Moving players,traversing perspectives: Global value chains,production networks and Ghanaian football labour migration

This article examines the production and transnational export of Ghanaian football labour. It does so via a cross-disciplinary approach that utilises perspectives rooted in the sociology of development (global value chains) and economic geography (global production networks). The article is underpinned by two central arguments. Firstly, it contends that the GVC framework is useful in accounting for how Ghanaian players are produced and prepared for the international market, identifying the key agents and agencies involved, mapping the geography of production and export and assessing the institutional context within which the trade operates locally, nationally and internationally. The second draws on the GPN perspective to argue that while Ghanaian football labour migration remains a process contoured by uneven asymmetries of power that favour actors, stakeholders and entities in the global North, there are currently segments of the production–export chain where power is much more diffuse and some benefits are captured in the global South. The paper draws on interview data and observations gleaned from four periods of multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in Ghana between January 2008 and June 2011.     

Wide‐azimuth angle gathers for anisotropic wave‐equation migration

Extended common‐image‐point gathers (CIP) constructed by wide‐azimuth TI wave‐equation migration contain all the necessary information for angle decomposition as a function of the reflection and azimuth angles at selected locations in the subsurface. The aperture and azimuth angles are derived from the extended images using analytic relations between the space‐ and time‐lag extensions using information which is already available at the time of migration, i.e. the anisotropic model parameters. CIPs are cheap to compute because they can be distributed in the image at the most relevant positions, as indicated by the geologic structure. If the reflector dip is known at the CIP locations, then the computational cost can be reduced by evaluating only two components of the space‐lag vector. The transformation from extended images to angle gathers is a planar Radon transform which depends on the local medium parameters. This transformation allows us to separate all illumination directions for a given experiment, or between different experiments. We do not need to decompose the reconstructed wavefields or to choose the most energetic directions for decomposition. Applications of the method include illumination studies in complex areas where ray‐based methods fail, and assuming that the subsurface illumination is sufficiently dense, the study of amplitude variation with aperture and azimuth angles.     

印支期龙门山造山楔推进作用与前陆型礁滩迁移过程研究

马鞍塘期龙门山前陆盆地是印支期造山楔加载于扬子地台西缘而形成的挠曲前陆盆地。根据地表露头、钻孔剖面和地震反射剖面资料,本文通过分析前陆盆地早期前陆缓坡型鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁组合在时间和空间上的迁移规律,标定了卡尼期龙门山造山楔的推进速率。结果表明:卡尼期马鞍塘组是分布于底部不整合面之上的第一套地层单元,在垂向上前陆型鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁组合显示为鲕粒灰岩滩-生物碎屑滩-硅质海绵礁灰岩-泥页岩的向上变细的沉积序列,记录了前缘隆起边缘碳酸盐缓坡和海绵礁的构建和淹没过程,反映了在相对海平面的持续上升中鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁被淹没致死的过程。在横向上,盆地结构显示为西厚东薄,并向西倾斜的不对称盆地,由西向东依次分布了深水盆地、碳酸盐缓坡和海绵礁和浅水滨岸带等沉积物类型,显示了从龙门山造山楔向前陆一侧具有泥页岩向鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁的变化特征。其中鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁丘组合发育于15～30m深度的前陆同斜缓坡上,呈面向西的条带状展布,其走向线与龙门山冲断带的走向大致平行。并可将其划分为7个鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁相带,表明卡尼期硅质海绵礁丘和滩沿底部不整合面向南东方向的前陆缓坡超覆,其超覆线和相带的走向与龙门山冲断带的走向平行,显示了7条硅质海绵礁丘和滩是随着相对海平上升过程而向南东方向的前陆缓坡超覆过程中逐次形成的。卡尼期硅质海绵礁迁移速率为18mm·yr-1,其与龙门山造山楔推进速率(15mm·yr-1)基本一致,表明印支期龙门山逆冲楔推进速率与前陆鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁丘迁移速率具有明显的耦合关系。据此,本次提出了龙门山前陆盆地早期前陆型碳酸盐缓坡和硅质海绵礁的迁移模式,其形成的过程为:龙门山造山楔于卡尼期初始构造负载于扬子板块西缘,导致了前陆地区的挠曲沉降,形成了前陆盆地,驱动了相对海平面的持续上升,前陆盆地处于欠补偿状态,当相对海平面上升速率与硅质海绵礁生长速率相同时,在15～30m深度的前陆同斜缓坡上发育了鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁丘组合,随着龙门山造山楔不断地的向前陆地区推进,前陆盆地内相对海平面持续上升,逐次在前陆缓坡上15～30m深度的的位置开启了新的硅质海绵礁群的生长窗,形成了本区卡尼期7条带状展布的鲕粒滩-硅质海绵礁丘组合。因此,硅质海绵礁的淹没过程和迁移过程是龙门山造山楔向扬子克拉通推进过程的沉积响应,显示了在卡尼期-诺利期松潘-甘孜残留洋盆的迅速闭合和逆冲楔构造负载向扬子板块推进的动力学过程。     

气象干旱对中亚棉花产量的影响

极端干旱事件频发对中亚棉花生产具有重要影响。本文利用乌兹别克斯坦赞格阿塔实验站棉花大田试验数据评估了APSIM-Cotton模型的适用性,根据CMIP6气候模式模拟的SSP1-2.6、SSP3-7.0和SSP5-8.5等3种共享社会经济路径下的气候变化数据集,分析了2021—2090年SPEI-3干旱指数的变化特征,进而利用APSIM-Cotton模型模拟了考虑CO₂肥效作用的气象干旱对棉花产量的影响。结果表明：APSIM-Cotton模型能够准确模拟乌兹别克斯坦塔什干地区的生育期和产量变化趋势;未来塔什干地区呈现温度明显升高、干旱发生频率明显增加的特征;气象干旱将导致棉花产量下降,SSP1-2.6、SSP3-7.0和SSP5-8.5等3种排放情景下,严重气象干旱导致2021—2050年棉花产量较1961—1990年分别下降28.0%、29.6%和32.1%,2061—2090年棉花分别减产31.5%、33.1%和35.7%,在SSP3-7.0和SSP5-8.5情景下,极端气象干旱导致2061—2090年棉花产量分别下降41.3%和54.2%;CO₂浓度升高可提高棉花产量,贡献率为14.9%~25.0%,但浓度达到750 µmol/mol以上时,棉花增产幅度将不再持续增加。     

基于PCA结合污染物迁移模型的油气田开采影响环境的风险评估研究

为改善油气田开采过程中的环境,本文结合主成分分析法(Principal Component Analysis)与污染物迁移模型,对研究区的油气田开采过程中的污染物进行了分析,主要研究其在土壤中的迁移程度。本研究首先介绍了油气田开采产生污染物的研究背景与污染物种类,其次结合主成分分析法对污染物中的主要成分进行了筛选,最后构建污染物迁移模型,对污染物在土壤以及水体中的迁移进行了研究。结果表明,本文中的主要污染物为石油类、酸、氟离子、氯离子和COD(Chemical Oxygen Demand)、BOD(Biochemical oxygen demand),石油类所占比重最大,为23.63%;石油类污染物在黑钙土中的迁移最广,直至土层厚度为35cm,污染物浓度从18365 mg/kg降到0;石油类污染物在黑钙土中的迁移符合负指数规律;当酸液浓度在1%、2%、3%、4%时,氢离子在土壤中随深度的变化一致,土层厚度为20cm时,11%的酸液酸值高于低浓度土壤酸值,11%的酸液在快速淋滤状态下比缓慢淋滤快一步到达定值;氯离子和氟离子的迁移深度变化基本符合负指数变化规律;低浓度的污染物比高浓度的污染物更早达到定值;石油类污染物在土壤中的迁移能力较弱;本次研究实验值与模拟值基本一致,研究成果良好。石油类污染物在土壤中的迁移能力较弱,酸性污染物对土壤有一定影响。     

Creating a mutual gains climate regime through universal clean energy services

Climate change is a serious threat to all nations. This raises the question of why continuous treaty negotiations for more than two decades have failed to create a viable or adequate international climate regime. The current strategy of addressing climate change misdiagnoses the issue as a pollution problem by focusing on symptoms (emissions) and not on underlying causes (unsustainable development). In short, the wrong treaty is being negotiated. Drawing on negotiation analysis, it is argued that the existing and proposed climate treaties fail to meet the national interests of any party. An alternative strategy for addressing climate change is proposed that reframes the overall approach to reflect all countries’ development needs and links climate protection goals to the development structure of the treaty. The current deadlock over emissions reductions might be overcome and a mutual gains agreement reached by directing international cooperation towards promoting the provision of clean energy services for development and ensuring universal access to those services as part of an ‘early action’ agenda that will complement efforts to utilize forests and reduce other GHGs from multiple sectors.     

Comment on “Constraints on the source of lunar cataclysm impactors” (Cuk et al., 2010, Icarus 207, 590-594)

Cuk et al. (Cuk, M., Gladman, B.J., Stewart, S.T. [2010]. Icarus 207, 590-594) argue that the projectiles bombarding the Moon at the time of the so-called lunar cataclysm could not have been mainbelt asteroids ejected by purely gravitational means, in contradiction with a conclusion that was reached by Strom et al. (Strom, R.G., Malhotra, R., Ito, T., Yoshida, F., Kring, D.A. [2005]. Science 309, 1847-1850). We demonstrate that Cuk et al.’s argument is erroneous because, contrary to their arguments, the lunar highlands do register the cataclysm impacts, lunar class 1 craters do not represent the size distribution of the cataclysm craters, and the crater size distributions on the late-forming basins are quite similar to those of the highlands craters, albeit at a lower number density due to the rapid decline of the impact flux during the cataclysm.     

Social and ecological constraints on decision making by transhumant pastoralists: a case study from the Moroccan Atlas Mountains

Transhumant pastoralism is an important activity in southern Morocco. Migration pattern of transhumant pastoralists can be affected by physical factors (e.g. droughts and diseases) or socioeconomic factors (e.g. schooling options for children and migration costs). We studied the spatio-temporal rangeland usage of the three tribes Ait Mgoun, Ait Zekri, and Ait Toumert in the south-central Atlas region with a two-fold approach. First, we tracked the migration movements of one representative transhumant herd using the Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS) collars, which record coordinates from satellite signals. Second, we interviewed herders to obtain information about general grazing practices of the respective tribe and to gain more direct information on motivations underlying decisions. For each tribe we observed small-, medium- and large-scale movements. We found that the most important drivers of migration decisions were seasonal fodder availability and weather conditions in combination with herd-specific risk and cost assessment, as well as personal factors. In conclusion, general migration patterns vary in time, both between and within the tribes, but according to a regulatory framework. Moreover, it appears that both the customary rules and its flexible adaptation to physical constraints are generally beneficial in terms of conservation of the arid and semiarid rangeland resources.     

Sand dune movement in the Victoria Valley, Antarctica

We use vertical aerial photographs and LiDAR topographic survey data to estimate dune migration rates in the Victoria Valley dunefield, Antarctica, between 1961 and 2001. Results confirm that the dunes migrated an average of 1.5 m/year. These values are consistent with other estimates of dune migration from cold climate deserts and are significantly lower than estimates from warm deserts. Dune migration rates are retarded by the presence of entrained ice, soil moisture and a reversing wind regime. Dune absorption, merging and limb extension are apparent from the time-series images and account for significant changes in dune form and the field-scale dune pattern. Dune-field pattern analysis shows an overall increase in dune-field organization with an increase in mean dune spacing and a reduction in total crest length and defect density. These data suggest that dunes in other cold desert environments on Earth, Mars or Titan, that may also have inter-bedded frozen laminae, still have the potential to migrate and organize, albeit at lower rates than dunes in warm deserts.     

Variation in organochlorine accumulation in relation to the life history of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica

Members of the catadromous eel live in various fresh, brackish and marine habitats. Therefore, these eels can accumulate organic pollutants and are a suitable bioindicator species for determining the levels of organic contaminants within different water bodies. The ecological risk for organochlorine compounds (OCs) in Anguilla japonica with various migration patterns, such as freshwater, estuarine and marine residences, was examined to understand the specific accumulation patterns. The concentrations of HCB, ∑HCHs, ∑CHLs and ∑DDTs in the silver stage (maturing) eel were significantly higher than those in the yellow stage (immature) eel, in accordance with the higher lipid contents in the former versus the latter. The OC accumulations were clearly different among migratory types in the eel. The ecological risk of OCs increased as the freshwater residence period in the eel lengthened. The migratory histories and the lipid contents directly affected the OC accumulation in the catadromous eel species.