Les kystes de dinoflagellés du Crétacé moyen de la marge atlantique brésilienne, le bassin de Santos

Organic dinoflagellate cysts are studied from the sedimentary sequence of hole 1-SPS-14A, drilled during oil exploration in the Santos Basin, Brazilian continental margin. The Ariri and Florianópolis Formations (Transitional sequence) do not contain any dinocysts. The oldest found dinocysts occur at the base of the Drift sequence in sediments, within platform carbonates of the Guarujá Formation. Continuous sea-level rise throughout the late Albian and Cenomanian submerged the carbonate platform with the terrigenous input of the Itanhaém Formation. The transgressive phase reached its peak during the Cenomanian/Turonian transition. Pelites were deposited during oceanic anoxic event (OAE-2), consisting the lower part of the Itajaí-Açu Formation. Normal oceanic conditions re-established in the late Turonian. The Brazilian dinocyst assemblage has tethyan affinities. Some species (i.e., Dinopterygium cladoides, Litosphaeridium arundum, Odontochitina rhakodes and Systematophora cretacea) suggest a middle Albian age for the carbonate platform of the Guarujá Formation. The lower part of the Guarujá Formation was not dated by other microfossils. An uppermost Albian or lower Cenomanian age is suggested for the base of the Itanhaém Formation on the basis of species Palaeohystrichophora infusorioides and Ovoidinium verrucosum. The Cenomanian-Turonian boundary cannot be characterized by dinocysts. Species Atopodinium iuvene, which is known from Turonian sediments in Europe, was found at the top of the Itajaí-Açu Formation. The observed dinocyst bioevents (i.e., last occurrence) are correlated with known foraminiferal, nannofossil and other palynological bioevents. The diversity of the assemblages remains constant throughout the various palaeoenvironments as these are reflected by the Guarujá and Itajaí-Açu Formations, but relative abundances of taxa are variable. Genera Coronifera, Florentinia, Ovoidinium, Spiniferites and Trichodinium are abundant in the carbonate platform assemblages (Guarujá Formation). Genera Cribroperidinium and Cyclonephelium are abundant in detrital sediments (Itajaí-Açu Formation). Only one species (Subtilisphaera guarujaensis n. sp.) is restricted to the carbonate platform environment.     

Les Ostracodes de la partie supérieure de la Formation deTeferguenite (Givétien) et de la Formation de Marhouma (Givétien-Famennien) de la coupe du km 30 (Saoura,Sahara algérien)

More than fifty ostracod species, twenty-two of which are Entomozoacea, have been identified in the upper part of the Teferguenite Formation and in the Marhouma Formation. The zonal sequence established on the Entomozoacea is applicable to the Frasnian and the Famennian of the Algerian Sahara; seven zones are recognized. One new species, Tubulibairdia marhoumaensis nov. sp., is described.     

Conodontes de la coupe de Reun Ar C'Hrank en Lanvéoc (Rade de Brest) emsien du massif Armoricain (France) corrélations biostratigraphiques

In the Reun ar C'Hrank section (Rade de Brest), the Conodonts from just above the base of the Beg an Arreun Formation of the Troaon Group in the Armorican Massif indicate the Polygnathus laticostatus Zone, which belongs to the highest Zlichvian and the base of the Dalejan. Species of Icriodus from the same beds indicate a correlation with the lower and middle part of the Hierges Formation, which represents the Upper Emsian in the Ardennes. Conodonts from Le Fret Formation are tentatively assigned an Upper Emsian/Dalejan age.     

Polen y esporas de la Formación La Irene (Maastrichtiano), sudoeste de la provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina: primeros resultados

Palynological assemblages are reported for the first time for the La Irene Formation, southwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. This unit represents the sedimentation during a regressive period from transitional or delta-plain to fluvial environments. Palynological assemblages are scarce and moderately well preserved. They mainly consist of continental elements (wood remains, cuticles, spores and pollen grains) with scarse marine palynomorphs (dinoflagellate cysts). The spore-pollen assemblages are dominated by fern spores, followed by angiosperm and gymnosperm pollen grains. Bryophyte spores and fungal remains are also present. Among ferns, Cyatheaceae and spores of Laevigatosporites, of uncertain affinity, are dominant. Of the angiosperm pollen, those of Chloranthaceae (Clavatipollenites sp.) and Arecaceae (Arecipites spp., Longapertites sp., Spinizonocolpites hialinus Archangelsky and Zamaloa) are the most abundant. Pollen of Liliaceae (Liliacidites spp.), Proteaceae (Proteacidites sp., Peninsulapollis gillii (Cookson) Dettmann and Jarzen, Retidiporites camachoii Archangelsky) and Ericaceae (Ericipites scabratus Harris) are also present. Gymnosperm pollen is represented by Podocarpaceae (Podocarpidites spp.) and Ephedraceae (Equisetosporites sp.). These palynological suites would represent a fern-angiosperm dominated coastal vegetation, developed under warm and at least locally humid climatic conditions. La Irene Formation is considered Maastrichtian in age based on stratigraphic evidence, which is, in turn consistent with the ages suggested by the species ranges and the similarities observed with others previously described assemblages. This is the southernmost record of Spinizonocolpites, similar to the extant mangrove palm Nypa.     

Remaniement de spores devoniennesdans le Famennien de la rade de Brest (France)

The shales of the Zorn Formation, in the Zorn Creek (presqu'ile de Crozon, Finistère) have been attributed until now to the Frasnian age. They contain spores which give evidence for an Upper Famennian age and show an important reworking of older spores. An erosion of sediments back to the Emsian connected with the Bretonic phase of the variscan orogeny is possible.     

Dientes de Theropoda (Dinosauria: Saurischia) de la Formación Bajo Barreal, Cretácico Superior, Provincia del Chubut, Argentina

Theropod teeth from the Bajo Barreal Formation (Upper Cretaceous: Cenomanian-Turonian) at the “estancia Ocho Hermanos”, Chubut Province are described. Most of them show features of Abelisauroidea, a clade already represented in the Bajo Barreal Formation by Xenotarsosaurus bonapartei and other isolated remains including a left maxilla. Dromaeosauridae and Carcharodontosauridae represent the first record of these taxa for the Bajo Barreal Formation. Besides this, at least three theropod clades (Abelisauroidea, Carcharodontosauridae, and Dromaeosauridae) coexisted in central Patagonia during the Cenomanian-Turonian along with other theropods as Aniksosaurus darwini and Megaraptor sp.     

Deux nouveaux sites à traces de pas dinosauroïdes dans la Formation Dolomitique de l’Hettangien de Lozère,Languedoc-Roussillon,France

Recent ichnological studies revealed two new localities showing dinosaur footprints in the Hettangian Dolomitic Formation from the Causses Basin, southern France. The traces are reported from the northern part of the basin, in Lozère, an area where Lower Jurassic dinosaur ichnites were poorly documented. The surfaces bearing footprints are characterized by a large number of traces. The ichnites are ascribed to Grallator (Hitchcock, 1858), Dilophosauripus (Welles, 1971) and Eubrontes (Hitchcock, 1845) whose trackmakers were theropods. Although numerous tracksites were previously described in the southern part of the Causses Basin, these three ichnotaxa are for the first time observed in association into the Dolomitic Formation.     

Restes de vertebres et de mollusques continentauxdans le Villafranchien de la Sardaigne

Remains of vertebrates of Villafranchian age have been found in the Nuraghe Su Casteddu (Nuoro, Sardinia) formation. The fossiliferous layer contain a rich fauna of continental molluscs. The composition of the vertebrate fauna is as follows: Rana sp., ? Coluber sp., Aves indet., Episoriculus aff. gibberodon PETENYI, Talpa sp., Chiroptera indet. and Rodentia indet. It is the first discovery of Villafranchian vetebrates in Sardinia.     

Efectividad de la vacuna antigripal en la prevención de la gripe en personas mayores de 65 años

IntroductionInfluenza is one of the diseases with the greatest epidemiological impact and of maximum relevance in the management of health services. The flu vaccine can have great variability each season, so our objective was to find out the effectiveness of the flu vaccine for the 2017/2018 season for the prevention of severe cases of flu in people over 65 years of age in a 385-bed acute general hospital.Material and methodStudy of cases and controls. All hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza older than 65 years during the 2017/2018 season were included. Those who met the criteria for a severe case of influenza were considered cases. Those who did not meet the severity criteria were considered controls. Factors associated with the development of severe influenza were calculated.ResultsThe median age was 68 years (SD 91.87). The attack rate was 0.23 per hundred inhabitants and the vaccine effectiveness was 38%. The vaccinated and unvaccinated groups were different in terms of age (p < 0.0481). Vaccination status against severe influenza was found to be an independent protective factor (OR = 0.840; 0.746-0.913).ConclusionsThe effectiveness of influenza vaccination provided greater protection against infection and reduced the severity of influenza in older hospitalized patients. These findings should be taken into account to improve vaccination strategies and achieve better vaccination coverage in the population at risk.     

Ostracodes de la Formation de Bhanness,Kimméridgien (Jurassique supérieur) du Liban central : taxonomie,paléoécologie et paléobiogéographie

A microfauna composed of 11 species of ostracodes belonging to 11 genera have been recovered from the Bhanness Formation of Kimmeridgian age, in Central Lebanon. Four species are new and are described herein: Ektyphocythere dahressawanensis nov. sp., Dicrorygma (Orthorygma) libanensis nov. sp., Citrella? elongata nov. sp. and Procytherura inflata nov. sp. From a palaeobiogeographical standpoint, this fauna characterizes the North Gondwana province which differs from the South Gondwana province, particularly by the presence of the genus Schuleridea and the absence of the genus Majungaella.     

Ostracodes limniques de la Formation d'Irbzer, Crétacé terminal du Moyen-Atlas, Maroc : taxonomie, biostratigraphie, paléoécologie, paléobiogéographie

An association of limnic ostracodes has been discovered in the upper part of the Irbzer Formation, of Maastrichtian age, in the Moroccan Middle-Atlas. A new species is described, Gomphocythere achloujensis nov. sp. Paracandona occitanica, which is very common in terminal Cretaceous non-marine deposits of southern Europe (France, Spain), is found for the first time on the south Tethyan margin.     

Asociación entre la realización de ejercicio e indicadores de funcionamiento físico y cognitivo. Comparativa de resultados en función de la edad

Background

Gerontology research shows the importance of physical exercise for active aging. This study demonstrates the relationship between the practice of aerobic exercise, and physical fitness (muscle strength, respiratory capacity and motor speed) and cognitive performance (memory and visual-perceptual speed) and analyzes whether age is a modulating factor of this relationship.

Material and methods

The sample included 690 subjects with an age range of 30-85 years. The level of physical exercise was assessed using self-report form. Two sub-scales were used for the evaluation of cognitive performance: Digit Span Backwards and Digit Symbol (both are sub-scales of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - WAIS). The physical fitness was assessed using bio-behavioral measurements (strength, lung capacity, speed). To test the combined effect of exercise and age on the two variables (physical fitness and cognitive performance) two separate factorial analysis of variance were performed (procedure - general linear model: Univariate).

Result

The most significant result showed that scores on cognitive performance is a function of the intensity of the physical activity (F=4.8; P<0.002). With regard to physical fitness, its relationship with physical exercise is also significant (F=4.10; P<0.007) as well as the interaction between exercise and age (F=2.2; P<0.001).

Conclusions

The intensity in achieving aerobic exercise is associated with physical fitness and cognitive performance. Age has a specific weight in the association between exercise and physical fitness, this effect is higher in the older age groups (65-74 and 75-85 years for 30-49 and 50-64 years). These data suggest the compensatory effect of exercise on decline in old age.     

Palynostratigraphical dating of the Lower Cretaceous Peñaferruz Formation,San Pedro de Antromero Beach (Asturias Region,northwestern Iberian Peninsula)

A palynological assemblage of five Lower Cretaceous stratigraphic levels corresponding to the Peñaferruz Formation in San Pedro de Antromero Beach, has been studied to determine the exact age of this formation. An age no older than the Aptian is suggested on the basis of the palynoflora, based on the presence of Trilobosporites hannonicus, Cicatricosisporites venustus, Cicatricosisporites berouensis, Ephedripites dudarensis, and Reticulisporites semireticulatus. This age assignment implies a new relationship between the Peñaferruz and Antromero formations, the Peñaferruz Formation being younger than previously thought. This possibly makes both formations contemporaneous, at least at the San Pedro de Antromero Beach section, suggesting a lateral change of facies between these deposits.     

Première datation du Turolien à la base de la formationde Guadix (secteur d'alba,Almeria, Espagne)

In the North of Abla (Almeria), SE of the Guadixbasin some bones of Hipparion gromovae granatenseAguirre have been found this has allowed us to date, for the first time, the bottom of the Formation of Guadix as upper Turolian.     

Un nuevo basicráneo de titanosaurio de la Formación Allen (Campaniano-Maastrichtiano), Provincia de Río Negro, Patagonia, Argentina

We describe a new titanosaurian braincase (MML-194), from the Upper Cretaceous (middle Campanian-lower Maastrichtian) of Río Negro Province, Argentina. Among titanosaurs, this specimen resembles Bonatitan reigi, more than any other member of the clade; the similarity is based on the supraoccipital protuberance bearing a median groove (also present in Saltasaurus and Rapetosaurus), the prominent basal tubera, the exit for the nerve VII located on the prootic crest, the occipital condyle and the foramen magnum almost of the same width. This material allows to observe some internal structures that are not appreciable in other titanosaurs, such as the pituitary cavity, the dorsum sellae and the foramen for the passage of the internal carotids, among other characters. The specimen MML-194 and Bonatitan were exhumed of same geological unit, the Allen Formation, from which have also been collected fossil eggs assignable to sauropods (megalooliths), for what is not unlikely that some of these taxa has been responsible of the laying of those eggs.     

Découverte d’une nouvelle faune d’âge cénomanien dans la région de Forthassa (Atlas saharien occidental,Algérie) : Implications biostratigraphiques et paléoenvironnementales

The upper Cretaceous of the eastern part of the Ksour Mountains (Western Saharan Atlas, Algeria) is classically subdivided into three fossiliferous lithostratigraphic formations: El Rhelida (lower Cenomanian), Mdaouer (lower-middle Cenomanian) and Rhoundjaïa (upper Cenomanian-lower Turonian). The western part of the Ksour Mountains, which is less documented and poorly known, is here the subject of a detailed sedimentological and palaeontological study. Near Hassi Djeifa locality (Forthassa) the upper Cretaceous is represented by the upper part of Mdaouer Formation and by the lowermost part of Rhoundjaïa Formation. The deposits attributed to the Mdaouer Formation are composed of reddish or green marlstone intercalated by biolaminated limestone, bioclastic limestone with gastropods and bivalves, and sandstone. The selachians (Mafdetia tibniensis, Baharipristis bastetiae), pycnodontiform fishes, and ostracod fauna (Damonella spp., Ilyocypris? sp., Cypridea sp., Paracypria? sp.) coming from marly beds are studied in detail. The two selachian species (Order of Rajiformes) were so far restricted to the Early Cenomanian of Egypt. Our sedimentological and palaeontological data support a probable Early Cenomanian age of the studied deposits and indicate a coastal plain palaeoenvironment continually influenced by the action of tide.     

Découverte de charophytes de l’Albien dans la Formation Kebar (Tunisie centrale) : implications paléoécologiques et paléobiogéographiques

In Tunisia, in the platform domain, the Aptian-Albian transition is associated with a major stratigraphic gap not precisely dated, which is related to the subaerial exposure of the Aptian Orbata platform. Locally, in central Tunisia (Jebel Kebar), this gap is substituted by the sedimentary records of the Kebar Formation. This formation provided a rich association of fossil charophytes, formed by Atopochara trivolvis trivolvis, Clavator harrisii zavialensis and Sphaerochara verticillata which allows attributing it to the late Aptian–early Albian interval (most probably early Albian). In addition, a new variety, Sphaerochara verticillata var. kebariensis, is described. The charophyte assemblage shows significant biogeographic affinities with a coeval flora found in the Iberian Peninsula. The Kebar Formation was previously regarded as exclusively nonmarine, but the presence of the assemblage of charophytes and associated ostracods described rather indicates a fluctuation between margino-littoral (lagoonal) and continental environments.     

Structures de la cabuamine et de la vincorine

Cabuamine is identified as O-methyl-hydrogeno akuammine.     

Le paléoplancton des Grès de Landévennec (Gedinnien de la rade de Brest — Finistère) étude biostratigraphique

In the Gedinnian Landévennec Sandstones Formation(Rade de Brest, Finistère, Massif Armoricain), rich and well-preserved assemblages of organic-walled microplancton were observed. In the Lanvéoc section, worked out bed after bed, fifty-five species of this organic-walled microphytoplancton of uncertain algal affinity and Prasinophyceae are described. Four genera and fifteen species are new in this total. The assemblage shows many relationship to others gedinnian microplancton from Europa. Africa and United States of America.