SocialPosition : Social Position Indicators Construction Toolbox

This R package provides to sociologists (and related scientists) a toolbox to facilitate the construction of social position indicators from survey data. Social position indicators refer to what is commonly known as social class and social status. There exists in the sociological literature many theoretical conceptualisation and empirical operationalization of social class and social status. This first version of the package offers tools to construct the International Socio-Economic Index of Occupational Status (ISEI) and the Oesch social class schema. It also provides tools to convert several occupational classifications (PCS82, PCS03, and ISCO08) into a common one (ISCO88) to facilitate data harmonisation work, and tools to collapse (i.e. group) modalities of social position indicators

Effects of electromagnetic waves on the electrical properties of contacts between grains

A DC electrical current is injected through a chain of metallic beads. The electrical resistances of each bead-bead contacts are measured. At low current, the distribution of these resistances is large and log-normal. At high enough current, the resistance distribution becomes sharp and Gaussian due to the creation of microweldings between some beads. The action of nearby electromagnetic waves (sparks) on the electrical conductivity of the chain is also studied. The spark effect is to lower the resistance values of the more resistive contacts, the best conductive ones remaining unaffected by the spark production. The spark is able to induce through the chain a current enough to create microweldings between some beads. This explains why the electrical resistance of a granular medium is so sensitive to the electromagnetic waves produced in its vicinity.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

MILES extended: Stellar population synthesis models from the optical to the infrared

We present the first single-burst stellar population models which covers the optical and the infrared wavelength range between 3500 and 50000 Angstrom and which are exclusively based on empirical stellar spectra. To obtain these joint models, we combined the extended MILES models in the optical with our new infrared models that are based on the IRTF (Infrared Telescope Facility) library. The latter are available only for a limited range in terms of both age and metallicity. Our combined single-burst stellar population models were calculated for ages larger than 1 Gyr, for metallicities between [Fe/H] = -0.40 and 0.26, for initial mass functions of various types and slopes, and on the basis of two different sets of isochrones. They are available to the scientific community on the MILES web page. We checked the internal consistency of our models and compared their colour predictions to those of other models that are available in the literature. Optical and near infrared colours that are measured from our models are found to reproduce the colours well that were observed for various samples of early-type galaxies. Our models will enable a detailed analysis of the stellar populations of observed galaxies.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, published in A&

Formation and evolution of dwarf early-type galaxies in the Virgo cluster II. Kinematic Scaling Relations

We place our sample of 18 Virgo dwarf early-type galaxies (dEs) on the V-K - velocity dispersion, Faber-Jackson, and Fundamental Plane (FP) scaling relations for massive early-type galaxies (Es). We use a generalized velocity dispersion, which includes rotation, to be able to compare the location of both rotationally and pressure supported dEs with those of early and late-type galaxies. We find that dEs seem to bend the Faber-Jackson relation of Es to lower velocity dispersions, being the link between Es and dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs). Regarding the FP relation, we find that dEs are significantly offset with respect to massive hot stellar systems, and re-casting the FP into the so-called kappa-space suggests that this offset is related to dEs having a total mass-to-light ratio higher than Es but still significantly lower than dSph galaxies. Given a stellar mass-to-light ratio based on the measured line indices of dEs, the FP offset allows us to infer that the dark matter fraction within the half light radii of dEs is on average >~ 42% (uncertainties of 17% in the K band and 20% in the V band), fully consistent with an independent estimate in an earlier paper in this series. We also find that dEs in the size-luminosity relation in the near-infrared, like in the optical, are offset from early-type galaxies, but seem to be consistent with late-type galaxies. We thus conclude that the scaling relations show that dEs are different from Es, and that they further strengthen our previous findings that dEs are closer to and likely formed from late-type galaxies.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figures, 2 appendixes. Accepted for publication in A&

Parallax diagnostics of radiation source geometric dilution for iron opacity experiments

Experimental tests are in progress to evaluate the accuracy of the modeled iron opacity at solar interior conditions [J.E. Bailey et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 058101 (2009)]. The iron sample is placed on top of the Sandia National Laboratories z-pinch dynamic hohlraum (ZPDH) radiation source. The samples are heated to 150 - 200 eV electron temperatures and 7e21 - 4e22 e/cc electron densities by the ZPDH radiation and backlit at its stagnation [T. Nagayama et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 056502 (2014)]. The backlighter attenuated by the heated sample plasma is measured by four spectrometers along +/- 9 degree with respect to the z-pinch axis to infer the sample iron opacity. Here we describe measurements of the source-to-sample distance that exploit the parallax of spectrometers that view the half-moon-shaped sample from +/-9 degree. The measured sample temperature decreases with increased source-to-sample distance. This distance must be taken into account for understanding the sample heating.Comment: Published online 17 July 2014 (http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/rsi/85/11/10.1063/1.4889776

Earliest history of coal mining and grindstone quarrying at Joggins, Nova Scotia, and its implications for the meaning of the place name “Joggins”

The rich history of coal mining and grindstone quarrying at Joggins, Nova Scotia, prior to Lyell’s visit in 1842 is less well known than its subsequent history. Franquelin first observed coal there in 1686, and within little more than a decade Acadian coal mines had sprung up at the Coal Cliffs. Following the British acquisition of Nova Scotia in 1713, the coal mines attracted Captain Belcher and other New England traders, who loaded their ships with coal for sale in Boston. In 1731, eager to impose duty on this unregulated trade, the Nova Scotia Council sponsored a British coal mine at Joggins operated by Major Cope. Unable to safely load ships at the Coal Cliffs, Cope constructed a wharf and coal depot at Gran’choggin (present-day Downing Cove), seven miles to the north of the mine. It was by association with this depot that the Coal Cliffs later became known as Joggins. Cope’s coal mine survived less than eighteen months before the Mi’kmaq, aided and abetted by Acadians, destroyed the site in 1732. Following this episode, Acadians worked the Joggins coal mines until they fell under the control of British forces engaged in the Seven Years War in 1756. Subsequently, the Lords of Trade suppressed coal mining at Joggins, fearing it would harm British imports, and full-scale operations did not recommence until 1847. During this lull, the grindstone industry boomed. Beginning sometime before 1764, the principal stone quarries operated at Lower Cove, where the famous Blue-Grit was cut. Grindstone quarries were also worked on the Maringouin Peninsula and the two opposing sides of Chignecto Bay became known as the North and South Joggins. RÉSUMÉ On connaît moins bien le riche passé de l’extraction du charbon et de la pierre meulière à Joggins, Nouvelle‑Écosse, avant la visite de Lyell en 1842, que son passé subséquent. Franquelin y avait observé du charbon pour la première fois en 1686 et en l’espace d’un peu plus d’une décennie, plusieurs mines de charbon acadiennes étaient apparues à Coal Cliffs. À la suite de l’acquisition de la Nouvelle‑Écosse par les Britanniques en 1713, les mines de charbon ont attiré le capitaine Belcher et d’autres commerçants de la Nouvelle‑Angleterre qui chargeaient leurs vaisseaux de charbon pour le vendre à Boston. En 1731, impatient d’imposer des droits sur ce commerce non réglementé, le Conseil de la Nouvelle‑Écosse a parrainé l’exploitation à Joggins d’une mine de charbon britannique exploitée par le major Cope. Incapable de charger de façon sécuritaire les navires à Coal Cliffs, Cope construisit un quai et un dépôt de charbon à Gran’choggin (anse Downing actuelle), à sept milles au nord de la mine. L’association à ce dépôt a plus tard conféré à Coal Cliffs le nom de Joggins. La mine de charbon de Cope a subsisté moins de 18 mois jusqu’à ce que les Micmacs, aidés et soutenus par les Acadiens, détruisirent l’emplacement en 1732. Après cet épisode, les Acadiens ont exploité les mines de charbon de Joggins jusqu’à ce qu’elles tombent sous le contrôle des forces britanniques engagées dans la guerre de Sept Ans en 1756. Les lords du commerce ont subséquemment supprimé l’extraction du charbon à Joggins, par crainte qu’elle fasse tort aux importations britanniques, et l’exploitation à grande échelle n’a pas recommencé avant 1847. Pendant cette période d’accalmie, l’industrie de la pierre meulière a connu un essor notable. Les principales carrières de pierre ont commencé leurs activités dans les années ayant précédé 1764 à Lower Cove, où l’on extrayait le fameux grès dur bleu. Des carrières de pierre meule ont également été exploitées sur la péninsule Maringouin et les deux rives opposées de la baie Chignectou devinrent connues sous les noms de North et South Joggins

New Brunswick and Nova Scotia: the First Geological Field Trip by a North American College

The first known geological excursion by a North American college was conducted in 1835. Twenty staff and students belonging to Williams College — a liberal arts college in Massachusetts, USA — explored the geology bordering the Bay of Fundy in northeast Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Led by two young professors of natural history, Ebenezer Emmons and Albert Hopkins, the party made extensive observations around Pasammaquoddy Bay, Saint John, Parrsboro, and Windsor, as well as more widely through the Minas and Cumberland basins. Although partly following in the footsteps of two pioneering Bostonians, Charles Jackson and Francis Alger, who had reconnoitred the region in the late 1820s, the Williams College party nevertheless made several original observations. One of most important was a study of the anatomy and paleoclimatic significance of permineralized plants from Joggins and Grindstone Island undertaken by Emmons. This was only the second study of its kind worldwide and later inspired William Dawson to do similar work. Largely overlooked by historians of geology, the Williams College expedition, which comprised a four-week voyage of about 1800 km, illustrates well the challenges and opportunities of geological field work in the early Nineteenth Century. RÉSUMÉ La première excursion géologique connue d’un collège nord‑américain a été réalisée en 1835. Vingt membres du personnel et étudiants du Collège Williams — collège d’arts libéraux du Massachusetts, Etats-Unis — ont exploré la géologie des bords de la baie de Fundy dans le nord‑est du Maine, au Nouveau‑Brunswick et en Nouvelle‑Écosse. Le groupe dirigé par deux jeunes professeurs d’histoire naturelle, Ebenezer Emmons et Albert Hopkins, a effectué de nombreuses observations dans les environs de la baie de Passamaquoddy, de Saint‑Jean, de Parrsboro et de Windsor, ainsi que dans des secteurs plus étendus à l’intérieur des bassins Minas et Cumberland. Même si le groupe du Collège Williams a en partie suivi les pas de deux pionniers de Boston, Charles Jackson et Francis Alger, qui avaient effectué une reconnaissance de la région vers la fin des années 1820, il a néanmoins fait plusieurs observations originales. L’une des plus importantes a été l’étude de l’anatomie et de l’importance paléoclimatique des végétaux minéralisés de Joggins et de l’île Grindstone réalisée par Emmons. Il s’agissait seulement de la deuxième étude du genre à l’échelle mondiale; elle a ultérieurement inspiré Williams Dawson à exécuter des travaux similaires. Largement négligée par les historiens de géologie, l’expédition du Collège Williams, qui a comporté un voyage de quatre semaines d’environ 1 800 kilomètres, illustre bien les défis et les possibilités qui s’offraient dans le domaine des travaux géologiques sur le terrain au début du 19e siècle. [Traduit par la redaction