Does regional infrastructure investment stimulate extra housing and commercial building supply? Long-run evidence across the English regions

This paper uses long-term regional construction data to investigate whether increases infrastructure investment in the English regions leads to subsequent rises in housebuilding and new commercial property, using time series modeling. Both physical (roads and harbours) and social infrastructure (education and health) impacts are investigated across nine regions in England. Significant effects for physical infrastructure are found across most regions and, also, some evidence of a social infrastructure effect. The results are not consistent across regions, which may be due to geographical differences and to network and diversionary effects. However, the results do suggest that infrastructure does have some impact but follows differential lag structures. These results provide a test of the hypothesis of the economic benefits of infrastructure investment in an approach that has not been used before.

The effects of a changing pollution climate on throughfall deposition and cycling in a forested area in southern England

This study compares two sets of measurements of the composition of bulk precipitation and throughfall at a site in southern England with a 20-year gap between them. During this time, SO2 emissions from the UK fell by 82%, NOx emissions by 35% and NH3 emissions by 7%. These reductions were partly reflected in bulk precipitation, with deposition reductions of 56% in SO4,38% in NO3, 32% in NH4, and 73% in H+. In throughfall under Scots pine, the effects were more dramatic, with an 89% reduction in SO4 deposition and a 98% reduction in H+ deposition. The mean pH under these trees increased from 2.85 to 4.30. Nitrate and ammonium deposition in throughfall increased slightly, however. In the earlier period, the Scots pines were unable to neutralise the high flux of acidity associated with sulphur deposition, even though this was not a highly polluted part of the UK, and deciduous trees (oak and birch) were only able to neutralise it in summer when the leaves were present. In the later period, the sulphur flux had reduced to the point where the acidity could be neutralised by all species — the neutralisation mechanism is thus likely to be largely leaching of base cations and buffering substances from the foliage. The high fluxes are partly due to the fact that these are 60–80 year old trees growing in an open forest structure. The increase in NO3 and NH4 in throughfall in spite of decreased deposition seems likely due to a decrease in foliar uptake, perhaps due to the increasing nitrogen saturation of the catchment soils. These changes may increase the rate of soil microbial activity as nitrogen increases and acidity declines, with consequent effects on water quality of the catchment drainage stream.

Establishing a reliable Jini infrastructure for parallel applications

Java is becoming an increasingly popular language for developing distributed and parallel scientific and engineering applications. Jini is a Java-based infrastructure developed by Sun that can allegedly provide all the services necessary to support distributed applications. It is the aim of this paper to explore and investigate the services and properties that Jini actually provides and match these against the needs of high performance distributed and parallel applications written in Java. The motivation for this work is the need to develop a distributed infrastructure to support an MPI-like interface to Java known as MPJ. In the first part of the paper we discuss the needs of MPJ, the parallel environment that we wish to support. In particular we look at aspects such as reliability and ease of use. We then move on to sketch out the Jini architecture and review the components and services that Jini provides. In the third part of the paper we critically explore a Jini infrastructure that could be used to support MPJ. Here we are particularly concerned with Jini's ability to support reliably a cocoon of MPJ processes executing in a heterogeneous envirnoment. In the final part of the paper we summarise our findings and report on future work being undertaken on Jini and MPJ.

Does infrastructure investment stimulate building supply? The case of the English regions

Does infrastructure investment stimulate building supply? The case of the English regions, Regional Studies. Policies to improve infrastructure to stimulate regional growth remain common. This paper investigates whether increases in infrastructure investment in the English regions lead to subsequent rises in new commercial and residential property, using time-series modelling. Both physical (roads and harbours) and social infrastructure (education and health) impacts are investigated. Hardly any infrastructure effects with respect to commercial property investment were found, which raises doubts about whether extra infrastructure creates employment, though some impact was related to residential building. Overall, these results raise doubts about the supposed direct effects of infrastructure policies on regional jobs and growth.

Optimising the FAMOUS climate model: inclusion of global carbon cycling

FAMOUS fills an important role in the hierarchy of climate models, both explicitly resolving atmospheric and oceanic dynamics yet being sufficiently computationally efficient that either very long simulations or large ensembles are possible. An improved set of carbon cycle parameters for this model has been found using a perturbed physics ensemble technique. This is an important step towards building the "Earth System" modelling capability of FAMOUS, which is a reduced resolution, and hence faster running, version of the Hadley Centre Climate model, HadCM3. Two separate 100 member perturbed parameter ensembles were performed; one for the land surface and one for the ocean. The land surface scheme was tested against present-day and past representations of vegetation and the ocean ensemble was tested against observations of nitrate. An advantage of using a relatively fast climate model is that a large number of simulations can be run and hence the model parameter space (a large source of climate model uncertainty) can be more thoroughly sampled. This has the associated benefit of being able to assess the sensitivity of model results to changes in each parameter. The climatologies of surface and tropospheric air temperature and precipitation are improved relative to previous versions of FAMOUS. The improved representation of upper atmosphere temperatures is driven by improved ozone concentrations near the tropopause and better upper level winds.

Generation of nonvernal-obligate, faster-cycling Noccaea caerulescens lines through fast neutron mutagenesis

Noccaea caerulescens (formerly Thlaspi caerulescens) is a widely studied metal hyperaccumulator. However, molecular genetic studies are challenging in this species because of its vernal-obligate biennial life cycle of 7-9 months. Here, we describe the development of genetically stable, faster cycling lines of N. caerulescens which are nonvernal-obligate. A total of 5500 M(0) seeds from Saint Laurent Le Minier (France) were subjected to fast neutron mutagenesis. Following vernalization of young plants, 79 of plants survived to maturity. In all, 80 000 M(2) lines were screened for flowering in the absence of vernalization. Floral initials were observed in 35 lines, with nine flowering in < 12 wk. Two lines (A2 and A7) were selfed to the M(4) generation. Floral initials were observed 66 and 87 d after sowing (DAS) in A2 and A7, respectively. Silicle development occurred for all A2 and for most A7 at 92 and 123 DAS, respectively. Floral or silicle development was not observed in wild-type (WT) plants. Leaf zinc (Zn) concentration was similar in WT, A2 and A7 lines. These lines should facilitate future genetic studies of this remarkable species. Seed is publicly available through the European Arabidopsis Stock Centre (NASC).

Best practice in the training, appointment and remuneration of members of dispute boards for large infrastructure projects

This paper reports part of a qualitative study into evolving practice in the implementation of the Dispute Adjudication Board (DAB) construction dispute resolution technique, a variant of the Dispute Review Board (DRB) concept used in the US and Canada. Data was collected through a focus group interview of 20 highly experienced dispute resolution practitioners from engineering and the law. The group was assembled from members of FIDIC-NET with direct experience of project DABs. The part reported here concerns practice and procedure for establishing DABs. The main findings are that: constitution of the DABs is often delayed because of either project owners' ignorance of the DAB process or deterrence by the cost of the DABs; such owners also tend to insist on appointing DAB members from local engineers and lawyers without sufficient understanding of the DAB process; rates of remuneration of DAB members vary widely; the training provision for DAB membership and advocacy skills is inadequate; the process of selecting candidates for DAB membership and negotiating the tripartite agreement between each member and the contractual parties needs to be navigated with great care to avoid raising ethical problems. The research contribution is threefold. First, it highlights the importance of realistic fees for DAB members within a standard framework in achieving timely establishment of a board that works well as a team. Second, it illustrates the use of qualitative focus group interview to study the impact of new contract terms from multiple stakeholder perspectives. Finally, it identifies areas where further research is needed.

Holocene variations in peatland methane cycling associated with the Asian summer monsoon system

Atmospheric methane concentrations decreased during the early to middle Holocene; however, the governing mechanisms remain controversial. Although it has been suggested that the mid-Holocene minimum methane emissions are associated with hydrological change, direct evidence is lacking. Here we report a new independent approach, linking hydrological change in peat sediments from the Tibetan Plateau to changes in archaeal diether concentrations and diploptene delta C-13 values as tracers for methanogenesis and methanotrophy, respectively. A minimum in inferred methanogenesis occurred during the mid-Holocene, which, locally, corresponds with the driest conditions of the Holocene, reflecting a minimum in Asian monsoon precipitation. The close coupling between precipitation and methanogenesis is validated by climate simulations, which also suggest a regionally widespread impact. Importantly, the minimum in methanogenesis is associated with a maximum in methanotrophy. Therefore, methane emissions in the Tibetan Plateau region were apparently lower during the mid-Holocene and partially controlled by interactions of large-scale atmospheric circulation.

Inverse modeling of the 14C bomb pulse in stalagmites to constrain the dynamics of soil carbon cycling at selected European cave sites

The decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) is temperature dependent, but its response to a future warmer climate remains equivocal. Enhanced rates of decomposition of SOM under increased global temperatures might cause higher CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, and could therefore constitute a strong positive feedback. The magnitude of this feedback however remains poorly understood, primarily because of the difficulty in quantifying the temperature sensitivity of stored, recalcitrant carbon that comprises the bulk (>90%) of SOM in most soils. In this study we investigated the effects of climatic conditions on soil carbon dynamics using the attenuation of the 14C ‘bomb’ pulse as recorded in selected modern European speleothems. These new data were combined with published results to further examine soil carbon dynamics, and to explore the sensitivity of labile and recalcitrant organic matter decomposition to different climatic conditions. Temporal changes in 14C activity inferred from each speleothem was modelled using a three pool soil carbon inverse model (applying a Monte Carlo method) to constrain soil carbon turnover rates at each site. Speleothems from sites that are characterised by semi-arid conditions, sparse vegetation, thin soil cover and high mean annual air temperatures (MAATs), exhibit weak attenuation of atmospheric 14C ‘bomb’ peak (a low damping effect, D in the range: 55–77%) and low modelled mean respired carbon ages (MRCA), indicating that decomposition is dominated by young, recently fixed soil carbon. By contrast, humid and high MAAT sites that are characterised by a thick soil cover and dense, well developed vegetation, display the highest damping effect (D = c. 90%), and the highest MRCA values (in the range from 350 ± 126 years to 571 ± 128 years). This suggests that carbon incorporated into these stalagmites originates predominantly from decomposition of old, recalcitrant organic matter. SOM turnover rates cannot be ascribed to a single climate variable, e.g. (MAAT) but instead reflect a complex interplay of climate (e.g. MAAT and moisture budget) and vegetation development.

OzFACE: the Australian savanna free air CO2 enrichment facility and its relevance to carbon-cycling issues in a tropical savanna

A free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility has recently been constructed in a tropical savanna in north-eastern Queensland, Australia. The system has a novel and cost-effective design and uses an industrial source of pure CO2 piped directly to the site. We describe the design details of this facility and assess the likely contribution it will make towards advancing our understanding of the direct impacts of rising atmospheric CO2 on savannas. These include addressing uncertainties about future shifts in the tree–grass balance and associated changes in carbon stocks, responses of C4 grasses in dry tropical environments, potential sequestration of soil carbon, and the modifications of CO2 responses by moisture and nutrient interactions. Tropical regions have been poorly represented in climate change research, and the work at the OzFACE facility will complement existing and ongoing FACE studies at temperate latitudes.

Green infrastructure and ecosystem services - is the devil in the detail?

Background - Green infrastructure is a strategic network of green spaces designed to deliver ecosystem services to human communities. Green infrastructure is a convenient concept for urban policy makers, but the term is used too-generically and with limited understanding of the relative values or benefits of different types of green space and how these complement one another. At a finer scale/more practical level– little consideration is given to the composition of the plant-communities, yet this is what ultimately defines extent of service provision. This paper calls for greater attention to be paid to urban plantings with respect to ecosystem service delivery and for plant science to engage more-fully in identifying those plants that promote various services. Scope - Many urban plantings are designed based on aesthetics alone, with limited thought on how plant choice/composition provides other ecosystem services. Research is beginning to demonstrate, however, that landscape plants provide a range of important services, such as helping mitigate floods and alleviating heat islands, but that not all species are equally effective. The paper reviews a number of important services and demonstrates how genotype choice radically affects service delivery. Conclusions – Although research is in its infancy, data is being generated that relates plant traits to specific services; thereby helping identify genotypes that optimise service delivery. The urban environment, however, will become exceedingly bland if future planting is simply restricted to monocultures of a few ‘functional’ genotypes. Therefore, further information is required on how to design plant communities where the plants identified:- a/ provide more than a single benefit (multi-functionality) b/ complement each other in maximising the range of benefits that can be delivered in one location and c/ continue to maintain public acceptance through diversity. The identification/development of functional landscape plants is an exciting and potentially high impact arena for plant science.