The Abuse of Migrant Workers by World Cup 2022 Hosts, Qatar: A Case to Be Made for Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (“FIFA”) is an international organization that has described itself as a body that exists to develop the game of football[1] for the benefit of the entire world.[2] One of its visionary goals is to develop and deliver sustainable tournaments around the globe.[3] Despite this, more than 6,500 migrant workers from primarily Asian countries—such as India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka—have died in Qatar since it won the right to host World Cup 2022 ten years ago.[4] While FIFA is not directly responsible for the numerous deaths in Qatar that have resulted from these new construction programs, the organization is actively betraying its goals and has only sought to include countries that will bribe FIFA officials—ostensibly “paying to play.”[5] Although these death records are not categorized by occupation or place of work, many workers who have died in this timeframe were employed on World Cup infrastructure projects.[6] Despite “internal investigations,” FIFA has not found evidence to warrant stripping Qatar of its hosting rights for 2022.[7] This post was originally published on the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution website on November 3, 2021. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

Impact of an AGN featureless continuum on estimation of stellar population properties

The effect of the featureless power-law (PL) continuum of an active galactic nucleus (AGN) on the estimation of physical properties of galaxies with optical population spectral synthesis (PSS) remains largely unknown. With this in mind, we fit synthetic galaxy spectra representing a wide range of galaxy star formation histories (SFHs) and including distinct PL contributions of the form $F_{\nu} \propto \nu^{-\alpha}$ with the PSS code STARLIGHT to study to which extent various inferred quantities (e.g. stellar mass, mean age, and mean metallicity) match the input. The synthetic spectral energy distributions (SEDs) computed with our evolutionary spectral synthesis code include an AGN PL component with $0.5 \leq \alpha \leq 2$ and a fractional contribution $0.2 \leq x_{\mathrm{AGN}} \leq 0.8$ to the monochromatic flux at 4020 \AA. At the empirical AGN detection threshold $x_{\mathrm{AGN}}\simeq 0.26$ that we previously inferred in a pilot study on this subject, our results show that the neglect of a PL component in spectral fitting can lead to an overestimation by $\sim$2 dex in stellar mass and by up to $\sim$1 and $\sim$4 dex in the light- and mass-weighted mean stellar age, respectively, whereas the light- and mass-weighted mean stellar metallicity are underestimated by up to $\sim$0.3 and $\sim$0.6 dex, respectively. Other fitting set-ups including either a single PL or multiple PLs in the base reveal, on average, much lower unsystematic uncertainties of the order of those typically found when fitting purely stellar SEDs with stellar templates, however, reaching locally up to $\sim$1, 3 and 0.4 dex in mass, age and metallicity, respectively. Our results underscore the importance of an accurate modelling of the AGN spectral contribution in PSS fits as a minimum requirement for the recovery of the physical and evolutionary properties of stellar populations in active galaxies.Comment: 18 pages, 22 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Production of Arundo donax and Panicum virgatum in Heavy Metals contaminated soils

The development of alternative feedstocks to substitute petroleum is a challenge. Biomass production and utilization in industrial processes is a growing practice representing a renewable and more sustainable feedstock when compared with petroleum. The cultivation of energy crops on degraded soils reduces the risks associated with land use change, and biomass may represent additional revenue as a feedstock for bioenergy. Switchgrass and giant reed were tested under 450 and 900 mg Zn kg−1, 450 and 900 mg Pb kg−1, 200 and 400 mg Cu kg−1, 300 and 600 mg Cr kg−1, 110 and 220 mg Ni kg−1, and 4 and 8 mg Cd kg−1 contaminated soils, in a two-year pot experiment. After the second year of harvest, the yield of Switchgrass (average aerial 320 g.m−2 and below ground 540 g.m−2) was not affected by Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd contamination, and 110 mg Ni kg−1 but 220 mg Ni kg−1 significantly affected the yields (55–60% reduction). A total plant loss was observed in Cr-contaminated pots. Giant reed aboveground yields (control: 410 g.m−2), in the second year harvest, were significantly affected by all metals and levels of contamination (30–70% reduction), except in 450 mg Zn kg-1 and 110 mg Ni kg−1 pots. The tested metals did not affect the belowground biomass yields (average 1850 g.m−2). The HHV of both crops (18.5 MJ/Kg of dry biomass) were similar and were not affected by contamination at any level, indicating that the biomass can be exploited for bioenergy. The fiber content (average, 74% dry matter) was also not affected by soil contamination. Nevertheless, the increased contents in ash, N and Na, K, Ca, and Mg, derived from the contamination, can limit its application in thermochemical processes.O desenvolvimento de matérias-primas alternativas para substituir o petróleo é um desafio. A produção de biomassa e a sua utilização em processos industriais é uma prática crescente, representando uma matéria-prima renovável e mais sustentável quando comparada ao petróleo. O cultivo de culturas energéticas em solos degradados contribui para reduzir os riscos associados à mudança de uso da terra, e a biomassa produzida pode representar uma receita adicional como matéria-prima para bioenergia. O switchgrass e a cana foram testados em solos contaminados individualmente com 450 e 900 mg Zn kg−1, 450 e 900 mg Pb kg−1, 200 e 400 mg Cu kg−1, 300 e 600 mg Cr kg−1, 110 e 220 mg Ni kg−1, e 4 e 8 mg de Cd kg−1, num ensaio em vasos, com uma duração de dois anos. Os rendimentos de switchgrass (média aérea 320 g.m−2 e radicular de 540 g.m−2), após a colheita do segundo ano, não foram afetados pela contaminação de Zn, Pb, Cu e Cd e 110 mg Ni kg−1, mas 220 mg Ni kg− 1 afetou significativamente os rendimentos (redução de 55–60%). Uma perda total de plantas foi observada em vasos contaminados com Cr. Os rendimentos de cana gigante (parte aérea, controlo: 410 g.m−2), no segundo ano de colheita, foram significativamente afetados por todos os metais e níveis de contaminação (redução de 30-70%), exceto nos vasos contaminados com 450 mg Zn kg-1 e 110 mg Ni kg-1. Os rendimentos de biomassa abaixo do solo (média de 1850 g.m−2) não foram afetados pelos metais testados. O poder calorífico de ambas as culturas (média de 18,5 MJ/kg de biomassa seca) foram semelhantes e não foram afetados pela presença da contaminação, indicando que a biomassa pode ser explorada para bioenergia. O teor de fibra (média, 74% de matéria seca) também não foi afetado pela contaminação do solo. Os maiores teores de cinzas, N e Na, K, Ca e Mg, decorrentes da contaminação, podem limitar a sua aplicação em processos termoquímicos

A WELFARE ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS IN SOUTH AMERICA

How large are welfare costs associated with economic aggregate fluctuations is a topic of great concern among economists at least since Robert Lucas' well-known and thought-provoking exercise in the late 1980s. Our analysis assesses the magnitude of such costs for nine countries in South America by means of three alternative trend-cycle decomposition methods. The results suggest South American countries have welfare costs of economic fluctuations notably higher than the U. S. economy.