A review of the Quaternary Tayassuidae (Mammalia,Artiodactyla) from the Tarija Valley,Bolivia

Five successive events can be widely recognized in the Tremadoc to early Arenig graptolite sequences of the world: 1, appearance of Dictyonema flabelliforme s.l. at the base; 2, appearance of Anisograptus; 3, appearance of Clonograptus and/or Adelograptus; 4, appearance of Temnograptus, Kiaerograptus, large Clonograptus and Tetragraptus; and 5, appearance of Tetragraptus approximatus at the base of the Arenig. The five events are used as a basis for distinguishing 5 successive graptolite assemblages and for correlating Tremadoc sequences. The most precisely and confidently correlated horizon is that of event 5, the appearance of T. approximatus; the next best is that based on event 4. Derivation of the biradiate Anisograptids, Clonograptus, and Adelograptus, from their presumed ancestor, Dictyonema flabelliforme, now appears to have passed through a stratigraphically, if not phyletically, intermediate stage represented by the triradiate Anisograptus, Triograptus and Bryograptus.     

Educating geographers in Spain: geography teaching renewal by implementing the European Higher Education Area

This article discusses the current state of the geography discipline in Spanish Universities after putting into action the European Higher Education Area. After decades of geography teaching, following theoretical and expository discourse models, the so-called Bologna Process has been a great opportunity to reflect what geography should be taught, how geography should be taught and why geography should be taught. Aspects such as competences, employability, learning methodologies, assessment, Geographical Information Systems domain have been incorporated into the renewal of geography teaching in Spanish higher education, which has contributed to the strengthening of geography in a context of geospatial technologies revolution and public awareness of spatial challenges.     

Feasting and Building an Urban Society at Cerro Jazmín,Oaxaca, Mexico

Here we present new excavation data from the urban site of Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca, Mexico. Based on a comparative analysis of ceramic, faunal, botanical, and architectural evidence collected from a prominent city sector and a contemporary residence, we argue that feasting took place in the Sunken Patio Sector in the Late and Terminal Formative periods. Feasting strategies in an earlier occupation of the city sector employed a largely exclusionary strategy, giving way to a more corporate strategy in a later occupation. We take the findings from the Sunken Patio feasting complex as evidence of the formalization of Cerro Jazmin’s urban, regional role as a site of civic-ceremonial activity. Participation in this meaningful act of food consumption may have served to cement communal ties in a nascent urban society.     

‘They installed a speed bump’: children’s perceptions of traffic-calming measures around elementary schools

ABSTRACT

Growing scientific literature evaluates the impact of traffic-calming devices in terms of mobility behavior and safety, but little is known about their perceived impact from the point of view of children. Our study asks children about their perceptions of different traffic-calming measures around their schools. It draws on data gathered through eight focus groups, followed by walking tours with Grade 6 children (11–12 years old) (n?=?65, 27 boys, 38 girls) from elementary schools in different urban contexts in Quebec, Canada. Qualitative analysis of the discussions shows that (a) vehicle speed is the main perceived threat for participant children; (b) children are confident about the effectiveness of self-enforcing traffic-calming devices that reshape the street geometry; and (c) they are skeptical about the effectiveness of ‘informative’ measures such as signs and lines (marked pavement). Our findings inform public policy for a more effective promotion of walking and cycling among children.     

DIET AND ENVIRONMENT IN SOUTH‐EASTERN IBERIA DURING THE BRONZE AGE,BASED ON ISOTOPE ANALYSIS OF HUMAN REMAINS

A large sample of human bones from a series of archaeological sites in the south‐eastern Iberian Peninsula was selected for δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N stable isotope analysis. Except for some contrast samples, the remains date from the first half of the second millennium cal BC and are ascribed to the Argar Culture, which developed during the Bronze Age in south‐eastern Iberia. Most authors have considered that this region reached a high degree of social hierarchical organization at this time, as demonstrated by the funerary record, both with regard to the grave goods and to the evidence of physical effort and diseases on the human remains. Results of the isotope analysis revealed the existence of differences among the settlements studied, as well as differences over time within every settlement and among the various individuals tested. Some variances can be assigned to social classes/status and others are linked to chronological factors. In particular, changes in δ¹³C can be explained by the increasing aridity of the first half of the second millennium cal BC, although other causes can be put forward too.