Peripherality and Humor in the Iranian Art Film

This paper examines a range of post-revolutionary Iranian art films, mostly those watched primarily outside the country via festival screenings, in the context of the relationship between the tropes of peripherality and humor. It argues for the significance and complexity of both terms in the context of this cinema and of the global image of Iran and its peoples. Having examined a kind of humor based on the geographic periphery, specifically derived from relationships between technology, car, and camera, it concludes by reflecting on the advent of new technologies, and social constraints and opportunities in the Iranian art cinema today.     

Mass Migration and the Polynesian Settlement of New Zealand

This paper reintroduces the concept of mass migration into debates concerning the timing and nature of New Zealand’s settlement by Polynesians. Upward revisions of New Zealand’s chronology show that the appearance of humans on the landscape occurred extremely rapidly, and that within decades settlements had been established across the full range of climatic zones. We show that the rapid appearance of a strong archaeological signature in the early 14th century AD is the result of a mass migration event, not the consequence of gradual demographic growth out of a currently unidentified earlier phase of settlement. Mass migration is not only consistent with the archaeological record but is supported by recent findings in molecular biology and genetics. It also opens the door to a new phase of engagement between archaeological method and indigenous Maori and Polynesian oral history and tradition.     

Language as a public good and national identity: Scotland's competing heritage languages

The preservation of one or several historically and culturally important languages may be a salient political issue in some polities. Although they may not be used as an active means of communication, these languages can also serve a symbolic identitary function. These ‘heritage’ languages can be seen as ‘public goods’ and that even non‐speakers of these languages can have opinions regarding their importance to national identity. In the Scotland example, while Gaelic has been the focus of proactive government legislation and education initiatives, Scots is still struggling for status as a recognised language. Both languages are in some way constituent parts of Scottish identity that at times may seem in competition with one another. Using original survey data, we delve deeper into questions of language, identity and politics in Scotland. First, we describe how public opinion is divided over the importance of Gaelic and Scots to Scottish identity. Second, we use attitudes towards these languages as a dependent variable looking at Scottish identity and attachment. Finally, we use these attitudes towards Gaelic and Scots as an independent variable in models for party identification in Scotland.     

Pre-Columbian Fishing on the Coast of the Atacama Desert,Northern Chile: An Investigation of Fish Size and Species Distribution Using Otoliths From Camarones Punta Norte and Caleta Vitor

The bountiful marine resources of the northern Chilean coast offset the extreme aridity of the Atacama Desert in pre-Columbian times, underwriting permanent human occupation, and providing the basis for a long tradition of marine subsistence. We analyzed fish otoliths (n = 549) recovered from the sites of Camarones Punta Norte (occupied ca. 7,000–5,000 years ago) and Caleta Vitor (occupied ca. 9,500–300 years ago) to investigate species distribution and changes over time. We also estimated the size of the fish based on relationships between otolith weight and fish total length (TL) obtained from modern samples of the predominant species, Sciaena deliciosa. The estimated size range of S. deliciosa from Caleta Vitor included fish that were significantly larger than those from Camarones Punta Norte, with the maximum TL (970 mm) almost double the modern maximum length documented. The fluctuating abundance of fish species and other marine taxa from Camarones Punta Norte indicates intense but sporadic use of the site over the span of occupation. In contrast, human occupation of the Caleta Vitor estuary is more continuous. Comparisons of the fish assemblages with a nearby contemporaneous site, Quebrada de los Burros in southern Peru, suggest that fishing technologies were similar along this section of the Pacific coast.     

Geographically Weighted Discriminant Analysis

In this article, we propose a novel analysis technique for geographical data, Geographically Weighted Discriminant Analysis. This approach adapts the method of Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), allowing the modeling and prediction of categorical response variables. As with GWR, the relationship between predictor and response variables may alter over space, and calibration is achieved using a moving kernel window approach. The methodology is outlined and is illustrated with an example analysis of voting patterns in the 2005 UK general election. The example shows that similar social conditions can lead to different voting outcomes in different parts of England and Wales. Also discussed are techniques for visualizing the results of the analysis and methods for choosing the extent of the moving kernel window.     

Some Notes on Parametric Significance Tests for Geographically Weighted Regression

The technique of geographically weighted regression (GWR) is used to model spatial 'drift' in linear model coefficients. In this paper we extend the ideas of GWR in a number of ways. First, we introduce a set of analytically derived significance tests allowing a null hypothesis of no spatial parameter drift to be investigated. Second, we discuss 'mixed' GWR models where some parameters are fixed globally but others vary geographically. Again, models of this type may be assessed using significance tests. Finally, we consider a means of deciding the degree of parameter smoothing used in GWR based on the Mallows C_p statistic. To complete the paper, we analyze an example data set based on house prices in Kent in the U.K. using the techniques introduced.     

Allometric Analysis and Stream Channel Morphometry

The concept of allometric change, developed and widely applied in biology, is outlined, and the nature of static allometric changes in stream channel size, relative to drainage area, is considered at a variety of scales. Field observations from Devon, England, allow analysis of the allometric variations along individual channels, between tributaries within a network, and between streams within a region. Data collected from the literature allow these to be viewed in a global perspective. The analysis confirms the applicability and value of the concept of allometric change to channel form studies and suggests a tendency for streams to reach a steady-state allometric situation when channel capacity increases at the same rate as drainage area. The importance of a range of factors in affecting the nature of the allometric relationships is also assessed.