Effect of long-term changes in soil chemistry induced by road salt applications on N-transformations in roadside soils

Of several impacts of road salting on roadside soils, the potential disruption of the nitrogen cycle has been largely ignored. Therefore the fates of low-level ammonium-N and nitrate-N inputs to roadside soils impacted by salting over an extended period (decades) in the field have been studied. The use of road salts disrupts the proportional contributions of nitrate-N and ammonium-N to the mineral inorganic fraction of roadside soils. It is highly probable that the degree of salt exposure of the soil, in the longer term, controls the rates of key microbial N transformation processes. primarily by increasing soil pH. Additional influxes of ammonium-N to salt-impacted soils are rapidly nitrified therefore and, thereafter. increased leaching of nitrate-N to the local waterways occurs, which has particular relevance to the Water Framework Directive. The results reported are important when assessing the fate of inputs of ammonia to soils from atmospheric pollution. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All fights reserved

Panic on the streets of London

The terrorist attacks of 7 July 2005 resulted in a very large redeployment of police officers to central London boroughs. New research by Mirko Draca, Stephen Machin and Robert Witt looks at the impact of this increased security presence on criminal activity in the weeks and months after the bomb blasts

Economics of education research: a review and future prospects

In this paper we offer an appraisal of the economics of education research area, charting its history as a field and discussing the ways in which economists have contributed both to education research and to education policy-making. In particular, we highlight the theoretical and methodological contributions that economists have made to the field of education during the last 50 years. Despite the success of the economics of education as a field of inquiry, we argue that some of the contributions made by economists could be limited if the economics of education is seen as quite distinct from the other disciplines working in the field of education. In these areas of common interest, economists need to work side by side with the other major disciplines in the field of education if their contribution to the field is to be maximised, particularly in terms of applying improved methodology. We conclude that the study of education acquisition and its economic and social impact in the economics of education research area is very likely to remain a fertile research ground. Acknowledgement

Discretionary payment scheme is no answer to bedroom tax discrimination

This article explores how the availability of discretionary housing payments by local authorities is being cited by courts as grounds for dismissing challenges over the discriminatory impact of the bedroom tax

The professional and ethical dilemmas of the two-child limit for Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit

Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit provide means-tested support for low-income families. The government have introduced a two-child limit for these benefits meaning that the child element of Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit will no longer be awarded for third or subsequent children born after 06 April 2017. The government argue that the benefit system should provide a fair deal for the tax payer and that families claiming benefits should face the same financial choices as those in work. However, it has been argued that there is an inherent moral injustice in linking benefit entitlement to the size of the family and that there will be an increase in child poverty. Firstly this paper will discuss the ethics of limiting state financial support on the basis of family size with reference to how far social justice can be achieved in a 'needs based' benefits system. Secondly, there will be an analysis of the most controversial element of this policy – the so called ‘rape clause’ where an exception is applied if a claimant can demonstrate that their third or subsequent child is born as a result of non-consensual sexual intercourse. Finally the paper will identify potential implications for anti-oppressive practice