per carrier type(4,5). It has remained a puzzle why graphene is such an exception. Here we report a strong localization and the corresponding metal-insulator transition in ultra-high-quality graphene. The transition is controlled externally, by changing the carrier density in another graphene layer placed at a distance of several nm and decoupled electrically. The entire behaviour is explained by electron-hole puddles that disallow localization in standard devices but can be screened out in double-layer graphene. The localization that occurs with decreasing rather than increasing disorder is a unique occurrence, and the reported double-layer heterostructures presents a new experimental system that invites further studies.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Six complementary approaches are proposed, namely: optimizing developmental pattern to maximize spike fertility and grain number, optimizing spike growth to maximize grain number and dry matter harvest index, improving spike fertility through desensitizing floret abortion to environmental cues, and improving potential grain size and grain filling.
Abstract: A substantial increase in grain yield potential is required, along with better use of water and fertilizer, to ensure food security and environmental protection in future decades. For improvements in photosynthetic capacity to result in additional wheat yield, extra assimilates must be partitioned to developing spikes and grains and/or potential grain weight increased to accommodate the extra assimilates. At the same time, improvement in dry matter partitioning to spikes should ensure that it does not increase stem or root lodging. It is therefore crucial that improvements in structural and reproductive aspects of growth accompany increases in photosynthesis to enhance the net agronomic benefits of genetic modifications. In this article, six complementary approaches are proposed, namely: (i) optimizing developmental pattern to maximize spike fertility and grain number, (ii) optimizing spike growth to maximize grain number and dry matter harvest index, (iii) improving spike fertility through desensitizing floret abortion to environmental cues, (iv) improving potential grain size and grain filling, and (v) improving lodging resistance. Since many of the traits tackled in these approaches interact strongly, an integrative modelling approach is also proposed, to (vi) identify any trade-offs between key traits, hence to define target ideotypes in quantitative terms. The potential for genetic dissection of key traits via quantitative trait loci analysis is discussed for the efficient deployment of existing variation in breeding programmes. These proposals should maximize returns in food production from investments in increased crop biomass by increasing spike fertility, grain number per unit area and harvest index whilst optimizing the trade-offs with potential grain weight and lodging resistance.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There was a positive relationship between species richness and C cycling in 77-100% of low-diversity experiments, even when the richness of just one biotic group was manipulated, whereas positive relationships occurred less frequently in studies with greater richness, which indicated functional redundancy at low extents of diversity.
Abstract: Biodiversity and carbon (C) cycling have been the focus of much research in recent decades, partly because both change as a result of anthropogenic activities that are likely to continue. Soils are extremely species-rich and store approximately 80% of global terrestrial C. Soil organisms play a key role in C dynamics and a loss of species through global changes could influence global C dynamics. Here, we synthesize findings from published studies that have manipulated soil species richness and measured the response in terms of ecosystem functions related to C cycling (such as decomposition, respiration and the abundance or biomass of decomposer biota) to evaluate the impact of biodiversity loss on C dynamics. We grouped studies where one or more biotic groups had been manipulated to include a richness of 10 species in order to reflect 'low' and 'high' extents of diversity manipulations. There was a positive relationship between species richness and C cycling in 77-100% of low-diversity experiments, even when the richness of just one biotic group was manipulated, whereas positive relationships occurred less frequently in studies with greater richness (35-64%). Moreover, when positive relationships were observed, these often indicated functional redundancy at low extents of diversity or that community composition had a stronger influence on C cycling than did species richness. Initial reductions in soil species richness resulting from global changes are unlikely to alter C dynamics significantly unless particularly influential species are lost. However, changes in community composition, and the loss of species with an ability to facilitate specialized soil processes related to C cycling, as a result of global changes, may have larger impacts on C dynamics.

Journal ArticleDOI
Georges Aad1, Brad Abbott2, Jalal Abdallah3, A. A. Abdelalim4  +3034 moreInstitutions (179)
TL;DR: In this article, a search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented, and the data were recorded by the ATLAS experiment in sqrt(s) = 7 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, accounting and finance research on corporate governance (CG) is reviewed, focusing on a particularly vexing issue, namely endogeneity in the relationships between CG and other matters of concern to accounting and financial scholars, and suggest ways to deal with it.
Abstract: We review accounting and finance research on corporate governance (CG). In the course of our review, we focus on a particularly vexing issue, namely endogeneity in the relationships between CG and other matters of concern to accounting and finance scholars, and suggest ways to deal with it. Given the advent of large commercial CG databases, we also stress the importance of how CG is measured and in particular, the construction of CG indices, which should be sensitive to local institutional arrangements, and the need to capture both internal and external aspects of governance. The ‘stickiness’ of CG characteristics provides an additional challenge to CG scholars. Better theory is required, for example, to explain whether various CG practices substitute for each other or are complements. While a multidisciplinary approach to developing better theory is never without its difficulties, it could enrich the current body of knowledge in CG. Despite the vastness of the existing CG literature, these issues do suggest a number of avenues for future research.

Journal ArticleDOI
Georges Aad1, Brad Abbott2, Jalal Abdallah3, A. A. Abdelalim4  +3104 moreInstitutions (190)
TL;DR: In this paper, the particle multiplicity, its dependence on transverse momentum and pseudorapidity and the relationship between the mean transversal momentum and the charged-particle multiplicity are measured.
Abstract: Measurements are presented from proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of root s = 0.9, 2.36 and 7 TeV recorded with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. Events were collected using a single-arm minimum-bias trigger. The charged-particle multiplicity, its dependence on transverse momentum and pseudorapidity and the relationship between the mean transverse momentum and charged-particle multiplicity are measured. Measurements in different regions of phase space are shown, providing diffraction-reduced measurements as well as more inclusive ones. The observed distributions are corrected to well-defined phase-space regions, using model-independent corrections. The results are compared to each other and to various Monte Carlo (MC) models, including a new AMBT1 pythia6 tune. In all the kinematic regions considered, the particle multiplicities are higher than predicted by the MC models. The central charged-particle multiplicity per event and unit of pseudorapidity, for tracks with p(T) > 100 MeV, is measured to be 3.483 +/- 0.009 (stat) +/- 0.106 (syst) at root s = 0.9 TeV and 5.630 +/- 0.003 (stat) +/- 0.169 (syst) at root s = 7 TeV.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper provides a literature review which categorizes the research to date on lateral transshipments, so that differences can be understood and gaps within the literature can be identified.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the requirements for research, practices and policies affecting soil management in relation to global food security are reviewed, and the application of molecular methods to studies of soil organisms, and their interactions with roots, is providing new understanding of soil ecology and the basis for novel practical applications.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors demonstrate the dramatically different transport properties in trilayer graphene with different stacking orders, and the unexpected spontaneous gap opening in charge neutral r-TLG, which is a signature of the Lifshitz transition, a topological change in the Fermi surface.
Abstract: Graphene is an extraordinary two-dimensional (2D) system with chiral charge carriers and fascinating electronic, mechanical and thermal properties. In multilayer graphene, stacking order provides an important yet rarely explored degree of freedom for tuning its electronic properties. For instance, Bernal-stacked trilayer graphene (B-TLG) is semi-metallic with a tunable band overlap, and rhombohedral-stacked trilayer graphene (r-TLG) is predicted to be semiconducting with a tunable band gap. These multilayer graphenes are also expected to exhibit rich novel phenomena at low charge densities owing to enhanced electronic interactions and competing symmetries. Here we demonstrate the dramatically different transport properties in TLG with different stacking orders, and the unexpected spontaneous gap opening in charge neutral r-TLG. At the Dirac point, B-TLG remains metallic, whereas r-TLG becomes insulating with an intrinsic interaction-driven gap ~6 meV. In magnetic fields, well-developed quantum Hall (QH) plateaux in r-TLG split into three branches at higher fields. Such splitting is a signature of the Lifshitz transition, a topological change in the Fermi surface, that is found only in r-TLG. Our results underscore the rich interaction-induced phenomena in trilayer graphene with different stacking orders, and its potential towards electronic applications.

Journal ArticleDOI
10 Jun 2011-Science
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of species gain and loss have been investigated. But the authors focus on traits associated with species loss, and much remains unknown about how traits that predispose species to extinction affect ecological processes.
Abstract: Ecosystems worldwide are losing some species and gaining others, resulting in an interchange of species that is having profound impacts on how these ecosystems function. However, research on the effects of species gains and losses has developed largely independently of one another. Recent conceptual advances regarding effects of species gain have arisen from studies that have unraveled the mechanistic basis of how invading species with novel traits alter biotic interactions and ecosystem processes. In contrast, studies on traits associated with species loss are fewer, and much remains unknown about how traits that predispose species to extinction affect ecological processes. Species gains and losses are both consequences and drivers of global change; thus, explicit integration of research on how both processes simultaneously affect ecosystem functioning is key to determining the response of the Earth system to current and future human activities.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Li et al. as mentioned in this paper investigate executive compensation and corporate governance in China's publicly traded firms and compare executive pay in China to the USA, and find that executive compensation is positively correlated to firm performance.
Abstract: We investigate executive compensation and corporate governance in China’s publicly traded firms. We also compare executive pay in China to the USA. Consistent with agency theory, we find that executive compensation is positively correlated to firm performance. The study shows that executive pay and CEO incentives are lower in State controlled firms and firms with concentrated ownership structures. Boardroom governance is important. We find that firms with more independent directors on the board have a higher pay-for-performance link. Non-State (private) controlled firms and firms with more independent directors on the board are more likely to replace the CEO for poor performance. Finally, we document that US executive pay (salary and bonus) is about seventeen times higher than in China. Significant differences in US-China pay persist even after controlling for economic and governance factors.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the recent developments and future prospects of improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops using various complementary approaches, including conventional breeding and molecular genetics, in addition to alternative farming techniques based on no-till continuous cover cropping cultures and/or organic nitrogen (N) nutrition.
Abstract: In this review, we present the recent developments and future prospects of improving nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in crops using various complementary approaches. These include conventional breeding and molecular genetics, in addition to alternative farming techniques based on no-till continuous cover cropping cultures and/or organic nitrogen (N) nutrition. Whatever the mode of N fertilization, an increased knowledge of the mechanisms controlling plant N economy is essential for improving NUE and for reducing excessive input of fertilizers, while maintaining an acceptable yield and sufficient profit margin for the farmers. Using plants grown under agronomic conditions, with different tillage conditions, in pure or associated cultures, at low and high N mineral fertilizer input, or using organic fertilization, it is now possible to develop further whole plant agronomic and physiological studies. These can be combined with gene, protein and metabolite profiling to build up a comprehensive picture depicting the different steps of N uptake, assimilation and recycling to produce either biomass in vegetative organs or proteins in storage organs. We provide a critical overview as to how our understanding of the agro-ecophysiological, physiological and molecular controls of N assimilation in crops, under varying environmental conditions, has been improved. We have used combined approaches, based on agronomic studies, whole plant physiology, quantitative genetics, forward and reverse genetics and the emerging systems biology. Long-term sustainability may require a gradual transition from synthetic N inputs to legume-based crop rotation, including continuous cover cropping systems, where these may be possible in certain areas of the world, depending on climatic conditions. Current knowledge and prospects for future agronomic development and application for breeding crops adapted to lower mineral fertilizer input and to alternative farming techniques are explored, whilst taking into account the constraints of both the current world economic situation and the environment.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
21 May 2011
TL;DR: Using largely qualitative questionnaire and interview methods, a range of technical, organizational and social factors that apparently influence organizational responses to MDE are investigated and its perception as a successful or unsuccessful organizational intervention is investigated.
Abstract: This paper presents some initial results from a twelve-month empirical research study of model driven engineering (MDE). Using largely qualitative questionnaire and interview methods we investigate and document a range of technical, organizational and social factors that apparently influence organizational responses to MDE: specifically, its perception as a successful or unsuccessful organizational intervention. We then outline a range of lessons learned. Whilst, as with all qualitative research, these lessons should be interpreted with care, they should also be seen as providing a greater understanding of MDE practice in industry, as well as shedding light on the varied, and occasionally surprising, social, technical and organizational factors that affect success and failure. We conclude by suggesting how the next phase of the research will attempt to investigate some of these issues from a different angle and in greater depth.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
17 Sep 2011
TL;DR: In UK homes PreHeat both saved gas and reduced MissTime (the time that the house was occupied but not warm) while removing the need for users to program thermostat schedules.
Abstract: Home heating is a major factor in worldwide energy use. Our system, PreHeat, aims to more efficiently heat homes by using occupancy sensing and occupancy prediction to automatically control home heating. We deployed PreHeat in five homes, three in the US and two in the UK. In UK homes, we controlled heating on a per-room basis to enable further energy savings. We compared PreHeat's prediction algorithm with a static program over an average 61 days per house, alternating days between these conditions, and measuring actual gas consumption and occupancy. In UK homes PreHeat both saved gas and reduced MissTime (the time that the house was occupied but not warm). In US homes, PreHeat decreased MissTime by a factor of 6-12, while consuming a similar amount of gas. In summary, PreHeat enables more efficient heating while removing the need for users to program thermostat schedules.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take a variationist approach to an emerging "Multicultural London English" (MLE), asking: (1) what features characterise MLE; (2) at what age(s) are they acquired; (3) is MLEvernacularised; and (4) when did MLE emerge, and what factors enabled this?
Abstract: In the multilingual centres of Northern Europe's major cities, new varieties of the host languages are emerging. While some analyse these ‘multiethnolects’ as youth styles, we take a variationist approach to an emerging ‘Multicultural London English’ (MLE), asking: (1) what features characterise MLE; (2) at what age(s) are they acquired; (3) is MLE vernacularised; and (4) when did MLE emerge, and what factors enabled this? We argue that innovations in the diphthongs and the quotative system are generated from the specific sociolinguistics of inner-city London, where at least half the population is undergoing group second-language acquisition and where high linguistic diversity leads to a heterogeneous feature pool to select from. We look for incrementation (Labov 2001) in the acquisition of the features, but find this only for two ‘global’ changes, BE LIKE and goose-fronting, for which adolescents show the highest usage. Community-internal factors explain the age-related variation in the remaining features.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Appreciation of this comorbidity needs to be a fundamental component of both mental health and intellectual disability services.
Abstract: Background Mental disorder and intellectual disability each accounts for substantial burden of disease. However, the extent of this co-occurrence varies substantially between reports. We sought to ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The prevalence of likely clinical levels of behavioural and emotional problems was highest among children with ASD (with and without ID), and ASD (but not ID) is positively associated with maternal emotional disorder.
Abstract: Background: While research indicates elevated behavioural and emotional problems in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and decreased well-being in their parents, studies do not typically separate out the contribution of ASD from that of associated intellectual disabilities (ID). We investigated child behavioural and emotional problems, and maternal mental health, among cases with and without ASD and ID in a large population-representative sample. Methods: Cross-sectional comparison of child behavioural and emotional problems and maternal mental health measures among 18,415 children (5 to 16 years old), of whom 47 had an ASD, 51 combined ASD with ID, 590 had only ID, and the remainder were the comparison group with no ASD or ID. Results: The prevalence of likely clinical levels of behavioural and emotional problems was highest among children with ASD (with and without ID). After controlling for age, gender, adversity, and maternal mental health, the presence of ASD and ID significantly and independently increased the odds for hyperactivity symptoms, conduct, and emotional problems. Emotional disorder was more prevalent in mothers of children with ASD (with or without ID). The presence of ASD, but not ID, significantly increased the odds for maternal emotional disorder. As has been found in previous research, positive maternal mental health was not affected by the presence of ASD or ID. Conclusions: ASD and ID are independent risk factors for behavioural and emotional problems. ASD (but not ID) is positively associated with maternal emotional disorder. Approaches to diagnosing hyperactivity and conduct problems in children with ASD may need to be reconsidered.